Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Wednesday August 29, 2018

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

EDITORIAL

BUILDING GUYANA ONE DAY AT A TIME

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t is an established fact that a successful nation cannot be built overnight. It takes time, patience and maturity. The saying that, 'Rome was not built in a day', is true in the case of many instances including the nation building of the world's leading power, the United States where the process continues after 242 years of independence. While Guyana is a young nation in terms of its independence and self-governance, in many ways, it is mature. The display of that maturity was evident in the formation of a Coalition party that became the government in May 2015. Another factor that is crucial to nation building in Guyana is unity—the coming together of all the races to act in unison as one people, one nation, with a common identity spurred by aspirations, goals, achievements and the desire to survive. Unity is oneness that reigns supreme in nation building and in every walk of life. No great achievement in this world could be possible without unity. It allows people to accomplish great things that could never be achieved individually. The word unity is derived from mutual cooperation and harmony among people from different ethnicity for a common cause. The importance of unity can never be underestimated. Inevitably, from unity comes a collective pride, referred to as national pride. National pride exists in communities and the country as a whole. It can lead to extraordinary success by the people who will put the collective interest of their communities and their country ahead of their individual interests. For thousands of years, that kind of unity has been common in human behaviour and has served to make countless nations great. Since gaining political independence in May 1966, Guyana has produced a number of excellent scholars who have excelled in all fields of endeavour, including medicine, engineering, education, poetry and leadership. In addition, Guyana is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, minerals, good weather and more recently oil and gas. However, unity is needed to transfer these products and achievements to other areas of our national life, such as improving the economy, reducing poverty and crime and providing a better life for all. While unity among the races is needed to develop Guyana, we must acknowledge the spirit of our ancestors; the pain, sacrifice, blood, sweat and the tears that they shed to develop the country. Their indomitable strength of unity should propel us to make even greater sacrifice to build a truly independent Guyana for future generations. In the process of nation building, we must be reminded of our history, most notably our ancestors' long, heroic struggle against slavery, colonialism, exploitative domination and control of the underclass, as well as the efforts, which culminated in the attainment of political independence. Our past should provide us with inspiration for us to unite to face the difficult challenges to build a prosperous Guyana. The Spanish poet, philosopher and essayist, George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This is true in our quest for unity and strength for the building of the nation. The phrase, “united we stand, divided we fall” is attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, both directly in his fable, "The Four Oxen and the Lion" and indirectly in "The Bundle of Sticks." It also appears in the Bible in Matthew 12:25: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." It has often been used to inspire unity and collaboration in nation building. Its core concept lies in the collective notion that if individuals with binding ideals work together instead on their own, they are likely to succeed. The motto has prominently appeared as patriotic slogans throughout the United States and many other countries, including Guyana. These prophetic words have inspired the building of many great nations and hopefully, they will motivate us to build Guyana one day at a time.

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

One has to believe Guyana was always a country set-up to be plundered DEAR EDITOR, Guyana is supposed to be launching an Oil Rocket commencing January 01, 2020. We are counting down from September 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019. So from September 1, 2018 we begin the countdown: TMinus 487. It is rather shocking to see the indifference demonstrated by the present regime to the plethora of advisories as to “transparency” in Oil & Gas extractions. So far, no one knows the trajectory of Oil exports and value of the same, which shall accrue to Guyana. No printed definition of any prices. It is pointless to mention how many barrels ExxonMobil is pulling out, but rather, the money Guyana is pulling in. From the looks of things and with great dismay, I do not believe Guyanese will ever see a drop of oil to gloat about from the hill top. What's the price of gasoline at the pumps now? Give daily prices. In the meantime, ExxonMobil's stocks have risen in value based on Guyana's deposits and from which they earn money on assets they do not own. What is this behaviour called? Are

there any regular reports on the economy by Standard & Poor's and Moody credit agencies? Wherefore we see CARICOM highlighting marijuana as an economic booster - something equivalent to alcohol and tobacco requiring useless expenditure - real money boosters are given faint attention. It is said that when a people refuse to learn from their history, they are bound to repeat it. When little countries play with big ones, little ones always lose. Giant countries see Third World people as Lilliputians. Our bifurcated leaders can choose to believe otherwise to their country's detriment. The Yellow Locusts have left our primeval forests in an unsightly mangy ruinous mess. All the money in the world cannot produce one tree. Who can show what money accrued to the nation in exchange for this plunder? What can we show as being built in Guyana from all this lumber? Is anybody still looking for the promised sawmill? How much poverty was alleviated from the millions of cubic feet harvested with marketable wealth in the billions of US

dollars? And here they are grinning and signing another disaster. The Green land of Guyana will resemble Mars shortly if some have their way and sway. We h a v e t o w a r n ourselves that being an oilproducing country, we will add to the Global Warming effect and thus our trees are n o w e v e n m o r e indispensable and must be entitled to the protection from deforestation. Prohibitions must be issued immediately for our own salvation. The upside of the oil business is temporary; the downside is irreversibly tragic. We need to see Import & Export Data reports on list of such items. If it is that so called development loans are the decided future pathway, then, by inference, oil exports will be carted off to fuel more burdens on our poor people. While you are dancing around the 'decorated' Trojan Horse in the day, it will be another world at night when the Octopuses have their play. The Silk Road of “Cotton Gin” grade will lead straight to vacuum cleaners on the foreshore; quantity taken never to be known.

Prosperity to Guyanese will be fruitless under these circumstances. The sugar mill is a lesson for all. How many nations will be building the Lethem to Georgetown road? Wasn't it announced sometime ago that Brazil would be doing this, now we see China is in the action. No approved blueprint or public bidding taking place. Maybe bartering in an “Oil for Road Deal” could be the modus operandi, just as the western neighbour is doing for their purposes. Secrecy on these things is sickening, both for the PPPC in their day and PNCAPNU today. No sense looking to see whether the powers that be, have a Foot Print, Mud Print, Oil Print, Blue Print, Yellow Print, Green Print, Red Print, and Other Print. The Writing is on the Wall. One has to believe Guyana was always a country set-up to be plundered. Guyana will only get the benefits of its endowments when we have devoted and dedicated national leaders. By the way, living under the shelter of another country cannot be a development strategy; this is the genesis of exploitation. John De Barros

Let's test Article 13 - LGE and a referendum to decide cash payout on one ballot DEAR EDITOR, Since Professor Thomas opined that a portion of the expected oil wealth should be shared in the form of cash payouts to households, the debate on this issue has shown no sign of abating. It will not abate because it makes sense, in context. The oil resources belong to the people of Guyana and with due respect, they deserve to have some of the proceeds on an annual basis. While Thomas suggested cash payouts on a household basis, I would like to suggest that the payouts be on an individual basis to everyone over the age of fifteen. That would ensure a fairer distribution, since poor households normally have more individuals, and it is easier to keep track of individuals rather than households. While most of the commentators have given their support, the political class has condemned the

suggestion. The day after Thomas speech, Nigel Hughes said it would cause problems in political campaigns. You cannot fool a ten-year-old that a political party is handing out money if they are told that the yearly handout their dad receives comes from our oil resources – Nigel’s suggestion was an insult to the intelligence of the voting public. Minister Jordan does not like the idea. He prefers spending on social programmes. Anil Nandlall thinks that cash payouts will create a society of parasites. What I see, is a society of parasites constituting successive political elites squandering the resources of the country for their personal aggrandizement since independence. Despite so many commentators had written about cash transfers uplifting the lives of citizens in so many countries, it is reported that Granger has not seen any

precedent of cash payout.The man has his ideas - “seeing is believing” has to be one! We have a glorious opportunity to put article 13 of our constitution to work at the upcoming Local Governement Elections (LGE). We can have a referendum on the issue at little or no cost by extending the LGE ballot paper for voters to vote for or against a 10% yearly cash payout to citizens from our oil revenues. We all know the results of such a referendum will gross 90% in favour of cash payouts. Neither the Coalition nor the PPP will support this idea. Not because they lack the political will, but greed has consumed them all. The society of parasites want it all in their hands! The Libyan dictator (Gaddafi) shared oil monies to his citizens because he felt that, “As long as money is administered by a government body, there

would be theft and corruption”. Will any of our politicians in power or any hoping to get power concur with Gaddafi’s statement? I think not. The fact that neither the Coalition nor the opposition will support a referendum on the issue of cash transfers of oil revenues to the people, tells how distant our constitution is from the hearts of the people. The commercial banks will never support cash payouts to citizens too - their belief is that any monies a citizen needs for however minute an investment must be borrowed from them so that they can make profits as interest. That is the quintessential reason the coalition never gave a thought to instituting its campaign promise of a farmers’ bank. The coalition, like the PPP, chooses to act in collusion with the banking sector and forget about its (Continued on page 6)

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Addressing the crime situation in Guyana: Diagnosis and Solutions DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me to respond to a letter authored by Mrs. Annie Baliram, titled “The majority of Guyanese never fall into crime even though Guyana is poverty stricken”. Mrs. Baliram, I’m not the most articulate person. Most men are not. You ladies are much better at it than us. What I was trying to say in my missive is that socioeconomic inequalities and social breakdown are the greatest determining factors of crime. I am not saying that everyone growing up in poverty will turn to crime; I’m just saying it is a major factor. I will now elaborate on what I meant by providing the ghetto youths a ladder to climb out of the doldrums of poverty and hopefully steer them away from a life of crime. I hope that this may provide a better understanding to Mrs. Baliram and the wider reading public. Recently, we had CXC results. In Guyana, fifteen hundred kids have not passed a subject. In the Caribbean, that number is eleven thousand. We have been celebrating, and rightly so, the 1% that passed twenty subjects, but what will happen to those who were unsuccessful? We recently had common entrance. Again, we would celebrate the 10% that pass to go to the top secondary schools. What will happen with the 90% whose futures have been determined at the age of 11 years? Why do some of these kids fail? In my opinion, it is not because of the lack of ability. It is because of their environment. Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist developed the concept of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Because of limitations of space, I cannot elaborate on it. Essentially what Maslow has postulated is that a learner cannot achieve ‘self actualisation’ (learn and achieve the best), unless the basic physiological needs (food, water, warmth and rest) are met. In poverty, those basic physiological needs are not met, so impoverished kids are at a major disadvantage at becoming the best they can possibly be. Mrs. Baliram, just do an audit of the students in the top secondary schools. I would say at least 90% do not have to worry about basic physiological needs. Most of them are from privileged backgrounds. Now go into the failing secondary schools. At least 90% of them are worrying about basic physiological

needs, hence facing a major impediment to learning. Are privileged kids smarter or are they just fortunate to have better opportunities? Most of our failing kids are from very deprived neighbourhoods. Education is the greatest asset to upward social mobility. Kids who are brought up in those deprived neighbourhoods are stuck there forever. The education system in its nature has failed them. The political system has failed them. The social system has failed them. Not all will turn to crime. The majority will not. A minority will. That minority can create social problems for the majority, so they cannot be ignored. What’s the solution? We have been executing them via extrajudicial killings for decades. Different governments had similar policies and were having the same result. Remember the phantom squad? If killing them was the solution, Guyana should be crimefree by now after the deaths of hundreds were orchestrated. The fact is, the problems persist. I’m not surprised, since we have not been addressing it from the root. Every year we are producing fifteen hundred kids without qualifications. Some will continue the struggle in poverty; raising their kids in poverty. And the cycle continues. Some will look at those getting richer while they are getting poorer and use that as a justification for going into crime. I am not defending it. I am merely stating a fact. For me, the solution to this problem can begin with reforming our education system. We need to attract the best teachers. To do so we need to pay them better. Teachers are forced to have after-school lessons to augment their salaries. The unfortunate fact is that the underprivileged kids cannot pay to go to these lessons or have private tuition. Therefore, they have to contend with the inadequate teaching in school. Parents cannot help, because they were also products of a poor education system. Hence the vicious cycle continues. Failure beget failure.

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The Government should develop policies to help failing schools. I would suggest incentivising teachers to teach in those failing schools. Give them a financial bonus to attract them to offer their services to those failing schools. Headteachers and senior teachers from Grade A schools can play a role in advising those failing schools. Both are practised in other countries. The Government should have state-sponsored vocational colleges. Not everyone has an interest in academic education. Some of us are better with our hands. It is absolutely important that the Government attach equal prestige to these vocational colleges in the exact way we celebrate the 20-CSEC candidate. The Government should also provide financial support for underprivileged families. This could be in the form of school meals, school clothes, school books etc. Parents should have monies on defined conditions. Most of these are single parents. When they are struggling at their three jobs, the kids are left to their own devices. This monetary support should allow them to spend valuable time with their kids. Universities scholarships should be available to the underprivileged kids. Universities should set programmes to admit a defined percentage of children from underprivileged backgrounds even if it means reducing the entry requirements. Not reducing it because they are not smart, but simply because they were at a disadvantage when compared to the privileged kids. Our jails should be renamed correctional facilities and should become correctional facilities. Not just a place where offenders are locked away, but a place where their deviant behaviours are corrected. On leaving those correctional facilities they should be better off than when they enter. Better in employable skills and social interactions. Finally, please allow me to quote Mrs. Baliram (Continued on page 6)

This situation will be a test of integrity for these two gentlemen DEAR EDITOR, The Chairman of any of the Constitutional Service Commission should fulfill the following qualities: 1. Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Commission; 2. Perform the Duties of the Office Fairly, Impartially and Diligently 3. Refrain from Political Activity. To be more specific and in step with the spirit of the Constitution, a Chairman of any of the Constitutional Service Commission should not: • act as a leader or hold any office in a political organization; • make speeches for a political organization or candidate, or publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office; or

• solicit funds for, pay an assessment to, or make a contribution to a political organization or candidate, or attend or purchase a ticket for a dinner or other event sponsored by a political organization or candidate. If such a situation arises, then such a Chairman must resign and vacate their office forthwith in order to protect the integrity of that Constitutional Service Commission. As Head of the Local Government Commission, whose main function is to deal with all matters relating to the local government system, Mr. Mortimer Mingo is expected to be free of party affiliation, much less hold a leadership position in a political party, if the perception is to be preserved that he is independent, without bias and is fit to carry

out his functions professionally and objectively. In this regard, I am calling upon Mr. Mingo to immediately resign and immediately vacate the office of the Chairman of the Local Government Commission. Why? He was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the People’s National Congress Reform at its August 2018 Congress. His engagement in such public political activity prevents him from being a fair actor on the Local Government Commission. You cannot be the regulator and the regulatee at the same time. This situation will be a test of Mr. Mingo’s integrity and by extension his appointer, His Excellency President David Granger. Sasenarine Singh

Teachers, I beg you think again DEAR EDITOR, I began teaching at the age of sixteen years when my father lost the whole of his left arm in a vehicular accident. I was the eldest of ten brothers and sisters, I left Buxton Government Secondary School on that day of the accident, knowing my duty had been upgraded to breadwinner for our family, since my mother had serious heart problems and was also plagued by hypertension. At that age, as a pupil teacher, I was receiving a salary of ninety six dollars and twelve cents ($96.12) per month in 1970 and taught during this period at the Paradise Primary School on the East Coast Demerara. I took those sealed envelopes with that cash unopened for two years to my mother, I woke up at three o’clock every morning to get to the La Penitence wharf to purchase fish and shrimp, which I sold on the market at Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, and at home, we planted a kitchen garden and reared poultry and pigs. In school, I worked with the children writing the Common Entrance Examination, and was responsible for the school’s agriculture (vegetable garden) programme. I functioned also as the

school’s athletic, football and cricket coach. I would eventually leave the job in 1972 in search of a better paying job. In 1990, I returned to teaching at the Golden Grove Secondary School as an untrained teacher receiving $2500 per month performing the duties of History, English, Agriculture and Physical Education Teacher. During this period, I also sold my poems to the public to earn extra cash. At the end of one year, I left the job again due to poor remuneration. Four years later, I would join the University of Guyana to pursue and successfully complete a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, only to continue teaching, counselling, organising and advocating for community development nationwide. The poor remuneration over the years dates back to the colonial era and is not the making of the present administration; this Union’s leaders and teachers must recognise and make decisions within that framework. Males are not attracted to the profession

due to this factor and it is affecting the performance of boys in school, who are not seeing significant numbers of male role models in their classrooms. I am surprised that intelligent people can make decisions to strike when we all know the treasury is incapable of meeting the demands of the teachers. With the current state of our economy and future prospects of our oil and gas industry, the Guyana Teachers’ Union must not seek to hold the nation’s children at ransom. Ras Aaron Blackman Social Worker

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Guyana should withdraw from UNASUR DEAR EDITOR, In April of this year, the Associated Press reported that six countries have suspended their membership in UNASUR, a South American group of nations whose main objective is to ‘diminish US influence’ in the continent. On Monday, one of those six countries announced its complete withdrawal from the group. In announcing his decision, Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said that the UNASUR membership had become toxic and effectively made Colombia “complicit in the Venezuelan dictatorship”. The questions to those remaining member countries; Guyana, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Suriname (and Venezuela) should be whether they continue to believe that US influence in this continent should be reduced, and whether Venezuela, given its unresolved political crisis, is worthy of membership in any regional group of nations.

Of the remaining countries, Guyana has the most reasons to quickly consider whether there are any strategic advantages of its continued membership in UNASUR. After all, the main architect of UNASUR continues to claim most of Guyana, including all the discovered oilfields. Furthermore, how can Guyana objectively be a participant in a group seeking to diminish US regional influence at a time when most of its natural resources will likely be dependent on US markets? To be fair, we must acknowledge that Guyana’s membership in UNASUR was orchestrated by the previous PPP administration and not by APNU/AFC. We have no indications, however, whether our present Foreign Minister or other cabinet members support that PPP decision to join UNASUR. But now that many countries have seen it wise to re-evaluate the value of their membership in the

bloc, we must wonder whether President Granger and his administration are also thinking about it. Without a doubt, many observers will be watching very closely to see what Guyana’s position vis-à-vis membership in UNASUR is. Many would expect Guyana to quickly follow Colombia’s decision by announcing its belief that membership in UNASUR will make Guyana “complicit in the Venezuelan dictatorship”. Or at least that is the hope. Respectfully Max Mohamed

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Let us begin the school year by addressing student discipline “It is easier to build strong children than to fix broken men - Frederick D o u g l a s s Lately, schools have been the centre of discussion regarding their conversion to scenes of abuse and crime. This is in addition to public schools falling behind in other subjects. However, there is one topic that is routinely admitted from any discussion aimed at resolving our education dilemma. That vital

Addressing the crime... From page 4 verbatim.”And so if you want to save the lives of criminals: then teach people good values instead of misleading them and visiting them in jail and attending their funerals”. I ask Mrs. Baliram: What is the link between having good values, visiting criminals in jail, attending their funerals and crime? Should we just lock them away, abandoned and leave them to rot?If I choose to attend the funeral of a ghetto youth who has a mountain of allegations of crimes against him but was killed extrajudicially, I’ll be attending the funeral of a innocent man, simply because he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. That right should be afforded to the high school dropout or the university professor accused of a crime. That does not mean I’m championing crime, it simply means I am sympathising over a man who was denied the right of his day in court. My going to the funeral is not a crime. Extrajudicial killing is a crime. That is what you should condemn Mrs Baliram.Somehow I sense Mrs. Baliram, that you believe extrajudicial killings are only for ghetto youths.Their lives never matter. Do they? Regards Dr Mark Devonish

and critical component is the “disciplinary” shortcomings and realities that exist in far too many of our schools. Moreover, this critical aspect of the teachinglearning process is still being hindered and remedial measures need to be applied. Yes, the number one problem in (too many of) our schools is discipline. There are still too many disruptive students and uncaring parents in our midst. Too often, these students are tolerated and allowed to go unchecked, and too often they prevent teachers from teaching and students from learning. An answer must be found if improvement is to take place. The truth is, discipline problems occur for an assortment of reasons, beginning with family upbringing. The students need help, and parents need to be held accountable for the disruptive conduct and flagrant behaviour of their children. Many of these children get very little support and involvement from their parents and other caregivers. They come to school unprepared: lack of sleep, nourishment, nurturing, supervision, and the like. They come to school without pencil, paper or book, lacking a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for learning. Some of these issues/problems are beyond the scope of the classroom teacher. Correspondingly, these students act out and become disruptive in the classroom to the detriment of everyone else. They lack motivation and fail to understand the importance of getting a “good education.” Too often, parents, and in some cases grandparents do not care, or lack the capacity to bring their children/

grandchildren under control. For a brief moment, imagine how much more progress could be made with our children if we could only eradicate this “discipline problem.” Parental involvement and family support are key components of the “education triad”: student-parent-teacher. One cannot overstress the fact that it requires all three to ensure a quality education for all of our children. Our children need to be and must be encouraged to perform and achieve at their maximum potential. According to the age-old adage, it takes a whole village to raise a child. However, I hold firmly and tenaciously the belief that the parents/ family of that child need to be at the centre and forefront of that village. This calls for the parents/ family to give love, support and guidance. Only they can ensure that this is done – daily, regularly, consistently and unrelentingly . This should be (come) their “labour of love.” My contribution to this matter is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as the issue is highly intricate and innately complex. Furthermore, it must be brought out in the open and dealt with. Alternatively, we will miss an opportunity to “make things better” for all of our children. Therefore, let us begin the new school year by doing our part for all of our children, remembering that classrooms are centres of education and home is where discipline starts. The seeds of discipline are sowed in the home, the flowers of discipline are displayed in the school and the fruits of discipline are reaped by the community at large. Y. Sam

Let’s test Article 13 - LGE ... From page 4 promises. Bankers will never see cash payouts to citizens as a source for larger investments in the future by which much more profits could be made. A lack of jobs, low wages and high cost of living have pervaded our country since independence. They are the contributory factors of poverty. Sociologists have always asserted that these factors are intricately linked to the moral decay of society (crime, suicide, domestic violence and substance abuse). Our political leaders have never spoken of this intricate link since independence. Mentioning that link, would have been a confession of their failure to better the lives of the citizens. Now that one of our natural resources (oil) is about to present an opportunity to offer some redress to the moral decay of society by affording some sort of cash payout to the citizenry, they should not dither. But they will. They are aware that wherever the “resource curse” strikes, the politicians in power are the ones who get wealthy and they crave that. Spending all the oil revenues on infrastructure and savings for future generations while joblessness and poverty prevail, would be the resource curse in reality. Rudolph Singh

Kaieteur News

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Safety of mining workers must be priority – Broomes

Jagdeo pulls PPP from oil and gas consultations Opposition Leader and leader of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo has indicated that his party will not honour any of the invites extended to it for consultations relating to oil and gas. This is Jagdeo’s position even after he had been steadily saying that the PPP plans to treat oil and gas as apolitical. When Kaieteur News reminded of this stance and his commitment to help government make the right decisions to shape Guyana’s future as an oil and gas producing nation, Jagdeo said, “This is very different.” “The seminars and these things are very different to the institutions that we are trying to create to manage the sector. So, we are trying to create a petroleum commission that does not have partisan and is free from politicians. We have given our position already. We do not need to go to another seminar to say that we want an impartial petroleum commission.” Jagdeo said that the PPP’s position is known on other similar matters. “We said remove the Minister’s involvement. We argued for a clear definition between the Energy Department and the petroleum com-

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inister within the Ministry of N a t u r a l Resources, Simona Broomes, on Monday warned that the safety and wellbeing of workers in the mining sector must be a priority. The Minister was at the time addressing a workshop for sand and loam quarry operators, facilitated by the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) at the Herdmanston Lodge. “The safety of the workers is a great concern and should not be taken for granted. It should be at the top. Their safety must come first! We put safety first then the loam and everything else after,” Minister Broomes emphasised. She noted that the work being executed and the success in the mining sector are only possible due to the labours of the workers.

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Minister Simona Broomes As such, it is necessary that their safety comes first. She encouraged the stakeholders at the w o r k s h o p to c o n d u c t their business in a “more safe manner and in a better environment.” M i n i s t e r Broomes noted that the greening of

Guyana’s economy is a responsibility for everyone in the country, not just the government or the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. “Together, we can make a difference of making our country a brighter and better Guyana,” the Minister said.

- Says, “We have already taken our position, we do not need to gaff”

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo mission. I do not need to go to a seminar to say this. We are trying to create a good institution, not go to another seminar to gaff; we have already taken our position,” said Jagdeo. He said that the PPP’s position on Sovereign Wealth Fund is also known and documented. “We believe that the Natural Resource Fund managed by the Central Bank will fall under the Minister, the macro-economic committee will fall under the Minister and so will the investment commit-

tee. Jagdeo said that such a design, as proposed in the Green Paper on the Fund, which Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan presented to the National Assembly, is recipe for too much political control, which will lead to disaster for Guyana. “We know there will be too much political involvement so we will like to see a model that keeps this at arm’s length and we have defined what we would like to see and the principle.” Jagdeo stressed that the powers that be are fully aware of the concerns of the Opposition. He said that consultations such as the one organized by Conservation International is “just a road show”. Further, Jagdeo said that Conservation International has no business organizing consultations. “It’s like the local branch of Conservation International is an arm of government” Jagdeo noted that the invitation for the consultation held last week was sent to PPP Members of Parliament by Conservation International. He said that this is “disrespectful”.

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Wednesday August 29, 2018

GTU to attend conciliation meeting today

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lthough it is not prepared to bring the curtains down on its strike action just yet, the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] in keeping with the law will today [at 13:30 hours] attend a rescheduled conciliation meeting called by Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Charles Ogle. This is according to GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, when he addressed a press conference yesterday. Lyte, however, made it clear that the Union remains adamant that the Chief Labour Officer, and by extension the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, would have compromised their position by pronouncing on salary negotiations between the GTU and the Ministry of Education. The Labour Department, Lyte said, was represented when the two sides met recently to hear government’s position regarding the salary proposal of the GTU. Given the presence of the Labour Department at those meeting, Lyte insisted yesterday that, “the Union has no confidence in the Ministry of Social Protection mediating in an impartial manner at conciliation.” Moreover, Lyte said that the Union is asking for neu-

tral persons to mediate on behalf of the Union. “We will attend this meeting in good fate with the hope that an arbitration panel will be put in place shortly,” said Lyte as he shared the expectation of the Union that the panel will comprise one representative of the GTU, one from government and an agreed chairperson and have clearly agreed terms of reference. But according to Lyte too, “We hope that the agreed terms of resumption of work will be put in place by the two parties involved so that we can move forward with educating the nation’s children. However, Lyte is convinced that the fallout between the Union and the government, which resulted in the GTU- membership commencing nation-wide strike action Monday, should not have even materialised. This is in light of the fact that President David Granger had put measures in place, by way of a Task Force, that should have long addressed the concerns of the Union and by extension its membership. The established Task Force compromised representatives from government and the GTU which was mandated to, among other things, examine the Union’s multi-year

-but demands neutral persons to mediate -blames President Granger for ongoing strike action

GTU President, Mr Mark Lyte, and General Secretary, Ms. Coretta McDonald, flanked by other GTU executive members yesterday. proposal [which was presented to the Education Ministry since November 2015] in its entirety and consider each proposal and make appropriate recommendations. Among the recommendations of the Task Force, according to Lyte, was for a 40 percent salary increase recommended by the Union for teachers in 2016 be retained and five percent be added for the next four years [2017-2020]. But this was rejected by government which opted to offer teachers a one-off ball park sum on salaries, and debunching monies owed to teachers since 2011. According to Lyte,

“it was noted that the recommendations of the Task Force were not taken into consideration when the counter proposal was tabled...the Union objected to the ball park figures, which were offered for salary increases and debunching as well as the government refusal to address clothing allowances, hard-line allowances, station allowances, risk allowances and allowances for improved qualification and to reduce class size.” According to Lyte, since the Union continues to be faced with a predicament, it can only lay the blame on

President Granger. “The Guyana Teachers Union lays the full blame, the full blame I repeat, of this strike action at the feet of His Excellency, President David Granger, who put a Task Force in place and refused to act on its recommendations,” asserted Lyte. He added, “I know the President meant well when the Task Force was put in place but the reality is, the recommendations are before us and the government must act on it.” Lyte, however, noted that, “The GTU remains a partner with the government and is committed to negotiations from a starting point of

40 percent.” Even as he acknowledged that the strike action has attracted mixed reaction, Lyte disclosed that the Union at its General Council meeting [also held yesterday] decided that it will be providing financial support to its membership engaged in strike action. Lyte told media operatives that the forthcoming support will be made available “to the extent that teachers need the relief.” “Strike relief can be full compensation or partly compensated based on the amount of money they [teachers] lose per day,” said Lyte (Continued on page 16)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday August 29, 2018

PAGE 9

“NO power means no business” Essequibians lament as blackout continues - Strike action to continue today

Protestors yesterday making their way to the GPL’s Anna Regina office, Region Two.

E

ssequibians continue to take a firm stand against the Guyana Power and Light [GPL], as continuous power outages continue to plague the Essequibo Coast. After more than a week of continuous power outage, residents on the Essequibo Coast believe that the state owned company, has failed miserably in providing a service that even reaches a ‘minimal’ satisfactory rate. According to residents, GPL has also failed in providing a comprehensive update on the company’s ability to power the entire coast. The company had issued a release, which indicated that two of its four generator sets became inoperable due to mechanical and electrical issues. GPL further noted that to restore the peak demand of power, two generator sets from Berbice were to be

rushed to the Coast. This publication understands that the two sets arrived at the Anna Regina power station during the course of last week, yet there was no improvement in the company’s ability to power the region. Kaieteur News was on the scene yesterday where it was observed that while six generators were at the Anna Regina Power plant; only two of which were in operation. The working condition of the other four generator sets is presently unknown. In an effort to garner answers from GPL, Essequibians peacefully protested in front of Power Company’s Anna Regina’s office yesterday. The protesters included residents from various communities throughout the Coast, representatives from the Essequibo Chamber of

Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Association. One businesswoman who lives in the Queenstown village, said that within 12 days, she has incurred some $50,700 in fuel expense. “It hard because the economy down; when we use to sell $100,000, now we selling $50,000. Where we gonna get money to buy gas… No power is no business… If the people walk in and they say they want a bottle Smirnoff and it ain’t got ice, they gon walk out back the same way the walk in. So I gotta run meh generator every 24 hour when it got blackout.” While at the company’s office yesterday, protestors were allegedly told that information cannot be divulged to then, unless cleared by officials from the head office. The Regional Vice (Contined on page 28)

DEM BOYS SEH

GRA got a rooster in de pen Everybody talking bout Exxon and how dem offering employment but dem got a problem. Dem want women fuh provide relief fuh de men who wukking pun de rig. Last night dem send a quiet application to de Waterfalls boss man asking him to help find some woman. De boss man get vex and ask if he look like a pimp. Dat is how dem ask de Big Market paper to help. Dat was when dem boys hear de Waterfalls boss man seh he got to recruit some men because most of de Exxon men very funny. De GRA doing a lot of things to collect de money but it got internal problems. It have people who behaving like if dem is de boss and all because dem have people who got friends who think dem bigger than de boss. Dem boys remember de man who order some

Customs officer fuh release a car dem seize because it didn’t have number plate. Dis man didn’t have de authority but he tek it pon heself. When de boss ask him how he get involve, he couldn’t give a good answer. But even before all dis de man been in trouble. He get de wuk because he was wukking wid Soulja Bai who decide to get rid of him. Nobody didn’t want to tek him, suh he end up at GRA wheh de boss man got a lot of sympathy. Some people don’t know when dem hanging by a string. As soon as he get de wuk, de man behave like de only rooster in a pen. But de story come when de boss man hesitate to get rid of de man. Dem boys hear things get worse when a board member apply fuh de man get a two-year extension. But dis man don’t have de authority because he is not

an executive. However, dem boys seh dat when you see danger by day and tek fire stick to look for it by night, you got to get into trouble. De GRA boss man get instructions to leh de man go and he hesitate. Wha mek matters worse is dat dis man love to sue people. When dem boys talk bout how he intervene wid de car, he run to a lawyer. But one thing dem boys know is dat bluff don’t wuk in dis world. Dem remember a man who was wukking at de Shelter Belt who did sue when dem boys talk he story. He had to drop de matter when he Minister promise to release more of what he do and dat he should been in jail. De same thing gon happen in dis case. Talk half and don’t try to shut people mouth when you know you wrong.

The six generator sets at the Anna Regina Power Plant

PAGE 10

Kaieteur News

Wednesday August 29, 2018

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Dr. Mark Kirton is livid, confused and wants to know what’s going on Dr. Mark Kirton and I go back more than forty-five

years. We entered UG as freshmen at the same time.

I taught at UG for 26 years, during which he was Head

of my Department and Dean of my faculty. Mark

was one of the best colleagues I worked with at UG. Of course, we remained friends for all those decades; not that we never had our confrontations. By now all, without exception, who know me, have their thoughts of me being crazy and just wanting to argue and fight. That is a description I don’t think I can honestly reject. I don’t see Mark often since he returned to Guyana from lecturing at UWI. I have seen him twice since he is back - at the brunch sponsored by the Burnham Foundation headed by Vi n c e n t Alexander, and at the birth night bash of Bert Wilkinson. I was shopping in the supermarket yesterday when I ran into Mark. He looked at me with a face that led me to believe he has all that troubles of the world on his shoulders. He said, “You heard what the Vi c e C h a n c e l l o r ( V C ) announced yesterday?” I told him I didn’t. He was r e f e r r i n g t o t h e V C ’s welcoming remarks to the school of 2018. Mark looked at me with disgust saying, “Freddie, how can UG offer three honorary doctorates when UG never offered even one doctoral programme in its entire existence; that is unheard of and unthinkable.” I briefly said that in its entire existence, it has hardly offered Masters programmes, much less doctoral degrees. Then Mark said, “Freddie, I’m writing a letter to the newspaper on this one, I mean it.” With a smile, I said; “would you like me to report this conversation in my column tomorrow?” He agreed and before he exited the supermarket, while still reeling from the VC’s announcement, I said; “are you sure I can write on this?” His parting words were, “Go on; mention what I told you.” So here it is; I am publishing his frustration. Mark Kirton was very upset and he has a personality that doesn’t betray anger or irascibility. I have functioned with Mark for 4 years as contemporary students and 26 years as contemporary lecturers at UG, and I have never seen such frustration in him. I remember the time when he was appointed acting Vice Chancellor, replacing Dr. James Rose. President Jagdeo and the then-Education Minister, Henry Jeffrey, were hopping mad and

Frederick Kissoon ordered the reinstatement of Rose. I went to Mark and suggested that we test the issue in court and organize protest action. Without betraying any emotions, he simply said he wasn’t interested. I acted on my own in asking the court to reinstate Mark. Justice Patterson gave a Nisi order. But even then, Mark was simply not interested in a fight. UG refused to accept Justice Patterson’s ruling based on the legal advice they got, and soon after Mark Kirton left for UWI in Trinidad. Since then, there has never been any fallout between Jeffrey and Mark. They were both chatting away at Bert Wi l k i n s o n ’s birthday celebration. I have spent the greater part of my adult life in academia and I have never heard of a university that only offers programmes at the first degree level conferring honorary doctorates. Mark and I may be wrong, and I guess we will have to wait for the response of the VC of UG, Professor Ivelaw Griffith. But there is another argument that could be advanced. This is my opinion –there is a lot of pomp, splendour and ostentation at UG, but there is no deep transformation and inviting innovation. I spoke to the son of one of the leading sports journalists in Guyana. He just completed a Bachelor’s in Engineering at UG. I asked him if the labs in the technology faculty are still bare. He said when he went in there in 2014, they were bare, and for the four years he spent there, he saw no visible changes. This has to confuse any sane person. UG continues to have all types of ceremonies and fancy things, but in an age of high technology, the labs in that area are still primitive. Why do you want to have these types of pomp and splendour rather than concentrate on expanding the resources of the University? By the way, I never wrote this before. L i t e r a l l y, c o u n t l e s s o f persons have asked me why, after the change of government, I didn’t go back to UG. The truth is none of the kings and queens in the APNU+AFC asked me, and I didn’t ask them either.

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Multi-billion tenders opened for power transmission lines project The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) yesterday opened three bids for the second part of the transmission lines project being handled by the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL). The project involved the installation of miles of new transmission lines- in fact, it is about 310 kilometers in this second lot- (Lot B component). Already, there is an ongoing project

involving the running of new lines along with the installation of smart meters along the coastlands. Yesterday, three tenders were tabled for this Lot B component. It had been cancelled earlier this year and re-advertised. The bids that came in were: Rehabilitation of Medium Voltage and Low Voltage Distribution Network Lot B – Guyana Power and Light Inc.

Meanwhile, tenders were also tabled for the construction of Magistrates’ Courts within Bartica and Mahdia, a move touted to allow for more centralized services and more regular sittings. The construction of these courts was first announced by Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, who noted that the opening of these registries and district offices will significantly reduce the time, cost and distance of travel for the residents in those areas, as well as allowing for a host of centralized services. The bids that came in were: Construction of Bartica Magistrate Court, Bartica Region 7 – Supreme Court

- WORKS ANNOUNCED FOR BARTICA, MAHDIA MAGISTRATE COURTS Meanwhile, the Office of The Prime Minister sought bids for the construction of Facilities for the Essequibo Radio Station The bids tendered were:

The NPTAB also fielded tenders for the Guyana Defence Force for the following project: Docking and Repairs to GDFA 1024 Hymora, GDFS 1025 TIRA PUKU and Fabrication of Cradle - GDF

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture accepted bids for consulting services for the Review Design and Supervision Services of the Agriculture Sector Development Unit ( ASDU)

Construction of Mahdia Magistrate Court Region 8 – Supreme Court Lastly, the Ministry of Public Health saw two tenders for the Supply and Delivery of International Certificate of Vaccination/Prophylaxis Booklets

The Supreme Court also invited tenders for: Construction of foundation at the Georgetown Supreme Court Region 4 – Supreme Court

Installation of wheelchair lift and connection of standby generator at the Georgetown Land Court Region 4 – Supreme Court

Retrofitting of Old Building at Kwakwani to accommodate a Magistrate’s Court and Living Quarters, Region 10 – Supreme Court

PAGE 12

Kaieteur News

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Guyana must investigate ExxonMobil’s waste disposal plan The Open Society Institute (OSI) is appealing to Government to keep a watchful eye on how ExxonMobil plans to dispose of potentially hazardous waste while operating here.

The OSI is an international body that aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform.

According to OSI, the environmental consequences of oil are substantial throughout the entire process of development. The Institute said that each stage of the process—exploration,

onshore and offshore drilling, refining, pipelines and other forms of transportation— poses serious risks to the ecology and public health. It said that every environmental medium—air, water, and land—is affected. The Institute said that the degree of environmental harm is determined by operator responsibility, government oversight, and conditions in particular ecosystems. Even in heavily regulated environments, some damage occurs it said. Further to this, the Institute explained that the disposal of oil wastes from offshore drilling operations is another significant environmental concern. In this regard, the Institute said

– INT’L CONSULTANTS that an oil platform uses nearly 400,000 gallons of sea water daily as drilling fluids in the extraction process, and, following its use, this oiltainted water is discharged back into the ocean. The Institute said, “One of the apparent impacts of offshore discharges has been mercury pollution; eating contaminated fish is increasingly regarded as a substantial cause of human exposure to mercury. A study found that mercury levels in the mud and sediments beneath oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were 12 times higher

than acceptable levels under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.” The OSI said that the only way to solve the problems caused by offshore discharges is to capture the wastes and dispose of them in a properly lined waste disposal site on land. It said that Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency needs to keep a close eye on this area. (SEE LINK FOR FURTHER DETAILS: https:// www.opensociety foundations.org/sites/ d e f a u l t / f i l e s / osicoveringoil_20050803.pdf)

Wednesday August 29, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Guyana’s proposed Natural Resource Fund…

Govt. ignores IMF’s advice to have rules which prevent reckless spending By Kiana Wilburg Governments often use Natural Resource Funds as accounts to hold the bulk of the country’s revenues from the extractive sector. But without robust withdrawal rules, these Funds can become victims of overspending by a misguided and money hungry government. It is in this vein that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) implored the Government of Guyana to ensure that the fiscal rules that will be drafted to administer the country’s Natural Resource Fund must include a clause that guards against reckless spending. Specifically, the International Monetary Fund said that a provision must be in place, which says that the withdrawal from the NRF cannot exceed the government petroleum revenue collected in a year, plus the value of the NRF in the immediately preceding year. The IMF said that this “escape” clause is intended to avoid excessiveness. The Fund made this point since May when it was given the opportunity to peruse as well as provide its take on the shortcomings of Guyana’s fiscal

rules. But when the Government presented its Green paper on August 8, last, to the National Assembly, it did not speak to this. What the Green Paper does say is that, withdrawals from the Fund will not exceed the amount “approved” by the legislature. The Government currently holds the majority in the National Assembly. NO GUARANTEE OF PROSPERITY Governments are often open to creating Natural Resource Funds with the intention of squirreling away excess moneys made on their natural resources. These moneys can be used for various purposes. They can help to support budget shortfalls, used for international investments or simply serve as a savings for future generations. But NRFs by themselves cannot guarantee future prosperity. This point was made recently by economic analyst Andrew Bauer. He is attached to the prestigious Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). The consultant pointed out that the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund in Canada for instance, was designed in part to save oil revenues for future generations. Yet, it failed

to save anything in all but two years between 1987 and 2012. As for Trinidad and Tobago, Bauer said that this country’s Heritage and Stabilization Fund’s mandate to mitigate the negative effects of oil revenue volatility on the country’s budget, actually led to worse public investment decisions. He said that it even led to slower growth. Elsewhere, as in Kuwait and Libya, the NRGI official highlighted that NRFs became channels for corruption and patronage, diverting billions of dollars away from social service and infrastructure spending. In short, Bauer emphasized that NRFs by themselves do not guarantee sound macroeconomic management. In fact, the economic analyst said that these Funds may complicate budget processes and make public spending less accountable. Bauer said, “NRFs can be useful, but only if they help fulfill at least one macroeconomic objective, such as mitigating the impact of oil or mineral revenue volatility on government spending, or ‘parking’ oil windfalls until they can be spent more efficiently.” The economic analyst said that a global study of natural resource funds by the NRGI and Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment (CCSI) found that there

are two pre-conditions for funds to function as planned: Appropriate rules must be enacted, and there must be adequate oversight and enough broad-based consensus to ensure compliance with those rules. APPROPRIATE RULES While there is no one-size-fitsall solution, Bauer said that the joint study of the two institutions offers guidance. With regard to deposit and withdrawal rules, the analyst said that these determine the timing, amount and conditions for the Natural Resource Fund’s inflows and outflows, either to or from the government’s main bank account. Bauer said that withdrawal and deposit rules must be tight enough to constrain government spending but loose and flexible enough to withstand political pressures to spend more. “For instance, TimorLeste enacted a rule that only allowed its government to spend three percent of petroleum wealth in any given year. This rule was too restrictive given the country’s capital scarcity, high poverty levels and the high social rate of return on domestic investment. As a result, the rule has consistently been broken. Further guidance on deposit and withdrawal rules can be found here.”

Bauer then turned his attention to investment risk limitations. In this regard, he pointed out that NRFs hold public assets to improve macroeconomic management or for safekeeping. As such, he noted that governments should not be allowed to gamble with these funds and their asset portfolios should reflect their purpose. “For example, a petroleum fund designed for stabilizing budget expenditures would require more liquid assets than a savings fund designed to benefit future generations, since the government might need to draw on these assets if oil revenues collapse unexpectedly…Regardless of the asset allocation used, NRFs should be explicitly prohibited from investing in certain high risk assets, such as junk bonds.” Bauer said that Governments must also monitor conflicts of interest and set clear investment guidelines. Where there is inadequate oversight and rules are unclear, he said that it is often too easy for investment managers to invest with political allies, family or friends. “Equally, following the precedents set by Abu Dhabi (UAE), Botswana, Chile, Kazakhstan and Norway, among others, legislation Continued on page 27

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Kaieteur News

Eyewitness no-show in Army captain murder PI An eyewitness to the shooting incident which led to the death of travel agent Reona Payne was a no-show when the Preliminary Inquiry, (PI)of Army Captain, Orwain Sandy continued yesterday. Sandy, a former Captain in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), was charged for the murder of Payne. The incident occurred on March 31, last, at Alexander Village, Georgetown. Payne, who reportedly sustained 14 gunshot wounds about her body, died on the spot. Sandy surrendered at the Ruimveldt Police Station immediately after the shooting. He was later charged with murder and is currently facing a Preliminary Inquiry for before Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrate Court. At the continuation of the PI yesterday, Police Detective Navinder Persaud was called to the witness stand. Persaud testified that he obtained a statement from Royston Smith, an eyewitness to the shooting. However, at the end of his testimony, calls made for the said witness to enter an appearance in Court went unanswered. Smith did not attend the hearing. Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves told the Court that he has three more witnesses to call before closing the case. Gonsalves noted that among the three witnesses to conclude the PI is Malcolm Flue, who testified before. Flue was expected to return to court to be cross-examined but failed to do so. The Prosecutor noted that attempts made to contact the witness has so far, proven futile. As such, an arrest warrant has been issued for Flue. Sandy, who was the Aide-deCamp to the Chief-of-Staff, is currently

Orwain Sandy

interdicted from duty. He surrendered to lawmen shortly after he allegedly shot Payne several times. It was reported that Sandy and Payne were seated in a car when the two got into a heated argument. Sandy allegedly shot the woman several times about her body, killing her instantly. He then drove himself to the station where he reportedly told the police what had transpired. He also handed in his weapon and was placed in custody. Payne, who was a mother of three, and Sandy were not married, but were living together for about three years. The two had launched a business, Prestige Taxi Service, at the recently concluded Wedding Exposition.

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Teen jailed for 10 years for fatal bar stabbing

Eighteen year-old Eton Calistro was on Monday sentenced to serve 10 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to a manslaughter charge when he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Georgetown. Calistro admitted that between July 18 and 19, 2015 at Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara, he unlawfully killed 21-year-old CD vendor Leroy Moore also called ‘Jim Carey’ and ‘Carey’. According to reports, Moore, formerly of Caneview Avenue, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown, was stabbed twice in the chest during an altercation with four men at the bar. Facts revealed that Calistro became annoyed and stabbed Moore over him speaking with a young lady at the bar. Kaieteur News understands that the young man would frequent the community to ply his trade as a push cart CD vendor. Police, in a release said that Moore was at the bar when he became involved in an argument with a group of men and was repeatedly stabbed. Police said that the injured man was subsequently rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A post mortem performed on the remains of Moore revealed that he died from perforation of the heart and lungs due to stab wounds. In court, Calistro was represented by Attorney-at-law George Thomas. Before passing sentence on the teenager, Justice Kissoon took into consideration the aggravating factors and the circumstances under which the stabbing occurred. In arriving at a sentence for Calistro,

JAILED: Eton Calistro Justice Kissoon started at a base of 25 years. He however deducted a total of 15 years including for the time Calistro spent on remand pending trial and also for the aggravating and mitigating circumstances. Calistro had appeared before Justice Brassington Reynolds in July and pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. His trial was expected to start then, but it was delayed after Calistro’s then Attorneyat-law Stanley Moore, withdrew his services. The reason for the lawyer taking such a course was revealed in court. Nevertheless, Justice Reynolds granted the murder accused time to retain another lawyer. Hence, the matter was recalled on Monday when Calistro decided to change his plea to the lesser count manslaughter. The case for the prosecution was presented by State Counsel, Abigail Gibbs.

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Washed-up decomposed body on Corentyne Shore...

Body identified as that of missing Surinamese who fell overboard Just two days after washing ashore, the partly decomposed corpse of a male was yesterday identified by relatives at the Bailey’s Funeral Home.It was confirmed to be that of Widprakash Adjitkumar Garib, 49, a mechanic of 201 Wanica, Suriname. The body was identified by his brother-in-law, Bhottoe Ravi Robert, 34, also a mechanic, sometime around 13:00 hrs. Reports are that the victim and six others ventured out on August 19 with a speedboat

in the Suriname River. It was then that Widprakash Adjitkumar Garib fell overboard from the boat’s deck. They were reportedly on a fishing expedition. Garib’s body was discovered by a fisherman Sunday at approximately 5:30 hrs. Police had at first suggested that the victim might be of Caucasian. A post mortem examination is expected to be conducted today.

GTU to attend conciliation meeting ... From page 8 as he explained that the level of compensation will be determined by the number of teachers striking. He, however, noted that even if the Union opts to offer partial relief, it should see the Union offering teachers as much as 50 percent. In addition to that Lyte said that the Union will be reaching out to entities, such as stores and lending institutions, to which teachers may need to make monthly payments in hopes of them exercising consideration. It is the expectation of the GTU President that with the promise of strike relief a greater number of teachers will join the strike action. “Many of our teachers were not sure based on the fact that they were thinking about monies being lost, so now that the Union is coming out to say we will support our teachers who proceed on strike. This should give those who are in between and betwixt the confidence to go forward with the strike action,” Lyte said. And Lyte asserted yesterday, “we have looked at our resources and realised that we can go a far way...we can go months into this,

months covering as many teachers that proceed on the strike. We are in for the long haul,” Lyte assured. In fact, he disclosed that the belated decision to compensate striking teachers was made by the Union’s General Council based on its financial capacity.Meanwhile, the Union through its General Secretary, Ms. Coretta McDonald, yesterday issued a warning to teachers who, despite the promise of strike relief, opt to attend school come next week. “Let me make it known that when you go to school if you have three teachers there then the responsibility is that of the three teachers who are present to ensure that the people’s children are taken care of. And if anything should happen during that period then you might have to go to the Minister of Education to seek recourse in whatever would have happened there...” McDonald warned. The Ministry of Education has assured that schools will be manned by some 300 trainee teachers from the Cyril Potter College of Education and retired teachers as well but, according to Lyte, “us staying away from the classroom will have a significant impact.”

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Cattle owner charged for raping two women during home invasion An Essequibo cattle owner was placed on $400,000 bail yesterday after he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennon charged with two counts of rape. George Butters of Lima, Essequibo Coast, was charged for engaging in sexual penetration of two women without their consent. According to the charge, the incidents occurred on August 13 and 21, 2018 on the Essequibo Coast. During an in camera hearing at the Magistrates’ Court in Georgetown, Butters pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, reports reaching this newspaper indicated that Butters had broken into the homes of his victims before committing the act. One of the victims is said to be in her sixties. Both women reported the incident to the Anna Regina Police Station. Butters was arrested and charged, sometime last week. Following his appearance, before the Chief Magistrate yesterday, Butters was placed on $200,000 bail on each charge and the matter was transferred to the Anna Regina Magistrate for trial.

- released on $400,000 bail

Charged: George Butters

Pensioner’s battered body found in... (From page 3) house was ransacked. The police then advised the family to return to the station, where statements were taken while they waited for police crime scene investigators to process the scene. When Kaieteur News visited the scene yesterday, the lights were still on, and resi-

dents were all in shock. A neighbour described the pensioner as a ‘quiet’ individual. She said she last saw him on Sunday evening, when he was in the yard feeding his dog.The house is situated on the Annandale Public Road, just in front of the Annandale Assembly of God Church. There is also a walkway at

the side of the house. Some residents said they were puzzled that no one saw or heard anything suspicious. Just over a month ago thieves broke into the house and tied up Mr. and Mrs. Dabee and robbed them. The two pensioners were also beaten. This left Mrs. Dabee so traumatised that relative placed her in the Mercy Care Residence, since the elderly woman refused to go back into the house. The body is at the Lyken’s Funeral Home and a postmortem is likely today.

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Govt. appoints new oil and gas advisor Government has finally appointed a new oil and gas advisor. His name is Matthew Wilks. He will serve the Department of Energy. In a missive it released yesterday, the government said that Wilks is an “experienced senior oil and gas business developer and negotiator.” Wilks has 32 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry, “spanning all segments of the energy value chain including exploration and production, liquid natural gas, pipeline transportation,

power generation, and project financing.” Government said that Wilks previously held management responsibility for international asset management and joint venture operations. During his career, he has worked for, or opposite, several heads of state, other senior government officials and senior corporate executives. Wilks, who will be based in Georgetown, has worked in Asia, East Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South

Newly appointed Oil and Gas Advisor, Matthew Wilks America, and had corporate portfolio responsibility for assets in Central Asia, the Continued on page 27

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Wednesday August 29, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Govt. appoints new...

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PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 15 Public road #2 Vill. WCB 3 House Lots. Rice Cultivation 49ftx10,314ft length. Price $18M. Contact# 648-7109/686-4818

VEHICLE FOR SALE 2006 Suzuki Escado (White) Excellent condition. Price $3.5M Neg. Contact #6093777/697-4557 2011 Ford Raptor fully loaded, 6.2 litres 4x4 excellent condition blue #610-5370 White Toyota Axio 2010 Unregistered Vehicle with low mileage and reverse camera $2.6 Neg #220-9514/645-6469

Lot 89 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown. Next door to Mike’s Pharmacy. Phone: 617-5323, 666-8052 3 storey commercial building. Location- Lot 1486 Plot B Herstelling (2 Bridge) EBD. Suitable for school/ apartments. Contact #6093777/686-0522 Super newly renovated property, 2 storey house with 2 washrooms, one with bathtub, Lowland ECD Price $10.5M Nego. Cell: 647-0655 LEARN TO DRIVE N. Outar Driving School. Learn to Drive the right way. Affordable package. Call: 6445166/691-2561

Back to Eden 85 David Street GT. Bakers, Pastry, Puri makers, General. Apply in Person, Food Handlers’ Certificate. 1 experienced driver/ salesman to drive canter, must be living between Parika & CI. Tel#661-9447/662-9341 1 Live in nanny/domestic to take care of children. Must know to cook various meals. Age 32-48. Contact 682-8251 Experience our 2 weeks cosmetologist workshop $20,000 & 1 hair dresser wanted who knows to do everything. Contact Melissa: 698-3018

Driver/Porter must have valid lorry license and recent police clearance. Call: Telles Steel #231-3265/226-6771 Masons to work in Diamond. Call: 671-8280/227-8682/2273681 Brokerage/Logistics Officer. Requirements: Secondary Education, Must have a valid drivers’ license. Contact#665-3676/ sales@tradelinc.com One 3 Bedroom house to rent with concrete yard space E.C.D 659-6494, 216-3709 Wanted land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie or anywhere on the West Coast. Tel#642-1252 Urgently need one land in Parfaite Harmonie & Eccles. We buy with Title & Irrevocable #658-5897

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/ 6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM

Report recommends GGMC take...

Responsible hire car drivers. Tel# 231-7200

1 Female caretaker to work in Atlantic Gardens E.C.D. 1 Planner - experienced in pressure systems. 1 Receptionist - Age 18-25. Contact 608-5303

Phase (2) Tuschen $1.3M Uitvlugt $2.9M Zeelugt $2.3M Tel#697-6311 Herstelling (110ft x 60ft) $5M Farm $2.6M Schnoord $2.4M Uivlugt $2.5M Parfaite Harmonie $1.1M Eccles $7.5M. Tel# 648-1635

Contract cars: Contact City Taxi Service, 8 Vlissengen Rd. Phone : 696-0404/226-1081

From page 26 Levant, and North Africa. Wilks, most recently, was Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Oil, where he was involved in projects in Angola, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Norway, and Qatar. Before that, Mr. Wilks worked at BG Group where he was Country Manager for Tanzania at the time of significant offshore discoveries and rapid sector development there. He worked on projects in Bolivia, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, and Thailand, also at BG Group. Wilks was born in Australia, and grew up in Kenya. He earned a BSc Tripartite in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry and a BSc Hons in Applied Physics from Robert Gordons University, Aberdeen.

Experienced male cook and Dredge workers, serious enquiries only. Call: 672-3359 Between 08:00-17:00 hrs Driver wanted. Ages 25-50 Mc/Mv/Ml. Call: 231-8737 VACANCY Manager to work at Xenon Hotel in Charity. Call#2235273/74 Driver/Expediter. Call: 2235273/74

VACANCY Salesmen - Age 18-40 knowledge in stocktaking & salesmanship, apply with written application KeyFood McDoom Village. Experienced Pharmacy assistants to work @ Reputable pharmacy in G/ town. Interested persons call #227-0630/628-8811 between 8am-4pm Vacancy for assistant manager & shop manager at Wencai Trading. Phone 6179513 Experience Bartenders and Cleaners. Call: 225-8572 between 7am - 9am Experienced Handyman with 2 yrs experience. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529 1 Female kitchen assistant to work at Itaballi #665-6444 Vacancy for experienced female accounts clerk. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street. Vacancy for porters. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street Driver/Porter must have valid lorry license and recent police clearance. Call: Telles Steel #231-3265/226-6771 Data Entry Processing clerk, with knowledge of QuickBooks, Apply in person with application. Wieter & Richter, Water St Tel#226-6150 Female cleaner office & home age 25 to 50. Call: 233-2745 Maid for East Bank area to cook & clean age 25 to 50. Call: 614-4358 Cook/Baker for interior location. Must know to cook & bake a wide variety. Call R&V Mining 618-2020 Azeez Burgers now hiring. 672-9662 Vacancies exist for Cashiers/ Supermarket helpers, apply in person with written application at Nirva Supermarket 49 Sheriff & Craig St. Tel# 227-5771 Carpenter & Mason to do Maintenance work at Adamantium Holdings. Call: 223-5273/74

(From page 21) the Police Force (GPF) is tasked with locating and arresting the driller of the well. “The report recommends amendments to the Water and Sewage Act so that governing practices reflect reasonable charges for defaulting citizens. “The Ministry of Communities and Legal Affairs along with GWI are to address same.” In addition, the report recommended that the owners and neighbours of the damaged and affected properties at Lot 1199, Gail Williams, and Lot 1188, June Chase are advised to file civil proceedings in the courts against the owner of the property under scrutiny, at Lot 1200.

Govt. ignores... From page 13 should strictly prohibit NRFs from investing domestically. Spending directly out of the NRF could bypass the normal budget process, including parliamentary, auditor, media or citizen oversight.” Bauer said that this could result in inconsistencies with the budget and circumvention of controls and safeguards such as project appraisal, public tendering and project monitoring. In Angola, Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia, Bauer said that NRFs have been used as secondary budgets, becoming easy sources of patronage or financing for investments that support the political goals of fund managers. As for institutional structure, Bauer made the point that there should be a clear division of responsibilities between the legislature, president or prime minister, the fund manager, the operational manager and external managers to help funds meet their objectives and prevent corruption. Again, he noted that there is no standard solution, but guidance from those who have studied the area, is always recommended for consideration.

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Wednesday August 29, 2018

“NO power means... From page 9 Person, Juliet Coonjah told the media last Friday that the RDC was attempting to convene a multi-stakeholder meeting with the representatives of GPL. As was related to this publication, them

From page 9 Person, Juliet Coonjah told the media last Friday that the RDC was attempting to convene a multi-stakeholder meeting with the representatives of GPL. As was related to this publication, however, the meeting was not convened since the Regional Executive Officer had failed to make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, communities such as Charity, Suddie, Supenaam and Pomona are grossly affected by the power cuts.

According to reports, the protest is scheduled to continue today as consumers attempt to find answers to the following questions, “We need to know what happened to the remaining engines… we want to know if they could actually fix the engines because they keep going in and it keep breaking down… So why they can’t fix it up to now, it’s weeks. If the rest of generator sets are ‘really’ nonfunctional why bring them to the Coast in the first place.”

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday August 29, 2018

GPL to install additional generator in Essequibo

T

he Guyana Power and Light Incorpo rated (GPL) will have an additional generator in place by the end of September to meet electricity demands on the Essequibo Coast. The Anna Regina Power Station currently has a total of seven units installed but only two are operating due to unforeseen technical issues. According to a government release, GPL’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Albert Gordon told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the two units are unable to satisfy the demand and another unit is expected to be operational by September 29. “An additional unit is expected to be operational by the 29th and we are hoping to

get one megawatt from there. That would improve the situation but electricity distribution will still be rotated for eight hours. While we are trying to get this unit up, both GPL and MACORP are working to fix an additional two units to boost capacity. When we combine that with the existing units that we have operating, we will be able to satisfy the peak demand,” Gordon explained. Going forward, the power company is planning to add a fourth unit, which will work concurrently with the three new ones that will be commissioned later this year. Gordon said the fourth unit will serve as the backup for the three and will eventually replace the aged units. “We also plan to install

an additional five megawatts. The expectation is that this will allow us to comfortably bring the self-generators to the GPL grid so we can provide electricity at a lower cost than we are now. The additional capacity will also facilitate growth and encourage investment and better use of power.” The long-term plan for Essequibo is for residents to experience as little electricity disruption as possible. GPL’s Public Relations Officer, Shevon Sears and a team are currently in the region to meet and discuss the way forward with residents. In the interim, the CEO is urging residents to continue to remain patient as the company is expediting all efforts to return electricity to normal.

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Warriors edge out Patriots to grab fourth CPL victory... From page 39 35 off 24 before falling to Tanvir’s final ball of the night.That left big-hitting all-rounders Ben Cutting and Carlos Brathwaite the final over to attack, a task they approached with gusto. Cutting launched two sixes down the ground before Brathwaite crunched the last ball of the innings back past the expensive Emrit for four, but their efforts would be upstaged by Tanvir’s in the end. The tournament continues today (Wednesday 29 August) with – Barbados Tridents v Jamaica Tallawahs (8pm), Kensington Oval, while tomorrow (Thursday 30 August) – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Stars (6pm), Warner Park. Scores: PATRIOTS 168 for seven off 20 overs (Chris Gayle 40, Anton Devcich 35, Evin Lewis 28; Imran Tahir 4-22). AMAZON WARRIORS 169 for six off 19.5 overs (Sohail Tanvir 37 not out, Jason Mohammed 36, Luke Ronchi 28; Carlos Brathwaite 2-23, Ben Cutting 2-36). CPL Points Table TEAM M W L TKR 6 4 2 GAW 6 4 2 JT 7 4 3 STKNP 6 3 3 BT 5 2 3 STARS 8 2 6

T 0 0 0 0 0 0

P 8 8 8 6 4 4

NRR 0.805 0.518 0.025 0.636 -0.488 -1.217

King storms to career... From page 32 break and although Pierre Rolland of EF Drapac came within touching distance, he was left behind in the final sprint. “It’s a dream come true, I didn’t start believing it until the last kilometre,” said King. “We’ve been building all season towards this. I raced with this team in Austria and the Vuelta a Burgos and we just continue to improve. “Spirits are high and I’m looking forward to the rest of this month. For me personally, I’m still in shock.” Stage five features few flat areas and sees riders travel 188.7 kilometres from Granada to Roquetas de Mar on Wednesday.

Wednesday August 29, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A friend who planned to come over tonight might not show up. You may worry, since this person isn't one to blow you off. Don't imagine accidents or disasters. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Travel of any kind might be virtually impossible today, Taurus. Airports could be jammed, flights delayed, and planes plagued with mechanical problems. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) This isn't a good day to invest in anything. Don't spend much time working on speculative projects, and don't put your money into anything but gold, land, or blue-chip stocks and bonds. CANCER (June 21–July 22) A love partner could be gloomy today. This might be the kind of day when no matter how many times you draw your mate's attention to the doughnut, he or she still sees only the hole. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You tend to be curious, and you're always trying to learn more about your many interests. But today you could be eager to research a subject VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) The need to attend to business or networking obligations disguised as parties could get to you today. You may have been forced to attend too many of these recently.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your home could be empty today. Other household members may be away and you could find it depressing. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Someone close to you might be uncharacteristically silent today, Scorpio. Something is bothering them terribly, and they don't seem to want to talk about it. You're willing to listen or help SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Financial worries might come up today, Sagittarius. You may check your bank balance and find that you have little money. This might come as a shock, because you thought there was plenty there. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Today you might be so gloomy that you don't even want to get up. It might not be a good idea to stay home, however. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Any work today could require a higher level of concentration than you can muster, Aquarius. You might lapse into daydreams and think about personal matters PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today your creative impulses could seem blocked, Pisces. You might be trying to reach your own or someone else's deadline. You may feel the need to get some work done

Albion advances... From page 38 Overs to reach the Semifinals. Gurdyal made 16 while Leon Cecil 14 and Surendra Ramcharitar 12 also contributed. Quacy Auldar 3 for 39 and Adrian Samaroo 3 for 20 bowled well for Achievers Cricket Club in a losing cause. Tucber Park Cricket Club would play Under17 power house Blairmont in the Quarterfinals with the winner going on to play Albion in the Semifinals. The Berbice Cricket Board has scheduled the finals from next Thursday. The Berbice Cricket Board has committed itself to organise a total of twenty two Cricket Tournaments at the Under-15, Under-17, Under19, Under-21, Female, Intermediate, Internal Zone, Second Division, Secondary School and First Division. President of the Berbice Cricket Board, Hilbert Foster disclosed that the Board was working overtime to complete most if not all of the twenty two tournaments by the 31st December, 2018.

Limacol Football Competition starts tomorrow The New Guyana Pharmaceutical Company (GPC) under its Limacol brand Petra organised Third Limacol Football tournament starts tomorrow with several matches at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue from 17:30hrs. The tournament will run until October with teams from Georgetown, Linden and the West Bank of Demerara participating for over a million dollars in cash and prizes. The teams are grouped: Group A Police Pele Football Club Northern Rangers Mahaica Determinators Group B

Camptown Georgetown Football Club Riddim Squad Buxton Stars Group C Santos Pouderoyen Grove Hi Tec Beacons Football Club Tomorrow’s fixtures will see: 17:30 hrs - Pele Football Club vs Northern Rangers 19:30 hrs - Camptown vs Buxton Stars 21:30 hrs - Police vs Mahaica Determinators

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Guyana represented for first time at World Archery Americas’ General Assembly Guyana for the first time was represented at the World Archery Americas General Assembly which was held in Medellin, Colombia on August 18, 2018. Representing Guyana at this historic sitting was Mr. Nicholas Hing who expressed delight at being there at the General Assembly, noting in particular that it was exciting to hear all the news on upcoming competitions in the Americas and how we can all work together to develop the sport throughout the Region. Archery Guyana sent official congratulations to Maria Emma Gaviria who was reelected as president of World Archery Americas for a fouryear term running until 2022 at the Confederation’s General Assembly, held during the 2018 Pan Am and Para Pan Am Championships in Medellin, Colombia. She noted that there were 45 delegates from 26 countries during the General Assembly, with the British Virgin and Guyana taking part for the first time. President of WAA indicated that “It’s a big step forward and we will continue to work non-stop for archery

General Assembly 2018 at which Guyana was represented by Mr. Nicholas Hing. in our continent.” Cuba’s Sergio Font and Colombia’s Ana Maria Lopez were reassigned as Secretary General and Treasurer.

Financial and development reports were presented during the assembly and approved by the member associations in Medellin.

Speedster Beaton cleared to resume bowling LONDON, CMC – West Indies fast bowler Ronsford Beaton’s career was handed a huge boost on Tuesday when the International Cricket Council cleared him to resume bowling in international cricket. The 25-year-old played two One-Day Internationals against New Zealand last December but was reported by match officials for a suspect action following the second ODI in Christ Church. He was subsequently banned last May after failing an independent assessment. However, Beaton underwent remedial work on his action and the ICC said it now conformed to the “15-degree level of tolerance” under their regulations. “Beaton’s remodeled bowling action was assessed at Loughborough University in England on 13 August, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regula-

Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton. tions,” the ICC said. “Match Officials are still at liberty to report Beaton if they believe he is displaying a suspect action and not reproducing the legal action from the assessment. To assist the Match Officials, they will be provided with images

and video footage of the bowler’s remodeled legal bowling action.” Beaton is currently a member of the Trinbago Knight Riders squad participating in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League but is yet to play a game.

It was decided that Mexico City would host the 2020 Pan American Championships and the Tokyo 2020 continental qualification tour-

nament for the Americas. Chile’s world ranking tournament in 2019 will act as the second qualifier for the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games.

Mexico and Brazil will also host world ranking events in 2019, while the Bahamas will run the 2019 Caribbean Developmental Championships.

King storms to career best victory in Vuelta

Ben King (left) secured a first major win for Team Dimension Data since Mark Cavendish’s victory on stage three of the Dubai Tour in February. (Getty Images) MADRID (Reuters) - Ben King earned the biggest victory of his career by emphatically out-sprinting Nikita Stalnov in a summit finish on stage four of the Vuelta a Espana yesterday. The Team Dimension Data rider, 29, triumphed in four hours 33 minutes and 12 seconds, two seconds ahead of Astana Pro Team’s Stalnov. U.S. rider King attacked

Kazakhstan’s Stalnov a couple of hundred metres before the end, storming past him for his first stage win since the 2016 Tour of California. Michal Kwiatkowski retained his overall lead but the Team Sky rider lost time on the 162 kilometre ride from Velez, Malaga to Alfacar’s Sierra de la Alfaguara, coming in just over three minutes down on King.

The Pole leads Germany’s Emanuel Buchmann of BoraHansgrohe by seven seconds with Britain’s Simon Yates in third and Spain’s Alejandro Valverde in fourth. Mitchelton–Scott rider Yates burst into contention for the general classification with an impressive attack in the final four kilometres. King and Stalnov stayed ahead after the day’s early (Continued on page 31)

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Franchise League to commence Golden Fleece, GR XI, Annandale, immediately after CPL Crown XI chalk wins - League performances to be used to pick Jaguars team According the Secretary of the Cricket Guyana Inc (CGI) Anand Sanasie, this year’s 50-overs Franchise League, which was delayed due to prolonged rainy season and unavailability of grounds, is scheduled to start immediately after the CPL Finals is completed in Trinidad on September 16. “If the Guyana Warriors don’t qualify for the semis we will start the League immediately after the play-offs which conclude in Guyana on September 12. We want our best players to play in the Franchise which will be used to select the Guyana Jaguars for the Regional Super50,” Sanasie informed. The Regional Super50 starts on October 8 and will be played in Barbados where the preliminary rounds in Zone ‘B’ and semi-finals and final will be contested. The final is set for October 28. Zone ‘A’ will be played in Trinidad where the Jaguars will join Canada, T&T Red Force, Windies ‘B’ and Windward Volcanoes. In group ‘B’ the Barbados is joined by USA, Leewards, Jamaica and the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC). In order to be eligible for next year’s World Cup, players will have to make themselves available for the Regional Super50. Sanasie said that the CGI is responsible for selecting the eight Franchises with input from the various areas. “Another issue is the grounds and of now

Anand Sanasie we have Port Mourant and Albion in Berbice and Enmore and Lusignan on the East Coast. The pitch at Tuschen is being relayed,” disclosed Sanasie. The Eight teams are Upper Corentyne, Lower Corentyne, West Berbice, East Coast, East Bank, West Demerara and Essequibo. (Sean Devers)

Golden Fleece, GR XI, Annandale and Crown XI registered victories when the Adventure Sports Club 10/10 softball tournament continued recently at Golden Fleece beach on the Essequibo Coast. Golden Fleece trashed Reliance by nine wickets. Reliance batted first and were bowled out for 65 with only G. Fraser making 16; Vishal Rampersaud claimed 3-8, while Rohan Parbattie picked up 3-17. In reply Golden Fleece Sports Club made 66 for 1 in five overs. Vishal Rampersaud smashed a seven-ball 35 with three fours and a similar number of sixes, while Patrick Rooplall made 28 not out. RG XI trashed Reliance by 88 runs. RG XI batted first and made 180 for 7. Ameer Mohammed stroked two fours and 11 sixes in a scoring 77, while Amzad Callender made 39 with three fours and three sixes and Dovendra Mohan 36 including three sixes; R. Lall and J. Shivbamber took two wickets each. In reply, Reliance were bowled out for 92 in nine overs. G. Fraser made 35 as R. Baljodah, A. Callender and D. Mohan had one wicket each. Annandale A beat Crown XI by three wickets. Crown XI batted first and made 110-4. Munir Amin and Besham Dasrat got 36 and 34 respectively as Calvin Walcott and Aaron Tribuwan captured two wickets each. Annandale responded with 1118 in 9.4 overs. Tribuwan made 33 and got

Vishal Rampersaud support from Andy Pierce with 32; M. Amin, R. Ragubaar, M. Gobin and L. Ramdass took two wickets apiece. Crown XI overcame Annandale B by 60 runs. Crown XI scored 127 for 9, batting first. Besham Dasrat got 35 as Avo Kumar picked up two wickets. Annandale were bowled out for 68 in reply. Kumar got 23; L. Ramdass took two wickets. The competition will culminate on September 2 at the said venue.

Asian Games: Bahrain grab inaugural 4x400m mixed relay gold as China soar

Ali Khamis, Salwa Naser and Abbas Abbas of Bahrain celebrate winning the Asian Games relay gold. (REUTERS/Issei Kato)

JAKARTA (Reuters) Bahrain claimed the gold medal in the mixed 4x400 meters relay in the event’s Asian Games debut as China continued their dominance in track and field yesterday. The 4x400m mixed relay will make its global debut at the world championships in Doha next year before its Olympic bow in Tokyo in 2020. Nigerian-born Abbas Abbas ran the last leg of the relay as Bahrain clocked 3 minutes 11.89 seconds, comfortably finishing ahead of second-placed India. Kazakhstan took the bronze. Bahrain’s triumph gave Salwa Naser, who had won the women’s 400m in Jakarta, her second gold of the 18th Games. “It means something great, something special. It is the first time we make national record, Asian record and I think world record too,” Abbas told reporters. “We are the first team to win this event. We are two girls and two boys so it’s difficult. We are used to four boys.”China won gold in four of the other six events on the fourth day of track and field. Xie Wenjun defended his 110m hurdles title with a season’s best 13.34 seconds, finishing ahead of Chen Kueiru of Taiwan and Japanese Shunya Takayama. Women’s Asian record

holder javelin thrower Lyu Huihui, who set the mark with 67.59m at the 2017 world championships in London, came to Jakarta as a favorite to win gold but she was pushed to silver by compatriot Liu Shiying. It took Liu to post a Games record mark of 66.09 to claim the gold with Lyu managing 63.16.“The (performance) in the first part was inconsistent... I can only say I did my best, but I didn’t expect to win,” Liu said. “This event is a practice (for Olympic). “I will find the problem from this and use the next two

years to correct them.” Li Ling defended her pole vault title and she did it in style with a new Asian Games record of 4.40 meters. There were more cheers on the night for the Chinese contingent as Wang Chunyu won the women’s 800m, her gold bringing up the 200th medal for the Asian giants. India also enjoyed a good evening on the track as Manjit Singh and Jinson Johnson gave them the gold and silver in the 800m, the first time the country had a onetwo finish in an athletics event in eight years.

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Legendary Guyanese Singer Junior players get first taste of Dave Martin receives tournament action with mixed result RHTY&SC Dolphin Award BWF CAREBACO International Championships 2018

Action in the CAREBACO Regional age group Championships being played in Suriname.

The CAREBACO Regional Under-11, 13, 15, & 17 Championships started on Sunday last at the Ring Sports Center in Paramaribo Suriname. Other than Priyanna Ramdhani, all the other Guyanese players are feeling their first taste of being in an international tournament and will gain a lot of experiences. This is a stepping stone for them, the Guyana Badminton Association informed in a release. Results for day one (Sunday) and two (Monday) are: Under-11 Girls Singles

Round Robin: MATCH -1: Mishka Beharry lost to Le Yan Sharon Li of Suriname: 21-7, 21-1 MATCH -2: Mishka Beharry lost to Gillian Jones of Suriname: 21-5, 21-2 Under-15 Boys Singles: Vikash Mootoo lost to Ky-Mani Ormskerk of Suriname: 21-6, 21-5 Matthew Beharry lost to Rivano Bisphan of Suriname: 21-3, 21-3 Under-15 Boys Doubles: Vikash Mootoo & Matthew Beharry lost to Rivano Bispan & Timothy Karg: 21-6, 21-4 Under-17 Girls Singles:

Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Fiona Li: 21-14, 211, to reach into the SemiFinals. Under-17 Mix Doubles: Priyanna Ramdhani & Vance Juteram of T&T defeated Kevin Karg & Faith Sariman of Suriname: 21-9, 2119 to reach into the SemiFinals Under-17 Girls Doubles Round Robin: Priyanna Ramdhani & Robyn Sobers of Barbados defeated Kayleigh Moenne & Faith Sariman of Suriname: 2117, 21-17 The Tournament continued yesterday.

Legendary Guyanese artiste Dave Martin on Friday last was honoured for his outstanding contribution to Culture in the country by the ten cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS. The Guyanese born International known singer became the 39th Awardee of the Club’s highest Award - The Dolphin Award of Excellence. Vice President Mark Papannah headed a four man committee to visit Martin at his East Coast Demerara Home to hand over the prestigious award. The other members of the Committee were Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu and Organising Secretary/Cricket Manager Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster at the simple presentation, stated that the Dolphin Award of Excellence was the highest of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Twelve Awards and is specially reserved for outstanding Guyanese whose contri-

butions to the development of Guyana is unmatched. Awardees are also selected based on their position, role model status to youths across Guyana. Foster, hailed Martin as a Legend, who has placed Guyana on the International stage via his music. Martin, Foster stated was a personal hero of his and informed the attentive singer, that his music has provided countless hours of relaxation at the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Office over the years. Martin, is widely known for songs like “We are the Champions”, “Cricket in the Jungle”, Honey Mooning Couple and It’s Traditional. His song “Take a Rest, WICB” is also very popular among cricket fans in the Caribbean. He started his musical career, fifty two years ago in 1966 and has recorded a total of one hundred and four International known songs. Foster expressed gratitude to Martin for his service to the

development of Guyana and for the role he has played in promoting the country across the globe. A humbled Martin expressed his gratitude to the Management and Members of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS for honouring him. He disclosed that he is aware of the outstanding work, the Rose Hall Town based Club is doing to make a positive difference. He congratulated the Executives of the Club on a job well done and noted that he was honoured to join the outstanding list of Awardees that included President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister Joseph Harmon, June Mendes, Beverly Harper, Roger Harper, Rajendra Ganga and Christopher Jones. Organising Secretary Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall handed over the Award to Mr. Martin. The Award consisted of a Plaque, Medal, Trophy and a Special Gift.

Everest Masters overcome Zeelugt Masters by 48 runs

Ali, Abjal guide Good Success to comprehensive win-OSCL tourney

Rakesh Gangaram (left) accepts his prize from Boodnarine Persaud. Imtiaz Abjal

Naveed Ali

Naveed Ali and Imtiaz Abjal turned in outstanding performances as Good Success defeated Bacchus Cricket Club by 85 runs when the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) 20over tournament continued recently at Ashtonbee Park. Ali slammed 66, while Abjal struck an unbeaten 50 as Good Success posted 179-5 after they decided to bat. Faadil Hamid claimed 2-39. Bacchus Cricket Club could only muster 94-8 in reply with Azad Amidhon scoring 46; Ali snared 2-14.

Host Everest Masters defeated Zeelugt Masters by 48 runs when the teams collided in a 25-over fixture recently. Batting first, Everest Masters managed 184-4. Saheed Mohamed scored 54 with three fours and one six, while Hemraj Garbarran made 45 including four fours and one six, Alex Cully 23 and Rakesh Gangaram 21. S. Persaud,

D. Persaud and D. Mangra had one wicket each. Zeelugt were bowled out for 136 in 24 overs in reply. Ricky Persaud stroked six fours in scoring 54 while Manishwar Balgobin made 26; Gangaram grabbed 4-19 and Mohamed 312. Gangaram was named man-of-the-match; the game was sponsored by Trophy Stall.

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Kaieteur News

Williams gets warm welcome and win in U.S. Open return NEW YORK (Reuters) Serena Williams took the first cautious step towards a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title with a 6-4 6-0 firstround win over Magda Linette on Monday as an excited U.S. Open crowd welcomed the new tennis mother back to the ‘Big Apple’. It was not the imposing performance many have come to expect from Williams as the six-time champion continued to scrape the rust off her game following the birth of her first child. The manner of the victory, however, mattered little to a home crowd that was just happy to see her back on court after sitting out last

year. “It is such a great feeling to be back out here,” said Williams. “It is one of those feeling I only get here in New York.” Telling the crowd that her spirit was broken after not saying goodbye to her daughter Olympia before leaving for her match, Williams displayed little appetite for a fight during an uneven opening set until she finally seized control with a break to go up 4-3. Williams, the winner of 72 career singles titles, has the ability to sense when she has an opponent on the ropes and moved in quickly to deliver the knockout punch, breaking the 68th ranked Pole to open

Bramble to lead Windies ‘B’ in Canada’s SUMMERFEST cricket - Head Coach Crandon, Physio Barry only other Guyanese in tour party The Selection Panel of Cricket West Indies has announced a 14-member WINDIES “B” squad for the Cricket Canada Summer fest which starts today and concludes on September 7. The team will play a series to include four T20s (including a warm-up) along with two 50-overs matches. A WINDIES B Team was in Canada a few months ago and was a beaten finalist in the inaugural Global T20. Anthony Bramble was also the captain of the team. Fresh from an exciting 102 runs from 58 balls, Kimani Melius, the leading run-scorer for the Under 19 Championship now on in St Vi n c e n t , i s p a r t o f t h e squad for this 9-day tournament. SQUAD: Anthony Bramble (Captain), Sunil Ambris, Alick Athanaze, Sheeno Berridge, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Derval Green, Jahmar Hamilton, Sherman Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Kimani Melius, Jeavor Royal, Jomel Warrican. Te a m M a n a g e m e n t Unit: Esuan Crandon (Head Coach), Sir Curtly Ambrose (Coach), Alexander Forde (Strength & Conditioning Trainer), Neil Barry (Physiotherapist), Avenesh Seetaram

Anthony Bramble (Data Analyst). CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said, “This W I N D I E S “ B ” To u r t o Canada will provide another opportunity for our young players to gain experience in the shorter formats. The itinerary comprises both Twenty20 and 50 overs-a-side formats and has allowed CWI to have a look at players who are not involved with the ongoing CPL. This tournament has the potential to assist our player development processes by exposing more of our younger players to more competitive environments.”

the second. While her game might not have been firing on all cylinders her ruthlessness remained razor sharp as the American showed no hesitation storming through second set finishing off her opponent with a thundering ace. The Williams sisters bridged the afternoon and evening sessions on a steamy Arthur Ashe with Venus providing the opening act of the twin bill, grinding out a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory over

another former champion, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, before handing the stage over to her younger sibling. The wins put the sisters on a collision course, leaving them just one victory away from a third-round showdown. While Venus remains a potential obstacle standing in the way of a 24th Grand Slam, Serena’s path to the final was cleared of another major hurdle earlier on Monday

when world number one Simona Halep was upset by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi. “There’s still several matches to play before you’re there,” said Williams about a possible meeting with her sister. “Right now I just feel like I’m on the road to getting better. “I’m just going to be on that road till I get there.” It might not have been a stylish win over Linette but it was nonetheless a stylish display by Williams.

As always, the fashion conscious Williams created a buzz as she appeared from the players tunnel under a spotlight wearing a leather style jacket over a frilly off the shoulder tennis dress and fishnet compression tights designed to help circulation and avoid blood clots. “It’s easy to play in, kind of aerodynamic with the one arm free,” said Williams. “The tutu is easy to play in because I practiced in it before. That was fun.”

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Wednesday August 29, 2018

Kaieteur News

Ramjas five-wkt haul hands Good Success OSCL softball title Led by a five-wicket haul from Ashok Ramjas, Good Success defeated Carr Tech by 23 runs to win the final of the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) Sue Bakery 15-over tournament which concluded recently. Imran Khan and Naveed Ali starred with the bat as Good Success managed 123-5 after they were inserted at Ashtonbee Park. Khan slammed 43, while Ali made 31 as Suresh Lall picked up 2-14. Ramjas then picked up 5-18 as Carr Tech were sent packing for 100 in 13.4 overs in reply. Ravendra Madholall scored 41 while Ali supported Ramjas with 2-16. In an invited comment, Ali extended congratulations to members of the Good Success team and said they worked hard throughout the tournament while their victory is a result of them playing as a unit.

Members of the victorious Good Success team following their win.

Corriverton Links edge NA United 1-0 as BFA/GFF Frank Watson U15 league continues On Saturday last at the Scottsburg ground Corriverton Links made good their home advantage to edge New Amsterdam United 1-0 when the Berbice Football Association/ Guyana Football Federation/ Frank Watson U15 league continued last weekend. Obadiah Davidson 70th

minute strike handed Corriverton Links the lead after both teams attacked relentlessly but failed to capitalize on numerous chances. NA United closest opportunities came in the first half when they missed an open goal and again in the second half when the upright was found instead

of an empty net after an advancing Links goalkeeper was clearly beaten. Links on the other hand had their fair share of chances with their best being a missed penalty in the second half by Travis Flatts which was awarded by Referee Colin Bowry for an infringement within the box.

On Sunday at the Esplanade Park, Monedderlust FC took on both Hearts of Oak FC and Cougars FC at varying times during the day to record a 5 goals to 3 victory in the first encounter and 1 - 1 draw in the second. Monedderlust dictated most of the attacks against Hearts of Oak to secure a 2 – 1 first half advantage. Isan Flatts opened the scoring for Monedderlust in

the 15th minute followed by Tyrone Delph in the 18th min. Hearts of Oak’s Job Fraser pulled one back in the 20th minute. Monedderlust, upon the resumption, continued to execute more effectively over their opponents. A brace by Mark Alpha Stephney in the 39th and 59th minutes and a strike by Rhondy Cummings in the 64th completed Monedderlust 5 goals tally. Antwone Wright scored

his brace for Hearts of Oak in the 49th and 65th. The second match of the day between Monedderlust and Cougars ended in an exciting 1-1 stalemate after both teams, who gave it their all, scored on either side of the break. Shamar Johnson scored in the 5th minute to put Monedderlust ahead, while Javon Persaud struck in the 36th minute to draw his team level.

Letter to the Sports Editor

Deserving Honour for Chanderpaul Dear Editor, The University of West Indies has done right in honouring cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul with a (honorary) doctorate for his achievements and contributions in the game and for making the region stand out in matches when he was a member of the team. He played extremely well. It is a deserving honour for a son of the region. The doctorate should have been conferred a long time ago. Chanderpaul was unceremoniously dropped from the West Indies team in 2015 although he performed better than most of the batting team at the time. When he was forced out of the team, he was just 86 runs short of equaling Brian Lara’s test record of the most runs scored by a West Indian. Chanderpaul was the most consistent batsman in

the history of West Indies cricket. He could be depended upon to save a match, and he did so countless times for whichever team he played for in first class cricket. People everywhere label him “dependable” or “Mr. consistent”. Chanderpaul, though now 44 (as of last August 16), has been sadly missed by West Indies test team since 2015. The team has performed terribly over the last three years without his presence. Through Chanderpaul, Guyana and or West Indies has accrued country or regional recognition. Chanderpaul is known worldwide and people admire him for his contributions to the game of cricket. I tend to travel extensively and whenever I did so, especially in faraway places like South Asia, Australia, New Zealand, En-

gland, Singapore, Malaysia and Fiji, to associate my home country, Chanderpaul’s name pops us. Guyana and the West Indies are better known through the name of this legendary son Shivnarine Chanderpaul. And when I am traveling within the West Indies region, when the names of great cricketers are mentioned, Chanderpaul is among them. Many call him “tiger”. No one has been given greater admiration for his patience in batting at the crease for he hardly ever threw away his wicket. With our leading university honouring Chanderpaul, the government of Guyana and West Indies cricket board should also consider honoring this iconic son for his 25 years of service to the region. Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday August 29, 2018

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ASK – G team claim 26 in Barbados Karate tourney

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he ASK – G team aka YMCA recently returned with 26 medals from Barbados, where the IKD Karate World Cup 2018 was held. The team of 22 was made up of mostly persons competing internationally for the first time, producing the following results in several categories– Junior Categories : G i r l s 8 - 1 1 Te a m compromising of Anya Insanally, Amara Nandan and Rachel Persaud won 3 sets of Bronze medals for Kata, Embu and Bunkai. Boys 16 – 19 Team of Avinash Ramgolam, Trevon Miller and Shakeem Walcott won bronze medals for Enbu. Junior Individuals– Girls 8-10 - Anya Insanally earned herself Silver with a confident performance in Kata then going to a tiebreaker with her Trinidadian counterpart. Adult 40-49 Men’s Category the team of Malcolm Francis, Patrick Gurahoo and Parmeshwar Persaud won 2 sets of Gold medals in Embu and Bunkai, and Silver medals in Kata. The Kumite team of Keith Beaton, Malcolm Francis and Patrick Gurahoo won Silver Medals. In the 40 -49 men’s

The ASK – G team aka YMCA recently returned with 26 medals from Barbados. Individual Kumite, Keith Beaton made light work of the elimination rounds, earning a spot in the finals, where he came up against a Canadian won a well deserved silver medal. The other members of the team survived some fierce competition with the Boys Team comprising of Bohan Cao, Farhan Jahan and Abhigyan Chaterdeo

making it up to the semi finals. The Boys 16-19 B team of Shemar Parkinson, D’andre DaSilva and Sean Wesley also made it to the semi finals. The Women’s Team 20 – 39 of Rebecca Wesley, Wa n d a A g d o m a r a n d Kristine Ramkissoon stepped out on to the competition floor assertively

but only made it through to the Team Kumite finals and were edged out of the bronze medal by Barbados. A S K G ’s o n l y representative in the Men’s 20-39 Individual category, the most competitive one, saw Team Captain Roger Peroune making it through to the semi final round in Kumite, where he came up a bit short against host country

Barbados. The Kata finals in this category also saw some of the fiercest competition with Peroune being the first Guyanese to qualify to the finals in a World Cup. There was much excitement as spectators anxiously watched competitors go through their routine and Peroune who holds a gold medal from the local National Championships,

came up against current titleholders including the l a s t Wo r l d C u p G o l d Medalist and was edged out to fourth place. ASKG would like to express heartfelt gratitude to all their sponsors, supporters and well-wishers and will continue to train even harder, as they now prepare for the Caribbean Championships in 2019.

EBFA / Juicy Juice U-13 League

Agricola at the top with a game in hand, 2nd place Timehri has two

W

ith just six matches left to be played in the inaugural East Bank Football Association (EBFA) / Juicy Juice Under13 League an exciting climax is anticipated. Agricola Red Triangle, with one game in hand, currently enjoy the lead at the top of the points table on goal difference as they are on the same amount of points (21) as Timehri Panthers Sports Club which has two matches left to play. No matches were played last weekend, but latest results saw the leading goal scorer of the league, Agricola’s Eon Daniels taking is tally to 31 in eight matches, he was kept goalless in one match, a 1-1 draw with Soesdyke Falcons, their only blemish which may very well work against them in the final analysis and push for the winner’s trophy. Winners of the last EBFA

Eon Daniels U-13 League, Agricola have posted 7 wins, the same as Timehri but the latter have two matches to play and one would be against Agricola. In recent results, Herstelling Raiders were leading Diamond Upsetters 4-0 but the match that ended prematurely as the latter players were ordered off the field by their Coach with less than a minute to play; the EBFA is investigating the circumstances surrounding

same. Herstelling had secured their goals from Solomon Austin in the 41st and 51st minute, Xavi Atkinson (15th) and Albert Adams in the 11th minute. Diamond United trounced Soesdyke Falcons 8-1 on account of goals from Shaquan Braithwaite (29th, 31st, 37th, 46th), Shakeem Welcome (23rd, 34th), Shaquan Joseph (25th) and an own goal from Soesdyke’s Joshua Saures in the 60th minute. Soesdyke got on the score sheet in the 50th minute through a Daniel Da Costa goal. The Herstelling lads had lost to Swan FC 1-2, Swan’s goals were scored by Kevon De Gios (6th) and Daniel Lonke (45th), Solomon Austin had pulled one back for Herstelling in the 23rd minute. Agricola were rampant once again in their 10-1 triumph over Kuru Kururu Warriors led by Eon Daniels

with a helmet-trick (1st, 11th, 19th, 33rd), Captain Jonathan Andries with a hattrick (32nd, 38th, 45th), Floyd Boyce (48th, 59th) and Seon Grant in the 19th minute. Marious Johnson scored the Warriors’ consolation goal in the 42nd minute. Samatta Point/Kaneville edged Hararuni Eagles 3-2; Timehri Panthers trounced Herstelling 7-0; Agricola got past Diamond Upsetters 3-1, while Samatta Point edged Herstelling 2-1 in other matches contested.

Team Agricola Timehri Panthers Diamond United Swan FC Herstelling Raiders SPKV FC Diamond Upsetters Hararuni Eagles Soesdyke Falcons KK Warriors

P 8 7 8 8 8 7 8 8 8 8

W 7 7 6 4 3 3 3 2 1 1

Latest Points Table L D GF 0 1 49 0 0 31 1 1 43 4 0 11 5 0 15 4 0 14 3 2 17 6 0 7 5 2 9 7 0 8

GA 9 1 12 16 27 29 24 26 21 41

GD +40 +30 +31 -5 -12 -15 -7 -19 -12 -33

Pts 21 21 19 12 9 9 8 6 5 3

Kaieteur News

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Osmond Cummings Memorial U-20 Football Tournament

Wednesday August 29, 2018

Milerock FC outgun Botofago FC in the final

Milerock Captain receiving Championship trophy from Jennifer Cummings and other members of the Cummings family.

Milerock team and coach pose with the Championship trophy. Under the theme, “Unite, Develop and Distribute”, Milerock Football Club walked away with the championship trophy in the final of the first Osmond Cummings Memorial U20 tournament which was held in collaboration with Nigel “Mice” Cummings on Sunday last at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground. The final, although off to a late start and some hiccups, saw a game full of skills and excitement. The players from both teams seemed determined to win, missing some goals but the breaker came in the 35thminute off the boot of Amar Jones in favour of Milerock to loud cheers from their supporters. Botofago were not daunted and tried to equalize but missed three good goals, one hitting the goal post and some wide shots of the goal. The first half ended 1 nil in favour of Milerock. From the sound of the whistle at the beginning of the second half it was evident that Milerock were all out to secure their lone goal and Botofago were out to score goals. Balls were going all over the crossbar and wide of the goal post. Both teams

fought for goals but the defence for both teams had upped the ante in their game as Milerock sought to score another and Botofago looked for the equalizer. At the end of regulation time the score remained 1Nil in favour of Milerock. Eagles FC were automatically awarded third place as Amelia’s Ward FC refused to play for third place after appealing their loss in the semi final against Milerock. However, the governing body of Football in Guyana was adamant that Milerock are the legal winner of the semi final. Amar Jones was awarded the MVP trophy. Cummings said that next year the tournament will be bigger and better with fabulous prizes. The finalists were then met by the promoter Nigel ‘Mice’ Cummings, Organizing Secretary of the UDFA James Trotman and the Deputy Mayor of Linden Wainewright Bethune. Mice Cummings kicked the ball to start play of the final. N i g e l “ M i c e ” Cummings, a former National player, who resides

Smiles on the faces of some children as they receive their backpacks. in the USA, stated that this memorial U20 tournament will be an annual event and he hopes to attract sponsors to reach higher heights, similar to the Banks end of year tournament. Cummings said his brother was his mentor: “My brother was very good, he played well but because of his temper he didn’t get far and he inspired and

motivated me, so in his memory I decided to host a memorial tournament which would be done annually.” Cummings said he wants the younger ones to get involved so they could be groomed early. In speaking about his time and now, the former National player said the skill level is better now but they were more dedicated. “We had training

sessions three times per day and we had to be at practice sessions every day or we couldn’t play in a game. We also had to be at home at a certain time, couldn’t be on the road and let the coach see you.” According to Cummings he wants to see football the way it used to be because football is his passion. He hopes to see Botofago

members back in the National team. “At one time Linden not only had 5 – 6 members in the team but they were starters and I want to see that again.” Cummings also donated school supplies to some 150 children of the community at the Silvertown All Stars Community Centre Ground on Monday. (Jacquey Bourne)

BCB/Fitness 53/Ramnaresh Sarwan Under-17 Knockout Cup

Albion advance to Semifinals, Tucber Park move on to Quarterfinals The packed 2018 Cricket Season of the Berbice Cricket Board continued on Thursday last with crucial matches being played in the Fitness 53/Ramnaresh Sarwan Inter Club Under-17 Tournament. Albion defeated Achievers Cricket Club of West Coast Berbice by three wickets to advance to the Tournament’s Semifinals, while Tucber Park Cricket Club crushed Kendall’s Union of No. 19 Village by ten wickets to move in to the Quarterfinals. Defending Berbice Under-

17 Champions, Rose Hall Town Bakewell has already reached the finals of the tournament, which is scheduled for next Thursday at a venue to be named. At the Canje Welfare Centre Ground, No. 19 were dismissed for a meager 36 off 14.1 Overs with S. Khalall reaching double figures with 10. National Under-17 pacer Gevon Schultz took four wickets for 11 and received support from Rommel Reteimah 2 for 7, Daniel Dharamdat 2 for 2 and Zeymul

Ramsammy 2 for 10. Dharamdat returned with the bat to score 18 not out and together with Tamoi Leason 11 not out took Tucber Park Cricket Club to an easy ten wickets victory in just six Overs. Achievers opted to bat first in their Quarterfinals match versus Albion and were restricted to 119 all out in 31-Overs. The attacking Collis Noble top scored with an aggressive 37 with five boundaries, while Nick Fraser 23 (2x4, 2x6) and Daniel

Ramoutar 16 offered support. Left arm spinner Govran Ramesh took 6 wickets for 20 runs from 8.3 very impressive Overs, while Under-15 offspinner Leon Cecil took 2 for 9 from six Overs. In response, Albion raced to 75 without loss with openers Sarwan Chaitnarine and Hemendra Gurdyal being very aggressive. Chaitnarine, was first to be dismissed for 37 and despite losing six more wickets, they reached 120 for 7 from just 21(Continued on page 31)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday August 29, 2018

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N.K

Three Peat Promotions/Guinness Cage Competition

Could Uprising upset the odds? They’ve shown time and again no fear for teams on the opposite side of the court and this remarkable characteristic is expected to be on display when the youthful Uprising unit out of Golden Grove tackle a resurgent Broad Street for a place in the final of the 2nd Annual Three Peat Promotions / Guinness Cage Competition this Friday, at the Haslington Market Tarmac. Following four nights of entertaining football, Uprising remains the only surviving team from the East Coast in what has been dubbed ‘The East Coast Best versus the Rest’. The young ballweavers have handled the pressure admirably and even though they are facing an inspired Broad Street side, possessing a lot of experience, betting against them is a high risk since they exhibit plenty of energy in a format that suits them perfectly. Players the caliber of Les Charles Critchlow, Shamar Scott, Phillip Williams, David Wilson and Seretse Huntley, all make them a formidable unit that may prove too

difficult to get past. They showed their fortitude in outlasting a tough Blazers side in sudden death penalty shootout in their quarterfinal clash. On the other hand, Broad Street is one of the most experienced sides in the shorter format and they’ve already demonstrated that it will take some doing to defeat them. The Gravesande brothers Jimmy and Rocky have been to this stage of competitions many times in the past and know exactly what it takes to win. They will have support from the likes of tournament joint topscorer Jamal Cozier and Kevin Cummings, two players with the class to win matches. They also displayed toughness in their 1-0 triumph over a stubborn North East La Penitence side in their last encounter. However, the game of the night is predicted to be the clash between Sparta Boss and Leopold Street for a place in the final. These two teams met as recent as the GT Beer ‘Keep

-Sparta Boss poised to win another title

Part of the sizeable crowd that witness the round of 16 and quarter-final action in this year’s competition.

Yo u r F i v e A l i v e ’ Competition and Sparta Boss prevailed on that occasion, but Leopold Street have looked tough throughout this tournament and must be feeling confident of victory. Sparta Boss will be led by the skilful Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, who looked increasingly menacing in their last game and could prove to be the xfactor. His support will come

from Jermin Junor, Sheldon Shepherd, Courtney Britton and the ‘energizer’ Eusi Phillips, while Leopold Street will be spearheaded by team leader Okanie Fraser, Mark Jhalu, Carl Tudor, Darren Benjamin and Tyrese Forde. Both teams narrowly escaped with wins, but being in the last four and fighting for a place in the final will definitely help erase that nerve racking victories.

T h e f i v e - d a y tournament was organised to foster integration among the participating East Coast Demerara and Georgetown communities, to improve relations and create better understanding among its inhabitants. Among the entities in support of the cause are: Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands, Clarks footwear giants Chetsons, ENetworks Inc., KSM

I n v e s t m e n t s , Y h i p ’s Bakery, Brass Aluminum & Cast Iron Foundry (BACIF), Ray’s Auto Sales, Y.K. Investments, Trophy Stall, Express Shipping, Woodpecker Products, National Sports Commission, ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force, Jai Signs & Auto Designs, Gaming Authority, Julius Variety Store, Insurance Brokers Guyana Limited and C & C Prestigious Styles.

Warriors edge out Patriots to grab fourth CPL victory BASSETERRE, St Kitts, Imran Tahir’s four-wicket burst and Sohail Tanvir’s late fireworks with the bat saw Guyana Amazon Warriors to a thrilling four-wicket Caribbean Premier League (CPL) victory over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Warner Park. A fourth win in six leaves the Warriors well-placed at the head of the Hero CPL table, alongside Trinbago Knight Riders and Jamaica Tallawahs on eight points. An all-round batting effort in which six men reached double-figures but nobody made more than Tanvir’s 37 not out saw the Warriors overhaul the Patriots’ 168/7 in the final over as the home side were left to rue a wayward bowling performance that gave up 19 extras – 15 of which were wides. Luke Ronchi got the runchase off to a brisk start with 28 from 16 balls but wickets fell at regular intervals and for much of the innings the Warriors appeared to be behind the pace as Carlos

Brathwaite and Mahmudullah produced tight spells and Ben Cutting grabbed one of the catches of the season with a flying onehanded grab on the boundary to remove the dangerous Cameron Delport. Tanvir, though, turned the game brilliantly and decisively Guyana’s way. He has form in the Hero CPL having made an 18- ball 50 for St. Lucia Zouks and teed off here to make an unbeaten 37 from 20 and lead his side home. The penultimate over delivered by Sheldon Cottrell proved the key as Tanvir started and finished it with big Hero Maximums over the leg-side to leave the Warriors needing just three more runs from the final over. Despite a couple of nervy dot balls Tanvir and Chris Green scrambled the three singles they needed to get over the line with a ball to spare. The Patriots had earlier finished with a competitive total in a stop-start innings

that leant heavily on Chris Gayle at the start and some lower-order hitting as Tahir dominated the middle overs with a mesmerizing spell of 4/22. Gayle was initially watchful, recording just a single from his first nine balls, but roared into life when a full-toss from Green allowed him to free his arms and launch the first of his three Hero Maximums. The other two followed in the fifth over, bowled by the previously unhittable Tanvir. Gayle added three fours in the over for good measure to more than double the score at 47/0 while also becoming the first man to cross 2000 career runs in the Hero CPL. With new Warriors captain Rayad Emrit’s first over going for 15 - Evin Lewis taking 10 from two balls in a welcome return to form - the Power Play had brought 62/0 despite only 12 runs being on the board after three. The Warriors needed something to change, and it did. Keemo Paul started his

spell inauspiciously with three wides well outside Gayle’s off stump, but that line did the trick in the end as the big man slashed a cut to Cameron Delport at point to depart for 40 from 27 balls. That wicket and the i n t r o d u c t i o n o f Ta h i r sparked a collapse from 71/0 to 102/5 that would in the end prove so important. Bowling almost exclusively googlies, Tahir took a wicket in each of his four overs to rob the Patriots of any midinnings momentum and derail their flying start. Lewis was caught at short third-man for 28, and the first ball after the Carib Drinks break hurried through Brandon King’s defence. Devon Thomas was trapped plumb in front by a big-spinning wrong ‘un before Mahmudullah holed out to mid-wicket. Tom Cooper was lbw to Roshon Thomas for just 9 as Anton Devcich held the middle part of the innings together for the Patriots almost single-handedly with (Continued on page 31)

Imran Tahir celebrates in style after taking one of his 4 wickets. (Getty Images)

rt o p S

Warriors edge out Patriots to grab fourth CPL victory

Kemo Paul exults after getting the wicket of Chris Gayle. (Getty Images)

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Sohail Tanvir (right) and Chris Green saw the Warriors home off the last over of the game. (CPL/Getty Images)

Williams gets warm welcome Legendary Guyanese Singer Dave Martin receives . 34 and win in U.S. Open return P

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Serena Williams of the USA reacts after beating Magda Linette of Poland in a first round match on day one of the 2018 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Bramble to lead Windies ‘B’ in Canada’s SUMMERFEST cricket - Head Coach Crandon, Physio Barry only other Guyanese in tour party

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RHTY&SC Dolphin Award

RHTYSC, MS Organising Secretary Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall hands over the Award to Dave Martin.

Speedster Beaton . 32 cleared to resume bowling P

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