Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris A. A. Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
MURDERING WOMEN One of the most discussed topics in the country, and rightly so, is crime. It has impacted the lives of many citizens, not just the victims or relatives of the victims, but others who are trying to avoid becoming victims. Many are genuinely appalled and concerned at the alarming murder statistics especially women who have perished because of domestic violence. But the alarm of violence against women has less to do with statistics and more to do with the ethos to protect the weaker sex. Crime also has an extreme economic effect. There is the cost of maintaining modern equipment to combat it, and the equally costly agencies that serve to police the activities of the law enforcers. There is also the opportunity cost which occurs as a result of the high rate of crime which to a certain extent has impacted tourism and investment. It is about time the government, the police and the public face the murders, serious crimes and general lawlessness are concerned in this nation. We believe that the country has too many hardened criminals. We are still breeding too many children, especially males who, because of an absence of proper role models, have a tendency toward becoming hardened criminals as they grow older. At one time, Guyana was a relatively peaceful country, but the influx of gangs and hardcore criminals had gained momentum. It wreaked havoc on the citizens.The unprecedented levels of violence have led to the introduction of several laws, which have empowered law enforcement to levels never seen before. These laws have created a culture of policing that depended heavily on the suppression of criminal elements. Even though some have accused the police of violating the human rights of the criminals, the actions the ranks exhibit have significantly reduced murders and serious crimes across the country. But the fallout is always there in the forefront of people’s minds. Guyana is still reeling from the crime wave that broke out at the turn of the century. That was when the criminals turned the table on the law enforcers. It took six years and the involvement of the Guyana Defence Force to bring an end to it. The wheel is turning again. The people credited with protecting the society are being identified as criminals. They are the new gunmen and the home invaders. As a result, many are calling for the purging of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) because corruption and misconduct by ranks who took an oath to serve and protect the people are sullying the reputation of the force. Indeed, the GPF needs to suppress itself. Based on the report by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the alleged assassination of PresidentGranger, the purging of the force has begun. It took the form of sending the Commissioner of Police on leave and transferring some senior ranks. The murders of so many young men are one thing: but the killing of innocent young women is quite another. The country was shaken to its core by the recent murders of 22 year old school teacher and mother, Kescia Blanche, of Georgetown; 36-year-old Indrawattie Totaram of Williamsburg, Corentyne; 22-year-old Marissa Fraser of No. 5 Village, West Coast Berbice; and 18 year old Ranella Benfield of Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara. There can be little real improvement in the crime situation without real cooperation between the communities and the police. That is our lot. As we approach the Christmas season, it is the responsibility of everyone to be careful because crime tends to peak at this time..
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Track record should be seen as a Company’s CV Dear Editor, Former shadow minister of foreign affairs for 23 years in the opposition benches and now the real deal in the coalition, Carl Greenidge, after admitting that he was the one who advised the President not to alert the nation of the 18 million signing bonus collected from Exxon has assumed a new portfolio-PRO Exxon Guyana. Greenidge, making reference to KN said”The company broke no law, owes no taxes but you run a campaign that the company is not trustworthy,” He further asserted that Exxon Mobil broke no law as yet in Guyana and as such, should be left alone and that the company’s track record has no relevance here.” These adumbrations are definitely PR in nature! Greenidge seems to be a product of the old school when the world of telecommunication was a barren waste land; by the time one hears something it was history. So you are constantly stuck in a reactive mode. That is the quintessential undoing of the coalition government. They lack the temerity to be proactive. Information and Communication Technology has made the world a tiny place. To say that a Company’s track record has no relevance here Is considered as misinformation in this
era, where leader in business and governance are expected to be proactive thinkers. Track records should be looked as a Company’s CV; something not popular with this Government. The fact that ninety five percent of what KN published about Exxon’s tact and guile or track record already existed in electronic archive and could be easily accessed by anyone, anywhere in the world who wanted to know, might be perceived as an alien concept to Mr Greenidge. KN is simply doing its moral duty to pass “known information” to the people of Guyana. Enlightening us, since oil and gas is new to us and it was presumed that the Government, having lamented the need for transparency and accountability in its election campaign, would have held wide consultation with the masses and opposition before engaging Exxon with negotiations for a EIA and PSA. Oil is the future of Guyana and it was important to get it right the first time. There might never be a second chance. Exxon, like all companies are profit oriented and naturally do whatever it takes to maximize their profits. In their quest they know their deeds will follow them like “karma”. I have not seen them denouncing anything about their modus operandi
published by KN. In such light I would not want to believe that anyone from Exxon said anything to Greenidge about “KN’s scrutiny”. Maybe he was just being reactive to a “figment of his imagination” when he said, “Y’all down the road cussing them out, (saying that) they are terrible, who they ain’t rob, they put money in somebody’s account and the president spend it. What does that have to do with the company?” That is exactly the point! I figure the people from Exxon must have already called to tell him to desist from such foolish ramblings. Unlike him, the people at Exxon are smart and proactive. They know when you are faced with the ugly truth, you have two choices; try to debunk it as a lie and get more criticism or stay silent and watch it dissipate with time. Exxon was doing fine until Greenidge inadvertently came by, primarily for support of the secrecy of the signing bonus and pretentiously or diversionary as Exxon PRO. Noting prepares you for the next comment from our top diplomat-”many of those who talk transparency, their activities won’t see the light of day.”You can’t have a more vivid picture of where the coalition planned on taking this country. I am going back to England. Rudolph Singh
Sunday December 17, 2017
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City Council has systems to track the use of its firearms
Failure of public enterprises manifests the fact that governments should not run business
DEAR EDITOR, Please refer to a letter which appeared in your daily’s issued Saturday, December 16, 2017 “When will the slackness at City Hall stop?” by Shanta Singh (pg6). The Mayor and City Council wishes to thank Ms. Singh for the interest she has shown in the work of its various agencies, in particular, the City Cons t a b u l a r y. I t s h o u l d b e noted that this particular writer appears to see the Council only in a negative light. This is demonstrated by the pattern and contents of previous letters written by her in our dailies. Suffice it to say, we are not worried with this negative perspective by Ms. Shanta Singh but we continue to ask that those, who write on matters affecting the council and consequently the city, to be fair, truthful and objective in their writings. Of course, if writers have their own hidden agendas then this would be difficult to achieve. In this particular letter, the writer seems to be in possession of information that is not within the archives of the Council when she stated: “In the past
there have been disappearances of large quantities of ammunition…”paragraph 5.We are not aware that this has ever happened at the City Council. However, we would be happy to peruse any information or informational materials the writer may have in this regard. We have always admitted that the Constabulary like every other police and security agency has its challenges. That, notwithstanding, it is well known that the Council has put in place systems to manage and monitor the movement and use of all its properties including weapons and allied security equipment. In the case of the Constabulary, there are systems in place to track the use of all of its properties including firearms, communication sets and vehicles. In fact, the discovery of the missing firearm testifies to the effectiveness of those systems.Therefore, we disagree with comments made by Shanta Singh at paragraph 6 to the effect that: “…this points to gross negligence, sloppy management and extreme dishonesty and the buck must stop at the political and administrative leadership of
t h e C o u n c i l … ” We a r e afraid that the writer appears to be totally uninformed and as a result her utterances are unfair not only to the leadership of the Council but also the entire city of Georgetown. We wish to reaffirm our commitment to securing the health, the safety and the protection of local communities and their citizens. We continue to demonstrate the credentials and responsibility to manage all of our statutory duties and obligations to the city. Royston King Town Clerk City of Georgetown
Dear Editor, The Honorable Finance Minister in his Budget 2018 speech forecast a deficit of $12.8 billion in the overall performance of the Public Enterprises (PEs). He further pointed out that even though GNNL, GRDB, MARDS, GPOC, GUYOIL, GNSC and GNPL had a combined surplus of $2.5 billion, this was effectively eroded by GUYSUCO and GPL. Some of these entities such as GUYSUCO, GRDB, GPL and GPOC are virtual monopolies yet they are generating deficits. However, it was reported in the press on August 9th 2017, under the caption, ‘GUYOIL earns $18 billion in first half of year’, that the Finance Minister said that GUYOIL is expected to post a deficit of $328.4 million from an originally projected surplus of $813.1 million. On the other hand, in May this year Mr Jordan had said that GUYOIL is projected to
earn a surplus of $3 billion. This is not illuminating at all, he should have given more details since earlier, the said Minister had boasted that GUYOIL stands ‘like a financial beacon in an ocean of economic woes’ while noting that the entity had always enjoyed an operating surplus. It must be noted that it is not very enlightening to have all these entities bundled together in his presentation since it is difficult to gauge the loss makers. From all indications nearly all of these entities made losses. In another article dated August 10th, 2017, under the caption, ‘Public Enterprises show mixed performance at end of mid-year’, it was reported that there was an 8.7 percent decline in the total revenue of the PEs and this would have included GPL,GUYSUCO, GNNL,GRDB, and GPOC. It was stated that employment (Continued on page 6)
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Misconduct in public office: The US$18,000,000 Exxon Signing Bonus DEAR EDITOR I am appalled at the explanation given by President David Granger with respect to the non-transparency and unaccountability of the US$18,000,000 signing bonus from ExxonMobil to Guyana. The money was received in the middle of 2016 and hidden from the people of Guyana until December 2017, when the Government was forced to admit that the funds were received and placed in an account outside of the Consolidated Fund. President Granger’s most incredible explanation is that there were some national security implications and that is why the transaction was handled in that manner. That manner involved the clandestine setting up of a bank account with the Bank of Guyana. Many postulate that the only national security implication is the GuyanaVenezuela border dispute and the legal cost that may follow from legal action. It is for the President to clear the air on this, especially if Guyanese property and person are at risk for some other unknown
security reasons. ExxonMobil has made it pellucid via its Country Manager, Mr. Rod Henson, that it has no role whatsoever in the use or where those funds go, no role whatsoever. It therefore stands to reason that there was no contractual or commercial obligation for placing the funds outside the ambit of the regular accountability process. This accountability process is governed by legislation under Article 216 of the Constitution of Guyana, which deals with the Establishment of Consolidated Fund. It states: “All revenues or other moneys raised or received by Guyana (not being revenues or other moneys that are payable, by or under an Act of Parliament, into some other fund established for any specific purpose or that may, by or under such an Act, be retained by the authority that received them for the purpose of defraying the expenses of that authority) shall be paid into and form one Consolidated Fund”. Again it is for the President to tell us under which Act of
Parliament he has exercised this exception. After the kerfuffle caused by the Minister of Natural Resource and the Minister of Finance giving opaque answers to questions from the media, the Minister of Finance claimed that the special fund was set up so that it could be held safe for use in the event moneys are needed to pay for legal costs associated with litigating the border dispute. He further claims that at that time the funds will then be placed in the Consolidated Fund and extracted out by way of a Supplementary Budget. I wish to contend that this contemplated procedure by the Minister of Finance violates the letter and spirit of Article 217 which deals with the “Withdrawals from Consolidated Fund or other public funds”. This Article states: “1. No moneys shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund except- a. to meet expenditure that is charged upon the Fund by this Constitution or by any Act of Parliament; or b. where the issue of those moneys has
There is no wrong in this society that cannot be corrected by us as citizens DEAR EDITOR There is no wrong in this society that cannot be corrected by us as citizens of this nation. Attention is being given to two critical issues- ExxonMobil bonus and sugar. Following the issue of the bonus, Christopher Ram is applauded for bringing this information to the public attention. He continues to prove he remains of significance to the process of bringing about good governance and holding the politicians to account. Were it not for him the nation would not have been any the wiser at this time. And where bad experiences with corruption and greed in government are known the society is being better served by the vigilance of all. This nation has just emerged from years of seeing its resources raped and plundered, greed and corruption ran amok, citizens mistreated and deprived of what’s justly theirs.
Consequently, people have a right to remain vigilant and vocalise their concerns, whether right or wrong. Government has a responsibility to govern in a manner to avoid these ills, including the appearances of them. The explanations by Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge on the concerns raised by Ram are noted. The problem that currently exists is the un-answered question, ‘why in the first place did the government ministers deny there existed a signing bonus from ExxonMobil?’ Greenidge in his explanation said there existed no sinister intent and reiterated the money is in an account at the Central Bank where the signatories are state functionaries. While both men acknowledged the presence of the money they differ on where it should be placed and accounted for. It is (Continued on page 7)
More people can be employed using the same amount of money DEAR EDITOR, I would like to take this opportunity to ask Lincoln Lewis and other Union Leaders to not ask for hefty pay increases for workers as the money has to be found, by Guyana Government of the day, to pay for hefty pay awards. While I acknowledge that the working poor de-
serves a better standard of living and increased wages may help them to improve their circumstance; increase wages also put a lot of downward pressure on the Guyana dollar leading to devaluation over time. I suggest a 2.5 percent pay increase is reasonable, since inflation is below this level, and everyone likes
a top-up now and again for their efforts. It is time for our Unions to start looking at how we can increase workers productivity so that everyone will benefit without the hefty pay rises. Is it not better to have 10 people working for GYD600,000 (GYD6m total) each rather than to have eight people working for GYD750,000 (GYD6m total) with two people being unemployed? I would also like to ask President David Granger to consider taking a pay cut. Sean Ori
been authorised by an Appropriation Act; or c. where the issue of those moneys has been authorised under article 219. 2. Where any moneys are charged by this Constitution or any Act of Parliament upon the Consolidated Fund or any other public fund, they shall be paid out of that fund by the Government of Guyana to the person or authority to whom payment is due. 3. No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund other than the Consolidated Fund unless the issue of those moneys has been authorised by or under an Act of Parliament. 4. Parliament may prescribe the manner in which withdrawals may be made from the Consolidated Fund or any other public fund”. This is an egregious precedent being set by the Executive arm of Government, especially, coming from the President and his Ministers. The Constitution and public laws are there to protect the people from the arbitrary actions of the Executives. Ar-
ticles 116 and 117 are there to do exactly this; to protect the people’s funds from the arbitrary actions of the Government. All actions of the Government must find their source from the Constitution or the laws of the country. Otherwise, they run the risk of being illegal with serious consequences. Such consequences are spelt out in Section 85, Liability of official in The Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, which states: “An official who (a) falsifies any account, statement, receipt or other record issued or kept for the purposes of this Act, the Regulations, the Finance Circulars or any other instrument made under this Act; (b) conspires or colludes with any (c) knowingly permits any other person to contravene any provision of this Act, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable on conviction to a fine of two million dollars and to imprisonment for three years”. There is a strong case to
be made that the President and a number of his Ministers and other subordinate officers of the Government knowingly colluded and conspired to falsify the Consolidate Fund and The Audited Public Accounts of Guyana for the Fiscal Year Ended 31 December 2016. Further, they have sabotaged and abused due process and procedures stipulated by law for the regulation of the Consolidated Fund. As a minimum, a declaration of the Court should be sought to determine whether the action of the President and responsible Ministers violates the Constitution and laws of Guyana. This is invaluable to stop the slide into further arbitrary action of the Government. Unfettered misconduct in public office is an abomination of our Constitutional and Parliamentary Democracy. Tameshwar N Lilmohan CPA FCCA BA MBA LLB (Hons.) Chartered Professional Accountant
Failure of public enterprises... From page 5 costs are more than 40 percent of total revenue and there was an increase of operating costs of 12 percent. GPL and GUYSUCO were forecast to record deficits of $5 billion and $8.4 billion respectively. These two alone would have given a total deficit of $13.4 billion which would be above the $12.8 billion that he forecast in his Budget speech. It is very disappointing that the clarity of his pronouncements is compromised by his contradictory statements as well as his skeletal report of the PEs performance. It is important to note that even though the decline of Guysuco began under the previous Government this downward slide was greatly accelerated from the time this Government took office. In December 2015 the CEO, Dr Clive Thomas boasted about the achievement of Skeldon Estate and Guysuco as a whole. Skeldon achieved its target of 30,594 tonnes and exported 1,184,000 kilowatts of electricity to GPL yet in 2016 the same person said that it was a ‘ticking time bomb’. Furthermore, the COI in 2015 never reported that the factory was ‘falling apart’ even though the COI team included Mr John Dow who is responsible for Guysuco’s Factory Operations. Now the entire Guysuco is falling apart with the lowest output predicted for 2018. Having given this illustration, I will agree with Mr. Gobin Harbhajan, who in his very insightful letter con-
cluded that Guysuco’s management from the Board of Directors downwards is responsible for the failure of Guysuco (Kaieteur News dated December 7th ,2017). However, he failed to address the high degree of political interference and direction. It is quite evident that the other Public Enterprises are rapidly following in the footsteps of GUYSUCO and it manifests the fact that governments should not run business. All of the entities were doing better until the Coalition Government took over and this was pointed out by the Finance Minister. There is a strong belief that these losses will increase since the increased wages and inefficient spending will drain the resources of the Government. These entities are a dumping ground for rewarding political patronage. This is not unlike what happened in the 1970s when political interference resulted in the bankruptcy of many PEs. Political considerations impact heavily of these entities. What will eventually happen is that the government will continue to inject monies to keep these entities afloat. Therefore, the government will have to continue to depend on raising taxes and implementing new tax measures to meet its budgetary allocations as in evidenced by the 2018 Budget. Public enterprises must be capable of generating surpluses and from the evidence submitted by the Finance Minister, deficits are forecast.
Furthermore, it is expected that from these surpluses generated the Government will have at its disposal fresh capital to invest and improve the production and productivity of these PEs. In addition, this will create employment. However, this is now an elusive dream. It is evident that political interference and political patronage will always take precedence over pragmatic business decisions. These entities should be divested and the Government should utilize the funds garnered to do investments in infrastructural works to boost private investments. A point to note is that this is also lacking in the 2018 Budget. The 2018 Budget though bigger is showing a reduction in the Public Infrastructure and Agriculture allocations by $5.2 and $1.3 billion respectively. This does not bode well for encouraging private sector investment. Why? Once the divestment is done in a structured manner it is more than likely that it will be successful. Transparency and accountability should be ingrained in the process. It should not be allowed to generate the confusion generated by the Guysuco’s divestment. Drastic surgery should be done to these PEs before it’s too late. It simply defies logic that monopolies can fail so miserably but public enterprises have an ingrained political culture which acts as a catalyst for failure. Haseef Yusuf RDC Councilor-Region
Sunday December 17, 2017
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Mr. Edghill is urged to check the records before making wild accusations DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to a letter published in the Thursday December 14, 2017 edition of Stabroek News, under the headline, “Demerara River Bridge, Ministry of Citizenship digitising of records among projects that raise serious concerns”, and written by Opposition MP, Juan Edghill. The Ministry wishes to respond to claims made by Mr. Edghill which target two projects under our responsibility: the new Demerara River Bridge and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion.
On the matter of the CJIA Expansion, the Ministry wishes to affirm the position that the retention is a form of safeguard; as the contractor works and valuations are submitted, 10 percent of each invoice is retained, to a maximum value of 5 percent of the contract sum. This five percent is held by the Government until the end of the defects and liability period, to which it is disbursed following the satisfactory completion and performance over this period. For this project, the defects and
liability period is one year. It must also be noted that the monies will only be released once independent consultants have certified following the defects and liability period that any possible defects that may arise are rectified. This retention is just one safeguard being undertaken by the Government of Guyana to ensure value for money and the successful completion of this project. Indeed, the scope of the original project has been reworked; however, this is public information. Addi-
There is no wrong in this society... From page 6 Ram’s view it should be in the Consolidated Fund and the absence of this being so constitutes a violation of the Guyana Constitution. He has said he will move to the court for a determination on the matter. Should he proceed and an interpretation determined by the court the decision will help in strengthening the governance system and guiding the way we treat with issues of this nature in future. Greenidge’s explanations have come too late. This is a major shortcoming of this administration that it must address. In the absence of knowledge people have a right to speculate anything. On the issue of sugar, government is taking a lot for granted in addressing the plight of the industry and the welfare of the workers and communities to be affected. There is no denying that decisions have to be made, but this practice where the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, as in the instance of Minister Joe Harmon saying Cabinet was unaware neither has it taken any decision to close estates when Minster Noel Holder and GuySuCo have proceeded on such a path, is bad. While the sustenance of sugar is dependent on the Consolidated Fund, whatever action is being taken by GuySuCo has to take on board the socio-economic impact it will create. For instance, the closure of factories and the absence of a programme to cushion the effect via redirecting the pro-
ductive energies of affected workers and those dependent on their income will create negative shocks. The strong perception that government and GuySuCo find it more expedient to engage in media public relations war with the sugar unions rather than the sides coming together to work out a programme to the benefit of these workers is counterproductive. This approach won’t put food on the table for those whose lives are to be affected nor ease their anxiety which much be the premier focus. On this matter Government must deliver the leadership. As a trade unionist and having had the experiences with the mistreatment of bauxite workers by the Bharrat Jagdeo government on this industry’s future there is empathy for sugar workers. Bauxite workers and their communities are still reeling from the effects of poor decision-making and the absence of a programme to re-direct their energies and assure their socio-economic wellbeing. This administration should have learnt and must learn from the mistakes of the PPP/C and not repeat them. It must matter not that the sugar unions or workers are perceived or known to be PPP/C support-
ers. Like every Guyanese they have a right to freedom of association (political, union etc) equally as they are protected from discrimination because of this. There is also serious objection to the PPP/C, after being in office for 23 years, not coming up with a plan for the industry and laying it on the table for examination. Instead its leadership seems more comfortable playing partisan politics and Russian roulette with these workers’ lives because they think such can improve their chances in the 2020 elections. Workers should not be considered a part of any voting farm, only raised and supported for their ballot not necessarily their well-being. The sugar unions must continue standing up and demanding their place at the decision-making table. Lincoln Lewis.
tionally, the scope was reworked after unforeseen physical conditions were experienced, such as excessive depth and low quality of the soil to the Northeast of the runway. The rectification of this issue received top priority and therefore required the reallocation of funds from one scope of the contract sum to another. This saw funds being moved from building works – which would include the new terminal building and accompanying bridges – to runway works. While bridges can subsequently be bought and added, foundation works cannot be delayed. This is simple logic. Mr. Edghill is incorrect in his claim that there will be no new terminal building. As part of this project, the airport will benefit from a new arrivals terminal building as well as a renovated departures terminal building. The existing building previously housed both arrivals and departures but will now simply be rehabilitated to house departures only. These two buildings will be connected and square footage will be higher than that of the original contract; the original contract was 14,347 sq. m while the final scope will be 14,430 sq. m. Additionally, the airport will also benefit from the additional facility con-
structed for the temporary arrivals terminal, at no additional cost as its construction was part of the work plan of the contractor. This facility can now be used as a cargo facility, warehouse or as an office for ground handling concession. It must be noted that the project cost remains the same, even as the airport benefits from a larger terminal building. Meanwhile, the Ministry wishes to emphasise that the only “controversy” surrounding the award of the consultancy for the feasibility study of the new Demerara River Bridge is that which has b e e n c o n c o c t e d b y M r. Edghill himself and the PPP/C as a whole. In fact, on September 21, 2017, the Ministry issued a statement – in response to false allegations levelled by Edghill’s colleague, MP Gail Teixeira – outlining the entire process that led to the award of the Feasibility Study and Design for the new Demerara River Crossing, including the number of bid submissions and approval granted by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). When it comes to land acquisition, the determination of its accompanying costs rests with the Lands and Surveys Department. To date, an order has been issued by the Department for land acquisition and a
survey will be executed to determine the exact land required. From there, the Valuation Department of the Ministry of Finance will recommend market values to be paid. It must be noted that, once again, this information was publicly relayed to the nation through the public advertising of the order in October. Ministry officials also met with residents who may be affected by land acquisition and all relevant information, including the way forward and the residents’ legal rights, were relayed to them. Mr. Edghill is urged to check the records before making wild accusations. Furthermore, bids were received from international firms containing various levels of financing options; after the review and assessment of the most suitable model, the National Assembly will be approached for the required financing. Finally, the Ministry has – time and time again – shared all of this information publicly; we never have, at any moment, attempted to obfuscate or withhold any information which we were permitted to share. The public discussions have always been present and we are more than willing to let them continue. Hon. David Patterson, M.P. Minister of Public Infrastructure
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Last UN hurdle before Int’l Court on Venezuela border controversy
A Joint Patrol comprising Ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and The Guyana Police Force (GPF), on November 30, 2017, located and confirmed the Guyana/Venezuela Boundary Marker while conducting patrols in the Amakura River, Region #1. This boundary marker indicates and demarcates the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela. With only a few days remaining for the year, Guyana is readying itself to battle in the International Court of Justice over the Venezuela border controversy. Yesterday, President David Granger noted theat Guyana, over the past 30 months, has been aiming its efforts at reaching a peaceful resolution to the territorial controversy. This was done through its engagement in a renewed Good Offices process. Its efforts are expected to eventuate in a juridical settlement of the territorial controversy. It will be recalled that following the Coalition Government’s accession to office in May 2015, the new administration faced a major problem.
ExxonMobil announced earlier that it had found oil in commercial quantities offshore Guyana. Venezuela immediately laid claim to the waters, awakening a simmering situation also to the borders of Guyana. That neighbouring country has been claiming a large swath of mineral rich Essequibo, the largest county of Guyana. Guyana immediately ramped up its appeal and complained to the international community. In late 2015, President Granger took the issue to the floor of the UN General Assembly. Outgoing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (Continued on page 74)
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Trotman to seek reduction of powers given in Petroleum Bill By Abena RockcliffeCampbell Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, is about to make moves that will complement his stated anti-dictatorship position. Trotman is actually going to go to Cabinet and ask that it approves the reduction of powers to be vested in him as prescribed by the Petroleum Commission Bill. Trotman announced his intention to do so recently in the National Assembly as he contributed to the Budget debates. Trotman told the House that in 2017, both the Petroleum Commission Bill and the Local Content Policy were widely disseminated for public scrutiny and currently; the Bill is before the Select Committee while the Policy is being finalised with stakeholder feedback. Trotman said that the Government of Guyana chose to pause the implementation of the Petroleum Commission Bill so that it can receive all “fit and proper proposals that may be out there.” He said, “This moment will not come again and how we prepare to manage this resource, in particular, will
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman determine the long-term future of the country so I will recommend to Cabinet that the format is changed from the standard semi-autonomous one to make the Commission more independent and inclusive so that it can enjoy national support.” The opinions that too much power is to be vested in the Minister of Natural Resources are widespread. Stakeholders have been saying the Petroleum Commission Bill, now before a parliamentary select committee, should be finetuned to make way for a Board of Directors with broader powers to eliminate concerns
Dem boys seh...
De Paccoo file to divorce de Baccoo over oil money Dem boys know pardner business never work out all because one does hustle to rob or outsmart de other. Everybody know when it comes to CASH you and yuh own mudda does get wrong, much less strangers. Show dem boys a prosperous pardner business and dem boys will show you the way to Heaven. It is no different with political parties. It does always start out wid flair and glamour until dem find out de pie not sharing even. Dat is de beginning of de divorce. Dem boys hear divorce proceedings start already but no side ain’t get lawyer yet. Dem going to court, not in dem party name. Hap New going as de Baccoo and Hay Heff See going as de Paccoo. People seh as soon as dem go in dat de Baccoo start thiefing and lef out de Paccoo. Dem boys will nevah fuhget de D’Urban Park scandal involving hundreds of millions. De Paccoo get lef out and dat start de brucking up. Then come de threatening letter wha BK write to de Baccoo dat he gun go to court if he don’t get pay US$8 million. De Baccoo hand over de money before dayclean and everybody know de Paccoo ain’t get nutten. Dis letter, dem boys hear, cause de separation. Dem boys hear dat another letter cause de divorce. Dis letter get leak and it show dat de Baccoo get US$18 million and didn’t tell de Paccoo nutten. In fact, de Baccoo try to hide it from de Paccoo. De Paccoo tell dem boys dem believe is more than US$100 million and not US$18 million because of how dem behave. De Finance Baccoo seh dem reporter nevah ask de right question. He seh de reporter ask bout US$20 million and he seh he ain’t know bout no US$20 million. Then he get rude and disrespectful. He seh he don’t have to answer to nobody how much he collect. How he expect de Paccoo to feel? Dat answer mek de Paccoo file fuh divorce. Then wha add de last straw was when Soulja Bai seh he ain’t tell everybody. De Paccoo know is dem he didn’t tell. Up come de Shart Baccoo and he seh how he tell Soulja Bai hide it. Talk half and search fuh de rest of de US$100 million.
about possible ministerial micro-management. With some 51 clauses, the Bill seeks to provide the framework for the monitoring and regulation of efficient, safe, effective and environmentally responsible exploration, development and production of the resource in Guyana through the setting up of a Petroleum Commission. The Bill currently says that the Minister is to appoint the Board of the Petroleum Commission and is empowered to act as the Board in the absence of an active board. The Board will control the commission and the commission will have the
main say in the oil sector. Therefore, in giving the Minister the power to act as the board, the Bill is giving the Minister powers to singly control the sector. When it was being debated, before being sent to the Special Select Committee, the opposition argued that it vests too much power in the Minister of Natural Resources, and should be adjusted to reflect an apolitical stance of the sector. “When we examine Section Eight which deals with the Power of the Minister to give directions to the Commission, it is clear that the Commission will hardly be able to work without the
direction and control of the Minister. According to Section Eight, the Minister is not only allowed to provide policy guidance, but also give direction to the Commission regarding, size of the establishment, the employment of staff and the terms and conditions of employment, the provision of equipment and use of funds, reorganisation or such works of development as to involve a substantial o u t l a y o n capital account, training, education and research, the disposal of capital assets; the application of the proceeds of such disposals,” PPP/C MP Irfaan Ali argued at the time.
“Thus, the Minister is literally empowered to dictate inter alia, how many persons an independent Commission should employ, what should be the terms and conditions of employment for the staff of the Commission, how an independent Commission should use its funds, etcetera. Based on our review of similar legislation in other countries, we were unable to locate one that bestows comparable powers to the Minister. Indeed, based on our review, we found that the only power the Minister is granted in other countries is the power to provide policy guidance,” he added.
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Take politics out of GECOM appointments Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner, Vincent Alexander, believes that the current configuration lends itself to appointees believing that they must approach decisions with political bias. In recent months, there have been public deliberations and even criticisms of the unilateral appointment of the Chairman of GECOM, Justice James Patterson (ret’d) and the appointment of Trevor Williams, who replaced Sandra Jones who passed away last month. “There is this configuration and the very acceptance by commissioners that this thing got sides; it has been one of my disappointments. I try to treat the appointment, from my perspective, as a constitutional office and therefore not to go to the Commission exhibiting some bias towards a particular side. That has been one of the disappointments,” Alexander stated. The current seven-member Commission is assembled with a Chairman and six Commissioners. Apart from the Chairman’s appointment, the Constitution (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2000 provides for the appointment of six members of the Commission with three members appointed by the President, acting in his own deliberate judgment and an-
other three members appointed by the President acting on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition after meaningful consultation with the non-governmental opposition parties represented in the National Assembly. Ten years ago, Alexander was nominated by the opposition, People’s National Congress (PNC) and appointed by then President Bharrat Jagdeo. He is currently the longest serving Commissioner. He believes that the legislative framework governing GECOM does not take into consideration the political culture of Guyana. “We [Commissioners] are supposed to be Constitutional officers, but most of us see ourselves as Party representatives and the public sees us that way as well. To a very large extent, party lines are drawn in the work of GECOM. “One can see that as a disadvantage, but it is also in some regards a reality that we have to recognise. If we configure GECOM differently, not based on the parties making nominations, we still have a society where people are rather suspicious of political alignment,” Alexander pointed. He stated that the drawback of doing away with the current process is moving to a process where you do not know what you have as opposed to the present state of
- Commissioner knowing exactly what you have. “One can juxtapose whether the society itself is ready because when one looks at all the Constitutional bodies, people still have question marks whether the persons who populate those bodies are neutral persons as opposed to representing one party or another party’s interest,” Alexander pointed out. Before the 1992 Elections, the Commission had a temporary lifespan. It comprised a Chairman who was appointed by the President and one member in respect of each political party, including the governing party, which had not less than five seats in the National Assembly. A member then demitted office within three months after the date of the election. TOE THE LINE Under the existing laws, there is no provision for a time limit or the period those commissioners are to serve. Nonetheless, Alexander stated that over time, there has been some growth, but whenever that growth takes place commissioners are replaced. “Why we place them in the first instance and secondly how do you successfully replace someone that is in an appointment that is infinite?
The appointments at GECOM cannot be changed by the persons making the nomination once the person has been appointed. NEWAPPROACH Alexander embraces a new approach to the appointments that would reduce the political involvement. He explained that the new approach is to have established civil society groups populate the Commission with the requisite skills. For example, he suggests a lawyer nominated from the Bar Association may sit on the Commission. “In that way, it wouldn’t
GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander be the President who is making any determination. It would be a much more objective approach to identifying
the person, but having said that, I am still saying that in Guyana the nature of things is that even these associations seem to have biases. “People will even look at the individuals, notwithstanding, the manner in which the person is selected, and say he is a PPP or he is a PNC. We seem to lack the level of political maturity in our society that allows us to do things that are not tainted,” Alexander stated. Alexander also stated that he had made similar proposals for the constitution of the Local Government Commission which would allow effective oversight through the skills needed to ensure the smooth functioning of the local authorities.
Clash with cops and Opposition MPs…
Top Cop concedes police ranks should not have been in Parliament Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine has conceded that police ranks should not have been in the Chambers of Parliament. He said that “important lessons” had been learnt from “that unfortunate situation.” The Acting Top Cop appeared to be referring to last Mondays disruptive incident in which police ranks clashed with members of the Opposition, while attempting to escort Parliamentarian Juan Edghill out of the Public Buildings. Edghill had refused an order by Speaker of the House, Dr. Barton Scotland, to leave. The Speaker then
instructed the Sergeant-atArms to remove Edghill from the Chamber. “It would be good for us to contemplate that in certain circumstances necessity knows no law,” Ramnarine said. According to Ramnarine, the “recent incidents in Parliament seem to, in very strong language, indicate that there is a deteriorating security situation regarding security of Parliament.” “The Acting Commissioner of Police wishes to assure each and every one, in particular those attending Parliament on official business, that it is not so.”
Acting Police Commissioner, David Ramnarine He referred to the incident two Fridays ago, when a woman, in Santa (Continued on page 72)
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Man gets 20 years for rape
Raymond Gouveia A man who had a criminal past and was reportedly on a list of names recommended to and pardoned by the President back in 2015 has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for the rape he committed not long after he was released from jail. Raymond Gouveia, 22, called “Ryan” of Kingeley Village, West Coast Berbice, was on trial before Justice Jo Ann Barlow and a mixed Jury in the Berbice High Court. He was found guilty and handed the sentence for the crime he committed on the 48 year old woman on September 14, 2015. This was not long after he was released from jail. The matter which was held in camera saw the state calling seven witnesses, including the virtual complainant. Three policemen and a doctor were also called. Justice Barlow had told the convict that the maximum sentence was life imprisonment. She had told him that the initial sentence was 24 years. She however discounted four years for the mitigation plea, his age and the one year 11 months that he was in custody. When the incident occurred, the victim had expressed fear for her life after more than two months had elapsed before the accused was arrested. The woman had complained to the media that she was raped whilst in the
backdam at Kingeley Village picking up coconuts which she sells to make a living. She was on her way out and he was heading into the backdam. She kept her eyes on him all the while. However, he just ran from behind and grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Despite her resistance, he raped her. The woman had stated that it was not the first time that the man tried to rape her. The woman had told the media that after the first attempt she had stopped going to the backdam, but after not seeing Gouveia in the village for some time, she had recommenced her activity. Gouveia had denied commit the act. “No, I never do it,” he had said. Reports were that the man had raped two girls and was sent to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC). While there, he had also reportedly raped a boy. He had admitted to the media of serving time in jail for a story with a girl, but did not go into details. Residents had said that he was out of jail because he was among those pardoned by the President. State appointed attorney, Sasha Roberts’s stood in for the accused. The man had told the media that he would normally go into the backdam to cut branches to make brooms which he sells.
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
Fmr. Argentina leader charged with Iran’s terrorist coverup …investigations points to Guyana link Iran (Iran News Update) Former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was charged with “treason against the homeland,” last week, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. It is alleged that she covered up Iran’s role in a deadly terrorist attack involving Iranian-backed Hezbollah, when an operative, Ibrahim Hussein Berro, drove a van filled with 606 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and fuel oil into the Buenos Aires Jewish community center, known as AMIA, on July 18, 1994. At least 300 Argentines were wounded, and 85 were killed. It is believed to be the bloodiest terrorist attack in Argentina’s history. Prosecutor Alberto Nisman worked tirelessly from 2004 until 2015 to prove that the attack was an Iranianplanned operation. He also discovered that Ms. Kirchner was behind a cover-up designed to whitewash Iran’s role. Ms. Kirchner was formally charged in the crime when federal judge Claudio Bonadio handed down the 491-page indictment against her; her foreign minister,
Hector Timerman; her handpicked intelligence chief; her top legal adviser; two proIran activists; and 10 others. In trying to determine Ms. Kirchner’s motives, one looks to Argentina’s economic problems at that time, as well as her government’s populist ties to Iran and the Bolivarian bloc of nations led by Venezuela. Judge Bonadio called the attack on the Jewish community center an “act of war” by Iran, and accused Ms. Kirchner of covering up the role of senior Iranian leaders and their Hezbollah proxies in exchange for a trade deal. Alberto Nisman, however, didn’t live to see justice served. He was set to testify to the country’s Congress three years ago, regarding Ms. Kirchner’s role in the cover up. He was found dead in his apartment in Buenos Aires, with a bullet in his head, on the day before his testimony, despite the 10-man security detail who were there to protect him. Ms. Kirchner quickly announced that Mr. Nisman had committed suicide. She claimed his death was part of a lover’s spat. Later, she claimed that his death may
Former Argentina’s Leader, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner have been the result of rogue intelligence operatives. While Mr. Nisman investigated this case, he received death threats against him and his children. Still, he didn’t let it stop him. Mr. Nisman fearlessly led his team and determined that former Iranian and Hezbollah officials had planned the AMIA attack. He showed that the plan included Iran’s former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani; its minister of intelligence; its foreign minister; the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the head of the corps’ elite Quds force; the Continued on page 69
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EDUCATION MATTERS
School report cards One of the novel initiatives recommended in Guyana’s Education Strategic Plan, but to-date not implemented, is the idea of School Report Cards. The fundamental principles at its base are laudable as they seek to improve overall school performance. Like virtually all education initiatives however, if not strategically implemented, it can potentially cause more harm than good. As such, widespread consultation on its viability and sensitisation of the education stakeholders and beneficiaries about its purpose, as well as the potential dangers, are critical prerequisites to its successful implementation. The school report card is
a compilation of vital school data that is publicly shared on an annual basis. This is primarily an accountability mechanism aimed at ensuring another layer of scrutiny which should serve to ensure schools meet the quality imperative. There is a perception that traditionally, the details regarding the operations and performance data of our schools have been highly guarded internal secrets. Besides the students’ report cards, the only other information released is the examination performance statistics. The reporting mechanisms for our schoolbased, national and regional assessments are limited in relation to their depth and
scope. Moreover, assessment data, though important, is only one dimension of performance and can sometimes mask a range of other critical bits of school information. The numbers, taken in isolation, do not always give the full picture in relation to the things going on in schools. The school report card is a mechanism through which other vital data is compiled and shared with the relevant education stakeholders. A fundamental principle is the right of parents and communities to access comprehensive information regarding school performance. It is believed that the sharing of such will
serve as a catalyst for greater levels of involvement on the part of these key stakeholders. These education partners are supposed to perform an oversight function in the best interest of their children’s education. However, the potential for this has been limited in the absence of school data. The school report cards should be comprehensive and address areas well beyond test data such as school demographics, teacher and student attendance and punctuality, leadership and management information, availability and use of human and material resources, curricular interventions and even school safety and security.
Sunday December 17, 2017 It should give a clear indication of the status quo as well as recommendations for the improvement of the institution. Basic information such as teacher and student attendance and punctuality statistics should provide a basis for collaboration on strategies to improve same. Data on the availability and quality of school resources could also be the impetus for community-based school improvement projects. More importantly, school-specific, disaggregated trend data on performance at the national and regional assessments give insights into the degree of academic progress and could motivate education stakeholders to collectively devise performance improvement plans. On another level, this form of comprehensive information can be the basis for strategic, school-based performance improvement interventions informed by empirical evidence. Education Departments can be better guided in their decisions regarding the treatment of schools rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, as is sometimes the case. Schools can be viewed more as community assets and devise approaches for greater stakeholder involvement in the attainment of their objectives. The information should be structured and delivered in a format that could be easily understood and appreciated by parents and community members and serve to encourage their participation. These hopes are at the base of this information sharing initiative and research has shown that some education systems have benefitted from it. There are some inherent dangers, however, since the information provided can be interpreted and used in the wrong way, producing unintended consequences. The implementation of education initiatives should strongly consider the contextualdimensions that could impact their success. Guyana has a long-standing, deeply engrained culture of labelling schools as good and bad schools. The unregulated release of school performance data without effective education of the public in relation to its purpose and use could further exacerbate the problem. Schools that are underperforming could potentially further suffer rather than receive the vital support this initiative is intended to garner. In addition, this could be regarded by some educators as a basis for competition between schools. On the surface, some healthy competition might be deemed a good thing. In reality however, in an
environment starved for a range of resources such as our, schools should be encouraged to collaborate and pool resources towards achieving our objectives— competition eliminates this possibility as schools focus on their own position on the national scale. Even further, this can serve to solidify the deleteriousexam culture already affecting the system by placing excessive emphasis on this dimension of the school report cards. The reporting formats must also guard against its use to isolate and penalise schools and educators, another potential unintended consequence. The data should be utilised to inform the developmental agenda for schools and should not be deemed as a punitive tool. In some school systems, this type of data has been used to make key decisions regarding school operations. Where the accountability frameworks set standards for school performance and progress, there are usually well-defined incentive and disincentive structures which are informed by these reports. Such data is used to determine the retention of or changes needed to the school’s administration, the redefining of school curricular interventions and in some extreme cases whether some schools remain open. Similarly, it is also the basis on which schoolwide incentive structures are defined and disseminated, where schools showing consistent progress are rewarded for their efforts. The Ministry of Education must clearly articulate the purpose and means through which this data will be utilised within the system. Given the potential dangers, an assessment will have to be made as to whether the potential benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Where possible, safeguards can be put in place to avoid the likely pitfalls. The greatest misstep would be the release of such information without the required sensitisation groundwork. Education Officers, school administrators and staff, PTA’s and other stakeholders must be educated on how to interpret and utilise the data for the improvements of the institutions. Moreover, everyone should have a common understanding as to how and what the information will be utilised for at the policymaking level of the education system. School report cards have great value in encouraging educators to improve their overall performance but they must also be reassured that where their efforts fall short, there are structures aimed at guiding them towards effective developmental options and not just penalties.
Sunday December 17, 2017
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Chief Justice grants interim Chief Justice halts Magistrate’s order to make Judicial Review Act operational order for SOCU to get bank info Cricket World Cup…
Chief Justice (ag), Roxanne George-Wiltshire, on Friday, temporarily stopped the police Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) from asking the privately-owned, Guyana Bank For Trade and Industry (GBTI) to share information on money laundering investigation. Chief Magistrate, Ann Mc Lennan had granted the order to SOCU last week. The investigation involves Guyana World Cup Inc., a special company that was set up to coordinate the 2007 Cricket World Cup activities in Guyana. But SOCU would continue to focus on financial crimes and the bank. On December 6, based on an application made by head of SOCU, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James, the Chief Magistrate issued an order that SOCU be at liberty to inspect and receive statement of accounts, withdrawal and deposit slips, loans and any other credit facilities at the bank. It also granted SOCU the right to inspect applications to facilitate accounts or any transactions whether approved or not, details of safe deposit box-current or closed-, wire transfers, mortgagors, managers cheques, and details of any suspicious or unused cash or large transactions issued by or in the name of the Guyana World Cup Inc91 Middle Street, Georgetown. SOCU wanted information for the period 1st November, 2006 to December 31st, 2016. The bank should have turned over these documents to SOCU not later than the 16th December, 2017 (yesterday), according to the Chief Magistrate’s order. However, GBTI’s Corporate Secretary, Shaleeza Shaw, through lawyers Cameron and Shepherd, believed that the order by Mc Lennan should be quashed on the ground that the said decision is unlawful, void and of no legal effect. Shaw in court documents to the High Court claimed that her lawyers have advised that while the law allows a court or judge to order that its books be inspected, the Chief Magistrate did not have the power to order that “James receive copies of documents.” The bank officials are also arguing the SOCU did not prop-
Chief Justice (ag), Roxanne George-Wiltshire
Chief Magistrate, Ann Mc Lennan
SOCU's Head, Sydney James
GBTI's Corporate Secretary, Shaleeza Shaw
erly file its court request therefore the Chief Magistrate’s order could not have been right in her order. Shaw said that based on her legal advice, the bank therefore has no legal obligation to hand over copies of bankers’ books to SOCU. Cricket World Cup was said to have millions of dollars unaccounted for. It involved not only advances but a controversial contract to purchase BMWs for cricket officials. Some of those vehicles ended up in the hands of persons close to the then PPP/C administration as well as in the hands of a few business people. With regards to the GBTI and SOCU matter, it is not the first time that the two are clashing.
There are pending matters, including a criminal contempt charge against the banks’ board of directors and Shaw. There is also another matter before the Chief Justice, who issued Friday’s orders. This one has been going on for a few months. It involves a US$500M investigation at the Guyana Rice Development Board, said to be payments between 2010 and 2015 to accounts overseas. SOCU is claiming that the bank dragged its foot on giving details of transactions. The bank is, however, insisting it complied. The Cricket World Cup matter has been adjourned to January 8, 2018, before the CJ. SOCU will have to wait until then to hear if it can request the information.
Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire granted an Order Nisi of Mandamus compelling Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, to bring into operation the Judicial Review Act of 2010. Judicial Review is that area of the law which allows for a citizen who aggrieved by the act or omission of any public officer, including ministers of government, any public authority or any statutory tribunal to challenge them on the grounds that actions are unlawful/illegal/contrary to some written law. The Act guards against abuse of power. Under the act, a special authority resides with the High Court to review the act or omission complained against and to strike it down or to compel the performance of a public or statutory duty in the face of a refusal or neglect to do so. Attorney at law, Anil Nandlall has sought the orders of the Court to have the law operational. Based on the application, the AG has been ordered to show cause why the order of Nisi of Mandamus should not
be made absolute. In documents to support his application, Nandlall explained that as a former Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, he is aware of the reason the Act was not brought into operation. “The Act was not previously brought into operation by former Ministers of Legal Affairs, including myself, because there were no complementary procedural rules of court to accompany it the rules of the High Court 1955 made no provisions for judicial review. At that time, new Civil Procedure Rules were in draft form and these rules laid out the legal procedure in respect of how the Court can be approached to access the remedies provided for in the Judicial Review Act.” However, with the implementation of the new Civil Procedure Rule, Nandlall says steps should be taken to bring the rules into operation. He noted that to date, the subject Minister, the Minister of Legal Affairs, has failed, refused or neglected to bring the Judicial Review Act into operation, despite being re-
Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams quested to do so. As a result, although the new Civil Procedure Rules provide for it, judicial review is not available to a litigant in Guyana. The Guyana Bar Council has indicated to the Court its intention to join in the proceedings which is set to continue January 29, 2018, at 3 pm.
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
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Sunday December 17, 2017
IMF TAX TEAM UNEARTHS …
GRA fails to monitor extent of false reporting by local businesses By: Kiana Wilburg Earlier this year, an assessment of the tax administration systems employed by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) was conducted by a team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The team found several worrying weaknesses within the Authority. In the area of accurate reporting in declarations, GRA received a ‘D’ Grade which indicates the lowest level of performance in the eyes of the IMF tax team. The report notes that there is no automated crosschecking of internal and external information to detect and deter inaccurate reporting. There are no proactive initiatives to encourage accurate reporting. Significantly, the team found that GRA does not monitor the extent of inaccurate reporting in any of the core taxes. The team also provided reasons for giving the revenue authority a ‘D’ Grade for the aforementioned areas. The IMF team said that GRA’s audit programme is decentralised and does not include a range of audit types and audit methodologies. “The annual audit programme covers all core taxes but is not clearly weighted towards large taxpayers. The audit manual, reportedly updated more than 20 years ago, is not made available to auditors and is not used to set or monitor performance standards. “Except for self employed cases, audit cases are not selected centrally or based on assessed risks. There has been no evaluation of the im-
- Audit cases not selected in fair manner pact of audits on levels of taxpayer compliance.” The team also noted that there is no large scale automated cross checking of internal or external information to detect and deter inaccurate reporting. It said that information from GRA’s Customs Department is “used on an ad hoc basis” to validate amounts reported for Personal Income Tax (PIT) and Corporate Income Tax (CIT). With regard to proactive initiatives to encourage accurate reporting, the team found that there is no system of public or private rulings nor are cooperative compliance arrangements in place to facilitate GRA’s clarification of tax issues. It said that there is also no legal framework to support the issuance of binding rulings. As it relates to GRA’s proclivity to monitor the extent of inaccurate reporting in core taxes, the team stated that there have been no compliance gap studies for Value Added Tax (VAT). The IMF team was also careful to impress upon the importance of accurate reporting in declarations. It said that tax systems rely heavily on complete and accurate reporting of information by taxpayers in tax declarations. It said that tax administrations therefore need to monitor tax revenue losses regularly from inaccurate reporting, especially by business taxpayers, and take a range of actions to ensure compliance. The team said that these
actions fall into two broad groups: verification activities (e.g., tax audits, investigations, and income matching against third party information sources) and proactive initiatives (e.g., taxpayer assistance and education, and cooperative compliance approaches). If well designed and managed, the team stressed that tax audit programmes can have far wider impact than simply raising additional revenue from discrepancies detected by tax audits. The IMF also stressed that detecting and penalising serious offenders serve to remind all taxpayers of the consequences of inaccurate reporting. “Also, prominent in modern tax administration is highvolume automated crosschecking of amounts reported in tax declarations with third party information. Because of the high cost and relative low coverage rates associated with traditional audit methods, tax administrations are increasingly using technology to screen large numbers of taxpayer records to detect discrepancies and encourage correct reporting.” “Proactive initiatives also play an important role in addressing risks of inaccurate reporting. These include adoption of cooperative compliance approaches to build collaborative and trust-based relationships with taxpayers (especially large taxpayers) and intermediaries to resolve tax issues and bring certainty to companies' tax positions in advance of a tax declaration being filed, or before a transaction is entered. A system of binding tax rulings can play an important role here.” Finally, on the issue of monitoring the extent of inaccurate reporting across the taxpayer population generally, the IMF team said that a variety of approaches are being used. It said that these include: use of tax compliance gap estimating models, both for direct and indirect taxes; advanced analytics using large data sets (e.g., predictive models, clustering techniques, and scoring models) to determine the likelihood of taxpayers making full and accurate disclosures of income; and surveys to monitor taxpayer attitudes towards accurate reporting of income.
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
Meet the alluring Miss Ashmini Ramnauth, the current Miss India Guyana First Princess. The 22-year-old is a final year Chemistry major at the University of Guyana. She enjoys dancing, modeling and interacting with children. Her favourite quote is, “Give freely of your time to children because they are the future.�
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The signing bonus has to be deposited in the Consolidated Fund
I
t is disappointing to hear the arguments which are being made by government officials – those who should know better – in relation to the banking of the US$18M received from Exxon Mobil as a signing bonus. There seems to be an attempt to claim that these moneys do not have to be paid into the Consolidated Fund. They do. And it is shocking that government officials will claim otherwise. This is really one o f t h e b i g g e s t disappointments of the new government. How can it be so ingenious in defending what is indefensible – the manner in which it has kept secret the signing bonus and its failure to have it passed through the Consolidated Fund. The Constitution of Guyana is explicit on the treatment of moneys received by the government. The government has received public moneys from Exxon Mobil. The definition of 'public moneys' is provided for under the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA). Public moneys which are received by, or on behalf of, the government. Moneys are deemed to be 'received' once they are not deposited into the Consolidated Fund. The Constitution provides that all moneys raised or received, except those which are revenues or moneys payable under an Act of Parliament into some fund established under such an Act, shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund. The Fiscal Management and Accountability Act makes this clearer. It states that all public moneys raised or received by the Government should be credited fully and promptly –
please note, fully and promptly – to the Consolidated Fund, except (a) moneys credited to an Extra-budgetary Fund as stipulated in the enabling legislation establishing that fund; (b) moneys credited to a Deposit Fund; and (c) as stipulated in the Constitution. An Extra-budgetary Fund has to be created by law, not by letter. There is also a requirement for quarterly reports to be published about the operation of the Fund. The accounts of the Extrabudgetary fund are subject to scrutiny by the Auditor General. If none of these are done, then it means that the operations of the fund are in contravention of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. In the case of Deposit Funds, the Minister of Finance is required to notify the National Assembly of the establishment of the Fund. This has to be done on the establishment of the Fund, not one or more years after it was established. None of these have been done in relation to the signing bonus. The signing bonus is not being held in a Deposit Fund or an Extra-budgetary Fund. It is being held in a foreign currency bank account. This means it should have been passed through the Consolidated Fund in accordance with the Constitution and the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. The President is saying that he is prepared to ensure that the moneys are passed through the Consolidated Fund, once he is told by the Court, or by advice that the present arrangements are in contravention of the law. But from whom will he accept such advice? Will he accept such advice from outside of his government? And what is
wrong with the President reading for himself, the provisions of the Constitution and the FMAA and deciding for himself whether the holding of the signing bonus in a foreign currency account is ultra vires the Constitution and the FMAA? The language of these documents is simple to understand. It can be understood by any high school student. It does not
require the intellect of a Minister for someone to understand what the Constitution says and what the FMAA states. These provisions are not novel to the government. APNU and the AFC used these very provisions to argue against moneys from the Lotto Fund, which incidentally is an Extrabudgetary Fund, and from NICIL, being held outside of the Consolidated Fund. The
government is now having selective amnesia when it comes to the interpretation of these provisions. The government has found itself in a bind. This is what happens when you try to keep secrets from the people. There was no credible reason for not revealing that the government had received a signing bonus. But the government could not reveal this because it knew that
persons would question why any government sitting on three billion barrels of oil reserves, would agree to a signing bonus of only US$18B and then devote that bonus to paying legal fees and training. There is something amiss here. Something is smelling rank.
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Deliver the Golding Report on CARICOM By Sir Ronald Sanders
W
h a t h a s become of the Report of a Jamaican Commission that reviewed the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM)? It has been almost 9 months since the Commission's Chairman, Bruce Golding, submitted the report to Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness on March 30. But, there has been silence ever since. Maybe, the report can be delivered by December 30 when the period of
expectancy will have gone its full-term. The report is important. When Prime Minister Holness announced the formation of the Golding Commission in June 2016, he created a great deal of anticipation among supporters and detractors of CARICOM in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean Community. Among the tasks given to the Commission were: an evaluation of the effects that Jamaica's participation in CARICOM has on its economic growth and
development; an analysis of CARICOM's performance against the goals and objectives outlined in the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and identification of the causes of its shortcomings; an assessment of the value of Jamaica's membership in CARICOM, on its influence in critical international fora and with third state trade and development partners; and an assessment of whether the CARICOM dispute settlement provisions provide realistic options for settlement of disputes for
Jamaica. While many of the undertakings assigned to the Commission were centred on Jamaica in CARICOM, a review of CARICOM's usefulness was a good thing. No organization should be left in existence without a regular review of its relevance and usefulness. And, CARICOM is too important an instrument for the well-being of the people of its member-states in the global community, not to evaluate it dispassionately from time to time. That Prime Minister
Holness appointed an impressive a r r a y o f Commission members from the p r i v a t e s e c t o r, academia, business, finance and trade unions, was all to the good. Especially helpful was that he entrusted the Chairmanship to Golding, a former Prime Minister and seasoned politician, who had experienced the workings of CARICOM at the highest governmental level. I, for one, welcomed the Commission and its work. Whatever were to be its findings, my view was that its report would produce a body of findings, based on evidence given by a range of Caribbean experts, that would be worthy of a constructive CARICOMwide conversation. Indeed, the Commission received oral and written evidence from many persons with considerable experience of CARICOM and of integration. I was pleased to be among those who gave evidence, and I know that the present and former Secretaries-General of CARICOM, including Jamaica-born Roderick Rainford; the Chairman of the 1992 West Indian Commission, Sir Shridath Ramphal; former Vice Chancellors of the University of the West Indies; and leaders of the Caribbean private sector also gave evidence. Therefore, whatever its content, the report is a very valuable tool for Jamaica and for CARICOM. It ought not to languish in the Cabinet office of Jamaica, particularly after Prime Minister Holness publicly placed a great deal of aptness and contemporary relevance on its work. At the time, the nationalists in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries wallowed in the belief that t h e r e p o r t w a s commissioned as Jamaica's 'get-out' card from CARICOM, inured in the belief that regionalism is burdening national development. Their sentiment was reminiscent of Sir Alexander Bustamante's admonition to the Jamaica people, at the referendum on the West Indian Federation, that, “if you federate, all these little poor people from the small islands will come to take your job in the cane piece”. As it turned out, far fewer 'small islanders' migrated to Jamaica, than the number of
Sir Ronald Sanders Jamaicans who migrated to the small islands. But, as Michael Manley pointed out: “Fear is a huge force in politics. He who can manipulate fear has a huge weapon in politics”. It is time to put the fear of CARICOM to an end, or, at the very least to debate it. That is why the Golding Report should not be shrouded in silence and hidden from public discussion. Whatever it says, it should be placed in the public domain. The people of CARICOM have a right to know what the Commission found. The Jamaican people particularly have that right, since their taxes paid for it. Like every other nation, Jamaica is a country of both small-minded persons and persons of great vision and even greater heart. As far back as 1947, Jamaica's leaders were the fashioners of a Caribbean vision; no one more so than the legendary Norman Manley who, in that year, told the Caribbean Congress of Labour: “We must satisfy the growing ambition of our people for an area of action large enough for their creative energies. We must create a large enough area, small though it may be in the face of the colossal who bestride the world today, but a large enough area to give us a voice and pull and power over those international affairs which, in the long run, determine the peace and prosperity and the opportunity for happiness of the people of these lands”. That 1947 admonition echoes with compelling meaning 70 years later as Caribbean countries are marginalized in global affairs; as the region confronts the relentless juggernaut of Climate Change and its ferocious and destructive storms; as large and powerful countries and regions dictate and impose terms in finance, in trade, in taxation and in investment. In all of this, it is important to know what the Golding Commission found. Did it conclude that there should be a 'Jam-exit' from CARICOM? Or did it reach (continued on page 51)
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
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Social Protection Ministry boasts of significant achievements
T
he Ministry of Social Protection has formulated several programmes and policies to create an enabling welfare state; one which helps people to help themselves. This is according to Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally. She recently noted that her Ministry will continue to give the unemployed youth the skills to find a decent job; the single mother the support she needs to go out and work or start a small business; and vulnerable persons, the right care and protection needed to better their lives. Ally said that with the multitudinous achievements of this Ministry, she has absolutely no hesitation in saying that the Coalition Government, stands at the centre of many of these advances. She said that these achievements did not come by chance. She opined that the administration's actions continue to be informed by the pledge it made to the people - that is, securing a better life for all. Furthermore, the politician explained that the Ministry of Social Protection has four programmes. She was elated to explain what has been accomplished thus far, and the plans in the pipeline. Under the First Lady's capacity building initiative, Ally revealed that over 900 persons, mainly single parent mothers and young
women, have been trained in the areas of information communication technology, care for the elderly, first aid, childcare, early childhood development, self-reliance and success in business. SLED With respect to the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) Programme, Ally recalled that a total of $100 million was allocated in 2017. To date, the Ministry has established 20 projects in various regions, and these projects vary from pig farming, poultry rearing, and manufacturing, to shade house cultivation among others. Ally said that today, her Ministry can boast that over 253 households, totaling 1170 persons, are the beneficiaries. In 2018, the Ministry will expand the SLED programme. Ally said she believes that this will support community-based income generation activities as well as employment. Ally also stated that in 2017 the Ministry continued its implementation of the Women of Worth (WOW) programme. In this regard, she asserted that 40 loans were issued not only for WOW, but also for the P e o p l e o f Wo r t h Entrepreneurial Resources (POWER) programme. With respect to the latter, Ally said that 17 loans were issued for varying efforts.
The Baccoo Speaks Gone are the days when only the rich were targeted by bandits. No one is safe these days, because there are some young men who want money from any source. There are going to be reports of many people being targeted as they go about their Christmas shopping. It is not going to be plain sailing for two groups of bandits, because the intensive police presence will spring into action in one case. There will be arrests. ** A fire at any time can be devastating, more so when it occurs at this time of the year. Some lights attached to an overloaded electric point will burst into flames. Fortunately some children would see the blaze and raise an alarm, but there
is going to be some damage because of flammable substances in the vicinity. ** A river accident is going to occur in a nearby interior region. One family is going to attend a function where alcohol would flow. On the return trip home the driver, intoxicated of course, would collide with another vessel heading in the opposite direction.
These, she said, are programmes geared towards improving the lives of the citizenry. She said that it also brings the Government closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), four of which speak to ending all forms of poverty. Under the programme 'Social Services', Ally related that the Ministry addresses a variety of issues, with some being very
challenging. In relation to Trafficking in Persons, Ally said that this has been a task which the Coalition Government has taken seriously. “We have made great strides in countering trafficking in persons. Because of our political will, our programmes, our networking, something which the opposition never had, has resulted in Guyana moving from Tier 2 to Tier 1.
This Coalition Government under the Ministry of Social Protection will continue to fight to eradicate this inhumane phenomenon from the Guyanese society.� Ally added, “We are proud to be lifted in the international ranking. Our network and partnerships with the Ministerial Task Force, Jamaica Trafficking in Persons and the Embassy of the United States of (continued on page 51)
Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Sunday December 17, 2017
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Philosophy: Where did Homo sapiens go wrong? The question of why people violate others has plagued civilization from day one. Two great 20th thinkers had opposing ideas about the answer. Arthur Koestler explained that of all animals, an evolutionary mistake occurred with Homo sapiens. Koestler’s assessment is not for the faint-hearted. It is lugubrious, depressing stuff, but intellectually persuasive. He argues that unlike all the other species in the animal kingdom, the evolution of the human nervous system is inherently flawed. He compares the nervous system of Homo sapiens and animals, and thinks that there is an inhibitory factor in the use of violence in lower animals that is missing in Homo sapiens. He concludes that this evolutionary line-fault drives Homo sapiens to be cruel and violent, and that Homo sapiens sees violence as a normal feature of a p e r s o n ’s p h y s i o l o g y. Koestler concludes that this is what civilization is about. Homo sapiens is a lower species; is a beastly species. The brilliant French existentialist, Jean-Paul
Sartre had a replacement for human’s bestiality in the absence of God. Existentialism suffers from a perpetual fear of those that encounter it. If there is no Almighty, then how do you check Homo sapiens’ inhumanity? How do you stop selfishness from morphing into savage opportunism? Thomas Hobbes wrote that in such a condition there will be, “no arts, no letters, no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life o f m a n , s o l i t a r y, p o o r, nasty, brutish, and short”. According to Sartre, since there is no God, then people can and must create their own god. He calls it “the project.” “The project” is our dedication to ourselves and others that we will do for each other what God would have done for all of us. “The project” is something each of us will create to contribute to meaning in life. We do this because Homo sapiens possesses what the Roman p h i l o s o p h e r, Cicero, discovered – reason. Reason makes us logical and rational. As Cicero puts it; “reason alone raises us above
the level of the beast and enables us to draw inferences, to prove and disprove, to discuss and solve problems and to come to conclusions.” The essential point existentialism makes, is that there cannot be a ghastly, ghostly society, because Homo sapiens is conscious of his/her role. We feel pain, we know what happiness is, so we do not cause others pain, and we want happiness for each other. In other words, a world without God will still be a godly world, because people will play the role of God. When we trace the history of civilization, we see the presence of Koestler far more pronounced than Sartre. The senseless violence that has dominated the world from time immemorial, compels us to ask the question – why people violate others. Today, the psychotic terrorism in the name of Islam, the mindboggling sociological mayhem in the United States, seriously call into question how civilized is Homo sapiens The question takes on a disturbing complexion in a poor, obscure country like Guyana, the latest
manifestation being the discovery of a teenager with her face smashed in. A certain type of savagery, a certain kind of bestiality has crept into this country. Guyana is still a small, agrarian-based territory, but we are seeing sadistic violence that is common place in large industrial lands with hundreds of millions of citizens. Is there any hope? I leave you with a lovely philosophical song I once dedicated in one of these columns to my friend Andaiye. It is one of my favourite songs, and can be found in the Burt Bacharach song book. Its title is “Love is still the Answer.” “Twenty years ago I could have told you that the world was round Good and Sound Freedom bound Our future was secure Now I’m not so sure It seems like gravity has been reversed and getting worse
Nothing works And everybody hurts Yes there’s a trail of tears Down through the years of broken hearts it’s still so hard to let the sun shine in Love’s the answer No matter what I swear Love is Still the answer Just like it always was Such a simple truth Love never changes or betrays a friend From the start Love was part of some fantastic plan Some brotherhood of man Now it’s down to us We either shine the light or darkness rules Our children lose We’re free to choose our
Frederick Kissoon fate To find our way Beyond this veil of tears the sky is clear and every star stands for the heart that lets the sun shine in Love’s the answer No matter what I swear Love is still the answer Just like it always was”
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Our legal team wanted Venezuela to know as little as possible In recent weeks, there has been much public and diasporic debate about the US$18M that ExxonMobil has set aside to help pay the legal and other fees when the United Nations sends Venezuela’s spurious claim to Guyana’s territory to the
World Court for a once and for all settlement. The money from Guyana’s main oil production partner was deposited in a special account at the Bank of Guyana, waiting on that very day when the case is sent to the Court in The Nether-
lands. Venezuela of course hadn’t the faintest clue that Guyana’s defence team is in such high preparation mode that it is going about its business with our money already secured in a special account, and that our lawyers are ready to fight for the preservation
of our territorial integrity. Government was not planning to let them in on the fact that the financing aspect of this bruising and upcoming fight is already in the bag, but the Cabinet was indeed forced to come clean at the level of President David Granger when documents about the account came into the public domain. The legal team was adamant that details about the case should not have been released. Therefore, this is largely why the few ministers who were in the know about the $18M had largely kept their mouths shut or appeared to have been stalling in releasing information to the public. To an extent, the ultra cautious and unreasonably secretive approach to releasing information has caused some unease in society, but there was no other reason for the apparent secrecy, other than the fact that our legal team wanted Venezuela to know as little as possible about preparations on the Guyana side. As government at the highest levels said in the past week it was not a question of secrecy, but officials emphasised that “evidence of non-disclosure does not mean that there is evidence of any intention of deception and there is no intention to deceive, but there was no
need to make it public. It’s a governmental decision, but it’s not deceptive.” Additionally, the money was not stashed in some commercial bank overseas, or in a private account in Guyana or the Caribbean. It was placed in a special account at our own Bank of Guyana with specific instructions from the Ministry of Finance in writing. A clear and verifiable paper trail exists. The signatories are those of four high officials in the ministry, some of whom are known public figures. In recent days, ExxonMobil has admitted giving Guyana the money to do as it pleased. Guyana chose to stash and secure it to defend our borders and territorial integrity from a neighbour who has since independence proven - through military force and diplomatic sabotage - its intentions to not only change the way our national map looks today, but to also use military might to achieve its illegal and spurious extraterritorial ambitions. Guyanese would remember Venezuelan gunboats illegally and brazenly entering our waters back in 2013 to expel a seismic vessel that was doing work for a Texas-based company operating in a concession granted by Guyana. And since 1966, its troops have illegally occupied the western half of Guyana’s
Ankoko Island. Back in May of 2015, when Exxon and consortium partners Hess Oil and Nexen of China had declared their “world class” oil and gas find, Venezuela presumptuously redrew the map to encompass an area where the consortium has already drilled nine wells. Aware of how serious our western neighbour’s naked ambitions to Guyana’s territory are, Government was convinced that it was doing the correct thing in obeying the advice of its lawyers in not saying much, not giving away anything to an overly ambition and determined nemesis. And putting the money in the aforementioned special account, rather than the Consolidated Fund, was also thought to be wise, as it is easier to draw down from that account in an emergency or in other situations which warrant a quick release. Nothing has been stolen and no one intends to steal from it as Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo has claimed. And while he is complaining, Finance Minister Winston Jordan was forced to point out this week that US$10M CGX Energy had given Guyana after the June 2000 offshore fiasco with Surinamese gunboats, was never deposited into the Consolidated Fund.
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Kaieteur News
My column
A case of been there, done that The government collected US$18 million from ExxonMobil as a signing bonus and opened a floodgate of criticisms. The most recent of the criticisms was that “they intended to steal it,” that comment coming from none other than Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. I noted that the money was deposited into the Central Bank and that no fewer than six people were authorised signatories. That did not mean that six signatures were required for withdrawals, but there were checks and balances. But I wasn’t satisfied that the money would eventually disappear, so I began to wonder who would steal the money. Of course, the Finance Minister would have access to the money, as would some other people in the Ministry of Finance. I then asked none other than Anil Nandlall about stealing money and hiding it. Nandlall said to me that it is easy to hide money, and opened my eyes to some things that had been troubling me for a long time. I had been hearing reports of government officials stealing money from the public
treasury. Being naïve, I thought that there would be some paper trail, but when the investigators failed to find many of them I began to understand that Anil Nandlall knew a thing or two which he was not prepared to share with me. Then my mind shifted to my friend, Winston Jordan. I never knew him to be a thief and like me he was mortally afraid of jail. I thought of some others and at each thought I realized that the Finance Minister would know when any money was being moved. But then again, my suspicious mind moved to the fact that my friend Winston could work in cahoots with the person trying to steal the money. That didn’t add up, because thieves tend to work with people they trust. Winston does not trust too many people. So I began to think about a direct link to the oil company. Money could be offered to local individuals as they would say, under the table. It would have to be put in some account. If it is a local account, the bank would observe a suspicious transaction, unless the bank was in
league with this person or persons. President David Granger did not rule out the fact that people in his government could be compromised. He reminded that the Man above could not offer a guarantee that among his followers would not be people who would be compromised. But then he told me that the person would be caught and I did not doubt him. The suspicion of theft must have lingered in my mind from days gone by. I remember at a press conference asking Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo whether he was a wealthy person. He told me to ask Glenn Lall that question, and I did, although I knew the answer. My reason for asking Jagdeo that question was to determine the source of his wealth. Anil Nandlall told me that when Jagdeo became president he had nothing. It meant that the wealth was accumulated over the twelve years of the presidency, so I looked at the salary and allowances. They did not add up. I looked at others, one of them being Irfaan Ali. He too
is a wealthy person. He had no inheritance, but he became wealthy without playing the stock market. Anil Nandlall is wealthy, but he was a lawyer of some distinction. He got his money from his profession. I perused the list of wealthy people who served in Government positions and concluded that money came from a variety of sources, most of them illegal. That being the case, it is not difficult to understand why the accusation of theft would surface. From the opposition benches. Member of Parliament Juan Edghill is leading the charge, and for good reason. He enjoyed the good life during the tenure of the previous administration, to the point where he too is comfortable, but not as comfortable as some of the others. He wants a return to the seat of power and this time he would ensure that he never has to worry about his future. He would redouble his capacity to gain wealth. But for all this I am still puzzled by the attitude of the Foreign Minister. He enjoys a close relationship with the
oil giant, even closer than the Minister who has responsibility for Natural Resources. He is pushing the hardest for Kaieteur News to back off on its criticisms and exposes of ExxonMobil. I can understand the development of a friendship, but this seems to be even more than a friendship. It is as if there is a relationship. The oil company cannot be fazed by a small backyard newspaper, and if something happens, most companies would approach the newspaper either to lodge a formal complaint or to offer a chance at an interview to explain its position. This has not been done. And there is the comment by the Foreign Minister that he advised President David Granger to keep the US$18 million a secret. Just a day before the president had spoken on the issue and had accepted responsibility. In the world of politics, the Head of State invariably has the last say, so why did the Foreign Minister seek to comment after the president? At Friday’s press conference hosted by President Granger I was tempted to ask
Adam Harris A. A. if there was going to be any sanction, even at the personal level, but I let the opportunity slip. Indeed the Foreign Minister would be involved, because of the territorial issue with Venezuela. That country is laying claim to the waters in which ExxonMobil is operating. However, apart from giving assurances to the oil giant, I cannot understand anything else. The oil company complained to the Foreign Minister instead of to the Minister with responsibility for Information and the Foreign Minister communicated his displeasure with a reporter instead of the administration of the newspaper. Life is like that, I suppose.
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Kaieteur News
Affordable housing in sanitary and safe communities (Excerpts from Budget 2018 presentation by Hon Valerie Patterson-Yearwood MP) In May 2015, in recognition of this salient fact, the APNU+AFC Administration embarked on a journey toward “The Good Life,” inclusive of providing “accessible and affordable housing in sanitary and safe communities, with the necessities for wholesome and dignified living for citizens in need.” A Journey begins with a single step. Our journey has begun. We are not where we were when we started. We have moved forward. We have made strides, in the face of many challenges. The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), within the Ministry of Communities is tasked with executing government’s housing program. STRENGTHENING OF THE CHPA’S PLANNING FUNCTION It is our opinion that even though Planning is the most important function in any development, the state of planning in Guyana is not at the desired level that would ensure the quality of life in neighborhoods and communities required of a modern society. A number of challenges have contributed to this scenario, such as: 1. Lack of awareness and understanding of planning, 2. Lack of capacity at the local level to meaningfully address planning issues, 3. Overlapping functions of the regulatory institutions and weak collaboration among these institutions. The effects of these challenges are manifest in breaches of planning regulations and building by-laws, encumbrance and nuisances in neighbourhoods, squatting, desecration of the environment, etc. Therefore, planning is pivotal in pursuing orderly and sustained growth
and development. With this in mind, the CH&PA recognizing its critical role in this process hosted a National Planning Forum in March 2017 which resulted in improved collaboration between the CH&PA and the Local Democratic Organs (LDOs). This was important, so that these entities will be in a better position to address the violations in their districts, through; 1. Education and awareness on the planning issues to their constituencies 2. Resolution of land use conflicts 3. Appropriate appraisal and efficient processing of building permits. NATIONAL HOUSING STRATEGY The development of the National Housing Strategy will be implemented along three general phases and it is expected to take approximately 14 months. PREPARATION AND EXECUTION OF DESIGNS AND SURVEYS Community designs were completed for 9 areas for which subdivision surveys were executed. These areas are: New communities: - Providence, East bank Demerara (EBD); - Peter’s Hall, EBD - Perseverance, EBD - Amelia’s Ward, Linden - Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown A total of 765 planning applications were processed during the reporting period HANDING OVER OF SCHEMES The Agency commenced the process of handing over sixty-nine (69) housing areas within the following Local Democratic Organs (LDOs): Georgetown, Linden, Bartica, Union-Naarstigheid, Blairmont-Gelderland, Woodley Park-Bath and Tuschen-Uitvlugt. MOUs with the 3 municipalities were
completed. This exercise is necessary for the effective management of these neighborhoods, by their respective LDOs. Effective January 2017, the minimum age requirement for an applicant was lowered from 21 yrs to 18 yrs. The agency interviewed seventysix (76) applicants within the 18 to 21 age group which showed that our young people are ambitious and are interested in acquiring their own homes. ALLOCATIONS The Agency’s revised allocation target was 1,000. The agency allocated 1,161 exceeding its target by 16.1%, with the greatest percentage of beneficiaries being those in the low income bracket in all regions with the exception of the Cuyuni – Mazaruni and the Potaro- Siparuni Regions. CONVEYANCE The CH&PA continued to work with the relevant agencies to complete the process of home-ownership. To this end; transports and Certificates of Title were processed for 1,962 applicants while the actual amount distributed for the same period was 3,227 representing, 61.35% above the 2,000 target. These applicants were delighted to finally receive proof of ownership of their property, many of them having had to endure lengthy waiting periods dating back to the previous administration. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – SETTLEMENT REGULARISATION While some persons squat out of desperation, others do it as a means of economic gain. This latter group will go and occupy a parcel of land; erect a structure and then rent it, in some instances, for as much as $30,000 per month. Obviously, these “landlords” must have other living options that they occupy. Another vexing dimension to this
Valerie Patterson-Yearwood MP situation is that some of the squatters are in receipt of house lots. We are cognizance of the fact that squatting was being allowed by the former government for reasons better left unsaid. But as a caring and responsible government, we have to and will fix it. To combat this, we have decided on a menu of measures which were recommended by the community leaders themselves resulting in a Joint Anti-Squatting Taskforce being formed with other major stakeholders. Discussions are ongoing regarding the development of approximately 1,148 lots at Plantations. Cummings Lodge and Industry for the possible relocation of squatters from Constituencies 5 and 6 Reserves, as well as from other zero tolerance areas in Georgetown and its environs. This intervention requires an estimated investment of approx.G$2.65 billion for infrastructure development. Notwithstanding that, for the reporting period,
405 lots were formally allocated to squatters after payments were made (approximately 2,025 beneficiaries); 190 persons paid at least 50% of the cost of their lots and signed to commence processing for their titles, while 290 titles were already issued to persons in areas under regularization. Plantation Mt. Sinai (Agony’s Avenue) To date, we interviewed 690 householders; issued 661 letters and completed verification exercise for 246 households. Middle Road La Penitence A total of 104 householders interviewed. This project will be continued in 2018. Timehri North As part of the regularization process, a field verification exercise was conducted, 380 buildings were numbered and 316 persons were interviewed. Crane/Best, West Coast Demerara We concluded a field exercise and found that 83 lots were occupied, 77 lots were verified for allocation and the occupiers issued with letters. Allottees have commenced making payments for their house lots in preparation for the processing of their Titles. Mr. Speaker, I don’t know
that I can adequately convey to this House the expression of joy on the faces of those persons when they realized that they were one step closer to becoming home-owners. But the expressions are priceless. Rural Hinterland Housing Programme The sustainable housing for the Hinterland Programme, funded through a Loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aimed to complete beneficiary identification in participating communities, construct 71 full houses and replace 47 roofs in regions the Barima Waini and the Upper Takatu Upper Essequibo Regions A total of 317 households (approx.1902 beneficiaries) have been identified for full house subsidies (93 in the Barima Waini and 224 in the Upper Takatu Upper Essequibo), and 86 households (516 beneficiaries) for Roof replacements (33 in Barima Waini and 53 in the Upper Takatu Upper Essequibo Regions) across 12 communities in both regions. A total of 17 full houses were constructed and 27 roofs replacement subsidies were disbursed in the Barima Waini and Upper Takatu Upper Essequibo. Currently construction is in progress for 64 more houses in these two regions. These are to be completed by Dec 29th 2017. Housing for the Hinterland Programme – Cuyuni Mazaruni Region Mr. Speaker based on the lessons learned from the IDB funded rural hinterland housing programme in regions the Barima Waini and the Upper Takatu Upper Essequibo, an intervention was designed for rural hinterland housing in the Cuyuni Mazaruni Region. As such, in September, the CH&PA Board approved the disbursement of 85 roof replacement subsidies in four Upper Mazaruni communities for 2017. Namely: K a k o , K a m a r a n g , Wa r a w a t t a , Quebanang and Waramadong.
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What does it mean when you hear someone is septic? By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Sepsis is a common condition that accounts for over 6 million deaths worldwide every year. Persons often talk or hear about someone being “septic”; but do you actually know what septic means? Sepsis and septic are used interchangeably and mean the same thing. Today, I will elaborate on this deadly condition so that you can have a better understanding of it and be able to detect it earlier. WHAT IS SEPSIS? Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection. Your immune system protects you from many illnesses and infections, but it’s also possible for it to go into overdrive in response to an infection. Sepsis develops when the chemicals the immune system releases into the bloodstream to fight an infection cause irritation throughout the entire body instead. Severe cases of sepsis can lead to septic shock, which is a medical emergency. It can happen in anyone, but it is more likely to happen in people who: - Are older or bedridden - Are staying in the hospital or have had recent surgery - Have thin tubes such as catheters or IVs in their body - Have a weak infectionfighting system (for example because they are being treated for cancer) Sepsis can come from an infection in any part of the body, but it is most often linked to infections in the: Lungs (called pneumonia) - Kidneys (called
urinary tract infection) - Skin (called cellulitis) - Bowel (called colitis) – Sepsis caused by colitis is especially likely after a course of antibiotics. Sepsis needs to be treated quickly. If it is not treated, it can become severe. When this happens, it is called “septic shock.” Septic shock is life-threatening. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SEPSIS? Symptoms of sepsis can include: - A fever – But some people get a low body temperature instead of a fever. - Chills - Breathing that is very fast - A heartbeat that is very fast Symptoms of severe sepsis can include: - Acting confused or feeling light-headed - Trouble breathing - Cool, clammy skin or red, flushed skin - Poor appetite - Urinating much less than usual - Different types of skin rashes – One type is a lacy, purple rash that is usually on the legs, but can also be on the arms. Another rash looks like red or purple spots on the skin that do not go away when touched. These spots are usually on the chest and legs, but can also be in other areas. - Other problems with the heart, kidneys, or brain People who have septic shock have many of the symptoms listed above, plus their blood pressure gets low and they sometimes pass out.
SHOULD I SEE THE DOCTOR? Yes, as soon as possible. Sepsis can develop when you are at home or in the hospital. In either case, you (or the person with you) should call the doctor if you: - Have a fever and chills, and have any of the symptoms above or look very sick - Have had a recent surgery or hospital stay, and now are sick or have an infection If your doctor is unable to see you immediately, or you can’t reach him or her, you should go to the nearest hospital/clinic. WILL I HAVE TESTS? Your doctor will learn about your symptoms and do an exam. He or she will likely do tests to look for an infection, see if the infection has spread to your blood, and see
how serious your condition is. These tests can include: - Blood tests, including tests called “blood cultures” - Urine tests - Lab tests – For example, if you are coughing up mucus, your doctor can test your mucus for bacteria. - X-rays or other imaging tests – Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of your body. These might include a test to look at your heart, called an echocardiogram (or “echo” for short). HOW IS SEPSIS TREATED? Sepsis and septic shock are usually treated in the hospital with: - Antibiotics that go in your vein through a thin tube called an “IV” - Fluids that go in your vein through an IV - Other medicines to treat your condition – For example,
if your blood pressure is too low, your doctor can give you medicine to raise it. If an IV or catheter in your body is causing your sepsis, your doctor might take the IV or catheter out. Some people are also treated with surgery. If you have a severe infection of the skin or tissue under the skin, your doctor might do surgery to remove the infected areas. Some people with severe septic shock might need a blood transfusion. A blood transfusion is when a person gets blood that was given (donated) by another person. But this is rare. CAN SEPSIS BE PREVENTED? You can help prevent sepsis by: - Getting treated right away if you get an infection - Avoiding infections – One way to avoid infections is to get the vaccines your
Dr. Zulfikar Bux doctor recommends. Vaccines can prevent serious or deadly infections. If you have a child, make sure he or she gets the recommended vaccines, too. If you suspect you have an infection, do not hesitate to seek treatment. Delays in treating infections lead to sepsis and possibly death if untreated.
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Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram
Nigel Hughes
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Freddie Kissoon
Jason Abdulla
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Dead: Ranella Benfield
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COUNTRYMAN
- Stories about life in m and out of Guyana, fro ve a Guyanese perspecti
For our Rights Groups: Paedophilia - a sexual orientation? By Dennis Nichols As a child, I used to hear the term 'follow-pattern' often. It was a puerile expression which meant that someone was mimicking you either in mockery, flattery, or to provoke an altercation, and the imitated one would respond with something like “Why you does always follow-pattern me?” Later on, it was 'copycat', especially when it came to aping
foreign accents and fashion, usually North American. Dave Martins and The Tradewinds lampooned the practice with a calypso by the same name. But sometimes copy-catting is no laughing matter, for example when a small, 'unsophisticated' country like ours feels compelled to embrace behaviour that would have hitherto been considered unacceptable or anti-social here, like some forms of sexual
orientation. This is a follow-up on last week's sexual abuse article. I'm no prude, and I don't endorse homophobia, or discrimination based on sexual identity/preference. In Guyana we've witnessed the ridicule, hatred and violence meted out to 'anti-men' and others whose dress and mannerisms appear at odds with their physical appearance, and who feel they have a right to live as they
desire, once they abide by the law. Their cause is a just one, even though I don't care for some practices. And although I don't endorse same-sex marriage or the repeal of buggery laws, I can live with the knowledge that both could someday be a reality. Straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual – it is theorized that we are oriented that way from birth, and that's the crux of the matter.
Like I said last week, a topic like this is a vastly complex one and again, I am only scratching the surface – just food for thought. The way I understand it is that gender identity is a concept of self, defined by an individual based on how the person thinks and feels. It is more or less a choice that may be changed as the person learns more about his or her sexuality. That person may determine later that he/she is heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. At that point a pattern of romantic and/or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite, same, or both sexes and genders may emerge. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), that {enduring}pattern is what is known as sexual orientation, “distinct from other components of sex and gender, including biological sex (the anatomical, physiological and genetic characteristics associated with being male or female), gender identity (the psychological sense of being male or female) and social gender role (the cultural norms that define feminine and masculine behavior).” Now this is where it gets interesting. Although scientists say they do not know the exact causes of sexual orientation, (It could be an interplay of genetic, hormonal and environmental influences) based on their professional understanding, many seem to favour biological models for its cause, and conclude that such orientation is not a choice, believing that it is established at conception; in short, homosexuals and bisexuals do not choose to be that way – they are born to be who they are. But that of course has been accepted for decades. Here comes what I call the weird part –It is also their conclusion that paedophilia or paedophilic disorder is a sexual orientation; in other words, like homosexuality, bisexuality and of course heterosexuality, it is not a choice, paedophiles are born that way, therefore they can't help being romantically or sexually attracted to children, even though the condition may be treated – to an extent. One implication is that paedophiles are victims of circumstances beyond their control and should not be held culpable for their inclinations. So, if that conclusion is accepted as valid, can paedophiles conscientiously claim the right to live as they choose, with what researchers call their fantasies, attachments, and longings, so long as they don't approach children with them - and even if they do? The researchers point to two kinds of paedophiles – those who are child molesters, and those who refrain from getting sexually involved with any child for their entire lives. But if
Dennis Nichols they feel they were born that way, wouldn't they all want to claim some of the same rights enjoyed by say, the LGBT c o m m u n i t y, w i t h i n t h e perceived boundaries of the law? And wouldn't civil and human rights groups feel obliged to defend those rights? Going further, is it even remotely possible that accused paedophiles on trial can be defended and acquitted based mainly or solely on a defence of sexual orientation? That's where things seem to be headed. And going further back, some may argue that adult-child sex is as old as the proverbial hills; was practiced and accepted in ancient Greece and Rome, and that not that long ago the legal age of consent in some parts of the world was 12. In Guyana, girls within certain cultural parameters could be married at 14. Even biblically it can be argued that Mary, Jesus' mother, conceived him and later wed 'old' Joseph around the age of 14 as was the Jewish custom at the time. But the one that takes the cake may be the argument by Philosophy Professor Stephen Kershnar (according to a 2016 article by Biblical Studies Professor Denny Burk) that paedophilia cannot be considered a mental disorder unless it causes harm resulting from mental dysfunction, that it doesn't harm the paedophile, and does not necessarily harm a 'willing' child. The vague 'harm' and 'willing' are such broad and loaded terms that I wouldn't even venture to guess what the professor meant by them. Wikipedia, however, still cautiously defines it as a psychiatric disorder, and notes that biological factors have not been proved the cause. And over the past few years, many mainstream Christians and right-wing bloggers have claimed that the APA was actually pressured by paedophile activists to declare their 'interest' as an orientation, that it accidentally called paedophilia a sexual orientation, and has since made a correction. In October 2013, the (continued on page 51)
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K O
BO
Book: Get on the Bike Author: Marsha Norman Critic: Dr. Glenville Ashby Marsha Norman sets the tone with perfect imagery. A
Sunday December 17, 2017
Blazing a path to
Success
bicycle represents movement, a means of taking a rider to a specific destination. And without a single misstep, Get on the Bike, a masterfully constructed template, takes us to a desired destination, one of success and profound
satisfaction. Having served in public and private sectors throughout the Caribbean, her experiential knowledge in human resource and development is evident. She is well aware of the complex impulses that impact the will to succeed. She forays into psychology and identifies fear as a destructive emotion that paralyzes its victims. It is a phantom that plagues the mind and the
body. Ideas never bear fruit and a sense of dread and failure consumes the last vestige of libido (will to strive). However, it is in the application of biblical lore that Norman excels. Age-old axioms and biblical tales are deciphered and used as a compass toward development and growth. In fact, her detailed study of David's preeminent rise in Israel, serves as the
cornerstone of her thesis. She extols his leadership and interpersonal skills. “The Davidic Principle,” she argues, shows us that we should make the most of our opportunities. David decided to “go for it” and he made the most of this lifechanging encounter with Goliath…David knew the enormity of the situation and he was prepared. His was a “big deal.” We need to know when a “get on the bike moment” represents the big deal.” Norman cautions against naysayers, many of whom relish the thought of us failing. We must guard against poisonous minds and rattlebrained dribble, she argues. “Some people even become angry as we attempt to get on the bike. They try to cover their anger as a form of assistance, telling us they just do not want us to fail.” She instructively adds, “Nothing is wrong in failing at a particular point in the journey. Failure just means that we had the courage to try.” In missed opportunities we are advised against “a never ending cycle of selfloathing, depression and fear.” We must be focused, poised and ready to capitalize on the right moment. Preparedness is the sine qua non of success. Passion, drive and developing a personal brand are essential. She explains, “Personal brand is what comes to mind when others think about us or when they see us. It is similar to a corporate
brand…A personal brand can also be developed. We do have natural abilities but over time with proper work ethics, we can develop a very personal brand just as David did." Skill, purposefulness, a clear vision, and unbending resolve are also mandatory. Moreover, we must thirst for perfection. The point of fact is that the most illustrious among us have worked tirelessly to achieve their goals. Norman challenges the commonly held belief that talent is the sole requisite for success and decries the false notion “that if we are talented in a particular area it means we do not have to work hard." Still, we must be mindful that Providence can deliver many a curved ball. We are oftentimes tested and harangued. Amid tumultuous times, we must reassess our circumstances and options as we remain rooted in our mission. “Finish the job!” she exhorts. “Some people are good starters but lose interest in the middle of the journey. Some are able to reach the middle but can never reach the end.” And with success comes responsibility to self and community. She is anecdotal as she unveils the transformative power of service and gratitude. “At a certain workplace,” she recalls, “I was the “mentee” and I am forever grateful to my now deceased mentor…My boss ensured that the work that I was given was just a little above what I could naturally (continued on page 66)
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STORY WITHIN THE
When sugar becomes bitter By Leonard Gildarie
I
grew up in a sugarp r o d u c i n g community Enmore. I loved it. Although I moved away since the '80s, the connection was never severed. It is difficult to explain to someone what the idyllic life in such a community is all about, the sight of the fields of cane in the wind. There is something mysterious about it. The smell of the Friday markets along with the faces of canecutters collecting their weekly wages all mingled with the role everyone played, including housewives, in getting their families out to school and work. As a little boy, the water well would break down from time to time. We would journey to a little canal swinging two paint cans to bring water back home. The arms would be aching afterwards, but it was life. There is so much that one can write about and the older folks would have that wistful look on the faces when talking about the good 'ole' days. Fast forward more than three decades later, life has changed dramatically. For the communities, migration to especially North America and the opening up of new schemes have altered the landscape. People moved away. The older folks have passed on. On the GuySuCo landscape, the contours have forever changed. After more than a decade of reforms to protect their beet sugar farmers, the European Union on September 30 ended a 50year quota arrangement with a number of its suppliers of cane sugar in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. While it is still unclear whether Guyana received an extension, the quota system ending was unheralded in this country, which meant that Guyana under the current system, will have to compete like any other supplier and take the prevailing market price. This new development has enormous consequences for the viability of our sugar. We are producing as much as
three times what we selling for. Yet we continued to deal with an industry that is hemorrhaging the economy. Who else can explain $30B in three years sunk into the industry by taxpayers, but no immediate reassurance when we will turn the corner? L e t m e b e c l e a r. GuySuCo and consecutive governments have been offering promises of a reversal of fortunes for years now. The Skeldon project is a stain that we should learn from and vow never to happen again. It was the largest public investment in 2009. I am hesitant to write stories of promises of turnaround‌the same way in which we treat with hesitancy the promises of GPL of no blackouts for the Christmas. We have been hearing these promises too long. I am angry at our unions. The last administration had offered them a place on the Board of GuySuCo. Yet we hear how much they love the workers. The unions have to settle with the harsh reality that the current configuration will not work. The big question was when will we bite the bullet and take those hard decisions? T h e c u r r e n t administration surely is cognizant of the fact that the decision to close three estates – make that four in the last year – will be highly unpopular. It is tantamount to political suicide, some believe. I recalled the bitter complaints of workers when Diamond and LBI workers were suddenly caught unaware, at least so they said, when the PPP administration closed those estates. Someone this past week pointed out the silence by the critics now, over those closures. People were not so vocal too when in the 80s the bauxite industry in Region 10 closed, with scores of families unprepared. The administrations after then were forced to introduce an electricity subsidy to the Linden area, to the tune of billions of dollars annually, to help the residents there cope.
Leonard Gildarie With regard to the sugar industry, we are talking about 5,000 or so workers over the p a s t y e a r, t h a t h a v e reportedly been told there is no work. A special unit has been established to oversee the privatization and divestment. From the information I have seen, unless action is taken now, the bleeding with the bailouts, in combination with the absence of new investments for machinery, improved agriculture, and that EU loss of quota, are very clear writings on the wall for Guyana. From the reports, an assessment of the values of the estates to be privatized or divested is being done by an international firm. That same firm will assess offers that the Government will receive for the estates. I am happy that there are steps to bring transparency to the process. However, we are far from even being out of the woods. The biggest challenge for this administration will be to quickly find the severance and other benefits that workers are entitled to. I spoke to officials on Friday and they are claiming that workers are not interested in training and other options that GuySuCo are offering, as they are not turning up to meetings on this. In fact, we are being told that workers are being encouraged to stay away from those meetings on offers for alternative jobs and other opportunities. There cannot be politics played with the lives of these workers. I e x p e c t t h e administration will have to come out and tell the workers about the decisions, on especially critical issues such as severance. We should also take note of the announcement of the union that it is encouraging the special unit to reopen the estates and run them, even taking steps for two crops next year. This is what I expect our unions to do. Let us not blame the government for this. Collectively, we are all to (continued on page 51)
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From page 34
Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge
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From page 47 GREENIDGE TOLD GRANGER TO HIDE EXXON US$18M Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, has admitted that he is the one who advised President David Granger not to alert the nation to the US$18 million the government collected from ExxonMobil last year. But Greenidge has contradicted his President's announcement made on Wednesday. President Granger said that there were some members of Cabinet who were not aware that the money was received from ExxonMobil. Greenidge said that all of Cabinet knew that the money was secured, but only a few ministers knew what the money would be used for and about the special bank account. The Minister said, “All the members knew of the money, but not all knew of the purpose. If you want to keep something reasonably secret then you tell only a few people.” Greenidge said that the fact that the information has been leaked “demonstrates just how porous our system is as regards confidentiality.” Greenidge said that the press has been completely irresponsible in dealing with the matter of the bonus after finding out that the money was surreptitiously collected. He said that the government did not mishandle the process. Greenidge said that earlier in the year he invited the owners of media houses to apprise them of certain information that the government would have preferred kept confidential. “All owners and elements were invited and we wanted to provide a background on many issues but they didn't turn up.” Neither the owner of Kaieteur News nor the Editor in Chief ever received such an invitation. Also, Greenidge said that not all of the US$18M will go towards paying the “enlarged” legal team to represent Guyana's interest once the border controversy is referred to the International Court of Justice by the United Nations Secretary-General at the end of this year. Greenidge said that US$15 million would go towards legal fees and the other US$3 million would go towards urgent training for Guyanese in areas such as petroleum and geology. PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM TO BENEFIT FROM 468 CPCE GRADUATES With 88 percent females and 12 percent males, the Cyril Potter College of Education [CPCE] Thursday graduated 468 teachers who will serve to considerably augment the teaching capacity of the public education sector. At a ceremony at the National Cultural Centre, attended by President David Granger and many senior education officials, the performances of the graduates were disclosed by CPCE Principal, Ms. Viola Rowe. According to Rowe, the majority of the graduates (178) were trained in the area of Secondary Education. Those trained in Primary Education amounted to 164, while those trained in Early Childhood Education accounted for 126. Rowe reported that in relation to the Associate Degree in Education [ADE] programme, 36 students passed with distinction and 423 passed with credit. In the Trained Teacher's Certificate programme, three students passed with credit. Rowe explained that to earn a distinction, a student must have earned at least 80 percent at the final teaching practice as well as in the overall
performance in other courses. Claiming the best graduating title this year is Ms. Nirupa Manroop, of Rose Hall Secondary. Manroop, who specialised in English, was the recipient of four Presidential Awards. Among her awards were: a shield, a certificate of excellence signed by President Granger and Principal Rowe, a gift voucher valued at $20,000 and a laptop and printer. Also eligible for a laptop and printer were the other outstanding performing students including Abigail Anderson, Altia Nicola Chester, Anna Dwarka, Annlisa Baldeo, Annalisa Baird, Bibi Outar, Candacy Damond-Bess, Carletta Johnson, Chandrani Narshing, Dasia Carmichael, Demetria Warner, Devika Singh, Devika Hiralal, Jairam Singh, Jewelle Milling, Leena Doodnauth, Lelawattie Singh, Lokaya Wrights, Melody Yaw, Naomi Abrahams, Naudia Fraser, Nehemiah Small, Orletta John, Rashell WOolford, Rehanna Hussain, Rosanna Charran, Shefane Boyce, Sheliza Pile, Tamara Smith, Tara Walter, Thavita Persaud, Yogeeta Singh, Yokevia Hinckson, Zaun Peterkin and Zulaika Sahdeo. As he delivered remarks Thursday, President Granger described the ceremony as one of the most important national events. This is in light of the fact, he noted, that “it closes one chapter of tutelage and opens another of tuition. It closes the door to the College behind you, but it opens many more doors in many of the schools around the country where you will practice your profession in years to come.” SATURDAY GRANGER PROMISES TO PROSECUTE CORRUPT OFFICIALS The oil sector is known for its ability to compromise some of the most “upstanding” politicians on earth. Instances of this irrefutable fact can be found in many countries such as Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania and Indonesia. As Guyana moves ahead with becoming an oil producing nation, many critics have expressed concern that Guyana's politicians will fall prey to
the corruptible influence and power of the oil company. At a press conference, Friday, President David Granger was asked to state if he can assure the nation that his Government would not be compromised in its dealings with USA oil giant, ExxonMobil. Granger said that while he cannot give absolute assurances, he will do everything within his power to protect the integrity of his administration. The Head of State said, “Even God could not guarantee that his people would not be compromised by adultery. He gave them the Ten Commandments and people were still compromised. “I would do everything possible under the law to ensure the integrity of the government and the corporations.” The President added, “And if any malfeasance is reported to me, I will take action to have the matter investigated and the culprit would be subject to the process of the law…” Granger noted that his Government has been cautious every step of the way. He said that luckily, it has the time to ensure that not only legislation but education at the organizational and governmental level is taking place. He added, “So we will do everything to protect that industry to ensure that our children benefit from it. But as I said, I don't know of anyone being compromised in Government and if I get such a report it would be investigated.” SPEAKER DISALLOWS MOTION TO ADD EXXON $18M BONUS TO CONSOLIDATED FUND …PPP/C SIGNALS INTENTION TO SEEK LEGAL ACTION Before the passage of the 2018 budget, Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, on Friday, disallowed a motion of adjournment from the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) seeking to have the US$18 million signing bonus paid by ExxonMobil
transferred from the Bank of Guyana to the Consolidated Fund. On the final day for the consideration of the estimates, the PPP/C Members of Parliament, Irfaan Ali, and Gail Teixeria, through the motion, sought to have the National Assembly direct Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan to amend the estimates of revenues and expenditure to reflect the signing bonus. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo presented the motion in Ali's absence. The Motion set out to seek the adjournment on a definite matter of urgent public importance. The House was scheduled to start at 10 a.m., but didn't get underway until shortly after 13:30 hours. Dr. Barton in his ruling stated that the motion of adjournment on a definite matter of urgent public importance is an extraordinary procedure and that the Standing Order that guides the Speaker sets out three indispensible elements-- that the matter must be definite, urgent and it must be of public importance. “Of the existence of all three elements, the Speaker must be satisfied,” Dr. Barton stated. He shared that the matter appears to be definite and of public importance. However, the Speaker ruled that it did not satisfy the 'urgent' element since the matter of the signing bonus was raised a week ago in Parliament by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, and Raphael Trotman, the Minister of Natural Resources. “The Honourable Members who have sought to move the suspension of the business of this House through the extraordinary procedure of this adjournment motion appear to have approached the House some seven days after they were made aware,” the Speaker stated, He noted that consideration of the estimates continued over the seven days, yet the members approached the House with the motion on the final day of the process. “The Speaker holds that the urgency envisaged in the Standing Order is not represented by this application and consequently disallows the application,” Dr. Barton ruled.
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Social Protection Ministry boasts... From page 25 America have all contributed to this huge success story. In 2018, the Ministry will develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the treatment of human trafficking victims.” The Minister commented that there is no doubt that the Government will do everything possible to eradicate this scourge. SENIOR CITIZENS When it comes to the wellbeing of senior citizens, Ally proudly stated that the Government will provide an improved life for the elderly. She said that since the APNU+AFC Coalition came to power, it has increased old age pension by 49%. “You hear a lot of mumblings about a small increase, but let me just take time off to give you some facts. In 2010, pensioners were receiving peanuts; a mere $6,600. In 2011 they got $7,500. For 2012 it went up to $10,000. In 2013 the elderly got 12,500 and in 2014, they received $13,125.” The Minister added, “However, when this Coalition Government came into
office, senior citizens' pension was significantly increased to $17,000. For 2018, it will go to $19,500.” More than that, Ally said that pensioners are relieved from paying departure tax, as well as for driver's licence, and passports among other things. She said that the Government not only raised the bar on pensions, but looked at improving the welfare of residents in care facilities, hence it established a visiting committee to evaluate, report and monitor all facilities. In this regard, she outlined that the objective is to achieve enhanced standards of elderly residential facilities throughout Guyana. Ally also noted that over 40% of these facilities have been visited and assessed. The Social Protection Minister said that in 2018, a National Policy on Ageing will be developed. She said that the overarching goal will be to promote and support the social, economic and cultural re-integration of older persons into mainstream society, and to enable the senior citizen population, as far as practicable, to participate in the national development pro-
cess. Ally said that the Ministry will establish an elderly welfare section within the Probation and Social Services Department in 2018, to monitor the daily operations of elderly residential care facilities, in collaboration with the Visiting Committee, and investigate reports of elderly abuse. SOCIAL INCLUSION POLICY According to Ally, the Government sees gender as an inclusionary issue. With this in mind, she pointed out that it is in the process of formulating a national gender and social inclusion policy which will aim to mainstream gender issues into all sectors in order to eliminate all negative economic, social and cultural practices that impede equality and equity. It will also develop, maintain and provide gender-sensitive information and genderdisaggregated data for use in planning and project implementation at all levels and in all sectors. Ally said that the Government has already commenced consultations and by the end of December 2017, the draft policy will be completed.
Deliver the Golding Report... From page 24 the same conclusion that Caribbean leaders did after the collapse of the West Indian Federation which was: an arena of cooperation was essential between Caribbean countries if, individually and collectively, they are to command some attention and regard in the world. And, if their conclusion is
the latter, then what did they recommend should be done with the structures of CARICOM to make integration work, regionally and internationally, for the Caribbean people? These answers should not be left blowing in the wind. The gestation period is over; it's time to deliver the Golding Report.
(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda's Ambassador to the US and the OAS. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
For our Rights Groups: Paedophilia... From page 38) Washington Times carried an article with the headline 'APA to correct manual: (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – DSM/ V) Pedophilia is not a 'sexual orientation'. However there still appears to be much confusion on the subject. It would be interesting to hear what our local human and civil rights groups, including SASOD and Guyana Trans United, have to say about the movements and
trends in the United States and elsewhere aimed at 'normalizing' paedophilia, especially while defending LGBT rights to be protected from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. (As a side note there may or may not have existed a paedophile organization in Alhambra, California, called the Rene Guyon Society, whose motto allegedly was 'Sex before eight, or it's too late') You can explore it on the internet. In view of the recent hor-
rific cases of child sexual abuse and paedophilia in Guyana, the notions and trends mentioned in this article are at least worthy of consideration by Guyanese; more so by advocacy groups and the government as we seek to preserve the integrity of our 'most precious assets' while at the same time ensuring that the fundamental rights of marginalized and fringe groups are protected. It could be a tricky balancing act.
Blazing a path to... From page 44 be blamed. We should have been taking these decisions years ago. We were warned. We are about to enter into oil production. Our systems have to be ready. Whichever government is in place, we cannot have one industry sucking the rest of the country. Our sugar industry is too big to fail. It was among the top three foreign exchange earners in the last 50 years. That huge chunk of
foreign exchange will not be easily replaced despite the losses of GuySuCo. There are hopes about this industry, albeit in a different configuration. The workers have to be the priority as the ripple effects will have enormous implications for sugar-producing communities like Enmore. Thousands of cane workers know of nothing else and will be at a loss. So instead of killing the messenger of bad news, let us get it on.
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Water taxi operators bemoan MARAD’s new time curfew
Speed boat operators at the Parika stelling. The Maritime Administration Department [MARAD], has now come under heavy scrutiny as water taxi operators are bemoaning the administration’s new time curfew. MARAD as at November 8, last, setup a new time curfew for water taxis plying the Parika-Supenaam, Bartica route, and the Pomeroon routes. The curfew stated that all water taxis ferrying these routes, must operate within a 12-hour time frame, from 05:30 hrs to 17:30 hrs. Kaieteur News on last Thursday spoke with several local boat operators, many of whom believe this time curfew is too early. Speed boat operators on the Parika Ferry Stelling said that timing does not befit the holiday seasons in facilitating late shoppers.
As the holiday is nearing its climax, shopping in the capital city, Georgetown, will intensify. Persons will subsequently stream from all parts of the country to be part of the grand Christmas shopping in the capital city. With the buildup of traffic during this time of the year, it is more likely that persons will have less control over time. In most cases, the time will elapse for passengers, as they are caught in the heavy traffic on their way back to the ferry stelling. One speed boat operator said: “By the time passengers get to the stelling, all operations are closed, and passengers are only left with one option.” It first appeared that the remaining option, was for passengers to check in at a hotel or a guest house, he said. “There are illegal boats
out there that are unlicensed and operate after the time curfew,” the boat operator said. Kaieteur News understands that these illegal boats often ferry passengers to Supenaam for a fare of $3000, as compared to the usual $1300. Boats that are licensed under the administration are up to date with all of their department’s legal requirements. Travelling with an illegal vessel at night, may be a risky move since most of these vessels may not reach the legal requirements specified by MARAD. The main objective of MARAD’s new curfew, is allegedly to clampdown on the late speedboat operations, and to promote safety on the waterways. Passenger welfare however is still an issue that needs to be urgently addressed by the administration.
Blazing a path to... From page 42 do. This approach caused development.” She later relates the “most lasting memory of my mentor [that was] not work-related. Norman was given with “the most beautiful little white dress one had ever seen” for her daughter's christening. “In relationships, it is the giving of self which is important, the bonding," she says. She ends with enduring, indelible words, "Finishing
well on the bike indicates leaving behind a strong legacy. It means that we pave the way for others behind us to follow." Get on the Bike's religious underpinning could be a distraction for obvious reasons. But Norman's steep religiosity does not smother the timeless, universal truths embedded in her work. Hers is a roadmap for success, a definitive pathway to enlightenment and self-realization. F e e d b a c k :
glenvilleshby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Get on the Bike: A Road Map to Help You Achieve Your Goals, Develop Your Full Potential and Dream Big by Marsha Norman © 2017 Marsha Norman Publisher: Learner Series, USA Available at Amazon ISBN: 978-0-98982764-5 Ratings: Recommended
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
Install and use your decorative lights safety this holiday Whether it’s for the decoration of your home at Christmas, a party or any special occasion, decorative lights can really add to the atmosphere. However, as with any electrical outfit, decorative lights also need to be properly installed to ensure they don’t become a threat to your family or your home. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards, under it Standards Compliance programme monitors Christmas Tree and Decorative Lighting outfits according to the requirements of the National Standard to ensure that this commodity complies with the relevant requirements and is safe for use. The following are some tips to consider when purchasing decorative lights: Look for the safety approval mark. Decorative lights for sale must comply with relevant safety standards. It is illegal in many countries to offer decorative lights for sale without the necessary safety approval. Decorative lights must be tested for safety and approved for use by an independent testing and certification body. INDOOR OR OUTDOOR USE If you are going to use the decorative lighting outdoors, make sure it is suitable for outdoor use. Never use indoor lighting outside because the insulation on the wires is not suitable for wet or windy weather and may result in
fires, electric shocks and/or injuries to people. CHECKING YOUR LIGHTS BEFORE USE If you are re-using lights from a previous occasion, when you first take them out of storage you need to ensure that they are free of defects such as damaged wires, burnt-out bulbs or loose connections. For new lights, lay the lights along the floor and check that no bulbs are loose or missing. Plug in the light set temporarily to check if all the bulbs are working. You must unplug the light set from the power source before replacing the bulbs. Use new bulbs of the same type and wattage to avoid the lighting set overheating which could cause a fire. When preparing your lights, never turn on the light set while it is in the box. Always unplug the light set before replacing the bulbs. Do not modify or cut a set of lights including the plug and fuse elements. Regularly monitor your lighting for faulty and burntout bulbs and replace them immediately. PUTTING UP YOUR LIGHTS When mounting your lights… Keep them away from paper, cardboard, curtains, material and other flammable material to minimise the risk of accidental fire especially if you want to leave your lights turned on overnight. Do not place the lights
near metal foils – eg foils from Christmas trees or other decorations Always use plastic clips or hooks to mount the lights – never use metal pins, nails or staples to mount your lights. Do not connect one set of lights to another unless it is designed for that purpose – connecting lighting sets can cause overloading of the circuit. When setting up outdoor decorative lights... Only use lights intended to be used outdoors. Weatherproof your extension leads with handy accessories that cover and protect plugs. Use extra low voltage lights (12V or 24V), especially for on fences, roofs and downpipes. Secure the lights firmly to ensure they aren’t broken or damaged in wind or storms. Turn off your decorative outdoor lights during storms and rain. General decorative lighting safety hints: Always turn the lights off when you go to bed. Do not attempt to alter or make modifications to the lights. Fully unwind any extension cords to prevent overheating. Test your safety switches regularly to ensure you’re protected. The GNBS encourages you to enjoy your beautiful, safe, decorative lighting displays. For further information on this subject, call the GNBS on Telephone number: 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit the Bureau’s website: www.gnbsgy.org
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Fort Ordnance Primary School commissioned as emergency shelter In its continuous efforts to advance the disaster preparedness in Guyana, the Civil Defense Commission (CDC) officially commissioned the Fort Ordnance Primary School in East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) as an emergency shelter location. Friday’s commissioning was done under the “Enhancement of Emergency Shelter Capacity to Mitigate Flood Risk in Ordnance Fortland” project funded through the Canada Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Fund. Deputy Director General, Major Kester Craig, who commissioned the centre on behalf of Minister of State with responsibility for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Joseph Harmon, explained that the Fort Ordnance location was selected as a shelter location after the CDC conducted a hazard and vulnerability assessment in 2015, which showed that the Region was highly susceptible to flooding. “The CDC recognised that there is no designated facility in the Region that could effectively serve as an emergency shelter if persons were to be displaced. The norm in Guyana over the years has been to utilise schools for temporary shelter but the design of most schools does not cater for the basic amenities a shelter requires… “The vision of having a designated facility for emergency sheltering was then manifested into the development of a concept,” he said. The shelter, which serves as the first of its kind in the region and the second countrywide has the capacity to house approximately 160 persons. The school is now equipped with a concrete bridge to allow the delivery of relief supplies directly to the building, bath facilities, ramps and handrails to improve the accessibility for persons living with
disabilities, a newly constructed kitchen and feeding area as well as new cooking tools and utensils. Regional Chairman, Mr. David Armagon, explained that in addition to the shelter, the Region with support from the CDC, has a corps of volunteers, who were being trained in disaster preparedness. It would be immediately activated in the event of a disaster. The Chairman also committed to ensuring that the equipment donated would be audited regularly to ensure their safety and longevity High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana, Ms. Lilian Chatterjee, expressed satisfaction with seeing the Guyana-Canada project come to fruition. “I am pleased that Guyana and Canada are able to collaborate once again to increase climate resilience now in Fort Ordnance. This project is a good example of the community coming together with the support of the Canada Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Funds to strengthen the readiness to respond to natural disasters and climate change,” she said. In 2012, the Civil Defence Commission opened an emergency center shelter in Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) at the Arapaima Primary School through funding from Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Currently, CDC is in the process of conducting hazard, risk and vulnerability assessments across the country to determine high-risk areas and to identify appropriate buildings that can be transformed into emergency shelters. This activity will be completed within the first quarter of 2018. (DPI)
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Sunday December 17, 2017
CONSUMER CONCERNS
MENACE OF AFRICANISED BEES By PAT DIAL Every month, on the average, one or two persons die from attacks by Africanised bees and scores of others suffer stings in greater or lesser degree. Within the last four weeks, for example, a farmer in Berbice was attacked and died in the field that he was ploughing and on East Coast Demerara, a security guard was attacked and killed while he was going to work. These bees often build their nests in
schools or near school compounds and cause great fear and discomfiture among students and teachers. At the beginning of this month, there was a report of an Africanised bee colony at the Aurora Secondary School in Essequibo. Classes had to be suspended several times during the term to protect the children. Sometimes, these bees swarm into areas they were never before seen and attacked unprepared and unsuspecting people. In one such incident three years ago, a baby was
stung to death. Two generations ago, Africanised bees were unknown in Guyana. In the past, the bees which were cultivated in hives were mostly capilanos and they also lived in the wild. These bees were comparatively mild and were never as persistently aggressive as the Africanised. Africanised bees were first bred in Brazil: Brazilian scientists, in their efforts to develop a strain of bees which were greater honey producers, crossed African and European strains. Some of these bees escaped and built their nests in the Brazilian jungles, spreading from there all over South America. The bees were good honey producers but they were like very fierce and aggressive wasps or marabuntas and their stings seemed to be more poisonous than Western bees. They also seem to multiply at a faster rate. Some of their colonies contained tens of thousands of bees. These bees have now overtaken the whole of the Guyana territory. Livestock and other animals also suffer attacks from these bees. Early in the year, it was reported that four goats belonging to an East Coast Demerara farmer were killed by these bees and dogs regularly die from attacks by these bees. In the towns, they tend to build their nests in disused septic tanks, disused containers, barrels or any crevice they could find near the roof of houses. The incipient nests are never discovered until they become threatening. One sign of knowing that the bees are in a vicinity is that a few of them would be seen flying around lighted bulbs. If they are just beginning to build a nest
with very, very few bees, one may risk exterminating them with a very powerful aerosol insecticide like Baygon but once they become more numerous and have established a nest, only a professional exterminator should deal with them. Indeed, most people are afraid to go near a nest and this overwhelming fear has prevented persons from rescuing other persons who have been attacked. The security guard mentioned above was lying on the roadside but the passersby were afraid to try to help him. There is very little one could do to help one’s self if attacked by these bees. However, the following precautions may be useful:If one is under attack, run away as fast as possible and take shelter in a house or car, closing the windows as quickly as possible. The bees usually pursue to about 300 feet but there are instances where they have gone to a quarter of a mile. While running away, cover your face with any cloth or net or mesh or even your hands since the bees go for the face and when they sting around the eyes, you would be unable to see. It is better to cover your face with your shirt since bites on the torso are less immediately dangerous than bites on the face. Dark colours, especially black, attract bees. Lighter colours such as light cream or very light green do not attract them as much. Accordingly, if you go out into areas where there may be bees, wear light-coloured clothing. If you are under attack, do not try to smother them away, since the more bodily movement you have, the more irritated the Continued on page 69
Sunday December 17, 2017
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Fmr. Argentina leader...
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. PASSPORT, PERMANENT & VISITOR VISA APPLICATION, PROFESSIONAL IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT – SABITA IMMIGRATION SERVICES. CALL: 613-3920/625-3767. I N S TA L L AT I O N S , REPAIRSAND PARTS FOR AC, FRIDGE, WASHING MACHINE, STOVE ETC: CALL NICK 627-3206, 6301600 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONER, WASHING MACHINES,FREEZER,SALE OF AC’S TEL:629-4946/ 225-4822. Budhram’s Landscaping service” Free advice, free design, free after care, followup. 656-1326. Desmond Repair Services Fridge, AC, gas stove, microwave, washer, etc on the spot repairs –Call: (592)678-8683. Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, A/C units, washing machines. Call Lindon: 6411086/ 694-2202
SALON Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses:$90,000 Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 647-1773/688-0009 MASSAGE Neisha’s Massage Service. 674-8147
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY-$19,000PERPOUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 2010 Suzuki GXR 600 CC motorbike for sale, 1.3 mil negotiable, call or whatsapp 658-8488. Pitbull mix with Rottweiler puppies. 5 weeks old. Contact 269-0711/666-7895 or 622-2201 $40,000 each. I- Leyland daf cement mixer truck $2.9M,1-caterpillar skid steer $ 3.4 M,1-Bmw 318 I, $2.7M 1-mitsubishi canter $ 3.6 M Contact 650-0402/6031402 Christmas Deal: Pit-bull pups, vaccine & deworm $30,000 Tel: 680-3101 ask for Jason. Rottweiler pure bred pups. Call afternoon or evenings. Tel: 615-0513 John Aluminum boat 12 and 14 feet 641-6162, 222-5671 Diesel Mitsubishi 4M51 Engine and parts contact Tel: 669-2290 Foxtail, Supari, Royal Palm @$1000, Crootons, Ashoka trees, potting soil @$800, Lawn grass, Exora, Ficus 4 for $1000 Tel: 626-1044 Fridge, freezer,washing machine Call: 671-3004 Townace Noah parts, transmission back def, seats, hub, calipers, window, motor, switches, bumper, CV etc. 6225986 One long boom Bob Cat Mini Excavator. 337-D 80 HP Excellent working condition. 626-7127. Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc. Call:225-9032;647-2943;604-5198 Samsung Galaxy On5 $26,000, Motorola Droid Turbo $40,000, Xbox360 Console $25,000, Hp-6730b laptop $30,000 Tel: 621-9604, 6941748 Numark Mixtrack3 with a free laptop $60,000, Fusion 3000 watt inverter $7500 windows 10Pro $50,000 Tel: 621-9604, 694-1748. For sale 1 white Toyota fielder 2010 unregistered. Tel: 6245650. LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
FOR RENT
WANTED
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
1 Domestic maid must know to cook. Apply @ R.Sookraj & Sons. 108 Regent Street. One Driver. Experienced Roti/Puri Cook, Curry Cook, Waiters, Handy Boys. Apply at Hack’s Halaal. 5 Commerce St. Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm
Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D$1200US. Call 647-1773 Business place to rent. 14 Lombard St Georgetown. 2271385, 653-0506 Bottom flat 3 bedroom in Diamond. 666-6503,684-7599. Two and three bedroom luxury apartments to rent. Fully furnished. 57 John St Campbellville. 666-7028. One three bedroom upstairs house in kitty, contact 6731872/627-6132 Apartments in Diamond 18 Avenue to rent. Call: 6564211/680-5944.
We buy lands in Eccles, Providence, Herstelling, Farm, Covent Garden & Parfaite Harmonie, Uitvlugt $3M Call: 651-1969,656-0701 Wanted land anywhere on the West Coast. Tel#642-1252 1 porter and driver to sell water. Apply @ Nimbus Water. #2317002, 79 Albert & Laluni Street, Queenstown.
CAR RENTAL EDUCATION Day Care and Pre-K classes available in Diamond Call Canadian School 2166921,216-6922 Media training programme. Journalism, film production and related fields, internship/ practice-based training. Apply:mbcpress@outlook.com LAND FOR SALE Eccles (cornerlot) $5.5M, Farm (East Bank) $3.5M, Uitvlugt $3.5M, Parfaite Harmonie $3M & $1.5M, Herstelling $2M Tel: 656-0701, 651-1969 Parafaite Harmonie (Foundation and column) 2.5M Zeelugt (50x100) Tel# 642-1252. Diamond 3.5M Cummings Lodge 6M Parfaite 50x100 Land of Canaan 6M Herstelling 67x110 Highway 34 acres. Shawn 231-7805, 618-7483. Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, New Thriving, Massy, HJ water world $13M neg- Call: 669-8397 PROPERTY FOR SALE Forshaw St.Queenstown: 1-2 storey building on lot 7200sqft. Suitable for residential/commercial purposes. Price $100M Call: 227-0682,652-7587 Aubrey Barker 30M David Str Hadfield 16.5M Diamond(3) Story 55M,17M Parfaite 2 story & more Call: 231-2199/ 618-7483.
DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/6560087, EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM VEHICLE FOR SALE Unregistered Axela 2011 $2.5M, dark interior, fully loaded, Nissan pickup extra cab $2.1M. Call: 617-5536 Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501 Toyota Rav 4- Late PNN Series Excellent condition. $2.5M Tel# 612-3244 or whatsapp for more info One Toyota Verosa 2.5 Neg. Tel: 614-0694 X-mas deal. Unregistered 2010 Allion low milage, rock bottom price 3.175 Contact. 610-4184/ 220-1988. TOLET Furnished one and two bedroom apartment in Nandy Park. Parking available. Call 233-5560 evening only. One couple wanted for a two bedroom bottom flat at Turkeyen/Sophia. No vehicle parking. Telephone no: 2193551 One business space, located at 177 Charlotte & Alexander St. Kindly call: 689-3462, 6443555. Serious enquiries only.
From page 13 Iranian cultural attaché in Argentina; and the third secretary at Iran’s Embassy in Buenos Aires, as well as the former head of Hezbollah’s external security. Nisman’s investigation led Interpol to issue red notices against six of the perpetrators. Argentina issued arrest warrants for Rafsanjani and then-foreign minister, Ali Akbar Velayati, which Iran disregarded. Nisman released a 500page indictment in May 2013, which outlined the way Iran had penetrated not just Argentina, but also Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Guyana, Paraguay, Trinidad, Tobago and Suriname. He showed how mosques, social service organisations and its own embassies were used to radicalise and recruit terrorists. Nisman also shared information that helped American authorities determine that Mohsen Rabbani, Iranian embassy cultural attaché, and one of the AMIA bombing masterminds, helped four men plot to blow up the fuel lines at Kennedy International Airport in New York. Nisman’s murder investigation was stymied for years, but three months ago, under Argentina’s new president, Mauricio Macri, a fresh investigation by the Argentine national police began. They found that Nisman had been drugged with VACANCY Porters contact: 223-5273/ 74 Bartenders Contact: 2235273/74 Nanny Contact: 223-5273/74 Drivers-To work in G/town, attractive salary+Incentive. Call 227-1717. 1-Grillman hrs 4:00pm-1:30am, 1-nanny, live-in , 1-kitchen asst. 8:00am-5:00pm. Contact X’s Grill & Cuisine 675-2550 10am-5:30pm Couple to live & work on farm. At least 3 yrs experience. Ages 35 up. Call: 231-1408/642-9191 Labourers, Carpenters, Masons, Full time cook, Cleaner, Cashier, Drivers, Skid steer operator, Excavator operator. #218-5120/608-4526 Driver for fielder wagon taxi. 664-0802 Assistant media manager. Experience in broadcasting/ print desirable. Mature person preferred. Apply:mbcpress@outlook.com TOLET Business space with kitchenette suitable for document centre, internet café/snackette $80,000 in Middleton street. 650-0716, 231-9559.
Ketamine, a drug used to sedate animals, then brutally beaten before he was shot in the head. More than 40,000 legal wiretaps and other evidence, much of it collected by Nisman, sealed the case against Kirchner, and reveals a secret backchannel between her government and Iran. It is apparent that Kirchner and her allies went to great lengths to establish this backchannel. In 2011, Ms. Kirchner’s foreign minister made a secret trip to Syria to iron out the plan with Ali Akbar Salehi, who was then Iran’s foreign minister, former Argentine ambassador to Syria revealed earlier this year in court testimony. A voice recording further implicates Ms. Kirchner in the bombing. The judge in the case has asked the Argentine Congress to strip Kirchner of immunity, so that she can be arrested and tried. Additionally, President Macri supports an independent investigation to identify the person(s) responsible for ordering Alberto Nisman’s death. Whatever happens next, it is clear, as Mr. Nisman documented, Iran and Hezbollah have penetrated Latin America.
MENACE OF... From page 68 bees become. On the other hand, do not try to be immobile or “freeze” because they will attack you as an easy target. Going into any body of water like a canal or lake is really of little help since the Africanised bees would remain around for hours waiting to attack. As soon as you raise your head out of the water, they will attack. As soon as you are able, use a credit card or any piece of stiff plastic or cardboard to press the sting out of your skin. This will prevent the venom from being absorbed into the blood. Death from bee stings is due to scores of stings dissipating their venom or poison in the body. The Ministry of Agriculture once used to offer a free service to the community to exterminate these killer bees from homes, yards and agricultural fields. This protection offered to the community by the Ministry was universally appreciated, We are therefore urging that the Ministry of Agriculture to resuscitate this service. The bee extermination personnel could be attached to the Honey Industry Programme of the Ministry where they could be engaged in other work of the unit. The Guyana Consumers Association has written the Ministry recommending the reestablishment of the Africanised bee extermination unit.
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Kaieteur News
Zuma calls for party unity as ANC meets to elect new leader
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma gestures to his supporters at the 54th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa’s Jacob Zuma gave his last speech as African National Congress head yesterday, as the only party in power since the end of apartheid prepared to pick its next leader, and likely future president, in a vote that was too close to call. The election is perhaps the most pivotal moment for the ANC in its 23 years of power. Scandal and corruption allegations have tainted Zuma’s presidency and the party that launched black majority rule under Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela is now deeply divided, its image tarnished at home and abroad. The race to succeed the 75-year-old as ANC leader has been dominated by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, 65, generally favoured by financial markets, and Nkosazana DlaminiZuma, 68, an ex-cabinet minister, chairwoman of the African Union Commission and Zuma’s ex-wife. Zuma, who is backing Dlamini-Zuma in the
race, can remain head of state until 2019. The ANC will announce Zuma’s successor today, concluding a bruising leadership battle that threatens to splinter the 105-year-old liberation movement. A trained lawyer and former union leader, Ramaphosa, 65, has vowed to fight corruption and revitalise an economy that has slowed to a near-standstill under Zuma with 28 percent unemployment and credit rating downgrades. That message has played well with foreign investors and Ramaphosa is expected to be backed by ANC veterans, labour unions and civil society organisations. In contrast, Dlamini-Zuma is seen as a fierce campaigner against racial inequality whose hostility to big business has rattled investors. “She has not made corruption the only pillar of her campaign, because the most critical issue in South Africa is this huge inequality,” said Carl Niehaus, a key member
of Dlamini-Zuma’s campaign. Colin Coleman, managing director of Goldman Sachs in South Africa, said the candidates’ distinct positions on the economy made the choice between them a clear one. “This is a pivotal moment. It is a choice between refreshing the ANC and putting South Africa on a course of a modern economy, or the party outlook may move deeper down a patronage path which would lead to a low-growth and high-unemployment outcome for the people of South Africa.” In a boost to Ramaphosa, courts ruled that some senior officials from provinces seen as supporting Dlamini-Zuma had been elected illegally and were barred from the conference. The rand currency firmed more than 2 percent after that news on Friday. The ANC’s National Executive Committee, a decision-making group of senior leaders, met before the conference began and decided that barred delegates could not vote at the conference.
Top Cop concedes police ranks should... (From page 10) Claus attire, entered the top floor of the Parliament Chamber and attempted to present Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo with an Oxford Dictionary. The apparent ease with which she had slipped into the Chambers had raised concern for the safety of individuals in Parliament. Indications are that the woman came in properly dressed and changed her clothes in the MPs bathroom. Ramnarine stated this was “nothing near to a security breach, as the woman in question was permitted to enter the Public Viewing Gallery by security officials of Parliament Office Security.” “It is my view, after making the requisite enquiries, that this was no more than just a prank.” But he also referred to a third incident where two police officers found themselves “enjoying elite company” giving the distinct impression that the police had not learnt anything from the previous incident (on Monday) and further aggravated the concerns about security of Parliament being breached.
Two plainclothes policemen had sat at the press table at parliament. Some of the journalists had complained to the Clerk of the National Assembly about their presence. “I wish to state that the two young plainclothes policemen were not properly nor thoroughly briefed and also did not follow the specific instructions given, for if they had, they would not have found themselves in the Chambers of Parliament. “Their seniors have been admonished and reprimanded in this regard. “The Guyana Police Force in collaboration with its senior colleagues in the Sister Services, has reviewed and enhanced security arrangements in and around Parliament and is satisfied that the security of Parliament in these times is assured. “Regrettably, and unfortunately, law enforcement officials can sometimes find themselves between a rock and a hard place and in these situations they have to contemplate, in a matter of seconds the dammed if you do and dammed if you dont philosophy of preventive policing.”
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
Myanmar journalists’ group to don black T-shirts over arrest of Reuters’ reporters
Myanmar journalists Thet Oo Maung (R), also known as Wa Lone, and Kyaw Soe Oo (L). Photos courtesy of Thet Oo Maung and Kyaw Soe Oo/Facebook YANGON (Reuters) - A group of Myanmar journalists said they would begin wearing black T-shirts yesterday in protest at the detention of two Reuters reporters accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act, as pressure builds on Myanmar to release the pair. The Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists, a group of local reporters who have demonstrated against past prosecutions of journalists, decried the “unfair arrests that affect media freedom”. In a statement on Facebook, the committee said its members would don black T-shirts “to signify the dark age of media freedom” in Myanmar. They demanded the unconditional and immediate release of the two reporters, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe
Oo, 27. “Journalists all over the country are urged to take part in the Black Campaign,” the group said. It said it also planned to stage official protests and prayers. The group has staged several protests on behalf of arrested reporters from other media this year, including one in June in which around 100 journalists took part. It was not immediately clear how many journalists have joined the black T-shirt protest. The Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists was formed in response to the arrest in June of a newspaper editor over the publication of a cartoon that made fun of the military, said video journalist A Hla Lay Thu Zar - one of the group’s 21-member executive committee.
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St. Kitts supervisor of elections charged over 2015 polls BASSETERRE, St. Kitts CMC –The former supervisor of elections , Wi n g r o v e George, has been released on EC$50,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) bail after he appeared in court on two counts of misconduct in public office related to the 2015 general elections. George, who had to surrender his travel documents as conditions of the bail, was arrested on Friday after the authorities said that the charges refer to misconduct relating to two constituencies in terms of withholding their results. George halted the counts in the Saint Christopher #4
Wingrove George and Saint Christopher #8, constituencies on February 16, 2015 and two days later
declared Lindsay Grant and Eugene Hamilton, both of whom are now ministers in the government of National Unity headed by Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris. The decision to withhold the results led to widespread criticism from regional governments with St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves declaring then that George’s “unprecedented tardiness” had “given rise to unnecessary uncertainty”. The coalition had defeated the incumbent St. KittsNevis Labour Party headed by Dr. Denzil Douglas, who was seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in office.
Jamaica deports thousands, grants citizenship to nearly 50 KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – Jamaica deported an estimated 2,000 people last year and denied entry to more than 500 people, National Security Minister Robert Montague has said. Speaking at a ceremony where 47 foreign nationals were granted citizenship, Montague said that the occasion was a time to celebrate the fact that despite the challenges facing the country, there are still hundreds of foreigners who want to make Jamaica their home and “want to share this privilege with those of us who are born here”. He said that last year, the authorities deported 2,000 persons, with another 537 being denied entry and that those granted citizenship should consider it an “exceptional privilege. We are happy to welcome you. (While) each person has a different background, what unites us is that you are now Jamai-
cans. You have varying skills and talents, which can now be used to help your new country. You will now take on the duties and responsibilities of Jamaican citizens… and you must take these very seriously,” he added. Chief Executive Officer of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) Andrew Wynter, said that approximately 3,000 foreigners are granted Jamaican citizenship annually. He said that the latest batch of 47 persons represents the largest number of candidates granted citizenship on a single occasion, adding that PICA has granted citizenship to some 10,000 persons during its 10 years as an executive agency. “This is a watershed moment for the agency, as we have come to recognise that there are
approximately three to five million Jamaicans in the Diaspora who have descendants, relatives and others who are eligible for Jamaican citizenship. It is our intention to reach out to them to be a part of the family of this our great Jamaica,” Wynter said. Nigerian Dr. Ehis-Oje Pius Areghan, who responded on behalf of the group, described the occasion as an opportunity that “comes with responsibilities. “It now becomes our responsibility (as new citizens) to exercise our civic duties, especially to help o n e a n o t h e r,” said Dr. Areghan, who is based at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay. “I am happy to be (here). The joy and love I have gotten from Jamaicans, I doubt I would ever get it in any other country,” he added.
Last UN hurdle before Int’l Court... From page 8 appointed a personal representative, Ambassador Dag Nylander, asking Guyana to wait until December 2017 to determine whether a compromise can be met. However, there appears little progress. Granger made it clear on Friday that Guyana wants the matter to be settled once and for all. He said that he is hopeful that the current SecretaryGeneral, Antonio Guterres will do what his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon had committed to do - that is, if there is no
satisfactory progress between Venezuela and Guyana at that the end of this year, the matter will be referred to the International Court of Justice. Speaking during a longawaited Press Conference at the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday, the President disclosed that Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, remains engaged with the Personal Representative of the Secretary General. “I have met with the Secretary General and if necessary, I will go and meet
him again because this monkey has been on our back for 51 years and we would want to enter the New Year with a clear idea of how the matter could be resolved under the law.” According to Granger, as far as Guyana is concerned, the border matter was settled since 1899. Venezuela has not advanced any legal argument to show that the Tribunal Award then is void. Granger noted that recently army ranks located the boundary markers between the two countries.
Sunday December 17, 2017
Coconut production up but farmers struggling to find regular market - CIB KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Coconut Industry Board (CIB) says there has been a substantial increase in the production of coconuts in the island over the past 18 months. In a statement Friday, the CIB said whereas it is relieved that its efforts to increase production have borne fruit, several hundred coconut farmers are now struggling to find a regular and consistent market for their coconuts. Chairman of the CIB, Christopher Gentles, noted that the sector has rebounded from the shortage caused by the record droughts of 2014 and 2015 and is now in a position of strength. “The weather has been exceptional and several coconut farmers have been experiencing a bumper crop. However, the cooler temperatures have also reduced the demand for jelly coconuts and have
Christopher Gentles negatively impacted the sales of our Coconut Shop,” said Gentles.General Manager of the CIB, Yvonne Burns, stated that coconut production for 2017 has improved significantly due mainly to improved weather conditions and a distribution of over $10
million worth of fertilisers to coconut farmers over the past 24 months. She also noted that over the past ten years the CIB has distributed 657,128 coconut seedlings to farmers for the establishment of approximately 7000 acres of coconuts, some of which are now contributing to the current supply. As a result of this, the CIB said it is planning to increase its capacity to process jelly coconuts and if the plans of its Strategic Business and Capital Expenditure Plan are successfully implemented, it will be investing in a facility to produce virgin coconut oil. The board added that several coconut farmers are hopeful that the coconut oil processing facility will be established as soon as possible, given the substantial increase in the supply of coconuts. (Jamaica Observer)
Grenada PM calls for reform of region’s energy sector MASSACHUSETTS CMC – Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell has said the greatest potential for transforming Caribbean economies lies with reforming the region’s energy sector. “Research and outreach must be tailored to ensure the elimination of fossil fuel imports and 100 per cent renewable energy use by 2030,” Mitchell told a forum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Mitchell, the current chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping, told the forum that the current high price of fossil fuel imports which constitute close to 100 per cent of energy use in some Caribbean countries is largely responsible for inhibiting growth and development. “In some countries of the region fossil fuel imports account for over 70 per cent of export earnings. Coupled with debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratios averaging in excess of 70 per cent, unemployment rates averaging in excess of 25 per cent and poverty rate averaging in excess of 30 percent, the region is mired in a viscous cycle of under development and poverty in some areas, with the attendant social consequences.” He said reform of the energy sector must also include the removal of growth inhibiting monopoly power production institutions and relations, and the introduction of
pro-competitive power generation structures, aided by progressive and modern regulatory frameworks. “The research and outreach planned must, at a minimum, examine, analyse and provide options, technologies and applications for a resilient Caribbean energy sector,” Mitchell said, adding that he would also argue that there should be no delay in investing in resilient low carbon infrastructure and human settlements and that doing so at this juncture will be less costly and more effective in the long run. He said despite the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015 and the subsequent climate conferences, global greenhouse gases continue to rise. “It is a well-established fact that while the Paris Agreement calls for a limit to global warming to well below two degree Celsius, above pre industrial levels, and to pursue efforts for a limit of 1.5 degree Celsius, that the current global trajectory is more likely to hit the 2.7 degree Celsius to three degree Celsius mark – an existential threat for Caribbean nations.” Mitchell said a recent World Bank Report projected that should global average temperature rises by two degree Celsius, the number of severe hurricanes will increase by 40 per cent. The report also projected that based on current trends, global average temperature is more likely to rise by four degrees
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Celsius which will see an 80 percent increase in severe hurricanes,’ he said. Mitchell said despite the overwhelming evidence of the thousands of scientists the world over, the voices of a few loud climate skeptics loom large on the development prospects of the region.
Montserrat and Suriname to benefit from CDB funds BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – Montserrat and Suriname are to benefit from funds being made available by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for tourism and agricultural projects. The CDB, the region’s premier financial institution, said that Montserrat will benefit from grant funding of GBP14.4 million (One GBP=US$1.33 cents) to develop port at Little Bay. It said the funds are being provided through the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF), and will assist in financing the construction of an offshore breakwater and quay. Head of Infrastructure Partnerships at the CDB, Andrew Dupigny, noted that the development of the port is critical to providing a safe harbour and accessibility for vessels up to 150 metres in length. “The current jetty at Little Bay is exposed to rough seas intermittently, as there is no offshore breakwater. This makes it unsafe for vessels to dock at times, and means that Montserrat is unable to provide a continuous safe harbour for cruise ships, ferries, yachts, cargo and other vessels, which impacts economic activities on the island. The development of the port is seen as vital for Montserrat’s economic recovery and sustainability,” said Dupigny.
Andrew Dupigny Currently, rough seas cause significant downtime at the existing port, and 58 out of 475 ships were unable to berth in 2016. It is expected that phase one development of the port development works will be completed by 2021, and the CDB said the project is consistent with its strategic objective of supporting inclusive and sustainable growth and development, as well as its corporate priority of strengthening and modernising social and economic infrastructure. Suriname will benefit from a US$215,000 grant to enhance the competitiveness of the country’s agricultural sector. The bank said the grant
will fund the completion of a value chain analysis on selected agricultural commodities, to determine which have the most potential to provide competitive advantage to Suriname. “Suriname possesses several attributes, which are favourable to the development of a vibrant agricultural sector,” said Deidre Clarendon, Division Chief, Social Sector Division, CDB. “The project will build on existing analyses through a review of national, regional and international policies, strategies and reports relevant to food and agriculture in Suriname. The findings will assist the government of Suriname, the private sector and development partners’ efforts in identifying, prioritising, financing and executing agricultural sector investments. “This could improve the participation of, and benefits for, smallholder farmers; and increase exports and import substitution,” Clarendon added. The analysis will enhance the government’s capacity to develop evidence-based, inclusive and gender-responsive plans and programmes to improve the competitiveness of the agricultural sector. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector of the Islamic Development Bank.
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Brexit rebel MPs compromise with UK govt over key bill London (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May was set to avoid a damaging parliamentary defeat after rebels in her party appeared to strike a compromise over the exact timing of Brexit. The government is trying to pass major domestic legislation to implement Brexit, and had wanted to enshrine the leaving date of March 29, 2019 in British law, two years after serving its intention to withdraw. But Conservative rebel MPs, who helped deliver the government a stinging Brexit defeat in parliament on Wednesday, looked set to reject the plan over fears that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal if talks overrun, heaping further worries on the vulnerable prime minister. A senior EU official told AFP yesterday that sealing a final deal by March 2019 was a daunting task, pointing out that the EU trade deal with Canada “is 1,598 pages of legal text, and we have negotiated for nine months and have 19 pages of non-legal text.” May is therefore under pressure from MPs to avoid a “cliff-edge” divorce that would throw the economy into chaos. But at the same time she is being pressed by Brexit voters and eurosceptic potential usurpers in her own party to deliver Brexit in
Theresa May March 2019, as stipulated by the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. As a result, the rebels late Friday backed a new, more conciliatory, amendment to the Brexit bill to avert another House of Commons vote loss for the government. While the original plan to leave in March 2019 will stay in the bill, a new amendment will give ministers the power to delay the date if talks overrun. Tory MP Oliver Letwin, who tabled the new amendment, told the Guardian it would “create a sensible arrangement in which the date for leaving is set” while allowing “a little extra time” to reach a new deal, if needed.
Rebel MP Sarah Wollaston backed the compromise, tweeting it was “good to see this amendment”, and attached text saying “we are pleased the government has responded to our concerns and will support”, although May’s office would not confirm that it had officially backed the plan. Fellow rebel Anna Soubry tweeted it was “time to move on and build a consensus on Brexit.” The two teamed up on Wednesday to help pass an amendment demanding MPs get a “meaningful vote” on the deal before Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.
Winds fuel California wildfire, state’s 3rd-largest on record LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A raging California wildfire yesterday became the state’s third-largest on record, with more devastation possible from a resurgence of the harsh winds that have fuelled the deadly blaze since the beginning of the month. The so-called Thomas Fire has destroyed more than 1,000 structures, including about 750 homes, in Southern California coastal communities since erupting on Dec. 4, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement. The cause of the blaze is not yet known.
Authorities described the current conditions, including returning winds and extremely low humidity, as “critical fire weather.” Coastal Santa Barbara and more sparsely populated inland areas were of special concern, they said. Mandatory evacuations were in place in several Santa Barbara County communities, including Carpinteria and Montecito, and parts of Ventura County. An evacuation order for the city of Ventura, which was hit hard in the first days of the fire, was lifted yesterday morning.
Sunday December 17, 2017
Nigeria troops arrest 400-plus Boko Haram fighters, families MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Military authorities say Nigerian soldiers have arrested mo r e t h a n 4 0 0 people associated with the Boko Haram extremist group hiding on the islands of Lake Chad, including fighters, wives and children. The two-week operation netted the largest number of arrests of Boko Haram fighters in recent months in northeast Nigeria, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu said. The operation included air and ground offensives. The military said many Boko Haram insurgents were killed, but it did not give details. Among those arrested were 167 Boko Haram fighters, 67 women and 173 children. The women and children will be handed over to authorities of displacement camps after investigations, the military said.
Another 57 insurgents were arrested during a separate operation in another part of the troubled region. Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 20,000 deaths during its e i g h t - y e a r i n s u r g e n c y, which has spilled over into neighbori n g c o u n t r i e s a n d created a vast humanitarian crisis with millions displaced and hungry. Human rights groups have expressed concern about the large number of women and children who have been arrested in the fight against Boko Haram, saying most of those detained have been picked up at random and without reasonable suspicion. In an effort relieve overcrowded military detention facilities, Nigeria’s government in October began the trials of more than 1,600 sus-
pected Boko Haram members behind closed doors at a military barracks. It was the largest mass trial in the Islamic extremist group’s history. While Nigeria’s president late last year declared the extremist group had been “crushed,” leader Abubakar Shekau remains elusive and the group in recent months has carried out a growing number of deadly suicide bombings and other attacks. Many have been carried out by women or children who were abducted and indoctrinated. Earlier this week, dozens of Nigerian state governors approved the transfer of $1 billion to aid the federal government’s fight against Boko Haram, signaling that the announcements of victory over the extremists had come too soon.
Rahul Gandhi extends family grip on India’s Congress party New Delhi (AFP) India’s Rahul Gandhi took over yesterday as president of the main opposition Congress, becoming the sixth member of the NehruGandhi dynasty to head the party that has ruled the country for much of its independent history. Fireworks erupted over the party headquarters in New Delhi drowning out the voice of his mother Sonia Gandhi as she handed over the reins of power to her 47year-old son, who now faces the tough task of ousting the right-wing g o v e rnme n t o f p r e m i e r Narendra Modi. Rahul, wearing a long flowing white kurta, smiled
and waved from the dais adorned with posters of his late grandmother and father, former prime ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. “I accept this position with the deepest humility, with the knowledge that I will always be walking in the shadow of giants,” Gandhi said in his acceptance speech which quickly became an attack on Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “The Congress party took us into the 21st century but the prime minister today is taking us backwards to the medieval times where people are butchered for who they are, beaten for what they believe and killed for what they eat,” he said.
The Modi government has been under fire in the past several months for an increase in inter-faith violence, including attacks by vigilantes largely targeting Muslims for allegedly consuming beef or killing cows which are sacred to Hindus. Gandhi was elected unopposed to take over from his mother Sonia who has been at the helm since 1998 following the assassination of her husband Rajiv. She helped the Congress win the general elections in 2004 and 2009. But the party was swept out of office by the BJP in 2014 and is now in a fight to win back support before a general election which must be held by 2019.
Kaieteur News
Sunday December 17, 2017
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Hope brothers shine but Lyken unbeaten 99 hands One Windies lose warm-up Mile Primary comfortable victory WHANGAREI, New Zealand, CMC – The Hope brothers, Kyle and Shai, gathered half-centuries but were unable to prevent West Indies from going down by six wickets to an unsung New Zealand XI in their 50-overs tour match here yesterday. In their only warm-up match before the limited overs series starting next week, West Indies rattled up a competitive 288 all out off 48.4 overs, with Kyle top-scoring with 94 his younger brother Shai chipping in with 69. All-rounder Rovman Powell supported with 31 while left-hander Shimron Hetmyer got 28. Twenty-year-old off-spinner Aniket Parikh was the best bowler with four for 47. Test opener Jeet Raval, leading the side, then flayed the Windies bowling for a superb 169 as the hosts got home with nine balls remaining. The left-hander, who looked in good touch in the recent two-Test series, hammered 17 fours and a six in a 150-ball knock while Bharat Popli struck 62. Raval gave his side a flying starting, posting 77 with 21-year-old Jack Boyle (22) for the first wicket before adding a further 149 for the third wicket with Popli, in a partnership
which killed off the Windies chances. Popli, a 27-year-old right-hander, struck five fours off 61 balls. Earlier, the Hope brothers had taken centre stage in a 138-run, second wicket stand after Evin Lewis had fallen in the eighth over for 17, following a 42-run stand for the first wicket with Kyle. The right-handed Kyle Hope faced 101 balls and struck nine fours before retiring in the 33rd over while Shai stroked eight fours and a six in a typically classy 58-ball innings. The 20-year-old Hetmyer showed glimpses of his attacking ability, smashing three fours and a six in a 17-ball cameo, while putting on 36 for the third wicket with Kyle. Powell hit two fours in a 43-ball knock late on to keep the innings going but the Windies lost their last five wickets for just 34 runs. The first One-Day International of the three-match series bowls off at Cobham Oval next Wednesday. Scores: WEST INDIES 288 off 48.4 overs (Kyle Hope 94, Shai Hope 69, Rovman Powell 31; Aniket Parikh 4-47). NZ XI 289 for four off 48.3 overs (Jeet Raval 169, Bharat Popli 62).
Sunday December 17, 2017 Aries: Mar 21 - Apr 19 Don't take anything too seriously today. People may be careless with their words and end up hurting feelings or even breaking hearts. Taurus: Apr 20 - May 20 Yes, it's your turn now. Perhaps you've been waiting for something, but the timing hasn't been right. Perhaps there has been a mental or physical roadblock in the way. Wait no longer. Gemini: May 21 - Jun 20 If you keep trying to perfect every aspect of the package before you send it out, you'll end up missing the boat and the package won't go at all. Cancer: Jun 21 - Jul 22 You may be talking a lot today, but that's natural. You have a great deal to say, so why not say it? You'll have your way with very little effort. Leo: Jul 23 - Aug 22 You may find it hard to stick to a task today. Your mind may feel fragmented. It may be hard to focus. If this is the case, don't worry too much about it. Virgo: Aug 23 - Sep 22 Go out and play today. Escape your work mode and have fun. Drive someplace new and take a long walk outside with friends.
Libra: Sep 23 - Oct 22 Communicate your feelings in a journal or write letters or emails to people you haven't seen in a while. Keep the tone light. Scorpio: Oct 23 - Nov 21 You're the certified expert on many topics, so spread your knowledge around. Others will attend to your words. Use them carefully. Sagit: Nov 22 - Dec 21 Don't worry so much about others today. Your job is to have fun. Keep things balanced by not delving too deeply into one specific topic or project. Capri: Dec 22 - Jan 19 If you don't express yourself today, people might get the impression that something is wrong. The person you're talking to may think that he or she is boring you. Aquar.: Jan 20 - Feb 18 This is a great day to shop. Join friends and hit the stores to add more beauty and pleasurable items to your life. Stay away from the cheap and shoddy. Pisces: Feb 19 - Mar 20 You may feel like you're slowly plowing through mud, but things are starting to look up. A weight has been lifted and you're ready to take flight. You might soon be back to your old self again.
Ezekiel Lyken struck an unbeaten 99 to guide One Mile Primary to a 66-run victory over Rigma Primary when play in the Upper Demerara zone of the Guyana Cricket Board Scotiabank Kiddy cricket competition continued recently. One Mile Primary took first strike and managed 147 with out lost in 10 overs. Lyken struck seven fours and seven sixes in an unbeaten 99 while Lloyd Smith got 20. Rigma Primary were restricted for 81-6 in 10 overs in reply. Aliya Venture made 22 as Ty r e l L a m a z o n a n d Shamique Pilgrim took two wickets each. Amelia’s Ward Primary batted first and were bowled out for 53 in eight overs against Mac Kenzie Primary. Tamar Duncan made 14; Keesa Graham
South Turkeyen Sports Foundation to host football competition today To d a y, S o u t h Turkeyen Sports Foundation (STSF) will be holding 4-a-side champions of champions small goal football competition at the M e a d o w b r o o k Basketball court starting at 11:00hrs.The competition is eligible for all teams and will include participation from team in Meadowbrook, Sophia A, B, C and D fields among others. Four thousand dollars in the fee per team of six players desirous of entering the one-day knockout competition that will see the winners walking away with a grand cash prize, in addition to a trophy and medals. Sponsors of the event include Tent City and Trophy Stall, Bourda Market. Before the football action get underway today, the STSF have organized a fund raising walk in honour of organiser Johnny ‘overseas’ Barnwell. The walkathon will begin at Durban Park from 06:00hrs and will conclude at the National Park.
claimed 2-7. Mac Kenzie Primary responded with 541 in 6.3 overs with 49 extras. Rigma Primary posted 115-1 of their allotted 10 overs versus Mac Kenzie Primary. Aliya Venture made 29, Labron James 25 and Owen Hooper 20. Mac Kenzie Primay responded with 44-8 in 10 overs. Extras contributed 22; Hooper and Lebron James took two wickets each. Watooka Primary batted first in their match up against Rigma Primary and were skittled for 29 in eight
overs. Aliya Venture, Lebron James and Carmelo Mason King picked two wickets each. Rigma Primary replied with 33-1 in 2.2 overs. St. Aidan Primary were bowled out for 78, taking first knock with Jobez Isaacs and Charlie Jones scoring 36 a n d 2 2 r e s p e c t i v e l y. Christianburg Primary responded with 81-2. Romell Sinclair made 33. Wismar Primary made 69, taking first knock, while One Mile Primary replied with 69.
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Sunday December 17, 2017
Trophy Stall Doubles picks up after rainy start Despite the rainy and slow start to the Trophy Stall Doubles, the tennis
community enjoyed high level double matches over the past week.
Men’s Doubles Heimraj Resaul/Jordan Beaton will face off against
Joshua Kalekyezi/Viraj Sharma in the semifinals of the Men’s Open Doubles. H.
Resaul made light work of younger brother Vadeanand Resaul and Joshua’s younger brother, Jeremiah Kalekyezi 6/0 6/0 to reach the semifinals. Josh. Kalekyezi and V. Sharma defeated Levan Butchey and Anthony Amerally 6/2 6/3. They avenged the loss of Anish Sharma and Wayne Baker who loss 6/2 6/2 to the Berbicians Levan Butchey and Anthony Amerally. On the bottom half of the Men’s Open draw, Philip Squires/Joseph DeJonge is the first pair to advance to the finals after a battle of will, endurance and stamina against Orande Dainty and Nicholas Glasgow. The match agonized over 2 hours in the grueling heat which ended in three sets 6/3 2/6 7/6(3). They then defeated Khalid Gobin and Dominic Fraser 6/2 6/1 in the semifinal. Gobin and Fraser had defeated Simron Lewis/Ravin Rampersaud as well as Leyland Leacock/Surendra Khayyam 6/2 7/5. Ladies’ Doubles Defending champions Cristy Campbell/Afruica Gentle are back in the finals after defeating young Kalyca Fraser/Nathalie Ramdyhan 6/0 6/2 as well as Patricia Hope/Simone Boucher. They await the winners of the bottom half of the draws. Currently, Fiona Bushell and Shelly Ramdyhan have a win in the quarterfinals against Diana Bharrat/Kizzy Richmond
6/1 6/0 and awaits the winner of Grace McCalman/Kury Cobham vs. Alana Chung/Sarah Klautky. Mixed Doubles The largest category for this year is the Mixed Doubles. The semifinals have featured some new partnerships such as Afruica Gentle and Devon Gonsalves who had a close call at 6/0 7/5 against Leyland Leacock/Kizzy Richmond. The other semifinalist had an even closer call as Joshua Kalekeyzi and Alana Chung fought their way down a set to win 2/6 6/2 7/5 against Joseph Dejonge and Fiona Bushell. We await the winners of the other quarterfinals that will be played over the weekend. Men’s Over 45 Doubles Former GECOM C o m m i s s i o n e r, S t e v e Surujbally and partner Robin Singh outplayed the Brazilian Ambassador Lineu Pupo De Paula and his Korean partner Lee DooYell in the Men’s Over-45 Doubles. A close first set placed Surujbally and Singh on the back-foot, but they rallied to win 7/2 in the tiebreaker. The momentum went in their favour and there was no turning back. They closed out the game 7/6(2) 6/2. They face Godfrey Lowden and Anthony Amerally in the next round robin match. Matches continued this weekend at the National Racquet Centre and Le Resouvenir.
Magic and Munchkin Grocery Plus on board with MSC Magic and Munchkin Grocery Plus has supported the Matarkai Sports Committee (MSC) for the hosting of its second annual Male and female street floodlights football which is schedule to kick start on December 26 at Port Kaituma, Region One. The entity recently presented a quantity of nonalcoholic beverages that will be among the food hampers, to MSC chairman Sherlon Rodrigues. Ms. Kathleen February who presented the items to Rodrigues said they are pleased to add to the excitement, while Rodrigues expressed gratitude for the gesture. All matches are schedule to commence at 18:00hrs, while the finals are slated for January 1 at Oronoque Tarmac. Defending champion Citrus Grove FC, Matthews Ridge Gold Diggers, Matthews Ridge Sports Club, Arakaka FC, Oronoque FC, Pk United FC, Sebai, Invincible Talons FC and Five Star FC are the teams set to battle for supremacy, while Three schools are expected to field an under 12 team for exhibition matches. Registration is presently ongoing and clubs are advice to call Mr. Kimtse Castello on 670 2447 to uplift forms. Registration closes on December 20th and no late entries will be accepted.
Sunday December 17, 2017
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review Sports Week in Review SEVERAL EVENTS ON THE LOCAL SCENE HIGHLIGHTED THE SPORTS PAGES THIS PAST WEEK. TODAY WE LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THOSE EVENTS. FIRST EVER 'TIE' IN REGIONAL FIRST-CLASS CRICKET RECORDED Regional history was made when Guyana Jaguars began the action packed final day on 104-4 with 61 required for their fifth victory for the season and with Vishaul Singh, one of only two batsmen with over 450 runs, unbeaten on 48, it appeared that their sixth round CWI Digicel Regional four-day Championship game against the Windwards Volcanoes would be done and dusted in the first session with an easy win for the home team. What transpired at Providence was as nail-biting as it was unbelievable and must have left the Jaguars' Coaches fuming. Only Devon Smith, Shiv Chanderpaul and Vishaul Singh demonstrated the patience and maturity to earn fifties in the game. Three times defending Champions Jaguars, hunting 165 for victory, crashed to 164 all out, 89 minutes into the day's play as the Providence Stadium became the first venue in the West Indies where a First-Class game ended in a Tie. Despite the historic result, Jaguars remained unbeaten at the top of the points table with 97.2 points with four games to play including two at home. In over 300 years of First Class cricket only 62 games, including two Test matches, have ended in a Tie and the result was the first ever in the West Indies. Australia was involved in both Tied Tests with the first being against West Indies in 1960. Jaguars lost six wickets for 46 runs as off-spinner, Dominican Shane Shillingford captured 5-45, his 40th five-wicket haul at this level, while Left-arm pacer Delorn Johnson, who had 5-46 the last time Volcanoes played at Providence in April this year, supported with 3-45. BRAMBLE HITS UNBEATEN 196 TO PUT JAGUARS IN CONTROL IN LATEST GAME Talk about maiden hundred, wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble recorded his in fine style as he extended it to 196 not out, being the last man standing to hand the Guyana Jaguars control of their latest match in the regional tourney at Providence. On a day in which 44 minutes were lost due to rain, a magnificent unbeaten 196 by wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble, who shared in a record 110-run last wicket stand with Gudakesh Motie led Guyana Jaguars to a position of strength against the Leewards Hurricanes when day two of their seventh round Day/Night match in the CWI Digicel Regional four-day tournament ended. Bramble batted brilliantly and extended his maiden hundred to 196 from 292 balls with 23 fours and five sixes before Motie, who made 44 from 91 balls with six boundaries, rallied the Jaguars from their overnight position of 276-8 to 417 all out. Bramble, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday, fell short of Grenadian Junior Murray' 218 against Guyana in 1997 in Grenada, as the only Wicketkeepers to score a First-Class double century in West Indies cricket. Skipper Rakeem Cornwall (3-117) and Marvin Matthew (2-31) were the main wicket-takers for Hurricanes who were 114-9 by the close. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, in his 100th First-Class game, took his tally this season to 37with 6-21, while Romario Shepherd had 2-29 and the Jaguars were in the driver's seat. GUYANESE BOXERS THOUGH TO FINALS OF CARIBBEAN BOXING C/SHIPS IN EMPHATIC FASHION Forgotten Youth Foundation's 18-year-old Keevin Allicock was set to defend his Caribbean Bantamweight title last evening against Ajayi Jones of
Banks DIH Powerade & Aqua Mist Christmas Badminton Singles tournament 2017
Priyanna Ramdhani upstages father and Coach Gokarn Ramdhani
Priyanna Ramdhani The Guyana Badminton Association & Banks DIH LTD Powerade & Aqua Mist Christmas Badminton Singles Tournament 2017 started on Friday last at the National Anthony Bramble, who fell for 45, was last out as the Gymnasium and concludes today. game ended in a nail-biting Tie. (Sean Devers photo) The tournament is being played in the Barbados in the finals of the third annual Caribbean points for the losers which are now third out of the four Men & Ladies Open Singles and the Juniors Under-11, 15 & 17 Singles categories. One Championships (formerly Caribbean Development teams in group A. Boxing Championships) at Grois Islet, St Lucia. He The second and final match of the evening saw of the highlights of the day was talented led all Guyanese fighters to emphatic victories on their Victory Valley Royals, the champions of the Linden junior Priyanna Ramdhani getting the better way to appearing in all the finals of the divisions they Amateur Basketball Association defeat GABA's of her father and coach, Gokarn Ramdhani in participated in. All four won by knockout and have Pacesetters 87-75 in a game they dominated straight games. The Results on the opening night were: done so in all their bouts leading up to the final throughout. Royals' Orlan Glasgow was the top Open Men Singles First Rounds: showdown. shooter of the game with 23 points and the top jumper William Holder defeated Johann Allicock, who hails from Albouystown, won the with 13 rebounds, while Harrold Adams was among Waldron: 21-9, 21-6 Bantamweight Gold last year in Barbados to help the points again for the Linderers with a valuable 21 to Gokarn Ramdhani defeated Mahendra Guyana retain their team title which they won in the add to his 11 rebounds, as Royals kept their unbeaten Sharma: 21-8, 21-5 inaugural Championships at home in 2015. record intact with their fourth win in as many matches Nicholas Waldron defeated Isaac On Thursday night Joel Williamson had a second to sit at the of top group B with 12 points. round TKO over St Lucian Kareem Boyce, while St In a losing effort, Pacesetters' Joslyn Crawford Mallampati: 21-5, 21-9 Open Men Singles Second Rounds: Lucian Nathan Ferreira suffered a similar fate when achieved a double-double (14 points & 11 rebounds) Tyrese Jeffrey defeated Haymant he came up again Guyana Defence Force's (GDF) that couldn't match the effort of the Royals' duo of Ramdhani: 21-5, 21-7 Colin 'Superman' Lewis and Middleweight Desmond Adams and Glasgow, in his team's 12-point defeat. Akili Haynes defeated Nicholas Bullen: Amsterdam knocked out Trinidadian Mickell Joseph Pacesetters are second in group A with six points after 21-16, 21-7 to book their places in the final. their four games played. Ronald Chang Yuen defeated William Allicock was down to fight Jones, Lewis battled Holder: 21-9, 21-13 Jessie Jones of Barbados and Williamson faced-off ALEXANDER COPS TOP PRIZE Darrell Carpenay defeated Nicholas with 2014 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist FOR 2ND YEAR; Waldron: 21-9, 21-7 Trinidadian Michael Alexander. LACETTE WHITTAKER IS LONE FEMALE Junior National Player Priyanna Ramdhani defeated her Father & Coach COLTS OBLITERATE JAMMERS, Shaquille Alexander for the second successive Gokarn Ramdhani: 21-17, 21-6 (Priyanna ROYALS DEFEAT PACESETTER year emerged the best athlete when the Upper Ramdhani was allowed to play in the Men IN ROAD TO MECCA IV Demerara Barbel Club (UDBC) hosted the Samuel Singles as there was not much competition Barker Memorial RAW Classic competition at the for her in the Ladies Singles so as to keep up The small gathering at the Cliff Anderson Sports Gym located at lot 606 E Retrieve, Mackenzie, her form). Hall (CASH) on Wednesday night witnessed the Linden. Open Men Singles Quarter-Finals: defending champions of the National Club Basketball Alexander took the first prize of $20,000 ahead of Jonathan Mangra defeated Shekhar Championships, Bounty Colts, annihilate Rose Hall the second placed Omisi Williams who pocketed Mallampati: 21-6, 21-2 Jammers 105-52 in the first and most exciting match $15,000 with last year's third place finisher, Chochezt Ronald Chang Yuen defeated Junior of the evening. Nqgondo repeating in the same position, he received National Player Akili Haynes in a three setter: Colts, league champions of the Georgetown $10,000 for his efforts. 21-14, 9-21, 10-21. Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), were led by A total of eight male athletes contested and were Marlon Chung defeated Junior National their skipper Dave Causway, who sunk a game-high all rewarded with cash incentives all the way to $2,000 Player in a thrilling three setter with M. 30 points to help flatten Jammers in the 53-point win thanks to the kind sponsorship of R & M Home Chung losing the first game at 22-24 and for his team. Solutions Washing Company which also rewarded came back and take the other two games at: Jammers, league champions of the Berbice the lone female to grace the platform with her 21-19, 21-19. Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) and the lone presence, Ms. Lacette Whittaker. Play of the Day was when Priyanna club from the “Ancient County�, were going head to Alexander had a best Squat of 345lbs, Ramdhani defeated senior player Darrell head with Colts during the first quarter which ended Benchpress 240lbs and Dead Lift 450lbs. Williams Carpenay in a thrilling three setter with D. 18-18. had a best Squat of 365lbs, Benchpress 365lbs and Carpenay taking the first game at 21-14 and However, Colts brought their A game in the Dead Lift 356lbs, while Nqgondo recorded a best Priyanna came back in the second game to set subsequent periods of play and took the game away Squat of 380lbs along with Benchpress and Dead Lift the Match at 14-21. She then took the last Game and Match at 14-21. from the minnows that had high ambitions of of 275lbs each. Ladies Open Semi Finals: dethroning them before the tournament began. The Wilks formula was used to decide the Overall Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Ayana Shelroy Thomas recorded another stellar Winner which takes into account the body weight of Wickham-Watson: 21-7, 21-2 performance in the Colts win by scoring 19 points and each athlete. Shivannie Persaud defeated Emelia leaping to 8 rebounds, while his teammate Shane Guest lifting was Colin 'Mr. Clean' Chesney who Webster who is regarded as the best center in the did a 680lbs Dead Lift; choosing to light and not Ramdhani: 21-17, 21-12 The Tournament continued yesterday and country, contributed 16 points and 5 rebounds in the wanting to disappoint the fans which turned out to concludes today. expansive win. Mickel Lewis scored a team high 16 support the event.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday December 17, 2017
FARFAN AND MENDES JUNIOR SKILL LEVEL SQUASH TOURNAMENT 2017
Fernandes remains on top after surprise performance by Ince-Carvalhal Although Friday night was a quieter affair at the Farfan and Mendes Junior Skill level Tournament due to a few cancelled scheduled matches, it was by no means lacking in
excitement and thrills. The first Category A game of the night saw the Islam twins come head to head. Although Daniel dominated the 3-0 match, brother
Anthony was not willing to let him take it easily. After Anthony won the first point of the match, Daniel took the reins in flamboyant style with six straight points. Anthony
countered with some welltimed, measured winners with the next three; which Daniel openly acknowledged as genius, before wrapping up the first game 11-6. Anthony continued in steady combat increasing his points in each game, but Daniel remained in control with penetrating cross courts and straight drives that propelled him into the 11-8, 11-9 win of the second and third game. The brothers sparred easily on court with a familiarity of each other that endeared and entertained the audience. In the other top category game, newcomer Ince-Carvalhal surprised supporters with an outstanding performance in his first game with Taylor Fernandes. He looked like a seasoned player storming ahead in the first game, winning four straight points before Fernandes took back control earning the next two. However, Ince-Carvalhal continued to hit to target and push on to secure his first game of the tournament 11-6. Champion Fernandes meant business as she came out in the second game and after conceding the first point, quickly asserted her authority to hammer Ince-Carvalhal to
an 11-2 defeat. Not letting this break him, Samuel came back to battle in the third game with a worthy performance, but he could not get much past Taylor whose perfectly timed cut offs, hard hitting and placement won the game 11-8. Not giving up, Ince-Carvalhal didn’t let go. Despite the run of 5 clear points his opponent took in the fourth game, he squeezed a point in at 6-1 and then fought for another two when 10-2 down, before succumbing to the superior player 11-4. Abosaide Cadogan proved too much for Demetrius De Abreu in the sole category B match, her athleticism and court coverage making it difficult for Demetrius to get the upper hand. In the third game, coming from 8-0 down, it seemed as though DeAbreu may have moved up a gear with displays of thoughtful placement and great deception earning him four straight points, but Cadogan stayed the course and defeated DeAbreu 11-7, 11-5, 11-7. Matches in the lower categories continue to show developing players. Jehan Singh secured a win against Rylee Rodrigues and especially improved Chad DeAbreu defeated Jahcinta
Adams in a 3-0 victory. Results of the matches played Fridayeveningwereasfollows. CategoryA Daniel Islam beat Anthony Islam 11-6,11-8,11-9 Taylor Fernandes beat Samuel Ince-Carvalhal 6-11, 11-2, 118, 11-4d Category B Abosaide Cadogan beat Demetrius DeAbreu 11-7, 115, 11-7 Category D Chad DeAbreu beatJahcinta Adams 11-4, 11-8, 13-11 Dhiren Persaud beat Teija Edwards11-5,11-7,5-11,11-6. CategoryE Rayad Boyce beat Noah Rahaman 11-6, 11-2 Angel Rahim beat Grant Fernandes 8-11, 11-6, 11-5 Joshua Verwey beat Lajuan Munroe 11-7, 11-2 Category F Leshaunte Berkley beat Brenno DaSilva 5-11, 11-9, 11-5 KaydenPynaendy beat Matthew Spooner 11-4, 11-5 Jehan Singh beat Rylee Rodrigues 11-6, 11-7 Category G Safirah Summer beat Matthew Daby 11-3, 11-5 Jnae Singh beat AleaRuplal 11-9, 11-9
Kaieteur News
Sunday December 17, 2017
Smalta/MOPH u-12 Girls’ pee wee
MVP Fayon Harry fires South Ruimveldt to championship
MVP Fayon Harry receives accolade from co-director of Petra Troy Mendonca. St. Angela’s hope of retaining the Smalta/Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) girls’ pee wee football trophy was crushed when the individual brilliance of Fayon Harry, who scored both goals in South Ruimveldt’s victory in the final, overwhelmed the 2016 winners. The final of the two-month competition which is the lone event that sees young female ball weavers going head to in inter-primary school action was contested at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground on CARIFESTA Avenue yesterday. Harry’s first goal of her brace came three minutes after the start of the second half and she fired home a penalty in the final minute of the half-hour long game. Harry, the captain and striker of the team displayed superior talent, but the South Ruimveldt team were much more organized than St. Angela’s and they achieved a much deserved victory. “Our coach told us to win, play hard and win the game not only for team but for the school. I am happy because we did and this will make our school proud,” a shy faced Fayon Harry explained after the game. Earlier on, the third place playoff had to be decided from the penalty spot after the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 after full and extra time between West Ruimveldt and St. Pius. West won the shootout 2-1. During the presentation of the championship trophy, codirector of the Petra which is the company that organized the tournament, Troy Mendonca, stated that, “I want to dedicate this tournament to the teachers, parent and guardians that put in their best efforts to have the tournament played despite setbacks and of course the players who displayed exceptional talent which in itself makes the tournament a success.” Representative of the main sponsors Ansa Mcal through their Smalta brand, Sean Abel, exuded congratulations to the champions and second place finishers, while encouraging all the players to train harder so not to make a stronger title bid but to be better players. He thanked all the stakeholders that helped to make the event the success that it was. (Calvin Chapman)
Vonn enjoys first World Cup win of season VAL D‘ISERE, France (Reuters) - American Lindsey Vonn won the Super G at Val d‘Isere to claim her first victory in a World Cup race for nearly a year yesterday.The four-times overall World Cup champion completed the course in one minute 4.36 seconds and showed no signs of the back pain which troubled her in St Mortiz last week.It was the 78th World Cup race win of Vonn’s career but the first since the downhill at Garmisch in January. Vonn finished 0.31 seconds ahead of Italy’s Sofia Goggia with Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel in third.“I had a bad start to the season, and now I‘m at a much better level, this win is very important for me,” she told Swiss television, adding that she would also race in another Super G on Sunday. Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather, third in the overall World Cup standings at the start, crashed on a steep curve high on the course but skied away unharmed. Switzerland’s Lara Gut, recovering from an anterior cruciate knee injury, was ninth.
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Kaieteur News
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Sunday December 17, 2017
I will ‘brackle’ Dennis Thomas says Desmond Amsterdam Anyone following boxing for the last five years would willing agree that Dennis ‘Menace’ Thomas ruled the local and Caribbean middleweight division with an iron fist. The gangly policeman had
boxed, slugged, and skillfully punched his way into becoming the best that the English speaking Caribbean had to offer at the 75 KG category. Everything continued to script until February this
year. Thomas had defeated nemesis ‘Dynamite’ Desmond Amsterdam in the 2016 National Open in a bruising affair. By chance, the two had an early rematch when overseas-based promoter Seon Bristol of
Desmond Amsterdam Dennis Thomas Briso Promotions and Alford light heavyweight division. will move out of the McDonald joined forces to No one including Thomas country,” Amsterdam added. stage a card just before provided a reason for the The Sons of Champions card Mashramani 2017. switch in weight categories. is also expected to feature a Amsterdam grabbed the However, Amsterdam rematch between national chance with both gloves and has offered an explanation. bantamweight champion s u r p r i s e d t h e m o r e “Dennis Thomas is just plain ` K e e v i n ` L i g h t n i n g ’ experienced Thomas with an scared of getting in the ring A l l i c o c k a n d f o r m e r early onslaught in round one. with me. champion Clairmont The army officer ’s He preferred to run away `Kartel’ Gibson. ‘ r o u g h i n g u p ’ o f t h e to light heavyweight. I want Allicock, in a classical policeman continued in the to let him know that you can display, dethroned Gibson at second round as the boxing run but can’t hide. I will the last National Open. Also fans cheered every punch brackle you on Boxing Day,” to be featured on the card is delivered. Amsterdam said. Alex Murray, son of former Thomas was able to T h e B o x i n g D a y world rated welterweight restore some pride in the ‘brackle’ will be done on the Andrew Murray. In an third round but his rally Sons of Champions card invited comment, promoter came too late. In the end being promoted by the Bristol reiterated that the Amsterdam prevailed on the Guyana Boxing Association card is loaded with quality judges score card. and Briso Promotions at the boxers. Thomas was not heard National Gymnasium. The “Anyone who saw the from until last month when match makers have made the final night of the last night of he participated in the Thomas versus Amsterdam the National Open will Terrence Alli National Open. bout a feature event on the understand what I am Surprisingly, the police 10-fight card. speaking about. We will be sergeant moved up to the “He felt the power in delivering quality fights on a February and immediately day made for boxing. We are m o v e d o u t o f t h e going back to the days when middleweight division. I b o x i n g w a s t h e m a i n don’t know what he will do i n g r e d i e n t , ” B r i s t o l after Boxing Day. Maybe he declared.
Changes made as entries close today for KMTC Xmas meet The organisers have made two changes to the Kennard Memorial Turf Club annual Xmas Meet set for December 26 at its Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice racetrack, even as entries close today. Retired Justice Cecil Kennard, Head of the KMTC, informed that the B Class race, which is the feature event and has been sponsored by Metro, will now be a C Class event, while the F Class contest is now graded as F Class. Kennard noted that over 40 horses have so far entered for the event and more are expected to do so on today’s closing date. The races will be run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority and no late entries will be accepted. Registration can be done through Ivan Dipnarine 331-0316, Cecil Kennard 623-7609, 225-4818, Fazal Habibulla on 657-7010, Dennis DeRoop on 640-6396 or Compton Sancho 602-1567. Seven races are carded for the day with the main event being the C and Lower W/A in which the winner will take home $1,000,000, the runner up $500,000, third place $250,000 and fourth place $125,000. The race will last a distance of 9 furlongs. Other races slated are L-non winners for 5 furs with a top prize of $120,000, G and Lower for a distance of seven furs with a winning purse of $350,000, two years Guyana Bred for six furs for $220,000, L-Open for five furs for $150,000 top prize, H and Lower W/A seven furs for first prize of $280,000 and J 3 and Lower-six furs and carries a winning prize of $180,000.
Kaieteur News
Sunday December 17, 2017
CWI Digicel Regional 4-Day C/Ships By Sean Devers A maiden First-Class century from Akeem Saunders who shared in 91run stand with Shane Burton (53) threatened to force the seventh round CWI Digicel Four-Day Regional Championship day/night game at Providence into a final day today after Veerasammy Permaul’s 6-32 had enabled Jaguars to enforce the follow-on, 169 runs in arrears. However, the Hurricanes were dismissed for 268, leaving the Jaguars just 1 run for the victory with a day to spare. The Jaguars reached 4-0 to win the contest by 10wickets. Hurricanes resumed the penultimate day on 114-9 in glorious sunshine with Jeremiah Louis and Marvin Matthew at the crease the crease and handful of spectators watched as it took Permaul and Gudakesh Motie 27 minutes to remove the last batsman. The last pair took advantage of bowling that
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Saunders maiden ton in vain as Jaguars roar to fifth win
was too short and flat to add a valuable 35 runs with positive batting before Matthews (16) was caught behind by Anthony Bramble to leave Louis unbeaten on 12 as Permaul finished with 6-32, while Romario Shepherd supported with 229. Hurricanes, needing 269 to avoid an innings defeat, were bowled out for 268 leaving the Jaguars one to win. Kemo Paul (3-33), Veerasammy Permaul (277), Gudakesh Motie (2-79) and Romario Shepherd (233) bowled well for the hosts. Tagenarine Chanderpaul hit Devon Thomas for four in the first over as Jaguars won by 10 wickets. Earlier, batting a second time, the visitors lost both of their Anguillan openers in space of 26 runs. Chesney Hughes (8) edged a catch to Bramble off Paul before Montcin Hodge (13) was LBW to Shepherd 10 runs later. And when Thomas (2) played a loose
drive at Motie and was taken by Leon Johnson at slip at 36-3 and a three day finish was on the cards. However, Burton and Saunders had other ideas as Permaul and Motie continued to operate with a flat trajectory; allowing the batsmen to score easy runs as the partnership started to build the longer the pair remained at the crease. And by the break the Hurricanes had huffed and puffed its way to 100-3. Burton edged Permaul for four to reach his fifty before he edged Sherfane Rutherford to Bramble at 127-4 and their partnership would have gone a long way in carrying the game into the final day before a 40-minute delay due to a power outage halted play and an early second break was taken. Saunders was joined by Jamal Hamilton at the demise of Burton before Hamilton (23) was LBW to Permaul at 203-5. Saunders from the Federation of St Kitts and
Permaul bags 6-32 as Hurricanes forced to follow-on Nevis reached his hundred when he took a single off of Motie. Saunders, who faced 173 balls and hit 12 fours and a six, was caught behind as he edged one from Motie at 206-6 before Akeem
Cornwall (9) was bowled by Permaul at 226-7. Ward played some nice shots before was he taken by Bramble after hitting three fours in his 29 to give Paul his second scalp at 252-9.
Louis (16) then provided Bramble, the Man-of-theMatch, with his fifth catch to give Paul his third wicket. Scores: Guayna 417 and Guayna 4/0; Leewards 149 Leewards 268
t r o Sp Smalta/MOPH u-12 Girls’ pee wee
MVP Fayon Harry fires South Ruimveldt to championship
Smalta Representative, Sean Abel (left) pose with the victorious South Ruimveldt team during the presentation.
CWI Digicel Regional 4-Day C/Ships
Saunders maiden ton in vain as Jaguars roar to fifth win Permaul bags 6-32 as Hurricanes forced to follow-on
Veerasammy Permaul had 6-21 and got one to bounce and turn to Marvin Matthew who was well taken by Bramble. (Sean Devers photo)
Akeem Sanders drives Leon Johnson during his maiden hundred. (Sean Devers photo)
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