Monday December 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Govt. mounts challenge to No-Confidence Motion A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+ AFC) administration has announced its decision to challenge the passing of the no-confidence vote against it, citing that 33 votes do not constitute a Parliamentary majority. In an interview with the National Communications Network, yesterday, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, said that 34 votes are needed in the National Assembly for the no-confidence motion to be carried. “We feel, not withstanding what happened on the 21st [of December], that the numbers of persons who will constitute that threshold of elected parliamentarians is 34, and not 33,” Ramjattan stated. This is a departure from the government’s initial decision, which was to accept the outcome of the vote. The Public Security Minister said that the government has adjusted its position on the matter because cabinet “sought some legal advice”. He said that they also went back to the text of the constitution: “We also got a number of authorities that com-
…Ramjattan says it needs 34 votes to be valid
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan pute this special arrangement that can bring down a democracy; a no-confidence motion.” “There initially was a sentiment that it was 33, but after we were blindsided by the immoral act of Mr. Charrandass, we all got betrayed by him when he voted yes. In view of what happened on the 21st, when the Speaker of the House indicated that he is going to adjourn Parliament to deal with the consequences, we have decided that we are going to argue the
case that it has not been a threshold figure that was arrived at,” Ramjattan stated. “Therein, we found that it was indeed the calculation, mathematical and juridical, is that it must be half the number of elected members plus one. And if it leads to a fraction, that fraction must be upended toward another whole figure.” Explaining his mathematical interpretation of the vote, Ramjattan said half of 65, it is 32.5. That plus one is 33.5. Due to the 0.5, that must go into the next whole number, which brings it to 34. “It is important that people just do not follow through as what is regarded as simplicity. The law is the law and that is why the constitution made an exception to Article 168 by having Article 168 drafted the way it is and also now, save and except this Article 106 (6),” Ramjattan stated. Further, he said that, “once the threshold figure is arrived at and we are now ar-
guing it is 34 as against 33, then Article 106 is triggered, meaning that the elections must be held within a 90-day period; however, we are saying that will have to now be determined by the Speaker because the internal arrangements of the House is headed by the Speaker and if the Speaker determines there is clearly a mistake in relation to computation of what the threshold level is and that could be corrected… we feel that is the way to go.” Ramjattan said that the government will build its argument on certain precedents that were set as it relates to the passage of a no-confidence motion, come January 3, 2019 when parliament reconvenes. In a statement, the government referred to the current public discourse surrounding the no-confidence motion, and said that there are statements that are not helpful “because there are forces at play who are seeking to subvert and railroad the democratic
process.” Ramjattan said that, although the President and Prime Minister declared that they would respect the integrity of the vote, they only did that because they felt that that was the best action to take at the time “based on the context of what took place.” He said that this must be remedied because he does not want a miscalculation to subvert the Constitution. The Minister was asked why a majority of 34 votes is only now relevant to the noconfidence vote, as opposed to other motions in the national assembly only needing 33 votes to be passed. His response was that, “There is a distinction because there is an article in our constitution that says that bills and motions can be passed save and except otherwise provided, by a simple majority of those present and voting… a confidence or noconfidence motion is a different motion above all else as the constitution made men-
tion.” The distinction Ramjattan referred to is the one between Article 168 (1) and 106 (6) of the Constitution, which states “Save as otherwise provided by this Constitution, all questions proposed for decision in the National Assembly shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present and voting” and “the Cabinet including the President shall resign if the government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence” respectively. The government further released a statement, which reads that “Until and unless fresh elections are held, the Government remains in full control of the governance apparatus of the state and will continue to carry out its mandate according to its Constitutional requirement. This is despite demands by Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, for the government to resign immediately.
EPA’s poor salaries, absence of pension plan deter qualified individuals By Kiana Wilburg Poor salaries and the absence of a pension plan are just two of the major factors deterring much needed qualified personnel from joining the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This was noted by Chartered Accountant and former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran. In his forensic audit report on the agency, Goolsarran said the EPA needs about 160 professionals to be effective but the emoluments are not adequate to attract suitably qualified and trained personnel as salary scales are similar to those of the traditional public service. In this regard, the Chartered Accountant highlighted that the position of a legal officer attracts a salary of $262,107 per month while the Finance Officer who is professionally qualified earns $226,362 per month. The auditor also expressed concern about the fact that the Ministry of Natural Resources is overly involved in the recruitment process. “Although the agency is semi-autonomous with its own legislation and a board, there is an over involvement by the Ministry of Natural Resources in the operations of the EPA, especially in the area of recruitment. The
agency responded by stating too that the Ministry of Finance requires that the Public Service Ministry facilitate the final approval stages of recruitment, which was previously handled by the Office of the President.” In terms of retirement benefits, the former Auditor General said that the EPA does not have a pension plan. “As a result, staff members are recruited on a contractual basis at the same public service salary scales, and obtain a gratuity every six months. However, this can hardly be a substitute for a dedicated pension plan, whether contributory or noncontributory. Such a plan is likely to provide for a more settled organization in terms of staff recruitment and retention.” Further to this, Goolsarran said that while most of the officers are required to be in the field, they do not benefit from duty-free concessions to assist them to acquire their own vehicles. What is also worse in Goolsarran view is the fact that the agency has a limited number of vehicles that can be used to undertake field trips. Given the age of these vehicles, operating and maintenance costs are high, said Goolsarran. UNDERBUDGETTED The auditor also pointed out that for years; the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency was unable to fulfill its very mandate due to severe budget constraints. Expounding further, he said that for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Agency requested amounts totaling $933.036 million by way of subventions to meet operating expenditure. However, amounts approved totaled $569.393 million, representing 61 percent of EPA’s requirements. As a result, Goolsarran said that the Agency had no alternative than to reduce its programmes of activities to bring them in line with the amounts approved. The Chartered Accountant said, “The Agency is constrained in its ability to effectively deliver on its mandate mainly because of budgetary constraints. In a recent briefing to the Minister, the EPA stated that basic operations such as site visits required for the processing of applications for environmental permits have been delayed…The EPA also stated that as a result, there is a backlog in processing of applications, which has implications, particularly if developers proceed with their plans without the EPA’s approval. There is a similar situation with conducting audits and renewals.” To compound the aforementioned issues, Goolsarran
EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams highlighted that the EPA is housed in a building in Sophia that has limited office space, and the physical environment is unsuited for the Agency’s operations. In particular, Goolsarran said that the Agency does not have laboratory facilities for the testing of samples. Additionally, Goolsarran noted that the EPA has also not been able to have a dedicated regional presence so vitally necessary for a countrywide execution of its mandate, especially in the interior locations. Considering these and other issues, Goolsarran strongly recommended that the Ministry of Finance provide the EPA with adequate resources with effect from the
next budget cycle, to enable it to more effectively discharge its mandate of monitoring the natural environment and assisting in its protection. He said that this includes funds not only for the construction of a new building estimated at $200 million but also for securing facilities to ensure regional presence at least in Regions Seven, Eight, Nine and 10. OIL PREPARATIONS & STAFFING ISSUES In addition to being underfunded to carry out some of its fundamental tasks, the EPA’s 2019 budget does not cater for oil preparations. This was confirmed with the EPA’s Head, Dr. Vincent Adams. During an exclusive interview with this newspaper, the EPA Head said he does not have the human or financial resources needed for the proper management of the oil sector. In fact, the agency does not even have the human resources needed to be an effective regulatory body. In this regard, Dr. Adams said that currently, he has a staff of 97 officers. But for the EPA to be efficient, it needs a total of 262. Further to this, Dr. Adams said that the agency is continuously borrowing the equipment of other ministries to do its work. It is also un-
Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran able to do proper monitoring due to its poor fleet of vehicles. Dr. Adams said, “My staff members are not trained to deal with this (oil) sector. I don’t have engineers on my staff. Most of them have a Degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Guyana. They are hard and dedicated workers but they don’t have the science based qualifications for the fundamental sectors that we have to manage such as mining.” The EPA Head continued, “I have one engineer, four chemistry majors and three biologists. I want to hire some more people, and get petroleum engineers, mining (Continued on page 19)
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Kaieteur News
Monday December 31, 2018
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Government outmanoeuvred? President Granger’s inability to master the political environment over the last three and a half years have led to the passage of the no-confidence motion and the collapse of the government. In the war of words in Parliament between the government the opposition, it was clear that the latter had control of the narrative over the former. As sacrilegious as this might sound to some, the political experience of Bharat Jagdeo has decidedly outmanoeuvred the inexperienced President Granger as Jagdeo appeared to be the crusader of good governance. Obviously, the vast majority of PPP supporters have welcomed the defeat of the government, despite some legal wrangling of what constitutes a majority of all the members in Parliament. The sudden defeat of the government occurred before any solid plans have been put in place to steer the nation in the right direction during this turbulent period. However, by decisively controlling the narrative, the opposition has deftly moved the discussion away from the debacle in Parliament that has overwhelmed a large segment of the population, towards the formation of a national front government that includes the PPP, PNC and the AFC. The passage of the no-confidence motion has moved the needle in the direction of the opposition, whose leaders believe that a national front government is a better option for the country and its people. The ill-fated vote has turned the tide against the government and in favour of the opposition. However, the legal jargon of some of our legal scholars who are contending that 34 votes and not 33 in the 65 member House of Assembly constitutes a majority in neither here or there. It has prompted “Dem Boys Seh” to describe it as “jumbie” Arithmetic. Many in the public have dubbed it as voodoo mathematics, which will never win the day. The truth is the die has already been cast and there is no turning back. The government should accept that it was defeated and try to form a national front government or call a general election, which the PPP is likely to win, given its huge victory in the last two Local Government Elections. As it stands now, it seems that the government will reject the idea of a national front government and contest the election on its own. But it would be better for the government and the opposition to determine what is best for the country. Whatever one might think of the opposition leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, it is undeniable that he has outmanoeuvred the government. Despite all the fears expressed by the public after the passage of the no-confidence motion, the idea of a national front government is a highly positive development. It cannot be predicted whether a national front government will be formed or not. But if it does, it would be preferable to the 28 years and 23 years respectively of PNC and PPP entrenchment in office, which Guyana has been a victim for more than five decades. Many are hoping that the main political parties can be persuaded to consider a model of governance whereby they would become a part of and would not be forced to compete with one another during elections. Over the years, neither of the two main political parties has resolved the problems that have arisen from Guyana’s racial divide. In declaring its preference for a national front government, the PPP may have realized that the time has come to end one party majority rule. With oil production scheduled for early 2020, the PPP is aware that the complex issues relating to the management of the country’s oil resources needs the political wisdom and expertise of the major political parties. The size and complexity of the tasks to be accomplished suggest that they cannot be achieved by no single political party. As a nation, we must craft a new model of governance, one without the monolithic domination of one or the other major political party. The stakes are high and Guyana’s future is on the line.
CHARRANDASS PERSAUD’S NAKED MISREPRESENTATIONS DEAR EDITOR, In order not to add fuel to the fire that rose up after the Charrandass Persaud no confidence vote, I chose to remain silent on a few things that have been in the public domain, including commentary on my own actions. Considering, however, that certain misrepresentations are being repeated as record, staying silent is no longer an option. I have publicly addressed and apologized for my reactive outburst in uttering an expletive in the National Assembly. This was clearly out of character with my usual conduct and an emotional response to the betrayal from a trusted colleague whom I’ve spent the past three and a half years with, including during the recent budget debate,
defending the policies of this administration. I’ve had time during the past week to try to understand Charrandass’s motivation for what he did and his justifications offered and none of it seems to make sense. On a personal level, two things he has said so far have struck me personally. The first is the claim that I assaulted him and that his ribs still hurt from my elbowing him. The very video that he referred persons to shows me nudging him with the back of my hand to get his attention in the wake of the shock of his vote, not elbowing him. Why would someone, in justifying a vote of conscience and speaking about his own integrity, engage in such an easily disproval untruth to support his case? The other issue that
hit on a personal level was that in his telling of this fiction, Charrandass, my coalition political and parliamentary colleague of three and a half years, referred to me as simply “that Rasta boy from Linden.” For me, these things don’t square with the character of integrity that he has been painting himself as, and there are other examples. There was his claim that he wrote to the Alliance For Change leader, Raphael Trotman, to protest his displeasure at certain actions. When Mr. Trotman refuted those claims, he changed his story to say that he spoke to Trotman and was ignored. The Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Sherlock Isaacs, himself had to correct claims of bias alleged against him by Charrandass in a
recent letter to the newspaper. Perhaps most importantly however is that his own words in Parliament defending the recent budget made the sort of sense that his subsequent claims don’t. He spoke forcefully; for example, about the capital expenditure in Berbice, the permanent improvement of roads that the PPP would plug billions into and which still would need fixing. He spoke about the severance payment to sugar workers in an industry that the PPP crippled and then left the burden on the APNU+AFC to fix. I find it difficult, therefore, to believe that the web of misinformation that my former colleague has afterward tried to spread is only incidental to the web of disinformation that Continued on page 5
The death throes of the administration is now a show DEAR EDITOR, The death throes of the Granger administration has become a fascinating show; faced with a no-confidence motion, they publicly emasculated the role of the Speaker of the House by asserting that it is Government and not the Speaker, who sets the date for the hearing of the motion. Since the fall of the Government and the advent of the theory that 33 votes do not constitute a majority of 65 available, I have watched with morbid interest as the line of those prostituting their intellect grows. I do understand that some never had intellect to begin with. However to see Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo assert that 33 being a majority is an absurdity, and not catered for by the framers of our constitution is tragic comedy. Editor, there is no surprise that the Granger administration is seeking to use the courts to thwart the no-confidence motion passed against them. Disregard for the Constitution, misinformation, shamelessness and duplicity have been some of the main
characteristics of the Granger Administration throughout its term in office. President Granger ascended to office with a promise to bring law, order and dignity (along with the good life) to our nation. With its latest actions, Granger’s administration will forever be remembered for the parody of government it became and the level of buffoonery it descended into when forced to face the electorate. Should the Judiciary agree to entertain a court challenge of the No-confidence motion on this basis, it may well be the shortest mathematics lesson in our nation’s history. Should the Judiciary even hear a challenge on any basis is an overstep in my opinion - in this, I concede I may be wrong; lawyers do need to earn a living? It is my hope that President Granger can curb the enthusiasm of his minions and restore some modicum of pride and decency in the Office upon his return from Cuba. The Man, the Office and the Nation deserve better. Respectfully Robin Singh
Complaint filed against Attorney-at-law, Charrandass Persaud for ‘Illegal sale of land’ DEAR EDITOR, The following is a letter with details filed against the illegal sale of land by Attorney-at-law, Charrandass Persaud. It reads as follows: Jewel Campbell Legal Practitioner Committee Court of Appeal Kingston Georgetown Guyana. Dear Secretary, Subject: Complaint regards Charrandass Persaud (Legal Practitioner & MP). I would be very grateful if the Legal Practitioner Committee could consider looking into this matter. I am
making this complaint on behalf of my mother (Bhanmoti Pooran) who is so aggrieved against Mr. Charandass Persaud (Attorney –At –Law) who had created family animosity, conflict, distress and grief to my mother and late father (Ramdarsan Pooran) who had passed away in 2015. Mr. Persaud was residing in Canada when he had made an Agreement of Sale (30/08/ 2002) for the property my late father (Ramdarsan Pooran) purchased from his mother (Deokie Sookdai Pooran) now deceased. My parents went to Guyana in 2010 with the intention to resettle in Guyana but only to
discover that Mr C. Persaud (Attorney –AtLaw) had published in the Newspaper an application for Land Transport with the intention to ‘fraud’ the same property for Ena Sookraj. My parents at the time had to seek legal representation at first was Mr. Dorasami (Attorney-At–Law) and now Mr. M. Bacchus (AttorneyAt-Law). The disputed property case is still convening at the New Amsterdam Land Court, which has been going on since 2010, postponed more than 12 times without a trial in the last four years. This ongoing matter is causing great distress to my mother and is impacting negatively
on her wellbeing. I would very much appreciate and would like to know if Mr C. Persaud (Attorney–At– Law), acted legally and within his professional conduct to claim my parents’ property for someone else without any evidence of ownership. This has caused detriment to my parents psychological and financially. Please do not hesitate to contact me via email if any document is required. I am willing to provide the Agreement of Sale/receipt of purchase signed by Mr. Charrandass Persaud. Thanking you Yours respectively, Chanderdai Karan
Monday December 31, 2018
The Future of Guyana is uncertain DEAR EDITOR, Billions of dollars’ worth of oil is on the horizon for Guyana, but as exploration is in progress by the giant company ExxonMobil, Venezuela has renewed its claim to a large portion of the country’s territory, which includes the oil rich portion. In fact, the Maduro administration has intensified its claim. It went further to intercept a ship exploring for oil in Guyanese waters. What is even more worrying, Russia is backing the leftist government by adding some greatly increased military muscle in Venezuela. It is not certain whether the United States will support Guyana in the dispute in the light of President Donald Trump’s interaction with Russia’s President Putin. At home, a no confidence motion was passed in the National Assembly after a government backbencher, a member of the small coalition AFC party, Charrandass Persaud, supported the PPPC- sponsored motion thus tipping the scale 33-32 in favour of the opposition.
Persaud was deemed a hero by those against the Granger administration but the government supporters call him a “traitor”, Judas, and all sorts of names for ‘jumping ship’. What is very interesting is that in a televised interview after the Friday vote, he outlined several gripes that he had with the governing party including the domination by the PNC, the senior partner of the coalition. He contended that he was made to vote against his conscience. He said that the Hamilton Green Pension Bill should never have passed. He criticized Minister Volda Lawrence for stating that she will only give jobs to PNC supporters and for the failure of the AFC leader Raphael Trotman to criticize Lawrence despite his request. Moreover, he said that the Coalition Government did very little if anything at all to help the dismissed sugar workers. H o w e v e r, w h a t i s disturbing is that Charrandass’s criticisms
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and reasons for crossing the floor is contrary to his contribution in the Budget Speech, just days before he v o t e d “ Ye s ” f o r t h e n o confidence motion. In his presentation, he spoke in glowing terms for the administration whom he said did its best for the sugar workers, but the workers wasted their compensation. He praised the government for doing a fantastic job since assuming office. It seems as if he made a somersault within days and as such, his latter utterances might be suspect. There is another aspect, which has to be examined, that is, ‘If 33/32 count can topple the government?’ There might be a good argument that attorney Nigel Hughes put forward. He cited two cases: one in Vanuatu and the other in Anguilla. Although the facts of t h e Va n u a t a c a s e a r e similar to this issue, the Anguilla case is important because the presiding judge in that case was Adrian Saunders who is now President of the CCJ. Opposition leader Bharrat
Jagdeo called on the government to resign while the government announced that it will move to the Courts. The latest allegation by PNC strongman, Aubrey Norton, is that Charrandass was bribed by the opposition leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. Norton however did not provide evidence to support his allegation. If the issue reaches the Court, the process will take quite some time because there will be hearing by a single judge and then there might be an appeal to the Guyana Court of Appeal before it reaches the CCJ, which might be presided by Justice Saunders, the Court’s President who most likely will not change his views with the judgment that he issued in 2000 in Anguilla while he was a first instant Judge. It will be a long haul and the country will be in limbo until the issues are cleared. Venezuela’s renewed and hostile claim is another worrying issue, but that was an ongoing problem, but with Russia assisting Maduro, it becomes more problematic. Oscar Ramjeet
An inclination to go to the courts for an interpretation DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me space to share my thoughts with your readers on an article written by reporter, Abena RockcliffeCampbell captioned, “Their hands are tied only 1 Constitutional way-out – Jagdeo” appearing on page 15, Sunday Kaieteur News, December 30, 2018. The piece indicates that Jagdeo said that no date has been given for any proposed meeting between him and the Honourable President of Guyana. There seems to me an issue that is now boiling over “in the pot on the stove”, so to speak and “may set the kitchen on fire” - And that is - whether the court needs to give its interpretation of things, particularly the outcome of the vote taken that day December 21, 2018, by Mr. Isaacs, Clerk of Parliament, prior to any such proposed meeting that the writer of the Article referred to. The Honourable AG Basil Williams seems inclined to ask the Honourable CJ Roxane George, to interpret
for us, the Guyanese populace, what the meaning of the results of that Noconfidence Vote (33-32) actually mean. I understand there are persuasive precedents like AG v Granger & Trotman CM#94/2012 HC and Hughes v Rogers Civil Suit Nos. 99 and 101 of 1999, which may urge any Honourable Court to interpret such meaning, which a Court is empowered to so do, and to intervene to ensure the Assembly has not acted inconsistent with any provisions of our Constitution, in the separation of powers doctrine. Whether the outcome of any such intended court case bears any meaning in the near future to the beforementioned proposed meeting date is left for all to see, and in that vein, what impact such an Intended Court case would have on any such proposed Meeting, whether to be convened this year, or in 2020. M.S. Zafar, Former Guyanese Attorney-at-law (2004 to 2015)
The developmental trajectory of Guyana may be cloaked in a political cold war That promise to bailout DEAR EDITOR, As a youth, I’m not interested in the emotions of the political opposition nor Government. I’m more concerned about the things greater, and things above and not beneath. The future of Guyana and Guyanese must not be placed in a state of panic because of a political cold war. It is time for us as a people to stop voting for governments, party, colour, and race. The forward movement of Guyana is in the
breast of informed decisions, and thus we must elect rulers based on vision, capabilities, transparency and accountability - we must begin to engender a culture of Voting on ISSUES, not race. I wish for the best suited to have the seat as Presidenthis or her race and ethnicity must not be a debated question. Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” I have
observed this statement of Mr. Lincoln to be quite vivid in our Guyanese political landscape. The hearts of men have become corrupted with the lust of the flesh even for a momentarily sprinkle of power. So, we an electorate, let’s be cognizant of the Characters of Men, let’s not allow corrupt, dictatorships to hold public offices - for the interest of Guyana and Guyanese are at stake. Lastly, what is a
Democracy if the elect is a selfish tyrant. Democracy is the Government of the people, by the people, for the people. Let us not forget what our foreparents fought against. So can we have this state of fear removed - that is a solution founded on the relevant courts to bring closure to this No-Confidence dilemma and start peddling the wheels of development again. Dornel McFarlane Youth Leader
Charrandass Persaud’s naked... From page 4 is being spread by the opposition and their aligned media. For example, just as Clerk Isaacs had to correct Charrandass, he was also forced to correct a story carried in the Jagdeocontrolled Guyana Times. This brings me to the overlooked aspect of Charrandass’s narrative about the circumstances surrounding his support of the PPP’s no confidence motion. If one were to listen to his and complementary accounts of his conscience narrative and factor in the events of that fateful night a week ago, we
see a picture of possible wilful collusion with the very PPP that he campaigned against. From the supposed conversation with Freddie Kissoon earlier this year, to his own indication that he was long contemplating voting against the administration, it appears that he was long privy to a PPP no confidence motion before it was even tabled or announced in November of this year. This combined with his claim that he trusted no one, including his long-time friend, Minister of Pubic Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, with his security but yet was
handled by a PPP member from the moment he left Parliament, to the moment he left the country shows that his trust was placed somewhere else. What neither Charrandass and the PPP leadership, Mr. Jagdeo in particular, have been asked is whether there was coordination between the AFC member and the PPP opposition. Did Jagdeo go into Parliament knowing full well that his motion would find the support of Charrandass specifically and if there was this coordination, what was the basis of it, and how long
ago was it planned? The answer to this question is obvious. This is a question that, for all his noble claims of good conscience, the man has – even in the midst of all his deliberate misrepresentation – refused to even address, much less deny. It is quite evident Mr. Editor that Mr. Persaud is pathologically mendacious and probably some day his conscience will force him to give a full and proper account of this missing aspect of his story. Regards, Jermaine Figueira APNU+AFC Member of Parliament
the City Council DEAR EDITOR, Whenever I read about the relationship that exists between the Central Government who seem to desire being the great hero, riding in on their charger to save Georgetown, the damsel in distress, I am reminded of the book ‘The Rescue of the Princess Winsome’. These two entities clearly enjoy this self-imposed anachronistic code of chivalry and gallantry. The Government is undoubtedly attracted to the “distressed”, the depressed, needy and damaged capital city, convinced that they can “rescue” them from themselves. It has been announced that the Ministry of Communities shall be doling out a whopping $75 million to the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown for the construction of an administrative building that will house staff currently occupying the dilapidated City Hall building, which is expected to undergo renovation. Further, the Central Government has decided to intervene again with a 100 percent bailout now that the Council once more is unable to honour its obligation to the two major garbage contractors in a timely manner, after racking up more than 150 million in debt. Of course, this is a complete back flip to the earlier announcements that a government bailout for City Hall was Continued on page 6
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Mr. Hughes ideas are misleading and mischievous on the no confidence vote DEAR EDITOR, The framers of the Guyana constitution were very specific to make the number of seats 65, an odd number to avoid ties, a simple majority of one or else the question of absolute and convincing Majority would have arisen. For example, if you have a total of 64 seats an even number, they can tie at 32 seats each, so a convincing/ absolute majority will be 33 vs 31, equal 64 seats, which is a difference of two seats. This will be so for all EVEN numbers. The ODD number 65 is consistent with a simple majority, the Guyana constitution of 65 seats, 33 vs 32, no argument, no arithmetic, no Laplace Transform, no chi square nor binomial distribution required. This rounding off according to Hughes, is giving 66 seats, when there are only 65 seats/living persons with a conscience, hence, confidence. Hughes manufactured one additional invisible, nonexisting, nameless person, without a conscience, who is not an elected member, just elected by Hughes for a no confidence vote. Confidence is referring to a living being with a conscience. This is not a bill for appropriation etc. In theory,
any rounding of numbers must be from 32.5 to 32. By logical deduction then 32 vs 33 equals 65, is consistent with the number of living beings, with a conscience and consistent with the constitution. Notwithstanding any of the above, the numbers and seats of 65 set a precedence for the Guyana government, since the constitution prevailed, for budget, bills, for umpteen years with PNC, PPP and coalition, etc, therefore, we cannot apply precedence for other country. Also the Speaker and Parliament authenticated the voting outcome. The PPP won. In Trinidad, they had 36 seats, where some years ago they came to a tie of 18 seats each, the president intervened. I wrote in the Stabroek News, that the incumbent could not be removed from office because there was not a convincing majority. Because of the even number 36, a tie 18 vs 18, an absolute majority would be 17 vs 19 equals 36. This is where the two come from. The Trinidad constitution is now revised. All these third world politicians, including the PPP, do not want to give up power. They look for all kinds of excuses and make themselves public fools for generations
to come. Can you imagine I was told that this President is good, this coalition is to manage the lives of 750k people to happiness. My coalition made me a fool and make Hon Charrandass Persaud a hero, whether he voted his conscience or bribery awakened his conscience, and they set up a committee to redefine majority, where 33 vs 32 is obvious, any school boy can understand. For debate politicians, the same reason the PPP should not have been removed from office in 2015, for having 4000 votes less than the coalition. It is not a seat, because there was not a convincing majority to remove the incumbent PPP from office. I stayed quiet about this, because I supported the AFC/Coalition, against the PPP excesses, corruption, their unruly horse which the coalition took as well, the poor oil deal just like the coalition, the PPP walked on Transparency and accountability like the coalition (IFMAS Min Jordan), drugs everywhere. If the Jagdeo team was still in office, this country would have been so indebted, that we would have to line up for flour etc again. Oil money will not benefit the ordinary Guyanese, unless oil is at $150.00 per barrel. The low
price will benefit the politicians, family and friends. Ask Trinidad? The opposition won the no confidence vote, without any doubt, hence, Mr Hughes’s public utterance is misleading/mischievous for a prominent lawyer. Like some said, he feels threatened with his oil business retainers and Texas investments. But do not worry Mr Hughes, all the government is the same, third world mentality. Dr. Jagdeo was trained by PNC Ministry of Finance, in 1992 when the PPP won he kept all the players from Finance and the coalition kept all the Dr Jagdeo players at the ministry of Finance. Remember, Min Jordan was the Budget advisor in the PNC, he was Maha Guru in PPP and Minister of Finance in The Coalition, very experienced man. Dr. Jagdeo fired me because of my integrity. He was not doctor then. Maybe he will hire me now that he is doctor and has learnt more. They will not think that integrity means arrogance. God help the poor. Yours sincerely, Joe Persaud P.ENG, CSCE, EIC Pandit and Former Director of Primary Education Improvement Programme Guyana
Time to Resign NOW, respect the constitution DEAR EDITOR, It is no secret that the concerns raised by Charrandass Persaud against the APNU/AFC Coalition Government is factual and as such defined the performance of this government. Some of these concerns raised by the supporter of the motion was, the issue of the sugar workers and the closure of two sugar estates in Berbice l think was keyed.
Since Charrandass Persaud was a Regional Member of Parliament, Region Six, he was mandated by the people to represent his constituency. Berbice is suffering tremendously from the policies of this APNU/AFC coalition Government .The people who operate the businesses were left with little or no alternative but to send home employees in large numbers.
That promise to bailout... From page 5 not on the cards, and in spite of the startling revelations of the recent Commission of Inquiry report. With the Council’s Internal Auditor revealing that she was not allowed to carry out routine internal financial inspections and assessments and with the Council failing to produce qualified and audited statements in decades, it is just incredible that government would continue to recklessly bankroll the Council. Any institution that finds itself in over $47 billion in debt to varying organisations, businesses, citizens and employees with no way of getting out should be declared bankrupt and liquidated. The COI has proven that Georgetown is not short of revenue, what it is, is that huge amounts have been squirrelled away by the ‘Top Dogs’ through illegal contracts, a bloated payroll, fraud, graft, kickbacks and backhanders. Benjamin Franklin once said ‘Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship’. Regards, Kwasi Sanderson
The rice industry was not given the necessary support from the government to accelerate its performance to reach the promised price of $9000 dollars per bag of paddy and maximising production. The creation of jobs for young people and even person who did not had jobs and was promised to be employed by the government, unfortunately it was total destruction of a number of sugar workers who was severed. The Government solutions of employment was mainly the employing elderly, friends, families and supporters of the People National Congress as was confirmed in a statement by the Chairperson of the PNC. Corruption is another major issue that the no confidence motion highlighted in
parliament. So with these issues and more the APNU/ AFC Coalition Government at some point in time would have fallen. The APNU/AFC Coalition Government refusal to resign from government is a definite reminder that the DNA enshrined in the PNC is slowly but surely emerging to ensure that they stay in power irrespective of what it takes. Over the years, I think the most destructive weapon that was available and used by the PNC was violence before 2015. The arguments fronted by the Government is a vivid sign of desperation. Majority of Guyanese would demand that the APNU/AFC Government resign before losing all their credibility if they have any remaining. Respect Zamal Hussain
Monday December 31, 2018
Adhere to the constitution DEAR EDITOR, It is now an irrefutable fact that since this Coalition Government took office in 2015, this country is facing another chapter of PNC dictatorship and I have written extensively on this. It has become a daily pastime of this Government to show no respect to the Supreme Law of the Land, our Constitution. Such glaring disregard is seen in the unilateral and unconstitutional appointment of retired Justice Patterson as the GECOM Chairman is in clear contravention of Article 161 of our Constitution despite widespread condemnation by civil society and many reputable organizations. We have witnessed also, that Party Paramountcy has now superseded the Highest Court of the Land not unlike what had transpired during the 28 years of the PNC’s Dark era! Moreover, it is indisputable that during the past years in Government, the Speaker of the House has failed to act impartially on many occasions, as he ought to and has been criticized on many occasions for his partisan rulings on behalf of the Coalition. On December 21st, however, he took an impartial stand when he allowed the voting to continue by responding that there is ‘no time out’ during a voting in Parliament and that the voting must be carried to its conclusion. He subsequently declared that the no confidence was passed with a majority support of 33:32 voting in favour. This decision was fully accepted by the Coalition Government since both the President and the Prime Minister agreed that the decision of the House must be respected and upheld. Granger had said that he will abide with what the Constitution says and Nagamootoo had said that the Government accepted that it has lost the motion of noconfidence brought against it by the PPP/C and that the relevant constitutional provision, namely Article 106(6) and (7) will be activated. But unfortunately, there is now a volte face by the
Habits are not the product of one decision — They’re the result of repeated choices that eventually become automatic responses. How can you know your true spiritual condition? By the company you keep and the choices you make. When you’re free to go, where do you choose to go? Whose company do you prefer?
Government! Nagamootoo is now offering a new version of calculation of what constitutes a majority- a hybrid of Nigel Hughes’! Now the Attorney General Basil Williams is advising the Government that the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland erred in ruling that the PPP sponsored no-confidence motion against the Government was carried. He is now directing the Speaker to reverse his ruling and we all know how persuasive Basil Williams can be! We heard how he dealt with Justice Franklin Holder who was allegedly told that ‘the last magistrate who did this to me was found dead’! It is clear that the Government is once again willing to massacre the relevant Constitutional provisions and force the Courts to churn out another decision in their favour! It is conclusive that the Speaker had carried out his functions in a fair and unbiased manner according to the rules of the House and the Attorney General has no legal authority to direct him that he had ‘erred’ and should ‘reverse’ his decision. His legal ‘memorandum’ is a political directive and has no legal basis. This is PNC-styled bullyism and thuggery, and should be strongly condemned by all Guyanese! The Coalition Government lost the noconfidence motion and they should abide by the Constitution. But this illegal occupying of the Government strongly indicates the innate dictatorial tendencies of this Government and what should equally be condemned is the acceptance by the AFC and the WPA. Once again, these little sharks have shown that they are willing to continue their subservience in order to survive! In conclusion, this is the sole reason for the birth of dissenters like Charrandass. The leadership of these small parties have failed to live up to their supporters’ expectations and their party’s founding principles. They should support the legal validity of the ‘no confidence’ motion and call for the Government to respect the Constitution. This Government should resign now and new elections MUST be held within 90 days! Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor Region 6
Monday December 31, 2018
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Large Taxpayers Unit adds $4B to Govt.’s coffers join a queue. In 2019, Jordan said that the Government intends to make e-filing mandatory for certain categories of taxpayers, with the intent of improving the efficiency of collection.
By Kiana Wilburg The Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU), which was set up by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) last year is proving to be a valuable initiative as it brought in $4B in tax revenues for the government’s coffers this year. This was recently revealed by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. For 2019, the economist said that an Oil and Gas Unit will be established within the LTU, dedicated to ensuring that the appropriate revenues are paid to the state by petroleum-producers, in keeping with their respective production sharing agreements. Already, the Government has secured the support of international institutions to undertake capacity-building initiatives in the GRA and other institutions, providing expert advice in several areas, including cost-oil audit and production sharing agreements. Speaking to other GRA systems, Jordan said, “This year, we commenced the pilot of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), which facilitates paperless and improved customs transactions. Based on testing to date, we anticipate that we will move towards full implementation, in 2019.” “With regard to inland revenue management, we are exploring moving away from the current platform – Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) – to new software. This is expected to have a dramatic impact on the time it takes to execute routine tasks; it will also improve management controls and enhance the quality of data to enable effective management and strategic decision-mak-
GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia ing.” While the government continues to improve internal systems at GRA, Jordan said that there will also be moves to expand tax services across the Regions, with specific focus on the hinterland regions. This year, Jordan noted that the GRA office in Lethem was connected to the Head Office. This allows for live and onlocation processing of business-related licenses, among other services, thereby reducing cost and waiting time for taxpayers in Region Nine. In addition, Jordan said that GRA expects that the new office in Mabaruma will become operational at the beginning of 2019. He said that overall, the aforementioned efforts have resulted in an increase in the number of registered taxpayers from just over 79,000 at the end of 2017, to about 83,000 to date. Further to this, the Minister reminded that GRA had introduced e-services to taxpayers in 2018, thus allowing individuals to file their tax returns via the internet, and eliminating the need to go into the nearest GRA branch or
TACKLINGOTHER WEAKNESSES Earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had identified a number of weaknesses, which exist within the tax systems of the Guyana Revenue Authority. But the entity’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia was pleased to report that more than 80 percent of those issues are being tackled. He noted however that sweeping changes will not happen overnight. Statia said that it can take up to three years for GRA to smooth out the kinks in its systems. Statia noted that it was GRA that invited the IMF to visit the authority and conduct an assessment of its systems. Statia said he told the team that GRA is not interested in sugarcoated words. He wanted the IMF team to be as outspoken as they could about the challenges facing the revenue authority. In its report of May 2017, the IMF outlined GRA’s main strengths and weaknesses. The strengths included a highly qualified cadre of staff, extensive information available to taxpayers through a variety of channels, withholding and advance payment mechanism in place, independent graduated dispute resolution mechanism and strong external oversight mechanisms. The weaknesses highlighted were: no-segment based management of taxpayers, functional limitations of the IT system, Limited e-trans-
- Jordan action system, lack of strategic and structured risk management approach, weak filing and payment compliance, decentralized audit case selection process, absence of legislative tax rulings system and compliance improvement programme limited in scope and content. Upon the receipt of the said report, the Commissioner General said that a further request was made that another study be done to advise GRA on the next steps in modernizing the Authority. Statia said that this assessment was done in September 2017, a draft submitted in October and a final report done in December. The Commissioner General said, “Suffice to say that many of the recommendations made by the team were either already work-in-progress, or envisaged to be implemented during 2018 and beyond. The major recommendations of that assessment for January 2018 include Produce monthly statements of total arrears and collectible arrears to inform debt management activities. Refocus and strengthen risk management by having a risk management unit gather and analyze information; and set and monitor selectivity criteria. Also, ensure the GRA’s structure, capacity, capabilities, treatment, products and evaluation framework are focused initially for the large taxpayer segment.” He continued, “In 2007, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) also did a diagnostic study for the Authority which was sitting on the shelves, and never implemented. In 2017, upon a visit to Guyana, a PWC partner and a former
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan colleague from the Trinidad Tobago Internal Revenue was on the team, and I was able to persuade her for PWC to do an update of the diagnostic study part with cost to GRA.” Statia added, “This was completed in July 2017, and its findings were similar to those outlined in the IMF report. What stood out in their report however is the fact that GRA appears to be consistently under-budgeting revenue collection. GRA is aware that the tax base is larger than the tax collections but under-budgeting masks the accountability of bringing the taxpayer base closer to reality by increasing taxpayer compliance or reducing tax avoidance or evasion.” The Chartered Accountant also reminded that one of the leading causes of GRA’s problems or weaknesses is its poor IT system. TRIPS For almost 10 years, the Guyana Revenue Authority failed to implement critical parts of an IT system. The consequences of the entity’s actions in this regard only contributed to billions in revenue leakages and even rampant corruption.
Statia explained that the IT system referred to as, the Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS), was intended to merge all departments by having a common database where all tax records could be scanned or entered into the system and found when needed. It was introduced with the aim of boosting efficiency in the assessment, collection and accounting for revenue. TRIPS comprises of two core applications: Taxes and Customs, which share information with each other and each application encompasses a total of 13 modules. The CUSTOMS MODULES include Lodgment; Data Entry; Goods Inspection/Enforcement, Valuation and Document Check, Risk Profiling, Cashiering, Release, Remissions, and Warehouse. The TAX Modules include Taxpayer Identification, Tax, Accounting, Audit, Reports/Notices/Certificates. Statia noted however, that since all of the modules were not implemented, the “TRIPS system was just tripping.” The GRA Commissioner General said that the Authority has been trying to implement TRIPS completely since 2007. He said disappointingly, that the entity spent over US$4M on the IT system and it is still not up to date. Statia added, “What I did now is instead of them using an entire TRIPS system, I said, ‘No. concentrate on the internal revenue modules, and we are going to go to the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA). That is what we are doing.” The GRA Commissioner General said that the ASYCUDA system will cost close to US$3M.
Society cannot advance while political immaturity reigns - Datadin By Abena RockcliffeCampbell Guyana is now in the middle of a critical period where things can easily go wrong. Knowing this, all politicians must now put aside their differences and do what is best for the nation—move forward. That is the plea of prominent Attorney-at-law, Sanjeev Datadin. Datadin said this to Kaieteur News as he highlighted the Coalition Government’s public statements to the effect that it is examining its “options” in the wake of the No-Confidence Motion that was recently passed against it in the National Assembly. Datadin said that the Constitution outlines clearly what should happen if a No-Confidence Motion is successful against a government—it shall re-
- Calls on politicians not to fuel instability during this “critical” time sign, and election must be held within three months. Datadin said that it could be of no help to Guyana that the Government is trying to find another way out. “No society can advance that way. I said the same thing at the end of the last elections (2015 General and Regional Elections) when the PPP (People’s Progressive Party) was of the view that elections were rigged and they wanted to file legal proceedings.” Datadin said that back then, he voiced his opinion that what PPP was doing could have never been in the best interest of Guyana. “Anybody living in Guyana at that time would have known that there was a
movement in the country for change and you would have seen that there was no rigging but they had this view that was fuelled by emotions. And, their supporters were desperate at the time; when people are desperate you get them to do these things, and now the government is doing the same thing to its people. We have to mature as a people.” Datadin said that the government should desist from fuelling allegations that Charrandass Persaud took money to vote the way he did. “They say he took money from some oil tycoon. That is a vague generalization to capture the imagination of people because people will believe
Attorney-at-Law, Sanjeev Datadin that yes there is an oil tycoon who did this. All they are doing is working on people’s imagination. They haven’t said anything that is concrete,” said Datadin. “I noticed in the media yesterday that the Crime Chief said that he has received no
report and no information that he is to expect a report. So clearly, there is no evidence. With all the information that the government alleges it has, they have done nothing with it and they haven’t reported it to the authorities, just vague generalizations. Datadin said that it matters not what led Persaud to vote the way he did, “all that matters is that he voted and now, based on Article 165 of our Constitution, elections must be held.” Datadin said that many Guyanese are desperate for some sort of a solution and hope. He said that politicians must now be careful not to sell false hope. “The same is true of this thing of the majority being 34. It is utterly incorrect and without foundation. People keep introducing phrases and words like absolute majority.
If you read the constitution you will see that there is no word before majority.” Datadin said that the fact is, “the government did not take the motion seriously, they brushed it aside as if it was irrelevant and what happen is now the supporters are very concerned and they want to hold on. The supporters are looking for any straw to clutch on to say that ‘we have a chance.” “These ridiculous things are being fed by leaders and persons with public profiles to give them false hope. We need to mature as a country to understand that when things happen, you have to accept it and move on. It is not every single thing that happens you have to question. No society can advance that way. I told this to the PPP and I am now telling this to the Coalition.”
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Monday December 31, 2018
Jagdeo wants public pact to not use cash from oil companies for elections campaign By Abena RockcliffeCampbell Amidst speculations that he already used an oil tycoon out of Trinidad and Tobago to fund the fall of government, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo is calling for a public pact to be signed by all political parties to not take monies from oil companies to finance campaigns for the upcoming elections. Following the events of December 21, which saw a government Member of Parliament (MP) voting with the People’s Progressive Party Opposition for a Jagdeosponsored No-Confidence Motion, elections are expected in three months. This is the first time Guyana will be seeing General and Regional Elections after the public announcements of major oil finds. News of the oil finds made by ExxonMobil has triggered an influx of oil and oil-related companies. Many of these companies now operate in Guyana. Traditionally, businesses operating on Guyana usually contribute to the elections campaign. This is usually unsupervised as Guyana has weak campaign financing laws and even those weak
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo laws are hardly enforced. At his most recent press conference, Jagdeo was asked if the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will be taking money from oil companies to support its campaign. He responded, “We never approached an oil company. But, we should be very cautious. Maybe we should have public pact that we will not take any money from any oil company. Let all of us sign on to that. People have to raise funds through local and other sources, we should have a public pact and say we will not
take any money from any oil company; I am in favour of it. I can say that, you can quote me on that, that I am in favour of a public pact.” The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has stated that it has proof that an oil tycoon paid AFC defector, Charrandass to vote to bring down his own government. PNCR claims to even have knowledge of the hotel where arrangements were made. However, the PNCR provided no evidence and no police reports were made. Anticorruption advocates have long been calling for changes to Guyana’s weak campaign financing laws. These calls were persistent over the last three years. Advocates believe that the archaic laws leave the door open for influential oil majors to enter; oil majors with pockets worth more than the GDPs of 100 countries combined. USA oil giant, ExxonMobil has made it clear that it has, and will not, be contributing to election campaigns here. However, in its country of origin, ExxonMobil is a habitual contributor to the election cycle. In fact, Exxon is one of the largest energy company contributors to both Republi-
can and Democratic candidates for Congress. In 2010, ExxonMobil spent $12.5 million on lobbying. It is also a staunch contributor in Canada. Apart from USA and Canada, Exxon also reports on political and lobbying contributions in other countries (see link http:// www.exxonmobil.eu/en-eu/ policy/reporting/political-advocacy-and-contributions/ political-advocacy-and-contributions-overview). According to the company’s website, it has a policy against election contributions outside of the USA and Canada, but would do so where laws are applicable (see link http:// cdn.exxonmobil.com/~/media/ global/files/politcal-contribut i o n s / political_activities_guidelines.pdf). Even though American’s laws allow for oil money to be pumped into election campaigns, there have been heavy concerns about the effect this money has had on the democracy of the superpower. A report called, “The Chilling Effect of Oil & Gas Money on Democracy” speaks extensively on this. It was prepared by an environmental company called Clear Water.
( h t t p s : / / www.cleanwaterfund.org/ sites/default/ files/ docs/ publ i c a t i o n s / Money_in_Politics_05%2 003%2016a_web%20-% 20FINAL.pdf) The report exposes how oil and gas companies continue to have a major advantage over the rights of the American people when it comes to regulatory policy, mainly due to the legacy impact of their early influence in certain rulemaking processes. It states that the weaknesses of campaign finance laws allow the oil and gas industry to help elect candidates who support efforts to undermine environmental protections, drive pro-industry legislation and secure taxpayer subsidies to the industry. The report adds, “The money flooding into Congress and fueling lobbying efforts of the oil and gas industry has a chilling effect on our democracy. Simply put, oil and gas interests overshadow the public’s best interests. Balancing out the economics to incentivize positive behaviors over the business plans of a polluting industry should be at the top of the list for any political party.”
“Instead, policies are manipulated to benefit a sector of the economy that enjoys billions in taxpayer subsidies and has whole blocks of politicians willing to vote and introduce legislation in lockstep with industry priorities…” Earlier this year, Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds, noted that there has been little, if any sense of urgency regarding reform to campaign finance laws. Even when the government indicates that it is willing to address its promise to beef up anti-corruption legislation, the political commentator asserted that they don’t say much about campaign finance reform. Dr. Hinds said, “Perhaps the last time the president frontally addressed the issue was more than a year ago, when he promised legislation before the next general election. Since then, we have not seen any movement. So, it’s fair to conclude that there is no urgency. This is worrying– it makes the government look bad. These campaign promises which are in the manifesto represent the ingredients needed for an articulation of the hitherto elusive government’s vision.”
GECOM has money for house-to-house registration, but not for elections - Commissioner Should the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) plan to conduct house-tohouse registration in 2019 be abandoned now? This question was posed by Government-nominated Commissioner, Desmond Trotman in response to assertions made by People’s Progressive Commissioner, Bibi Shadick who reportedly stated that GECOM is ready to hold General and Regional Elections in 2019. Those elections were initially scheduled for 2020, but the recent passage of a noconfidence motion against the Government in the National
Assembly will see elections being held in March, 2019. “As far as I am aware, there has been no allocation of funds to hold elections in Guyana in 2019,” Trotman has indicated. He added, “I am therefore concerned how and where the funds will come from and am therefore looking forward to a resolution to this issue. Presumably, this will be one of the issues, which will engage President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharat Jagdeo when they meet to discuss the way forward.” Trotman expressed the view that it is important to
ensure that GECOM holds the elections with a voters list that is cleansed of all of its impurities. In this regard, he stated that the Commission deliberated on and approved the plan to conduct House to House Registration in 2019, to ensure the production of a new and more credible list prior to the holding of the next General and Regional Elections. He said the Secretariat prepared and presented its budgetary estimates for the approval of the Commission accordingly. These Commission approved estimates were later submitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly. The Committee of Supply of the National Assembly approved GECOM’s budget request with the funds allocated to GECOM for the conduct of this House-to-house Registration exercise in 2019. “Should this exercise be abandoned now?” Trotman asked. GECOM has budgeted $3B for the house-to-house exercise. According to Trotman, it is his understanding that Commissioners of GECOM
had arrived at such a decision some years ago but funds were not made available for the conduct of the scheduled house-to-house registration, in keeping with the policy to conduct house-to-house registration every seven years. He said that decision was constantly reiterated by GECOM’s Secretariat. Trotman, who is the most recent Commissioner to be appointed, indicated that his sole interest on the Commission is about ensuring that a level playing field is created to ensure that at the end of the process, the results will be universally accepted as representing the will of all of the people in Guyana. PPP WANTED HOUSE-TO-HOUSE According to Trotman, Shadick deliberately ignored the arguments that have constantly been raised in GECOM’s several plenaries about the validity of the present list. There have been charges that it is an inflated list. “Commissioner Shadick should say why it is they have been arguing at the level of the Commission that the list
GECOM Commissioner, Desmond Trotman contains more than thirty thousand names of deceased persons who have departed the scene over a thirty year period and should be expunged prior to any General Elections being held and equate that position to one in which she now seems to have no problem with its size and purity,” Trotman indicated. He also pointed to the need to address the existing senior staff vacancies prior to the holding of the elections. According to Trotman, filling those positions are extremely critical to ensuring that GECOM has the en-
hanced capacity to conduct the elections, notwithstanding the fact that GECOM was able to successfully conduct the 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE). He noted that PPP Commissioners Robeson Benn and Shadick were not adamant in their decision not to interview available applicants for the positions until the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) pronounced, what they hoped and continue to believe will be a favourable decision in keeping with the complaints they made about the employment practices in GECOM. He stated that those positions would have been filled a long time ago. “Let us be clear on one thing, LGEs and General and Regional elections are different types of elections with the results of the latter being more impacting on the life of a country, in this instance, Guyana,” Trotman stated. He stated that the successful conduct of the 2018 LGE is nothing short of a miracle by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield and his staff.
Monday December 31, 2018
Leaked video shows Saudi hit team toting bags said to contain Khashoggi’s remains
Still view of video footage outside of Saudi Consul General’s residence in Istanbul. ALJAZEERA - Video footage leaked to Turkish media shows a Saudi hit team in Istanbul carrying bags said to contain the remains of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose killing sparked international outcry and jeopardised the kingdom’s relations with its Western allies. The video shows the arrival of some of the members of the team at the Saudi consul-general’s residence in Istanbul on the day that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate, several hundred metres from the residence. One of the hit team members is seen carrying bags, which according to Turkish media, may contain body parts of the journalist, who was a critic of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on October 2 to obtain documents certifying that he divorced his ex-wife so he could remarry. He was killed and dismembered inside the consulate, in what Turkey called a “premeditated murder” orchestrated by the Saudi government. Saudi officials have countered that claim, insisting Khashoggi was killed in a “rogue operation”, after initially claiming he had left the building before vanishing. Turkey said the killing was ordered at the highest level of Saudi leadership, implying Prince Mohammed was behind the murder. The kingdom has maintained the Crown Prince, also known as MBS, had no knowledge of the killing. Saudi authorities last month requested the death penalty for five unnamed suspects in Khashoggi’s murder. Eleven suspects were indicted and referred to trial. Al Jazeera’s Sinem
Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said the video first aired on Turkish new channel A Haber, which sourced the footage through Ferhat Unlu, a journalist with the investigation unit of the Daily Sabah newspaper. The publication is known for its close ties to Turkish intelligence and has in the past reported on a series of leaks from the Turkish investigation into the murder of Khashoggi. The journalist recently released a co-authored book about the killing. “The reporter said there is no evidence that the luggage carried by the hit team was taken out of the consul’s residence. Therefore, we are facing new questions,” Kaseoglu reported late on Sunday. “The consul-general’s
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residence was searched, but there was a well that the Saudis did not let the Turkish investigators search properly. These new pictures have changed the course of the investigation,” Koseoglu added. Khalil Jahshan, Executive Director of the Arab Center Washington DC, called the release of the video “very significant”. “It adds another layer of the complexity to the continuing investigation in the murder of Khashoggi, in the sense that there is one significant remaining question: where is the body?” he told Al Jazeera. “Now we have direct evidence showing that a van left the consulate office building, went to the nearby consul-general’s house, and Continued on page 22
Backpedaling The bowler marched to the end of his run-up which was almost to the boundary board. The batsman settled in his crease paying keen attention as the bowler began his long run-up to the wicket. It took the bower almost eight seconds to reach the bowling crease and to send down a thunderbolt of a delivery. The batsman played missed and lost his off stump. He turned around look at the shattered stumps and refused to march off to the pavilion. The fielding side enquired why he was not going off. It was a friendly game among friends so there was no umpire; the players were expected to play like gentlemen would. The batsman protested. He said he was not out. He claimed that he was not ready. Yet, in the eight seconds it took for the bowler to run him from his bowling mark to delivery was a full eight seconds. At no time did he withdraw from the batting crease or raise his hand to stop the bowler. He played at the delivery, was beaten and bowled, but refused to walk. Anyone who has played bottom-house or backyard cricket would have had an experience where someone refused to accept his or her dismissal. But that is how cheats operate. They want to play by their own rules. The APNU+AFC is playing dishonourably. They are refusing to accept the fact that they were defeated in a legitimate no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.
They are refusing to abide with the verdict of the National Assembly. In support of their refusal, a number of facetious and fanciful arguments are being made. The first one is that that a majority of 65 is 34 and not 33. When it was pointed out that if this is the case then all those motions and Bills, which were passed with a 33 votes majority vote would be invalidated, it is contended that that there is a difference in the nature of majority required to pass a Bill or an ordinary motion as against a no-confidence motion. It is argued that for the former what is required is a majority of the votes cast. In the latter – that is in the instance of a no-confidence motion – the majority required is that of the elected members. What those making these arguments fail to realize is that if all the elected members of the House vote on a Bill, ordinary motion or a noconfidence motion, it means that those who voted is equal to those who are eligible to vote. Therefore, the majority of the votes cast in the former is the same as the majority in the latter since everyone who can vote has voted. The majority to pass a Bill therefore becomes the same as a majority to pass a no-confidence motion. The majority in both cases, would be same, that is, 33 because all sixty-five voted. This is simple mathematical logic. It cannot be that if everyone voted for the passage of a Bill, the majority is 33 but if everyone voted for the passage of no-confidence motion, the majority suddenly
becomes 34. This would be ‘jumbie’ mathematics. The government has always been aware of this fact. This is why they have always ensured that even for ordinary Bills where a division of the House may be necessary that every elected member on their side is present. And the opposition usually does the same, because they too know that once sixty-five persons vote, the majority is 33. The government has always tried to ensure that it has the majority present in the National Assembly. At one time, it even had one Minister wheel-chaired out of hospital in order to ensure a majority of 33. Both before and after the no-confidence vote, the government said that the opposition needed 33 votes. After the vote, the government accepted its defeat. One of its Ministers even went outside to the talk with the government supporters and comforted them by saying that “we beat them before and we will beat them again”, meaning that he acknowledged the defeat of the government. The APNU+AFC lost the no-confidence motion. It accepted this loss but is now backpedaling. It is trying to buy extra time in office. It is suspected that this change of heart may be because of the pressure being applied by some of its financiers who feel that the benefits that they enjoyed are going to evaporate.
Monday December 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Monday December 31, 2018
Jamal Khashoggi: Life and death of a media martyr On October 2, 2018, the world’s major news publications went into a frenzy after the news broke that a Washington-based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was missing after he entered the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, but never came out. The news was shocking because it brought, under international scrutiny, the resolve of Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), whose actions as he began to assume power in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia cast him in a reformed and liberal light, compared to his father, King Salman. After the news broke, many had begun to speculate that MBS orchestrated the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. For anyone to understand why the Saudi Prince would want Khashoggi dead, they must be informed of the incidents in Khashoggi’s life, specifically before he left Saudi Arabia. The journalist was a Saudi Arabian dissident. While he lived in the Middle East, he served as General Manager and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al-Arab News channel. He had also served as editor for the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Watan, turning it into a platform for Saudi Arabian progressives. After the Saudi Arabian government, as he put it, “banned” him from Twitter, Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017 and went into self-imposed exile. After he left, Khashoggi settled in Washington DC, USA, where he worked for the Washington Post and wrote newspaper articles critical of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, and the country’s king, Salman of Saudi Arabia. He also opposed the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. Khashoggi wrote many articles criticizing the Saudi government’s policies. He condemned their treatment of women, and advocated for the Kingdom to return to the pre1979 era, when women were regarded as the equals of men. He also advocated for persons critical of the government to be able to criticize the royals without being imprisoned, as the government usually executes dissidents, since
Slain Journalist, Jamal Khashoggi they believe that the family was appointed to rule by Allah, himself. He also said that Saudis must find a way to accommodate secularism, so that they could be more tolerant and respectful of the views of different sects of Muslims, as well as non-Muslims. Khashoggi expressed the need for freedom of expression in the Saudi Arabian nation, as well as freedom of the press. He had famously said that governments should help facilitate independent press so that “ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.” With the Post, he criticized the Saudi Arabian-led blockade against Qatar, Saudi Arabia’s dispute with Lebanon, Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic dispute with Canada, and the Kingdom’s crackdown on dissents and media. Khashoggi supported a few of the Crown Prince’s reforms, such as when he allowed women to drive, but he condemned Saudi Arabia’s arrest of Loujain al-Hathloul, who was ranked in the list of the “Top 100 Most Powerful Arab Women in 2015”, along with Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza alYousef, and several other women’s rights advocates involved in the women to drive movement and the anti maleguardianship campaign. Further, Khashoggi had criticized the Saudi war on Yemen, writing “The longer this cruel war lasts in Yemen, the more permanent the damage will be. The people of Yemen will be busy fighting poverty, cholera and water scarcity and rebuilding their
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
country. The Crown Prince must bring an end to the violence,” and “Saudi Arabia’s crown prince must restore dignity to his country by ending Yemen’s cruel war.” Khashoggi also wrote, in August 2018, that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, known by his initials, MBS, is signaling that any open opposition to Saudi domestic policies, even ones as egregious as the punitive arrests of reformseeking Saudi women, is intolerable.” According to Khashoggi, while MBS is right to free Saudi Arabia from ultra-conservative religious forces, he is wrong to advance a new radicalism that, while seemingly more liberal and appealing to the West, is just as intolerant as dissent.” Khashoggi also wrote that the prince’s actions are “deepening tensions and undermining the security of the Gulf states and the region as a whole.” FATAL EMBASSY VISIT In October 2018, Khashoggi travelled to Istanbul, Turkey with his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, where he sought to procure documents to finalise the divorce of his previous marriage from the Saudi embassy in Turkey, so that he could marry his fiancée. Khashoggi, knowing the Saudi government’s attitude toward critics of their regime, handed two of his smartphones to his fiancée and asked her to wait outside for him. He also told her, if he doesn’t come out of the consulate, that she should report the matter to the police. Khashoggi entered the Consulate on October 2, 2018.
Cengiz waited hours for him to exit the consulate and, as she observed it close, went to Turkish police. Major news publications reported that Jamal Khashoggi was missing. Then, shortly after, news broke that he was killed and dismembered inside the consulate on that very day. This prompted an investigation into the consulate by Turkish and Saudi officials, which started on October 15 and revealed that an 18-person Saudi death squad had
Court, so that the King and Prince could offer condolences for the passing of his father. The photo of Salah Khashoggi shaking hands with MBS was widely shared by global news media, and was widely condemned as a publicity stunt by the Saudi rulers, to fool the world into thinking that they were not responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Multiple world leaders publicly condemned the Saudi government and urged them to bring a quick resolution to the problem, threatening sanctions against the Kingdom if it wouldn’t acquiesce. On October 16, multiple news outlets including the Washington Post, reported that the USA’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) concluded an investigation, which revealed that Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Later on, US President, Donald Trump, who has close business ties with the Kingdom, disputed the CIA’s findings, saying that the investigation must be
non-binding resolution, which would effectively make it the official position of the US government that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. They also voted on a resolution to put an end to America’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. After the resolution, the Saudi government condemned the actions by the US senate as blatant interference and overreach into Saudi affairs. Also pertinent to this matter is knowledge of the fact that, since June 2017, Saudi Arabia took the position that its neighbour, Qatar, is supporting terrorism and Iran. Qatar denied this. Even so, Saudi Arabia had embarked on an economic blockade against Qatar, characterized by the severance of trade and transport ties. Saudi Arabia led Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to add to the blockade against Qatar, which, for its size and economic might, wields disproportionate power in the
Salah Khashoggi and Mohammed Bin Salman at the Saudi Royal Court entered Istanbul before Khashoggi did, intending to murder him. Initially, the Saudi government had denied accusations that they knew of Khashoggi’s whereabouts, only saying that Khashoggi left the consulate through a back entrance on the very day that he entered it. On October 20, the Saudi government changed their narrative and admitted that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by rogue elements of their government. They claimed he had been strangled to death in a scuffle, and that his death was an accident that was a result of an argument. This was later contradicted when Saudi Arabia’s, Attorney General stated that the murder was premeditated. After Khashoggi’s killing, all four of his children were banned from leaving Saudi Arabia. His eldest son, Salah Khashoggi, was ordered to report to the Saudi Royal
continued. He further said that the CIA did not conclude the involvement of MBS in Khashoggi’s murder. In early December, Republican and Democratic senators condemned Trump’s equivocation. On December 11, TIME Magazine named Khashoggi Person of the Year for his work, along with other journalists who were persecuted for their work. Trump later said that he would not do anything to jeopardize America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, even though he admitted that the Crown Prince could be behind the journalist’s murder. He said that, since the Kingdom sells oil to America at a reasonable price, he would not jeopardise the country’s relationship with their ally. He called it “putting America first”. He also said that their partnership is important, for the maintenance of stability in the Middle East. The US Senate later voted overwhelmingly to adopt a
Middle East. Recently, the Washington Post subtly admitted that Jamal Khashoggi’s columns with the Post were “shaped” by an executive at the Qatar foundation, an entity directly funded by the Qatari regime, which is at odds with Saudi Arabia. This information added a new dimension to Saudi Arabia’s motivation for orchestrating the murder of Jamal Khashoggi; that he was in cahoots with their regional rival. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken multiple steps to reform their public defense and security systems, predicated on the narrative that they did not orchestrate the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. However, the rest of the world has all but concluded that MBS orchestrated the journalist’s murder. However, it is unclear whether the Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, will ever face consequences for his actions.
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Kaieteur News
Should bottles of alcohol carry a warning label? - drunk and disorderly murders top list of homicides in Guyana “Drinking alcohol in access can cause uncontrollable bouts of rage, that result in murder…” Printing such a warning on a bottle of alcohol may sound like a far-fetched notion, but it’s certainly not as silly as the motives behind the spate of murders this year that were committed by persons under the influence. Men like to boast that they can hold their liquor, but the alleged killers and victims have practically all been men. Let’s look at some of the cases. One night in early February, Nair Khan, a 30-year-old porter, was drinking with a friend and the friend’s wife at Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo when the friend allegedly accused Khan of having an affair with his wife. An argument ensued, during which the ‘friend’ allegedly stabbed Khan. The wounded man fled the scene, but collapsed and died in a nearby yard. The alleged killer, Orwin Accra, also fled the scene, but later surrendered at the Leonara Police Station accompanied by his mother. He was later charged. MURDER OVER FOOD In early July, at Lot 37 Bella Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, a man was consuming liquor with a friend when he gave his brother, Nazir Khan, called ‘Kari, money, with the request that Khan buy him a meal. When the unemployed Khan failed to return, the brother and the friend who he was drinking with allegedly went to find him. They reportedly eventually located Khan, who told them that he had eaten the food. The brother and friend reportedly inflicted a severe beating on Khan, who fled to a nearby yard where he collapsed and died. A postmortem revealed that the victim was punched, kicked and choked. He suffered brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head, compounded by compression injuries to the neck. The 57-year-old brother was subsequently charged. On April 15, Adrian Sousa Santos, a Brazilian, was drinking with one Brian Reid and others at Quartz Stone, “Far Far” Backdam, Cuyuni, when the Brazilian man began to make advances to a Venezuelan woman who is the girlfriend of the accused. An argument then broke out between the two men, Reid allegedly chopped Santos twice on the right arm. Santos died shortly after, while others who were present apprehended Reid and handed him over to the police. Santos was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Reid was later charged. By July 2018, there were at least 45 disorderly murders. Fisherman Elroy Marks, of Aruka River, North West District and also of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast, was one of the victims. Marks was imbibing with a 43-year-old labourer at Kumaka Water Front, North West District when an argument ensued. This escalated into a fight in which the suspect alleg-
Mahendra Sooknanan
Dead: Sherwin Melville
Murdered: ‘Terrible Dog’ edly broke a bottle and stabbed Marks to the neck. The fisherman was rushed to the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, in an unconscious state where he succumbed. The alleged killer, of Hotoquai Village, North West District, was detained and charged. Drunken taunts about a man’s wife can end in murder. That happened last October, when a disc jockey allegedly killed Mahendra Sooknanan. Sooknanan, a 21-year-old back maker of Lot 36 Number 69 Village, Upper Corentyne, Berbice, was drinking with a friend when Sooknanan allegedly made derogatory remarks about the friend’s wife. This led to the friend allegedly stabbing Sooknanan several times. The victim’s body was found along a dirt dam some 800 meters away from the scene. The accused, identified as 19-year-old Irvin Somai, called ‘Bobo’, was detained and later charged. In late October, Vernon Cummings, a 51year-old labourer and another man were drinking at Timehri Docks, East Bank Demerara, when an argument broke out between the two
Dead: Leonard “Lenny” Peters
Murdered: Desmond Sewdath men. The friend, Phillip Solomon, allegedly armed with a length of metal pipe, and Cummings allegedly holding a paddle, reportedly attacked each other. The fight reportedly ended with Vernon Cummings being bludgeoned. Soloman was later charged. The pattern of ‘murder while drinking’ continued in November, with a 16-yr-old school dropout allegedly killing another 30-year-old Desmond Sewdath, called “Bull,” at Auchlyne, Corentyne, Berbice. The killing occurred at a shop at which the alleged killer and victim were drinking. Reports are that the teen and Sewdath, who both work as garbage collectors, were intoxicated when an argument ensued. The teen, who had a knife, allegedly stabbed Sewdath in the chest, killing him instantly. He fled the scene, but his mother later turned him in to the police. Disorderly murders climbed in December. One of the first victims was 23-year-old Sherwin Melville, a father of one, of Capoey Mission, Essequibo Coast. Melville was allegedly drinking with another man when an argu-
ment broke out. Hours later, the youth was found with his throat slashed. Also on December 21, footballer Leonard “Lenny” Peters, of Lot 29 West Watooka, Wismar, Linden was imbibing at a shop when he allegedly spilled alcohol on another man. The man was in the company of his brother and one of the men retrieved a knife from his home and stabbed Peters to the chest. Peters succumbed at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), while the alleged killer, Michael Emmanuel, was later charged. And at Moruca, North West District, 25year-old miner Rondee Peters was also stabbed to death during a drinking spree. Peters was allegedly having a drink with five of his associates and an argument broke out. Peters was later found stabbed to death at a ball-field. ‘TERRIBLE DOG’AND THE SAUSAGES Rum and a love for sausages appeared to have led to the murder of gold miner known as “Terrible Dog”. He was allegedly stabbed in the region of his stomach by a Brazilian chef, who goes by the alias “Suseh God”. The men were at a mining camp at Chinese Creek Backdam, Puruni River, Region Seven. Investigations revealed that the victim and the chef were involved in a heated argument over the frying of sausages. It is alleged that the Brazilian, who is the cook, became annoyed and fatally stabbed “Terrible Dog” to the chest before escaping.
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Monday December 31, 2018
Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association GRPA had an incredibly successful 2018 By Kemol King Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) is a non-governmental organisation that was started in 1973 by Olga Byrne, as an educational, training and family planning institution. The association’s mandate focuses on the promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). It touts itself as the leading SRHR provider and advocate in Guyana. GRPA demands full human rights for all people, and pushes for urgent action to address the needs of marginalized sexual and gender minorities. GRPA is a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a group of over 140 associations working in 152 countries, with another 24 partners working in 19 countries. IPPF provides SRHR services around the world, fighting for sexual rights. GRPA is fully accredited with IPPF. The Executive Director of GRPA is Renata Chuck-ASang. As the leading sexual and reproductive health services provider in the country, GRPA has had an incredibly successful 2018. In an interview with Kaieteur News, Programmes Officer Jairo Rodrigues talked about the work the non-governmental organisation has been doing all year. WHAT SERVICES HAS GRPA PROVIDED TO GUYANESE IN 2018? GRPA managed to provide 3,386 HIV testing and counseling services, 13,475 testing and information services on sexually transmitted infections (herpes, Chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea), 2913 education, sensitization and counseling services related to reducing gender-based violence, and 22,088 contraceptive services and information. Notably, for Cancer Awareness Package, the organisation’s biggest 2018 promotion, GRPA served 1,380 clients, providing 14,282 services. In total, they have detected and treated 2,562 cases of cervical cancer and 1,002 services related to prostate cancer screening. CAPACITY BUILDING AND OUTREACH SERVICES GRPA’s Gender-based Violence and Youth project, supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, saw them capturing 166 young persons in community outreaches conducted with ChildLink in Crane and Patentia in the Essequibo Islands – West Demerara Region, and Sophia in Greater Georgetown. Two hundred and eighty
Executive Director of GRPA, Renata Chuck-A-Sang nine young persons in six cityschools (Bishops’ High, St. Joseph’s High, Brickdam Secondary, North Georgetown Secondary, Charlestown Secondary, and Houston Secondary) received education sessions on gender-based violence, which focused on physical abuse, verbal and sexual abuse. Seventeen young people benefitted from information sessions on sexual rights and services, and 10 young women were engaged on legal counselling. Added to community outreaches and interventions with youth, there was a social engagement for the public on Genderbased violence. Of their 2018 Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme, 473 students in total benefitted from CSE sessions. The 2018 CSE curriculum focused on values and personal awareness; healthy relationships, sexuality education; puberty and adolescent reproductive health; sexual health; Abstinence; safe sex and responsibility (family planning); sexual abuse, the law and support services; human rights; sex and gender; Gender-based violence and gender justice. The CSE programme reached 253 males and 220 females from the following schools: Brickdam Secondary, Christ Church, F.E. Pollard Primary, Goed Fortuin Primary, the Juvenile Holding Centre, Open Doors Centre for the Disabled, St. George’s and Tutorial High. The 2018 programme reached a total of 1,027 persons, 964 being youth under the age of 24. Sixteen youth were trained peer-educators on Sexuality Education. Sexuality Information sessions were conducted at the Guyana School of Agriculture, New Opportunity Corp, Stella Maris Primary School, Guyana Prison Service (to officers, officer-intraining and male and female prisoners of the New Amsterdam Prison), West Demerara High School Career Fair, Full Gospel Throne Room
Church Career Fair, Bina Hill Institute and Annai Secondary School, schools on the Essequibo Coast (Cotton Field Secondary, Abram Zuil Secondary, Johanna Cecelia Secondary and Anna Regina Multilateral School). There were also sexual health and sexuality workshops and seminars for faith leaders, youth and the public. WHAT HAVE BEEN GRPA’S MOST NOTABLE COLLABORATIONS IN 2018? “[GRPA’s achievements have been] made possible with partnerships with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) who supports our main Programming; and collaborations with the ASPIRE Youth Network, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Protection, Ministry of Public Security and the Guyana Prison Service, and the Youth Advocacy Movement (the youth arm) of the GRPA.” “Collaborations in 2018 were made with Childlink, SASOD and the Guyana LGBT Coalition, Women’s Wednesdays, and Girls Guides Association as civil society partners and groups.” “A major collaboration for GRPA in 2018 was with the Guyana LGBT Coalition (The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination, the Guyana Trans United and the Guyana Rainbow Foundation) for the Guyana LGBT Pride Festival. GRPA was an NGO Partner and fully supported LGBT Pride Festival by engaging our clients on LGBT rights, social media campaigns, hosting a Pride Sports and Health Fair as an official Pride event, promoting a LGBT Package which included free health check-ups and discounted services for members of the LGBT community. GRPA also participated in the first ever LGBT Pride Parade.” WHERE DOES GRPASEE ITSELF NEEDING THE MOST IMPROVEMENT? “GRPA needs to improve on its service provision outside of Region 4. We recognise that there is a need for sexual and reproductive health services particularly in rural and hinterland areas.” “GRPA will also work towards improving its brand recognition in the community particularly as it relates to what the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association does.” HOW INSTRUMENTAL HAS YAM BEEN TOWARD THE FULFILLMENT OF GRPA'S MANDATE? “GRPA is fully committed to youth development and involvement in Guyana. Our youth programme, Youth Advocacy Movement, focused
on the coordination and implementation of genderbased violence awareness project as well as the delivery of comprehensive sexuality education in schools and corporate settings. The Youth Advocacy Movement participated and facilitated in those GBV and CSE projects as well as our outreach activities, community engagements, and education sessions. We would like to be more pro-active as it relates to advocacy around youth sexual and reproductive health access and rights.” THE PRESIDENT OFYAM IS KOBE JUWAN SMITH. HOW DOES GRPA MANAGE TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE SRH SERVICES? WHO'S FUNDING GRPA? “GRPA has a strong local, regional and international support base for our work. Our major donor is International Planned Parenthood Federation, of which GRPA is
INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES YOU PROVIDE? “Yes, GRPA is the only sole provider of this Merck product in Guyana. The implant as a form of female contraception is a very popular method for young women who would like to delay pregnancy for up to five years. It is a reversible long-term form of contraception. Both the product and the insertion process are available at GRPA. This has greatly improved the contraception options for women in Guyana.” WHATARE GRPA'S PLANS FOR 2019? • To continue our work in advocacy on sexual and reproductive health and rights. • To continue to provide access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education through education and empowerment of communities to by strengthening our youth education and empowerment of our community advocacy. as
a member. Other donors include the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Health, the Government of Canada through the Canada Fund for Livelihood Initiatives, Rotary Club of Georgetown, our clients and other corporate partners like Sterling Products, Massay Supermarkets etc.” WHOARE YOUR DOCTORS, COUNSELLORS, ETC.? “Dr. Pedro Hernandez Paez is the Medical Services Manager and Doctor of the GRPA Family Wellness Centre. Dr. Chand is our Gynaecologist. Ms. Arlene Harmon is our Psycho-Social Support Counsellor of the association. Other members of staff are trained in peer-counselling and mental health support. We also refer clients to other counsellors in our network as needed.” GRPA provides a unique form of contraceptive, the Jadelle implant. IS GRPATHE ONLY PROVIDER OF THE JADELLE CONTRACEPTIVE IN GUYANA? HOW HAS THE INTRODUCTION OF THAT CONTRACEPTIVE
well as • To continue to sensitise and educate on puberty and adolescent sexual health, sexuality and gender diversity, gender equality and justice. • To improve community response to Gender BasedViolence with legal and social support. • To improve our brand recognition in relation to marketing of GRPA’s services. • To increase access to Sexual and Reproductive health Services Gender in the rural and hinterland areas. • Heightened advocacy for a Ministry of Education policy to protect LGBT students and teachers from being discriminated, harassed or bullied in schools and for legislation to include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity as grounds for discrimination in the Prevention of Discrimination Act of 1997 • To advocate for the adoption of the Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy WHO CONSTITUTES THE TEAM OF MANAGERS AND LEADERS OF GRPA? “The Management team of GRPA consists of Ms. Renata Chuck-A-Sang as Executive
President of YAM, Kobe Juwan Smith Director of GRPA, Ms. Salima Bacchus-Hinds, Programmes Manager, Dr. Pedro Hernandez Paez is Medical Services Manager and Ms. Arlene Wrong-Chaturia is our Finance and Operations Manager.” WHAT WOULD GRPA WANT GUYANA TO KNOWABOUT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHAND RIGHTS? “Sexual and Reproductive Health is a right and should not be neglected. Everyone has a responsibility to safeguard their bodies and should do regular check-ups especially if they are sexually active, seeking to delay pregnancy, terminate pregnancies safely or seeking medical help in conceiving. It is a human right and a sexual right to receive the highest attainable standard of health.” “GRPA offers full Family Wellness health services in our clinic. Affordable testing services for Cervical, prostate, testicular and breast cancers as well as a range of tests for sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, HIV, Herpes. We also do drug testing for employment and insurance purposes. We provide general laboratory services for annual school check-ups, food-handlers tests. We have welltrained and qualified medical professionals to provide antenatal care and gynaecological services.” “GRPA also offers counseling and psycho-social support for couples in relationships, family matters, on sexuality and gender diversity, Gender-Based Violence, stress and mental health support.” “GRPA Programmes offers sensitivity training and education on gender equality, gender justice, sexuality and gender diversity, Sexuality Education which includes sexual health and contraception use.” “All these services are offered in a safe, comfortable, confidential, professional, youth and LGBT friendly environment.”
Monday December 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Female Bourda Market vendor On Politicians and Participation Trophies allegedly robbed at gunpoint - claims cops yet to investigate her report
By Kemol King The millenial generation is a lazy and entitled generation or at least, that is what we were told; that those who grow up in the early 21st century, experiencing the rapid development of the technological age, from playing cricket and hopscotch outside to being inside all day on our laptops and iPads, were so heavily impacted by the simplification of work that we were made to be lazy and entitled. That we expect trophies just for showing up, even if we didn’t make first place. They call it the participation trophy. I’m a millenial and I grew up hearing a lot about this from my elders. However, when it comes to politics in Guyana, our leaders are the best at being entitled, despite the fact that they are yet to give the youth a meaningful voice in their pursuits. Over the years, many of our leaders have forgotten that they are public servants, not monarchs, not celebrities. However, they carry themselves with a crescendo of arrogance. It is this arrogance that caused the government to face such a major upset when Charrandass Persaud voted out of favour with them, and it is this arrogance that may very well be their downfall. The day before the vote, I had heard that the governing administration was planning on having a crowd of its supporters gather outside of parliament in a show of support for their government. Not only were they supposed to be there to show support, that source said, but to ensure that any Coalition MP thinking of defecting, would be intimidated and have to think twice. That night, I was told that my job was to interview the crowd. Sure enough, they were out there, all 200 of them in green. There were AFC supporters dressed in yellow, out there too, all five of them; a true representation, some would say, of the coalition’s power dynamic. They were adamant that there was no chance their government could be defeated by the no-confidence motion. After all, the government’s side had boasted 33 sitting MPs, to the PPP/C’s 32. When I asked a woman if she thinks that there’s a chance a government MP would defect, she said she doubts it, but that if any one of them were to consider that, there would be trouble. She was about to expound, but after realising that she might have spoken too harshly, she held her tongue. For me, interviewing the crowd was an emotional experience. It was a reminder that my country is still as divided as it was decades ago, along race and class lines. It was also a reminder that our politicians have consistently succeeded in pushing the bar lower and lower, so low that the Guyanese people would applaud them for doing the bare minimum. They were threatening violence against the opposition. At one point, a section of the crowd chanted in unison, “Bring Jagdeo out, leh we beat he s***t!” This anger, they said, was fueled by a set of extrajudicial killings that occurred under the previous administration of Afro-Guyanese young men, with little to no justice for the families of the deceased, or the perpetrators. They were so sure that the motion wouldn’t pass. Then came Charrandass. I wasn’t there when he cast his vote, nor did I expect it. I thought, even if a government MP thought the government was doing a poor job, that they wouldn’t risk destabilising the fragile state of social cohesion in our country. My editor-in-chief had advised me to head back to Kaieteur News early and finish my story, since a senior journalist would cover the vote. So, I did. Minutes after I left Kaieteur News, a friend shouted an exclamation that she couldn’t believe it. Scrambling to
Kemol King Facebook, I saw it on the top of my newsfeed: “Charrandass defects.” That’s when everything went off track. Young people flocked to Facebook and Twitter, making jokes and memes, a common millenial reaction to chaotic current events. As soon as Charandass Persaud said “Yes,” the room went into a commotion. Ministers of Public Infrastructure and Health, Patterson and Lawrence, were the first to swing around and glare. Two seconds later, Jermaine Figueira hit him on his left arm. The other government MPs went into a frenzy: “Charrandass, no! Change your vote! No! No! No!” At one point, within a period of three minutes, a statement coming from a presumably female MP, could be heard, “Charrandass, you want dead tonight”. Another MP exclaimed, “Charrandass, wah de f*** wrong with you?” Charrandass Persaud said that he received multiple threats to his life, including from a sitting government minister before the vote, that she would kill anyone who crossed the floor, by throwing them off the rail. This country and its leaders have a demented, deluded concept of what democracy really is. It shows, from the news that the opposition circulated a memo to their MPs that they shouldn’t vote their conscience, to the evidence on parliament’s video recordings that Charrandass Persaud was physically assaulted and threatened moments after he finally decided to exercise his conscience after three years, as he claimed. Later, the next day, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes went live on Facebook and spoke about how people’s rights were trampled upon during the PPP/C’s time as government, and then commended her government for allowing Charrandass Persaud to leave safely. Imagine the bar being so low that the Guyanese people are made to think that it is a commendable accomplishment that they did not hurt a man for speaking his truth. Is this democracy? Leaders on both sides of the political divide MUST step out of their own way, and listen more to the demographics that they haven’t made themselves comfortable pandering to, instead of only recognising the suffering of Guyanese people, when they are the opposition. There is much more to be done. Regardless of the reason why he voted the way he did, Charrandass Persaud’s vote is a message to all of our politicians that none of them is a celebrity or monarch. They are not untouchable or immovable. They are servants of the people of Guyana, and they are subjects to the will of the people. Not just during the election period, but every single day they serve in public office. Whoever manages to secure the majority vote of the Guyanese people, come next General Election, will do good to remember that.
A female Bourda market vendor is accusing police of dragging their feet regarding an investigation into a robbery that was allegedly committed at her stall last Friday by a gun-toting man posing as a customer. Twenty year old, Zabida Khan believes although the matter was reported the police are dragging their feet. “We worked for the past three weeks 24 hrs trying to make ends meet. I need justice,” she said. Khan stated that on the day in question, around 21:30hrs her husband left the stall to go home to freshen up and return. She then left a worker in the stall to deal with a customer as she went in to attend to her one-year-old son. “After I finish with my son, I went back into the shop to see what the customer wanted. Suddenly, the man pulled out a silver gun and started demanding money and any other valuables we had.” The victim recounted that the man then relieved her worker of two chains and an earring, valued at $77,000. He then took her chain, wedding ring, engagement ring and a BLU cell phone, all at a total value of $135,000. “When he took our stuff, he still demanded us to hand over more. I told him that we don’t have anything else (because ) my husband just left.” A visually shaken Khan stated that the man then threatened to shoot them. Pulling her by the hair, the man allegedly dragged her to the cash drawer where he took $300,000 in cash and $40,000 worth of phone cards. “I complied out of fear that he would hurt me or my child.” Khan stated that after the man took the items, he ran out the stall to a waiting red and black motorcycle. The traumatized woman indicated that around 21:30 hrs that very night, she went
The stall where the incident took place to the Bourda Police Outpost and ranks there directed her the Alberttown Police Station to make her report. “I reported the matter to one Constable (name provided) and he promised to call me to take my statement and make arrangements for a visit to the crime scene.” “To this date, the constable did not call me back and when I went to the police station on Saturday, no one else assisted me as they claimed the Corporal was not in.” Although another vendor is suspected to be involved in planning the robbery and the men are known to be from a certain section of Georgetown, she alleged that no police ranks visited to take statements or check the crime scene to begin the investigation. “We have been vending for over 20 years and this never happened. People work
Stall owner: Zabida Khan hard to make a dollar and it’s not fair for someone else to come and just take that away. I am sharing my story because I need justice and because this can happen to anyone.”
EPA’s poor salaries... (From page 3) engineers, geologists, hydrologists, and chemical engineers. So before we can even get to preparing for oil, we need to get our human resources right to carry out our mandate, to fulfill our fundamental duties and oil will soon be part of that…The reality is that we are understaffed. So I have to tackle all these things.” The Environmental Engineer added, “I have to submit a supplemental early next year so I can get the funds to hire the professionals we need. I have made these issues known to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and Finance Minister, Winston Jordan and they have been very supportive…” Turning his attention to the oil sector, the EPA Head told Kaieteur News that the supplementary he is preparing for 2019, will take into account, the money needed to transform EPA
into a tough oil and gas regulator. He said, “Right now, I have $624M for 2019 but that did not take our preparations for oil into consideration. When I was brought on a few months ago, the budget preparation for the agency was already at an advanced stage. My first task when I came on was to do an assessment of the Agency and see where it is…And it needs major restructuring.” The issue of EPA being woefully understaffed was also raised in the forensic audit report that was done by Goolsarran. But the issue remains unaddressed. In the audit report, Goolsarran said that the agency needs an additional 165 officers to “fully and effectively” execute its mandate. He noted for example that EPA’s Compliance Department has 27 officers but needs an additional 63 to be effective.
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Kaieteur News
Monday December 31, 2018
New look for old Govt’s going to court should not St. George‘s in 2019 Passage of no confidence motion…
stop resignation - Ramkarran
The passage of the no confidence motion against the Government in the National Assembly cannot be overturned by the Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland. This is the view shared by former Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran, in an interview with Kaieteur News on the move by Government to seek to have the decision on the motion overturned through the National Assembly. “A decision has been taken by the National Assembly; the Speaker did not make a decision. The National Assembly did and that decision was announced by the Speaker. The speaker can’t change that decision,” Ramkarran stated. On December 21, then Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament, Charrandass Persaud, voted with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) on the no confidence motion, a move that forced the collapse of the Coalition Government and early General Elections. Persaud’s vote gave the PPP/C a 33-32 majority at the end of a fiery debate and a tense voting process. Government had initially accepted the decision, but days later, wrote to Dr. Scotland, pointing out that 34 votes were needed to pass the Motion brought by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. However, Ramkarran noted that there is no procedure or method available to the Speaker to reverse the decision once made by the National Assembly. “If I were the Speaker, I
Former Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran would rule that the National Assembly has made a decision. That decision was announced to be carried by me as Speaker. That decision is now a resolution of the National Assembly and that resolution was conveyed to the political parties. It is a decision that is made. It can’t be change,” Ramkarran contended. He pointed out that the National Assembly has to change that decision and using the Government’s contention, such a move will require 34 votes to overturn the Motion. Under the Constitution, the Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence. Further, the Constitution states that notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall
A section of the St. George’s Cathedral, which underwent rehabilitative work.
hold an election within three months Ramkarran explained that the Government can go to the court to challenge the decision of the National Assembly. “The decision is valid and cannot be reversed and the consequences of the decision should flow, which is the Government should resign, but that does not stop them from going to the court and asking the court to reverse the decision. That as far as I see is the way out,” Ramkarran noted. He called the Government’s contention ‘a cheap trick’ questioning why the 34 figure should relate only to a no confidence motion. Ramkarran noted that people have forgotten the argument on what is a majority. He pointed out that since 2011, the 65-member Parliament has adopted 33 as the majority. According to Ramkarran, there is nothing to support the Government’s contention, which is to divide the 65 in half, which is 32.5, add one to make it 33.5 and then round up to 34 to mean the majority. “There is nothing in the Constitution that indicates that this mathematical calculation is part of the way to determine what the majority is. It just uses the word majority and majority means one more,” Ramkarran stated. The former Speaker stated that ‘one more’ was the basis of what the members of the National Assembly believed in when they used the word majority.
Rehabilitation work to the St. George’s Cathedral is expected to be completed in the new year. The Church holds historic significance and was once labelled the world’s tallest wooden building. The Cathedral was constructed under the Anglican Diocese of Guyana in 1899. However, over time, the 121 year-old wooden edifice began to deteriorate---several broken windows, rotted wood on numerous parts of the building become apparent. Last year, with the assistance of the National Trust and other donors, the Anglican Diocese embarked on rehabilitation project to restore the Cathedral to its former glory. The rehabilitation which is estimated at over USD $2M, commenced about a year ago. A source close to the project had revealed that the work in-
cluded replacement of boards and stain glass windows on several parts of the building. Some repairs were slated to take place on the roof. A visit to the heritage site, this past week revealed that a significant portion of the repairs has been completed. Although church officials were unavailable for a comment, this newspaper had learnt that work to the cathedral is likely to wrap up in 2019. “We are now awaiting some windows which had to be sourced from overseas, “a worker attached to the cathedral confirmed noting the church is making preparation for its annual New Year’s Eve service. “The construction will not hinder the service at all. Most of the work is being done outside and at present, the construction workers are awaiting the glass windows that have to be imported to be fitted in
some of the windows.” The worker noted that the repairs are being largely financed through fund-raising activities and through donations from local and overseas parishioners /donors. Over the past year, Republic Bank, Iwokrama International Centre and its joint venture partner, the local firm of Farfan and Mendes Ltd, have been contributing to the restoration of the iconic St. George’s Cathedral, located on Company Path, in the heart of Georgetown., The restoration work was initially estimated at a cost of $61 million, with the National Trust of Guyana (NTG) contributing $13 million. This cost included the concessionary pricing for the wood, which is being harvested from the Iwokrama Forest, Guyana’s only internationally certified forestry concession.
Monday December 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Fugitive from Canada gunned down outside Rio Hotel - brutal killing recorded on camera
The location where Sean Allister O’Brien Greene met his demise. Sean Greene In what may be the first execution-style killing for the year, a 38-year-old man who is suspected to be wanted in Canada for murder was gunned down at around 04:00 hours yesterday in Forshaw Street, near the Rio Hotel. Sean Allister O’Brien Greene, 37, of of Queenstown, Georgetown, and Number 78 Village, Springlands, Corentyne, was riddled in full view of several onlookers. CCTV footage showed the gunman shooting at his victim before escaping on foot. Greene is believed to be wanted in Canada for his role in the killing of a Canadian citizen. Police said that Greene was standing in front of the hotel with others when person(s) unknown approached and discharged several rounds at him and fled the scene. The victim was then rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was pronounced dead on arrival. In the CCTV footage seen by Kaieteur News, a number of persons could be seen under a tent in front of the
A screen shot of the article from a Canadian media outlet, “City News”, which shows someone with similar features to Greene. Foreshaw Street hotel that is just a few doors away from the “Rio night club. An individual then walked to the tent and bright flashes, believed to be gunshots could be seen. The persons under the tent scattered, after which the assailant ran in the direction of Albert Street. When persons eventually ventured back to the scene, Greene lay wounded and clinging to life. He appeared to have been shot multiple times in the legs, arms, face and stomach. Onlookers appeared to be confused on whether to take the wounded man to a hospital. Reports out of Canada indicate that Greene was wanted for the killing of 42year-old Chad Day, a resident
of Toronto. The story stated that, “Canadian police had released security camera photos of a man wanted in connection with a murder in Parkdale. It went on to say that around 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2018 police were called to a building on West Lodge Avenue near Lansdowne Avenue and Queen Street West, where they found a man lying in the front driveway with serious injuries, and he was pronounced dead. Investigators believe the man had fallen from a balcony after a fight. The victim was identified as Chad Day. A few days later, Canadian police arrested and charged
Crime scene investigators work the scene.
Lee Newelln, 31, with firstdegree murder. Christopher Small, 28, was charged with second-degree murder. Canadian Authorities then stated they were looking for a third man,
described to be in his 20’s to 30’s. He was wearing a black baseball cap, a red sweater with white stripes and dark pants.” Checks of Greene’s background suggested that
he was deported from America. He had reportedly also stayed in Canada and had come to Guyana around September. Up until press time, no arrests were made.
Sisters killed by speeding driver were sitting in bus shed The bus shed where the sisters were sitting, while a resident points to the location where their bodies came to rest.
The two women who were struck and killed by a speeding driver on Saturday were sitting in a bus shed at Marudi Public Road, Linden/ Soesdyke Highway when the accident occurred. The women are also clothes vendors and the main financial providers for their homes. Fifty-four-year-old Melva Lucus and 51-year-old Elsa Fernandes, both of Grant Sand Road, Soesdyke, East
Bank Demerara, were killed at around 16:45 hours when a Toyota with registration plates PRR 3606, ploughed into the bus shed. A 28-yearold resident of Kuru Kururu was behind the wheel. The vehicle was said to be proceeding north along the western side of the Marudi Public Road at a fast rate of speed. Witnesses claim the driver was racing with two other cars. The driver in a statement
to police alleged that he swerved to avoid hitting another car, which was proceeding south along the western lane. The driver also said in his defence that he then struck a bus shed on the western parapet where the two sisters were seated. Pieces of the vehicle’s number plate were still under the bus shed. Indications are that the car would have veered off the main highway Continued on page 22
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Monday December 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
Sisters killed by speeding driver...
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DEAD: Melva Lucus
DEAD: Elsa Fernandes
From page 21 and ended up some fifteen feet to the area where the sisters sat. The sisters were then hurled several feet across an access road that leads into one of the hill-side communities. The women were pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond Regional Hospital. Kaieteur News also visited the family home, which was located in a hill top community in the Soesdyke area. Preparations were being made to bury the sisters. The younger sister, Fernandes is survived by her husband and two teenage children, while her older sister, Lucus leaves to mourn some six kids, her husband and grandchildren. The victims are also survived by their mother and six other siblings. Police said that the driver passed a breathalyzer test. He remains in custody.
Leaked video shows... From page 9 you see staff or members of the killing team unloading body bags or black bags of some sort. So, it leaves the impression that Khashoggi’s body ended up at the consular’s residence and that’s what the investigation should focus now, what happened to it there.” On Sunday evening, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had a phone call with Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s former foreign minister and current state minister in charge of foreign affairs. It is not yet clear what was discussed in during the call. Last week, Saudi King Salman replaced al-Jubeir with Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister, in the first cabinet reshuffle since the killing of Khashoggi. “Most probably, the Saudi side would hope that this recent cabinet reshuffle puts to an end to the case and relieves Saudi Arabia from this pressure by the Turks and the international community looking for some answers - but it is clear but judging from these pictures and judging from the new book that was released just a couple of days ago in Turkey ... that the case is not disappearing, shuffling the cabinet or not shuffling the cabinet,” Jahshan said. “Saudi Arabia needs to come clean, needs to explain the legal process, needs to prove that the people who have been dismissed from office because of their implication in this crime have actually been arrested and are being indicted on charges of murder.”
Monday December 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
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CARICOM committed to combatting chronic non communicable diseases in 2019 – incoming CARICOM Chairman GEORGETOWN, Guyana - CMC – Incoming chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Prime Minister of St. Kitts Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris, says 2019 will be the year to combat chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the region. In his New Year’s message Harris said CARICOM will enter 2019 with “a renewed vigour and determination to maintain the momentum with which we ended 2018.” He added that at the core of the region’s thrust for growth and development is a well-educated and healthy workforce. He said chronic NCD’s is a threat to the region’s sustainable development – a concern highlighted at a meeting at the United Nations earlier in the year. “Our Community’s commitment to battle against the ravages caused by chronic non-communicable diseases is unrelenting. Our Ministers of Health have agreed on a programme called Caribbean Moves which seeks to create a culture of regular physical activity and healthy eating through exciting, fun and supportive programmes where people live, work, study and play. It is a whole society approach that we must embrace to tackle this continuing threat to our greatest resource – our people.” The St. Kitts Nevis Prime
Minister also said 2019 will be the final year of the region’s first five-year Strategic Plan and preparations have already begun for the second Plan which will build on the accomplishments of its predecessor. “There is no doubt that the CARICOM Single Market and Economy is the linchpin of our efforts at sustainable growth and development and in the coming year we will be looking to further advance its implementation from what has been achieved in 2018,” he said. Pointing to the 30th InterSessional sessional meeting of CARICOM leaders in February, Harris said a special session will be held on Air and Maritime Transportation to focus on
NEW YORK - CMC – A Caribbean American academic here has paid tribute to trailblazing Caribbean American former New York Supreme Court justice and legislator William C. Thompson, Sr., who died on Christmas Eve. Ron Howell – an Associate Professor in Journalism at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and author, said Thompson, whose late parents migrated from St. Kitts and Nevis, lived the American dream. “The death of William C. Thompson Sr. was not just the passing of Brooklyn’s first black state senator, nor of a powerful attorney who stepped onto the highest rungs of the New York state judicial system, nor of the father of one of the city’s most prominent politicians, former city comptroller and current City University chair Bill Thompson,” said Howell, who also traces his roots to
St. Kitts and Nevis. “Judge Thompson’s death was the final farewell for a significant chapter in the history of black politics in New York City,” he added, disclosing that Thompson was a protégé of Bertram Baker, Howell’s maternal grandfather, who, in 1948, became the first Black elected to political office in Brooklyn’s history, representing BedfordStuyvesant in New York State Assembly. Howell said that, in the 1950s and ’60s, Black attorneys in Brooklyn began seeking powerful jobs as elected officials, as assistant prosecutors and as judges, and that Baker opened those doors of political access. A World War II veteran, who served in the segregated US military of that era, Howell said Thompson “came out of what is properly called the ‘Greatest Generation.’” But he said Thompson’s “specialness goes beyond
Dr. Timothy Harris
the critical aspect of integration. “An efficient and affordable transportation system would be a tremendous stimulus to trade and intra-regional tourism thereby strengthening two critical aspects of integration.” He said the region will also be making strides in implementing a Human Resource Development Strategy 2030 “as we move to draft the new school curriculum with particular emphasis on Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).” Harris said the new year will be one that is full of action for the regional grouping. “It is a year in which I look forward to us all being part of the celebration at CARIFESTA XIV which will be held during the period 1625 August 2019, in Trinidad and Tobago, under the theme “The Tangible and Intangible – Connect, Share, Invest”. He also lauded the leadership of current CARICOM chairman, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “He has set a standard which, with the help of my colleague Heads of Government, the Secretariat and the regional Institutions I will strive to match. May we all have a Happy, Healthy and Productive New Year.”
US academic pays tribute to trailblazing Caribbean American former NY Supreme Court justice
Monday December 31, 2018
Kidnapped Trini boys stranded in Syria Trinidad Guardian - An in-ter-na-tion-al non-prof-it or-gan-i-sa-tion is try-ing des-per-ate-ly to se-cure travel doc-u-ments for two T&T both-ers cur-rent-ly strand-ed at a camp for women and children linked to Isis in Syr-ia. Mah-mud Fer-reira, 11, and his younger broth-er, Ayyub, 7, are at Camp Roj and are among an es-ti-mated 1,200 for-eign chil-dren strand-ed in Syr-ia since Isis was dri-ven out of Raqqa in Oc-to-ber 2017. How-ev-er, there is no word from Gov-ern-ment on whether it is sup-port-ing efforts by the non-prof-it group Re-prieve, to re-unite the boys with their moth-er, Fe-li-cia Perkins-Fer-reira, who lives in Pe-tit Val-ley. Ac-cord-ing to a re-port in S a t u r- d a y ’s UK Guardian, the boys were tak-en out of the coun-try in 2014 by their fa-ther, a for-mer ISIS fight-er. It is be-lieved that their fa-ther was killed and they were aban-doned on the roadside by their Bel-gian stepmoth-er in Turkey. They were picked up by the Kur-dish-Arab Syr-i-an De-mo-c-ra-t-ic Forces and have since been alone in Camp Roj, a home for fami-lies of dead or im-prisoned mil-i-tants. How-ever, their lives may be at risk if a planned strike of the city by Turk-ish forces mate-ri-alis-es. There are con-cerns that the boys might now be at risk fol-low-ing the deci-sion by US Pres-i-dent Don-ald Trump to withdraw the 2,000 US spe-cial forces who have been provid-ing a buffer be-tween Syr-ia’s Kurds and neighbour-ing Turkey. There is an in-creas-ing pos-si-bil-i-ty that Turk-ish pres-i-dent Re-cep Tayyip Erdo an may fol-low through
Ayyub Ferreira, left, and his older brother Mahmud, right, are with their sister Baiyyeenah shortly before the boys were kidnapped by their father and taken to Syria in June 2014. The boys have since been abandoned and are being held in a Kurdish-controlled holding camp in Roj, Syria, hoping to be brought back to TT. Their father, Abebe Oboi Ferreira, now presumed dead or imprisoned had gone to Syria to join ISIS. on his threat to in-vade northeast Syr-ia. Con-tact-ed for comment on the plight of the broth-ers, Na-tion-al Se-curi-ty Min-is-ter Stu-art Young would not con-firm where Gov-ern-ment is taking steps to res-cue the boys. He said it was a matter of na-tion-al se-cu-ri-ty and very sen-si-tive. “Var-i-ous is-sues are current-ly at-tract-ing spe-cif-ic at-ten-tion by a mul-ti-agency com-mit-tee put to-geth-er by me, which will make rec-ommen-da-tions to me. The matters are very com-plex and we are work-ing with many in-terna-tion-al agen-cies at-tempt-
ing to ver-i-fy the ve-rac-ity of in-for-ma-tion as a start. At this time there is noth-ing fur-ther that can be said due to the sen-sitiv-i-ty of the mat-ter,” Young said. How-ev-er, that stance has been crit-i-cised by Islam-ic Front leader Umar Abdul-lah who said leav-ing the boys trapped in a con-flict zone is a source of dai-ly trauma for their fam-i-ly. Ab-dul-lah said his or-gani-za-tion has been try-ing to com-mu-ni-cate with T&T nation-als strand-ed due to the war and es-ti-mates that there are 30 of them there, most-ly women.
UK mulls new defence bases in C’bean, Far East after Brexit
Justice William C. Thompson that old uniform.” Howell said neither Baker nor Thompson boasted about being part of “the tiny wave of Caribbean immigrants who came to America in the early 20th century, and put a notable mark on New York City political history.” He said Baker, born in 1898, migrated in 1915 from Nevis, part of the twin-island
BERLIN, Germany (AP) — Britain’s defence secretary has said that the country could establish new military bases in the Caribbean and Far East after Britain leaves the European Union. Gavin Williamson told the Sunday Telegraph the expansion would be part of a strategy for Britain to become a “true global player” after Brexit. Britain is set to leave the EU in March. “This is our biggest moment as a nation since the end of the Second World War, when we can recast ourselves in a different way, we can actually play the role on the world stage that the world expects us to play,” Williamson said. He did not elaborate. The defence secretary predicts a strong shift in Britain’s political focus after Brexit, with deeper relationships with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Africa and the Caribbean emphasised.
Gavin Williamson
Monday December 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Trump says ‘big progress’ on possible China trade deal WA S H I N G T O N / BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he had a “long and very good call” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that a possible trade deal between the United States and China was progressing well. As a partial shutdown of the U.S. government entered its eighth day, with no quick end in sight, the Republican president was in Washington, sending out tweets attacking Democrats and talking up possibly improved relations with China. The two nations have been in a trade war for much of 2018, shaking world financial markets as the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods between the world’s two largest economies has been disrupted by tariffs. Trump and Xi agreed to a ceasefire in the trade war, deciding to hold off on imposing more tariffs for 90 days starting Dec. 1 while they negotiate a deal to end the dispute following months of escalating tensions. “Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China,” Trump wrote on Saturday. “Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made!”
Chinese state media also said Xi and Trump spoke on Saturday, and quoted Xi as saying that teams from both countries have been working to implement a consensus reached with Trump. “I hope that the two teams will meet each other half way, work hard, and strive to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial and beneficial to the world as soon as possible,” Xi said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. China’s foreign ministry said on Sunday the two countries’ relationship had endured storms before, but that strong ties were important for the economies of both nations and for ensuring global stability and peace. Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that Sino-U.S. ties now “stand at a historic new starting point” and that the two sides should respect each other’s sovereignty, security and development interest and appropriately manage differences. “Both sides should stick to rationally and objectively viewing the other side’s strategic intentions, strengthen strategic communication and promote strategic mutual trust to prevent strategic misjudgments,” he said in a statement. Having canceled his plans to travel to his estate in
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump. Florida for the holidays because of the government shutdown that started on Dec. 22, Trump tweeted, “I am in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come on over and make a deal.” The Republicancontrolled Congress was closed for the weekend and few lawmakers were in the capital. The shutdown, affecting about one-quarter of the federal government including 800,000 or so workers, began when funding for several agencies expired. Congress must pass legislation to restore that funding, but has not done so due to a dispute over Trump’s demand that the bill
include $5 billion in taxpayer money to help pay for a wall he wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. The wall was a major 2016 campaign promise of Trump’s, who promised then that it would be paid for by Mexico, which has steadfastly refused to do so. Trump has since demanded that U.S. taxpayers pay for it at an estimated total cost of $23 billion. He sees the wall as vital to stemming illegal immigration, while Democrats and some Republicans see it as an impractical and costly project. The standoff over Trump’s demand for funding will be a test for Congress when it returns next week.
Trump tweeted on Saturday that the deaths of two migrant children this month who had been taken into U.S. custody after trying to cross the southern border were “strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies.” It was unclear exactly which policies Trump was referring to, but his aides have referred to U.S. laws and court rulings - including laws passed with bipartisan support - that govern the conditions under which children and families can be detained as “loopholes” that encourage illegal immigration. On Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen visited Border Patrol
stations in Texas after her agency instituted expanded medical checks of migrant children following the two deaths. She is also due to visit Yuma, Arizona, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Saturday. In the interim, thousands of employees of federal agencies such as the Homeland Security, Justice, Commerce, Interior, Transportation, Agriculture and other departments were staying at home on furlough or soon to be working without pay. For instance, members of the U.S. Coast Guard will receive their final paychecks of the year on Monday, the service said in a statement on its website on Friday after previously warning that payments would be delayed due to the shutdown. “The administration, the Department of Homeland Security [DHS], and the Coast Guard have identified a way to pay our military workforce on Dec. 31, 2018,” the service website read. That paycheck will be their last until the government reopens. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also said on Friday that it would resume issuing new flood insurance policies during the shutdown, reversing an earlier decision.
Monday December 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
NBA roundup: Harden scores 41, Rockets stay hot James Harden scored 41 points as the red-hot Houston Rockets held off the host New Orleans Pelicans 108-104 on Saturday night. Harden had his third straight game with at least 40 points and his seventh straight with at least 35 as the Rockets won for the ninth time in 10 games. Eric Gordon added 21 points, Danuel House Jr. scored 15 and recently signed Austin Rivers came off the bench to score 10. Julius Randle had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Pelicans, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Anthony Davis, who scored a season-high 48 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while playing nearly 43 minutes a night earlier, had 22 points and 11 rebounds. E’Twaun Moore scored 21 and Jrue Holiday had 20. Warriors 115, Trail Blazers 105 Klay Thompson scored 32 points and Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant added 25 apiece as visiting Golden State downed Portland. Damian Lillard put in 40 points for the Trail Blazers, who beat the Warriors 110109 in overtime two nights earlier. Jusuf Nurkic added 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Portland. Golden State’s Andre Iguodala was assessed a technical foul and ejected for throwing the ball into the stands after time expired in the first half. Spurs 122, Clippers 111 LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 38 points and keyed a mid-third quarter run that cemented the game and helped propel visiting San Antonio to a win over Los Angeles. Both teams were playing the second games of a backto-back and it showed, especially from the Clippers, who beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday but had no energy in the second half when San Antonio ran away with the game. San Antonio busted open a game that was tied at the half by outscoring the Clippers by 20 points in the third period. Wizards 130, Hornets 126 Trevor Ariza scored 24 points and converted a crucial three-point play with 1.8 seconds remaining, and injury-riddled Washington snapped a three-game losing streak with a home victory over Charlotte. Ariza came to the rescue after the Wizards nearly blew a nine-point lead in the final
24 seconds. He was fouled on a layup and hit the ensuing free throw to give the Wizards their final four-point victory margin. The Wizards were playing their first game since learning that All-Star guard John Wall would miss the remainder of the season because of upcoming heel surgery. The Wizards also were without Otto Porter (knee), Markieff Morris (back/neck) and Dwight Howard (spinal surgery). Bucks 129, Nets 115 Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and added 10 rebounds and 10 assists to record his third triple-double as Milwaukee built a big lead and warded off a late comeback attempt by visiting Brooklyn. Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks finish off their seventh win in eight games by scoring eight straight points down the stretch after the Nets were within 116-109 on a short jumper by Shabazz Napier with 4:51 remaining. The Bucks finished the game with a 13-6 run highlighted by Antetokounmpo. He hit two mid-range jumpers, two layups, including one when he made a crafty move around Napier, and hit the right-handed layup around Jared Dudley with 1:58 left for a 126-113 lead. Celtics 112, Grizzlies 103 Marcus Morris put Boston ahead for good with a jumper with 2:41 remaining and Al Horford buried a crucial 3-pointer a little more than a minute later, rallying the visitors to a victory at Memphis. In the first head-to-head meeting of star point guards
Kyrie Irving of Boston and Mike Conley of Memphis since March 2015, they matched game-high, 26-point efforts in a game that featured five late lead changes. Horford finished with 18 points and five 3-pointers as the Celtics outscored the Grizzlies 48-21 from beyond the arc. Nuggets 122, Suns 118 Jamal Murray ignited a 46point performance with a pair of early 3-pointers as Denver scored the game’s first eight points and never trailed en route to a victory over host Phoenix. Murray’s total was his second-highest of the season. He went for 48 points last month against Boston. The Nuggets bolted out to a 36-16 advantage after one quarter and went up by as many as 25 in the second period. Jazz 129, Knicks 97 Rudy Gobert scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds — in the first half alone — as Utah scored 71 points in the first 24 minutes and waltzed to a win over visiting New York. As the score indicates, it was all Jazz all night, except for a six-minute stretch in the third. But Utah closed the quarter on a 15-6 run to take a 97-66 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Utah opened up the fourth period on a 16-2 run and went up 113-68 on Georges Niang’s 24-foot, 3-point jumper. Utah’s largest lead of the game was 46 points. Hawks 111, Cavaliers 108 Veteran Vince Carter came off the bench to score 21 points and Atlanta won for the fifth time in six games, beating visiting Cleveland. (Field Level Media)
Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) gives instructions to guard Austin Rivers (1) against New Orleans Pelicans in the second half at Smoothie King Center. (Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)
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Jones, Nunes power to UFC title triumphs
Jon Jones (red gloves) fights Alexander Gustafsson (blue gloves) during UFC 232 at The Forum. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) - Jon Jones returned from a 15month doping ban to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight title with a third-round technical knockout win over Alexander Gustafsson, capping off a dominant display with a series of ground strikes. In Saturday’s co-main event, Amanda Nunes scored a devastating first-round knockout win over fellow Brazilian Cris Cyborg to add the featherweight title to her bantamweight crown, becoming the first woman to hold two UFC belts simultaneously. The high-profile victories came at the end of a turbulent week for the UFC, who were forced to switch the event from Las Vegas to Los Angeles after the American was denied a license to compete in Nevada due to concerns over recent drug tests. California stepped in at the last minute to grant a license to the former champion, who was stripped of his belt following a positive test, and the stage was set for a re-run of the epic bout between the pair that took place five years ago. However, Saturday’s contest at the Los Angeles Forum was a more sedate affair, with Jones managing the range much better, outmaneuvering and out-thinking his Swedish opponent on the way to a superb, yet easy win to capture the vacant crown. Jones, 31, used his long reach and superior
array of strikes to win the first two rounds, circling away from the Swede and landing some painful kicks on Gustafsson’s torso and lead leg. The American took the fight to the ground early in the third, flattening out a fatigued Gustafsson and working methodically to turn him over before unleashing a series of strikes to the Swede’s unprotected head to end the fight. “This is great, this is a great feeling,” Jones said in a post-fight interview before calling out rival and former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier, who lost the light-heavyweight title to Jones but was reinstated after the latter’s positive test. “Daddy’s home DC, prove to the fans that you’re the ‘champ champ’. I’m here, I’ll be waiting,” Jones said, goading Cormier, who was relieved of the title after turning his focus towards defending the UFC heavyweight crown. Nunes, who stepped up a weight class, wasted no time in landing a punishing series of left hooks and overhand rights to dethrone Cyborg in a slugfest, rocking her opponent back on her heels early as both women traded blows. The 30-year-old sent her dazed compatriot crashing to the mat as she scored a superb knockout victory in just 51 seconds, before crying tears of joy after becoming just the third UFC fighter to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously.
Qualification for 2019 Pan Am... From page 31 17 and under 19 categories, as The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Woodpecker Products Junior Nationals Squash Championships had its conclusion played out on May 13, at the Georgetown Club. In the presence of a large and enthusiastic audience, Wiltshire who was the Most Outstanding Boy, showed immense form and skill as he defeated Daniel Islam in an intense match which saw Wiltshire winning his sets (11-5, 11-9, 11-5.). Abosaide Cadogan defeated Kirsten Gomes in a highly competitive under 15 girl’s bout that went (11-5, 8-11, 11-3, 11-5) in Cadogan’s favour. Cadagon also secured her domination as she scoped the under 15, under 17 and under 19, then topped this off by taking home the Most Outstanding Girl trophy. Wiltshire was also crowned king when the Farfan and Mendes Junior Skill Level Tournament concluded in November 17 at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street. The brilliant Wiltshire didn’t drop a game
despite Samuel Ince-Carvalhal making a firm bid in the third game of the final match. According Coach Carl Ince, the Standard of squash in Guyana, as with many other places in the Caribbean, is on the up. “We could have been climbing at a faster rate if our players had the opportunity to be exposed to more squash camps where the players can train all day, for several days, on repetition work.” However, they are addressing that as we have had three junior squash camps in 2018 on the Highway and are in the process of building a third court in the hope of accommodating increasing numbers in 2019. “My focus now is on passing on my knowledge to ensure our coaching capabilities develop and are more accessible. I have recently undertaken an upgrade from England Squash to coach coaches and will be delivering the new approach to my assistant coaches and candidates undertaking the courses,” said Coach Ince.
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Monday December 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
Buoyant India thrash Australia Amanda Nunes ends Cyborg’s reign with devastating knockout by 137 runs in Melbourne MELBOURNE (Reuters) India captured Australia’s last two wickets after a raindelayed start to day five of the third test yesterday to complete an emphatic 137-run win and take a 2-1 series lead into the Sydney finale. India, denied victory on day four by the tail-end resistance of Pat Cummins, were forced to wait nearly two-and-a-half hours for play to begin due to rain at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but when the weather cleared their bowlers wrapped up Australia’s innings for 261 in 22 minutes. In his second over, seamer Jasprit Bumrah had Cummins edge to Cheteshwar Pujara, who took a sharp, low catch in the slips to remove the bowler for a personal high score of 63. Paceman Ishant Sharma then sealed the result when he had Nathan Lyon edge behind to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for seven when attempting to slog the ball. The wicket triggered bear hugs and backslaps among the Indian players as travelling fans in the sparse crowd roared with joy. Having dominated with bat and ball throughout the one-sided Boxing Day clash, Virat Kohli’s men will head to the Sydney Cricket Ground with a genuine belief they can become the first Indian team to win a series Down Under. The win also saw them retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy contested between the nations after claiming last year’s series 2-1 at home. “We’re not going to stop here, this has only given us more confidence to go out in Sydney and play even more positive cricket,” Kohli said at the trophy presentation. “The job is not done yet ... We want to win the last test as well. “It’s all about taking pride in the roles we were given and
Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah share a laugh. (Getty Images) executing them.” Resuming on 258 for eight, 141 runs short of victory, Australia’s best hope was for rain to wash out the final day but the morning showers merely delayed the inevitable. They had been set a daunting victory target of 399 shortly before lunch on day four, and crumbled after India’s pacemen attacked the stumps with cold-blooded assurance. The pride of Cummins and Lyon allowed Australia to limp into day five but the match had slipped away from the hosts on the morning of day three, the rampaging Bumrah taking 6-33 to rout Paine’s side for 151 and carve out a first-innings lead of 292. Bumrah claimed 3-53 in the second innings for a match haul of 9-86, and was deservedly named man of the match. The recalled Ravindra Jadeja enjoyed a successful return, claiming five wickets for the match with his wily left-arm spin. Barring Cummins’ heroics — the fast bowler claiming nine wickets for the match and career-best figures of 6-27 in India’s second innings —
there were few positives for Tim Paine’s Australia. The hosts will head into the final match pondering a litany of problems and whether their victory in the second test in Perth was a false dawn rather than a turning point for a depleted team playing without their two top batsmen in former skipper Steve Smith and his vice captain David Warner. The pair have three months left on their bans for their part in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal but Australia will be eager to reinstate them as soon as possible. “It’s a bit disappointing, no doubt,” Paine said. “We felt we made some strides in Perth but with an inexperienced batting lineup at times you’re going to have performances like we did in the first innings. “So we’ve got to learn from that, and get better really quickly before we go to Sydney.” Scores: India 7 for 443 dec (Pujara 106, Kohli 82, Agarwal 76, Rohit 63*) and 8 for 106 dec (Cummins 627) beat Australia 151 (Bumrah 6-33) and 261 (Cummins 63) by 137 runs.
NFL: Eagles still have playoff hopes... From page 30 the NFC South, while the Los Angeles Rams (12-3) are hot favorites for the second bye in the NFC, needing only to beat the San Francisco 49ers (4-11) to secure next weekend off. If the Rams lose, they will open the door for the Bears, who would still have to triumph against the Vikings to cash in on a second seed. In the AFC, no team has clinched a bye, though the New England Patriots (10-5) and Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) are best placed, with the Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) needing a bit of help. The Chiefs and Chargers are in the same division (AFC West), which means only one can earn the bye. They are both favorites for their
respective games — the Chiefs against the Oakland Raiders (4-11) and the Chargers against the Denver Broncos (6-9). If both win, Kansas City would win the division courtesy of their better divisional record. HOW THE PLAYOFF PICTURE STANDS CLINCHED FIRST ROUND BYE: New Orleans Saints CLINCHED PLAYOFF BERTH: Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans IN HUNT FOR PLAYOFF BERTH: Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo Sports - INGLEWOOD, California — Amanda Nunes ended Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s reign at the top of the women’s mountain in mixed martial arts, stopping Cyborg in 51 seconds with a blizzard of powerful punches to become the UFC featherweight champion Saturday in the comain event of UFC 232 at The Forum. Nunes not only becomes the first woman in UFC history to win titles in two weight classes, and cements herself as the greatest female fighter in the sport’s history. She fought Cyborg’s fight — toe to toe, power versus power — and came out on top. The fight was breathtaking, as each woman came out firing haymakers. Afterward, Nunes yelled toward UFC president Dana White, “Dana, now can I go into the Hall of Fame?” She will get there eventually, after routing the greatest women in the sport’s history. She submitted Miesha Tate at UFC 200 to win the bantamweight title, and then blew out Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in less than a minute. On Saturday, she added the woman many believed was invincible to that impressive collection of scalps. Cyborg hadn’t lost since her pro debut, and over more than 13 years had won 20 consecutive bouts. She didn’t win 20 fights; she steamrolled her opponents. She was a force of nature but she’d never faced anyone who could hit like Nunes. Nunes may not hit as hard as Cyborg, but it’s close, and her punches landed on the chin over and over on Saturday as the crowd
roared. It may have been the best women’s fight in UFC history as they stood and traded bombs while the sell-out crowd roared its approval. Nunes started the finishing combination with a left, and then followed with a looping right that landed on the chin. Cyborg slumped to the canvas and it wasn’t long before referee Marc Goddard stopped it. Nunes leaped up and over the Octagon to celebrate, then climbed back over and ran to the center of the cage and fell onto her back, arms outstretched, in celebration. It was an emphatic, definitive win and makes Nunes one of the sport’s biggest attractions. Anyone looking at her body of work who doesn’t mark her fights on the calendar the day they’re announced is not a fight fan. She’s got a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but Nunes’ success comes from the power in her hands. She has that one punch type of power that could end a fight at anytime. She submitted Tate to win the title, but only after pummeling her and hurting Tate badly with big punches. Nunes went into her heavily hyped fight with Rousey not getting much attention, but demanded it by hurting Rousey with just about every punch she threw before winning in just 48 seconds. Nothing, though, came close to the wild, high-paced, incredible performance she put on against a woman who had been considered nearly invincible.
New Zealand seal series with victory in second Sri Lanka test WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Trent Boult and Neil Wagner quickly wrapped up Sri Lanka’s second innings yesterday as New Zealand clinched the series 1-0 with a dominant 423-run victory in the second test at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Boult trapped Dushmantha Chameera in front after only 10 minutes of play on the fifth day, and while the batsman asked for a review third umpire Rod Tucker confirmed the onfield decision two minutes later to bring the match to an end. With the first match in Wellington ending in a damp draw, yesterday’s victory saw the hosts win a fourth successive test series for the first time. “A fantastic achievement,” said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. “It’s exciting, the four series, even if I wasn’t aware of it. “But it’s a proud achievement because we are playing in different conditions and having to adjust our games.” The victory was even more impressive given New Zealand had been reduced to 64 for six on the first day, before Tim Southee produced a counter-attacking innings of 68 that pushed their total through to 178.
Southee then blasted the top off Sri Lanka’s reply, reducing them to 21 for three. The performance on the first day earned him man-of-the match honours. “It was nice to get some runs,” Southee said. “We needed to post some sort of score and try and hang in there ... for as long as we could. “I guess 170 in the first innings was a good score on that wicket.” Boult followed up Southee’s cameo with a stunning burst of six wickets in 15 deliveries early on the second day, which swung the game in their favour as they took a 74-run lead. New Zealand’s batsmen all got starts in their second innings with Tom Latham (176) and Henry Nicholls (162 not out) notching their first centuries on their home ground as Williamson declared at 585 for four. “A couple of brilliant contributions from those two local boys,” Williamson said of Latham and Nicholls. “We required big runs and ...they went and put us in a really strong position.” Sri Lanka put up a stronger second innings performance as they sought to either grind out an improbable 660 runs for victory, or bat for more than
two days to save the game. Their resistance was broken late on the fourth day. After they had battled through to 231 for six at stumps the tourists faced the prospect of having their top batsman Angelo Mathews not appearing again after he retired hurt with a hamstring injury. Boult wasted little time yesterday in the overcast conditions as he bowled Suranga Lakmal for 18 on the third ball, before Wagner had Dilruwan Perera caught for 22 on the eighth. Boult then wrapped up the innings at 236 for nine with Mathews unable to bat. “Disappointed with the way we batted in the first innings but I’m happy with the way we played in the second innings as we fought hard as a team,” said Sri Lanka captain Dinseh Chandimal. “We are a young team, but if we can show the same character as Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews then we should be able to compete.” Scores: New Zealand 178 (Southee 68, Lakmal 5-54) and 585 for 4 dec (Latham 176, Nicholls 162) beat Sri Lanka 104 (Mathews 33*, Boult 6-30) and 236 (Mendis 67, Chandimal 56, Wagner 448) by 423 runs.
Monday December 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
GFF/ExxonMobil Fustal Festival
Fans well entertained on penultimate night
Play between Galaticos De Roraima and East Coast All-Stars.
Galaticos De Roraima from Brazil.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Morvant Caledonia.
Night three of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/ ExxonMobil International Futsal Festival at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Homestretch Avenue saw wins for East Coast All-stars, Caledonia, ZV All-stars and Galacticos De Roraima. In the feature match of the night East Coast got a well earned 7-4 victory over the West Demerara All Stars. The West Dem side started the match with persistence and scored the first goal in the fourth minute thanks to quick action by Stephon Jupiter. Four minutes later, East Coast equalized with the inform Dwain Jacobs etching his name to the scoresheet. East Coast then quickly capitalized on their good run and scored three more goals in six minutes with one each from Jacobs, Quason MaClean and Selwin Williams to take the score to 4-1. West Dem’s Trayon Bobb scored in the 22nd minute before his teammate Jupiter added a brace seconds later to take the score to 4-3. However, East Coast rallied on to take the lead as Selwin Williams scored a minute later, Phillip Williams in the 26th and Jacobs in the 30th to cap off an exciting victory.
In another anticipated matchup, Guyana All Stars went down to the inform Galacticos De Roraima 4-3 in a nail biting encounter. The Brazilian side took control of the match early and drew first blood compliments of Raphael Lopes in the fifth minute, five minutes later Leilson DaSilva capitalized on an opportunity and took the score to 2-0. Needing two goals to equalize the Guyanese side scored them three minutes apart as Colin Nelson and Deon Alfred found the back of the net in the 12th and 15th minutes, respectively. With the score locked at 2-2, the Brazilians clamped down on the Guyanese when Raphael lopes and Lucas Martins scored in the 20th and 38th minute to give them victory despite Nelson’s late strike in the 35th minute. In the other fixtures Trinidad defeated the inform Georgetown All Stars 5-3 and ZV All Stars trounced Linden All Stars 5-4 for their first win. The tournament concluded last night, the fourth and final match night, where the winner pocketed $1.2million, second $600,000, third $300,000 and fourth $100,000. The results of those matches will be featured in tomorrow’s issue.
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Kaieteur News
Monday December 31, 2018
NFL: Eagles still have playoff GCB extends warmest felicitations to hopes in final week of season batting Maestro, Alvin Kallicharran - Receives the British Empire Medal from the Queen in her 2019 Honors list
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long (56) hits Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) causing a fumble during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) - Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles do not control their own fate heading into the final weekend of the National Football League regular season — but at least they still have a fighting chance of successfully defending their title. Consecutive victories over quality opponents — including last Sunday’s lastgasp win over the Houston Texans — have kept alive their hopes of becoming the first to win consecutive Super Bowls since the New England Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The chances are slim with the Eagles rated by analytic website fivethirtyeight.com as having only a 28 percent chance of making the postseason.
Yet progress looked even more unlikely three weeks ago after a loss to NFC East rivals Dallas Cowboys was compounded by news that starting quarterback Carson Wentz had a back stress fracture. Now, unlike some of the other mind-numbingly complex playoff scenarios, the task for the Eagles is relatively simple on Sunday as they battle the Minnesota Vikings for a playoff spot. The Eagles (8-7) have to beat the Washington Redskins (7-8), and rely on the playoff-bound Chicago Bears (11-4) triumphing over the Vikings (8-6-1). The first part of the equation might be the easiest for the Eagles, even without Wentz. Back-up quarterback Nick
Foles does, after all, have a Super Bowl ring, having filled in, and then some, for the injured Wentz at the end of last season. Philadelphia might welcome back speedy veteran wide receiver Mike Wallace, who has not played since breaking a fibula in the second week of the season. Meanwhile, there is no simpler equation than the clash between the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, both 9-6 in the AFC South. The winners will be in, while the losers’ season will be done. In the race to enjoy firstround byes, only the New Orleans Saints (13-2) are so far assured of one of the four coveted spots. The Saints have clinched Continued on page 28
A tough year that brought with it... From page 33 Programme Director and Union Development Officers. Workshops were also held with the input of local certified Coaches and the Regional Manager of the Get into Rugby Programme. Ran Regional Player Welfare Programme - Was strengthened through the attendance by the National Female Team’s Physiotherapist at an Immediate Care Level 2 Course held in Miami. RAN Regional Referee and Coaches Educator Programme – Was held in Jamaica and attended by two local Referees and Coach Representatives. Administratively, the Senior Vice President of the Union was given the opportunity to represent and gain valuable hands on experience at the RAN Regional Annual Conference in Miami which dealt with Planning and related matters. Finances - The Union has completed Audited Accounts up to the year 2017. Presently the Union is in the red, being in debt to its Travel Agency as well as Auditors. Fund Raising activities have been scheduled for early 2019 to address the issue. The performance of Guyana’s Men’s National Team known as the Green Machine suffered tremendously primarily as a result of
the continued inability to access its only traditionally known playing field located at the National Park the past 18 months due to the lack of urgency by the National Sports Commission’s undertaking to develop an allweather ground. Dependence on the uses of the National Park Athletics Field has proven to be unsuitable for the majority of the year as a result of soggy conditions during the rainy season. Also, zero warm up matches and nonexistent significant financial support from the Sports Ministry apart from tax waivers have been continuous challenges for the Union. The realisation of an internationally accepted facility to house Rugby as well as the fulfilling of promises made to support sports must be addressed in the New Year. The Union hopes that the Minister responsible for Sport will grant an early meeting to address proposals to improve conditions leading to better performance in order for the sport to attain its full potential at the World and Olympic levels. The Executive Committee of the GRFU, players and the general membership join in wishing its dedicated sponsors, supporters, volunteers and stakeholders a Prosperous and Blessed New Year.
The entire membership and Executive Committee of the Guyana Cricket Board joins the cricketing fraternity in extending warmest congratulations to Guyanese batting legend, Alvin Kallicharran, on being awarded the prestigious British Empire Medal in the Queen’s 2019 honors list. The Medal of the Order of the British Empire was first established in 1917, along with the Order of the British Empire. The medal was part of the Order and could be awarded for either meritorious service or for gallantry. It was awarded to 2,015 people, 800 of whom were from foreign countries. In 1922, the original medal was discontinued and split into two separate honors, which still formed part of the Order of the British Empire. These two honors were known as the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service (usually referred to as British Empire Medal, BEM) and the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry (usually referred to as Empire Gallantry Medal, EGM). Alvin Kallicharran was born on March 21st 1949 and hails from the small village of Port Mourant in Berbice, debuted for Guyana at the tender age of 17 against the Windwards in Grenada and in 1972 against New Zealand at Bourda. Alvin has had a very long and distinguished career that produced close to 50,000 runs in Test, ODI, First Class and List A cricket during his career. He has represented Guyana, West Indies, Warwickshire, Transvaal, Orange Free State and Queensland during his career. His test career spanned the period 1972 to 1981 where he represented the West Indies during the transformation period in the late 70s when they indisputably became the best team in the world. He was part of us winning the 2 very first World Cups played in London. Played in 66 test matches and scored 4,399 test runs with 12 centuries and 21 fifties. For 8 of those fifties, he got out in the 90s and could so easily have made 20 centuries in that space of time. Alvin is well remembered for his onslaught against the great Dennis Lillee in the 11th match of the inaugural World Cup in England 1975 where he literally decimated him for 35 runs off just 10 deliveries.
This stat compares very favorably with top T20 strike rates. He was equally at home against both spin and pace and was described by Clive Lloyd as one of the most complete batsmen of his time and possibly of all time. Alvin captained the West Indies team for 2 series against Australia and in India where he scored his highest test innings of 187. Alvin joined Warwickshire in 1971 playing for their 2nd XI but quickly advanced to the 1st XI in the following year where his playing career lasted well into the late 80s. He possibly had his best year in 1983 when he was the only Cricketer on the county circuit to score over 2000 runs in the season with 8 centuries, 3 of which were double hundreds. Quite justifiably, Alvin was named one of the Wisden’s 5 cricketers of the year in 1983. This legend has also contributed immensely to charities having taken part and organized matches in various parts of the world. Alvin along with Sunil Gavaskar organized a charity match where India played the Rest of World XI in 1997 for the Sri SatyaSai Baba entity where Sachin Tendulkar participated. Alvin has supported numerous other charity events such as the
Indian Ocean Disaster Relief, the Oracle Head and Neck Cancer Research Trust and has participated in other charitable matches when he worked for the Lashings World XI during the period 2001-2009. In 2006, he was a part of ‘The Sports Relief’ which raised over £16m. He was a part of the group that rendered assistance in 2004 to the Tsunami victims and has participated in the annual PM John Major charity match which raises funds for cancer awareness. It is without a shadow of a doubt that this esteemed son of our soil has fully displayed the everlasting qualities of humility and service to humankind. His love and dedication for the game of cricket has translated into immense pleasure and happiness for millions around the world during his professional career and has more than adequately contributed his sterling reputation and service beyond the boundary in other charitable causes. The entire country is united in its pride and joy for this richly justifiable recognition of the British Empire Medal Award onto Alvin Isaac Kallicharran in the Queen’s honors list for 2019. Do continue to make us proud. (Guyana Cricket Board)
Alvin Kallicharran (left) and GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie.
Monday December 31, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Qualification for 2019 Pan Am, possible collaborations with NSC among Squash highlights for 2018
Nicolette Fernandes in action against Australia’s Rachael Grinham in the Cayman Islands in the 2012 World Squash Championships. By Sean Devers President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) David Fernandes is elated with the outstanding performances of Guyana’s Women’s team at the 2018 Caribbean Squash Championships in the Cayman Islands where they achieved their highest ranking (6th) and qualified for the first time ever for next year ’s Pan American Championships to be held in Peru. The penultimate day of the Championships did not start as the Guyanese girls would have hoped as they faced the Colombian ladies’ in the team quarter-finals. Despite a win from Nicolette Fernandes, the ladies failed to win one more match to advance to the semi-finals and gain automatic qualification. However, they were placed in the 5/8 draw for another chance to qualify, with a matchup against Brazil. Nicolette Fernandes won 3-0 before Guyana’s National Champion Mary Fung-A-Fat also registered a 3-0 win, while Taylor Fernandes won 2-0 to qualify for Peru which sparked joyous celebrations. “Guyana’s Women’s squash team qualifying for next year’s Pan American games in Peru was the highlight of the year” said Fernandes. In 2014, the Guyanese Women lost out on Pan American Championship qualification on a match ball situation and the memories of that close defeat is now behind them as they advanced for the first time ever. The Men’s team qualified on three previous occasions;
1995, 1999 and 2015 but failed to do so this year. “I would like to thank Nicolette for giving her full support to the team. Without her participating with the team in the Cayman Islands we would not have qualified,” the hands on GSA President said. With no Senior CASA set for the year the GSA focused on the Junior CASA tournament. “Shomari Wilshire and Michael Alphonso both won in their categories while the girls performed very well in their categories but did not win any titles, but we played outstanding squash to win the team title and the Girls played exceptionally well to
Michael Alphonso & Shomari Wilshire won their categories at the 2018 Junior CASSA. finish second to Barbados,” Fernandes said. Fernandes explained that the low for 2018 would be that the Boy’s team did not qualify for next year’s Pan Am Games. They were very close to winning the overall team title if they had won one of the key matches. “The most satisfying thing for me was seeing both the Juniors and Seniors playing their matches and the amount of effort they put in. But having said that I think with a bit more training in the new year especially in fitness, we would do a lot better when we go to Trinidad for the Junior CASA,” The GSA top man said. In November Ryan
Jagessar (Trinidad Level 2) and Cameron Stafford Cayman Islands (Level 1 &2) conducted a course giving coaches a better insight into the processes of coaching, how to teach technique, how to explain, demonstrate and conduct an actual coaching activity in a progressive manner. It included analysis and fault diagnosis, correcting faults according to level and experience of students, and striking a good balance between information and activity. The focus was on coaching the student not just delivering the activity. It also highlighted the value of building rapport with both students and parents and
keeping motivation high. Applicants learnt about programme planning, group sessions, individual sessions and running tournaments. The course was done at Coach Carl Ince’s training facility at Loo Creek on the Linden Highway as part of the developmental programme for local Squash. According to Fernandes the GSA are in conversation with the NSC to look into the possibility of having a public/ private partnership with regards to building the first doubles court in the Caribbean. “Getting this done as a part of our developmental plans for squash and I think that would be major boost for us hosting Senior CASA here next year. The medals that we would have won at last year’s CAC Games, were Medals in Doubles and we were quite competitive and if we have a facility that we could train on a doubles Court it would help us,” added Fernandes. For the first time in five years Guyana will host the 2019 Senior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) next year. “We are looking forward that since it’s a big event not only for us but also for Guyana. Guyana’s squad could include Alex Arjoon, Guyana’s number one seeded player,” said the hard working Fernandes. After the Senior CASA is completed here in August Guyana then participates in the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. At the local level, GSA
Guyana Squash team.
David Fernandes
Carl Ince tournaments had sponsorship support from Ansa McAl (Lucozade Handicap tournament), Exxon Mobil, Woodpecker products, Digicel, Farfan and Mendes, Toucan Industries and Bounty Farm. Squash sensation Shomari Wiltshire completed a dominant clean sweep through the under 15, under Continued on page 27
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Monday December 31, 2018
Kaieteur News
Lucky Star wins feature at Kennard Memorial Turf Club Horserace meet It was more class that luck as Lucky Star of the Cheefoon Stable outclassed its opponents to take the feature event when the Kennard Memorial Turf Club held its annual Boxing Day horserace meet. The event was held at the Kennard Memorial Turf Club Facilities, Bush Lot Corentyne Berbice. Running in the feature G2 and lower 7 furlongs even with jockey Appadhu in the saddles, the animal broke early and was always among the front runners. The racehorse was never really challenged as jockey Appadhu timed his sprint home perfectly to win easily and take the $1M first prize and the Metro trophy up for grabs. Settling star of the Sheriff Stable with Ross on the mount with a late burst settled for second with Isn’t She Charming third and
Chamaylee fourth. Other winners on the day were in the event for two year maiden horses: Mahaica Star shone brightly to win from Awesome Banner, Humming Bird and it’s a Real Storm. J and lower event saw Mary Ann touching down ahead of Plain Land, Massapequa Dr and Miss Angelie. Secret Flyer won the L class Open race from Jungle Prince, Gold Again and Uprising. The Rock was solid in winning the L class Non winner’s race from Red Weasel, Physical Disturbance and Rosie. The L class non earners event was won by Irish Boy with Physical Disturbance, Stolen Diamond and Rosie the others that placed. The champion jockey title went to the consistent Colin Ross.
Connections of the Cheefoon stable collects their silverware for Lucky Star victory in the feature event.
Wakenaam and Essequibo Coast to clash in U15 fixture on Wednesday
L open winner Secret Flyer is rewarded.
Winner of the L non winner race -The Rock and connections claim their prize.
Coaches Forbes Daniels and Nandkishore Andrews have teamed up once again in an effort to hone the skills of the young cricketers in Essequibo. The duo has organised an U15 50-over fixture between Wakenaam and Essequibo Coast which is set for Wednesday at the Affiance number one ground on the Essequibo Coast. The coaches are loud in praise for Windies all-rounder Keemo Paul, who is a product of these games and wished him well in his career. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport yesterday, Coach Daniels said that while there is a lot of talent in the county, the players need to be given an opportunity to develop and as such he and Andrews thought it best to organise these games. He added that many players who are representing Essequibo would have played at the junior level under their guidance. Daniels stated that in order for Essequibo to continue producing talented cricketers, much emphasis must be placed at the grassroots level since it is at this stage where stars are born. He is calling on the business community to support the youths and the parents to assist in molding the players into well-rounded individuals from a young age.
Gladewin Henry
Rayan Atkinson
Andrews indicated that he is happy that they are able to stage these games which will contribute meaningfully towards the nurturing of the young talent in the county. He said the players are all excited to showcase their talent and a return fixture is in the making. Andrews stated that these games will not only help in the growth of the game in Essequibo, but will also serve to motivate the players. He has expressed gratitude to Paul and the Wakenaam NDC for their assistance. The players set to represent Essequibo Coast in this fixture are asked to be at the number one ground for 08:00hrs on Wednesday.
Those short-listed are; Avick Ramdyal, Rajendra Ramballie, Narindra Pall, Jousha Taylor, Aryan Doodnauth, Shasif Mohammed, Keyshaf Deonarine, Deo Khanhai, Shawn Dawson, Pamesh Semangal, Benny Persaud, Govinda Toolsie, Royden Morris, Govin Persaud and Abdool Nadir. Manager H. Ramballie, Coach Daniels. Those set to appear for Wakenaam are; Gladewin Henry Jr., Rayan Atkinson, Ricky Persaud, Sachin Dindyal, Michael Retemiah, Devon Ramcharran, Devendra Hansraj, Toshall Surujpaul, Mohandass Surujpaul, Naresh Ramnarine and Kumesh Persaud. Coach Andrews.