Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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

EDITORIAL

IMPACT OF TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER Less than two weeks into office, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order, temporarily banning immigrants to the United States from seven Muslim--majority countries. It is one of the most odious pieces of policy ever signed by a US president. The rational for the executive order is to protect the United States from foreign terrorist entry. It was issued under the caption, “Protecting the Nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.” It has provoked wide spread discussions on social media with political and legal ramifications. It is estimated that the travel ban has affected about 134 million -people from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. Some of these states were subjected to legislation under the Obama administration which tightened the visa waiver programme in 2016. Trump’s executive order has also suspended the refugee programme for 120 days. It also cut the refugee admissions to the US from 110,000 under the Obama administration to 50,000 per year. Last year, the US admitted about 12,600 Syrian refugees, but the Trump administration has now imposed an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees to the US. It also limits the tourist, business, student and other visas granted to immigrants from the seven red-flagged countries to enter the United States. The authority for an executive order is vested in the US constitution which requires the president to make sure that the laws of the country are faithfully executed. Executive orders have afforded presidents with broad enforcement authority in determining law enforcement mechanisms. Many have garnered widespread support; others have been mired in controversy. There have been about 14,000 executive orders which have been issued by almost all American presidents since George Washington to the end of Obama’s presidency. Franklin Roosevelt holds the record with 3,721 executive orders, followed by Woodrow Wilson with 1,803 and Calvin Coolidge with 1,203. Bill Clinton issued 364; George W. Bush, 291; and Barack Obama, 276. President Trump’s executive order barring refugees and citizens from entering the US is the second most unpopular so far. Even though a majority of Americans disapproved of it, opinions along partisan lines have shown that 82 percent of Republicans have supported it while 65 percent of Democrats disapprove it. The only other executive order that was more unpopular was executive order 9066 issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942, which ordered the internment of all Japanese Americans in the United States. Like the travel ban, it was widely criticized by people and leaders around the world. Many believe that the travel ban is discriminatory and heartless to the point that Former president Barack Obama has broken an unwritten rule by former presidents not to criticize their successors by stating that he fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion. However, security experts have claimed that it will make things much harder for law enforcement officials seeking to engage people in the Middle East, especially Muslims in the fight against terrorism and to protect America’s interest in the region. As an act of law, the travel ban seems to be unsound, but as an act of policy, it sends a chillingly message to the world that the US will not act on the basis of rationality, but in a partisan, crude and undiplomatic manner. The arbitrary limits imposed by the travel ban have provoked massive protests in the US and around the world. It would seem that President Donald trump has given up on that executive order. He has since said that he is going to write another to circumvent the court orders.

Tuesday February 28, 2017

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

Seven questions about the parking meter investment DEAR EDITOR, The Mayor has indicated that she will move forward with this parking meter project, which will see the profits leaving the shores of Guyana. This is being done on the backs of the citizens, even the unborn. It seems that Mr. Cush did a bait and switch on M&CC by using his influence in Guyana and enticed the MCC into believing that this is a good project for Guyana. He presented his company that had no experience hence he misled, and then introduced SCS. This itself is problematic. His company, NPS is out of the picture and SCS is the company that eventually signed the contract with MCC. There has been a lot of information circulating about the companies, NPS, SCS and its principals, Kamua Cush, Amir Oren and Simon Moshel aka Simon Mosheshvili. To date, neither SCS nor M&CC

has denied any of these accusations. As such I am laying them out in a succinct manner and asking either of these parties to deny or confirm them by providing the necessary proof. 1) Why were the procurement policies not followed, and this project not advertised and other vendors encouraged to submit proposals? This is considered to be good procurement practice, one of the pillars of transparent Government. 2) Who in Guyana conducted the feasibility studies? And what were the findings? I find it rather bizarre that the M&CC would not have conducted this study, but the company who was awarded this lucrative deal did. 3) As with projects of this magnitude, did NPS or SCS provide at least three years of audited financial statements to show that the companies are in good financial standing and have the

capabilities for such a product. This would also include a letter from their bankers. I suspect that this did not happen because the evidence shows SCS incorporated in Guyana and the US in 2016. This means the companies never existed prior to 2016 and could not have the financial assets for this project. 4) If the companies were only formed in 2016, then it follows they do not have the background nor experience in the parking domain as they claim. It has already been proven that after Mark Jacobs exposed him a while ago, a quick attempt was made to launch one. Mr. Cush copied another website wholesale with minor changes; hence easy to prove plagiarism; a very serious charge for a writer. SCS does not have a website. Remarkable in this digital age. 5) Mr. Cush has not denied that he spent time in jail for larceny; hence one

must believe that this is true. 6) Mr. Mosheshvili also has not denied that he has done jail time. Interestingly Mr. Oren is the face on the ground now and not Mr. Mosheshvili. 7) Did NPS and SCS provide references for previous completed projects? This is a norm in the business world. It is difficult for a layperson like myself to understand how this contract can be legal, when it was borne out of some many deceptions and withholding of the truth by NPS & SCS to the M&CC. Either that or MCC deliberately ignored these important pieces of information, which is essential to do the necessary due diligence. This is what is circulating in the social media today and causing angst in the community. The Mayor, Town Clerk, or SCS can clear the air by responding to the items mentioned above. Michael Annamunthodo

Not even a squeak from the PSC during Jagdeo’s reign DEAR EDITOR, The Private Sector Commission’s (PSC’s) ongoing antics over the State Asset Bill are becoming more and more absurd, and resemble a precipitous bluff. The PSC is supposed to be a holistic representative body of businesses in Guyana. Most, if not all, of those businesses have international partnerships. Those partners are subject to laws, regulations and protocols governing their respective jurisdictions. Every time the State Asset Bill or SARU is mentioned, certain members of the PSC seem to have involuntary uncontrollable intestinal turbulence that triggers looseness of the bowels. Such is reflective in t h a t b o d y ’s u t t e r a n c e s . People invariably become nervous, evasive or defensive about things for which they have direct or indirect guilt. Those behavioral tendencies are often implicit indicators that they have something to protect or hide. The PSC should seek to disassociate itself from such tendencies if its membership is above board. Guyanese never heard a single squeak from the PSC regarding the rapacious misuse, embezzlement and rampage of State Assets over the past 20 years prior to 2015. It is irresponsible for the PSC to seek to instill fear among the masses when that body is well aware that the

majority of Guyanese played no part in the annual siphoning of over $300 Billion dollars in State Assets of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. The average citizen’s focus is on bread and butter issues, not laundering money or massive capital flight. The responsible management of state assets and initiatives against corruption are international imperatives that are gaining massive momentum and integral components for incumbent government’s policy. The World Bank Group and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have formed a partnership under the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (SARA) which works collaboratively with developing countries, such as GUYANA, to prevent the laundering of the proceeds of corruption and facilitate the timely recovery of stolen assets. President of the World Bank Group, Mr. Jim Yong Kim, cited that “Corruption steals from the poor. It steals the promise of a brighter future.” The State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) was set up by the Coalition Government to address State Asset abuses and concerns in Guyana. Its functionality is to initially ensure that stolen or misappropriated state assets are traced and recovered. Assets of the state funda-

mentally include Tax-payers funded tangibles, Land and Finance. Every elected Government in the World has a fiduciary duty to prudently manage, preserve and protect its state’s assets. Guyana is no exception, as the majority of citizens expect the government to ensure that there is accountability, fairness and equitable distribution of the nation’s resources. In November 2009 at the Global Forum IV in Doha, Qatar, Eric Holder, former Attorney General of the United States, stated “[W]e must work together to ensure that corrupt officials do not retain the illicit proceeds of their corruption. There is no gentle way to say it: When kleptocrats loot their nations’ treasuries, steal natural resources, and embezzle development aid, they condemn their nations’ children to starvation and disease. In the face of this manifest injustice, asset recovery is a global imperative.” (end of quote). The PSC expressed its highest appreciation for the prior administration, an administration under which the state’s assets were being wasted, pilfered, destroyed, stolen or otherwise indiscriminately distributed. The PSC is an informed party of prior consultations on the establishment of SARA by SARU, and given ample time to make

meaning contributions towards the Bill brought before parliament. For the PSC to now take a petulant position against SARA, given past impropriety against the state for which they remained unreservedly silent, signals their complicity toward the pilfering of state assets. That position is indicative of outright resistance towards the incumbent for seeking to reverse a national disaster and bring this nation into compliance with internationally acceptable systems of appropriate State Asset management. The PSC’s nostalgia compounded by their attitude of resentment and hostility towards SARA creates the impression that they may have been seriously compromised. A responsible PSC would have cooperated with government’s efforts to investigate capital flight and prevent money and bond laundering involving private companies. Unless members of the PSC fear exposure of some sort, it is difficult to comprehend their uncooperative stance towards the SARA Bill, which seeks to empower the government to fulfill its fiduciary obligations, constitutional mandate and international expectations. The Government, not the PSC, will be ultimately held accountable if the prior May 2015 hemorrhage of State Assets is left unattended. Orette Cutting

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The Court of Appeal ruling should engender vigorous debate DEAR EDITOR, The decision by Appeal Court Justices retired Chancellor (ag) Carl Singh and Justice B.S Roy, with dissenter being Chief Justice (ag) Yonette CummingsEdwards, to uphold retired Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang’s ruling that Bharrat Jagdeo can run for a third term, despite the Guyana Constitution instructs to the contrary, must engender spirited debate and exchanges, including through the education system. The Constitution is the nation’s supreme law. It guarantees the citizens’ rights and freedoms, lays out the objectives of the nation, and outlines the system of government to manage the people’s affairs. These principles are usually referred to as the spirit and intent which guide the formulations and sectionalising of articles therein and laws there from. It is from this premise we must start in understanding what is required of us. There is disagreement with petitioner Cedric Richardson’s contention that the ‘third term’ case is similar to the 1998 Esther Perreira Election Petition, before the High Court, that led to the vitiation of the 1997 General and Regional Elections. The constitution expressly prescribes the right and eligibility to vote, which do not include presenting an identification card as a qualifying condition to cast a ballot, which was a primary

contention in that petition. What Richardson is asking the court to determine is Jagdeo’s eligibility to run for a third term when such is forbidden in the Constitution. Article 90 (2) expressly says “A person elected as President after 2000 is eligible for re-election only once.” As despicable as some will find Jagdeo, to treat the court’s ruling as though it is about him and not the foundation of our legitimate existence, sight will be lost of what is at stake for the nation and its people. Every citizen, providing he/she meets the requirement to be eligible to be president, once the electors grant him or her that privilege, can so become. Being a president is not a right, it is a privilege and this privilege is not absolute; it operates within specific guidelines and expectations as outlined in the constitution, laws, timehonoured principles, universal declarations, international conventions and charters. The contentious Articles 1 and 9 of the Constitution are expressly clear. The former addresses the sovereign state and its name. The latter places sovereignty in the hands of the people “who exercise it through their representatives and the democratic organs established by or under the Constitution.” Article 59 which addresses the qualifications and disqualifications of the

electors (i.e. voters) are expressly made clear in Article 159. Enjoying the right to vote as a citizen based on the sovereignty vested in Article 9 does not supersede or nullify Article 90 (2). The right to vote does not confer that a person can be elected without satisfying constitutional requires. Equal as the Constitution sets out disqualifying conditions for persons to be elected members of the National Assembly (Article 155), it does likewise for being elected president. Title 1 of the Constitution expressly states what are citizens’ “Fundamental Rights and Freedoms,” and nowhere among these articles is stated that being elected or contesting the presidency is a fundamental right. As such any arbiter who concludes that an individual’s fundamental right is being denied if he is barred from contesting the presidency has to rethink that position. Further, even fundamental rights and freedoms, which are premised on universal declarations and international conventions and charters, carry qualifying conditions. The fundamental right to free choice of employment (Article 149A) does not translate to a janitor thinking that when he applies for the job to be a mechanical engineer, in as much as he does not possess the required qualifications for the job, that he is so entitled under the

THE COALITION GOVERNMENT IS A GREAT DISAPOINTMENT TO GUYANESE Dear Editor, Please allow me a space in your newspaper so I can awake President Granger and get him to move away from his archaic and dormant impulse, whenever he or his aides read this letter. I must first state that I voted for change with the view that the change will be beneficial to all Guyanese. Me, my family and to an extension friends and colleagues give their support garnered based on following which the APNU AFC Collation was campaigning on: 1. Ridding the country of corruption, 2. Promoting equality and equity, 3. Practicing transparency and accountability, 4. Improving systems of governance, 5. Creating a secure and safe environment, 6. Eliminating cronyism and nepotism, 7. Developing the agriculture sector and having rice farmers earn more for their

paddy, 8. Creating a professional public service, 9. Encouraging Private Investments by enhancing a more enable Environment, and 10. Creating jobs for the professionals and youths of Guyana. Well Mr. President, you have failed us miserable. You have proven to be a very weak. Your lethargic style of leadership leaves more to be desired. President Granger, it is vividly clear that you are not interested in any of the ten things you campaigned on. Your mistakes are many. Some of the daring ones are the Durban Park, the rental of the drug bond, the Parking Meter Project on which you are very silent and your government’s high handed approach of giving out contracts to friends. During your term in office which is less than two years, you called for several Commissions of Inquiry but to date you have not called any Commissions of Inquiry into GECOM, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, the

Parking Meter Project, the Drug Bond Deal, etc. So far you have also failed to act on the recommendations made in the Commission of Inquiry into the Ministry of Public Health procurement saga. Why is your government not giving priority to the financing and operation of the Integrity Commission and the Ethnic Relation Commission? Your ineptitude in addressing the parking meter scandal and VAT on education, water and electricity will cause the coalition to lose over 30,000 votes in the next General Election. It is time that Guyanese wake up and call for justice. The legal professionals need to help Guyanese in this fight against these acts committed by APNU AFC Government that are eroding Guyanese future. They must educate people on their constitutional rights under various legislations. David Singh Jr.

constitution. The same principle applies to being elected president for a third and any subsequent term. Article 66 ‘‘The Alternation of this Constitution’ expressly states, “Subject to the special procedure set out in Article 164, Parliament may alter the Constitution.” Article 164 the ‘Procedure for altering this Constitution’ says at paragraph (2) that any alteration/amendment being made to any articles that fall in subparagraph (a) which are 164, 1, 2, 8, 9, 18, 51, 66, 89, 99 and 111, requires the vote of the electors (i.e. a referendum). Subparagraph (b) which includes Article 90 can be altered by the National Assembly “by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the elected members….” Article 90 that instructs “any person elected as President after 2000 is eligible for re-election only once” means that person cannot be granted a third term. The clever manipulation in

pronouncing on Article 164 by ignoring the intent of the semicolon which appears in subparagraph (a) after the list of articles that requires a referendum is unfortunate. A semicolon as used in this instance is clearly that to show the difference between subparagraph (a) and (b). The Parliament, consistent with the power vested in its members, opted to amend the permissible article by not only meeting the minimum requirement of “not less than two-thirds” but the elected members voted unanimously! Amendment of Article 90 was facilitated by national widespread consultation. Willing participants in the society, including individuals, political parties, civil society, and the trade union community were allowed input. It must be recalled the spirit and intent behind the altering was to prevent the sense of permanency to the office, the notion of entitlement to it, and the need to facilitate diversity of the

office holder, which were publicly made known for informing its conceptualisation. These positions were supported by the PPP/C and the Bill to alter said article was assented to by then President Bharrat Jagdeo. Though the election to be president comes through a political party, a political party is not an abstract entity. It comprises a List of Representatives, from which persons have to be eligible for the positions they are likely to fill. Here is where the political party cannot be looked at in isolation of the names on the List of Representatives and the eligibility of each candidate to fill the position pursued or placed in. This matter is now set to go before the Caribbean Court of Justice. This society must demand the appellant do thorough homework and submit an incisive brief within the legally stipulated timeframe. Lincoln Lewis

YELLOW FEVER VACCINE SHORTAGE you know the right person AFFECTING TRAVEL you might be able to get an DEAR EDITOR, The scandalous shortage of medicines and medical supplies continue in the public health sector. In spite of the almost weekly promise of the Ministry of Public Health that shortages will be a thing of the past, shortages continue to persist and is getting even worse. The state-of-the art medical warehouse at Diamond is still not fully occupied, the shameful “house for a medical warehouse” in Georgetown that is costing Guyanese taxpayers more than $15M per month in rent and utilities alone, not including employees and other operational cost, is mostly empty, storing mostly condoms, while hospitals and health centers have to refer patients to private pharmacies for medicines and medical supplies. In the meanwhile, even vaccines are in short supply. It is worrisome that many people travelling to countries which require yellow fever vaccine cards are having difficulties travelling because

they are unable to obtain yellow fever vaccine. Particularly worrying is those persons who need to travel to Brazil. There is an outbreak of yellow fever in that country. There are several other countries that require people from Guyana to have yellow fever vaccination before they enter those countries. With the outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil, countries are more rigid in enforcing the requirement. Information is that persons are being turned away from the Ministry of Health and from health institutions because of the shortage of yellow fever vaccines. It appears that the Ministry of Public Health has only an emergency supply and accommodates some persons who have travel documents. But the emergency supply is being dispensed only to certain people, not to all persons with travel documents. According to the Ministry, those with “essential” travel needs are being accommodated. Those who have been denied yellow fever vaccine claim if

emergency yellow fever vaccination with yellow fever. People who have contacted me claim there are certain people who have been provided with yellow fever cards without the actual vaccination in order to accommodate their travel. This is a dangerous situation and the Ministry of Public Health needs to investigate this dangerous practice, if, in fact, it is true. While the outbreak in Brazil is not near the G u y a n a - B r a z i l b o r d e r, Guyana needs to be diligent in its surveillance for yellow fever and the country needs to take all necessary precaution to ensure that any further spread of the yellow fever outbreak in Brazil does not impact health in Guyana. The most certain way is to ensure that we have an active yellow fever vaccination program to immunize all Guyanese and to ensure that all Guyanese traveling to yellow fever zones are properly immunized. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

This man wants to protect those that SARA has on its radar DEAR EDITOR, I refer to two letters written by accountant Nigel Hinds, in which he criticized the SARA bill and attacked Professor Clive Thomas and the WPA. The letters were published in Kaieteur News under the following captions: “Nigel Hinds take issue with Dr. Clive Thomas on SARU” (Feb 16th 2017) and “Clive Thomas and the WPA have abandoned the Guyanese working class” (Feb 18th 20017). Dr. David Hind, an Executive member of the WPA responded to Nigel Hinds’ missives in a letter captioned, “My critique of Nigel Hinds ‘criticism of Clive Thomas” (KN. Sunday Feb 19th 2019). I fully respect David Hinds’ opinion on matters which he has expressed his views on, although I do not necessarily agree with everything he says. One of the things I am in disagreement with is when he stated in his letter “Nigel Hinds does not set out to give

the PPP a pass, but his twisting of the discourse away from its central objective of confronting the PPP’ s corruption will end up achieving that objective”. I am contending here that David, in the remarks I have just alluded to, has attempted at reseting the discourse and in doing so unintentionally, created space for Nigel Hinds; giving him cover. I am not prepared to do the same. In my opinion opportunism is opportunism, plain and straight. Only time will determine to what extent, people like Nigel Hinds can withstand scrutiny. Nigel Hinds is dishonest and was politically abusive in his letters, and deserves to be exposed for what he is – a member of the business/political alliance against SARU and the government. Readers will see that the posture assumed by him in his letters – the attacks on WPA and SARU/SARA and

the scurrilous remarks directed to Professor Clive Thomas are being spouted by individuals whom, I believe, are inextricably linked - professionally and or personally–to persons who are under suspicion of wrong doing. I am strongly of the view that what motivates them is their fear of exposure and therefore, for them their survival as law abiding citizens is to stop the Bill at all cost. That is why they are ranting and raving in the way they are. I will not spend much time on addressing Nigel Hinds’ challenge on Clive Thomas findings on the criminal state and the underground economy, since this information was in the public domain for many years. During that period, Nigel Hinds was conspicuous by his silence on the Professor’s expressed views. He never wrote anything on them in those years. The question is why now? Readers can form their own

conclusion. His rejection of SARU’s estimate of the amount of gold that is smuggled out of the country annually and what is lost to the state, given the high level of corruption is another matter. Hinds acts as if this is the first occasion that SARU has made its projections known. No it is not. This was first done months ago and it was repeated on several occasions. Again, the records will show that Hinds was silent on these pronouncements. So I ask the question again why only now? His so called sincerity and motive on these important national issues are called into question. Politically, Nigel Hinds has chosen to repeat the PPP’s propaganda on all issues be it Guysuco, the SARA Bill, PradoVille 2, audits, the economy, alleged capital flight from the economy etc. etc. While I disagree with him I recognize that he is entitled to his political choices. However, it is clear to me that his

attempt to sow the seeds of division between the Ministry of Finance and SARU is nothing short of wickedness, which must be exposed. He writes, “It is unfortunate that the emergence of SARU has adversely affected the efforts by our Honorable Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan, who is trying mightily to set our economic ship on course for improved economic growth”. His view that SARU is undermining the efforts of the Minister and the economy is hogwash to say the least. He also cited SARU as being responsible for commercial banks being unable to supply clients demand for foreign currency. He writes that the general thrust of the postMay 2015 government is to spend “an extraordinary amount of time and money to set up a so-called ‘apparatus of anti-corruption’ unit led by the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU). Hopefully, common sense will prevail and the

bill never becomes an act”. Like the PPP and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Nigel Hinds wants to see the death of the SARA bill. He claimed that SARA is a “monster” created by the APNU+AFC government to deal with its political opponents and cited the case against former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prado Ville 2. What I find interesting is that while Hinds rails against, the coalition government spending extraordinary amounts of time of money to set up apparatus of anti-corruption units, Nigel Hinds seems not to have any problems of accepting commissions, valued millions of dollars, to carry out audits into the operations of a number of agencies which resulted in the identification of numerous acts of wrongdoing by officials of those agencies. I will have more to say about this double standard of Hinds Tacuma Ogunseye

Coalition will lose in 2020 unless they change course DEAR EDITOR, The installation of the current government in 2015 represented a break from the many violations of the former PPP administration to the fundamental ideas which underpin Guyana’s democracy. Indeed, basic human rights, the rule of law and natural justice, freedom of the press, and equality of opportunity evolved as threats to the survival of the former administration. Further, its entrenched corruption and unparalleled mismanagement of our natural resources, coupled with its support for the illicit drug trade and money laundering, rendered Guyana something of a pariah state internationally. However, the present trend of the Coalition administration has become an intense source of social distress, so much so that for quite some time now the no-

tion of the possibility of the Coalition being booted at the next elections has become more than a point for public discussion. This was definitely not what the backers of the Coalition going into the 2015 elections had in mind. Earlier claims of corruption aside, the level of consultations in preparation of the Budget 2017, its articulated policies, and recent attempts to influence exchange rates suggest that government’s thrust of economic management is clearly out of sync with expectations. What many Guyanese do not want is a return of the PPP regime in 2020. Yet what is also undesirable is that the present scheme of things, become the status quo. In this regard, the President may wish to take recourse to a broader spectrum of political and economic advice to facilitate a recovery from what has

so far been a disaster in the making for his term in office. Prefacing this is that the Coalition will lose the 2020 elections given the direction they are currently headed. With this outcome in mind, the following are some issues that need to be revisited immediately: 1) scrapping of the proposals on VAT in the 2017 Budget, 2) resolving the sore issues in the sugar industry in a less acrimonious manner, 3) engaging the private sector as a partner in the modeling of any plans for economic growth and expansion, 4) establish a council of economic advisors charged with providing greater depth and perspective on policies for growth, 5) engage a couple of political advisors. Much has been written about the unhealthy and burdensome effects of the VAT policies in the 2017 Budget. What seems an absolute certainty is that while these policies may very likely generate the revenues projected; they will also prove to be the un-

doing of the Coalition at the next national election. From the perspective of political survival and the maintenance of hope for betterment and improvement in welfare promised, it is strongly recommended that the VAT policies in the 2017 Budget be scrapped as soon as possible, and appropriate adjustments to the budget be adopted to maintain the level of the fiscal deficit, if this is desired. The handling of the issues within the sugar industry has evolved into a political challenge for the Coalition. Regardless of whether or not the issues should be politicized, the fact is, they are, and have been for quite some time. While the dispatch of the former CEO of GUYSUCO was long overdue, the seeming inability of the current executive to chart a solution agreeable to both government and workers is exacting severe political costs. It is important to government that a positive, produc-

tive partnership be established and maintained with the private sector. Success in this area naturally hinges on the attitude and capacity of the government officials responsible for developing and maintaining this relationship in the first instance, and the need to disregard the perceived politics of the private sector’s representative bodies as a basis for establishing and maintaining these productive relationships. The private sector will most probably engage government on policies supporting investment, employment creation and cost reductions. In respect of taxes, government may consider being more proactive in minimizing tax avoidance and evasion through the GRA directly, versus the unfair implementation of measures similar to the proposed VAT changes as a means of recouping underpaid taxes from the population. In companies as well as government, matters of critical importance, instead of being entrusted to any single individual, are normally

handled by oversight bodies such as governing boards, councils, committees, etcetera. Management of Guyana’s economy, as a matter of national importance, cannot be exposed to the risks associated with the oversight of a single person. In this regard, the President should appoint a board of economic advisors entrusted with guiding and advising the budget process while keeping him engaged and informed on the expected outcomes their policy recommendations are likely to realize. They will also be responsible for charting a larger economic policy framework to support the vision for Guyana’s economic development. The adoption of strategies and policies critical to social and economic issues such as sugar and VAT probably require greater consideration of the political implications for decisions made and approaches adopted. This can definitely improve the nation’s opinion of government. Craig Sylvester.

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UN names Norwegian to mediate in Guyana, Venezuela border controversy Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, yesterday announced the appointment of Dag Halvor Nylander of Norway as his Personal Representative on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. Nylander will have until the end of the year to find a resolution, failing which the matter heads to the International Court. “By the Geneva Agreement of 17 February 1966, Guyana and Venezuela have referred to the Secretary-General the decision as a means of settlement of the controversy that has arisen as the result of the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899 about the frontier between Venezuela and what is now Guyana is null and void,” a UN statement explained yesterday. Gutteres, on December 16, had concluded that the present Good Offices Process — which has been conducted since 1990 — will continue until the end of 2017, with a strengthened mandate of mediation. “Mr. Nylander will conduct the Good Offices Process on behalf of the Secretary-

General and will actively engage with the Governments of Guyana and Venezuela with a view to exploring and proposing options for a solution to the border controversy between the two countries.” If, by the end of 2017, the Secretary-General concludes that no significant progress has been made towards arriving at a full agreement for the solution of the controversy, he will choose the International Court of Justice as the next means of settlement, unless the Governments of Guyana and Venezuela jointly request that he refrain from doing so, the UN statement said. Nylander was the Norwegian Special Envoy to the Colombia peace process (2012-2016) and served as Norway’s Head of Mission in Bogota, Colombia (20062008). Nylander was a delegate of his country before the United Nations in New York (2001-2004), and at the Norwegian Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1999-2001). Born in 1969, Nylander is a lawyer from the University of Oslo and is fluent in English, Spanish and Norwegian.

Good Officer for a year: Dag Halvor Nylander

UN’s Secretary General- António Guterres

Guyana is at major odds with neighbouring Venezuela after the latter aggressively stated that a large part of Essequibo, the biggest country in Guyana, belongs to them. The claim has been an old one that Guyana insisted was settled more than a century ago. The Coalition Government, on entering office in May 2015, was immediately faced with a hostile Venezuela after it was announced

that a significant deposit of oil was found in Guyana’s waters by US-owned ExxonMobil. Venezuela immediately drew up maps including a large part of Essequibo as belonging to them. Guyana has complained to a number of countries, to CARICOM and other organizations and eventually President David Granger raised the matter on the floors of the United Nations General Assembly in late 2015.

President David Granger and Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro at the United Nations, New York in late 2015. Guyana insisted that it no longer had interest in the Good Offices Process. Rather, it wants a juridical settlement in the International Courts.

However, the new UN chief has asked for one more shot at the Good Offices Process before the matter is taken to court.

MPs attend workshop on promoting competition in Guyana To provide Members of Parliament (MPs) with a sound understanding of issues related to promoting competition in Guyana and in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), a workshop was held at the Public Buildings, yesterday. The workshop is an output of the Caribbean ForumEuropean Union (CARIFORUM-EU) Capacity Building Project that is funded under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The project’s overall objective is to support CARIFORUM Member States’ beneficial integration in the world economy. Specifically, it seeks to help Member States to implement their Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) commitments in the areas of Competition, Procurement and Customs and Trade Facilitation.

Chairperson of the CARICOM Competition Commission, Dr. Kusha Haraksingh. Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, and other senior ministers of government participated in the workshop. Dr. Kusha Haraksingh, Chairperson of the CARICOM Competition Commission and Honorary Con-

sultant in the Office of the Vice Chancellor the University of the West Indies (UWI) was the presenter. Dr. Haraksingh first elucidated key concepts necessary for understanding essential aspects of competition to the participants. He explained that the main goal of competition is to improve consumer welfare. In pursuing this objective, however, he suggested that Caribbean territories may need to develop a new jurisprudence of competition that differed from what is practiced in North America or the European Union, which would be able to address competition issues specific to CARICOM territories. Among the other concepts that Dr. Haraksingh discussed, were the issues of unilateral action in which the actions of a single dominant firm in the market might constitute an abuse of its posi-

tion; horizontal action in which two or more firms collude in a manner that inhibits market competition; the anti-competitive potential of mergers and acquisitions; and finally, procedures to address anti-competitive situations. Dr. Haraksingh’s presentation particularly focused on the role of parliamentarians in enhancing competition in

Guyana. He emphasized the need for a balance between the application of competition law and other considerations such as industrial policy to assist disadvantaged regions or groups and the need to make particular sectors more competitive. Dr. Haraksingh also noted the need for balance between the power of Guyana’s com-

petition commission and sectoral regulators and for state-owned and private enterprises to be afforded the same competitive advantages. In closing, Dr. Haraksingh highlighted the need for members of parliament to be able to scrutinize trade agreements and general domestic legislation for anti-competitive issues.

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

Kaieteur News

Follow rules or face sanctions! -Finance Secretary warns regional officials

Finance Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and PAC Advisor, Dr. Hector Butts.

Regional officials, PAC members and the Communities Ministry’s Technical Team during the meeting yesterday. Finance Secretary of the Finance Ministry, Dr. Hector Butts, yesterday urged Regional officials to follow the rules and regulations to prevent fraud, embezzlement and misuse of public funds, or face sanctions. Dr. Butts appeared as one of the three advisors to the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during a special meeting convened to address the irregularities highlighted in the Auditor General’s 2015 Report. He said that if explanations given by those responsible were not forthcoming or understood, then decisions will have to be taken to “streamline our thinking, or bring heads of agencies or

parties in line with what is expected.” “We will have to tighten our belts here because we will have to be looking at how we deal with excess breaches here, especially in terms of looking at possibilities of sanctions, if necessary.” Dr. Butts reminded that misuse of funds by public officials could result in fines of up to $2M and imprisonment for as many as three years – if found guilty by a Court of Law. His statement would come against the backdrop of numerous reports accusing regional officials in the past of being involved in corrupt practices including that of embezzlement, fraud and mis-

use of public funds. Dr. Butts’s assertions yesterday also caused a few heads to turn. Amongst the attendees, were the Communities Minister, Ronald Bulkan; Permanent Secretary (PS), Emile McGarrell; Members of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC); and the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma. Sharma, during his presentation, highlighted some of the irregularities in the report, forwarded some recommendations which he opined will aid officials in effectively fulfilling their mandates. He spoke about the appropriation lapses where at the end of the year, funds are (Continued on page 23)

Jagdeo goes ballistic on Kaieteur News …says Government is beholden to the newspaper By Brushell Blackman Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo launched a 20-minute attack on Kaieteur News and the government at a press conference at Freedom House yesterday. The former president said that it is no secret that he and his party have a contentious issue with Kaieteur News for what he branded as the ‘fake news’ that the publication prints. Jagdeo said that the issue of ‘fake news’ is now gaining prominence globally but Kaieteur News has been involved in this news for the past 15 years. “Kaieteur News has honed fake news into an art form and the United States of America is now catching on from them (Kaieteur News)”. The Opposition Leader was worried that such news by the newspaper can influence people’s opinions. It was apparent that Jagdeo knew that this attack on an independent newspaper will ensure wide coverage of him and his party. The savage attack continued, “I will not take the trouble to go through the hundreds of ‘fake news’ Kaieteur News has published.” However he zoned into the newspaper’s editorial that spoke about major financial discrepancies and widespread squander mania and mis-use at the National Investment Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) under his administration. The editorial also addressed the surreptitious manner in which the Marriott Hotel’s conceptualization and subsequent building of that structure came about. Jagdeo took umbrage to the fact that that it was pointed out that the deal was in part shrouded in secrecy “How could it have been a secret when Adam Harris (Edi-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo tor-In-Chief of Kaieteur News) was there.” He said that all that has been said about the Marriott Hotel by Kaieteur News is all ‘Fake News’. Jagdeo stated that it is not true that no feasibility study was done on the project but he could not direct to or provide any evidence of any feasibility study that was laid for that project. The former President was not finished there. He then shifted his attention to the publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, who he called ‘power drunk’ and someone who likes to have his own way. He alleged that Lall was seen mingling with Members of Parliament of the APNU-led government and accused the publisher of trying to shake favours from that government. “This government is beholden to Kaieteur News; it is fearful of the newspaper criticizing them.” According to Jagdeo, the government is indebted to the newspaper and the ‘fake news’ that was peddled during the last election campaign

that allowed the APNU- led government to un-seat his party. It was at this point that Kaieteur News came off his radar and he then waded into the government. He stated that every day in the newspaper you see promises that are made by the government but nothing is coming to fruition. “They promise to create jobs, to pursue civil works, to enact policies that will foster social cohesion, but none of this has happened.” According to the former Head of State the current administration has failed in all departments. Jagdeo opined that the administration is grossly incompetent and it just a matter of time before his party unseats them. He spoke about the boardwalk project that was recently air-marked for commencement of works. “This government talks about this project as if the public can eat it.” Jagdeo also highlighted the Linden to Lethem road and said that no feasibility study was done and that the government has seriously underestimated the magnitude of the project. It was his belief that there will not be enough funds to offset this and the other aforementioned projects. “I will make a wager that none of these projects will commence in the next five months.” He went on to say that he was certain that none of these projects will see the light of day for another few years. He said that the government is continuously failing to address the fundamental issues that are affecting the society. He stated that almost every sector within the society is failing and the government is bereft of ideas to address them.

Tuesday February 28, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Another matter for the constitutional Court There is yet another constitutional crisis brewing. And the Peeper had warned about it. It concerns the Public Procurement Commission (PPC). The Commission was appointed in the latter part of 2016 but it seems as if it is not fully in operation judging from the number of contracts which are still receiving ‘no objections’ from Cabinet. We have seen reports recently about the need for staffing of the PPC. A report yesterday spoke about the need for an additional $100M to ensure that work of the Commission is carried out. It does seem as if a bureaucracy is being established to allow the Commission to exercise oversight over the administration of public procurement.

This is not, however, the role of the PPC as contemplated by the Constitution of Guyana. The role of the PPC is simply to monitor and review procurement systems, promote public education about the rules, procedures and requirements for public procurement, the monitoring of procurement bodies to ensure adherence with the rules and regulations, approving procedures for public procurement and investigating complaints. These functions and the others which are spelt out in the Constitution may seem to vest the PPC with a role of managing public procurement. It does not. The Public Procurement Commission is simply like a Board of Directors whose task

is to ensure that the various tender Boards – national regional and ministerial - comply with the rules. There is no need for any elaborate bureaucracy for carrying out this function. There is no need also for the members of the PPC to be paid salaries. They should be receiving stipends as any other member of State Boards. In the context of what is happening at the moment, there is need for the government to seek an interpretation from the Court as to the role of the PPC in procurement and for a determination to be made as to the need for a bureaucracy to allow the PPC to execute its mandate. If other constitutional commissions follow the lead of the PPC, then the Treasury

Dem boys seh ...

Jagdeo is a fake Yesterday Jagdeo try to put Guyana pun de map. But as everybody know he does do dem things fuh de wrang reason. He try to mek friends with Donald Trump because since Trump win de elections he, Jagdeo, got problems going to de States. In fact, he ain’t even try to go there because he frighten jail. That is how he claim how Guyana invent fake news that Trump always talking about. He claim how de Waterfalls paper start it. Dem boys seh if that was true then it had to be that somebody learn it from Jagdeo heself. This is de man who married and then claim that he marriage was a fake. He had de first fake marriage in Guyana. De Waterfalls paper boss

man buy a gift fuh Jagdeo thinking he was doing something fuh a real wedding. Now he want back he gift but Jagdeo tell him that he can’t find it and that in any case de gift got to be fake because de wedding was fake. Now people want to know if Jagdeo is a fake man. And since he de Jagdeo believe he is Donald Trump he starting to pick on a newspaper. Dem boys know he was angry because de Waterfalls paper expose all he mischief and corrupt ways. He still believe is de Waterfalls paper mek people lose respect fuh he. He suh vex that eh want de British fraud squad man to help him lay some charges. This is a man who couldn’t even find corruption if it was sitting in front of him. Now

he talking how people corrupt and how he gun jail dem. He wait till Brassington, Rob de Earth, Ashni and all of dem run and he know that de jail door ain’t deh too far from him. This is de same Jagdeo who never seh a truthful word in he life. He was de one who tell de whole world that he ain’t running fuh de presidency again. He tun round and get a man fuh file a challenge. This man live in a house that Jagdeo wouldn’t put he worse enemy in. Now Jagdeo playing smart. He skin up he card but he telling people he can’t seh if he gun run. That is another lie. Talk half and hope Guyana don’t get a fake president.

is going to have to set aside hundreds of millions each year in order to finance the bureaucracies of the constitutional commissions. But there is another major issue. It concerns the level of remuneration which is being paid to members of the PPC. We are told that the salaries are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the members of the PPC. What is to prevent the members of the other service commissions from demanding that they be similarly compensated? The PPC should be treated like any other service commission or Board of Directors. There should be no extra-special treatment to this body nor should any bureaucracy be established. The PCC is only required to monitor the procurement systems to ensure they are compliant. You do not need a bureaucracy for this. It is true that the PPC may be called upon to investigate alleged irregularities in procurement. But the members do not have to necessarily conduct the investigations

themselves. They can appoint a tribunal to do this. In any event, there is already in place a Bid Review Committee (BRC). The work of the PPC and the BRC cannot duplicate each other. This will present conflict. The PCC should stick to oversight of systems and leave the Bid Protest Committee to investigate allegations of bias or favoritism or mistakes. This problem which is arising with the PPC was bound to come back to haunt the new government. When the People’s Progressive Party was refusing to appoint the PPC because of differences

between them and the APNU and the AFC over its functions, this was seen as the PPP prevaricating on the appointment because they had something to hide. As we are now seeing, the PCC is going to become a burden on the Treasury unless its constitutional functions are clarified.

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

All Guyanese must be told about this abuse of power If the leaders of government know of the depths of the depravities of power that characterized the Jagdeo/ Ramotar era, they will go the extra mile to ensure they do not play into the hands of the PPP. The more research one puts into the rule of these two presidents, the more one sees how horrible and sickening has been the abuse of power. This columnist has been told that the contract under

which the Commissioner of Information functions has no end date and retirement age. It is unspeakable that public funds could go into the employment of a person who can hold that office indefinitely. To see the morbidity of power in the Jagdeo/Ramotar period one simply has to compare the contracts of every major public sector position of high substance. The judges, both from the

High Court and the Court of Appeal, are not bound by periodic contracts but they are subject to the age of retirement. As most Guyanese would know, the Chancellor retired a few days ago. The Commissioner of Police has a time-bound contract and it conforms to the public service retirement clause. The same goes for the head of the army. The DPP does not face renewal of contract but has a

Protest against VAT on private education slated for GRA The Camp Street, Georgetown headquarters of the Guyana Revenue Authority will be the centre of attention today, when parents, teachers and students stage a protest calling for the removal of 14 percent Valued Added Tax (VAT) on private education. The protest, organized by Rosh Khan, will kick off from 12 noon and last for an hour. Persons from School of the Nations, Marian Academy, Apex Academy and other private educational institutions from across the country are invited. Those desirous of

attending are being asked to assemble in front of GRA with their placards. This protest is just another action being taken by civil society demanding that VAT imposed on private education be eliminated. During the past weeks, there have been many letters sent to the media by the leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo, Directors of Private Schools and even students attending private schools calling for the government to reverse this decision. A statement from the Office of the Opposition Leader called on Government

to cut ministerial salaries and overseas trips if they are badly in need of revenue. It said that education has long proven to be the surest way out of poverty and that taxing the service is callous and cruel. The statement also contended that imposing VAT on private education is biased, since persons attending public schools do not bear this burden. The statement reminded that the private education system has created job opportunities for many and has contributed vastly in raising the standard and (Continued on page 23)

retirement requirement. The Ombudsman has a retirement point. So are all the Permanent Secretaries. So is the Bank of Guyana Governor. So is the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority. The Vice-Chancellor of the University does not have age restriction. He/she can hold the position forever but the contract is renewed every three years. I assert that there isn’t anyone holding public office - constitutional or notthat is not subject to contract renewal or retirement. It would seem that the Commissioner of Information is the exception. But is one surprised? Should Guyanese be surprised to hear of such a contract? This anomaly and countless others occurred during the tenure of Jagdeo and Ramotar. Both of these former presidents have taken the political and moral high ground. They pontificate on everything the government does. They see legal, moral and political nastiness in almost every major policy of the Coalition. Yet the balance sheet of the naked use of power by these two men is unspeakable. Why would any government compose a contract for a State employee to hold office indefinitely? Only one type of government does these things – the authoritarian regime. Mr. Jagdeo holds a weekly press conference. Mr. Ramotar writes a weekly let-

ter in the newspapers. There is not even a fleeting reference from the mouth of these men of any mistake that was made during their combined fifteen years of domination. Look out this week for Jagdeo’s press conference and the recurring theme of Government’s high-handedness and discrimination policies. Look out this week for Ramotar’s letter and its poisonous accusations against the Government. You are not going to hear even one word from the mouth of Jagdeo, you are not going to read even one word from Ramotar about even one mistake they made when they were enjoying their domination of Guyana. Ask both men to comment on the contract of the Commissioner of Information, the journalist will either get a rude response or face an evasive tactic. What this government should have done immediately after it got into power was to compile a dossier on the abuse of power. That should have been its priority not D’Urban Park. The people the government asked to beg for money to build D’Urban Park should have been engaged to do the research. By now all Guyana would have seen the contents of fifteen years of the abuse of power where incestuousness, nepotism, morbid corruptibility, unprecedented lawlessness, and sickening philistinism

Frederick Kissoon were the main features of the rule of the PPP. The Coalition waited too long. That delay gave the Jagdeo bandwagon the breathing space it needed to serenade its supporters. Whether people embrace the PPP for race reasons, hatred of the PNC, or other determinants, only a depraved, evil mind would accept and approve of the conduct and policies of the Jagdeo/Ramotar period. To add to this insane environment is the consistent display of aggressive barefacedness in the face of oceans of facts of what they have done when they were in office. One should end this commentary on a sarcastic tone on the pronouncement of Clement Rohee that every Guyanese is welcomed in the PPP. This is the man and his government who dismissed public servants by the hundreds when they came into power in 1992. It is time these people face a judge and jury. The sooner the better.

Tuesday February 28, 2017

Stalemate in selection for new GECOM chief as Surujbally departs The search for a new Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is at a stalemate with another meeting between Government and the Opposition described as “futile” by the latter. GECOM, the body which overlooks the production of National Identification Card, and manages local and general elections, is facing some pressure with an ongoing audit into several questionable procurement transactions. Dr. Steve Surujbally is to officially depart today after more than a decade at the entity. The announcement of his retirement last year saw a difference of opinion between the Government and the Opposition on the process used to select a new Chairperson. At the heart of the matter is interpretation of the Constitution with regards to the qualifications and merits of the candidates. A list of candidates submitted by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, was rejected by President David Granger. Meeting yesterday were Minister of Legal Affairs, Attorney General Basil Williams for Government and Anil Nandlall and Priya Manickchand, on behalf of the Opposition. According to a statement from the AG Chambers, the meeting centered on Article 161 (2) of the Constitution with respect to the appointment of the Chairman of the Elections Commission.” The Opposition representatives were presented a copy of the Government’s response. “Mr. Nandlall has advanced the argument that the ejusdem generis rule of construction does not apply in Guyana. This position is erroneous. However, before refuting Mr. Nandlall’s misguided argument it is instructive to set out what is the ejusdem generis rule.” According to the AG, the ejusdem generis rule says that general words which follow two or more particular words in an act must be confined to a meaning of the same class as the particular words. “The intention is to cover a wide range of similar circumstances by first creating a genus, category or class that is two or more examples, followed by a general expression which has the effect of extending the operation of the statute to all particular circumstances which are within the genus created. In this way, the statute does not need to list all relevant examples.” Williams cited a number of local and international cases to back his arguments. “The rule is a facet of the principle of the latin maxim,

AG Basil Williams

Opposition’s MP, Priya Manickchand noscitur a sociis, which contemplates that a statutory term is recognised by its associated words. Therefore, when general words are juxtaposed with specific words, general words cannot be read in isolation. Their colour and their contents are to be derived from their context.” The AG noted that the persons eligible to be Chairman of the Elections Commission according to Article 161 (2) shall be a judge or a person who has held office as judge or a person who has the qualifications to be a judge, or any other fit and proper person. President has final say “When looking at the construction of the section one can reason that the categories are in the order of preference. This order coupled with the use of the word shall (mandatory in this sense) conveys to us that the ideal person in the contemplation of the framers of the constitution is someone who falls into the first category namely, a judge or a person who has held office as a judge or a person who qualifies to be a judge.” He said that supporting this proposition is the proviso to Article 161 (2) which states that “Provided that if the Leader of the Opposition fails to submit a list as provided for, the President shall appoint a person who holds or has held office as a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court or who

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Kaieteur News

Opposition’s MP, Anil Nandlall

Last day: GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally is qualified to be appointed as any such judge.” As such, Williams argued, consequently, the Leader of the Opposition’s list of candidates must include the persons required by the Constitution in the priority category supported by the proviso. “A list from the Leader of the Opposition with candidates that only fit into the secondary category namely ‘any other fit and proper person’ would be an unacceptable list. Finally, it must be clearly pointed out that the President is empowered by the Article 161 (2) to deem a list acceptable or unacceptable. Further, it is the President who ultimately decides whether a candidate is fit and proper for the office of (Continued on page 23)

Court to consider issue of jurisdiction in parking meter case Justice Brassington Reynolds is expected to make a determination on whether the court has jurisdiction under the new civil procedural rules to hear a legal challenge to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC) over the controversial Parking Meter project. The matter filed by Mahendra Arjune came up for hearing before Justice Reynolds yesterday. However at the commencement of the hearing, Attorney-at-law, Roger Yearwood, who is representing Town Clerk, Royston King, in the matter, raised concerns on whether the court has the jurisdiction to hear the case under the new civil procedure rules. As such, the matter was adjourned to today when the Judge will make a determination on the issue of jurisdiction. In the meantime, attorney for the applicant, Kamal Ramcharan, requested a court order to halt all actions under the Parking Meter project until the hearing and determination of the case. However, Justice Reynolds noted that he will not make such an order until he has properly perused the file in relations to the case. The M&CC signed the contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS) on May 13, 2016. The contract gave the company exclusive rights to conduct paid public parking within Georgetown and includes the installation of parking meters. But, the project has attracted a lot of controversy and public debate with members of civil society calling for the terms and conditions of the venture to be recanted. Many described the project as nothing short of burdensome to the citizens of Georgetown. Earlier this month, Chief Justice (Ag), Yonette CummingsEdwards granted an ‘Order Nisi,’ to quash the decision of Mayor and City Council and Town Clerk to enter into a contract with Smart City Solutions (SCS) Incorporated, unless the council can give just cause why it should be so. The Chief Judge had specifically granted an order to quash the

Town Clerk of the Georgetown M&CC, Royston King agreement made on May 13, 2016. The court ruled that the amendments must be made to the establishment of parking meters in the city of Georgetown with Smart City Solution Inc., and all the things thereafter which flowed from that decision unless the defendant, Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC),

shows cause against quashing the decision. The Court also granted an order nisi to quash the decision by the M&CC to empower the Town Clerk to sign and operationalise contracts with SCS Inc., for the establishment of parking meters and all acts of things done or caused to be done or flowing from the decisions of the M&CC and the Town Clerk, unless reason is given against rescinding that decision. The order was granted to cancel the agreement by the M&CC and anyone acting on their behalf, except persons or categories of persons paying fees for parking in the city of Georgetown and being subject to penalties of such. The M&CC is therefore instructed to show cause why this decision should not be quashed. Parties involved in the matter were warned that failure to comply with the order will result in them being held in contempt.

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

Committee calls for review of existing disciplinary procedures at GPHC

The possibility of amending the law governing the operation of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has been recommended in an effort to improve its organisational function. The foregoing is a recommendation that has been outlined in a report prepared by a Committee that was tasked with conducting an investigation at the public institution. The Committee has also amplified the need for a number of other features to either be amended or implemented at the GPHC. Although the chief role of the Committee was to ascertain whether daunting allegations made against the hospital Director of Nursing Services, Ms, Collene Hicks, were indeed factual, in order to do so it had to examine the organisational structure of the institution. This was reportedly in light of the fact that there have been questions as it relates to the designated authority of some officials within the institution’s hierarchy. For instance Hicks, because of reported ‘gross’ insubordination, had her services terminated in 2015 by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Michael Khan, but there were claims that he had no such authority. In fact, Hicks based on the advice of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), which represents her interest, had pointed out that Hicks’s service was retained by the Human Resource Department and therefore it was only that Department that should execute disciplinary measures. Last year, Hicks was again accused of insubordination and was written to by Mr.

Alan Johnson, who was acting in the capacity of CEO. Hick on this occasion too reportedly had no regard for Johnson’s authority. As such the Committee in its investigation sought to ascertain the authority of the CEO. The GPHC was established by Order No. 3 of 1999 under the Public Corporations Act, 1988 and comprises the Board and its employees. Moreover, by law the operation of the hospital requires that the Board appoints the CEO on such terms and conditions (including salary and allowances) as it deems fit. It was determined that the CEO, in addition to being responsible for implementing the decisions of the Board and the management of the affairs and activities of the GPHC, is expected to hire and dismiss officers and employees except where specifically prohibited by the Board. Such actions, based on the organisational setting of the institution, should be taken in order for the functions of the Board and the GPHC to be efficiently carried out but could be subject to adherence to established industrial relations practices and existing union agreement. This publication understands that based on an organisation chart that was examined by the Committee it was found that as in the case of other Directors of the hospital, the Director of Nursing Services and the Director of Medical and Professional Services must report directly to the CEO. But at the conclusion of the investigation, the informed Committee recommended, among other things, that there be a review of the

existing disciplinary procedures for handling minor breaches at the level of the Director of Nursing Services, and that the more serious breaches be addressed at the level of the Human Resources Department. A report completed by the Committee further states that “In view of the disagreement as to whether the Chief Executive Officer had authority to terminate the services of the Director of Nursing Services, the Schedule to Order No. 3 of 1999 establishing the GPHC should be amended to provide for the Board to ratify the appointments and termination of services of all senior management personnel.” Among the other changes that have been recommended for the institution is a move towards offering specialised care. Attention was given to this area since there were reports that the Director of Nursing was hindering nurses from delving into specialised fields of nursing. But according to the Committee, based on its investigation there is need for measures to be taken in order for this latter measure to be effective. “Given the expansion of the GPHC, to now offer more specialised care and medical support services correspondingly, the organisational structure must be adjusted to capture these changes,” the Committee in its report said. Added to this, the Committee has recommended that there be enforcement of the function of the Director of Nursing Services to develop a programme for continuous nursing education. Such a programme must be done in collaboration with the General Nursing Council,” the Committee has suggested. While the investigation was streamlined and conducted under the previous hospital Board, which was headed by Dr. Carl ‘Max’ Hanoman, it will be up to the recently installed Board, chaired by Ms. Kesaundra Alves, to embrace or reject the findings and recommendations of the Committee.

Tuesday February 28, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Islamic militants in the Philippines have posted a video showing the beheading of a German hostage BBC News - Juergen Kantner was abducted from his yacht off Malaysia’s Sabah state in November. His companion Sabine Merz’s body was later found on the boat. A deadline for a 30m peso (£483,000; $600,000) ransom expired on Sunday. Mr Kantner, 70, and Ms Merz had been abducted before. They were held for 52 days in 2008 by Somali pirates and were released after a ransom was paid. The video, reported by the SITE militancy-monitoring group, shows Mr Kantner being killed by a knife-wielding man. Government envoy Jesus Dureza confirmed the killing. “Up to the last moment, many sectors, including the armed forces, exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best but to no avail,” he said. Abu Sayyaf is one of the smallest and most violent

Juergen Kantner and Sabine Merz had been abducted before - off Somalia in 2008. (BBC Photo). jihadist groups in the southern Philippines, known for its brutality, including beheadings.

It has pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State and has carried out kidnappings of foreigners and Filipinos.

Kim Jong Un ‘ordered’ half brother’s killing, South Korean intelligence says (CNN) Two North Korean ministries orchestrated the plot to kill Kim Jong Nam on the orders of his h a l f - b r o t h e r, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s spy agency has said. Lawmakers in Seoul, who were briefed by the country’s intelligence officials, said the North’s foreign ministry and ministry of national security had recruited the two female suspects in Kim’s murder. “The assassination of Kim Jong Nam was an act of systematic terror ordered by Kim Jong Un,” South Korean lawmaker Kim Byung-kee said in a televised address. “The operation was conducted with two assassination groups and one supporting group.” North Korea has consistently denied any involvement in Kim Jong Nam’s killing and accused South Korean media of publishing “false reports.” Kim Jong Nam was accosted by two women at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13, while on his way to board a plane to the Chinese-territory of Macau. He died on his way to hospital, less than 20 minutes later, according to Malaysian investigators, who

said the women had attacked him with a VX nerve agent. Three suspects are in c u s t o d y, i n c l u d i n g t w o women from Vietnam and Indonesia who were caught on video smearing a substance on Kim’s face. KILL GROUPS ‘WORKED SEPARATELY’ At his press briefing, lawmaker Kim said the two assassination groups had worked apart before meeting in Malaysia shortly prior to the murder. He said the first group, composed of North Korean state security department member Ri Jae Nam and foreign ministry worker Ri Ji Hyon, had recruited the Vietnamese suspect, Doan Thi Huong. Meanwhile the second group, also consisting of a state security member, O Jong Gil, and a foreign ministry member, Hong Song Hac, brought on board Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah. Kim said all four members of the assassination groups fled to North Korea after the killing. A large support group worked alongside them, consisting of North Korean embassy workers, as well as employees of the Koryo

state airline and a private trading company. Kim did not say how the North Korean suspect already in Malaysian custody, 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol, was involved. DEAD IN UNDER 20 MINUTES Autopsy results from Kim’s body showed he had died within about 15 to 20 minutes after the attack, Malaysia’s Health Minister Dr Subramaniam Sathasivam said Sunday. He added Kim’s death would have been “painful.”

Some have been released for ransoms but a number are still being held. The German foreign min-

istry said in a statement that there was no longer any reasonable doubt that the German abducted in the Philippines was dead. “We are deeply shocked by the inhuman and gruesome act,” it added. A Philippine police report said Mr Kantner had been killed in the Indanan area of southern Sulu province on Sunday afternoon. However, nobody has yet been recovered. The Philippine military had carried out air strikes on Abu Sayyaf positions in Sulu over the weekend as the deadline approached. After the German couple’s yacht, the Rockall, was found off Laparan Island in Sulu province on 7 November, Abu Sayyaf had issued an audio message saying it was responsible for the abduction. A year after Juergen Kantner was kidnapped off the coast of Somalia in 2008 he returned - to pick up his

yacht and to carry on sailing in the region. This decision, and the second abduction in November, sparked a debate in Germany about the extent to which individuals have a responsibility to avoid danger. Commentators discussed whether it was brave or reckless to go sailing in some of the world’s most dangerous seas that were plagued by pirates - particularly given that the German government had reportedly paid huge sums in ransom t o r e l e a s e M r Kantner and his partner the first time they were abducted. But Mr Kantner justified his decision by saying that after 32 years on his boat he had no friends left in Germany, and that everything he owned was on his yacht. “My boat is my life and I don’t want to lose it,” he said at the time. “I want to live and die sailing.”

North Korea ‘executes five senior officials with anti-aircraft guns’ (AP) Kim Jong-un’s reign of terror resumed this week as South Korea’s spy agency reported the North Korean dictator ordered more executions. According to the report, North Korea executed five senior officials using anti-aircraft guns because they made false reports that “enraged” leader Kim Jong-un, South Korea’s spy agency said yesterday. The comments by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in a private briefing to lawmakers come as Malaysia investigates the poisoning death of Kim’s estranged elder half-brother, Kim Jong-

nam. That investigation is still going on, but South Korea says it believes Kim Jong-un ordered the assassination, which took place February 13 at Kuala Lumpur’s airport. Kim Jong-nam died within 20 minutes of poisoning The spy agency told lawmakers that five North Korean officials in the department of recently purged state security chief Kim Won-hong were executed by anti-aircraft guns because of the false reports to Kim, South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said. It’s not clear what false reports

they allegedly made, and the NIS didn’t say how it got its information. South Korean spies have a spotty record when reporting about high-level events in authoritarian, cloistered North Korea. North Korea fired Kim Won-hong in January, presumably over corruption, abuse of power and torture committed by his agency, Seoul said earlier this month. The fallen minister had been seen as close to Kim Jong Un. North Korea has not publicly said anything about Kim Won Hong or about the alleged executions in his department.

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VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Premio, Blue Bird, IST, Honda CRV, Toyota Spacio, Fielder Wagon, 212 Carina, RZ & Pitbull bus – Call: 650-7501

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call:6294946 or 225-4822 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezer-Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Trade in your old empty printer ink cartridges for a new full one and pay HP $1,500, Canon $2,000- Call: 690-3883

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/6605257

1-Leyland DAF GRR Series; excellent condition. Call: 6804101 PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 6 Bedrooms property at Onderdeeming, West Bank Demerara - $25M. Call: 6567590/663-3602

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Tuschen 5,8,6,2 bedrooms; Hope- 2 bedrooms $7.8M, Hogg Island 20 acres $8M Call: 688-0087 Riviera Island: 145 Acres $30M, Tuschen property $5.8M, $6M, $15M. Call: 6880087 Goat Creek, Riverfront , 75 Acres land -$7M, Lanaballi River Front, 50 Acres -$9M. Call: 688-0087

LAND FOR SALE Land @ Soesdyke, 6 lots measuring 135’X175’. Call: 627-3334/696-8935, email:fcranmore@guyana voice.com 5 Acres coconut and other fruit bearing, no chemical, lease or sale – Demerara River across Timehri docks. Call: 261-2988

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. One complete sawmill situated at Yarrowkabra Industrial Site Soesdyke/ Linden Highway. Call: 6441190/ 609-8041 Grease rags, any amount $200 lbs, white spandex cloths 60’’ width, thousand of yards contact Lall’s Garment Enterprise Tel:266-2700,6819130 1 14 feet Aluminum Boat, 1 15 HP Yamaha Outboard Engine (Short Foot), 1 Cummings-10 KVA Generator Call: 664-5807

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

Tuesday February 28, 2017

Kaieteur News

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Lot 14 Croal & Longden Street: 4 Storey building (infront Demico). Call: 663-1876 Property for rent; 3 bedrooms top and bottom flat house on W.C.D, Canal No #2 Polder -$35,000 monthly. Call: 613-1860 Bottom flat house @ 25 North Road & Oronoque Street, fully furnished/ air condition/ residence /business. Preferably with no children. Call: 226-7012

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TO LET 1-2 Bedrooms, spacious semi-furnished home at La Parfaite Harmonie. Call: 6806137/ 628-3889 Apartment, Great Diamond EBD Contact Thandeka 603-0067, Ronique 6439286 2- Two Bedroom apartment to let – Call: 662-7354

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WANTED Single Seafood has vacancies for one cashier, one filing clerk; one office secretary. Attractive Salary. Applicants should contact 696-9386 by phoine or on WhatsApp and SMS

Tuesday February 28, 2017

Farmer remanded over wife killing A 32-year-old farmer was yesterday remanded to prison for allegedly killing his wife, whose lifeless body was discovered on a roadway at Lethem two Saturdays ago. The man, Peter Juan, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on February 18, at Central Rupununi, Essequibo, he murdered Justina Leonard, 47, of Shulinab Village. According to reports, the woman’s body was found lying on the roadway on the day in question. Kaieteur News understands that the couple was imbibing at a shop and later left for home.

It was reported that Juan arrived home before his wife when he discovered that he did not have the keys to their home. He reportedly walked back to meet his wife, when he saw her lying motionless on the road with her face covered in blood. Detectives had arrested Juan after the find. However, the police kept him in custody pending a post mortem examination, which revealed that Leonard died of blunt trauma and a fractured skull. Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the case file is incomplete. The murder accused was instructed to return to court on March 7.

REMANDED: Peter Juan

Ministry urges women of child-bearing age is in preparation to two specialists surgeons: Dr. to be screened hospital identify likely patients who Indurani Tejwani, Obstetrics/ The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is encouraging all women of child-bearing age in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) to visit the New Amsterdam Hospital from this week for screening for likely intra-uterine fibroids or any other gynaecological problems. The screenings will be free of cost between the hours of 08:00 hours and 13:00 hours during the week. For now, screenings will not be done on weekends. The screenings at the

will need critical surgical interventions by specialists from the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Organization during their oneweek stay which begins here next month. The team’s visit, which is in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, will run from March 18 - 24. During their stay here, they will conduct clinics, perform additional screening of patients and perform gynaecological surgical operations. The team comprises of

Gynaecology; Dr.Yatish Merchant - Cardiologist and Dr. Salem Jayagopaulan anaesthesiologist. While in Guyana, the Sai Baba team will be working along with local GMO’s at the New Amsterdam Hospital exposing them to the benefits of new techniques in clinical medicine. They will also donate various medical supplies to the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital. This is the fifth visit by the Sai Baba Medical team to Guyana since 2013.

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Kaieteur News

Chairman of the Elections Commission,” the AG insisted. interpretation of Article 161 person in contemplation of Futile However, Nandlall in a separate statement of the meeting, made clear where the Opposition stood. He said that at the meeting yesterday, rather than offer his or the Government’s interpretation of Article 161 (2) of the Constitution, as he promised on the last occasion, the AG handed over a document titled: ‘Response of Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC, MP to the Opposition’s contention on Article 161 (2) of the Constitution’. “In this document, the Attorney General simply essayed a response to my

(2) of the Constitution, which I left with him the last time we met. The gravamen of his presentation is that he disputes that the ejusdem generis rule of construction of statute applies to Guyana. In our view, this does not assist in resolving the matters of controversy.” Nandlall said that, in fact, if the Opposition is to follow suit and reciprocate, it would end up creating another and new controversy. This would simply distract from the issue at hand. He noted that in the final few paragraphs of the document, the AG simply recites Article 161 (2) of the Constitution and contends that in his view… “the ideal

the framers of the Constitution is someone who falls into the first category namely, a Judge, a person who has held office as a Judge or a person qualified to be a Judge… a list from the Leader of the Opposition with candidates that only fit into the second category namely ‘any other fit and proper person’ would be an unacceptable list”. “Therefore, the Attorney General has abysmally failed to address the quintessential issue and the real crux of the matter: who qualify as/or what are the attributes of, “any other fit and proper person”. In the circumstances, the engagement with the Attorney General, as I predicted, was futile.”

Protest against VAT on private...

Irfaan Ali says...

Major breaches in financial regulations historical in nature Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday engaged Regional Officials to address some of the findings illustrated in the Auditor General (AG)’s 2015 Report. The report highlights several irregularities with regards to the functioning of some of the Finance and Works Committees within the Regions. Chairman of the PAC, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Irfaan Ali, told the regional heads – in the presence of the Communities’ Minister, Ronald Bulkan – that based on observations thus far, the committee thought it “necessary and imperative” that the special meeting be held. Present at the meeting also, were Commissioners of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC). Ali, a former Minister under the People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/ C), admitted that some of these issues are historical. “Some of these issues are not only arising today; some of them are historical in nature. And it is time that

we understand the seriousness of the work of the PAC and the recommendations of the Auditor general and we all work to improving public accountability and transparency. “Over the course of the PAC’s work, there were a number of issues indentified: the Finance Committee of many regions is not functioning the way they are suppose to function in terms of their oversight responsibility of the finances, budgetary allocation in the various regions,” Ali said. He continued that the PAC has advised the Auditor General in future audits, to look at these Committees and to see how they are functioning. The Chairman said that the AG’s intervention is necessary since there are issues with regards to minutes portraying something contrary to the happenings of these Committees. “The Minutes lack important information and the minutes are inadequate. We found this also a t t h e R e g i o n a l Te n d e r Board level where some

Regions could not even produce Tender Board minutes for some if their meetings where decisions made by the Tender Board are not even documented...These are serious breaches,” Zeroing on the functioning of the Works Committee, Ali said that this too, was lacking in executing its responsibility of oversight. “We had works paid for as per the bill of qualities and not by measured works where the auditor goes on the ground (and) there is difference between what is there in measured works and what you paid for. And in most cases, the contractors are overpaid. We have payments for items under the preliminary bills which are not supplied or completed by the contractor. You have preliminary and contingency amount that are utilised and these services are never rendered by the contractors.” The vocal Ali said that there exists the issue of substandard work and substandard materials.

Students from Nations Sixth Form College are calling for the removal of VAT on education From page 10 quality of education in the country. It was noted that the private education system has become a fundamental supplement to public education. Othniel Lewis, a student of Nations Sixth Form College, has expressed concern about his future and those of his colleagues who are in the private education system. He said, “The incidence of this tax on private education will be passed on to consumers who are already making sacrifices to send their children to these private schools. I am fully aware that there is public education available but without a doubt, it has many challenges.” “Tens of thousands of public education consumers are clearly not satisfied with public education alone since the majority of them send their children to private lessons.” Lewis stated that there are fortunate people who send their children to private schools; there are many others who are humble and hardworking

parents, who sacrifice a lot to give their children the best. The student pointed out, “Private education provides quality, supplemental services which include quality computer laboratories, air conditioned class rooms, ample playground and yard space, and most importantly excellent teaching.” He said that students in the public education system are confined to Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). Lewis continued, “Some private schools give the opportunity to write exams like General Certificate of Education (GCE), Association of Business Executives (ABE) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). These are far more internationally recognized examinations that give students a better opportunity to compete on the international stage.”

Follow rules or face sanctions! From page 8 rolled over rather than being transferred to the appropriate fund. Sharma also urged that payments only be made for “complete works.” He added also that in some regions, contractors are being paid a mobilization fee that is more than what is stipulated in the standard bidding document. This observation was en-

dorsed by members of the PAC. Permanent Secretary McGarrell, noted during his presentation, that the highlighted issues were observed and steps are being made to address them. The Regional Consultative Committee meeting was convened, he added, to aid in this process. He added, for example, that the Regional Accounting

Unit stands at 14 percent of its needed staffing strength and many other vacancies, he added exist at critical levels. PAC Chairman, Opposition Parliamentarian, Irfaan Ali, urged officials to not get involved in politics but to “leave that to the councillors.” Ali did urge the officials to stick to the technical work that they were mandated to undertake.

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Kaieteur News

MoPH works to tackle abandoned patients at GPHC …looks at extending opening hours of health centers countrywide

Overcrowding at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has, for many years, been a sore point. A significant contributing factor is the abandonment of patients at the institution, particularly the elderly and those who are mentally ill. In the past, supplies and beds that can be used to treat and accommodate genuinely ill people, had to have been plugged into the efforts to care for those abandoned individuals. The GPHC has often adopted a policy of not forsaking those who are abandoned by their families. However, this benevolent initiative is taking a toll on the resources of the hospital. “They are taking up bed spaces where actual patients should be,” Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence stressed. Even during her tenure as Social Protection Minister, Lawrence recognized this as a serious problem. Now that President David Granger has assigned her responsibility for the public health sector, strategies are being crafted to solve that problem. Efforts are afoot to create a programme which will allow for abandoned patients- the elderly and the mentally ill-to be transferred to more suitable institutions such as

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence the National Psychiatric Hospital in Berbice and homes for the elderly. Attention would also be placed on ensuring that these abandoned people are in good health and are able to transition well. Minister Lawrence explained that while she has a deep interest in ensuring that those abandoned at the hospital are adequately and suitably cared for, she is very cognizant of the fact that the Georgetown Hospital is managed by a Board of Directors. “An institution of that sort, which was made to have a second tier of management,

that is the board, can’t have one Minister, or two Ministers stay from another place and manage or give the oversight that it requires,” Lawrence said. The Minister said that she will be doing everything in her power to ensure that the burden currently being placed on the GPHC is eased as soon as possible. “I want that they are only referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation when they need specialized care. I want to ensure that Guyanese, or anyone who is in Guyana can feel confident that they can walk into a primary care or a specialized care institution and get the services that they need. We want to deal with the backlog and so on,” Lawrence highlighted. In yet another effort to ensure that this strain on the GPHC is eased, the Minister is looking closely at extending the opening hours of health centers across the country. “We want to look at those secondary hospitals around to ensure that we can bring them up to the standards that they ought to be operating at, and that they have the personnel, so people can become more confident in their regional hospital, and go to those hospitals,” the Minister said.

Cuba begins clinical trial of HIV vaccine HAVANA, Cuba (CMC) — A therapeutic vaccine aimed at reducing the viral load of patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is currently in phase one of a clinical trial, in which its safety is studied. According to Yayri Caridad Prieto Correa, a researcher from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) here said that the nine patients involved in the trial did not show any adverse effects or toxicity, which is the main objective of the phase. After preclinical studies in laboratory animals, and tests in the small group of humans, it was shown that the immune response of the organism is

enhanced thanks to the use of the vaccine, although Prieto Correa insisted on not creating false expectations. She told the Cuban News Agency that this is a multiyear project, and will take time which will include testing phases with a greater number of seropositives in which large-scale and comprehensive efficacy will be tested to determine whether or not to continue with its use. Prieto Correa emphasised that the country’s scientific institutions, and in particular the CIGB should keep the search for vaccine candidates against HIV among its research priorities, although prevention is still the main method of avoiding conta-

Guyanese teen designs... From page 13 several requests for STEMGuyana to create apps that would target other subject areas. For this to become a reality, the team has already engaged the National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).

It is possible that the current app will be adjusted to facilitate questions and tutorials in relation to other subject areas like English Language, Science and Social Studies. This is likely to become possible by June of this year. (Rehana Ahamad)

gion. She added that the goal is to replace the current tripartite therapy, combining several methods that prevent the development of HIV, highly effective because the retroviral inhibitors block the spread of the virus, but can cause collateral damage and force in some cases the suspension of the treatment for a time. The proposal presented by Prieto Correa and a team of researchers at the first Congress BioProcess 2017, which takes place in Camaguey, shows signs of efficacy, however she noted that it does not cure the disease. Its administration is carried out simultaneously through the mucosal route, with the use of spray and intramuscular vaccination, and it has been preliminarily verified that it diminishes the viral load in the CD8 cells. According to the Cuban Ministry of Public Health 31 years after the first case diagnosed in the country with HIV, transmission by blood and its derivatives and mother-tochild transmission were eliminated.

Tuesday February 28, 2017

Amnesty Int’l critical of Caribbean countries BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The London-based international human rights group, Amnesty International, has criticised the situation in three Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries on issues ranging from the “illtreatment of documented migrants” to alleged crimes against humanity. In its 2017 “State of the World’s Human Rights,” Amnesty International paid attention to alleged human rights abuses in Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The other CARICOM countries were not mentioned in the report released over the weekend. The report noted that in the Bahamas, there was widespread ill-treatment of undocumented migrants from countries including Haiti and Cuba. It said the Dominican Republic deported thousands of people of Haitian descent – including Dominican-born people who were effectively rendered stateless – while often failing to respect international law and standards on deportations. “Upon arrival to Haiti, many people who had been deported settled in makeshift camps, where they lived in appalling conditions. Despite a commitment from newly elected authorities in the Dominican Republic to address the situation of stateless individuals, tens of thousands of people remained stateless following a 2013 Constitutional Court ruling which retroactively and arbitrarily deprived them of their nationality. In February, the IACHR described a “situation of statelessness… of a magnitude never before seen in the Americas”. Amnesty International said that rampant impunity allowed human rights abusers to operate without fear of the consequences, weakened the rule of law, and denied truth and redress to millions. “Impunity was sustained by justice and security systems that remained under resourced, weak and often corrupt, compounded by a lack of political will to ensure their impartiality and independence. The resulting failure to bring the perpetrators of human rights violations to justice allowed organized crime and abusive law enforcement practices to take root and prosper. “Denial of meaningful access to justice also left huge numbers of people –

including in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela – unable to claim their rights.” Amnesty International said in Jamaica, impunity prevailed for the decadeslong pattern of alleged unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions by law enforcement officials. “While more than 3,000 people have been killed by law enforcement officials since 2000, only a handful of officials have been held accountable to date. In June, the Commission of Enquiry into alleged human rights violations during the 2010 state of emergency made recommendations for police reform; by the end of the year Jamaica had yet to outline how it would implement the reforms. “ The human rights group noted that in Haiti, no progress was made in the investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by former President Jean-Claude Duvalier and his former collaborators. It said that States made little headway in tackling violence against women and girls. This included failing to protect them from rape and killings as well as failing to hold perpetrators accountable. Reports of gender based violence came from Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, Nicaragua, the USA and Venezuela, among other countries. Amnesty noted that legislative and institutional progress in some countries – such as the legal recognition of same-sex marriage – did not necessarily translate into better protection against violence and discrimination for LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people. “Across the Americas, high levels of hate crime, advocacy of hatred and

discrimination, as well as murders and persecution of LGBTI activists persisted in countries including Argentina, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, the USA and Venezuela.” In the Bahamas, Amnesty International noted Bahamians voted “no” in a constitutional referendum on gender equality in citizenship matters in June. “Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people continued, it said, adding that in the June referendum Bahamians voted on gender equality in citizenship matters under Bahamian law. “The proposed amendments – backed by the government – would have strengthened antidiscrimination protections based on sex. The result maintained inequality in Bahamian laws so that women and men pass on citizenship to their children and spouses in different ways. “The result put at risk the citizenship rights of families, in particular the risk of separation of families with diverse nationalities or children born outside of the Bahamas to Bahamian parents.” Amnesty said that stigma and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people continued and in April, activists founded the group Bahamas Transgender Intersex United. In Jamaica, Amnesty said that unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions continued. Violence against women and discrimination against LGBTI people persisted. Children continued to be detained in violation of international standards. It said that despite committing to the establishment of a national human rights institution, Jamaica had not established the mechanism by the end of the year. “Jamaica continued to have one of the highest homicide rates in the Americas,” Amnesty International reported, saying that in June, a Commission of Enquiry published its muchanticipated report into the events that took place in Western Kingston during the state of emergency, declared on 23 May 2010, which left at least 69 people dead.

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Kaieteur News

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Formula One relaxes social media rules for teams BARCELONA (Reuters) Formula One’s new owners signaled a break from the Bernie Ecclestone era yesterday by giving teams and drivers greater freedom to engage with fans on social media from inside the circuit confines. Ecclestone, ousted as the sport’s commercial supremo in January after Liberty Media completed their takeover, was famously skeptical about social media and highly controlling of all video content from inside the paddock. Much of Formula One’s revenues comes from television deals with broadcasters. Liberty Media have made fan engagement a priority, however, and are determined to build the brand through social media and digital channels. Teams were told in guidelines issued ahead of the first day of pre-season testing in

Barcelona yesterday that they could now “shoot shortform video for use on the team’s own social channels” from inside the paddock. It added that a formal set of content guidelines would be issued in due course. The new policy was immediately evident, with Mercedes’ triple world champion Lewis Hamilton - who has 3.8 million followers on Instagram and 4.16 million on Twitter - promising more access. “Hey guys. I’m about to get on the car. Through practice I’ll be live on Instagram from the cockpit to give you something new, so tune in,” he said on Twitter. The coverage consisted of footage shot in the pit lane and garage, but not on the track, and lasting no more than 10 seconds. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said fans

Red Bull’s Red Daniel Ricciardo does a pit-stop during testing. (REUTERS/ Albert Gea)

would now have more behind-the-scenes access to drivers. “You’ve probably noticed the teams are putting out a bit more content of what their drivers are up to in the paddock, not what’s happening trackside because that be-

longs to the broadcasters,” he told reporters. “You could have had breakfast with (Australian) Daniel Ricciardo this morning, seen what he does prior to getting in the car and to the point where he’s got in the car to drive out and do his first lap.

“Which is something that obviously hasn’t been possible in previous years.” Horner said Ecclestone’s departure from a hands-on role, with the Briton now handed the title of “Chairman Emeritus”, would take some getting used to. The new owners had a

clear vision of what they wanted, however. “They seem very keen to embrace ideas to make the sport more accessible and entertaining,” said Horner. “In the immediacy, what we can see is that Formula One will perhaps be made slightly more accessible.”

Is this a hostile takeover... Tuesday February 28, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today is a great time to form or strengthen romantic relationships, Aries. If you aren't involved, chances are you will meet someone. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) This is an ideal day to begin a creative venture. You've had many ideas and creative urges. Today it's time to choose one and take the first step to making your vision a reality. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your naturally loving nature gets a boost today, Gemini. You could look especially attractive, so don't be surprised if you draw admiring looks from strangers. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your energy might turn toward beautifying your home, Cancer. Perhaps you've decided to repaint or go in a completely new direction in your decorating taste. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A number of loving communications may come your way from people who live in distant states or exotic lands. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A small amount of money might come your way today, Virgo. It could be a gift, dividend, or bonus. You may want to squander it on gifts for yourself and others rather than put it to more practical use, which is perfectly fine!

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You should feel and look great today, Libra. Your charm and social skills are at a high level, and your joviality and gift for conversation should make you a welcome guest at any social event. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your psychic abilities and imagination are operating at a very high level, Scorpio. You face other people with a profound, spiritual love. They will return it! SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Some friends associated with a group you admire might take you to some kind of rally, Sagittarius. This could be a lot of fun for you. You could make some new friends. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You're naturally a kind, compassionate person, Capricorn. Today your feelings are likely to be focused not only on those close to you but also on all the world's population. TUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) With today's planetary aspects, Aquarius, you're likely to feel a rush of love. This includes love for family, friends, partner, and all life forms. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your psychic and intuitive faculties are wide open and receptive. Don't be surprised by what you pick up today, even from strangers.

(From page 28) these individuals have served Berbice Cricket in excess of 20 years and have served as Executive Member and Vice President before Somwaru did so. Somwaru espouses honesty while he attended three meetings of the Guyana Cricket Board in breach of the injunction. Since the absence of Beharry from Berbice more than a year ago, he has visited the Board office in New Amsterdam on three occasions, but only to use the toilet facility while on his way to Georgetown. He showed no leadership then and has been showing shockingly poor leadership now. If he wants to be President of the Berbice Cricket Board he should call an election at the appropriate time and proceed from there. In the meanwhile, he has no moral or legal authority to dismiss outstanding long serving members of the Berbice Cricket Board. He should realize by now that the $2 million dollars subvention promised by the current Guyana Cricket Board, which has not given a blind penny to the Berbice Cricket Board since 2010, has been strapped on the back of a snail on its way to Berbice. As I look back with pride at my 53 years of association, serving in numerous and multiple positions on this once August body, I recall our policy of honesty, hard work, inclusion and building by consensus. The removal of the main pillars of our foun-

dation can only result in the weakening of our structure, and with poor management, its eventual destruction. I urge Mr. Somwaru to put Berbice cricket first. Mortimer George.

Former Secretary BCB 1976 to 1983, Life Member BCB 1987, Hero Award Recipient BCB 2008, 2014 Inductee BCB Cricket Administrators Hall of Fame.

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

Brathwaite can’t repeat World T20 heroics every time - Browne ESPNCRICINFO Courtney Browne, the West Indies chairman of selectors, has said that allrounder Carlos Brathwaite cannot be expected to produce the h e r o i c s o f t h e Wo r l d Twenty20 final each time he plays. Browne was commenting on Brathwaite’s lean form with the bat in the recently-concluded Regional Super50 domestic one-day tournament, won by Barbados Pride, Brathwaite’s team. Since the beginning of 2016, Brathwaite has scored just 304 runs in 27 List A games at an average of 14.47, with a highest score of 46. With the ball, he has taken 46 wickets at an average of 30.66. Brathwaite, who was recently made West Indies’ T20 captain, hasn’t enjoyed too much success in the shortest format either. In 26 T20s since 2016, Brathwaite has managed just 212 runs at 12.47 and 33 wickets at an average of 30.66. “What you must understand is this is still a young man,” Browne told a Caribbean radio station. “If we expect Carlos to repeat what he did in the World Cup every single time, we’re going to fool ourselves,” “Carlos needs to develop like any other cricketer. We’ve dug ourselves in a massive hole over the years,

there’s no quick fix to our problem. It is about hard work. It’s not about ‘you’ve had five games, you have not performed’ so just throw the player away.” Browne pointed out that Brathwaite has earned a lot of respect from coaches and captains over the years with his attitude and hardwork. In January, Brathwaite opted to leave early from the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League where he was signed as a replacement for fellow West Indies allrounder Andre Russell. Incidentally, he was one of the three players - along with Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels - to decline a WICB contract late last year. Although he is an attractive buy for teams across domestic Twenty20 leagues, Brathwaite has said he wants to focus on doing w e l l f o r W e s t Indies.Brathwaite, Browne said, was an “investment” that would come good eventually. “He’s a young player who is a very exciting player on his day, who hasn’t played a lot of international cricket either,” Browne said. “He’s an investment and we all know if we get him right what he can produce for us. Carlos’s strike rate would be more than the other bowlers because of the time of the games when he bowls. “Carlos and a lot of the

After Carlos Brathwaite helped West Indies win the World T20 last year, he hasn’t enjoyed much success © Getty Images

other players, we have players now who actually want to play, we have players who are committed, they are self-starters, they work hard. When you see players who are doing that, you know that you will be able to create that environment that is conducive to producing

cricketers that can perform consistently.” Browne said West Indies’ selection panel are likely to give players an extended run in the playing XI to help them develop, as opposed to the approach of selection in the past. “We are number eight in

the world because we put ourselves there by playing bad cricket over the years by making bad decisions. When you look at our players, there are some who have been given a little extension because you want them to develop,” Browne said. “We don’t want to have a

case where you have a whole bunch of players, like what used to happen in the past, where we had so many players, all of them had games under their belts but none ever got a good extension or fair run to help them to develop. We need to develop cricketers.”

China warns soccer investors, don’t break rules on capital outflows (Reuters) Private Chinese investors are welcome to help develop the sports industry but must follow the country’s rules on moving capital overseas, the sports ministry said yesterday, following a splurge on foreign soccer clubs by local buyers. Companies from China have spent heavily on foreign clubs in recent years as President Xi Jinping has called for it to develop a world-class soccer industry. But while it says it supports its companies expanding overseas, Beijing has also been cracking down on anything it views as “illegitimate” capital outflows.

High outflows were a contributory factor behind last year’s depreciation of the yuan currency to an 8-1/2 year low against the dollar. The latest addition to China’s soccer stable is set to be Italy’s AC Milan. Reuters reported last week that a consortium’s 740 million euro ($784 million) purchase of the Serie A club was to be finalised on March 3 after struggling to get approval from Beijing. Also last week, a person with knowledge of plans said Chinese buyers including Amer International and CITIC Securities Co Ltd were readying a 246 million pound ($306 million) bid for English Premier League outfit Southampton.

Late last year China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said regulators would more closely check Chinese outbound investments in the sports and other sectors, as well as investments outside a company’s core business. M o n d a y ’s s p o r t s ministry statement along similar lines was posted on the website of the General Administration of Sport of China. Chinese ambitions for soccer have also extended to sprucing up the domestic league with a clutch of highprofile signings. Recent imports include Argentine international striker Carlos Tevez, who

Football player Carlos Tevez holds a team shirt with Wu Xiaohui, Chairman of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua Football Club . (REUTERS/Stringer) joined Shanghai Shenhua from Boca Juniors at a salary that, if UK media reports are

correct, makes him the highest-paid player on the planet on around $770,000 a

week. ($1 = 0.9438 euros) ($1 = 0.8050 pounds)

Tuesday February 28, 2017

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Faye Joseph retained as GDA President

Members of the newly elected executive of the GDA following the elections on Sunday. Faye Joseph was reelect e d u n o p p o s e d a s President of the Georgetown Dominoes Association when the body held its Annual General Meeting and Elections on Sunday at Gaulding Place, South

Ruimveldt. Rodwell Phillips is the Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , w h i l e Barbara Marshall was retained as Secretary. The Treasurer is Earl Mars. Curt Sutton will serve as the Assistant Secretary Treasurer, Basil

Bradshaw retuned as the Public Relations Officer w h i l e M a r k Wi l t s h i r e returned unopposed as the Senior Organising Secretary. Kevin Boston and Claire Benjamin will serve as Wiltshire assistant. The

committee members are Jane Chase, Theon Ambrose, Dhyan Carter and Raulston Cameron. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport following the elections, Joseph said that a disciplinary committee will be named

shortly and thanked the members for giving her another chance to serve at the helm of dominoes in the city. She sa i d t h a t a number of tournaments including her annual i n t e r n a t i o n a l

tournament are on the cards for 2017 and wants to see more local teams participating in overseas competitions. She urged her fellow executive members to work together for the growth of the sport.

No improvement in Marian Academy use homecourt to perfection Super50, argues Sir Andy Smalta U14 Indoor Hockey League

The Smalta U14 Indoor Hockey League continued the action last Friday at Marian Academy. The Marian Academy facility is the largest being used for the league and is able to accommodate two courts. In the Girls’ Division, Marian Academy, with the home court advantage defeated St Joseph 5-0 and Hikers 9-0. Sarah Klautky of the home team was the Smalta’s female top scorer of the day with a solid 5 goals between her two matches. The SHC Silencers and the SHC Sensations both

secured victories over GCC teams. Mariah Seegobin of the Silencers continued her scoring streak this week by scoring all 4 goals for her team to guarantee their victory over the GCC Challengers. In the Boy’s Division, St Joseph’s, despite being newcomers to the sport, remained undefeated after Friday’s games. Kalfanni Yan scored an early goal to secure their win over the HHC Hatchets, while the rest of the St Joseph’s team got in on the scoring action in their 8-1 win against Old

Fort. The SHC Scalpels and SHC Scorchers continued where their female counterparts left off defeating GCC War Dogs 11-0 and GCC Thunder Bolts 7-1 respectively. Despite these defeats, GCC Thunder Bolts Jason Gomes was the Smalta’s male top scorer of the day with 5 goals in the Thunder Bolts’ match against the GCC War Dogs. Games continue this Friday, at St Stanislaus College from 16:00hrs 19:00hrs.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Pace legend Sir Andy Roberts has his doubts about the quality of the just concluded Regional Super50 and does not expect any major change in West Indies’ fortunes for the OneDay International series against England starting here Friday. The outspoken Antiguan especially warned about reading too much into the big totals during the tournament staged in Barbados and in Antigua, contending they were achieved at the small Coolidge Cricket Ground

Guyana’s basketball continues on historical path -Under-18 3X3 team lose in FIBA Final Guyana’s Under-18 3X3 basketball team played unbeaten up until the final where they lost 8-9 to Martinique yesterday to create history in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3X3 Lesser Antilles Championships in St. Lucia. Guyana had defeated Barbados 15-3 and Curacao 15-1 on Sunday in their opening games of the competition in Castries City, St. Lucia. The team continued that form with a 97 victory against Antigua

and Barbuda, 12-4 win against St. Vincent, 15-4 win versus Aruba, and 12-9 semifinal triumph when they took on Guadeloupe. The team created history in reaching the prestigious international youth final. Reports reaching Kaieteur Sport is that forward, Jamal Gilkes played injured, defending his opponent in the final seconds on one leg. Rose was outstanding as the leading scorer in the tournament, losing the MVP award because of Guyana’s loss in the last nine seconds

of the game. Jonathan Mangra demonstrated good team leadership on and off the court. The players benefited from a player’s leadership Work Shop, which FIBA conducted. The 3X3 tournament included teams from Martinique; Guyana; Guadeloupe; Saint Marten; Barbados; St. Lucia; St. Vincent; Aruba; Curacao; Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago. The President of FIBA, Horacio Muratore presented the Guyanese with their

runner-up medals and congratulated Guyana for giving FIBA such a memorial 3x3 U-18 Finals in the Caribbean. Last July, Guyana also lost in the Caribbean U-16 Final against Bahamas. The team expressed thanks to Guyana Basketball Amateur Federation; Minister of Citizenship in the Ministry of the Citizenship, Winston Felix; Guyana Passport Office; Guyana Police Force; the National Sports Commission among others.

here and against “weak” sides, and therefore did not necessarily represent an improvement. “If your opponent is weak, then you are going to see these scores, and playing at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, the boundaries are not the biggest, so you are going to get big totals,” Sir Andy told the Observer newspaper here. “What were the totals like on the bigger grounds in Barbados, and what were the totals like up at Sir Viv (Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium)? All the teams that played here in Antigua played at both venues, but you don’t see that kind of score up at Sir Viv.” The tournament was widely regarded as one of the best in recent years, with several outstanding performances coming from teams and players. Jamaica Scorpions established a new regional List A record of 434 for four in the first semi-final against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the small Coolidge ground. There were also three totals of over 300 and 14 over 250, while 11 centuries were registered, with the Leeward Islands Hurricanes captain Kieran Powell getting three of these. Two of the 300-plus totals also came at Coolidge. Sir Andy, a former selector, said batsmen

needed to work harder to develop themselves as they were still committing the same mistakes. “Our players do not work hard enough at harnessing their talent, and until they do they will never improve,” said the 66-year-old who took 202 wickets from 47 Tests. “All of us have faults and we all have strong points and weak points, and your strong points you would continue to have because it comes natural to you, but your weak points are the ones you have to try and eliminate.” He continued: “[As a batsman] you may not be able to score much runs, but you should not get out in the same area, innings after innings and that is what is happening.” West Indies face England at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in the first two of three games, with the final ODI set for Kensington Oval next Thursday. And Sir Andy said he was not expecting a reversal of the regional side’s recent performances. “I don’t expect anything new until I can see some improvement in the quality of play on the international level,” Sir Andy stressed. “I am not going to judge based on the performances in our domestic cricket, because the standard of our domestic cricket is not of the highest.”

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

Limacol Round Robin / Knockout Football Competition

Millington strikes thrice to secure Tigers final berth -Police subdue Winners attempt to resist arrest Devon Millington struck thrice in the space of 18 minutes to secure Western Tigers 3-2 triumph over Santos and a place in Saturday’s final of this year’s Limacol Round Robin / Knockout Football Competition following the completion of semi-final action on Sunday, at the Georgetown Football Club ground. Millington’s goals were registered in the 40th, 54th and 58th minutes allowed Tigers to set up a date with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) who defeated Linden’s Winners Connection 2-1 in the opening encounter, before a large crowd. After Ryan October had given Santos the early lead in the 26th minute when he let loose a ferocious right foot volley into the goal after a cross from the right side saw a poor headed clearance land into his path. Bouyed by the early ascendancy, Santos looked to increase their lead, but the Ti g e r s d e f e n d e d w i t h tenacity and nullified all incursions into their penalty

area. Millington, however, was in no mood to go to the break with his team trailing and presented that in emphatic fashion, uncorking a screamer from the right side of the box that blew past the Santos custodian. The successful ending was the result of a neatly threaded pass from their mid-field talisman Hubert Pedro, who was pulling all the strings from that position. The teams went to the break deadlocked at 1-1 and fans present braced themselves for a second half encore and that it was. Seven minutes into the final period, Santos regained the lead in accidental fashion when a floated ball from centrefield was unintentionally headed into his own goal by defender Ryan Adolph. The reaction was almost instant as Millington unfurled another trademark missile two minutes later from the top of the square to level the proceedings and signal game on. Playing with renewed

vigour and hungry for more success, Millington and Pedro worked in tandem with devastating effect and it was another piece of artistry by the latter that eventually sealed their berth in the final. He contrived another brilliant scheme, slipping a perfect pass to the onrushing Millington, who found himself one on one with the goalkeeper, rounded him with envious skill, before firing his effort into the goal. In the opening encounter, Police subdued all efforts by Winners Connection to resist arrest, before edging them 21 to reach the final. Junior Gordon gave the Lawmen the lead in the 25th minute when his shot deflected off the post, before settling into the back of the goal following a neat pass from Captain Dwain Jacobs. They took that lead to the break. Coming out for the final stanza, Jacobs squandered a good opportunity to stretch their advantage, but his shot after rounding the keeper landed wide of the upright. That blunder proved

Thunder, Mix Up chalk wins

The victorious Thunder team with their hardware. Thunder and Mix Up emerged champions of the Faye Joseph and Mark Wiltshire dominoes tournaments which were played simultaneously on Sunday night at Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt. Thunder marked 76 games to beat All Seasons Racing Service and PSC in their encounter. All Season Racing Service finished

with 70 games, while PSC made 68. Spearheading the winners were Paul Brusche who made the maximum 18 games, Errol Seymour with 16, Faye Joseph 15 and Jane Chase nine. Raymond Ali and Frankie Seaforth scored 14 each for All Seasons Racing Service, while Andrew Mendonca and Leroy Beaton got 12 apiece for PSC.

Mix Up amassed 79 games to win their match up against Beacon who made 75 and CIA with 74. Ganesh Sankar led Mix Up with the maximum 18 games while Mark Wiltshire and Gilbert Mendonca had 16 each. George Griffith scored 15 and Dereck Rollins 14 for Beacon, while Shellon Collymore and Dereck Collymore got 14 apiece for CIA.

The two marksmen for the GPF Lerone Charles (left) and Junior Gordon pose for a photo op following their win against Winners Connection on Sunday. costly as Allon Garrett equalised for Winners Connection in the 68th minute through a smashing header from a corner. However, Lerone Charles, five minutes from full time swept his effort past the opposing goalkeeper after reaching on to a cross from the left flank that

landed in the box. They held that lead until the final whistle sounded to set up a highly anticipated clash with the Tigers. Winners Connection and Santos will square-off in the third place playoff ahead of the final. The overall winner will

receive $500,000 and a trophy, while the second, third and fourth placed teams take home $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively. Banks DIH Limited under the GT Beer Brand, Trophy Stall and Star Party Rentals are the other entities on board.

Letter to the Sports Editor

Is this a hostile takeover of Berbice cricket? Dear Editor, On December 29th, 2014, the Berbice Cricket Board held its last Biannual General Meeting, when Anil Beharry of the Young Warriors Cricket Club, succeeded Keith Foster of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sport Club as President, by defeating Victor Seebarran on a vote of 22 to 16, with the 1 s t Vi c e P r e s i d e n t Dhiatendranauth Somwaru being returned unopposed and observed by the unwelcomed presence of the Secretary and Treasurer of the Guyana Cricket Board, both men being Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board. Due to an injunction filed one month later, the activities of the Board were limited thereafter, and due to frustration, fear and a transfer on promotion to the Georgetown branch of his company, President Anil Beharry resigned in January 2017. Like all other office holders his two year term had

expired on December 31st, 2016. The 1st Vice President Dhiatendranauth Somwaru tried to call a Special Meeting in February 2017, to discuss the relationship between the Guyana and Berbice Cricket Boards, but could not do so due to the injunction which barred Executive Members from holding meetings. Somwaru has since being sending out letters to previously appointed members of the Executive Committee, thanking them for their services, stating that he was looking for honest individuals and that the Board was moving on in another direction. He has been using an altered Berbice Cricket Board letterhead and has been signing these letters as President of the Berbice Cricket Board. The following previously appointed Executive Members are expected to receive letters: Malcolm Peters, Keith Foster, Albert

Smith, Hubern Evans, Julian Cambridge and at least one other. Keith Foster and Albert Smith have indeed received such a letter. One Seywag of Bush Lot West Coast Berbice has also received a letter. It should be noted that Keith Foster is a past threeterm President of the BCB and the long serving President of the most progressive Rose Hall Town Youth and Sport Club. Malcolm Peters is a Life Member and former President. Albert Smith is a highly experienced National Senior and Junior Level III Coach who performed as Chairman of the National and County Selection Committees. Hubern Evans is a former National batsman, an experienced Level III Coach, who served on the National Selection Committee and chaired the County Section Committee. Julian Cambridge is a former Vice President. All five of (Continued on page 28)

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Milo 18 and under Schools Football Tournament

Morgan’s hammer St. John’s College 13-0 Play in the Milo 18 and under Schools Football Tournament continued over the past weekend with matches played at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue. Highlighting the two days of action were Morgan’s Learning Centre that hammered St. John’s College 13-0; while Masters Academy inflicted an 8-1 drubbing on St. Rose’s High. In Sunday’s results: Game-1 Kingston Secondary-3 vs St. Mary’s-3 Kingston Scorers Yackym Barker-5th Ruel Williams-15th Odafie Taylor-58th St. Mary’s Scorers Tyrese Williams-43rd Michael Damon-45th Dominic Bottse-67th

Game-2 Tucville Secondary-2 vs Pure Masters-4 Pure Masters Scorers Alton Benn-18th and 43rd Jamain Simon-4th Brian Harris-66th Tucville Scorers Godfrey Phillips-25th Julian Bamfield-58th Game-3 Lodge Secondary-1 vs East Ruimveldt Secondary-0 Turston Gordon-60th Game-4 Morgan Learning Center-13 vs St. John’s College-0 Leon Richardson-7th, 17th and 50th David Coates-46th and 51st Alistair Frank-fourth and 68th Orin Moore-16th and 61st Osafo Mattheson-25th Carl Griffith-28th David Blake-32nd Tariq Nelson-52nd In Saturday’s results:

Game-1 St. Rose’s High 1 vs Masters Academy-8 Masters Scorers Calvin Peters-11th, 44th and 62nd Andel Smith-37th and 64th Derwyn George-28th Randy Smart-51st Kareem Caines-59th St. Rose’s Scorer Joel Morrison-22nd Game-2 Bishop’s High-2 vs Ann’s Grove Secondary-1 Bishop’s Scorers Tyrone Singh-54th Tyrese Souvenir-60th Ann’s Grove Scorer Shemar McPherson-12th Game-3 North Ruimveldt-0 vs Buxton Youth Developers-5 Kifumbo Goodman-15th and 19th Shamar Beckles-2nd Teffrel Campbell-16th Own Goal-61st

-Masters Academy also impress

Morgan’s Learning Centre goalscorers pose for a photo op after beating St. John’s College on Sunday.

Cornwall, Hamilton shine but President’s XI go down BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – All-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall did his West Indies chances little harm with another stellar half-century but the WICB President’s XI went down by two wickets to England in a 50-overs tour match here yesterday. The big-hitting Cornwall struck an attacking 59 from 61 deliveries while captain Jahmar Hamilton enhanced his credentials with a top score of 73 as the hosts, opting to bat first, were dismissed for 233 off 48 overs. Left-handed Kyle Mayers weighed in with a better than run-a-ball 33 while opener Kyle Hope chipped in with 24. Ben Stokes (3-35) and Liam Plunkett (3-44) led the England attack with three wickets apiece while fellow C h r i s Wo a k e s ( 2 - 3 7 ) finished with a brace. In reply, England were lifted by opener Jonny Bairstow who top-scored with 86 while Woakes stroked an unbeaten, run-aball 47 and Joe Root, 46. Off-spinner Andre McCarthy (2-4), fast bowler Ronsford Beaton (2-46) and leg-spinner Damion Jacobs (2-54) all finished with two wickets each. Cornwall’s half-century – his fourth in List A – was

All-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall drives sweetly through the off-side during his 59 against England in the 50-overs tour match at Warner Park. (Photo courtesy WICB Media)

required in emergency circumstances after the President’s XI slumped to 55 for five in the 16th over. The 24-year-old Cornwall then combined with Hamilton in a counterattacking 123-run, sixth wicket stand which revived

the innings and repelled the English bowlers. While Cornwall struck six fours and three sixes, Hamilton notched five fours and two sixes in a 90-ball innings. Cornwall departed in the 37th over but Mayers joined

Hamilton to put on a further 42 for the seventh wicket, striking three fours and a six off 32 balls. England then made a stuttering start to their run chase when they lost Sam Billings cheaply for two with the score on 11 in the third

over. But Bairstow and Root came together to prop up the innings in a 117-run second wicket stand, and put England back on course for victory. Bairstow faced 97 balls and struck nine fours while

Root counted four boundaries in a 67-ball innings. Root’s dismissal, caught at the wicket by Hamilton off Jacobs in the 26th over, sparked a slide that saw six wickets tumble for 49 runs. Struggling on 177 for seven in the 40th over, Woakes came to his side’s rescue, belting four fours and a six in helping to put on 35 for the eighth wicket with Adil Rashid who made 10, as he saw England home. The victory was the second in three days for the tourists after they beat t h e U W I Vi c e Chancellor’s XI by 117 runs in another 50-overs game last Saturday. They will now turn their attention to the three-match One-Day International series against West Indies starting at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Friday. Scores: PRESIDENT’S XI 233 off 48 overs (Jahmar Hamilton 73, Rahkeem Cornwall 59, Kyle Mayers 33, Kyle Hope 24; Ben Stokes 3-35, Liam Plunkett 3-44, Chris Woakes 2-37). ENGLAND 234 for eight off 48.5 overs (Jonny Bairstow 86, Chris Woakes 47 not out, Joe Root 46; A n d re M c C a r t h y 2 - 4 , Ronsford Beaton 2-46, Damion Jacobs 2-54).

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

Weekly GFF-Scotiabank grassroots sessions begin in Berbice New Amsterdam: Young boys and girls in New Amsterdam enjoyed fun football drills with free coaching at the first GFFScotiabank Academy Training Centre (ATC) grassroots session in Berbice on Saturday last. At the All Saints Primary School, an enthusiastic group of boys and girls braved intermittent showers to practice dribbling around cones, catching and kicking the ball, and navigating a narrow slalom course at speed, before experimenting with their new array of skills in mini-matches. A key part of each ATC is a weekly grassroots session for boys and girls aged 5 to 11, involving fun, basic football drills under the guidance of trained coaches in a safe environment. “The sessions themselves are age-specific, so they are a lot of fun, but they are also building in the fundamentals of what is required when they get further forward,” said GFF

This ‘pint sized’ youngster showed his eagerness to learn as he closely marks this young female opponent during the GFF Scotiabank Academy session in Berbice.

These youngsters practice dribbling drills in New Amsterdam on Saturday last. Technical Director Ian Greenwood. “We have to make sure we are making that bond, so that the players want to come back every week.” The GFF-Scotiabank ATC employs nine full-time

Technical Development Officers (TDO) and 14 parttime Youth Development Coaches (YDC) who are charged with the week-toweek organisation of a range of regional training sessions for boys and girls aged 5 to

17, including the grassroots activities. “We had kids from all across Berbice, kids from as far as Rosignol, as far as Corentyne, as far as Canje, and a lot of low-lying areas – a mixture of kids, different

races, different creeds, different backgrounds,” said YDC Mark Bollers. The Guyana Football Federation, in partnership with Scotiabank, has created Guyana’s first nationwide network of youth football

academies across the nine regional football associations to get more children interested in football, and to scout and more effectively develop talented boys and girls for the national youth squads.

Congratulations to National Ball in doubt for West Indies ODIs after suffering knee injury Cricket Coach Crandon

National cricket Coach Esuan Crandon & his wife Lestra at the renewal of vows ceremony on Saturday night last.

Kai e t e u r S p o r t s c o n g r a t u l a t e s the couple on this wonderful o c c a s ion.

ESPNcricinfo - Jake Ball could be forced out of England’s Caribbean tour after suffering an injury to his right knee. Ball, who played all three of the ODIs in the recent series in India, limped off the field after the first delivery of his third over in England’s final warm-up game before the three-match ODI series against Wets Indies. He subsequently broke down when attempting to run in the net area as the England support staff tried to assess the extent of the problem. He will play no further part in the match against a WICB President’s XI. T h e E n g l a n d management hoped to arrange a scan on Ball’s knee in St Kitts yesterday, but may be obliged to wait until the tour party reaches Antigua today. They believe the problem is at the back of the right knee. If Ball is forced home, the tour management may well consider calling up a replacement seamer. Chris Jordan, who has recently been playing in the PSL, would be one obvious

Jake Ball grimaces after suffering a knee injury during his bowling spell © Getty Images option, while one of the Curran brothers might be another. Stuart Broad, who performed well in the BBL and has made no secret of his desire to return to the ODI side, is also a possibility. The England squad is already without Mark Wood, David Willey and Reece Topley due to injury, while Jason Roy was left out of the side for the second warm-up game due to a badly bruised

right hand sustained as a result of several recent tough sessions of fielding training. They had better news as regards Alex Hales, though. He will fly out to Antigua today and continue his rehab with the rest of the squad following a hand injury. He has not, as yet, been officially added to the squad but that could change in the coming days if the medical team deem his recovery complete.

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Tuesday February 28, 2017

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West Dem Secondary beat St Cuthbert’s in low scoring contest Face E’bo district winner on Friday

West Demerara’s Aaron Seeprasad pulls Keon Kattow for six yesterday in St Cuthbert’s Mission. Mark Clenkin clobbed Aftab Basir for three sixes in a losing effort for St Cuthbert’s Secondary. By Sean Devers The Amerindian Village of St Cuthbert’s Mission, 30 minutes off the Linden Highway was a hive of activity yesterday as the largest crowd to watch a GCB/MOE/ DMLAS 30 overs National school cricket match in Demerara saw St Cuthbert’s Secondary lose by 15 runs to West Demerara Secondary in an exciting low scoring contest in the first of the Demerara semi-finals. West Demerara’s victory i n S t C u t h b e r t ’s o w n backyard saw them advance to meet the Essequibo district winner on Friday at Meten-Meer-Zorg, while the

winner of today’s clash between Chase Academy and Mahaicony Secondary at Fairfield will face the Berbice district winner on March 6. A last minute switch of venues yesterday morning due to wet condition of the Meten-Meer-Zorg ground in West Demerara resulted in yesterday’s encounter being reduced to 20 overs per side due to late arrival of West Demerara Secondary. The game commenced at 14:00hrs in scorching heat and the West Dem students elected to bat on a two-paced track and slow, rough and sandy outfield. Daneshwar Kowlessar, who hit two fours in 18,

Aaron Seeprasad (16) and South African born Nicolas Holder (16) were the only batsmen to reach double figures as the visitors were bowled out for 103 in 20 overs after slipping from a good position of 65-3. Kevin Ferrier (2-20) and Mark Ferrier (2-15) were the most successful bowlers for St. Cuthbert’s Secondary who fell for 88 in 18.5 overs despite a cameo 22 from 13 balls with three sixes off Spinner Aftab Basir by Mark Clenkin but when he was run out in the 11th over with the score on 58-5 it was the beginning of the end although Keon Kattow (14) and his brother Alden Kattow (12) managed to get

A section of the biggest crowd to watch a school match in Demerara backed St Cuthbert’s Secondary to the hilt yesterday.

into double digits. Aaron Seeprasad (2-13) and Lesroy Persaud (2-17) bowled West Demerara Secondary, aided by three run outs, to victory despite the vocal support of the large partisan crowd. Basir and Kowlessar give West Dem a solid, if a bit slow start, before Kowlessar stroked Mark Ferrier for the game’s first boundary in the eighth over, but after being dropped of Zak Ferrier on 16 Basir charged down the track to Mark Ferrier and was stumped by Attoffio Bernard. Kowlessar dumped Mark Ferrier for four before he was run out at 40-2, while Ryan Seecharran (1) was also run

out five runs later to the delight of the screaming St Cuthbert’s Secondary and Primary school students in the packed stands. Aaron Seeprasad flicked Kevin Ferrier for four to post the 50 in the 12th over before pulling Keon Kattow for six and whipping Kevin Perrier off his legs for an elegant boundary before he was bowled by K. Ferrier at 70-5 and even though Holder got going with an effortless six off K. Ferrier in the 18th over, the West Demerara team lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs and managed just 29 runs from their last five overs. Seeprasad bowled Elymos Williams (4) at 12-1

when the home team began their chase, while Zak Ferrier (6) and Bernard (0) were dismissed in the space of a run to leave the score on 30-3. And when Keon Kattow was removed by Basir at 54-4 and the 15year-old Clenkin, who made 51 against Linden Foundation, departed four runs later, the fat lady was already clearing her throat. Alden Kattow and Joshua Sandwell (6) added 13 before Kattow was lbw to Persaud at 80-9 and when Sandwell was run out it was the sixth consecutive win for last year’s National runnersup to Chase Academy.

t r o Sp Limacol Round Robin / Knockout Football Competition

Guyana’s basketball continues on historical path Millington strikes thrice to secure Tigers final berth

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FIBA President, Horacio Muratore (left) poses for a photo opportunity with Guyana’s national U-18 3x3 Team after presenting them with their runner-up medals yesterday in St. Lucia; the local team included (l-r): Timothy Thompson, Stanton Rose, Jonathan Mangra and Jamal Gilkes.

-Police subdue Winners attempt to resist arrest

Devon Millington

Smalta U14 Indoor Hockey League

Marian Academy use homecourt to perfection

Players from St. Joseph’s and advances the ball during their clash against Marian Academy. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210