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Kaieteur News
Thursday January 11, 2018
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Seeking non-political appointees It is closing in on four months since the term of the last Police Service Commission (PSC) expired. Four months is a long time for such a pivotal body to be up in the air. It is 2018, and in spite of promises, and possible best intentions, the void continues to exist. The final decision on the members to serve in the successor PSC must not follow along the lines of other sensitive positions and appointments by being allowed to hover unendingly. Already it has been too long. Too long comes across as indecisive; too long raises the specter of more of what came before. Too much is at stake for this delayed situation to stay this way. This is sure to generate questions; even dispute, over the final composition of the new PSC group. There is the matter involving promotions to senior leadership positions in the Guyana Police Force. Then there are barely muted suspicions of political intrigue aimed at rearranging the expected order of those believed in line for elevation to the next level. All of this is being closely watched, and the howls, perhaps not unreasonable of politicisation of the GPF are held barely in abeyance. There is keen interest from numerous quarters in how all of this is handled through who gets named to move up; who gets bypassed or marginalised; and who gets put out to the pasture. There is vigilance for placeholders, and watchfulness for the unduly compliant, especially those coming with known baggage. Thus, this particular action, or involvement, of the incoming PSC, must robust in credibility. In this country, different political philosophies are at work on the content and implementation of law enforcement policies, processes, and practices. Also, different political histories grace the stewardship of the GPF in this land. Too many times, and without question, this protective bulwark has been misused and motivated for the worst possible ends. A strong hand, a clean guiding hand, and an unburdened mind are what must be brought to bear to reverse the shortcomings of prior years, which have brought about the greatest unease in the longsuffering populace. The citizens of this country need and deserve a break. There has to be something on which they can find agreement; and there is nothing better to produce that boost than a professionally functioning and results-oriented police establishment. This begins with an insightful PSC. This would bring comfort. It was raised not too long ago that the commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission should come from a nonpolitical pool. But how and who is easier in the contemplation than in the realisation. Regardless of the near insurmountable heights involved, if this nonpartisan ideal can be hypothesized (and it is that), then surely the next steps must commence with endeavouring untiringly to bridge the difference between words and postures, and what gives intellectual satisfaction, through insistent pressure on decisionmakers to turn away from the old and failed, and commit towards what is undeniably beneficial in the long term. This has to be essayed and introduced into the PSC; the power of clear and clean purpose would reach far and near. Further, an activist PSC could be felt deep within the police force, and can be an agent of change, institutional mindsets and resistances notwithstanding. And for the long awaited PSC to be a significant vibrant entity, one that is not be meddled with, representative presences must come from places such as anticorruption watchdogs, or the church, or the Bar Association. Great care should be taken to identify truly upstanding people, who possess what is required to deliver in a pinch.
I hope the events of February 7 prove me wrong DEAR EDITOR, I have read, with ominous forboding, a legio-historical piece by Priya Manickchand captioned “How it came to be required that there must be agreement between a president and opposition leader before chancellor, chief justice can be appointed”, “Agreement versus meaningful consultation” (SN and KN, Sunday January 7, 2018). I confidently assume that this Priya Manickchand is the Attorney–at–law; and former Minister of Education in the Donald Ramotar government. And I take note that it was this Priya Manickchand (and surprisingly not Anil Nandlall) who was the lawyer who accompanied Bharrat Jagdeo (Leader of the Opposition) to the “consultation” meeting with President David Granger (accompanied by the Attorney General and the Minister of State) on the appointment of a chancellor and chief Justice (GC, January 4, 2018 headlined “No decision on top judicial posts”). What does this letter portend; what is its true, (veiled) purpose? Is it purely intellectually informative in its purport – an optimistic thing? Is it the precursor to some impending “feral blast” (a term of commendation infamously coined by Dr. Luncheon) on February 7th – a pessimistic perspective of mine, you might think. I am not persuaded that it is the former. And I do not share the opti-
mism of the GCs editorial of Sunday January 7, 2018 (“President and Leader of the Opposition meeting”). As I remind myself of the Orwellian disposition of these PPP/C officials, I wonder whether its purpose is to publicly lay the foundation for a very contentious consultation process – contending that post nomination consultation (as distinct from proposals as a form of invitation to treat/discuss) is constitutionally flawed; that the Opposition Leader cannot acquiesce in such flaw by agreeing to the appointment of those two nominees of the President – i.e. Kenneth Benjamin for the office of chancellor; Yonette Cummings – Edwards for the office of Chief Justice. And on that hypothesis, public relations (PR) becomes crucial, for if the consultation(s) becomes contentious, and ends without agreement, such is bound to generate considerable public angst, disgust and outrage given the impeccable and unmatchable credentials of the nominee for the office of chancellor; on the circumstantial evidence of his competitive selection/recommendation by the President’s 3 – jurist panel (Singh/Patterson/ Lutchman) So, it is not irrelevant to remind readers that (Guyana) scholars are few (a very different credential from the general public service ministry
scholarship awardees); scholars who chose to pursue a career in the discipline of law are rare. President Granger’s nominee for chancellor is one such scholar. Kenneth Benjamin, a Guyanese, wants to serve Guyana in the Judiciary. A boost of scholarship there can only be all-beneficial. As a grateful nation and people, we should be thankful. To withhold agreement for his appointment (all other things being equal) must attract constitutional opprobrium. It would be an unreasonable withholding; it would be sheer irrationality, as I will show. Ominously, Priya Manickchand chooses this consultation point in time (in a rare and unaccustomed exhibition of letter writing) to bring into sharp focus, and remind us of article 127(1) (by quoting it at the very beginning of her letter and also at the end) that it “mandates” Bharrat Jagdeo’s agreement before President Granger can substantively appoint Kenneth Benjamin or CummingsEdwards to hold the office of chancellor, Chief Justice respectively. In strict constitutional law, she is, undoubtedly, right. But is such trite legalism her main point of focus and intent? Who needs to be reminded of that requirement of Jagdeo’s agreement? Not the President’s legal advisor(s)! There is no dispute; there is no difficulty, or vexed ques-
tion of interpretation; there is no unknown mystery about it! So, I probe beneath the surface of her letter; I lift the historical veil. What do I find lurking beneath that historical façade? With my inquisitive, inquiring legal mind, I pay particular attention to her words which carry in their phraseology a perceptible nuanced threat or admonishment. She writes “the consultation with the PEOPLE OF GUYANA resulted in article 127(1) of the constitution which states UNAMBIGUOUSLY” [article 127 (1) is again quoted and upon invoking the ghost of Haslyn Parris about “people entertain expectation… consensual mechanism… people’s aspirations” – he, ironically and paradoxically was a PNC/R GECOM Commissioner, minister in the Forbes Burnham Government and I believe once PNC Executive member, so read between the lines; her position – she would pontificate - is not just some biased PPP position it resonates with PNC personality]. She continues “…. Which MANDATES that before a chancellor and chief justice can be appointed the President must first have the agreement of the leader of the Opposition” (emphasis mine). I hold no brief for President Granger, but I am not aware of any circumstances which might suggest that (Continued on page 6)
East Bank traffic a risk factor for mental illness DEAR EDITOR, I am a 26-year-old health professional in Guyana, a university graduate. In primary school, I topped my school and region in the then Secondary School Entrance Examination. In Secondary School, it was the same at the Caribbean Examination Council’s CSEC and CAPE. I am not stating these achievements to boast; I am stating them so that readers know I am of high intelligence with sound reasoning skills and mental faculties. I have an 8-year-old daughter, who attends Success Elementary Primary School. When she started there, we lived some 12 minutes away from the school. As a result of unforeseen circumstances, we were forced to relocate. I work on the East Coast of Demerara, so in September when I realised it would be impossible to drive to Eccles and then come back to the East Coast for work at 8am, I hired a taxi to take her to school and bring her back home. After two weeks of the traffic experience, the taxi
driver came and said, he can’t take her anymore. I tried another driver, this time sending her a bit earlier, in an effort to “beat” the traffic. After about a month that driver said, it is too frustrating, he cannot take her anymore. I was faced with no other option but to take her myself, I did this for the remainder of the first school term. We have to leave home very early, so that means we must wake up extremely early. Some might question what is wrong with that, but please take into consideration the earlier I drop her off, the more “idle” time she has before school actually starts at 8:30am. I would constantly tell people, if I leave home 5 minutes late, I get to work 30 mins late. This traffic situation is taking a mental toll on me, as my daughter and I prepare in the morning we are constantly giving each other time checks, “okay, hurry, 10 minutes and we must be out the door…okay, we’ll fix that in the car, we have to go” that in itself is mentally fatiguing. Please accept my honesty as I proceed to the following
paragraph. When I get to the area where the traffic leaving Georgetown converges into one lane, as I sit in my car boxed in, I think about if this were America and gun laws were liberal, if I would lose it one day and come out of my car and start a shooting rampage, I think about if a cutlass would suffice. When I finally get to work, I am already tired, I’m already mentally unhinged. I see a patient coming in my direction and I think “Oh God, I just came, can I get two seconds to settle” and if per chance I am late and I see my supervisor coming, I start rattling off silent profanities. If my office phone rings, I sigh or I ask God to have mercy before I answer. Sometimes I try to calm myself on the drive back from the East Bank by putting on my music loudly and skipping to Future’s Mask Off record to try and get rid of some of the anger with its thuggish lyrics or to drown out my own violent thoughts. Some days it works and some days it does not. I think this may be con-
sidered the beginning phases of some kind of mental illness. The traffic is making me mentally ill! I was having a conversation with a colleague who starts his journey from Grove on the East Bank to Georgetown and he has to drop his children off before he gets to work for 8:30am. He actually has the benefit of having 3 lanes of traffic in his direction and I asked, “How was this morning, were you early?” His response was, “you know, I’m starting to believe that getting anywhere in the morning early is unrealistic; it’s a myth”. Editor, I can’t be the only person feeling this way, something needs to be done and it needs to be done soon! And finally, can someone, anyone, please say where motorcyclists are supposed to ride. Is it on the side of the road? Is it in the middle? These guys are just riding anywhere; sometimes they flank your vehicle, one on the right and one on the left, forcing you to drive in a straitjacket. This is all just too much. L.P
Thursday January 11, 2018
Guyana’s youth must form a new political movement DEAR EDITOR, Guyana now has to leap forward to modern development and transition from primitive politics to political maturity. We must espouse a new mindset and dispensation. We must formulate and adopt a 20-year master-plan for transformation to developed nation status. Most important, the nation’s leadership must be passed to the new generation. The transformation we seek cannot be realized with our current politics that have been commandeered by dinosaurs. The old guard in both major political parties demonstrates tendencies of ownership of the government. They perpetuate themselves in office by frustrating rather than nurturing young leaders. They seem oblivious that the government belongs to the people, who elect them to be trustees, but that their trusteeship is transitory because the mantle belongs to the next generation. Over 50% of the electorate is under age 50, yet representation of this demographic across the nation’s decisionmaking apparatus has been chronically diminished. The two major political parties embarked on a treacherous course in 2008. They amended the Guyana constitution to enable their party leaders to arbitrarily remove elected young leaders from parliament because of their independent, progressive thinking. The essence of that law was that ambitious young
politicians who challenge the old guard will be cut down. The legislation was destructive to the nation’s leadership succession and dangerous to our democracy. Guyana faces a perilous reality by design. It lacks visionary leaders with a big dream for long-term development and the fortitude to enact that vision into law to insulate it from partisan politics. Leaders also lack the willingness to mold a new generation of leaders to inherit the government and carry out the development strategy. We have a culture of only planning for the term of a government and political leader. There is hardly demonstrable interest in leadership succession. Political leadership, constitutional offices and senior government policy positions are dominated by individuals from the bygone era. They have no young understudies. Moreover, young people in leadership positions are often undermined. This is true in both the political parties, national and local government and most recently in the Judiciary. Generally, our youth feel starved of leadership positions through which they can acquire requisite skills and experience that prepare them to assume political and governmental leadership roles. This dangerous reality permeates the Caribbean region. It is a paralysis that deprives our nation of contributions from our brightest and best minds. It has also held
back transformation to a new political culture and governance philosophy. It has stymied political evolution. Guyana will not advance with the status quo. Hence, we must take bold steps to eliminate this paralysis. First, we must effectively end single party dominance by forcing issues-based political alliances to energize the population and secure electoral victories. Second, we must root out ethnic voting and ethnic dominance of political parties by teaching the populace the benefits of voting on issues, rather than party or ethnic affiliation. Third, we must forge a new political culture and dispensation to strengthen our democracy and cultivate good and accountable governance. Young people will become the vehicle for this change if they en masse get involved in politics and civil society and demonstrate ownership of their government and society. In the United States, an organization called “Organization for America” was formed to mobilize the grassroots to do just this. The result is history – they elected the first Black President, Barack Obama, twice, and achieved healthcare reform. Guyana needs its own version of “Organization for America;” not as a confrontational force, but to partner with the leadership of the government to help unite the people to advance one agenda for development. I therefore call on the in-
telligentsia, youth population and business class take on the indispensable obligation to form a new political movement and enlist new generations of Guyanese, with political dynamism, mobilize the nation to support an agenda for development. The movement must be inclusive and diverse in all respects to defeat one-party rule and ethnic dominance. It must help write a new charter to elevate our polity and transform our political culture. It must espouse constitutional reform to fortify our democracy and build a more just and equitable society. It must teach the people to be stakeholders of the nation’s destiny by becoming active participants in our democracy so that together we can build a more cohesive, ideal society for posterity. Equally important, the movement must promote policies to spur economic expansion and wealth generation to lift Guyanese from poverty to prosperity. This political resonance will propel our nation forward to develop nation status in this generation. If we chart this course together, the movement will inspire a vision that transcends governments and political parties. Guyana is ripe for such a new political movement. I call on our young leaders to emerge and take up this challenge. Rickford Burke President, Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)
These outstanding police ranks should be duly rewarded DEAR EDITOR, Reports in the print and electronic media stated that on December 30, 2017, Lance Corporal 17310 Williams, constables 23777 Blake, 23630 Prince and 20980 Hunte while on road block duty at Whim Public Road, Corentyne, detained Deputy Superintendent Motie Dookie and a minibus driver for what they perceived to be the police officer and the driver being knowingly concerned in dealing with thirty cases of Johnny Walker whisky with intent to
defraud the revenue of the duties thereof. This is an amazing course of action by the subordinate officer and three young constables. They have broken the well established police code of silence. The code of silence encourages police not to speak up when they see another officer, more so their superior, do something wrong. Let me be pellucid. It is only an allegation made against Dookie and the minibus driver. A person is presumed innocent until proven
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guilty. Should not these ranks be rewarded for their bold if not unprecedented action in highlighting what they see as unethical behaviour and corruption among their ranks? Shouldn’t in this instance their names be made public so that the public will know that there are some good and unbribable cops in the GPF? I heard the plea from Minister Khemraj Ramjattan for lance corporal Williams to be
promoted. That is excellent, but what about some reward for the constables. Certainly they were not passive bystanders. I was informed that the day after the arrest, lance corporal Williams was promoted to corporal. He was among a list of over two hundred junior ranks promoted by the acting commissioner. I am not certain whether or not his promotion was linked to the detention of the two persons (Continued on page 6)
It’s frustrating to do business in Guyana DEAR EDITOR, Earlier this week, I visited two government offices to transact business – the Mayor and City Councillors of Georgetown (M&CC) and Commercial R e g i s t r y. To s a y I w a s taken aback by the archaic procedures would be an understatement. Starting with M&CC where I went to pay Rates and Taxes. After standing in line for close to an hour, I was finally attended by a cashier. As I was paying by cheque, I was given a temporary handwritten receipt and told to return in a week for the official receipt. E d i t o r, t h i s p o l i c y shows great disrespect for my time and travel costs. How can the country develop with such outdated, 19th-century procedures? I then walked over to the Registry only to find it closed - between 11:30am and 1pm - for lunch. Surely, it’s not rocket science to rotate staff so that coverage is available during working hours. The Registry’s working hours appear to be 8:30am to 3:30pm with one and a half hours for lunch or a total of five and a half hours of work per day. My company subsequently needed to obtain National Insurance Scheme (NIS) compliance for the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest). A visit to the NIS office resulted in a representative being sent away with a form to fill-out
and copies of payments to accompany the returned form. Editor, NIS contributions are computerized and all this information can easily be obtained by simply checking the company’s account. But it doesn’t stop there. The company representative was again sent away to provide a written explanation why the company was registered under the Companies Act in 2013 but only started NIS contributions in 2015. A verbal explanation was not accepted, although the question was asked and answered in 2015 when it registered for NIS. The inefficiency continues and it is discouraging to businesses. It would come at a time when we are attempting to ease the hardships of starting a business in Guyana. I experience this as a local. Frustrated businessman
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Thursday January 11, 2018
Let us all try to leave a legacy that future generations can emulate DEAR EDITOR, My very educated and learned friend Zamal usually shares some great, well-constructed pieces with me. I am glad that I have such a friend who also sees the deeper side of things and thinks out of the box. Today, I will attempt to discuss hate, but before I start, I would like to express “Sincere thanks” to the print media houses; particularly Stabroek News, Kaieteur News, Guyana Times and the Guyana Chronicle for affording us the opportunity to share our views and thought on contemporary issues. The publishers have forsaken many millions of dollars in revenue annually by way of advertisements to give us
sometimes three pages daily of newsprint for letters. Words are inadequate to express our gratitude. James Baldwin said, “I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain”. We believe that we must stand against oppression, seek justice and be tolerant. When we study history marked by prejudice, lies and hate, we see destruction and pain of unimaginable proportions. As it turns out, we do live in these times. We are living and experiencing a fraught moment in which it is impossible to stay neutral. In twenty
These outstanding police ranks should be duly... From page 5 and the seizure of the large amount of whisky alluded to above or if it was already in the pipeline. There is no mention of any award for the constables. Perhaps, ‘B’ Division which will be holding its awards ceremony sometime this month for ranks who performed outstandingly during 2017 will reward them, or it will be done at Police Headquarters, or both locations. When ranks commit breaches of the law, be it department or criminal, we are quick to punish them in various forms. On the other side of the coin we are slow to reward for outstanding work. The act of punishing and rewarding law enforcement officers must be swift, certain and appropriate if it is to achieve its desired objective. Like Blanchard and Johnson - The One Minute Manager. (1981) I believe that both praise and reprimands can be effectively
accomplished in one minute. As the police strive to promote ethical behaviour and integrity, they can be guided by the seven steps to prevent unethical behaviour and corruption recommended by McCarthy (2000): “ (1) Recruit with great care. (2) Establish appropriate policies and put them in writing. (3) Adopt a good employee evaluation process. (4) Make sure your sergeants share management’s values and philosophies. (5) Develop operational controls. (6) Perform regular anti-corruption inspections and audits. And (7) implement ethics and integrity training into every training activity.” McCarthy was writing for the Americans, but those steps are equally applicable for the Guyana Police Force. Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)
years, the young children of today will want to know: Where did we stand? What did we do to combat hate? How did we seek justice? Were we tolerant of others? Examples of hate and intolerance are numerous. Just look around our world. The past hundred years has been catastrophic. Conflicts and devastation unmatched, suffering unspeakable, hate and intolerance have gone into overdrive and sadly our leaders, our politicians are propelling it. I have experienced and witnessed intolerance in Guyana with my neighbour, in the streets of Georgetown, in the Mosque, in the Church
and Temple, the Parliament of Guyana and various public places. Once I had a meeting with the mother of a poor child that I was sponsoring to attend a private secondary school. During the meeting, she took offence to what I said and became very furious, abusive and exercised much disrespect. My blood reached to my brain so fast and my heart spoke, “abort the sponsorship” immediately; but a voice rose deep inside of me and whispered, “You are not doing this sponsorship for her, you are doing it for God - All Mighty”. Today, that child is a model student; she com-
pleted her B.S.C and is pursuing her M.B.A. I did not allow anger, hate and intolerance to get the better of me. This to my mind is how the men and women in authority should approach issues of individual and national interests. Such forms of hate, anger and intolerance that we see in society today will take root in our schools and ultimately be transferred to the next generation. This is so frightening, good people must take a stand now. The geopolitics of the world must attract positive change in attitudes. The world is broken and we desperately need to get along, work with and respect
one another. The era of fighting and intolerance should be over, for the rivers of bloodshed are overflowing. As we embark on the new year, we simply cannot continue down the path of intolerance, do not cling to your hates and old prejudice practices. Let’s struggle to conquer that which divides us. Presidents and government will come and go, but the long processes that truly change our lives are still there, and they are not always the things that people are expecting or discussing. Let us all try to leave a legacy that future generations can emulate. Nazar Mohamed
I hope the events of February 7 prove me wrong From page 4 President Granger is in any doubt at all about the req u i r e m e n t o f J a g d e o ’s “agreement” for a substantive appointment. Indeed, the circumstantial evidence says there is not one jot of doubt. So, what is Manickchand’s fixation, anxiety and unease, apprehension all about? I remind myself that lawyers strive on contentions. But surely, it could not be that she has been induced by anything the President has done, to believe that there is a real danger of article 127(1) being ignored or by passed by the President. There is now, “consultations” (with equal bargaining power as between the President, and Jagdeo) with a view to obtaining Jagdeo’s “agreement” to those nominations. So, is Manickchand insinuating, and unwittingly fore-warning, that their position is, and would be at the follow-up consultation meeting on February 7, that article 127(1) requires that the President should have first consulted with Jagdeo about his (i.e. President’s) proposals (as distinct from nominees) and obtain his agreement for the appointment of Kenneth Benjamin; and Cummings-Edwards; instead of, as has happened, firstly nominating, and then holding consultation; reducing (so the arg u m e n t g o e s ) J a g d e o ’s role to rubber-stamping? Whatever the (de)merits of that view, I would urge on Counsel that the 3-jurist panel se-
lection of Kenneth Benjamin; and the President’s consequent nomination of him is a fait accompli (i.e. an accomplished fact). And so, if his acceptance (by Jagdeo) becomes rubberstamping, such surely attracts no constitutional (and I would posit neither political) opprobrium. We are not in the field of private law of contract. These appointments are not for Jagdeo’s private benefit or commercial/financial interests, or political advantage/convenience. All that matters is that these appointments be intended to, and be seen as manifestly likely to serve the public/ “people’s” interest in the fostering of an independent Judiciary with leadership of exemplar, int e l l e c t a n d i n t e g r i t y. “Agreement” in this constitutional context and subject matter does not necessarily have to involve (even as a matter of “meaningful consultation negotiation/bargaining (as invariably happens in the private law context) between the President and Jagdeo. Here, it is all about the nature of the subject matter of the “agreement” to be obtained.. And, here, what the President has offered the Opposition Leader for obtaining his agreement (for his acceptance) is a scholar/tried and proven Justice for Chancellor; a tried and proven Justice for Chief Justice. I would suggest, and further urge on Counsel, that she could more use-
fully expend her effort, by advising her leader that under article 127(1) there is an IMPLICATION that he would not unreasonably or irrationally withhold his agreement; that he is not permitted to agree, or not agree in accordance with his own deliberate judgment or state of mind; and that this limitation on his power of agreement is so because he is a creature of the Constitution and by the Constitution itself, it is ONLY the PRESIDENT who can in the exercise of his constitutional power act in “accordance with his own deliberate judgment” as prescribed by article 111; and that all other constitutional creatures not mentioned in article 111 are required by the public law of the constitution, to act reasonably and not irrationally given all the surrounding circumstances. (expressio unius est exclusio alterius). The point being urged here is that any withholding of agreement without providing to the President rational reason, is susceptible to judicial review (unlike the President’s article 111 acts “in accordance with his own deliberate judgment”); such withholding being likely to be quashed; and declared unconstitutional. And, of course, there is the option (albeit undesirable) of the President proceeding, in the event of failu r e t o o b t a i n J a g d e o ’s agreement, to make acting appointments under article 127(2). Jagdeo is reminded of
his (acting) appointment of then Chief Justice Carl Singh as acting Chancellor in 2005 (acting until February 2017). And, surely, Counsel recalls the constitutional case of Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Inc. V. the Attorney General of Guyana (2006). And the (unreported) ruling of Justice Ramlall in that case in which the matter of (acting) appointments to the offices of chancellor and Chief Justice were extensively considered in what, respectfully, I consider a generally commendable, instructive decision, in which that Judge made a clarion call for agreement to be reached on these appointments; and deprecated the seeming contentment and satisfaction of our politicians, with prolonged acting appointments. I end with this: the issue of the appointments of Kenneth Benjamin and Yo n e t t e CummingsEdwards is not a matter of politics; it is of law. Manickchand’s letter, both anticipates, and peremptorily strives to mitigate, by PR in the press, the outrage that any failure by the Opposition Leader to agree; and their would-be staunch criticism of any consequential resort by President Granger to article 127(2) (which potentially is not free from difficulty of interpretation) would engender. Be prep a r e d . Ye t , I h o p e t h e events of February 7 prove me wrong. Maxwell E. Edwards
Thursday January 11, 2018
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Reuters reporters charged in Myanmar with obtaining State secrets (NY Times) BANGKOK — Two journalists for the Reuters news agency were formally charged in Myanmar with obtaining state secrets, prosecutors said yesterday, in a case seen as a key test of the country’s nascent political freedoms. The reporters, U Wa Lone and U Kyaw Soe Oo, have been accused of violating the Official Secrets Act, a law dating to the British colonial period that carries a maximum punishment of 14 years in prison. The journalists were brought to court in Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, where they were arrested on Dec. 12, almost immediately after being given unidentified documents by members of the police. Before their arrest, the journalists had been investigating the existence of a mass grave in Rakhine State, where a military campaign against Rohingya Muslims has sent more than 655,000 members of the persecuted minority fleeing to Bangladesh over the past four and a half months. While the United States and the United Nations have called the campaign against
the Rohingya ethnic cleansing, the Myanmar government has blocked independent investigators and journalists from the epicenter of violence, making it difficult to gather proof of atrocities. Last evening, the military released the results of its investigation into the mass grave in the village of Inn Din, which the Reuters journalists had been investigating. A statement on the Facebook page of the military’s commander in chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said that the 10 bodies there were of Muslims who had been taken to the cemetery and killed by villagers and security forces “because they were terrorists.” The army crackdown on the Rohingya began after Rohingya insurgents attacked security posts in late August. Rohingya in Bangladesh refugee camps have given consistent accounts of rape and murder at the hands of the Myanmar military and Buddhist vigilantes. Satellite images collected by human rights groups document the destruction by fire of hundreds of Rohingya villages in
Reuters journalists U Wa Lone (centre front), and U Kyaw Soe Oo, (centre back), were escorted by the police in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday, after being charged with obtaining state secrets. (Credit Lynn Bo Bo/European Pressphoto Agency) northern Rakhine. Negotiating a scrum of journalists gathered in front of the Insein courthouse in Yangon yesterday morning, Mr. Wa Lone struck a defiant pose, raising his cuffed hands
and later flashing a thumbsup sign. “We are not doing anything wrong,” Mr. Kyaw Soe Oo told journalists after the hearing. “Please help us by uncovering the truth.”
A lawyer for both journalists, U Than Zaw Aung, said that Mr. Wa Lone is suffering from a hernia and back pain but has received no medical treatment while in detention. The next court appearance for
his clients will be on Jan. 23, he said. “The situation is very unclear,” said Ma Pan Ei Mon, Mr. Wa Lone’s wife. “I’m hoping all the time that he will be released soon.” In a statement, Stephen J. Adler, the president and editor in chief of Reuters, called the move to prosecute the reporters “a wholly unwarranted, blatant attack on press freedom,” adding, “We believe time is of the essence and we continue to call for Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s prompt release.” The United States and the European Union both called for the men’s release yesterday. “For democracy to succeed and flourish, journalists must be able to do their jobs,” the embassy said in a statement. Although Myanmar now has a civilian government, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the military that ruled the country for nearly half a century still controls the most important levers of power. The Tatmadaw, as the military is known, runs the Home Ministry, which administers Myanmar’s internal affairs, including its prisons and police.
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Kaieteur News
President: Redundant... FOR RENT
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.- CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Eagle’s: Re-gas –low prices, washing machine repairs, gas stove, plasma flat Screen, computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIR CONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, FREEZERS,SALE OFAC’S TEL:6294946,225-4822. Desmond Repair Services Fridge, AC, gas stove, microwave, washer, etc on the spot repairs –Call: (592)678-8683 For efficient repairs, installations, assembly of imported furniture and gym equipment, mounting TV etc. Call:673-2692/233-3006 Are you moving out, need transportation, have stuff to fix up/disassemble? Call: 6585897/233-3006
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY- $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-2274754. Video games and consoles at affordable price. Repairs to video game system .Call:6722566/265-3231 1 BMW Car $1.7M 1 Cement mixer truck $2.9M 1 Bobcat $3.3M. House lots @ Blankenburg . Contact 6500402/603-1402.
One RZ minibus BRR series, mag rim ,cat eyes. $1.5. Tel: 668-9672, 686-9965. PROPERTY FOR SALE
One miller, welding generator, excellent condition. One mig welder. Contact: 699-4300, 228-2734 Corner property at 2006 Festival City Entrance. Call: 665-3622/670-8799. Pure breed German Shepherd for sale (Black & Black and tan) Tele no: 626-0953 or 6509998 1 used Jialing JH125-35B Motorcycle. Call: 613-7771/ 688-8887 3 storey wooden building for sale and removal in Queenstown,Georgetown. 610-7558/223-4125/225-0018 12ft & 14ft Aluminum boat for sale 222-5671, 641-6162
Register your child for after school classes for slow learners in Mathematics, Reading, Phonics, Spelling, etc. Call: 675-4379 Lessons: Phonics, Reading & Writing for kindergarten, grades 1-5 Mathematics & English lessons for form 1-5. Call: 690-9378
Alliance Françaíse Guyana French classes January 2018, Register 61 Upper Robb Street Bourda, Thurday 11th Friday Supermarket at 17th Avenue, 12th 4:30-6pm & Saturday 13th 10:30-12pm #692-2965. Diamond. Tel: 626-3423 Lot 15 Public Road, #2 Village, W.C.B. 49ft x 10,314ft $25M Negotiable Contact 648-7109/686-4818
Vreed-en-hoop junction. Lessons place, storage bond, office, other. Call 6036400. 1 Flat concrete house (Tiled, grilled,PVC ceiling) 3 bedroom, 1 self-contained room @ Parafaite Harmonie & Onderneerming, $50,000 monthly #662-6818. 3 bedroom Apt in Diamond 3rd Avenue. Tel: 666-6503, 592684-7599, 695-7427
One- 113 KVA Olympian Genset 2.2M, One- 75 KVA Perkins/ Stamford enclosed Genset 2.5M #622-3940
EDUCATION
VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
Learn Mandarin now! New year, new skills, new you! Call now for more information! #603-0018
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR R E N TA L : S U V F O R RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:6435122/656-0087, ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 TOLET One business space, located at 177 Charlotte & Alexander St. Kindly call: 689-3462, 6443555. Serious enquiries only. One three bedroom house at West Riumveldt $50,000 per month. Tel: 672-7194/692-7377 LAND FOR SALE Parafaite Harmonie $1.5M Uitvlugt-$2.5M Zeelugt$2.4M.Tel:642-1252 Parafaite Harmonie- High income 2nd Avenue pitch road with big parpet, concrete wall (100ft x 50ft) $3M Tele: 6560701/651-1969 Farm (Newly fence) (East Bank) $3.5M Uivlugt (100ft x 50ft) $3M Herstelling $2.5M Parafaite Harmonie $1M & 1.4M Tel# 656-0701/651-1969 Parafaite Harmonie 1.4M 3.5M 1.6M 2.5M Herstelling 3.5M Tuschen 5M 5.5M, all prices negotiable. Call: 6662326.
WANTED
VACANCY
Full time waiter/waitress to work at Aagman Restaurant, Sheriff street, experience preferred. Call: 219-0158/ 2190161.
Male factory worker, age 18 and above, must have working experience. For more info call: 223-0090 Chef and assistant cook. Call: 225-7933 or visit us 172 Sheriff Street. General maintenance man, Ages 24-55. Address 233 South road, Tele# 225-0198 One customer service representative. Age 18 and over. Must have working experience, send application via email: humredes@gmail.com
Live in waitress to work in bar. Call: 604-6606/ 692-4649 Male to work night shift at hotel. Tel: 225-9211. Apply in person. Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm Wanted experience wash bay workers Nandy park. Tel:2335227 One cashier, one secretary, attractive salary. Call: 2237165. Security guards, 1 heavy duty mechanic, 1 cashier, 1 filing clerk, 1 accounting clerk, 1 company secretary. Call: 6044149 Experienced drivers, Waiters, Roti & puri cook, apply with written application, Hacks Restaurant, 5 Commerce St. Experienced hire car drivers and dispatchers for princess hotel Contact 616-5419, 2657076 Heavy duty mechanic to work in interior. Must know to drive and welding is an asset. 6802702 One welder to work in the interior. Meals and accommodation provided. Must have driver’s license. 680-2702 300+ acres fertile agriculture land on E.C.D. to lease OR partnership in agriculture project. 682-8251 1 Live-in nanny to take care of children and home. Must know to cook various food. 682-8251 1 Live-in maid between age 3550. Prefer out of town persons. Contact Ms. Edwards 6643918 between 8am-4pm Salesman, good verbal/ excellent attitude, knowledge in stocktaking, computer literate & team player. Keyfood McDoom. Experienced Handyman, porter all below 40 years. Apply with written application. Keyfood McDoom Village. Kitchen assistant Call #6445884 ask for Tanya Private tutor for ACAA, Any two papers among F5-F9. Email interest to odalexa@yahoo.com We buy land in Eccles and Herstelling, we buy oil paintings on canvas. Tel# 656-0701/651-1969
One receptionist, age 18 and over, must have working experience. Please send application via email: humresdes@gmail.com One Mechanic with sewing machine experience, age 25 and over, please send application via email: humresdes@gmail.com Housekeeper, Female, age 2550 years able bodied. 6912186, 663-3399 Vacancy exist for 1 female 2545 years to work @ Del Ice Co. Must have Maths, English & Accounts. Call 231-1408/642-9191. Cook/Baker & Kitchen Assistant for interior location. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 1 Live-in domestic maid/ couple to work in Mahaicony river. Serious enquiries only. 655-9491/225-6571 1 cleaner & kitchen assistant, preferably female (to work in chinese restaurant). Contact: 231-5108, 625-8884 Experienced Security Professionals. Must have 3 yrs. experience, past military/ security. Send resume & picture by email:. bvisecurityandinvestigators @ g m a i l . c o m One Domestic to work 2 half day per week. #225-6571 One female cleaner and driver for office in Eccles. Call: 2332745 One maid for East Bank area, must know to cook and clean. Call: 614-4358 Cleaner – submit written application to Barton-Sukhraj Accounting Lot 78 Breda & Hadfield Street, Werk-en-rust or e-mail to bs.taxes@yahoo.com Office clerk Senior/Junior CXC English/Mathematics, Computer knowledge an asset, Call: 223-7500 Live-in or part time maid, call 695-5505 or 611-6364 between 9am to 4pm
From page 3 Union and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees and the workers.” Granger stressed that the Government is cognizant of the invaluable contribution of the sugar industry to the development of Guyana. “The Government will continue to work towards returning the reformed sugar industry to profitability and improving the personal income of sugar workers while seeking to provide a good life for current and future generations.” The decision to close the four estates- Wales, Enmore, Rose Hall and the new underperforming Skeldon- has heavily divided the National Assembly with the Opposition and unions deeply worried over the changes. Workers have been clamouring for the severance pay. Almost 4,000 in the last two months were given letters sending them home. The four estates have been transferred to Government with assessments currently being done to move them to privatisation and divestment.
VACANCY Handyman, age 20-50 years, able bodied, police clearance required. 691-2186, 663-3399 Temporary Tax Consultant – Minimum qualification – CXC inclusive of Mathematics, Accounting & English, e-mail application to bs.taxes@yahoo.com General workers and sale girl and boy needed. Call: 6680159 One maid. #639-9449
SALON Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses: $90,000 Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 647-1773/688-0009 LEARN TO DRIVE Ultraviolet driving school is offering a 6 days driving lesson for $7,500.Come and enjoy it! Tel: 602-2583
C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Welder/fabricator, machinist, Sons Driving School @ Maraj mechanic, must have technical Building- Call: 644-5166; 622background and three years’ 2872; 615-0964; 689-5997 experience. Call: 233-2745 (affordable packages).
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Thursday January 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
Opposition Motion on Camp Street fire fails
Empty Opposition seats in the National Assembly yesterday The Coalition Government last evening used its majority in the National Assembly to defeat a motion on the 2017 Camp Street fire brought by the People’s Pro g r e s s i v e Party (PPP), 17 of whose numbers were on a free trip to India. Public Security Minister, Khemraj R a m j attan, who has ministerial responsibility for prisons, urged his colleagues not to support the motion, which called for full disclosure of the events that led to the fire and the escape of eight inmates. One prison officer died during the ordeal. “The Motion is not even worth the paper it is printed on,” Minister Ramjattan declared. He assured that Government will make full disclosures to the public in due course. Ramjattan also stated that the government has shared in-
formation with the Private Sector Commission. Tw e l v e m e m b e r s o f the opposition were in the House. The motion was submitted by Oppos i t i o n M e m b e r, J u a n Edghill, who has been suspended for four sittings by the National Assembly for disobeying the instructions of Speaker Dr. Barton Scotland on December 11. In Edghill’s absence, Gail Teixeira, Opposition Chief Whip, tabled the motion at the Sitting which was mandated for ‘Opposition Business’. Teixeira stated that the Motion was submitted to the Parliament office two weeks after the fire occurred on July 7, 2017 and five months after the fire, the Motion was finally debated. The motion wanted the National Assembly to call on the Government in accordance with Article 106(2) of the Guyana Constitution to accept
collective responsibility to the House for the repeated events at the prisons of Guyana. Accordingly, the Motion also sought to have the Government declare what actions have been and are being taken to reduce the opportunities for such situations from recurring and for the National Assembly to support the Disciplined Service in its efforts to ens u r e p u b l i c s a f e t y, t h e protection of citizens and the recapture of all the escapees. The Motion noted that the events of July 9, 2017, will go down in the history of Guyana as the day when the worst prison fire and jailbreak took place, destroying over 80% of the prison. Government had promised to set up a Commission of Inquiry into the incident following the recapture of all t h e e s c a p e e s . Tw o i n mates remain at large.
Region 5 REO refutes claims of... From page 20 tubes (HDPE) with self-acting doors to improve residential drainage were also bought. B a t h / Wo o d l e y P a r k NDC's subvention projects included the
construction of twenty speed bumps on various roads within the commun i t y, t h e p u r c h a s e o f road building materials for road repairs and maintenance, HDPE tubes and self-acting
koker doors to enhance residential drainage. They also purchased a tractor-pulled slasher costing $800,000. The Blairmont/Gelderland (B/G) NDC acquired and used $2M of crusher run, stone, hot mix and white sand to repair and upgrade roads within the villages and its boundaries. Rosignol/Zeelust NDC (R/Z) completed construction of an access road in Bennet Dam at a cost of $1.7M and the construction of an access road to th e cemetery at Number Four Village for $1.1M. Tempie/Seafield used $2M to fence playgrounds at Lichfield and Brittania villages while Hamlet/Chance undertook construction of 75 rods of DBST - Double bituminous surface treatment road at a cost of $2.3M and a koker door at a cost of $400,000.
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Kaieteur News
SOCU advised to secure cash sniffer dogs Guyana is rapidly moving to become a major oil producer with commercial activities slated to start in 2020. However, the country is still in the phase of introducing certain critical legislations that will govern the oil and gas industry.
The legislations have to be drafted, consulted on and passed in the House, before made law. Hand-in-hand with that will be the necessary regulatory agencies in place. There is also a role for the police Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), admits Dr. Sam
Sittlington. The financial crimes expert who is back in Guyana to assist SOCU in building its capacity and reduce its backlogs, was being questioned on Tuesday. He has some advice for Guyana-— be prepared. The advice would not be
unusual against the numerous stories of high-level corruption around the globe in connection with the oil industry. Tracking the monies has never been easy but oil producing countries have been developing mechanisms to make it harder to hide monies.
Thursday January 11, 2018 According to Sittlington, Guyana would urgently need to introduce the necessary procedures in place to target public procurement, including that of equipment. Guyana would also need to ensure that the proper procedures are strictly followed when it comes to the oil industry. This will include introducing accepted controls to prevent any forms of malfeasance in public office. He said that SOCU, an arm of the police which targets financial crimes, is there to investigate crimes, and once the necessary resources and cooperation are in place, with access to bank accounts and other information, including tax information, the entity would be in better position to investigate the crimes. He explained that money laundering is subsequent to a criminal act-— drugs, tax evasion, fraud, among other things. According to Sittlington, SOCU’s role is to investigate the money laundering aspect but because of the lack of experience in this area, it had been doing everything. “And that puts more pressure on them and these types of cases.” In investigations of financial crimes, the money trail has to be followed. The official who will be in Guyana until March 2020, said that criminals are making things harder. They are using internet, foreign jurisdictions, offshore companies and even trust company to launder monies from criminal activities.
There may be money laundering from gold smuggling in Guyana and “maybe” in oil in the future, he said. Other activities of money laundering may also stem from smuggling across the borders. One case last year caught the attention of SOCU— the smuggling of gold through the airport. Sittlington said he had made recommendations two years ago for authorities here to place “cash dogs” at the airports and border areas to sniff out monies being smuggled. “Cash dogs”, he said, have been very successful in fighting money laundering in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. There have been a number of other recommendations made but not yet implemented in Guyana, the SOCU advisor disclosed. These include the introduction of an in-house lawyer at SOCU and a more integral role from five special prosecutors hired to assist investigators. SOCU is facing significant challenges in bringing cases to prosecution with Director of Public Prosecutions and the Police Legal Advisor returning a number of high profile case files for further work. Sittlington is being paid by the British government under a cooperation agreement to boost Guyana’s crime fighting capacity. The advisor says he will be observing investigations and reviewing files to assist investigators.
Thursday January 11, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Cricket chiefs urged to close player-wage gap ESPNcricinfo - Cricket’s governing bodies must move quickly to close the wage gap in the international game or risk a mass exodus to domestic Twenty20 leagues, the MCC world cricket committee has declared. Following its annual meeting, held in Sydney on Tuesday and yesterday, the committee used the contrasting examples of the Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and the England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to highlight the vast discrepancies in player wages around the world. It also discussed the fact that underpaid players will be more susceptible to the lure of corrupt
approaches from would-be spot-fixers. Shakib told the committee, which features the likes of Ricky Ponting, Brendon McCullum and Kumar Sangakkara, that numerous younger Bangladesh players were no longer viewing Test cricket as their goal due to the greater financial security afforded them by T20. “We’d love to see the ICC get more involved in making sure the money goes where it should go - to players,” Ponting said. “It’s also about understanding that domestic T20 tournaments are giving players almost an easy out to not represent their country and be remunerated in a bet-
ter way to play those domestic tournaments. The IPL is a big, powerful beast that has probably been the contributing factor to other T20 tournaments around the world. You can’t blame players for playing in tournaments like that, some of the countries we’re talking about and the dollars guys are on to go and play in the IPL versus play the whole year for their countries is chalk and cheese. “That’s where it’s important to ensure some of these payments even up somewhere. You don’t see English or Australian players not representing their countries to play the IPL, and that’s because they’re remunerated
Thursday January 11 , 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Be cautious while traveling to foreign countries. Get involved in groups and organizations that are of a distinguished nature. Your intuition will be right on. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You will be entertained and intrigued by the logic foreigners possess. Get ready to do some fancy footwork when it comes to taking care of your financial situation. You must look into your options. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Family outings that aren't expensive will be enjoyable and help strengthen ties. Restrictions may be difficult for you to live with. Focus on your own domestic problems. CANCER(June21–July22) Do not sign contracts or get involved in any uncertain financial deals. Do not ruffle feathers if possible. Don't think the worst if you hear something negative about your partner. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't make any drastic changes or begin new projects today. Find a way to consolidate. Put your time and energy into travel, philosophy, and soul-searching. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You will be full of good ideas, and your choice of activities may bring you enrichment far beyond your expectations. Discuss your objectives with partners or peers. Focus your efforts on details, and keep to yourself in order to finish your work.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Try to curb overindulgence today. Your romantic inclination should lead to a committed relationship. Get busy trying to make more money. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Drastic financial losses may be likely if you lend money. Take some time to change your house around. If you can't get away, make plans to do something special with friends or relatives. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You are best not to discuss your personal life with others. Be careful signing important contracts today. Invite friends over. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You can make gains if you look at long-term investments. You will be encouraged to get involved in a moneymaking venture. Resist the temptation to gamble. Risks will not be profitable. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your ability to put a deal together wil l s u r p r i s e o t h e r s . I t ' s t i m e t o get yourself back on track. Don't let others bully you into agreeing with them. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You are best to avoid joint ventures, and whatever you do, don't lend to friends or relatives. Abrupt changes in your home may send you for a loop. Don't bother getting even; they'll make themselves look bad.
well. So it’s about making sure we have the best players playing Test cricket for the majority of the year and also getting them on long-term national contracts as well so [there’s not] the temptation to go and play to have some security for the back part of their lives. Making sure the contracts are closer to the Australian or English player and so lessening the opportunity for those guys to leave and not want to represent their country. “Shakib spoke about coming from Bangladesh and some of the issues and dramas they’ve had over the years but he also spoke about the ICC needing to take control of where the money goes because he knows a lot of money is going to the right place but it’s not getting through to the players the way it probably should.” The vastly contrasting levels of remuneration from country to country were highlighted in an ESPNcricinfo investigation in October, which showed that Australia’s captain Steven Smith stood to earn US$1.469 million in 2017, while his Zimbabwean counterpart Graeme Cremer would earn a mere $86,000. India’s captain Virat Kohli would pull
in approximately $1 million for 2017, while the coach Ravi Shastri collected an annual salary of $1.17 million. Wage imbalances were also addressed in the context of the women’s game, which has grown exponentially in terms of exposure and marketability in recent times, underlined by the success of last year’s World Cup in England and the continuing expansion of the WBBL in Australia. While encouraged by these points of progress, the MCC committee’s members noted that the game’s richer countries, England and Australia in particular, were streaking ahead of others in terms of wage growth, and that the
WBBL and the English T20 Super League needed to be recognised with distinct calendar windows akin to that for the IPL. “The committee is concerned, however, of the danger of the rich getting richer and the other countries not being able to keep up,” the spokesman said. “Some form of minimum wage and payment structure should therefore be introduced to help close the gap and the present imbalance in international cricket. For women’s cricket to be really successful, the game needs at least eight nations to compete - with only six realistically challenging for honours at present.
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Thursday January 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
IOC to host talks on North Korean participation LAUSANNE (Reuters) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will host talks on Jan. 20 to discuss details about North Korea’s participation at next month’s Winter Olympics in neighbouring South Korea, such as flags and the number of athletes. The two countries agreed on Tuesday, following their first talks in over two years, that North Korea would send a large delegation to next month’s Games in Pyeongchang. This week’s talks took place amid a standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes but after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a New Year’s Day speech that he was “open to dialogue” with Seoul. The IOC said the meeting at its headquarters in Lausanne would take a series of “essential decisions” on the North’s participation at the Games.
These would include the number and names of athletes from the North Korean Olympic Committee as well as questions related to official protocol, including flags, ceremonies and uniform. The IOC said that its president Thomas Bach would host the talks, which would also include the delegations from the national Olympic committees of both countries. North Korean IOC member Chang Ung spent four hours at the IOC building yesterday, Reuters witnesses said. He left in a black car without talking to reporters. “I warmly welcome the joint proposals by the governments of the ROK (Republic of Korea) and DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), which have been applauded by so many other governments worldwide,” said Bach in the statement. “This is a great step forward in the Olympic spirit ...
now the IOC must take the decisions to make this political commitment a reality.” Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump have exchanged fiery barbs in the past year and Trump has warned that the United States would have no choice but to “totally destroy” North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies. But the White House said yesterday that Trump told Moon Jae-in, the leader of South Korea, that the United States was open to talks with North Korea “at the appropriate time, under the right circumstances”. On Monday, the IOC extended the deadline for the registration of North Korean athletes for the games. Only a figure skating pair from North Korea has secured a spot although several other athletes could qualify through special places offered by the Olympic body.
Serge Ibaka, James Johnson throw punches; Heat beat Raptors TORONTO (AP) — Wayne Ellington leads Miami in 3-pointers, which made Tuesday’s game-winning basket a bit of a surprise. Ellington converted a goahead driving layup with less than a second remaining, and the Heat stopped Toronto’s 12-game home winning streak with a 90-89 victory over the Raptors. “That’s probably the last thing anybody would think that he would do is put the ball on the floor,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think it caught everybody by surprise, including me.” It was the only basket of the second half for Ellington, who finished with 15 points. Ellington said he considered shooting after catching the inbounds pass from Goran Dragic, but decided to drive along the baseline past Toronto’s Pascal Siakam before laying the ball in off the glass. “I looked at the rim and I saw him just charging hard,” Ellington said. “Obviously, that’s what they wanted to
take away from me, was that 3-ball in the corner. I was able to get loose, man, and get around him.” Like his coach, Dragic also was surprised when Ellington didn’t launch a 3. “I thought he was going to shoot it but he made a great read,” Dragic said. Dragic had 24 points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds as Miami extended its season-best winning streak to five. Bam Adebayo had 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and Hassan Whiteside collected 13 points and 15 boards for the Heat, who had dropped their previous five visits to Toronto. The Raptors were without point guard Kyle Lowry after the three-time All-Star bruised his tailbone during Monday’s overtime win at Brooklyn. DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points as the Raptors lost for the first time in six games and failed to break the franchise record for consecutive
home victories. Serge Ibaka finished with 11 after he was ejected in the second half. “We let them get easy points,” DeRozan said. It was Toronto’s first home loss since Nov. 5 against Washington, a game in which Lowry was ejected early in the second quarter. The Raptors are 14-2 at home. Ibaka and Miami’s James Johnson were ejected after trading punches at 7:50 of the third quarter. The skirmish began when the two started shoving one another while waiting for the ball to be inbounded under the Miami basket. Officials reviewed the incident before giving both players technical fouls and ejections. “It certainly felt like there was something at stake from the very tip, and that’s the way it should be in this league,” Spoelstra said. “There was a physicality, an edge to the game.” Tempers flared again after the final whistle, with DeRozan appearing to yell at Dragic as the teams left the court. “Nothing special,” Dragic said. “Just exchanged some words. No big deal.” Miami guard Tyler Johnson, who had started the previous 10 games, was unavailable after he strained his left shoulder at shootaround. His status for Wednesday’s game at Indiana was not known.
First black woman on US Olympic long-track skating team started sport 4 months ago HuffPost - A 25-year-old long-track speed skater is gearing up for the 2018 Winter Olympics just four months after she first took to the ice. Erin Jackson qualified for the U.S. team last Friday when she came in third place in trials for the 500meter race behind two former Olympians, Brittany Bowe and Heather Bergsma. The Florida resident finished her first run 39.22 seconds and clocked in at 39.04 in her second run. Jackson told NBC Sports that she was surprised she had made the squad. “I really wasn’t expecting any of this, just coming in as a newbie, just trying to do the best I can,” Jackson said. “I still don’t even know.” Jackson became the third black athlete to make a U.S. Olympic speedskating team, and the first black woman to qualify for the long-track competition. The former inline skater and roller derby athlete shared her excitement with an Instagram post. She also announced the start of a T-shirt fundraiser to pay for her father to watch her compete in South Korea.
Stacy Revere (Via Getty Images) “Thanks a million to everyone who has supported me along the way toward achiev-
ing this dream!” she said. “I’ll do my best to make you proud this February.”
Evergreen Federer is clear Australian... From page 29 Stan Wawrinka.But more so than the competition, it is the 36-year-old Federer’s dominant play at this month’s Hopman Cup, where he won all four of his singles matches and led Switzerland to a third title, that gives him the edge. “He looks younger than ever,” ESPN tennis analyst and former professional Patrick McEnroe told reporters on a call on Wednesday. “He’s moving as beautifully as ever. He’s hitting the ball brilliantly. Wins four or five matches at the Hopman Cup against high-level competition. To me, he’s the clear favourite.”
Bookmakers are also expecting the world number two to successfully defend his title. Federer ($2.75 AUD) is the favourite to win the tournament, according to Australian Gambling, with world number one and last year’s Australian Open runner-up Nadal ($5.50) trailing him. “He could always get picked off early,” McEnroe said. “But based on what I’ve seen so far... I don’t think there’s anybody else that you could say is a favourite other than Roger at the moment.” ESPN analyst and former world number one Chris Evert said his experience and
smooth style of play, which has left him relatively injuryfree, set him apart from the field. “This is a guy who is so relaxed... I think that affects him mentally as well as physically,” she said. “Mentally and emotionally, having kids, having a family, he gets away from the game. He knows how to compartmentalise really well.” “He lets the losses roll off his back, there’s no tension there. I think he has a real joy for the game,” she said. “That’s what makes Federer, Federer.” The Australian Open runs from Jan. 15-28.
Chelsea spurn chances in League... From page 28 the length of time it took to confirm the referee’s decision not to award a penalty against Welbeck. He was, however, delighted with how his side defended to leave the tie in the balance ahead of the second leg in two weeks time. “I felt there was great togetherness, we didn’t give many chances away. I am pleased with the spirit and determination,” Wenger told sky Sports. Arsenal came into the game without a win in their last three matches and nursing the wounds of a bruising third round FA Cup defeat to second tier Nottingham Forest, but they were resolute from the begin-
ning in what was a relatively cagey affair. Headed chances went begging for the hosts either side of halftime as Fabregas could only steer Cesar Azpilicueta’s diagonal ball straight at David Ospina while Christensen twice failed to find the net from close range after the break. “We tried with all our strength to win the game,” Chelsea boss Antonio Conte said. “We created chances to score but a few times we were not so clinical.” The winners will face either Manchester City or second tier Bristol City in the final, with the Premier League leaders taking a 2-1 lead into the second leg.
Thursday January 11, 2018
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Halep, Wozniacki lead race to seize Serena’s Aussie crown Melbourne (AFP) Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki spearhead the charge to succeed Serena Williams at an Australian Open left wide open by the withdrawal of the defending champion and new mum. A pregnant Williams sealed her 23rd Grand Slam singles title and seventh Melbourne Park crown a year ago, but last week announced she wouldn’t defend her title, saying she was “super close” but not quite ready to compete after giving birth in September. With the 36-year-old having to wait to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, the tournament is there for the taking by a host of players, led by world number one Halep, second-ranked Wozniacki and fourth-ranked Elina Svitolina. Last year there were two first-time major-winners while Serena was on maternity leave — Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open and Sloane Stephens at the US Open. But their chances in Melbourne look slim: Stephens hasn’t won a match on tour since her Flushing Meadows triumph, and Ostapenko was far from her attacking best in her first-round defeats in Shenzhen and Sydney in the past week.
- Halep’s chance Wimbledon champion and world number three Garbine Muguruza retired with severe cramps in Brisbane last week, in what could be a further boost to Halep’s hopes of a maiden Grand Slam. The 26-year-old Romanian is full of confidence after lifting the title at Shenzhen in dominant fashion, but will need to overcome her sorry record at Melbourne Park where she has lost in the first round in both of the past two years when seeded in the top four. Wozniacki is riding high after her resurgence in 2017 when she reached eight finals, with victories in Tokyo in September and at the season-ending Tour Championship. The Danish former world number one lost in the Auckland Classic final on Sunday to Germany’s Julia Goerges, but said she felt great heading to Melbourne as she too looks to make her Slam breakthrough. “I’ve got a lot of matches under my belt this week, it was the preparat i o n I h o p e d f o r, ” s a i d Wozniacki, who is back up to second in the world and, if results go her way, can return to the top spot after a gap of six years. In-form Svitolina last week won the Brisbane International after picking up
Simona Halep of Romania will need to overcome her sorry record at Melbourne Park where she has lost in the first round in both of the past two years when seeded in the top four (AFP Photo/-) five WTA Tour titles last year, more than any other woman. The Ukrainian believes hard work in the off-season is paying dividends. “I’ve started to play more consistently,” she said. “I’m stronger physically. I have a different look to my game.” Wo r l d n u m b e r s i x Karolina Pliskova lost to Svitolina in the Brisbane semi-final but also will be a contender for a maiden Slam behind one of the biggest serves on tour. - Evergreen Venus Britain’s world number
UCAA/Roy Baijnauth T20
Number 43 Scorpions and Number 48 Challengers triumph Cricketing fans in the Upper Corentyne area were treated much excitement when action in the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA)/Roy Baijnauth T/20 knockout competition gained momentum in that area. In the match played at the Number 70 Young Blood ground on the Corentyne Coast, the #43 Scorpions made light work of the # 70 Young Blood when they defeated them by seven wickets. Batting first, #70 Young Blood were bowled out for 116 in 18 overs with Arjune Persaud 24 and C. Nandkishore 18, being the only batsmen to reach double figures. Bowling for #73 Scorpions Bhajpaul Deen 314, Farook Drepaul 2-25, Marcel Henry 2-28 and
Ronald Pottaya 2-28 were the principal wicket takers. In reply the Scorpions reached 123 in just 11.3 overs with Marcel Henry and Ronald Pottaya both scoring 40 not out. Over at the Number 69 Red Rose Venue, Number 48 Challengers defeated the home team by 124 runs in front of a large crowd. Batting first in brilliant sunshine, Number 48 Challengers scored 156 for 4 in their 20 overs with batsmen Devin Baldeo 43, Monesh Lalu 41 and Mandrekhar Bhola 39 being the leading run scorers. Bowling for #69 Red Rose, D. Seeram, Y. Prahalad, T. Narinedatt and M. Ramkissoon picked up one wicket each. Number 69 Red Rose were skittled for 32 in reply.
The Competition will serve to expose youths from all corners of the Upper Corentyne Area, and Mr. Hamant Jagdeo, President of the Association, is optimistic that the Association will be returned to its glory days. He is pleased at the support his Association has received so far from the teams as well as the community and is urging all members of the business community to support the initiatives taken by the UCCA. He advised that promoting the game of cricket in the Upper Corentyne area will work as a stimulus for keeping youngsters off the bad habits, and encouraged them to make good use of their talent. Twelve teams have so far qualified for the next round.
nine Johanna Konta could figure despite a slow start to the season. She reached the last eight in both of her Australian Open appear-
ances to date, but slumped out of the Sydney International in the first round this week. But the most danger-
ous floater is 2008 champion Maria Sharapova, who on Monday moved back into the world’s top 50 for the first time since returning from a 15-month doping ban. The controversial Russian, ranked 47, lost in the Shenzhen semi-final to Katerina Siniakova and admitted she had “a lot of things to improve on”. If it is not to be a new n a m e o n t h e t r o p h y, i t could well be the oldest player in the field — evergreen 37-year-old Venus Williams. Venus last won a Slam in 2008 but she enjoyed a renaissance last year, when she reached two Grand Slam finals and returned to the world top five. Only sister Serena prevented Venus from winning an 11th Grand Slam singles title in last year’s all-Williams Melbourne final. Victory would see her eclipse Ken Rosewall as the oldest player ever to win a major.
Muguruza suffers second injury withdrawal Down Under SYDNEY (Reuters) Garbine Muguruza’s preparations for next week’s Australian Open were thrown into disarray when the world number three pulled out of the Sydney International due to a leg injury yesterday. Hours after battling past Kiki Bertens 6-3, 7-6(6) to advance to the quarter-finals in her opening match, the 24year-old Spanish top seed withdrew with a right thigh complaint. “I am disappointed but I have talked to the WTA doctors and my team after the match and following their recommendation, I have to withdraw from the tournament,” Muguruza said in a statement. “I have felt pain in my right adductor since I started practicing here. Yesterday, I felt better and wanted to play. However, during the match today the pain has been there all the time but I wanted to compete.” The Wimbledon champion accepted a wildcard into the tournament after retiring with leg cramps during her opening match at the Brisbane International last week and called for a medical timeout after just three games against Bertens. Muguruza, however, re-
turned to the Ken Rosewall Arena and appeared to be moving freely, initially allaying fears of another injury setback by overcoming a woman who had beaten her in straight sets in their three previous meetings. “Since the start I felt a little bit my adductor,” Muguruza said after registering her first win of the season. “I already felt it in Brisbane, so I thought I was going to be much better, but it came back. “You always have to adapt... Sometimes you don’t need to have a pain. You just want to play a certain style of game or some tactic. “I figured out that being a little bit more aggressive, shorter points that might help me and might help me also for my game. So it’s like a winning situation.” Muguruza’s withdrawal allows Daria Gavrilova a direct route to the semi-finals after the Spaniard’s scheduled last eight opponent won an all-Australian clash against Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2.
Elsewhere, Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2013 champion and last year’s losing finalist in Sydney, kept her preparations for the year’s first grand slam on track with a 7-6(4), 6-0 win over teenage American qualifier CiCi Bellis. The Polish 28-year-old will meet Camila Giorgi for a place in the last four after the Italian qualifier ousted twice Wimbledon and former Sydney champion Petra Kvitova 7-6(7), 6-2. Giorgi, belying her ranking of 100th in the world, beat U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round and added another grand slam champion to her list of victims in just under two hours when Kvitova blasted a forehand wide. In the men’s draw, Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi ousted top seed Albert RamosVinolas of Spain in the second round. Ramos-Vinolas needed treatment for a leg problem early in the second set and fell 6-3, 7-5 to the 36-year-old Lorenzi, who is ranked 45 in the world.
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Thursday January 11, 2018
Chelsea spurn chances in League Cup stalemate with Arsenal LONDON (Reuters) Chelsea missed a string of chances to draw 0-0 at home with Arsenal in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final yesterday as the video assistant referee (VAR) stoked the tension with two important interventions. The hosts struggled to break down Arsene Wenger’s side despite enjoying the majority of possession and will feel hard done by after crafting the best of the game’s few openings in a lively game at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen wasted the best of the hosts’ opportunities, failing to find the target with two headers in the second half after Cesc Fabregas had also spurned a headed chance before the break. Yet with limited goalmouth action, what little
drama there was seemed to stem from referee Martin Atkinson referring a handful of decisions to the VAR. The VAR system was being given its second outing in English football and was called into action in the first half to confirm Atkinson’s decision to wave away a penalty appeal after Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi went down following a challenge from Victor Moses. It was called on again with two minutes remaining and once more confirmed the referee’s decision not to award a penalty, this time after Danny Welbeck got a faint touch on the ball when bringing down Fabregas. With the system still in the test phase all eyes were focussed on how it would work, with Wenger voicing concerns in the aftermath about (Continued on page 26)
This was the fourth meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea this season. All have ended in draws, with Arsenal winning August’s Community Shield on penalties. (Getty Images)
Grassroots and Women’s Development were in focus
The successful Guyana U-15 Soualiga team and technical staff in St. Martin last June. From page 31 Paiwomak Warriors. Another team from the Rupununi – St. Ignatius – came in third with a 3-1 win over Georgetown’s Fruta Conquerors. World governing body of football, FIFA, had promoted the inaugural edition of the National Women’s Development League on its internationally popular social media platforms, putting women’s football in Guyana on the global stage. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Facebook page and its Women’s World Cup Twitter account carried a gallery of images and information
from finals. Head of the GFF, Wayne Forde, had explained that, “This league has been a big step forward for the development of women’s football in Guyana, and it is a huge boost for all the players, coaches, referees, clubs and Guyana’s football to see this level of support and encouragement from FIFA.” The GFF boss had further stated that, “We can’t wait for the start of next season to build on this solid foundation as we work together to take women’s football to the next level.” (Calvin Chapman)
From left, The Unveiling of the ATC Insignia by Ivan Persaud, Jennifer Cipriani, Wayne Forde and Ian Greenwood.
Thursday January 11, 2018
BRAMBLE, SINGH AND FUDADIN FINED FOR BREACHING CODE OF CONDUCT ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies advised yesterday that Guyana Jaguars’ pair of Anthony Bramble and Vishaul Singh, along with Jamaica Scorpions’ Assad Fudadin were penalised for Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct during the eighth round of matches which ended on Sunday in the Digicel 4-Day Championship. Bramble, Singh and Fudadin all admitted to their respective offences – which occurred in the match between Scorpions and Jaguars at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica – and accepted the imposition of the proposed sanctions, so there was no
need for formal hearings. The charges were brought by umpires Jacqueline Williams and Johnathan Blades, along with reserve umpire Christopher Wright. Match referee Denovan Hayles imposed fines as per the Code of Conduct having considered the umpires’ reports. Bramble was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for a breach of Section 1.2 of the Code of Conduct during Jaguars’ second innings, when he was dismissed. The umpires reported that Bramble poi n t e d t o h i s shoulder, indicating the ball did not touch his bat,
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when he was given out caught behind in the 13th over of his side’s second innings, d isplaying behaviour that could be deemed as showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse. Singh was charged 20 per cent of his match fee for a breach of Section 1.1 of the Code of Conduct during Jaguars’ second innings, when he was dismissed. Singh was reported by the umpires for slamming his bat into the pavilion wall on leaving the field after his dismissal and then hitting a bottle in the direction of the reserve umpire, displaying behaviour that could be
deemed as abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings. Fudadin was also fined 15 per cent of his match fee for a breach of Section 1.2 of the Code of Conduct during the 38th over of the Jaguars’ second innings, when batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was ruled “not-out” following an appeal. The umpires reported that Fudadin threw the ball and his helmet to the ground in dissatisfaction following the umpire’s ruling, displaying behaviour that could be deemed as showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse.
CWI CODE OF CONDUCT – RANGE OF PENALTIES
GAPLF Novices/Juniors Championships set for February 4 AT CASH First timers as well as junior competitors will have their way and say come February 4 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall when the Guyana Amateur Power-lifting Federation (GAPLF) brings off their first championship for the year, Novices/Juniors. An exciting and promising field took to the competitive platform last February when the action unfolded at the Banks DIH Sports Club, Thirst Park. This year is anticipated to be equally exciting. Sponsorship to date has come from Fitness Express and Buddy’s Gym. The GAPLF is reminding athletes and coaches that the rules will be in full effect with the only leverage being when it comes to attire, “The GAPLF will relax only the singlet rule for Novice men and Novice women Only. ”Tights or biker shorts will be allowed if no Singlet
can be obtained, but it must be cut off 3 inches above the knee (Novices Only). (2) Round Neck T-Shirt (3) Full length Socks (football hose) for Deadlifts. (4) No Velcro belts or belts with padding (Novices Only) (5) No Construction Boots (6) All other IPF powerlifting rules will be in Full Effect,” The ruling body noted. Weigh-in time would be 07:00hrs on February 4 with competition time for the first flight set for 09:00hrs. Last year’s overall winners were as follows: Female Unequipped – Cavis Rodney (84+kg) Male Junior Equipped – Kevin Briglall (59kg) Male Junior Unequipped – Romario Gonsalves (59kg) Male Novice Equipped – Thristan Kamal (Male Open 66kg) Male Unequipped – Marley Vyphuis (93kg)
Evergreen Federer is clear Australian Open favourite
Blake urges government to resume JAAA funding KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Local athletics chief, Dr Warren Blake, says the resumption of government funding is imperative if the national programme is continue to develop properly. The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association was saddled with a deficit of $55 million (US$442 750) at the end of the last financial year in September, 2017, and Dr Blake said unless government cash became available, athletes care could be compromised. “This year, we spent far more on athletes’ welfare than we have in the past and we looked at the reason for this. In the lead-up to Rio 2016, the Government had put in place an athlete support programme, which unfortunately wasn’t continued this year,” Dr Blake told the Gleaner newspaper here. “I think it’s absolutely necessary that the Government come back and give us some support and inject some cash into the programme because if that doesn’t happen, then it means that people like Yanique Thompson, who came fourth will not be able
Jamaican sprint hurdler, Yanique Thompson. to train full-time. “There are others like her who can qualify, but they need that support.” The 21-year-old Thompson impressed at the last year’s World Championships in London, actually finishing third in the semi-final heats of the women’s sprint hurdles, to narrowly miss out on a place in the final. Dr Blake explained that
once the government funding dried up following the Rio Olympics in 2016, the JAAA was forced to supplment the programme with its funds “The Government expressed a wish to continue the programme but the funds were not forthcoming,” the administrator noted. “We had athletes who needed support, and in
today’s world, you will not become a good athlete unless you can basically train fulltime, because being a topclass athlete is a full time endeavour. “After having the support [ahead of] Rio and the funds wasn’t forthcoming from Government [last year], we had to dig into our reserves and utilise some money that we had set aside to finish our building and use that to help the athletes instead.” Jamaica sent a 56-member team to the London World Championships and Dr Blake stressed the JAAA’s vision was to ensure athletes who attained qualifying standards, were given every opportunity to develop at international competitions. “The teams have been getting bigger. When we have more athletes making standards, we try to give them the best opportunity,” he pointed out. “We don’t just send people who we think are medal prospects, we send people who we think can benefit from the exposure, but that puts a burden on the resources.”
The evergreen Roger Federer is clear Australian Open favourite. (Reuters) - Roger Federer is the “clear favourite” to retain his Australian Open title over an injury-riddled field when the first grand slam of the season starts next week in Melbourne, tennis analysts said yesterday.
Federer’s bid for a 20th grand slam title will be aided by the absences of Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori, as well as lingering injuries to top players who are still expected to play like Rafa Nadal and (Continued on page 26)
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C-team win South Turkeyen King-Medas Pansy Adonis Classic Sports Committee Domino tourney gets more support than ever When the South Turkeyen Sports Committee (STSC) in association with New Level Sports Bar held their New Year three-team at domino competition, C team, compromising of Odel Ramsammy, Oral Ramsammy, Gary McPherson, Michael Underwood, Kevin Custer and Rawle Mentore, won the event with a total of 79 games. Meanwhile, A team were second with 71 and B team finished third with a total of 61. The clever Underwood was
the best domino player for the victorious C team with a total of 16 games, tied with Sharon Primo of second placed A team, who scored 16 as well. Trophies for the one-day competition that hit off last Saturday at the New Level Sports Bar in Sophia were donated by Colin Sukwah, Trophy Stall Bourda Market and N. Khan Sun Shop Sophia. The event was organised by Johnny “Overseas” Barnwell and “Sadam”.
Better pitches needed if Windies are to improve: Sir Curtly
Andy Medas King and family express their appreciation for the support The just concluded KingMedas Pansy Adonis Classic Guyana first ‘Junior Olympic Games’ which was held at the Buxton Community Centre Ground from the 14th to the 17th of December was not only hailed as a success, but have gained more support than anticipated. The organisers would like to thank the many sponsors that have stepped up to give their support from the beginning. Among those lending support are: Sybils Bakery New York, Island Express New York, Smalta, Basil Bradshaw and the channel 9TV, Nostrand Paint Shop Brooklyn, Shelmac Photo Studio New York, Daddy’s Enterprise Guyana and Channel 2 Safe T.V. The organisers also mentioned their many friends who contributed at MTA in all departments, also familywho contributed. Mention was also made of Banks DIH Ltd, Kaieteur Newspapers, The National Sports Commission, The Ministry of Education allied arts division, the Officials who did a wonderful job, Dominique who uploaded all the videos
to the website, Lorriann Adams, the camera crew who stood by in all the difficult situations and the strong support from Jamaica who send a Coach to Guyana, Michael Mc Intosh and miss Cynthia Cooke from Racers Track Club in Jamaica. Organiser Andy Medas King informed that the support base havs grown so much that come the 20th to the 23rd of September 2018 at the Lusignan Community Center Ground they are going to put together another never seen before event. The National Sports Commission is fully committed on the orders of Mr. Christopher Jones and Mr. Brian Smith along with the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Division’s Nicholas Fraser and Banks DIH among others. What we have also seen happening this year is the involvement of the University of Guyana who would be fielding a team for the first time. While at last year’s event we saw our first Wheelchair Participant. With the involvement of the Schools and University the organizers are hoping to tap in and ex-
pose the undiscovered talent that are hidden in Guyana, something that last year’s event was able to do. With the never before done in Guyana athletics history where athletes can go and see their time and videos on a website with the click of a button it is no wonder the games are unique. Setting aside a day for field events is also back in the programme, not forgetting the turbo javelin which created quite a stir for the first time in the history of Guyana. Andy Medas-King said that once more sponsors comes on board he will take Guyanese athletes to win Olympic medals and is asking different stakeholders in the Private Sector to come on board and support this great National Event and let’s make it fun for all the athletes in Guyana. While there were medals and trophies, all the athletes who took part in the event went home with at least one brand new T-Shirt. With the 2018 ‘Junior Olympic Games’ planned already the organizers are hoping to have this games streaming live.
Trophy Stall tournament to tee off LGC 2018 season The Trophy Stall grabbed the honours of starting the Lusignan Golf Club 2018 season with the first major tournament of the year. A full field of golfers has rushed to register as they return to the newly renovated course and a chance to seize bragging rights for 2018. Lots of prizes, lunch, and snacks will be provided for players, members and guests as the LGC seeks to establish itself as the destination for events and relaxation. Members of the public are welcome to come out and support their favourite players as 8-time women’s champion Christine
Sukhram is expected to be challenged by 2time champion Joann Deo and 8-time men’s champion Avinash Persaud will be put to the test by a host of challengers. Trophy Stall has been a long-time sponsor of the Lusignan Golf Club over the years and Managing Director Ramesh Sunich pledged to continue his support, especially in light of the plans that the Club has for the next few years. For information of how you can visit the Club or directions to the LGC, please call 2205660 or visit us on Facebook at Lusignangolfclub.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Fast bowling legend, Sir Curtly Ambrose, has blasted Caribbean pitches as “terrible” and believes they were behind the regional side’s poor showing on the recent tour of New Zealand. The Antiguan said the region needed to resort to the type of pitches which produced the outstanding players of the past and propelled West Indies to the pinnacle of world cricket. “We need to get back to the days when we were the best team in the world where we had good cricket pitches, where there is a little bit in it for the fast-bowlers, a bit for the spinners and if you’re a good enough batsman, you can score runs,” Sir Curtly told Guardian Media here. “The pitches in the Caribbean are terrible and that’s why when we go overseas and the pitches are bouncing, the players are all at sea. We need to get back quick, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean. It will make better players and fast-bowlers.” Windies batsmen struggled against the short ball on the bouncy pitches in New Zealand and failed to
Legendary West Indies fast bowler, Sir Curtly Ambrose. win a single match in the series. They were whitewashed in the two-match Test series and the subsequent threematch one-day series, before losing two of the three Twenty20s. The second match was washed out. “I didn’t watch much of it (tour). It is too painful to watch,” said Sir Curtly, who served as West Indies bowling coach until being replaced 19 months ago. “It’s been a disastrous tour and nothing really went well. I’m just hoping that the
players and the coaching staff can go back to the drawing board, do some soul searching and figure out a way to start winning.” He added: “It is not so much about coaching, in my opinion, because the guys have got the skills. We just need the coaching staff to instill certain discipline, and passion and pride and commitment in order to get results.” Sir Curtly grabbed 405 wickets in 98 Tests before quitting international cricket 18 years ago.
Novak Djokovic dominates in return from injury MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic stopped quickly, abruptly changed directions and stabbed at a full-stretch volley that whizzed past Dominic Thiem for a winner. He then turned and beamed. Djokovic is back after the longest injury layoff of his career and he’s clearly enjoying himself on the court again. Wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm to protect his troublesome elbow, Djokovic dominated the fifth-ranked Thiem 6-1, 6-4 yesterday in an exhibition match at the Kooyong Classic, a key tune-up event for next week’s Australian Open. Still smiling afterward, Djokovic said he’d had doubts whether he’d be ready to play the first Grand Slam of the year, but the win over Thiem was a major confidence boost. “Obviously, I was waiting for this moment for six months to get out on the court and play a match,” he said. “Also, I got a great opponent today, the No. 5 in the world, so it was a fantastic test for me to see where I am.” Djokovic, who had been sidelined with the elbow injury since a quarterfinal loss at
Wimbledon last year, initially planned to play in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi and then a tournament in Qatar to start the season, but withdrew from both due to lingering pain in his elbow. He still traveled to Melbourne hoping to be fit to play in the Australian Open, where he’s won six of his 12 career Grand Slam titles. Despite playing pain-free yesterday, he said he’s still taking it “day by day.” “I don’t want to be over-confident,” he said. “Obviously, I’m very, very happy with the way it went today, but I don’t want to say it’s 100 percent. I’ll say that when I start a tournament and when I get to actually feel that it’s 100 percent. For now, I’m in the (Australian Open) and let’s hope with God’s grace that everything will be fine in the next five days.” Djokovic displayed few signs of rust after his lengthy time away from the game, hitting penetrating groundstrokes deep into the corners, moving extremely well and volleying with precision.
Thursday January 11, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Guyana Football Review Pt 2
Grassroots and Women’s Development were in focus Recognising the importance of football development at the grassroots level, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) in partnership with Scotiabank Guyana had launched the historic Academy Training Centres (ATC) last February, in an effort to produce and sustain quality players in future for the national football teams. A total of 13 ATCs were established all around the nation with the design and aim of identifying and developing the skills of the best players in Guyana that would’ve eventually feed the various national teams to be selected in the future. The first set of 13 ATC’s established across the GFF’s nine members associations included; Bartica (1), Berbice (2), East Bank Demerara (1), East Coast D e m e r a r a ( 1 ) , We s t Demerara (1), Essequibo (1), Georgetown (1), Rupununi (4) and Upper Demerara (1). The ATC’s offers at least five aged specific, professional training sessions per week for boys and girls aged 5-11, U-13 boys’ academy, U-15 boys’ a c a d e m y, U - 1 7 b o y s ’ academy along with the under-15 and U-17 girls’ academy with each youth
Guyana’s Tiandi Smith (right) and Cuba’s Brooks Peraza challenges fo r possession during the CONCACAF under-17 WC qualifiers at Leonora. group catering for a maximum of 16 players at a time. The programme which employs a total of nine (9) full time GFF Technical Development Officers and fourteen part-time Youth Development Coaches, also includes nutrition, behavior, fitness and sports psychology, and allows for
regular assessment and rotation of players through new intake. The vision of the academy includes giving more youth players the opportunity to develop their skills, increase the talent pool from which the national youth teams will be selected, create a clear pathway for players progression and improve playing standards.
President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, told Kaieteur Sport that, “I think the ATC is a game changer for Guyana’s football youth development which will benefit our football in the whole. For the first time in Guyana’s football, we are moving towards structured levels of development.” Forde noted that he is aware of the fact
Captain of the GDF FC receives the winning trophy from Patron of Women’s football in Guyana, Hon. Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Lowe in the presence of her team mates and GFF’s president, Wayne Forde.
that better players may be outside of the weekly ATC programme and he said that no player’s position is safe and that only continued high performance can safeguard a players spot in the ATC. Four months after the launch of the Scotiabank ATCs, the academy were already seeing some success. That success came when Guyana’s Under-15 Junior Jaguars created history when they stopped the home team, St. Martin, compliments of a Jermaine Garrett goal, to win the SOUALIGA Under-15 tournament with a 1-0 triumph in the final on Sunday June 4th 2017. The team, coached by Bryan Joseph, featured almost exclusively players that came through the academy training centers, except forward Ronaldo Rodriques. In August last, Guyana played their part in another historic first for football l o c a l l y, t h a t o f t h e CONCACAF Under-17 female World Cup qualifiers which was hosted at the Leonora Track and Field facility, football pitch. Although the Guyanese didn’t win a match, identified aims of using this tournament to raise female football awareness and participation were explained beforehand and they were some promising signs with the emergence of forward 12-year-old forward Jelade
Trim who was identified by the Upper Demerara ATC. Since the beginning of the academy training centre, the local female player pool has increased, “With a few of the 13 ATCs having their full quota of 16 players in the respective girls Under-15 and Under-17 age groups”, according to Wayne Forde. In fact, the entire the Lady Jags Under-17 squad that battled in the first round of qualifying with Barbados and Cuba were locally based and scouted by the ATCs as opposed the senior Lady Jags team, with the exception of Canada based Forward, Nailah Rowe. The young women lost 5-1 to Barbados and 8-0 to Cuba but during those games there were periods that the Guyanese dominated the game and had the opposition on the back foot, a promising feat after only being encamped together for two weeks before the qualifiers. Before the CONCAF U n d e r - 1 7 Wo r l d C u p qualifiers, the National Women’s Development League which concluded on Sunday March 12 placed Guyana’s female football in the limelight. The final of that competition which was played at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground saw the home team, GDF, emerging victorious after a nail-biting 2-1 win over Region Nine’s (Continued on page 29)
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GAPLF Novices/Juniors Championships set for February 4 AT CASH P.29
Flashback! The top performers of GAPLF 2017 Novices/Juniors Championship display their trophies and medals following the presentation.
Rain forces abandonment of Windies final warm-up LINCOLN, New Zealand, CMC – Rain dealt a blow to West Indies Under-19s’ preparations for their opening match of the ICC Youth World Cup when it washed out their final official warm-up against Zimbabwe here yesterday. Persistent rain in the Christchurch region put paid to all four warm-up matches, leaving several sides without valuable final match practice for the January 13 to February 3 campaign. West Indies Under-19s, the reigning champions, won their opening warm-up match on Monday when they beat Papua New Guinea by seven wickets at Lincoln Green. They are set to do battle in Group A along with South Africa, Kenya and hosts New Zealand, and open the tournament with a clash against the Kiwis on Saturday in Mount Maunganui. Afghanistan, Pakistan and New Zealand all scored wins in their opening warm-up fixtures on Monday. The final set of preparation games are scheduled for today with former champions Australia taking on South Africa, Canada clashing with Ireland, India up against Kenya and England facing Sri Lanka.
Rain put paid to all four warm-up matches scheduled for yesterday.
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