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January 12, 2020

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recently awarded under investigation MMA/ADA lands to ex chairmen...

The Pick-up after landing in the trench.

Govt. pickup hits electrical pole, lands in trench

Company struck off the register Four arrested in connection with newspaper vendor’s murder

Chairman accuses REO of bypassing

regional tender board

Leaked emails between Govt. officials, Oil companies allow Nigeria to recover US$1.1 Billion for oil block deal Monitoring measurements of oil...

$20,000 allowance for GNBS inspectors a recipe for corruption- Ramson Jnr.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Sunday January 12, 2020

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Monitoring measurements of oil...

$20,000 allowance for GNBS inspectors a recipe for corruption--Ramson Jnr. S

everal inspectors from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) have been selected to make visits to the Liza Destiny to ensure there are accurate measurements of the oil being stored and offloaded to other vessels.

For this critical task, the GNBS has confirmed that these officers would receive a meager $20,000 allowance per month. They would be required to remain offshore

for six weeks.

But transparency advocates and other industry onlookers believe that such a paltry compensation creates fertile ground for corruption.

A t t o r n e y - a t - L a w, Charles Ramson, told this newspaper yesterday that an extra $20,000 per month for GNBS inspectors, lays out c l e a r l y, a r e c i p e f o r corruption as well as opportunities for oil companies to loot the nation’s wealth.

Ramson said, “These individuals have needs and their families also have needs. As human beings, we are all susceptible to the offerings that try to persuade us to look the other way. It has happened in so many other countries so why would Guyana be any different?”

The lawyer added, “How could $20,000 extra per month be anywhere near adequate to compensate anyone for doing such an

Region Six Chairman accuses regional officials of bypassing tender board

T

he Regional Chairman of Region six, David Armogan, has accused regional officials of bypassing the Tender Board when it comes to the procurement of drugs and other materials for the region.

This accusation comes after the leaked 2018 Auditor General’s report found that the region was acquiring drugs and other medical supplies at exorbitant prices.

From the report, it appeared that the region had not checked with the Materials Management Unit (MMU), the stipulated entity to handle purchases of drugs for distribution to health centres and state-run hospitals, before making their purchases.

The report outlined that “a comparison of the prices paid for drugs and medical supplies procured by the Regional Administration from local suppliers with the prices paid by MMU as indicated on the price listing submitted, revealed that for 52 items, the Regional Administration paid significantly higher prices when compared with MMU’s prices.”

In fact, the region paid in two instances, as much as 1669% and 1465% more than the MMU’s price for those items.

The excuse given by the region was simply that it paid more because they did not buy in large quantities.

But the Regional Chairman, David Armogan when asked to give an

Reg. 6 Chairman, David Armagon

explanation, pointed fingers to other regional officials and accused them of bypassing the region’s tender board when making such purchases.

According to him, those very officials are “selecting their own people to buy the drugs.”

“Those purchases are supposed to go to tender but they are not doing that; they are selecting people and buying from them and that can lead to high levels of corruption…

“If you look at some of the prices they are paying for some basic tablets and so, it’s almost 300% of what the tablets cost.”

According to Armogan, the items can be purchased from local suppliers at lower prices that can save the region millions of dollars.

“They don’t want to deal with the local suppliers because all of those things can be bought very cheap from some of them right in Guyana…they want to deal

with their own selective people.”

Armogan explained that because the items are being purchased in such small quantities, they are not required to be brought to the tender board.

“If you buy $500,000 worth every week or everyday in materials, you don’t have to go to tender board.”

From the audit report, it was seen that where the MMU paid $13 for Risperidone, a drug used to treat mood disorders, the region paid a whopping $230; 1,600 percent more.

The region bought 8,400 in this drug costing taxpayers, a shocking $1.8M. The region, in 2018, also bought 7.5 Surgical Gloves.

Where the MMU paid $929 for a box of 25 pairs, the region paid an astronomical $5,200.

Had the region taken from the MMU, the savings would have been $342,000.

important job and exposing themselves to all kinds of risks, not being able to see their family or friends or even land for days at a time, for several times a month?”

Ramson opined that the GNBS should be ashamed of itself while noting that the citizenry has every right to ask if any Minister or other Government official would do that kind of work for an extra $20,000 per month. “I bet they would refuse. So why take advantage of our own Guyanese people like this?” Ramson enquired.

Ramson reminded that recently, the nation learnt of how a Guyanese chef was making $70,000 per month to work offshore while nonGuyanese were making three times that amount. He also noted that in response to this, the government said it was unaware of this state of affairs.

“In this situation with the GNBS officials, it is the

government that is doing this kind of exploitation to its own people. Is this the good life they are offering? This operation is not a hands-off operation. This is our oil and we have to monitor how much is produced and offloaded so we can get our right share.”

Ramson said that overall; the government has clearly been neglectful and has proven itself, time and again, incapable of managing the nation’s oil resources.

On Thursday, Kaieteur News published the advice of University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro, who intimated that as Guyana embarks on the development of its oil resources proper compensation for the guardians of the new found wealth must not be overlooked.

The official who has over 30 years experience in the oil sector stressed that the key agencies which have to

Attorney-at-Law, Charles Ramson Jnr. regulate the oil sector have the crucial task of keeping corruption at bay.

“Therefore, the importance of paying competitive compensation to key Government agencies involved with oversight should not be overlooked; it serves as a means of not only attracting and retaining the most qualified people but as a means of minimizing incentives for corruption,” the official had said.

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Sunday January 12, 2020

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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

Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

EDITORIAL

Money rules the political roost The frenzies of Nomination Day are over, but there is still almost a week to the next draw on Friday coming, as to who will be doing what with whom for the looming elections.

The official word is that those contesting the March 2 elections have until Friday, to decide where they stand.

That is, to go alone, if they got past January 10, Nomination Day or, if they will join forces with another political group, or umbrella body of groups.

In essence, matters come to this: to be a part of a coalition or not to be a part of any such political convenience.

After some false starts, stops and restarts a baker’s dozen remains. In many respects, more than a few of them qualify easily to be the dirty segment of a round dozen, given their checkered histories. Who can they lead? Who will consent to governance by them? How will they endure, given they struggled to get past Nomination Day? The word swirling around is that they have to blend into coalitions.

In recent times, with an eye on local political history relative to coalitions, such a move has suddenly transformed into the dirtiest word in Guyana’s political dictionary. It is now found more disturbing than corruption or racism.

Hats are doffed and congratulations offered to those swearing publicly of sticking faithfully to a ‘No coalition’ mantra, come whatever may. And just as quickly, this being Guyana, there should be replacing of headgear for fear of catching pneumonia from the political viruses that flourish around here. This is said, because coalition is enjoying a rebirth.

As catchy lines go, ‘no coalition’ had a certain ring to it. It can only be appreciated, given what we have had, and with more of the same promised from those ill-fated partnerships. What is disconcerting is the narrowness of the scope of the no coalition commitment. Because there now come realities that prompt to the point of the first uncomfortable truth.

To a large extent, the newcomers have nicely articulated intentions and nice (sometimes) contexts. But they are new to the politics and need a helping hand to get off the ground; many helping hands are required to keep each new group going.

As is well known, politics is an expensive undertaking.

Their funding is going to have to come from somewhere.

From somewhere means someone; and those very generous hands open the door to mischief. It does not bode well for the electorate and larger citizenry of this society.

When cash is accepted directly-or indirectly through a merged group-then it is the usual story of the goose of Guyana cooked, to the loss of the populace.

Look around and there is no self-funding Ross Perot from way back, or a Michael Bloomberg, of current US presidential aspirations. Therefore, it is believed that political funding, for whatever purpose in whatever amounts, will have to come from strangers and unknowns, among others.

The catch is that those who give cash in support of political hopefuls are not about charity. This holds true, whether the donations are to ruling governors, promising challengers, or aspiring acolytes. The donors are looking for something down the line. The bigger the contribution, the bigger the expectation, through what is the political physics and mathematics of financial support. Groups that are short of cash must compromise.

So, though no coalition resonates, it can be undermined and rendered moot by the many nefarious forces that operate best in the shroud and secrecy of darkness. For the doubtful, we suggest reacquainting with those political cum financial arrangements that left Guyanese holding the bag.

There is that hotel by the ocean; that bridge all the way out there, sometimes out of sight, but with locals always

Is GuySuCo’s management attempting to embarrass the Govt. by refusing to bargain with the unions ?

Dear Editor, There continues to be condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of GuySuCo management’s stubbornness to not engage in collective bargaining with the sugar unions in as much as the Minister who holds the national purse requested that such be done. One must wonder if this attitude is driven by some desire for political collateral, thereby allowing

for the workers’ right to be trampled, with the intent of embarrassing the Government. The present situation is fostering a hostile industrial relations environment between the workers and management and by extension the government.

Collective bargaining is not an activity to be conducted by the GuySuCo Board which has the responsibility for policy direction. It

left empty handed. And if those are tough to swallow, there are those other questionable deals that were finalized under the NICIL umbrella.

The point is those who benefited handsomely were owed; those were the paybacks for their prior generosities to involved political partners and conspirators. The beneficiaries were not poor people, who do not count, but powerful movers and shakers who matter.Aside from financing, there is the second

is the Chief Executive Officer and management team, who are responsible for the dayto-day management of the organisation, that have the responsibility to engage in collective bargaining with the unions.

It is not being said that the Coalition Government has done a stellar job in handling the sugar industry. But Mr. Jagdeo, as Leader of the Opposition and political repre-

sentative who benefited from these workers’ vote, has failed to put any proposal in front of the government and country, with a view of addressing the industry’s stability, and the survival of the workers and their communities. We do not have to go far to see that this could have been done.

Leader of the Opposition Desmond Hoyte fought for (Continued on page 6)

issue of counting, as in the numbers. Other than for two or three of the smaller groups, the numbers to extend presence are just not there. They may rail and rant impressively, but very few voters are biting or buying, most of them are going nowhere. Hence, the sudden talk about coalescing regains life. It was encouraging, while it lasted, to have heard those fashionable declarations of ‘no coalition’ under any circumstances.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox Responding to Kissoon’s article on Professor Gibson DEAR EDITOR, Please this letter is in response to Mr. Freddie Kissoon’s article “The African-Guyanese woman many Indians wrongly dislike” (January 11, 2020) Mr. Kissoon wrote: “Yesterday, Professor Gibson shut the mouths of Indians who dislike her and thinks she doesn’t like Indians”.

First some background why Indians, specifically Hindus “dislike” her.

On December 29, 2006, the Ethnic Relations Commission of Guyana (ERC) issued a decision which agreed with the Indian Arrival Committee’s (IAC) complaint that Dr. Gibson’s book, The Cycle of Racial Oppression in Guyana, “peddled and spread racial hatred in Guyana among its principal ethnic groups, and that it had as its central theme that Hindus in Guyana were oppressing Afro-Guyanese.”

The Commission agreed that

“the publication was deeply flawed and profoundly unscientific. And so the work must be regarded as wholly lacking in academic character and as representing nothing further than the personal views, unfortunately distorted and regrettably prejudiced, of a private individual.” As a remedy, the ERC concluded that, in the interest of greater ethnic harmony, public institutions carrying a copy of the publication withdraw it from gen-

eral public circulation.

This referenced 2003 book is not the only writing on the theme of ‘Hinduism calling for the oppression of AfroGuyanese’. In 2005 she followed up with Sacred Duty – Hinduism & Violence in Guyana. She also had an (Continued on page 6)

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RESPONDING TO BADAL– GUYANA’S DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT DEAR EDITOR, On January 4th, 2020 in Kaieteur News, a letter to the Editor authored by one Robert Badal made accusations that the Collation Government has achieved nothing since 2015, and that the Decade of Development programme and vision of the David Granger led Coalition Government is just a slogan and full of contradictions.

It is clear that the letter

by Mr. Badal, leader of Change Guyana political party, sought to dampen the enthusiasm and excitement of Guyanese at home and abroad regarding the visionary Decade of Development programme launched on January 1, 2020 by the Coalition Government. It would also appear that Mr. Badal, while attempting to discredit Guyana’s Decade of Development by referring to it as “slogans and contradictory policies,” revealed a lot about the his character.

Why didn’t he start his own party prior to 2015 when the then PPP-led Government literally took business away from Pegasus Hotel?

So let me help Mr. Badal with his research, because apparently he did not want to do the necessary research prior to making claims of slogans and contradictory policies he now, conveniently, levels against the APNU/AFC Coalition.

Even more alarming is Mr. Badal’s attempt to fool the Guyanese public, yet he is promising change.

The first lie that Mr. Badal wrote, is that the Coalition lacked vision, since the

Guyanese people voted for unity, change and a working class approach to regional and national governance. Mr. Badal would know well that the Coalition inherited a mountain of problems in all areas of our society.

But since he either chose not to do his homework, had no interest to communicating verifiable facts, I will help him recall that within less than a year of being elected, the Coalition fulfilled its promise of hosting local government elections, which have put the power of community and regional development back in the hands of the people.

Each region now has its own distinct flag, there are development plans for each region called Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD) that have been completed for regions 4 (Georgetown has its own plan), 9 and 10, and hundreds of youth and mature Guyanese that never had the chance to influence and participate in local and regional development, are now rightfully enjoying the opportunity that Coalition Government helped to achieve.

The PPP, during its 23 years in office, never once sought to empower local government organizations; rather, it tried its best to usurp the powers of these organisations and install PPP operatives as Interim Management Committees.

Between 2017-2018, the Coalition Government collaborated with the Private Sector Commission, Regional Democratic Councils, the

United Nations and several partners, completed Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy – Vision 2040 (GSDS).

I suspect Mr. Badal has not read this either, because he would have gotten more than sufficient enough information to avoid uttering inaccuracies and appearing hypocritical and out of touch with ordinary Guyanese while he claims to want to change Guyana.

Since 2015, we have also seen the installation of CCTV cameras, strategically placed at multiple locations across several regions.

We have also seen the launch of the Caucus of Indigenous Peoples which will become an annual caucus, with its own budget, not a Government controlled budget we experienced with the National Toshao Council when the PPP was in office.

Another visionary work is the digital link now established between NIS and the Guyana Revenue Authority which makes it more difficult for corrupt efforts to evade or misrepresent tax and pension information among other things.

Moreover, since 2015, a total of 171 ICT Hubs have been installed in each region to help train youth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in particular.

In 2016, Guyana and the Kingdom of Norway renegotiated its Forest Protection Agreement, after Norway withheld US$ 18m from Guyana due to the failure of the PPP-led Government to fulfill its responsibilities under this agreement which was signed since 2009.

Fast forward to 2018, the Coalition managed to fulfill a number of conditionalities which resulted in Norway re-

leasing US$ 14m to Guyana.

Finally, Mr. Badal said that the Coalition Government has made no important strides in education, information, and communication technology investments and local content pertaining to our emerging oil and gas sector. There is so much information I can share with respect to each of these three areas, but for the sake of brevity, let me share just a few.

Our public school curricula as well as the teacher training curricula, from primary to tertiary level have been updated to emphasis more research-driven learning and in keeping the UNESCO’s Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development framework and Guyana’s Education for Sustainable Development policy. Moreover, it is not a coincidence that the 2019 graduating class of the University of Guyana, was the largest ever in the history of Guyana.

This was immediately followed by one of the largest ever enrollment classes in the 2019/2020 academic term.

Mr. Badal would do well to also learn more about the STEM Guyana Programme, and the support Government continues to provide to ensure our youth have access to the latest training in robotics, computer science and so forth which they apply to help solve community and broader societal challenges.

As a result of the Five B’s Programme (Buses, Boats, Bicycles, Books and Breakfast, approximately 30,000 rural and indigenous students can now attend school, and receive meals while in school.

Regarding Mr. Badal’s

Responding to Kissoon’s...

From page 5 article published in a Black Journal of Studies in the USA which I rebutted in the Guyana Journal; and was seen on TV in the USA espousing the said ideology.

Her writings also led to a group of very concerned academics and senior civil servants and myself petitioning UWI (after the killings of eleven sleeping Indians at Lusignan). I followed up writing a more expansive book – Under Attack! The Caribbean Indian.

“Professor Gibson [will not] shut the mouths of Indians who dislike her” until she unequivocally denounces her writings and views on the theme of Hinduism-led IndoGuyanese oppression of Afro-Guyanese. I am not optimistic as lately in the

Guyana print media she again linked Hinduism and Indian ethnicity to domestic violence and suicides in Guyana.

(I neglected to mention that the book I wrote - Under Attack! The Caribbean Indian - is self-published and not on the internet, but can be had at Austin’s Bookstore in Georgetown.

About a year ago, a close friend, a former senior civil servant of Guyana now in Canada, told me that Mr. Hamilton Green of the PNC/R called him from Guyana, enquiring of him where he could get a copy as he had overhead ‘university students discussing it’.

Since the book has currency I will put it on the internet soon.)

Yours faithfully, Veda Nath Mohabir

attempt to link ongoing efforts to limited job opportunities in the emerging oil and gas sector, this is another propaganda tactic to mislead the people of Guyana. In fact, there are hundreds of Guyanese already working in this sector, just ask the local recruitment organizations and the oil companies and their business partners.

Moreover, contrary to what Badal stated, Guyana is preparing to finalise its local content policy which is in its 3rd draft.

I have highlighted a few positive developments with respect to job growth over the past 4-5 years: - The Special Youth Innovation Fund launched with a budget of $50M to support budding young entrepreneurs and their businesses.

(Guyana Chronicle, 9 January

2017) - Small Business Bureau helped support over 200 businesses through partial loan guarantees and grants worth around $180M in 2018, creating 535 jobs.

- In the first half of 2018, Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) assisted 57 projects with an investment value of $10.4B creating approximately 700 new jobs.

Under the leadership of His Excellency David Granger, Guyana is much better off than we were prior to 2015, and I am very excited about the planned activities to help our people fulfill our potential as a nation of skilled, educated, united and prosperous people. I await Mr. Badal’s evidence to the contrary.

Sincerely R. Small

Is GuySuCo’s.....

From page 4 the bauxite workers, many of whom were supporters of his party, when he felt their well-being was under threat.

In the 2001 Agreement he signed with President Bharrat Jagdeo an area for attention was the Depressed Communities.

This included the bauxite company and the communities within which those workers lived. Out of this a Technical Committee was established to deal with the bauxite communities. That committee worked and submitted its report, but Jagdeo ignored the submissions.

Mr. Robert Corbin, who succeeded Hoyte as PNC Leader and Leader of the Opposition, continued to push what Hoyte started, evident in the 2003 communiqué he signed with Jagdeo which included addressing issues pertinent to labour (workers).

And whereas Jagdeo never honoured those commitments, history has recorded the named Leaders of the Opposition gave serious representation for their constituents and society by extracting agreements from the Executive. In this regard they cannot be accused for not trying to deliver to those supporters.

If Jagdeo, as Leader of the Opposition, had sat down with the sugar unions and mapped out a programme and strategy to put to the Coalition to address the industry’s deficiencies, there could have been improvement in the direction he claims to now be promising.

If he had failed to see implementation to any of these, as he did with Hoyte and Corbin, the public would have recognised and hailed his effort in seeking represen-

tation for the welfare of his constituents and the good of society.

Dr. Cheddi Jagan, his predecessor, had measured success in this regard. Even when the young sugar canes were being burnt in the fields and in the presence of industrial actions, Jagan slugged away with a strategy and programme for the industry and his constituents and was able to extract benefits from the PNC government.

Every citizen following the development in sugar by now know former President Jagdeo’s programme of injecting over US$200 million in the modernisation of the Skelton Estate was a disaster. We the taxpayers are today being saddled with the debt of repaying the loan for a project that never worked. GuySuCo continues to be a political football.

The time has come to address this issue since any call for financing has to come from the National coffers (Consolidated Fund) and requires a studied and focused response by national political leaders, technicians, the sugar unions and other stakeholders.

Jagdeo must be held accountable for his management of the industry as president and his refusal to meaningfully advance the sugar workers’ welfare as Leader of the Opposition.

For this record, any acceptance today from him that he cares about the industry, the workers and communities and has a plan for them should the PPP be returned to government, we must ask him why the party under his leadership didn’t pursue same in Government and Opposition.

Lincoln Lewis

Sunday January 12, 2020

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ONLY MORE CHASTISEMENT

A Third Force coalition will not make an impact in upcoming elections

DEAR EDITOR, The man of the cloth, or of “prayerful considerations”, his apparent new guide to his recent announcement of withdrawing from his bid for his party’s prime ministerial nomination, announced at the launching of his party’s 2020 campaign rally that the event had been done on a “small budget”. On a word for word interpretation, this is intended to convey the understanding that the PPP/C does not have money.

This is a claim, its intention, and again announced by the grand bishop, who has just finally suffered the chastisement long overdue.

Can someone explain to Juan Edghill, that he continues to do himself, no Heavenly or earthly good, for such and undisguised attempts to hoodwink, on behalf of his party, not only the public, but also to impress upon the in-

ternational community, deflecting such claims that his party is very rich.

Of course, this would include generous donations from those whom its policies enabled their self- enrichment.

Of course, election campaign launchings are usually big to-dos, costing money, which political parties, especially in lesser developed countries, plan and prepare for such events. Of course, the coalition has done its homework very well, in executing a high energy filled event, which has built very powerful momentum, which continues to roll with telling effect. Its supporters are on board to a man, with others joining on the journey towards D-DAY. It would seem that the PPP/C, whether by design or otherwise dictated, by circumstances, were not able to attract the kind of cultural personalities for presentation

of cultural renditions. And neither did its opening rally, result in that energy surge for inspiring those who gathered in the sweltering Sunday afternoon heat.

In fact, Ali’s presentation was a horrible collection of repeated and worn out lies, that have become a mass refrain for PPP/C fraudulence of an election campaign. This is the corrupt hall in which Edghillplans his sinful exhortations.

But just a further reminder to the ‘Bishop’, who noticeably has re-commenced using his rank of spiritual office – there can be no Heavenly dividends from such continuous acts of association with evil and vileness, irrespective for and on behalf of whatever cause(s) it may be.

The result, can only be inevitably further chastisement.

Regards Carla Mendonca

A one term government is possible DEAR EDITOR, I do not know if a cycle of one term government is here to stay as suggested by Kaieteur News columnist “Peeping Tom”.

But I do believe that the upcoming election in March will reveal if the phenomenon of one term governments in Guyana is beginning to take off.

While a fast turnover of government in any country has its downside, in the case of Guyana, it should be welcoming news.

Our most pressing political problem is the ethnic insecurity which arises when government changes hands.

“One termism” may well help to address that problem. The foot soldiers of the defeated party will be comforted, in knowing that the next election is just around the corner and it is their team now in opposition that is likely to hold the reins tomorrow.

Guyana will not be breaking new ground as a Caribbean country, as a parallel situation of one term governments has already developed in the Bahamas. Over the past four or five election cycles, no governing party has even come close to winning a second term.

This is no mere accident, as this recent feature of Bahamian electoral politics is undergirded by an unmistakable economic reality.

Throughout the past two decades, the Bahamian economy has been in stagnation, with governments trying to jumpstart economic growth and failing at it.

With no government showing any significant success over a five- year period, the voters are ready to dump

the old crew overboard in maritime tradition and bring in new hands on deck.

In the case of our country, I would propose that one term governments would be grounded on a different set of facts.

It is already well established that neither of our two major political parties can win an election on the basis of exclusive ethnic support. It is also believed that our mixed- race population represents a significant constituency of swing voters.

It is estimated to be about twenty per cent of the electorate.

It would appear that whichever party bags a substantial majority of this mixedrace group is almost guaranteed to win the election.

It is also my view that no government of Guyana can legitimately claim a track record of stellar performance.

Even though over the years, we have seen improvements, our country is still relatively poor compared to our Caricom neighbours. In the

future, the quality of governance may change but I doubt by much. So, I do not foresee the swing voters endorsing mediocrity and incompetence for too long. And with oil money, we can safely add corruption to the list.

Politically, we would have made progress when the change in government has become fairly run of the mill.

Wesley Hicken

DEAR EDITOR, I notice that the smaller parties are talking of coalescing to form a “third force” and ANUG and Fed-Up are already at it; overall, this is a good sign for political maturity in our dear Republic and it certainly bodes well for the future- coalition politics in Guyana has been nurtured by Mr. Granger and will endure as the only option for good governance.

The problem ,however, is that such a Third Force coalition, conceived in such a short period of time and devoid of any “mass” base might make an impact in 2025 or 2030, but not in this upcoming elections.

No Sir ! These third parties, either singly or in coalition, know very well that the only real expectation they can achieve is to get seats in Parliament and then to cause political confusion like we have had with the Chanrandass Persaud incident - confusion which has affected our economy in a negative way while creating other copycats of C.Persaud, all of whom will use our constitution, not to enhance what is right, but to have petty noconfidence votes in our Parliament while the peoples’ business is disrupted.

The voters of Guyana should remember that this whole disruption with the no-

confidence vote, has led us a new scenario, where these new parties-these new Chanrandass’ -should hurt the Granger coalition ; instead, ironically, these “wrecker” parties will hurt the PPP’s chances in the next election.

Mr. Badal and his party, I see, has just announced a plan which makes no sense for Guyanese because it creates more confusion about our oil resources while pandering to our base instincts of feeling that we might be cheatedGuyanese have their eyes wide open and will know what to do if anyone tries to rob us of what is rightfully ours with all the benefits included.

We have a long history of demanding what is rightfully ours. Badal should remember his failures at GPL when he was boss and he should concentrate on the Pegasus Hotel.

Editor, I see that the PPP has selected as PM, an army man who will now “tie bundle” with avowed communists who reject coalition politics and embrace more government intervention in our economic lives. Remember the horrific 16 percent consumption tax on all of our people ?

Good luck to Mr. Phillips and sincere thanks for his service to our Republic while in our

Resignation of Bolivia president DEAR EDITOR, The interim President of Bolivia resigned after she was caught on camera in an immoral act in her private life.

Politicians from around the globe were also known to resign from their posts when caught in unethical behavior or scandals or even for plagiarism or using others speech without giving credit.

Would our politicians act similarly?

Some of our politicians have been exposed in fraudulent acts and or corruption, molestation, racism, among

other immoral behavior. Politicians are supposed to be people of honor. But in Guyana, many are known to be most dishonorable and people vote for them.

The people deserve the discredited corrupt leaders they get.

Why arent the politicians doing the honorable thing

and resigning from their posts when their vile acts are exposed?

There is no place in elective office for those engaged in unethical acts or less than honorable behavior. Take exemplary lease from global politicians.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

army but he should remember, rejection is a hard pill to swallow.

The no-show on the Kitty stage of key PPP leaders tells its own story and that story will culminate in their defeat on March 2.

Editor, lastly, I would like to remind the public that we are already seeing the effects of Exxon-Mobil’s entrance into our economy-in England and the USA , Guyana is now getting prominence as a tourist destination and that will only mean more jobs, more investments in ancillary projects related to tourism and more importantly, the private sector will expand and become the real engine of growth.

We are only at the start of more foreign investment and trade which the deal with Exxon-Mobil has initiated, to cause all our potential resources to become more visible to global investment and trade, which will lead to more revenue, and, as Mr. Granger is saying, to the good life.

The voters should remember that at the Kitty PPP rally, Jagdeo and his front man, really talked the communist talk of “the government as the engine of growth”, never committing to making the private sector the pillar of growth and their record proves that fact- check out their 23 years of political power.

Mr. Granger and the Coalition are committed to expanding the private sector and that should be enough to reject all the other parties.

Mr. Granger will win the next election handily because he is following a winning policy which will benefit our beautiful Republic.

Yours faithfully, Cheddi(Joey)Jagan(Jr.)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Auditor General “probing” 2018 MMA/ADA lands to ex-chairman… report leak Company struck off by Companies’ Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, is investigating how the Audit Office report for 2018 ended up in the public domain.

Over the last week, excerpts of the Report of the Auditor General on the Public Accounts of Guyana and on the accounts of the Ministries, Departments and Regions for the fiscal year ended 31 December, 2018 ended up being carried by the mainstream media, including Kaieteur News.

“I have seen the reports and we are probing,” Sharma said when asked about it yesterday.

He would not confirm or deny that the excerpts as carried were from the actual report.

Many of the transactions flagged by the purported Auditor General report were embarrassing to the Coalition Government.

The annual report has been one perused by media houses in recent years to gauge whether Government is following regulations when spending taxpayers dollars.

From issues of procurement, to overpayment, poor quality work and exorbitant prices, the reports have been raising deep concerns.

In the case of the 2018 report, it was handed over to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, late last year.

It is kept under lock and key until laid during a sitting of the National Assembly.

The no-confidence motion of December 21, 2018 hampered sittings with none held after the report was handed over.

registry

Auditor General, Deodat Sharma However, last week, copies made their way into the public domain last week.

With elections seven weeks away, the leaking of the report was not taken kindly by the Coalition.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure , Jaipaul Sharma, was last week clear…Reporters should ask whether the purported document circulating is indeed the genuine report.

A company linked to Kenneth Sealey, former Chairman of the MahaicaMahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA), was struck off companies’ register last year.

Albertha Investments Inc. was taken off the Registry’s list in June last year, three years after it received 2,000 acres.

Sitting as Chairman of the authority at the time of the allocation was Sealey. It is unclear whether he recused himself at the time.

The establishment of the company would have been key for the lands to be approved for him.

The official would have had to submit an application that outlines his plans for the lands.

However, just three years later, the company did not meet a number of requirements in keeping with the Registry’s mandate. This would have caused it to be struck off.

The allocation of the large piece of land to the then sitting chairman has been raising eyebrows because of potential conflict of interest scenarios.

According to documents of the MMA-ADA, its Land Sub-Committee on May 20, 2016 considered applications for Albertha Investment Inc. That company applied for two areas for agricultural purposes.

The company had as its directors Dr. Sealey and Selma Sealey, who is the Secretary/

Former MMA-ADA chairman, Kenneth Sealey Director.

One area was for 2,000 acres and it is situated north of the Herstelling Drain, east of the MMA-ADA main canal, and on the West Bank of Berbice.

Albertha was said to be in occupation of the land with cattle on it. The business was also reportedly planting permanent crops.

Albertha also on the same date had another application for 152.425 acres. These lands were said to be located in the Abary area.

This tract of land was previously occupied by Belmont Investment Limited, which was defunct.

MMA-ADA documents to the Lands Sub-Committee indicate that Albertha started occupying the lands which also once housed an army farm.

The two applications had been filed just two days before the Land Sub-Committee of

MMA-ADA considered the transactions.

Both transactions were approved for rental of 50 years with $1,000 per acre charged annually.

It meant that Albertha was set up to apply for the lands.

It received those lands, and then apparently no longer needed the company.

The disclosures came as questions about possible conflict of interest situations were also raised recently when it was learnt the current chairman, Kelvin Saul, who took over from Sealey in 2018, would have benefitted from 10,000-plus acres.

Saul has since defended the transaction of those lands, explaining that it was forested lands that he had with some partners which was converted to agriculture. The applications for the conversions had to be processed by the MMAADA as the lands are said to be located in the area. He said that he had recused himself.

Sealey was appointed Chairman in late 2015.

There has been increased scrutiny into the allocations of lands and other transactions involving state properties, within recent times.

The Opposition has said it is compiling a list of land transactions which appear to be highly illegal and improper.

Sunday January 12, 2020

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

ERC wants no hostilities during elections campaign

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is calling on members of the public to exercise tolerance and to cease incidence of hostility during the campaign period.

The ERC, in a detailed statement, noted the various incidents of intimidation, abuse and assault on Guyanese while they were engaged in activities to sensitize people to political messages reflective of the political parties they represent.

Such acts, the commission said, are counterproductive to the valiant efforts being made for the fostering of unity and harmony Those acts, the Commission noted, have no place in our society and must be condemned. In doing so, the Commission reiterated sentiments it repeatedly expressed in the past for the periods,

prior and post the March 2, 2020, General and Regional elections, be free of hate, violence and racial or any other form of incitement.

At the beginning of this year, the Commission, in a public message, stated its expectation for peaceful and transparent elections in keeping with democratic principles.

The ERC said, “That desire remains foremost and the Commission urges all to act responsibly and to demonstrate an unwavering sense of tolerance and respect for each other.

“Our freedoms are enshrined allowing each and every Guyanese the democratic right to freely associate and support a political Party of his/her choice and to engage in lawful activities concomitant with election cam-

ERC chairman Dr. John Smith paigning. That must be respected.”

Following the reconstitution of the ERC in 2018, leaders and representatives of various political parties including President David Granger and Leader of the

Offshore inspectors for oil measurements get monthly $20,000 allowance -GNBS -Says it will be reviewed in the short term The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has informed members of the media that its officials who will be tasked with monitoring accurate oil measurements on the Liza Destiny, Guyanas first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, would be paid a $20,000 allowance per month.

The Bureau sought to make this clarification in wake of a Kaieteur News article which exposed that the allowance was being paid per trip.

The agency said that while it is not per trip but per month, the allowance provisioned is just for the short term for its Inspectors and would be an addition to their salaries.

Although the current rotation requires that each Inspector work on the FPSO once at six-week intervals, GNBS said that the fixed monthly salary and allowance will still be paid. functions in a professional and transparent The GNBS said it is committed to ensuring manner so that Guyana can fully benefit from that it provides the requisite measurement its Oil and Gas resources.

Dem boys seh...

Money and tin cup bringing out de crowd If is one thing people like is a freeness. People would deh home and from de time dem hear bout money and food and freeness dem would run out de house like when akouri tail deh pun fire.

This election season gun show people how much people like sport.

A piece of time people use to lef dem house without eating nutten and climb pun some trucks to go some far place fuh a rally.

Of course de people who organize de trucks use to organize food and a big drum of swank, which is lime water. Then somebody would walk around and share out money to these people.

Dem boys remember a

time a truck was carrying home people from a rally when one fight start. A gyal get scratch up.

De man who was de Minister of Home Affairs immediately report how some people pun de road attack de truck wid de people.

This same Minister claim how people pelt bricks and that is how de gyal get she injuries.

When de police investigate dem find that was one hell of a fight pun de truck because somebody tell somebody else bout de hungry belly nature of de party that organize de truck.

Then dem boys see how people does tun up because dem hear a tin cup knock.

Long ago dem political rally was all about loud speaker and fancy words.

Dem boys seh dem old time politicians woulda never get a crowd if dem was operating today.

Today if dem don’t have loud music and couple food cart you don’t have a rally.

People does walk miles to hear that tin cup knock and see dem leader talk. Of course, nuff of de people don’t hear a word because dem got odda interest.

But is de money. Some paying good bread to attract people and some playing good music to attract more people.

Talk half and watch dem political rally.

Opposition, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, were engaged.

In the run-up to the 2018 Local Government Elections, all Members of Parliament were written to in an effort to remind of the importance of keeping the campaigns and other interactions, including social media, free of any utterance which can impact negatively on national harmony and good relations amongst Guyanese.

Unfortunately, according to the ERC, those talks broke down and utterances like, “giving jobs only to my people”, “chase them out” and “war break”, from some public officials, did not help

national efforts to promote harmony.

Regrettably, their effects are still being felt.

The Commission also pointed to instances of harassment, the removal of party flags and prevention of persons to mount, social media incitement and attacks on some performing artistes, propagation of religious preference, referencing Guyanese by ethnicity as tokenism and the alleged stereotyping of ethnic groups as “hardheaded”, are most unhelpful to building and sustaining a cohesive nation.

The Commission reminds

that while it is constitutionally mandated to promote harmony and good relations, the task can only be realized through the collective efforts of all Guyanese.

“In that regard, it takes this opportunity to commend those, including public officials, who expressed disapproval over some of the actions in question.

An appeal is therefore made to all involved for a collective endeavor to be amicable in disagreement, to work in the best interest of Guyana and Guyanese, to build upon the bonds of togetherness and to ensure that the (Continued on page 13)

PAGE 10

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

Government “pick-up� slams into electrical pole and lands in trench The Pick-up after landing in the trench

A Hilux 4*4 Pick-up PVV3395 belonging to Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), slammed into an electrical pole and landed in a trench outside Thirst Park.

The accident occurred at 22:00HRS on Friday on the Ruimveldt Public Road.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the driver was driving at a fast rate and appeared to be negotiating a turn

onto Mandela Avenue when he lost control of the vehicle.

General Manager of the DHBC, Rawlston Adams, said that based on early reports received, the driver did not receive permission to operate

the Pick-up. However, he will wait on more statements and information in order to commence an investigation into the matter.Commander of A Division, Hector Thomas said that the driver was breathalyzed and was

found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.As a result, he was apprehended and taken into police custody.

The pick-up is currently at the Ruimveldt Police station.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Sunday January 12, 2020

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Trump impeachment charges may go to Senate as early as next week WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - The Democraticled U.S. House of Representatives will send formal impeachment charges against President Donald Trump to the Senate as early as next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday, setting the stage for his long-awaited trial.

Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, has been engaged in a three-week catand-mouse game with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over the rules for Trump’s trial in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Democrats have demanded it include new witness testimony and evidence about the Republican president’s pressuring of Ukraine to probe former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democrat running for the right to face Trump in the November election.

McConnell slammed the door on that idea this week, saying he had enough Republican votes to start the trial without a commitment to hear from additional witnesses, including former Trump national security adviser John Bolton.

Democrats are trying to convince a few moderate Republican senators to allow witnesses.

One moderate, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, told reporters in her home state that she and a “fairly small group” of her fellow Republican senators are working to ensure witnesses can be called.

The Senate is expected to acquit Trump before the 2020 presidential election campaign heats up, as no Republicans have voiced support for ousting him, a step that would require a two-thirds majority.

In a letter to House Democratic lawmakers on Friday, Pelosi said a resolution could be brought up next week to appoint House “managers” to prosecute the case against Trump at the trial and to transmit the impeachment charges to the Senate.

Last month, the House adopted a rule allowing Democrats to quickly bring up a resolution naming managers, and to vote on it after only 10 minutes of debate.

That means the House could vote as soon as Tuesday.

House Democrats have said Pelosi could name up to 10 lawmakers as managers, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who spearheaded the impeachment probe, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler.

Pelosi has declined to submit the charges, or articles of impeachment, to the Sen-

ate. She was seeking leverage for Democrats to negotiate rules of the trial, which cannot begin until the charges are transmitted.

Democrats fear McConnell plans to hold a cursory trial without hearing all the evidence. Adding to their concerns, McConnell has backed a Republicanbacked resolution that would clear the way for senators to dismiss the charges before the House submits them.

“A dismissal is a cover-up and deprives the American people of the truth,” Pelosi said in her letter, accusing McConnell of intending to “stonewall.” She said she would consult with House Democrats on how to proceed on Tuesday.The House impeached Trump on Dec. 18 on charges of abusing power and obstructing Congress.

The investigation was sparked by a whistleblower’s

complaint about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Trump says he did nothing wrong and has dismissed his impeachment as a partisan bid to undo his 2016 election win.

“Well I think it’s ridiculous. She (Pelosi) should

have sent them a long time ago. It just belittles the process,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Friday.White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said White House counsel Pat Cipollone would lead Trump’s defense and outside counsel Jay Sekulow would be involved.

ERC wants no hostilities during...

From page 9 elections are not catalysts for division,” the ERC said in its statement. The Commission therefore called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities during and after the campaign period. In the interim, the Commission will, in the future, embark on initiatives to examine inherent causes which have led to current suspicions and stereotypes and explore possible mitigating measures.

“Guided by its constitutional parameters in the discharge of its mandate, it will also endeavor to re-engage the political leadership while monitoring the current situation.”

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Leaked emails between Govt. officials, Oil companies allow Nigeria to recover US$1.1Billion for oil block deal When transparency advocates and regulators of a country want to recover the nations wealth, lost through acts of grand corruption, they often call for an audit to be conducted.

But in one case in Nigeria, this traditional method of pursuing financial recovery was not used. Instead, the pursuit of emails between high ranking government officials and oil companies is what led to billions of dollars being recovered.

In 2011, Nigerias government sold an oil block called OPL 245 to two of the worlds

biggest oil companies, Shell and Italian Oil Company, Eni, for $1.3B. While $210M made its way into the national purse, the other $1.1B was wired to a special account belonging to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company controlled by former Nigerian Oil Minister and convicted money launderer, Dan Etete.

Instead of an audit, a leaked internal email that was copied to the former Chief Executive Officer of Shell, Peter Voser, said that the former Energy Minister knew that the money was his for the tak-

ing.

Shells CEO thought that at 70-years-old, $1.1 billion would be irresistible to Etete and if he “turned his nose up� at it, then he truly was a certifiable man. Etete who took his countrys money, spent it on luxurious private jets, armoured cars and shotguns.

This newspaper understands that the leaked emails sparked a wave of investigations in 2015 which saw Shell in the early stages vehemently denying any corruption, while noting that it only paid the money directly to the Nigerian government to se-

cure exploration rights.

But in 2017, Shell subsequently admitted that it was aware that part of the money from the oil block deal would go to Dan Etete. The amount allegedly meted out as bribes amounts to more than the entire 2018 healthcare budget of Nigeria.

As for JP Morgan, the bank which held the special account for the former Petroleum Minister, the government of Nigeria made the decision to pursue a lawsuit, saying that the wired funds should have set off alarm bells.

In light of the foregoing case, several local transparency advocates have said that it would be in Guyanas interest for Ministers and other government officials handling Guyanas oil business to make their email correspondence with oil companies, public.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, is on record as stating that he is supportive of this initiative.

Former Nigerian Oil Minister, Dan Etete

Parliament informs that position of Opposition Leader still stands Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo will remain as the Leader of the Opposition, until after the March 2020 General Elections and a new Parliament is sworn. This is according to a letter sent to Mr. Jagdeo, by Speaker of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs.

President David Granger had issued a proclamation on December 27, last, declaring that the National Assembly would be dissolved on December 30, 2019, paving the way for elections of its members to occur on March 2, 2020.

With the dissolution of parliament, Mr. Jagdeo vacated his seat in the National Assembly.

Notwithstanding the dissolution of Parliament the Opposition Leader is therefore entitled to and will be provided with benefits and concessions, including duty free concession, which are granted to Members of the National Assembly, until he

Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo vacates and ceases to hold the office.

He is also entitled to travel, at the expense of the Government, on the services of Transport and Harbours Department, the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Berbice River Bridge.

Sunday January 12, 2020

PAGE 15

Kaieteur News

Finance Minister commissions benab for Berbice Pensioners Association Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, commissioned a benab for the Berbice Pensioners’ Association in New Amsterdam on Friday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Jordan said that the benab was built by the Ministry of Finance, for the comfort and relaxation of the pensioners.

The Minister stated that it is not only the grand gestures but little acts such as these that make the difference in the lives of ordinary citizens.

The Minister remarked that through the various outreaches the government was able to meet one-on-one with residents in various communities, listen to their concerns and answer their calls; the request for a benab was answered for the pensioners association.

According to Minister Jordan, what really matters to the citizens is the knowledge that their “Government is a caring one that listens and acts in the interest of the people because the good life

is not just a mantra.”

“If someone grew up in poverty, struggling to get things to eat and today they have a salary of $70,000 instead of thirty-something thousand four years ago, that is evidence that they are moving towards a better life.

“If they were getting water by walking two miles to a standpipe and today, they have water in their yard and their homes, that is evidence of progress towards the good life. ”He also alluded to that fact that under this administration, pensioners are receiving a monthly pension of $20,500, as compared to a mere $7,500 four and a half years ago.

He told those gathered that the government will continue to ensure that figure increases.The minister called on the pensioners, to not be content in thinking that their days are numbered after retiring. He said that the youths have much to learn from the elders who have given a lot

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan shares a moment with members of the Berbice Pensioners Association. to the development of the country.

Minister Jordan also committed to addressing some issues that were highlighted regarding tiling of the floors and seating accommodation.

President of the Association, Burchell Archer, on behalf of the pensioners thanked

Recruitment agency finds jobs for 500 in 2019-over 2100 applications received Five hundred individuals are now successfully employed in the agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, construction, mining, and transportation sectors with the help of the Department of Labours Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA).

These individuals are among 2,122 persons, who registered with the agency in 2019 with the hope of finding employment.

These individuals also received advice and guidance in relation to job etiquette, dress, speech and language, conduct, deportment, and timekeeping.

CRMA services are currently available in Regions Two, Three, Five, Six and Ten. However, the Ministry is currently putting measures in place to establish offices in Regions Seven, Eight and Nine.Additionally, the agency has been working along with other entities, including the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, to provide much needed training to job seekers especially to youths across the country.

Training is currently being provided through vocational institutions such as the Kuru Kuru Training College, Government Technical Institute, Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), Mahaicony, Linden and Essequibo Training Institutes, Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), the Mercy Wing Training Centre and the Board of Industrial Training.

Valerie Moore, Chief Recruitment and Manpower Officer, CRMA CRMA is a division of the and desires. The agency also Social Protection Ministry evaluates, if necessary, their which was initially estab- physical and vocational abililished by the Government of ties.

Its main objective is to Guyana in October 1944.

It registers applicants for place job seekers into suitable employment, paying keen at- employment while providing tention to their occupational career guidance and counselqualifications, experiences, ing.

the Minister and other donors noting that the structure

will go a long way in making the lives of the elderly com-

fortable when they gather together.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

GPHC receives new equipment and detergents The male and female surgical wards of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) have been boosted with 40 beds and mattresses along with detergents, courtesy of an overseas donor.

This is according to a top official working at the hospital.

The official stated that the equipment and detergents were handed over to the hospital last Wednesday.

The donation has been recognized as a great gesture by medical personnel working at the department, especially patients admitted at the facility.

The official further stated that although the donations are at a time when there is no shortage, it is still appreciated because such equipment are at all times needed in the wards.

“Over 300 patients are presently admitted in the male and female surgical wards.

Beds, mattresses and detergents are some things that are

at all times needed in these departments. We have to ensure that the place is kept clean and germs free.

“There are cases where patients came to this hospital with one problem and stayed some other days because they would have contracted some other infection.”

According to the official the city hospital is mandated to offer fair and free services and by doing that hundreds of important materials and equipment are used up daily; and if someone or an organization w a nts to donate various items to the hospital the donation will be highly appreciated.

There were some negative comments last December, from an official working in the wards, about the way patients were being treated in the hospital and the unclean conditions of the wards, specifically the male and surgical departments that patients are admitted into.

Yesterday, the patients

some of the items donated to the hospital

did not hesitate to express their satisfaction with the standard of cleanliness at the city hospital.

When asked Jairam Paul,

who has been in the male surgical for the past two months due to some complications, stated that since December 18, 2019 he has seen a lot of im-

provements in the sanitary situation at the hospital.

“First when I got admitted here I was placed on another bed next to a man that has a big hole on his foot, and it used to smell terrible.

“When we would go outside and ask the nurses for some kind of detergents to clean the place, the nurses would tell we

straight that they aint got no sweet smell to spray the place and why we family dont bring for us. But now the place does smell and look good.”

Patients admitted in the female surgical wards all shared the same opinion about the satisfactory clean condition of the wards at the city hospital.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Sunday January 12, 2020

Jaipaul Sharma quits JFAP - switches to PNCR

N

ominations Day for the March 2, 2020 elections has been throwing up a number of surprises.

For example, long time executive and former Parliamentarian for the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNCR), Anthony Vieira, had thrown his lot in with the Opposition…the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

There is another surprise.

Representative of the Justice For All Party (JFAP), Minister Within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma, has joined up with the PNCR. He is one of the National To p U p C a n d i d a t e s , according to the list submitted by President David Granger on Friday to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for

the joint slate of the A Partnership For National Unity (APNU)+Alliance for Change (AFC).

Taking his place as representative for JFAP would be a relative, Savitree Singh-Sharma, wife of the p a r t y ’s f o u n d e r, C . N .

Sharma.

Ye s t e r d a y, S h a r m a confirmed that he is with the PNCR and therefore part of the APNU faction. PNCR is

the largest party in APNU which together with AFC, forms the coalition.

Sharma disclosed that he had thought of calling it a day after what he thought of as a successful outing as a minister. He was first the Minister within the Ministry of Finance, before being posted to Public Infrastructure.

He said that leading up to and following the December 21, 2018 no-confidence motion, there were beliefs that he was one of the persons who would have been crossing the floor, something that was furthest

from the truth.

“I believe that President Granger was ordained to lead this country. I had a dream David defeated the PPP’s Goliath and he defeated a personal Goliath in his life…cancer. If God found him worthy, we can only read the signs.”

Sharma, an auditor by profession, has been outspoken on occasions, even offering to resign.

“I have worked with David Granger and I understand what he stands for. He is a credible president.”

His replacement,

Minister Jaipaul Sharma Savitree Singh-Sharma, was in the 2015 list, and eventually appointed a board member of the Guyana Water Inc.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

A section of the Ogle road that has been destroyed.

“Oil will test our aging infrastructure” - Patterson, works begin to strengthen same

W

ith Guyana becoming an oil producing state, the necessary arrangements and preparations have to be made to accommodate not only the Black Gold but also the challenges that come as a result of this development.

As such the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MOPI) has been upping its game by making efforts to strengthen its infrastructural capacity.

This was related by subject Minister, David Patterson, at a recent press conference hosted by the Ministry.

He noted that “with the production of oil the country’s aging infrastructure will be put to the test and we as a Ministry will have to respond to those challenges.” He added, “I feel the Ministry is well equipped to meet the demands of the Oil & Gas sector…in supporting infrastructure development.”

The Minister further noted that work has begun to ensure that the Ministry and its regulatory agencies “ramp up their capacities.” These agencies include the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).

A few weeks ago there were several complaints about damage to the roads within the vicinity of Ogle, where ExxonMobil’s Headquarters is currently being constructed.

Going forward, there are also plans to strengthen and further widen roads and other key infrastructure to meet the demands of a booming oil industry.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

Cayla Kumar This week's beguiling beauty of the week is 17-year-old Cayla Kumar. This Guyanese American belle is expected to compete in the Miss NY Teen USA 2020 Pageant.

Kaieteur Entertainment wishes her all the best in her future endeavours.

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Sunday January 12, 2020

A versatile professional with a heart for helping others…

Eve Adams

By Sharmain Grainger

G

is a ‘Special Person’

ive thanks in the good times and the bad times.

This is the mantra that Eve Adams decided to embrace several years ago. It wasn’t in a time of goodness that she made this bold decision, rather it was when she was faced with the most unnerving struggle of her life.

But it was then that she was able to muster up courage to hold on to her faith and accept that nothing happens by chance but rather to transform us into better versions of ourselves; the kind that not only wants to do good, but exudes a kind of goodness that other people want to emulate.

And for it, today Adams has ingrained in her DNA, the desire to help save lives, and she does it by any means necessary.

Celebrating with her This isn’t just in keeping husband, Willie Rennick, on with the Florence his 80th birthday last year Nightingale Pledge she recited years earlier, it too well. She has come to the v e r y e x i s t e n c e a n d , instead comes from a place realisation it is not just about sometimes, just sometimes, of empathy; a place of her; there are actually people to die is to let them down.

Unwilling to let them knowing what it is to cling to who are depending on your life…that place where it becomes so easy to “I made a resolution that year that no matter what lose faith but you happens to me I would give God thanks; I was don’t, and instead going to give thanks in the good times and I was become stronger. going to give thanks in the bad times. Even though There is a reason there was nothing to be thankful for at the time for wanting to extend with such a diagnosis, I said ‘Lord you will have to your time in this give me a reason to give thanks.’ I remembered realm, and Adams understands that all saying that and going right to sleep.”

In the company of her husband and his children

down, she battled through one of the most feared diseases – cancer – and came out on the other side a much better person, one who is deserving of our ‘Special Person’ title today.

But Adams didn’t know this was her destined path, at least not when she was but a girl growing up on the East Coast of Demerara.

EARLY DAYS Born to parents Thomas [deceased] and Joan Adams on March 22, 1952, as the youngest of three children, Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara was the first home to our ‘Special Person’.

Later her parents bundled her and siblings [the eldest a girl and a boy (deceased)] and moved to Nabaclis, another East Coast Demerara community. She attended St Andrews Anglican School and then Golden Grove Government

School.

She has fond memories of her childhood days, especially the way she was brought up by her homemaker for a mother.

“I remember my mom always telling us she was not raising us for Golden Grove and Nabaclis, and as children we could not understand that, because these were the communities we knew; where else could we be raised for? We couldn’t think of the world bigger than those two areas,” Adams recounted.

Among her years of stockpiled memories are those sumptuous lunchtime meals her mother prepared and, according to Adams, “I remember coming home from school at lunch time and the table would be set with knife and fork; we were never allowed to eat with a spoon.”

Adams from a young age, too, was an avid reader,

Eve Adams is a ‘Special Person’

and sometimes got lost in the pages of the several books she got from her godmother who resided in England.

“She would send me books and articles about food science,” Adams recalled, as she responded to a question about the career path she’d envisioned for herself as a young girl.

“When I was in high school I told my parents I wanted to become a nutritionist; from reading I figured that is what I wanted

Her son and his family complete her blended family

to do,” she intimated.

But it would take quite a bit of work to convince her contractor father that being a nutritionist was actually a real profession.

“My dad didn’t know what a nutritionist was, and so I told him it had to do with the science of food and preparing food in a healthy way; my dad’s response to me was ‘you don’t have to go to school to learn how to be a cook’…of course my dad wanted me to become an Continued on page 54

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

PAGE 23

No agreement can supersede the Constitution

T

he secretive State House Accord, now called the Revised Cummingsburg Accord, is not worth the paper on which it is written.

The AFC ought to know by now that APNU can simply renege on any and everything which is written in that document.

The accord got off on a wrong footing. It ought never to have been signed on state property. As was the case in 2015, a neutral venue ought to have been identified for the signing of the pact.

The accord is not a legally binding document.

The President has exclusive executive power under the Constitution and is under no legal compulsion to go along with anything which is written in that agreement.

But he will be accused of lying to the public if he does not honour his statement pledge of making Khemraj Ramjattan his Prime

Minister after the elections.

The AFC needs to seriously question why APNU was reluctant to name Ramjattan as the Coalition’s Prime Ministerial candidate.

By now it should be obvious to the AFC that APNU prefers its own candidate.

The President’s age and illness are factors in this preference. The President is recovering from a serious illness which the public is advised is in remission.

But also the President is not getting any younger, and there is a belief that he is likely to step aside and make way for a successor before the end of his term. After all, if he serves until the end of his next term – conditional on him winning the elections, of course – he would be 80 years old.

Assuming that he wins the elections, if the President has to step aside, it is the Prime Minister who assumes the Presidency. It has been

rumoured that there is an understanding between the two sides that should this happen, the AFC will not assume the Presidency.

This, of course, is unconstitutional, since the Constitution provides for the Prime Minister to become President. Nothing that is written in the new agreement can prevent an AFC Prime Minister from assuming President should the position become vacant.

The APNU therefore has gotten bitten by its own snake. It was APNU which disavowed the provision which it had agreed to under the original Cummingsburg Accord, which provided for the Prime Minister to chair Cabinet. APNU made it clear after the elections that this part of the agreement was in violation of the Constitution.

The AFC can claim the same thing in the event of there being a need to appoint

a new President. The AFC c a n s a y t h a t , notwithstanding what is written in the new Cummingsburg Agreement, the Constitution is supreme.

The AFC would be on a strong legal footing if it m a k e s s u c h a pronouncement. No agreement can supersede the Constitution. And the Constitution provides that Ramjattan should succeed Granger.

APNU therefore is likely to want its own candidate as Prime Minister. But there is now a pact with the public.

The public has been informed that Ramjattan will be the Prime Minister. To go back on that after the election will be considered to be an

act of deception. But politicians have been known to find ways to gloss over such deception.

The real danger which Granger faces, however, is not likely to come from the AFC. It is likely to come from within his own party.

There are persons within APNU who want to become President. Their financial backers are growing weary of waiting.

Some APNU persons, who have their hearts set on becoming President, are not getting younger. And so they may be eyeing the ‘prize’ if and when Granger decides to step aside.

Some of them may not be willing to wait five years to ascend to the throne. They do

not know what the 2025 elections will bring or whether they will still be around.

And so they are likely to impress on the President the need for the Prime Minister to come from within APNU. Granger may not be catering for this now that he has made his announcement. But he may be forced to give in to pressures after the elections.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 24

Sunday January 12, 2020

China, the Caribbean and the West: SERVING WHOSE INTEREST?

By Sir Ronald Sanders

C

a r i b b e a n countries are being warned by the government of the United States of America (U.S.) and U.S. writers that they should limit their dealings with China. In the course of these warnings, several allegations are made, suggesting sinister Chinese motives and even corrupt relations between Chinese institutions and local politicians who get personal “side benefits”.

The latter claim has been made by Evan Ellis, a member of the Policy Planning staff at the U.S. State Department, in a recently published article entitled, ‘Latin America and China: Choosing selfinterest’. It should be noted that Mr. Ellis was writing “personal observations” with the disclaimer that they do not “necessarily represent the view of the State Department or the U.S. government”.

Only the naïve would believe that any major global power is in the Caribbean in the region’s interest. The self-interest being served is the global power that engages with regional countries. So, for one global

power to claim that another global power is pursuing its own interest is akin to the pot calling the kettle black.

Caribbean countries are well aware of this reality.

For Caribbean countries, the bottom line of the relationship they develop with global powers is the benefit that they derive, recognising that each of the global powers is trying to establish influence over them in a range of areas.

What makes China more attractive to regional governments today is that China is demonstrating, by its actions, that it is willing to contribute to the development needs of Caribbean countries.

Meanwhile, other global powers have either withdrawn assistance or limited it to areas that are marginal to economic development.

The most telling example of this is China’s loans for infrastructural projects such as airports, seaports, bridges and roads.

Typically, Chinese loans for such projects are repayable over 20 years at less than 3% interest with a five-year moratorium on the repayment of capital. No other government or international financial

institution is willing to lend m o n e y o n s u c h advantageous terms. In fact, most Caribbean countries are prohibited from access to concessional financing by narrow rules drawn-up by Western governments.

Faced with the need to deliver economic and social benefits for their people, Caribbean governments consider it in their countries’ interest to pursue Chinese funding. They would hardly accept warnings not to deal with China from countries that do little or nothing to advance their economic betterment.

One of the fallacies, promoted by Western writers is that China “lures” Caribbean governments into “asymmetric deals by offering personal benefits (to government negotiators) in exchange for overall terms favourable to Chinese companies”.

The reality tells a d i ff e r e n t s t o r y. O f t e n Caribbean governments have had to pursue Chinese government loans, facing rejections before any are approved, and many remain refused. China is interested in getting its loan capital repaid with interest. China wants the money. It has millions whose standard of

living they have to improve and millions of mouths which they have to feed.

Doing so is crucial to the maintenance of political stability and China’s form of government.

As for side contracts to government negotiators, there has been no evidence of this in the Caribbean. For their part, Chinese officials are keenly aware that the penalty is fatal in their country for any corruption of which they are convicted.

To be fair, the Chinese government has also been more generous in providing grants than other global powers.

These grants, usually for social welfare projects such as housing and rebuilding after disasters, certainly earn China the appreciation of the recipients and, therefore, sympathy and gratitude in the international community.

Instead of decrying these grants, other global and medium-sized powers should emulate China. They should give Caribbean countries the option of choosing the more beneficial partner. If not, Caribbean countries are constrained to choose the most willing.

In his article, cited earlier, Evan Ellis declares, in condemnation, that “Chinese companies are notoriously inadequate, for example, in providing opportunities for locals in senior management”.

Perhaps he is unaware that

North American and European companies, operating in the Caribbean, follow the same practice.

It is as unjustifiable for Chinese companies as it is for North American and European ones.

They should all be criticized as should those Caribbean governments that allow it, particularly in fields where educated and trained Caribbean persons exist.

Two of the areas in which Caribbean countries are urged not to allow Chinese participation are telecommunications and surveillance.

According to Mr. Ellis, this is so sensitive that “such presence could put at risk the ability of its (the Caribbean’s) politicians and administrators to make effective and independent decisions”. However, the C a r i b b e a n ’ s telecommunications have been in the hands of U.S., Canadian and European institutions for decades, and, in most cases, they still are.

Therefore, the question is begged: why is it more in the Caribbean’s interest to allow participation in its telecommunications by North American and European companies than by Chinese ones?

Part of the answer might be provided by Mr. Ellis who says that participation of Chinese companies would make it difficult for other partners such as the U.S. The Caribbean region has always been the involuntary pawn on the chessboard of global politics, shuffled around and sacrificed for the interest of one player or another. All who have come to the region have done so in their own interest. At times, the region has gained from the involvement of outside

Sir Ronald Sanders powers because, in satisfying their own needs, those powers left some good to countries in the area. But, always, the peoples of Caribbean countries knew that their own interest was ancillary to the interests of others.

Today, in dealing with China and other global powers, no Caribbean country is seeking to advance the interests of one of those powers over the other.

The region has always been interested, without discrimination, in seeking fair and equitable involvement by other nations from which there is mutual benefit. In pursuing this objective, concessions have been given, pride has sometimes been swallowed, and difficult choices have been made. But, importing rivalry between global powers is neither part of the Caribbean’s agenda, nor in its self-interest.

(The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto.

The views expressed are entirely his own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---

Mr. Jagdeo eyes pass African-Guyanese

A

ccording to re ports, PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo told attendees at the recent launch of the PPP’s 2019 campaign that the PPP “is the natural home for AfroGuyanese”. This is not the first time the former president has spoken on the issue of African-Guyanese relationship to the PPP, but it is his boldest statement to date.

Both the PPP and the PNC have always sought to appeal to crossover voters while holding on to their traditional bases. Striking that balance has been problematic for them.

I would argue that neither party has come even close to achieving that outcome. The difficulty lies in the entrenched voting pattern, which is grounded in the fact that neither ethnic group is prepared to accept the leadership of the other. So, voting across ethnic lines is seen as Political Heresy.

Further, the very notion of ethnic appeal to one ethnicity runs against the letter and spirit of a multi-ethnic appeal.

In other words, it is almost impossible to simultaneously do both.

Having said that , my view is that every party has a right to pursue votes from all ethnic groups. From that stand-

point, the PPP has every right to go after the AfricanGuyanese vote. My interest is in the means or tactics used to pursue that crossover vote.

This is where I take issue with Mr. Jagdeo’s statement, which I think is an insult to the dignity of AfricanGuyanese.

Let me say emphatically that the PPP is not the natural home of African-Guyanese.

So, Mr. Jagdeo eyes pass African-Guyanese when he suggests that the PPP is their natural home. There is no greater insult to that community. And this must be exposed and pushed back.

In fact, from 1955 the PPP has pushed AfricanGuyanese out of that home and barred them from re-entering. The party has employed the rhetoric of multiracialism while its praxis has been grounded in ethnic separatism and domination.

The PPP, since the split of the nationalist movement in 1955, has been the automatic political home for IndianGuyanese—I assume that Jagdeo used the term natural in that sense. And in order to fortify that relationship, the party has had to push African-Guyanese out of the party.

At the time of split of the PPP in 1955, some African-

Guyanese leaders and their followers remained with the Jaganite faction. But that faction’s movement towards the consolidation of the Indian vote led to a second split in 1956-57 that saw the exit of the African-Guyanese members and supporters who had stayed with them.

The Jaganite PPP deliberately kept Guyana out of the West Indies Federation on ethnic grounds—it contended that Indian-Guyanese would become a minority in the Federation. It also welcomed into the party’s leadership members of the IndianGuyanese elites who had been hostile to the early PPP’s pro-socialist agenda.

In effect, we had a case where Indian-Guyanese antisocialists joining the leadership of an avowed communist party. This Indianization of the Jagan faction led Eusi Kwayana to declare that Dr. Jagan had lost confidence in the African executives in his party. By the time the 1961 election came around, the PPP had become a full-fledged Indian party, in which AfricanGuyanese were not welcome.

Since then the PPP has never sought to engage the African-Guyanese community in any serious manner.

Dr. Jagan used the tactic of Ethnic Window Dressing,

The Baccoo Speaks The fact that the criminals are scrambling for money does not escape notice. They will strike again in the eastern part of the country, robbing businessmen and even households that have no visible wealth. But it will not be plain sailing, because the police, safe in the knowledge that the city is under control, will deploy ranks to the new crime hotspots.

** A Guyanese will make international headlines for the wrong reason. He will commit

a murder during a quarrel over drugs. He will be arrested, but the media will make use of the fact that Guyana is a drug transshipment point. ** Fake news or false information will be rampant in the wake of the race for the presidency. Social media will be reporting on nonevents and thus will be fuelling animosity among the people.

whereby the party recruited a handful of African-Guyanese and made one of them the symbolic deputy at election time. None of these AfricanGuyanese PPP leaders has had any standing in the African-Guyanese community. In my opinion, almost all of them have been unreceptive to that community. This is a significant point—to survive as a top Black leader in the PPP, one has to be oblivious to the interests and values of African-Guyanese.

When Jagdeo took office, he adopted a different approach to recruiting AfricanGuyanese to the PPP. He sought to weaken the community, economically and culturally, and then in their weakened state, entice them into supporting the PPP. The objective was a systematic ethnic domination of AfricanGuyanese.

Mr. Jagdeo’s PPP attacked every AfricanGuyanese-dominated institution — the army, police, public service and even some African-Guyanese cultural organizations.

In the process, he pauperized the broad AfricanGuyanese masses. In other words, the development of the Indian-Guyanese elite

domination of the country’s political economy was accompanied by the simultaneous underdevelopment of the African-Guyanese community.

The regime then suborned a small cadre of African Guyanese by giving them access to huge sums of money and other financial benefits and used them to induce Guyanese at the lower end of the social ladder.

This included a steady diet of parties, monies for some symbolic community projects, monetary handouts, preferential treatment for contracts, and compensation for infamously devious acts.

In the meantime, the manipulation of the AfricanGuyanese Leadership of the army and the police paved the way for appalling atrocities.

The similar manipulation of the African-Guyanese Labour leadership meant that the fight for better wages for public servants and other workers were compromised.

For example, while the PPP vigorously fought to advance the wages of sugar workers, it did everything to depress the wages of public servants.

As Dr. Henry Jeffrey observed in his recent column, the PPP has rejected overtures from the African-

Dr David Hinds Guyanese political leadership in and out of the PNC for a power sharing government.

The Indian PPP leadership has made clear that it does not want to share power with African-Guyanese—it was for African-Guyanese to accept the domination of the IndianGuyanese-led PPP. It is interested in African-Guyanese political props for the party, especially at election time, rather than a genuine relationship with African-Guyanese.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) More of Dr. Hinds’ writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news.

Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

The case of the quiet computer technician

By Michael Jordan None of us suspected that he might have a secret life.

None of us thought that the time would come when his name would be mentioned in the same sentence with unsavoury figures from the Guyanese underworld.

After all, he was Veeran Veerapen, a mild-mannered, middle-aged guy with glasses, who worked in the Chronicle’s Computer Room.

‘Pen’, as most of us called him, was a member of the Rama Krishna Church in Barr Street, Kitty. He was happily married, had fathered two children, had worked at the same job for 25 years, didn’t drink alcohol, didn’t smoke, and never raised his voice.

But on Tuesday, January 12, 1999, something went badly wrong in the life of Veeran Veerapen.

At around nine o’clock that day, the 49-year-old computer technician left his Owen Street, Kitty home after informing his wife, Indroutie, that he was going to GT&T’s Brickdam office to pay the family’s phone bill.

From all reports, he disembarked from a minibus at Regent Street and Orange Walk, and headed towards Brickdam.

And then he simply disappeared.

Night fell, and dawn broke, and there was still no sign of Veerapen. An intensive search began for the missing technician.

On Thursday, January 14, a group of children living in a small community near the Madewini Creek got an unpleasant surprise. Lying on

Scouring the area, the detectives also found an empty bottle several feet from the corpse.

The bottle smelled of the unmistakable odour of monocrotophos — the deadly insecticide used in the local farming industry.

Suspecting that the victim was missing technician Veeran Veerapen, detectives

topsy revealed that Veerapen died from the brutal head blows he had received.

Dr. Mootoo concluded that someone had forced the noxious substance down Veerapen’s throat before killing him.

What, everyone wondered, could this quiet, decent family man have done to come to such a brutal end? Who

the ground, in a clearing some 100 yards off the East Bank public road, was the badly battered body of a man of East Indian ancestry.

Detectives who arrived at the scene concluded that the victim had been bludgeoned to death.

contacted the missing man’s family.

Two relatives immediately identified the body as that of Veerapen.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Leslie Mootoo found traces of the insecticide in the dead man’s stomach, but the au-

had wanted him dead?

Detectives attempted to find out just that.

Retracing Veerapen’s movements on the day he disappeared, the investigators discovered that he never arrived at GT&T to pay the telephone bill.

The phone bill amounted to $6,000. When Veerapen was found, only $1,000 was in his pocket.Then the investigation took an even more sinister turn. Veerapen, the detectives were told, was walking along Orange Walk, near Croal Street, when three men cornered him and forced him into a white car.

Digging into Veerapen’s background, the detectives found out that the Chronicle

computer technician also did computer work for persons with whom he had been acquainted for several years.

Their investigations led them to suspect that Veerapen’s computer expertise had led to him rubbing shoulders with some figures in a ‘backtrack’ ring which provided Guyanese with false documents to migrate to the United States and Canada.

Veerapen, they concluded, had somehow incurred the wrath of key members of a recently-busted ‘backtrack’ ring, and had paid the ultimate price.

Some of the reports also seemed to indicate that the men who had abducted and killed Veerapen had met him at his home a few days before he was slain.

Determined to find possible clues, investigators removed Veerapen’s personal computer and accessories from his home and perused the files. They found nothing.

They also reportedly sought, and received, assistance from US Embassy officials who had investigated the same ‘backtrack’ operation that was suspected to have ‘taken out’ Veerapen.

But, again, they found nothing. The trail went cold, and has stayed cold.

In fact, no one was ever arrested for ‘Pen’s’ murder.

Throughout it all, Veerapen’s wife, Indroutie,

has steadfastly maintained that her husband had not been into any shady business. She stated that she knew all of the persons for whom her husband had done private work.

Her belief, she said, was that the people who murdered her husband had mistaken him for someone else.

Ten years after her husband’s unsolved murder, Mrs. Veerapen still had a haunted look when I turned up at her home to ask her about the case.

Stressing her reluctance to speak about the matter, she told me she has resigned herself to the fact that his killers will never be caught. Their fate, she says, is in the hands of the Creator.

And so it seems that what happened on that fateful January day in 1999 will remain a mystery, known only to a group of cold-blooded killers and their victim, Veeran Veerapen, the quiet computer technician with a secret life.

If you have any further information on this case, or any other, please contact us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street office, or by telephone.

We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258491, 22-58458, or 2258473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his e-mail address kamarangnight@gmail.com

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==

The lesser of two evils should not be an option in March

O

n Thursday evening I was in conversation with three friends – Ogle airport engineer, Raymond Persaud and two AFC members; former General Secretary, Marlon Williams and youth activist, Arnold Sukhraj. I told Marlon and Arnold I will be going to their party’s campaign meetings, because I would like to hear them on the platform.

I told Marlon I will be on the pulpit of Lenox Shuman’s party and Change Guyana of Robert Badal, because I am supporting third parties. He said to me that it is unfortunate and regrettable that I will not be on the platform for the AFC. I reacted by telling Raymond that Marlon’s Freudian mind was at work, because he chose not to ask why I will not speak for the PPP. I decided to be provocative. I asked Marlon to tell me what is wrong with the PPP that I should not speak on their bandwagon. He gave an example.

There was an incident during the PPP’s rule where drug traffickers had a party at Buddy’s Pool Hall. Armed criminals with AK 47s were

bullying drivers, instructing them where to turn off from Sherriff Street. He gave another example where drug traffickers were openly using violence in full view of the public.

His point was made and it was strong one.

Then as I was about to reply, he and Arnold walked toward their car.

He was not going to listen to my injection. As he moved towards the car, I told him about some of the violent men now holding state authority that committed violent acts during the post-election violence in 1997, the public service strike in 1999, and what I know of some of them in Buxton, 2002-2005. As he drove away, I told him both sides have violent leaders.

About five minutes after he left, Marlon drove back and from the window of the car said.

“Freddie one side send killers to you, the other side sent envoys.” I didn’t get to finish my reply, but he heard when I said; “Marlon, I agree with you, but both sides should not rule Guyana because they are identical.”

The Marlon Williams thesis I face daily. Supporters of APNU+AFC keep telling me

that the PPP did terrible things to me that APNU+AFC did not. It always ends like this; “So Freddie, do you want these people back in power?”

My answer has become a stuck record. I do not want them back; hope that they will not get back get in, but I will not accept that because they are monsters, I must choose APNU+AFC. The essential point of Marlon and the other folks who echo Marlon’s sentiments is that there is the lesser of two evils, and one must choose the lesser. What is missing in this delivery is that the lesser is also evil.

Whether lesser or thinner, evil is there.

Why then should I choose evil even though it is not large or broad as other evils? It is not evil after all?

From the time Charrandass Persaud told me how he would have voted for the no-confidence motion (NCM) in December 2018, I encouraged him.

I am not going to be dishonest in my politics. A year before the NCM, he discussed the possibility with me and I urged him to do it. There was never even the remotest thought that if he did the PPP would return. That thinking

never crossed my mind.

I urged Charran to vote in an NCM because of my concern for the future of my country. It was clear to me in 2017 when Charran raised the issue with me at a birthday party on David Street, Kitty, that APNU+AFC was a failed construct that would not be different in the type of governance we have had from 1966, and that APNU+AFC was not the future of Guyana and will not be.

I was driven to support Charran by the absolute depravity of the power intoxication inside the collective mentality of the AFC that I saw

since 2017.

I believed then and I still believe that with the NCM bringing down the government, endless possibilities would open up for taming the power-hogging of the two big parties that have been destroying Guyana since 1957.

This is where I am at. My mind is made up – the PPP should not return.

Their rule was evil. I know about evil, because evil visited me under the PPP. I agree with Marlon – they sent killers to me. But I want a future for my country, and APNU+AFC cannot give that. Only power-sharing can.

Frederick Kissoon (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Governmental trickery ended in May 2015 The number of letters to the newspaper editors, as expected, are becoming weighted heavier with outright lies and wicked innuendos, designed to minimize the immense impact of the Gov-

ernments efforts to better the lives of citizens. When Finance Minister Winston Jordan declared in 2015 that this Governments objective is to create “the Good Life” for every Guyanese, he meant in

every respect.

For the most part, the promises made have been kept. Some were delayed only because a great amount of time was spent fixing and putting to right every aspect of

Government that the PPP government took 23 years to destroy. We noticed a letter written by a frequent contributor to the newspaper columns accusing the Government of reneging on a promise to digitise all of Guyana in three years.

The letter writer must be wearing blinkers because the Coalition Government s promise to build an ICT framework for nationwide broadband system has been met, only the work is not done. Like everything associated with Information Technology, the digitisation of Guyana shall remain a work in progress as technology advances.

The letter writer was unable to make the connection between the PPP s failed fibre optic cable and the delay in our ability to provide strong, reliable 4G quality connectivity throughout the country.

Do you remember that infamous billion-dollar cable that the PPP brought over the Takutu Bridge at Lethem from Brazil? The cable was to have been installed along the corridor between Lethem and Georgetown, and along the way, connect every village in the Hinterland and inland regions. But, true to form, the contractors hired to lay the cable were building contractors. Within months that delicate cable was broken up so badly that even the then project coordinator knew that it was useless.

Elections rolled around, government changed hands and the Coalition held out hope that some part of the cable may have been usable, but that was not to be. Highly qualified engineers were brought in to examine it and they found that the entire length was badly damaged, so it had to be discarded.

Here is the connection this travesty set back the digitisation of Guyana by more than 2 years.

The Coalition govern-

ment had counted on that cable to connect schools and smart classrooms, communities, health centres, libraries and meeting halls, especially in hard-to-reach areas in the hinterland like Karasabai and Apoteri, Monkey Mountain and the valleys of the Pakaraimas. But we did find other ways to connect those villages, with VSAT satellite dishes.

The Ministry of Public Telecommunications was formally established in January 2016. One of the first steps they made towards the bigger objective of national digitisation was a Needs Assessment Survey which was conducted by the German company, Detecon, in all ten regions of Guyana. The analysis identified an overwhelming need for computer training everywhere. It found that many people had never seen a computer, despite the PPPs much touted One Laptop per Family programme.

RESPECTING OUR CITIZENS Is the letter writer really accusing this government of disrespecting the citizens?

Once again, the PPP is accusing the Coalition of the crimes that they committed themselves. Fortunately, not many Guyanese have forgotten the way the PPP Government treated us for many years - the cursing, the disrespect, the need to beg for the smallest things. That was gross disrespect meted out to an entire nation. Between 2016 and 2019, the Telecommunications Ministry received many complaints from citizens that accused specific groups of preventing them from utilising the internet at the Community ICT hubs in their communities, e.g. on the Corentyne and Essequibo Islands. Students were prevented from doing homework assignments, studying for CXC EDPM examinations, writing their SBAs, and farmers were pre-

vented from searching the internet to find spare parts for their combines and tractors.

But they could not stop the doctors in Orealla and Lethem from using their internet to face-time with doctors in Holland, Canada, at the GPHC or the Linden Hospital Complex whenever they need help with difficult diagnoses.

These doctors now have hitech equipment so they no longer have to travel to the city with bio-samples.

FULLDIGITISATION There is much more to be done before Guyana achieves full digitization. Plans are being developed with local and international investors on several other undertakings, e.g. the landing of a subsea or terrestrial cable to strengthen Internet connectivity throughout the country.

Liberalisation of the telecommunications environment in Guyana is another undertaking that has consumed more time that was originally envisaged, partly due to severe intransigence and undue delays. However, the requisite Bills have already been signed into law as the discussions and negotiations continue. This Coalition has no history of “trickery and gross incompetence”, for the letter writers information. That label belongs to the PPP. This Government has had no time to scheme, and wheel and deal with the peoples finances and resources. We have been too busy setting things in motion to make the lives of Guyanese better. Guyana was indeed branded the most corrupt nation in the Caribbean by nearly every international lending agency, and that began in 2006. Today, after close to five years of good, honest, people-centered management by APNU+AFC, Guyana has literally pulled itself up the Transparency International corruption index (as well as other global ratings). Now the countrys international reputation is heading towards our potential a paradise with no drugsfunded economy.

The AFC asks our Guyanese citizens to Let Progress Continue in the hands of the APNU+AFC Coalition. We all acknowledge that our lives are better today, and that there is a lot to look forward to, even when the PPP tries to convince them that the developments we see are not there.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

My column

The political race is off in earnest When people say that they are apolitical I just smile.

They may not be actively involved, but they all have political sympathies.

Friday was Nomination Day, and I saw many who said that they support no political party suddenly become representatives of those parties.

Some were first with one party then switched, sparking some ugly comments from the observers.I still hear Freddie Kissoon asking me how it is that I can support the political party of my choice, when he himself has been known to support a number of political parties at one time or another.

I do not question a person’s political leaning.

Each has a reason for doing so. Some do it to spite one party, while others do it for personal gain. But that is how life works. Nobody does anything for nothing, not even the people who feed the beggars and the homeless. The latter expect good things from the Creator.

My friend Harry Gill was once an ardent supporter of the late Winston Murray. I watched him campaign to have Murray become the leader of the People’s National Congress.

Harry could write music and sing. I heard the songs he wrote criticizing the People’s Progressive Party. I saw his political articles. Then he became of the same party he criticized. I do not know why and I surely don’t want to know. It is his right to support the party of his choice.

Tony Vieira, another friend, and former employer was another like Harry Gill. He founded The Evening News and authorized some blistering commentaries against that party.

Things became even more

personal for him. That very party, while in Government, shut down his radio station, albeit an unregistered one. He moved to the courts and actually won the case, but by then he had neither radio station nor television station. He sold them both to supporters of the PPP.When I met him he said that things were not going financially well for him, so he accepted an offer that he could not refuse.

He sold his home and just about everything he had. He was a bitter man.He became a representative of the People’s National Congress. He echoed the views of his family, that they were always supporters of Burnham and the PNC. On Friday, I saw him moving to the PPP and I was happy for him, because he must have had a reason. The fact that City Hall is moving against a brother for outstanding taxes certainly could not have been the reason.

There are others like Vieira. The Prime Ministerial candidate would have had his reason. I do not believe that it had anything to do with his last days in the Guyana Defence Force.

Reports are that he sought an extension when it was time to retire but that wasn’t granted. I understand that the reason was because his successor had less than two hundred days to serve as Chief of Staff. The army did not want to deny that successor the right to attain the highest office in the army.

It is unfortunate that Brigadier Mark Phillips did not attain the rank of Major General. It may have been because the army did not have the strength to accommodate a Major General.

Did these things influ-

ence his decision to become an active member of the PPP? Perhaps. But then again, different things influence people’s decision.

For example, there is nothing in the constitution that dictates that a Prime Ministerial candidate must be named before the elections. Last week I noted that this began with the late Dr Cheddi Jagan and quickly took root.

I remember the then President Desmond Hoyte was asked about his successor and Prime Minister.

Unhesitatingly, he said Winston Murray. We may never know if he was serious, because Murray died before the elections.

President David Granger was caught up in this thing about a running mate. He had earlier said that he would appoint his Prime Minister should he be returned to office. But the questions kept coming. Of course there was talk about the Cummingsburg Accord and the stipulation that the Alliance For Change would get the Prime Minister spot.

Moses Nagamootoo was already the Prime Minister, and no party had ever changed its leadership midstream. But the Accord said that Khemraj Ramjattan would be the Prime Minister. Granger acquiesced mere hours after he had announced that he would wait until after he was elected.Now all eyes are on the voters’ list which has a whopping 660,000-plus names. Tomorrow, the Court of Appeal would rule on whether names could actually be removed from that list. The High Court had actually determined that no names could be removed unless there was hard evidence that a person had died. A padded voters’

list would do no good for the credibility of the elections.

Whatever the case, these would be as some say, the Mother of all Elections. Whoever wins would preside over Guyana’s oil wealth. I see the young voters out in force, and they are spread among the political parties. They would make an impact one way or the other. And they span the racial divide.

The campaign would begin in earnest. There is nothing to say that it would be a clean campaign devoid of race baiting. Indeed that has been

a feature of previous elections, to the extent that the Guyana Elections Commission saw it fit to establish a media monitoring unit. There were rules drawn up for the conduct of the media. Those rules should still be in effect.

And at the end of the day there should be no violence.

After all, Guyana is a small country that can ill-afford any setback to its development.

And in any case, when the elections are over, the people simply return to their daily lives in the same way the water is calmed after a pebble is

Adam Harris thrown into it.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

The President and the environment (A review of four books by David Granger – Air, Earth and Water: Protecting Guyana’s environment; Iwokrama: A university of biodiversity; The Green State. Environmental security and biodiversity in Guyana; and Trees: Guyana’s covenant with the earth.)

David Granger, President of Guyana, has emerged as a passionate advocate for the protection of the environment.

The release of a collection four books, authored by him and detailing his environmental policies, cemented his reputation as an authoritative voice on the global environmental landscape.

Concise and written with clarity, the collection reproduces President Granger’s addresses to local and international audiences on Guyana’s environment from 2016 to 2019.

Air, earth and water: Pro-

tecting Guyana’s environment, the first book, constitutes the text the President’s address on the occasion of World Environment Day on 11th October, 2019.

He made bold, but controversial proposals, for regulating the mining sector in a country whose main mineral export is gold. His proposals were all the more audacious considering that he had been President for only four years and of a country which, his-

torically, has been economically dependent on the extraction of its natural resources.

Guyana suffered mixed economic fortunes for the greater part of its pre-Independence era and is considered still to be among the poorest states in the western hemisphere. The exploitation of its mineral wealth – bauxite, diamonds, gold and manganese – could offer rich rewards and a path to economic prosperity.

The adverse effects of the extractive industries on the environment, however, are no secret. Mining and logging are associated with increased deforestation the rates of which, despite being low, come with risks. The most serious of these is pollution of the rivers and land by the deadly poison, mercury, which is widely used in the gold-mining sector.

The average politician, in the absence of a serious crisis, would hardly be inclined to undertake controversial measures, especially in an election year. But David Granger is no average politician. He has displayed pluck by placing people before profits. He is a statesman who is prepared to make difficult decisions in order to balance development with environmental protection and human safety.

Air, earth and water: Protecting Guyana’s environment is a small, absorbing and book. It argues a cogent case for the implementation of measures to reduce deforestation and environmental pollution. Granger’s proposals demand that Guyanese, both rich and poor and, particularly, his country’s powerful loggers and miners, make hard choices in pursuing his lofty vision.

Iwokrama: A University of biodiversity, the second book, represents his address at the 30th anniversary of the Pledge of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development on 30th November 2019.

Iwokrama was conceived 30 years ago following the 11th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malaysia in 1989. Hailed as Guyana’s great ‘gift to the world’, this 371,000-hectares forest concession was supposed to become a model of sustainable tropical forest management and conservation.

It has survived in relative obscurity, bedeviled by a sixyear delay in signing the agreement to establish the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. Prob-

lems with financing, occasioned by shifting donor priorities, have slowed the Centre’s growth.

Guyana is dismayed by the international community’s neglect of Iwokrama. President Granger is not a man to be discouraged easily, however; he is on a mission to protect his country’s environment. He re-conceptualizes Iwokrama in this small book without straying from the Centre’s original objectives.

He unveils his new ‘covenant’ – one which will warm the hearts of environmentalists and students of biodiversity.

President Granger, in seeking to realize his vision for Iwokrama, knows that he will need international cooperation and must become more adept in obtaining it than his predecessors.

Guyana’s first peoples have a saying that: “Trees hold up the sky. If the trees are cut down, the sky will fall.”

It is their way of reminding humanity that the planet is protected when trees are protected. Trees are all around; we often taken them for granted.

Trees: Guyana’s covenant with the earth, Granger’s third book, encourages the reader to look at trees in the same way. The book – the text of an address which the Guyanese President gave on the occasion of National Tree Day on 11th October, 2019 – is a stirring exposition of the immense value which trees make to human life.

Granger’s rejection of unrestricted logging sends a message to people, both at home and away: we will not cut down the country’s forests in the pursuit of profits.

There is a real rejection here of absolutes – the state can achieve food security, economic prosperity, and hinterland development without mass deforestation.

The book sends a simple but stirring message: The world must first protect its trees. Saving the world begins with saving the forests and safeguarding the forests.

The Green State: Environmental security and biodiversity in Guyana is the fourth and most substantial of the four books. It is a masterful work which shifts the global environmental discourse by highlighting the underrated and undervalued role of small states in protecting the environment.

The key message of the book is that small states – particularly small island developing and low-lying coastal states – are not mere victims of the effects of global warming but are part of the

solution to arresting climate change.

The book’s publication is timely. The euphoria of the Paris Agreement of December 2015 has subsided, owing to successive failures to make substantial progress in climate negotiations. These failures have disappointed hopes for meeting the agreed targets set in Paris four years ago.

Granger’s book offers a bright and fresh approach, divorced from the commodification of environmental services and establishing rules for carbon markets. He points the world in a new direction by establishing a model of low-carbon, lowemission economies. It is the tonic needed to reboot the world’s environmental movement, wearied by recent setbacks in the ambition to stem global temperature rises.

Granger matches rhetoric with responsibility. His actions speak louder than his words. He is prepared to deploy his country’s environmental assets to help reduce the greenhouse effect but he wishes also to ensure that human development is not imperiled. He is clear-eyed about what is to be done.

The President has set himself and his country the ambitious goal of developing what he calls a ‘green state’, one in which emphasis will be placed on conservation, the protection of biodiversity, the promotion of energy generation from renewable sources and the adoption of measures to enhance climate mitigation and adaptation.

Guyana is a leader in environmental stewardship.

Guyana’s President faces a stern test in changing the development trajectory of his country, however.

Transitioning to a ‘green state’ will require time, resources and a change in attitudes, no easy task for a small state still seeking to overcome the strictures of underdevelopment.

Granger, if he is successful, would have given the world a replicable model of a low- carbon state and demonstrated the vital role which small states can play in finding solutions to global problems while addressing their own vulnerabilities.

The world should take heed of this new voice of environmentalism. Granger’s four-book collection is worth acquiring and reading.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Common questions about gas and bloating

By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Belching or passing gas is natural and common. Excessive belching or flatus, accompanied by bloating, pain or distention of your belly, can occasionally interfere with daily activities or cause embarrassment. But these signs and symptoms usually don’t represent any serious underlying condition and are often decreased with simple lifestyle measures.

Today we will discuss this very common and uncomfortable problem.

WHAT CAUSES GAS? Causes of gas include: * Swallowing air, often while eating, drinking, or smoking. Swallowed air usually comes back out as a burp. *Eating certain foods, such as beans, fizzy drinks, broccoli, onions, fruit, wheat, potatoes, corn, and noodles.

Bacteria in the intestines digest parts of these foods and spit out gas. * Trouble digesting certain foods, such as wheat or dairy products * Chewing gum *Conditions that harm the digestive system WHAT CAUSES BLOATING? The colon has a lot of bends in it. When air gets

trapped in these bends, you might feel cramps or sharp pains. This pain is common in the middle and top of the belly on either side.

HOW MUCH GAS IS NORMAL? Most people pass gas 14 to 23 times each day. Burping before and after meals is also common. Gas bothers some people more than others.

WHY DOES MY GAS SMELL? Most of the gas that comes out of your anus has no smell. But some of it contains a substance called sulfur. Sulfur smells bad to most people.

IS THEREANYTHING I CAN DO ON MY OWN TO GET RID OF GAS AND BLOATING? You might feel better if you: * Cut down on certain foods. Write down what you eat so you can figure out which foods are causing your gas. Everyone’s body is different. * Take medicines that contain simethicone (brand names include: Maalox AntiGas, Mylanta Gas and Gas-X).

You can get these at a drug store. Simethicone breaks up gas bubbles in your intestines. * Take a product called Beano before eating gas causing vegetables and fruits.

This can help your body di-

gest beans and some vegetables. * Take a medicine called bismuth subsalicylate (brand name: Pepto-Bismol). This can help make gas smell less bad.

SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR? See your doctor if you also have gas and any of these symptoms: * Diarrhea that lasts longer than 5 days *Unexplained weight loss * Belly pain * Blood in bowel movements * Loss of appetite * Unexplained fever * Throwing up for longer than 2 days ARE THERE TESTS I SHOULD HAVE? Your doctor will decide which tests you should have based on your age, other symptoms, and individual situation. There are lots of tests, but you might not need any.

HOW IS GAS AND BLOATING TREATED? That depends on what is causing your gas and bloating. Treatments can include: *Changing what you eat and drink * Changing how you eat and drink. Eating more slowly can help with burping. *Using supplements to help you digest dairy products * Taking medicines that you can buy at a drug store * Visiting your doctor and working out a treatment plan based on the cause of your gas CAN GAS BE PREVENTED?

You can reduce your chances of getting gas again by: * Staying away from foods and drinks that cause gas for you * Taking Beano when you eat beans and some vegetables * Taking supplements that help you digest dairy, if that is your problem * Eating more slowly * Avoiding processed foods or foods that may have chemicals in them * If you are sensitive to certain foods that may cause your gas and bloating, then minimize their use. Most of-

Dr Zulfikar Bux ten it has to do with what you take in and how you do it. If your gas continues after controlling your intake, then visit your doctor to make sure there is not an underlying condition causing your gas and bloating.

Kaieteur News

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SUNDAY EXXON’S “PARASITIC” PROJECT IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA BEARS SIMILARITIES TO GUYANA ExxonMobil has led a consortium since 2014, embarking on a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The project w a s s a i d t o b e transformative, with projections being made that it would revolutionise several aspects of the Papua New Guineans’ lives.

The report is titled – Double or Nothing: The Broken Economic Promises o f P N G L N G .

Former Australia senator and columnist for The Guardian, Scott Ludlam, who wrote on the project, said that it “provides a distressing case study of large-scale economic parasitism.”

How did a project meant to transform the lives of Papua New Guineans end up making the country weaker in several areas? Jubilee Australia has listed several reasons.

Kaieteur News has observed that the shortfalls named are reflected in developments occurring right here in Guyana, since oil was discovered by ExxonMobil in 2015 in the Stabroek Block.

One of the more striking similarities is the secrecy of the agreement.

The report mentioning the secrecy was published in 2018, which means the people of Papua New Guinea have had to endure a project for which they were ignorant of the detailed fiscal agreement for at least four y e a r s .

In Guyana, while the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil was eventually released, it was only done so after sustained calls for its release and protests against a lack of transparency in Guyana’s Petroleum sector.

Late last year, local activist Ramon Gaskin criticised the secrecy surrounding agreements and contracts. ”The [first agreement], I think, [was released] 17 years from 1999, and the Trotman agreement after a lot of agitation, it was eventually released,” Gaskin said.

That refers to the original 1999 Petroleum Prospecting Licence for the Stabroek Block. It was signed by the late Janet Jagan, in her

The injured bandit Shaquille Wilbury

Dead bandit: Mark Prince capacity as Minister of Petroleum. That was just the beginning. The Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) currently in force was signed

by Trotman in 2016. It was published in December 2017, a year after it was inked.

INVESTIGATIONS INTO GRAND CORRUPTION DURING PPP ERA IN OFFICE WILL GO NOWHERE – Key records either locked away, burnt or missing–UK Expert-Dr. Sittlington For more than a decade, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), have separately, and jointly, a c c u s e d t h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party (PPP) of being responsible for massive scales of corruption which steered billions of dollars away from the national pursue. But after assuming office in 2015, creating a State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA), and starting several investigations, not a single person within the PPP’s hierarchy is behind bars.

During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, former British Advisor to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), Dr. Sam Sittlington, said he is quite aware of this situation as well as the reasons why Guyana has failed in its attempts to tackle grand c o r r u p t i o n .

The UK Advisor was quick to state that the probe into allegations of PPP corruption should be dropped.

From his experience in working with SOCU and interacting with other crime f i g h t i n g a g e n t s , D r.

Sittlington said key records that are needed to support the allegations of corruption are either locked away, burnt or m i s s i n g .

The UK Advisor on anti-

Police Constable Jonathan Harry who reported sick for duty Special Branch at Eve L e a r y, G e o r g e t o w n .

Kaieteur News was informed that Harry was Captured: Akande Ross scheduled for duty but he reported sick. However, it money laundering said, too, that key witnesses are also appeared that Constable difficult to locate to make Harry was well enough to be p e r t i n e n t s t a t e m e n t s . the getaway driver in the ”So it is a lost cause,” Dr. robbery that left one of his accomplices dead, another Sittlington advised. wounded and the others He said that the captured except for one authorities of the day should female who is still on the run. wipe the slate clean and look The bandits were attempting at money laundering or corruption cases that are to rob a Chinese Restaurant current “because going back at Tuschen, West Coast 15 to 20 years looking for Demerara, when their plans evidence in Guyana, it is not were cut short after a g o i n g t o b e t h e r e . ” neighbour who is also a Furthermore, the Consultant licensed firearm holder, on a number of anti-money i n t e r v e n e d . laundering programmes The incident reportedly noted that Guyana’s failure occurred at around 21:00hrs. to address grand corruption Police said that the gang is hinged on a number of went to 5-Star Chinese Restaurant located at 695 other factors.

Tuschen New Housing Scheme, East Bank SPECIAL BRANCH Essequibo; two were armed POLICE RANK with cutlasses and one with a REPORTED SICK handgun.

TO GO ON ROBBERY The proprietor of the – WAS THE DRIVER business, 43-year-old Guang OF GET-AWAY CAR Hong Wang, her husband Following Friday night’s and a customer; 37-year-old dramatic faceoff between a gang of bandits and an armed Navindra Lakahalall were in Tuschen resident during a the restaurant at the time botched robbery, the Guyana when one of the suspects Police Force has revealed entered with a woman and that one of the detained men purchased two beers. is a serving member of the MONDAY Force.

He has been identified as POLITICAL 24-year-old Police INTERFERENCE Constable, Jonathan Harry, HAMPERED SOCU of Lot 124 East Ruimveldt.

-GUYANA NEEDS AN He was attached to the

Sunday January 12, 2020

INDEPENDENT BODY TO GO AFTER GRAND CORRUPTION – UK EXPERT, DR. SITTLINGTON If Guyana is to make any serious headway in successfully tackling grand corruption, the nation must have an agency that is free from interference, and staffed with individuals who have the will to battle this s c o u r g e .

This is according to UK Financial Crimes Expert, Dr. Sam Sittlington.

The international consultant was alluding to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) which he subsequently acknowledged was hampered by interference.

Dr. Sam Sittlington was also a former advisor to SOCU on anti-money laundering and other matters.

During an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Dr. Sittlington said, “Having 100 experts on financial crimes would not help. You need the will to go after grand corruption, and from my experience, there is just too much interference.

For grand corruption to be handled once and for all, there needs to be an independent authority which should not be interfered with by any ministry.”

The Financial Crimes Expert said that such a body should have its own prosecutors, along with a special judge to hear such cases.

While noting the importance of such an agency, he was keen to note that it would need robust legislation which promotes transparency and accountability. In this regard, Dr. Sittlington noted that there is no anticorruption legislation that is fit for purpose in Guyana. In the same breath, he highlighted that Guyana would certainly need to review its existing laws to remove provisions that allow perpetrators of grand corruption wiggle-room to escape punishment.

“When you consider the fact that ministers cannot be prosecuted for abuse of office because they use the argument that they are not in a public office, those are simple things which can be changed by definition…And the Constitution probably needs to be looked at as well to stop the perpetrators of grand corruption from stealing billions of dollars

from the Guyanese people and then they can’t be prosecuted properly because of lack of legislation.”

LIZA PHASE ONE ALONE CAN GIVE GUYANA FOUR TIMES THE COOKING GAS IT CONSUMES DAILY – PATTERSON

Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson Much has been said in the media and other quarters about Guyana’s oil reserves and the revenue that it could generate with prudent management. But if the same consideration is given to Guyana’s gas potential, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson says that Guyanese would realize that it is just as significant as the petroleum discoveries.

During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, Minister Patterson reminded that ExxonMobil is capable of providing 30 to 50 million cubic feet of natural gas from the Liza Phase One Project alone for electricity generation. The Minister was keen to note that while this is enough to power the entire country for over 15 years, it is also enough to provide Guyana with four times the quantity of cooking gas that is used p e r d a y .

Minister Patterson said, “The gas available is enough to give you about 200 megawatts of power, which is more than the Guyana Power and Light is providing. Upon learning this, we started looking at possibility of producing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)…An initial assessment showed that the quantity available is enough to provide us with four times our daily consumption of cooking gas.”

The government official noted that the country uses approximately 20,000 (continued on page 33)

Sunday January 12, 2020

From page 32 barrels equivalent per day of cooking gas. He said that while exporting this quantity is not commercially viable, it is certainly enough f o r d o m e s t i c u s e .

Minister Patterson said that assessments of what can be done with the gas are still ongoing. He noted as well that the Ministry had initially envisioned putting an industrial park to facilitate the plans for LPG at a 475 acre plot of land at Woodlands on the East Coast, but this plan has not been finalized.

“We had done a multi-stakeholder study and that was one of the sites identified, but there are some challenges and they are being looked at. No site has been chosen at the moment.”

Kaieteur News understands that the Energy Department is now in charge of handling these and other related matters. Last year, the Energy Department had disclosed that gas can be brought to shore by 20232024.

YOUNG COUPLE FOUND DEAD IN ARACARI HOTEL ROOM Employees at the Aracari Resort Sunday found the bodies of a young couple in a locked bedroom at the Versailles, West Bank Demerara hotel.

According to reports received, the bodies were discovered late Sunday afternoon.

The victims were identified as 26-yearold Kevin Vishal Singh of Lot 18 Agriculture Road, Triumph, East Coast Demerara and 25year-old Subrina Nandram called Priya of Block 8’ Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

Sources close to the investigation disclosed that the couple booked a room at the resort on Saturday with Singh’s ID and were

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Kaieteur News

Checks were made at the room and hotel employees found the door locked. Security personnel were then summoned to force the door open.

On entering, staffers saw a green liquid on the bed, and on an area on the floor leading to the bathroom. They then found Singh and Nandram’s bodies in the bathtub.

According to reports, no marks of violence were found on either bodies. The police were immediately called in and the bodies were removed and taken to the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting autopsies.

TUESDAY GOVT.’S INACTION SETS BACK GAS TO POWER PLANT BY TWO YEARS – RAMSON The Coalition administration had ample opportunity to get the ball rolling on the much needed gas to power plant that would significantly reduce electricity costs. But instead of providing the necessary approvals for ExxonMobil to move ahead with critical studies and preparatory work, the government was caught once again, sleeping at the proverbial wheel.

Making this assertion during an interview with Kaieteur News Monday was Attorneyat-law, Charles Ramson.

His conclusion was premised on an article this newspaper carried which featured comments from Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson on Guyana’s gas potential. The government official had said ExxonMobil is able to provide 30-50 million cubic feet of natural gas which is excess from the Liza Phase One field alone.

El Dorado's principal, Tamesh Jagmohan the entire Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) for over 15 years.

Additionally, Patterson had said that the government was aware of this gas potential since 2015, and in subsequent media interviews, had said that a gas to power plant would have been possible for Guyana by 2021.

Ramson was quick to point out, however, that such a promise would have been possible had the approvals been given to ExxonMobil since 2018. But since that did not occur, the project has been set back by two years. In this regard, he reminded that the very Energy Department, by its own admission, had told the media fraternity that bringing gas to shore would only be possible until 2023-2024.

The Petroleum Academic said, “I know for a fact that they needed to give ExxonMobil the approvals by the end of 2018 so that they could go ahead with the preparatory work.

These things take several months, for example, you have the Environmental Impact Assessment which would take some time…These and other critical works are at a standstill.”

He added, “This means that the project has been pushed back by two years and Guyanese who don’t have their electricity paid for them like the Minister does are going to continue paying one of the highest electricity rates in the region.”

TULLOW LINKED TO FIRM BANKRUPTED AFTER FACEBOOK DATA SCANDAL Kenyan media has uncovered a link between Tullow Oil and Cambridge Analytica, the firm that was bankrupt after it was revealed to have misappropriated the private data of tens of millions of Facebook users. Daniel Wesangula, a Kenyan correspondent for The Guardian, wrote about the link in the Kenyan publication, Standard Media.

The publication stated that a leaked 2013 proposal from Cambridge Analytica suggests that Tullow may have worked with the disgraced firm to manage the optics of its operations in Kenya by, among other things, swaying the opinions of Government officials.

Dead: Kevin Vishal Singh scheduled to check out at 12 noon, the next day.

However, when that time passed, the receptionist enquired, but was reportedly told

by Singh that they will be staying an extra night.

The man was said to have told the receptionist that he would be coming to pay for the extra night soon.

But at around 15.00 hrs, Singh had still not paid the bill. Calls were made again to the couple’s room. This time, they went unanswered.

At the time of the proposal, the exploratory operations being conducted in Turkana – a county in Kenya – were described as “volatile” and “divisive” Dead: Subrina Nandram Minister Patterson had said that this would translate to about 200 Megawatts of power, therefore being more than enough to power

In the leaked document titled ‘Proposal for Research and Consultancy Services’, it is stated that “Tullow’s challenges are therefore to understand how best to engage positively

Gold Board's Chairman, Gabriel 'GHK' Lall with its host communities and keep the Kenyan government on its side whilst avoiding entanglement in domestic politics, all of which must be achieved to ensure the long-term attractiveness of the projects it is developing,” Standard Media reported.

Cambridge Analytica’s parent company, SCL Group, sought to propose the conduction of a “thorough audit of the human and private sector skills and capabilities available in Kenya (and Block locations) that could – with various levels of capacitation, support and supervision – become involved in Tullow’s commercial activities.”

The proposal sought to give Tullow a comprehensive analysis of the workings of the Turkana society, and a communications plan to target the host communities of Tullow in a positive way, as well as keeping the Kenyan government ‘on side’ at all levels, it was reported, while avoiding being caught up in internal politics.

EL DORADO LEADS EXPORTS AS GOLD BOARD REPORTS 629,000 OUNCES FOR 2019 Despite a tough year, the gold industry has managed to come out smiling again. Gold declarations were 18,000 ounces more than 2018, with El Dorado Trading Guyana leading with the largest amount, according to preliminary details.

Following El Dorado with declarations would be Mohamed’s Enterprise. Monday, Chairman of the Guyana Gold Board, Gabriel ‘GHK’ Lall, disclosed that 629,486 ounces of gold were declared as at December 31, 2019.

This was more than the 611,235 ounces declared in 2018.

It would have come in a year where road and other conditions proved a major problem for especially small miners.

Both Aurora and Troy Resources, both large scale producers, suffered as a result of internal problems and an industrial accident which saw the latter being closed and scores of workers laid off.

Monday, the Chairman said that the results were encouraging “in a difficult year”. ”The Guyana Gold Board has maintained a consistent approach and this has helped in improving our performance.”

Indeed, the Board is now focusing on finding a permanent home after being forced to relocate from Brickdam to Queenstown, amid a probe that staffers have suffered from fumes from the burning of gold.

The new headquarters is likely to be located next to the Ocean View Hotel. The plans are preliminary and in the early stages, Lall said.

Meanwhile, principal of El Dorado, Tamesh Jagmohan, said that hardworking (continued on page 41))

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Sunday January 12, 2020

Donald Trump is currently a bigger headache for Europe than Iran L Analysis by Luke McGee, CNN

ondon (CNN) This week’s escalation in tensions between Iran and the US has exposed an uncomfortable reality for many of America’s friends in Europe.

When US President Donald Trump called on the UK, Germany, France, Russia and China — the other nations signatory to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran deal — to join him in walking away from the JCPOA, he was asking his European allies to do far more than isolate Iran.

The Iran deal, which was signed under the auspices of the European Union, is the single biggest foreign policy achievement in the EU’s history.

It was the EU that drove efforts to get all of the significant parties to the table. In doing so, it not only encouraged Iran to engage with the West, but it crucially created a forum in which the EU could start to navigate what is now its chief aim in foreign policy. “The EU’s top priority is balanced relations between the big two: China and America,” said Steven Blockmans, head of foreign affairs at the

European Center for Policy Studies.

Europe’s China problem is acute. The continent’s stagnating economies benefit from Chinese investment, but that often comes with the potential security risk of allowing state-owned Chinese companies like telecoms giant Huawei to operate in Europe.

For its part, China is only too happy to cement its position as a major influence in Europe, home to some of the largest economies on the planet.

Historically, China and Iran have good diplomatic relations.

These improved after the signing of the JCPOA, as Chinese investment in Iran increased and continued even after Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal.

Something that China and Iran also have in common is poor relations with Trump. He has tried to marginalize both countries by entering into a trade war with one and imposing sanctions on the other.

Meanwhile, Iran has friendly relations — diplomatically and militarily -- with Russia, another state that the EU must maintain a complicated balancing act with.

Many EU nations rely on Russian

investment and natural resources, while major European financial centers, including London, have seen huge investments from wealthy Russians looking to get their money out of Russia.

However, in recent years, Europe has imposed financial sanctions on Russia, following Russian interference in European nations, ranging from waging misinformation campaigns to the state-backed assassination of Russian dissidents. And Western European nations have been among the most vocal in standing against Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in the east of Ukraine.

In asking his European and NATO allies to have a bigger involvement in his standoff with Iran, Trump is essentially asking them to make a choice: stay on good terms with new friends in Beijing, Moscow and Tehran; or fall in line behind its old ally, despite the fact it’s currently led by a man who is considered worryingly erratic by most European diplomats and might not even be in office after this year.

Then again, he might be.

Europe has to have a long, hard think about what the implications of a second Trump term could be.

Four more years, sure. But what would it mean for the long-term politics of the most powerful nation on earth, and can America ever go back to how it was before?

Complicating the decision for the EU, at least, is the fact that one of its most powerful members is leaving the bloc in less than a month.

“The UK is leaving the EU at a time when Trump is trying to renegotiate the transatlantic relationship,” said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “There’s a danger that as Britain leaves the EU, it puts getting trade deals above all else.”

Sitting at the top of the UK’s hit list in terms of trade are the EU and the US — and the latter is a political priority for London. But most trade experts believe that a comprehensive deal with one sinks the chances of doing so with the other.

A good example of how difficult a balance this is for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson can be seen in how he has both supported the US in its strike that killed Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani, while also telling Tehran that he has every intention

of continuing to support the JCPOA. It’s unclear how long maintaining both positions remains viable — especially in the wake of the deaths of four Britons among the 176 who lost their lives in the Tehran plane crash that Iran has admitted responsibility for.

In 1988, a US Navy warship shot down an Iranian passenger plane in the heat of battle.

The Iran crisis has pulled back the curtain and revealed the much more complicated shifting power dynamics facing Europe.

The EU wants to manage the China-US balance; the UK wants to manage its US-EU balance and both the US and China want to shove each other out of the way for strategic primacy on the continent.

And at the moment, it’s the White House that is acting with the most purpose.

In 1948, President Harry Truman signed into law the Marshall Plan, which saw the US send Western Europe billions of dollars in order to rebuild itself in the aftermath of two world wars.

In 2020, another American president is arguably a far bigger disruptor to the old continent than, China, Iran or Russia. What a difference 72 years can make.

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Mr. Jagdeo, yours was the opportunity to do, but you didn’t

I

t was massive prolonged street protest in 1997, led

by Leader of the Opposition Desmond Hoyte, that put in train actions to achieve a more inclusionary political culture.

On 17th January 1998, President Janet Jagan and M r. H o y t e , v i a t h e Herdmanston Accord, agreed to Constitutional Reform.

That process, which saw the widest of nationwide consultation, led to amendments in the Constitution.

Citizens were clamouring for change and determined to move Guyana forward in a new direction.

In this they had the support of both the Opposition PNC and Government PPP parliamentarians who voted for the amendments in the National Assembly.

These were assented to

by President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Notable among which are- 1) a modernised political system as outlined in Article 13 and, 2) the clear establishment of basic human rights and freedoms as per Title 1.

Where there existed doubt as to roles, rights, involvement and responsibilities of Guyanese, as individual or group, with regards to how we treat with each other, the aforesaid declarations laid out a clear path.

Had society received the required leadership in fortifying the Constitution, through legislation, the cries of all to be treated with dignity, and as equal and participating members, would have materialised.

Mr. Jagdeo was leading a young nation in the throes of political conflict, and the escalating nature of our ethnic tension and division needed to be corralled and eliminated.

His was the rare opportunity to distinguish himself at that critical juncture in our history.

Instead, he balked. I don’t know how it sits with him as the longest-serving president, under a new dispensation, who turned his back on the people when they needed him most.

At a promising time, he failed to ensure legislation to give meaning to Article 13.

This article expressly states: “The principal objective of the system of the State is to

establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens, and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their wellbeing.” Neither was there any new legislation to attend to Title 1 outside of the existing.

H i s g o v e r n m e n t ’s policies and programmes were fraught with allegations and evidence of exclusion, discrimination, marginalisation and recrimination.

Basic rights such as freedom of assembly and association, the right to life, protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, and protection from inhumane treatment, could not be guaranteed.

It was sustained citizenry agitation to realise the changes fought for that in 2001, Mr. Hoyte was successful in getting President Jagdeo to sign an Agreement to address identified social, economic, cultural and political ills.

Though society breathed a sigh of relief at this inclusionary act, and hoped for the best via implementation, Mr. Jagdeo reneged. The 2003 Communiqué he signed with Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin suffered the same fate. Similar attitude was extended to nongovernmental institutions.

On 8th March 2000 the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) signed an Agreement with his Government to advance its membership’s well-being, consistent with the trade union’s constitutional role in “national cooperation for the development of the economy” and its right to “participate in decisionmaking processes of the State” (Articles 38 and 149C). In spite of repeated efforts by GTUC to have the agreement implemented, the government refused to budge.

Thus, last Sunday at the PPP Election launch, when Mr. Jagdeo promised a PPP government will pursue “inclusionary democracy,” we must ask who was talking. There exists doubt

he even believes what he is saying. And though constitutionally he cannot run for a third term, when he had the opportunity to deliver, he didn’t. He failed to deliver as President, Leader of the Opposition or Party Leader.

Were he serious, when he snagged the PPP parliamentary leadership

from Donald Ramotar and party leader from Clement Rohee, he could have done something.

These are positions of power and influence, and he could have played roles not unlike Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Mr. Hoyte and Mr. Corbin as Leader of the Opposition and their respective parties.

Review of those men’s

stewardship showed their studied efforts to realise benefits for their constituents and shape the nation’s body politics for a better Guyana.

His press conferences, be they condemnation, oversight or shouting ‘get out’ after the no-confidence m o t i o n , n e v e r communicated a belief in or

desire for inclusionary democracy.

Neither has he laid before the nation any proposal that could have transmitted to Guyanese, particularly those who voted for the PPP, that he was fighting for them to have their interest advanced by having a seat at the table.

Continued on page 44

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Sunday January 12, 2020

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Sunday January 12, 2020

K O O

B

Book: You Throw Like a Girl: The Blind Spot of Masculinity Author: Don McPherson Critic: Glenville Ashby, PhD ‘You Throw like a Girl’ offers an insightful look into western patriarchy. It is bold and uncompromising, indicting a long-standing zeitgeist that has intrinsically marginalized and devalued one-half of society.

This a challenging and far more complex a subject than imagined and Don McPherson substantively adds to the narrative. A celebrated personality of Herculean stature, McPherson is a representation of the Ideal in sports nomenclature, the very culture that has promoted a toxic mix of unbridled masculinity, strength, aggression and i n v i n c i b i l i t y. T h e s e attributes are not only mythical, according to McPherson, but contribute to stunted emotional growth in young men and a society rooted in male privilege and entitlement.

McPherson confronts the mandate of toxic m a s c u l i n i t y. O f h i s awakening, he recalls, “There was no moment. No epiphany. At 29, I began to learn and grow, and began to come to terms with how deeply ingrained the mandate of masculinity was and how misogyny and sexism had influenced so many aspects of my life.

McPherson veers into psychoanalytic thought.

Maybe in the oedipal dynamic, the child is shaped for good or bad. He mentions naturally ‘kind’ men, overtly masculine, that have been long sensitive to “our broken society.”

“Men I met were not just kind by nature; instead they recognized and confronted the myriad social pressures to adhere to sexist values.”

Of the “blind spot of privilege” and patriarchy, McPherson elaborates, “Our silence stems from the assumption that this is a women’s issue and men are unaffected. Our inaction results in a lack of growth and development of young men, leaving them more vulnerable to the repercussions of their behaviour by a society that is evolving without them.”

A c c o r d i n g t o

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A Rigorous Challenge to Social Norms McPherson, these so called “blind spots’ are subliminally promoted and are an adjunct to a patriarchal archetype infecting many a social institution, in particular, the culture of sports. “ T h e i n d u s t r y, ” h e writes, “continues to perpetuate, promote and protect the myth of masculinity by focusing on the high lighting the winnertake-all, zero-sum interpretation of competition.” He adds, “The narrow image of athletes, single-minded in their pursuit of victories, remains at the center of sports’ cultural appeal and is inextricable from the hyperbole with which it continues to be presented.”

His is a clarion call for introspection. A society diseased with flippant concern for pervasive violence of its citizenry must pause and search its soul.

Anecdotally poignant, McPherson recounts an episode; that of a siege-like atmosphere that gripped a neighborhood after the assault on a young woman. It is an existential fear that men can hardly fathom. He assesses his own feelings, and concludes, “The fear of a sexual predator was not something I considered. I inherently knew I was not the target - not because I was a large man, a black man, or a famous man. I was simply a man. A sadistic serial murderer was loose in my neighborhood, and I felt no alarm, no threat; I did not alter my behavior, modify my schedule, or change my daily habits. In no way did I consider my personal safety.

He was not after me.

However, the reality for my female friends was dramatically different. There was a profound amount of privilege in my ignorance and lack of empathy in that moment.”

McPherson blames the inability to handle rejection as the principal cause of violence.

“To be clear, rejection can take many forms. It can be momentous as leaving a marriage or other long-term relationship and minor as r e b u ff i n g a m a n ’s overtures...In cases of longterm relationships…women are at the greatest risk of murder when they leave.

“Ironically, for men who react this way, their own selfworth is in question.

Insecure in their masculine identity, they are dependent

on women’s affirmation of t h e m . . . Wi t h n o o t h e r recourse to reconcile their privileged masculinity they lash out with an abusive retort like a petulant child who does not get the toy he wanted.

“There is also an insidious element of “protective patriarchy” where a woman’s identity and worth are determined by a man. Women raised in this paradigm will be apprehensive to reject a m a n ’s a d v a n c e s i n anticipation of his hostile response, and this legitimizes his anger and loss of power and control (of her).”

Throughout, McPherson risks alienating many that challenge feminist rhetoric.

But he ably navigates the minefield of identity politics. His advocacy cannot be likened to a ‘Woke’ pamphlet or message of vengeful overreach.

Surely, his detractors will argue that McPherson does not address the groundswell of anti-male rhetoric spewed by an increasing radical society (while celebrating women that display the most obnoxious side of masculinity).

Unfailingly and regrettably, the power of femininity is neglected by women in pursuit of the masculine ideal, a testament to the overarching and archetypal nature of the phallus in western society It is important to note that McPherson does not m a l i g n m a s c u l i n i t y.

Moreover, he does not seed guilt and shame unto boys.

Thankfully, there is no blind hagiography of women and wanton vilification of men.

Masculinity is natural, healthy and undeniable.

However, nurtured and derailed by a skewed and Continued on page 44

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THE

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STORY WITHIN THE

By Leonard Gildarie Take a bow Guyana.

The maturity expressed on Friday at Umana Yana has to be lauded and as a people, we have to pat ourselves on the back.

Thirteen parties have submitted lists signaling their intentions to contest the March 2nd General and Regional Elections. There were no major incidents, and parties reported of even receiving handshakes and good-natured ribbing from the other sides.

It was serious business with GECOM’s chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh even speaking to

reporters, promising a clean election.

The major issue I had was the blatant disrespect that the people that gathered had for the environment.

Bottles, food boxes and even party paraphernalia littered the Kingston area. It was a painful sight and grim reminder that we are not learning.

It will by no means be a cakewalk in the park for the parties and the people of Guyana in the coming elections. It will take hard work, money and the convincing of a skeptical populace to change the mindset and a voting pattern that has been entrenched for

Sunday January 12, 2020

BACKDOOR TO

THIEVING

decades.

There will have to be recognition of the fact that things have changed dramatically since 1992.

That was the year that the P e o p l e ’s P r o g r e s s i v e Party/Civic entered government after 28 years, riding on a popular wave.

The reign of the PPP/C ended in 2015. It would have been a slide noted in 2011 when the party and its civic partner lost the majority control of the National Assembly for the first time while in power.

Since 2015, things have c h a n g e d d r a m a t i c a l l y.

Guyana’s landscape is of oil and gas now. Scores of

business have opened up.

The waterfront properties are being snapped up for prices that were unheard of.

On Regent Street, the workers are mainly Venezuelans.

At the airport, the hundreds of foreigners are freely passing through on their journey to Brazil and other destinations.

Perhaps the biggest development is that ExxonMobil and its partners have announced a major oil discovery and have since managed to start production.

This game-changing development is major bonus for this country.

I have written countless

times and will not stop on encouraging our contractor, ExxonMobil, to work with us on this one.

Guyana is blessed with resources. Our people are strong and have endured years of belt-tightening measures. So yes, we do have the staying power when it comes to making do with what we have.

The oil and gas are bonuses and we will have to be wise in how we spend.

Personally, I would like to see David Granger or Irfaan Ali and Bharrat Jagdeo leave a legacy that we can all be proud of.

It is impossible to think that we have no leaders here who would want to commission a natural gaspowered plant or a new Demerara River bridge during their tenure.

I would love to walk in a park that has statues and water fountains and swings and food stands. I would love to see roads that have bicycle paths and benches and bus stops that have lights.

We can dare dream and we can demand our leaders be accountable to us.

So this elections, the citizenry is much more wise and understand they have powers to demand our leaders do much better.

It would be on us to tell the world that we have matured from the days when Regent Street businesses locked their doors and barricaded windows during elections.

Let us send a clear message to the world that we are serious about a good life and that all hands are on deck.

While the preparations for elections would have riveted Guyana and the world to the news, there were a few side events happening that should be roundly criticized.

At the Timehri airport, a ramp attendant was reportedly fired last week, according to Kaieteur News, for delving in the luggage of a female passenger and stealing a large sum of money. The man was seen leaving the airport while he was supposed to be on duty.

He reportedly later admitted the offence and was fired, but not before the passenger got back her money.

There were no charges because the passenger did not want to pursue the matter.

I recalled speaking, sometime back, to the

Leonard Gildarie Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The state has the responsibility of pursuing charges when a crime has been committed.

For example, if a driver kills someone, he cannot pay off the family of the victim and think the matter has ended.

In fact, that is a separate matter and has no bearings on criminal part. It may be taken in mitigation during the sentencing phase.

We cannot pay off victims in lieu of sentencing.

The prosecutors, on behalf of the state, and the DPP, have the responsibility to protect us. I would like to see how this plays out.

We cannot have our workers at the airports slipping items and valuables from bags of the passengers.

There are cameras and protocols and I am, frankly, alarmed that it took a complaint before the airport authorities became aware that something happened.

I cannot have one individual or two sully our names. It cannot be par for the course.

We also take note of the Auditor General report for 2018.

There is a report of drugs being purchased in Berbice at more 1600 percent of the price, in one case.

There are reports of officials owning multiple homes and businesses, just after a few years in office at the regional administration.

These are not fly-bynight accusations.

We should be serious how our money is being spent and any attempts to cover it up will not be countenanced. The days when officials believed or knew they were above the law have long gone.

The back door is open and the bandits have taken advantage. Should we stand quietly in the corner because these are powerful people or should we tell them we are the bosses?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Sunday January 05, 2020

From page 33 miners, his staffers and stakeholders of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Gold Board, among other players, are to be fully credited for the p e r f o r m a n c e .

In fact, El Dorado managed to contribute almost $5B in royalties and taxes.

WEDNESDAY PRO SAYS… GECOM HAS NO LEGAL OBLIGATION TO VERIFY CANDIDATES’ ELIGIBILITY The Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM) has laid the responsibility of ensuring that declarations made by candidates of political parties at the feet of the politicians themselves.

Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward explained Tu e s d a y t h a t d e s p i t e concerns over the eligibility of candidates to contest the elections arising from a court ruling which affirmed the ban on persons having dual citizenship, “the onus is on the politicians themselves to ensure that they are honest on the statutory declaration form.

Wa r d t o l d m e d i a operatives during a mid -day press meeting that “as it stands GECOM has no legal obligation to verify the i n f o r m a t i o n . ” ”I understand the concerns arising out of events leading to these elections, but GECOM has to work within the confines of the law, and the law is vague as to the legal requirements of GECOM’s role in this regard. The commission has limited powers. But then again, if a candidate is not truthful in making the sworn declaration before a Commissioner of Oaths or Justice of Peace, he /she must keep this in mind that there are consequences,” she added.

The PRO was at the time responding to queries about the verification of the information supplied by candidates contesting for a seat in the National Assembly. The issue of verification came to the fore last year after a court case filed by Compton Reid, a private citizen, challenged the legitimacy of the no confidence vote of former Alliance For Change (AFC) parliamentarian Charrandass Persaud.

Persaud, who also holds Canadian citizenship, was expelled after voting against

his party in the House.

However in February, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George made it clear that by swearing allegiance to another State, an MP is not eligible to be elected to serve in the National Assembly.

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oil blocks and the signing of any subsequent agreements.

The Presidential Candidate asserted that contracts governing these blocks will be royalty-based, with the investors subjected to taxes just like local companies.

Thus far, even with oil production underway, the government is still to say what will be the way forward for Guyana with regard to having an oil refinery and a National Oil Company.

Meanwhile, Prime Ministerial Candidate of the party, Nigel Hinds when questioned on whether the party is open to making all contracts within the oil sector public, pointed out that the group fully supports the full disclosure of all prior and subsequent contracts within the petroleum industry. Earlier, Activist Ramon Gaskin had said that no contract, arrangement or deed should be confidential.

EVERY GUYANESE SHOULD BE GIVEN A SHARE IN A NATIONAL OIL COMPANY – ROBERT BADAL Recently formed political party, Change G u y a n a ’s P r e s i d e n t i a l Candidate, Robert Badal, is of the view that every Guyanese citizen should be assigned shares in a stateowned National Oil Company (NOC). During a press conference Tuesday, Badal in outlining his plans for Guyana’s oil sector, extensively criticized the APNU/AFC government’s management of the oil and gas industry, particularly commenting on the “lopsided contract negotiations.”

Badal pointed out that the party intends to manage the oil sector well if it is

PENSIONER, 81, DIES AFTER STRUCK D O W N O N P E D E S T R I A N CROSSING

elected to Government on March 2, 2020. In his plans, he highlighted that all unassigned oil blocks would be under the authority of a National Oil Company.

Further, the said blocks would be auctioned to the highest bidder, garnering attractive signing bonuses.

According to Badal, the process of assigning shares will ensure that revenue emanating from the oil and gas sector benefits all Guyanese. He highlighted that the said shares will then appreciate in value due to the auctioning of state-owned

The life of an 81-year-old w o m a n w a s Tu e s d a y morning snuffed out after a car struck her down while she was on a pedestrian crossing. The incident which took place opposite the Post Office in Nigg Village, Corentyne, Berbice, saw persons nearby rushing to her assistance. Dead is Pravidi Ramcharran called ‘Marina’ formerly of Albion Front, Corentyne, Berbice.

Reports are that Ramcharran had just left the Nigg Post Office and was making her way across the pedestrian crossing when a

car – PPP 1008 – driven by a 29-year-old Chinese National of Lot 56 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown – struck her, pelting her frail body several feet away. The car was heading west along the southern carriageway of the public road, reportedly at a fast rate, when it hit the pensioner who was crossing from south to north.

According to the grieving relatives of the grandmother, she left home early Tuesday to uplift her pension at the post office and was making her way back home when the incident occurred. Surveillance footage seen by this publication, showed Ramcharran walking out slowly from the post office and making a stop at the southern side of the pedestrian crossing to check for oncoming traffic It appeared that the road was clear enough for her to cross but then came the car, ploughing into her body while she was halfway across the crossing. As a result of the impact, her body

landed near the parapet on the southern carriageway in a crouching position. By that time passersby and residents in the area rushed to her assistance.

THURSDAY ATTRACTIVE SALARIES FOR OIL ‘WATCHDOGS’ MUST NOT BE OVERLOOKED – SAYS UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON INSTRUCTOR As Guyana embarks on the development of its oil

resources, proper compensation for the guardians of the new found wealth must not be overlooked. Making this comment during a recent interview with Kaieteur News was University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro.

The official who has over 30 years’ experience in the oil sector stressed that the key agencies which have to regulate the oil sector have

2019, did not cater for preparations for the oil sector. What is even more troubling is the fact that the agency, by Dr. Adams’ own admission, is not even funded to carry out some of its fundamental tasks.

ALMOST ONE YEAR LATER… SYDNEY JAMES, OTHER OFFICIALS YET TO FACE CHARGES OVER DAMNING AUDIT

Former SOCU Head, Sydney James the crucial task of keeping c o r r u p t i o n a t b a y. ”Therefore, the importance of paying competitive compensation to key government agencies involved with oversight should not be overlooked; it serves as a means of not only attracting and retaining the most qualified people but as a means of minimising incentives for corruption,” the official said.

He further noted that while this is being pursued, the government should not lose sight of other important mechanisms, which keep corruption out of the oil sector such as the public disclosure of payments, agreements, development plans, audits, and general government finances.

Mitro commented that carrying out all of these actions will not be easy for any government, but developing a credible plan to do so is important to gain confidence.

One of the agencies which has a critical role to play in monitoring the oil sector is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

When its current head, Dr. Vi n c e n t A d a m s , w a s appointed in the first week of October 2018, he had done an assessment of the agency, subsequently informing this news agency that there is a dire need for resources to get it to where it needs to be.

In fact, Dr. Adams had revealed that the agency’s over $600M budget for

F I N D I N G S O F CORRUPTION AT SOCU Almost one year ago, the Guyana Police Force’s Audit Department conducted an assessment of the financial affairs at the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU).

That audit revealed damning levels of corruption from top to bottom of the agency. But to date, not a single charge has been laid against any of the individuals fingered in the report.

The document which was seen by this newspaper notes that the former Head of the Unit, Sydney James, and several other officials such as Superintendents Robert Tyndall, Trevor Reid, Byran Vieira and Corporal Kevin Haywood from the Guyana Defence Force, abused the agency’s Operational Fund which benefitted from $1.5M on a monthly basis.

With the exception of a payment book, the audit found that there is no record to rely on for a transparent and accountable financial process at SOCU. In fact, auditors said there is no remittance book, daily cash composition book, no account and expenditure books.

As it relates to some of the instances of fraud and corruption, auditors observed that in June 2016, Reid, Tyndall and Vieira collected $600,000.00 each.

But in a scramble to prove (continued on page 42)

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From page 41 that they could account for it, they produced several receipts from January to June to show that they would have spent $100,000 a month on intelligence gathering.

But these receipts were found to be back dated.

It was further observed by the auditors that Haywood, who served as the secretary and not as an investigator, did no operational duties during the time of the assessment, but he still received a whopping $ 1 , 3 7 8 , 0 0 0 .

Additionally, the auditors noted that SOCU officials could not provide bills for 17 items which they said totalled $593,565.

What was strikingly odd to the auditors is the fact that a local store called PC Shack repaired a SOCU printer for $21,000 and installed the same printer for $138,171 in one day. But three weeks later, it was repaired again at a cost of $87,180.

keen to acknowledge Granger’s touting of the President’s exclusive right to name a Prime Minister.

Notwithstanding that, it reiterated that an agreement was made, as a fundamental tenet of its partnership with the APNU, that the AFC names the prime ministerial candidate. It has named its leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, as that candidate.

The smaller party went on to add that the President’s statement does not confuse it, as the APNU’s General Secretary, Joseph Harmon, is reported as later saying that should Granger secure a second term as president, Ramjattan will be the Prime M i n i s t e r .

Harmon reportedly explained the President’s statement as all part of the coalition’s strategy.

GRANGER CONFIRMS RAMJATTAN AS PM CANDIDATE A statement made by A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) presidential candidate, David Granger, Wednesday prompted the Alliance For Change (AFC) to point out that the statement could have the effect of being confusing to the coalition’s supporters and the wider electorate.

The statement by G r a n g e r, w h o i s t h e President incumbent at the Ministry of the Presidency, c o n c e r n e d t h e p a r t y ’s naming of a prime ministerial candidate as it seeks to contest the March 2, 2020 General Election.

Granger is quoted, in response to a question about the candidacy, as saying “I know what I’m going to do. I reserve the right to choose a Prime Minister. I will nominate all Ministers including the Prime Minister, who is my Chief Minister, after the elections.”

Reported by other sections of the media, and widely shared on the internet, Granger’s statement may have been interpreted by some as him placing distance between himself and the Revised Cummingsburg Accord which states, according to the AFC, that the right to name the Prime M i n i s t e r, s h o u l d t h e coalition win the election, stays with the smaller party.

In its statement, the AFC was

– BEING SOUGHT IN RELATION TO FRAUD, IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS HERE; TURKEY REPORTEDLY SEEKING HIS EXTRADITION

FRIDAY COPS HUNT FOR TURKISH FORMER PRINCESS HOTEL GM

Police Thursday issued a wanted bulletin for Former General Manager of the Ramada Princess Hotel, Turkish National Ugur Turetgen.

According to the bulletin, the 44-year-old Turetgen is wanted for questioning in relation to fraud and immigration v i o l a t i o n s .

However, Kaieteur News understands that the man is also wanted by Turkish officials for infractions he allegedly committed in his h o m e l a n d .

While these possible crimes were not highlighted, a senior public security official disclosed that a request had been received from the Turkish Government for extradition just a few months ago, so that Turetgen may be sent home to face criminal charges.

The source also confirmed that the request is with the Director of Public P r o s e c u t i o n s .

Ugur Turetgen’s last known address was said to be Track ‘B’ Block ‘Z’ Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Ugur Turetgen is asked to contact the police on

telephone numbers 2266978, 225-8196, 226-2870, 226-7065, 227-1149, 2267065, 225-6940, 226-9834, 911 or the nearest police station.

CLOGGED! WATER SUPPLY DISRUPTION FORCES TOILET CLOSURES AT CJIA The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) modernisation project is continuing to be besieged by s e t b a c k s . T h u r s d a y, a problem from Wednesday spilled over as technicians and other workers battled to fix what officials at the airport described as a water supply disruption.

Toilets in the Departure and Arrivals areas were both out, causing the airport to bring in portable facilities. These were seen in the departure l o u n g e a r e a .

Passengers and others reportedly had to wash their hands in what appeared to be a large plastic receptacle.

Some passengers were directed to toilets outside – located adjacent to the Lotus R e s t a u r a n t .

According the CJIA, the problem with water started the day before. ”On January 8th 2020, CJIA’s water supply was disrupted resulting in the terminal buildings being out of water for several hours.

Water has since been restored to the Departure Terminal and the relevant stakeholders are working assiduously to have the Arrivals Terminal’s water supply fully restored within the shortest possible time.”

The airport management said that it is sparing no effort to have the situation r e m e d i e d .

The water problem would come almost two months after the washrooms were closed to allow for what the CJIA described as procedural sanitation for the domestic cold water pipelines system.

The airport had said then that it had brought temporary washroom facilities for the travelling public, especially persons with disabilities in both the Arrivals and D e p a r t u r e s Te r m i n a l B u i l d i n g s .

The airport had also claimed that the newly constructed or repaired water systems, finished water storage facilities or wells serving a public water system, must be disinfected/sanitised after the construction process by methods acceptable to

Sunday January 12, 2020

Guyana Water Incorporated, and in accordance with international standards.

T h e U S $ 1 5 0 M modernisation project was started in 2011 with the signing of a contractor with Chinese-owned China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).

The sod was turned in early 2013 with construction to last two and half years.

Since then, the completion date was pushed back time and again.

SATURDAY THIRTEEN PARTIES ENTER 2020 ELECTIONS RACE Nomination Day 2020 kicked off with a loud and energetic start at the Umana Yana on Friday, where 13 parties went to declare their lists of candidates to contest the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.

From early in the morning, people were decked in green, yellow, white and other party colours, filling the streets for blocks all around. Many of these parties had already had their vehicles stationed near the Kingston compound since the previous morning.

By 13:30 hours, electoral advisors had already come into the compound, with GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh and her team of Commissioners, as well as Secretariat workers.

In the beginning, APNU+AFC supporters surrounded the compound, and all that could be seen was a sea of green, speckled with yellow. Music boxes could be heard playing political variants of popular songs.

Persons could be observed waving green and yellow flags, and blowing horns.

A PPP motorcade approached Umana Yana when the clock struck 2pm.

The contingent, like APNU+AFC was led by a truck blasting music that could be heard for blocks all around. The major party’s contingent consisted of hundreds of supporters in red shirts, waving black, red and yellow flags.

APNU+AFC’s departure made way for the second contingent, the United Republican Party (URP). Its presidential candidate, Dr. Vi s h n u B a n d h u , t o l d reporters after the process that he has been contesting the election for a number of years now. His party has

never been successful enough.

Asked why he is still determined, he said that his party still has a strong support base and that the URP is here to stay.

A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and the Federal United Party (FEDUP) had been reported on by another section of the media as having coalesced.

But it turned out the marriage fell apart in a matter of hours, according to FEDUP Executive Member Chandra Sohan.

When he was pressed by reporters on the reason for the abrupt divorce, he explained that he was just as stumped.

ANUG, led by former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, is contesting seven regions, since it experienced difficulties reaching regions One, Eight and Nine. Nevertheless, Ramkarran expressed confidence in the party’s chances throughout all regions in the General election.

Ramkarran explained that he has assessed the matter, which led him to the conclusion that ANUG has a lot of silent supporters.

Ramkarran was keen to note that that support base is especially buttressed by persons who would usually vote with the PPP. Asked about the reported coalition with FED UP, Ramkarran denied the joinder of the lists.

FED UP will only be contesting in the regional elections, for Regions Five and Six. The contingent experienced an issue during the declaration process, which led to the members having to leave for a few hours. Kaieteur News understands that a form had been missing from their document list. The contingent returned to the Umana Yana late in the afternoon, after the 5pm deadline had passed. Since they had already begun the declaration process, they were accommodated by GECOM, who assisted them to rectify the issue with haste.

Some of the new faces at Nomination Day included Gerald Forde, who is a medical doctor. On behalf of The New Movement (TNM), Forde stated that the presidential candidate Asha Kissoon. Representatives of the party were decked in black and white.

The party appears to be very youthful, with Forde stating that its membership does not see a future with the veteran major parties. The party, he said, will be focused on tackling corruption, youth unemployment, mental health and other similar issues.

Speaking on challenges faced so far, Forde said that the party has not had the best luck with older voters, who appear to be stuck in their ways. He said that they are too caught up in tribal, racial voting practices.

“They know that there is a problem, but they can’t move away from it.” The party is aware of other youth parties in the mix, like The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) whose Presidential candidate is Rhonda Lam. TCI Executive Member Ruel Johnson said that the party is contesting in six regions in the regional elections. He said that the party had some logistical and socio-cultural challenges in getting the support needed to take part in elections in all regions.

He noted that the party is hoping to bring about a change in politics, which is one of the main reasons it was formed.

There was some reluctance to get involved in politics, Johnson explained, describing the process it embarked on to accumulate signatures.

Change Guyana led by Robert Badal said that his party garnered enough support to bring about a notable difference in the nation’s politics.

The party is contesting in six regions; time did not permit it to complete signature lists for all regions.

It was one of the small parties with the flashier campaigns. A white truck painted with Change Guyana slogans was driving around outside of the Pegasus Hotel compound, sometimes appearing to compete with the noisy PPP and APNU+AFC motorcades.

Appealing to crowds, the party vowed to end blackouts, lower taxes and create jobs for thousands.

Badal who spoke to reporters following the presentation of the list, said that he is confident that his list of candidates is in fact very convincing.

Organisation for the Victory of the People, (OVP) another small party is (continued on page 43)

Sunday January 12, 2020

From page 42 contesting for the regional seats.

The party led by Gerald Pereira said it will not be contesting for the presidency because it will be supporting the APNU+AFC party in the general elections.

The party is in support of people’s empowerment and wants to work on behalf of citizens at the grassroots level to ensure their basic needs, such as for land and housing, are met.

Lenox Shuman of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) was grilled about dual citizenship, namely his Canadian citizenship, which he claims to have already sorted out.

Shuman said that he already made the formal application to have his citizenship relinquished, and that that was sorted out since December last.

Representing the Guyana National Service Party (GNS) was

APNU+AFC

PPPC

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Kaieteur News

Oral Semple. He claims to have stood outside alone all afternoon.

He told media operatives he is not the party ‘s leader. That person is Arthur Fredericks, he said.

He was lone representative of his party at Nomination Day since according to him, the rest of his party was at work and could not make it.

The People’s Republican Party (PRP) is a Christian political party, who came to present its candidates late in the afternoon. PRP’s presidential candidate is Valerie Leung. The party had a prayer session before entering the Umana Yana.

The National Independent Party (NIP), led by Attorney-atLaw Saphier Hussain, is on a quest to make Guyana a territory of the United States of America. Husain is the presidential candidate of his party.

NOMINATIONS DAY… APNU+AFC LIST EXCLUDES HOLDER; PPP INCLUDES DATADIN, VIEIRA AND INDAR The APNU+AFC has presented a list of candidates for the upcoming general elections. Led by the incumbent President David Granger, the APNU –AFC list included a number of coalition members who are in the previous administration.

They are Joseph Harmon, Raphael Trotman, Khemraj Ramjattan, Annette Ferguson, Volda Lawrence, Dawn HastingsWilliams, Sydney Allicock, David Patterson, Cathy Hughes, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Simona Broomes, Ronald Bulkan, George Norton, Haimraj Rajkumar, and Valerie Garrido-Lowe.

Some additions were Amanza Walton-Desir, David Hinds,

Roysdale Forde, Quincy Jones, Ryan Belgrave, Gary Best, and Darren Wade, Sheik Mahmood and Geeta Chandan-Edmonds and Savitree Singh Sharma.

Noel Holder, notably, was not on the coalition’s list of candidates.

After declaring the APNU+AFC’s list, President Granger said that he was satisfied that the list has met the requirements for the National TopUp List (for Ministerial and Parliamentary candidates) as well as the Regional Lists (for Local Democratic Organs).

He asserted that all six parties of the coalition teamed up to produce a list that is diverse and representative of the entire country, i n t e r m s o f a g e , g e n d e r, geographical location, and occupation.

He said that his party has a strong, proven record, and that its

list will prove itself to be the best there is.

Granger’s plan for the country – the Decade of Development – is being touted as one that will continue the work the coalition has done over the past five years.

“I am confident that these are the winning lists. The APNU+AFC has nominated candidates who enjoy the confidence of our members and supporters. Our candidates, members and supporters are mobilized. Our campaign is progressing. We are guaranteed of the overwhelming support of Guyanese, based on our record over the past five years.”

He noted the party has designed a Plan for the country – the ‘Decade of Development.’ The APNU+AFC restored good governance over the past five years and has a plan to continue its good work over the next five.

PPP Presidential candidate Irfaan Ali, Prime Ministerial Candidate Mark Phillips, and General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, led the party’s contingent, that comprised Anil Nandlall, Nigel Dharamlall, Priya Manickchand, Pauline Sukhai, Clement Rohee and Samuel Hinds.

The PPP list of candidates included a number of fresh faces, among them Attorney at law Sanjeev Datadin, businessman and former People National Congress member of parliament, Anthony Vieira and former Vice president, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (GCCI), Chairman Deodat Indar.

Noticeably absent from list are the names of prominent PPP members Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Robert Persaud.

The PPP in statement noted that Prime Ministerial candidate, Brig.

Mark Phillips, and “our list of several hundred competent and patriotic candidates and the leadership of the PPP’s General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo,” are part of a plan for the next five years to restore and transform our nation and the quality of life of all of its people, will succeed.

“The PPP/C has a proven track record. The PPP/C built a strong and stable economy without the benefit of oil and gas. We are a Party of transformative policies and plans, and we keep our promises.

“These elections offer each of us a chance to choose the kind of life we and our children will have and the kind of country in which we will live. The choice is clear. Only the PPP/C can rescue and transform Guyana.”

The party said that the plans for Guyana are comprehensive. It has measures that will remove the “200 draconian taxes and fees; create 50,000 new jobs thereby enhancing the well-being of all Guyanese and create new measures that will stimulate the economy and encourage new investments.

PAGE 44

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

Mr. Jagdeo, yours was the opportunity...

From page 35 By his actions, Mr. Jagdeo has let down the party, its supporters and Guyana. And throughout these failures, Irfaan Ali stood beside him in silence.

Society recalls shortly after the Coalition (APNU+AFC) was elected, a team was put in place to engage the PPP on governance.

The PPP scuttled the process by objecting to Prime Minis-

ter Nagamootoo’s presence as the leader, which constitutes transgressing the right of each team to choose its representative. The coalition sought to resuscitate the engagement, with President David Granger committing to lead the team. He took sick shortly after, then the no-confidence vote followed, and since then it has been nothing but bedlam coming from this PPP leader.

These are serious times, and all must be held to account for their stewardship.

Our vote is of value, and we must not allow any to cheapen or demean same by taking us for granted or thinking they can pull wool over our eyes.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

A Rigorous Challenge to Social Norms From page 39 toxic society, masculinity morphs into a raging libido that feeds on itself.

‘You Throw like a Girl’ does not and cannot address the origins, dynamism and complexities of patriarchy. No one author can.

Soundly and clearly articulated, McPherson has

emerged as a measured voice in an oftentimes kinetic and unsettling narrative. His is an exigent undertaking that requires input from every strata of society, a point he never fails to mention.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this

newspaper) F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Publisher: Akashic Books, Brooklyn, New York ISBN: 978-1-61775-705-1 Available at Amazon Ratings: Highly recommended

Rum of the week...

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This beverage can be yours for all your at home entertainment activities as it is available for less than $3500 at Ansa Mcals Twee Gourmet Shoppee at Giftland Mall. Enjoy!

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil airs today on Enetworks Most Sundays, family members or loved ones prefer to spend their time preparing for the week ahead and catching up on some living room entertainment once time permits.

If this is what your typical Sunday is like or youre a huge Disney fan, then gathering around the television to watch Maleficent: Mistress of Evil at 1:00 PM on the Enetworks channel is where you definitely need to be.

Released October 16, 2019, the movie tells the tale of Maleficent (played by Angelina Jolie) who travels to a grand old castle to celebrate her god daughter, Aurora’s (played by Elle Fanning) upcoming wedding to Prince Phillip. While there, she meets Aurora’s future mother-in-law, a conniving queen who hatches a devious plot to destroy the land’s fairies.

Hoping to stop her, Maleficent joins forces with a seasoned warrior and a group of outcasts to battle the queen and her powerful army. Its a dark fantasy of epic proportions to

say the least. Be sure to enjoy this adventure and until next time, have a great weekend guys!

Justin Chambers’ Final Grey’s Anatomy Episode Has Already Aired It’s too late to say goodbye.Actor Justin Chambers has played the beloved character of Dr. Alex Karev for the last 15 years, but sadly, the time has come for the actor to pack up his scrubs and say goodbye. On Friday, it was revealed that the beloved character has walked the halls of the famed Seattle hospital for the last time. While fans were looking forward to having a proper send off for the star, it turns out his last episode has already aired.

ABC has confirmed to E! News that Justin’s last episode was in fact episode 350 which aired on Nov. 14 of last year. The star has played the character for the last 16 sea-

sons, and is one of the last few remaining members of the main cast of the hit medical drama, which premiered in 2005.

His last episode saw him leaving to go take care of his ailing mother, and he was replaced as head of pediatric surgery by Dr. Cormac Hayes played by Shameless alum Richard Flood. “There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years,” Justin said in his statement to E! News.

“For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remark-

able, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.”Justin went on to say, “As I move on from Grey’s Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda Rimes, original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride.”It’s always hard to say goodbye to a member of the Grey’s Anatomy family, but this one’s going to leave a scar. (https://www.eonline.com/ news/1110619/justin-chambers-final-grey-s-anatomyepisode-has-already-aired)

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

Fifteen benefits of drinking water Keeping hydrated is crucial for health and well-being, but many people do not consume enough fluids each day.

Around 60 percent of the body is made up of water, and around 71 percent of the planet’s surface is covered by water.

Perhaps it is the ubiquitous nature of water that means drinking enough each day is not at the top of many people’s lists of priorities.

Fifteen benefits of drinking water Possible benefits of drinking water range from keeping the kidneys healthy to losing weight.

To function properly, all the cells and organs of the body need water.

Here are some reasons our body needs water: 1. It lubricates the joints Cartilage, found in joints and the disks of the spine, contains around 80 percent water.

Longterm dehydration can reduce the joints’ shock-absorbing ability, leading to joint pain.

2. It forms saliva and mucus Saliva helps us digest our food and keeps the mouth, nose, and eyes moist. This prevents friction and damage.

Drinking water also keeps the mouth clean. Consumed instead of sweetened beverages, it can also reduce tooth decay.

3. It delivers oxygen throughout the body Blood is more than 90 percent water, and blood carries oxygen to different parts of the body.

4. It boosts skin health and beauty With dehydration, the skin can become more vulnerable to skin disorders and premature wrinkling.

5. It cushions the brain, spinal cord, and other sensitive tissues Dehydration can affect brain structure and function.

It is also involved in the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. Prolonged dehydration can lead to problems with thinking and reasoning.

6. It regulates body temperature Water that is stored in the middle layers of the skin comes to the skin’s surface as sweat when the body heats up. As it evaporates, it cools the body. In sport.

Some scientists have suggested that when there is too little water in the body, heat storage increases and the individual is less able to tolerate heat strain.

Having a lot of water in the body may reduce physical

strain if heat stress occurs during exercise. However, more research is needed into these effects.

7, The digestive system depends on it The bowel needs water to work properly. Dehydration can lead to digestive problems, constipation, and an overly acidic stomach.

This increases the risk of heartburn and stomach ulcers.

8. It flushes body waste Water is needed in the processes of sweating and removal of urine and feces.

9. It helps maintain blood pressure A lack of water can cause blood to become thicker, increasing blood pressure.

10. The airways need it When dehydrated, airways are restricted by the body in an effort to minimize water loss. This can make asthma and allergies worse.

11. It makes minerals and nutrients accessible These dissolve in water, which makes it possible for them to reach different parts of the body.

12. It prevents kidney damage The kidneys regulate fluid in the body. Insufficient water can lead to kidney stones and other problems.

13. It boosts performance during exercise Share on PinterestDehydration during exercise may hinder performance.

Some scientists have proposed that consuming more water might enhance performance during strenuous activity.

More research is needed to confirm this, but one review found that dehydration reduces performance in activities lasting longer than 30 minutes.

14. Weight loss Water may also help with weight loss, if it is consumed instead of sweetened juices and sodas. “Preloading” with water before meals can help prevent overeating by creating a sense of fullness.

15. It reduces the chance of a hangover When partying, unsweetened soda water with ice and lemon alternated with alcoholic drinks can help prevent overconsumption of alcohol.

Top of Form Bottom of Form Kidney damage Water helps dissolve minerals and nutrients, making them more accessible to the body. It also helps remove waste products.

Share on PinterestThe

kidneys play a key role in balancing fluid levels.

These two functions make water vital to the kidneys.

Every day, the kidneys filter around 120-150 quarts of fluid.

Of these, approximately 12 quarts are removed from the body in the form of urine, and the rest is recovered by the bloodstream.

Water is essential for the kidneys to function.

If the kidneys do not function properly, waste products and excess fluid can build up inside the body.

Untreated, chronic kidney disease can lead to kidney failure. The organs stop working, and either dialysis or kidney transplantation is required.

have previously developed kidney stones. The guidelines state that increasing fluid intake to enable 2 liters of urination a day could decrease the risk of stone recurrence by at least half with no side effects.

Dehydration happens if we use and lose more water than the body takes in. It can lead to an imbalance in the body’s electrolytes. Electrolytes, such as potassium, phosphate, and sodium, help carry electrical signals between cells. The kidneys keep the levels of electrolytes in the body stable when they function properly.

When the kidneys are unable to maintain a balance in the levels of electrolytes, these electrical signals be-

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection in the body. They account for around 8.1 million visits to health care providers in the U.S. every year.

If infections spread to the upper urinary tract, including the kidneys, permanent damage can result. Sudden, or acute, kidney infections can be life-threatening, particularly if septicemia occurs.

Drinking plenty of water is a simple way to reduce the risk of developing a UTI and to help treat an existing UTI. Kidney stones interfere with how the kidneys work.

When present, can complicate UTIs. These complicated UTIs tend to require longer periods of antibiotics to treat them, typically lasting 7 to 14 days.

The leading cause of kidney stones is a lack of water.

People who report them often do not drink the recommended daily amount of water. Kidney stones may also increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.

In November 2014, the American College of Physicians issued new guidelines for people who

come mixed up. This can lead to seizures, involving involuntary muscle movements and loss of consciousness.

In severe cases, dehydration can lead to kidney failure, which can be life-threatening. Possible complications of chronic kidney failure include anemia, damage to the central nervous system, heart failure, and a compromised immune system.

Sources Some of the water required by the body is obtained through foods with a high water content, such as soups, tomatoes, oranges, but most come through drinking water and other beverages.

During everyday functioning, water is lost by the body, and this needs to be replaced. We notice that we lose water through activities such as sweating and urination, but water is lost even when breathing.

Drinking water, whether from the tap or a bottle, is the

best source of fluid for the body.

Milk and juices are also good sources of fluid, but beverages containing alcohol and caffeine, such as soft drinks, coffee, and beer, are not ideal because they often contain empty calories.

Drinking water instead of soda can help with weight loss.

It was previously thought that caffeinated beverages had diuretic properties, meaning that they cause the body to release water.

However, studies show that fluid loss because of caffeinated drinks is minimal.

Recommended intake Share on PinterestHow much water we need to consume is influenced by the climate.

The amount of water needed each day varies from person to person, depending on how active they are, how much they sweat, and so on.

There is no fixed amount of water that must be consumed daily, but there is general agreement on what a healthy fluid intake is.

According to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the average recommended daily intake of water from both food and drink is: For men: Around 3.7 liters or 125 ounces For women: Around 2.7 liters or 91 ounces This would be around 15.5 cups for men and just over 11 cups for women. However, around 80 percent of this should come from drinks, including water, and the rest will be from food.

This means that: Men should drink around 100 ounces, or 12.5 cups of fluid Women should drink around 73 ounces, or just over 9 cups Fresh fruits and vegetables and all non-alcoholic fluids count towards this recommendation.

Times when it is most important to drink plenty of water include: when you have a fever when the weather is hot if you have diarrhea and vomiting when you sweat a lot, for example, due to physical activity Facts Here are some facts about water:

Babies and children have a higher percentage of water than adults. When babies are born, they are about 78 percent water, but this falls to 65 percent by the age of 1 year.

Fatty tissue has less water than lean tissue.

Men have more water than women, as a percentage.

Do we drink enough water?

A study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute’s 2007 Food Attitudes and Behaviors Survey.

Out of a sample of 3,397 adults, the researchers found: 7 percent of adults reported no daily consumption of drinking water 36 percent of adults reported drinking 1-3 cups of drinking water a day 35 percent of adults reported drinking 4-7 cups of drinking water a day 22 percent of adults reported drinking 8 cups or more a day People were more likely to drink less than 4 cups of drinking water daily if they consumed 1 cup or less of fruits or vegetables a day.

The study only measured the intake of drinking water.

Fluid can be gained from other beverages, but water is best because it is calorie-free, caffeine-free, and alcohol-free.

Seven percent of respondents reported drinking no water at all daily, and those who drank a low volume of water also consumed less fruit and vegetables. This suggests that a certain number of people are risking their health by not getting enough fluid.

Even if the respondents reporting low levels of water intake were obtaining enough fluid, it is likely that they would be obtaining it from sources that could potentially compromise their health in other ways.

“The biologic requirement for water may be met with plain water or via foods and other beverages,” write the study authors. “Results from previous epidemiologic studies indicate that water intake may be inversely related to volume of calorically sweetened beverages and other fluid intake.” (https:// www.medicalnewstoday.com/ a r t i c l e s / 290814.php#benefits).

Kaieteur News

PAGE 46

The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids

by The Brothers Grimm There was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids, and loved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day she wanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all seven to her and said, “Dear children, I have to go into the forest, be on your guard against the wolf; if he come in, he will devour you all—-skin, hair, and all. The wretch often disguises himself, but you will know him at once by his rough voice and his black feet.” The kids said, “Dear mother, we will take good care of ourselves; you may go away without any anxiety.” Then the old one bleated, and went on her way with an easy mind.

It was not long before someone knocked at the housedoor and called, “Open the door, dear children; your mother is here, and has brought something back with her for each of you.” But the little kids knew that it was the wolf, by the rough voice; “We will not open the door,” cried they, “thou art not our mother. She has a soft, pleasant voice, but thy voice is rough; thou art the wolf!” Then the wolf went away to a shopkeeper and bought himself a great lump of chalk, ate this and made his voice soft with it.

The he came back, knocked at the door of the house, and cried, “Open the door, dear children, your mother is here and has brought something back with her for each of you.” But the wolf had laid his black paws against the window, and the children saw them and cried, “We will not open the door, our mother has not black feet like thee; thou art the wolf.” Then the wolf ran to a baker and said, “I have hurt my feet, rub some dough over them for me.” And when the baker had rubbed his feet over, he ran to the miller and said, “Strew some white meal over my feet for me.” The miller thought to himself, “The wolf wants to deceive someone,” and refused; but the

wolf said, “If thou wilt not do it, I will devour thee.” Then the miller was afraid, and made his paws white for him. Truly men are like that.

So now the wretch went for the third time to the house-door, knocked at it and said, “Open the door for me, children, your

dear little mother has come home, and has brought every one of you something back from the forest with her.”

The little kids cried, “First show us thy paws that we may know if thou art our dear little mother.” Then he put his paws in through the window, and when the kids saw that they were white, they believed that all he said was true, and opened the door. But who should come in but the wolf!

They were terrified and wanted to hide themselves. One sprang under the table, the second into the bed, the third into the stove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into the cupboard, the sixth under the washing-bowl, and the seventh into the clock-case. But the wolf found them all, and used no great ceremony; one after the other he swallowed them down his throat. The youngest, who was in the clock-case, was the only one he did not find.

When the wolf had satisfied his appetite he took himself off, laid himself down under a tree in the green meadow outside, and began to sleep. Soon afterwards the old

FUN WITH POETRY

Doing better in the New Year

by Uncle Roy It is now a brand new year, And I think this tells me something – That I try to start again, And do better in everything.

I need to improve in all my work, Whether at home or school, Try to be right in all I do, And with everyone act nice and cool.

But what I think is most important, Even more than work and play, So that God will always help me, I must find more time to pray.

goat came home again from the forest. Ah! What a sight she saw there! The house-door stood wide open. The table, chairs, and benches were thrown down, the washing-bowl lay broken to pieces, and the quilts and pillows were pulled off the bed. She sought her children, but they were nowhere to be found. She called them one after another by name, but no one answered. At last, when she came to the youngest, a soft voice cried, “Dear mother, I am in the clock-case.” She took the kid out, and it told her that the wolf had come and had eaten all the others. Then you may imagine how she wept over her poor children.

At length in her grief she went out, and the youngest kid ran with her. When they came to the meadow, there lay the wolf by the tree and snored so loud that the branches shook. She looked at him on every side and saw that something was moving and struggling in his gorged belly. “Ah, heavens,” said she, “is it possible that my poor children whom he has swallowed down for his supper, can be still alive?” Then the kid had to run home and fetch scissors, and a needle and thread, and the goat cut open the monster’s stomach, and hardly had she make one cut, then one little kid thrust its head out, and when she cut farther, all six sprang out one after another, and were all still alive, and had suffered no injury whatever, for in his greediness the monster had swallowed them down whole. What rejoicing there was! They embraced their dear mother, and jumped like a sailor at his wedding. The mother, however, said, “Now go and look for some big stones, and we will fill the wicked beast’s stomach with them while he is still asleep.” Then the seven kids dragged the stones thither with all speed, and put as many of them into his stomach as they could get in; and the mother sewed him up again in the greatest haste, so that he was not aware of anything and never once stirred.

When the wolf at length had had his sleep out, he got on his legs, and as the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty, he wanted to go to a well to drink. But when he began to walk and move about, the stones in his stomach knocked against each other and rattled.

Then cried he, “What rumbles and tumbles Against my poor bones?

I thought ‘t was six kids, But it’s naught but big stones.”

And when he got to the well and stooped over the water and was just about to drink, the heavy stones made him fall in, and there was no help, but he had to drown miserably. When the seven kids saw that, they came running to the spot and cried aloud, “The wolf is dead!

The wolf is dead!” and danced for joy round about the well with their mother.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Junior page

Wall art from recycled boxes Materials: ·Adhesive paper with beautiful design on it. ·Scissors ·Cereal, macaroni or snack bar box ·(4-6; ensure they are same size) ·White spray paint

1. The first thing you need to do is tape up any open parts of your box.

2. Next spray paint the front of the boxes white so that you wouldn’t see the lettering popping through.

Only do this if the Contact

paper is a light color. If you have a darker color you may not need to do it.

3. All you are going to do is cut your Contact paper down to size so that you can ‘wrap’ your boxes.

4. Wrap like so.

5. Don’t worry if you have some places showing.

All you need to do is cut a little piece and fill it in.

6. Wrap all of your boxes and voila!

7. All I did was find the middle of my box and slice a little hole in it with my scissors so that I could hang it on a nail in my wall.

8. Then you are ready to hang.

Word search

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Make a determined and regular effort in this New Year to Improve Yourself As a person with ambition and the desire to make the best of yourself, you must realise that you need to continuously make the effort at improving yourself in the various aspects of your life. For the coming weeks Uncle Roy will be sharing with you some pointers on developing a better personality and achieving success in your ambitions. Here are the first tips which I hope you will take seriously: 1. Exercise daily – Take some time every day to do some physical exercises, such as stretching, walking, running and lifting weights, even this is minimal. If and when you can do this in a natural setting as outdoors, you will benefit much more.

2. Expect the best and prepare for the worst – Always try to be optimistic, that is, looking for the best to happen,

but still prepare yourself for the times when things may not go right. Being optimistic has immense rewards in your own personality, in your relationships and in all you try to achieve.

3. Plan a schedule for your week – When you put down on paper, and also in your mind, what you should be working on each week, then you will find that you will be able to do much more of what is beneficial to you than just moving from day to day with no set plans. Try to be realistic in this and, once decided on. Work towards accomplishing all you plan to achieve.

4. Keep in mind the 5 highest priorities of your life – You should try to always be aware of the things that matter most, and not allow other things to keep you from the proper direction you have chosen. These should include your family, your ambitions in life, your

friends, and the things you need to do to keep on track towards your goals.

5. Say no to distractions – This is probably the biggest obstacle facing any young person who is trying to make it in the modern world. There are so many things that can keep your attention from the things that you really need to do that you can waste a lot of energy, time and resources in getting involved in these and move in the wrong direction. Keep telling yourself not to let the TV, cell-phone, idle friends and useless activities get in the way of your ambitions, both short and long term.

Make some effort to keep these tips so that you can refer to them continuously. Look out in the coming weeks to more of these which I guarantee will make your life so much more worthwhile.

INK¥ Fill in the blank squares so that each row and each column contain all of the digits 1 thru . The heavy lines indicate areas (called cages) that contain groups of numbers that can be combined (in any order) to produce the result shown in the cage, with the indicated math operation. For example, 12× means you can multiply the values together to produce 12. Numbers in cages may repeat, as long as they are not in the same row or column.

PAGE 47

Chart your Course

by Roy Paul Is there a ship that goes to sea That has no stated port of call, Without a means of staying on course, Where wind and tide dictate and chance befall?

Is there a bird or fish or beast That has no purpose to its being?

Nay, each is counted and serves its aim, In the Good Lord’s reckoning.

Why then should a man live on this earth With no set goals to meet, To pitch and toss in the sea of fate, And thus end his life in defeat?

A life thus lived is worth much less Than any of God’s dumb creations, If man should claim a higher destiny, He must seek his given mission.

So each of us need take the time To form the goals we cherish, To give true meaning to our lives, And thus gain fulfillment and happiness.

(This is the first of the poems featured in Uncle Roy’s book: SHAPE UP YOUR PERSONALITY, which has been published in the USA, and which will soon be published locally. It will be great if you can try to get a copy when it does hit the bookshelves here.)

Any sincere effort at looking at yourself honestly and trying to improve will benefit you tremendously.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Solutions to last week’s

INKY

SAMURAI SUDOKU

Goodluck!

PAGE 48

Home Remedies to Get Rid of Dandruff Naturally An itchy scalp and flakiness are the hallmark signs of this condition, but it may also cause other symptoms like greasy patches on the scalp and tingling skin.

Underlying causes of dandruff include dry skin, seborrheic dermatitis, sensitivity to hair products and the growth of a specific type of fungus that lives on the scalp (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

While there are plenty of over-the-counter products designed to treat dandruff, natural remedies can be just effective.

1. Try Tea Tree Oil Historically, tea tree oil has been used to treat ailments ranging from acne to psoriasis.It is also proven to have powerful anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help alleviate symptoms of dandruff 2. Use Coconut Oil Well-known for its multiple health benefits, coconut oil is often also used as a natural remedy for dandruff.

Coconut oil may help improve skin hydration and prevent dryness, which can worsen dandruff.

3. Apply Aloe Vera Aloe vera is a type of succulent that is frequently added to skin ointments, cosmetics and lotions.Despite these promising results, additional studies are needed to look at how aloe vera may directly affect dandruff.Stress is believed to impact many aspects of health and well-being. It can influence everything from chronic conditions to mental health . the immune system and decrease the body’s ability to fight off infections that cause dandruff. Stress also often precedes episodes of seborrheic dermatitis, one of the most common causes of dandruff.

5. Add Apple Cider Vinegar to Your Routine Apple cider vinegar has been associated with a variety of health benefits. These include improving insulin sensitivity and increasing weight loss 6. Try Aspirin Salicylic acid is one of the primary compounds found in aspirin that is responsible for its anti-inflammatory properties (23Trusted Source).

For an easy dandruff remedy, try crushing two tablets of aspirin and adding the powder to your shampoo before w a s h i n g y o u r hair.https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-treatdandruff#section6

SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S WORD SEARCH

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Sunday January 12, 2020

g tin s... s e e er atur t In re C

T

Kaieteur News

Tropical kingbird

he tropical k i n g b i r d (Tyrannus melancholicus) is a large tyrant flycatcher. This bird breeds from southern Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States through Central America, South America as far as south as central Argentina and western Peru, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Birds from the northernmost and southern breeding areas migrate to warmer parts of the range after breeding.

An adult tropical kingbird is 22 cm (8.7 in) long and weighs 39 g (1.4 oz). The head is pale grey, with a darker eye mask, an orange crown stripe, and a heavy grey bill.

The back is greyishgreen, and the wing and forked tail are brown. The throat is pale grey, becoming olive on the breast, with the rest of the under-parts being yellow. The sexes are similar, but young birds have

pale buff edges on the wing coverts.

Tr o p i c a l K i n g b i r d s appear to be monogamous.

In most parts of the species’ range, they are permanent residents and remain together in pairs year-round (Sibley, 2014). The call is a high-pitched twittering trill, tree-e-e-e-e-e-e, with a more complex version sung by the male at dawn.

Their breeding habitat is semi-open areas with trees and shrubs, including gardens and roadsides.

Tropical kingbirds like to observe their surroundings from a prominent open perch, usually high in a tree, undertaking long sally flights to acrobatically catch insects in mid-air (hawking), sometimes hovering to pick food off vegetation (gleaning).

They also eat some fruit from such diverse species as tamanqueiro (Alchornea glandulosa), the A n n o n a c e a e , Cymbopetalum mayanum

and gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba); foraging for these even in disturbed habitat. As they keep mainly to the upper levels of trees, they find little profit in following mixed-species feeding flocks in the understory.

These birds aggressively defend their territory against intruders, even much larger birds such as magnificent frigatebirds, toucans, caracaras or hawks. In a study in Parque Nacional de La Macarena of Colombia, parasitism by microfilariae and trypanosomas (presumably T. everetti) was infrequently recorded in tropical kingbirds.

The male and female inspect potential sites together before selecting a site, typically a fork or crotch high in a tree (up to 66 feet high) but sometimes just a few feet above water (Sibley, 2014). The female builds a bulky, sloppylooking, shallow nest of vines, rootlets, twigs, weeds,

PAGE 51

(TYRANNUS MELANCHOLICUS)

and grasses; it is unlined or lined with hair. Nests average about 5.2 inches across and 3 inches tall, with interior cup about 3 inches across and 1.6 inches deep (Sibley, 2014).

The female incubates the typical clutch of two to four eggs for approximately 16 days, and the nestlings fledge in another 18 or 19 days. The eggs are whitish or pale pink with variable

amounts of dark blotching (Sibley, 2014).

The tropical kingbird is one of the most widespread and conspicuous inhabitants of open forest, forest edge, scrub and agricultural land from the southwestern United States south to Argentina (Jahn, Stouffer, & Chesser, 2013). As a result, the bird is considered as being of Least Concern and their population is

increasing, according to the IUCN. According to Partners in Flight, global estimates of tropical kingbird breeding population is around 200 million. They rate the species as four out of 20 on the continental concern scale, indicating that this species is of low conservation concern (Partners in Flight, 2017).

[Source: Wikipedia]

PAGE 52

Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

Immigration Questions & Answers

By Attorney Gail S. Seeram

T

hrough this “Question & Answer�, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, p l e a s e e m a i l : Gail@GailLaw.com.

Question #1: Can my daughter who is age 16 and a U.S. citizen file for me?

Answer #1: No. A U.S. citizen can file or petition for his/her parent, however the U.S. citizen child must be age 21 or older.

This type of petition,

where a U.S. citizen files for a parent is considered an immediate relative petition and a visa is available immediately (meaning there is no backlog).

Question #2: D u r i n g my interview for U.S. citizenship, I lied to the officer and was denied because of the lie. When can I re-file for U.S. citizenship?

Answer #2: Lying to an immigration officer is a serious offense. I do not recommend anyone to lie to a federal officer.

Yo u w e r e d e n i e d because the officer found you to lack good moral character.

One of the requirements for U.S. citizenship is that you must possess good moral character. My advice is to wait five (5) years from the interview date before reapplying for U.S. citizenship.

Question #3: C a n I marry while the immigrant petition filed by my parent is pending?

Answer #3: I t depends on whether the petitioner is a permanent resident or a U.S. citizen.

If the petitioner (person who filed the petition) is a permanent resident then you cannot marry because marriage would void the petition.

A permanent resident can only file for an unmarried child. If the petitioner (person who filed the petition) is a U.S. citizen then you can marry.

Once you marry then the petitioner can change the preference category of the petition from first preference to third preference.

Note, the wait time for the visa may increase once you are married, but then you and your spouse will be able to emigrate to the

Gail S. Seeram U.S. Question #4: I have a holiday or tourist visa for the U.S. but I have a permanent resident petition pending that was filed by my family.

Can I still travel on my holiday visa?

Answer#4: Yes, you can travel, however, if the U.S. immigration officer at the port of entry determines you have immigrant intents because they discover the pending immigrant petition then you can be denied entry into the U.S. or your holiday visa can be revoked.

Also, when you holiday visa is up for renewal, the U.S. Embassy may deny renewal once they see you have a pending immigrant petition.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Attorney Gail Seeram, LL.M., J.D., BBA call | text 407-292-7730 whatsApp 407-353-1363 email: Gail@GailLaw.com live chat: www.GailLaw.com Download FREE App: Gail Law

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Mabaruma $264M solar farm still to generate power after one year of installation

Mabaruma’s solar farm

T

he Mabaruma solar farm which was constructed

by Meeco Group of Germany for $264M was completed in November 2018. However due to various issues it has not been able to provide the services for which it was constructed.

The Minister of Public Infrastructure, Mr. David Patterson, had stated that the reason for his Ministry’s failure to commission the service was the incorrect installation of the batteries

and inverters.

Hence the ministry is working on having new ones installed correctly and should be completed in February.

He further stated that the new batteries and inverters have been put out to tender.

The poor maintenance of the panel which had previously raised concerns after it was taken over by unwanted vegetation was taken care of when arrangements were put into focus for regular visits made to the solar plant.

The Minister said the life span of the solar plant is 25 years, having the capacity to power at least three quarters of the community while the others will have electricity generated from other sources such as fossil fuel and diesel.

The system is a hybrid system which will power the entire community throughout the day when the sun is at its highest. You may be having a 100 percent solar, even if the rain falls. It is likely to drop to 80 percent depending on the conditions.

In instances when there is overcast for more than half an hour the generator will automatically switch on.

In previous interviews the Public Infrastructure Minister, had made references to the incorrectly positioned half-hour storage batteries.

The solar farm produces 400 kilowatts. Before the battery dies the system automatically switches to the generator but that has not been synchronized.

“This initiative was done as part of the government’s plan to move Guyana towards becoming a Green State that will serve as a medium to reduce the country’s fossil fuel bill and prevent carbon emissions in the atmosphere,” Ministry.

Kaieteur News

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Eve Adams...

From page 22 engineer,” Adams quipped.

She also had the option of becoming a nurse, but was eventually able to make her case for following the nutritionist path.

“After I decided I wanted to be a nutritionist I sort of geared my mind towards that career path,” said Adams, as she recalled becoming a student of the Carnegie School of Home Economics and later becoming a teacher in the Home Economics Department of the Paradise Government School.

STUDIES ABROAD But she wanted to learn so much more. Moreover, she applied and was accepted to attend Oakwood College in the United States to achieve her nutritionist ambition. Reflecting on her journey to a land that she would later adopt as her second home, Adams, amidst a girly giggle, said “I flew from Guyana to JFK in the US. It was so comical, because I landed there and the flight from JFK to Atlanta was waiting for me, and I had no idea I had to change planes, so they had to put me in this long thing [like a train] and they drove me across the airfield to catch the southern airline plane to Atlanta.”

That journey started on January 7, 1972, and evolved into another, when she met a n d m a r r i e d Wi n s t o n Overton – the father of her only child – a son she named Kwame AdamsOverton.

She was able to land a job as a dietician. But according to Adams, “After I had my son, working as a dietician wasn’t working out for my family. So I went back to school and became a nurse and then I started my career in nursing.” She recalled becoming a very proficient nurse in the Intensive Care Unit and the Cardiac Care Unit too, but never really had much exposure to bedside nursing.

But even as her career in nursing took off, the marriage to her son’s father ended and Adams learned to become the best possible single-parent provider to her son.

At the pinnacle of her nursing career, Adams was happy with the life she had built for herself and son. But what she didn’t know was that she was about to face a situation that

would either make or break her very existence.

The year was January 1997. During a routine medical examination, she was diagnosed with cancer, t h e N o n - H o d g k i n ’s Lymphoma kind.

“It is like you can’t believe it…Whenever you get the diagnosis of cancer, it is like a death sentence,” Adams confessed. Instead of curling up and preparing to die, Adams decided to make a resolution that would change her life forever.

“I made a resolution that year that no matter what happens to me I would give God thanks; I was going to give thanks in the good times and I was going to give thanks in the bad times. Even though there was nothing to be thankful for at the time with such a diagnosis, I said ‘Lord you will have to give me a reason to give thanks.’

I remembered saying that and going right to sleep,” said Adams. At the time her son was just a teenager.

A few weeks into her diagnosis, she was required to return to be examined by an Oncologist who made it pellucid that ‘the diagnosis of cancer is not good, no matter what the type of cancer’. What she didn’t anticipate hearing were the very words that constituted, for her, a reason to give thanks.

“This cancer specialist said ‘…this type of cancer, we have a higher success rate

of cure.’ I said thank you Jesus right away…I think the doctor probably thought I was crazy, but I was saying thank you Jesus for ‘my reason’.”

It wasn’t nearly an easy fight; in fact she recalled going in and out of remission at least three times. Her last remission was in the early 2000s and ever since then “I have been pretty healthy,” she thankfully asserted.

LENDING A HAND But even before her diagnosis, she always had a nudging to help the less fortunate in need of medical care.

The importance of taking this path became even more clear after her own experience.

“I remembered coming back home to Guyana and there were many children who needed surgeries that were not offered in Guyana…this was in the early 1990s,” Adams shared as she recalled “as a nurse I used to travel with different organisations going into different countries and doing medical missionary work.”

But then she eventually joined forces with a volunteer organisation

called Healing Children Northeast, which has as its mission to provide donated medical care to children in need. It was through this organisation she was able to really lend some crucial support to children in her Growing gracefully homeland. together “I started working through the organisation to sponsor children to come up to the US for heart surgery. One child came up with a tumour on the brain and another girl who was badly burnt we were able to assist,” Adams recounted.

She doesn’t boast about being able to help others, but she did admit, “I think I have found my true calling.” As such Adams has every intention of continuing to help as many persons as possible to have a fighting chance of holding on a bit longer to a good quality of life.

Reflecting on the path life’s journey has thus far taken her, she has no regret. In fact, she has a better appreciation that it wasn’t by following a single direction that caused her to become the influential human being she is

Sunday January 12, 2020

Vacation time!

today, but rather, it took some intertwining, complete with a dash of good times and bad.

“I was able to successfully combine teaching, nutrition and nursing,” Adams said, as she considered how much more impacting her life has been as a result.

With her extensive credentials, she was able to offer her expertise at the Visiting Nurses of New York, from which she retired as the Vice President of Nursing at the age of 55.

But this certainly wasn’t the end of the employment road for this Delaware, USA resident as she recalled, “I promptly went back to work because I realised I was too young to sit at home.”

Her expertise was welcomed at the Premier Home Health Care Services, from which she retired two years ago from full-time employment.

“I am still working with them part-time, now I work two to three days a week...I do a lot of mentoring with young nurses because the organisation now hires nurses directly out of nursing school, and so I work with them to help them to build t h e i r n u r s i n g

documentation,” Adams said.

Although very committed to her work and still volunteering to help the less fortunate access medical support, Adams ensures she finds time for the blended family she shares with her n o w h u s b a n d , Wi l l i e Rennick.

C u r r e n t l y, h e r e i n Guyana on a semi-vacation, Adams was yesterday lecturing to Buxtonians about the disease process, since she believes that with knowledge comes power.

Adams is also always eager to let people, especially those of the young generation, know that it is always wise to focus on multiple career paths, much as she did.

“My grandson is 17 years old and he wants to be a doctor, but my advice to him, and others, is don’t look at only one field, look at other career paths too…I said to him after you become a doctor, if there is another career path that you think you can better master, go for it.”

For being a versatile professional with a heart for others, today we at Kaieteur News say hats off to Nurse Eve Adams.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Businesses publicly displaying “Goods not Returnable” notices illegal – Consumers Affairs Act

C

o n s u m e r Aw a r e n e s s i s important, since it allows buyers or consumers to be aware of the information about goods, services, and consumer’s rights.

In Guyana, numerous persons have complained about purchasing faulty goods and being unable to return them to suppliers.

According to the Consumer Affairs Act 2011, “A supplier shall refund fees in full or in part to the consumer for the cancellation or unsatisfactory performance of the goods or services for which such fees have been paid.”

Any supplier who violates this regulation is guilty of an offence, and as such, penalties can be imposed for a breach of any provision of the Act; this may range from $20,000 to $1,000,000 and up to one year imprisonment.

Further, a consumer has a maximum of seven days to return the product, not tampered with and in the original packaging. The supplier may charge a 10% restocking fee.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, i t i s important to ensure that a receipt for the purchase of the goods and/or service is provided, since the receipt is regarded as a significant proof of purchase.

Further, the receipt is used for the purpose of obtaining a refund.

Consumers must pay particular attention when purchasing goods from

certain businesses, since they do not usually give receipts.

The receipt is valid for a period of 12 months.

Despite these regulations, several businesses continue to display such notices. This is evident in the multiple Chinese-owned businesses along Regent Street, Georgetown.

The Commission advises consumers to first attempt to speak with the management of the respective business entity. However if both parties are unable to reach a mutually agreeable solution, then redress should be sought at the Consumer Affairs Unit.

The Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission in an effort to effectively inform both consumers and business owners has since been putting out numerous circulars, more particularly a “Consumer Handbook” which seeks to present consumers with essential information that can be used while shopping.

The main function of the Consumer Affairs Act is centered on protecting consumers from being unfairly treated by businesses as it relates to the supply of goods and services and providing a legal framework by which businesses can utilize to pattern their operations.

The Consumer Affairs Unit (CAU) of the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission is charged with the legal mandate of administering and enforcing the said Act.

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

New Amsterdam to see massive transformation in 2020 - says Deputy Mayor

D

eputy Mayor of New Amsterdam, Mr. Wainwright Mc Intosh, in his 2020 New Ye a r ’ s m e s s a g e , h a s expressed gratitude to all those who assisted in the transformation of the century old township over the past year.

He had special words of commendation for President David Granger, the Government of Guyana, the local business community and the citizenry for their support.

He said that during the past 12 months, the major projects undertaken by the Municipality, were the installation of hundreds of street lights, the rehabilitation of roads, including the main thoroughfares.

Mc Intosh, who is in his second term as Deputy M a y o r, r e e l e d o u t a n impressive list of activities planned for this year. A number of major ones include Municipal Development Plan.

This plan includes the Municipal Economic Plan which will see the installation of business incubators along Republic Road.

The continuous distribution of land titles by the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the completion of the multimillion-dollar Synthetic Athletics track and Sports Complex at Burnham Park, the creation of a Family Leisure destination within the Esplanade Park, the opening of a night market, which will cater primarily for persons working beyond regular office hours are all part of the development proposals.

Others include the continuation of Information and Communications Technology hubs, around the township and the continuation of breakfast distribution to pensioners.

“Development is not an overnight thing. It comes with time. We are putting together our Municipal plan, which will see economic development and stability in our town.”

He added, “We are living

Deputy Mayor, Wainright Mc Intosh

Education Officer Monitoring Officer at Ministry of Education, Eleatrice Davenport in the 21st century, and, we cannot uphold ancient practices...Our order of operations is to modernize our beautiful town.”

A Youth Council will be formed, with Secondary School first formers, who will be empowered to understudy the roles of councillors, in an e ff o r t t o e x p a n d t h e i r leadership abilities.

Mc Intosh expressed concern over the wanton disposing of waste materials and the mixing of cement on the roadways. He said that the council will be paying keen attention to such practices in order to have them stamped out.

He expressed best wishes and a prosperous and productive New Year to all on behalf of Her Worship the Mayor and Councillors of New Amsterdam.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

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Four arrested in connection with newspaper vendor’s murder Mere hours after the shooting death of an Essequibo newspaper vendor during an attempt to rob him, four suspects fingered to be involved in the attack were nabbed by police.

The vendor, 48-year-old Shawn “Paperman” Mannilall was shot dead after two armed bandits confronted his family at their Parcel 61 Queenstown, Essequibo Coast home on Friday evening.

The incident occurred at around 20:00hrs.

According to police reports, Mannilall and his family were about to enter their home when they were confronted by two masked men, both wearing helmets and armed with a handgun and a cutlass.

The man’s distraught daughter, Lisa, told Kaieteur News that she and her younger sister left home at 7pm for a Bar-B-Q just a few blocks away while her parents left afterwards.

She stated that her parents returned to collect some forgotten materials and just as her mother was about to close the door, the men pounced.

“Mommy them come back to collect some cups and so and just when they about to walk out, the thief man come and they push the door and walk in. Mommy said Daddy stand up right there and they push he down and she start scream.”

According to her, one of the men brandished a silver gun and the other carried a cutlass. Both men were wearing dark-coloured clothing and helmets to shield their faces.

Lisa said that after she heard her mother screaming, they ran over to investigate.

“When mommy scream, we run from the Bar-B-Q and come and same time Daddy run and them man block he and he fight up and he shoot Daddy two time and Daddy take a mopstick and lash he.

And when he get lash, he shoot back again.”

As if that was not sufficient, Lisa disclosed that as the men were leaving, they shot her father once more to his left side causing him to fall before escaping.

The family rushed Munnilall to the Suddie Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is currently at the hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy.

According to Lisa, her father who was a newspaper vendor since the tender age of 12 was a family man, determined to provide a good life for his family.

“He was hardworking, very…and he would go out and work all day then come home and still have time for us.”

Known characters Sources close to the investigations revealed to Kaieteur News that the four

suspects were arrested at a house in Queenstown, Essequibo playing dominos.

According to the source, two of the suspects were arrested back in November 2019 for robbing a hot vendor but not before receiving a sound beating from residents.

The other two suspects were unknown.

Kaieteur News had reported that the two suspects allegedly robbed a hotdog vendor in Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast on November 8.

The victim, Jonathan Banarsee, usually vends hot dogs along the roadside at Cotton Field.

Banarsee had said that two young men, who were both masked, stuck him up with a knife and demanded cash. The man said that the men told him to lie on the floor, while they carted off some $200,000.

Immediately after the men fled the scene, he sounded an alarm, which alerted persons who were just outside a nearby store. He added that

Shawn “Paperman” Mannilall with his wife and daughters in happier times. he later pointed out his attack- lated on social media show was at the point of unconers and the trashing com- the two men tied up by resi- sciousness. dents. One of them appeared Investigations are conmenced.

Videos that soon circu- to be so badly beaten that he tinuing.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday January 12, 2020

TIME, MEMORY and a NEW YEAR

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to min’?

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of Auld Lang Syne”?

“We’ll tak a cup of kindness yet; For Auld Lang Syne.”

So asked the Poet Robert Burns two centuries ago.

As a year ends, we look back and memories surface.

We reflect on experiences and on people, especially loved ones. We reminisce on the days of long ago and auld acquaintances repossess our thoughts.

Those memories are stimulated by circumstances and situations which encompass us.

The hours, the days the weeks, the months and indeed the years have all slipped by, leaving many memories.

Looking back, we may ask ourselves how did we spend such time?

Caleb Colton an English Clergy on the subject of TIME wrote: “Time, the cradle of hope, but the grave of ambition, is the stern corrector of fools, but the salutary counsellor of the wise; Bringing all the dread to the one and

all they desire to the other; It warns us with a voice that even the sagest discredit too long and the silliest believe too late. Wisdom walks before it, opportunity with it and repentance behind it; He that has made it his friend will have little to fear from his enemies, but he that has made it his enemy will have little to hope from his friends.”

For all of us in Guyana the year 2019 would have recorded a variety of experiences, some of which we remember with pride, joy and satisfaction.

Unfortunately, there have been other experiences which we remember with sadness.

During the year 2019 like any other year, there would have been births with the accompanying merriment and deaths with its pangs of pain.

Some of us lost loved ones.

In 2019, my wife, Claudette, passed away and so did some of my dear friends.

There were weddings with the hope of matrimonial bliss and separations with its inherent heartaches.At a National level some citizens may reflect on what type of year 2019 was for the People of Guyana. the responses will no doubt vary with our own occupation, perception, values and expectations.

For those who take the utterances and promises of Politicians seriously, it may have been a rude awakening.

Words such as Democracy and Transparency maintained popularity though with less significance.

The inability of Administrators and other Political Leaders to deal effectively with the recurring problems of many years is quite apparent. The inability of the government and other political leaders to deal on a

timely basis with matters (legal and otherwise) arising from a no confidence motion was alarming.

The manner in which the no confidence motion was dealt with was of great concern to the generally peaceful, law abiding, tolerant people of the land.

The ongoing division between supporters of the two major Political Parties accentuated and further undermined the National Slogan – “One People, One National, One Destiny.”

However, the many leaders and decision-makers loudly proclaimed respect and support for the Constitution of this country.

The old problems of high cost of living, comparatively low levels of income, poverty, building national pride, curtailing if not eradicating perceptions of partiality and discrimination, reducing taxes which impact, on high transportation cost and making the pavements and city traversable to pedestrians, respect for the constitution. Such matters remain.

However, utterances and actions varied from their solemn declarations.

Fortunately, the Courts of this land and that of the Caribbean were approached and finally a pronouncement was made (the National and Regional Elections are now scheduled to be held on March 2, 2020.) Hopefully the Members of the next Government will make meaningful, the oath they will take on assuming office.

Crime and Road Fatalities During the year 2019, the crime situation escalated to new dimensions creating feelings of fear and insecurity in the minds of citizens. Road fatalities have been a source of heart break, trauma to commuters.

Poverty and the

Environment The plight of the poor though raised at National and International fora remained very much the same. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Notwithstanding, all the expressions of awareness and commitment to the preservation of the environment we so often see its degradation.

The Future Whatever is your assessment of prevailing conditions in Guyana, your past experiences over the years and its memories, we must now look to the New Year with hope and confidence. On the economic front with oil exploration, Guyana’s annual growth rate will be very significant.

Indeed, fantastic!

As shown hereunder: GUYANAANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 2009-3.3% 2010 – 4.3% 2011 – 5.3% 2012-4.8% 2013 – 5.2% 2014 - 3.8% 2015-3.2% 2016-3.4% 2017-2.1% 2018-4.1% 2019-4.4% 2020-86% (projected) The IMF observes the majority of wealth will leave the country in spite of the apparent generosity of Guyana’s representatives in negotiating contracts relating to oil when compared with conditions negotiated with other countries. Guyana will benefit significantly.

Hopefully benefits will accrue to the poor people of this land. The plight of the poor remains with deficiencies in the areas of – security, education, health, transportation and road safety.

Some persons will resort to making resolutions which are quickly forgotten and compromised.

What will the New Year bring Guyana and eventually its people? Time will tell.

It is my wish that the New Year will bring you success and happiness and record events which will enrich your memories in years to come. the year 2019 is the last TEEN year of this century. the next TEEN year will be 2113. You and I will not be around then.

May the New Year 2020 bring you the good things you deserve and the realization of those inner wishes and desires of your heart. Above all GOD’s Blessings.

May time always be your friend and the memories kindle the joys of yesteryears.

A Peaceful, Happy and Blessed New Year.

We’ll take a cup of kindness yet; For Auld Lang Syne.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

More police ranks needed at the GPHC outpost Due to the recent upsurge in petty crimes in the vicinity or compound of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) mainly the Accident and Emergency (AE) department, two police ranks working at the police outpost attached to the city hospital, are pleading for an increase in numbers.

They want those in charge to either send more police ranks at the hospital, especially to work the night shift, or schedule mobile patrols in the area at night.

Kaieteur News was told that at present six police ranks work the shift system at the hospital.

According to a source at the hospital, recently persons going to the hospital at night to access medical attention

have on several occasions, experienced being robbed of their belongings or hard earned cash.

When contacted a police source at the outpost stated that since the emergency department is usually full of people, it is trying to focus on one person that may look suspicious and in the process shift attention from the real criminals.

The source further stated that persons would usually come at the hospital in the wee hours of the morning to seek medical attention, a time when criminals are looking for their next prey.

The source is asking that more mobile police patrols or ranks be placed at the hospital to protect the vulnerable ones.

Recently, officials at the hospital have started to install upgraded doors with buzzers, with the aim of keeping out thieves who would at times disguise as patients and rob persons at the facility.

The source stated that the hospital is willing to do anything that will make visitors feel safe. Patrolling police ranks outside the medical facility is a great start.”The reason persons are coming to the hospital in the first place is because they are sick and they dont want to know that while on their way to get help, they get robbed.

“That is not nice.”

After being robbed most persons are left terrified and that only adds extra pain to what the victim is are already going through.”

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Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News VACANCY Vacancies exists for Truck Drivers and Loader Operator.

Contact - 233-2773/4 Female Cleaner office & home.Call#642-9823.

VACANCY 1 live-in domestic must know to cook. 25-45yrs $25,000 weekly. Tel#610-3974

SERVICES

FOR RENT

Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisements, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040

Fully furnished lower flat 2 bedroom apartment @ South Turkeyen. $70,000 monthly including wifi, hot & cold water. 661-8958

ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included.

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Desmond Repair Services Fridge, AC, gas stove, microwave, washer, etc on the spot repairs –Call: (592)678-8683 Roxie’s Fashion is gearing up for mash for raw or finish spandex. Call us on 622-4386, 696-4397 Roxie’s Fashion & Designing - sewing and altering of garments, done in 48 hours.

Call 622-4386, 696-4397 We repair Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washer, Dryer-Call#231-0655/ 683-8734 Omar.

(1)Bedroom Furnished Apartment, Fully secure for students in Charlestown $70,000. #625-0266/601-1585/ 225-1418 1 Bedroom apartment EBD $35,000, Tel#684-7366 Two Bedroom bottom flat house Tel# 222-0618, 639-0898, 647-1349 Furnished one bedroom & three bedroom apartment in Providence for rent. Call 6721906, 682-6238, 216-2299 Fully furnished, 2 bedroom top falt apartment available.

Phone: 688-8358,671-0747 One apartment with two rooms at Market Street Mon Repos EBD. Tel# 220-7330/ 614-0005 CHARLOTTE ST: 3 BEDROOMS, 2 BATHROOM, UPSTAIRS, 1000 USD MONTHLY. CALL 670-5556.

NO AGENTS PLAESE

CAR RENTAL DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL CALL: 225-7126 & 2263693 -DOLLYS AUTO RENTAL@ YAHOO.COM/ W W W . D O L L Y SAUTORENTAL.COM TO LET Rooms tolet, 1 bedroom, working people: $30,000,$32,000,$35,000 monthly, 2 month security.Call#623-0076.

ACCOMMODATION Aracari Hotel -WBD (Near Bridge)-Pool etc.Open 24 Hours.From $25 USD.Phone 264-2946/8

Vacancy for Motor lorry Drivers & Security guard @Cevons Call#218-1455.

Operators for Fishery.

Starting salary $80,000 per month. Call: 223-7165

Accounts clerk. Contact 2235273/ 223-5274

Cevon’s Waste Management.

Vacancy for 2 lorry drivers to drive high and low range double axle trucks. 218-1455

Driver/expeditor. Contact 2235273/ 223-5274 Immediate vacancies exist for male operators to work shifts @ Del Ice Co. Training provided. Call 642-9191, 2311408 Maid to work on the East Coast. Tel# 649-9359 Vacancy for Sales girl.Apply in person to Alabama Trading 65 Robb Str Bourda.

Vacancies @ Bonny’s Butchery for sale girls. Apply in person with written application @ 302 Church St. Tel#226-7310 One lorry driver. Experience in selling water. Contact 6781234 1 male, exp cooking on grill, multi-tasking 4pm-2am & Female Creole Cook, ECD. Spanish Speaking. #675-2550/ 656-9313 Offset printing press operators,Guillotine Operator,Security Guard.Apply in Person to F&H Printing Establishment Inc.90-92 John Street, Campbellville Greater Georgetown.

Clerk & Domestic- Live-in facilities for Berbicians & Essequibians. #219-5354 1 Domestic & industrial electrician. 692-2855

LAND FOR SALE 37 Acres of Transported Land at Big Biaboo, Mahaica River.Contact#699-4300/2282734 for more info.

Lot 1397 Section ‘A’ Block X Great Diamond Housing Scheme (110 x62). Serious buyers only. Tel#231-6345 1-5 acre fruit bearing & coconutplantation for sale/ lease @ WBD opposite Timehri Wharf.

Email:gzplayter@aol.com/ whatsapp#407-491-2026 5 acre to lease, Coconut & other fruit trees on Demerara river. Call: 261-2988/695-8215 Land at Tuschen Housing Scheme, near school, 3 minutes away from from main road.

Call:261-2988/695-8215

Welder/Fabricator and Kitchen Assistant for Interior location.Applicants must be experienced.Call#618-2020.

Roxie’s Fashion & Designing is recruiting seamstress & sewing machine operators.

622-4386, 696-4397 General domestic. 3 Days work. Must know to cook.

Apply with 2 references.

KeyFood McDoom village Maid to cook and clean for East Bank area.Call#615-9132.

Driver must be able to assist in Workshop at Eccles, age 25-45, Car/Van license.

Call#642-9823.

Room Attendant,Desk staff 25-50 Years old.233 South Road Lacytown/225-0198.

Security Officers to work, preferably ex army, police or disciplined services.Age 2440.Contact#223-4172/6396648.

Vacancy for experienced female Accouints Clerk.Must have passes in Mathematics and English.Apply in Person to Alabama Trading 65 Robb str Bourda

Kitchen assistants & counter attendants. Apply @ German’s Restaurant. Lot 8 New Market & Mundy Streets North Cummingsburg G/Town Salesman, good verbal/ excellent attitude, knowledge in stocktaking, computer literate & team player.Keyfood McDoom.

For one experience teacher who will love to read and teach a 4yr old boy. Call 623-1615 Experienced office/counter clerk. Maths & English.

Computer literate. Telles Steel & Hardware.74 Hadfield St Tel #226-4537/231-3265/2266771.

Pump attentand and cashier, shifts rotated weekly.

Shell Service Station Providence.Email: Shellramsburg@gmail.com PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 89 Robb street Lacytown, Georgetown.

Next door to Mike’s Pharmacy.Land size-3431.25 Sq.ft.Phone:617-5323/6668052.

Newly constructed 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, house overlooking the sea for sale ECD #675-1510/613-7964.

WANTED

For your spandex needs 1 Driver for driving and (swim, sports & gym wear. Call purchasing.Must have Car/ Roxie’s Fashion. 301 Church Van and Lorry licence. & Thomas St. 622-4386, 696Call#231-8737.

4397 2 cooks wanted. Call: 623- Roxie’s Fashion & Designing 8654. 8-4pm. has sale on leotards, tights & Labourers for wood concession. $5000 a day.

Call#630-1831.

VEHICLE FOR SALE

1 Mazda Axela, excellent condition. 17" rims, spoiler.

Just registered. $2.3M neg.

Call: 610-9636

school uniforms. Call 6964397, 622-4386

Lot 14 - 10,204 Sq ft Ph#264Live-in maid, wanted between 2948/615-2270. the age of 40-55. Call: 658-0618 Corrugated steel rods 1/2" Wanted Bus Driver (over 45 12mm-$745+14%Vat. 5/ yrs old) & experienced Cook/ 8"16mm-$1310+14%Vat. Counter girls @ 44 Barima Come in to Alabama Lombard Avenue Bel Air Park.Tel#684- Trading.27 Str.Call#231-3345/225-5800/ 4508.

227-4234.

One Gardener to work in Prime piece of hand at La Georgetown.Tel#669-6914.

Grange Public Road 300ft X Need labourers and chainsaw 100ft $100,000 US operator to work in Dollar.Contact Annie 695concession. Call#651-1115/ 0333.

659-3299.

Two story with four (4) apart1 Male shop assistant to work ment at Market Street Mon in 2 shop in the Interior #670- Repos ECD Tel:220-7330/2035583.

850-5235 One domestic maid.Ages 25- One greenheart wooden 35.Call#231-8737 building to remove. $220,000 Puri cooks , Kitchen price negotiable. Contact 501Assistants.Apply@Shantas 3706 225 Camp Street, G/town.

(1) 320 CL Caterpiller Excava(1) Live in domestic for tor low mileage. Never work Georgetown.Boys & Girls to interior. 15M Neg. 685work at shop in the 1237,609-1237 Interior.Contact#660-9093/ (1) Oil tanker boat 11,000 gal682-5846. lon GM engine. (1) Oil tanker One house keeper.Must be 20,000 gallon GM engine. 685honest,reliable and able to 1237/609-1237 cook various meals.Send application to Lu’s Business Boat and Engine for sale/ Enterprise lot A&B Durban lease.

Email: Street Lodge, G/town. gzplayer@gmail.com or 1 Live-in couple - Husband Whatsapp# 407-491-2026 car/van driver. Wife - Office Attendant, computer literate.

Tel# 227-1813 227-1830 Small space suitable for Restaurant in Georgetown.

Call#610-3988.

1 Suzuki Escudo.Excellent condition, Low Mileage (50,000Km).$3.6M Neg.Call #649-0956.

FOR SALE

Security Guards to work in the interior with popular mining firm.Tel#502-8587/226-9416.

General Manager to work on Land Dredges in the interior with popular mining firm.Contact Imran Tel#5028587/226-9416.

1 2013 Land Rover Evoque & 1 2013 Nissan Fonteir.

Call#619-3141.

Red CRV-2007 model. Contact : 666-7895 FOR SALE 1-2 storey house, 3 1/2 bedroom, 2 washroom, 2 verendah, land 120-45, Cummings Lodge 9 ST-Neg. Tel# 686-5180

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

STANDARDS IN STANDARDS INFOCUS FOCUS

GNBS SUPPORTING LABORATORIES TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR COMPETENCE The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) continues to work with local laboratories to implement National and International standards to improve the quality of services they offer to their customers.

A number of these laboratories implementing international standards have taken the bold step to accreditation, which augers many benefits.

Currently, there are four institutions, which are accredited to international standards in Guyana.

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Central Laboratory and the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department Laboratories are accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Standard General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

Meanwhile, the Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc. and

Dr Balwant Singh Hospital Inc. are accredited to ISO /IEC 15189:2012 Medical Laboratories Requirements for quality and competence.

Laboratory accreditation benefits laboratories by allowing them to determine whether they are performing their work correctly and to appropriate standards, and provide a benchmark for maintaining competence.

According to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), laboratory accreditation provides formal recognition to competent laboratories, thus providing a ready means for customers to identify and select reliable testing measurement and calibration services.

ILAC further stated that in order to maintain accreditation, laboratories are re-evaluated regularly by the accreditation body to ensure their continued compliance with

requirements, and to check that their standard of operation is being maintained. Further accredited laboratories are also required to participate in proficiency testing programs to demonstrate technical competence.

Technical competence is determined in aspects such as the technical competence of staff, validity of appropriateness of test methods, traceability of measurements and calibration to national standards, the sampling, handling and transportation of test items and the quality assurance of test and calibration data.

Accreditation is also an effective marketing tool for testing, calibration and measurement organizations, and a passport to submit tenders to contractors that require independently verified laboratories.

In addition, laboratory

Ministry of Education donates steel pans to two Corentyne Secondary schools

Students of the Port Mourant Seondary School playing the new steel pans The Port Mourant Secondary School and the Skeldon High School both in Corentyne, Berbice were the recipients of steel pans, compliments of the Ministry Of Education.

The items were recently handed over by Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry to the head teachers of the schools.

Minister Henry stated that education continues to be a priority for the Government of Guyana. She said that “education must be done in a holistic way. This will be achieved as the Ministry is currently undergoing a curriculum reform process and what is currently being offered is being enlarged. “ “The expressive arts of which music is apart are a large part of the reform process,” she intoned.

“As Guyana undertakes a decade of development, edu-

cation will be the cornerstone of the government’s focus.

She said that students and teachers will be given a wide range of opportunities not only in mainstream activities but extra-curricular activities.” The Minister congratulated the schools selected to receive the instruments. She thanked the teachers for the support given to the sector to ensure that every child in Guyana realises his full potential.Administrator of the Unit of Allied Arts, Ms. Lorraine Barker-King, said that the distribution of steel pans to schools is an ongoing activity.According to Ms. Barker-King, 31 steel bands have been presented to primary and secondary schools across Guyana so far.

She noted that the Ministry has observed that there has been a significant change in the behaviour of learners who took up the steel pan

playing. She mentioned that they have improved in all areas including creativity, discipline, academic performance and self-confidence.

Head teacher of the Port Mourant Secondary School, Mr. Mark Lyte, who is also the President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, said that in 2017 his school officially introduced music as part of the curriculum.

According to Mr. Lyte, his school’s intention is to offer the subject at the CSEC level. He thanked Minister Henry and Ms. Barker-King for ensuring that the school received the steel pans.

He assured that they will be used to enable learning.

Head teacher of the Skeldon High School, Mr. Royden Harvey, echoed similar sentiments of gratitude since the steel pans will be used for the learners at his school to benefit.

accreditation is highly regarded both nationally and internationally as a reliable indicator of technical competence. Worldwide, many industries, such as the construction materials industry, routinely specify laboratory accreditation for suppliers of testing services.

In addition to commercial

testing and calibration services, manufacturing organizations may use laboratory accreditation to ensure the testing of their products by their own in-house laboratories is being done correctly.

The GNBS encourages more laboratories in Guyana to aim for accreditation to international standards, espe-

cially those already implementing the National Laboratory standard GYS 170:2009 General requirements for the Operation of a Laboratory.

For further information, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0062, 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit our website: www.gnbsgy.org

Kerosene lamp cause of Mabaruma fire … burnt remains confirmed to be that of caretaker Police and the fire department have concluded that an overturned kerosene lamp sparked the blaze that destroyed the house of a pensioner and claimed the life of his caretaker in Mabaruma.

At around 22:00 hrs Friday, January 3, Jacklyn Rampersaud was awakened by her neighbours to witness her 73-year-old fathers house being consumed by flames.

Attempts were made to put out the blaze but the severe heat defeated the neighbours who stood nearby with their buckets of water. Judith Fredericks, 58, the caretaker of the house was also missing.The very next day police and fire investigators visited the scene and made a shocking discovery.

A Human skull and charred remains suspected to be that of the caretaker were found among the debris left.

Both neighbours and relatives began to speculate that the fire might have been an act of arson. They supported their assumption by saying that Fredericks was a peaceful woman with one enemy.

Family members said that the enemy and Fredericks would often have fights and brawls. They had just concluded one such brawl the

The wooden building being consumed by fire day prior to the incident.

But after thorough investigation by the relevant authorities it was concluded that Fredericks lost her life because of an overturned kerosene lamp.

Earlier that day Fredericks was seen imbibing alcohol with a friend who had left just before dark.

This piece of information has led investigators to believe that Fredericks was intoxicated and might have accidently knocked over one of her kerosene lamps.

The flame from the lamp with the aid of the kerosene caused the fire to spread

Dead Judith Fredericks quickly, trapping the woman inside and consuming the entire wooden structure.

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$$Multi-billion contracts recently awarded under investigation T

he Audit Office is examining scores of year-end transactions worth billions of dollars, including two which appeared to be awarded under questionable circumstances.

One of the major ones reportedly awarded on the last day of 2019 was for more than $500M for the construction of a secondary school on the Essequibo Coast.

It was halted after the Region Two Executive Officer, Denis Jaikaran, refused to sign when a contractor, Builders Hardware General Supplies and Construction, complained of irregularities.

The second contract was signed a few days ago, in the New Year, and involved an $826.7M signing with BK International Inc. for construc-

year-end and a number of transactions. Yes, those two projects would be among them. We cant give details at the moment. But it is all part of the duties of the Audit Office,” the official said.

Sharma shortly before the New Year had warned accounts officers, including Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers to refrain from utilizing 2019 budgeted money this year.

He said that regulations demanded that unused money be returned to the Consolidated Fund.

The Auditor General also said it is not allowed for new contracts budgeted for last year to be signed this year.

With regards to the Region Two project, the REO had written to the Public Procure-

tion of the Yarrowkabra Secondary School on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

The signing took place at the Ministrys Brickdam office.

Over the weekend, Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, did not provide much detail on the reports that the Audit Office was investigating a number of transactions near the year-end.

“We are investigating the cutting of several checks at

ment Commission (PPC) seeking guidance, after he received a complaint from attorney-at-law Glenn Hanoman on behalf of a contractor, Builders Hardware General Supplies and Construction.

The Commission has since reportedly started an investigation.The REOs refusal to sign came after he was served a letter of complaint from Hanoman.

According to documents

An artist rendition of the $827M Yarrowkabra Secondary School to be located on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

It is a Ministry of Commu- learnt of a possible conflict of Brickdam office. seen, Executive Director of According to the PermaBuilders Hardware, Rakesh nities project with 10 bids interest situation where a secoming in. Builders Hardware nior official of S&K was a nent Secretary of the Minisformer Regional Engineer for try of Education, Alfred King, was the lowest.

Permanent the construction of the Builders Hardware said it the Essequibo Coast.

Secretary, Mr. With regards to the recent school is aimed towards maksubmitted a tender on OctoAlfred King ber 8, 2019 to the National project, the Ministry of Edu- ing education accessible by (right) Procurement and Tender Ad- cation signed an $826.7M providing quality educational prepares to ministration Board (NPTAB). contract with BK Interna- spaces to all students.

The school, which is beSamaroo claimed that tional Inc. for construction of sign the ing funded by the Governthe Yarrowkabra Secondary based on the information pubcontract with ment, will be built to accomSchool on the Soesdyke/Linlished via the NPTAB website CEO of BK modate some 600 students. and media houses, it was clear den Highway.

International The signing took place The duration of the contract that Builders Hardware was Inc. Mr. Brain last week at the Ministrys is one year. the lowest financial bidder.

Tiwari (left).

Builders Hardware claimed that from indications, there were questionable actions from a senior ranking official of the NPTAB, who seemed insistent on S&K Construction being awarded.

“Another evaluation committee was subsequently appointed to furnish an independent report and the same results were derived.

“This information was Samaroo, wrote the Public Procurement Commission brought to my attention by (PPC), which regulates state my companys banking facilcontracts, complaining over ity who would have informed the tenders for the construc- me that the procuring entity tion of Abram Zuil Secondary was making inquiries to the bank on the basis of the auSchool, in Region Two. The contract for thenticity of the line of credit $573,226,990 was awarded on accessible by my company of December 31, last, by NPTAB which authorization had to be to S&K Construction and given by myself.”

Builders Hardware also Consultancy Service and complained that it has since General Supplies

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Sunday January 12, 2020

Pirelli expects more predictable F1 after 2020 tire decision From page 68 feedback on what is the level of the increase in pressure,” he said. “It could be in the range of probably a couple of psi (pounds per square inch).”

NEW RACES Formula One has two new races this season on the calendar, in Vietnam and the Netherlands, subject to circuit homologation.

Isola said Vietnam's layout, a street circuit with long straights, could be compared to Azerbaijan's Baku race with obvious weather differences.

The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort poses specific problems, with an 18 degree banked final corner putting more load on the tires, and

Man Utd back thump Norwich, Southampton stun Leicester

Sunday January 12, 2020 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A goal that you may have been working toward for a long time might still seem very distant right now. Therefore, today you could actually find yourself giving up on it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Generally, you tend to be rather ingenious where work is concerned, Libra, but today you may feel that the fountain of innovation has totally dried up.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) A member of your household may be having troubles, Taurus, and therefore you might consider staying home from work in order to help them get through it all.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) A crisis of values may confront you today, Scorpio.

Someone you care about might need you to do something for them that you don't feel comfortable doing, and this could put you in a tough spot.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) An important career concern could require considerable effort on your part today in order to enable you to advance whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, Gemini.

CANCER(June21–July22) A trip that you wanted to take may have to be postponed, Cancer, probably for financial reasons. You'll want to make the journey in the company of someone who's financially strapped right now.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) The need to complete an important task could have you mustering a far higher level of self-control than you're used to, Leo. Perseverance and determination could dominate your mood, and therefore you could accomplish wonders.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) A business or romantic partner could be in a rather schizoid mood today. You'll probably spend a lot of time together, and during the course of the day your friend could jump between enthusiasm and gloom.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today you might feel a little gloomy without knowing why, and you could spend a lot of time trying to find a reason. There probably isn't any concrete reason.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) A close friend or love partner you haven't seen for a while could finally make arrangements to see you, Capricorn. You therefore could spend much of the day in a great mood, looking forward to the encounter ahead.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The house might seem rather empty today, Aquarius, as most of the other members of your household are probably out and about.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Someone close to you might not be feeling very well, Pisces, and you might feel the need to remain nearby and take care of this person. By all means do this.

From page 65 Burnley 3-0 with a penalty from Jorginho and goals by Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Burnley offered little as they suffered a fourth successive league defeat.

When second-placed Leicester took an early lead through Dennis Praet, Southampton's fans must have feared the worst.

But the south coast club have made a startling improvement since that dark October night and stunned the hosts with a fortunate leveller from midfielder Stuart Armstrong.

Danny Ings, who had missed a slew of chances earlier in the match, struck the winner — his 14th league goal of the season — in the 81st minute after collecting a Che Adams pass.

Leicester thought they had levelled in the 90th minute when Jonny Evans nodded in a freekick from James Maddison, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) judged the defender to be in an offside position.

Pirelli was still waiting for teams to provide simulation data.

“I read many comparisons with Indianapolis. The circuit is different, the length of the corner with banking, so we need to see simulations and what we have to do to react to this new configuration,” said Isola.

“Our first priority is to guarantee a product that is safe and reliable.”

Formula One is switching from 13 inch to lower profile 18 inch tires in 2021 but the F2 feeder series is making the change this year. Isola said the feedback from a development test had been good.

“Obviously they are a lot

more reactive compared to 13 inches because of the reduced sidewall, they are more precise, the braking phase is very positive. They didn't find an issue with the kerbs,” he said.

“One question mark was what happens when they hit the kerbs like they do now with the 13 inch tire but that was positive. We are happy with the current situation.”

He said all 10 Formula One teams had confirmed they were preparing a 'mule' car for testing the 2021 tires later in the season.

Isola said work done on the scrapped 2020 tires was not all for nothing, with some of the ideas and concepts still useful for 2021.

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Man Utd back thump Norwich, Spain’s Nadal secures comeback win to set up ATP Cup final Southampton stun Leicester against Djokovic-led Serbia

Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka in action with Norwich City's Todd Cantwell. (REUTERS/Jon Super) LONDON (Reuters) Manchester United roared back to form with a 4-0 demolition of bottom club Norwich City but Chelsea maintained their grip on fourth place in the Premier League with a 3-0 defeat of Burnley at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

Southampton produced the biggest surprise of the day as they gained sweet revenge for a 9-0 home drubbing by Leicester City in October, coming from a goal down to win the return 2-1.

Everton shrugged off their FA Cup defeat by Liverpool as their improved league form continued with a 1-0 home win against Brighton & Hove Albion to move level on

points with 10th-placed Arsenal who drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Newcastle United.

Leaders Liverpool can break Manchester City's record for the best start to a Premier League campaign if they win at Tottenham Hotspur in the day's late kickoff.

Making his 200th appearance for Manchester United, Marcus Rashford struck twice for the Reds in a dominant display that left them in fifth spot, five points behind Chelsea.

United were clearly smarting from their chastening League Cup defeat by

Manchester City and swarmed all over Norwich.

Rashford rewarded their dominance when he sidefooted in Juan Mata's cross in the 27th minute but the hosts were unable to build on their lead before the break.

Norwich capitulated after halftime though and goalkeeper Tim Krul needlessly conceded a penalty that Rashford tucked away.

Mata then set up Anthony Martial for the third before substitute Mason Greenwood put the icing on the cake for the home side.

Chelsea's home form has been a thorn in their side but they put that aside to thump

Simmons urges 'complete game' as Windies target whitewash today From back page said Saturday.

“Because I think that twonil and three-nil is always better than three-ones and twoones so I think that's the crux of the matter here. We need to finish properly and play a full complete 100 overs in the way that we want to play cricket.”

The first ODI was a lacklustre affair where Ireland scraped 180 and West Indies then lost five wickets before overhauling the paltry target, with opener Evin Lewis getting an unbeaten 99 but no other batsman passing 20.

Asked to chase 238 in the second ODI, West Indies' batsmen again struggled, and the hosts required last over heroics from Hayden Walsh jr (46 not out) and last man Sheldon Cottrell (seven not out) to win the game.

After an admirable performance on last month's India tour, Simmons said the batting group needed to return to those high standards.

“The batsmen need to go

back to what we were doing in India and how we were putting scores together,” he pointed out, “where we had proper partnerships up at the top and creating the platform for the big hitters down at the bottom, and we need to make sure we do that in this coming game.”

Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has been the standout player for West Indies both games, snatching four-wicket hauls on each occasion to claim Man-of-the-Match honours.

And Simmons believes the 23-year-old's success has been as a result of his enhanced preparation and maturity. “[I am happy with what I'm seeing], not just on the pitch but in the way he prepares and the way he talks about cricket and about bowling,” Simmons noted.

“He seems to be maturing very quickly and it showed in the two games with the way he bowled. I think it has just been his consistency. I think

he has hit the areas he's wanted to hit more often than the other bowlers in the team and he's come up with success. “But I think it's been the consistency of him doing what he wants to do with every ball.”

Selectors yesterday named an unchanged 14-man squad for the contest at the Grenada National Stadium.

SQUADS: WEST INDIES – Kieron Pollard (captain), Sunil Ambris, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh jr.

IRELAND – Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O'Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.

SYDNEY (Reuters) Rafael Nadal secured a comeback victory against Australia’s Alex De Minaur at the ATP Cup in Sydney yesterday, propelling Spain into the final of the inaugural event to play the Novak Djokovic-led Serbian team.

The world’s top ranked player was ambushed early by the young Australian, who threatened to run away with the match, before the Spaniard recovered to win 4-6 7-5 6-1.

Earlier in the evening, Roberto Bautista Agut played a near flawless match to defeat a misfiring Nick Kyrgios 6-1 6-4, giving Spain an unassailable lead going into the doubles match.

The top 20-ranked De Minaur, who had previously not won a set against the Spaniard, threw his wiry frame at every shot, breaking Nadal’s serve in the first game of the match before going on to take the set.

The 20-year-old hopped into his backhands, such was his determination to throw himself forward, and launched into the air to hit his punishing forehands.

Nadal, one of the most dangerous players to serve against, remarkably did not earn a break point on the Australian’s serve until late in the second set, which he converted despite enjoying little momentum up until that point.

“He had a lot of energy, he plays with a lot of passion, sometimes a little too much,” Nadal said.

Spain has had a punishing schedule leading into the match, which included finishing the previous tie against Belgium in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Nadal reeled off four straight games at the start of the third to set up the victory as De Minaur’s error count rose, and the Spaniard found his range.

LONG RIVALRY

Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning his Semi Final singles match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur. (REUTERS/Edgar Su) In the other semi-final, Djokovic played strong tactical tennis to overcome the enigmatic Russian Daniil Medvedev, to secure Serbia’s spot in the final.

The Serbian won the contest 6-1 5-7 6-4 after he found success pushing the 198cm (6.5 ft) tall Russian around the court, forcing Medvedev to constantly scrape shots off his shoe laces. Less than two weeks out from the Australian Open, Djokovic gave the world’s top players a possible blueprint on how to beat the 23-year-old Russian who has been regularly toppling the game’s elite.

While Medvedev’s slapping forehand, flat backhand and big serve have proven hard to counter, Djokovic used dropshots and low slicing backhands to pull the world number five into awkward places.

Earlier, Serbia’s Dusan

Lajovic beat his more highly ranked opponent, Russia’s Karen Khachanov, giving Serbia an unassailable 2-0 lead going into the doubles match. Spain will have an opportunity in today’s final against Serbia to confirm it has the world’s best men’s tennis team, having recently won the revamped Davis Cup and boasting two top 10 players in its ATP Cup side.

But Nadal will likely first need to reverse the momentum in his long rivalry with Djokovic, who has not lost to the Spaniard on hardcourts, like the court surface in Sydney, since 2013.

Nadal said late on Saturday he had not yet formed a game plan.

“No idea yet, I’m just happy for now, tonight, to be where we are,” Nadal said.

Djokovic leads Nadal 2826 in their head-to-head which dates back to 2006.

PAGE 68

Regional Four-Day Championship – 3rd day, 1st round

Jaguars close in on victory against Hurricanes NORTH SOUND, Antigua, – The Guyana Jaguars were closing in on victory just before the close of the third day of their day/night first round match in the Regional FourDay Championship against Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

The Hurricanes were still 20 runs adrift of making the Guyana Jaguars bat a second time after being asked to follow on.

The Leewards were bowled out for 154 in their first innings replying to 388 made by the Jaguars and just before the close they were in a real spot of bother at 214-6 still 20 runs adrift. Kieran Powell with 99 and Montcin Hodge 62

were the batsmen carrying the fight for the Leewards.

Veersammy Permaul with 3 and Keon Joseph 2 wickets led the Guyanese bowling department in the second innings.

Nial Smith had bagged 655 in the first innings.

Scores: JAGUARS 388 (Tagenarine Chanderpaul 60, Leon Johnson 59, Chanderpaul Hemraj 52, Vishaul Singh 25, Christopher Barnwell 82, Raymon Reifer 47, Devendra Bishoo 40: Damion Jacobs was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 89, while Kacey Carty and Qunton Boatswain picked up 2 wickets apiece for 72 and 73) vs HURRICANES 152 (Kieran Powell 34, Jahmar Hamilton 52; Nial Smith 6-55, Veersammy

Good Success face Zeelandia, SS Jaguars...

From page 69 Denny Setaram, Saga Jadookool, Puvendra babooram, Mohindra Jadookool, Davindra Ragobir, Novat Lakhan, Rabindra Jadookool, Cliburn Williams, Kayume Mohamed, Tageram Yougesh and Deepak Garib.

Good Success; .Imran Khan captain, Vickram Ramnarine, Wazir Khan, Nazeer Mohamed, Ejaz Mohamed, Charles Benjamin, Tulsieram Ramadeen, Devendra Hansraj, Mohandass Surujpaul, Alex Hill and Mahesh Ramnarine.

SS Jaguars; Siddiq Mohamed, Nokta Moses, Beesham Moses, Sarfaz Mohamed, Gladewin Henry, Gladewin HenryJr., Zameer Zaman, Derwin Daniels, Prem Persaud, Sanjay Jairam, Afridi Mohamed, Ajay Persaud and Shahid Mohamed.

Sans Souci; Wayne Osbourne, Seon Venture, Cleon Venture, Reon Venture, Oyono Sampson, Devon Rambaran, Heera Sukram, Varounie Sasepaul, Jaggernauth Manbodh, Ajay Jairam, Quacie Whyte and Aarav Sukram.

Permaul 2-11) and 214 – 6 (Kieran Powell 99, Montcin Hodge 62; Veersammy Permaul 3 -52, Keon Joseph 234). Meanwhile in the other matches yesterday, At Brian Lara Stadium (TAROUBA): Scorpions trailed by 96 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Scores: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO RED FORCE 460 for four decl. (Joshua DaSilva 113 not out, Yannic Cariah 100 not out, Keagan Simmons 89, Jeremy Solozano 73, Darren Bravo 66; Derval Green 2-98).

JAMAICA SCORPIONS 278 (Rovman Powell 71, Derval Green 56, Paul Palmer 50, Aldaine Thomas 35; Akeal Hosein 4-58, Bryan Charles 367) and 86 for one (Assad Fudadin 32 not out, John Campbell 28 not out).

At Arnos Vale Stadium (KINGSTOWN): Volcanoes require 269 runs for victory with all 10 wickets standings.

Scores: BARBADOS PRIDE 233 (Kyle Mayers 106, Jomel Warrican 49, Justin Greaves 20; Keron Cottoy 341, Josh Thomas 2-35) and 269 (Kraigg Brathwaite 72, Tevyn Walcott 40, Justin Greaves 36, Jomel Warrican 31; Shane Shilling 7-105).

WINDWARD ISLANDS VOLCANOES 234 (Emmanuel Stewart 50, Keron Cottoy 38, Devon Smith 33, Desron Maloney 30, Kirk Edwards 27; Jomel Warrican 4-40, Jonathan Carter 2-16).

You might have to make tough...

From back page about,” said Pollard.

The skipper did like some things about the game though, praising Alzarri Joseph for his four-wicket haul, Cottrell for his three, and Romario Shepherd for keeping the pressure on, despite it being his debut.

Pollard was also happy with the way the team fought to stay in the game for long enough to benefit from what was a lucky final few deliveries.

“Nicholas [Pooran], he got a pretty decent delivery and you can't fault him but there were some very soft dismissals in our top order and when you look at it you see where we talk about it and guys keep giving it away,”

Sunday January 12, 2020

Kaieteur News

said Pollard.

“A lot of conversations need to take place. At the end of the day we came up with the victory but again, still not happy,” said Pollard.

“We can't continue to just give away our hand just like that when you have form and confidence because it will come back to bite you,” said Pollard.

Most egregious of the men who gave it away at the top of the order was, once again, Shimron Hetmyer, who went for a pull shot off the bowling of Barry McCarthy having faced just six balls. There was a little extra bounce and Hetmyer, not yet sure what was happening with the pitch, could only manage to top edge the delivery for a grateful

Lorcan Tucker.

According to Pollard, there can be no excuses for the top order, bearing in mind the way the lower order approached the game.

“That innings from young Walsh, new in international cricket, and the mettle that he showed in that partnership with Khary Pierre and then Alzarri Joseph, those couple of fours, these guys sticking in there and I hope each and every one of us, the guys that got out before, watch how the lower order went about it. It was a simple case of occupying the crease and playing high-percentage cricket.

These are conversations we are trying to have and if the lower order can do it, then the top order has no excuses,” said the skipper.

“A lot of conversations need to take place. At the end of the day, we came up with the victory but again, still not happy.”

Pliskova outlasts Osaka, to meet Keys in Brisbane final (Reuters) - Defending champion Karolina Pliskova saved a match point before prevailing in an epic slugfest with Naomi Osaka, while Madison Keys pulled off an escape of her own in the other semi-final in the Brisbane International yesterday.

Pliskova and Osaka served 29 aces between them and were often locked in fierce baseline rallies before the second seeded Czech won 6-7(10) 7-6(3) 6-2 in two hours and 48 minutes.

Osaka had survived three consecutive three-setters en route to the semi-finals and Pliskova’s title defense appeared over with the Japanese serving for the match at 7-6(10), 6-5. The Czech then roared back into the match, earning her first break of Osaka’s serve to force a tiebreak and fired eight of her 15 aces in the final set, while saving all six break points. Pliskova will play Keys in today’s fi-

Madison Keys of the US in action during her first round match against Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum.

(REUTERS/Aly Song file photo)

Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova reacts during her semi final match against Australia’s Ashleigh Barty.

(REUTERS/Aly Song file photo) nal hoping to add to her 2017 and 2019 crowns.

Eighth seeded Keys came from a set and a break down against 2011 champion Petra Kvitova to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the duel between two of the WTA’s biggest hitters in the first semi-final.

Kvitova fired eight winners to claim the opening set before the American fought back and won six straight games to take the second set. Keys held her nerve in the decider which saw five breaks in the last six games and completed her turnaround winning 12 of the final 15 games.

“I’m very happy. I’m very tired,” the American said after her fourth victory in seven meetings with Kvitova.

“It’s always great to start the year playing great tennis. The third set was back and forth (but) I think I played a pretty high level.”

Mahadeo and Adonis qualifies; Coach McDonald proud, believes sponsorship...

From back page athletes having to submit specific workouts (one each for five weeks) to the Reebok CrossFit online for which they were judged and subsequently given the thumbs up with regards to qualifying.

Coach McDonald said he is really glad that his charges have, for the second year in a row made it to the pinnacle of the sport to showcase their skills and keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high.

“It's really satisfying to see this achievement for both of them because over the last few years, I've watched them grow as athletes, constantly putting in great efforts to master the various disciplines that needs to be mastered in order to be an effective and successful crossfit athlete.

These guys have to learn and excel at so many different things; gymnastics, weightlifting, athletics training, calisthenics training, there's so much going on and there's so many that they have to put into it, so I'm really

happy to see their efforts bearing fruits.”

Mahadeo was the top Caribbean athlete on debut at last year's event held July 29 – August 3. He ended 95th out of 148 athletes, while Adonis ended 117th of 134 females, both exiting after the first round at the grueling event.

So intense was the competition that only 20 females made it past the first round.

Ever since, having already experiencing firsthand what it takes to get there and be competitive, the duo have been hard at training under the watchful eyes and guidance of McDonald which has resulted in the first hurdle being crossed, and that is qualifying.

“What's going to be interesting to see is their growth over the last year going into the competition and where they will place this time around relative to where they placed last year. Adonis would be trying to break into the top 100 of about 150 athletes, while Mahadeo will try to im-

prove his placement. I am also hoping he can get further along into the competition and get through several elimination rounds as opposed to last year.”

Competition would again be fierce as the best from around the world would all be trying to out-duel each other including those in the Elite bracket. Coach Mc Donald also pointed out that corporate support would be vital to ensure that the athletes are able to focus on being in pristine shape. He expressed gratitude to DeSinco Trading, MVP Sports, Fitness Express and Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire Insurance Company Ltd for partnering with the team for last year's Reebok CrossFit Games.

“Those companies really came through for last year and hopefully we'll get the interest of other corporate sponsors, interested persons or organisations who would like to make their endeavor a lot easier and allow them to be more successful.

Sunday January 12, 2020

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Kaieteur News

NBA roundup: James fills void as streaking Lakers handle Mavs L

eBron James had 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists to lead the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to their seventh straight win, a 129-114 decision against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Kyle Kuzma started in place of Anthony Davis and scored a season-high 26 points for the Lakers. Davis, the leading scorer (27.1 points per game) and rebounder (9.4 boards per game) for the Lakers, sat out after taking a hard fall against the visiting N e w Yo r k K n i c k s o n Tuesday night and sustaining a contusion to his gluteus maximus.

Dallas forward Luka Doncic, who came in third in the NBA in both scoring (29.6 ppg) and assists (9.0 per game), got off to a slow start before finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. However, he committed a game-high six turnovers.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 22 points for the Mavericks, who have dropped five of seven, and Seth Curry scored 16 off the bench.

Phoenix Suns 98 -

Orlando Magic 94 Devin Booker hit a 3pointer, stole a pass and buried another trey in a 16.9second flurry in the final minute, allowing Phoenix to overtake visiting Orlando.

Booker drilled a 26footer to get the Suns within one with 52.9 seconds left.

Then, he stole a Markelle Fultz pass and buried another from behind the arc, giving Phoenix a 96-94 lead with just 36 seconds to go.

Seeking a third straight win, Orlando had two subsequent chances to tie, but Nikola Vucevic had the ball stolen by Ricky Rubio, and after the Suns guard made it a three-point game by sinking one of two free throws, Evan Fournier misfired on a 3-pointer with nine seconds to go.

Milwaukee Bucks 127 Sacramento Kings 106 Khris Middleton recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds to help Milwaukee post a victory over host Sacramento. The Bucks (346) achieved the top 40-game start in franchise history, one win better than the 1970-71 team led by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Eric Bledsoe scored 24 points and Donte DiVincenzo added a career-high 18 for the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Sterling Brown had 11 points and a seasonbest 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.

De'Aaron Fox registered 19 points, 10 assists and four steals, and Harrison Barnes also scored 19 points for the Kings, who lost to the Bucks for the seventh straight time.

Buddy Hield tallied 16 points, Nemanja Bjelica added 12 points and 13 rebounds, Trevor Ariza contributed 11 points and nine rebounds and Harry Giles III had 10 points.

Los Angeles Clippers 109 - Golden State Warriors 100 Kawhi Leonard scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half, leading Los Angeles to a come-frombehind victory over visiting Golden State.

The Clippers overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit despite playing without All-Star Paul George, who sat out after aggravating a left hamstring

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) makes a jump shot over Dallas Mavericks guard Delon Wright (55) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron -USA TODAY Sports) strain in practice earlier this week. George, who initially sustained the injury against the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 2, is also expected to miss Los Angeles' road game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Leonard, who converted 14 of 25 shots from the floor, also had nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Lou Williams scored 21 points for the Clippers. Omari Spellman and Glenn Robinson III scored 17 apiece for the Warriors, who lost for the seventh consecutive game. Alec Burks added 16 points and a

team-high eight rebounds.

Memphis Grizzlies 134 - San Antonio Spurs 121 Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points and Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant added 22 each, as surging Memphis played its best basketball in the fourth quarter and defeated visiting San Antonio.

J o n a s Va l a n c i u n a s totaled 21 points, Morant also had 14 assists, and De'Anthony Melton and Brandon Clarke scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Memphis. The Grizzlies play their next four games at home and eight of their next 11 games are against teams

with losing records.

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 36 points for the Spurs while LaMarcus Aldridge and Bryn Forbes had 21 points each and Rudy Gay added 13 points for San Antonio.

In other scores: Brooklyn Nets 117 - Miami Heat 113 New Orleans Pelicans 123 New York Knicks 111 Washington Wizards 111 Atlanta Hawks 101 Indiana Pacers 116 Chicago Bulls 105 Utah Jazz 109 - Charlotte Hornets 92 (Field Level Media)

Firmino goal gives Liverpool best start ever to Premier League season BBC Sport - Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 16 points with a game in hand as they battled to a hard-fought win at Tottenham.

Jurgen Klopp's men became the first team in Europe's top-five leagues to win 20 of their first 21 games as they fought off a secondhalf fightback from Spurs to win courtesy of Roberto Firmino's firsthalf goal.

The Brazil forward turned Spurs' teenage debutant Japhet Tanganga then beat Paulo Gazzaniga with a sweet left-foot strike to give the visitors a deserved lead.

However Liverpool were then grateful to poor finishing from Jose Mourinho's side - who were without the injured Harry Kane - to record another victory on their seemingly relentless march to a first title in 30 years.

Son Heung-Min and substitute Giovani lo Celso missed glorious second-half chances to give Spurs some reward for a performance that improved as the game went on.

But Liverpool, their position

strengthened further by Leicester City's shock home loss to Southampton, held on to increase the sense of formality about the destination of this season's Premier League trophy.

Liverpool not at most fluentbut win again Liverpool may not have been at their best - there were even spells in the second half when they looked jaded - but this is a team on a seemingly unstoppable run to the Premier League title.

This was their 12th successive league win and it is a remarkable feat to have dropped only two league points from their first 21 games - something no other team in Europe's elite leagues have ever achieved.

It's true they were let off by Spurs' missed chances but there is perhaps a sense that Liverpool's dominance is having a psychological impact on their opponents so that when rare opportunities come along, they are being snatched at.

And even when not in prime

This is Liverpool's joint-best scoring streak from the start of a top-flight season in the club's history. (Getty Images) form, Liverpool's forward line is so potent that there is always a goal in them - as Firmino proved with his neat 37th-minute sidestep and thumping finish.

Spurs will claim, with justification, they should have had a

throw-in before the goal but Liverpool are now being propelled with growing momentum to end that long wait to reclaim their old domestic supremacy.

In results from yesterday's action:

Crystal Palace1 – Arsenal 1 Chelsea 3 – Burnley 0 Everton 1 – Brighton 0 Leicester 1 – Southampton 2 Man Utd 4 – Norwich 0 Wolves 1 – Newcastle 1 Tottenham 0 – Liverpool 1

Kaieteur News

PAGE 70

Sunday January 12, 2020

Auckland International:

okovic j D outlasts Medvedev to lead

Serena Williams hammers Amanda Anisimova to reach final

Serbia into ATP Cup final

Serena Williams is searching for her first singles title since the 2017 Australian Open. (Getty Images)

B

BC Sport Serena Williams thrashed fellow American Amanda Anisimova in just 43 minutes to reach the final of the Auckland International.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, searching for her first title since the 2017 Australian Open, hammered the 18-year-old 6-1 6-1.

Williams, 38, will face Jessica Pegula in the final after the unseeded American overcame Williams' doubles partner Caroline Wozniacki.

Pegula beat the Dane 3-6 6-4 6-0.

Williams will feature in two finals in one day when she and Wozniacki play in the doubles final today.

Should the American win either, it will be her first

title since becoming a mother.

She played aggressively against 2019 French Open semi-finalist Anisimova, hitting five aces, converting all five of her break points and winning 77% of first serves.

"I knew I was playing a really great player and an even better person and I knew I had to come out serious," Williams said.

"My daughter's only two - I tend to be really hard on myself but considering everything, I'm doing pretty good."

In the Brisbane International, Karolina Pliskova reached the final with a victory over Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka.

Defending champion

Pliskova, who is second in the world rankings, fought back to beat world number four Osaka 6-7 (10-12) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.

She will play American Madison Keys on Sunday after Keys beat two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 3-6 6-2 6-3.

Wo r l d n u m b e r o n e Ashleigh Barty will feature in today's doubles final with Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.

Barty is donating all her prize money from Brisbane to the bushfire relief fund she has already donated her A$32,129 (£16,955) second-round singles prize money to the cause.

Barty and Bertens will face Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova in the final.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his Semi Final singles match against Russia's Daniil Medvedev. (REUTERS/Edgar Su) SYDNEY (Reuters) World number two Novak Djokovic played tactical tennis yesterday to pick apart the enigmatic Daniil Medvedev at the inaugural ATP Cup in Sydney and earn a place for Serbia in the tournament's final.

The Serbian won the match 6-1 5-7 6-4 after he relentlessly pushed the 198cm (6.5 ft) tall Russian around the court, forcing Medvedev to constantly scrape shots off his shoe laces. Serbia now faces the winner of host nation Australia, led by Alex De Minaur, and Rafael Nadal's Spain in today's final.

Earlier, Serbia's Dusan Lajovic beat his more highly ranked opponent, Russia's

Karen Khachanov, giving Serbia an unassailable 2-0 lead going into the doubles match. Less than two weeks out from the Australian Open, Djokovic gave the world's top players a possible blueprint on how to beat the 23-yearold Russian who has been regularly toppling the game's elite.

While Medvedev's slapping forehand, flat backhand and big serve have proven hard to counter, Djokovic used dropshots and low slicing backhands to pull the world number five into awkward places.

Medvedev's long reach was nullified at the net with the Serbian regularly choosing to land shots at the Russian's shoes rather than

Pirelli expects more predictable F1 after 2020 tire decision LONDON (Reuters) - Formula One is likely to be more predictable this season after teams opted to stick with last year's tire specification, according to Pirelli's racing head Mario Isola.

The 10 teams voted unanimously last month to reject new tires that the sport's sole supplier had been developing for 2020.

The sport is facing significant upheaval in 2021 with new regulations and teams were reluctant to devote more resources to modifying aerodynamics at a time when they were already stretched.

Isola said all the teams were now very familiar with the 2019 tires and there would be no learning curve, as in the past, and nor should there be any struggle with the warmup phase.

“The only negative side that I can see is that we take out a bit of

unpredictability. That is something that sometimes is spicing up the show,” he told Reuters during a visit to the Autosport International show in Birmingham.

“We see that every time there is something the engineers cannot predict, we have better racing... so without the element of the tires we are taking out a bit of unpredictability.

“We know that teams are focusing on one stop strategies as much as possible. They have also some good data from 2019 so it will be probably slightly easier for the teams to make a strategy.”

Isola expected cars to be quicker due to continued development, probably in the range of 1-1.5 seconds a lap on past trends, and Pirelli would have to raise starting pressures as a consequence.

General view of Pirelli tyres during a previous race. (REUTERS/ Stefano Rellandini file photo) How much would depend on performance estimates provided by the teams. “ We a r e n o w r e c e i v i n g

simulations on the expected performance and we will make our calculation in order to give them the (continued on page 64)

aim for a clean pass.

T h e t a c t i c a l p l a y, however, is easier said than done against the powerful Russian who was undefeated at the ATP Cup going into the match. Djokovic said his tactics worked for a set before his opponent responded.

“He started figuring out the strategy and I had to adjust and I had to change,” Djokovic said after the match.

After the early success, the Serbian conceded four straight games in the second set, which he went on to lose.

Djokovic destroyed a racquet as his form drifted off and his energy stores appeared depleted even though the players were enjoying a respite from the intense heat that has been fuelling bushfires across Australia. The introduction of the ATP Cup to the southern hemisphere calendar has created the most grueling and entertaining start to the Australian tennis season in memory, as top players chase prize money, ranking points and a team trophy rather than play in grand slam warm-up events.

Not for the first time this tournament, a vocal proSerbian crowd lifted their hero in the decider.

Djokovic secured a break of serve in the fifth game when Medvedev chose to try and wrong-foot the fatigued Serbian, rather than playing into the open court.

The decision proved costly. Djokovic's serve held firm for the remainder, which ended when the Russian netted a groundstroke.

Sunday January 12, 2020

Trophy Stall T20 continues today in Wakenaam

Good Success face Zeelandia, SS Jaguars and Sans Souci battle

G

ood Success will face Zeelandia while Sans Souci Jaguars will play Sans Souci when the Wakenaam Cricket Committee/Bel Air Rubis and Trophy Stall T20 competition continues today a t t h e Wa k e n a a m Community Centre ground.

The teams will be looking to start the season on a positive note and inch closer to a semi final spot.

Good Success will be led by all-rounder Imran Khan and include experience allrounders Wazir Khan and Nazeer Mohamed.

The youthful Mahase Ramnarine and Ejaz Mohamed can be dangerous at the top of the order and support is expected to come from Devendra Hansraj and Tu l s i e r a m R a m a d e e n .

Zeelandia will depend heavily on Navishaul Pooran and Saja Jaadookool for a decent start with the bat, while Ryan Atkinson and Gaspaul Gangaram are useful all-rounders.

The second fixture of the day is expected to provide

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Kaieteur News

Navishaul Pooran much excitement. Sans Souci Jaguars have had a wonderful last season and will look to add to their collection of victories. On the other hand, Sans Souci have a balanced team and they must not be taken lightly. Siddiq Mohamed is at the helm of the Jaguars unit which includes Gladewin Henry, Safraz Mohamed and Zameer

Imran Khan Zaman and Nokta Moses.

Wayne Osborne, Seon Venture, Cleon Venture and Devon Rambaran will lead Sans Souci challenges.

The opening game will bowl off at 9:30hrs, while the second game will commence at 13:30hrs.

Te a m s ; Z e e l a n d i a : Navishaul Pooran, Ronnie Ganga ram, Rayan Atkinson, (continued on page 66)

Patterson Associates backs Wiltshire birth anniversary dominoes

S

enior Organising Secretary of the Guyana Domino League, Mark Wiltshire has gained the backing of Patterson Associates for the staging of his birth anniversary domino tournament which is set to commence today at Turning Point Sports bar.

At a simple ceremony held yesterday, the entity's representative Lovern Spencer presented the first place trophy to Wiltshire.

Spencer said she is looking forward to a successful competition and wished the teams well, while Wiltshire expressed gratitude for the support.

Wiltshire indicated that the competition will be played on a three-round points system and attracts an entrance fee of $12,000.

The winning team will pocket a trophy and $175,000 along with medals, while the runner up will receive a trophy and $75,000. Third and fourth place will take home $35,000 and $20,000 respectively, while the most valuable player in the final will be given $10,000. The best female player in the competition will take home a

Mark Wiltshire accepts the first place prize from Lovern Spencer trophy and $5,000, while other female players will be given hampers.

Action gets underway at 14:00hrs and the organiser is urging the teams to be present at the venue at least 30 minutes to facilitate a prompt start.

Among other sponsors on board are Trophy Stall, Guyana Domino League,

Big Boss Trucking Service, Orrin Boston, Rodwell Phillips, Nigel Belle, Up Rising Taxi Service, Selwyn Prescod, Wild Bunch, Lloyd Rollins and Merriman's Funeral Home.

The competition is open to teams countrywide and registration can be done through Wiltshire on 6598672.

Turbo football tournament ...

Conquerors march into quarterfinals Fruta Conquerors' Ryan Hackett (on the ball) on the go during his team's 3-2 win over Buxton Stars on Friday night.

Play between Buxton under-20 (defence) and Pouderoyen on Friday night.

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he third annual Tu r b o E n e rg y Drink knockout football tournament continued on Friday evening under lights at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground on Carifesta Avenue with a double header featuring two quarterfinal matches, which

saw Fruta Conquerors under-20 and Pouderoyen booking their places in the semifinals.

Tournament and fan favourites, Fruta Conquerors youth edged Buxton Stars 3-2 in the feature match on Friday.

Skipper Nicholas McArthur, Ryan 'Bam Bam' Hackett and Osafo Simpson each

netted one goal in the win for the city side, while the East Coast men goals came courtesy of an own goal from Omar Yhap and another solitary strike off the boot of Shemar Scott.

The opening game saw West Demerara's Pouderoyen getting past Buxton under-20 6-5 via kicks from the penalty

mark route after full-time finished goalless, while extra time saw Darrel Abrams firing the West Side ahead in the 98th minute before Troni Semple sent the game to penalties with his equaliser in the 106th.

The final two quarterfinal matches will be played this evening at the same venue

beginning at 19:00hrs featuring Riddim Squad against defending champions Northern Rangers in the first match, while Santos under20 will play Georgetown Football Club (GFC) in the feature match that blows off at 21:00hrs.

The third annual Turbo Football tournament, which is

promoted by Petra Organisation, commenced last November with ten teams but inclement weather forced it to be completed this year.

The champions of this tournament will pocket $400,000 with second place bagging $200,000, third place $100,000 and fourth place $50,000.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 72

UWI T20 Tourney...

Carmichael, Jacobs bowl All-Stars into Quarterfinals

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n a truncated match on Friday night at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI SPEC, Malteenoes All Stars beat home team Preysal by 89 runs on DLS system in the UWI-Unicom T20 tournament in Trinidad to advance to the Quarterfinals.

Chasing a revised target of 135 in 17 overs due to a stoppage at the break as a result of rain, the star studded Preysal crumbled for 45 in nine overs despite 22 from Kamil Pooran and 10 from West Indies T20 WicketKeeper Denish Ramdin.

Man-of-the-Match Kellon Carmichael had 4-4 with his medium pace, Skipper Steven Jacobs followed up his 5-27 on Friday morning with 3-7 and left-arm spinner Raj Nanan had 2-14 for Malteenoes All Stars who were bowled out for 151 in 18.1 overs after being invited to bat.

Skipper Steven Jacobs followed-up his 5-27 with 3-8 against Preysal on Friday night Nanan top-scored with 25 from 13 balls which included three fours and six, Quinton Sampson hit three sixes in 21 from eight balls, Trevon Griffith hit two fours and a six in 19 and Nkosie Barker made 17 but nobody else reached 15.

Bowling for Preysal, who

Kellon Carmichael is presented with Man-of-the-Match by a rep of Bhagwansings Hardware after taking 4-4 on Friday in T&T.

also reached the Quarterfinals by virtue of ending second to the Guyanese in their group, Stephon Ramdial and Varoon Samaroo took three wickets each. A small gathering of about 35 fans watched in cold and windy conditions as Preysal opted to field first under lights.

Opener Griffith, fresh from a half-century in the first game against Tobago Marlins, hit a six and two fours but could not go on, while Guyana Jaguars' Super50 right-hander Johnathon Foo,who made 41 in the first match and shared in a fifty stand with Griffith, fell for 10.

But Nanan, Sampson, Griffith and Barker all got starts to rally the Guyanese to what proved to be a winning score in the end.

When Preysal began their reply they lost a clutter of wickets and never recovered. The vastly experienced Ramdin was trapped LBW for 10 by Carmichael who ripped through the innings, while off-spinner Jacobs and Nanan chipped in to give their team an emphatic win.

Both teams, Preysal and Malteenoes All-Stars will play their Quarterfinals on Tuesday with the Guyanese playing the night game.

The winner and runnersup in the group of Power Gen, Clarke Road and the Trinidad & Tobago Defense Force will oppose Malteenoes and Preysal respectively on Tuesday.

The final is set for January 19 and the first prize isTT$40,000 and a trophy, while the runners-up collectsTT$15,000 and a trophy. (Sean Devers)

BCB Launches Lewison General Store U-15 tournament - First of over 25 tournaments in 2020

Neal Lewis of Lewison General Store hands over sponsorship to BCB President Hilbert Foster “Since my election as President of the BCB in February 2018, the board has launched over sixty tournaments at the different levels and it is my aim to host another twenty-five in 2020.

By the end of my second term in December, 2021, the BCB would have successfully completed a minimum of 120 tournaments as we seek to make sure that all of our cricketers have adequate opportunity to develop their skills.�

Those were the words of Berbice Cricket Board President Hilbert Foster as he launched the Lewison General Store Under-15 tournament for 2020.

Foster disclosed that the BCB is currently pushing to complete the 2019 Mikes's Pharmacy Under-15 tournament. Albion has reached that tournament's finals and their opponents would be decided shortly.

The BCB hopes to host two under-15 tournaments in 2020 as part of an expanded youth development programme. The Lewison Store under-15 tournament

GMR&SC AGM set for February 10

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he Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC), in a release to the media and relevant stakeholders has indicated that its Annual General Meeting (AGM) is set to take place on February 10. The election of office bearers and AGM along with the presentation of audited financial statements will take place at the GMR&SC Thomas lands Office.

The meeting will begin at 18:00hrs.

Before things head to the boardroom, however, the club has confirmed that the 2020 year will start with the Endurance championship round one on January 26.

Following the AGM, the club will host its first circuit racing event of the year on February 16. The first installment of drag racing set for March month end with a large contingent of Surinamese competitors with as much as eight machines expected to turn up at the South Dakota drag strip.

Circuit racing returns in July on the fifth with August 16th being the highly anticipated international drag racing meet. Round two of the Endurance Championship is set for September 13 with the last round of Drag racing set for October 4th. The International Circuitracing event is set for November 8.

Sunday January 12, 2020

would start on the 18th of January and a total of at least twenty teams would participate. The teams would be divided into three Zones with the top two from each zone qualifying for the playoff segments. The tournament would be fifty overs per side as part of the county's preparation for the inter-county tournament.

The cut off date of birth for players shall be the 1st of September 2005.

Foster warned clubs to make sure that they have the relevant documents to verify the date of birth of their players as clubs would be banned for playing over aged cricketers.

The tournament is expected to be closely contested with teams like Albion, Port Mourant, Blairmont, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Canje, Edinburgh, No 73, Achievers, Bush Lot United, Mt. Sinai expected to participate. Some of the players expected to dominate this year's tournament are Matthew Pottaya, Rampertab Ramnauth, Salim Khan, Damion Cecil,

Sanjay Algoo, Avishkar Persaud, Tuvraj Shaundeo and Kumar Deopersaud.

The BCB President also disclosed that his board would be hosting tournaments at the Under13, Under-17, Under-19, Under-21 and Under-23 level. Trial matches would also be organised at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels to make sure that the best possible Berbice team is selected to represent the county.

Foster expressed gratitude to the sponsors for coming on board and assured them that his board would work very hard to complete the tournament within a three months' time frame. Berbice Cricket, he stated is attracting unmatched sponsorship as the business community has full confidence in its leadership.

Co-Owner of Lewison General Store, Neal Lewis, stated that his company delighted to be assisted with Berbice Cricket and that he had full confidence that the tournament would be well organised.

The GMR&SC's Annual General Meeting and Elections is set for February 10

Sunday January 12, 2020

PAGE 73

Kaieteur News

AAG's first developmental meet at GDF ground today

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he Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) will be hosting its second and consecutive event of the year w h e n t h e f i r s t Developmental meet speeds off this morning from 10:30hrs at the Guyana

Defence Force (GDF) ground on Carifesta Avenue and Vlissingen Road.

Today's meet comes on the heels of the 'Cross Country' fixture which was staged last Sunday at the National Park.

While Sunday's meet

catered for long distance runners, today's, first of three scheduled developmental events will see athletes contesting the 60m, the 150m, the 300m, the 600m and the 2000m. Among the athletes expected to compete today will be Devaun

Revon Williams of Hopetown Flames (front) should be on show today in the 300m and 600m races at the AAG's Development meet Anfernee Headecker (left) and Devaun Barrington should be on show during today's development meet.

GSCL Inc bowls off season with T20 today at Ogle

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he Georgetown Softball cricket League Inc will commence its season today with a T20 tournament starting at 09:30hrs at the Ogle Community Centre ground.

Wellman Masters, Fisherman Masters, Regal Masters and Ariel Masters are the teams that will battle for supremacy.

Following the opening encounters, the top two teams will face off in the final.

No entrance fee is required and at stake are trophies for the winning and runner up teams as well as man of the match in the final.

Wellman Masters will be led by Wayne Jones and include Mike Singh, Troy Lewis and Seeraj Bhimsain, while Fisherman Masters contain Pooran Singh, Jagdesh Persaud, Mohan Persaud and Rohan Singh.

Mahendra Hardyal will lead Regal Masters with support from Eon Abel, Mahase Chunilall, Mohendra Arjune, Eric Thomas and Shaheed Mohamed. Ariel Masters will depend on the likes of Dharam Persaud, Richard Persaud, Mohamed Rafeek and Robert Camacho.

Barrington, Davin Fraser, Anfernee Headecker, Tiea Lowe and Delia Persaud.

Last week's standout

athletes were Jonathan Fagundes (8km male open), Attoya Harvey (4km female youth), Calvin Williams

(6km junior) and Gary Hartog (Masters 8km) who won their respective categories.

2020 Reebok CrossFit Games

You might have to make tough decisions

port

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West Indies Captain Kieron Pollard

- Pollard warns top order over continued wastefulness

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Manager/Coach Jamie McDonald (right) with Dillon Mahadeo and Delice Adonis at the Reebok Fitness Games, 2019

Dillon Mahadeo proudly displays the Golden Arrowhead

Mahadeo and Adonis qualifies; Coach McDonald proud, believes sponsorship would be key who are both fine tuning preparations ahead of their participation at the 6th annual Kares Caribbean Fitness Challenge, under the theme: 'Bring Out The Beast In You' at the National Park Tarmac on Sunday February 9th, went through a vigorous five-week qualification process.

This began in October of last year and entailed the (continued on page 66)

By Franklin Wilson

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he male and female Guyanese duo of reigning Kares Caribbean Fitness Challenge champion Dillon 'The Beast' Mahadeo and Delice Adonis have qualified for the second successive year to represent the 'Golden Arrowhead 'at the Reebok CrossFit Games, the world's premier test to find the Fittest on Earth.

This year's Games will once again be held in Madison, Wisconsin, USA from July 29 to August 2 next. Manager/Coach of the duo, Jaime McDonald broke the news stating that he was ecstatic that the pair once again braved tremendous challenges to qualify.

Mahadeo and Adonis

ports Max - West Indies Captain Kieron Pollard is tired of inconsistencies in his side and has, in not so many words, told his top-order batsmen they will have to shape up or ship out.

“So sometimes you might have to make tough decisions in certain scenarios,” said Pollard after a lower-order fightback and some luck gave his team a one-wicket victory over Ireland and a series win in their Colonial Medical Insurance One-Day International series at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday.

Batting first, Ireland had scored 237-9 from their 50 overs and should have had an uphill task to stave of a series defeat in the second game.

However, there was to be no joy for the West Indies' powerful top order with only Shai Hope, 25, getting into

double figures.

Evin Lewis, 7, Shimron Hetmyer, 6, and Brandon King, 0, all falling cheaply.

It took Nicholas Pooran, 52, and Pollard, 40, to stage a sort of comeback that was finished by lower-order batsmen Khary Pierre (18), Hayden Walsh Jr, 46 not out, Alzarri Joseph (16) and Sheldon Cottrell, 7 not out.

The group would score more than 90 runs among them to take the West Indies over the line in a thriller that ended with the penultimate ball of the West Indies innings inching over the ropes thanks to Cottrell's lofted cover drive.

Pollard was not happy.

“Thank God for small mercies. It took a total team effort for us to get to 237 so, again, we take the win but again we didn't tick many of the boxes that we spoke (continued on page 66)

Simmons urges 'complete game' as Windies target whitewash today Delice Adonis proudly displays the Golden Arrowhead

Regional Four-Day Championship - 3rd day, 1st round

Jaguars close in on victory against Hurricanes

Nial Smith, Veerasammy Permaul (Brooks La Touche photo)

Kieran Powell drives through the off side © Getty Images

Head coach Phil Simmons (centre) makes a point to his players during a training session yesterday. (Photo courtesy CWI Media)

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T GEORGE'S, Grenada, CMC – Having already wrapped up the series following a dramatic win in last Thursday's second OneDay International in Barbados, head coach Phil Simmons said it was important West Indies now focused on putting together the “complete game” in order

to achieve a series whitewash of Ireland today.

West Indies won the opening game last Tuesday by five wickets at Kensington Oval before pulling off a nerve-wracking one-wicket victory with a ball to spare, to wrap up their first series win on home soil in six years.

However, neither victory

was particularly convincing and Simmons said he now wanted the home side to click in all departments in Sunday's final ODI here.

“The message is for us to play a complete game and not just bowl well or bat well or field well but play a complete game and finish the series three-nil,” Simmons (continued on page 65)

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