Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 5

Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news

Senior Police Officer again exposes his colleagues DEAR EDITOR, I refer to a letter published by Mr Jonathan Parsuram. Mr. Parsuram feeble attempt of defending the Commissioner of Police by referring to me as being petty, bitter, cunning. Parsuram should have sought to confirm if the information as published is correct and have his friend Commissioner of Police justify why he is managing the Force in that manner. I wish not to take up space to enlighten Mr. Parsuram paucity of knowledge and poor attempt at deconstructing my choice of words. He should have verified the information and contextualized my choice of words. Let me shed some light on the Office of Professional Responsibility; there are three competent Detective

Assistant Superintendents about the same number of Inspectors and a host of other junior ranks all of certain kind wasting time there under the guise of capacity building. These men would have all served at Divisional and Sub Divisional in the investigative field and are needed back in the fields to do proper police work but instead are packed like sardines at OPR. Suffice to say this Department is decentralized with every Division having a sub office. Strategic Management or Managerial Incompetence? The foregoing picture is identical to the situation at TSU and D, E, F & G Divisions. I ask the question again; aren’t there competent enough officers at the required rank to fill those positions? Maybe Mr

Parsuram should ask the Commissioner of Police that. On the job training and succession planning involves exposing persons (ranks) to work that they will be required to do in the near future so that there can be a smooth transition. For the information of Mr. Parsuram; I am well schooled and can be considered a veteran at managerial issues, command structures, control systems and more in military/ para military organisations. I am forced to assert that either Human Resource Management is lacking in the Guyana Police Force or the Commissioner of Police just doesn’t care and is not forward thinking. For the past year and a half the appointments of C o m m i s s i o n e r , Administration and

An untouchable is brutalizing Amerindian women DEAR EDITOR, I read an article which was published in the Kaieteur Newspaper dated Tuesday 22nd December, 2015. Under the headline “Are we going to wait until this man kills this woman”. I was very much surprised at the Police Force in G Division. For no action has been taken against this to date. He resides in Pomona Housing Scheme not far from the Aurora Secondary School; that husband is not a human being, but an animal. For instance, his wife was physically and verbally abused by him on two different occasions; 6th July, 2015 and 16th October, 2015. This is a situation where the victim obtained two medical certificates from the Suddie Hospital in Essequibo. And most obnoxioiusly husband

boasts; “No Police cannot arrest him, because money rule the world” I can recall some time ago that same raped his neighbor ’s daughter an Amerindian teen. However that matter was reported at the Aurora Police Station. No arrest was made, money rules the world again. The man’s father who resides in Huis’t Dieren, Essequibo Coast, went and begged the teen’s parents saying that he is willing to make a settlement. However, the matter was settled in which the man’s father paid the teen’s parents a sum of two hundred thousand dollars. The poor Amerindian parents had no other option. I’m calling on the Police Commission, Seelall Persaud, and the commander in charge of ‘G’ Division to investigate and bring some

justice to the victim. I will be pleased if the Violence Against Women’s Group and Red Thread Organization look into this matter. I think this is the appropriate time for the Violence Against Women’s Group and Red Thread Organization to respond to our Guyanese women who’s calling out for urgent help. Dian Smith

Operations have been rotated between Assistant Commissioners Balram Persaud and David Ramnarine. You can also throw in the position of Crime Chief in the mix on an occasional basis. For the information of the public the Force is having five other Assistant Commissioners barring the Head of Presidential Guard yet none are afforded the opportunity to act in the positions of ‘AC’ Admin or

‘AC’ Ops in the absence of Selall Persaud, Balram Persaud or David Ramnarine. The foregoing begs the question as to if these five Assistant Commissioners are lacking in knowledge and managerial know- how or are they being marginalized by the Commissioner of Police? Permit me to high light that every time one of the top three has to be away from the Force, the duties and responsibilities of that one is taken up by the other whilst

he continues to hold his own portfolio. Additionally if the Crime Chief has to be away one of them either ‘AC’ Admin or ‘AC’ Ops takes up that portfolio so it is fair to say that the Deputy Crime Chief is lacking in competence too. Mr. Editor, it will be fair to deduce that something is definitely amiss at the top of the pyramid of the Guyana Police Force. Why these officers are not afforded Continued on page 29

Two bridges that tell a story of unfair treatment DEAR SIR, Sometime ago, the PPP/C government and the Region 5 administration wickedly dismantled and removed two bridges across the Bellamy Canal in the villages of Calcutta and Catherine, Mahaicony. The Bridges were providing linkages between the residential areas in the villages and the area immediately south of the seashore, a distance about half a mile in length. My information is that the bridges were taken to Goodfaith and Novar, Mahaicony to provide access across the said canal in those areas. Many view this as an act of raw, unadulterated

discrimination on the government part. People were forced to abandon their farming and livestock activities north of the canal at Calcutta and Catherineville. Even picnic to the beach in the villages have ceased, resulting from lack of access. The absence of infrastructure has not prevented people from venturing to build their homesteads north of the canal.

The inadequacy of house lots has led to this, which is a good sign for population spread and development. Mr. Editor, I humbly and passionately make a plea to the government and Region 5 administration: please end the plight of the people of Calcutta and Catherine, Mahaicony by making provision in the 2016 bridge estimates for reconstruction of the two (2) bridges to spur the spread of development. I. R. Chester

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Robbery/home invasion on land court judge…

Accused said he was “sent on a wuk” at couple’s home Warren McKenzie, one of the five men accused of robbing Land Court Judge, Nicola Pierre and her husband Mohamed Chand told police that he was “sent on a wuk” at the couple’s home, the night they were robbed and terrorized. This is according to Detective Corporal Chateram Susankar who testified yesterday, when the trial of the five men accused of robbing the couple continued yesterday at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. The witness told the court that after he related the offences of two counts of robbery under arms committed on the judge and her husband to McKenzie, he replied, “Is wha I put meself in hay boy. If I did know that lady was a judge, they couldn’t get me pun dah wuk yuh know”. Susankar said that on August 26, last, he and a Police Sergeant left the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Eve Leary, for the Brickdam Police

- police witness testifies

Warren McKenzie Station, after receiving instructions from their superior. He said that upon arrival at the station he made contact with McKenzie, who was lying in a stretcher. The witness stated that he enquired from McKenzie about his wellbeing, before proceeding to converse with him. According to the Detective, he told McKenzie that he was in receipt of information, that he, in the company of others on the night of July 9, 2015, robbed Pierre at Montrose, East Coast Demerara.

Susankar recalled that he told the defendant that he robbed Pierre of a quantity of gold and diamond jewellery, a Sony playstation, three video games, one Samsung tablet, a quantity of gem stones, among other items— property of the said Pierre. He also recalled that he told McKenzie that he robbed Chand of five wrist watches, a wedding band, two brown leather wallets along with other items all valuing $2,630,000. The items belonged to Chand, Susankar said. Additionally, the Detective stated that he had also related the offence of discharging a loaded firearm to the defendant. “I told him that I was in receipt of information that he (McKenzie) on the night of July 9, 2015, while being in the company of others, discharged a loaded firearm at Ron Peters, with intent to maim, disable, disfigure or cause grievous bodily harm to the said Ron Peters.” “Nah me, me aint get no

gun now”, were the words McKenzie uttered after this allegation was put to him, the witness recounted. The court was told by Susankar that at the end of each allegation, the defendant was cautioned, according to the judge’s rule. He said that at no time was the defendant offered any inducements, promises, nor were threats made by him or anyone else in his presence to McKenzie. He stated that the defendant had declined to sign statements. After giving his testimony, Susankar was cross examined by McKenzie. McKenzie explained to Magistrate Zamilla AllySeepaul that he had never seen the Detective before. He however, gave a conflicting story when he told the court that Susankar had come to the station and inquired from him why he was in police custody. He related that he told the officer he had no knowledge. Susankar quickly replied that the defendant’s claims were “not true”.

Land court judge, Nicola Pierre and her husband Mohamed Chand The defendant said that he was informed by Susankar that he was being held for guns and ammunition that police found on the “East Bank”. But the witness denied ever telling McKenzie such. Under further cross examination by McKenzie, the Detective also denied showing him a book with some gun and ammunition charges. The defendant also told the court that the officer came the following day and told him he has to go to court for robbing the judge and her husband. In response to this statement, the witness said that McKenzie was indeed taken to court, but he cannot recall if it was the following day. The other defendants, Prosecutor Nigel Hughes and Attorney Adrian Thompson who is representing defendants, Premnauth Samaroo and Nicholas Narine - declined to ask the witness

questions. Premnauth Samaroo, Damien Millington, 22 of Lot 118 Caesar Street, Agricola, Nicholas Narine, 18, also of Caesar Street, Agricola, Anthony David, 28, of 63 Hadfield Street, Stabroek and Warren Mc Kenzie, 22 of Lot 18 Brutus Street, Agricola, are jointly facing three charges two for the offence of robbery under arms committed on Pierre and her husband, and another for the offence of discharging a loaded firearm at security guard, Ron Peters. Pierre, Chand and Peters have so far positively identified four of the defendants (Samaroo, Millington, Narine and McKenzie) as the ones who were part of the robbery/ invasion that occurred on July 9, last in the gated community of Felicity, East Coast Demerara. This trial continues tomorrow.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

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PPP claims planned Wales Estate closure an attack on its supporters The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) yesterday blasted Government’s decision to close the Wales sugar estate, saying that it smacks of being cold-hearted and without any consideration for the livelihoods of the workers, their families and the thousands of dependents. “The PPP views this is an assault by the David Grangerled administration on the hard-working and dedicated workers of the estate who will be plunged into economic hardship as they will be forced onto the breadline. It demonstrates a continued wanton disregard and gross disrespect for sugar workers who, only recently, were denied any bonus which the government paid out to other categories of workers,” a statement from the party said. On Monday, the administration announced that Wales estate will be closed this year with operations to be handled by Uitvlugt, a factory located a few miles away on the West Coast of Demerara. Government insisted that Wales is the poorest performing estate in country, expecting to rack up losses of $1.9B this year. Government said on Monday that there will be no land preparation or planting this year for the Wales estate and that a number of staffers not taken up by Uitvlugt will be made redundant. Yesterday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo trekked to Wales where during a meeting with sugar workers and others reportedly told them that the closure is meant to hurt supporters of the PPP. According to the PPP

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to sugar workers and others at Wales yesterday. statement yesterday, there is a creeping dictatorship assaulting the country’s fledgling democracy. “…this ill-advised and unilateral decision to close the estate was taken with total disregard to its adverse impact on now struggling economy which, despite its stagnation, the Government continues to spend lavishly on non-income earning activities.” The opposition party said that the announcement of the closure of the estate, while not

surprising, further demonstrates the attempt of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition government to fool the Guyanese people. “It was only after their sinister plans were revealed that they denied during the 2015 elections campaign that they will not close any sugar estate.” It would be recalled that under the PPP, Diamond and LBI estates had been closed for efficiency reasons with

operations in the East Demerara centralized to Enmore. Diamond has largely been sold out to DDL and converted to housing and other industrial uses. PPP said it had warned before elections of APNU+AFC’s intention to deprive sugar workers of their jobs. “As pressure mounted and in their quest to garner votes within the sugar belt, both APNU and the AFC barefacedly told sugar workers that they will not

close any estate or the industry. They even denied privatization, which is now being touted by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) they had set up.” This “back-pedaling” has again revealed the Government’s characteristic of fooling the nation to advance their own partisan agenda, the PPP said. “This characteristic is ingrained in the People’s National Congress (PNC) which has returned under the guise of APNU+AFC. Our party is convinced that the closure of the Wales Estate is just the beginning of the Granger Administration’s efforts to shut down the entire sugar industry. More so, we believe that this is part of a scheme to impose hardships on persons who are perceived to be supporters of the PPP as in the case of the current witch-hunt taking place. We believe that the closure of more estates will follow.” The PPP said that it stands in solidarity with all workers, including the sugar

workers who will be left jobless by government’s callous action. “Further, we urge all Guyanese, including civil society, to take note of the Government’s actions of abandoning its campaign promises. Closing the Wales Estate cannot in any way provide a good life, as the government boasts it is doing for the sugar workers, their families and those who depend on the industry.” The opposition party which lost the first elections last May after a two-decade grip on power, argued that the recently concluded Commission of Inquiry did not recommend closure of estates. “The Government is therefore disregarding their own Commission’s findings. Even more significantly, we do not view the Government’s non-support of the rice industry which is in crisis and at the same time the closure of sugar estates as mere coincidences. There are Continued on page 30

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Kaieteur News

Full compliance with WTO rules soon – Hylton

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton (centre), addresses trade facilitation forum on Monday. Listening are: Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Roberto de Azevedo (left), and Commissioner of Customs, Major Richard Reese (right). K I N G S T O N , Jamaica(JIS) — With the recent passage of key pieces of legislation, and more to come, Jamaica will soon be in full compliance with Word Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and move closer to becoming a financial services centre in the region. This was noted by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton, while addressing a trade facilitation forum, held on Monday with Director General of the WTO, Roberto Azevedo, at the Terra Nova Hotel, in St Andrew. He told the audience that Jamaica is “far advanced in meeting the requirements” for conformity with the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures; previously identi-

fied breaches have been remedied under the Omnibus Incentive regime, and with the Special Economic Zone Act coming into effect, tangible economic benefits are on the horizon. “Jamaica as a Global Logistics Hub, supported by Special Economic Zones (SEZs), will offer quick turnaround through ‘near shore’ value-added logistics services that will reduce the time to Latin America, and other markets in the Western Hemisphere,” Hylton added. The Minister said the International Financial Services Hub will be an important source of funding, and will create the vehicles for “transnational corporations” to set up operations within the SEZs. He informed that debate will

commence on January 19 in the House of Representatives on two related Bills for the sector. “With our large pool of highly qualified professionals operating in the financial services, along with our robust Information and Communications Technology (ICT) platform, we are working to make Jamaica an International Financial Hub,” Hylton said. He said the Government has laid a platform for innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise to strive, resulting in the creation of opportunities for workforce development, knowledge transfer and economic growth. Meanwhile, the WTO Head said having toured the port in Kingston, reviewed reports on strides that Jamaica is making on t i m ely business transactions, he is “very pleased” with the focus on trade facilitation in Jamaica. “The port facilities are fantastic. I am absolutely sure that the Government has the focus that it should have. The Special Economic Zone is something that further pushes the country into a greater integration with the international market,” he told the gathering. He also commended the Government’s policy for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector, citing it as a crucial move for job creation.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 9

AN OIL STIMULUS In recent days, oil prices fell below the $30 mark. That means good news for motorists around the world, except of course in Guyana, where prices at the pump have remained at the level they were seven months ago, when oil prices were trading at three times their present price. The Big Question on everyone’s mind is why have prices at the petrol stations in Guyana not fallen. This is a question for the government, just as it is for the companies that import fuel. The government’s tax mechanism allows it to reduce prices, but the biggest reduction is likely to come from the decline in acquisition costs from the oil companies. Both must answer as to why Guyanese are still paying over eight hundred dollars per gallon for petrol at the pump. This is a rip-off. The government has to intervene and try to ensure that the consumers benefit

from the reduction. The private sector has been calling for a stimulus package, which is another way of saying there should be increased investment. But the best stimulus that the government can offer is to increase the disposable income of consumers by slashing the price by at least 30%, moving towards a revenue-neutral position. This will bring an immediate stimulus. Any other investment other than in public infrastructure will not bring such immediate results. It is even questionable whether government spending on public infrastructure has any appreciable effect on the economy. The government is cagey about reducing taxes. It ought to be. Khurshid Sattaur had his flaws, but he was by far the most successful head ever of the revenue agencies. The growth in tax collection under his watch was

phenomenal. Tax collection will increase henceforth, but Sattaur’s achievements in growing revenue collection are never likely to be surpassed. There have been some inferences suggesting that there are problems with tax collection. A lot of that analysis is faulty. For example, there is the claim that one thriving community pays less in taxes than a poor one. No attempt was made to indicate what empirical measures were used to determine what is “”thriving” or how “poor” came about. Many of the presumptions we make in this country, especially about who is rich and who is poor, are not grounded in evidence. There was also the analysis that stated that Region 4 pays more taxes than all the other Regions combined. This is to be expected. Region 4 is where most of the productive enterprises, including rice and

Dem boys seh...

Give Jagdeo and he cabinet beachfront property at Mazaruni Dem have an old saying in Guyana. When people throw a brick in hog pen, de hog that holler is de one that get knock. Trotman, not Raphael, decide to drag de whole set of de previous Cabinet members, including that scamp, Jagdeo to court. Dem grab up land wha belong to de people of this country because dem been in a position of trust. When dem get ketch dem holler how dem pay fuh de land. But when dem boys check dem find out and expose de scampishness wha dem did. Dem boys show de world how ordinary people pay $300 per square foot fuh cane land and swamp land. But dem scamps pay less than $10 per square foot fuh prime real estate property, and more so—ocean front property. After de court proceedings and a verdict hand down, dem boys hope that de judge in his wisdom use de same criteria fuh pass

sentence. Jagdeo and dem other scamps like nice, fancy, expensive and ocean front with a view. Dem boys would suggest to the judge that since Guyana only got two jails— one in de city surrounded by nuff house and cramped , That is Lot 12 Camp Street. De other one deh in de Mazaruni River at de top of a hill overlooking beachfront properties across Bartica. From that prison de warders tell dem boys from that prison you can see sunrise to sunset. You can see the calm waters and de rough edges. Is a breathtaking site that Jagdeo and Brazzy and de rest of crew would love. Camp Street does offer a breathtaking view, too, but de authorities does use rope fuh tek away you breath—de same rope wha dem use fuh Saddam. Talk half and hope de administration hang dem before any trial.

sugar, are located. More than 80% of the population resides on the coast, the majority in Region 4. Many of the companies that operate in Guyana’s hinterland and rural landscape have their head offices in Georgetown. It is therefore to be expected that the taxes collected in Georgetown will exceed that of all the Regions combined. This is not a tangential issue. If the analysis is weak, then the policies that flow from this analysis will not be as effective as they should. The attempt, therefore, by the government to widen the tax net, in the context of limited taxable economic activity in the other Regions, will lead to disappointment. If there is a shortfall in revenue collection, the

government will not be inclined to reduce either the VAT or the prices on petrol. Experience is needed in the tax department. Institutional knowledge is needed. That knowledge is on extended administrative leave, awaiting the long promised audit which is yet to be announced. It is not going to be easy to squeeze more taxes out of Guyanese. This country already has high tax rates. The population needs a reprieve from these high taxes. The reduction in taxes on new vehicles will not benefit the poor. It will benefit the rich, because only they can afford to buy a new vehicle. The ordinary man has to pay almost a million dollars in taxes for the cheapest vehicle. That is where the reprieve has

to be directed. Guyana needs lower taxes and to compensate for these lower taxes by greater production and investment. Reducing the prices at the pump can be just the stimulus needed. But with a government that is circumspect about reducing taxes, this may be wishful thinking. It is therefore for the oil companies to slash prices because of their lower acquisition costs. But that may not be allowed to happen, because reduced prices by the oil companies will mean reduced taxes for the government.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Is APNU-AFC learning from the mistakes of the PPP? The PPP returned to power in 1992 and showed that it didn’t learn a damn thing from its years in power between 1957 and 1964. Dr. Jagan travelled the same path as President as he did when he was Premier. Less than one year as President, Jagan, addressing his party congress in 1993, told his audience that he was still a Marxist- Leninist, thus openly reneging on the agreement with the Americans who brokered a 1991 election covenant with him. From 1992 to the time it fell from power in May 2015, successive post-Jagan PPP presidents showed that they knew nothing about the sociological dangers that inhere in Guyanese society.

The PPP Government was afraid to bat once M u r a l i t h a r a n o r Wa r n e were at the wicket ready to bowl. It gave the bowlers a large psychological advantage. As the years wore on, this lack of selfconfidence led from one disaster to another. Three immense faults led to a rut in the leadership of each PPP decision-maker – lack of public relations activism, evasion of the press and obdurate unwillingness to apologize. In politics, once a policy has congenital defects and you still need to implement it, then you have to use extraordinary vocabulary to market it. Silence on the policy in the face of questions from the society will weaken your credibility if you do not at

least attempt to explain and polish; some will call it spin. One is simply amazed that the Cabinet has not designated a Minister to advise Mr. Colin Welch of the GPL on the qualification controversy. This columnist has no knowledge of Mr. Welch’s qualifications and therefore cannot comment. I accept that his credentials are in order. But there is a swirling controversy out there, born out of accusations. Why not do a public relations task? Mr. Welch should describe his papers and kill the controversy. I was at a small birthday gathering where I saw Mr. Welch speaking with Mr. Glenn Lall and I know that the issue was what the Kaieteur News had published on the qualification thing.

Afterwards, I went up to Mr. Lall, made an inquiry and asked Mr. Lall if Mr. Welch is going to reply. Mr. Lall said he thinks he will. But Mr. Welch and the Government have not done so to date. One can imagine a government saying that it is a waste of time replying to people bent on creating nastiness. It is too busy to reply to every lie and it would not dignify the words of mischief-makers. But that is the nature of politics; you have to reply. And you have to reply for two reasons - to protect the credibility of governmental seniors and to weaken future attempts to circulate similar rumours. In Guyana, politicians have to understand that we live in the 21st century, where social media transmit rumours to the world within seconds and social media can seek to turn fiction into fact. I spoke to a WPA official about Christopher Ram’s resignation and suggested that the WPA reply to Ram’s

letter on his departure. He said that such small things are not necessary to go into with the media. Now we don’t know if Mr. Ram left the WPA to attend to his pressing professional agenda or there was a falling out. There are people who will think that the WPA cannot retain high-level personalities in its midst. For a party in government, it should explain Ram’s exit, because Ram wrote a letter stating he was no longer with the WPA. Suppose someone withdraws their support from the WPA because s/he is an admirer of Ram. That withdrawal would not be justified if the person knew that Ram left without any animosity. It is the Robert Pyle/ Carifesta Avenue car crash that is of extensive analytical interest to political observers, in that it seems to be leading the APNU-AFC Government into a direction of PPP deportment. If the PPP was in office and

Frederick Kissoon the Pyle tragedy had occurred, there would have been not one word of explanation. And as the days wore on, the story would have died. This entire country expects the APNU-AFC hierarchy to face it with candor, courage and colossal willingness; to face Muralitharan and Warne. SOCU and Ministerial personnel should have met the press and explained the dimensions of the Pyle tragedy. I believe that there was nothing sinister about what Pyle did. For all we know he did produce his intelligence identity card. The Government could have won the PR battle from day one if it went out to bat. It didn’t. It has to do better as the days, months and years unfold.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Scores bid for CH&PA construction, material supply contract During yesterday’s session at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance compound, over 145 firms submitted prequalification bids for a Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) contract, under two categories. The first category dealt with Works and Services, while category B was for the supply of materials.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) received bids for an audit of the special purpose financial reports from the Power Utility Upgrade Programme (PUUP). The PUUP was a component of one of two agreements signed in October of 2014 between former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President, Alberto Luis Moreno, made with the intentions of benefitting Guyana’s water and electricity capacity. Under the first agreement, the electricity upgrade program was slated to receive some US$64.6M, to be rolled out over a five year period.

Empowering grassroots women on GWLI 2016 agenda An aggressive programme to empower grassroots women to take up leadership roles within their communities will this year be pursued by the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI). This is according to GWLI Coordinator, Ms. Tricia Watson, who disclosed that the strategic venture will also seek to support gender-based violence victims. Moreover, she informed that during the first quarter of 2016, GWLI will be pushing a “genderfocused education and training programme for women in Government, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and private sector companies in order to promote gender awareness and equity.” She said, too, that during the January to March period, the institute, which is an arm of the Ministry of Social Protection, also wants to “enable the full participation of women in leadership and decision-making processes in society, thereby contributing to the equitable and sustainable development of Guyana.” With Guyana being a former British Colony, the country’s women have always been a central part of the economic fortunes of the country, and the GWLI has not lost sight of this. According to the admin i s t r a t o r, t h e f i r s t quarter training initiatives will “build and strengthen the capacity of underprivileged and single parent women to ensure they are “equipped to participate in all levels of decisionmaking processes, and influence decisions that affect their lives within their families and at the local and community levels.” Watson is also optimistic about an increased understanding of the ramifications of “gender equality and equity” to be

Ms. Tricia Watson etched within the consciousness and practices of all Guyanese. Moreover, as part of the 2016 plan, there will be a hike in training programmes to boost economic opportunities, income generation and poverty reduction among underprivileged women, Watson assured. She said that the GWLI will also “develop and implement structured genderfocused education and leadership-training programmes for women” across the country. The GWLI will also undertake skills-training programmes for underprivileged and singleparent women to boost their economic empowerment. There will also be organised Community Volunteer Training Programmes (CVTPs) to help develop a corps of Guyanese with the requisite skills “to provide support for victims of gender-based violence, Watson disclosed. As part of the menu of measures, the GWLI will implement “improved collaborative initiatives (with) the Women’s Affairs Bureau (WAB) and the National Documentation and Resource Centre for Gender and Development,” Watson said.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Staff turnover, lack of maintenance affect efficiency of national lab — but measures to improve capacity apace The National Public Health Reference Laboratory opened its doors in July 2008.

Although it was established with a keen focus on boosting HIV-related testing capabilities, the National Public Health Reference Laboratory has been seeking to expand its services. This, however, has not been without some challenges, ranging from a high staff turnover rate to nonfunctioning of some equipment. This was related by Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, during an interview. The challenges, according to him, have resulted in the diminished use of the laboratory, on occasions, since it opened its doors in July 2008. In fact the laboratory, during the course of last year, was forced to halt its viral load and CD4 count tests which are required to effectively assess and treat HIV patients. This was mostly due to the nonfunctioning of equipment in the laboratory because of lack of maintenance. “A lot of these equipment are very sensitive, so we have to have the annual maintenance contract under review, because some of them have not received their regularly scheduled maintenance, and some of them are actually not functioning because of that,” Dr. Persaud related. He disclosed, too, that even within the regular laboratory network, including regional hospitals “we have several labs with equipment that has not been serviced, or there is a part missing or reagent or kit not available that caused the equipment not to be used. That is a challenge. Our small standards unit has been struggling a bit, but they have been trying to prioritise first of all and deal with the areas that can be addressed.” But according to Dr. Persaud, this situation is one that is sometimes caused by delays on the part of manufacturers and suppliers

of biomedical services. Nevertheless, Dr. Persaud said that deliberate efforts are being made to change the shortcomings faced by the national reference laboratory. “From the start of this year we have started to see the laboratory doing more tests. They have recommenced doing viral load and CD4 count testing,” said Dr. Persaud. The laboratory, situated at the junction of Thomas and New Market Streets in Georgetown, was implemented with strong input from the US President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). As such, the CMO noted that “although a priority area happens to still be HIVrelated tests, we have also started to do some other general tests, and they can actually do some of the viral tests.” At the moment, the laboratory has the capacity to test for viruses including the H1N1 virus, though to a limited extent. This translates to the ability to ascertain whether a tested blood sample contains influenza A or B viruses. Influenza A viruses are known to cause influenza in birds and some mammals, and could be transmitted to humans, while Influenza B is a type of flu virus that can cause respiratory, fever and stomach symptoms. “Right now our lab can only take us to the point of deciding whether it is influenza A or B. A is the one that causes H1N1, but the actual typing needs a further test which we will try to work on as time goes by,” related Dr. Persaud. But efforts are currently being made to build capacity and improve the service at the national lab. “They are actually putting together a list of what can be done...there were some capacity built for (testing for) Chikungunya and we did receive the kits, but they were

not compatible with some of the machines we had, and that was a setback for us,” the CMO admitted. “Hopefully we will get that right and set things in motion,” he added. In the meantime, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad has been helping Guyana with the majority of its testing needs. For instance, samples were tested there for the H1N1 virus, which recently claimed the life of a businessman, and the Zika virus, which was also recently detected in a female patient. Testing for the Zika virus and a few others, according to Dr. Persaud, is particularly challenging for the national laboratory, since “these require a little bit more advanced testing with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methodology. Although PCR testing capabilities are available at the national laboratory, Dr. Persaud disclosed that the expertise is not. This is in part due to the staff turnover, he noted. But the Public Health Ministry will always be eligible to take advantage of the CARPHA laboratory. This is in light of the fact, Dr. Persaud said, that Guyana is a contributor to the CARPHA laboratory. Based on an intergovernmental agreement signed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, the CARPHA laboratory was established in 2011 and became operational in 2013. Its establishment, in essence, combined the functions of five Caribbean Regional Health Institutes into a single agency. Those agencies are: the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute, the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre, the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, the Caribbean Health Research Council and the Caribbean Continued on page 15

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Rohee, Ali dispel rumours about plans to appoint new party GS

PPP Executive Member, Irfaan Ali Sources closely associated to the hierarchy of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) indicate that there is a plot being hatched that will see the removal of the current General Secretary, Clement Rohee. Questioned on Monday last on his knowledge about a desire to have him removed, Rohee claimed ignorance. “I do not know about that.” He then asked for the names of the persons who are part of the plot and also asked about the source of the information. Rohee added, “Maybe you can speak to me on a one on one basis, I have no idea about that (plot) but would be happy to hear further information.” Kaieteur News was made to understand that Bharrat Jagdeo, who is known as the one to usually have the last say in major decisions made at the highest level of the party, has not been seeing “eye to eye” with Rohee. As a result, Jagdeo wants Rohee to be removed from his General Secretary post. Sources say that Jagdeo himself does not want to be General Secretary at this time, but he prefers his comrade, Irfaan Ali, with whom he has a close relationship, to be appointed. Contacted yesterday and asked whether he would accept the position as General Secretary if it was put to him, Ali responded, “Do not put it to me.” Ali said that he has no knowledge of any plot to remove Rohee and would not have any part in that plot. Rohee was appointed General Secretary in August 2013 following a nomination by his predecessor, Donald

PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo Ramotar. Ramotar, who served as General Secretary since 1997, said that PPP needed someone at the helm who could dedicate more time to t h e p a r t y, w h i l e h e (Ramotar) placed greater attention to running the country. That nomination was unanimously corroborated by the new Central Committee. In recent times, even to the press, Jagdeo has been throwing hints that would suggest that he and Rohee are indeed not enjoying the best of relations. Rohee has made comments with regards to what the party intended to do with the money that represents the salary increase granted to all Members of Parliament by the new administration. However, Rohee’s comments did not harmonize with those subsequently made by Jagdeo. When questioned by the media as to the differences, Jagdeo said, “There is an Opposition Leader and there is a General Secretary.”

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Govt. solicits stakeholders support to help combat suicide Every year hundreds of people kill themselves. This corresponds to roughly one death every day and a half, effectively making suicide one of three leading causes of death among the 14-44 years age group, and the second leading cause of death in the 10-24 age group. These figures, however, do not include attempts, which are approximated to be about 25 cases for every death by suicide in the country. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, presented an overview of the current suicide statistics. He was at the time speaking at a Govt.spearheaded meeting intended to help chart the way forward to address suicide. Attending the meeting on Sunday last were several Government Ministers including Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton; Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings; Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock; Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence; Minister of Tourism and Communication, Cathy Hughes; Minister within the Ministry of

Education, Nicolette Henry and Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings. The officials at that forum were able to meet with several stakeholders including representatives of the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/ WHO), the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF), the United Nation’s Population Fund (UNFPA), the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board, and health professionals. They were all there to address the high incidence of suicide in Guyana. At the meeting, Minister Norton made a special appeal for the involvement of all stakeholders to help craft an action-oriented plan that will address the needs of the most vulnerable groups in society in an effort to curb the escalating suicide trend in Guyana. The objective of this meeting moreover was to craft an Emergency Suicide Plan and included efforts to: apprise all key stakeholders of the magnitude and burden of suicide in Guyana; examine a proposed suicide

Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton prevention plan and identify the critical elements for actions; define roles, responsibilities and functions of all partners; develop a joint work plan and a monitoring and evaluation framework; prepare a draft budget; and establish a technical task force to oversee the implementation of the initiative. Participants at the meeting were presented with a summary of the National Suicide Prevention Plan, 20152020, along with an overview of the current suicide

Staff turnover, lack of maintenance... From page 13 Regional Drug Testing Laboratory. As party to the laboratory, Guyana, like other member states, makes annual subscription contributions. “So under that (intergovernmental) agreement that’s (CARPHA) our lab too, and even when we get our lab really going, it will still serve as our reference lab to double check things, to do tests that we are unable to do, and to provide support,” Dr. Persaud informed. As part of the agreement Guyana has with CARPHA,

the national reference lab will be able to shortly gain technical support through a consultant who is expected to operate out of the local lab for a stint. The consultant, according to Dr. Persaud, will help to develop the laboratory system here. In addition to working towards providing training for those already on staff and recruiting other qualified persons, Dr. Persaud disclosed that the Ministry is also looking to soon fill the vacant position of Director of the National Reference

Laboratory. And according to him, already a number of well qualified persons have expressed their interest to fill the post. “We are trying to get that post filled through the Public Service, and I am confident that very shortly we will have someone sit there.” Dr. Persaud continued that “there is always a need for more people. We are inviting qualified people, even from within the Diaspora. This is an opportunity to contribute to the health and wellbeing in Guyana.”

statistics. The National Suicide Prevention Plan, as presented, will provide guidance for the development of a joint work plan, and is designed to include input from a wide cross-section of partners. The work plan will enable collaboration among government ministries, international partners, Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs), Faith-based Organisations (FBOs) and other stakeholders. The proposed activities in this multi-sectoral approach will be aligned to one of four strategic action areas— risk factor reduction, health promotion and prevention; reducing access to the means of suicide; improving health systems response to suicidal behaviour; and strengthening surveillance and research on suicide in Guyana. The first strategic area of action explores the importance of coordination and mobilization of the NGOs and FBOs at the community, regional and national level; the development of an Information Education Communication Framework which would be guided by appropriate language and

messages to the public; and the use of consultations in relation to neglected areas such as Parenting Education, Coping mechanisms, Youth Friendly spaces and the modification of the Health and Family Life Manual, to address issues related to suicide in schools. The second strategic action involves identifying the means of suicide and devising means of reducing access to pesticides, prescription meds, jumping, alcohol use and firearms. But the most important approaches that have been outlined are the enforcement of regulation on the sale, distribution and storage of pesticides at all levels; the creation of Poison Control and Management Centres in affected communities with necessary training of persons; and following National Conventions and food and chemical safety goals directed towards the reduction in the use of pesticides, especially those of high toxicity. Another strategic action entailed in the plan is the bolstering of capacity through training for health care providers, and efforts by public servants and as a nation, on the whole, to

respond to suicidal behaviour. A fourth strategic action, details ways to improve the data collection process through the creation of a multi-sectoral task force, and secretariat for the management and evaluation of data. This action also corresponds to the dire need for research on the different determinants of suicidal behaviour specific to local cultural setting. The outcome of the meeting was a consensus on a rapid establishment of a multi stakeholder task force to coordinate the implementation of the four strategic action areas and to provide feedback to the key Minister and Government. Short and medium term action plan of activities have been crafted. These are expected to be immediately implemented. The meeting also agreed to a wider stakeholders’ forum nationally involving all NGOs, CBOs and FBOs to coordinate regional level actions in the areas where the problem of suicide is most acute. According to Minister Norton, “As a government, we welcome all to help us in our plan to protect our nation from this scourge.”

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Remote-controlled Drone “buzzes” GDF helicopter, disaster averted

The Army says drones can cause serious if not fatal accidents, especially if operating in airspace allocated to low-flying aircraft In what could have been an otherwise tragic occurrence, a Guyana Defence Force helicopter, GDF 1, landed safely without incident at army headquarters, Base Camp Ayanganna, after it was “buzzed” by what appeared to be a remote-controlled ‘Drone,’ recently. At the time of the incident, the helicopter was making its final approach to Camp Ayanganna, overhead Thomas Lands, in the vicinity of Queen’s College and the National Park. The pilot reported that the drone flew dangerously close to the helicopter and also attempted to follow the aircraft. The Guyana Defence Force said that it has noted with concern the frequency

of drones being flown in Georgetown, as well as other parts of the country. It reiterated that these devices can cause serious if not fatal accidents, especially when they are being operated in the airspace allocated to lowflying aircraft. “Further, it is recommended that the public refrains from operating these devices in and around Base Camp Ayanganna and all other Military Bases.” A senior official of the Guyana Defence Force with close links to the aviation sector explained that the situation could get out of hand if certain regulations are not enforced. He said that apart from operating near military bases, drone operators should adhere to the five-mile control

zone around the Ogle Airport, where aircraft are taking off and landing regularly. “We suspect that the incident with the GDF helicopter was caused by someone operating from around the Georgetown Seawall or the National Park, and therefore we might have to check these areas with a view to enforcing the regulations regarding the control zone,” the GDF official stated. He said that the situation is very scary, since the GDF uses its helicopter regularly to conduct patrols and would therefore be flying at low altitudes. “These drones should not be flown in these areas, period!” the offi c i a l declared.

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Two more cases of underage pregnancy emerge from Region One Two more girls have been added to the list of reported underage pregnancies coming out of Region One within the last few weeks. The girls who are said to be 11 and 15 years old were brought to the city following intervention by health and social workers. Kaieteur News understands that the 15-yearold from Baramita, had already given birth. She was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC) for a medical checkup after she arrived in the city, on Monday. However this newspaper has learnt that the teen and her baby have since left GPHC. No one from the

institution has seen her since Monday night. The other girl is currently under the supervision of workers at the institution. Last week two pregnant girls (11 and 12 years old) were reportedly rescued by members of the Guyana Women Miners Organistaion. The girls, also from Region One, were taken to the Port Kaituma Hospital following their removal from communities in the Region. The victims (cousins) were said to be anemic when they were brought to the hospital for medical care and examination. Kaieteur News had learnt that the two girls were both impregnated by

adults from their villages. One of the men is a relative of both victims. The pregnant girls were brought to the city, where they remain under the care and supervision of officials of the Ministry of Social Protection Childcare & Protection Agency, (CPA), and the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. The 11-year-old has since given to a baby girl. The mother and her baby remain patients of the GPHC’s Maternity Unit. The 12-yearold is five months pregnant and also a patient of the medical institution. The CPA is investigating cases of underage pregnancies.

(From page 23) assured, Government has begun to take a “fresh look” at the qualifications of contractors for jobs. He noted, too, that policy decisions on the National Insurance Scheme and the Guyana Revenue Authority will soon be made. “In the next budget the Minister of Finance will announce certain restructuring where NIS is concerned, and where taxation is concerned, that will basically try to have

everybody brought into a tax net that will allow you to make sure you get your GRA compliance and these other compliances much quicker”, he told the GCAG Executives. Additionally, Harmon pointed out too that the Minister of Business and the Minister of Public Infrastructure have been given clear mandates to ensure conferences are facilitated for new contractors. Meanwhile, the GCAG Ex-

ecutives told the Minister of State that the association believes that “it is time to move the construction industry back in place”. GCAG says the skills, ambition, dedication and mentorship are the available driving forces for this to be achieved. The association is also calling for a fund, or mechanisms to be set up to lend financial support for small contractors in order to propel their businesses.

Govt. to activate law giving...

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Decomposed body of missing Sophia man surfaces in trench Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of 23-year-old Akeem Culley, whose decomposed corpse was discovered in the trench that separates North Sophia from Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown yesterday. Culley, a father of two from the North Sophia area, was dragged from his home by a group of masked individuals on December 30. His body was found a short distance away from his residence, nearly three weeks after his reputed wife, Candacy Duncan, reported the abduction. Duncan said that the body was spotted at around 9:00 am, a few minutes after residents detected a foul smell emanating from the main canal aback of North Sophia. But she said that that was not the first time the neighbours had asked her to check in the vicinity because of the foul smell. She said that the first time she checked she found nothing. It was the same night when the men abducted him. Duncan recounted that the last time she saw Culley alive was on December 30, 2015. She said that night her reputed husband was home, when four masked men forced their way in and having identified him, led him out of the house. The 30-year-old mother of five told reporters that one of the men was armed with a gun. She recalled that the men stabbed and dragged Culley out of the house.

“The Tuesday night, at about one ‘o clock, I hear a knocking at the door. De person say is Akeem. I got something fuh tell yuh…Well I thought was me neighbour, he name Akeem too, so I open de door and a man point a gun in me face. “Same time me boy come out de room and dem say look he deh. One hug him and de other hold on pun him. One of dem stab him; I hear him grunt when he get stab,” Duncan explained. She then heard two gunshots. She said that by the time she rushed outside to follow her husband, she saw no one. Although she could not say what the real cause of the incident is, Duncan suspects that Culley’s disappearance had something to do with a motorcycle he was accused of stealing. According to her, a group of men had accused her partner of stealing a motorcycle. She said that the men had been searching for him and had even subjected her brother to sound beating over the motorbike. Duncan claimed that the matter was reported to the police and had been under investigation when Culley went missing. “I ended up filing a missing person report and we de looking for he ever since.” The couple had shared a five-month relationship prior to the incident. At the crime scene yesterday, residents gathered to get a glimpse of the decomposed remains which surfaced in the weed-choked

Undertakers removing the body of Akeem Culley yesterday from the canal which separates North Sophia from Liliendaal. canal. In tears, Duncan said that she identified her boyfriend’s body by his clothes, which he had been wearing the night he disappeared, “a red and white American Eagle boxers” Culley is said to have been shot and stabbed to death. Meanwhile, the victim’s mother Donna Culley related that she had last seen her son sometime in August. She said that he spoke to her about going into the interior to work, so she gave him kitchen utensils and a hammock. “I give him a hammock and a bucket to go in the bush,” she said, noting that this was her son’s regular means of employment. The

woman recalled that in December she made contact with her son and he told her that he was going at his girlfriend “Candacy,” who lives somewhere in Pike

Street, Kitty. The woman said that she had not seen or heard from her son since. At the scene yesterday, the mother was consoled by

relatives. She said that her son leaves to mourn his two children, aged three and twomonths. A post mortem examination is scheduled to take place today.

Banks DIH records profit growth despite election-related setbacks By Abena Rockcliffe Banks DIH Limited has been able to see a 13 percent profit growth despite setbacks the company faced both in the lead-up to and after the May 11 General and Regional Elections, that resulted in a change of government after 23 years. Banks held its Annual General Meeting yesterday at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street. In the Chairman’s report, Clifford Reis indicated much of the company’s successes recorded in the financial year ended September 30. He indicated the company recorded profit after tax to the tune of $2.569B, compared to $2.265B in 2014. This represented an increase of $304M or 13 percent profit growth. Reis said that the improvement came as a result of the increase in physical sales by three percent, increase in revenue by four percent and a reduction in operational expenses by four percent. He credited the reduction in operational expenses to internal efficiency measures as well as “favourable” material prices. He noted too that the Group’s profit after tax attributable to shareholders was $2.945B compared to $2.660 billion, an increase of $285.0 million or 10.7%. The Chairman told stakeholders that many lessons have been learnt from the rapidly changing global financial environment, exacerbated by geopolitical conflicts which appear not to

Banks DIH Chairman, Clifford Reis be able to be contained within any one geographical area. Closer to home, Reis pointed out that consumer confidence was eroded in the run-up to the last election cycle and the post-election events which resulted in a contraction of consumer spending. “In spite of these challenges, we continue to adapt to the realities of operating in a rapidly changing business and social environment,” said Reis. He added that Banks was able to utilize the collective knowledge and experience base which has been assembled over the years of existence. Reis said that Banks’ focus continued to be the development and strengthening of shareholder value in 2015 by way of the capital improvements made to production plants, the delivery and distribution network, training in all areas

to proactively respond to the rapidly developing technology and emerging market demands, and product and packaging development to satisfy the requirements of a younger and more discerning customer base. The Chairman indicated that in order for Banks to achieve its “ambitious” growth targets, the company has over the past few years been investing in modernizing its production and distribution capabilities, especially in the Brewery, Soft Drinks, Rum, Wine and Icecream production facilities. These, he said, were complemented with the support services upgrade of the Power Generator, CO2 production, Steam Generation and Water Supply Systems. He said that capital works continued with the acquisition and installation of a new biscuit oven and other equipment across the Company. The new “Crème Select” Ice-cream Outlet on Main Street was completed and opened for business in December 2014. Reis indicated, too, that there was also the purchase of new trucks and forklifts and further upgrades of the Demico House facilities. He said that ongoing installation continues on an on-line blow mould machine for the Water Production Facilities and new filler for the Beer Plant. “We have benefited from these investments in the area of higher consistent yields and quality of products produced.”

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Authorities scramble to pump water to farmlands as dry spell bites deep - E’bo farmers advised to delay planting With dropping water levels at its conservancies, Government says it is monitoring the levels in the main agricultural regions. A number of interventions are currently being taken to assist affected farmers. The water level in the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) yesterday stood at 52.65 Georgetown Datum (GD), while the Boerasirie Conservancy was 58.15GD. The Mahaica Mahaicony Abary Water Conservancy’s level was 58.17 GD, a Government statement said. With thousands of acres of farmlands including for rice and cash crop lining the coasts, the situation is a worrying one. ”The Ministry of Agriculture and its National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) are closely monitoring the situation as there continues to be very little or no rainfall.” In Region Two, on the Essequibo Coast, low water levels have been reported in the Manikuru (Main Canal) and Tapakuma, Golden Fleece, Ituribisi, and Mainstay Water Conservancies. “All four of the Dawa pumps are operable. A recent visit by an NDIA (National Drainage and Irrigation Authority) assessment team saw several immediate interventions being put in place to aid the situation in the affected areas.” Farmers in Region Two have been advised against starting new cultivation due to the lack of water. “The Dawa pump station is now operating 12 more hours daily, pumping water from a tributary of the Pomeroon River into the Tapakuma Water Conservancy.” However, authorities

yesterday said that there are some challenges in controlling the pumping of the water into farmlands, as farmers are not adhering to the irrigation schedule. “As such, rangers have been placed on the ground to ensure the effective implementation of the schedule.” The officials are currently experiencing some difficulties delivering fuel to other pump stations due to the condition of the access dam. “Thus far the NDIA has provided 23,000 litres of fuel for the operation of the Dawa pump station.” In Region Three (West Demerara and Essequibo Islands), the water level is low in the Boerasirie Water Conservancy, but the situation is under control there, Government assured. “There is a monitoring committee set up with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), NDIA, Water Users Association (WUA), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Rice Producers Association (RPA), Boerasirie Water Conservancy Commission, and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), to address and monitor the situation,” the statement said. NDIA has installed a pump at Waramina (FiveDoor sluice) pumping water from the Bonasika River into the conservancy. Fuel is being supplied by the NDIA to the pump at Five-Door and transported by the pontoon in the conservancy. In Region Four, Government disclosed that there is insufficient water at Belfield, Cove and John, Hope Dochfour, and Cane Grove. However, the NDIA pump is pumping at Nancy in the EDWC and supplying the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). Meanwhile in

Georgetown, all sluices are operable. However, at GWI’s shelterbelt location, Vlissengen Road, pumping has been reduced by more than 50 percent. “It has been reported that canals need rehabilitation and maintenance, and to facilitate this, machines are being moved from Mahaica to Dochfour then to Hope to excavate approximately 1000 rods of irrigation canals. A pump has been moved from Whim to Nancy to supply GWI with water while the NDIA will soon relocate a drainage pump to Cane Grove to re-circulate water.” For Region Five, one of Mora Point’s irrigation pumps is currently down and the authorities are working to repair it. The drainage pump at Pine Ground is being used to provide irrigation water while another pump is operating at the main canal supplying the Blairmont area. ”The NDIA repositioned Pine Ground’s pump to provide irrigation for 2000 acres of land, 500 acres of which are rice. It has supplied 1350 litres of fuel for that pump.” The pump from Sussex Street has been relocated to Kuliserabo Creek to assist with irrigation for rice and cash crop farmers in Mahaica and Mahaicony. A pump will be installed shortly as it is currently being serviced. Excavation works are being done at Broomhall, so that farmers have better access to water. Other canals were cleaned including the Danzic/Columbia, Fairfield irrigation canals. Excavation of the Kuliserabo Creek is being done to bring water to the Perth/Biaboo canal to assist with irrigation for rice/cash crop farmers. Water is being pumped at Mora Point, from Continued on page 30

Staff of GWI and other agencies monitoring the water level of the EDWC.

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Kaieteur News

WANTED General Workers-Call: 2653586 (8am-4pm) 1 General domestic age 3040yrs from West Bank/West Coast Demerara- Call: 6262629; 676-6312

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SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals and Black Opal - Cosmetology Courses - Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Earn a Certificate in cosmetology, nails, wig designs & hair cutting etc. Classes commencing February! Register Now! Call: 666-5241; 619-7603

Responsible hire car drivers. Call: 231-7200 OFFICE CLERK WITH EXPERIENCED, CXC, COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE AND GENERAL OFFICE WORK. POLICE CLEARANCE.RUIMVELDTTEL: 231-8529 BUILDING MATERIAL DEPOT: CLEANER, 6 DAYS A WEEK, 8AM-4PM @ RUIMVELDT INDUSTRIAL ESTATE. STRONG, HEALTHY & FIT. CALL: 231-8529

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494

TAXI SERVICES GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)

LAND FOR SALE Westminster Major Road$1.8M, Onderneeming $1.5M, Dairy (100ftX50ft) $2.8M & Pafaite Harmonie with foundation & structure -$2.6M. Call: 604-2207; 6117223 House lot 50X100, for sale in Gated Community, Land of Canaan -$4M negotiableCall: 694-7817; 668-0306 1-Houselot @ lot 18 Kingston Berbice Corentyne –Call: 676-2174 Residential: Ramsville Court, Cove and John 50’X100’ corner, quiet neighbourhood. Call: 2267585 Providence Scheme (115ftx81ft) located on a Cul de Sac close to Bai Shan Lin $8.2M negotiable. Call: 6014163; 223-0719 Parfaite Harmonie, house lot, house with land, Belle West W.B.D and Enmore, E.C.DCall: 604-4945 or 639-8474 K&R Realty We are buying lands. Call: 639-8474 or 604-4945, K&R Realty

EDUCATIONAL Practical Electronic Course beginning 26 th January. Register early! Call: 226-6551; 225-0391 NURSERY EDUCATION: Living with Dignity Foundation; offers scholarships for students 18months-4yrs. Half & Full day programs. Call: 690-9378 January Computer Deals: 9 Courses office 2016 @ Micrographics, Vreed-enHoop-Call: 264-3057. Earn your diploma now! Computerize Accounting: 4 courses: QuickBooks, POS, Peachtree, Excel 2016- Call Micrographics Vreed-enHoop-Call: 264-3057

Wednesday January 20, 2016

VACANCY Cook/baker and truck driver for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Urgent: Cleaner & kitchen helper (dayshift) required at Aagman Indian Restaurant. One furnished food stall in Apply at Merriman’s Mall. Call: 227aagmanrestaurant@gmail.com 8538 or call: 219-0158 One top flat Diamond, New Driver/Salesman- Five CXC Scheme- Call: 615-5833 and license for a lorry. Office Space at Camp Street Telephone 624-0092 email –Call Naz: 639-4499 info@fernandesgy.com BARTENDERS & 2 Bedrooms fully furnished WAITRESS, APPLY IN apartment in Queenstown, PERSON TO MIDTOWN free light and water, ACHOTEL, RESTAURANT & $160,000. Call:645-6498 BAR @ 176 MIDDLE 3 Bedrooms furnished house STREET G/TOWN in Farm E.B.D - $160,000 One ice cream cone van, fully monthly. Call: 645-6498 equipped, very profitable 4 Bedrooms house in LBI business venture-Call: 227- $60,000 monthly. Call 6451830 6498 Security officers wanted by Apartments for rent @ security company-Contact: Nandy Park- 2 bedrooms, 672-1920, between 8:00am- recently renovated, free WiFi asking $80,000-$90, 00005:00pm Call: 227-5194 Network technician to install outdoor internet wireless antennas. Email CV to jobs@awngy.com Experienced seamstress; surger and straight, floor girl. Call: 227-8538 One farming family to live in and work on farm-Call:2278538 One Trainee A.C, Refrigerator, Technician – Call: 231-0655 1 Sales representative,3 office assistant & 2 bag packers. Send application & passport picture size to Survival, 173 St C/Ville Accounts clerk: experienced in QuickBooks, accounting software, VAT, NIS & PAYE, @ Technical Services, 18-23 Industrial Site, Eccles. 1 Female cleaner apply Technical Services, Lot 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site E.B.D Sales Assistant/Truck Porter Contact Fernandes Guyana Enterprise Inc. telephone 6240092 email info@fernandesgy.com Security Officers, apply in person. Massey Security (Guyana) Inc, Lot 0 Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Call: 225-5773-6 Popular East Coast Gas Station Day/Night: pump attendants, sales clerk & office assistant. Contact: 6694755; 695-9880, Non-Pareil

VACANCY One exclusive three bedrooms apartment @ First Bridge Diamond -$80,000Call: 225-5533 Hicks Ville Hotel: Receptionist, Hotel Attendant, Washer/Presser, Bell Boy. Email: info@hicksvillehotel@guyana. com/call:231-0951 Vegetarian Gardens: driver/ salesman. E-mail: i n f o @hicksvillehotel@guyana. com/call:223-3448; 227-7714 Male security, male desk staff, room attendants, between ages 25-45yrs @ 233 South Road, LacytownCall: 225-0198

TO LET Fully furnished luxury apartment: 3 bedrooms for rent- Call: 603-6351

1- Two bedroom fully furnished apartment for Office Clerk: minimum 3 CSEC overseas rental-Call: 682subjects, apply: Avinash 9021 Complex, Water Street, 3 Bedrooms upper flat for rent Georgetown. Call: 226-3361; at Vreed-en- Hoop –Call: 661227-7828 0162 Massage Therapist & Business place located on Robb cosmetologist: must be Street next to Bourda Market. certified in facial waxing, Call: 623-7731; 629-0636 manicure & pedicure. Call: 672-1230; 226-1172 Continued on page 29

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 29

Letters... Where your views make the news

IT IS LIKE KILLING CHILDREN YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO FEED DEAR EDITOR, I recall that sometime around 2003 I sat in a meeting for senior staff of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo’s) East Demerara Estate, at which the then CEO, Mr. Michael Boast spoke about the need to save those estates that were good performers, by letting go of those that were performing poorly. The analogy he used then was that if you have eight children but can only provide adequately for some, you have to ‘shoot’ those you cannot provide for. Many were taken aback by the comparison he chose, but the point was made. The GuySuCo family did get rid of one of its ‘children’ – the La Bonne Intention (LBI) factory and subsequently the Diamond cultivation – in 2011. In the interim between Mr. Boast’s reminder and the eventual closure of the LBI factory, some improvements were made. However, there remained a hard core of people who appeared not to care that such an eventuality could happen. There was no end to the demands; it was as though some felt that the estate had a tremendous amount of money stashed and was bent on denying them their ‘entitlements’. Others just seemed to dare the dreaded prospect of closure, not caring about the outcome. And so we have now come to that point again when another of the ‘golden geese’ is put on the chopping block. The government’s recent announcement that the Wales Estate will be closed later this year came as a shock to many especially since the public had been assured that there will be no closure of any of the estates. Closure was also not among the recommendations of the GuySuCo Commission of Inquiry (COI). The writing was there on the wall for some time now; it was almost a foregone conclusion that the poorlyperforming Demerara sugar estates will have to be phased out in the future, in preference for further improvements in the Berbice region. Some sections of our society pegged such an outcome on the likelihood of a change in government. The decision the government / GuySuCo has made was admittedly a difficult one; but it was one firmly grounded in economic and financial prudence. An ‘outsider’ after examining the books and any prospect for revival would

very likely have arrived at the same decision. However, the timing of the announcement is a little unfortunate. The economy has been in recession for nearly a year now; the country failed to achieve the projected economic growth rate of 3.4%, with the estimated shortfall being 1.0 – 1.5% (KN, Jan. 4, 2016). Empirical data also suggests that unemployment is rising, particularly as a result of contraction in the forestry, mining, construction and rice sectors. This is very much unlike the economic situation back when LBI was closed. Back then, gold production was soaring, exports were up and the construction boom was on. In fact, the closure of LBI made hardly a ripple, as persons had then been leaving the estates in droves for greener pastures. Those pastures are no longer there. Amidst all of this economic downturn, is a new tide of senseless killings and other forms of serious criminality, driven particularly by youths and fuelled by greed and rampant drug abuse. Into such an environment we are likely to release many hundreds of young men, and bring upon an already impoverished working class, a new wave of poverty. As much as we understand and appreciate the financial ramifications behind the decision, we also need to become fully aware of the likely social impacts. If only the final decision

of ‘when’ the axe should fall on Wales, can be stayed until the economy experiences an upswing, so that those displaced can be absorbed elsewhere, rather than become part of the mayhem that is enveloping our society, it will be a pill so much easier to swallow! But having gotten to this stage, and assuming that the decision for closure is irreversible, we now need to mobilize the different forms of social support that are needed to help those who are likely to be affected, to adjust their lives and continue to be productively employed. The police need to become involved now, so as to discourage persons in the affected communities from gravitating to crime. Religious and social organizations within the communities should be given part of the costs saved to start or fast-track their own support mechanisms. Retraining and redeployment programmes now become necessary. A programme for retention and suitable use of the estate’s arable lands is also necessary, and such a programme should seek to maximize the use of the displaced labour. We all know that despite Guyana being a vast country when compared to its population, the arable land resource we have is finite and may actually be reducing as a result of climate change. Hence, there is need to ensure that changes in land use are kept to within suitable agricultural

Senior Police Officer... From page 5 opportunities to act in senior capacity? Should the Commissioner of Police practice proper Human Resource Management it means that every officer will be exposed to duties above his/her appointment which will amount to on the job training and succession planning. Succession Planning has always been a bug bear within the Police Force and no Commissioner of Police for the past two decades has shown any inclination of wanting to correct this ill. Quite surprising Commissioner Seelall Persaud has been more blatant than all. For a man who much was expected in terms of seeing positive changes and a fairer style of leadership, he has flatter to deceive. My trust is that the musical chair will stop soon so every man can get his due since the present practice is bad for morale and legitimate expectations within the Officer Corp. Senior Police Officer (Name supplied)

purposes. Apart from the issues mentioned above, it is time the sugar workers of other poorly-performing estates – they know themselves – take heed of the hard decision that has been taken, and know that the writings on the walls for their estates have not been erased, but have rather been made brighter. How much better are these poor performers, than the now doomed Wales Estate? The contraction and other changes in the European market for sugar will eventually restrict Guyana to only being a regional supplier, in a much smaller market than we had in the past. What will happen when that time comes, and in the interim that we wait? Sugar workers must therefore not miss this important wake-up call that has been sounded. We just cannot afford to continue living in denial of the stark reality that is before us. Khemraj Tulsie

From page 28

VEHICLE FOR SALE STAR CARS AUTO SALE: 30-06 PREMIO, 03-07 FIELDER, NEW RAUM, IST, BLUEBIRD, AXELA, PITBULL. CALL: 679-3140; 268-3509 Noah & Voxy: unregistered & fully loaded -$1.7M (black, white & silver). Call: 603-9700 Honda Accord, 2003, leather, TV, DVD, radio, 35,000km, like new, price negotiable- Call: 689-1194 BMW 318i- $2.9M, BMW 320i- $4M, Audi A4- $4M, Suzuki Escudo- $4M, new model Premio- $3M- Contact# 650-0402/260-4988 2006 325i BMW 37000 mileage, American StandardCall: 676-2174 Toyota Hilux 4x4 2L, Turbo Diesel pickup. Excellent condition. Call 648-0111; 6850942 1 RZ Mini bus, BJJ series-Call: 678-5887; 677-3177

PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461. 3 Bedrooms concrete house 22feetX48feet, land 50X90feet @ Vision Garden, Versailes, W.B.D – $11M negotiable. Call: 609-1367; 658-5803 House for sale with 3 bedrooms upper & bottom flat, @ Lot 153 Green Acres, Stadium Road- Call: 681-7366 2 Storey 45x35 concrete property, lower flat incomplete. Land 65x120 @ Diamond N/S 5th Avenue, E.B.D- Call: 664-5052

New model Premio 2007 model $3.1M negotiable. Preorder Allion, Premio, Bluebird 2006 model- Call: 655-3400 One extra cab Tacoma 2005, mag rims. Call: 687-6083; 6692887; 687-6083; 216-2465 2008 Fielder- fully loaded vehicle, never registered $2.5M- Call: 617-2891 2- New model Toyota Tacoma, crash bar, step, alarm, bed covering, mag rimCall: 695-6461; 639-7758 One Accent Hyundai $225,000.Call: 695-1744 Noah & Voxy in ‘G’ series, fully loaded, never registered -$1.7M –Call: 617-2891

Honda CRV, PJJ series GYD$1M –Call: 231-5080; 2-Storey building for sale at 641-4704; 613-7091 Herstelling E.B.D –Call: 227- 1 Toyota Fun Cargo: AC, CD, 1309; 665-6298 17" mags and flair kit never Property @ 650 Section ‘A’ worked hire -$1.250M- Call: Block Great Diamond East 619-1047 Bank Demerara. Call: 2254792; 609-1114 2 Storey wooden houselot 20ftx38ft in Kitty, transported land, price $15M negotiableCall Monday 18 th January onwards 8:00am-6pm: 6666934 2 Bedrooms house in Georgetown, not far from Ashmin’s Supermarket $35,000,000. Call: 645-6498

TOURS Suriname tour (return): Mashramani weekend February 20 th -23 rd 2016. Shopping, site seeing and more. Call: 639-2663; 665-5171

3068 Amelia’s Ward Linden: 4 bedrooms, 1 self- Weekend trips to MontRox contained-Call: 640-4731; Nature Resort & Fun Park. 624-6609 Call: 622-4386; 227-8538

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. One new cash register- Call: 227-8538 Wholesale & Retail quantity of all types of belts –Call: 670-2343 ADORABLE PUPPIES FOR SALE. CALL: 6004212 Crazy Deals: Dell/HP desktop & laptop computers from $49,000, free games & educational programs @ FutureTech: 231-2206 1,500 lb snapper sein e i n excellent condition. Call: 6570044 One Yamaha 2007 R1 with chrome rims. Call: 662-2569 Lots @ Blankenburg behind the gas station- $3.9M- Call Us Today: 650-0402 Toyota Runx; PPP 560 $1.65M. Call: 676-5229 1-300 tons Japanese made cargo ship and reusable marine steel plates: ¼” 3/8"Call: 688-7256 Combines: 7300 John Deere (2000 hours), Fiatagri L413 (2500 hours), Laverda 132 & Tractors: Massey 399, Fiat 110/90, Ford 6610-Call: 6859878; 338-4354 Stalls 64-72 (47feet long x 7 feet wide) @ La Penitence Market Albouystown. Call: 663-1597; 218-4837 TM 6X6 parts for sale: engines, gearbox, power box, def, drive shaft, etc. Call: 6017001 1 Complete music set and also studio equipment (music studio). Call: 265-3586 (8am4pm) Mix & raw loom to any part of Georgetown by Mr. Brock trucking for $40,000 size, 20 cubic yard- Contact: 6720470 White & Black sand to any part of Georgetown by Brock Trucking for $22,000, size 20 Cubic Yard-Call: 672-0470

MASSAGE Happy Touch Day Spa: Come & Experienced heavens touch, visit us today! –Call: 690-6079

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Kaieteur News

GECOM seeks E-day staffers in key local authority areas The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has yet again found itself in a position where it is need of staff to work on Election Day. Significantly, GECOM has indicated that the shortage exists in key areas, including Georgetown. Local Government Elections (LGE) are set to be held on March 18, for the first time in over two decades. A large percent of the voting population never voted in LGE. With less than two months remaining to that date, GECOM is looking to have all vacancies filled for Elections Day staff within the next few weeks. This is to ensure that there is enough time for adequate training in the lead-up to the elections. Despite the fact that more workers are needed, GECOM has already begun training. Keith Lowenfield told media operatives on Monday that the shortfall is somewhat major. “At this point, we continue to have a shortfall in the numbers, specifically in Georgetown and for the nine NDCs on the East Coast and

in Region Two and Region Six.” Lowenfield said that GECOM has been seeking to get persons from within the municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils to apply for the Presiding Officer and Assistant Presiding officer and other senior jobs. He explained, “We are saying that if we are talking about Rose Hall, we want people from that municipality to be engaged, as against going to Fyrish or Port Mourant or Tain, and so that is the thrust and as far as practicable, we have not satisfied that guideline as provided by the Commission”. Lowenfield said that Georgetown’s shortfall is most severe. However, he noted that history indicates that there will be increase in applications as E-Day draws nearer. Based on this precedent, Lowenfield as well as GECOM Chairman, Steve Surujbally said they are confident that the vacancies will be filled and the elections process will proceed without any issues.

Authorities scramble to... From page 27 the Mahaicony River into farmlands. A pump was repaired and installed at Blairmont water path to assist GuySuCo. The excavator at Pine Ground is being moved to Kuliserabo Creek to accelerate creek cleaning. Meanwhile in Berbice, there are also some problems. According to the Government statement, at Crabwood Creek in Region Six, there is insufficient water as one of the two pumps is not operable. “This will be fixed shortly. Pumps have been moved from Eversham and Storage deployed to Sandaka and Link Canal to assist the Crabwood Creek area. Both pumps broke

down over the weekend. One has since been repaired, while the other will soon be operable.” In West Watooka, Region Ten, inspections were done by NDIA engineers and recommendations were made to install a pump to provide water from the Demerara River into the c a n a l s , a s well as an excavator to deepen canals. A pump will be moved from Herstelling, East Bank Demerara to facilitate this process. Since last year, authorities had warned of the dry spell that could run to mid-year. It had always been the practice to pump water from the conservancies when the rivers and canal levels fall to critical levels.

PPP claims planned... From page 7 veiled and deeply troubling political and other considerations which underpin this approach. We will elaborate on these considerations later on. Our party was founded on representing the rights and livelihoods of workers. We will resist this action by the government to prevent the sugar workers being trampled upon.” Sugar has been taking a beating for the last decade, falling to its worst performance in 20 years. With world prices low and sugar being produced at double the world prices, previous governments have been attempting to find solutions to reverse the losses which have seen cash bailouts by the state each year amounting to billions of dollars. The US$200M new Skeldon factory, commissioned by Jagdeo, had been a drag on the industry. It only started to turn the corner last year.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

SWAT successfully completes “Exercise Assurance” …to secure country for upcoming events

Members of the Guyana Police Force SWAT Unit going through their paces during “Exercise Assurance” The Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) Unit of the Guyana Police Force, in collaboration with members of the rest of the Joint Services, last week successfully completed a rigorous training exercise aimed at strengthening local security for upcoming national events. The exercise, code-named “Exercise Assurance”, was ordered by President David Granger to cater for the country’s security needs, in anticipation of the expected

influx of overseas-based Guyanese and other VIPs for Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations. Conducted at Timehri, the exercise saw the operatives going through several simulated situations, including encamping in the bushes for an extended period, and operating in stressful conditions, such as explosions and tear smoke. “These exercises were designed to test the proficiency of the unit. We put them under mental pressure to test their resolve,” a senior

Cutlass-wielding felon gets 36 months for assaulting reputed wife

Andre Robertson Andre Robertson, a repeat offender, who assaulted his reputed wife, was found guilty yesterday by City Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The 40-year-old Robertson, who resides at Roxanne Burnham Gardens, pleaded not guilty to the allegation which stated that on October 23, 2015, at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, he wounded Denise Fredericks with intent to maim, disfigure or cause her grievous bodily harm. The Magistrate found him

guilty of the offence and sentenced him to 36 months imprisonment. According to the prosecution, at approximately 05:10hrs on the date in question, Fredericks was about to begin selling newspapers when she was approached by Robertson. The man inquired from her as to the reasons behind the “terrible treatment” he had been receiving. Before the woman could have uttered a word, he picked up a cutlass and dealt her several blows about the body. A medical later revealed that Fredericks suffered minor lacerations. According to facts presented in court, in an attempt to take his own life, Robertson slashed his throat and stomach. Pedestrians who saw the incident alerted the police. The two were immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The defendant was placed under guard at the hospital until he recovered from his injuries. He was arrested and later charged for the offence.

police officer told this newspaper. It coincided with “Operation Dragnet” for a heightened sense of security awareness. Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud was appointed the Operational Commander for “Operation Dragnet” and Assistant Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine, as Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Operations Department, in collaboration with the Joint Services, was responsible for planning and executing “Exercise Assurance”. It took six weeks of planning for the exercise to be successfully executed, and in the end, the ranks passed with flying colours, according to the officer. Sources have indicated that this is just the beginning of heightened security posture, and as the momentum picks up towards the Independence Anniversary in May, the GDF Special Forces and the GPF SWAT unit are going to be part of future joint exercises. The Guyana Police Force SWAT unit is trained to deal with four major issues - the execution of high profile warrants, VIP security escorts, barricaded suspects and hostage situations. They

would have already had practical exposure in VIP security escorts during last year’s Caribbean Premier League and the Presidential Inauguration. They were recently deployed in Berbice to tame the rising crime situation. This was after they were deployed to confront a criminal gang that was holed up in a house at Craig, East Bank Demerara, during which gang leader Rolston Morrison, called “Mappy” or “Saddam,” was taken out and an accomplice, Warren McKenzie, seriously injured. Most of SWAT’s operations have been conducted without casualty, except for the wounding of a Constable from the unit during the Craig operation. The SWAT team is made up of ranks drawn mainly from the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) who underwent intense training under highly skilled trainers from the United States of America. The idea to establish the unit came at a time when Guyana was at the end of a debilitating crime wave, and there was a desperate need to ensure that there was an effective police unit to respond to violent crime.

Woman remanded for allegedly pushing City Constable into moving traffic On Monday a female resident of Melanie Damishana on the East Coast of Demerara was remanded to prison by City Magistrate Alex Moore, for allegedly pushing a City Constable into moving traffic. Marsha Phillips pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to her. The first allegation stated that on January 18 at Water Street, Georgetown, she unlawfully assaulted City Police Superintendent, Laurel Gittens. She was also charged with resisting arrest and breaching the peace. The Magistrate told the woman that he would have released her on bail, but because of her disorderly and raucous behaviour in the courtroom, he ordered her to be remanded up to January 26. Phillips, who was unrepresented, launched a commotion in the courtroom.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday January 20, 2016

Saudi Arabia warns against Legal action looms over ‘nefarious activities’ by Iran proposed CoP legislation Reuters - The lifting of sanctions on Iran as a result of its nuclear deal with world powers will be a harmful development if it uses the extra money to fund “nefarious activities”, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir told Reuters yesterday. Asked in an exclusive interview if Saudi Arabia had discussed seeking a nuclear bomb in the event Iran managed to obtain one despite its atomic deal, he said Saudi Arabia would do “whatever we need to do in order to protect our people”. “I don’t think it would be logical to expect us to discuss any such issue in public and I don’t think it would be reasonable to expect me to answer this question one way or another,” he said. Jubeir’s comments were the first to directly address the lifting of sanctions on Iran, Riyadh’s bitterest regional rival, although Saudi Arabia has previously welcomed Iran’s nuclear deal so long as it included a tough inspections regime.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser But in private, officials have voiced concern that the deal would allow Iran greater scope to back militias and other allies across the region thanks to the extra funds it can access after sanctions are lifted and because of the reduced diplomatic pressure. “It depends on where these funds go. If they go to support the nefarious activities of the Iranian regime, this will be a negative and it will generate a pushback. If they go towards improving the living standards of the Iranian

people then it will be something that would be welcome,” Jubeir said. Saudi officials have also in recent years voiced fears that their most powerful ally, the United States, is disengaging with the Middle East, something some of them have said may have contributed to Syria’s descent into civil war. Jubeir said he did not believe Washington was retreating from the region, but emphasized that the world looked to it as the sole superpower to provide stability.

Trinidad Guardian - Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the Parliamentary Orders governing the appointment of a police commissioner and deputy commissioner are unconstitutional and is calling on the Government to engage in consultations with the aim of drafting “a fair, transparent and accountable process and selection criteria for the (appointment) of a commissioner of police.” “These orders were ultra vires the Constitution and indeed seek to undermine the independent Police Service Commission (PSC).” Persad-Bissessar spoke during a news briefing at the Office of the Opposition in Port-of-Spain, Monday. She said the Government may approve the orders with a simple majority in Parliament “but thank God the Supreme Court of T&T is the guardian of the Constitution and therefore we have already considered that, should the Government not sit down and let us work together to come up with

Kamla Persad-Bissessa a fair and transparent process, we will take necessary action though the courts of law.” Persad-Bissessar said the 2009 orders (Selection Process) “although committing the assessment of candidates in the hands of a firm, facilitated a transparent and a fair process for the soliciting of applications.” She said, it “also gave the PSC the ability to know the details of all persons who applied—not just the ones who were shortlisted (as is being

proposed in the 2015 orders).” Persad-Bissessar said the new orders allowed a contracted firm to decide on the mode of inviting applications. She said it “no longer gives the PSC (the opportunity) to consult and discuss the results of the short-listed process with the firm and binds the PSC to only consider relevant the information provided by the firm in the exercise of its discretion to nominate.” She said those changes “have removed from the purview of the PSC the power to truly consider and nominate candidates, as envisaged by the Constitution.” Persad-Bissessar said, the PSC “has a constitutionally mandated role to nominate under Section 123(2) of the Constitution [and] the PSC cannot delegate that function to another person or body unless it is effected and authorised by the Constitution, which would require constitutional majorities (in Parliament).” The Government says only a simple majority vote is required to defeat or approve the motions to annul the orders, which will be debated in the House of Representatives today and the Senate tomorrow.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

CCJ-Privy Council campaign to begin in March Dr Clarence Henry

Daily Observer - Work on the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)-Privy Council public education campaign will begin on March 10. Head of the National Consultative Committee Dr Clarence Henry said “work is in full gear” for the plan to be launched. The campaign leads a referendum to decide whether the CCJ should replace the United Kingdom Privy Council as Antigua & Barbuda’s final court of appeal. Replacing the Privy

Council with the Trinidad & To b a g o b a s e d c o u r t , means that the CCJ, in its appella t e j u r i s d i c t i o n , will serve as the twinisland’s court of last resort in both civil and criminal matters. Dr Henry, who is also A n t i g u a & B a r b u d a ’s ambassador to Caricom, said “a draft public education campaign strategy that will seek to educate and inform the general public, surrounding the CCJ and the Privy Council” is be-

ing put in place. The ambassador wrote in a press statement on Monday, “I wholeheartedly welcome this latest indication of the pending referendum. The government has stated its position, and I can advise that we are in the advance stages of our planning for what will be an extensive all-embracing comprehensive public education exercise.” Dr Henry said certain groups are being specially targeted as part of the sensitisation campaign.

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Wednesday January 20, 2016

Obama, Australia’s Turnbull pledge more cooperation on counterterrorism

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) sits down to a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (L) at the White House in Washington yesterday. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pledged yesterday to increase cooperation on counterterrorism and the fight against Islamic State. Obama praised Australia for its support in Afghanistan and thanked the prime minister for his country’s troops’ sacrifices around the world. “We’re going to talk about how we can strengthen our cooperation both in Syria and Iraq, the state of affairs in Afghanistan, but also countering violent extremism globally,” Obama told reporters in the Oval Office at the start

of the meeting. “Australia will be a very important partner in that process,” he said. Turnbull said it was critical to improve efforts to fight Islamic State. “We have to constantly lift our game in the way we engage with and tackle these extremists, particularly ISIL but there are many others - as they operate in the cyber sphere,” he said, referring to Islamic State with an acronym. “Archaic and barbaric though they may be, their use regrettably of the Internet is very sophisticated. And so I’m pleased that we’re going

to be working on even closer collaboration there.” The two leaders also discussed their backing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. “It is going to be good for our economy. It is going to be good for our workers and our businesses, and it reaffirms that in order for us to thrive in the 21st century ... it’s important for us to be making the rules in this region, and that’s exactly what TPP does,” Obama said. Turnbull congratulated Obama on the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Katie Ledecky sets world record as Michael Phelps beats Ryan Lochte Katie Ledecky beat her own world record to win the 800m freestyle at the Pro Swim meeting in Austin, Texas. The American, 18, touched home in eight minutes 6.68 seconds to smash the previous record of 8:07.39 set at the 2015 World Championships in Russia. ”It’s exciting when you can get pushed along by a crowd like this,” she said. Michael Phelps, 30, won the 200m individual medley to notch his first win over rival Ryan Lochte in the event since the 2012 London Olympics. Phelps, whose record 18 Olympic gold medals include three in the 200m individual medley, won in one minute 58.00 seconds. Fellow American Lochte, the world record-holder in the event, held a narrow lead

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WBCA to host T20 at Albion The West Berbice Cricket Association (WBCA) will be hosting a Day\Night one-day T20 tournament on February 22 at the historic Albion Sports Complex as part of their

Mashramani celebrations 2016. A release from the WBCA stated that some of Guyana’s leading T20 players are expected to be on show while

there will also be a cultural presentation, games for the children and gate prizes. Admission and ticket outlets will be made public shortly.

Rebel sets trend with 2016... Ledecky smacked the water in celebration after breaking her world record at every turn but lost the lead in the freestyle finale and finished second in 1:58.43. ”We have a couple more meets before the Olympic trials. Hopefully I’ll be better than this,” said Phelps, who came out of retirement in 2014 in a bid to reach his fifth Olympics and add to his record haul of gold medals.

Ledecky, the youngest member of the US Olympic delegation in London four years ago, now owns the eight fastest performances ever in the 800m free and nine of the top 10. She also holds the world record in the 400m free and the non-Olympic women’s event of 1500m free. (BBCSport)

Wednesday January 20, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Children may pose a problem if they don't like suggestions. This will not be the best day to make changes or renovations to your residence. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Take care of yourself or you can expect to suffer from minor illness. Don't let jealous friends put you down, making you insecure about your capabilities. You can't live your life for others. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Look into events that you might find interesting, and compromise by doing a few things that you both like to do. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Seminars will provide you with knowledge and amusement. Chances to express your ideas and beliefs can bring popularity as long as you're not arrogant. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You won't be able to keep a secret. Don't take your frustrations out on loved ones. Don't lend to people who have given you negative vibes. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Deal with the needs of ch i l d r e n a n d g e t i n t o groups that deal with self awareness. Limitations with females could lead to unfortunate circumstances.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Real estate investments will be profitable. You might get behind if you spend too much time debating senseless issues. You will find the perfect outfit if you shop today. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You need to get involved in groups that offer physical activities. Invite friends over rather than spending money on lavish entertainment. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Anger could lead to problems. Sudden romantic connections may be short lived. Pamper yourself; the self esteem it brings you will be most gratifying. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Emotional partnerships may develop through projects you initiate. You may be experiencing emotional turmoil in regard to your mate. You are best to back away from commitment. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Travel and learning should be on your agenda today. You need to keep busy doing things that you both enjoy. Your words will be taken out of context if you're evasive with coworkers or employers. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Business or pleasure trips will be knowledgeable as well as highly successful. You can expect changes in your living arrangements.

(From page 38) fourth seed, Andre Erskine, who had to work for each gruelling point. The lethal inside out forehand, solid backhand and strategic play produced seven winners for the junior; nevertheless the experience of Erskine gave him the advantage to secure the game at 6/3, 6/4. On the ladies side of the competition, Grace McCalman was up for a swing against her old rival, Carol Humphrey. The match was an entertaining one that delighted the audience to a vintage form of the game with classy touches and wonderful sportsmanship.

Epic showdown for first... (From page 39) have been a much-improved team. Maybe there is a lesson in that story for other players, who believe that they have to be traded to the more prominent clubs to be recognised. Smith is proving that the best of players help develop poor clubs. Other players ought to take note of this effect. Smith will have to contend with guards, Shelroy Thomas and Dave Causway on Saturday, but he will certainly have another MVP performance. Whether Colts can stop him is to be seen, but it is no secret that the third will be the best of the three finals.

Humphrey marches on with a 6/0, 6/2 win to face Afruica Gentle in the semi-finals after she powered through a 6/2, 6/2 win against Shivani Persaud. Former novice champion Cristy Campbell was a retriever despite her swollen ankle. Sarah Klautky started off with a bang and secured her first game with a smash, but the ability of Campbell to return the solid shots placed Klautky on shaky grounds and forced her to play extra strokes that racked up errors. Campbell went on to close the game with a 6/1, 6/0 victory. The first quarterfinals embodied the definition of a standoff of skill and will between 67 year-old Harry Panday and 32 year-old Kijana Lewis. They rallied beyond three hours of good

tennis. Although Lewis was striking the ball with all his power to gain sixty two winners, Panday did not skip a beat as he went toe to toe with Lewis. He was a formidable force to be reckoned with. He took the first set 7/5, but as the match went on Lewis found his comfort zone and ran away with the second set 6/3 and a 5/2 lead in the third set. Panday was not to be easily dismissed as he climbed back to level the game at 5/5. Lewis took the first jump to 6 and Panday quickly followed to force a tiebreak. He could not deny Lewis thirst to win and finished the tiebreak at 7/ 3. Lewis awaits his opponent in the semi-finals. Matches continue at Panday’s court from 6:30pm throughout the week.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Nadal and Halep out on day of shocks in Melbourne The more familiar shock of falling seeds added to the ructions caused by allegations of tennis corruption as former champion Rafa Nadal and highly-fancied Simona Halep both departed in the first round of the Australian Open yesterday. Nadal arrived at Melbourne Park with high hopes of arresting his recent grand slam decline only to depart, his optimism crushed, under a barrage of winners from fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Shortly after a dejected Nadal walked off court having tasted his first opening round loss at the Australian Open, women’s second seed Halep bid farewell while another high-profile casualty was seven-times major champion Venus Williams. Andy Murray, the men’s second seed, and 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka both impressed as the on-court action took centre stage after the allegations of match fixing in the sport overshadowed Monday’s programme. Nadal appeared confused at how he had managed to blow

a 2-0 lead in the final set to go down 7-6(6) 4-6 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to Verdasco in a four hour 41 minute battle that had echoes of their marathon 2009 semifinal but with a reversed result. The fifth seed, who failed to win a grand slam title last year for the first time in a decade, lost the last six games as world number 45 Verdasco unleashed a series of explosive forehands to take his place in the second round. ”He was playing amazing in the last set. If you decide everything in one set, the opponent is ready to hit all the balls at hundred percent, then you are in trouble,” the 2009 champion told reporters. ”The real thing is I was not enough aggressive with my forehand during the whole match. I didn’t feel it. I tried. I fought. I was ready to do it, and I didn’t. I am sad for that.” Halep gave similar reasons for her 6-4 6-3 defeat at the hands of Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai, who was ranked 131 places below the Romanian in the rankings going into their contest over on Margaret Court Arena.

Fernando Verdasco. Reuters/Thomas Peter ”I think it wasn’t my good day but I give her a lot of credit as she played without fear and hit every ball,” Halep, who has been struggling with an Achilles injury, told reporters. “She beat me. It’s tough but it’s only one day, only one match and I have many matches ahead of me.” TEARFUL ZHANG Zhang burst into tears af-

ter winning her first grand slam singles match at the 15th attempt, later revealing that she had considered quitting the sport. “I wanted try one more time, only one more time, yeah,” she said. “If Australia Open not good, maybe I finish tennis.” Like Nadal, veteran Williams had been hoping to carry a resurgence in form from 2015 into the New Year but she was similarly disappointed after a 6-4 6-2 defeat at the hands of British number one Johanna Konta. The 35-year-old eighth seeded American faces a likely fine from organisers after holding a post-match news conference. Seventh seed Angelique Kerber had to save a match point to stave off a fourth shock, rallying to beat Japan’s Misaki Doi 6-7(4) 76(6) 6-3, while third seed Garbine Muguruza beat Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-0 6-4. Victoria Azarenka, twice an Australian Open champion, underlined her return to form and fitness, thrashing

Victoria Azarenka. Reuters/Thomas Peter Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck 6-0 6-0 in the final match of the day in just 53 minutes. The two-times champion has been battling foot injuries and a plummeting ranking for the past two years but entered the year’s opening grand slam showing a compelling return to form with victory in Brisbane, her first tournament win since August 2013. She picked up where she left off from Brisbane as Van Uytvanck, the world number 43, earned just four points in the first four games and 10 in total during the first set. It did not get any better for Van Uytvanck, as Azarenka swatted her aside to set up a second-round match against Danka Kovinic of Montenegro. Murray’s earlier encounter with teenager Alexander Zverev was delayed in the second game when the German suffered a nosebleed but the former Wimbledon champion’s path to the second round otherwise ran

smoothly. The British four-times runner-up won 6-1 6-2 6-3 on Hisense Arena while Wawrinka, his possible semifinal foe and the only man to have broken Novak Djokovic’s grip on the Melbourne Park title in the last five years, had an even shorter day, going through when Russian Dmitry Tursunov retired hurt after the second set of their contest. Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt delighted the Rod Laver Arena crowd by extending his career for at least another two days with a 7-6(5) 6-2 6-4 victory over fellow Australian James Duckworth. Hewitt, who is retiring after his 20th Australian Open, sent his compatriots into a frenzy when he wrapped up the match with a trademark lob to set up a clash with eighth seed David Ferrer. ”This is what I’m going to miss the most, the buzz from the crowd,” he said. (Reuters)

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 37

Cavaliers staggered by blowout loss to champion Warriors Cleveland (AP) Cleveland’s locker room finally opened nearly 25 minutes after a seismic loss to the NBA champions. David Blatt turned right and headed down the hallway. ‘’Coach on the move,’’ a security officer said into his walkie-talkie. Blatt stopped in a side room to field questions. He didn’t have all the answers. Following a 34-point ‘’beat down’’ (Blatt’s term) courtesy of the Golden State Warriors, Blatt, spent his postgame news conference addressing issues surrounding his team - some new, some recurring. The Cavs were gutted by the Warriors, who put up 70 points in the first half of their first game in Cleveland since winning the title in June and might have dropped 170 had interim coach Luke Walton kept his starters on the floor in the fourth quarter. Cleveland offered zero resistance to the league’s top team. The Cavs looked unprepared and unmotivated. ’’We never gave ourselves a chance to win,’’ said Blatt, who survived a bumpy first season as Cleveland’s coach. ‘’We’ve got to face up to that and use that as a new starting point to improve ourselves.’’ Yes, this was just one of

The Golden State Warriors just put a giant hole in their critics’ biggest argument. 82 games. But this was no ordinary loss. At one point, the Cavs trailed by 43, the biggest deficit star LeBron James has faced in more than 1,100 career games as a pro. James and his teammates were powerless to stop Stephen Curry & Co., who unleashed their entire offensive cache on a stunned Cleveland team and crowd. Following the game, James didn’t offer excuses.

That’s not his style - never has been, never will be. He talked about ‘’getting back to basics’’ and then pointed out that the Warriors, who have won five straight over Cleveland and are 38-4 overall, are on a different level. ’’Their resume speaks for itself,’’ James said. ‘’They got experience and they got high basketball IQ and they got guys who are just sharp mentally at all times. We’re not at

that point yet.’’ With owner Dan Gilbert sitting courtside, there were other troubling aspects to Cleveland’s loss, among them: -Why were the Cavs so flat for perhaps their biggest game to date? -What’s going on with Kevin Love, again searching to fit in offensively and a defensive liability? -And what about J.R. Smith? He arrived less than 50 min-

Rio Olympics slims down as Brazil’s economic crisis bites

The grandstands for watching rowing and beach volleyball at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics are to be reduced in size to cut spending as Brazil’s economic crisis hits home, Olympic officials said yesterday. The number of volunteers has also been cut from around 70,000 to 50,000 and the total of cars slashed by 20 percent to 4,000 from an original estimate of 5,000, Rio 2016 spokesperson Mario Andrada told reporters. The moves come after four months of negotiations between Brazilian organizers, the International Olympic Committee and federations from around the world over how best to trim spending and ensure that South America’s first Olympic Games do not go over budget. ”We have cut some services and made some important corrections,” Andrada said. “We have a balanced budget, with some creative solutions. Many of the future games will be inspired by what we do today.”

The Olympic Flag flies in front of ‘’Christ the Redeemer’’ statue during a blessing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro August 19, 2012. Reuters/Ricardo Moraes Brazil is suffering from its worst economic crisis in decades, with the economy shrinking last year and expected to do the same in 2016. Money is tight and organizers are keen to ensure they are not seen to be spending

frivolously. They did not say exactly how many seats will be lost in the reshuffle as final details are still being worked out. But the original capacity for the rowing and kayak sprint events was 14,000, ac-

cording to official figures. The beach volleyball arena to be built on Copacabana beach was originally scheduled to hold 12,000 people. Organizers have also agreed to slim down backstage installations and hold off on moving into certain venues. Some venues had separate rooms for security, judges and officials and these will be reduced or even moved to tents. ”If you save on walls at almost all the venues, two or three walls at each means a big saving,” Andrada said. “One of the places we made a big saving is in the move-in dates, when we move in and take control of an installation,” he added. ”We were planning to take control of the Olympic village in January but we are now only taking control in March. We negotiated and we have limited access now but we have not taken full control and so haven’t taken on full costs.” (Reuters)

utes before the opening tip and then got ejected from another important game for bad behavior. Blatt accepted partial blame for his team’s shockingly lackluster effort, their ‘’lack of mental preparation’’ and not having ‘’answers at either end.’’ But Blatt can do only so much, and at least against the Warriors, the Cavs seemed disconnected. They had a healthy Love and Kyrie Irving, but the pair shot a combined 4 of 16 and scored 11 points - 5 fewer than Curry poured in during the first quarter. Love struggled on defense, which is nothing new, but he was also a complete nonfactor with the ball, scoring 3 points in 21 minutes. Curry scored 35 points in 28 minutes. Cleveland’s Big 3 - James, Irving and Love - had 27. Love’s shot isn’t falling and his role appears to be shrinking. He has scored over 20 points just once in his last 13 games. His inclusion in Cleveland’s offense - and his relationship with James - were major topics last season, and Love, who signed a five-year,

$113 million contract last summer, isn’t sure of his exact role now. ’’I really don’t know how to answer that,’’ he said late Monday night. A moment later, Love said all the Cavs need to step up. ‘’We got beat up on our home floor,’’ he said. ‘’I think a lot of things went wrong, lot of things that we need to clean up in our preparation, but I think they’re the better team right now. We definitely have a lot of things to get better at and that’s going to take a lot of guys looking at themselves in the mirror and it all starts with our leader over there and trickles on down.’’ By ‘’our leader,’’ Love meant James, who as he dressed, spent several minutes speaking with assistant coach Tyronn Lue. Before the locker room cleared out, James tried to put a positive spin on a brutal night. ’’We’re going to have a lot of bumps, and that’s OK,’’ he said. ‘’We’ll learn from it and we’ll get better from it, but the best teacher in life is experience and it’s good to go through it.’’

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

CFU Club Championship groups, schedule unveiled Kingston, Jamaica – A meeting between Montego Bay United (Jamaica) and holder Central FC (Trinidad & Tobago) will highlight preliminary-round play in the 2016 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship after the groups and schedule were announced Thursday. The sides participated in the 2015/16 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, but one or both of them will be eliminated from potential involvement in the 2016/17 edition, following their Group 3 encounter on February 28. The CFU revealed that 14 clubs from eight member associations entered the competition that will open with a preliminary round consisting of two four-team groups and two three-team groups. The four group winners will advance to the final round, which will be contested at a single location April 29 – May 1, utilizing a semifinal, third-place match

and final format. The two finalists and thirdplace match winner will earn berths to the 2016/17 SCCL. DirecTV W Connection (Trinidad & Tobago) is the only other team in the field to have qualified for the SCCL, participating on four previous occasions (2009/10, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2015/16). In the 2015 final, Central FC

topped W Connection, 2-1, for its first international title. 2016 CARIBBEAN FOOTBALL UNION CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Preliminary Round GROUP 1 - (Ato Boldon Stadium — Couva, Trinidad & Tobago) Teams: DirecTV W Connection (host), CS Moulien (Guadeloupe), Inter

Moengotapoe (Suriname), Atletico San Cristobal (Dominican Republic) February 24, 2016: Inter Moengotapoe v CS Moulien; DirecTV W Connection v Atletico San Cristobal February 26, 2016: Atletico San Cristobal v Inter Moengotapoe; DirecTV W Connection v CS Moulien February 28, 2016: CS Moulien v Atletico San Cristobal; DirecTV W Connection v Inter M o e n g o t a p o e GROUP 2 - (Stade Sylvio Cator – Port-au-Prince, H a i t i ) Teams: Don Bosco FC (host), La Gauloise (Guadeloupe), Somerset Cricket Club ( B e r m u d a ) February 24, 2016: Don Bosco

FC v Somerset Cricket Club February 26, 2016: La Gauloise v Somerset Cricket Club February 28, 2016: Don Bosco FC v La Gauloise GROUP 3 - (Montego Bay Sports Complex – Montego Bay, Jamaica) Teams: Montego Bay United (Jamaica), Central FC (Trinidad & Tobago), Scholars International (Cayman Islands) February 24, 2016: Montego Bay United v Scholars I n t e r n a t i o n a l February 26, 2016: Central FC v Scholars International February 28, 2016: Montego Bay United v Central FC GROUP 4 - (Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez – Santo Domingo, Dominican R e p u b l i c )

Teams: Club Atletico Pantoja (host), Arnett Gardens (Jamaica), America FC (Haiti), SV Notch (Suriname) March 2, 2016: Arnett Gardens v America FC; Club Atletico Pantoja v SV Notch March 4, 2016: SV Notch v Arnett Gardens; Club Atletico Pantoja v America FC March 6, 2016: America FC v SV Notch; Club Atletico Pantoja v Arnett Gardens FINAL ROUND (venue to be d e t e r m i n e d ) SEMIFINALS - April 29, 2016: SF1 - Winner Group 1 v Winner Group 4; SF2 - Winner Group 2 v Winner Group 3 MATCH FOR THIRD PLACE - May 1, 2016: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 FINAL - May 1, 2016: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2

Gayle takes aim at critics as he leaves BBL

Chris Gayle has farewelled the Big Bash League for this summer - and possibly forever - with a social media outburst in which he hit back at former cricketers who criticised his behaviour during an interview with journalist Mel McLaughlin. Gayle also declared himself a leaguebuilder in the Twenty20 format and said that if he had played his last BBL innings his “memory with the fans will live on forever”. His final innings certainly was memorable: a 12-ball halfcentury that equalled the alltime fastest T20 fifty set by Yuvraj Singh in 2007. But Gayle will be remembered more for the interview in Hobart in which he asked McLaughlin for a drink and told her: “don’t blush, baby”. His comments were widely criticised, including by Cricket Australia, and while Gayle was not suspended by his team, Melbourne Renegades, it is considered unlikely he will be welcome in future BBL tournaments. Gayle used his Instagram account on Tuesday, the day after his last innings of the series, to thank the Renegades and the Australian fans for their support. ”Ppl think I may have played my last innings in Aus but my memory with the fans will live on forever!!” Gayle wrote. “I build leagues around the world and Big Bash is one of them ... ‘Give the ppl what they want’.” Gayle’s conduct during the interview was criticised by various media outlets and former players, including Andrew Flintoff, who tweeted at the time that Gayle had “made himself look a bit

‘I build leagues around the world and Big Bash is one of them’ - Chris Gayle © Getty Images of a chop”. Gayle’s former Sydney Thunder team-mate, Chris Rogers, was more expansive on ABC radio during the Sydney Test and said he had concerns about the influence set for younger players. ”From my time at the Thunder, I was very disappointed in his attitude and his behaviour and I’ve never been a fan since,” Rogers said at the time. “From what I saw, if I had have been in the Thunder the next year, it would have been my advice that he shouldn’t have been anywhere near the set-up. ”The reason I think he hasn’t played in the BBL for a while is because that was said: ‘Stay away from Chris Gayle because he brings more trouble than he’s worth’. This is a pattern of behaviour that if you know the guy you see it over and over. To defend it, I think is not right at all. I don’t see it as funny at all. He says it’s just a joke. Well, it’s not just a

joke is it?” Although he did not name anyone, Gayle was scathing about the criticism he had received. “To the MEDIA, Thank You all so! The Haters, I Thank you even more ... I think a lot of past and present cricketers who smile in front my face could’ve have there say In the public when my so call issue was going on, but y’all don’t have the BALLs to stand firm when it matters but yet when u see me you’re like, Chris that’s BS against you, it was blown out of proportion smh [shaking my head]...don’t tell me, tell the media and public! ”The past cricketer who say I make myself look like a chop, the other who claim I was no good to the youngsters while playing for the thunder, the next one who said he expect that sort of behavior from Chris - Y’all can kiss my ‘Black R**s’ I love Australia and I will be back again even for the ... oi oi”. (ESPNcricinfo)

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

Tenelec Inc U-15, Two-innings competition - Berbice

Sinclair and Anderson propel Rose Hall to Final Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes are through to the final of the Tenelec Inc. Under-15, Two-innings Cricket Competition in Berbice. Led by the brilliance of the two national Under-15 cricketers Junior Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson - they beat old rivals Tucber Park emphatically on first innings in their drawn semi-final match. In the match which was played at the Rose Hall Town Ground, Tucber Park inserted Rose Hall and struck early as Surendra Budhoo fell to Bharrat Bhopal for 0 at 10 for 1 in the fourth over. Their elation was however short lived, as the other opener Sinclair was joined by Anderson and they went on to put on 130 for the 2nd wicket before Anderson fell to Leon Swami for 63 (7 fours). Sinclair continued, putting on 50 for the 4th wicket with Berbice Under-15 batsman Keith Simpson (23) and 40 for the 5th wicket with Quesi Crandon (20) before he (Sinclair) was caught for a well played 90 (8 fours and 3 sixes). Rose Hall eventually made 257 all out. Bowling for Tucber Park, Leon Swami took 3 for 42, Nikeem Noble 3 for 60, Bharrat Bhopal 2 for 26 and Brandon Stewart 2 for 52. When Tucber Park replied, they too lost an early

Kevlon Anderson

Steve Deonarine

wicket. However, Guyana Under-17 batsman Steve Deonarine and last year’s Guyana Under-15 selectee Garfield Benjamin looked threatening together but after they had added 36 between them, offspinner Sinclair removed Benjamin for 19 and Ravishkar Budhoo for 0 to reduce them to 48 for 3. Deonarine soon went the run out route for 29, ending any serious resistance with only Brandon Stewart making 29 N.O. to take Tucber Park to 119 for 9 at which point they declared. Sinclair ended with 4 for 33, Keith Simpson 2 for 30 and Brandon Corlette 2 for 12. Tucber Park’s hope to bowl out Rose Hall Town cheaply in their 2nd innings to snatch a come-frombehind outright win looked promising when legspinner

Stewart removed Corlette for 0 at 6 for 1. Their hopes were dashed once again by Sinclair and Anderson who batted Tucber Park out of the game by putting on 106 for the 2nd wicket. They both fell to Stewart, Sinclair for 63 and Anderson for 62 and with Surendra Budhoo making 32 and Keith Simpson 23, Rose Hall was able to declare at 209 for 6. Stewart took 5 for 70. Tucber Park facing a daunting target of 348 with 180 minutes play left, managed to reach 137 for 3 at the end with Deonarine batting well for 65 while Benjamin made 24. For Rose Hall, Simpson took 2 for 28. Rose Hall Town therefore joins Blairmont Community Centre in the final which is scheduled for this coming Saturday and Sunday at Blairmont.

GFF Men’s National Futsal Team departs for Cuba The Guyana Football Federation Men’s National Futsal Team departed for Cuba yesterday to compete in the Caribbean Football Union’s Futsal Qualifiers. During the next week, Guyana will be battling against Curacao, Trinidad

and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda to earn a place in the Final Round of Competition which will take place on 26th January, 2016. The Officials of the team are as follows: Staff: Claude Bolton Head Coach - Joseph (Bill) Wilson, Assistant Coach Denzel Thompson, GK

Coach, Mark Young – Manager. Team Members: Travis Bess, Konata Manning, Eusi Phillips, Daniel Favourite, Austin Solomon, Jerome Richardson, Travis Grant, Jermain Junor, Sherwin Skeete, Richard Reynolds.

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ICC WT20 tickets yet to go on sale

“If the tickets are made available well in advance those asking for complimentary passes make your life difficult,” a BCCI official said © BCCI The tickets for the World Twenty20 are likely to go up for sale by the end of this week, with the BCCI saying it doesn’t think it is too late for the tickets to be made available. The first qualifier starts on March 8, but the Indian board is happy to have the tickets up for grabs a little under two months from the first match of the “main” tournament on March 15. However, when the schedule of the World Twenty20 was announced, the ICC insisted that the qualifying part of the tournament be called the first round of the tournament. At any rate, India have set the record for putting the tickets up for sale with least amount of planning time available for the fans when it comes to world events. For the World Cup co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in FebruaryMarch 2011, tickets went up for sale on June 1, 2010. In 2012, Sri Lanka offered World T0 tickets six months before the event. The West Indies provided a five-and-a-month notice for the World T20 in 2010. Bangladesh, who hosted the World T20 in March 2014, started the sale of tickets on November 7, 2013. Even South Africa, who hosted the first World T20, put up tickets for sale three months in a d v a n c e . The ticketing process is always the host board’s responsibility. In an emailed response, the ICC has refused to be drawn into any criticism of the ticketing process. “It

will be inappropriate to compare the ICC WT20 India 2016 with any previous event as the preparation for every event is different,” the ICC s a i d . However, a source in the ICC, closely involved with the organising part of the event, told ESPNcricinfo that everything from announcing venues to making tickets available has been handled in the usual ad-hoc manner. “The BCCI pays no heed or provides reasons for delays,” the source said. That the venues were announced only three months before the event were already a source of frustration for the travelling fan who usually looks for bargains by booking air tickets and accommodation well in advance. The fans looking to travel to India will be left even more frustrated because the tickets are not readily available, especially for an event in India, and you ideally don’t want to make travel plans before se-

curing tickets for the matches you wish to attend. The BCCI, though, doesn’t feel it is late. A BCCI official said the dynamics of hosting an event in India were different, and it shouldn’t even be compared with the 2011 World Cup, which was co-hosted by three nations. “There is still two months to go,” he said, “The first match of the main tournament is on March 15. And it works differently in India anyway. The anticipation in the public only builds up closer to the event, but if the tickets are made available well in advance, those asking for complimentary passes make your life difficult.” Tickets in India generally go up for sale less than a week before international bilaterals or smaller tournaments. A huge chunk of the tickets is anyway not put up for sale with local associations handing them out for free to their members and influential people in their constituencies. (ESPNcricinfo)

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Guyana Softball League 10/ 10 Challenge Series

Essequibo Challenge Cup revels in participation The 10/10 Challenge Series was off to a bright start in the Cinderella County as the Essequibo Challenge Cup brought out the best in terms of participation from areas covering the entire Region 2 and the level of discipline shown by the teams was commendable as emotions flowed when teams from Essequibo took to the field. The crowd showed their support for their favorite players and teams even though the weather threatened briefly to upset plans as fans of softball cricket got a treat when Granny Ivelaw took to the field. They were treated to some entertainment of the highest grade as Chow Pow firstly got them going. The one ball manto was a big hit with the fans as spectators joined in to be part of the action. The games were opened by Mr. Devanand Ramdatt Regional Chairman Region 2 in his remarks implored the teams be cognizant of their roles in the region and ensure that progress is made through initiatives like these and are utilized in a positive way to impact society. He congratulated the Essequibo Softball League on its formation and

Teams from the Essequibo area came out in numbers to participate in the GSL Essequibo Challenge Cup last Sunday. pledged the support of the RDC to the body and wished them well in future endeavors. The representative of GSL Mr. Leonard Harprashad reminded the participants of the expectations and implored them to register permanently with the Essequibo Softball League in order to have progression of the Sport in t h e r e g i o n . On the Essequibo Softball League’s behalf secretary Mr. Elroy Stephney asked that the word be spread among areas to ensure representation is achieved in its entirety and game can spread in order to have continuity.

Meanwhile the results of the matches are as follows: FEMALE CATEGORY: Lima Sands North demolished Lima Sands South by 5 wkts: Batting first South made 67-7 in 10 overs (Zenel Smith 20; Jessica Ragubeer 4-5 from 2 overs Annette James 2-15) In reply North lost a couple of wickets early but recovered to end on 69-5 through a responsible innings from Jessica Ragubeer 23 not out turning in a good all round performance along with Akeena Salim 22 not out in a partnership of 39 to achieve victory. OVER 40 CATEGORY: Invaders Masters

defeated Reliance Masters by 7 wkts: Reliance batted first and scored 95-5 in 10 overs (Kishan Singh 24(2x6); Rajesh Gopaul 1-11 from 2 overs). In reply Invaders Masters 99-3 in 7.4 overs with Rain Rampersaud 32 ; Ritchie Bishop 22; Dhaniram Persaud took 1-24 from 2 overs. OPEN CATEGORY: EXHIBITION MATCH: West Coast XI defeated Essequibo by 14 runs: West Coast XI batted first and scored a challenging 1368 in 10 overs with Vickram Kissoon hammering 58 with 5 massive sixes, requiring new balls on each occasion, off 19 balls. Esaun Patel was the

best bowler for Essequibo with 2-25 off 2 overs. In their turn, Essequibo started brightly but in the mid overs lost a couple of wickets and the pressure was back on. They ended on 122-6 in their 10 overs. Travis Drakes took 2-22 from his two overs. FOUR TEAM 10/10 TOURNAMENT – ESSEQUIBO: South Essequibo cruised past Pomeroon by 7wkts: Pomeroon batted first and scored 56-5 in their allotted overs with Andy Dass 24(2X6); Leyland Mc Donald 2-6; in reply South made 60-3 in 6 overs (Govinder Sharma 28(3x6); Gary Francis 1-25). Central Wild Champs

defeated Northern Stars by 2 runs in a nail biter: Central made 78; Northern Stars replied with 76-9. FINAL: Central Wild Champs defeated South Essequibo by one run in an exciting finish. Central batted first and made 59-7 in their allotment of overs with Ramesh Narine contributing 19. Bowling for South Ikwaaz Baskh took 1-6 to be the pick of the bowlers. In reply south were cruising at 23 without loss but the introduction of Ramesh Narine 1-4 and Ravi Singh 1-7 changed the complexion of the game and dried up the runs with South urging their numbers 5 and 6 on but could only muster 4 trying to get 5 in the last over ending on 58-6. Central Wild Champs will now advance to the quarter finals to be held on the 9th April as the show moves to the Leguan for the Essequibo Islands zone to be held on the 20th February and East Coast Leg on the 23rd Feb at Better Hope. Meanwhile, the one ball for females was won by Maria Bisnauth with the two male finalists tying and being knocked out as the rule states once tied both players will be knocked out.

Jaguars aiming to halt Red Force’ third straight final bid today By Zaheer Mohamed Guyana Jaguars will look to turn back the challenge of defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force when the two teams collide in the first semi final of the Regional NAGICO Super 50 tournament today at the Queen’s Park Oval. Both Jaguars and Windwards Volcanoes ended on 18 points and same number of wins in Zone B, but Volcanoes won both their matches against Jaguars, therefore they were placed ahead on the table while Red Force finished atop of Zone A with 18 points. An exciting contest is anticipated in front of an expected full house and Jaguars skipper Leon Johnson will be looking to take his team into Saturday’s final after he missed last year’s tournament due to West Indies tour of South Africa. The Red Force, led by a century from current captain Jason Mohammed and a decent bowling performance by Sunil Narine defeated the Jaguars by 135 runs to take last year’s title, and Mohammed

will hope that history can repeat itself and see his team into the final for the third straight year. Speaking with reporters, Johnson said he expects a slow pitch, but they are capable of adopting well. He stated that they allowed too many dot balls in the middle overs in previous matches and stressed the need to rotate the strike a lot more while keeping wickets intact. The skipper explained that they have learnt a lot from earlier matches and a good start today is very important. While stating that he is quiet happy with his team performance so far, Mohammed added it is important the middle order improves against what he describes as a formidable Guyana bowling attack. He feels his team has what it takes to win the duel and is happy with his form so far. Assad Fudadin’s century in the final preliminary round game against the Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners makes him the tournament’s leading bats-

man and is once again expected to lead in this area against a capable Red Force attack. The experience of Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a major boost for the visitors; the lefthander has been in fine form in this tournament and along with Christopher Barnwell, Vishaul Singh, Johnson, Kevon Boodie and Royston Crandon, the Jaguars batting is more than capable. Fast bowling all-rounder Romario Shepherd has been Guyana’s new find and may pose some trouble for the opposition with his variation while Veerasammy Permaul who is the tournament’s leading wicket taker so far is a proven match winner at this level. Support is expected to come from Gudakesh MotieKanahi and Steven Jacobs. Evin Lewis has been in fine form with the bat while a lot will depend on Narsingh Deonarine who will come up against his countrymen for the first time in the competition to boost the home team’s batting as well as Denesh Ramdin, Kyle Hope, Darren

Kyle Hope. WICB Media/Ashley Allen Bravo and Kjorn Ottley. Their bowling attack is a balanced one, with the likes of Imran Khan, Riyad Emrit, Yannick Ottley and Steven Katwaroo included, the Jaguars can expect a tough challenge. Action gets underway at 13:30hrs. GUYANA JAGUARS: (from) - Leon Johnson (captain), Christopher Barnwell, Kevon Boodie, An-

Darren Bravo. WICB Media/Ashley Allen

thony Bramble, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Raymon Reifer, Vishaul Singh, Romario Shepherd, Paul Wintz. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO RED FORCE: (from) - Jason Mohammed (captain), Kevon Cooper, Narsingh Deonarine, Rayad

Emrit, Kyle Hope, Akeal Hosein, Jon Russ Jagesar, Darren Baravo, Steven Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Kjorn Ottley, Yannick Ottley, Marlon Richards, Philton Williams. Standing Umpires: Patrick Gustard and Leslie Reifer Jr.; TV Umpire - Lennox Abraham; Match Referee Carlyle Felix; 4th Umpire - Joel Wilson.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

3rd Anamayah Memorial Basketball competition - Berbice

Black Sharks devour Rose Hall Town Fyrish Black Sharks began the third edition of the annual Anamayah Memorial Basketball competition in enterprising fashion as they handed new comers Rose Hall Town a hard fought come from behind defeat last Sunday 62-57 at the Fyrish basketball court. The tough contest saw the Rose Hall Town boys taking to the court like seasoned campaigners as they led the more wellknown Black Shark 14-09 at the end of the first segment. The Rose Hall Town team was able to hold their composure as they continued to lead at the end of the first half with the score being 27-35. The Black Sharks come out for the second half a rejuvenated bunch and with home crowd support, they began to fight back to trail by one point at the end of the third quarter with the score reading 4142. The final segment saw the Black Sharks finding

Competition in the game between Fyrish Black Sharks and Rose Hall Town last Sunday. their range with frequent offensive plays as Rose Hall wilted under the pressure to concede the lead for the first time in the game as the Sharks eventually won 6257. For the Black Sharks, Lyndon Joseph led the way 20 points, while Real Franklyn with 11 and Tafawa Cort with 10 points

supported well. For the Rose Hall Town team, Kevon Wiggins with a game high 21 points led the fight with Osafo Profit 9 and Perry Cort 5 supporting in a losing cause. Eight teams which have been divided into two groups have entered to be a p a r t o f t h i s y e a r ’s competition.

The teams down to play are - Group ‘A’:- Rose Hall Town Jammers, Fyrish Black Sharks, East Canje Knights and new comers Rose Hall Town. Group ‘B’:- New A m s t e r d a m Wa r r i o r s , Smithfield Rockers, Ithaca Hardliners and Hopetown Stealers. The tournament will be played on a round robin basis with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semifinal round. At stake in the competition will be cash and other incentives for the winning and runnerup teams and other outstanding players. The tournament is being organised by sport enthusiast Vibert Garnett. Jammers are the defending champions. The competition is expected to continue on Sunday when Ithaca Hardliners and Hopetown Stealers clash at the Ithaca basketball court, West Bank Berbice. (Samuel Whyte)

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BVA hosts successful Referees’ seminar A number of persons are now better equipped to perform duties as referees after attending a two-day Seminar/Workshop organised by the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA). The activity, which was held last Saturday and Sunday at the Port Mourant Community Centre, Corentyne, Berbice, was attended by 14 participants. The main facilitator was Bonnie Grimes, a FIVB qualified referee. He was assisted by President of the Guyana Volleyball Association (GVA) John Flores, executive member Mrs. Andrea Flores and President of the BVA Levi Nedd. The activity was held under the theme “KEEP THE BALL FLYING” which is the theme of the BVA. The welcome and opening remarks were done by the BVA President Nedd. The participants were then given a chance to introduce themselves which was facilitated by Nedd. Among the topics discussed were- basic refereeing, the first referee duties, and the second referee duties, duties of the linesmen, playing faults, protocol and hand signals. The first day ended with brief/discussions and closing remarks and a recap of what was done during the day. During the second day-the participants looked at official scoring which was conducted by Andrea Flores. There were more questions and answers and clarifications during the session. The afternoon sessions was devoted to practical work. The day ended with another question and clarification period by the facilitators and closing remarks. Those participating were Afraz Hussain, Rashaad Razak, Jason Seelochan, Luen David, Puran Persuad, Devindra Budhu, Klondyke Rodney, Noresh Jairam, Malika Jervis, Levi Nedd (junior), Alston Bisnauth, Vickram Nandram, Jamaul Bourne and Adityanand Singh. The BVA’s next activity is the Orealla outreach. (Samuel Whyte)

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Rebel sets trend with 2016 championships R e b e l Te n n i s C l u b (RTC) kick started the mark of its one year anniversary in fine style this past weekend when it launched the i n a u g u r a l RT C Championships 2016, making it the first club to add a tournament to the Guyana Tennis Association’s (GTAs) calendar of events. During the opening ceremony at Harry Panday’s court, President of RTC, Jamal Goodluck expressed the desire of the club to live up to its name. He expects the club players to be rebels and standout, setting the trend in a positive way. He envisions the tournament becoming a standard of prestige that inculcates a breed of disciplined players. He also highlighted the hard work coach Andre Erskine has dedicated into the starting of RTC. The coordinators and all players were enthused and most grateful to Harry Panday for allowing all matches to be played at his facilities. President of GTA,

Grace McCalman, delivered the exciting news that the tournament is being considered an accredited one that would see the awarding of ranking points to players based on the execution of the tournament. She hinted very subtly that so far the prospects look excellent. Matches got underway with Romario Chanderballi facing the most improved player of 2015 Joshua Kalekyzei, and fell in the Men’s Round 4 at 6/1, 6/0 to Kalekyzei. In the same round Keimo Benjamin had a similar fight against Ronald Murray. Murray unleashed his left handed slice serve which posed as a major obstacle for Benjamin. However, he averted the edge of being double bagel and clung to two games, but there was no stopping Murray who secured the game at 6//0, 6/2 and faces Oswin Coggins next. Jamal Goodluck had a combat in the sweltering heat against the fit Kijana

Harry Panday (left) and Kijana Lewis after their keen contest. Lewis. The unseeded player has returned to the tennis circuit after being away for a few years. The pair held their serves in the first set that ended in a 7/4 tiebreak in favour of Lewis. It appeared Goodluck’s focus and rhythm diminished which gave Lewis the upper hand to

take the game 7/6(7/4), 6/2. The Round of 16 had additional duels with veterans Rudy Grant taking on his long-time friend and rival Godfrey Lowden in a b a t t l e o f c o n s i s t e n c y, however this time Lowden was able to dispel Grant 6/3 6/4. Number three seed,

Benjettan Osborne, did not waver in his quest to take on the top seeds as he clinched a 6/2, 6/1 win against Philbert Clarke. An unfortunate walkover by Sewon McGregor gave Leyland Leacock a walk to the quarterfinals. Harry Panday made no hesitation in whipping up a 6/0, 6/0 win against Andrew Lallbeharry to book a quarterfinal spot against Lewis after receiving a walkover from the number one seed, Anthony Downes. The compelling Benjettan Osborne put on a show against Godfrey Lowden that had a little of suspense, drama, nail-biting points and humorous moments. The camp of the Berbician Lowden was perched on the balcony of the court and was confident in the skills of their star player who set up a 5/2 lead. The viewers could not comprehend the tenacity of Osborne as he willed himself with the cheers of “come on Benje” from his camp based

on the side-line. He absorbed the pace of Lowden to launch a comeback at 7/5. The second set was equally tense with Osborne hanging in the same precarious position of being down 5/3 and 2 set points. A crossing volley winner by him and a missed volley by Lowden was just the momentum that he needed. He took the match into a tiebreak to eventually win it at 7/4. Closing the game at 7/5, 7/6(7/4) and tallied 16 winners. The Berbice entourage supported their veteran, Anthony Amerally, as he sought to redeem his fellow club mate. Pristine tennis was played by him against the power serves of Stephen Bailey who was taken aback by the high level of consistency of Amerally. The Berbician closed the match at 6/3, 6/1 and takes on number two seed, Leyland Leacock. Kalekyzei stunned the spectators at the level of his game against the (Continued on page 31)

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Fans can expect a treat says Sarwan as Unity Cricket launched The official launch of the ‘Legacy & 007 Promotions ‘Unity Cricket’ Event scheduled for January 30 at the Providence Stadium was officially launched yesterday at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Pavilion. The event includes a fun park for kids on the Tarmac, five softball matches among the best softball cricketers in Guyana and climaxes with the feature game, a T20 affair under lights from 19:30hrs. This contest will see some of the top T20 players in the world in action including the world’s number one batsman Chris Gayle who this week smashed the fastest ever T20 fifty from just 12 balls in the Big Bash in Australia. Lucky fans will win fabulous giveaways from Digicel, one of the event sponsors. Fans in the stands will also get a chance to go home us$500 richer if they take one-hand catches. ”The event will be a family oriented one, with the best players in the Caribbean in action under one roof, fans can expect a treat” said former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who

Reps from Digicel, GCB, GFSCA, Promoters, Players and Unity Cricket girls at the Unity Cricket Launching at GCC yesterday.

will lead one of the teams at what promises to be an action packed event. Gayle, Dwayne Smith, J a s o n H o l d e r, D a r r e n Sammy, Lindl Simmons, Andre Fletcher, Rayad Emrit, Suleiman Benn, Samuel Badree, Nicholas Pooran and Raymon Reifer are the foreign players who have confirmed the participation while Sunil Narine should soon confirm his availability. Chris Barnwell will lead the other team and players like Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson, Rajendra Chandrika, Veerasammy Permaul, Jonathon Foo, Anthony Bramble, Ronsford

Beaton, Sherfane Rutherford and Robin Bacchus are all participating. During the launch former Parliamentarian James Bond (007) and Pastor Eworth Williams (Legacy), Sarwan, Digicel Events Manager Louanna Abrams, Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Territorial Development Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart, Public Relations Officer (PRO) Sean Devers and Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) President Ramchand Ragbeer and Organising Secretary Wayne Jones, engaged the media operatives as they gave insight into the event.

Wi l l i a m s s a i d t h a t Legacy Promotions tends to hold more Gospel shows. “But with the current state of things in Guyana we thought it necessary to come on board for such a venture which is expected to unite all Guyanese families” Bond confirmed that the overseas players will be coming to Guyana on January 28 and 29. He also hinted that the organisers are also exploring the options of carrying the players to Albion in Berbice after successful talks with the Albion Committee were held. ”This will afford Berbicians the opportunity

to see high-profile players thumping sixes in the luxury of their own back yard” Bond said. Meanwhile, Abrams said Digicel is forever committed to sports and as the official sponsor of West Indies cricket, coupled with the country’s 50th anniversary which is being observed this year, they saw it necessary to throw their support behind the event which she said can be used to unite Guyanese. Apart from the T20 cricket spectacle under lights, the GFSCA will also be having a series of softball matches during the day and Ragbeer thanked the organisers and sponsoring

for allowing them to be a part of the event. Stuart, the former West Indies pacer lauded organisers for approaching the GCB for advice as well as ensuring that the WICB have confirmed their support via letter. He said the GCB decided to come on board as the event seeks to market the sport and its players locally and regionally, without having to venture into international waters. According to Devers, the players will be mixed to ensure a highly-competitive match while allowing local players to mix and feed off the more senior International players. Also present at the launching were National cricketer Jonathon Foo and 2015 Miss Guyana contestant, Malika Russell. Tickets, which cost $2,000 ($3,000 at the Gate), go on sale from tomorrow at GCC in the City, M&M on the East Bank, Patsy Variety Store at Soesdyke Junction, Giftland and Lenny’s on the East Coast, Tiyo’s Future Store in Anna Catherina and Parika, Poonai’s Pharmacy in Rose Hall Town and Little Rock Hotel in New Amsterdam.

Epic showdown for first division basketball title looms By Edison Jefford The two unlikely candidates currently embroiled in the gruelling battle to secure the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Division I League title have provided nothing short of awesome basketball over the last weekend at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The underdog in the contest is definitely Plaisance Guardians, having not won a major Division I title since their elevation to that category. Colts have won a few including the nation-wide Forbes

Burnham Memorial Championships in Linden last August. However, Guardians announced their presence in the GABA best-of-three final last Friday when they edged Colts 77-76 in game one, albeit via Kurt English choking at the free-throw line. Point guard, Nikkoloi Smith, who was called to the senior national team late last year, caught fire with a minute left in the game and almost won it for Guardians with sensational shooting from downtown. This is a battle that is minus the familiar foes, Pacesetters and Ravens,

which is refreshing for the sport in Georgetown. The fact that other teams are getting to the level of knocking off the fancied contenders speaks directly to the growth of competition. Colts returned Sunday night to level the series 1-1 with a 77-74 victory that only came as a result of a missed three-point attempt from Smith ricocheting off the back rim. The closeness of games sets up Saturday’s final as a must-see for basketball enthusiasts. The game begins at 8pm and the prediction could very well be an overtime thriller. Smith will be at his usual

Nikkoloi Smith

Dave Causway

Shelroy Thomas

best and there is no doubt that he will be difficult to stop. The athletic guard is pure energy. Perhaps only Travis Burnett comes close to his pace and up-tempo

brand of basketball. Smith has been the differencemaker for Guardians. And why not; the former Colt might have a point to prove – that his decision to

return to his first club was worthwhile. Smith, who once played for the Colts, went back to Plaisance and since the move, Guardians (Continued on page 31)

t r o Sp Jaguars aiming to halt Red Force’ third straight final bid today Assad Fudadin hits 4 during the Group “B” Match vs CCC Marooners. WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography

Veersammy Permaul in flight. WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography

GFF Men’s National Futsal Team departs for Cuba

Men’s National Futsal Team prior to departure for Cuba.

Epic showdown for first division basketball title looms

Fans can expect a treat says Sarwan as Unity Cricket launched Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210