Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 3
Kaieteur News
IMF urges Govt…
Put all petroleum revenue payments immediately in Natural Resource Fund In keeping with the principles of accountability and effective cash flow management, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed to Guyana’s Government that all petroleum revenue payments should be immediately swept into the Sovereign Wealth Fund which would be renamed the Natural Resource Fund (NRF). The Fund made these and other comments after reviewing the draft legislation which the administration has prepared to govern the Natural Resource Fund. This draft is still to be released for members of the public to review. Nonetheless, the IMF has advised that there be no delays in handing over petroleum revenue payments to the NRF once collected by the Guyana Revenue Authority or any other revenue collecting agency. The Fund categorically stated that measures be taken to ensure that there is a legal requirement in place to reinforce the importance of having the funds transferred immediately. Part Two of the NRF Bill speaks to the rules for deposits and withdrawals into the fund. It says that all petroleum revenue shall be deposited into the NRF at least every six months. The draft legislation notes that petroleum revenue includes royalty, the government’s share of profit oil and gas, corporate income tax (including potential petroleum or additional profits tax), bonus payments, dividends paid from a national oil com-
- calls for legal requirement to ensure this is done
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman pany, revenue from the sales of shares or equity in a national oil company, and any other fiscal instrument levied solely on petroleum. Excluded are indirect taxes (VAT and customs duties) and fees collected by the Petroleum Commission. The Natural Resource Fund Act establishes the NRF to “effectively, efficiently and wisely manage natural resource wealth for the benefit of current and future generations of the people of Guyana.” The worthy objectives are to prevent revenue volatility from leading to volatility in public expenditure, prevent a loss of economic competitiveness, fairly transferring natural resource wealth across generations, and use natural resource wealth to finance infrastructure, social development and regional distribution programs. STABILISING EFFECT While the intention to create a Natural Resource Fund
has earned the APNU+AFC Administration much praise, there remains concerns by some that the nation is yet to know what will be the specific features of the Fund. Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman had told Kaieteur News that the Fund will have several features, one of which will be for budget stabilisation. The Minister said, “One must first understand that the (Natural Resource) Fund is just a generic name. Most funds of this kind have several features which ours will have as well. However, the main characteristic of this Fund is to save money for the future generation which would be garnered from our oil wealth.” Minister Trotman said that there is already a draft for the Fund in place. He said that it is in the possession of the Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. The Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) said that government is going to continue with efforts to refine the Bill before bringing it for public discussion. “…But back to the various features of the Fund; it will of course, have a feature for saving money and one for investing money. It will also have another crucial aspect which will be a budget stabiliser. In this regard, let us take the gold sector for example. Let’s say we have the Fund and the government puts together a budget expecting that it will
Social Protection Ministry urges care providers to be registered The Ministry of Social Protection is urging all social workers to get registered, as required by law. According to information outlined by the Social Protection website, within the Guyana Context the Domestic Violence Act, the Guardianship and Maintenance Act makes provision for social workers approved by the Minister to be published in the official gazette. Earlier this year Ministry of Social Protection’s Early Childhood Development, Childcare Protection Agency (CPA) Concheeta Gray, issued a call for daycare owners and early childcare providers to come into the Agency to be registered and to receive certification.
The Manager noted “we would like to encourage Early Childhood facilities to work hard in meeting the minimum standards.” “Once you provide quality service and care to Guyana’s children, we are asking that you come in and become registered with us and you move to the next step in receiving a child care services licence,” Gray said. Gray noted that the intention is to ensure that the nation’s children are enrolled in developmentalfriendly Day Care Services that adhere to regulated minimum. Daycare owners and early childcare providers must satisfy the criteria outlined by the Guyana Fire Service, and the
Buildings and Public Health Unit of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council before they are certified. This involves completing the CPA’s registration form, providing a valid police clearance, food handler’s certificate and medical certificate to be accredited. The documents must be submitted for the approval by CPA before the centre can be licensed. The centres are monitored by the Early Childhood Development Unit, which has responsibility for ensuring early childhood facilities including; daycares, playgroups, home-based care and night care, are providing quality care for the nation’s children.
get $5 from the gold sector but it only collects $3.” In this regard, the Minister posited that Government would be able to enter the Fund to make up for that short fall. He said that this would be done so as to ensure that budget targets, once announced, are met. “So you can now take from the Fund to ensure you have levels of growth in the economy and you can meet the programmes and targets budgeted for. Additionally, there is another aspect of the Fund that will be dedicated to environmental protection. So some moneys from the fund will be put aside to protect the environment and then we are looking at infrastructural and social welfare projects,” expressed Minister Trotman. FRAMEWORK During his 2017 budget
presentation, Trotman had told the House that it is important that the extractive industries that fuel the nation’s growth today also provide for the children tomorrow. In an effort to ensure that the benefits accrued from the natural resources sector reach every Guyanese for generations to come, he said that the Government is committed to the establishment of the Fund and will develop a framework for it. He commented that the Fund will enable the Government to protect the economy from the volatile nature of natural resource revenues, help grow and modernise the sustainable non-extractive sectors of the economy, and further enhance the capacity of the citizenry. “We have already indicated that we will consider
three sub-funds within the Fund. The three sub-funds are: 1) Stabilisation Fund, 2) Infrastructure and Social Development Fund and 3) Citizens Participation Fund. We have already begun seeking advice and guidance on developing such a Fund from the School of Public Policy- University of Calgary and the Commonwealth Secretariat, both of which are equipped with strong expertise on extractive resource governance,” the Natural Resources Minister had said. Trotman noted that the creation of a long overdue Fund will demonstrate to Guyanese and the world at large, that hydrocarbon development, and by extension all other extractive industries, can be catalysts for a green economy.
Copyright legislation important to liberalise telecommunication sector - Hughes Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes said that Government is preparing for a liberalised telecommunication industry by putting in place enabling legislation, including the highly anticipated copyright bill. “Copyright legislation is on our legislative agenda for 2018. That and one that covers electronic payment transactions,” Hughes stated. After years of little progress to attract new telephone companies, in July 2016 Guyana managed to pass the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill in 2016. It would be part of the process of liberalising the sector and allowing new players to enter the market. However, one and half years later, negotiations are still ongoing with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), the USowned entity that has monopoly on paper on landlines and international calls. While the talks with GT&T are progressing, the Government has moved ahead to establish the National Telecommunications Agency. It was envisioned that the agency would have come on stream once the talks with GT&T had ended. Minister Hughes stated that the bank of Guyana and Ministry of Finance are already looking at financial pay-
…Bill expected to be tabled this year
Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes ment systems and the enabling legislation, Electronic Communication and Transaction Bill. “All these are the things that are part of the enabling environment that’s necessary,” Hughes noted. Hughes said that negotiations with GT&T were being conducted in an extremely “cordial manner”. She noted that GTT and its parent company, US-owned Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN), have had a monopoly situation for
more than 20 years when it came to the telecoms industry here. With talks ongoing to break that monopoly, Hughes said, it is understandable that stakeholders will want to ensure that in coming to the table, the best deal is made for Guyana. Stressing that her Ministry has no input in the financial side of things, the Minister said that the competition will bring several more positive opportunities for citizens. With tax breaks and other issues with GRA, the telephone company has been holding out for a number of concessions. However, GRA is mindful of the implications of giving special treatment to GTT. Hughes stated that there will be no special privileges. GTT competitor is Digicel which has expressed an interest in also landing a fibre optic cable. Digicel has been aggressive, too, in competing with GTT on the mobile market, but under the current arrangement is supposed to route foreign calls through GTT.
PAGE 4
Kaieteur News
Monday January 29, 2018
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
CALLING FOR DIVINE INTERVENTION In their New Year messages, most of the leaders of the Caribbean, including our own President Granger have asked for prayers to stem crime, especially murder and curb some of the other ills in society. Guyana is a spiritual nation comprised of Christians, Hindus and Muslims, many of whom believe prayers are the answers to many of the country’s problems in 2018. Prayer is simply defined as an act of beseeching a higher power to solve problems when everything else seems to fail. Prayers are offered almost every day in churches, mandirs and about five times daily in mosques and in homes. However, some say the call for divine intervention, particularly by the Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica to solve crime is an admission, unconscious or otherwise, that they are bereft of ideas to deal with the crime situation in their countries where the murder rate has exploded in the New Year. For example, in Jamaica, more than 60 persons have been murdered in the first two weeks of the New Year. In Trinidad, it is about 35. While some are outraged at the idea that prayers have caused us to be docile or pliant; others, mostly Christians, believe that prayers could motivate us to solve our problems, which are man-made.In the New Year, it is possible for us to become kinder and gentler people, respect the sanctity of life and the life-style choice of others, even though they conflict with societal norms. We need the blessings and guidance of the Almighty to heal the nation’s wounds and solve our problems. We must pray for our transgressions and do not let iniquity become an integral part of our lives. We must pray for an end to injustice against the poor and the recognition of the rights of others. We must not remain silent when their rights are being violated by others, including public officials. It is wrong for us to condone injustice and call for the hanging of prisoners while at the same time asking for the blood of Christ to cleanse us from our sins. If we believe in the Bible which Christians deemed to be the word of God then we should obey the scriptures, particularly the Ten Commandments which say: “Thou shalt not kill, and Thou shalt love thy neighbours as thyself.” We must challenge ourselves to adopt virtuous practices and pray for a just society in the new year. It is an injustice to keep prisoners on remand for a long time and to have an over-crowded prison in which they are forced to sleep on cold concrete floors as they wait for trial. How could we pray and ask for forgiveness, when a large segment of the population are poor and are surviving on pittances while the rich has plenty to spare. It shows that we are an uncaring and unjust society. We tend to invoke the scriptures to justify that prayers are the only solution to our problems while we support all sorts of injustices against our brothers and sisters. If we expect our prayers to be answered, our needs met or to receive blessings from the Almighty, we cannot pick the scriptures that suit our circumstances, quote them out of context and ignore the rest. We need prayers to help our ailing economy, reduce unemployment among youths who see crime as the only alternative to their problems. If we as a society continue our depraved and wicked actions, how in God’s name can we expect to be blessed or our prayers answered? Many, including some religious leaders treat religion as if it can be consumed in furtherance of their causes. We must pray for our less fortunate in society and our leaders so that they can govern the nation righteously and solve the problems in the country.
IMPOSSIBLE TO CAP Guyana’s Huge Oil Discovery DEAR EDITOR, We don’t need to hear about the personal sacrifices of politicians during past political campaigns or the hardships of being a leader; especially when such inflated speech is used as a means to defend the worst contract ever agreed upon in the annals of the world, if opportunity losses to Guyana are computed on a per capita basis - in the Production Sharing Agreement between Guyana on one side and ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC on the other
Simply put, the oil find in Guyana is so huge that even extreme incompetence and mismanagement will not substantially mitigate the spouting flow of wealth and value that will occur in Guyana from 2020 and continue for the long term. Using the WorldAtlas.com oil data table, dated January 11, 2018; I have modified their ranking, by including Guyana’s oil reserve on a per capita basis, for comparison against the Wo r l d ’s To p Tw e n t y Countries with the Largest Proven Oil Reserves:
drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in a quest for crude. Michael Fitzsimmons in his January 26, 2018 article for Seeking Alpha (a crowd-sourced content service for financial markets); highlighted the following: 1. Exxon has made six discoveries in the deepwater offshore of Guyana. 2. Associated recoverable reserves are now up to 3.2 billion Barrels of oil equivalent (BOE). 3 . To p u t t h a t i n t o perspective, that’s 200,000
found them. It is well known within the oil industry that corporations tend to be conservative on their estimated recoverable oil reservices. In addition, to the foregoing, exploration in Guyana’s offshore is in an early stage and it is much more probable than p o s s i b l e t h a t G u y a n a ’s recoverable oil reserve will exceed the Ten Billion BOE. ExxonMobil is the single largest publicly traded oil corporation in the world, with a market cap of just under US$380 Billion and more significantly for
side. What we really heard is a hot air blast of arrogance, v e r b o s i t y, a n d s e l f glorification from one of G u y a n a ’s m o s t s k i l l f u l communicators.
On January 17, 2018, a Bloomberg article noted: T h e w o r l d ’s h o t t e s t offshore prospect for oil companies is off the coast of Guyana, where a string of major discoveries has
Barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/D) for 43 years. 4. Exxon needed a big reserves replacement after de-booking massive oil sands reserves last year. It
Guyana - Exxon Mobil is a quintessential United States Corporation; the country that by a substantial gap, is the world’s top military superpower. Nigel Hinds
Monday January 29, 2018
Justice delayed is justice denied DEAR EDITOR, President David Granger announced at the GDF Officer’s Conference (on Friday) that extrajudicial killings, phantom dead squad murders and other targeted killings as well as torture that occurred in Guyana from 2001 to 2009 under then President Bharrat Jagdeo, will be investigated and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. The President made this promise, to ensure that justice is done, a pillar of his 2015 election campaign. Today, two years later we have another mere promise, with no action. The Jagdeo government committed mass crimes against humanity. There were approximately 400 such killings under President Jagdeo. I fought against these killings on the international stage; including at the Inter-American Human Rights Commission and the United Nations. As head of CGID, the overseas organisation that waged the relentless fight for justice for victims and their families in the international community, I wrote the President twice since 2015,
petitioning him to commission such an inquiry. On December 2, 2016, Kaieteur News published a letter from me captioned “Quoting Martin Luther King in the Call For Justice in Guyana,” in which I called on the President to appoint a Commission of Inquiry with subpoena powers, to investigate these murders and other international crimes, to no avail. It makes me wonder, who is this government protecting? My relentless advocacy for justice has been on behalf of the victims and their families, and the thousands of young people whose hunger for justice fueled their political support for President Granger and the coalition which ultimately led to their election victory. They marched, protested, were beaten, arrested and jailed by then the Jagdeo regime; now only to be given mere promises of justice by the Head of State. The President’s announcement is a baby step in the right decision, but the betrayal and disappointment is palpable. All of us, particularly our youth, must
THANK YOU GPL DEAR EDITOR, Not very often would you find a media publication commending G.P.L for the services it provides but I am obliged to write on behalf of our organisation, Indian Vision for National Harmony (a group of Indian Supporters of the APNU+AFC, working towards promoting good governance and development and restoring racial trust). We are showering praises to the Commercial officer, Mr. Anthony Johnson, Mr. Samuel Blackman (transmission and Distribution Engineer), West Demerara area and team for honouring a commitment to the residents of Anna Catherina Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara (W.C.D). On the 28th November, 2017, following complaints from the community about faulty and leaning poles supporting electrical wires and transformers; I called G.P.L Vreed-en-Hoop Branch and related the anxiety of the residents to Mr. Johnson who was very attentive and cooperative. As such, he immediately referred me to Mr. Blackman who unhesitatingly, within “minutes” visited the area in my presence and upon assessing the situation, promised to do a complete
work in the affected area before 15th December, 2017. Much to our relief and surprise, Mr. Blackman and team commenced the entire process on 12th December, 2017 and by the evening of 13th December, 2017, after their tedious effort, were able to bring satisfaction to our community. However, they went beyond our complaints and did some additional maintenance works in an adjacent community (Edinburg/North) which comprises about 60 houses, bringing smiles to those residents also. Amazingly, all those works were done in two days. A total of 10 poles with cross bars included, were erected with a complete changeover of electrical wires and transformers. Also, six faulty poles were removed. The undertaking was a success due to the diligent effort from the entire team. We hope that the exercise will be an inspiration to the other GPL branches across our country so that all Guyanese can be proud of this service provided by our government. Thank you for a wonderful job done. Balchand Ramnarain Indian Vision for National Harmony
PAGE 5
Kaieteur News
hold the President and government’s feet to the fire and make them accountable for this betrayal of those whose votes placed them in office. This fight is personal for me. I have endured death threats and multiple NYPD security assessments. Then President Jagdeo sent GDF Intelligence officers all the way to New York to attend CGID meetings and conduct surveillance on CGID officers. Our counterparts in Guyana were infiltrated and harassed. An advisor to Mr. Jagdeo sent me a letter which was turned over to the FBI threatening that he has his gun ready and waiting me at the Cheddi Jagan Airport. Although no threat can weaken my resolve and determination to seek justice, we did not endure all of this for a mere promise, and must continue this fight until the justice we seek is obtained. We have noted also that the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights [IACHR] named former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, as a culpable party in the disappearance and presumed murder of Franz Britton, aka Collie Wills. T h e r e h a s been a fundamental reluctance on the part of this government which professes to desire justice for the victims, to cooperate with IACHR to seek justice for Mr. Frantz Britton one of the many disappeared. My question to President Granger, therefore, is “When will this proposed investigation commence? Is it going to commence when the architects, planners, financiers and executioners escape or exit the Country, as some have already done? Rickford Burke President Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)
Who issued the lease for Reserve Land? DEAR EDITOR, There is a stretch of reserve land that borders the right hand side of the Montrose main road. On November 27, 2017 residents of Montrose were taken aback by the fencing of a large portion of reserve land by businessman Ramzan Khuddabakar and his wife Bibi Farnanza Kuddabakr. The reserve land is a major part of the drainage system for the Montrose and adjoining areas. It is through this stretch of land that water flows to access the outfall which channels the water to and through the koker via the Montrose pump. This reserve thus plays a crucial role in draining heavy rainfall or any overtopping of the sea defenses. A massive piece of developmental work is being undertaken by the Khuddabakr family. Their deve l o p m e n t o f t h i s reserve compromises an already depressed drainage system. In an effort to ascertain whose property the reserve belongs to, we shared our concerns with the Hon. M i n i s t e r o f St a t e , M r. Joseph Harmon, the staff of the Regional Democratic Council Region #4, Triumph, The Minister of Communities; Ms Audreyanna Thomas, Senior Communications Officer of GUYSUCO and the staff and councillors of the Better Hope NDC in whose jurisdiction Montrose lies.
So far there has been no favorable response to the compromising of the drainage system in a world of climate change. The residents of Montrose would prefer not to be the recipients of floodrelief and sanitation hampers. We learnt from Ms. Audreyanna Thomas, the staff / councillors of the Better Hope/LBI NDC and the staff of the Ministry of Communities that a lease was issued. This lease was issued to Bibi Farnanza Khuddabakr and is held at the Better Hope LBI NDC. It is unclear as to what purpose the reserve lease was issued but what we can say is that it is to our detriment. We the residents of Montrose would like to know whether this stretch of reserve land is owned by the sea defenses, Better Hope/ LBI NDC, GUYSCO or is it property of the region. Further, we would like to know who issued the lease to Bibi Farnanza Khuddabakr? Concerned Residents of Montrose
Let the COI into the crime wave begin DEAR EDITOR, I am supportive of the APNU+AFC Government of President David Granger holding a COI into the 20022009 Crime waves. As an outsider looking in, the gist of the problems started when “activists”/ ”politicians” tried to enlighten African Guyanese to their plight claiming that they were being systematically discriminated against and being marginalised. People did not really understand what these words like discrimination and marginalisation meant; they just knew that there were bad
words because the “activists”/”politicians” said so. This led to certain Guyanese picking up guns to fight for their “rights”, becoming “freedom fighters” in the eyes of some. The unprecedented outof-control crime spree which the police were unable to get a grip on led to the formation of the phantom squads who retaliated against the “freedom fighters”. In a way, the crime wave was an attempt to bring down the democratically elected PPP/C Government. Yours faithfully, Sean Ori
A GREAT MAN HAS PASSED ON DEAR EDITOR, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Prof. George Maxwell Richards, former Principal and Vice Chancellor of the St Augustine Campus of the U n i v e r s i t y o f t h e We s t Indies and later President of the twin island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. I had the good fortune of knowing him personally while in my capacity of Director of Library and Information Services on the St Augustine Campus, for almost ten years. I interacted with him as the Principal Administrator of the Campus and I found him to be deeply committed to principles and operations of the highest standards. One of his notable characteristics was the fact that his erudition was never a barrier to him communicating with a cross section of those who served the University. He was approachable, a keen listener and noted for his great strength of character.
I clearly recall him chairing Academic Board Meetings where the cut and thrust of debate, at times degenerated into hostility, and he was able to skillfully restore the situation to an acceptable level of normalcy. It was evident that his interest was not restricted to academics solely. He fully embraced the culture of his country and was comfortable with Carnival activities with appreciation for the artistry of the Calypsonians. He has bequeathed to the Campus community of St Augustine a rich legacy of true professionalism and nationalism. He was a great Caribbean Man. It was no surprise therefore to those who knew him, when he acceded to the High office of President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. May His Soul Rest In Peace Yvonne Stephenson
PAGE 6
Kaieteur News
GANDHI ON DEATH DEAR EDITOR, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, son of Gujarat, father of Bharat, and teacher of all mankind, departed his mortal body on January 30, 1948 but left us lessons with his last breath. One of International repute attracts extensive research on his life but Rajmohan Gandhi’s reference to his grandfather’s last days is preferable as outlined in his book PATEL. When the Mahatma broke his fast on January 17 at 12:45 pm the violent factions all made promises to keep him alive. But this clearly did not please everyone. On January 20, 1948 a bomb was thrown during a prayer meeting, Mandanlal who hurled the grenade was caught and provided information that there was a conspiracy to kill Gandhi by those who escaped. Uniformed and plainclothes policemen were placed at different parts of Birla House but this only annoyed Gandhi. He even refused Patel’s permission to search every man entering the house. On January 30, 1948 about 4.00 pm Vallabhbhai Patel was having his last conversation with Gandhi during his evening meal of vegetables, orange slices and milk. The extensive discussions made him late for his prayer meeting as the subject was the
breach between Nehru and Patel. The three were supposed to meet the next day but the actions of Nathuram Godse intervened and the world knows the rest. A few minutes after leaving Birla House, Patel got the message Bapu was shot. He returned to find the body on the floor, his face calm and serene while he uttered last words “He Ramas,” the Gita was being recited by those around. Nehru came a few minutes later, and like so many others, cried like a baby. Gandhi’s wish as disclosed by Lord Mountbatten was the reconciliation of Nehru and Patel and his death accomplished this. The two embraced each other and addressed the nation together that night. Patel, the iron man, gave clear instructions to police impose strict restrictions all over India and quash speculation by letting the public know that the assassin was a Hindu. BIRTHAND DEATH It is customary to celebrate October 2, each year as the date on which this great soul arrived on this earth but there are few activities on January 30 in part because we do not share or understand the messages that the Mahatma and the Gita left with us. He often wondered why do we fear or mourn death if we believe the Atman to be
immortal and as the Gita states cannot be destroyed by weapons, fire, water or air. We die only to be born again for if death is not a prelude to another life; the intermediate period is a cruel mockery. This ancient message still has to reach many who refuse to welcome death as they welcome birth. When birth and death are treated as pairs of opposite believers will approach them as inevitable and equal, not treating death with sorrow and birth with joy. Life becomes livable only to the extent that death is treated as a friend, never as an enemy as it delivers us from numerous trials, tribulations and sufferings. Hopefully, we can learn from his death and continue to celebrate his life and message by organising more events around January 30 each year to reduce greed, violence to all living organisms, and excessive materialism which leads to all kinds of ecological problems on the spaceship called earth. The search for Truth and Peace involves more than non-violence. It transcends all aspects of life, all professions and disciplines and his passing should be viewed as another opportunity to save us from ourselves by sharing the eternal universal messages of the GREAT SOUL. Ramnarine Sahadeo
Taxing a head teacher who is already overtaxed DEAR EDITOR, As a member of the Saxacalli Primary School P.T.A, I was shocked when I learnt that our headmaster was required to pay ten percent of his salary as rent for the teacher’s house that he is temporarily occupying. Riverine schools have always had a problem attracting teachers from the Coastland and Saxacalli Primary is of no exception. In fact, in the past, our school was always under staffed. Happily this situation changed when our headmaster was appointed. Editor, to leave your home and family and venture into the interior is a sacrifice. Apparently the Minister of Education does not recognise this fact. I think
that if a little research was done this drastic measure might not have been implemented. Our headmaster who took up his appointment less than a year ago, is doing a wonderful job and should be encouraged. In fact, all riverine teachers who leave their homes to serve interior locations should be lauded. I happened to know that our head teacher is paying rent where he and his family reside on the West Bank of Demerara. To expect a teacher who is already under paid to pay rent for two houses, is I think, unfair. It is my humble opinion that teachers in the interior areas should be given special considerations since dedicated teachers are often
out of pocket for simple things which the Ministry of Education does not supply. Grants are inadequate and can never supply everything needed. For, instance, our head teacher uses his privately owned computer and printer to do school work. Ink for printers is expensive and the cost is never reimbursed. Teachers who have families out of the district are already sacrificing part of their salaries. The Ministry of Education should deal with teachers and especially those with a university degree in such a way that they will not seek greener pastures abroad. The powers that be, should do some research and make the necessary adjustments where riverine teachers are concerned. It will be a sad day for Saxacalli if because of this drastic measure our sir decides to leave. I sympathize with His Excellency President David Arthur Granger. Mr. E. C. Lobert
Monday January 29, 2018
Where are our true patriots? DEAR EDITOR, Any thought of revision of the PSA signed by Government and Exxon was thrown in the trash can by Natural Resource Minister Trotman. At a recent press conference, Trotman dropped the bomb on the Nation. “I am not presently advised that government has any intention revisiting that agreement, because when we weighed it the baskets and scales-what we are getting against what we are not getting-we decided that this is what we are going to content ourselves with.” It is difficult to imagine the Minister entrusted to enact the PSA with Exxon to convince some 28 people, (the cabinet) particularly, the President, whom so often called on the Nation to be patriotic in light of the Venezuelan controversy to accept an agreement that literally gives Exxon everything out of the ordinary. Where are our true patriots? Have they all turned protagonists in what is envisages as an act of collusion? Trotman cited “foreseen criticisms” as one of the reasons for hesitating to release the contract; “this is one of the reasons why governments and companies are loath to make contracts public because they criticise every word.” “They,” presumably speak of the Guyanese citizenry. This statement is in itself collusive and anti-
transparent in nature! He then added, “There is always a tension between publication and the need for transparency.” Utter nonsense! Speaking of contracts, publication is the essence of transparency. The minister then drifted into the surreal by boasting that the Coalition government has aspired to greater level of transparency than governments of the past. Then back to reality by asserting, “We have broken from the past governments in Guyana from 1966 to now.” From bad to worse, to the detriment of the Nation! Trotman said that government will use the lessons learned to ensure it gets the best PSA’s it MAY sign in the future. “May sign,” is reflective of the truth. Crude oil or fossil fuel is a product of the fossil remains of sea creatures that lived millions of years ago, overlaid and compressed naturally by sedimentary rocks. It is found in pockets deep in the earth’s crust. That is the reason Exxon had to drill five wells in a single block to amass an estimated 3.2 billion barrels. Oil is not found in a long continuous stream all the way to the Venezuelan oil fields as some people believe. There might not be another find outside of the Stabroek block. Hence getting it right the second time is wishful thinking. The Minister stated that Exxon deserves the advantages it has been given
in the contract. What the public sees as flawed (PSA) may have been deliberate for sinister reasons. His justification - Exxon needs to be rewarded for taking a chance in Guyana’s waters, because- “Other companies had shied away from developing the resource offshore.” Purely nonsense! Who knew it was there? It is not a resource until someone discovers it. Why reward an oil company so generously for taking a chance? It is what oil companies do. They take seismic readings, whenever they feel they have a positive one, they drill. It’s a hit or miss scenario. By not applying “ring fencing,” we would be financing their future search—a costly exercise. Logically speaking! In local parlance, Exxon should “bless up” the minister personally for his generosity towards the company. Trotman, in his ramblings about Exxon said, “We needed a multinational company with strong credentials given.” That could only mean financial--not social. He said someone in Norway told him-”You should be lucky you have Exxon to deal with, because there are lots of other terrible companies out there, so Guyana should be lucky.” I recall that it was a Norwegian law firm that was hired to help in negotiating the PSA with Exxon. Rudolph Singh
Unfair treatment of the Rupununi Mining Association DEAR EDITOR, Due to the ongoing dispute between the small miners of Rupununi, Mining District Six and Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd., the small miners have merged to form the Rupununi Mining Association so that we can have one voice. Mining activities in Marudi Mountain is at a standstill since the displaced miners are out of work. Romanex has acquired the rights for the concession for decades now, but has not started any mining since the apparent abandonment. The small miners in the area started working two mountains that contain gold, and that gold is found in the rocks, which means that it has to be processed with crushers. There are currently 70 crushers working, of which employs a minimum of five persons each that all have families, therefore, thousands of people directly and
indirectly that are now depending on that place to earn their daily bread. Romanex has promised them that if they move the landing to another location, they will allow the people to work. As such, with great effort, the landing was moved to a new location and up to this date Romanex has not allowed the people to recommence working. President Granger himself had promised the people that he would see to it that they would work (this is recorded in video), the Minister of Natural Resources himself made promises to take action in favour of the small miners. Many GGMC officials and others have visited the area and have made promises. It is now over two years that people are waiting and suffering. Some persons have already lost their proprieties to bank because they are unable to pay their loans. Many people have sold
whatever little they had in order to invest in mining at Marudi and now the equipment are deteriorating and they are becoming frustrated and desperate. The way I see this situation, we are at a breaking point now, and everyone is getting desperate. There are talks of rioting against the company in order to recommence working. It was published in the Kaieteur News last week Saturday that the Government has given access to land to the small miners and the Guyana Women Miners Organisation, but those lands do not have any sort of gold potential. That seems more like a joke to us. The only place that has gold potential is on the two mountains. As such, we are requesting one mountain be given to us and the other to Romanex in order for everyone to earn a living. Romanex owners are Continued on page 7
Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 7
Kaieteur News
Renovated Linden Enterprise Guyana EITI Secretariat will Network offices nears completion be fully operational in 2018 The extended LEN building.
By Enid Joaquin The Linden Enterprise Network headquarters on Republic Avenue is gradually taking on a new look with an extension of 4,500 plus square feet on its upper floor, which is expected to accommodate at least 23 new offices. According to Chairman of its Committee of Management, Orrin Gordon, the extension was decided upon after there were calls for more space. “We were bombarded by persons in the
community for more space, but there was not enough room to extend downstairs, so a decision was made by the board last year, for us to extend upstairs, above the conference room.” Gordon said that the contract was awarded to BJ Construction Company, a local contractor. $40M was approved for the project, of which $17M was initially handed over he said. ‘We were given a major assignment to Continued on page 22
An unconstitutional appointment DEAR EDITOR, On the 17th of January 2018, Dr. Arif Bulkan was appointed by President David Granger as a temporary Justice of Appeal. The life of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) expired on the 30th September 2017. Article 128 (1) governs the appointment of all judges other than the Chancellor and
Unfair treatment of the... From page 6 calling the small miners ‘savages’ and ‘hungry belly’ and other names to that effect, and as I have mentioned before, these people have really been stretched out, and they are at breaking point now. The miners have decided that if they cannot get the appropriate approval from the Government by the end of the new week, they will go ahead and start back working, with or without approval! They said, ‘we have families, and we have to eat and to live. It is over two years now and we are holding up our side’, but all we getting from the Government is ‘nuff sweet talk’.’ We are kindly seeking Governmental intervention before the situation gets out of control. Sincerely, Marlon Johnson, President, Rupununi Mining Association
the Chief Justice. The article provides for judges, to be appointed whether temporary, permanent or acting, by the President, who must act in accordance with the advice of the JSC. Article 128 (1) provides “The Judges, other than the Chancellor and the Chief Justice, shall be appointed by the President who shall act in accordance with the advice of the Judicial Service Commission.” There was no Judicial Service Commission in force to have advised the President
in respect of Bulkan’s appointment. The President has no unilateral power of appointment over these judges. The word ‘shall’ in article 128 (1) is mandatory. Therefore, Bulkan’s appointment is unconstitutional and unlawful. Again, the Attorney General seems to have ill advised the President. The incompetence is never ending. I await the voices of the legal luminaries. Yours faithfully, Nandkumar Puran
- Natural Resources Minister The Secretariat for the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITIT) is expected to be fully operationalised this year. This was confirmed recently by Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman. The Minister reminded that Guyana’s candidature application was submitted in August 2017 and the nation was accepted to be part of the EITI fold. Now that Guyana has become a candidate country, Trotman said that implementation of the 20172018 work plan can begin. The Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) said that the work plan includes activities such as the review of the legal and regulatory framework for the extractive industries, stakeholder engagement, public debates and communications. Trotman also noted that moves are already being made regarding the confirmation of the terms of reference for the hiring of the independent administrator for the compiling and submission of Guyana’s first report. This document is due in April 2019. GUYANA/ EITI HISTORY EITI is an international body that was established in 2003 with the aim of making it harder for governments and companies to hide the truth about the proceeds garnered
from the extractive industries. The companies in the extractive sector report on what they are paying the government and the government reports separately on what it received from the companies in the sector. A report is then prepared by a Multi-Stakeholder Group. The document, among other things, will highlight whether the numbers data collected from the two add up or if there is an irregularity. Head of the local EITI Chapter, Mr. Rudy Jadoopat explained that Guyana must be praised for its efforts in recent years, which were all geared towards satisfying the EITI candidate sign-up requirements. The official noted that the Government of Guyana had announced its commitment to implement the EITI Standards since May 2010. He noted that Guyana and EITI even signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2012, which paved the way for Guyana to be assisted with its preparation of EITI candidacy. He noted that the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank and the Carter Center provided assistance to the Government and supported its efforts towards EITI candidacy. Jadoopat said it is expected
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman that this will continue. Jadoopat added that the government, as stipulated in the International EITI Standard 1.4, has committed to working with Civil Society and Companies. He said, “It has unequivocally and boldly announced its commitment to work with civil society and companies. Also, the government has agreed to ensure that there are no obstacles to civil society’s participation in the EITI processes. It agreed to refrain from actions which may result in narrowing of, or restricting public debate in relation to the EITI implementation.” Furthermore, Jadoopat took the opportunity to encourage all to consider it their civilian duty to actively participate in the activities and work of the GYEITI.
PAGE 8
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
The Oil and Gas Sector…
Joint ministerial committee formed to address cost recovery -Trotman By: Kiana Wilburg A joint ministerial committee has been established to examine matters related to cost recovery. This was recently revealed by Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman. He was at the time, responding to questions from this newspaper regarding the agency that would be mandated to examine cost recovery claims by ExxonMobil, when training is expected to commence regarding auditing skills and whether government would be contracting the help of international experts for this new field. It was at this point that the Minister revealed that there is
a joint ministerial committee comprising officials from the Ministries of Finance and Natural Resources. He said that one of the co-chairs for the committee is Finance Ministry Budget Director Sonya Roopnauth. “They are looking at the fiscal and revenue side of things and they are meeting quite often.” The Minister also noted that the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Bureau of Statistics are involved, along with financial agencies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Trotman also noted that a team from the World Bank is expected to be here soon. He added, “I know train-
ing has started and workshops are being held. All systems are in place for production to be monitored when it commences in 2020.” GRA REVIEWS The Guyana Revenue Authority has commenced the review of cost recovery claims by USA oil giant, ExxonMobil. This was recently confirmed by GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia. Statia explained that based on the contractual arrangements, ExxonMobil is allowed to recover 75 percent of its costs in a given year. He explained that expenses which are not recovered for that year are carried forward to the following year. Statia said, “So what you need to do is audit those costs …It is important to do a proper audit because a failure to do so can have implications for the government’s cut of the pie. The higher the expenses, the smaller the take could be, so the audits need to be effective. But we have started the review of the costs incurred thus far by ExxonMobil. The audit of the claims by ExxonMobil started last year. “You cannot wait until 2020 or for production to start for you to begin reviewing the costs. Until the Petroleum Commission is set up, GRA will continue to review everything that would be going into cost recovery claims. We are looking after taxes. That is why we are monitoring their expenses…” He added, “There were a few things which were identified to ExxonMobil regarding their claims and we have
asked them some questions on it. We have collected withholding tax and when production comes, corporation tax will kick in but it will be subtracted from Government’s share. Our staff is also being trained in cost recovery. We are at the forefront of it.” IMF URGES The International Monetary Fund has also urged the authorities of Guyana to commence auditing of all exploration, development costs by USA oil operator, ExxonMobil. The Fund made this known in one of its recent reports on Guyana’s oil sector. This document was handed over to the government last year. Elaborating further on the matter, the IMF said that plans to establish a petroleum industry taxpayer unit attached to the large taxpayer office in the Guyana Revenue Authority should be prioritised. The Fund said that this effort is supported by a consultant from the US Treasury office of Technical Assistance. The IMF said, “It will be important for this unit to start verifying and undertaking audits of cost incurred during the exploration and development phase, which is getting underway now. It would be advantageous to establish close working relations between the GRA and the sector regulators (Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana Geology and Mining Commission and the prospective Petroleum Commission) to ensure that the limited petroleum sector expertise in government is applied most efficiently.” The International Monetary Fund said the intention
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman is that the Guyana Revenue Authority will be the single revenue collection agency for the petroleum sector. It opined that this is a reasonable decision given the key role played by the Production Sharing Agreement and the pay-on-behalf arrangement for corporate income tax in existing contracts (this is where the contractor’s income tax obligations are settled from the government’s share of the profit oil). However, given the limited experience in the GRA with petroleum taxation, the IMF said that there is urgency to develop skills in this area. TANZANIAAND INDONESIA Kaieteur News had carried an article on the Tanzanian experience with ExxonMobil in which it was stated that the country had serious difficulty in verifying the how the figure of “cost oil” was arrived at. Upon examination of the leaked contract with
ExxonMobil, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee disclosed that there was no “ring fencing” of blocks and that the Production Sharing Agreement contained no provision to guard against the incurrence of costs in one block and recovering them from another profitable block. The Chairman referred to the writings of Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz who asserted that “The fact that the typical contract allows the oil companies to walk away with the windfall profits suggests that something is wrong with the way these contracts are designed.” This newspaper also reported Indonesia’s switch from the profit-sharing model to a revenue-sharing one. This was because each passing year has seen a dwindling of the country’s share of profits in the belief that oil companies were inflating their costs. This was despite the fact that the government-owned entity that manages the oil sector has a staff of 750 professionals and approximately 80% of that staff is involved in the verification of cost recovery claims by oil companies to ensure that they are fair and accurate. With the aforementioned in mind, the Chartered Accountant insisted that there are limited resources available in Guyana to enable the independent verification of the accuracy and reasonableness of the costs that are chargeable to revenue. He said it is mainly for this reason that the Government of Guyana should re-negotiate the contract with ExxonMobil to allow for a revenue-sharing model to be in place.
Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 9
Kaieteur News
THE PRICE OF NOSTALGIA It is an idiosyncrasy of most persons to harbour a longing for the past and to believe that the era in which they were young was a better time than the present. This is why elderly politicians try to recreate the past by resurrecting old ideas which have little relevance today. We are seeing this happening today with the decision of the President to increase the size of Guyana’s military by restoring the Guyana People’s Militia. This decision is not based on any sound military rationale. It is being justified on the need to have a militia in every region but it is based purely on nostalgia, a return to a practice when during the time the President was a soldier. We are also seeing a return of National Service. The Guyana National Service
had its roots in the National Cadet Corps and this is now once again been restarted. Incidentally, it was the PPPC which the PNCR blamed for the demise of both the Guyana People’s Militia and the Guyana National Service. If the truth be known, it will be found that the PPPC merely administered the final rites to these institutions. They were effectively the victims of Budget cuts which began under Desmond Hoyte. They could not be sustained and were miniaturised under Hoyte. The PPPC merely completed their inevitable end. Both the Guyana People’s Militia and the Guyana National Service represented a tremendous drain on the resources of the State. Both were part of the militarisation of the society. Both were
established in the context of serious economic problems a mere ten years after Guyana would have attained Independence. The Office of the Historian of the United States of America has released its foreign policy series dealing with the Carter Administration and among the declassified documents released are those which examine the US Embassy in Guyana’s analysis of the Burnham administration in 1976. The US view was that the decision by Burnham to radicalise the PNC directly affected the Guyanese economy. The US Embassy in Guyana found the political decisions taken by the PNC government had exacerbated the economic problems of the country in 1977. The Embassy found that while bad weather
DEM BOYS SEH
You got to live fuh 200 years if you want get rich Yesterday morning pun CNN a commentator seh it will take more than 200 years for the black people to reach up to the wealth of whites. Dis comment come about because Donald Trump seh how he always love black people and want to see dem get fair treatment. But in dis world dem boys certain dat de statement de commentator mek is wrong. Everybody know rich people don’t like to let loose. De more dem get is de more dem want. Ask Trump and Bharrat Jagdeo. Trump want de Mexican wall suh he can get he contractor fuh build it. Everybody know Jagdeo mek he money and who he give all dem contracts and state lands to. Jagdeo give a big piece of Ogle to a whole set of rich people. De land come wid stipulation and
regulations and all dem relations. De land contract seh you must not transfer all or part of de land without de consent of de Govt. Yet de same man who control de land tek a big piece. He smart. He didn’t put de land in he name but he put it in de name of a company he own, thinking nobody would know. De same man in talks wid de oil giant fuh 10 acres of dis land. At de same time, dem boys know, not hear, dem know two small man who got two li’l plane apply fuh less dat quarter acre fuh put dem plane out of de rain and de sun. De application never even get accepted to dis day. How de poor man can ever ketch up wid these mofos? Tell dem boys if you know de answer. Talk half and if you poor you better live fuh 200 years if you want get rich.
and low sugar prices had hurt the Guyanese economy, it was the pouring of the funds into the Guyana People’s Militia, the Guyana National Service and the Upper Mazaruni Road project and other non-productive areas at the expense of capital investments in agriculture and other productive sectors, which had deepened the economic crisis. In other words, it was poor political decisions and economic mismanagement which worsened the economic problems. This is what one of the declassified documents had to say, “Plain mismanagement and some corruption have helped. Also in this connection, it is interesting to note that Burnham refused to reveal total defense expenditures for 1976–77 in the Parliamentary budget debate.” The APNU+AFC Administration is not hiding the present levels of military expenditure. In less than three years, it has increased military expenditure by 50% or an additional four billion dollars over 2014 levels. Yet, it claims that it cannot sustain the short-term support which the Guyana Sugar
Corporation is asking for until 2020. The PPPC has pointed to the fact that the 30 billion dollars which the APNU claims to have doled out to the sugar corporation since 2015 is multiple times higher than what the PPP gave to the same company in 2013 and 2014. The PPPC is asking for an investigation into how this huge sum which was given to the sugar corporation was used. It is a reasonable request since it may identify some of the corruption which is known to exist within the sugar corporation or it may point to the improper use of other sources of revenue thereby burdening the treasury unnecessarily. In their talks with the government, the sugar unions should press for this investigation. The economic, social and political crises which is presently taking place in Guyana is not dissimilar to what was taking place in Guyana in 1976 when the Guyana People’s Militia was established. And one of the dangers of establishing the militia is that it will become an unnecessary financial burden to the country’s military and
cost taxpayers a few billion dollars each year. The militia can again become part of the militarised state which existed between 1976 and 1985. During this period, the Guyana People’s Militia was used as a political weapon against the working class. The militia was used as scab labour during the sugar strike of 1977. It was also deployed in the bauxite industry during the industrial action which the workers took in 1976. Camps were established along the coast to keep an eye on communities which supported the PPPC. So it is not just a return to nostalgia and irrelevant institutions which Guyanese have to be fearful about. It is a return to an era in which the state was militarised and militarised units were placed in direct confrontation with workers. It is a return to a time when military spending was supported by retrenching workers. These are the dangers which Guyana faces as Granger brings back the militia and the Guyana National Service.
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
PAGE 11
PAGE 12
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
East Ruimveldt gets Info. and Communications Technology hub Residents of East Ruimveldt will now be able to access a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Hub right in their community. The hub was officially opened Saturday at the East Ruimveldt Community Centre, a DPI release stated.. The project is a collaborative effort of the Government’s E-Government Unit, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Georgetown Mayor and Councillors. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) Phillip Walcott said the hub, which is furnished with 10 workstations, is the 80th to be established along the Coast and the 98th that fall under the poor, remote and hinterland communities. The NDMA Director committed to providing the new hub with 10 additional computers, bringing the total workstations to 20, a gesture that was welcomed by members of Community Enhancement Committee (CEC). Walcott told those gathered that “these are exciting times for ICT” in Guyana, noting that the Government, this year will embark on a programme that is expected to result in the opening of 110 additional hubs across the country. The community of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown will soon benefit from the same service, while Sophia will benefit from a second hub. Walcott pointed out that the establishment of community ICT hubs is part of the wider Government programme of providing ac-
Phillip Walcott, Director- National Data Management Authority (NDMA) cess to government services online, a system currently being put in place, to eliminate long lines at the various entities. It was disclosed that a US$17M agreement funded under the GRIF, was recently signed, and US$6M of that amount will be allocated for ICT training at the community level. “Once we roll out the forms that we are putting online, we will then use the hubs to provide training so that persons across the country will be able to complete the forms and submit them,” he noted. Walcott said this training will cover basic skills to operate the devices and to effectively use the applications. However, he issued a call for persons to identify those youths within the community who show signs of being technologically inclined so that they may benefit from a higher level of training in complex
This young lady assists Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Greene in cutting the ribbon programmes. According to the NDMA Director, Guyana will also be benefitting shortly from support from the Indian Government for technological training to be conducted by experts in the field. Providing a further update on the wider ICT programme, Walcott said the NDMA is currently completing its schedule for the rollout of connectivity in all Primary Schools this year. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has already provided a list of schools which are furnished with computer laboratories, as these will be connected first. Three hundred government agencies are expected to be equipped with WiFi so that citizens can have access while
waiting to conduct their businesses. “We are moving forward because our aim is to ensure that every Guyanese is able to function in a digital society. Every Guyanese is able to interface and understand at least the basics of using a computer. We need people who are knowledgeable and people who are able to use the technology for their personal benefit.” He added that Government is working on establishing a National Community ICT Hub Association, which will manage the operations of the ICT hubs in Guyana, in a structured manner. Presently, some 200,000 Guyanese benefit from government’s ICT services, with the goal of connecting an additional 300,000 by the end of this year. Meanwhile, Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-
Greene during her remarks highlighted that there were several challenges that they were able to collectively overcome to bring the project to fruition in that community. She called on the youths to take advantage of the opportunity that will be afforded to them through this service. “From this afternoon onwards, come here at the times allocated to you…to work with these computers and have your assignments finished on time. What I will ask each and every one of you who will participate in the use of these computers, is to take care of them.” Member of the CEC of East Ruimveldt, Diana Daly was commended by Mayor Green for her stringent efforts to ensure the youths in the community The CEC Chair, Wendy Collins in brief remarks invited persons to join the Commit-
Youths gathered at the workstations at the newly opened East Ruimveldt ICT hub
tee meetings which are held every second and fourth Mondays of the month, to share ideas to enhance the community. The CEC will decide on the opening hours for the East Ruimveldt E-Government ICT Hub, however, the WiFi service which is being provided by the E-Government Unit will be available from 4:30 pm to 6:30 am on weekdays, and 24 hours on weekends. The Community ICT hubs project was conceptualised as an effort of the Government of Guyana E-Government programme to provide ICT services to its citizens. The Ministry of Public Telecommunications has oversight of this project, which also focuses on advancing human development and empowerment, and community development, through community-based organisations.
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
PAGE 13
PAGE 14
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Cops pursuing prime suspect in Monica - person of interest being monitored, Reece investigation ordered to inform police of overseas travels The detectives seemed to have everything: key witnesses, and a popular individual who they were so certain is the killer, that he had to tell them whenever he travelled overseas. But yet the investigation into the heinous Good Friday murder of 19-year-old Monica Reece appears to have stalled once again. Questions are now being asked as to, Why this is so? “There is an individual that is being pursued and that is why the investigation was reopened,” a source told Kaieteur News, while quashing any suggestions that the case may have been compromised. It was in July 2016, that former Crime Chief, Wendell Blanum revealed that police had reopened their investigations into the April 1993, Monica Reece murder. On August 26, 2016, Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine dropped another bombshell. At a press conference, Ramnarine stated that “an unprofessional course of action took place at the time when the investigation was ongoing.” The first review (of the case) revealed that an unprofessional course of action was taken in that year, and that period, when that matter was under investigation.” However, the acting Top Cop had refused to be drawn into identifying the culprits. The investigation was placed in the hands of the much vaunted Major Crimes Unit, whose ranks had solved several cold cases, including the killing of Babita Sarjou. Kaieteur News understands investigators again went through the Reece file and also again questioned witnesses. The information they
Police Commissioner: Laurie Lewis
Police Commissioner: Floyd Mc Donald
Police Commissioner: Winston Felix
Police Commissioner: Henry Greene
Acting Police Commissioner: Seelall Persaud
Acting Police Commissioner: David Ramnarine
number or what he had done with the paper Reece had given him. McKenzie later dropped Reece on his bicycle to a phone booth at Regent and Hinck Streets. That was the last time he saw her alive. Between 16:40 hrs and 17:00 hrs, Reece informed Mark Torrington, a security guard, that she had a date with “a Chinese man” from Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara. She told him not to be surprised if he heard she was dead. At 18:30 hrs, she left Kalian Yard at Lot 240 Camp Street. She changed out of her security uniform and was wearing a white T-shirt and black tights. At 19:15 hrs, she was seen by Special Constable, Linden Samuels entering the Brickdam Police Station compound. She was allegedly crying and about five minutes later, she was seen entering a black Pathfinder parked near the station. At around 20:30 hrs, she visited Charles McAllister, a driver, at a Church Street disco. She reportedly left, returned and then walked west along Church Street. Then about 22:05 hrs, a woman saw Reece’s body falling out of a pickup in Main Street. The case was labelled by some as a “high society killing” because all of the suspects were from affluent families. Last year, one senior detective who was part of the
1993 investigative team told Kaieteur News that “a number of things obstructed us.” “It was never intended for it to be a straightforward investigation. Where the obstruction came from, I don’t know, but there are some who knew where the obstruction came from.” Other investigators said that a prime suspect was taken into custody but was never fully interrogated. A pickup that this suspect allegedly drove on the night of Reece’s murder was impounded, but was reportedly released without being checked for possible forensic evidence. Commissioner of Police Laurie Lewis was at the helm of the Force when Reece was slain. Lewis had held monthly press conferences in which he had updated on the investigation. This had upset some of his detectives, who felt that too much information was being divulged to the public and to those responsible for Reece’s death as well. The case has outlasted Lewis and four other Commissioners of Police. However, former Crime Chief, Alvin Smith had expressed confidence that the case can still be solved. “I honestly believe that something will break. Somehow, I believe that it will happen. My grounded belief is that the evidence is there. The evidence is alive. It comes to my mind often, after all these years. I think that the person (killer) is alive and that the evidence is there,” Smith said.
Monica Reece: Will there ever be justice for her? amassed seemed to point to an individual who was regarded as a key suspect back in 1993, when a number of young men who drove pickups were questioned. The licence number of his pickup appeared to correspond to some of the digits of the vehicle which Reece was in when her body was thrown, or accidentally fell, onto Main Street. The individual reportedly became aware that he was again being considered as a main suspect, after he was ordered to notify police of his movements, particularly of any overseas trips he might make. But in mid last year, there were whispers that all was not going well with the investigation. Kaieteur News understands that at present, there is no active investigation. In a telephone interview, Reece’s mother, Shirley Reece, had expressed confidence that there would be a more professional investigation into her daughter’s unsolved
murder this time around. “I am hoping for a professional investigation. I am hoping for justice. I have some hope this time around. It (the investigation) seems to be going in a different direction than before.” On the Good Friday night of April 9, 1993, 19-year-old Loss Prevention Guard Service employee, Monica Reece was murdered and dumped from a pickup in the vicinity of the Geddes Grant building (now Courts) on Main Street, Georgetown. A post mortem revealed that she was badly beaten and had suffered a broken jaw. Police questioned several individuals and impounded several vehicles that fit the description of the pickup from which Reece’s body was dumped. Reece’s body was even exhumed, but police were unable to gather any forensic evidence to implicate anyone. A timeline of Reece’s movements that day revealed that at around 13:00 hrs, David McKenzie, Operations Man-
ager of the Loss Prevention Guard Service, visited Reece at the Ministry of Health in Brickdam, where she was scheduled to work. According to McKenzie, Reece told him that if a man by the name of ‘Mark’ called for her at the office, he must tell ‘Mark’ to take lunch to her worksite. Reece also told McKenzie about her relationship with a man who drove a 4×4 pickup, who she claimed was in love with her. Reece also handed McKenzie a piece of paper with several names and a telephone number. The security official recalled the name ‘Mark’ on the paper, but he could not recall the telephone
Shirley Reece still seeks closure, 25 years after laying flowers at her daughter’s grave
Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 19
Kaieteur News
Hundreds turn out to Education Ministry Maths Camp Children turned out in their numbers on Saturday when the Ministry of Education commenced the first in a series of ‘Maths Camp’. The initiative is one aimed at improving the performance of children at the 2018 National Grade Six Assessment [NGSA]. Camps were held at three schools - West Ruimveldt Primary, F. E. Pollard Primary and North Georgetown Primary. Present were scores of parents helping teachers for a collective impact. The initiative, which will run until March 24, was commended and well received by both parents and students. As part of its continued effort to improve the Mathematics performance of pupils at the NGSA, the Ministry of Education introduced the ‘Maths Camp’ initiative. Last week this publication was informed that a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] to this effect was sent out to primary schools across the country by Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson. Speaking of the initiative recently, Senior Public Relations Officer within the Ministry, Mr. Brushell Blackman, said that by way of the memo, schools have been instructed to conduct mathematics camps within the respective regions. As stated in the memo, Blackman said that “all grade six pupils must be informed and given the opportunity to attend the Maths camps.” The sessions, he related, are being offered at no cost and therefore cannot be misconstrued for extra lessons. “Parents will not have to pay for their children to be a part of the camps and, according to the CEO too, parents can even accompany their children if they so desire,” Blackman added. The 2018 sitting of the NGSA will be conducted on March 28 and 29. In the quest to ensure that pupils are on the right track, the Ministry recently conducted ‘Mock’ NGSA examinations. This tactic is one that was geared at highlighting the weaknesses of pupils with a
Scenes from Saturday’s ‘Maths Camp’ view of having them addressed. As a result of the mock exams, a number of key mathematical challenges have been identified for improvement among pupils within the Georgetown Education District. Among the key areas observed in the Georgetown District, according to District Education Officer [Primary], Ms. Deborah Hutson, are number theory, number properties, operations, ratios, percentages, measures, in addition to a few others. Moreover, she noted that keen attention will be given to these areas within the Georgetown District ahead of the sitting of NGSA this year. For nine Saturdays, starting from yesterday, Grade Six pupils are slated to be exposed to sessions geared at improving their ability to better grasp the target areas. Sessions are slated to span 09:00 to 12:00 hours. “For the three hours for that particular day [Saturdays] it will be strictly maths in a fun way, not the ‘chalk and the talk’ we are going to have games, we are going to have practical examples of stuff being done and where possible we are going to have videos so that the children can actually have a clearer understanding of concepts that may have been bothering them. They are going to be exposed to the various ways of answering problems,” Hutson explained. She continued, “What I
‘Guyana stands with... (From page 15) was also attended by IAC founding member, Mr. Neaz Subhan, who chaired the service and religious leaders, including Pastor Ronald McGarrell and Pastor Wendell Jeffery of the Inter Religious Organisation (IRO). It was held at Track A, Lusignan East Coast Demerara. On January 26, 2008, gunmen stormed into Grass Field, Lusignan, opening gunfire on sleeping residents and raiding their homes. At the end of the 15-minute ordeal, Shazam Mohamed, Clarence Thomas, his son, Ron 11, and daughter, Vanessa 12; Mohandai Gourdat, 32, and her two children; Seegobin, four years old, and Seegopaul Harilall, 10; Shalem Baksh, 52; Rooplall Seecharan, 56, his daughter Raywattie Ramsingh, 11, and his wife, Dhanrajie, called 'Sister', 52 were all dead.
like about this [initiative] is the fact that it may not be a pupil’s class teacher delivering these sessions, so the child will get an opportunity to interact with other teachers and the other teachers may very well put over a concept in a different way than a pupil’s regular class teacher and that pupil just may get a better understanding of something they didn’t understand before.” However, Hutson related that some class teachers will be on board since they have volunteered to lend their support to the intervening initiative which will be spearheaded by trained Maths Coordinators and Monitors. The Maths Coordinators and Monitors, according to Hutson, have developed strategies, skills, games and various ideas that will be shared with teachers in hopes that they can implement these in their classrooms. But the ‘Maths Camps’ Hutson said, are not expected to take away from other remedial sessions being undertaken by teachers in their respective schools. “Some teachers have regular lessons on Saturdays and we are not in any way trying to kill that...but from a Georgetown District level we see that there is a need for us to do more this year and we have taken on this [initiative] and we are adding support to the teachers,” explained Hutson. She added, “What we want to do is send down some rain...they say what rain can’t full, due can’t full but we haven’t reached the due stage; we are still raining.” The tactical move is a continuation of efforts that were introduced last year to improve the mathematics performance at the NGSA level. “This is one of the continuing activities that we hope to have until we are satisfied with the performance of our pupils,” said Hutson. As part of the improvement strategy, she revealed that a number of other activities are ongoing in the Georgetown District. Among these, Hutson
said, are ‘Maths Clinics’ which are conducted during the course of the week. This measure sees Maths Coordinators and Monitors visiting various schools to conduct ‘clinics’ for classes grade one through six. “If some pupils have difficulties in a particular area, teachers can forward them to the coordinators or monitors and they will sit and go through, thoroughly in small groups, the areas of difficulties with the pupils,” Hutson related. Last year a Mathematics intervention saw the Ministry recording a 46 percent pass rate in the area of Mathematics. This came on the heels of a daunting pass rate of 14 percent. Over the years the Minis-
try has been faced with a problem of considerable poor performance in the subject area. The intervention entailed a number of aspects such as training for teachers in content and methodology and over 1000 teachers were trained in this regard. The strategic movement also entailed fortnightly cluster meetings in all regions which were conducted with both public and private schools. There were also recruitment of Mathematics coordinators and monitors, training of officers and School Administrators to supervise
the teaching of Mathematics, and the administering of a diagnostic assessment of pupils in the hinterland regions, prior to training of teachers. Added to this, the intervening measures included enhancement of public relations, parental involvement in the education of children and acquisition of support materials for students. This moreover allowed for Mathematics to be the most improved subject area characterised by an increase of over 30 percent in the number of candidates gaining 50 percent and more last year.
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
To start your own business you need the grit to endure all trials By Feona Morrison Starting your own business is no small feat. Now imagine achieving such an accomplishment which has now turned into a profitable venture. This is the story of the enterprising Shaunda Yarde, the owner of Coconut Grove which manufactures and distributes Golden Crunch Coconut biscuits. But Yarde was not always into business. Prior to establishing her company five years ago, she was a Communications major at the University of Guyana. It was while attending this tertiary institution that Yarde baked coconut biscuits which she supplied to a small canteen to help pay her tuition fees. For her final year project, Yarde was tasked with implementing a Marketing and Communication plan. And while most of her classmates choose to produce televisions and radio programmes, Yarde did something out of the box. She baked coconut biscuits using her grandmother’s recipe. Her project received positive feedback from not only her lecturers but her peers. It was then that Yarde contemplated becoming an entrepreneur. After completing UG, she worked for a short while at a friend’s advertising company. During her stint there, she was exposed to most of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and even learnt how to overcome some. “After working with her (the friend) and seeing how she operated her business, I was inspired to start my own. By working with other small businesses you get to see the challenges they face and how they work to overcome them.” Shortly after, she mustered the courage to go into business. Her company’s aims are to produce healthy snacks using coconut and to create employment for women in Yarde’s community of Patentia, West Bank Demerara. But for Yarde, turning her passion for baking into a profitable business was no easy feat. For one thing, she encountered challengers in legalising her business. These included acquiring relevant documents, obtaining a food handler’s certificate and even getting consent from the Guyana Fire Service and the Central Housing and Planning Authority. As if these were not enough, she also faced problems with marketing her product. Yarde recalled that she reached out to several supermarkets but was rejected by some. But this stumbling block did not dampen her spirit. She was determined to make her product known to the nation. Golden Crunch Coconut Biscuits can now be sourced from Massy Stores, Providence, East Bank Demerara, the Guyana Shop, Robb and Alexander Streets, Georgetown and Bounty Supermarket, Kitty, Georgetown. The snacks are also available at Oasis Express at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and at the Marriott Hotel. Although Yarde has clients who purchase directly from her she related “They (the companies/supermarkets were very receptive to supporting the local product.” Another hindrance faced by entrepreneurs in starting their business is obtaining loans, Yarde pointed out. And according to her, this can be remedied if lending institutions reduce some of its criterion for borrowers. ALLNATURAL The biscuits are produced from all natural ingredients and contain no preservatives. In fact, all of the ingredients are sourced in Guyana. For instance, Yarde disclosed that she would purchase the coconuts from farmers in her community.
PAGE 21
- ADVISES LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR
Managing Director of Coconut Grove, Shaunda Yarde
Golden Crunch Coconut Biscuits “The biscuits are fresh, they have no preservatives,” Yarde noted. This entrepreneur confessed that production is not where she wants it to be at this juncture. However, she said that the business is gradually growing and has created part-time employment for women in her community. Yarde was exposed to various business skills when she participated in the former US President Barack Obama’s 2016 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). She explained that she learnt how to improve branding, marketing her product, the importance of networking techniques and strategies to grow a business. YLAI is a US Embassy in Guyana sponsored programme. It is a professional fellows’ programme that empowers entrepreneurs and innovative civil society leaders to strengthen capacity and advance their entrepreneurial ideas to contribute to social and economic development in their communities and regions. In expressing gratitude to the US Embassy in Guyana for the exposure, Yarde who is a founding member of the YLAI Guyana alumni, said that after participating in the programme her attitude towards business “really improved.” And to date, she pointed out this has been one of the most fulfilling business experiences. SEEKING MARKETS When she is not occupied with caring for her son, this businesswoman is busy advertising her product on social media. She has already invested in commercial baking equipment and sees her business expanding this year. Yarde pointed out that she is not interested in producing the traditional sugar cakes and
coconut oil. Instead, she and her brother are currently researching healthy snacks that can be made from coconut. In addition, she related that she is looking to secure a market for the coconut biscuits in Berbice and Linden. She is also working on improving the packaging design for the product and producing coconut biscuits in various shapes, sizes and flavours. For now, the coconut
biscuits are packaged in a plain plastic wrap with a paper label within. This entrepreneur has received blessings from First Lady Sandra Granger. In December 2016, Yarde presented a sample of her coconut biscuits to the First Lady who stated, “I’m very happy to see how she’s marketing her product...” Yarde has spoken well of the First Lady, who she said has provided training for women on how to make their business legal and insurance compliance, through Interweave Solutions (Guyana) initiative. For Yarde, more initiatives like this should be implemented because “there needs to be consistent support for small businesses.” Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is “to start your own business you need to develop the grit to endure all trials.” Persons desirous of placing orders can reach Yarde at https://www.facebook.com/ gccoconutbiscuit/
PAGE 22
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
‘Door is open’ if Britain wants to change mind on Brexit, says EU’s Moscovici
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6004212: We create A/works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY- $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-2274754. A 140 Toyota Corona manual black wheel drive, carburetor 3A engine. Good working condition. Price negotiable. #677-9077 or 651-6425 Combines 7300 John Deere (2000hrs), Fiatagri L413 (2500hrs), Laverda 132 & Tractors: Massey 399, Fiat 110/90, Ford 6610, 290 Massey-Call: 338-4354 1 long base canter, 4 ton GRR series, hydraulic tray lift, price 2.6million and 1 canter driver needed. #609-1040 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL 450 4matic SUV, like brand new, under 20,000 miles. Call: 6741781. Serious inquires only.
FOR RENT
WANTED
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
Salesman, good verbal/ excellent attitude, knowledge in stocktaking, computer literate & team player. Keyfood McDoom. Experienced Handyman, porter all below 40 years. Apply with written application. Keyfood McDoom Village. One property to purchase in Georgetown below 30 million. Call: 615-0317
Space for rent at Ashmin’s Building- suitable for salon or office- Call today! 683-7954 2-Bedroom for rental. Robb St, Bourda. Tel: 227-5367 Fully furnished apartment two & one bedrooms in Providence, East Bank, Tel: 672-1906/216-2299/682-6238 2 & 3 bedroom fully furnished luxury apartments to rent, long & short term. #666-7820, 6911432 Business place/Store for rent, located at Grove EBD.Contact 684-6331 2 Bedroom downstairs at 33B Anira St. Queenstown Georgetown $50,000/month contact Ramesh # 613-4375 , 617-6599 Honest individuals wiil be considered.
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR R E N TA L : S U V F O R RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:6435122/656-0087, ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
EDUCATION The Jo-sel Educational Institute needs a full time DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: maths teacher. For more 225-7126/226-3693 - information, call: 226-7794/ DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ 226-7868 YA H O O . C O M / W W W. CXC adults classes (Business DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM & Science subjects) Form 1-5 lessons, Grade 2-6 lessons LEARN TO DRIVE (slow learners, personal tutor) Ultraviolet Driving School is #690-5008,618-0649 offering a 6 days driving Lessons: Phonics, Reading & lesson for $7,500. Come and Writing for Kindergarten, enjoy it! Call 602-2583 grades 1-5 Mathematics & C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving English. Lessons for form 1-5. School formerly Soman & Call: 690-9378 Sons Driving School @ Maraj Register your child for after Building- Call: 644-5166; 622- school classes for slow 2872; 615-0964; 689-5997 learners in Mathematics, (affordable packages). Reading, Phonics, Spelling, etc. Call: 675-4379 PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 15 Public Road, #2 Study in Canada/USA 100% Village, W.C.B. 49ft x 10,314ft acceptance. Micrographics $22M Negotiable Contact Vreed-en-hoop. 264-3057 648-7109/686-4818 Now Registering 9 course Property located in secure and diploma in computers office residential Ixora Avenue, 2016. $40,000. Computerized Block AA Eccles EBD. $36M. accounting, Micrographics, Tel: 233-2793, 615-8502 Vreed-en-hoop. 264-3057
Seeking property to rent for restaurant in Georgetown, Call: 615-0317 Experience Waitress. Call: 6266983 Waitress/ Food servers, Food Handlers certificate required. Contact: 629-2044 One female cleaner for office in Eccles. Call: 233-2745
20 acres of farm with bearing citrus, coconut & avocado trees. Location: Linden Highway, contact #655-7933 One wooden buliding (only) 46ft x 28ft with solid greenheart materials, sliding door and windows grilled, all accessories. Call; 227-4285
1 office clerk, must have 5 years’ experience, advanced tying skills/letter formatting. Proficient in English Language. Age 25-35. Tel:6481821/219-0468
Urgently needed one land in Eccles and Herstelling, also artist to paint scenes and portraits. Tel: 656-0701
VEHICLE FOR SALE
Wanted in large quantities: moringa, corolla bush, soursop leaves(dried). Contact: 665-1397
Toyota premio PSS7517 1.8M 2005 model C light recorder Axio 2.5 Bluebird 2.6 Tida 2.2 #655-3400
1 Porter to work on vehicle in the interior 18-25 years old #699-4718
Unregistered Axela 2011 dark interior, fully loaded, Nissan pickup extra cab. Call: 6175536 2009 Toyota Premio, low mileage, owner leaving country;price negotiable, contact: 669-2518/645-4085 Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep AWD Excellent condition $1.4M negotiable. Call: 609-7766/2258427 Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501
PARIS (Reuters) - The “door is open” should Britain want to reverse its 2016 vote to leave the European Union, Pierre Moscovici, the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Union, told French media in an interview yesterday. Some British politicians have said another referendum should be held on whether to leave the EU once the terms of departure and likely future relationship between Britain and the economic bloc are known. Asked about that in the joint interview with French TV station C News, Europe 1 radio and newspaper Les Echos, former French finance
WANTED FULLTIME/PART TIME WAITER/WAITRESS TO WORK AT AAGMAN RESTAURANT, SHERIFF STREET. CALL;219-0158 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 Merchandiser between ages 18-35 yrs. contact: 231-6256. We would like to buy 20 ft & 40ft containers. Contact: 6876072 TOLET One Bedroom, furnished (air conditioning, bed, refrigerator, microwave, television, stove, utensils) North Riumveldt $75,000. #688-0306,694-7817 One business space, located at 177 Charlotte & Alexander St. Kindly call: 644-3555,6893462, . Serious enquiries only.
SALON
LAND FOR SALE
Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses: $90,000 Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 647-1773/688-0009
Farm (East Bank) $2.8M Parafaite Harmonie $1M & 1.4M Herstelling $2.2M Uivlugt $2.8M Eccles $6M. Tel: 651-1969/656-0701
VACANCY Experienced Security Professionals. Must have 3 yrs. experience, past military/ security. Send resume & picture by email:. bvisecurityandinvestigators @ g m a i l . c o m Experienced TUTOR for CAPE Pure math and applied. Math level 1. Contact: 5002145 Vacancy exists for 1 experienced pharmacy technician to work part time @ a reputable pharmacy Georgetown- Call: 227-0630 Experienced teacher needed. Capable of teaching nursery, Grades 1&2. For quick response, text qualifications & experience to: 677-0296. General maintenance Guy, room attendant ages 25-45 years old. Tel: 225-0198 233 South rd, Lacytown. Driver from Age 22 and above, must have police clearance, for more info, call: 223-0090 Females to work at Fish shop/Restaurant, must have valid food handler’s certificate. Call: 660-2849. Vacancy for male to work at Vulcanizing & Tyre repair shop $15,000 per week. Call: 690-4722 between 10am & 2pm House keeper(good cook) wanted. Live-in if possible. Windsor Estates East Bank. Contact: 673-6050 Nanny to teach and take care of a 2 year old girl. Campbellville area. Contact: 673-6050 Backhoe operator, woodmizer moulder and edger operator, experience logging truck driver, call Richard: 609-7675/ 674-1705/233-2614
minister Moscovici said: “The door is open.” “If the British want to change their mind, that would be very welcome,” he added.
Renovated Linden... From page 7 finish the building with the remainder of the money, and we said we could do it,” Gordon declared. The new offices are expected to be completed by next month, and preference would be given to corporate entities, such as GWI, which already occupies offices at LEN, and other like businesses that are interested in renting. The offices will measure twelve by thirteen feet. Overall, the additional space measures 75 by 60 feet or four thousand five hundred plus square feet. LEN is the successor of LEAP which would have initiated and financed several infrastructural projects during the seven years it operated in Linden. These included the multi-million dollar Linden/ Georgetown Bus Park; the $40 million-plus Region Ten Business Centre at Kara Kara, the multi-million dollar River Front project; the Egbert Benjamin Exhibition and Conference Centre at Spieghtland and a demonstration farm at Moblissa. They also have to their credit the rehabilitation of several roads including those at Speightland and in West Watooka. The entity had also pumped a lot of money into irrigation canals to assist farmers. LEAP was developed by the European Union (EU) and the Guyana Government, to help in diversifying the economy of Linden from one that was almost totally dependent on bauxite, to one where other industries would develop to offer alternative employment opportunities. From LEAP to LEN LEAP closed its operations in 2009 to make way for its successor LEN (Linden Enterprise Network). The APNU /AFC Government had allocated $155 million to re-launch the (LEN) programme in August 2015 to facilitate institutional and capacity building support to small and medium enterprises within Region 10, after some four years of dormancy, subsequent to its take over from LEAP. Forty entrepreneurs subsequently received their loan approval letters from LEN, with the launch of its micro credit programme in December 2015.
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Russia’s Navalny detained as protesters point to poll fraud threat
Alexei Navalny and supporters before he was wrestled to the ground by police and dragged feet first into a patrol wagon. Photo: AP MOSCOW (Reuters) Russian police wrestled opposition leader Alexei Navalny into a patrol wagon yesterday moments after he appeared at a rally to urge voters to boycott what he said would be a rigged presidential election in March. Navalny has little chance of influencing the election, likely to be won comfortably by President Vladimir Putin, but his ability to use social media to mobilise crowds of mostly young protesters in major cities has irked the Kremlin. The numbers attending yesterday’s protests across Russia — some shouting “Putin is a thief” — appeared lower than previous demonstrations staged by Navalny, Reuters reporters said, suggesting momentum may have shifted away from
him. Video footage posted on social media showed Navalny appear on Moscow’s main thoroughfare, Tverskaya Street, a few hundred metres from the Kremlin, to join several hundred supporters taking part in the protest, which the authorities had said was illegal. He had only walked a short distance when he was surrounded by police officers wearing helmets. They grabbed him and forced him to the ground on the pavement, and then dragged him feet first into the patrol wagon, the video footage showed. He was held at a police precinct in central Moscow for several hours before being released without charges, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told Reuters, adding that Navalny
would face court at a later date. If charged with violating laws on holding demonstrations, Navalny could face up to 30 days in prison. Navalny emerged as a threat to the Kremlin’s tight grip on power on June 12 last year, when thousands of his followers defied police prohibitions to protest in cities across Russia. Yesterday, around 1,500 protesters converged at Manezh Square, adjacent to the Kremlin, but were blocked from getting any further by metal barriers and dozens of police in riot gear. Hundreds of people also protested in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-biggest city, in Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains, and other major centres.
Erdogan says Turkey will ‘clean’ entire Syrian border ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Turkey will “clean” its entire border with Syria in a sign that the Turkish offensive on the Syrian Kurdish YPG group in northern Syria’s Afrin region could be extended further. Since Turkey’s assault in Afrin began nine days ago, it has increased tensions between Ankara and the United States, which has supported the YPG in other parts of Syria in the fight against Islamic State. “Step by step, we will clean our entire border,” Erdogan said in a speech after the army said it had captured Jebel Bursaya, a hill that Turkish media had described as a critical position in recent days. Erdogan said last week that Turkey might conduct
President Tayyip Erdogan operations eastwards inside Syria all the way to Iraq to clear the YPG from its frontier. Syrian Kurdish officials have pledged to meet any wider Turkish assault with an “appropriate response”.
More than a week into their offensive, however, Turkey and allied Syrian rebel groups have made only modest progress fighting into hilly terrain against entrenched foes. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of militias of which the YPG is the strongest, had said earlier yesterday that there was intense fighting in the area. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Turkey and its allied rebel groups had taken the hill, which overlooks the major Syrian town of Azaz, which they also hold. The Observatory said Turkish air strikes had killed three people in one family early yesterday in Afrin. Turkish bombardment also damaged an ancient temple, it said.
PAGE 23
PAGE 24
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
US Secretary of State to visit Jamaica KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to visit Jamaica next month to discuss issues related to bilateral and regional security, energy efforts and economic reform. The United States Embassy in Kingston says Tillerson is scheduled to arrive on February 7. The US senior diplomat will meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith. Before he lands in Kingston, Tillerson will travel to Mexico City, Mexico; Bariloche and Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; and Bogota, Colombia. A release from the US Embassy says Tillerson will engage with regional partners to promote a safe, prosperous, energy secure, and democratic hemisphere. He is also expected to
Rex Tillerson advocate for increased regional attention to the current crisis in Venezuela.
Immigration officers not happy with their boss
Trinidad Guardian Immigration officers have taken a vote of no confidence in T&T’s acting Chief Immigration Officer (CIO) Charmaine Gandhi-Andrews. At least 300 officers have signed a petition which was sent to the Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC has now launched an investigation into claims which suggest that immigration officers throughout T&T are dissatisfied with the manner in which Gandhi-Andrews carries out her duties. The petition listed some concerns by officers, including issues with management, general indiscretions, court cases, facilities issues and internet, information technology and communications issues. The petition, along with a letter—”No confidence in acting Chief Immigration Officer, Charmaine GandhiAndrews”—dated August 7, 2017, was sent to Auditor General Majeed Ali. That letter, which was signed by President of the Public Services Association, Watson Duke, was also copied to The Chief Personnel Officer; Director of Personnel Administration; Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security. He added that the following information supported its call to put an end to the unsatisfactory performance of the acting CIO by having her removed. One of the major issues highlighted in the letter is that there has been no solution implemented to alleviate the backlog created by the closure of the Moonan Building on Frederick Street, which houses the Permanent Residence and Citizenship (PR&C) section of the Immigration Division. It was closed with no alternative
Charmaine Gandhi-Andrews arrangements made for the services being offered there. Duke stated in the letter that there are an estimated 4,000 outstanding Permanent Residence & Citizenship applications that are yet to be completed; PR&C reports sent for vetting by the acting CIO invariably remain in an office for months. He added that there are about 400 requests to lift Deportation Orders with no strategy to reduce the amount. When contacted on the issue, Duke said “It is all work related and the PSA was asked to send the letter on behalf of the workers. It is nothing to do with the acting CIO personally but with her duties,” Duke said. “There are certain inconsistencies that they believe should not be displayed by someone holding such a position and this consequence is that it affects her ability to deliver.” He expects that by the end of February, he should get a detailed report from the PSC on their findings and recommendations. On October 10, 2017, in another letter sent to Sandra Jones, Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister, Duke noted that the PSA has established sufficient evidence to support a motion of no confidence in the acting
CIO’s ability to manage the affairs of the Division. He added that “accordingly, the Association does not recommend that the acting CIO Mrs GhandhiAndrews be appointed to the post of Chief Immigration Officer”. On January 2, 2018, the Director Personnel Administration (Ag), Carla Bailey, acknowledged receipt of the letter. “Please be informed that the Commission would consider where relevant,” the letter added. Efforts to reach GhandiAndrews for comment proved futile as calls to her phone went unanswered and she did not reply to messages sent via whatsapp up to late yesterday. On November 12, 2017, officers were found in breach of the Immigration Act following the chaos caused that day by an apparent sickout action at the Piarco International Airport. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said a detailed report was prepared and submitted to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on the matter on November 13, 2017. It was said that only two of the 15 immigration officers turned up for duty at Piarco, resulting in hundreds of passengers having to wait as long as four-and-a-half hours to be cleared after arriving on flights. In a release issued by Dillon on November 13, 2017, Dillon said a report was submitted by the CIO and added that necessary actions will be taken against anyone found culpable. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley also noted that the disruption at the airport that day “disheartened him”. Rowley added that he was disappointed. Finance Minister Colm Imbert also expressed concern over the situation.
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Reports say most Americans want legal status for Caribbean ‘Dreamers’ WASHINGTON - CMC – Reports here says most Americans want legal status for Caribbean and other “Dreamers,” but a few are adamant that they should be deported. For Pav Sterry of Columbus, Ohio, legalizing any undocumented immigrants — even those who came as children without a choice in the matter, is just plain wrong, according to the New York Times. Huy Pham of St. Paul, Minnesota, believes any concessions for the so-called Dreamers will unleash another tidal wave of illegal immigration while Daniel Cotts of Phoenix, Arizona regards “blanket amnesty” for them as unfair to foreigners who languish for years waiting to come to the US the legal way. The paper says polls have shown that a large majority of Americans support protection for young Caribbean and other immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children. Yet, there remains a slice of the American public for whom the idea of legalizing an undocumented immigrant has not gotten better with age, the Times said. It said they do not dispute that most of the immigrants are eager and hardworking and did not choose their station in life. But for these voters, that is all beside the point. “I think DACA recipients should be given a few months to get their affairs in order and return to their home countries,” said Sterry, 58, a former math teacher, referring to the Obama-era programme, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that President Trump has ended but which could be revived or replaced in a congressional deal. And to those who contend that the young immigrants would be marooned in a country they do not remember, Sterry said: “Parents and children can all go home together.” Less than a quarter of American voters and in some polls as few as one in 10, share Sterry’s beliefs, the Times said. But it said they show how the country’s conflicted emotions about undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants have stymied legislation for more than a decade, polarizing the Republican and Democratic parties and most recently leading to the short-lived government shutdown that still did not settle the issue. Their counterparts on the liberal side are the progressives who are upset with Senate Democrats like Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, for allowing the government to reopen without a guarantee of protection for DACA recipients, known as Dreamers, the Times said. On the Republican side, it said moderates are feeling the pull of hard-line members who want any legalization bill to incorporate significant changes to immigration
enforcement, including measures Democrats generally oppose, such as funding for a border wall, a sharp reduction in overall migration, and a shift to merit-based admissions from a family-based system that critics call “chain migration.” The Times said US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for legalizing DACA recipients. On Wednesday, he said he was open to granting them a path to citizenship “at some point in the future, over a period of 10 to 12 years.” But he, too, has felt the pull from people in his administration who objected to the program, which was created by former President Barack Obama in 2012, the Times said. In announcing the end of DACA last September, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions called it a “unilateral executive amnesty” that had encouraged more illegal immigration and “denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same jobs to go to illegal aliens.” Voters opposing legalization were often well-informed about some of the details of the immigration debate, such as E-Verify, an electronic workerverification system that many Republicans want to make mandatory for employers, and the diversity visa lottery, which admits up to 50,000 foreigners a year who must be vetted, but do not need any special skills or family ties to the United States, the Times said. It said proposals to eliminate the lottery have been circulating for years. At the same time, a few of those interviewed held to common misconceptions about the young immigrants. Some said the immigrants should not be allowed to become legal if they had not tried to do so before DACA was created. But it is almost impossible for people to secure green cards once they have been here illegally for several years, the paper said. It said others expressed the sentiment that the immigrants’ parents should have gotten “in line,” though for many foreigners, a legal pathway into the US exists only if they have special skills or relatives in the United States who are citizens. While these voters remain in the minority, support is not absolute among the majority who want to legalize the young immigrants. In a CNN poll last week, 84 percent of those surveyed said they supported legal status for Dreamers. But when given a choice between keeping the government open and passing DACA legislation, 56 percent of those polled said it was more important to keep the government open and only 34 percent said a legalization bill was more important, with the rest believing they were equally important or having no opinion, the Times said.
CARACAS (Reuters) - The Venezuelan opposition announced on Saturday it would attend talks with the government in the Dominican Republic, though it will protest President Nicolas Maduro’s “totalitarian vision.” The opposition coalition said it would attend today’s meeting and would demand electoral guarantees. A presidential election is due to take place before the end of April. However, the already disparate opposition coalition was excluded from registering last week, in what it describes as another dictatorial move by the unpopular Maduro. The opposition’s most popular leaders,
Henrique Capriles and Leopoldo Lopez, are banned from standing for office. “We believe that this meeting represents a definitive opportunity for the government to review its recent decisions, and thus prevent the country from entering unmanageable chaos,” the opposition coalition said in a statement. The opposition added it will request a “balanced” electoral council that allows for the vote of Venezuelans abroad and the reversal of political disqualifications, among other issues. The Popular Will party, created by Lopez, has already pulled out of the talks.
Venezuela opposition to attend Dominican Republic talks
PAGE 25
PAGE 26
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Trump says he would negotiate Brexit Republican U.S. senators urge Congress to bill to protect Mueller with ‘tougher’ attitude than Theresa May W A S H I revisit NGTON Donald Trump and Theresa May
LONDON (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump would take a “tougher” approach to Brexit negotiations than Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, he said in a television interview yesterday. In the interview with British channel ITV, Trump said the European Union was “not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be” and claimed he had predicted the result of the June 2016 referendum in which Britons voted to leave the EU. Trump was elected to the U.S. presidency later the same year. When asked if May was in a “good position” regarding the ongoing Brexit talks, Trump replied: “Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I wouldn’t negotiate it the way it’s [being] negotiated ... I would have had a different attitude.” Pressed on how his approach would be different, he said: “I would have said the European Union is not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out.” May was the first foreign leader to visit Trump after his inauguration in January last year and they were filmed
emerging from the White House holding hands. But the “special relationship” between the two nations has since faced several ups and downs, including Trump rebuking May on Twitter after she criticised him for retweeting British far-right anti-Islam videos. He said in an earlier extract from the same interview that he had not intended to cause offence in Britain by sharing the videos and that he would apologise if the original posters were horrible racists. Trump’s comments on militant attacks in Britain have angered some and he has often exchanged barbs on social media with London Mayor Sadiq Khan. In the interview with British channel ITV, Trump said the European Union was “not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be” and claimed he had predicted the result of the June 2016 referendum in which Britons voted to leave the EU. Trump was elected to the U.S. presidency later the same year. When asked if May was in a “good position” regarding the ongoing Brexit talks, Trump replied: “Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I
wouldn’t negotiate it the way it’s [being] negotiated ... I would have had a different attitude.” Pressed on how his approach would be different, he said: “I would have said the European Union is not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out.” May was the first foreign leader to visit Trump after his inauguration in January last year and they were filmed emerging from the White House holding hands. But the “special relationship” between the two nations has since faced several ups and downs, including Trump rebuking May on Twitter after she criticised him for retweeting British far-right anti-Islam videos. He said in an earlier extract from the same interview that he had not intended to cause offenc e i n B r i t a i n b y sharing the videos and that he would apologise if the original posters were horrible racists. Trump’s comments on militant attacks in Britain have angered some and he has often exchanged barbs on social media with London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
(Reuters) - The U.S. Congress should revisit proposed legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller after President Donald Trump tried to fire him last year while he investigated the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia, two Republican senators said yesterday. In separate television interviews, Senators Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham expressed dismay at reports the Republican president had told the top White House lawyer to order U.S. Justice Department officials to fire Mueller. “I’ve got legislation protecting Mr. Mueller, and I’d be glad to pass it tomorrow,” Graham told the ABC News “This Week” programme. On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Collins said: “It certainly wouldn’t hurt to put that extra safeguard in place, given the latest stories.” Tensions over Mueller’s probe are hovering over Trump’s year-old presidency as he prepares to give his first State of the Union Address tomorrow. The New York Times reported on Thursday that
Robert Mueller
Donald McGahn
Trump ordered White House counsel Donald McGahn to fire Mueller in June but backed down after McGahn threatened to resign rather than carry out the order. McGahn was “fed up” after Trump’s order, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. He did not issue an ultimatum directly to the president but told thenWhite House chief of staff Reince Priebus and then-chief strategist Steve Bannon that he wanted to quit, the source said. Graham and three Democratic senators introduced legislation last
August that would protect special counsels, including Mueller, by requiring that a panel of federal judges review any action to remove them. The likelihood that such a bill would become law has seemed remote. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have shown little enthusiasm for the idea. “I don’t think there’s a need for legislation right now to protect Mueller,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme. “The president and his team have fully cooperated” with the special counsel, he said.
Compromise, German SPD’s Schulz urges his own party and Merkel BERLIN (Reuters) - The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) called on party rank-and-file to show readiness to compromise when they vote on the outcome of coalition talks with ChancellorAngela Merkel’s conservatives, amid growing nervousness about the ballot. Leader Martin Schulz promised the party’s restive membership a vote to ratify any decision to sign up for four more years of “grand coalition” government with the conservatives, tying both his and Merkel’s careers to the poll’s outcome. “I have to convince the party’s 440,000 members,” he told ARD television immediately before leaving for Sunday evening talks with his conservative counterparts, adding a warning for Merkel and Horst Seehofer, leader of the Bavarian conservatives. “We are certainly ready to compromise. But we also expect the conservatives to move,” he said, in an apparent attempt to leverage the threat of a veto by party membership in order to extract concessions from a reluctant conservative camp. As he spoke, Merkel and Seehofer were holding one-toone talks in preparation for Schulz’s arrival. The two camps
Martin Schulz
Angela Merkel
hope to reach a final coalition deal by next Sunday, which would allow a new government to be formed by Easter. Party members are unhappy with a draft deal reached with the conservatives, especially in the areas of health insurance and family reunification for refugees, where the radical “Jusos” youth wing wants Germany to be more generous. The Jusos are busy recruiting new members to the party in the hope that they will vote down the coalition deal, making way for the SPD to reinvent itself in opposition after scoring disastrous losses in September’s national election.
This is adding to pressure on negotiators to reach a deal and end an unprecedented four months’ interregnum in Europe’s political and economic behemoth. The party’s presidency will decide on Monday on when to set the cut-off date after which new members will not be eligible to participate in the ballot. In a sign that even the hardest-line conservatives are concerned an SPD membership veto could end up scuppering a deal, a senior Bavarian conservative invited the SPD to make proposals on family reunification, implying there was room for compromise.
Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 27
Kaieteur News
New survey finds climate change concerns much higher in Caribbean than US, Canada NASHVILLE - CMC – A leading university here has found that climate change concerns are much higher in Latin America and the Caribbean that in the United States and Canada. According to a new “Insights” report from Vanderbilt University’s Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), titled “Education and Risk Assessments Predict Climate Change Concerns in Latin America and the Caribbean,” 66.7 percent of Caribbean nationals have “very serious” about climate change.
The report says 21.9 percent of Caribbean nationals said they were “somewhat serious” about the phenomenon. Meanwhile, more than eight in 10 adults in Mexico and Central America believe climate change is a very serious problem for their country, more than twice the proportion of adults in the United States and Canada, the report says. Elizabeth Zechmeister, LAPOP’s director and Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science, and graduate student Claire Evans wrote the report.
“Climate change is a highly politicized and partisan issue in the United States, and we wanted to examine whether that is a common characteristic of this issue in other countries in the region,” said Zechmeister. “If not politics, then what predicts attitudes about climate change in these other places?” Using data collected from LAPOP’s 2016-17 Americas Barometre survey, Zechmeister and Evans analyzed responses to the question: “If nothing is done to reduce climate change in the future, how serious of a
PM calls for an end to use of kerosene lamps and candles in homes KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Ministry of Science Technology and Energy has been urged to fast track plans for a programme aimed at replacing open-flame light sources in homes with solar lights in vulnerable rural and inner-city communities. The plea was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in the aftermath of a fire in his constituency Saturday that claimed the lives of three children. The planned programme is aimed at replacing open-flame light sources with solar lights is being led by the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica. The police report that Saturday, the three children died when flames engulfed their home in the Olympic Gardens area of the Corporate
Prime Minister Andrew Holness Area. They have been identified as Juvanie and Jevanie Bennett and three-year-old Crisharge Maxwell. According to reports,
they were among five children who were left in the house in the care of a 13-year-old. The Prime Minister instructed that an audit be done of all households in his constituency to determine which depend on open light sources so that they can urgently be replaced. He said was deeply saddened and has instructed his office to ensure the safety and comfort of the children who survived and those made homeless by the fire find shelter and the relevant supplies to begin rebuilding their lives. This is the second fire in as many weeks that has claimed the lives of children and the Prime Minister reiterated that more can be done to stem the danger.
Bad timing – says opposition of pending departure of Police Commissioner KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The main opposition People’s National Party’s (PNP) says the pending departure of Police Commissioner George Quallo, has come at a bad time. According to Fitz Jackson, the PNP’s spokesman on National Security, while he is not surprised, the news has come while a State of Emergency in effect in the western parish of St. James. “As the country is aware, there has been much uneasiness between the commissioner and the Minister (of National Security) for sometime and this stalemate that has been going on for long just doesn’t help. I have now become aware that the commissioner will depart at the end of the
George Quallo month. We hope there will be some stability, so that the country’s security can be attended to in a serious and focused way,” Jackson said during an interview on local radio.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Clifford Blake is tipped to act as Commissioner until a replacement is found News broke on Friday that Quallo is to demit office as Police Commissioner this week. He was scheduled to step down in August following his appointment in April last year. This will be the fourth leadership change for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), in eight years. In 2010, Owen Ellington was appointed to replace Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin before suddenly opting for early retirement in 2014. Ellington’s successor, Dr Carl Williams also opted for early retirement and was replaced by Quallo in April last year.
problem do you think it will be for [country]?” They found that concern was highest in Mexico and Central America, where 81.5 percent characterized climate change as a “very serious” problem, with an additional 10.4 percent characterizing it as “somewhat serious.” South America followed close behind, with 75 percent answering “very serious” and 15.2 percent saying “somewhat serious.” The United States and Canada trailed their neighbors considerably, with just 39.6 percent, saying unchecked climate change was a “very serious” problem. However, a much larger proportion of adults in these areas considered it a “somewhat serious” issue— 35.4 percent, the report finds. In the Latin America and Caribbean region, the report says the most significant predictors of climate change concern are education and worries about being affected by a natural disaster, though wealth also plays a role. Education increases concern for climate change nearly 11 percent, while
Elizabeth Zechmeister worries about natural disasters increase that concern 8.3 percent, the report says. Wealth is also linked to increased climate change concern, raising it by 3.3 percent. Vanderbilt University said the findings confirmed the researchers’ hypothesis that climate change is a much more partisan issue in the United States than it is anywhere else in the hemisphere. Identifying as a liberal in the US is associated with a 16.7 percent increase in climate change concern
compared to political centrists, while identifying as a conservative is associated with a 25 percent decrease in concern, the researchers find. Zechmeister and Evans said this broad consensus about the seriousness of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean suggests that government policies and programs to mitigate climate change could be well supported by the populations in those nations. L A P O P, h o sted by Vanderbilt University, is considered the leading expert in public opinion polling in the Americas, with more than 40 years of experience. LAPOP said its Americas Barometer is the “only scientifically rigorous comparative survey project that covers 34 nations in the Americas,” including the Caribbean. More than 43,500 interviews comprise the 2016–17 Americas’ Barometer. The surveys are based on national sample designs and conducted with the assistance of partners across the region.
Argentina ‘will not recognise Venezuela election’: Macri Paris (AFP) - Argentina will not recognise the results of upcoming elections in Venezuela, President Mauricio Macri has told AFP, accusing strongman Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro of running a “dictatorship”. Venezuela’s top court last week excluded the main opposition coalition from contesting the presidential election, smoothing the way for Maduro to be returned as leader of a once prosperous country mired in political and economic chaos. The court’s decision is the latest twist in a monthslong standoff between Maduro — late socialist leader ’s Hugo Chavez’s handpicked successor — and the opposition. No date has been set for the vote but it is to be held before April 30. “Argentina will not recognise this election,” the centre-right Macri told AFP in an interview in Paris on Saturday, a day after talks with President Emmanuel Macron. “Maduro is making a mockery of the region and the entire world,” he said. After “generating hope”
President Mauricio Macri by allowing the Dominican Republic and other Latin American nations mediate in the crisis, “the only thing he
has done is continue trampling human rights,” Macri added. On Friday, Macron denounced Venezuela’s “unacceptable authoritarian slide” and said he backed increased EU sanctions against the oil-rich state — remarks that Caracas termed a “hostile and unfriendly act”. Regional heavyweights Brazil and Argentina have been reluctant to follow the United States and European Union down the path of sanctions, saying they fear the hard-pressed Venezuelan people would suffer the most. Macri said however that he was prepared to “continue studying the question”.
PAGE 28
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Late Kings XI bid keeps Gayle in the IPL ESPNcricinfo - Making it in the nick of time Twice Chris Gayle’s name came up at the IPL auction, and twice he failed to get a bid. Just when it seemed like the highest-profile overseas player of the league over its first decade would not be part of the 2018 edition, Kings XI Punjab picked him up, triggering loud applause from all the other franchises in the room. Kings XI got Gayle at his base price, a mere INR 2 crore (USD 312,000 approx). Other high-profile players who benefited from a second chance were India opener M Vijay (INR 2 crore to Chennai Super Kings), wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel (INR 1.7 crore or USD 265,000 approx to Royal Challengers Bangalore), and Australia quick Mitchell Johnson (INR 2 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders), all of whom were bought when they were recalled on the second afternoon after going unsold the first time around. As per the regulations, any player who went unsold the first time - or second, as in Gayle’s case - could be called up again, provided any of the franchises put in a request for the same. The biggest buys of the day Seamer Jaydev Unadkat became the first millionaire on day two of the auction, as well as the most expensive Indian buy over the two days. Rajasthan Royals made the
Chris Gayle has a hit in the nets, Dhaka, November 17, 2017 ©Dhaka Tribune winning bid: INR 11.5 crore (USD 1.8 million approx). The bidding went back and forth between CSK and Kings XI till INR 11 crore - the most paid for an Indian on day one before Royals swooped in. Australia seamer Andrew Tye also fetched in excess of a million - one of only two players to do so on the day going to Kings XI for INR 7.2 crore (USD 1.1m approx). Legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, meanwhile, became the first ever player from Nepal to be bought at the auction; he went for INR 20 lakh (USD 31,000 approx) to Delhi Daredevils.
Karnataka offspinner K Gowtham set the pace early in the day, going for 31 times his base price to Royals for a shade below a million dollars. RCB, KKR and Mumbai Indians were the other teams involved in the bidding, his price rocketing up from INR 20 lakh (USD 31,250 approx) to INR 6.2 crore (USD 968,000 approx). Nepal arrives Though there have been 10 seasons of the IPL, it continues to keep throwing up firsts. Yesterday that came in the form of Sandeep Lamichhane, the first player from Nepal to be picked in the
auction. The 17-year old legspinner, who has played grade cricket in Sydney alongside former Australia captain Michael Clarke, was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for his base price of INR 20 lakh (USD 31000 approx). Head coach Ricky Ponting said: “The Delhi boys flew him out and saw him bowling in the nets, he was pretty impressive, he might not be ready to play yet but they saw a lot of talent there it’s only of those speculative bids, see if he can turn into a world class bowler in a few years.” The Afghanistan quotient Last year, two Afghanistan players were picked up at the auction. This time that doubled to four: e x p e r i e n c e d allrounder Mohammad Nabi (Sunrisers for INR 1 crore or USD 156,000 approx) and Under-19 players - both of whom are at the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand Mujeeb Zadran and Zahir Khan got bids, in addition to Rashid Khan from day one. Sixteen-year-old Zadran, who can bowl traditional offspin and mix it up with legspin when required, was picked up by Kings XI after some extensive bidding for INR 4 crore (USD 625,000 approx). Zahir is a left-arm wristspinner who went to Royals for INR 60 lakh (USD 93,000 approx). Big guns go missing
Krishnappa Gowtham picked up his best figures in first-class cricket PTI It was Royals who opened the bidding overall on a day when in effect 471 new players were up for grabs, plus any of the unsold players from day one. On day one, 78 out of 110 players were bought, with superstars from IPLs past like Lasith Malinga finding no takers. Like on day one, several high-profile names did not get a bid on Sunday, including Australia’s Shaun Marsh, England’s Eoin Morgan, West Indies’ Lendl Simmons, South Africa’s Dale Steyn and New Zealand’s Martin Guptill - Guptill, like Gayle, was called up three times in all, but did not get a bid. The Right to match rush The first of the three Right To Match (RTM) cards used on the day was from RCB, on left-arm spinning allrounder Pawan Negi - he
was taken off Mumbai for INR 1 crore (USD 156,000 approx). Two more came in quick succession when the pace bowlers’ set began: Royals retained Dhawal Kulkarni (INR 75 lakh, USD 117,000 approx) and Kings XI held on to Mohit Sharma (INR 2.4 crore, USD 375,000 approx). All in the family The first sale of the day was another uncapped Indian spinner, legbreak bowler Rahul Chahar. He was picked up by Mumbai for INR 1.9 crore (USD 296,000 approx). Just before lunch, his brother Deepak Chahar was bought by CSK for INR 80 lakh (USD 125,000 approx). Deepak was the top wicket-taker in India’s domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, this season with 19 strikes and an economy rate of 5.58 in nine games.
Messi and Suarez fuel Barca comeback win, Atletico beat Las Palmas BARCELONA (Reuters) - Lionel Messi scored a spectacular free kick to give Barcelona a 2-1 win over struggling Alaves yesterday while Luis Suarez was also on target as the Catalans battled back from a goal down at halftime to stay 11 points clear at the top of La Liga. Alaves were the only team to win at the Nou Camp in the league last season and looked set to overshadow Philippe Coutinho’s first start for Barca when Sweden striker John Guidetti gave them a shock lead in the 23rd minute, falling over as he lashed the ball past MarcAndre ter Stegen. Suarez finally levelled for the Catalans in the 72nd minute, scoring for the eighth league game in a row after some impressive saves from visiting goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco had kept Barca at bay, while Messi’s sumptuous free kick in the 84th gave them a seventh consecutive league win. Atletico Madrid overcame the absence of injured striker Diego Costa to beat Las Palmas 3-0 while Sevilla were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe due to a controversial equaliser in injury time. Barca top the standings with 57 points, 11 above nearest challengers Atletico and 19 ahead of champions
Goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco makes a mess of a clearance as his attempted punch fails to leave the penalty area. (Reuters) Real Madrid, who roared back from their miserable start to 2018 with an impressive 4-1 win at third-placed Valencia on Saturday. “If you don’t concentrate you don’t win and sometimes looking at the rival team’s position in the league does you no good,” Suarez told reporters. “In the second half we understood what was at stake and we managed to get the three points.”
LATE PENALTYDENIED Alaves went into the game two points and two places above the relegation zone but could have doubled their lead in the second half when a cross from Guidetti made its way to Ruben Duarte, whose shot was blocked by the body of Gerard Pique. Suarez’s strike, which bounced off Pique on its way in but was awarded to the Uruguayan,
preserved his side’s status as the only undefeated team in Europe’s top five leagues before Messi grabbed all three points, although Alaves were denied a late penalty when the ball struck the hand of Barca’s Samuel Umtiti. “I asked Umtiti but apart from cutting his hand off I don’t know what else he could have done,” Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said. “For me it’s accidental but every
fan will see it from their team’s point of view. Sometimes the ball goes in and it’s not given as a goal, other times this happens.” Atletico’s confidence had been knocked down a peg by their King’s Cup elimination to Sevilla but they saw off 19th-placed Las Palmas with strikes from Antoine Griezmann, Fernando Torres and Thomas Partey in the second half. The visiting side deployed a high defensive line and paid the price for their risky approach when Griezmann latched on to a pass from Juanfran to race unchallenged towards goal and score in the 61st minute. Griezmann was the catalyst for the second goal, intercepting a pass to help work the ball towards Torres, while Partey nudged a Yannick Carrasco pass into an empty net in the 88th. Sevilla looked set to beat Getafe when Luis Muriel slid in to give them the lead in the 72nd minute but the visitors levelled in the 93rd when Angel Rodriguez lashed into an empty net after Juan Cala crashed into goalkeeper Sergio Rico. Leganes beat Espanyol 3-2 at home with the help of two own goals from Mario Hermoso, who completed an unwanted hat-trick by scoring a late consolation strike for his side.
Monday January 29, 2018
Rogers forms Boxing Gym in Santa Rosa Moruca
Some of the Male & Female Boxers at recently formed Gym in Region One. Pocket Rockets Boxing Coach Orland Rogers was recently appointed Hinterland Boxing Coach by Sports Minister Dr George Norton and is already making his presence felt in the Amerindian Community by opening a Boxing Gym in Region One in Santa Rosa Moruca. “This is the newly formed Boxing Gym out of Region one and the name of the Gym is Moruca Power Right Boxing Gym which has over 75 members,” informed Rogers. According to Rogers, an Executive body was recently formed with Arnold James being elected as President, while his Vice-President is Cynthia Thomas. The Secretary is Rohanni Henry and the Treasure is Robin DeSouza. “We have four committee members and the manager/coach is Mr Joslyn Abraham, while the Patron is Ingrid Harris. I must
thank the head Master of Santa Rosa Secondary school Mr Glenn for allowing us the use of the school’s compound until the community centre is upgraded,” Rogers said. The Gym has nine females and more than 65 Males who are ready to fight and Rogers thanked Minister, Dr George Norton for appointing him to Coach and open Boxing Gyms in the Hinterland because it was his dream to do this. “This is the third Gym in the hinterland so far after my tour to Region Nine I will be in Region Seven to open another two Gyms and let things start going with boxing there then I will look at Region Eight,” disclosed Rogers. He said he is planning the open two more Gyms before heading to Port Kaituma then back to Mabaruma then to Kwakwani and also Supernaam. (Sean Devers)
(Reuters) - The remaining directors of the U.S. gymnastics governing body are resigning in the wake of this week’s sentencing of the former national team doctor for molesting female athletes, USA Gymnastics said on Friday, complying with a demand by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The doctor, Larry Nassar, was sentenced on Wednesday to between 40 and 175 years in prison by a judge in Lansing, Michigan, following a week of blistering statements in court by his victims including Olympic gold medal-winning gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber and other female athletes. He had pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges. USOC CEO Scott Blackmun on Thursday said USA Gymnastics would be stripped of its standing as a governing body if all board members did not quit, with a new interim board put in place by the end of February. At least five of the 21 members already had resigned as a result of the scandal. “USA Gymnastics will
university and will “hold MSU accountable for any violations of federal law.” “What happened at Michigan State is abhorrent,” DeVos said. Nassar, 54, was sentenced for sexually assaulting girls under the guise of medical treatment. ‘MORALAUTHORITY’ Some critics who said the USOC could have caught Nassar sooner if it had acted on complaints made by athletes called the USA Gymnastics board resignations too little and too late. Several victims during Nassar’s sentencing hearing blamed the USOC, as well, for the abuse. “I don’t think they have the moral authority to speak at all on this issue,” John Manly, a lawyer who represents 120 of Nassar’s victims including 2012 Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney, said of the USOC. “In fact, their board ought to resign and Scott Blackmun ought to resign, too,” Manly added. A USOC spokesman declined to comment on calls for that group’s board and
USA Gymnastics board resigning amid sexual abuse scandal comply with the USOC requirements,” Leslie King, a spokeswoman for USA Gymnastics, said in an email. The senior sports official at Michigan State University, where Nassar previously worked, announced his retirement on Friday. The departure of Athletic Director Mark Hollis came two days after university President Lou Anna Simon stepped down under pressure. Both said they were unaware of Nassar’s abuse until it was reported publicly. “Our campus, and beyond, has been attacked by evil, an individual who broke trust and so much more,” Hollis told a news conference, referring to Nassar. “I‘m not running away from anything,” Hollis added, promising to cooperate with investigations into the matter. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, whose office prosecuted Nassar, confirmed on Twitter that the office is investigating the university. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced her department was investigating the
PAGE 29
Kaieteur News
Blackmun to resign. USOC board member Susanne Lyons called the USA Gymnastics board resignations “a critical first step” to better protect athletes, but more work remained. A USOC investigation into how Nassar was able to abuse victims for years will include looking at whether any USOC officials themselves looked the other way. Congress also is investigating the matter. A House of Representatives investigation will examine allegations of sexual harassment by officials in other sports, including swimming and taekwondo. Raisman, who was among the more than 150 accusers who recounted their stories in court, vowed to keep the pressure on sports organizations to see who else knew about Nassar’s abuse. Nassar worked for the federation through four Olympic Games, but the allegations did not become public until 2016 in an investigative report by the Indianapolis Star.
Man City breeze into Cup fifth round but Sane injured (Reuters) - Manchester City swept aside second-tier Cardiff City 2-0 with first-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling yesterday to reach the FA Cup fifth round in their quest to win an unprecedented four trophies this season. The only sour note in an otherwise routine victory for the visitors was an ankle injury to winger Leroy Sane, which is expected to keep him out for a few weeks. Pep Guardiola’s side began without a recognised striker but took just eight minutes to go ahead when midfielder De Bruyne rolled a clever free kick under the wall as the defenders jumped to block the expected direction of his shot. “The wall was close so I thought it would be easier to hit it under rather than over,” said Belgian De Bruyne. Bernardo Silva thought he had netted a spectacular second goal for the visitors with a long-range shot but Sane was flagged offside, a controversial decision that led to heated discussions between Guardiola and the fourth official. City’s dominance was never in doubt though and Silva turned provider for the second goal, perfectly directing a cross for the unmarked Sterling to head the ball into the net after 37 minutes for his 19th goal of the season in all competitions. LATE DISMISSAL Cardiff twice went close after the interval through Kenneth Zohore and Junior
Hoilett but City always looked comfortable and Sterling and Silva spurned chances to extend the lead. Danilo also drew an excellent save from home keeper Neil Etheridge before Championship side Cardiff’s day got worse with the late dismissal of Joe Bennett for a second bookable offence. His first clattering challenge on Sane led to the German’s substitution at the interval. “We knew how they played — they caught us a few times and that is football,” said De Bruyne. Guardiola said Sane’s injury would be assessed today. “He will be out for a while, minimum two to three weeks or a month. We will see tomorrow exactly,” he added. The Spaniard again dismissed the notion that the quadruple was a feasible target for City this season even though they lead the Premier League by 12 points, face Arsenal in the League Cup final and are through to the Champions League last 16. They lost their unbeaten league record in a 4-3 loss at Liverpool on Jan. 14 after Guardiola scotched suggestions they might be able to go through the domestic season undefeated. Asked again yesterday if City could claim the quadruuple he said: “No. They asked me if we would be invincible in the Premier League and I said no. I do not have enough players, I have players out injured. It is impossible.”
Sterling manages to knock the ball past goalkeeper Etheridge before making his way towards the Cardiff goal. (Reuters)
PAGE 30
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Bounty/ Antonio’s Grille 1-day Hockey tourney
Old Fort Carriers carries away Male Title
GCC Bounty’s lone goal scorer Mark Sargeant (right) and Jason DeSantos in action in the final. Old Fort Carriers carried away the Male title of the Bounty/Antonio’s Grille on penalty flicks after their final against GCC Bounty ended in a goalless draw at the Providence Stadium in darkness, while the Female Final between GCC Spice and Woodpecker Hikers was abandoned due to bad light. After both semis finished 1-1 GCC Bounty beat Pepsi Hikers 3-2 from the penalty spot while Old Fort got past GCC Sequel 3-1 on penalty flicks. The final was played with both teams showing defence and sharing possession of the ball
with the few raids on either being saved by the Custodians or missing the goal. At the half time it was nil all and so it stayed to the end and Omar Hopkinson and Jason Clarke scored from the Penalty spot for Old Fort, while Mark Sergeant hit in GCC Bounty’s consolation goal. In results of the preliminary games: Female: Pizza Hut beat Saints 4-0 Woodpecker Hikers beat Bingo Spartans 1-0 Pizza Hut GCC beat Old Fort Rising Stars 3-0
GCC Spice drew with Woodpeckers 1-1 Saints defeated Old Fort Rising Stars 1-0 GCC Spice beat Bingo Spartans 3-1 Woodpecker Hikers hammered Old Fort 7-0 Saints beat Bingo Spartan 2-0 Woodpecker Hikers beat Pizza Hut GCC 4-1 GCC Spice beat Saints 1-0 Pizza GCC beat GCC Spice 5-0 Woodpecker beat Saints 4-0 Male: Pepsi beat Saints 2-0 Bounty GCC beat Hikers Cadets
Former Caribbean Squash Queen Nicolette Fernandes battles GCC Pizza Hut’s Dominique DeGroot for ball possession as the Bourda girls won 2-0. (Sean Devers photo) 7-0 GCC Sequel lost to Old Fort Warriors 3-0 Old Fort Carriers beat SHC New Tricks 2-0 Pepsi beat GCC Sequel 5-0
Old fort Carriers beat Bounty GCC 2-0 Bounty GCC beat SHC New Tricks 4-0 Old Fort Carriers beat Hikers Cadets 2-0
Windies miss out on silverware despite Athanaze hundred LINCOLN, New Zealand, CMC – Left-hander Alick Athanaze struck his second hundred of the ICC Youth World Cup to set West Indies Under-19s up nicely but Sri Lanka Under-19s survived a late order wobble to snatch a nerve-jangling three-wicket win, in the Plate final here yesterday. Sent in at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, th e Wi n d i e s s i d e tallied 254 for five off their 50 overs with the enterprising Athanaze stroking a run-a-ball, unbeaten 110. Brad Barnes got 37 not o u t , B h a s k a r Ya d r a m scored 31 while Keagan Simmons chipped in with 24. Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama (233) and fast bowler Nipun Malinga (2-63) finished with a couple of wickets each. I n r e p l y, H a s i t h a Boyagoda struck 116 and Dhananjaya Lakshan, 98, in an outstanding opening partnership of 218 which put Sri Lanka on course for an easy win. Boyagoda facced 124
West Indies Under-19s celebrate another wicket as Sri Lanka A collapse late on in their run chase. (Photo courtesy ICC Media) deliveries and struck 17 fours and a six, but once he holed out in the deep off fast bowler Jarion Hoyte in the 3 8 t h o v e r, the complexion of the contest
changed dramatically. S e v e n b a l l s l a t e r, Nishan Madushka was run out for one and with nine runs added, Jehan Daniel (6) also perished in similar
fashion, to leave the Sri Lankans perched on 231 for three in the 44th over. Lakshan, who struck a dozen fours and a single six off 112 deliveries, fell off
the very next ball, missing out on a well-deserved hundred. Still, with only 14 runs required from 36 balls, the target remained uncomplicated but with wickets suddenly falling, the Sri Lankans panicked. West Indies capitalised to snatch three more wickets in the space of 18 balls and without warning, Sri Lanka were tottering on 249 for seven in the penultimate over. Off-spinner Barnes released the pressure, h o w e v e r, when he conceded a boundary off the last ball of the over, leaving Sri Lanka with a single run to get off the last six balls of the match. Even then, Hoyte kept Hareen Buddila (5 not out) scoreless off the first three balls to increase the tension, before the batsman scrambled a single off the fourth delivery. Off-spinner Yadram (2-42) and Hoyte (2-44) picked up two wickets apiece. Athanaze had earlier made headlines with a knock that helped rally the Windies
innings which appeared in danger of collapse at 63 for three in the 13th over. He crunched five fours and a couple of sixes, adding 59 for the fourth wicket with Kallicharan and a further 102 with Barnes in an unbroken fifth wicket stand. Barnes faced 36 balls and counted three fours. Yadram had earlier stroked five fours in a breezy 20-ball cameo, putting on 53 off 45 deliveries for the first wicket with Simmons, before three wickets perished for 10 runs in the space of 29 balls. Athanaze finished the tournament with 418 runs, just shy of the West Indies record of 421 set by Donovan Pagon 16 years ago. Scores: WINDIES U19s 254 for five off 50 overs (Alick Athanaze 110 not out, Brad Barnes 37 not out, Bhaskar Yadram 31, Keagan Simmons 24; Praveen Jayawickrama 2-33, Nipun Malinga 2-63). SRI LANKA U19s 255 for seven off 49.4 overs (Hasitha Boyagoda 116, Dhananjaya Lakshan 98; Bhaskar Yadram 2-42, Jarion Hoyte 2-44).
Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 31
Kaieteur News
Adrian Fernandes completes 83 laps to top field in GMRSC’s Endurance Meet yesterday Unlimited Class winner, Romeo Singh.
From left, drivers Roshan Ali and Shahab Roshandin winners of the 0-1500cc class. The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRSC) first meet of the season, the Endurance contest which was sponsored by Mohamed’s Enterprise, Special Auto, Ansa Mcal and B.M. Soat, raced off yesterday at the South Dakota Circuit with four classes being contested in the 1500cc, 1501-1600cc, 1601-2000cc and the unlimited class featuring cars over 2000cc. Up to press time, the overall unofficial winner of the event was Adrian Fernandes, who also won the 1501-1600cc class, with a total of 83 laps with a best lap time of 1minute 25seconds. President of the GMRSC, Rameez Mohamed, who geared up in his Starlet for the Endurance Meet, recorded an unofficial lap record of 1minute 19 seconds as he finished 1st in the 1601-2000cc class, unofficially. Roshan Ali with a total of 76 laps from the two-hour race was top of the pack in the 0-1500cc class, while Romeo Singh rounded off the unofficial results with 57 laps. Being the first meet of the year, the event was very subscribed with a total of 19 racers competing and in the grueling Timehri heat; only 10 of those 19 speedsters finished the race. (Calvin Chapman)
The gaps were widening after the first lap of the race in yesterday’s 2-hour endurance race at South Dakota circuit.
Bravo blasts CWI over muddled policy, lack of commitment PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Discarded all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has accused Cricket West Indies of using senior players as scapegoats for its muddled selection policy and the team’s subsequent failure to qualify automatically for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Further, the experienced campaigner said these players, who in the past were repeatedly overlooked by selectors, are now having their commitment to West Indies cricket falsely questioned, simply to find excuses in case the Windies flop at the ICC World Cup qualifiers in March. He argued that CWI had made it clear prior to the 2015 World Cup that they were moving on to younger players in order to build a team for the 2019 edition, but were now attempting to blame senior players for the disarray in the ODI setup. “The West Indies knew they had to play the qualifiers since [last September] in England,” the outspoken Bravo told I95FM Radio from Australia where he is currently playing in the Big Bash League. “They knew for a while they had to play the qualifiers so I think they just trying to shift the blame for their failures, shift the blame towards the players by using these three players (Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Darren Bravo) – and even including myself –
Discarded West Indies all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo … says Cricket West Indies lacks commitment to players. by saying they have reached out to the senior players and the senior players turned their backs on West Indies cricket. “So therefore, if it is that the West Indies go there in the qualifiers and they don’t get through that stage and they don’t make it to
the World Cup, then they have somebody to blame. [They would then say] ‘the big boys didn’t want to play, the senior guys didn’t want to play so what do you expect’.” He continued: “In 2015 when the team went to the last World Cup when Pollard and myself got dropped, the president (Dave Cameron) and chairman of selectors at that time (Clive Lloyd) said they were taking the ODI team in a new direction, they were going to invest in the youngsters and build for 2019. “So their aim in 2015 was to build for 2019 – that was their aim and their vision. So why now in 2018, going into 2019, the same team that they were building for the next World Cup, why all of a sudden [do] you need all of these drastic changes now. “These are the same [players] you invest in and the guys who were not in the squad, are the same people who were available to play for you and you did not select.” Last Thursday, in announcing a 15-member squad for the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, CWI said it had reached out to Pollard, Darren Bravo, Narine and Andre Russell, but all declined selection in favour of fulfilling commitments in the Pakistan Super League. Chief selector Courtney Browne said in a statement that the four players had indicated that they were “unavailable to help us qualify
as their priority was playing in the Pakistan Super League.” Browne said Dwayne Bravo had not been contacted because “he had indicated previously that he is no longer available to play cricket for the West Indies.” In 2014, the 34-year-old Bravo was sacked as captain after 19 months in charge and also dropped from the squad, just nine weeks after playing a leading role in the team’s controversial decision to abandon the oneday tour of India. Pollard was also axed but subsequently recalled for the Tri-Nations Series in the Caribbean in 2016 before being dropped again for the TriNations Series in Zimbabwe later that year. Bravo said in the years when he was inexplicably kept out the squad, he was fit and available to represent West Indies. “Out of the 15-member squad who was in India in 2014, Dwayne Bravo is the only player yet to play a One-Day International since then so people should calculate and see how many … ODI series have been played since then and I’ve been overlooked,” Bravo pointed out. “All those years I was fit – apart from last year which is the biggest injury I’ve ever had and couldn’t play for eight months. But prior to that I was fit, I was performing but just overlooked.
PAGE 32
Kaieteur News
Monday January 29, 2018
Federer fights off Cilic to Curran five-for secures England’s thrilling Perth win win sixth Australian Open
Tom Curran’s five-for sealed a thrilling 12-run win. (Getty Images) PERTH (Reuters) - Paceman Tom Curran claimed a career-best five for 35 to derail Australia’s chase in the inaugural match at Perth’s new stadium and help England win the fifth and final one-dayer by 12 runs yesterday. England squandered a strong start and were all out for 259 inside 48 overs. Curran then came up with a lethal spell of reverse swing to help England bowl out Australia for 247 and complete their 4-1 series victory after failing to win a single test in the preceding Ashes series. “We’re spoilt for choice at the moment, guys are fighting for positions left, right and centre ... to win while we’re learning, I think is pretty special,” victorious captain Eoin Morgan told the host broadcaster. England openers Jason Roy (49) and Jonny Bairstow (44) capitalised on the fast outfield, putting on a 71-run opening stand in quick time. The middle and lower orders failed to make an impact though, as Andrew Tye (5-46) and
fellow paceman Mitchell Marsh (2-24) restricted the tourists. Man-of-the-series Joe Root ensured his team reached a defendable total with a determined 62. Marcus Stoinis anchored Australia’s reply with a fluent 87 but it was otherwise a disappointing batting performance by the world champions. Glenn Maxwell and Tim Paine both scored 34 but it was not enough in the end and Australia collapsed in the penultimate over. Curran and spinner Moeen Ali (3-55) were England’s chief destroyers, ensuring that Australia’s first win at Perth Stadium will have to wait at least another season. The dazzling $1.3 billion Colosseum-like stadium is now Western Australia’s premier sporting venue for cricket and Australian Rules football, taking over from both the WACA Ground and Subiaco Oval. Scores: England 259 (Root 62, Tye 5-46) beat Australia 247 (Stoinis 87, Curran 5-35) by 12 runs.
Golf: Woods breaks into top 20 during final round at Torrey Pines LA JOLLA, California (Reuters) - Tiger Woods continued his promising comeback yesterday as he improved his position to inside the top 20 during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open. Shrugging off strong and gusty winds on an unusually warm winter’s day next to the Pacific Ocean, he started his round at the 10th hole at Torrey Pines. From the 14th hole, he went birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie to improve to four under par overall at the turn. After missing a 10-foot birdie chance at the first hole, he lashed a 350-yard drive to within 40 yards of the cup, before flipping a delicate, downwind wedge shot to six feet. He guided the delicate putt home for another birdie, moving to five under and into a tie for 19th. Woods, 42, is playing his first official tournament since undergoing a spinal fusion last April. The 14-times major champion has on the whole bettered expectations this week, a little rusty at times but showing that his body is healthy again and that better things probably lie ahead as he gets back his tournament sharpness. At the top of the leaderboard, Swede Alex Noren and American J.B. Holmes were tied at 11 under after two holes, one stroke ahead of American Ryan Palmer.
Tiger Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines. (Getty Images)
Cilic reached the final after a comfortable passage past Brit Kyle Edmund and took Federer all the way in a thrilling five sets. (AFP/Getty Images) MELBOURNE (Reuters) Roger Federer survived a second set ‘freeze’ and an onslaught from Croatia’s Marin Cilic to claim a recordequaling sixth Australian Open title on Rod Laver Arena yesterday. The Swiss maestro wobbled at times in the face of some fierce resistance before winning 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 3-6 6-1. With the stadium roof closed to keep out the withering Melbourne heat, the 36-year-old grabbed the first set in 24 minutes as a 20th grand slam title looked a formality. But Cilic, who suffered a nightmare in last year’s Wimbledon final against Federer when blisters wrecked his chances, was not going to let his first Australian Open final slide by. At times it seemed he was taking on Federer and crowd but when he reeled off five consecutive games to extend the champion into a deciding set, the match hung in the balance. Federer recovered his mojo after saving two break points at the start of the fifth and was roared home to victory. Despite all his titles and accolades, Federer was overcome with emotion during his victory speech. FAIRYTALE CONTINUES “The fairytale continues for us, for me, it’s incredible,” Federer, who equaled Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson’s Australian Open haul, said on court as wife Mirka and Australian great Rod Laver recorded to the moment with their mobile phones.
“I got off to a flyer but I froze in the tiebreak and lost that second set and lost control of the match. “I got a bit lucky tonight I think.” After enduring a five-year grand slam drought that had many people writing him off, Federer has enjoyed a glorious renaissance over the past 12 months by winning three of the past five majors. “Getting number six here and number 20 overall, it’s just a very special moment,” he said. Cilic, who will rise to a career-high three in the rankings, won four points in the first four games, but despite a shamelessly proFederer crowd, he stuck to his guns. “It was an amazing journey for me. It could have been the best two weeks of my life,” Cilic said. “I had the chance at the beginning of the fifth but he played a great match.” Temperatures in Melbourne had hovered in the high 30s Celsius all day but the humidity felt less suffocating than during Saturday’s humdinger of a women’s final. So it was a surprise when the match started with the roof shut, a decision tournament organizers defended by issuing a statement saying “wet bulb globe temperature” readings had triggered the “extreme heat policy”. While Melbourne Park cooked, Federer was as cool as a cucumber in the relatively benign conditions on court. He broke in the first game when he hoisted a lob towards
the roof and Cilic framed a smash into the net. The 29-year-old Cilic dropped serve again two games later and gained sympathetic cheers when he finally registered on the scoreboard in the fifth game. Cilic began to settle but still had to fend off break points in the second set at 11, 2-2 and 4-4. He had a glorious chance to level the match against the run of play when Federer double-faulted at 30-30 in the 10th game, but he buried a routine backhand into the net. Federer began the tiebreak with a couple of aces and broke with a forehand but Cilic ratcheted up the power to move 6-4 ahead with thundering forehand and leveled the match with another beefy winner from his favorite wing. It was Federer ’s first dropped set in the fortnight. Order was quickly restored as Federer broke once to take the third set and when he had a point for a double break in the fourth, the title beckoned. Cilic blasted his way out of trouble though and when he broke to love for 3-3, he looked menacing. Cilic will rue the two break points that got away in the first game of the decider, failing to make a return on both. Federer hung tough to take the game with an angled backhand winner and steamed on to his 20th grand slam title. Incredibly the evergreen Swiss has won 10 percent of the 200 grand slams staged since tennis turned professional in 1968.
Monday January 29, 2018
PAGE 33
Kaieteur News
Li edges McIlroy in thriller Rookie Rohan Albert wins exciting Prabhudial to win Dubai Desert Classic Memorial / Vish Trading Golf Tourney (Reuters) - China’s Li Haotong edged out Rory McIlroy by a single stroke in a thrilling final round at Dubai Desert Classic yesterday to claim the second European Tour title of his career. Li put on a late burst to card 69 and finish on 23-under for the tournament with a total of 265, setting a new record to par at Emirates Golf Club in the process by overhauling the mark of 22-under set by Thomas Bjorn in 2001. The 22-year-old, who claimed his first European Tour title at the 2016 China Open, started the day a stroke ahead of McIlroy, but relinquished the lead in short order with a bogey on the first hole. “Especially the first few holes, I was quite nervous,” Li said. “The first hole I made bogey and got to come back really quick, which was good.” The duo then matched each other with birdies on the third and seventh, but McIlroy forged a two-stroke lead after the turn with a birdie on the par-five 10th as Li registered his second bogey of the afternoon. The Northern Irishman was briefly pegged back after landing in the sand on the par-three 11th, but his two-shot advantage was restored when Li made his third and final bogey on the next hole. The Chinese reacted with supreme composure in the clutch situation, going on to birdie four of his last six holes, including sinking a 25-foot putt on the 15th to draw level with McIlroy. “The last four holes was some of the best shots in my life so far,” he said. “Happy to see I can hold a trophy here. I‘m looking forward to my first Masters.” McIlroy, a two-time winner in Dubai, went a long way right off the 16th tee and his failure to save par gave Li the outright lead. Both men closed with a pair of birdies apiece as the Chinese held his nerve to emerge victorious. Englishman Tyrrell Hatton finished three shots behind the leader to claim third place, with Frenchman Alexander Levy a shot behind him in fourth and another Englishman, Chris Paisley, two shots further back in fifth on 17-under.
China’s Li Haotong claimed the biggest win of his career by edging out McIlroy to the title. (EPA)
The winners and sponsors of the day’s tournament. From left: William Walker, President Aleem Hussain, Satrohan Tiwari, Fazil Haniff, Papo Haniff, Aasrodeen Shaw, Rohan Albert, David Harry, Mr Vishnu Ramdial, Brian Hackett (partly hidden), Mario Acuna, and A Ramdial. With the Grounds now resistant to flooding, nearly 40 golfers turned up in high competitive spirits to participate in the third golf tournament this year at the Lusignan Golf Club. Youthful Rohan Albert showed that the lessons taught him by his dad, former Guyana Open Champion – Mike Mangal, paid off as he beat the field of competitors. Rohan, delighted at his win, said “I didn’t realize that my game was so good, especially since at the start it was poor and I began to be despondent. But then I decided to play my best and was excited and grateful when I learnt that I had won!” Interestingly the Prabhudial Memorial - Vish Trading tourney of 6 February 2016 was also won by then rookie Mahesh Shivraj.
Immediate past VicePresident, Brian Hackett, speaking for Vish Trading, one of the leading providers of Agricultural and Construction machinery and quarry materials in Guyana, expressed their commitment to the Lusignan Golf Club for continued support of the game, in the wake of the positive contributions Vishnu Ramdial’s father, the late Prabhudial Ramdial, had made to the Lusignan Golf club. In fact, Vish Trading, located at Area D, Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, has donated 4 brand new Golf Carts to the LGC as part of their current contribution. Manager of Vish Trading, Vishnu Ramdial, was on hand to present the winner’s trophy. The Tournament saw some keen competition as both 2nd and 3rd places had
to be decided on a ‘back nine’ count, and the 4th place had to be decided on a three times count back (last 9 holes tied, last 6 holes tied, last 3 holes different,) in order to determine the 4th place winner. Winners at the end of the tournament were: 1st place – Rohan Albert 68/28, 2nd place - David Harry 70/15; 3rd place - Aasrodeen Shaw 70/18; 4th place – Fazil Haniff 71/14; (and edged out to 5th place was President Aleem Mohammed 71/15). Other prizes were awarded to Satrohan Tiwari for the Longest Drive (280 yards); to Papo Haniff (former 9 times Guyana Open Champion) for Best Gross – 79; to William Walker for Nearest To the Pin; and to Mario Acuna for Most Honest Golfer. Meanwhile, other serious contenders were Patrick
Prashad and Haresh Tewari with net 72, and Paton George, Ian Gouveia, Parmanand Persaud and Papo Haniff with net 73. Captain Chatterpaul Deo was happy at the good scores brought in by so many golfers. President Aleem Hussain expressed gratitude to the Golfers and their family and friends for their participation in and support of the day’s activity. He also shared appreciation for the enormous contribution made by MacCorp in their contribution of an excavator to dig and clear drains around the Golf Course and for the work done by the Groundsmen under Mike Gayadin’s supervision. Fashion personality Sonia Noel was also on hand and assisted in distribution of prizes.
25th Ricks & Sari Agro Industries NP Cycle Meet
Curtis Dey and Briton John stand out in the two main races Curtis Dey of Trojan Cycle Club based in the Ancient County of Berbice pedaled to victory in the season opening 25th Annual Ricks and Sari Agro Industries sponsored National Park Cycle Meet organised by Hassan Mohamed, MS of Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club on Saturday last. Dey topped an experienced field to take the top podium spot in One Hour 12 Minutes 51.31 Seconds. He won from fellow club member Romello Crawford, Orville Hinds, Junior
Curtis Dey - Trojan Cycle Club
Full results: Race BMX 6-9 years BMX 9-12 BMX 12-14 Boys and Girls 12-14 Veterans Under-50 Veterans Over-50 Mountain Bikes Juveniles School Boys & Invitation
Laps 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 10 35
Niles, Kemuel Moses and Andre Green, closing out the top six spots. Eight sprint prizes were also on offer and went to Hinds (2), Paul De Nobrega (2), Christopher Griffith (2) with one apiece to Briton John and Andrew Hicks. Some 43 cyclists participated in the event which saw Regan Rodrigues Jnr., presenting the trophies, cash prizes and hampers to the top performers.
Placing Alpha Harrison, Jarad Barrington, Jessica Mohabir Jaheme Henry, Mark Lewis, John Niles Jnr. Taharan Garbaran, Marvin Knights, Shaquel Daw Johnathan Ramsuchit, Brian De Nobrega, Steve Bimsen Junior Niles, Wilbert Benjamin, Jaikaran Sookhai Kennard Lovell, Harry Benjamin, Linden Blackman Shane Bourne, Ozia Macullay, Briton John, Adealie Hodge, Ralph Seenarine Curtis Dey, Romello Crawford, Orville Hinds, Junior Niles, Kemuel Moses, Andre Greene
Briton John - United We Stand Cycle Club 1
PAGE 34
Monday January 29, 2018
Kaieteur News
Mings, John Fernandes, Caribbean Containers contribute to RHTY&SC Programmes
Masters Academy win big on day 2 of Milo/ MOPH under-18 football tournament Sir Leon lessons also in winners’ row
Club Executive and Representatives of Mings Products Service pose with the donation of balls. Corporate support for the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS list of activities for 2018 has started with three long time sponsors making contributions to the Club and its ten cricket teams. The Club for 2018 has set itself a target of 700 activities after registering its highest amount of 712 in 2017. The first on the list of donors were Mings Products and Services, John Fernandes Ltd and Caribbean Containers Inc. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, club Executives Ravindranauth Kissoonlall and Mark Papannah who were all responsible for the day to day operation of the Club received a large quantity of cricket balls from Mings Products Service, while Caribbean Containers Inc and John Fernandes Ltd contributed financially. Foster, disclosed that the balls donation were the 10th successive year that Mings is doing so and hailed the assistance of the Company towards the promotion of
sports. John Fernandes Ltd and Caribbean Containers Inc are both long time sponsors of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and their contributions would be used in the Club’s massive Say No/ Say Yes Campaign which is organised by its ten cricket teams with the main objectives to get youths to Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Alcohol, Tobacco, Crime and Yes to Education, Life, Sports, Religion and Culture. Foster stated that apart from organising hundreds of activities under a wide range of sub-headings, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club receives dozens of requests from Clubs, Schools, Churches and less fortunate families for assistance. As a matter of policy, the club tries to assist as much as possible but with an increasing amount of requests being received, it is getting beyond the capacity of the Club. The long serving Secretary expressed gratitude to Mr. Stanley Ming and Colin Ming of Mings
Products, Patricia Bacchus of Caribbean Containers Inc and the Management of John Fernandes Ltd for their donations. Meanwhile, the Cricket Development Committee of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club is inviting youths between the ages of 13 to 18 years old to join the Club’s Cricket Section. The Club from the 1st February, 2018, would be opening its membership for a three weeks period for new cricketers. Membership of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club is free but members are expected to be drug free, disciplined and dedicated. Members of the Club shall have to be in school and be prepared to get involved in making positive differences in the lives of others. The Club would also provide all necessary gears. Interested players can call 337-4562 for more information or visit the Club office at the Area ‘H’ Ground during working hours, Monday to Friday.
Action between Sir Leon Lessons (right) in their 3-0 victory against Uitvlugt. The first weekend of play in the Milo under-18 schools’ football tournament concluded yesterday at the Ministry of Education Schools’ Sports Complex ground on Carifesta Avenue yesterday with three matches being contested. The results of the tournament’s second day featured a 2-2 draw between South Ruimveldt Secondary and Charlestown Secondary along with a massive 10-0 triumph for Masters’ Academy against Queenstown and Sir Leon Lessons defeated Uitvlugt 3-0 in round robin action of the tournament which is also being supported by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) with the theme: “There is no excuse for violence.” Calvin Peters scored six goals in Masters Academy demolition of Queenstown. He was
supported ably by Tyrone Khan who bagged a brace and Merriheo Eastman along with Isaiah Anderson who both netted once. Scoring for Charlestown in the dramatic 22 draw were Raymond Bandhu in the 8th minute and Robert Downes with a 21st minute, first half strike. After being 2-0 down, South fought back through Negal Mc Bean in the 25th minute and Jamal Nedd with a goal in the 41st and the game remained with that scoreline through the remainder of the first and second half of the match. Julian Bamfield, Zian Gray and Shamar Carrington each scored once as the experienced Sir Leon Lessons unit made light work of Uitvlugt Secondary. Action continues next weekend with six more matches.
Golden State record close win over Celtics
Despite disappointment, GBA Head... From page 35 What the General Assembly of ABIA has done is to support that fact that we have turned to a new corner and the expectations are very high,” said Ninvalle. “I think that we continue to work with the unity that we have and I can say without fear of being contradicted that the unity that the Caribbean has shown is envied across the board and we will continue to work with each other and to see ways whereby we can support and shoulder each other,” stated Ninvalle. There is a training camp in Trinidad where most of the Caribbean Countries are going and Guyana will be a part of that. “That’s how we will continue as a Caribbean, the unity drive will continue and hopefully we get more fuel for the Unity Vehicle,” said the GBA top man. Guyana and Jamaica were the only CARICOM members who were represented at
this Meeting in Dubai out of 109 nations that were there. Guyana has the best Amateur pugilists in the Caribbean and according to Ninvalle the GBA has had a structured programme to ensure they continue to dominate, which it has shared with the NSC and the GOA. “I believe we (GBA) are one of maybe two Sporting Associations that would have submitted four-year plans to the GOA and NSC. This is not guess work … we have a structured way we are going about developing talent,” Ninvalle assured. Local Boxers are presently in training for the Central American Qualifiers which will be held in Mexico in March and for the Commonwealth Games in Australia’s Gold Coast early in April. “We have also submitted a detailed plan to prepare for the Commonwealth Games to the GOA and are awaiting word from them now,” Ninvalle concluded.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 49 points. Sporting News — Golden State held off Boston at Oracle Arena, winning by a final score of 109-105. Stephen Curry (season-high 49 points) and Kyrie Irving (37 points on 13of-18 shooting) stole the show, trading shots back and forth throughout the game. Curry had 33 points in the second half alone to push the Warriors to the win and get a little payback
after a loss to the Celtics back in November. Kevin Durant scored 20 points after sitting early with foul trouble, and Draymond Green had a nice all-around game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Jaylen Brown gave the Celtics an efficient 20 points in 35 minutes, and Al Horford posted a doubledouble with 15 points and 13 rebounds.