Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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

EDITORIAL

HAVING RESOURCES: A CURSE OR A BLESSING? “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”— Sir Winston Churchill. These words could apply to Venezuela, which is a socialist country that is today sharing its miseries. Venezuela is one of the most blessed countries. It is endowed with more oil deposits than most countries in the world and the quality of its crude is very good, requiring less refining. Venezuela has eight times the oil reserves of Nigeria, which is beset with problems such as a bloated bureaucracy, oil theft, kidnapping and terrorism. Yet Nigeria produces more oil than Venezuela today. It is estimated that Venezuela has about US$14.3 trillion in natural resources. But its abundance seems to be a curse? As a resource-rich country, Venezuela is in the throes of a political and economic crisis with shortages of basic goods and soaring inflation. Many are starving because there is no food and no money to buy any more. Venezuelans are dying because most medications are no longer available and many doctors have migrated. Its currency is worthless. It cost 3,000 bolivars to buy US$1. Inflation is at 1,500 percent, and creditors are not being paid. And the death toll from anti-government protests since April has reached 100. While Venezuela has an abundance of resources curse, unfortunately, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are not blessed with any resources. Japan is a crowded country that is mostly of volcanic rock. It has no natural resources and its soil is very poor. As if that was not enough, in August 1945 the US dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tens of thousands died, buildings were destroyed and the environment suffered greatly. Today, Japan is one of the great industrial miracles. Apart from being the world’s largest auto manufacturer, it produces electronic devices, computers, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals aerospace equipment and is a leading shipbuilder. Like Japan, South Korea is also an industrial miracle. In the 1970s, it was described by the World Bank as being of “African Standard” which is the code for “broke.” Unfortunately for South Korea, the mineral resources on the Korean peninsula are all in North Korea whose leader is busy trying to build nuclear weapons to destroy everybody else, rather than develop the country. Today, South Korea is one of the world’s leading industrial giants producing semi-conductors, automobiles, wireless telecommunications and ship-building. It exports US$552 billion of goods annually, and unlike North Korea, it is engaged in a massive economic expansion programme. Venezuela is 1,300 times the size of Singapore, which is about the size of Berbice. Singapore is not endowed with natural resources. It imports water from neighbouring Malaysia. But it has one of the most prosperous and advanced economies in the world. In 2016, it exported goods totaling US$415 billion, while Venezuela cannot even find US$5 billion to pay its debts. While the resource-rich countries are not benefitting from their natural endowments, those without are prospering. Why are the countries in Africa and Latin America not benefitting from their natural resources which is estimated to be in the hundreds of trillions of dollars compared to US$45 trillion for the US? Would the recent discovery of oil be a blessing or a curse for Guyana? Time will tell. One of the reasons for the spectacular achievements of the Asian countries is due to their importing and manufacturing of raw materials. A second reason is the Asian countries realized that they were poor and had no choice but to work with what they had. Not only is it easier to find a needle in a haystack than to find illiterate persons in these countries, but their citizens are also highly trained. However, many underdeveloped countries have flirted with socialism which subsequently failed. And even though they are still struggling, their leaders have become instant millionaires and billionaires. Having resources seems to be a curse for these countries.

Wednesday July 26, 2017

Ralph Ramkarran will never apologize to inferior quality DEAR EDITOR, It would seem to me, Mr. Harris that the Kaieteur News has set out to embarrass one of the most gifted lawyers and one of the most gifted politicians this country has produced. I refer to Senior Counsel, Ralph Ramkarran. How else do you explain that last Saturday, you carried Mr. Ramkarran’s legal warning to you to retract some sections of one of Mr. Freddie Kissoon’s column, then the very next day, you counteract that effect by carrying Kissoon’s version. Then in the most unsavoury way, accused Senior Counsel at “attempts at dishonesty.” It is clear as day that your star columnist threatened you with withdrawal of labour and you cowered to save your dying circulation. There was a time when your tabloid warrior ruled the seas. Every PPP mistake you turned into bold headlines. Time has caught up with you. The Guyana Times has replaced you as numero uno. Every mistake of the corrupt, incompetent, Coalition Government, the Guyana Times exposes and you are left behind. Your star columnist is all you have left so you submit to his threats. We are well aware that Kissoon

threatened to leave the Kaieteur News if you didn’t carry his version and which was just mediocre rambling. There are two issues involved here of which the Kaieteur News cannot comprehend. The first one is a valid mistake in which Senior Counsel got two paragraphs in Kissoon’s column mistaken. For that Kissoon is demanding an apology from Senior Counsel. Does Mr. Kissoon know who he is dealing with? He should know his place in the scheme of things. Ralph Ramkarran would never apologize to inferior q u a l i t y. I t i s b e y o n d Kissoon’s wildest expectation to think Senior Counsel would grant him the respect he so graves. The second issue is Mr. Kissoon’s silly contention that in his legal letter to you Mr. Harris, Senior Counsel did not mention the nisi orders of the court. He was on valid ground not to. The orders were paper notices for purpose of court records. They carried no jurisdictional authority. The two orders of Justice Pattterson served to notify the university that it could be compelled to reinstate Dr. Kirton. They did not order his

reinstatement. Senior was in his right to notify the university to ignore them. Kissoon is holding on to what he is ignorant of – law. At the time he was guided by Anil Nandlall and Khemraj Ramjattan. A call to Mr. Nandlall over the weekend revealed that though he would not deny writing the university he has no recollection of so doing. He also went on to state that he does not wish to get involved in the controversy since he has the greatest respect for Ramkarran and none for Kissoon. Mr Khemraj Ramjattan did pen an open disagreement at the time (2005) with the advice Senior Counsel gave the University. His letter was more political than legally argumentative. It was designed to criticize Mr. Ramkarran not for his legal ability but his politics because at the time, Ralph Ramkarran was the most senior and admired politician in the PPP despite Mr. Jagdeo being president. The Kaieteur News sought over the weekend the views of Roysdale Forde on the meaning of the nisi order. Couldn’t the paper search on better grounds? This is the lawyer who lost the Jagdeo two terms limits case in both

the High Court and the Court of Appeal and no doubt will lose it in the CCJ. F i n a l l y, K i s s o o n documents a twenty year period of disagreement with Senior Counsel. He mentioned that Senior Counsel sued the paper and to stop the law suit, Senior Counsel wrote the apology himself. This is standard practice in the withdrawal of libel writs which Kissoon is ignorant of. A litigant in agreeing to drop the case would opt to write the apology just to make sure it conforms to what is required. Kissoon also stated that Senior Counsel wanted Mr. Glen Lall to fire him, Kissoon. It is the other way around. Senior Counsel spoke to Mr. Lall about a glaring libelous opinion in one of Kissoon’s column. It was Mr. Lall who expressed regrets to Senior Counsel of retaining Kissoon and made the decision to fire him. That was not a request of Senior Counsel. For the record, Ralph Ramkarran did not request Glen Lall to dismiss Freddie Kissoon. Mr. Ramkarran would never stoop to that level because Kissoon was never important in his book. T. Karran

Grading the City Council Administration DEAR EDITOR, After observing for more than two years now, how the capital of Guyana, Georgetown is being administered, I feel compelled to issue a report card of the performance of the Town Clerk who is its Chief Administrative Officer. Accountability: F A big fat F in this area as the citizens still await the effecting of a comprehensive forensic audit of the Council’s accounting and human resource records dating back to 1994. Transparency: F A definite fail grade in this area with the hiding of the parking meter contract from the citizenry and even the Councillors themselves with the exception of the Fantastic Four, for doling out massive contracts to friends without bidding or adhering to tender board procedures and for travelling frequently without even notifying the

Council Credibility: F Since the single sourcing of the Parking Meter Company without consultation, and the renting of portable toilets at 82,000 each per month, damages the credibility of the individual and the Georgetown Municipality as a whole, an F would have to be given for this area. Competence: F His initial failure to carry out a directive from Cabinet which had asked the .Council to suspend the parking meter by laws, the continual bankruptcy of .the Council and the dilapidated state of all municipal buildings headed by City Hall itself in which he proudly sits would earn him a super F. Caring Nature: F In this area he gets an F for his ill treatment of the vendors who have been .bullied and chased from pillar to post, for his abuse of the Cosmetologists .who

have been dumped on the Merriman’s Mall in what is now a shantytown, and for the exploitation of Council’s workers that he pays late almost every month and fails to give them proper tools and equipment to work with. Blaming others for their incompetence: A. For this subject The Town Clerk passes with flying colours as he is well known for blaming the citizens for the heaps of garbage around the city rather than himself for failing to pay the contractors and the City Constabulary for not charging litterbugs, for blaming the weather patterns for continuous flooding rather than the shoddy work done by his ‘special’ contractor and his engineers who failed to maintain the integrity of the drainage system Ability to Think Strategically: F This individual actually earned an F minus in this area

as rather than thinking practically and strategically he instead dreams up some irrational, far-fetched and impracticable ideas such as deploying drones to keep an eye in the sky over the vendors, to set up a petting zoo and presidential park on the Merriman’s Mall and to build modern shopping malls in the city even though City Hall is supposedly broke. Hiring Top Talent: F Nepotism, Cronyism and Favoritism are the hallmarks of this gentleman’s term in office. Ability, experience, knowledge and competence are not prerequisites for a job there, instead what is required is that you be a church pal to the gang, a relative to a senior officer of the Council or a friend of one of the big enchiladas at City Hall. All in all, this individual has been an enormous failure that has resulted in the city becoming a failed, bankrupt, garbage infested, unlivable. Riley Matthews

Wednesday July 26, 2017

Kaieteur News

THE AMBIENCE OF THE AGRICOLA ARCH NEEDS TO BE LANDSCAPED DEAR EDITOR, The insensitivity and crudity of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown becomes evident the moment one enters our capital city. A major private sector entity and beverage giant was kind enough to have constructed, imported and installed a beautiful arch at the entrance of our city in Agricola to welcome visitors entering our city on the East Bank of Demerara, which would have cost them a significant amount of money. This arch which is just over a

year old was launched with much pomp and fanfare which was attended by many persons including personnel from the Georgetown Municipality. Regrettably however, since the installation of this arch on the occasion of Guyana’s Golden Jubilee., the municipality has done nothing to maintain the surrounding area. What a shame! How could a municipality after receiving such a wonderful gift at no cost and with no strings attached, have not the decency to send a brush

cutter operator, nor their favourite contractor to just manicure the area at the two bases of the arch on a fortnightly basis?. Instead it is perennially overgrown with thick bushes, tall wild grass and littered with debris. Surely the members of the Fantastic Four on their frequent trips to and from the CBJ International Airport as they go on their recurrent junkets overseas, must notice this neglect, or is it that they don’t care? Have they not observed the scrupulous maintenance that is undertaken to arches and

monuments overseas as they jaunt around the world aimlessly? It would seem as though they are awaiting the beverage company that installed the arch to also weed the grass and clear the bushes as well. Why do we have a municipality with nearly a thousand workers and one that spends hundreds of millions of dollars each month on salaries, contractors, overseas trips and on fuel etc. is anyone’s guess when they simply cannot even maintain a gift to the city. Sean Levius

Ramjattan is a square peg in a round hole DEAR EDITOR, A former Commissioner of Police doing immigration. A former Investment banker doing ambassadorship in India. These men are working out of their areas of training and expertise. Running a government is about recruiting skilled and competent people. Bureaucracies must be managed to deliver goods and services efficiently. All sound political and management principles we had learned and inherited from the British colonial masters have been thrown out the window. And, we as a nation became bungling and backward. I am in New Delhi purchasing rugs. Salesman threw out one and said price is $5,000; another $3,500; and yet another $2,000. The cheapest looked prettier and more aesthetic to my eyes. I have no idea how to evaluate rugs. Salesman said to look under the rug for stitches per square inch, the more stitches the more expensive. Minister Ramjattan is touring Camp street prison and Lusignan improvised holding facility. Knowing nothing about prison control and safety - like

me knowing nothing about rugs - Ramjattan simply did not know what the hell he was looking at. A disaster was waiting to happen but he could not see it. He could have asked his subordinates simple questions and he would have gotten answers to enhance his understanding of the problem - but he didn’t. Some managers ask a lot of questions; they are “a quick study” and they make good managerial decisions. Some folks are too lazy. They will screw-up every time. The very definition of Guyanese politics works against competency. You were a good organizer, loyal to the party - but have no formal or technical education or training - and you will get a Ministerial job. This nation called Guyana will pay a huge price for this crazy politics. By the way the real price for the $5,000 pricetagged rug was $1,500. Like me a tourist waiting to be scammed, Ramjattan a Cabinet Minister waiting to be exposed as a square peg neatly fitted in a round hole. Mike Persaud

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH A RACIST WAS ON THE WORLD’S OLDEST SHIP DEAR EDITOR, It was the tail end of the year 2002, when the world’s oldest passenger ship at that time- MV Doulos, suddenly showed up in my town (Port Harcourt, Nigeria). “Were they lost or were we headed for another round of slave trade?” I naively queried, as an eleven year old who was getting up to speed with History classes. MV Doulos, wasn’t exactly as glamorous as the Titanic, but it was certainly worth the hype. Schools within the town, took turns visiting the Doulos ship which was said to be two years younger than the Titanic, but still going strong, and was on a mission of ‘bringing books to the people.’ Their target audience was obviously the young academic population. As a Junior Secondary student of a highly religious school which was owned by the Methodist Church of Nigeria (where stringent rules were adequately served for consumption morning and night), I had obtained the “permission stick” as it was fondly called, to give my trip to the toilet the required official covering to steer clear

of punishment. En route the toilet, I walked pass the Principal’s office, but stepped backwards to greet, since the door wasn’t entirely shut. What I saw was rather strange, amusing and remarkably stunning! Madam Principal, had cunningly transferred the contents of her Guinness Small Stout into a Coca-Cola bottle, and was on the verge of concealing the empty alcoholic beverage when we had an epic eye contact! What transpired afterwards, I won’t entirely recount here, but fast-forward a little... I was “unnegotiantingly” selected alongside the brighter kids, for the much anticipated excursion to Doulos (regardless of my faulty grades and poor social skills), and just so we’re clear, she wasn’t blackmailed into doing it, at least, not exactly! Being a desirous kid with huge Hollywood dreams, the reality of walking into the world’s oldest ship, wasn’t anything short of a slice of heaven. Lots of white people roaming free, “If only they knew how much I love them,” I muttered to myself. About three or four white men (of which one was either Korean

or Japanese) stood by the hallway, ushering visitors in with a handshake. While waiting for my turn to grab my own portion of the pleasantries (being the last and the most excited person in the queue), I noticed the Korean/Japanese attendant was a bit reluctant to give a firm grip or maintain eye contact with the people he shook hands with. He barely even touched their hands! My excitement had lessened at this point, and developed into a silent tantrum. Not knowing what racism was all about as an eleven year old, I made up my mind to teach him a lesson. Finally, it got to my turn. I shook hands with the other nice white guys and they

responded with a gorgeous smile (what’s more terrific than that?). The Japanese/ Korean guy was next. As usual, he hardly made eye contact with me, and was about withdrawing his hand after barely touching mine, when I held on firmly to it with the strongest grip my tiny muscle could afford, squeezed his fingers a little and hurriedly walked into the hall with an evil smirk on my face and without looking back. I couldn’t help but imagine the shock on his face, wondering what the heck all that was about. Deep down, I knew I had done wrong, but a better part of me still felt quite satisfied. Nimi Princewill Nigerian-born writer and social reformer

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Rogue traffic cops at Grove Police Station DEAR EDITOR, I just on Tuesday, July 25 witnessed police officers harassed a taxi driver who was taking me home from Diamond to Craig in the most obscene and unprofessional way. He demanded all his papers after a so called “routine stop” and then demanded all his cash even after all his documents were legitimate. Please dear Kaieteur News, warriors of truth, Grove Police Station is a cesspool of corruption. Defend us! Help Us! Expose them! Fed up Citizen EDITOR’S NOTE: We received this letter without a name. There was no mention of the taxi license number so our reporters could make contact. These types of investigations need citizen to come forward so that the Police Complaints Authority could have something to work with

Latecomers should not be allowed in while the speaker is talking DEAR EDITOR, The Minister of Finance had reason to sound a warning to officials who show little respect for time and timeliness. It seems acceptable for persons to be strolling into events after the official start. This is plain disrespectful and should not be tolerated. I have found that it is useful in notices for the convening of meetings, conferences, workshops and other staff engagements to indicate that participants must be seated at least fifteen minutes before the official commencement. Late comers should not be allowed in until a suitable and appropriate time in the programme allows it. Certainly not while the guest speaker is on the floor/at the podium. Shamshun Mohamed

UG Diaspora conference is a promising one DEAR EDITOR, Praise must be given to the University of Guyana [UG] organized Diaspora Engagement Conference. UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith is spot on in saying that he is not only looking for financial investments, but also social investment, which will benefit the university and the nation as a whole. Professor Griffith should seriously consider the inclusion of political investment....the investment which offers the most developmental opportunities to our nation.The Diaspora awaits. Faiya Z

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 26, 2017

Time for a game change in America Where is the Cricket DEAR EDITOR, Law enforcement continues the inordinate use of lethal force against people of color. A cure is urgently needed, not a diagnosis. History has proven to be the most astute educator. It is now absolutely clear that the American justice system will give blacks as much justice as a wolf would give to a flock of sheep. Like the wolf, the system has completely devoured Blacks. Then again, what do Blacks expect now if they were not even considered by the initial designers of America’s system of jurisprudence? There is something about the rampant gun culture in America, wherein we are witnesses to the reaction following mass shootings, the total sum of homicides in this country and notwithstanding a really contumacious insistence upon a reactionary fundamentalist version of the Second Amendment. On top of everything Philandro Castile was guilty of nothing more than taking at face value the same Second Amendment and identifying himself to Officer Jeronimo Yanez as a registered weapon holder. Instead it resulted in him being killed, fatally shot. The message is clear; these principles in the U.S are

not made for nor do they apply to us. America may be the home of the free but free to be, not for blacks you see. And so I think it sends a message here that these principles really are not made with us (Blacks) in mind. How much longer will we protest and march, waiting for oranges to fall from an apple tree? The back to back exonerations of police officers responsible for the deaths of black men serve as exclamation points. The more we protest, the more we march, the more we scream Black Lives matter, the more we witness black lives being lost with no justice gained. Marching for justice will never produce enough justice nor will writing about justice. Decades later and American society has failed to agree that a particular form of evil is wrong, not to mention any displayed effort working towards rectification or remediation. Again, as prior stated, what is necessary now is a cure and not a diagnosis. The shooting of Philandro Castile caught the nation’s attention last summer, at a time when it was already trying to come to grips with heightened emotions over police shootings. A jury reached the known verdict, adding the name of another black to the stack.

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

While better police training, improved deescalation techniques and body cameras may limit the number of people being shot, what cannot be picked are fairminded juries and the assurance that the prosecutors will put the best case forward. The nub of the matter lies in the fact that even in the face of widespread concern all over the U.S.A regarding the disproportionate shootings of unarmed black men, convictions of the boys in blue or whatever hue have been rare- even in high profile deaths that inspired country wide protests. Even the launching of the Black Lives Matter Movement three years ago have not been effective in bringing about any change or semblance of change. Yes, at stake is sanity of Black America or more aptly put Back America. In 2017 America every black individual especially males are just one run-in with the wrong police officer away from receiving the same treatment as a runaway slave. Documented evidence reveals that the American justice system and the media always treat black people with the most suspicion and the harshest brutality, from traffic stop to death row, from the cradle to the grave. The fact that cannot be factored out is that police unions rally around their own. So in order to prevent the

ongoing police onslaught, and work towards a cure for the known diagnosis we must move differently— change gears. We must reclaim our power. If the police can stick together and win even in the face of blatant sin, then we must unite and get in the fight. We must now become the helpers and protectors at all costs to prevent further lives being lost. Let us then without fail tell especially our males how their lives could be saved if they learn how they should behave when encountering the law. No need to act bold only move when told, for the police officer is in full control and try as they might they would never be right. And as for the garments they wear, avoid the ones that produce fear, remember Trayvon Martin and his hoodie. Dress to look your best but not to put cultural sensitivity to the test. Each time the police encounters a Black male the same story emerges, he fears for his life, for the Black man may have a gun or a knife. The Black man never lives to tell his side of the story, for even if he was standing his ground, he would still dead be found. A game change and mentality alteration is a must if Blacks are to avoid biting the dust at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. Yvonne Sam

Complaint against Magistrate Judy Latchman DEAR EDITOR, I hereby ask the public and the leaders of our justice system to look into the functions of Judy Latchman’s court. She serves justice in a way that degrades the lives of our young people. She believes that her own judgement is superior to the laws of Guyana. She is playing a cat and mouse game with the justice system and shows favoritism in the court rooms. I want to describe things that I see in this lady’s court but I am afraid the paper will not publish them. Is this how the courts operate? She plays ‘Throw de dice’ with life and death situations. A concerned citizen

Administration Bill?

DEAR EDITOR, Over a number of years, court matters were either filed by area Boards or Associations and this had prevented the potential of Guyana’s cricket to go forward at national and international levels. Our youths were mostly the ones to suffer. In 2014, the Cricket Administration Bill was enacted which to my understanding must be an independent body elected to run Guyana Cricket; to date this never happened. As a former administrator of cricket, I appeal to all true representative of cricket boards, associations, clubs, sport’s lawyers and enthusiastic lovers of the game to arrange a meeting at the Guyana National Stadium and let voices be heard. This will justify the matter before the Court. Cricket Lovely Cricket is a great game of uncertainty. Let the true spirit return to Guyana. Parmanand Ram

Conflict of interest in football administration DEAR EDITOR, In 2017 Digicel School Football tournament has a new coordinator who’s son plays for Chases Academy. Our school, Uitvlugt Secondary was scheduled to have a bye after we won our region and Chases to play Waramadong School. The new coordinator switched this around to give Chases the bye instead, so Chases would not have to face power house Waramadong. I am not making any statement at all on his character so I want to be clear on this so there can be no issue here. I don’t know the gentleman so I cannot make any claim on wrong doing on his part,. I am just writing on what actually took place. I am writing on the decision made. Is this not conflict of interest and unfair treatment of Uitvlugt Secondary? This is tarnishing Digicel reputation as a fair company. Supporter of Uitvlugt Secondary

Mechanic spoiling the appearance of Ruimzeight Gardens DEAR EDITOR, As a property owner at 36 Ocean View Drive, Ruimzeight Gardens, Ruimzeight, West Coast, Demerara, my complaint is on a situation that was over looked by Central Housing and other authorities and has now gotten out of hand. A motor mechanic work shop is being operated by a tenant at lot 35, that has drastically reduced the pristine appearance of the area to a slum, with grass on the narrow road where vehicles are parked, tarpaulin hanging from the house to the fence, over growth of grass, a filthy yard that depress the value of properties and impinge on good health. Please visit with your camera, do contact the office at the front of the scheme and property owners who may be around. It is time that your handling of this matter be a wakeup call to Central Housing and the Regional Authorities - FOR YOUR CHGAMBER POT SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN THE SITTING ROOM, Mervyn Wray

Wednesday July 26, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Guyana’s EITI application set for August Head of the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI), Dr. Rudy Jadoopat, has confirmed that Guyana will be submitting its application in August. In an interview with this newspaper recently, Jadoopat said that this is being done so that Guyana can be in time for the EITI meeting coming up in October, where it is expected that its application will be approved. Jadoopat said that once all goes well, Guyana should be submitting its first report as an implementing country of the EITI Standard by April 2019. He told Kaieteur News that he has indeed noted the concerns of the media regarding the application and when this will be submitted. He said that the local charter has also observed and made note of, concerns of other stakeholders regarding its role in the issue for contract disclosure. In this regard, Jadoopat says that there isn’t much that the local charter can do at this point. He said that once Guyana becomes part of EITI, “everything else will fall into place.” 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

- Local Director

GYEITI Head, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat 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. Jadoopat explained that Guyana must be praised for intensifying its efforts, in recent years, to satisfy 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 that this will continue. Furthermore, Jadoopat said that Guyana has stepped up in achieving meaningful progress towards eligibility to apply for EITI candidacy. He noted that the coalition government has since reaffirmed the country’s commitment to EITI and announced the establishment of the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Following this was the appointment of a National Coordinator and a Deputy Coordinator on February 1, last. A Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), which is one of the requirements of EITI, was offi-

cially launched on February 15, last. Jadoopat explained that the MSG GYEITI is comprised of 12 members, nominated by Civil Society, the Extractive Industry and Government in the ratio 4:4:4. He said that there are also 12 alternates; one for each member from the respective sectors. Additionally, the National Coordinator said that the MSG GYEITI has agreed to hold regular meetings, at least once a month. He noted that Sub- Groups have been formed to actively engage in finalizing Terms of Reference, a Confidentiality Agreement and a Work Plan. “Barring any unforeseen obstacles, The Cooperative Republic of Guyana can become an EITI candidate before the end of 2017. Additionally, in order to set the stage to implement the EITI Standard nationally, measures will be taken to assist the MSG in making decisions on how the EITI process should work in Guyana,” Jadoopat expressed. He said that other measures will see moves being made to embark on compre-

hensive data and information compilation on the governance of the extractive sectors of Guyana, preparation of regular reports and issuance of recommendations for improving sector governance. The National Coordinator said that efforts will also be geared towards the design of a comprehensive public awareness campaign to promote and explain the work of the Guyana EITI and also inform public debate and seek recommendations. Jadoopat also noted that the Multi-Stakeholder approach is central to the operation and philosophy of the EITI, as it reflects on how the GYEITI is governed and implemented. He said that the GYEITI Multi-Stakeholder Group, like in other EITI countries, has been established to oversee EITI implementation. “The MSG is the main decision-making body responsible for setting objectives for EITI implementation, producing EITI Reports and ensuring that the findings contribute to public debate. A fully functioning MSG is essential for Guyana to be accepted as an EITI Candidate country and for the successful EITI implementation thereafter,” the National Coordinator as-

serted. He continued, “The EITI Standard contains some minimum requirements related to the role, rights and responsibilities of the MSG that can help ensure efficient MSG oversight of the EITI implementation process.” Jadoopat added that the government, as stipulated in the International EITI Standard 1.4, has committed to working with Civil Society and Companies. The official said that the government has been instrumental in ensuring that the preconditions for EITI candidacy are satisfied. 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.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 26, 2017

Mentally-ill man shot after mistaken for prison escapee

Soldiers in front the prison yesterday.

Up to press time, doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital were preparing to operate on a 36-year-old man who was shot by the police yesterday in Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The victim, Charles Peters of Lot 184 Melanie, East Coast Demerara, and a former rank from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was shot to the right arm and back around 12:30 hrs. According to information received, the police received information that an “untidy looking” man, wearing old clothes, with what seemed to be mud on his skin, was seen in Annandale. Ranks immediately went to the location where they saw the individual, who began running from them—this resulted in the lawmen opening fire and hitting the man. Upon getting a closer look, residents in the area later identified the victim as someone of unsound mind who did odd jobs for persons in the same village he was shot. One of the man’s siblings, who declined to give her name, said that after leaving the army, the father of two went to neighbouring Suriname to spend some time. It was when he returned to Guyana that he developed mental issues. She could not say what really transpired, other than receiving a call from someone who informed her that the man had been shot. Ranks from the Guyana Police Force’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) are investigating the matter. At least two ranks were seen visiting the former GDF rank at the hospital, but he was unconscious. Divisional commander, Calvin Brutus could not be reached for a comment yesterday, but ranks in his division confirmed that OPR is dealing with the matter. Meanwhile, heavily-armed police ranks and soldiers were called to the Camp Street Prison around 08:30 yesterday after it was reported that the 86 high-profile inmates taken there Monday night from the pasture at the Lusignan Prison, were trying to break out. The inmates are being housed in the concrete building, which was renovated after the fire on July 09, last—it was the only standing structure after the blaze was extinguished. It is unclear as to what led to

Mistaken for prison escapee, Charles Peters the inmates behaving in such a disorderly manner yesterday. According to information received, the prisoners removed mattresses from iron beds in the cells and started banging at the walls of the building and threatening to burn the prison once again. When this newspaper arrived yesterday, fire tenders were seen at the four corners of the prison as well as soldiers and heavilyarmed police ranks. Kaieteur News was informed that four prisoners, who were identified as the ring leaders, were subsequently placed in one cell where they were given mattresses with no frames. The 86 prisoners were taken to Camp Street after 13 of their fellow inmates dug their way out of the pasture at Lusignan Prison sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning. Seven of those inmates have since been recaptured.

Wednesday July 26, 2017

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Kaieteur News

After the damage has been done Nothing better exemplifies the incompetence of the government’s public relations than the statement which it issued on July 22, 2017, attempting to refute the assertion that the President rejected the interpretation by Chief Justice (ag.) Roxanne George, of Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana. The release began by stating that the Ministry of the Presidency refuted the assertion that the President had rejected the ruling. But then it goes on, in the same paragraph, to contradict its own statement when it said that any commentary to the contrary is a deliberate misrepresentation. This means that it is saying that any commentary contrary to the view that the President has rejected the ruling was a misrepresentation. The release from the Ministry of the Presidency goes on to state that what the President said is that he will continue (emphasis mine) to

act in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution. But does not the ruling of the Chief Justice actually reject the President’s interpretation of the Constitution? This entire imbroglio was created when the President sought to suggest that any ‘fit and proper’ person must be a former judge. The Chief Justice (ag.) has rejected that such a qualification exists. The position of the President was later qualified to read that a non-judge may be selected as a fit and proper person, but that preference has to be given to a judge, and that the person selected must have qualities including that of intelligence, impartiality and independence. The President therefore cannot continue to act as he has been acting, because the Court has rejected two of the principal grounds on which he was acting, namely, that the person has to be a judge or that preference should be

DEM BOYS SEH...

given to a judge. The release instead of clarifying just what the President means when he says he will continue to act in accordance with the Constitution goes on, instead, to quote the President as saying that “I will continue to act within my perception of the Constitution, that is to say, that I will not appoint somebody that I do not consider fit and proper.” The President’s prerogative to appoint someone he considers ‘fit and proper’ was never in question. In the final analysis, it is the President who has to choose someone whom he considers as ‘fit and proper’. However, he cannot disqualify nonjudges from consideration. The release, ill-advisedly, goes on to state that the Chief Justice’s ruling is based on her perception of Article 161(2). When a court rules, it is not ruling on the perception of the judge. It is a definitive interpretation of the law. The issue of the judge’s

Prison escapees put junkies under threat Now is not de time to be a junkie; now is not de time to be mad man and surely now is not de time do jog or run pun de road. Once you is any of dem things or you do dem things, then either de people or de police gun tek you fuh one of de escape prisoners. De last set dig a hole like a rat and bore out of de pasture at Lusignan. De police start hunt dem down and before you could seh cock robin seven of dem get ketch. And de police tun up de steam fuh ketch de rest. Somebody see a man pun de East Coast. De person don’t live in de area but he call police and tell dem how he see escape prisoner. De police corner de man and wid de drugs in he head he mek fuh run. He get one bullet. Is then de people come out and tell de police that dem now de man, that he is a junkie. And while de people talking to de police de junkie guh to run again. He get more bullet in ee tail. Now he deh in de hospital wheh de doctors fighting wid him.

De dust barely settle when some more people call to seh how dem see to wanted men in de cemetery. De police respond wid speed because everybody ant dem people off de street. Most of dem commit murder and like de bull and de slaughter house (de animal don’t care wheh he mess when he going to d slaughter house) these escapees got people nervous because dem know that these boys ain’t got problems killing people. When de police rush into de cemetery is two more junkie sleeping by a tomb. Is a good thing dem was sleeping because if dem did run, don’t ask. Dem boys seh today wasn’t a day to be a junkie or a mad man. But somebody not thinking. By now dem prisoners either find family and change dem clothes or dem thief some people clothes from dem clothes line. That way dem wouldn’t look like a junkie or a mad man. Talk half and watch how dem junkie gun keep off de road.

perception is a misnomer. There is no perception. Until overturned by a higher court, the judge’s ruling stands and must be complied with. But APNU has a history of trying to disregard court rulings as it did, for example, with the ruling on whether the opposition could have cut the Budget Estimates. It is an insult to the Chief Justice to say that she ruled in accordance with her perception of Article 161(2). She ruled and her ruling stands, until overturned, as the definitive interpretation of the law. There is no perception here. The President’s words in response to the ruling may have been poorly chosen. That is human. His words may have led to an interpretation which he did not intend. This is also human. When it was clear that the choice of words was going to interpreted in the way that it was, the Ministry of the Presidency should have immediately issued a clarification that the

President in no way intended to suggest that he was not going to act in accordance with the ruling. Instead the PR personnel of the Ministry of the Presidency allowed this issue to fester, until persons and organizations began to express alarm over what the President said. The President’s PR people were not on the ball and this led to this hubbub. It just goes to underscore the point, which has been

made from a number of quarters, that the PR machinery of the Presidency needs revamping. It is too reactive. It is in response mode, and in so doing is merely doing damage control. It needs to be more proactive.

Exxon finds more oil... (From page 3) Guyanese are yet to be told how the government intends to validate the costs ExxonMobil has incurred. This is important, as the possibility of inflated cost cannot be ruled out. Hughes said, “There is also an absence of any information on key variables, including life of the project in years, the total investment, the annual fixed cost per year, estimated cost of a barrel of oil for the project, and whether any duties, tax concessions were granted.” The media, which also forms part of civil society, has been asking questions but still cannot get information. For instance, the Minister of State was asked to disclose the names of the lead negotiators that have represented Guyana’s interest so far. His response was, “Those names are still under wraps.”

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Wednesday July 26, 2017

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN...

Magistrate jails man for stealing cigarettes Magistrate Leron Daly jailed Rohan Chand for nine months for stealing cigarettes. No fine was imposed. No community service ordered. This sentence comes two weeks after one of the world’s worst prison fires - inmates burnt down the central prison and the staff club in Guyana. After the July 9 arson there was consensus in the society, including the government leaders, that jail for non-violent crimes and unrealistic bail would be reviewed.

There will be more jail terms as with the cigarette stealer here, time will pass, and there will be another prison inferno in five to ten years’ time. This is life in Dante’s Inferno in a Caribbean/South American country named Guyana. A jeweller was robbed in the Hydronie market in East Bank Essequibo. Persons who witnessed the incident couldn’t get the police on the phone and the police came hours after, and were brought to the scene by the victim’s

relative, who had to go to the station to transport them. Research the newspapers thirty years ago and there will be identical stories. Go back twenty years ago and read the newspapers and you will find startling similarities. Go to Google and read the newspapers five years ago and the situation that the Hydronie victim found himself in, you will see dozens of similar ones. So the logical question is; what changes in this place? I met Orette Cutting at the wake of the Michelle Ramsaroop, wife of Gerhard, who passed away last week. Cutting introduced himself. He writes frequent letters in the newspapers that are eyeopeners. So we chatted, and my pessimistic advice to him was that hardly anything will change in this country. He told me he holds a state job, and I warned him to be careful, because all ruling politicians in this country the past umpteen years have been and are thin-skinned autocrats. Cutting provided some information to the Guyanese people that really startled me.

He wrote that the hours the Brickdam police station allocates for vehicular fitness examination were the same hours forty years ago. The timing hasn’t changed since then. But guess what changed and in a monumental way – the amount of vehicles on the roadways. I will always remember what former High Court judge, William Ramlal, told me in a casual, random conversation on the High Court balcony. He said in the sixties there were about five murder cases during the assizes, but look at the murder cases in one assize in this age – about a hundred (my estimate). Yet the quota of judges in the 21st century is the same as in the sixties. It simply lacerates one’s psyche to think a country can be so stupendously backward. And there is no shortage, since Independence, of citizens who want to be Prime Minister or President. Come 2020 election, the PPP, PNC, AFC and other parties will endure tempestuous internal jostles among contenders for the presidential slot.

There are those who preserved this backward mess and want to lead Guyana again. I can hardly give the current government a pass grade but, in all honesty, how could they have coped with the millions of Augean stables they have inherited from a political party that ruled Guyana for twentythree years. It simply boggles the mind to think that in the 21st century, one organization administered the affairs of a country for 23 years, yet policemen took hours to arrive on a crime scene during those entire twenty-three years; that policemen had to be transported by the victim to the crime scene in all those twenty-three years; that a citizen had to provide transport for a court marshal during those twenty-three years. I read in the news that UG is having a diaspora conference to help the university, and the two keynote speakers are the President and the Chief Whip of the Opposition, Ms. Gail Teixeira. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. This lady was a minister for twenty-

Frederick Kissoon three years. During her tenure, she sat on the Council of the University where her authority was stamped on the university. And in those years, the university declined to the extent that its medical degree lost Caribbean accreditation, a situation which currently obtains. Along with Ms. Teixeira were seven other Councillors who held membership in the ruling party at the time. Of those eight PPP members, six were PPP parliamentarians. Yet the university became a dying ember under Ms. Teixeira’s government. I ask in all sincerity; what can this woman tell the diaspora conference about UG? But more importantly, why does her party want to control Guyana again in 2020?

Wednesday July 26, 2017

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Consultancy proposals submitted for restructuring of prison enterprise As efforts continue to address the many problems plaguing the local prison system, bids were opened yesterday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) for the provision of consultancy service to support the restructuring of the prison enterprise. The procuring entity was the Ministry of Public Security. Accompanying each bid were financial proposals, the value of which were not disclosed.

Bids were also opened for the construction of an office for the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) consultants at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Head Office. The ASYCUDA system is a new computerised system that is expected to address the majority of existing issues at GRA and introduce new features towards improved tax operations.

During the exercise yesterday, bids were opened for a Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) project. The tender was described as the Water Supply and Sanitation Infrastructure Improvement Programme: Rehabilitation and Expansion of Water Treatment Facility at Shelterbelt, Georgetown. According to information from the IDB website, the construction period for this project is 15 months with 12 months defects liability period. There was only one bid that was opened for this project.

Construction of a registration office at Mabaruma

Security services are being procured in Regions two and four by the respective Regional Democratic Councils as a number of bids were opened yesterday for several contractors. Region Two

Region Four

Bids were opened for minor repairs to a shed for the Ministry of Legal Affairs. Bids were also opened for a project being undertaken by the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA). It is for the supply and installation of stand-alone solar photovoltaic systems and supply and installation of LED lighting and associated electrical circuit. The project is being done in two lots.

Three bids were opened for the refurbishing and relocation of master control room for the National Communications Network (NCN).

Further, bids were opened for electrical wiring of the Lethem Power Station. The procuring entity is the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. This project is part of the Hinterland Electrification Company (HECI).

Additionally, bids for three projects for the Ministry of Business were opened. They were for the procurement for renovations to the office building of the National Exhibition Centre, the rainwater drainage system at the main exhibition hall and procurement for rehabilitation of parking lots’ surfaces. Renovations for National Exhibition Centre

Rainwater Drainage System

Parking Lots

Bids for two projects under the Guyana Elections Commission were also opened yesterday. They entail the supply and installation of solar panels and construction of a registration office at Mabaruma, Region one. The supply and installation of solar panels

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Wednesday July 26, 2017

Kaieteur News

Budget 2018 on the road to “conservatism” ...as Finance Minister reveals expenditure pressures mounting Like the 2017 budget, it appears that the 2018 Budget will be one of conservatism. This was alluded to by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, recently, as he said that the 2018 budget is being crafted at a time when domestic revenues and other sources of financing are not

expected to be substantially higher than 2017. Jordan said that Guyanese are well aware of demands by certain groups for removal of one tax or the other. He said that they are also well aware that as a result of the nation’s upper middle income classification,

concessional resources are dwindling. Given the aforementioned, the Finance Minister said, “So, we will have to exert greater effort to widen the tax net through greater efficiency in the administration and collection of taxes.” In this regard, Jordan took th e opportunity to congratulate Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia and his hard-working staff for the work they have been doing to safeguard and collect the country’s revenues. On the other side of the coin, the Finance Minister said that expenditure pressures continue to mount. “For example, in 2018, we have to find new monies to finance Local Government Elections and r e - b u i l d t h e c o u n t r y ’s prison system, even as we

continue to support the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which continues to consume billions of dollars.” When the numbers are crunched, Jordan said, the glaring picture is that lower expectations for revenue, juxtaposed against higher demands for spending, equals bigger budget deficit, which in turn means bigger debt and debt repayments for present and future generations. Given the poor performance of some of the nation’s main traditional sectors such as rice, timber, bauxite and s u g a r, President David Granger had said that the 2017 budget was expected to feature an element of “conservatism”. The President had said, “What we are looking at essentially is institutional sustainability. We want to ensure that our institutions

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan such as the Auditor General’s Office, the Guyana Elections Commission, the Judiciary, various boards and Commissions are functioning efficiently and effectively.” The Head of State had disclosed that the 2017 budget is centred on ensuring financial sustainability. In this regard, Granger noted that some of the

traditional pillars of the economy have not performed as the administration would have hoped. Granger noted, however, that Government has had some success with gold and diamond. In fact, he asserted that Gold production has actually become the backbone of the economy at this time. The President had said, “So we are looking at that type of sustainability. We have to reduce unnecessary expenditure in certain areas and ensure we generate more employment for young people. We have to continue to put money into the social sector to ensure people are happy…” Granger added, “So the key word for the (2017) budget will be sustainability and there will be an element of what I would say is conservatism. There wouldn’t be any loose spending, because as I said, those four important sectors of the economy have underperformed.”

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Over 250 detained juveniles get free legal representation ...as a result of RCC-Legal Aid Clinic partnership

From left: RCC Commissioner, Ms. Sandra Hooper; RCC Youth Representative Suelle-Findlay-Williams; RCC Chief Executive Officer, Amarnauth Panday; Guyana Legal Aid Managing Attorney, Ms. Shellon Boyce and RCC Investigative Officer, Mr. Andre Gonsalves.

In recognition of the fact that more than 90 percent of the youths in lawful custody were being denied legal representation, the Rights of the Child Commission [RCC] in 2015 partnered with the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic to correct this dilemma. This move is one that came into being with financial support from the United Nations Children Fund [UNICEF]. Since the partnership commenced, Managing Attorney at Legal Aid Clinic, Ms. Shellon Boyce, said that “we have been able to, on a weekly basis, visit the Sophia Holding Centre and interview

those juveniles that are in detention.” This move, according to Boyce, has allowed for each child that has passed through the holding facility to receive legal representation. This has, in essence, augmented the Legal Aid representation, since some family members had in the past sought legal representation for youths in detention. Legal Aid has provided an average of 250 children with legal representation and advice, with the majority of cases being wandering and capital offences. Instrumental to the representation process has been the support

forthcoming from the Childcare and Protection Agency’s Probation office, according to Boyce. This level of support was shared with the media during a press conference held at the Peter Rose Street, Queenstown, Georgetown office of the RCC. Speaking at that forum, RCC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Amarnauth Panday, spoke of the genesis of the collaboration with the Legal

Aid Clinic, which he said was prompted by some revelations uncovered during a RCC-initiated Personal Development and Leadership programme. The programme was conducted in 2015 with the children resident at the Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre. Previous to this, it was introduced at the New Opportunity Corps. The programme,

according to Panday, was done largely to equip youths in contact with the law with notions of personal development, so that they can return to their respective communities with the capacity to be productive citizens. “That was the whole objective of the Personal Development and Leadership sessions that we had at the NOC as well as at the Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre,” said Panday. But it was while engaging the children, during which time they were informed of the rights they are entitled to under the Convention of the Rights of the Child [CRC], Panday said, that “we diagnosed a most flagrant breach. The children domiciled at the Holding Centre, awaiting trial in the courts of Guyana, were denied access to Article 40 of the CRC, that is, the access to legal representation.” “This is a serious violation of child rights that was diagnosed by the RCC. Since then using this information that over 90

percent of the children at the Holding Centre were denied or were not even informed that they had this right to legal representation, we have since engaged the various stakeholders in terms of remedying this situation,” Panday divulged. Part of its intervention has included engaging the Guyana Police Force so that police ranks, in arresting children who are suspected to have violated the laws of Guyana, would be informed that they have the right to legal representation. “This is one of the most important things that we have engaged police in all of the divisions of Guyana, informing them that this is a fundamental right of the child – to receive legal representation when they come into contact with law,” the RCC CEO disclosed. The process has been taken even further with the RCC engaging relevant Ministers of Government and other critical stakeholders with a view of ensuring that this “breach” could be Continued on page 15

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Kaieteur News

Separation of juvenile offenders imperative - RCC The fraternisation of juvenile offenders while in detention is a cause for concern. In fact the issue is one that has been so troubling that it has gained the attention of the Rights of the Child Commission [RCC]. Chief Executive Officer Amarnauth Panday’s comment regarding this situation was ventilated yesterday in response to a question posed by this publication about the general detention of youths at the Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre. “We have recommended that some measures of

separation be instituted so that persons who are charged for more serious offences such as murder, should not necessarily be kept in the same location with a child charged for wandering,” said Panday. According to Panday too, the fraternisation situation is not only evident at the Holding Centre, but it has also been observed at the New Opportunity Corps. The RCC’s separation recommendation is one that has been brought to the attention of the relevant Government Ministry and according to Panday, “they

are aware of that need and have endorsed that...it is just a matter of the will to start realising some of these changes and recommendations”. But Panday is convinced that if moves had been made to have the Juvenile Justice Bill tabled and passed in the National Assembly, the possibility of it being an active legislation could have long been a reality. The Juvenile Justice Bill seeks to amend and consolidate the law in relation to criminal justice for juveniles, and generally reforms the juvenile justice system in Guyana by providing for the custody, education and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. “What is taking the Bill so long to be tabled in Parliament?” asked Panday, who noted that the Bill contains alternative punishment for children rather than incarceration to places such as prison and the New Opportunity Corps. “There should be other avenues that are more reforming for the child,” Panday opined. Although it was first initiated in 2004, a draft of the Bill was completed in 2007. The United Nations Children Fund [UNICEF] had

RCC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Amarnauth Panday registered its concerns about legislation currently governing the detention of children. It had pointed out that “a national consultation hosted in early 2006 to address the report on Juvenile Justice made several recommendations which point to revision of the existing legislation and institutional strengthening so that the judiciary, social workers and all who engage children in conflict with the law use the detention facilities for children as last resort.” It was noted too that “improved access to legal aid for adolescents in

conflict with the law, communit- based mediation and alternative dispute resolution are all components of this process.” But although Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, had indicated on multiple occasions that Government is serious about fast-tracking the Juvenile Justice Bill, there is still more work to be done before it can be tabled. This was the observation made by RCC’s Investigative Officer, Mr. Andre Gonsalves. “I am aware that before the Bill is tabled in Parliament, the Minister recommended an economic evaluation done on

it, and that is currently ongoing with UNICEF and the Ministry of Social Protection...so we have to allow that process to happen before we even get into a real fruitful discussion,” said Gonsalves. But even as the nation awaits the passage of the Juvenile Justice Bill, Gonsalves said that the RCC is recommending that consideration be given to the detention of children as contained in the Prisons Act. Currently, the Prisons Act is being reviewed by Professor Duke Pollard so that it can be amended to accommodate the modernisation of the Guyana Prisons. According to Gonsalves, “I would like to make a recommendation for them to amend the part of the Act where persons 17 years old can be housed at Camp Street. That is part of the Prisons Act, and since Professor Pollard is reviewing, he can consider this position from the Rights of the Child Commission. In other words, I would like for them to remove or at least consider removing youth offenders out of the prison system and keep them at the Sophia holding system until they are 18 years old,” Gonsalves asserted.

Wednesday July 26, 2017

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Alleged cutlass-wielding Mason accidentally robbers granted bail shot by security guard Two men who were allegedly armed with cutlasses when they robbed a man of his iPhone appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday charged with robbery underarms. Jamal Barnes, 20, of 1833 Festival City, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and Azuma Small,21, of 74 Campbellville, Georgetown, both denied the charge which alleged that on July 21, at Campbellville, while armed with cutlasses, they robbed Ched Jaijin of an Apple iPhone valued $200,000. The virtual complainant was not present in court. The two men were each released on $20,000 bail and ordered to return to court on August 11, for statements. They were also ordered to report to the Kitty Police Station until determination of the matter. During an application for bail, Attorney-at-Law Euclin Gomes told the court that Small is a construction worker and has no antecedents. The lawyer argued that his client was in custody at the Prashad Nagar Police Station, the day

A 43-year-old mason was shot to the right thigh yesterday after a security guard’s gun accidentally went off at the construction site at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara (ECD) where the Trinidadian-based Movie Towne is being erected. The wounded man has been identified as Leon Moore of 147 South Betterhope, East Coast Demerara. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital and will undergo surgery to remove the bullet. The security guard is presently in police custody. According to information received, Moore and the security guard both work for the same company. The duo was reportedly

communicating when the security took out his weapon and began cleaning it. Kaieteur News was informed that after cleaning the weapon, the guard forgot to put on the safety on the gun which he rested on his lap as he continued talking to Moore. The weapon subsequently went off. Moore allegedly told the police that he and the guard were talking when he heard a loud explosion and then saw blood running from his thigh. He also told the cops that the security guard did not aim the weapon at him and that it simply went off by accident. Investigations are ongoing.

Over 250 detained juveniles get free...

Azuma Small (left) and Jamal Barnes before the alleged robbery occurred. However, Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore disclosed that the defendants were arrested minutes after the robbery was committed by a passing police patrol. In

fact, Prosecutor Moore stated that Barnes and Small were caught in the act. The iPhone was recovered, according to the prosecutor. Barnes was unrepresented by counsel.

From page 13 permanently remedied. In the interim though, the partnership between the Guyana Legal Aid has been filling the gap. “We have been able to secure some funding [from UNICEF] so that the lawyers attached to the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic can visit, regularly, the Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre, the New Opportunity Corps and the Timehri Prison, where young offenders, many of them under the age of 18 [are held], to provide legal representation,” Panday informed. Panday underscored

yesterday that since the partnership between RCC and the Legal Aid Clinic is a finite one - as it will come to an end once the UNICEF funding ceases - the rights of the youths in detention could once again be in jeopardy. Once funding ends, Panday noted “we will pretty much go back to the same situation, where the children of Guyana coming into contact with the law will be once again be denied a fundamental right of the child as enshrined in the CRC.” “This is an issue that requires greater public awareness, debate and

discussion, so that we can come up with a permanent solution. Whether we engage the Minister of Public Security or the Attorney General to advocate for a Public Defenders’ office...all of these things, I think, should be in the public domain, and we should be having a public discussion on how we move forward,” said Panday. Added to this, the RCC has proposed the possibility of the subvention of the Guyana Legal Clinic being increased to sustain the support currently being offered.

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Kaieteur News

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Cook/ Baker for interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020

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

MINING BLOCKS FOR SALE @ OMAI & CUYUNI NEAR BUCKHALL GY$2,500,000 EACH. CALL: 622-7563

LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

One data entry clerk, must be computer literate & have passes @ CXC Maths & English. Apply PO BOX12118

Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D $1200USD. Call 647-1773

1 Counter clerk, must have a decent handwriting & passes in Maths & English. Send handwritten application to PO BOX 12118

Fully furnished luxury apartment to rent 2 & 3 bedrooms, long and short term stay. Call: 665-3505

1 Canter driver. Call: 629-2912

One big two bedrooms top flat house at Phoenix Park, lot 20 West Bank Demerara. Call: 643-9286

1 Experienced person for super bet, sport betting outlet. Apply @ August Beverage with written application in person, 27 Norton Street. Call: 225-5501 MALE CASHIER: night shift, knowledge of point of sale. Apply @ Fortune House Restaurant, 98 Sheriff Street. 1 Maid for East Bank area. Call: 614-4358 1 Driver/mechanic with minibus license, living in G/ Town attractive salary & benefits. Call: 664-0802 Taxi drivers. Call: 646-8748 Teachers needed for Nursery & Primary School. Mail resume to Rising Star Academy, 38 Cumming St. Alberttown. Call: 690-9378/ 677-0296 CANTER DRIVER/ SALESMAN, MINIMUM 3 YEARS DRIVING EXPERIENCE, FACTORY ASSISTANT 266 4427 Teacher for theory & practical of carpentry, masonry & plumbing programmes @ Vocational Centre. Send application PO Box10461 by August 19, 2017

Office & business space to rent @ 78 Hadfield Street. Call: 225-9211/693-3946

W.B.D: Schoonord -$3M, Uitvlugt 50X100 -$2.8M, La Parfaite 50X100 & foundation -$3.5M, $1.5M, $1.6M, Coglan Dam, Nimes -$2.5M. Call: 231-2199/618-7483 E.B.D: Diamond, Farm -$4.5M, Providence 50X185, land of Canaan cleared land -$6.5M acre, Republic Park -$15M. Call: 231-7805/ 618-7483 Land @ No.7 Village W.C.B – 86’X317’, roadside -$34M negotiable. Call:622-6473 (Raj), 648-6873 (Bernard), 661-4604 (Veronica)

Three storey 75ftX30ft building/bond, open floors, 2 offices, 2 washrooms, driveways @ 25B Princes St., Charlestown. Call: 223-0654/ 225-0605

Land in Zeelugt new scheme, $2.5M,Providence- $4.2M, land in Tuschen (Phase 1) - $2.5M & La Parfaite Harmonie - $1.7M – 642-1252

One bedroom apartment well secured for working couple or single person -$35,000 monthly, light & water included. Call: 638-8858

La Parfaite Harmonie- $2M, $1.3M, $1.1M, Herstelling$3M, Tuschen house & land - $2.7M, Tuschen -$2M, $1M. Call: 604-6724/686-9608

1-Two bedrooms bottom flat a C.I housing Scheme, West Coast Dem. Preferably 1 male or couple. Call: 661-9689

La Parfaite Harmonie (main road) -$2M, $1.4M, $1.2M, Herstelling -$3M, Tuschen Phase 2 - $1.2M. Call: 6662326

2 Bedrooms apartment in Eccles New Scheme, furnished or unfurnished from August 1 2017. Call: 2253234 One upper flat in Albert Street, Alberttown. Call: 6183575 2 Bedrooms apartment to rent working couple. Call: 6183949

2 ½ Acres riverside land, 5 Acres land with 5,000 sq.ft building, Brickery, East Bank Demerara. Call: 653-2477/ 685-6874 Farm -$3.5M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.6M, $1.8M, Uitvlught -$3.2M, Ameila’s Ward Linden (fenced) $2.5M, penalty paid. Call: 6560701/651-1969

One & two bedroom apartment available. Call: 2314432/ 681-4275

VEHICLE FOR SALE PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Aubrey Barker -$27M, William Street -$11M, Diamond -$14M, Grove -$7.8M, David Street$30M, Norton -$10M. Call: 2312199/618-7483 1 Two story 3 bedrooms concrete house, Block 8 Mon Repos -$17M negotiable. Call: 645-8543

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 6471773/660-5257 Register Now! Summer Courses in cosmetology & nails 7th -18th August; Cost: $20,000. Limited space available. Call: 618-2417

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE OFACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: Registration commenced for I.A.E Secondary school, forms 15, termly fee -$30,000. Call: 683-5742/621-7365 Rising Star Academy: Register now for kindergarten & Grades 1-4, build a strong foundation for common entrance. Call: 6770296

ACCOMMODATION TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)

Journey Inn apartment rental, short term with AC & Kitchen, as low as -$15US. Call: 642-1783/ 646-3011634/ 718-2301695

PEN PAL Man age 43 looking for female. Call: 672-2394

One fielder wagon in excellent condition, owner leaving country, price $1.550M negotiable. Call: 659-5226/ 690-8889 Unregistered Mazda Axela 2011 -$2.7M, Corolla Fielder 2010 -$2.4M, Nissan Pickup 2000 -$2.3M. Call: 617-5536 1 RZ minibus, excellent condition. The price is right. Call: 616-3288/233-0269/690-8247 Unregistered bluebird 1500cc, 31,000KM, front wheel drive, RZ bus good working condition, owner leaving. Call: 265-0204/2652171/601-0223 One used 1992 Hauler 8X6 DAF lorry, colour: green & black only used for 2 months, excellent condition. Call: 679-4675

House & land for sale, latest Toyota Tundra and Tacoma parts. Call: 646-8594 Elevator good condition $700,000, sauna, ceiling fans - $3,000, AC- $10,000, metal gate- $25,000, glass doors $40,000. Call 231-1284 New generator/welding plan 10KVA, 200amps, 13 horse power, diesel, silent & new 3" Troni gasoline water pump. Contact Melissa: 629-2292 1 Set of used magrims, 4 holes 17". Call: 685-6874/653-2477 Puppies – husky 10 months old poodles, pitbull. Call: 2670205/ 671-9136/ 670-4228 A flock of sheep, price negotiable. Call: 645-2676/ 218-3647 ask for Mike.

TO LET Furnished apartment for local & overseas guest. Call Ms. Dee: 661-7354 or 223-1061

LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

Wednesday July 26, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Pilot perishes in Eteringbang crash Roraima Airways’ Chief Pilot Collin Winston Martin met a tragic demise around 17:30 hrs yesterday when the Britten-Norman Islander aircraft he was attempting to land at the Eteringbang airstrip, nose-dived into thick vegetation, a short distance from the runway. The 40-year-old Martin, a former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer, assumed the role of chief pilot at Roraima Airways in 2015 following the death of Captain Alvin Clarke. According to information received, Martin was heading to Eteringbang from Ekereku where he had shuttled fuel for miners when the tragedy occurred. He was flying alone.

Dead: Roraima Airways’ Chief Pilot Roberta Martin, wife of the deceased pilot being comforted by a relative, Roraima CEO Gerry Gouveia and his wife Debbie No one could say for sure what exactly happened, but up to press time, investigators

from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) were interviewing another pilot

Phase two of GPL’s infrastructure project to address transmission losses The second phase of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL)’s Infrastructure Development Project is expected to begin shortly, according to Chairman Robert Badal. In an interview yesterday, Badal said that the second phase will address a number of issues relating to the transmission and distribution network. He said that the main scope of the project is to run additional transmission lines, providing new substations and upgrading existing substations to improve their capacity. Based on documentation provided by Badal, the project puts GPL in a position to minimize its operational cost by replacing a lot of the diesel-powered generators with those powered by Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). The paperwork indicated that further investments in transmission lines and substations were critical for the maximization of benefits to be achieved as a result of using HFO-fuelled generators. According to the project description, the reality of the present situation faced by the power company is that without new substations to provide new feeders, GPL would have to eventually load shed due to distribution inadequacies. These inadequacies relate to overloading of circuits, chronic voltage problems and the increase of feeder faults. Further, the project will include the design, supply of materials and construction of new 69 kilovolts (kV) transmission lines and 69/13.8kV substations, together with the provision of vacuum circuit breakers for distribution feeders and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). As it relates to transmission, the project caters for the

construction of four single circuit 69kV transmission lines, inclusive of fibre optical cable (OPGW) which will run for approximately 47 kilometres and SCADA system for telemetering and protection. This will be done from Garden of Eden to Kuru Kururu which measures 12.5km; Vreed-en-Hoop to Canal No.2, 10.5km; Edinburgh to HydronieParika, 19km and Kingston to Sophia, 5km. Further, there will be the splitting of one existing single circuit 69kV overhead transmission line running from Canefield to No. 53 village, East Berbice, Corentyne, with fibre optic cable to accommodate installation of SCADA system for telemetering, control and protection at Williamsburg and No.53 substations. The new substations that will be constructed will be at Kuru Kururu, Canal No.2 (now Wales), Hydronie/Parika and Williamsburg on the Corentyne. Moreover, the existing 69kV substations in Vreed-enHoop, Edinburgh, Kingston, Sophia, Garden of Eden and No.53 Village will be expanded and upgraded. Regarding the distribution network, the project will require the installation of 20 15kV class, 630A and vacuum circuit breakers in five substations. According to Badal, the new substations will result in reduced losses for the company and ensure better voltage quality rather than fluctuations. The GPL Chairman said that the first phase of the project came to an end in 2014. Specifically, phase one of the project was commissioned on December 17, 2014 based on information on GPL’s website. Based on information available, in Octo-

ber 2009, China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) and GPL had agreed that the Chinese company would build seven 69/13.8kV substations, rehabilitate three existing substations, erect 120km of overhead high voltage lines and install the SCADA system. As a result of this, the Demerara-Berbice interconnected system was established. Following the completion of phase one, however, works done appeared to be fraught with problems. A report done on the project by Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO) said that there were a number of delays in completing the contract as it relates to finalizing changes in the scope of works for the substations and difficulty in locally procuring poles for the construction of the transmission lines. The cost of this leg of the project was US$9M (approx. G$1.8B).

who was flying behind Martin’s aircraft at the time. Director of GCAA, Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Egbert Field said that a team from the Accident and Emergency Unit of the GCAA will be flying in to Eteringbang early today to inspect the crash site and interview witnesses. Field said that around 18:30 hrs yesterday, he received a call from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Roraima Group of Companies, Gerry Gouveia who informed him that he received information that one of his aircraft, while approaching Eteringbang, had nosedived to the ground. The director admitted that the area where the accident occurred is dangerous terrain. However, the airstrip is on flat land and captain Martin would have landed there many times before. Field confirmed that weather was not a problem in the accident. “The investigators have to look at the angle it (plane) went down, and a post mortem examination has to be done on the body,” Field told reporters at the Ogle Airstrip last night. Meanwhile, the victim’s wife, Roberta Martin, a doctor, was not in a position to speak to the media. Through

Wesley Kirton, a board member of the Roraima Group of Companies, the woman noted that she too is awaiting information about her husband’s death. The couple shared an eight-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Gouveia, on the other hand, said that the only report he received was that the aircraft was closing off its operation for the day when the accident occurred. He said that the pilot would have spent the night in Eteringbang and continued working today before heading to Ogle in the afternoon. “The pilot was going in to land when the aircraft crashed. We don’t have any

indication at this time what exactly transpired,” the CEO pointed out. He confirmed that there were two planes flying at the time of the accident and the authorities will have to put the pieces together. Gouveia said there was no distress signal, since the pilot flying at the back would have noticed and radioed in. He could not say whether the aircraft flipped before it went down. Questioned on insurance, the CEO said that the aircraft and the crew are covered, and that that was not an issue. “He was a very experienced pilot and the star medical evacuation pilot, He saved many lives at night across Guyana,” Gouveia noted.

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Wednesday July 26, 2017

Kaieteur News

COI into plot to kill President Granger….

Recommendations were made for ‘shifty’ complainant to be charged for giving false info – witness Police Corporal Keion Benjamin yesterday told the Commission of Inquiry (COI) established to investigate a plot to assassinate President David Granger, that based on their investigations, recommendations had been made for the man at the centre of the allegations to be charged for giving false information to the police. The information was disclosed following a request by Attorney -at- law Christopher Ram for Benjamin to read a paragraph of his statement. According to the statement which Benjamin read, the police concluded that from the facts at hand, it was clear that Andriff Gillard’s allegation, which was a serious one, was vexatious. “It would be an act of dissatisfaction on the part of the police at Grove Police Station, since the records of the said station show that sev-

eral reports were made at the said station by Andriff about various persons, but very little action was taken.” He said that the investigations also revealed that there was a burning issue between Gillard and the alleged mastermind Nizam Khan, but Khan, for a reason better known to himself, never reported it. “It was somewhat strange that Andriff, having been involved in several encounters with Khan, never saw it fit to report to the police or indicate to anyone the offer made by Khan to assassinate President David Granger. Whilst on the other hand, Andriff paid his friend Baldeo the sum of $50,000 to support his untruthful claims.” This, the policeman said, became worse after Lloyd Adams - a friend of Andriff Gillard - indicated in a statement that Gillard told him via

telephone that he was not being truthful. “The telephone records clearly suggest that this conversation did take place; therefore I strongly suggest that Gillard be charged with the offence of giving false information to the police.” Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had told the COI that on Monday that after the investigation were launched into the allegations made by Gillard, it was brought to his attention that Gillard was shifting his story and focusing personal issues he had with police investigators. Blanhum recalled that on March 29, 2017 he received information from the Ministry of the Presidency about an alleged plot to kill the President. He said that as a result he had instructed ranks of the Guyana Police Force, (GPF) to launch an investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, Detective Chitram Sewsankar in his testimony before the commission yesterday, revealed that he was tasked with acquiring a statement from Businessman, Nizam Khan. Sewsankar recalled that on March 29 he reported for duty as usual and was instructed to interview Khan, in connection with an alleged plot to kill the President. Sewsankar said that the

Retired Chief Justice Ian Chang questions Officer Sewsankar at a session of the COI into a plot to kill President Granger yesterday. instruction to take a statement came from Inspector Prem Narine. He said that shortly after, he met the suspect who was in custody and procured an ordinary statement from him. The witness recalled that Khan denied that he had offered Andriff Gillard money to assassinate the President. “Khan said that he and Gillard were friends and he (Gillard) wanted to borrow money from him.” Responding to questions by Assistant Commissioner of Police (rtd), Paul Slowe, the witness noted that he did not caution Khan before he gave the statement, even though that is usually done. He said that he did not have a reason for not cautioning the sus-

pect. He said that he “just didn’t caution the man”. Under questioning from retired Chief Justice, Ian Chang, who is representing the interest of the police in the matter, Sewsankar said that he made records of what the man told him, but he could not recall the full content of the statement, except for the fact that Khan denied the plot to kill Granger. In his testimony, Inspector of Police, Suraj Singh recalled that he participated in certain aspects of investigations into the alleged plot to kill Granger. Singh briefly spoke to the Commission, telling investigators that he had to proceed on sick leave. However, sometime after

he learnt of a confrontation was held between Gillard and another man he identified as Baldeo. Officer Keenan Pickering told the Commission that the brother of the suspect, Imran Khan, behaved disorderly using a series of expletives against the police at Grove Police Station. He said that Imran Khan had visited the Station to inquire about the reason for his brother‘s arrest. But although he was warned about his conduct, the policeman said that Khan proceeded to behave disorderly and cursed at the officers. The witness recalled that that during this time, a firearm - a 45 pistol he had in his possession -was seized. The Policeman told the Commission that the man indicated that he wanted to give a statement in relation to a land issue between himself and Gillard. He also threatened to get ranks fired if they did not take the statement.

Wednesday July 26, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Obamacare: US senators vote in favour of debating repeal The US Senate has voted to start debating a new Republican healthcare bill in a major step forward for President Donald Trump’s attempts to repeal his predecessor’s signature law. In a tight vote, several Republicans previously opposed to aspects of the plan changed their minds. Prior attempts to replace Obamacare have collapsed in recent weeks due to divisions in the Republican party. President Trump had made scrapping the policy a key campaign pledge. Before the vote took place, Mr Trump had warned his party’s senators of the repercussions of not pushing

through the measures to repeal and replace Obamacare, known formally as the Affordable Care Act. The Republican party, which needed a majority for the motion to go ahead, secured 51 votes after VicePresident Mike Pence cast a tie-breaker in support of the legislation. Senator John McCain, who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, received a standing ovation as he returned to Congress to cast his “Yes” vote. President Trump tweeted his thanks to the Arizona senator for playing “such a vital role” in the vote.

“Congrats to all Rep. We can now deliver grt [great] healthcare to all Americans,” he wrote. What happens next? It remains unclear what

measure senators will now debate and vote on. There appear to be two choices - either a repeal-andreplace bill that has already struggled to win support

across the party, or a bill that enacts repeal with a two-year delay, in the hope of finding agreement before that time elapses. But senators have also

considered a “skinny bill”, a far narrower measure that would scale back some of the more controversial elements in an effort to get a wider consensus.

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Guyana Girls Academy and football Camp launched The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) in collaboration with the Guyana Girls Academy (GGA) have embarked in a partnership that will help to develop women’s football from the grassroots level in Guyana. On Tuesday at the GFF’s secretariat, boardroom, the GGA August camp and academy was officially launched. The GGA Camp is a fourday football camp geared towards giving young girls a peek into the GGA setup as well as to create more interest in girl’s football. The first camp will be held from today, July 26 to Saturday July 29 in Georgetown at the Transport Sports Club ground on Woolford Avenue and is open to girls’ ages 7 to 11. The camp will allow Guyanese girls to get a taste of the GGA and

girls football with an elite coaching staff in a professional environment on and off the field. Head of the Guyana Girls Academy (GGA), Colin Wilson, who is a women’s coach based in the USA, explained that his organization who partners with the GFF, also collaborates with ABSAA. The Alex Bunbury Sports and Academics Academy (ABSAA) which looks to create a state of the art multisports facility in order to develop and empower boys and girls throughout the Caribbean through sport and education. The GGA partners with ABSAA to help develop youth football in a quality environment with the unified goal of raising the level of football in Guyana. Guyana will be participat-

ing in the CONCACAF qualifiers for the Women’s Under17 World Cup beginning on August 9th and squad depth is one of the challenges of the team. Colin Wilson explained that, “With this camp we’re starting off with the younger girls and we’re hoping to build from there to get as many girls as possible to get as big as player pool for Guyana so they can compete in the highest levels in the future.” Technical Director of the GFF, Ian Greenwood noted at the launch that women’s football in Guyana is behind world standards about 20 years. The GFF is keen to be associated with the GGA because women’s football development is high on the organization’s agenda. That process began with the ap-

Wednesday July 26, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Opportunities to make advancements through good business sense are apparent. You can make it up to them later. You will have a problem holding on to your cash today. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You should be making plans to spend some time with the ones you love. Take time to talk things over. Travel for business or pleasure. Take time to deal with the concerns of children. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) New romantic relationships will develop through group activity related to sports events. Think twice before you pursue an unrealistic endeavor. Make changes that will enhance your appearance. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Outbursts of passion may cause arguments with your mate. Get together with friends who like to participate in indoor sports. You won't be able to keep a secret. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You will be highly entertaining when in contact with your lover. You will be popular and will easily attract members of the opposite sex. You are going through a period of questioning. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You are best to avoid joint ventures, and whatever you do, don't lend to friends or relatives. You can expect to feel confused about your personal prospects. You will be

erratic and quite likely to make personal mistakes. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Look into some personal changes. Get back to basics and reevaluate what is important in life. Socializing will be more than just entertaining. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Travel for business or pleasure. Partnerships with creative people could lead to financial gains. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Verbal abuse could lead to carelessness. Sudden changes at home will affect family members more than you anticipated. You should want to feel good about yourself and your goals. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Take a second look; another person's philosophy may be extremely different from yours. Travel if it's needed to start the ball rolling. Don't forget that your budget is limited right now. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Ideas may sound good, but be careful if people are just looking for handouts. Be honest in your communication and don't lose your cool if someone backs you into a corner. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Evasion is likely if you aren't direct about your feelings. Don't allow someone to do a job that was designated specifically for you. You are best not to confide in anyone right now.

- Camp begins today at the Transport Sports Club ground

From left; Ian Greenwood- GFF TD, two female Coaches of the Guyana Girls Academy, Head of the GGA Colin Wilson and President of the GFF Wayne Forde at the launch. pointment of Tricia Munroe as the Women’s Development Officer recently. Greenwood related the importance of the GGA academy, “We know that we need to get more girls into our national teams over the next few years. Predominantly it’s more overseas players based on the quality. We need to develop our local players ourselves from the ages of 5, 6 or 7 and so the (GGA) falls right in line with

Semifinal of Pentecostal Fire Linden church basketball on tonight Fire against Temple, South take on Carmel Tonight is semifinal night in this year’s 11th Annual Pentecostal Fire organised Inter Church basketball championship at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court. Pentecostal Fire, who ended unbeaten for 10 points with five wins and no losses, face the number four seed Calvary Temple who had seven points from three wins and two losses. South Assembly AOG, with nine points are in the second seed position after the round robin play, will face reigning champions Mount Carmel, who are the third seed with three wins and two losses for seven points, but had beaten Calvary Temple to finish higher in the seeding. The first semifinal starts at 19.00hrs, while the other semifinal is at 21.30hrs.

the GFF’s mandate.” Greenwood further stated that after the Guyana Girls Academy camp is completed, the girls from the event will be involved in various GFF/ Scotiabank Academy training centers and grassroots programmes to have continued practice all year round. Head of the GFF, Wayne Forde, expressed gratitude to all the individuals who have helped women’s football in Guyana and he was positive

that those key players would be delighted, as himself, with the opportunity to expose young female ball weavers to the professional training setup. Forde expressed sorrow at the available facilities for the camp but promised by next year, that Colin Wilson and the Guyana Girls Academy will be utilizing a GFF football facility, as the GFF president hinted that works on the FIFA Forward project will begin soon.

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday July 26, 2017

Digicel’s schools Football C/Ship

Chase destroy Hosororo 10-nil Face Wismar/Christianburg in tomorrow’s semis The Region one fans flocked the Ministry of Education ground to support the Hosororo Secondary School, but by the time the final whistle was blown on a sun kissed day yesterday, they left the venue a disappointed bunch as Chase Academy mauled the visitor’s 10-nil in a dominant display which placed them in tomorrow’s semis. It was expected to be a keenly contested affair since

Hosororo, who had beaten Charity, became the first team from North West to reach a National Quarter Final after playing unbeaten in their zone, while Chase’s reputation as a goal scoring machine preceded them. But although Hosororo focused on defence with the skilful Shem Ramacindo being the only striker employed up front, Nicholas McArthur put Chase ahead in the fifth minute when a

The Chase goal scores after they beat Hosororo 10-nil yesterday to advance to the semis. (Sean Devers photo) powerful shot from inside the box beat custodian Kelvon Seecharran, who had plenty of work to do. Ryan Hackett, who scored on either side of the break for his brace, fired one

past Seecharran from the right flank to push the City School to a two goal lead in the 14th minute as Hosororo had difficulties adjusting to a strong head breeze and the best surface they had played on. Dominating ball possession and with their strikers on the hunt, Chase were in attacking mode and Adrian Arrun, their team’s most prolific goal scorer, found the back of the net in the 19th minute to register his 8th goal of the tournament to leave the score 3-nil. Kevin Padmore scored in

the 27th minute, while Stephon Reynolds netted the first of his two goals in the 43rd as he joined Arrun with eight goals going into the semis and with five down. Hosororo, known for their ‘Samba style’ of football, looked nervous and were never in the game. Rondell Peters scored in the 69th minute and at half time the Region one institution were heading for a massive defeat despite some skillful play from Ramacindo, who fired twice from long range with either foot but failed to trouble

Chase’s Sase Norville between the uprights. From a position of 6-nil at the break, Chase would continue to dominate and scored four more goals with Hackett (73rd), Padmore (75th), Reynolds (81st) and Jeremy Garrick, who dribbled past two defenders to boot in his first goal in the 90th minute. Chase Academy now face-off with Wismar/ Christianburg Secondary at the National Track & Field Centre at Lenora West Demerara in tomorrow’s National semi-finals. (Sean Devers)

Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 26, 2017

Digicel’s schools Football C/Ship By Franklin Wilson Waramadong was intent on returning the favour to Sir Leon which had defeated them last year at this very stage of the Digicel Schools’ Football Championships and they succeeded in admirable style, humbling their rivals 5-2 at the Synthetic Track and Field facility in Leonora yesterday when four quarter final matches were contested. But it was the manner in w h i c h Wa r a m a d o n g cantered to victory that was venerable; conditions were just right for free flowing football unlike last year when the two sides met at the Bartica Community Center ground on a very soggy field. And, having defeated Uitvlugt on Sunday at the same venue, the Region 7 champions were high in spirits and relished the opportunity to send Sir Leon packing. From the onset, the calm yet lethal composure of the winners were evident as

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McNaughton’s hat-trick leads Waramadong past Sir Leon 5-2 & semi date with Annai

they attacked the eastern goal going against the wind. Coming with the wind behind their backs, Sir Leon fancied their chances of maintaining dominance over Waramadong and looked the part early on but as the match progressed, the tide gradually turned. Both sides, to their credit created chances and could have scored early on but were off target. However, it was Reon McNaughton, who, like he did in their previous matches who took on the opposition and he did it again in fine style. On 34 minutes, the Waramadong fans, who were becoming agitated, finally got something to cheer about. McNaughton took the ball on the left side of goal and fired the ball on the angle past goalie Sherwin Luke to evoke wild applause from their supporters which again came out in their numbers. Waramadong 1 Sir Leon 0. The score remained unchanged at the end of the

Reon McNaughton (#7) fires in the first of three goals past Sir Leon’s goalkeeper Sherwin Luke. (Franklin Wilson photo). first 45 minutes as the momentum was clearly with the leaders. The second half saw a more purposeful Sir Leon team which began play in very attacking mode which brought the desired result, the equalizing goal which came via a penalty after their attacker was brought down by custodian, Reese Gomes who was having a good game up to that point. Tyrese Forde was awarded the opportunity to take the shot and he beat Gomes to his right to level the score at 1-1 in the 47th minute, just

two minutes into the half and that was exactly what the doctor had ordered for the Sir Leon lads. But while the momentum swung for a short while for Sir Leon, Waramadong kept the focus and came back blazing as they put the game away in a blistering 16minute period. First they took back the lead when they too were awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute, Sir Leon’s Lucork Forde being penalised for b r i n g i n g d o w n Waramadong’s Whitaker Paul. It was no surprise that

McNaughton was given the responsibility of taking the shot and he clinically knocked it home. Waramadong 2 Sir Leon 1 . Tw o m i n u t e s l a t e r McNaughton further displayed his knack for scoring goals as he completed a hat-trick, letting off a left footed shot even whilst on the ground that flew past Luke, who like his peers never believed that a shot was coming their way. Waramadong 3 Sir Leon 1. The match was virtually put beyond Sir Leon in the 63rd minute when Javin Castro let

loose a bomber that had goal written all over it, Waramadong’s 4th of the match. Despite Forde netting his and Sir Leon’s second goal in the 79th minute, Waramadong kept up the pressure with timely substitutions. Ravi Ruddy, who was introduced in the 78th minute for McNaughton, continued where his teammate left off by scoring goal number five in the 87th minute to record an emphatic win and a semi final date against Annai tomorrow at the same venue.

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Wednesday July 26, 2017

RHTY&SC Teams host Gregory Gaskin Awards and Ansa Mcal Award of Excellence Nine outstanding Berbicians and a vibrant sports organisation were honoured recently when the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS, and its eight Cricket Teams hosted the presentation Ceremony of the 5th Annual Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Award and the Ansa Mcal Award of Excellence Programmes. The two events were hosted by the eight teams at the St. Francis Community Developers Tr a i n i n g C e n t r e w i t h Speaker of the National A s s e m b l y D r. B a r t o n Scotland being the Guest Speaker. The Gregory Gaskin Berbice Sports Award is held annually to honour the outstanding performers in Berbice Sports during a calendar year and also to provide positive role models for youths in the ancient county. West Indies female

cricketer Shemaine Campbelle was named the Berbice Sportswoman of the Year 2016, while Outside hitter (spiker) Samuel Fraser was rewarded with the Berbice Sportsman of the Year Award, while the B e r b i c e Vo l l e y b a l l Association was named the Sports Association of 2016 for its outstanding work in promoting the game in the ancient county. National Volleyball Coach Levi Nedd clinched the Berbice Sports Personality Award for 2016, while Football Coach and Administrator Kenrick Bowry collected the Sports Lifetime Award for his dedication to Football over the last two decades. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster congratulated the awardees and urged them to uphold their high standard while working hard every day to promote sports as an alternative to a life on the

The Awardees of the 2017 Gregory Gaskin Award Ceremony pose with Ms. Guyana World Vena Mookram and KSM Investment CEO Mahadeo Panchu. road for youths. Foster expressed gratitude to the Management of Sentinel Security especially CEO Noreen Gaskin for sponsoring the Award Scheme in memory of her late husband Gregory Gaskin, who was a strong advocate of sports. Five outstanding Berbicians were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the development of Guyana and for being positive role models to youths under the A n s a M c a l Aw a r d o f Excellence. Rhonda TrimRussell was rewarded for her

outstanding contribution towards the Health Sector, while Mrs. Jean Dorsett of No. 53 Village was awarded the Award of Excellence for Community Development. Cricket Coach and Administrator Albert Smith took home the Award of Excellence for Sports. Smith successfully coached Berbice and Guyana to numerous titles including the first ever Stanford 20/20 Championship in Antigua. Veteran Educator Catherine Archer was recognised for her outstanding contribution to molding the minds of youths and for her

commitment to the educational sector even in retirement. Another Educator Ruth Jaundoo was also honoured and received the Award of Excellence for the promotion of Culture in Region 6. Each of the Awardees of the Gregory Gaskin Memorial Sports Award and the Ansa Mcal Aw a r d o f E x c e l l e n c e Programmes received a trophy, medal, Certificate of Excellence and two special gifts. Speaker of the National A s s e m b l y D r. B a r t o n Scotland congratulated the awardees on being honoured

and stated that Guyana is a better place to live in because of their services. The highly respected Attorney-at-Law also praised the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club for its dynamic contribution to Guyana and urged the club to share its formula for success to others across Guyana. The awardees for both programmes were selected by a panel of judges headed by veteran News Editor, Gregory Rambarran based on recommendations made by members of the Berbice public.

Wednesday July 26, 2017

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Umpire Ryan Banwarie begins to reap rewards for hard work By Sean Devers Umpire Ryan Banwarie is beginning to reap the rewards of his hard work, focus and commitment as a Cricket Umpire resulting in the 27-year-old Guyanese being selected to officiate in the July 26 to August 4 Regional U-15 tournament in Barbados. Having umpired in the last years’ Regional ladies tournament in Guyana, this i s B a n w a r i e ’s s e c o n d Regional competition and

Ryan Banwarie first overseas assignment and when he walks out today with Jonathan Blades at the Police ground in Bridgetown to call play in the Barbados against Windwards game it will be a great experience for him. “ I t ’s a t r e m e n d o u s feeling to be participating in any West Indies Regional Match. I am excited but at the same time I want to experience the culture of the West Indies and to grasp as much from my colleagues who are seasoned campaigners,” Banwarie disclosed. It’s ironic that Banwarie, born on October 26, 1989, is making his Regional U-15 Umpiring debut at the Police ground since he is a member of the Guyana Police Force Club and played a few second division games for Police. In fact, it was at the Police ground in Guyana that his Umpiring career was born when he was asked by former Test Umpire Eddy Nicholas, himself a former Police batsman, if he was interested in being the grounds man. “I had no interest in being a grounds man but I enquired about Umpiring and was encouraged to engage in the yearly classes,” informed Banwarie, who attended IBE and then the Business School. He did not need any further probing and soon passed the Preliminary exams conducted by the Guyana Cricket Umpires Association before topping a class of 90 at the Regional West Indies Cricket Umpires Association’s Final written. Banwarie then completed his Oral and Practical exams. Not surprisingly the

young Umpire says that Nicholls is his mentor and has played a tremendous role in his maturity as an Umpire. Banwarie said he has learned from every Umpire who has done games with him but says International Umpire Nigel Dugid, Colin Alfred and Shannon Crawford are also responsible for his Umpiring development. Banwarie has lived his entire life in BV on the East Coast of Demerara and reveled that his parents are big supporters of his career, both as a Public Servant and an Umpire as he aspires to be a humble Ambassador for his Country. “I am thankful to my superiors who have always embraced sports and have afforded me the time off to do what I love to do….Umpiring,” stated Banwarie. “My usual routine before a day’s play consist of lots of things. I believe that preparation is King. I try to pack my necessary gear as soon as I am informed of a local assignment, familiarize myself with the playing conditions, imagine possible scenarios and how best to deal with them. I believe that whilst infield decisions are important Umpires must possess great man management and conflict resolution skills to negate any on-field conflict,” Banwarie explained. Asked what was his biggest challenge as an umpire? Banwarie took a while before answering. “I always try to be perfect on the field, wanting to give my best at all times but while that is a good thing, whenever I make a wrong decision, especially one that changes the outcome of the game, it’s just hard for me to live with. It just plays on my mind,” said Banwarie who believes in trusting his eyes then his ears. “My primary objective is to continue to learn from my experienced colleagues and Umpire Coach, I would like to further establish myself on the WI ‘B’ Panel and take it from there. That’s my fiveyear plan,” disclosed Banwarie. “We all want to go to the top one day but that can only be achieved through hard and dedicated work,” said Banwarie, who enjoys spending time with friends and family and playing scrabble, Pools and Poker. Banwarie feels that not only Captains but anyone who loves cricket should attend the Umpiring classes if they can. “We all need to be educated about the sport we love. Captains have a moral obligation and responsibility

to be aware of the Laws of Cricket. After all they are responsible for the good conduct of their team and that the game is played within the spirit and Laws of the game,” noted Banwarie.

As a budding young Umpire Banwarie believes that the use of Technology and referrals at the highest level does not make the Umpire lazy, but serves to develop the game and help

the sport to evolve more. “Umpires and players are more aware of the common mistakes now than 10, 20 years ago. It’s my opinion that that can only make an Umpire more aware and will

make him want to develop and correct himself if it the replay shows that he made the wrong decision,” said Banwarie, who says he could eat Cook-up Rice every day of the week.

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Wednesday July 26, 2017

GTT Tapeball Competition – Georgetown Zone

PSI Legends, Ruimveldt SC, GT Strikers, Outlaws and CJIA ‘B’ through to Super 16 Rd One match is still to be played to decide the sixth team from the Georgetown Zone that will make it into the Super-16-round of the GTT Tapeball Competition which continued on Sunday last at the Cultural Center Tarmac with 20 teams battling. Due to fading light, the organizers decided that the sixth and final second round match between Queenstown ‘B’ and Eccles All Stars will be the first match played on Sunday which will see the culmination of the competition at the National Park Tarmac. Shell Road, owing to unsportsmanlike behavior, were disqualified from the competition and their second-round opponent; Outlaws have made it into the Super-16-round. The other teams making

it into Sunday’s round of the competition are GT Strikers, Ruimveldt Sports Club, PSI Legends and CJIA ‘B’ which drew the bye. The action was intense on a sun drench drenched day in the City with teams, many which were well uniformed, played excellent cricket as they sought to outfox each other; but only six have made it through to the business end of the competition on Sunday. Teams from the East Coast, West Demerara/West Bank and Georgetown will collide on Sunday; the best two will make it into the finals. Following are the results of matches played on Sunday last in Georgetown: Round 2 1. C J I A ‘ C ’ w e r e limited to 41-3 responding to

PSI Legends 56-5. 2. V i l l a g e R a m s posted 51-3, Ruimveldt Sports Club eased to 52-1. 3. H a n g o v e r s managed 51-2, GT Strikers won by reaching 52-3. 4. Shell Road was disqualified; Outlaws advances. 5. CJIA ‘B’ drew the b y e 6. Queenstown ‘B’ will oppose Eccles All Stars in the 1st match on Sunday for final place. Round 1 1. Tarmac 59-3 went down to GT Strikers 60-3. 2. Hadfield United could only manage 38-5 replying to Eccles All Stars 59-5. 3. Republic Bank 514 were thumped by PSI L e g e n d s 5 3 - 1 . 4. V-Net Vipers fell short at 58-3 in reply to

A Hadfield United batsman is bowled by an Eccles All Stars bowler as the latter closed in on victory. (Franklin Wilson photo) Ruimveldt Sports Club 64-1. 5. CJIA ‘A’ reached 37-5 and lost to Shell Road which made 39-1. 6. Eccles Rockers put

up a fight in reach 72-4 but was still short of Village Rams 86-1. 7. Super Seven made a gallant effort to reach 61-1, 9 less than Queenstown ‘B’ 70-2. 8. Queenstown ‘A’

40-5 were hammered by CJIA ‘B’ which posted 44-1. 9. Combine Force managed 40-2 to which Outlaws made 43-1. 10. Albouystown were limited to 66-4 in response to Hangovers 70-1.

UDFA GT Beer Super Cup

Upper Demerara and East Coast secure 3-1 victories Host association Upper Demerara won for the second time with a 3-1 dismissal of an improving Essequibo Pomeroon side to move atop the points standing as East Bank came from an opening drawn game to register a come from behind to win against East Coast 3-1 as action in Group A of the eight association Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) inaugural GT Beer Inter Association championship continued last Sunday at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. While the times for the game were unavailable, playing in the first match East Coast would take the lead in the first half when Kevaughn Garnett sent them into the lead which they enjoyed until the second period. First to equalize for the East Coast was Lloyd Matthews and then Joel Dick sent them into the lead before the win was sealed through a goal off the boot of Mervin Squires. In the second game of the night, Upper Demerara

turned back a determined Essequibo Pomeroon side which could have gotten more goals, while the host team also did not make use of other opportunities which came their way. Denzil Fordyce was in good form once against sending the Upper Demerara side into the lead in the 35th minute and by the end of the first half they were up 2-0 as Kellon Primo netted in the 45th minute. Two minutes into the second stanza Primo would get his second goal for a 3-1 advantage. The Essequibo side managed to reduce that with a strike in the 90th plus two minutes after some lapses in concentration on the Linden team’s part and the game ended 3-1 to send the Upper Demerara team to six pints from two wins, while East Bank now have four points to be second ahead of Essequibo who drew with East Coast in their open game and are on one point as are Essequibo. On Sunday Berbice oppose Bartica and Georgetown face West Demerara at the same venue.

Kaieteur News

Wednesday July 19, 2017

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Christianburg Wismar edge Buxton Youths on PKs to secure place in final four By Zaheer Mohamed Christianburg Wismar Secondary of Linden defeated Buxton Youths of East Coast Demerara 5-4 on penalties to secure their place in the semi finals of the Digicel Schools football tournament which continued yesterday. Following a sloppy start, the contest developed into an exciting affair, and it was C h r i s t i a n b u rg Wi s m a r goalkeeper Nicholas Gentle who turned out to be the hero after the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of regulation time at the Beterverwagting Community Centre ground, East Coast Demerara. Gentle stood tall to keep out Buxton Youth’s fourth spot kick which was taken by Shemar Singh after Christianburg Wismar had already converted four. The Upper Demerara side fifth penalty was taken by Jernel Williams who made no

Players battle for possession at BV ground yesterday . (Zaheer Mohamed photo)

Andre Mayers (center) of Christianburg Wismar celebrates following his 48th minute strike. (Zaheer Mohamed photo) mistake to spark celebrations among his teammates and fans. Christianburg Wismar had the first chance on goal, but Randy Pickering shot was kept out by goalkeeper Colwin Moses before Buxton Youth’s number 11 Shemar Beckles sent a long rage shot over the bar. Moments later, Gentle did well to keep out Adio

McAlmont shot from inside the area- the ball rebounded to Beckles whose effort was smartly headed clear by defender J. Smith. Kevin Darnick then had a header saved by Moses before Beckles sent another long rage shot over the bar as the first half went goalless. Christianburg Wismar took the lead following the

interval as Andre Mayers airborne strike from outside the area beat goalkeeper Moses three minutes into the second stanza. Urged on by their ardent fans, Buxton Youths tried desperately for an equaliser and found it when Christianburg Wismar made a defensive error as one of their back four used his hands to clear a corner from

inside the box. A f t e r s o m e deliberations, the referee pointed to the spot and Beckles calmly converted in the 64th minute. Jernel Williams could have given Christianburg Wismar the advantage once more, but his diving header from a cross went wide of the net before his team mate Jernel Kingston had a shot

from inside the 18-yard box saved by Moses. The four minutes of added time failed to produce any real scoring chances. Apart from Williams, Mayers, Brentsley Allicock, Kingston and Omar Brewley converted for the Upper Demerara side, while Beckles, Ablamy Robertson and Kifambo Goodman scored for Buxton Youths.

Brilliant De Nobrega wins Grenville Felix 68-miler in Berbice Brilliant riding by national cyclist Paul De Nobrega, who seems to be getting back to his best form, enabled him to easily defeated a top class field and take honours when the Annual Grenville Felix Memorial Cycle Road race was held on Sunday last in East Berbice. De Nobrega, who represented team Evolution, was all alone as he stopped the clock in 2hrs; 42minutes and 53 seconds in the grueling 68 miles event. The race which was sponsored by the Felix family and organised by The Flying Ace Cycle Club began with a rolling start. The cyclists rode off from in front of Felix’s former residence at Canefield, East Canje to his former place of work at the nearby Rose Hall Estate before turning around and proceeding up the Corentyne to the No51 Police Station then returning to the place of origin for the finish. In total, 52 riders took part in the event. As the riders were sent on their way a four man bunch of Walter Grant Stuart, Romello Crawford, Curtis Dey and Silvio Inniss immediately opened a lead

on the pack. They continued to travel until they were caught about half way on the upward journey by a group made up of Andrew Hicks, Raul Leal, Andrea Green, De Nobrega, Christopher Griffith and Curtis Dey. The battle continued and mini breaks were created by various groups of riders. On the downward journey the group of Crawford, Hicks, Agard, Leal and Stuart were having it their way and was joined by De Nobrega. Then a four-man setup of Crawford, De Nobrega, Hicks, and Agard broke away and were battling for supremacy until De Nobrega made his move in the NO19 area. His sudden jump caught his competitors by surprise and they could not keep up, making it a one man show to the end. Agard won the sprint home for second ahead of Crawford and Hicks. Leal, Stuart, Griffith, Deoraj Garbarran, Alonzo Ambrose and Dey rounded out the top 10. Ian “Deaf Boy” Jackson won from the consistent Steven Fernandes to take the veterans category with Steve Ramsuchit third. Zaman

Khan was again the first juvenile to cross ahead of Jonathan Ramsuchit, David Dick and Kerwyne Collins. Dick won two of the sprint prizes among that category with Khan taking one. Shanika Teixeira took the female event from Deance Welch and Nyanca Poyer. The Juveniles rode from Nand Persaud and Company Limited on the Corentyne, while the females pedaled from Tain UG Berbice Campus to the finish line. They top two club cyclists were Balram Narine and Raj Ramnauth. The prime point prizes were won by Crawford, Green and Stuart with two each, while Inniss, Dey, Hicks and De Nobrega copped one. Special prizes were presented to Teixeira, Stuart, Khan and cycling official Joseph Britton by members of the Felix Family. At the presentation ceremony, Children of Grenville Felix- Joan Perry, Winston and Rawle Felix, relatives Calville Francis and Neil Cort Rogers and Former Mayor Claude Henry all spoke glowingly of the late Senior GuySuCo Engineer. Thanks were

expressed to the cyclists and the hundreds of spectators for being a part of the event. They expressed thanks to Coordinator Randolph Roberts, the FACC and Guyana Police Force for doing a wonderful job and gave the assurance that they will continue the partnership in the future. Roberts thanked the Felix family for the faith shown in his club and undertook to continue to try his best.

Winner Paul De Nobrega receives his prize from daughter of the Grenville Felix, Joan Felix-Perry.

t r o Sp Digicel’s schools Football C/Ship

Chase destroy Hosororo 10-nil Face Wismar/Christianburg in tomorrow’s semis

Adrian Arrun about to beat Goalie Kelvon Seecharran to register his 8th goal in the tournament. (Sean Devers photo)

McNaughton’s hat-trick leads Waramadong past Sir Leon 5-2 & semi date with Annai

The victorious Waramadong team rallying around their #1 fan, former Referee Graeme Edwards (with finger raised) who is now confined to a wheelchair following a vehicular accident earlier this year. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210