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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 GOOD NEWS ON THE NGSA RESULTS, BUT…. The euphoria of this year’s National Grade Student Assessment (NGSA) examination has not yet worn off as teachers, students and parents celebrate the results. Indeed, congratulations should be extended to every student, teacher and parent who was involved in the intense preparations for the exams. It is a delight to watch the students rejoice as they prepare for the next stage of their education journey. Everyone should know that hard work and success should always be celebrated especially after last year’s disastrous results in mathematics and science. This year’s results have shown some major improvements over that of last year in the sciences. Aside from a 46 per cent pass rate in Mathematics this year, up from 14 percent last year, the Ministry recorded 54 percent in English Language passes up from 42 percent last year. In the area of Science, the 2017 results reflect an improved pass rate of 46 percent, up from 28 percent in 2016. And in Social Studies, this year the pass rate, though slightly improved, is 48 percent, up from 46 percent in 2016. No one should be criticized for those who fail, because neither the successful students nor those who fell short is at fault. What is at fault is the archaic, unfair and ineffective educational system we inherited from Britain to transition and educate our youths. It is based on standardized tests which rank and compare students. It perpetuates the culture whereby students who are categorized as bright are often given special treatment and those who are seen as “dunce” are ignored. It is baffling that after 50 years of political independence, little has changed in the education system which is failing our students. There is good news on the NGSA results, but it is time for the Ministry of Education to make changes to the education system. The current education system, while it has improved, is based on short-term remedies which have not catered to our students when they leave high school. Neither does it cater to the fact that fewer than 50 percent of them will achieve the minimum standards to matriculate into university. Without the ability of students to master the higher orders of cognitive functioning we will never be able to achieve some of the lofty national development goals we have set for ourselves. From the time children enter our school system today, their creativity and sense of innovation are discouraged. In this highly competitive climate to do well at the National Grade Six Examinations they are made to simply absorb and regurgitate information. This is how they are tested and the test scores are used to rank or segregate them to perpetuate the social status quo. The prominence of tests as an integral part of our school system should have told us a long time ago that there is something fundamentally wrong with it. The pursuit of a sustainable development agenda demands fundamental changes to the curriculum with a focus on human capital development. Our school curriculum must be aligned to the creation of citizens who understand the need for equity in the distribution of wealth. Our schools must produce graduates who can add value to the society in which they function. It must give them the skills, knowledge and competencies to navigate an uncertain future. School curricula must foster in all students the strong sense of social justice, the supremacy of human rights and a sense of social responsibility to create a better Guyana.
Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
RISE could very well win the presidency in 2020 Dear Editor, I am a retired public servant. My final stint as a public servant ended a long time ago one Saturday morning at Hope Estate. I still admire President Burnham but my experience at Hope Estate told me that Mr. Burnham meant well but could put elegant shape to his dreams. If I have to rate Mr. Burnham with other presidents, I would put him above all others. One of the persons I admire in Guyana is Freddie Kissoon and though I am an admirer of President Burnham I think many of the critical expressions on him by Freddie I accept. I think Mr. Burnham thought that he was so far above others in thinking (and he was) that he allowed a style of personalised power to interfere with his vision. This went from bad to worse. I saw this myself. But he was a nationalist par excellence. Today, I see others in control of Mr. Burnham’s party and I am distraught.
When I read about the formation of the new group RISE, I knew it had to happen. People were anticipating it since the AFC lost steam and the criticism of Mr. Granger’s leadership kept growing. It was interesting how the many leaders of RISE shaped their answers when asked about becoming a political party. They all left the door open. It is just a matter of time; RISE will test the political waters. I want RISE to become a political party. We need a long break from our traditional politics. I keep asking myself why aren’t we throwing up something that is different. I think Freddie Kissoon is different but from looking at what he is, he doesn’t seem inclined to election politics. Can RISE be that something? I hope it is and I have a few suggestions. My suggestions are based on the acceptance that it will be a political party. RISE must rally strong support in and out of Guyana for our constitution to change to allow for the coalition of
parties. If not, one of the two parties will form the government albeit from a minority position as what happened to Mr. Ramotar in 2011. RISE then can only have parliamentary influence but no say in government. RISE will get seats to deny one of the two big parties a majority but does it want to be just a third political party in parliament using its seats to influence government from outside? This would not be a wise course for a new grouping. What can happen is that if RISE proves to be an irritant in Parliament, the PPP or the APNU/AFC can call a snap poll in 2022 blaming RISE for the stalemate that led to the new elections. It is a huge gamble because RISE can see a decrease in its seats. It is imperative then that the next year must be spent on bringing pressure for a simple two third majority vote to allow post coalition government after (Continued on page 6)
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The growing public interest in Constitutional Reform is a welcome DEAR EDITOR, The growing interest in the subject of constitutional reform for Guyana, expressed in letters to the newspapers, is a very heartening development. Whether persons are in favour of constitutional reform or against it, the frank exchange of views on the subject is welcome. However, it is surprising to find people calling the need for constitutional reform (CR) into question at this stage, given the commitment to it by political parties before the last general elections, the slow but irreversible measures in the legislature to launch a national process, and even the encouragement of international UN agencies and others. Lincoln Lewis for example (Stabroek News, June 24) has called for an understanding of the relevant constitutional issues and provisions already in place. He has a point, but this surely is not an argument against the need for constitutional reform. I’m astounded by his spirited defence of the existing constitution, concluding that “authority is vested in the people, via the constitution, to hold elected leaders accountable. We are the final arbi-
ters of our destiny,” especially coming from someone who has been on the receiving end of government indifference over the years. I doubt whether the average Guyanese ‘man-inthe-street’ feels the same way about the constitution. Sherwood Lowe’s claim that the “political and social conditions that fuelled the last reform process after the 1997 election are not in play today” (Stabroek News, June 26) is equally hard to fathom. For him, the key issue driving constitutional reform is power-sharing which, rather interestingly, he claims was an issue when APNU-AFC was in opposition, but is no longer an issue now that they are in government. He has picked the wrong straw man to beat, since governance issues in this country go far beyond the question of powersharing. If he can’t think of grounds for CR, letters by John Willems (Stabroek News, June 28) and Mike Persaud (Stabroek News, June 26) provide an ample list of issues. Our electoral system, for one thing, needs serious overhaul. This is the only country I can think of where it takes
more than a week to declare national election results. Our governance structure is characterized by unrepresentativeness – a fundamental lack of accountability of politicians to the people where, as Willems points out, parliamentary representatives owe allegiance to their political parties and leaders, and not to the people they are supposed to serve. In general, constitutional reform has to address a governance system that has kept this country in a state of chronic instability since Independence, which has prevented it from realizing the promise of our natural resources and other fortunate attributes for the benefit of its citizens. Connected to this is the malfunction of only two changes of government in 53 years, which has the im-
plication that service of the citizens, as the role of the government, takes a back seat to the struggle to remain in power by any means. With public interest in constitutional reform growing, my greatest fear is not that it will not happen, but that it will be foisted on an underprepared population by the political elites. Guyana must have had the most ‘constitutional reforms’ of any country in this part of the world since independence. The constitution is not something to be changed every few years; it should stand the test of time. It is the duty of all sections of Guyanese society to get involved, so that we can produce a document that will serve the country well and address its main issues and needs for generations to come. Desmond Thomas, PhD
RISE could very well win... From page 4 election rather than pre-election coalition which the AFC had to do much to its very existence. Is there any reason for the PPP and the APNU/ AFC not to vote for a change of that article in the constitution? They should because the inevitable will play out. With RISE as a contestant in 2020, we will have minority government. Both the PPP and the PNC can therefore approach RISE to seek parliamentary majority. I am not one of those persons who believe the PPP cannot win a minority presidency. For this reason APNU/AFC should think carefully about that change. It can favour the APNU/AFC after the election because I doubt RISE will want to join up with the PPP. My second suggestion to RISE is to look back at our two founding fathers Burnham and Jagan. They were great nationalists that struck a balance between government for the rich and government for the poor. This
is where Mr. Burnham excelled. He had his faults but his overall thinking was to bring people out of poverty. I do not see the present PNC moving in the direction of Forbes Burnham. I may not be a political analyst but I am simply confused as to what Mr. Granger wants and what he is doing. My final suggestion to RISE is to try to rise to the occasion by thinking beyond the possible. It should feel it has a chance just like the big two to win the presidency on its own even though it will be a minority one. It can do this if it has the right personnel and strategies. It needs to bring on board people that the Guyanese people trust and respect and admire. And most importantly do not have baggage. Freddie Kissoon comes to mind. Can he be talked into it? If not what, about Nigel Hughes, Supriya Singh, Janet Bulkan, Christopher Ram, Roysdale Forde? I wish RISE continued success. Stanley Seymour
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Kaieteur M@ilbox The type of ministerial leadership present to wonder who hired these money all vanished in thin air. in Guyana people. I can list all the mis3) She reiterated - “I don’t DEAR EDITOR, An advisory board at the Minister of Public Infrastructure, appointed by Ferguson. Hear me out. Isn’t this woman an unwanted attachment as an assistant to the Minister? The essence of this story I’m about to carry is for the public to understand how their hard earned tax dollars are mismanaged by certain misfits in government. In case you’re wondering why they are called “MISFITS” it’s a terminology used by the late Steve Jobs (The IPhone / apple founder). It refers to persons who do not seem to belong in a particular group or situation, and as such do not add value to people or societies but are somehow in the upper echelon in positions to delegate. Here we have a junior minister in our government who has created an advisory council to assist her and who has admitted publicly “I cannot do it alone ….” One has
fits and their list of mistakes and inaccuracies and the news print won’t be enough to list them all. Here are some of their duties attached to the New Advisory Board; 1) Modernise transport for the public – Go to Stabroek Market, Vreed-enHoop just to name a few. Do you need a board to tell you what everyone else’s sees but not you? 2) Address the staffing and administration – You just hired another bunch of unnecessary persons like yourself to formulate policies and regulations. Imagine that! There are so many policies and regulations already in place and they are being violated daily and ignored by the same administration that supposedly should be enforcing them. Now you’re asking them to add more. That will take them just about a year, by then their contract will be up and ready for renewal. So will be your Minister and the
want to see long lines at the booth waiting to purchase tickets. Make use of technology. We should all be able to buy a ticket online.” How many people that ply the corridors have access to a computer Minister? Even when access to a computer is there, there is usually black out. By the time the power comes back on the boat is gone. The masses are poor peasants, a handful of entrepreneurs and the hustlers and miners. The board does not need to tell you that; you live there and are unaware of this fact. I’ve been living outside of Guyana for the last thirty four years and I know that much. As a Minister you should be knowledgeable of these facts. Here is some good advice, rescind the board; go out in the fields; save the tax payers’ money; operate a lean and clean Ministry; meet the people; hear their concerns . (Continued on page 7)
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A former Attorney-General must know about legal, semantic distinctions DEAR EDITOR, Mohabir A. Nandlall must be the only (former) Attorney General in any Common Law (English speaking) jurisdiction who would misidentify and consider, “Commonwealth Law Reports” (abbreviated citation – CLR) and “Law Reports of the Commonwealth” (abbreviated citation – LRC (const) or LRC (Crim) etc as “one and the same” I refer to his letter in KN, Wednesday June 05, 2017 under caption “As a Parliamentarian I condemn the police’s wastage of money”. I worked at the Attorney General’s chambers. D r. Mohammed Shahabbuddeen, SC was then Attorney General. As a State Counsel (1984 – 85, 87) he would have been disgusted (to put it mildly, and certainly not amused) if one of us State Counsel/ Parliamentary Counsels were to say that Commonwealth Law Reports, and, Law Reports of the Commonwealth, are differences in “semantics”, and that they are “one and the same”. Editor, the brutal, stark reality is that those two set
of law reports are NOT one and the same, they have nothing in common, and are so different in their respective contents, identities and publication as the Country of the United Kingdom is, from the Country of Australia. But like Rip-Van-winkle, it now appears that Mr. Nandlall has awakened and realizes (perhaps it is more a case of having been edified) the LRC and CLR are not “one and the same”. Yet, with an accustomed degree of pedantry, he accuses his educator of having “joined the masquerade”. He argues that his misrepresentation of LRC as CLR is but some “minor and clerical misdescription” (SN Friday July 7, 2017, under caption “A minor clerical misdescription appears in the Court Order”). Well, misrepresenting/ misdescribing LRC as CLR is not minor; it is not some clerical error; and this “masquerade” band has only one person: Mohabir Anil Nandlall; and his badcow with which he dances, is his bad conservatory order (CO). If asking for a conser-
vatory order in respect of “Commonwealth Law Reports” and obtaining such an order is in the circumstances of this matter a minor clerical misdescription, then I dare him to approach the Judge to have her Order varied or amended to read “Law Reports of the Commonwealth” applying the rule or principle of judicial recall of orders. Wesley Kirton may have been right (“He needs a subscription to dictionaries not law books”, KN, Wednesday June 14, 2017). His protestations in the press are of no avail; they do not amount to or constitute amendments or variations; or clarifications of the CO. the Judge in this matter made no “slip”, she granted what was prayed for. So, this brings me to, Mr. Nandlall’s threats or warning against SOCU of “contempt of court proceedings, constitutional actions and appropriate private criminal charges…” were it to execute that infamously forewarned Search Warrant which speaks to, and authorizes the seizure of (quoting him) “14 Law
reports of the Commonwealth”. His warning is hollow, meaningless and misconceived, and are like Shakespeare’s “tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. Nandlall (and I daresay the Honourable Judge) cannot expect SOCU’s officers in their investigatory role, and who has NEVER SEEN the 14 LRC, to know with certainty and specificity, what on the face of this CO (bald and barren and plainly bad for uncertainty and want of particularity) they are THEREBY prohibited from seizing from Nandlall. The laws of contempt of court requires that any potential contemnor (with peril of imprisonment for disobedience - contempt of court) be told and notified with sufficient particularity and certainty what acts he/she is prohibited from doing and in this matter, the description of the property protected by the CO from seizure. Does Nandlall’s CO pass this test? NO. I end with this: by his sleight of pen he cannot convert the speaking
The type of ministerial leadership present in Guyana From page 6 In North America we say; roll up your sleeves and get into the trenches. There you will see firsthand, what you didn’t know and how much you can attain working with the people. Issue some form of ticket or token that can be available at almost every corner store. We d o t h a t h e r e i n CANADA, the best of the G7 nations. ‘ Yes, we don’t buy bus tickets online to travel local; we buy it from the Transit booth or corner stores or we can purchase a monthly bus pass like a bank card.
Oh! Please don’t get an advisory board to monitor the process. Take courses on LEAN METHODOLGY – 5 modes of waste. 4) “You need to bring to me the safety issues and how you all are going to tackle this” - are they all in a classroom? It appears that way. You hired them to come up with ideas but you have now given them all your ideas, how will they
brainstorm the issues? Just head to Stabroek Market and see the health and safety violations with the speed boats Essequibo is a bit too far. A word of advice from Bob Dylan
Your old road is rapidly aging; please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand’ for the times they are a changing Harry Balkaran Ontario-Canada
words of the CO Viz; “Commonwealth Law Reports” into “Law Reports of the Commonwealth”. The mischief of his bad CO cannot be cured by his rantings in the press. So, if the Search Warrant granted to SOCU speaks with sufficient particularity to those 14Law Reports of the Commonwealth, they being the g o o d s o f w h i c h M r. Nandlall is suspected, and accused of having stolen as a bailee by license, and so, appropriately to be tendered as exhibits in proof of the Government’s case, I submit unreservedly, that the law is 100% in SOCU favour if, it is intending to
execute that Search Warrant. Evidence of having found the 14 LRC at the defendant Nandlall premises is, and would be strong evidence in proof of the prosecution’s case, of that element of the offence (of Larceny by bailee what lawyers knows as the actus reus i.e. the physical act) which in this case was the removal of the said 14 LRC from his employer’s premises (i.e. the Ministry of Legal Affairs/ AGs Chambers) and a refusal to have returned them upon request. Maxwell E. Edwards Attorney-at-Law
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CSME the best response to changes in Kak deh round de Europe, says outgoing CARICOM chair Dem boys seh...
carner, Soulja Bai
Sex is de sweetest thing on earth. People does married fuh get it, some others does pay fuh it and some does just think about it. But in all this some don’t know what to do to enjoy it. Dem boys now offering10 steps for de best sex with your partner. Dem boys know you would continue to read to find dem steps. GO AND READ YOUR BIBLE. QURAN or the B H A G VA D G I TA , U WUTLESS BRUTE ... The end is near. But back to serious business. Dem boys want Soulja Bai to know that he people either thiefing or giving away taxpayers dollars. And he encouraging it. Who does rent house in Guyana fuh Half million dollars? Dem boys want him to know dat renting a house fuh $500,000 a month is not only ridiculous; it is wholesale thieving like wha Jagdeo dem use to do. You can buy one and pay that same money as mortgage. By de time you lose power it belong to de other govt. Whoever negotiate that package pocketing something big time. Open your eyes and see bro, That is de advice from dem boys. Dem experts done seh poor leadership can mek an oil-rich country go hungry. De decision on whether Guyana go hungry or not is in your hands. Make the right decision; don’t depend on dem boys to guide you on it. Dem too weak and gullible for what is coming. Dem boys believe you is de only one who strong enough to resist any temptation. Remember the headline de other day? A man seh OIL corrupts weak govts and Guyana is far from strong. De same man seh it will take better politicians to resist the corrosive power of de Petrodollars. That same man seh dem done kak we with the amount of OIL dem seh dem find. De man seh it is much, much more than what they want us to believe deh sitting under de water. We got to watch dem every step of de way but dem boys don’t know how that gun be possible because dem talking bout bringing in dem own security people. Read thru de lines Soulja Bai. That is to keep off Guyanese from the oil rig area. Dem don’t want
nobody see how much coming up and how much getting ship out. Is not dem boys seh suh, is de experts. De advice is don’t trust none of de people you put to study this oil deal. You will get kak and dem boys and you too old to tek it. Dem boys want to whisper something in your ears so you will know what already tekking place with some of them under your nose. As yuh know nutten is secret. Dem boys never beg anyone fuh anything but fuh de sake of our own gold, timber and now OIL dem boys begging Soulja Bai fuh put everything down and spend some time, Study that oil company; mek de right deal fuh everybody children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to come. Talk half and dem boys willing to help out without a cent.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME) is the Community’s best response to the inevitable changes in its traditional markets in Europe, the prevalence of economic liberalization and the emergence of economic blocs, the outgoing CARICOM chairman, David Granger, said on Tuesday evening. Speaking at the opening of the 38th Meeting of the conference of Heads of Government in Grenada, President Granger said the CSME is still the best vehicle to allow small states like those of CARICOM to compete in the global economy while promoting economic and social development. CARICOM Heads of Governments, who began the first business session of their two-day meeting on Wednesday, were expected to examine the findings of a comprehensive review of the CSME.
Describing the deepening of economic integration by advancing a single market and economy, as the “most ambitious project attempted by the Community,” Granger said, “It must not become its most ambiguous.” “The CSME, especially given the present uncertainties facing the region’s international relations, must be accelerated in order to create a single economic space,” he said. “The Community, with a total land area of 462, 352 km2, is larger than Sweden and, if it were a single country, would be the 56th largest in the world. Size matters. The Community would be the 56th largest in the world. Size matters,” Granger noted. Given the accumulative land, the labour, the talent and the capital the Community possesses, it could guarantee food security for its citizens, the Guyanese head of state suggested. In this context, he bemoaned the Community’s
CARICOM Chairman, David Granger annual food import bill, which he said exceeded US$4 billion. Noting that such a situation was “a notorious indictment,” the outgoing chairman said non-tariff barriers continued to constrain trade in food.
“The need was urgent, therefore to re-examine how it can dismantle the non-tariff barriers to trade in agricultural products while generating employment for citizens,” he said. Emphasising the critical importance of removing barriers to foster more efficient intra-regional trade, he said: “Small internal markets consign states to high dependence on external trade. Intraregional trade, therefore, is important. “The Caribbean Common Market was established to ensure markets for regional production, inter alia. Intraregional trade provides a basis for increasing national production, augmenting investment and generating employment. The environment is an inescapable economic reality.” Continued on page 13
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Sunday July 09, 2017
Trotman yet to acknowledge WPA’s letter of concerns over oil deal Recently, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) noted that the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, is yet to even acknowledge its letter of concern about the oil deal Guyana has struck with ExxonMobil. About a month ago, the party wrote Minister Trotman asking for the public release of details surrounding the ExxonMobil contract. The party seems to think that at a mere minimum, Minister Trotman, could have had his office acknowledge receipt of the letter. WPA Executive Member, Dr. David Hinds, said that the party wrote because it felt that it is essential for the nation to know what is happening. “If this is about Guyana’s oil then Guyanese need to know what it is you are negotiating on their behalf. But to date the Minister has not even had the courtesy of acknowledging the WPA‘s letter.” Dr. Hinds continued, “Again we wish to point out to the Guyanese people that we are a partner in Government and we write to the government and say we feel that this should have been the course of action but they did not have the courtesy to respond.” Dr. Hinds said that that is another example of the contraction of power within
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the coalition to just a few “and so yes we feel that short of national security the agreement should be published. We read about a Minister saying that because of national security they cannot release information.” Dr. Hinds said that he is sure that the information will be released in the United States of America because it is not classified. WPA’s Tabitha SaraboHalley said, too, that the WPA notes that Government has refused to heed its call for a release to the public of the details of the contract it
signed with Exxon Mobil. She said, “Today we renew that call. We believe that Government’s explanation that national security concerns has prevented it from making a public disclosure is not convincing. “As we said in our initial letter to the Minister, There is no justifiable reason for not publishing this contract. Seeking public comment on it is our democratic obligation. And engaging the widest possible sharing of views can only help the coalition government to make wiser decisions.”
Woman stabbed, beaten over doctor’s fee request A 49-year-old woman was stabbed and beaten by her boyfriend on Tuesday when she asked him to borrow $3000 to visit the doctor. Andrea Brummell, of Lot 465 North East La Penitence, Georgetown suffers from high blood pressure and needed money to visit the doctor. The mother of five reportedly asked her partner to loan her the cash until she received her salary the following day. Her request allegedly angered the suspect and this resulted in a bitter altercation which caused him to stab her four times about the body and hit her in the head with a piece of wood. Brummell is now recovering in a private hospital. The suspect was nabbed on Friday morning and has told the police that he was simply trying to defend himself. Brummell, in an interview yesterday, said that she can barely recall what transpired. She has even lost track of the days. The woman said that she remembers asking her partner to borrow the cash but does not recall when he assaulted her. “I don’t remember what happened, all I know is that I got up on Thursday morning preparing to go to work. I was on one bed and he (suspect) was on the other bed,” she recalled. From her hospital bed, the security guard noted that as she was about to get ready, she felt sick and asked her partner to take her to
Andrea Brummell
the hospital—the man agreed. It was at the hospital that she discovered she was stabbed—two wounds to the leg, once to the buttocks and one to the spine. There were also black and blue marks on her body. Kaieteur News was informed that the woman was previously attacked by the suspect, who will be making a court appearance on Monday.
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Govt. must manage citizens’ oil expectations – Symposium Panellist With hundreds of citizens and dozens of companies queuing up to take a chunk out of the emerging oil and gas sector, it was advised that Government take steps to manage public expectation.
This advice was offered by Vicky McPherson, a Shareholder in the Global Energy & Infrastructure Group and the Africa Practice Group at the international law firm Greenberg Traurig.
McPherson appeared as a panelist at a “Public Corruption, Oil Curse” symposium at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, last week. (Continued on page 63)
Sunday June 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
CSME the best response to changes in... From page 9 As he reflected on his “semester” as chairman of the Community, Granger said current international realities provided ample opportunities for the Community to work together to protect vital interests at the levels of citizen, country and the community. Expressing confidence in the future he said, “With such a clear vision and commitment, CARICOM can confront the future with confidence.” The president of Guyana reminded his colleagues to keep citizens at the centre of the Community and to reject “the odious notion of ‘statelessness’.” Providing a nexus between the rights of the citizen and the freedom of movement regime of the CSME, he said that the respect of the right of citizens obliged leaders to “dismantle restrictive immigration practices, which impede free movement.” Referencing the original Treaty of Chaguaramas, he said the founding fathers envisioned the strengthening of “bonds among the people of the Caribbean to fulfill aspirations for… full employment and improved standards of work and living...” He also recalled that the Charter of Civil Society of the Caribbean Community Habits are not the product of one decision — They’re the result of repeated choices that eventually become automatic responses. How can you know your true spiritual condition? By the company you keep and the choices you make. When you’re free to go, where do you choose to go? Whose company do you prefer?
established the respect for every citizen’s fundamental human rights, including the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Therefore, he stated, “The perverse notion of a ‘stateless’ person is anathema to the Community’s concept of human dignity. The Community must never cease condemning inhuman treatment meted out to Caribbean citizens in the Dominican Republic or anywhere else.”
The Guyanese head of state said: “The Caribbean, our home, must be secure. It must remain a ‘zone of peace’ through our unstinting solidarity in defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of member states.” At the same time he said that security cooperation, under the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACs) and through international agreements such as the
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which have helped to keep citizens safe, was not sufficient in an age of international terror. Underscoring the importance of advancing the Roadmap for a Single ICT Space, he said could help the region to “straddle the 3,200 km2 of sea space, which separates Nassau in the north from Paramaribo in the south, through information and communications technology.” (CMC)
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Achieving a Stress-Free Financial Life – Help is on the Way A few words of advice on ending financial stress Ladies, gentlemen, and youths of all ages, please listen, “People are unable to live their full potential because of a lack of financial knowledge. Therefore, financial literacy is the most important set of life skills that you will need to survive and be successful in the modern world.” Financial success does not have to be complicated. Benjamin Franklin (17061790), one of the founding fathers of the United States who drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States said that, “He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner.” So, why dream and wait for fortune to come to you. The key to financial freedom is control – and the key to control is planning; therefore, following a financial plan that you are comfortable with will bring you financial freedom. My advice is that you be proactive and develop a financial plan for yourself. Who was Benjamin
Franklin? Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts was a successful businessman, public servant, statesman, patriot, inventor and thinker; his accomplishments are legendary. According to the literature, he owned 18 paper mills and was the first postmaster and father of the modern weather bureau. To him we owe the invention of the Franklin stove, bifocals, electric explosives, public libraries and many more inventions. His face is on the front of the US$100 bill, the highest denomination of American currency printed. Our interest in Benjamin Franklin is his advice concerning managing money and on wealth building. In fact, “The Way to Wealth” written in 1757 is a summary of Ben Franklin’s advice on wealth building. His advice is just as relevant today as it was 270 years ago when first written. STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO IMPROVE YOUR FINANCIAL OUTLOOK As part of your financial
plan, you must include Ben Franklin’s Principles of Wise Investing. The following are six crucial principles upon which you can base decisions about investments and money management. Ignoring these principles has brought financial ruin to thousands of people – rich and poor alike. According to Lynn Robbins, writing on Ben Franklin, stated that these principles do not deal with economic cycles or specific investments; rather, they contain basic advice to follow in any economic climate. · You are your own best investment: Everything Ben Franklin did in those early years was an investment in himself. In fact, he said, “I resolve to apply myself industriously to whatever business I take in hand, and not divert my mind from my business by any foolish project of growing suddenly rich; for industry and patience are the surest means of plenty.” He recognized that his future lay in himself. You must invest in
yourself by reading books and articles, especially, matters related to financial literacy that inspire you and by working with teachers and colleagues who expand your world. Whether we invest in formal education or in personal improvement of our talents and interests, an investment in ourselves is the first and most important investment we can make and it promises the greatest potential payback. Another maxim from Ben Franklin makes the point, “If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” · There is no such thing as a free lunch: When you are looking to get something for nothing, you will probably end up getting nothing and paying quite a lot. Every con man plays off one simple lie: you can get something for nothing. Recently, United States federal prosecutors arrested a California man they accuse of duping investors out of
$20 million in a real estate Ponzi scheme. The 36-year old promised investors he would use their money to buy and manage several rental apartments, and in some cases, the buildings did not exist. Authorities say he used money from new investors to pay past investors their socalled profits. The accused was charged with mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering; the charges make him eligible to spend 20 years in prison. Generally, another warning sign of a con man is that there are no documents available when trying to make a deal. An honest man has nothing to hide and complies with all regulations. · A part of all you earn is yours to keep: Saving is the most important financial move you can make. Your ability to save now can make or break you in retirement; it open opportunities or close doors. When we do not take care to keep some part or our earnings for ourselves, we deny ourselves future financial security, stability, and choices.
Sunday June 09, 2017
Dr. Terence Smith, Deputy Governor, Bank of Guyana Impress yourself with the idea that, “A part of all I earn is mine to keep.” Say it in the morning when you first rise and say it to yourself all day long. Then take whatever portion seems wise. Let it be not less than one-tenth and save that. Arrange your other expenses to do this if necessary. Soon you will realize what a rich feeling it is to own an asset which you alone have claim. As it grows, it will stimulate you. · Do not trust the knowledge of jewels to a brickmaker: Investing with friends is perhaps the highest risk of all. Because we trust their honesty so much, we may be blind to the fact that they might be incompetent. In fact, when you invest in hot Continued on page 61
Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
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Sunday July 09, 2017
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House Speaker schools undignified MPs Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, has reminded Members of Parliament (MP) on both sides of the floor, of their obligation to conduct themselves in such a manner so as not to bring disgrace to the “noble institution” and themselves. The Speaker did so during the 67th Sitting of the National Assembly on Friday last. While making reference to two prior sittings where “unprecedented” scenes occurred; the Speaker scolded the Members. In a calm and careful delivery, the Speaker said, “None of them (scenes) do credit to our institution nor to ourselves as Members of Parliament – all of them avoidable and none of them excusable.” By acting as they did, the Speaker said that the “honourable members” appeared to show little regard for the honour of the House. “By our conduct, we gave to the public on whose behalf we claim to act, at best, a poor lesson in parliamentary decorum. Given that our conduct which we sometimes display
within the chamber – and in some instances our conduct outside it – over the period of this parliament, we’ve left our citizens to form other than the highest regard for our parliamentary conduct.” The Speaker spoke of one instance where the House was fully constituted and the then “most-junior member of the house” took to social to make “uninformed” comments in reference to the Speaker. “I’m not aware that the honourable member has even been called to account for his conduct. In fact, not long afterwards, Senior Members of this House chose to conduct themselves in similar fashion making criticisms which involved the Speaker as head of this institution – recklessly careless as to the truth or otherwise of their utterances.” This practice, the Speaker opined, occurs whenever MPs are displeased with his ruling. He noted that there is an open line of communication between himself and other MPs. This line, he urged, must be used responsibly so as not to make
political points. “The Speaker accepts communication directly either by voice or by writing from honourable members and he holds such communication both useful and valuable. When however, honourable members make reference to those communications in (the) public (or) print in an effort to make political points – as has been the practise by some honourable members – this conduct could affect that ease of ready communication which the Speaker values and would wish to continue,” the Speaker said. Dr. Scotland, while recognising the importance of members informing the public of his rulings, noted that there is room to do so without him being drawn into any “political contention.” He went on to talk about the disregard for the House and how it is taking new forms. He referenced one instance where the Parliament Chambers “formed the backdrop for a parody.” The Speaker said that it was brought to his attention by a member of the public, that
“an honourable member” took the assembly “viral”. Though he did not mention the name of the MP, it appears that the Speaker was referring to the video that was posted to social media by the Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes. Last month, Broomes apparently preformed a parody of Guyanese media sensation, Allison Hunt, who has been posting videos of herself in Paris, France. It was evident from the tone of the minister that she was imitating Hunt. However, her words would have irked some supporters of the Opposition. She is seen in the shaky video pointing to the seats of Jagdeo and Trotman. “Yes boom out…this is the Parliament…look at me, you people have to come here, and to see the Parliament of Guyana. Right here, behind me here is the Opposition Leader seat. His name is Bharrat Jagdeo. Boom out and look right here is where the honourable Minister Raphael Trotman sits down.” Broomes, a long time miner, continues: “Right here, boom
out, Bharrat Jagdeo is the doctor of failure, he is irrelevant and insignificant and the honourable Minister Trotman…bim bam boom out. Lemme throw my hair at the back of me, my hair is not so long. So boom out, this is the Parliament, look at me.” She said that the Opposition the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), which lost the 2015 general elections after two decades in power, really wants to return to spend the oil money that will come from the ExxonMobil well that will start operations in 2020. “Y’all got to come down to GT (Georgetown) and come in de national Parliament and have a seat and look at Bharrat Jagdeo, and the PPP small c and the Opposition and they want to come back to power to spend de oil money.” But that ain’t happening, the Member of Parliament promises. “But boom out, dem ain’t coming back. Because the Guyanese people…we know he is a failure, bim bam, so we gonna boom out right here in my seat.” The video ends with Broomes taking her seat. The Speaker of the National
Assembly spoke about MPs inheriting good practices from their predecessors. He stressed the importance of these practices to be upheld. He then quizzed the MPs about what practices would they be leaving for their successors. “Our predecessors left us a legacy of decorum and good practice for this House; I ask what shall we leave our successors. In our statements in this house, many honourable members demonstrate an act of incivility and would select words which border on disregard, if not disrespect to their fellow honourable members,” Dr. Scotland said that one member of the public has stated that MPs have “private scores to settle”, and that they do so when they speak in Parliament. The result of this, he explained, is a never-ending circle of answers or responses in similar tones. “I put it to honourable members that they have a duty to venerate our institution; this noble House and to give evidence to that veneration through their conduct as Members of Parliament.”
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Kaieteur News
Special NICIL unit to focus on GuySuCo privatization Government has announced that a special purpose unit will manage the divestment of the Skeldon Factory and other Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) assets. The establishment of the unit will cost the government $130M. The sum is covered under a supplementary provision on the Current and Capital estimates totaling $6.395B for the period January 01, 2017 to December 31, 2017, that was brought before the House for approval, on Friday evening. The provision for the unit itself was sought by Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan. The amount includes provision for employment costs, utilities, professional and legal fees, advertisement, office space, and operating supplies, furniture and equipment. Minister Jordan told the House that the unit
will form part of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). The Minister explained that in the initial stage, the unit will focus on the divestment of the Skeldon Factory, following which the focus will be on any land that GuySuCo identifies for divestment. The establishment of the unit removes the divestment and privatisation duties from GuySuCo. The Minister noted the sugar company will now be able to better focus its attention on its other restructuring efforts. GuySuCo has embarked on a series of measures aimed at changing its declining fortunes. This entails the divestment of the Skeldon Estate, the amalgamation of the Wales Estate with the Uitvlugt Estate, and surrounding land for lease to employees. These adjustments
mean that GuySuCo will be scaled-down into a more efficient entity that focuses on producing sugar to satisfy the domestic and foreign market, a government statement said. In the last decade, the 17,000-plus worker state company has been facing blows, a situation made worse by the European Union’s decision to introduce a phased 36 percent cut to its price. The EU is Guyana’s biggest sugar customer. Poor agriculture, aging factories, and the fact that the US$200M Skeldon factory, a flagship, 7-year-old facility has failed to perform, has contributed to the rapid decline of the industry. Last year, amidst falling production and revenues, the Coalition Government closed Wales estate, shifting some workers to Uitvlugt, located on West Coast Demerara. Two others - Rose Hall
The Baccoo Speaks This is going to be a busy weekend for the law enforcement agencies, as young men try to prey on shoppers and a few home owners. Lessons are not learnt, because the police have increased their presence on the streets. Another young criminal will be taken into custody because he simply could not escape fast enough from the scene of a crime. **
A live electric wire would cause serious injury to a man who is not an electrician, but who believes that he could
make the necessary connections. The power company will conduct an investigation and find that there was an illegal connection. ** Bodies are turning up all over the place. The police are going to find another body at the side of a roadway. The initial suspicion would be that the victim was involved in a hit-and-run. Further investigations will prove otherwise.
Wales factory: Govt. has established a special unit to deal with sugar’s divestment and privatization. and Enmore - were recommended for closure with the new, under-performing f a c t o r y, S k e l d o n , e a rmarked for divestment. GuySuCo, despite the large chunk of foreign exchange it has been plugging to the economy annu-
ally, has another major problem. It has been sucking up billions of dollars in bailouts, a situation that the new administration says cannot continue anymore. The Opposition, which has built its support from especially sugar workers, has
been battling against the downsizing of the industry. Wi t h regards to Skeldon, Government has actively been courting a number of investors. A team visited Guyana recently to inspect the operations.
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Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
Two murdered girls…two unsolved cases…
DO YOU KNOW THE BATH SETTLEMENT KILLER? By Michael Jordan A distraught mom, Claudette David, claimed that on Monday, September 8, 2008, she watched from her Lot 122 Block ‘D,’ Bath Settlement, West Berbice home, as her 13-year-old daughter, Kavita Panday, rode on a bicycle she had borrowed from a neighbour. Ms. David would later tell the police that a 16-year-old boy was riding next to her daughter. Ms. David said that she observed that some of her cattle had strayed into a cash-crop farm, and she assumed that the boy was accompanying Kavita to chase the cows. Claudette David would also tell the police that it was nearing 2pm when she went to call her daughter, and realised that Kavita had not returned. She became concerned when she spotted the bicycle that her daughter had used and also saw that the cows were still in the farm. The worried mother, allegedly accompanied by the same 16-year-old boy, began to search for the missing girl. Scouring an
area near a trench, Ms. David noticed a pair of green slippers her daughter had bought for Mrs. David’s birthday, along with the teen’s blue cap. Ms. David’s husband, Rajesh Panday, who had joined in the search, found his daughter’s body facedown at the corner of the canal. Her top was pulled up and her tights and underwear were pulled down to her knees. Government Pathologist Dr Vi v e k a n a n d Bridgemohan in his evid e nce-in-chief cited the cause of death as asphyxia and drowning along with multiple injuries. The autopsy indicated that Panday was struck with a blunt object, which left a large bruise by one of her temples. Her eyes were also swollen, while there was a bruise on one of her hips and other bruises on her privates. In addition, there was muddy water in her stomach and a foreign object in her wind-pipe. There was also evidence of sexual assault. Police detained the 16year-old boy and he was eventually charged with murder.
During his two-week trial, which began in October 2011, the accused, in an unsworn statement, denied seeing either the victim Kavita Panday or her mother Claudette David, on September 8, 2008 when the teen was slain. The trial judge, accompanied by the lawyers and jury, revisited the area where the body was found. At the scene, Claudette David identified her home and where she was when she had allegedly seen her daughter in company of the accused. Eventually, after deliberating for two hours, the mixed Berbice Assizes jury found the accused not guilty. The case remains unsolved and forgotten… Or is it…? In late July 2012, Basmattie Moonsammy, also called ‘Manda,’ a student of Woodley Park Primary, disappeared from her parents’ Woodley Park, West Berbice home, which is also a section of Bath Settlement. When days passed and she failed to return, her mother, Padmoutie ‘Padma’ Dyal, a domestic worker, visited the Fort Wellington Police Station and
reported her missing. It was not the first time that the troubled teen had disappeared. She was a frequent runaway, but would always return a few days later. On the morning of Saturday, August 4, 2012, Maniram Jainauth, a Woodley Park farmer, was working in his rice field around 10.30 hrs when he saw something partially buried in the mud. On checking closer, Jainauth realised that the ‘something’ was a corpse, buried in a shallow grave but unearthed by recent heavy rains. The farmer instructed his wife to contact the police. Detectives removed the soil and discerned that the victim was a young female. The victim was lying face-down. She was wearing a shirt and brassiere; her underwear was pulled down to the knees, a length of cloth was knotted around her throat. Checking into the teen’s background, detectives were told that Basmattie shared a relationship with a 20-year-old man who lived at Bath Settlement. They also learnt that less
than a year before Basmattie’s murder, the same youth had been acquitted of the murder of another teenage girl. That victim was Kavita Panday. A few days after Basmattie’s body was found, police visited the suspect’s Bath Settlement home and took him into custody for the teen’s murder. Two other youths were also detained. The suspect’s parents, meanwhile, vouched deeply for his innocence, and even filed a report at the Complaints Desk in New Amsterdam’s Central Police Station, into claims that he was assaulted. The parents denied that the suspect and Moonsammy shared a relationship, while painting an unflattering picture of the slain girl. “A murder story happened four years ago and that story done— and just so they came and arrested my son… just so they come and arrested him,” the fa-
ther said. “So anything happening now, they coming and hold him,” the father had told Kaieteur News. According to the parents, their son was at home the entire week that Basmattie had disappeared. A few days later, police were forced to release the young fisherman and the other two suspects. The investigation into the murder of Basmattie Moonsammy, the troubled teen who often ran away from home, is now apparently at a standstill. Or is it…? If you have further information on these cases or any other, please contact us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office or by telephone. We can be reached on telephone numbers 22-58458, 22-58465, or 2258491. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon@hotmail.com
Sunday July 09, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Grading President Granger’s performance On Thursday afternoon, I was a guest of Stan Gouveia’s radio programme, “The Hot Seat” on 94.1FM. The first question was grading the President. Actually Stan didn’t ask me to give the President a mark. He informed me that President Granger awarded an ‘A’ grade to his Cabinet, and then he asked for my reaction. I prefaced my fail grade for Mr. Granger by the following explanation which I will repeat here. I told Stan I respect my education which was earned from hard work and based on my love for education, I cannot honestly cast it aside by being dishonest on my analysis of Mr. Granger in office. I gave Mr. Granger an ‘F’ grade, and that came out of dispassionate assessment of his two-year stewardship of the country. I don’t know if Mr. Granger will be irked about what was said on ‘The Hot Seat’ or is written here. Mr. Granger makes decisions; my task is to put my interpretations on those decisions for my readers. Many of those decisions were
plainly wrong, many not commensurate with democratic culture. It has not been an effect i v e t w o y e a r s f o r M r. Granger. He has not demonstrated the leadership qualities that this country needs in the post-Jagdeo period. I see nothing on the landscape, except his financial rectitude, to convince me that transformational changes are on the horizon. I chose carefully to make a distinction between financial rectitude and personal integrity. While I am not going to comment extensively on Mr. Granger’s personal integrity, I think it is not epistemologically and psychologically possible to separate personal integrity from opportunistic politics. I will deal with one issue of personal integrity and move on, choosing to look at political opportunism of the President. The question is if the president is politically opportunistic can you relate that to a character? I will not go in that direction for now. The one issue of personal in-
tegrity I have dealt with in several columns. It is an issue that will not go away for me unless the President does the modest and morally right thing and apologizes to me. I did an entire column requesting such an apology and I haven’t seen it from him as yet. I hope it is forthcoming. I have written enough on this subject, but will have to repeat it here, since I am looking at the personal integrity of the President. His office in a press release accused me of making mischief by writing that he, in his capacity as President, chose three ministers from within the AFC’s leadership on his own, without AFC’s input, including his son-inl a w. P r e s i d e n t G r a n g e r knows who birthed that statement; his very good friend, Raphael Trotman. Yet the President’s Office accused me of mischief. Let’s move on. Executives in the WPA that are my personal friends told me that I have permission to write about what will fol-
low in the next few lines. They said when the WPA met the President on the ministerial transfer of Rupert Roopnaraine; the President stated that he made up his mind to remove Roopnaraine from the Education Ministry once he saw the report of the COI on education. There is a serious flaw in this reasoning by the President, and he has opened himself to serious criticism, of which I know he will get from the WPA and should from society. The COI could not have judged Roopnaraine for the time he was at the Ministry. The COI was implemented before Roopnaraine completed eighteen months in office, and was finished before Roopnaraine completed two years. It becomes a matter of laughter to say that the President thought Roopnaraine could have cleared the stables in
eighteen months. In using that reason to remove Roopnaraine, the President has become vulnerable to trenchant criticism. In his two years in the presidency has he changed Guyana in ways one can honestly say is meaningful? Police behaviour, medical delivery, electricity delivery (it is worse than under the PPP where I live), crime situation, bureaucratic competence, state services, Georgetown City Council, UG, the educational system, the economy, judicial functionalism, infrastructural system (traffic signals are more erratic than under the PPP), general fear of the population, youth problems, minority rights, constitutional changes (look what the President did to the constitution with his GECOM chairman explanation) have hardly been positively trans-
Frederick Kissoon formed. In removing Roopnaraine for lacklustre functioning, the President leads one to ask of him a similar question’ isn’t your performance lacklustre too? Well let’s say that the President’s record was better than Roopnaraine’s; what about the performance of other Ministers? Pardon me. Mr. Granger; I think your slip is showing.
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Kaieteur News
Perseverance, a Model Community By Prime Minister Moses V. Nagamootoo It is an ambitious plan to seek to provide housing for all Guyanese, especially for low-income earners and youths, but Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, and Minister of Housing, Valerie Patterson, are both confident that together they could sustain this new drive to house our citizens. They said as much when they launched “Housing Solutions 2017 and Beyond”. That mammoth exhibition of affordable housing units held in May at Perseverance, EBD, was the start of a very extensive housing and social development programme. Every government of Guyana has addressed the housing needs of our people, and they could all claim varying degrees of success. Admittedly, housing is a social need that is never completely met, at least not until very long term plans are concretized. When it is a problem like Guyana’s is, it does not go away. Indeed we have come a long way from the days
when whole families used to occupy sections of city pavements. Others were condemned to live in hovels almost everywhere - in the city and its environs, in Berbice, Essequibo, Kwakwani, and interior areas past Bartica. There are people still around who remember; who benefitted, from the pre-independence efforts at resolving the housing crisis under a previous Cheddi Jagan administration. One solution had been the ‘range houses’ built in the city, plus other kinds of dwellings in the countryside, in places such as Black Bush Polder. The other model used to address the housing problem was the 1976 “Feed, Clothe and House the Nation” drive under the Forbes Burnham government. At that time, clay bricks (made from red clay and fired at factories located at West Demerara) were used on a wide scale. Check Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara and Meadowbrook Gardens for the evidence. SQUATTING In 1992 Cheddi Jagan re-
focused on the housing drive (the population in the city and along the coastline had swollen). A programme was implemented to regularise squatting areas which saw house lots being allocated on a wider scale. An open lottery gave some spice to the drive and large numbers of persons were able to build their own homes. The then political elites and their friends cashed in as well, and helped themselves to large tracts of land, to posh, private plots over which the spectre of corruption still hovers. According to Minister Bulkan, that model of handing out house lots ostensibly to create government housing schemes was flawed. He disclosed that only 28,000 of the 63,000 house lots distributed are occupied. Many people just do not have the means to build their houses, and the prices that contractors demand are way beyond their pockets. During the period 2011 to 2016 about 20,000 lots were distributed in 38 ‘schemes’ but only 4,000 houses were built. A total of 4,200 acres of
land were marked out for these schemes and about $13B was spent on infrastructural works, none of which was completed. This Government now has to spend an additional $16M for proper roads and utilities. NEW APPROACH The minister had said that a new approach was needed to provide affordable and comfortable houses for the estimated 25,000 home-seekers whose applications were found gathering dust. So, the ministry started work on a State Paper on Housing to provide not only houses, but safe communities. With the private construction and banking sectors driving the process, the new plan provides housing units - a combination of duplexes, townhouses and apartments, distinct from empty house lots. Friday May 27, 2017 will forever be etched in my memory. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many smiling faces in one place. As I walked from building to building at the Housing Expo, I saw long lines of newlyweds, and mothers carrying babies, all waiting to sign up for loans from the local banks present. I observed the exciting twinkles of happiness as they viewed and touched the new specimens of household
Moses-Nagamootoo items on display. Perseverance EBD is about to become an integrated, model community. In the midst of clusters of houses, playfields have been carved out, and space has been reserved for shopping complexes. Along the access road we passed an international hotel, an upscale Chinese restaurant, a Trinidadian-owned shopping complex, a medical university and site for a proposed hospital, an international Call Center, a building materials depot and a water park. Soon, with new networks of roads, the East Bank and East Coast corridors will be linked to provide easier access for strate-
gic services to the Perseverance community. HAPPY FACES That site had been identified by the previous government pre-2015 for 1000 homes. 50 turnkey houses were actually built, but they could not be occupied due to structural defects. When this problem came to our attention, the Coalition Government proceeded to have them corrected and then began to push construction of an additional 500 houses in the area. At the time of the Expo, 200 houses were at various stages of completion; several were completed and outfitted with solar energy. These were sold after the Exhibition for $6M to $12M. During the event, one of the priests who offered prayers referred to the 83,000 sq. mile land mass of Guyana, and light-heartedly shared his vision of every Guyanese owning two houses. I echo his dream of a new Guyana where every family could have a chicken in the pot, a car in the garage, and another house in the backyard! For now, the young couples I saw at the exhibition are anticipating their modest first home - either a cottage or an apartment. They are excited, and it’s no wonder there were so many happy faces at Perseverance.
Sunday July 09, 2017
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Kaieteur News
My column
Unravelling the loopholes in bank security The talking point in the past week was the attempted robbery on Republic Bank. One of the attackers was killed, but the interest rests with those arrested. It is turning out that some of them were employees of the bank. A few months back, when people were robbed as soon as they left the bank, it caused some to speculate that persons inside the bank were collaborating with the robbers. There was the view that the security cameras inside the bank would have provided evidence of this, but no one can be certain that these cameras were brought into play. Now we have this case that suggests that many bank employees were complicit in the attempted robbery. Of course a bank teller was an active participant, but it is now turning out that many people inside the bank were criminals or at least had criminal intent. News has emerged that apart from the three who attacked the bank there was somebody inside who had knowledge. That person texted a terse message. “Hold. She is not here.” According to reports, that person is in custody. At one time the bank had
a policy that stipulated no cell phone use inside the bank. That rule applied to customers; it said nothing about bank staffers. One is now left to ponder whether there are persons inside who would share private information about the persons making large withdrawals. For one, that person would have had knowledge of the customer’s address, thus allowing the bandits to strike as soon as the person arrives home. These things will do the bank no good. It is unfortunate that the victims do not have the evidence to file serious claims against the bank. It is not unusual for the bank to run checks on its employees periodically. It would be interesting to see their bank accounts and have them explain any unusual growth in the accounts. There is another side to this story. People are talking about the now dead Elton Wray. He shattered the perception that violent criminals are people from the other end of society. These are the people who did not do too well in school and could not make themselves productive members of society. Indeed he was a young man and most of the current
crop of criminals are young men. They have a role model who is flashy and who always seems to have wads of cash. These role models have women flocking to them. Other young men want the women too. I have known young women who would tell these young men that they can’t approach any woman with empty hands. These young men want their women to look flashy so that other men can admire them. It matters not that they may be empty-headed. The main thing is that they are flashy. Was Wray one of those who had a flashy woman to upkeep or was he preparing himself to own a flashy woman? For starters, he was educated, having pursued a scholarship in agronomy. He was employed and he owned a car, a status symbol for most people. As people would say, he came from a good home, but it is now filtering out that he was a bit of a maverick. His parents are embarrassed, but they had nothing to do with this. Suffice it to say that they have to look into the faces of people who would be thinking, “Their son was a criminal.”
The bank teller who was involved is another kettle of fish. He too was employed, had to be intelligent or at least, schooled better than the average Guyanese. He knew the lay of the bank and therefore took pains to disguise his identity. I am told that he wore an overall over his work pants and he had a dreadlock wig. Sitting here and looking back over the events, I am forced to conclude that this was not the first robbery that these young men were attempting. No one picks a bank to enter into the world of crime. People are still asking questions. Why would a reasonably well set young man pick up a gun and try to rob a bank? There were many young people who saw his salary and wished they could have
been earning that sum. But they are content with what they get. They do not contemplate criminal activity. I was one of those who learnt that I should work honestly for what I want and I have no regrets today. Many, many years ago there were the Prince brothers who robbed the Guyana Rice Board. They helped themselves to the payroll, some $90,000 which was a lot of money at the time, perhaps about $10 million today. They too were intelligent. I met one of them at the Mazaruni Prisons as he was coming to the end of his sentence and I talked to him about the robbery. He told me a lot of things went wrong. He served twelve years and when last I heard, he was out of the country. He is an old
Adam Harris man now, but he did say he regretted losing so many years of his active life. Intelligent people do not engage in violent crime. They tend to be the white collar criminals, some of whom are being investigated at this time. They were too bright for their own good.
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Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
Citizens, Country and Community (Excerpts from President David Granger’s Address to the Caricom Heads of Government Meeting in Grenada) The Caribbean Community is an association of independent states bound by a covenant. The Treaty of Chaguaramas allows us to pursue our vital interests at three levels – the level of the citizen, the level of country and the level of community. The historical and geographical determinants which brought us together, the deliberations on which we shall enter, the decisions we shall make and the actions which we shall take to implement them, will advance our interests at all three levels. The confidence which our citizens repose in us can be eroded; the economies of our countries can be undermined and the efficacy of our international advocacy can be impaired if our efforts are ineffective. The Caribbean Community was erected purposefully on four pillars – integration, human and social development, foreign policy coordination and security. The Community could collapse if these pillars are shaken. The Community finds itself in an international situation today that is replete with uncertainty and complexity:
- US policy, as a result of changes in its administration, is uncertain. - UK policy, owing to its resolve to exit the European Union, is uncertain. - EU policy, after the expiration of the Cotonou Accord, is uncertain. - AU policy within the African, Caribbean and Pacific group will be driven by the continent’s collective interests, and is uncertain. The Community has vital strategic interests to protect and promote in its international relations. It is imperative that it engages foreign states to preserve its interests. The Community also, must ready itself for negotiations with the UK, EU and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. The emergence of these groups of states will play a prominent role in international relations in the twenty-first century, just as the seaborne empires dominated the nineteenth century and the rise of independent states characterised the twentieth century. The Caribbean Community cannot cling to an obsolete model of insularity in light of these international changes. The mirage of fifteen airlines, fifteen cricket teams, fifteen defence forces and fif-
teen embassies in the capitals of the world might mesmerise a few sentimental romantics, but could deplete the treasuries of our states. The Community, challenged by the constantly changing international situation, must redouble its efforts to ensure a more safe society for our citizens, more stable economies for its countries, deeper solidarity and a more secure hemisphere. CITIZENS Citizens are at the centre of this Community. The original Treaty of Chaguaramas iterates the determination of our founding fathers to: “...strengthen the bonds among the people of the Caribbean [and] to fulfil our people’s aspiration to “…full employment and improved standards of work and living…” The Charter of Civil Society of the Caribbean Community establishes that we are, foremost, a community of citizens. We respect every citizen’s fundamental human rights, including the right to ‘life, liberty and security of the person.’ The perverse notion of a ‘stateless’ person is anathema to the Community’s concept of human dignity. The Community must never cease condemning the inhuman treatment meted out
President David Granger to Caribbean citizens in the Dominican Republic or anywhere else. “La semaine dernière, nous étions des Haitiens… aujourd’hui, nous sommes des Haitiens… la semaine prochaine, nous serons des Haitiens.” The Community must be mindful of its duty to protect its citizens and reject the odious notion of ‘statelessness’. Respect for the rights of the citizen must extend to respect for freedom of movement which is enshrined in the Revised Treaty. It obliges us to dismantle restrictive immigration practices which impede free movement. Citizenship is sacred. It is not a bauble to be bought in a bazaar. Every State has the sovereign right to determine its own immigration policies consistent with its Treaty commitments. That right, however, should not impair the integrity of our mutual relations or damage the ideal of free movement within a single domestic space. COUNTRY The Community, with a total land area of 462, 352 km², is larger than Sweden and, if it were a single country, would be the 56th largest in the world. Size matters. The Community might be an association of small states, but it is larger and stronger when it is united. It must not underestimate the value of its solidarity or its strength when it speaks with a single voice as a Community. Solidarity is a source of strength. Foreign policy coordination is the sharp instrument, the cutting edge, of our diplomacy, to gain our greatest advantage. We should not damage it. The Community has the land, the labour, the talent and the capital to guarantee food security for its citizens. The Community’s an-
nual food import bill, which exceeds US$4B, is a notorious indictment of its ability to promote investment and stimulate intra-regional trade in agricultural commodities. Non-tariff barriers continue to constrain trade in food. The Community needs to re-examine how it can dismantle the non-tariff barriers to trade in agricultural products while generating employment for its citizens. Commerce is the lifeblood of our economies. Small internal markets consign states to high dependence on external trade. Intraregional trade, therefore, is important. The Caribbean Common Market was established to ensure markets for regional production, inter alia. Intraregional trade provides a basis for increasing national production, augmenting investment and generating employment. The environment is an inescapable economic reality. The Community possesses unmatched natural assets – both on the mainland states and in the island states. The Community, taken as a whole, is blessed with rich natural capital – breathtaking beaches, extensive grasslands, entrancing wetlands, evergreen rainforests, magnificent waterfalls, majestic highlands and unsurpassable biodiversity with some of the world’s rarest species of flora and fauna. These assets are the bases of the tourist industry. Adopting a “green” agenda can help to protect the Community from the threat of environmental hazard and natural disaster and safeguard people’s livelihoods and the industries on which they rely. Many member-states already embrace the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, a forest conservation initiative which was launched at the 24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2015. It is one of the ways in which we can protect our environment while deriving sustainable economic benefits. I commend this initiative. The Caribbean, our home, must be secure. It must remain a ‘zone of peace’ through our unstinting solidarity in defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of member states. Security cooperation, under the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)
and through international agreements such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), has helped to keep our citizens safe. They are necessary but not sufficient. Security cooperation, seemingly so successful a decade ago during international cricket in 2007, must remain a priority in this age of international terror in 2017. The Roadmap for a single ICT Space which we approved at the 28th Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held in Georgetown in February 2017, will help us to straddle the 3,200 km2 of sea space which separates Nassau in the north from Paramaribo in the south, through information and communications technology. We must advance that roadmap. COMMUNITY The Grand Anse Declaration and Work Programme for the Advancement of the Integration Movement paved the way for the creation of a single economic space – the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). It was here in Grenada in 1989 that we agreed to deepen the integration process in response to the emerging geopolitical order. The CSME is the Community’s best response to the inevitable changes in its traditional markets in Europe, the prevalence of economic liberalization and the emergence of economic blocs. The CSME is still the best vehicle to allow small states to compete in the global economy while promoting economic and social development. The CSME is the most ambitious project attempted by the Community; it must not become its most ambiguous. The CSME, especially given the present uncertainties facing the Region’s international relations, must be accelerated in order to create a single economic space. Six months has been a long time in international relations, as we have seen in the US, UK, EU and the AU. This semester has provided ample opportunities for the Community to work together to protect our vital interests at the levels of citizen, country and the community. With such a clear vision and commitment, Caricom can confront the future with confidence.
Sunday July 09, 2017
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Kaieteur News
The best way to screen for breast cancer By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer in women. It has a high death rate, especially in developing countries where detection is lower than developed countries. Today we will discuss the best way to screen for breast cancer and who needs to screen for it. WHAT IS BREAST CANCER SCREENING? Breast cancer screening is a way in which doctors check the breasts for early signs of cancer in women who have no symptoms of breast cancer. The main test used to screen for breast cancer is a special kind of X-ray called a mammogram. The goal of breast cancer screening is to find cancer early, before it has a chance to grow, spread, or cause problems. Studies show that being screened for breast cancer lowers the chance that a woman will die of the disease. WHO SHOULD BE SCREENED FOR BREAST CANCER? Different experts have different recommendations for screening. Starting at the age of 40, it’s important to talk to your doctor about the benefits and drawbacks of screening and decide, with your doctor ’s help, whether to get screening and when. If you’re under 40 but have a relative who got breast cancer at a young age, you should also talk to your doctor.
Women aged 40 to 74, and some older women who are healthy, might be offered screening with mammograms. Some women who are at high risk of breast cancer might need to begin screening at a younger age. This might include women who: %Carry genes that increase their risk of breast c a n c e r, s u c h a s t h e “BRCA” genes %Have close relatives (such as a mother, sister, or daughter) who got breast cancer at a young age WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING SCREENED FOR BREAST CANCER? The main benefit of screening is that it helps doctors find cancer early, when it might be easier to treat. This lowers the chances of dying of breast cancer. WHAT HAPPENS DURING A MAMMOGRAM? Before the mammogram, you will be asked to undress from the waist up and put on a hospital gown. Then your breasts will be X-rayed one at a time. Each breast is X-rayed twice. Each is X-rayed once from the top down and once from side-to-side so that the radiologist can get a good look at all the tissue. To make the breast tissue easier to see, a nurse or technician will flatten each breast between 2 panels. This can be uncomfortable, but it lasts only a few seconds. If possible, avoid scheduling your mammogram just before or during your period. Breasts are
extra sensitive at that time. Also, do not use underarm deodorant or powder on the day of your appointment. WHAT IF MY MAMMOGRAM IS ABNORMAL? If your mammogram is abnormal, don’t panic. Nine out of 10 women with an abnormal mammogram turn out not to have breast cancer. You will need more tests to find out what’s really going on. If your doctor thinks your abnormal result is probably not due to cancer, he or she might suggest that you wait and have another mammogram in six months. If your doctor thinks the abnormal result might be due to cancer, he or she will probably send you for more tests. You might also have other tests if your doctor needs to get a better view of part of your breast. Other tests could include a more detailed mammogram, called a diagnostic mammogram, or an ultrasound of t h e b r e a s t . U l t r a s o und tests might also be suggested for women whose mammogram shows very dense breasts. That’s because dense breasts can make a mammogram harder to read. If the other tests still show any suspicious findings, your doctor will probably order a biopsy. During a biopsy, a doctor takes samples of breast tissue and sends them to the lab to be checked for cancer. Biopsies are usually done by taking some tissue from the breast with a needle during a mammogram or ultrasound. But in some cases biopsies involve a small sur-
gery. WHATABOUT BREAST EXAMS? Most lumps that are found when a doctor examines the breast turn out not to be cancer. Also, studies have not found that doing both a breast exam and mammogram is better than doing a mammogram alone. Some women want to do exams on their own breasts. No study has shown that breast self-exams lower the risk of dying from breast cancer, and most experts do not encourage self-exams. Still, if you decide to do breast self-exams, make sure
you know how to do them the right way. HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVEAMAMMOGRAM? It is not clear what the best schedule for mammography is. Many experts suggest screening every two years for most women. Some experts suggest yearly screening for younger women (under age 50 or 55). The schedule for screening might be different for women who have a high risk of breast cancer. Routine screening with mammograms should continue as long as the woman is healthy and expected to
Dr. Zulfikar Bux live for at least 10 more years. This is the best way you will be able to decrease your chances of becoming another victim of breast cancer.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday July 09, 2017
SUNDAY AMID EXPOSURE OF SKULLDUGGERY, GECOM PULLS ADS FROM K/NEWS The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), angry at investigative reports by the Kaieteur News over the questionable spending of hundreds of millions of dollars for the 2015 General Elections, has pulled its ads from the newspaper. The decision was apparently taken since the beginning of the year by management of that entity. On Friday, June 30, Kaieteur News ran an update of a state audit probe into a $100M purchase of outdated high frequency radios. GECOM also bought a quantity of pliers, toners and Duracell batteries for prices much higher that the retail prices. According to Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, he is currently studying the response of GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, who was asked to pen his comments on the findings of a draft report by auditors. Friday’s report sparked a tip-off by a media house that GECOM had taken a decision to punish Kaieteur News. ”We have been receiving ads. You have not. Check it out. You like to expose…you are paying for it now,” the media official joked last week Saturday. But the issue is no laughing matter. Checks by Kaieteur News were alarming. The findings Saturday would bring to mind the decision by the Bharrat Jagdeo administration in the 2000s to punish the privately-owned Stabroek News by yanking all state ads. It appeared GECOM has taken upon itself to use state funds to do the same thing. Since January, Kaieteur News
has not been receiving one single advertisement. By contrast, Stabroek News and the state-owned Guyana Chronicle benefitted from millions of dollars. Under practices, state agencies have a few options when it comes to advertising. In the case of GECOM, it is mandated to educate the populace using the most popular medium. There are mainly two options. Either the state agency advertises with all the media houses, including print, or with the media houses with the widest readership or reach to the population. Kaieteur News has the widest circulation in Guyana and has one of the largest online readerships for a website in the Region. By practice, the ads are placed with state newspaper, Guyana Chronicle, as a must. Between January and June, more than 60 ads, some full pages, were
placed in Stabroek News and Guyana Chronicle and not Kaieteur News. Perhaps, the most glaring of it, occurred in April. During that month, on April 13, 16, 19 and 23, GECOM placed four full-page ads on each day in Stabroek News. Again, none in Kaieteur News. GECOM, tasked with managing General and Regional Elections, and the distribution of ID cards to Guyanese, late last year came under the spotlight, after questions about the purchase of outdated high frequency communications radios, sparked a state audit probe into other multi-milliondollar contracts. The disclosures have been worrying for the entity which has remained silent during reports. GECOM said it would await the outcome of the state audit report before commenting. The Office of the Auditor Gen-
eral descended on the GECOM secretariat late last year after a series of articles by Kaieteur News painted a picture of significant corrupt practices for procurement at that entity. Despite several glaring cases of procurement breaches, no action has been taken at GECOM. By contrast, several officials at other agencies have been sent home pending investigations. Evidence provided by Government sources and others concluded that hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts were handed out in highly questionable circumstances. Auditors were working at the GECOM High Street, Kingston office and other locations, perusing contracts and inventories. They would have been looking, especially, at spending by the entity for the May 2015 General and Regional Elections. The probe by the AG office reportedly extended to expenditure for the 2016 Local Government Elections. MONDAY CENTRAL BANK IN RESPONSE TO IMF…NO NEED TO AUCTION FOREIGN CURRENCY, MORE THAN US$25M IN SYSTEM The country’s banking regulator believes there is no need at this time for any measures that will involve auctioning foreign currency to help stabilize foreign exchange rates. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a recent report of Guyana’s performance released last week, recommended that officials think strongly on asking banks and other operators to make a bid for foreign currencies being released from time to time by Central Bank, to help the market. Speaking with Kaieteur News, Governor of Bank of Guyana, Dr. Gobind Ganga, disclosed that the market is “flushed” with cash at this time. ”According to our information, we have between US$25M to US$30M available in the system.” He made it clear that auctioning of
foreign currency by Central Bank does not make sense at this time. ”Looking at our system…it is not required now…the system is flushed with cash.” The good news of the stable foreign exchange rates would come after a nervous few months earlier this year, when a number of factors saw the rates rising sharply. Central Bank had denied that there was a shortage, as commercial banks had not been asking for monies to be released to help the market. However, businesses were complaining at the beginning of the year of delays in remitting monies to suppliers and even with small amounts, account holders were reporting problems. At non-bank cambios, board rates were reading one thing, but transactions were conducted using different rates inside. After about a decade of US rates hovering around $205, it has within the last year been inching upwards. Earlier this year, one bank even advertised at $230, later explaining that this was for Visa cards. Investigations into the situation revealed that there was a combination of things happening. The nationals of a number of regional territories – Barbados and Trinidad included – were travelling to Guyana and buying up the US dollars. At least one money transfer entity was not remitting the foreign currency to local banks. Rather, the Trinidadian-linked company was selling it to its local subsidiaries. There were a number of large transfers last year that did not help the situation much. Still, it appeared that some of the foreign exchange was being bought up and making its way to Suriname, which is also facing problems of shortages. At the commercial banks, it was found that a number of miners and others with foreign currency accounts were hoarding their money, but making applications for more. There were also instances of duplications (several applications at different banks) by businesses within (Continued on page 41)
Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
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(From page 32) the system. Central Bank also found that a number of large companies were making unusual transfers. In its clampdown, the Bank ordered cambios not to allow a more than $3 spread between the buying and selling rates. There were more surprise inspections to ensure that the cambios complied. Dr. Ganga noted that its measures have been working. According to the IMF in its report last year, its directors had noted the recent increase in exchange rate flexibility, and encouraged the authorities to allow the exchange rate to play a stronger automatic stabilizer role going forward. SEVERAL REGION NINE COMMUNITIES CUT OFF BY FLOOD WATERS – CDC TEAM HEADS TO AFFECTEDAREAS TODAY Several Region Nine communities are reportedly cut off after heavy rains and rising flood waters over the last two days. At least two communities – Aishalton and Karasabai – are said to be inaccessible. At Lethem and the bordering community of Tabatinga, several homes were under water. Up to press time there were no reports of loss of life, serious injuries or anyone facing life-threatening situations. At least three houses were confirmed to have been flooded and the residents evacuated. Two shelters were set up at the Arapaima Primary School building and another location to accommodate residents who needed to be evacuated. In total, 26 persons were threatened by the flooding. Radio Lethem 95.1 FM was used to provide updates and inform residents of various advisories. A CDC Team was dispatched on a reconnaissance mission. The team also took in sanitation relief supplies. A temporary shelter was set up at the Amerindian Hostel. Regional officials held an emer-
gency meeting and later mobilized resources to provide relief and shelter. At least one family from Lethem had to be evacuated with the help of police, Member of Parliament (MP) for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Alister Charlie, disclosed. The official, who lives in the Lethem area, said that while it did not rain in Lethem, a border town to Brazil, there were reports of significant rainfall in the deep south and South Pakaraimas. At Lethem, the Takutu River, which divides Guyana and Brazil, has begun overtopping the banks affecting a number of persons. Several places including the St. Ignatius Access Bridge were under water with the Lethem market now an island. ”Persistent rain in Region Nine has now caused a total shut off of goods and services to villages in Deep South Rupununi and South
Pakaraimas. We had to shuttle persons to Nappi.” The Tabatinga Creek has also overtopped its banks affecting several families. ”Yes, we are not as high as the 2011 floods in Region Nine. But families are gearing up for higher waters. The water is at my mother’s back door right now,” Charlie said. ”We have received news that the rains fell all night at Aishalton.” TUESDAY HEADLESS GECOM’S DILEMMA…NON-FUNCTIONING COMMISSIONERS TO QUESTION ADS WITHDRAWAL FROM KAIETEUR NEWS Opposition members of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are preparing to hold discussions on what was described as a totally unacceptable situation at
the entity. Among the issues to also be raised is the questionable placement of ads over the last few months by the GECOM secretariat, in selected media houses, in what is being seen as a clear case of discrimination in the use of state funds. The yanking of GECOM ads from Kaieteur News this year followed a number of scathing reports in 2016 of procurement breaches, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. On Monday, Commissioner Robeson Benn made it clear that the current situation cannot continue, with PPP members not being briefed of the situation at GECOM. ”As you know, there is no chairperson. However, there are commissioners. We have a fiduciary responsibility in the affairs of GECOM. We have oversight responsibilities, but we are not being updated by Mr. Lowenfield.” Keith Lowenfield is the Chief Elections Officer who is charged with the day-to-day running of the secretariat. As chief accounting officer with reporting responsibilities to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which overlooks public spending, it was explained Monday that the current situation with Lowenfield is at a stalemate. ”Mr. Lowenfield is refusing to go along with our position that we must be updated on the affairs of the people. We were supposed to be briefed monthly on GECOM’s work. He is saying that because there is no chairperson, there can’t be any meeting of the Commission. Therefore we can’t be updated. We are saying that we represent the people and the people need to know.” The dilemma would be a quite perplexing one. Despite there being no chairperson with Dr. Steve Surujbally departing in February, GECOM’s six commissioners con-
tinue to be paid. On a monthly basis, each of them is reportedly receiving over $200,000. This means that GECOM is paying over $1M monthly to the commissioners. With no chairperson, and no meetings, the Commissioners are in essence being paid to do nothing. ”I will be in discussion with my colleagues this week on how to handle this matter. We are at a loss how GECOM is operating without oversight. When we were receiving monthly reports, these were usually late or abysmally poor,” an upset Benn said Monday. 20 FAMILIES EVACUATED AS FLOOD WATERS RISE IN REGION NINE – SUPPLIES RUSHED TO AFFECTED PERSONS Authorities are continuing to monitor the flood situation in Region Nine with despite no rain in Central Lethem, waters are continuing to rise. The Takutu River, which divides Guyana and Brazil has overtopped the banks with flooding in sections of Lethem town. A number of emergency shelters were opened with 20 families from the Lethem and surrounding areas evacuated to emergency shelters. Travelling to the scene Monday were Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, and several officials of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC). Several farms including the large scale Sante Fe rice operations have been swamped. The team, which included Regional Chairman Brian Allicock and CDC Deputy Director General, Maj Kester Craig, and other officials, conducted ground assessments. They were on Radio Lethem (Continued on page 42)
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(From page 41) updating residents of the measures in place. Government said Sunday that following an emergency meeting, it was disclosed that emergency shelters are activated at Arapaima Primary School, the Amerindian Hostel and Culvert City Nursery School. Drivers and vehicles were on standby to evacuate affected persons to the shelters. A number of telephone numbers were announced for affected persons to call for help. The army has also been called in to assist. The Regional Chairman had reported Sunday that almost all the Toshoas and village captains in the Region Nine area reported that their farmlands are under water. Parishara, Nappi and Hiowa are cut off from Lethem because the road is almost completely under water. While rains had eased in Lethem, there were reports Monday of heavy showers in the Deep South, Rupununi area. It was reported Sunday that several communities were cut off by flood waters. At least two communities – Aishalton and Karasabai – are said to be inaccessible. At Lethem and the bordering community of Tabatinga, several homes were under water. At least three houses were confirmed to have been flooded and the residents evacuated. And at least one family from Lethem had to be evacuated with the help of police, Member of Parliament (MP) for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Alister Charlie, disclosed Sunday. The St. Ignatius and Pirara Bridge were said to be under water. WEDNESDAY REPUBLIC BANK MORNING RAID GOES WRONG…BANDIT KILLED, ROGUE BANK EMPLOYEE SHOT – DEAD MAN HAD A UNIVERSITY DEGREE Shock, anger and disbelief were some of the emotions expressed Tuesday when three educated young men with good professions were identified as the suspects in Tuesday’s attempted robbery at
Kaieteur News
Republic Bank Limited (RBL) on Water Street, Georgetown. Elton Wray, a 25-year-old agronomist attached to the National Agriculture Research Extension Institute (NAREI) was shot dead while his accomplice, Jamal Haynes, who worked at the said bank for seven years sustained gunshot wounds to both legs. Wray’s cousin, 22-year-old Keron Sanders, who was the last suspect to exit the bank was apprehended and is assisting with investigation. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that a second bank employee, who has been fingered in the robbery plot, has been taken into custody. Blanhum pointed out that at this point it is only an allegation and investigation is ongoing to determine whether the second person was a suspect. Kaieteur News was informed that the three pistols the men tried to rob the bank with were recovered by the cops. Managing Director the Professional Guard Services (PGS), Sean
Kirkpatrick, said that three armed men entered Republic Bank before it was open to the public. The perpetrators wore masks, gloves and carried handguns with which they opened fire on the RBL personnel. PGS security guards who were on site immediately raised an alarm and armed response teams proceeded to the location. According to Kirkpatrick, when the team arrived, the gunmen opened fire on them; the guards returned fire. With the help of the police, the robbery was thwarted. THE PLOT… According to information, the robbers had planned the attack on the bank for some time; this was confirmed by one of the captured bandits. They were dropped off on Robb Street, in the vicinity of the vendor’s mall (opposite the bank) in HC 7778 and walked to the bank with their faces covered and pistols in their hands. This newspaper was told that the men planned that after robbing the bank, they wound have ran south
Sunday July 09, 2017
of the bank and rejoin the vehicle and head to another location where they wound have split the loot among themselves. However, their plans failed when members from the Professional Guard Services responded to one of their colleague’s call and cornered them until the police arrived. HOW IT ALL STARTED… Around 07:20 hrs Tuesday, the three men walked to the bank and fired several shots to scare persons away. They went into the ATM and shot open the door to get into the bank. Investigators believed that Haynes was the individual who plotted the act since he was familiar with the time the vault opens. “Before they could have got to the vault, they heard gunshots outside and they panicked. They began running around inside the bank,” a staffer told this newspaper Tuesday. A vehicle with armed guards was in the vicinity and responded to the scene when one of their colleagues called to inform that the bank was under attack. US-BASED FUGITIVE, MARCUS BISRAM, ARRESTED IN QUEENS More than eight months after a brutal killing and cover-up in Berbice that shocked the nation, a US-based Guyanese man was Tuesday arrested in Rockaway, Queens, New York by police and marshals. Businessman, Marcus Bisram, was arrested some 2,643 miles from the crime scene on Tuesday, in Queens, law enforcement sources said. According to a New York Daily News report, the arrest by members of the New York Police Department/ US Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force, occurred around 1 p.m. ”He was living here in plain view,”
the source said. Bisram is expected to be presented in the Brooklyn Federal court as early as today, the online news report said. Close relatives said that Bisram was not too surprised by his apprehension…As a matter of fact, he was expecting it. The matter had been ventilated in the press not only because of the killing, but the fact Bisram is said to be wealthy and was alleged to have paid local cops and others to cover the matter up. Before being implicated in the matter, Bisram was known in Guyana for his generous donations to charity and reportedly owned properties in Berbice where he entertained cops, families and friends. The arrest would come days after relatives complained to Kaieteur News that the authorities seemed not too keen to bring back Bisram from the US to face the courts. On November 1, last year, the battered body of 26-year-old carpenter Faiyaz Narinedatt was found on the Number 70 Village, Corentyne foreshore. His death had been staged to look like a hit-and-run accident and two cops in Berbice were fingered in the cover-up. From prosecutors’ case, the man was killed at a function where the businessman and friends were, after an argument, then taken elsewhere and dumped to make it appear as a hit-and-run. It was after ranks from the Guyana Police Force’s Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation that Harripaul Parsram, 49, Orlando Dickie, 39, Radesh Motie, 39, Diadath Datt, 18 and Niran Yacoob, 37, were charged for the murder. Additionally, three individuals, including Bisram’s mother, were charged for allegedly offering a detective $4M to suppress evidence against (Continued on page 43)
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(From page 42) Bisram. With regards to the procedures to bring back Bisram, it was disclosed recently that it has been several months since local law enforcement officials have completed and handed over all the necessary documentation that is required to have murder suspect, Bisram extradited. They were waiting on their counterparts in the United States to act. THURSDAY ROGUE BANK EMPLOYEE PLANNED TO REPORT TO WORK AFTER ROBBERY -SUSPECTS PLOTTED THE HEIST FOR THREE MONTHS -HIJACKED CAR THE NIGHT BEFORE Once the plot to rob the Republic Bank Limited on Tuesday was successful, 24-year-old Jamal Haynes would have returned to work as if nothing had happened. His working pants were under the outfit he used to commit the act. The only problem with his plan was that he didn’t take the phrase “Guyanese are always late” too seriously. Kaieteur News understands that the rogue bank employee and his gang, Elton Wray, now dead and Keron Saunders, were planning on getting their hands on the night deposits since it was a three-day weekend and companies would have deposited millions or even billions into the chute. The robbery on the bank had been planned three months before. The men even hijacked a car the night before. As customary, a female staff was supposed to be at the bank at 07:10 on Tuesday and should have been emptying the chute and taking the cash to the vault. According to the bandits’ plan, when they got into the bank, they would have held the staffers hostage and grabbed onto the woman who would have been emptying the chute—there they would have grabbed a few bags of cash and escaped. Everything went according to the plan until the three bandits got into the bank and Haynes did not
Kaieteur News
see his colleague who had access to the chute. VICTIM’S WIFE CRIES OUTSIDE US COURT AS BISRAM REFUSED BAIL The alleged mastermind in last year’s murder of a Berbice carpenter was Wednesday ordered held without bail until extradition hearings, after he appeared in a New York court. According to CBS New York, Pooja Pitam, wife of Faiyaz Narinedatt, was crying in front of the court, fearing that wealthy Marcus Bisram, the accused, may still escape justice because of his money. Pitam is reportedly in New York with her two children and was at the court with relatives. Seeing Bisram has brought back memories of her husband, said to be a childhood friend of the businessman. Narinedatt will never see his second child, a one-year-old who was born after his death. “He never got a chance to hold his daughter; he never got a chance,” Pitam said on CBS New York Wednesday. On Tuesday, Bisram – a wealthy philanthropist – was arrested at his beachfront home in Arverne, Queens. He has been living out in the open, despite being listed on Interpol as a fugitive wanted for murder. “It was hard to see him (Bisram), because he is alive today and my husband is not around with us,” Pitam said, “and my two (children) — they have to be without their father for the rest of their lives.” She is relying on her faith. “They say prayer moves mountains,” she said. “I’ll just keep praying and fighting for justice for my husband.” According to a New York Daily News report, Bisram was arrested by members of the New York Police Department/ US Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force, around 1 pm Tuesday.
MINISTRY, IMMIGRATION COLLABORATE TO WEED OUT OLD AGE PENSION FOR OVERSEAS-BASED GUYANESE The Ministry of Social Protection has been actively pursuing mechanisms which will help to prevent abuse of the Old Age Pension Fund by Guyanese living overseas. Director of Social Work, Wentworth Tanner, had explained that among the mechanisms, the Ministry has been collaborating with the Central Immigration authority to check the records of pensioners. Tanner said that to stop persons living overseas from tapping into the old age pension fund, records at the passport office are now checked regularly before the distribution of pension books. If the record of the travel history shows that the person is non- compliant then, that person is not allowed to collect the pension book. Additionally, Tanner noted the Ministry has been working to implement other measures to further prevent the abuse of the Old Age Pension. “There are other methods that the Ministry is looking at to enforce the policy, but it cannot be publicized at this time.” Tanner also noted that the Ministry is still working to create a system that would be not easily manipulated and abused. Former Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, had announced a plan to tackle the incidence of ‘double dipping’ whereby persons not living in Guyana access old age pension from both Guyana and the country in which they live in. ”We have persons who believe that it is their right to live in a foreign country and collect their (old age) pensions here. We are saying no, it is not going to happen,” Minister Lawrence said. She noted that the matter was brought to the attention of the staff of the ministry, who were advised they will be held responsible and
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surcharged in cases where books are issued although they know that the persons do not live in Guyana. FRIDAY 1931 EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN US, BRITAIN BEING USED IN BISRAM CASE US state attorneys are banking on a 1931 extradition treaty it had signed with Great Britain to successfully send back wealthy businessman, Marcus Bisram, to face a murder trial in Guyana. According to court documents filed Wednesday by state attorney on behalf of the Department of Justice, the applicable provisions between the United States and Guyana are found in the Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of December 22, 1931. Bisram was refused bail on Wednesday after he appeared before Judge Peggy Kuo in a Brooklyn court, New York. The businessman, despite lawyering up, failed to persuade the court that he should be allowed his freedom pending the extradition hearing. This is because Bridget Rohde, Acting United States Attorney, made it clear that there is no
guarantee the businessman would not flee. In custody now, he will return to court next Thursday. Rohde, in her submissions for Bisram to be kept in custody, explained that the Government of Guyana requested formally for the US to extradite Bisram, a fugitive from Guyana, pursuant to the Extradition Treaty between the US and Great Britain.. It was disclosed that Bisram was arrested on July 4, 2017, based on a complaint and warrant issued by Judge James C. Francis IV, a New York judge since June 16, 2017, seeking his extradition to Guyana. Rohde, in her arguments for refusal of bail, said that unlike in criminal cases, there is a strong presumption against bail in extradition proceedings. To justify bail, the fugitive must establish the existence of “special circumstances” warranting bail, and that he is not a flight risk nor a danger to the community. ”We respectfully submit that Bisram should be detained because he cannot meet the burden of showing that he poses no risk of flight or danger to the community and that special circumstances exist warranting his release.” The US state lawyer said that (Continued on page 44)
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Sunday July 09, 2017
(From page 43) as a general matter, international extradition is primarily an executive function. “The judiciary’s role is delineated by statute, and extends to determining whether to certify to the Secretary of State that the submitted evidence from the requesting country is “sufficient to sustain the charge.” She made it clear that the Secretary of State, and not the courts, makes the final determination whether the fugitive should ultimately be surrendered to the requesting country. FATHER SAYS TEENAGED SON PROVOKED INTO KILLING ‘TAUNTING’ TAXI DRIVER The teenager who is now in police custody for the murder of Deonarine ‘Baba’ Laljit, a taxi driver of No.72 Village, allegedly killed his neighbour over continuous taunts about his sister. This is according to the father of the accused. Kaieteur News was told that the accused, whose eldest sister lived next door to Laljit, had separated from her husband sometime ago and migrated. However, according to t h e f a t h e r, h i s t e e n a g e s o n came home a few months ago and complained that Laljit was teasing him about his sister’s personal problems. ”He come home and told his mother that the man keep teasing he ‘bout he sister divorce and wha does go on in she house,” the father of the 14year-old said. He stressed that his son would complain that Laljit would insult him whenever he travels with him, doing so in the presence of other passengers. The lad’s father is of the opinion that his son probably felt overwhelmed and frustrated with the teasing and that spurred him to resort to such an act to defend his sister, an act he said is no excuse to do what he did. The man told this publication that his son has never had brushes with the law and is usually at home on his computer or assisting with chores when he (father) is out at sea. ”It is unbelievable what he did, but I don’t know my son’s mind,” the distraught father said. He explained that his son dropped out of the Line Path Secondary School because he was not doing well academically. However, he wanted to enroll at the Roadside Baptist Church for vocational classes when he turned 15. He expressed his hope that his
son will learn from his mistakes and reckless decisions made that cost him his freedom. Meanwhile, a post mortem examination revealed that Laljit died of shock and haemorrhage with a stab wound to the neck. The file for the case has since been completed and sent for advice. This was confirmed by the Divisional Commander Ian Amsterdam. The young man is expected to face the courts sometime next week. Deonarine Laljit was stabbed to the neck and left to die by the 1 4 - y e a r- o l d o n We d n e s d a y. After stabbing the taxi driver in his car, the teen fled the scene and hid in an abandoned house. He was eventually nabbed by ranks and taken into custody. Laljit succumbed to his injury after he collapsed at the gate of a villager. He was later rushed to the Skeldon Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The murder weapon has since been recovered. SATURDAY GUNMEN THREATEN TO PUT INFANT IN FREEZER DURING HOME INVASION - ONE NABBED WHILE TYING ELDERLY WOMAN; STROKEVICTIM BRUTALIZED Four armed bandits on Friday threatened to put a nine-monthold baby in a freezer, if their demands were not met, when they gained entry into a house at Lot 1940 Section C Block X, Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD). This was around 10:15 hrs. The men—three armed with guns and one with a cutlass — tortured 65-year-old Shivindra Sahadeo and his wife, Shamdai Sahadeo, when they scaled the back fence of the yard and used a table to climb into the back verandah of the house. They threatened to put little Kaylee Jaisingh in the freezer if her grandparents did not give up their valuables.
During the 20-minute ordeal, Shivindra Sahadeo, who suffers from a stroke, was beaten and kicked about the body. The men did not spare his wife—they dragged her by the hair and kicked her as she lay on the floor. While one of the robbers was tying the elderly woman, the police responded after receiving a call from a neighbour, and arrested him. His three accomplices managed to jump off the verandah and escape in a waiting car. The trio carted off a laptop, jewellery and money. Deolok Jaisingh, who operates a Spare Parts establishment in the neighbouring village, said that he had just left home when the men gained entry to his home. According to Jaisingh, when the bandits entered his home, his
father-in-law was in a hammock in the front verandah. “They went and dragged him out and pulled him into the house and asked for money, so my father-in-law told them that he is a pensioner and he didn’t have any money, and they started beating him and kicking him about his body,” Jaisingh related. He further explained that while the men were attacking Shivindra, his mother-in-law heard and ran to the verandah, screaming for thief, but no one heard, since a neighbour was playing music. A d d i t i o n a l l y, m o s t o f t h e neighbours were not at home, as some had gone to work, while the others were attending their children’s graduation. “They pulled her in and started beating her too and they picked up my baby from the play
pen and threatened to put her in the freezer,” Jaisingh said. Kaieteur News was informed that when the bandits scaled the victim’s fence, a nearby resident saw and called the police. As the men were searching the house, the police responded and knocked on the door. “When they (bandits) realized it was the police, three of them ran, but (maybe) the fourth one didn’t hear (and continued tying the elderly woman) so the police broke the door and arrested him while he was tying my mother-in-law,” Jaisingh said. The bandit who was held was caught with the elderly woman’s costume jewellery in his pocket and three bags with valuables he had packed to take out. He is currently at the Diamond Police Station being questioned.
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Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
Work in full swing to establish local law school
AG Basil Williams with members of the Task Force that has been set up to pave the way for a law school in Guyana. According to the Attorney General’s Chambers, on Thursday, a team met with the task force that has been set up to establish the Joseph Haynes Law School of the Americas. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, during the meeting
with the task force, examined the provisions in the revised business plan of the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), one of the Jamaican partners in the public/ private partnership (PPP) intended to established the law school. The business plan was
submitted pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into between the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), Law College of the Americas (LCA) and the Government of Guyana (GOG) which contained a provision for a feasibility study to be done to determine the viability of
establishing the law school. The discussions are ongoing and the task force will submit a response to the proposals in the business plan, the AG Chambers said. It is expected, also, that the task force will submit counter proposals to the joint venture partners.
The members of the task force present were Professor Harold Lutchman; Professor Rudolph James; Justice James Patterson; Justice Claudette Singh S.C.; Deputy ViceChancellor of the University of Guyana Dr. Barbara Reynolds; Economist Dr. Maurice Odle, Chartered
Accountant Christopher Ram; Law Revision Consultant Justice Abdullahi Zuru and Solicitor-General, Kim Kyte. Currently, law students from the University of Guyana have to travel to Trinidad and Tobago to complete their studies before being allowed to practise.
Sunday June 09, 2017
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Kaieteur News
ORAL CANDIDIASIS - Thrush By Dr. Neromini Fagu Oral candidiasis is the most prevalent infectious disease of the oral mucosa. It is also known as oral thrush. Most of us are familiar with oral thrush in babies. It is usually seen as a white film on the tongue of infants. The condition is a fungal yeast infection caused by an imbalance of tiny organisms in our mouth. These organisms belong to the
group Candida. There are over 20 species of Candida that cause infections in humans, and C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. glabra together comprise over 80% of the fungal species responsible for Candida infections in the oral cavity. C. albicans is found in the mouths of about 50% of the world’s population as a normal component of the oral microflora. In addition to the mouth, small amounts of the candida fungus are in the digestive tract
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
and skin. It’s supposed to be there and it’s usually kept under control by the other bacteria in your body. However, sometimes certain illnesses or medications like corticosteroids or antibiotics can disturb the balance. This can cause the fungus to grow out of control resulting in oral thrush. Oral thrush can affect anyone, but it’s more likely to occur in babies, the elderly, in people with compromised immune systems or certain health conditions, or those who take certain medications. For healthy people it is a minor problem but for persons in the aforementioned categories, it may be more severe and difficult to control. The local and general
Implementing the ISO 22000 standard can address food safety concerns Ensuring the safety of food for human consumption is important for the health and safety of our population. It supports the sustainability of the local food sector. Implementing the food safety management system standard (ISO 22000) from the farm to the fork is a guaranteed way to demonstrate commitment towards food safety. The ISO 22000 standard, A Food Safety Management system – requirements for any organization in the food chain specifies requirements for a food safety management system where an organization in the food chain needs to demonstrate its ability to control food hazards in order to ensure that food is safe at the time of human consumption. The standard is applicable to all primary producers, processors, manufacturers, food service providers, storage service providers, catering service providers, transportation service providers, cleaning and sanitation service providers. Food companies can derive many benefits from implementing this international standard. The standard allows food produced by those that are conforming to it to access lucrative international markets. Yes, certification to the standard will open doors to many domestic and international opportunities. The standard also enables clear, dynamic communication across the entire supply chain through organized and targeted communication among trade partners, suppliers, customers, regulators and other interested parties. In addition, traceability, which identifies an organization’s impact on food safety within the supply chain, can be achieved through implementing the standard.
There is greater confidence in the safety of food and related products that are served and delivered along the food chain. The standard also reduces food borne diseases and ensures greater protection of workers in the food industry. World over, many food companies are using the standard as a generator of consumer confidence. These companies use less time and effort to earn the trust and confidence of perspective customers during product promotion. When unsafe food products enter the market, the entire food chain is affected and consumers are exposed to hazards. By implementing the ISO 22000, there is reduced risk of financial penalties caused by product recalls and litigations. Companies implementing the ISO 22000 standard recognize the need to continually improve their products and processes to maintain competitiveness. These companies experience fewer errors, returns and customer complaints, which foster improved relationships with suppliers, business partners and customers, and give businesses a real advantage in the marketplace. The ISO 22000 food safety policy and objectives help to improve the performance of the organization. The GNBS is capable of providing technical assistance to companies desirous of implementing this international food safety standard. Hence, food producers and manufacturers can contact the Bureau for assistance. For further information on this subject, please call the Guyana National Bureau of Standards on Telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 219-0065, or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgyorg
predisposing factors for oral candidiasis include: • Wearing dentures • Smoking • Steroid use - inhalation and topical • Oral microflora imbalance • Quality and quantity of saliva • Immunosuppressive disease • Chemotherapy • Endocrine disorders Common signs of thrush include white, slightly raised areas in your mouth, usually found on the tongue or inner cheeks. They can also appear on the roof of your mouth, gums, tonsils, or the back of your throat. These areas may look like cottage cheese. They can be painful and may bleed slightly when you scrape them or brush your teeth. In very bad cases, they can spread into your esophagus and cause pain when you swallow or cause difficulty swallowing. Some people may experience a feeling that food is stuck in their throat or in the middle of their chest. If the infection spreads beyond the esophagus, fever may develop.
Oral thrush is treated with antifungal medications. Prevention methods of the condition may include practising good oral hygiene by brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day. You should get regular dental checkups, especially if you have diabetes or wear dentures. Even if you’re healthy and don’t have dental issues, you should get your teeth cleaned by your dentist every six months. If you have chronic health issues, it should be treated as soon as possible. Conditions such as HIV or diabetes can disturb the balance of bacteria in your body and lead to thrush, so it is important that you take your medications regularly for these conditions. Rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash once or twice a day will help to keep your teeth and gums healthy. However, you should not overuse mouthwashes or sprays as these may upset the normal balance of organisms in your mouth. If you have a condition like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary
Dr. Neromini Fagu disease (COPD), you need to clean your inhalers after each use to kill germs. You should also limit foods that contain sugar and yeast such as bread, beer, and wine as they will cause extra yeast growth. If you smoke, try your best to quit. This is good not only for your oral health but for your overall health as well. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.
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SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyanapassport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045 Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, A/C units, washing machines. Call Lindon: 6411086/ 694-2202 Affordable house plans for residential and commercial buildings @ 37 Camp and Croal Streets. Call: 610-4085/ 614-0525/227-3575 Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen, computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 677-7827, 6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIAL OFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807
Sunday June 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
WANTED 1 Accounts Clerk, preferably from E.B.D – 5 subjects CXC minimum @ gtcareers592@gmail.com Buying fresh wamara logs and square. Call: 664-5150 Contract cars at City Taxi Service, 8 Vlissengen Road. Call: 227-6868 Experienced curry cook roti/ puri cook, counter servers, waiters (day shift only). Apply Hacks Halaal, 5 Commerce Streets. 1 Heavy duty mechanic for Interior must have Driver’s License & know to weld. Accommodation & Meals provided. Call: 680-2702 Live in experienced waitress 18-25yrs -$80,000 monthly. Call: 610-3974 Cosmetologist to work in salon must be certified & have clientele, must have pleasant personality. Call: 626-6450/ 227-1125 Professional mechanic specialized in diesel & gasoline vehicles with responsibilities - $5,000 daily. Call: 685-6588 EXPERIENCED AUTO ELECTRICIAN WANTED: CALL: 681-7120/ 226-7361 EXPERIENCED SALES STAFF. CALL: 681-7120/ 2 2 6 - 7 3 6 1 Experienced shop workers, handyman & domestic to work Interior location, age 1840yrs. Call: 231-0363 9am4:30pm (TIN, ID & NIS) Female cook with housekeeping experience, ages 30-45. Call: 629-9450 We are buying land in Eccles, Providence, Herstelling, Farm, La Parfaite, Zeelugt, Bartica, West Berbice. Call: 629-2881/ 651-1969 1 Experienced salesgirl, knowledge of doing VAT bills, apply with written application: VV&I General Store, 22 Saffon St. Charlestown. Call: 223-9677 One experienced truck driver, apply within at VV&I General Store, 22 Saffon St. Charlestown. Call: 223-9677 LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
FOR SALE
FOR RENT
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Paint Sale! Until supplies last! Coloured latex paint, 50% discount. Call: 265-3541/ 6954785/616-3411
Hair & nails stations available for rental to experienced hairdressers & nail technicians. Call: 6283092/ 683-7033
Transported property & music equipment. Call: 2653586 One 5pcs suite hardly used $55,000, treadmill -$40,000, 1recliner chair -$30,000. Call Esmond Latchmansingh: 2265053 Copy machines for sale. Call: 220-7607/650-2582 One SP plus data card printer. Call: 233-2725/2439 One Diesel welder, excellent condition, owner leaving country. Call: 699-4300/ 2282734 German shepherd puppies. Call: 220-2277/220-8904/6291471/639-5466
1 Three bedrooms upper flat @ Lusignan, E.C.D. Call: 6298240 Furnished three bedrooms top flat, next to Georgetown Hospital. Call: 225-3756/6032257 Hair/Nail Station rental & barber station rental, New Market Street. Call: 638-1106 Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D - $1200USD. Call 6471773 Fully furnished luxury apartment to rent 2 & 3 bedrooms, long and short term stay. Call: 665-3505 Room to rent - $30,000 monthly + security @ Aubrey Barker Road, S/ Ruimveldt Gardens. Call: 6230076
VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Hilux extra cab, GVV series, 5L diesel, good condition. Call: 673-3335/233-6218 Oswin J’s Auto Imports, new arrivals: Premio 2009, Allion 2009/2010, X-Trail 2009, Vitz 2013, 1 Bus 05/09. Call: 6092815/696-4659 Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501 1 Mitsubishi Lancer PJJ series, female driven $500,000. Call: 656-2255 (2) 2010 Vitz - $2.2M negotiable each, 2010 Suzuki swift & Nissan March $2M negotiable each (all unregistered). Call: 6497771/690-7155 1 Fielder Wagon, new model -$1.450M negotiable. Call: 231-6552/ 656-6852 1 Pit-bull mini bus (BWW) giveaway price -$3,200,000 cash or part payment acceptable. Call: 604-7501/ 666-5634 MASSAGE Gent’s Spa contact our masseuse for appointments. Call: 658-5528 Neisha’s Massage Spa. Call: 674-8147
1 Fully furnished a p a r t m e n t a t Vi c t o r i a Avenue Eccles, E.B.D, inclusive of: parking, cable, internet & 2 bedrooms (one AC). Call: 667-2536
PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461
VACANCY Cook/ Baker for interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020
One three bedroom concrete house for sale Contact Mala: 917-254-2909, location: Vryheid’s Lust, North. Call: 699-4111/626-2208
Chef and assistant cook. Call: 225-7933 or visit us at 173 Sheriff St.
SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses:$120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
TO LET
Accounts clerk: English A (Grade 1) , Mathematics, Property for sale at Hope, P.O.A (Grade 2), knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT & E.C.D- Call: 648-0436 QuickBooks @ Technical One concrete building Services, Eccles. Call 614(incomplete) in residential 4358 area, close to National Stadium, Massy C a r p e n t e r, M a s o n a n d Supermarket, price porters, apply in person to Alabama Trading, negotiable. Call: 699-4114 Georgetown, Ferry One transported property , Stelling. Lot 317 Old Road, Craig, EBD. Price $6M. Contact One experienced Accounts Clerk; apply to Alabama IPED : 226-4675, 225-8949 Trading, Georgetown Ferry Goat Creek, Riverfront , 75 Stelling. Acres land -$7M, Lanaballi Workers: carpenter & mason. River Front, 50 Acres -$9M. Call: 265-3586 Diamond -$7.5M Call: 6880087, 638-8484 Male & female labourers for a seafood processing plant. Riviera Island: 145 Acres - Apply in person @ BM $30M, Tuschen property - Enterprise, Guyana Fisheries $5.8M, $6M, $15M. Call: 688- Limited Wharf. 0087, 638-8484 Office clerk, apply at Survival Tuschen 2 bedroom flat Lot 10 Vlissengen Road, houses: $10M, land $2M. Newtown, Kitty. Call: 688-0087,638-8484 Maid for East Bank area Versailes luxury home - $US please call: 614-4358 500,000, Hague front property - $30M, Tuschen Female cleaner for office in $25M, Canal #2 (15 acres) - Eccles, E.B.D. Call: 233-2745. $9M. Call:688-0087,638-8484 1 Experienced pharmacist for 2 Story property located at our new location in Regent Street. Apply at Mike’s Montrose. Call: 677-1310 Pharmacy, Lot 1 Bel Air
Queenstown: furnished apartment and one office flat 2500 sq.ft. Call: 600-3171 2 Bedrooms apartment including water and internet, price - $40,000, location: Diamond Scheme, E.B.D. Call: 602-7135 Two bedroom at self contained @ Tuschen $50,000. Call: 688-0087/ 6338484 Rental @ Ogle, 4 Master bedrooms, luxury home $5,000US. Call: 688-0087/ 633-8484 One bedroom selfcontained apartment in Grove, E.B.D preferably working couple. Call:6877376/693-3738 PEN PAL Male seeking a female for serious relationship. Call: 684-3613 Overseas ageable man looking for a woman 4959yrs. Call F.Allie if interested: 644-1135 Healthy attractive working women seeking males 60 and older for friendship. Call Harmony Singles: 676-6312/ 626-2629
ANN’S BEAUTY SALON & COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL SUMMER CLASSES: HAIR, NAIL, FACIAL, ETC. LOT 132 CUMMINGS ST BOURDA. CALL: 223-8452
ACCOMMODATION Journey Inn apartment rental, short term with AC & Kitchen, as low as -$15US. Call: 6421783/ 646-3011634/7182301695 TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)
Newly constructed apartments in a safe & healthy environment. Call: 698-6496/622-6512 1 Two bedrooms bottom flat at Patentia Housing Scheme, W.B.D- Call: 646-2120 or 6033119 Unfurnished 3 bedrooms, upper flat located at Durban Street, Wortmanville. Call: 600-2828
DRESSMAKING Studio 87 Designing/sewing classes: business jackets and power suits, Canadian trained teacher. Call: 6766312 Continued on Page 69
Sunday June 09, 2017
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Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
Salvation of Individual Caribbean States lie in Unity By PAT DIAL Last Monday, CARICOM DAY, was celebrated in Guyana with a public holiday. CARICOM is one of the most important institutions in Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean but many, especially the younger generation, tend to take it for granted and know very little about it. In the 1960s Britain was withdrawing from her Caribbean colonies and granting them independence. In withdrawing, Britain always tried her best to leave them with strong institutions so that they could develop themselves economically and politically. As part of her withdrawal plan, she wished to have her former West Indian colonies united in a Federation. Thus was formed the Federation of the West Indies. One of the strongest intellectual proponents of West Unity was the Guyanese Sir Shridat Ramphal and he served as Attorney General of the Federation with his famed brilliance. Unfortunately, the Federation foundered for a number of reasons, the most important being that the Federation was regarded as an imposition from the top without full democratic involvement in its creation. The various newly independent colonies were again thrown on their own and West Indian people intuitively understood. The enlightened leadership of the big four- Jamaica, Trinidad , Guyana and Barbados -
acutely grasped that tiny Caribbean states in the post World War II era could make no economic progress and would be ignored as ciphers by the rest of the world. The former West Indian colonies had to have unity for their own individual salvation. Accordingly, the leaders of the big four, Norman Manley of Jamaica, Eric Williams of Trinidad, Forbes Burnham of Guyana and Errol Barrow of Barbados, met in Trinidad and signed the treaty establishing the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). Soon, the other Caribbean states joined and there was a sense of relief throughout the West Indies. CARIFTA was recognized as being too limited; there was a desire for greater and stronger unity. This manifested itself in the signing of the Treaty of Chagaramas in July 1973 establishing CARICOM - a Caribbean Community. Manley, Williams, Burnham and Barrow were again the kingpins and eventually all the Caribbean states joined. CARICOM the Caribbean Community, over the years has had many important achievements. Many of these had become so much a part of our lives that we do not relate them to CARICOM. We shall mention some of these, not necessarily in chronological order. There is the CSME, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy which has become of vital interest to the business community and to
consumers since it brings in goods and services from the Region and is changing the pattern of Caribbean international trade. Then there is the CARICOM Passport which everyone now has and which makes travelling much easier. The Caribbean Examinations Council- CXC - has successfully replaced British examinations and has revolutionized Education at the secondary level. The establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice the CCJ- has further rooted the Common Law in the Region and allows for the development of a Caribbean Jurisprudence. Though some states are still not members of the CCJ, the trend is for them to join as they realize the high quality of Justice the Court has been dispensing. The Caribbean Development Bank - CDB has become one of the Caribbean’s main lending institutions and has funded several successful economic projects. The Caribbean Council of Legal Education - CLE - has successfully replaced the British system and has the responsibility of training Lawyers and licensing legal practitioners throughout the Region. The overwhelming majority of Caribbean lawyers are now Caribbean-trained and this has strengthened Legal Education and the Rule of Law in the Caribbean. The Meteriological Institute and Organization has been able to keep Region which is subject to hurricanes and earthquakes warned in
good time of any impending disasters. Such timely warnings have resulted in saving much property and many lives. There are many other valuable CARICOM institutions and the complete list would be too lengthy to mention here, but we must mention CARIFESTA which has been showcasing and stimulating Caribbean Culture. The value of Caribbean unity is recognized throughout the Region even among the non-Englishspeaking territories such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic who are now associate members of CARICOM. Suriname, which is Dutch-speaking, is a full member. But the idealism of the founding fathers who aspired after a unified Caribbean nation in a unified Caribbean state has faded and conflicts between Caribbean states have become more common now than in the past. The main reason for this apparent stalemate in progress towards unity is that there has been a marked resurgence of local nationalisms. The momentum towards the goal of unity could again be recaptured if the demands of local nationalisms are recognized, reasonably satisfied and subsumed in the march towards unity. All mainstream and informed opinion firmly believe that the social, economic and political salvation of the individual states lie in a unified Caribbean.
Achieving a Stress-Free Financial... From page 14 tips over the back fence (neighbours), you may get burned. In the book, “The Richest Man in Babylon,” the story is that back in ancient Babylon there lived a young man named Arkad who saved a tenth of all he earned for one year. Then he invested it with a brickmaker about to buy some rare gems. They were going to sell the jewels for a high profit and split the dividends. As it turned out the brickmaker bought worthless coloured stones that looked to him like jewels, and Arkad lost his savings. · Most investments are in people, not in things: When examining a potential investment, set your emotions aside and look at the people behind it, for that is where your investment is going. Most often, it is these
people, rather than the investment itself, that determine the potential for profit. Con men are quick to spot new targets so, with pension savers now enjoying their new freedom to access and invest their retirement cash, frauds are on the rise. One fraud that comes to mind is the scam that involves salespersons promoting investments in “rare earth” metals used in the manufacture of computers and mobile phones. The investments are unregulated and it is hard to know whether the commodity being sold exists. · Use the power of compound interest and get out of debt: There are two ways to increase your net worth: by increasing assets or decreasing debts.
Wi t h a s s e t s , t h e r e i s always risk; real estate, stock options and precious metals fluctuate in value relatively unpredictably. Before you think to increase your assets, decrease your debts. Reducing your debt, however, increases your net worth at a guaranteed rate. If you currently pay 20 percent for interest charges on a credit card, paying it off equals a 20 percent return on your money. The power of compound interest is said to be the eighth wonder of the world. If you want to get the most return on money you save or invest, you want compound interest. The power of compound interest is the reason that financial planning and retirement experts recommend
starting a retirement plan early. CONCLUSION Try to end your financial stress now although modern principles have complicated the process of accumulating wealth. Specifically, twentyfirst century income taxes, inflation and some debt have made it a little difficult for young people to work with the wisdom of Ben Franklin. Though more than two centuries old, his priceless insights into personal finance have remained constant through time and shifting economies. Next week we will discuss credit reporting as it relates to financial literacy. Thanks for all your comments and support. As usual, please send your comments or questions to deputygovernor@ bankofguyana.org.gy
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Oil in the news: Week in review “We are looking, listening and ready to learn from other oil-rich countries” – Harmon “Of course!” said Minister of State, Joseph Harmon when asked on Friday if the government is taking heed of the lessons learnt by other countries that have allowed ExxonMobil to drill for oil. The question posed to Harmon was loaded. The reporter highlighted some of the problems faced by countries like Papua New Guinea, Chad and Nigeria. Issues like the underpaying of royalties, destroying the environment and ignoring Climate Change were noted. Then the question was posed, “Has the government been taking note of some of the things Exxon did in the past, and are you looking to put safeguards in place to make sure we do not end up experiencing the same fate?” Harmon expressed absolute certainty that the government is ready to learn from the mistakes of others. “When I said earlier that we look at best practices, it means that we have to take into consideration all of the issues with respect to the industry that have taken place before. We are taking note of all that is being said,” said Harmon. The Minister continued, “As a government, we have no issue with persons who are bringing up information for the benefit of the Guyanese people. So, if there was a practice in some country, it is always important for us to know.” Names of key figures negotiating with ExxonMobil “still under wraps”- State Minister The government is not ready for the Guyanese people to know the names of the main professionals negotiating with oil giant, ExxonMobil, to secure a deal that will outline how much the nation will benefit from its oil. This position taken by the coalition government was articulated by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, as he hosted the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency. Harmon said that Guyana is by no means suffering a deficit of advice. He told the media that the government is receiving advice from the likes of Chatham House and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He said, too, that Dr. Jan Mangal, an international expert, is also lending key support. However, when asked specifically, who were the persons at the table negotiating face to face with ExxonMobil, Harmon stopped giving names. He told the media, “I cannot say specifically who else was there. Those matters are still under wraps so I cannot give specific names to you. But, what I can say is that the matter was led by the competent Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and the government
has all confidence in that Minister to lead the sector and to lead any negotiation in the best interest of the people of Guyana.” Harmon also said that President David Granger reinforced his confidence in Trotman by putting him as the head of the ‘quintet plus one’ that has been established recently which includes Dr. Mangal. Harmon told the media that Dr. Mangal, “is what we call cutting edge in the industry. Fortunately he is of Guyanese parentage. He operates out of Houston, Texas which is the centre of the oil universe.” The Minister of State said from time to time the government will identify leading experts in the field of law and the environment as well as those who possess other needed negotiation skills “which we will put to use for the benefit of the people of Guyana.” Exxon refuses invitation to local public forum, but attends one in Trinidad ExxonMobil is not drilling for oil in Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, the company has received all that it needs to start oil production in Guyana—its Environmental Permit and Production Licence. It has, on two occasions, refused to appear at a public forum in Guyana. However, it has found the time to prepare a presentation that was delivered by Country Manager Jeff Simons in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this year. The presentation was about Guyana’s oil and the plans of the company. Why would Exxon refuse to engage Guyanese on oil found in Guyana but feels comfortable talking to Trinidadians on the matter? That question remains unanswered. Not even the organization that invited ExxonMobil—Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA)—can say why the company refused to show. Sources at GOGA say that the company was invited twice—orally and in writing. GOGA said that in February, ExxonMobil made “favorable comments” about the organization’s initiative to hold a lecture series to sensitize Guyanese. GOGA said that at that point the opportunity was seized to invite ExxonMobil to make a contribution to the series, but nothing materialized. After that oral attempt failed, GOGA sent a written invitation but again, ExxonMobil declined. Earlier this year, Simons went to Trinidad and entertained the press there. However, even on that occasion, some questions were sidelined. See full Oil and Gas Journal report at http://www.ogj.com/ articles/2017/01/liza-to-flow-at100-000-b-d-exxonmobil-officialsays.htm Serious concerns about Govt.’s arrangement with ExxonMobil need urgent
answers – Nigel Hughes There are many questions that remain unanswered about Guyana’s arrangement with oil giant ExxonMobil and some of the country’s leading minds are becoming antsy about what this really means. Prominent Attorney Nigel Hughes, who is also a Director of Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA), recently delivered a presentation at an international academic conference hosted by the University of West Indies Law faculty. Hughes’ presentation was titled “Guyana’s new frontier.” At that forum, Hughes highlighted that there is a deficit of information in the public domain about key issues regarding Guyana’s arrangement with ExxonMobil. Hughes gave the attendees a synopsis of Guyana’s journey to where it is at present. He went as far back as to Independence and travelled all the way to the announcement of the oil discovery in 2015 – then to government’s announcement of the two percent royalty Guyana is to receive form ExxonMobil when oil production begins. Hughes told the conference that after the initial announcement of the Liza-1 find, locals began voicing concerns about the management of the oil resource. The Attorney noted that on June 1 this year, government announced that it is expected to grant a production licence to Exxon. He said that government made announcement of the 2 percent royalties etc. Hughes noted that what was not announced, however, was whether there was a ceiling for cost recovery in any given year. Yearly cost recovery ceiling would refer to the amount of money which government and ExxonMobil agree that the company will take out from the yearly revenues generated in order to recover its investment. The amount of money agreed on will reflect in Guyana’s yearly piece of the pie. It has already been established that Guyana is supposed to get 50 percent of the profit and two percent royalty. Case study: If ExxonMobil receives $100 per year and takes out $70 for cost recovery purposes that would leave only $30. Two percent will then have to be taken out for royalty and the remainder is to be divided 50-50. Therefore, cost recovery ceiling is an important factor in getting to understanding just how much Guyana will benefit yearly. Hughes also pointed out that there has been no indication whether cost recovery is a percentage of revenue. Guyana’s oil find more massive than established – former T&T Energy Minister “You may well have another North Sea at your doorstep,” said
former Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine earlier this year. This was at a symposium hosted by the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA). Kevin Ramnarine said that commercial extraction of oil on the shores of the North Sea dates back to 1851; it continues today with new discoveries being made. The North Sea has several oil bearing wells claimed by the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. Some may say that comparison between Guyana and the North Sea is inadequate but that is not so for this holder of a Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering. Ramnarine noted that in the Oil and Gas Industry there is something called the “Creaming Curve”. He said that a Creaming Curve presents the relationship between cumulative resource growth and the number of exploration wells drilled. Ramnarine said that the name comes from the fact that the biggest discoveries are normally made early in the basin’s exploration history. He told those at the symposium that as time passes, remaining prospects will be smaller and have a lower probability of discovery. “It is my opinion that Liza is the beginning of things to come. More oil and gas will be discovered in Guyana’s waters.” He continued, “I would say, too, that the Guyana/Suriname basin is in its early days of exploration. When I was a student, the US Geological Survey estimated that the Guyana/Suriname basin had the potential for 14.2 billion barrels of oil, so you may well have another North Sea at your doorstep.” The former Minister presented a graph which shows the history of Trinidad’ oil production for the first 107 years. He said, “In that period, we have produced 8.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. At Independence in 1962, we had produced just over 1.0 billion barrels of oil equivalent. A barrel of oil equivalent is a way of representing natural gas production as oil production. What does that mean? It means that the Liza discovery alone is 17 per cent of all that Trinidad and Tobago has produced in 107 years. Most of our hydrocarbon production has been natural gas, and most of that natural gas has been produced in the last 20 years.” The United States Geological Survey ranks the Guyana Suriname Basin second in the world for prospectively among the world’s unexplored basins and 12th for oil among the entire world’s basins – explored and unexplored. Oil corrupts weak governments and Guyana’s is far from strong- The Economist
notes The coalition Government is not dubbed internationally as a strong one. This should not come as a major shock to many as Transparency International has over the years been placing Guyana among the most corrupt countries in the world. The APNU+AFC government has not been able to remove that perception. However, now that oil is on its way, the country will be placed more under the microscope, attracting attention from organizations and countries that probably never knew of the country’s existence or perhaps just never paid it any attention. In fact, Guyana has caught the attention of one of the largest business magazines in the world—The Economist. That newspaper has labelled the government of Guyana “far from strong” in an article published a few days ago. The article on Guyana appeared in the Americas section of the print edition under the headline “The gusher of Guyana. Will oil corrupt a small Caribbean State?” It was noted in the strap line of the article, “It will take better politicians to resist the corrosive power of petrodollars.” The magazine described Guyana as one of South America’s poorest countries. “But perhaps not for much longer: Guyana has struck black gold.” The article that was anonymously written noted that by 2020 ExxonMobil, the world’s biggest private oil firm, expects to be pumping oil in Guyanese waters, with Hess and Nexen, its American and Chinese partner firms. The Economist noted that Guyana already had diamonds and gold, and little of that wealth was shared. The article said that horsedrawn carts still traverse the City weaving through “the Georgetown traffic.” It was stated too that “Stateowned sugar producers gobble subsidies. Cash will be tight until the oil starts flowing. Retail sales are down. Nightspots are closing. “Businesses are scared to invest,” says an accountant. He blames a crackdown on money-laundering and graft. Others blame a newish local office of America’s Drug Enforcement Administration for reducing the flow of drugs cash.” The article reflected Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman’s desire to have Guyana sign up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which monitors mineral revenues to stop them being stolen. It noted, too, that the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA), a recently formed coalition of private firms and individuals, aims to promote transparency in the industry. “But oil tends to corrupt weak governments. And Guyana’s is far from strong; the country has a history of corruption and its politics are bitter and racially
Sunday July 09, 2017 polarized.” The Economist said that Guyana faces a risk of its petrodollars being squandered on more sugar subsidies and pay rises for the “unproductive public sector. The next election is due in 2020 just when the oil starts to flow. The victor could enjoy a well-lubricated quartercentury in office.” The original article can be read at: https:// www.economist.com/news/ americas/21724385-it-will-takebetter-politicians-resistcorrosive-power-petrodollarswill-oil-corrupt Guyana’s oil and gas sector…Laws not enough to stop corruption Foreign panellists stress at local forum With Guyana now moving to set in place the necessary laws and regulations to govern the emerging oil and gas sector, it’s going to take more than that to stop corruption. This is the opinion of Vicky McPherson, a Shareholder in the Global Energy & Infrastructure Group and the Africa Practice Group at the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig. “The most important thing to acknowledge about corruption is that you can have all of the laws and regulations in place, but if you don’t have the leadership and the personal conviction to not steal from the public coffers, none of this matters,” she said. McPherson was at the time responding to a question posed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) Aubrey HeathRetemyer, on whether there has been any attempt to safely determine the level of involvement of larger countries in corrupting smaller oil-rich states. This statement would come at a time when Guyana is moving to put in place the necessary laws, policies and regulatory bodies to govern the emerging oil and gas sector. These would include the Local Content Policy, the Sovereign Wealth Fund, and the Petroleum Commission Act, among others. Oil production may see change in country’s security landscape – Symposium facilitator The security landscape in Guyana may very well change within the coming three years before, and immediately after, oil starts coming out of the ground. Adjusted security landscape in a country is said to be a common spin-off of the presence of big oil companies in developing countries around the world. Dr. Kennedy Mkutu, an associate professor of the United States International University Africa, spoke about this phenomenon yesterday. Dr. Mkutu was one of the facilitators at the just concluded “Oil Curse and its Prevention” symposium that was hosted by the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting (CIFA) and the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA)
Sunday July 09, 2017
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Venezuelan opposition leader Lopez granted house arrest CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuela’s best-known jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was out of prison and hugging his family yesterday after being granted house arrest following three years in jail for leading anti-government protests.
Lopez’s return to his Caracas home comes as Venezuela is once again convulsed by demonstrations against socialist President Nicolas Maduro, struggling with an economic crisis and global censure for overriding the powers of the country’s opposition-led congress.
Lopez, 46, a photogenic, Harvard-educated former mayor who has been barred from holding elected office, left the Ramo Verde military jail before dawn and was reunited with his wife and two young children, relatives said. “A few days ago they had punished him with solitary
confinement without light or water for three days,” said his father, of the same name, in an interview with Spanish radio. “(Now) he’s hugging his children, he’s with his wife ... I’m happy, he’s happy of course,” he added, adding that his son was wearing an
electronic tag for authorities to track him. The opposition has long called Lopez a political prisoner, and leaders around the world, including U.S. President Donald Trump, have pressed for his release. Maduro, who for years refused to pardon Lopez, has
described him as a dangerous terrorist who sought to overthrow him through street violence. Opposition leaders applauded Lopez’s return home, but said he should be granted complete freedom, along with several hundred other jailed opponents of Maduro.
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Govt. must manage citizens’ oil expectations – Symposium Panellist From page 12 She told the attendees that it is important to manage expectations because while oil will impact the entire country, not everyone will
get a job from the sector. “The oil sector is capitalintensive. It is not labour intensive so managing the expectations...is huge because it will control the
anger that will result by 2020 (when) no one has a job in the oil and gas sector.” McPherson posited that whilst the sector will
not provide many jobs, the increase in revenue earned from the resources can be used to develop other sectors which will in turn, provide employment for citi-
zens. She noted, also, that G u y a n a ’s p r o c u r e m e n t laws should be revised since the increase of projects in other sectors will include Government teaming up with the private sector. “Revising the Guyanese procurement law is essential to this because you cannot expect Government to do all of the infrastructure development nor can you expect the private sector to do it. So encouraging a Public/Private Partnership (P3) framework – I understand that a draft has already been prepared – is key to everyone benefitting from the oil and gas sector.” The symposium was organised by the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting (CIFA) in collaboration with the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA) and the African Business Round Table. The theme for the symposiums was, “Public Corruption, the Oil Curse and Lessons from Developing Countries”.
Symposium Speakers included Afra Rymond, a Professional Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Managing Director of Raymond and Pierre Limited; Dr. Kennedy Mkutu, an associate professor in International Relations, Peace and Security at USUINairobi, Africa; Eric Williams, Principal Consultant and President of Royal Triangle Energy Solutions Limited (RTESL); Stephen Baker, Senior partner at Baker & Partners, English barrister and Jersey advocate; and Dr. Perry Stanislas, Leader of the Contemporary Issues in Police and Security Leadership and Management Programme run by Community and Criminal Justice Department at De Montfort University, United Kingdom. These symposiums would come at a time when several concerns are being raised with regards to the management of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector and government’s push for production by 2020.
Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
Putin says Trump was ‘satisfied’ with his election meddling denials
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Reuters - President Vladimir Putin said yesterday he thought his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had been satisfied with his assertions that Russia had not meddled in the U.S. presidential election. Speaking at the end of a G20 summit in Germany where the two leaders met face-toface for the first time, Putin said he believed he had been able to establish a personal relationship with Trump, and that the initial groundwork had been laid for an improvement in U.S.-Russian ties. Their meeting, on the sidelines of the Hamburg summit, was subject to intense scrutiny, following allegations that Moscow had tried to help Trump win the White House, and a Washington investigation into the Russia ties of Trump associates. Putin was pressed by reporters at a news conference
to share details of the discussion he had with Trump about alleged Russian election interference. Russia has denied trying to influence the U.S. election. “(Trump) asked a lot of questions on this subject. I, in as much as I was able, answered these questions. It seems to me that he took these (answers) on board and agreed with them, but in actual fact, it’s best to ask him how he views this,” Putin told one reporter. Pressed again later in the same news conference by reporters about what precisely Trump had told him, Putin said: “He started to ask pointed questions, he was really interested in particular details. I, as much as I could, answered him in a fairly detailed way. “I believe it would not be entirely appropriate on my part to disclose details of my
discussion with Mr Trump. He asked, I answered him. He asked pointed questions, I answered them. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with those answers,” Putin said. Putin also spoke warmly of Trump’s personal qualities. The two men have spoken by telephone since Trump won the U.S. presidential election last year, but had not met until the G20 summit in Hamburg. “I believe that we have established personal relations already,” Putin told a news conference. He said in particular that the Trump administration was taking a more pragmatic stance on the conflict on Syria. A ceasefire deal for southern Syria that was announced during the summit was the result of that new approach, Putin said, and represented a “breakthrough.”
Trump keeps it friendly with Xi on North Korea threat HAMBURG (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump took a conciliatory tone yesterday at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the leaders agreed to keep working on two pressing issues: the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and bilateral trade irritants. Trump campaigned in last year’s presidential election on cracking down on China for its trade practices, but he softened his rhetoric after taking office, saying he wanted to work with China on the nuclear issue. When the two leaders first met in April at Trump’s Florida resort, they appeared to hit it off. Trump called Xi a “good man” as he urged him to use
Beijing’s economic clout to force North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons programme. Lately, Trump has expressed some impatience on China’s role in North Korea — particularly after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that some experts believe could have the range to reach Alaska, and parts of the U.S. West Coast. His administration made new arms sales to Taiwan, imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company and put China on a global human trafficking list. It also accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang. The White House is also
debating trade actions against Beijing, including tariffs on its steel exports and a few days before the G20 talks, Trump complained that trade between China and North Korea had grown. But he showed none of that impatience on Saturday, when the leaders met at the invitation of Xi at the tail end of the G20 in Germany. “It’s an honor to have you as a friend,” Trump told Xi, telling him he appreciated actions he had already taken on North Korea. “As far as North Korea is concerned, we will have, eventually, success. It may take longer than I’d like. It may take longer than you’d like. But there will be success in the end one way or the other,” Trump said.
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Regional leaders seek Clico bailout from T&T Rowley asks for more time Trinidad Guardian - Eight years after the Clico collapse, shareholders in Barbados, St Vincent and Grenada are now calling on the T&T Government to bail them out of the debacle. But Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday that the last thing his Government intended to do was pay out any Caricom shareholder, since Clico’s future looks quite unsettled. In that regard, the PM gave the assurance that legal steps may be an option to protect the interest of our citizens. This was one of the discussions that came up at the Caricom inter-sessional meeting in Grenada, which Rowley attended and spoke about yesterday at the Piarco International Airport when he returned home. Rowley said while T&T has taken steps to financially bail out its citizens who were affected by Clico’s collapse, its shareholders in Barbados, St Vincent and Grenada are now calling on the Government to do the same for them. He said their arguments were based on the Chaguaramas Treaty that no Caricom country should favour its own citizens. “I think they were bolstered by some agreements
that date back to the Manning era which was supported by the Persad-Bissessar’s era, where certain commitments were made to pay certain monies and in fact, those agreements were cemented by payment of US$50 million in the promise of $100 million.” Rowley said, however, that the country was now being called upon to conclude those transactions. “I did ask for a time to look at it a little closer in the context of the promises that were made, because Trinidad and Tobago will not renege on a country’s commitment to our Caricom colleague,” he said. The PM said the Government asked for the time so it could look at Clico’s current situation. “I want to take this opportunity to tell the national community that there are some serious developments taking place with respect to this Clico matter and the last thing we can do now is to pay out money now to anybody about Clico, while we are engaged in a very serious matter with the Government’s protection of the national interest with respect to the monies paid out to Clico.”
He said people who had and continue to maintain Clico’s interest through their shareholders, have taken action with the expectation that they would succeed in expelling the Government from the board of Clico, even while T&T taxpayers have not recovered from the $20 billion that was paid out in the bailout plan. “We are currently engaged in that matter. And against that background, at Caricom I told the claimants that we are not prepared at this time to entertain any further discussions on that matter at the level of Carciom, but we will talk to the country at a bilateral level.” Rowley said they expect to talk to the three regional countries about the Clico liabilities. Under the last People’s Partnership administration, Rowley said a number of ministers beat their chests for settling the Clico matter. “The matters are far from settling. The future looks quite unsettled. But along the way the Government of T&T will take all reasonable and legal steps to protect the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
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RHTY&SC, TCL Annual Cricket Academy and Republic Bank Camp bowls off tomorrow The Area ‘H’ Ground in Rose Hall Town would be abuzz with activities when the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, 27th Annual Cricket Academy and the 11th Annual Educational Camp bowls off tomorrow from 9:00am. The Cricket Academy is being sponsored by Trinidad Cement Ltd, while the Educational Camp is sponsored by Republic Bank. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that both programmes are major projects in the Club’s calendar of 500 activities for 2017. The cricket academy would be held at the Area ‘H’ Ground from tomorrow to Friday 21st July. It would be supervised by Coach Delbert Hicks, starting at 09:00 hours each day and caters for 100 youths between the ages of 8 to 18 years. Members of the Academy would be involved in bat-
Crandon, Clinton Pestano, Eon Hooper, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Plaffiana Millington, Dominique Rikhi, Loyydel Lewis, Shawn Pereira, Neil Williams, Shawn Grant, Renwick Batson, Khemaraj Mahadeo and Ashkay Homraj. The Republic Bank Summer Camp would cater for 60 Grade Six students who would be entering Secondary School in September. The Camp would be conducted by senior educator Rohan Etwaru. Students would be taught Maths, English, History, Social Studies, Spanish and would also be learning the game of cricket. Lectures would be held on a wide range of topics including Peer Pressure, Discipline in Classroom, Importance of Education and Personal Hygiene. The classes would last until the second week in August.
ting, bowling and fielding. While special emphasis would be placed on physical fitness. Lectures on a wide range of topics, including, History of Cricket, Structure of Cricket, Laws of Cricket, Suicide, Drug Abuse, Personal Hygiene, Depression and Importance of Education will also be a part of the activities. The RHTY&SC would provide all the gears needed, while a daily snack would be provided for each academy member. Foster disclosed that the main objectives of the 2017 Cricket Academy would be to assist youths to develop as cricketers, to educate them on their role model status and to prepare them for a career as professional cricketers. Over the last 27 years, the academy has produced a total of 2019 young cricketers including Assad Fudadin, Esuan Crandon, Royston
Sunday July 09, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Listen, but don't make any rash decisions. You can come up with future trends in creative fields. Disappointments regarding partners will be subject to the way you react to their personal comments. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Be prepared to take advantage of your good fortune. You should put your efforts into creative projects. Contracts will not be as lucrative as you think. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) It will be all around you. Don't get involved in secret affairs or underhanded involvements. You will be prone to carelessness that could result in accidents. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Be prepared to lose friends or alienate loved ones due to your stubborn nature lately. This is a wonderful day to look into courses or hobbies that interest you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your ideas may be a little ahead of their time; don't push them, instead just continue working on development. Compromising could be on the agenda today. Digestive disorders will be a result of family squabbles. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) One sided attractions are likely. Unstable relationships are likely. Make amends if you can. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Focus your efforts on your work. Enlist the aid of family members and consider the feelings of your mate. Be sure to take time for old friends or relatives you don't get to see that often. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You can expect to feel confused about your personal prospects. Don't put limitations on yourself. You have more than enough on your plate already.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Spend time with your lover today. Discuss your objectives with peers or lovers. Groups you belong to will not only enjoy your company, but they will also share your interests.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Social events may lead to a romantic interlude. You could come into extra cash. Put your money into a safe place that will ensure a profit if you let it sit long enough.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Believe in yourself and so will those who count. You should visit a friend or relative who hasn't been well. Children will want to help, too.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) New hair, new outfit, new you. Plan your social events carefully. Take the time to do your job correctly or you may find yourself looking for a new one.
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$6M GT Beer ‘Sunday Night Super Cup’ inter association begins tonight in Linden Football fans in Linden are eagerly awaiting their team’s clash against Essequibo Pomeroon in game two tonight as they open their campaign in the inaugural GT Beer Inter Association Sunday Night Super Cup $6M championship after the opening game between East Coast and East Bank associations at 19:00hrs at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. President of the UDFA said that Regional Chairman of Region 10 Mr. Renis Morian and deputy Mayor of Linden Ms. Waneka Arrindel will join Guyana Football Federation President Mr. Wayne Forde for the opening cer-
emony which will be staged at the conclusion of the first game which starts at 19.00hrs with the second between the UDFA and Essequibo Pomeroon at 21.00hrs. While not releasing the names of their team yesterday the players likely to don uniform for the home team are goalkeeper Kellon Major with the defence centered around Deshawn Dey and Oswald Benjamin, national midfield player Clive De Nobrega should be in the middle with Marmalaque Davidson and Kevin Beaton among those being featured up front. The Essequibo Pomeeron side, which is unknown, will
be looking to create the upset which would not be helpful for this UDFA side which is hoping to emerge out of the groups of four and place themselves into the final four stages of the tournament. East Bank and East Coast will be hoping also to get a good start with a win tonight in the opening game as the eight teams are divided into two groups in a round robin play before the top two teams advance. The participating associations are the Upper Demerara, Berbice, Essequibo Pomeroon, East Coast, East Bank, Bartica, Georgetown and West Demerara.
Rising Sun Turf Club meet on today The Rising Sun Turf Club in collaboration with the Guyana Association of Women’s Police will stage their grand one day horserace meet today at the Rising Sun West Coast, Berbice track. Compton Sancho of the organisers informed that the track is in excellent condition and an exciting day of quality horseracing is anticipated. Close to 60 horses have been registered to compete and among them are Maximus, Black Devil, Easy Lion,
Settling Star, Appling Harvest, Got to go, T and T, Cat Massiah, Bird Man, Chelsea, Red Jet, Red Regent, Something Special, Bridal Stone Corner, Party Time, Puppy Tail, Richie Poo, Seven Dust, Little Star and Unruly. Some other upstarts in the lineup looking to upstage the favourites are Big Man in Town, Not This time, Stormy Breeze, Lil Boy, Timely, Royal Prince and Bounty be True among others. Six races are carded with
over three million dollars in cash and trophies up for the taking. The feature event is for horse’s classified G class and lower over a distance of one mile for a top prize of $300,000. The runner up will take home $150,000 and third prize $75,000. Other events listed are the I class and three-year old Guyana bred, J 1 and lower, K class and lower, L 1 and lower and L 2 and the unclassified.
Guyana’s boxers to take on Jamaica... (From page 71) waves on a consistent basis at the highest level on the biggest of international stages. Following up on the success of the Caribbean Development Tournaments which are poised to get stronger year over year, as well as the highly anticipated annual Schoolboys tournament held in Guyana, the Jamaica Boxing Board in the hopes of complementing these high level events have recently come up with a “Jamaica versus” series,” Jones said. “The idea is to give our National boxers the much needed competition against different styles of fighters from the strongest of boxing nations. We launched the series in November 2016 with Jamaica vs Cayman and then followed it up in May with Jamaica vs Panama. Those two successful events set the stage for what will be the most electrifying night of all when Caribbean powerhouse Team Guyana visits the shores of Jamaica in October,” the JBA president added. “Guyana has been excelling in sports right across the board and boxing is certainly no different as they have been churning out Caribbean champions on all levels and have proven themselves the
nation to measure yourself against. President of Guyana Amateur Boxing Steve Ninvalle has been steadfastly championing the growth of activity
across our region and it will be an honour to host a team from his home nation in Jamaica,” Jones declared. The three-day competition will run from October 12-15.
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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review medals out of four followed by Arif Immamdeen who accounted for 3, Britney Mack 2 with one each for Teneisha Toney and 72 year-old Nairianjan Singh, the grandfather of the team.
Sports Week in Review Today we look back on the happenings and events that made the news on the local scene in sports. The outstanding performance of the powerlifters overseas and the young Squash players battling for Regional honours were among the most notable events that took place.
ANDREA SMITH MAINTAINS GUYANA’S GOLD MEDAL FORM, ERWYN SMITH BAGS SILVER
DEBUTANTS SIZZLED ON OPENING DAY OF POWERLIFTING Golden, silver and bronze medal performances along with record breaking efforts set an encouraging tone for the rest of the Guyana team competing at the 16th North American Powerlifting Federation (NAPF) and 32nd South American Powerlifting Federation (FESUPO) Championships at the Hyatt Regency hotel at Orlando International Airport in Florida. Not even the cold atmosphere where the completion is being held could have deterred the young Guyanese from blazing a record breaking trail. Debutants Romario Gonsalves and Demetri Chan as well as Britney Mack all etching their names in the record books at the Pan American and South American levels. Contesting the Raw/Classic segment of the championships, debutants Romario Gonsalves (gold), Demetri Chan (silver, bronze) and Teneisha Toney (silver) all shone as well as Britney Mack who hauled in a gold medal in the Female Raw Sub-Junior 3Lift 47kg Class, totaling 230.0kg – 506lb. Gonsalves set a new Pan American Deadlift Record of 215kg – 473lb; the first and second lifts of 200kg and 210kg were also records which were replaced by the higher lift. Gonsalves’ Total of 500kg was also a Pan American Record. Chan, who was involved in a ding dong battle with T&T’s Kenan Chanansingh for the Male Raw Junior 3-Lift 74kg Class silver medal, prevailed after a classy final lift which called on his will power while testing his mental fortitude. He blew away the Trinidadian who managed a Total of 545.0kg with the gold medal going to Canada’s Morgan Penny with a Total of 587.5kg – 1292.5lb. Chan achieved a Personal Best in the Squat of 185.0kg – 407lb; set a new National Bench Press Record of 140kg – 308lb as well as a Pan American Deadlift Record of 235kg – 517lb. EDWARDS, TAHARALLY AND PETTERSON COMBINE FOR 5 MORE MEDALS Guyana continued their outstanding showing in Orlando as the more senior performers picked
Future Stars! From right, Romario Gonsalves, Teneisha Toney, Brintey Mack and Demetri Chan.
up from where the juniors left off. Day two was led by the experienced gladiator ‘Big’ John Edwards (120kg Masters 11 50+& Open) who captured gold and bronze medals as Guyana mirrored the opening day medal haul of five with the two debutants also ending on the podium. ‘Big’ John was in devastating form as he set new Commonwealth, South American and Pan American records; seven in total. His gold came in the Masters 11 50+ contest with his total of 712.5kg, while the bronze was achieved in the Open Class; gold went to Costa Rica’s Manuel Campos (745.0kg) and the silver was taken by Alexandre Emidio of Brazil with 715.0kg. Edwards’s best squat of 275kg replaced the old Commonwealth and South American records of 265.0kg (set by Steve Lousich of New Zealand on April 11, 2015 in Australia) and 190.0kg (set by Richard Alverez in Uruguay on November 22, 2013). His new Total of 712.5kg erased the old Commonwealth and South American marks also set by Lousich (705.0kg) and Alverez (510.0kg) on the above dates. Alverez’ old Bench and Deadlift records of 172.5 and 200.0 respectively were also smashed by John’s new standards of 200.0kg and 262.5kg, respectively. The old Pan American Bench Press record was also replaced. Nadina Taharally, the third debutant to take the platform, contesting the 72kg Masters 1 (40+) and Female Open divisions, had a dream start to her international career, capturing the nation’s third gold medal in the Masters Class whilst achieving
Personal Bests in the Benchpress and Deadlift. The mother of two snatched the gold medal in the Masters 1 Class with a total of 337.5kg – 742.5lb. Taharally had a best squat of 117kg, benchpress 65kg and deadlift of 155kg; both the bench and deadlifts were Personal Best lifts for Taharally. The fourth debutant and third local athlete on the day, Carlos Petterson lifted his way to respective silver and bronze medals in the very competitive 93kg Men’s Junior and Open competition. Petterson also set new National Bench and Deadlift records. He had set a new Pan American record in the Squat of 280kg but that was broken soon after by the USA’s Chance Mitchell who lifted the standard by another 3kg’s. Petterson took silver in the Male Raw Junior 3-Lift competition with
a total of 760.0kg; Mitchell won the gold with a Total of 770.5kg, while Canada’s Yohann Savinsky captured the bronze with a Total of 735.0kg. In the Open battle, Petterson had to settle for bronze with Mitchell taking silver and Canada’s Walter Cariazo taking the gold medal with a total of 795.5kg. Petterson set new national benchpress (150kg) and deadlift (317.5kg) records in both the Junior and Open divisions. HISTORIC DAY AS 5 LIFTERS COMBINE TO DELIVER 16 MEDALS INCLUDING 11 GOLDs Guyana enjoyed its best day yet at the international level when it racked in a total of 16 medals at the Powerlifting in Florida. Winston ‘Little Master’ Stoby led the medal haul with a perfect 4 gold
Shomari Wilshire (right). (Sean Devers photo)
Andrea Smith (72kg Class) displayed grit and determination in powering her way to a new Caribbean and Open Equipped National Deadlift record of 182.5kg as she grabbed a gold and silver medal in Florida. Smith also set a new National Benchpress record of 77.5kg and Squat record of 160.0kg on a day when Guyana continued its rich medal form at the championships that has attracted 20 countries. Her gold was achieved in the Female FESUPO (South American) Open 3-Lift 72kg Class with a total of 420.0kg, while she battled her way up from lagging in the third place after the squat and bench to end with the silver medal in the Female Open 3-Lift Pan American competition. P u e r t o R i c o ’s K r i s t z i a Nieves took the gold medal with a total of 445.0kg, while the bronze medal went to Nora Montillia (272.5kg) of Costa Rica. G u y a n a ’s E r w y n S m i t h , managed the silver medal in the Male FESUPO (South American) Open 93kg Class with a Wilks total of 433.01 behind gold medalist, Jaime Castro of Ecuador who totaled, 494.94. 2017 DIGICEL JUNIOR CASA COMMENCES WITH BARBADOS TAKING INDIVIDUAL HONOURS The 2017 Juniors CASA tournament served off at the Georgetown Club and the National Racquet Centre and the Guyanese (Continued on page 67)
Guyana’s Taylor Fernandes (left) (Sean Devers photo)
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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review (From page 66) were hard pressed to maintain their dominance, especially by the Barbadian team. The Bajans upstaged their host in the individual championship. They won six of the 10 titles up for grabs, while Guyana Girls Captain Taylor Fernandes was not at her best but still good enough to take the U-19 title in a hard fought fiveset game, and Guyana’s Shomari Wilshire eased his way to the U-15 title in emphatic fashion despite surprisingly losing the second set. Trinidad and Tobago and the Cayman Islands took the other two titles in the tournament, which was sponsored by Exxon Mobil, Banks DIH, Ansa Mcal, Bounty Farm Ltd, Guyana Olympic Association and DD Signs. GUYANA AND BARBADOS BATTLE FOR HONOURS ON FINAL DAY Guyana registered two wins on the penultimate day of the 2017 Digicel Junior CASA team tournament at the Georgetown Club with their Girls Team emerging victorious over Trinidad and Tobago 4-1, while their Boys team beat the Cayman Islands by a similar margin. This left the battle for the championship to be decided on the final day when the two teams faced off. GASA/FINA HOST FIVE DAYS INTERMEDIATE OFFICIALS CLINIC
As Guyana prepares to host a seven nations Goodwill swim meet in August, preparation of officials were paramount as a five-day follow up Federation International De Natation Nautica Aquatic, FINA intermediate officials’ clinic opened on Wednesday at the N a t i o n a l A q u a t i c C e n t e r, Lilliendaal. Daniel McAllen, a FINA Instructor, was the lead facilitator of the programme aimed at increasing the participants’ knowledge of swimming rules, to enhance their experience on deck and to increase their enjoyment of the sport. Over the five days, the participants will be exposed to training principals based upon the qualities of a good official, knowledge of the rules of swimming, the correct way to apply rules, timing rules, philosophy of officiating among other areas. HOPKINSON WINS IN SURINAME SHOOT Competing with an unfamiliar high recoiling .40 calibre CZ Tactical Sport pistol in Suriname recently, Harold ‘Top gun’ Hopkinson proved that by applying the basic proven fundamentals and constant training in the art of practical shooting, a dedicated shooter can do very well. The veteran practical Shooter took part in the MTV Resort Official Opening Invitational Match, held on Sunday last in neighbouring Suriname. Hopkinson won the Super Senior
Kenisha Phillips crosses the finish line ahead of Alita Moore (left) and Onassha Rogers (right). (Zaheer Mohamed photo)
Category with a whopping 75.9%. Due to this high percentage also took 6th place overall, achieving two seconds and one third place finish in three of the six stages. CAESAR, PHILLIPS CAPTURE 200M BUT POLICE PROGRESSIVE YOUTH CLAIM NATIONAL SENIOR C/SHIPS Compton Caesar of Christianburg Wismar Secondary (CWS) and Kenisha Phillips of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) captured the male and female 200m r e s p e c t i v e l y, b u t P o l i c e Progressive Youth Club (PPYC) emerged champions of the Guyana National Seniors track and field championships at the Leonora Track and Field Stadium, West Coast Demerara. PPYC chalked up 376 points, while their closest rival, GDF, finished with 269. Running Brave was third on 129 followed by CWS 99, Upper Demerara Schools 44, De Challengers 16, Hopetown Flames SC five and Rurallities Athletic Club three. PPYC captured seven gold medals, 14 silver and 17 bronze, while GDF picked up 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze. Running Brave claimed seven gold and five silver, CWS ended with three gold, three silver and two bronze, Upper Demerara Schools had three gold, one silver and one bronze, while DeChallengers had two bronze. Caesar who had a wind point of 2.8, added to his collection of
Harold ‘Top gun’ Hopkinson
prizes, winning the 200m in 21.28 seconds ahead of Emmanuel Archibald of PPY 21.36 and Daniel Williams of Upper Demerara 21.59. Caesar capped a memorable two days after taking the 100m on opening day, Sunday. Phillips, with 3.4 wind point thrilled the fans as she won the 200m in 24.07 ahead of Alita Moore of PPYC 24.55 and Onassha Rogers of CWS 24.63. CHASE ACADEMY SOUNDS CLEAR WARNING TO TITLE HOPEFULS IN DIGICEL
SCHOOLS FOOTBALL Defending champions Chase Academy issued a strong warning to the rivals with a comprehensive 16-0 victory over Queenstown Seco n d a r y w h e n t h e D i g i c e l schools football tournament continued at the Ministry of E d u c a t i o n g r o u n d F r i day. Stephan Reynolds, Adrian Aaron, Rondel Peters and Raushan Ritch each scored a hat-trick as their team hammered 16 goals past the hapless Queenstown Secondary who failed to find the back of the net.
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Entries close July 21 for Kennard Memorial Pre-Emancipation Meet The Kennard Memorial Turf Club will stage their Pre-Emancipation Horserace Meeting on July 30th at their Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne racetrack and entries close on July 23. Seven top class races have been fixed for the programme and the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority will be used to govern the action. Contact can be made with Fazal on telephone 6577010, Nikita on 662-4668, Dennis on 640-6396 and 6099143, T. Jagdeo on 618-7278, Justice Cecil Kennard on 6237609 and Daloo on 689-0629 for entry and any details pertaining to the meet. The programme promises its usual
Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
excitement with the main event being for horses classified B2 and lower with special weights over 8 furlongs, with the winner collecting $1M, second $500,000, third $250,000 and fourth $125,000. Other races will feature E class non-winners and F and lower Open covering 5 furlongs for a winner’s purse of $400,000, L class nonwinners also over 5 furlongs for a winners take of $110,000, the Guyana Bred 3 years and older 7 furlong race will pay a $240,000 purse, the K class nonwinners and L Open race runs for 6 furlongs and a $120,000 purse is on offer. The H1 and lower racehorses
will gallop for 7 furlongs and the winner gets $250,000 and the J2 and lower category first place claims a $140,000 prize after covering a distance of 6 furlongs. Several sponsors have come on board to assist in the successful hosting of the meet. Among them are: Patsan Trading Enterprise, Mike’s Pharmacy, Silvie’s General Store, R. Singh and Sons, Courts Guyana Inc, Demerara Distillers Limited, Hand in Hand, N&S Mattai & Co., IPA Group of Companies, P&P I n v e s t m e n t , K a n h a i ’s Guyana Electrical, Guyoil, GTT and Nand Persaud & Co.
Berbice thump E’bo by 10 wkts in rain affected game Berbice defeated Essequibo by 10 wickets when the Guyana Cricket Board female inter county U19 T20 to u r n a m e n t continued yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club. Play was not possible up until 16:15hrs due to rain, and Essequibo could only muster 17-4 off their reduced quota of five overs after they were inserted in hazy conditions. Off-spinner Plaffiana Millington was the pick of the bowlers, picking up three wickets without conceding a run from one over. Essequibo opening pair of Kesha Tucker (04*) and Devina Byer added 11 before Byer was run out for three. Millington then had Kemonie Thomas (03)
Plaffiana Millington caught before trapping Chitra Mohabir (00) lbw and uprooting the stumps of
Stacy Moses (00) as Essequibo lost three wickets without a run added after losing their second on 17. Berbice openers Sheneta Grimmond (07*) and Marian Samaroo (04*) hit off the target in off five deliv e r i e s ; t h e y w e r e helped by seven extras, all wides. The morning fixture between Demerara and the President’s XI was called off without a ball being bowled due to a soggy outfield, but hard work by the ground staff ensured that some play was possible in the afternoon game. The competition concludes today with Demerara facing Berbice and Essequibo playing the President’s XI. (Zaheer Mohamed)
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Paul is first V-Net Brand Ambassador Delph St Company committed to helping on and off the field The Mutilated Kemo Paul was made the first ever brand ambassador for V-Net Communications and according to CEO of V-Net, Safraz Sheriffudeen his Company has been sponsoring Paul since he first saw him in Wakenaam where Sheriffudeen hails from. Kemo was born on February 21, 1998 to David Paul and Rita Hendricks and grew up in the beach Community of Saxacally in the Essequibo River where he became interested in cricket as a three year-old. “I was playing cricket for as long as I can remember but I never played hard ball
cricket in Saxacally. I remember my father bowling to me and at age seven I was in the senior Saxacally softball team,” Kemo informed. His family (he has three sisters and two brothers) migrated to the Essequibo Island of Wakenaam when he was 11 and is a student at the Essequibo Islands Secondary. Paul has played for Guyana from U-15 to U-19 levels and was the ViceCaptain of the West Indies who beat India in the last U19 World Cup Final. He made his First-Class debut for the Guyana Jaguars in Trinidad this year and is a
Former National Footballers to battle at Parade ground today A number of former national footballers and Masters players will be on show today at the Parade ground. They will be playing for the Peter Barry trophy in a specially organised game put on by former national standout Deon Barnwell. Barnwell informed that the game is in honour of two players who would be celebrating their birthdays. The pair is former nationals
Sean O’Neal and ‘Sir’ Anthony Stanton. Both, especially Stanton, have given Guyana and fans a healthy serving of outstanding football over the years. They and others will try to roll back the years as they play today. The two teams will be captained by Stanton and O’Neal respectively. Action at Parade ground starts at 11:00am.
EBECC congratulates Christian on U17 selection
Kevin Christian The East Bank Essequibo Cricket Committee has extended congratulations to Kevin Christian on his selection in the Guyana team for this year’s regional under 17 competition to be played in Trinidad from July 11. Christian, who captained the Essequibo U17 team in the inter county
tournament this year, has been showing consistent improvement, both as a wicket keeper and an opening batsman. This is largely due to his commitment and discipline. The EBECC and his club Tuschen Southside wished him well and are looking forward to a splendid performance on tour.
member the year’s Amazon Warriors team which will compete in the CPL. The naming of Paul as Brand Ambassador was done at company’s head office in Delph Street Campbellsville on Friday. Sheriffuden said his company had made a commitment to Paul many years now to always assist him to develop his game both on and off the field. “It’s an honour to have Keemo as brand ambassador of V-Net.” “After making his First Class debut, we thought it best to add some more exposure to him by making him the brand ambassador of V-Net where he will be responsible with promoting the image of the company in a positive way, which will help him to develop his character off the field,”
Rising Sun Turf Club meet on today The Rising Sun Turf Club in collaboration with the Guyana Association of Women’s Police will stage their grand one day horserace meet today at the Rising Sun West Coast, Berbice track. Compton Sancho of the organisers informed that the track is in excellent condition and an exciting day of quality horseracing is anticipated. Close to 60 horses have been registered to compete and among them are Maximus, Black Devil, Easy Lion, Settling Star, Appling Harvest, Got to go, T and T, Cat Massiah, Bird Man, Chelsea, Red Jet, Red Regent, Something Special, Bridal Stone Corner, Party Time, Puppy Tail, Richie Poo, Seven Dust, Little Star and Unruly. Some other upstarts in the lineup looking to upstage the favourites are Big Man in Town, Not This time, Stormy Breeze, Lil Boy, Timely, Royal Prince and Bounty be True among others. Six races are carded with over three million dollars in cash and trophies up for the taking. The feature event is for horse’s classified G class and lower over a distance of one mile for a top prize of $300,000. The runner up will take home $150,000 and third prize $75,000. Other events listed are the I class and three-year old Guyana bred, J 1 and lower, K class and lower, L 1 and lower and L 2 and the unclassified.
Keemo Paul (left) accepting the responsibilities of V-New Communications Brand Ambassador from Safraz Sheriffudeen. Sheriffudeen said. V-Net provides satellite internet to remote communities in Guyana and offers a satellite phone service as well and their new brand ambassador will among other duties proudly promote and market the company’s products and services.
In response, the 19 year old Essequibo cricketer said he was overwhelmed to be chosen as brand ambassador of V-Net Communications. He thanked the company for the support over the years and said “the bond we share makes us like family.” He said through work and dedication anything is
possible since he never dreamed while growing up in Saxacalli that he will be a brand ambassador. Paul pledged to represent the company to the best of his ability and to be a good role model for the youngsters through continued hard work. (Sean Devers)
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Kaieteur News
Digicel 2017 Junior CASA Big names give West Indies much-needed heft B’dos halt Guyana’s Chris Gayle ©AFP
ESPNcricinfo - Chris Gayle. Sunil Narine. Kieron Pollard. Samuel Badree. With all due respect to the players who managed to win one ODI and also the circumstances of West Indies cricket, now we are talking. With all due respect to the earnestness of Jason Holder and his boys in the longer formats, this is West Indies’ best format. There’s only of these games, and that too at 10.30am on a Sunday for the obvious reasons of meeting India’s television prime time, but this promises to be the most evenly matched contest of India’s tour of the West Indies. Anything close to what these sides dished out the last time they met - 245 v 244 - in Florida last year will be blockbuster. West Indies will be missing Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell from that line-up, but will welcome back Gayle, in his hometown. For India, it’s as if nothing changes. West Indies retain only four
members of their ODI squad for this T20I; India usually don’t name a different squad. The look of their T20 side is pretty much the same since the last year. The look of the contest will be similar too: West Indies’ power, with one hitter following another, a g a i n s t I n d i a ’s t o u c h batsmen and an attack that will rely on spin to take wickets in the middle. In the spotlight The last time Evin Lewis played a T20 against India he smacked a 49-ball 100. In the whole ODI series, he has scored 67 runs, at a strike rate of 54.91. The difference of 60 points between his T20I and ODI strike rates - 137 and 77 - has to be one of the biggest. Back in his preferred format, he will look for some redemption. The ODI batsmen found Kuldeep Yadav hard to pick, scoring only four an over against him. India will look to control the game in the middle through him or perhaps pull the shutters
down if West Indies get off to a quick start. Team news Now that Gayle is back, he has to open. That pushes down Chadwick Walton to the slot vacated by Lendl Simmons. West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Chadwick Walton (wk), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt.), 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Samuel Bardee, 11 Kesrick Williams If Virat Kohli keeps opening for India, that might mean an exit for Ajinkya Rahane, but if Yuvraj Singh is not fit, India might stick with Rahane. This could be the time Rishabh Pant finally gets a game too. R Ashwin has been in better bowling form than Ravindra Jadeja, but the latter’s fielding will make the second spinner’s slot an interesting debate. India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Virat Kohli (capt.), 3 Yuvraj Singh, 4 Rishabh Pant, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Ravindra Jadeja/R Ashwin, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav Pitch and conditions Unlike in the earlier ODIs, the ball came on to the bat in the last match, played at the same venue. This could be a high-scorer.
Top Brandz Corona Invitational Football Tournament starts today The Top Brandz Corona Invitational Football Tournament will kick off today at the GFC ground in Georgetown with three matches starting from 17:00hrs. The event is organised by the Petra Organisation involving twelve of the top teams in Georgetown and is sponsored by Top Brandz Distributors under the Corona Beer brand. The teams involved are: GROUP A - Pele FC, Santos FC, Riddim Squad FC, Northern Rangers FC, Flamingo FC and East Veldt FC; while GROUP B Western Tigers FC, Police FC, GFC, Camptown FC, Beacons FC and Black Pearl FC. They will be battling for
a first prize of $1million and the championship trophy, while second to fourth take home $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively. Today’s action will see at 17:00hrs Northern Rangers FC facing East Veldt FC, while at 19:00hrs Riddim Squad FC tangle with Flamingo FC and in the nightcap at 21:00hrs Pele FC oppose Santos FC. The playing days for the tournament have been mainly fixed for Fridays and Sundays at three venues, namely the Georgetown
Football Club, Bourda and Tucville Ground. The tournament continues on Wednesday however, at the GFC ground at17:00hrs. Western Tigers FC face Black Pearl FC, followed by GFC challenging Camptown FC, then Police FC come up against Beacons FC. The tournament is scheduled to conclude by early September.
winning streak Regain team title after 13 years
Taylor Fernandes (left) took the U-19, while Shomari Wilshire is the C’bean U-15 Champion. (Sean Devers photo) By Sean Devers Most of the superstitious folk claim 13 is an unlucky number and yesterday at the Georgetown Club a wonderfully organised Digicel 2017 CASA team tournament concluded with Guyana not managing to extend their winning streak to 13 as the rampaging Bajans dominated both the Guyanese Boys and Girls. The Girls were crushed 5-0, while only Caribbean U-15 Champion Shomari Wilshire, who played unbeaten in the tournament, won a match for the Guyanese Boys who were humbled 4-1 in their own backyard as Barbados, who looked the best allround team, retained the title they had lost to Guyana in 2004. The team from the land of the flying fish began their dominance on South American soil when they captured six of the 10 individuals with Guyanese Taylor Fernandes taking the U-19 Girls crown and Shomari Wilshire showing why he is regarded as the best U-15 squash player in
the Caribbean to give Guyana their only two titles. T&T and Cayman Islands took the other two Individual titles. Yesterday they were facing their biggest rivals for this year’s title and the Bajans saved their best for last as the Guyanese Girls were easily brushed aside failing to win a single match as Fernandes much touted team lost. The boys were already 3-nil in the five matches when the talented Wilshire failed to break a sweat in demolishing Darien Benn 11-2,11-2,11-1 but the convincing victory was too late before Michael Alphonso lost to Alex Stewart 11-13,11-7,11-8,115. Alexander Cheeks lost to Reginald Brewster, 115,11-7,11-13,6-11,11-6 in a very competitive match, while Daniel Islam lost Khamal Cumberbatch, 112,11-5,11-4 and Skipper Ben Mekdeci lost to Griffith Josiah 14-12,11-8,11-6 to bring the curtains down on his Junior career. Trinidad & Tobago
finis h e d t h i r d a f t e r beating the Cayman Islands 3-2 as Cayman finished fourth. D ir ecto r o f S p o r ts Christopher Jones and Digicel’s Jacqueline James were among those who helped to present the trophies to the winner’s. A representative from each team gave short speeches and presented gifts the GSA who was praised for successfully hosting the 25th Junior CASA Tournament which was better than the last time they hosted in 2011. The next tournament is scheduled for Jamaica. In Guyana Girls results: Taylor Fernandes lost to Meagan Best 11-5,11-4,111 Rebecca Low lost to Amanda Haywood 11-3,117,11-5 Makeda Harding, Jodi Smith-Padmore 11-9,116,11-5 Abosaide Cadogan lost to Chelsie Samuel 11-6,119,12-10 Kirsten Gomes lost to Sumairaa Suleman 11-2,114,11-1
Sunday July 09, 2017
Kaieteur News
Hamilton Green Cup Football starts July 14 at MSC in Linden
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Guyana teams claim top honours at WIPA/ CWI annual awards Roston Chase tops the individual list
Joshua Kamal The Hamilton Green Cup Knockout Football tournament will start on July 14, that’s next Friday, with a double header at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground in Linden starting from 7:00pm and Linden fans have been promised a treat. Coordinator Lennox Arthur informed that the tournament is now a 24 team event and they will be battling for attractive prizes which include $500,000 and trophy for the winner, $250,000, $150,000 and $100,000 respectively for the other top three finishers. Arthur made a call for corporate support, noting that without same sports and in this case football, would suffer. He is soliciting sponsors to come on board
Jamal Harvey to ensure the success of the tournament even as the modalities for staging the event are put in place. The former national footballer and Coach informed that a Linden team has never won the tournament when it was played under the Mayor’s Cup handle, and now would be an opportune time for the Lindeners to rise to the challenge and stake their claim to the accolade. The previous winners include Pele, Camptown, Alpha, Western Tigers, Conquerors, Victoria Kings, Santos, Slingerz and Police. A number of the country’s leading players would be on show throughout the tournament and fans are promised a treat. Four nights of the
Trayon Bobb tournament have been slated for the MSC ground in Linden starting with opening night next Friday. Home side Milerock will open their account against Kuru Kururu, while Silver Shattas, also of Linden, take on Soesdyke. More action has been fixed for the Mining Town on July 26, 28 and August 18. After opening night, action continues on Sunday July 16 at the Victoria ground on the East Coast of Demerara with three games starting at 4:00pm. Golden Grove face Riddim Squad, Mahaicony tackle Grove Hi Tech and Buxton Bakewell battle Pele. Only clubs and players affiliated to their respective associations will be allowed to participate in the
Delon Lanferman knockout tournament. Matches will be the usual 90 minutes with 20 minutes (two halves of 10) extra time being used to separate a deadlock; failing which, penalty kicks and if necessary sudden death kicks will be employed. Players receiving two yellow cards will be suspended for one match. Serious offences will be dealt with by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Disciplinary Committee. The tournament has already received full permission from the GFF. The final of the tournament has been fixed for the Leonora Sports Facility for Sunday August 27.
Guyana’s boxers to take on Jamaica in October The Guyana Boxing Association has been invited to send a team of pugilist to participate in the first ever Jamaica versus Guyana Goodwill competition scheduled for Kingston in early October. President of the Jamaica Boxing Association Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones, wrote to his Guyanese counterpart Steve Ninvalle, declaring his intention to commence the exchange programme between the two countries. “The very close relationship that Guyana shares with Jamaica is the worst kept secret in regional boxing. Jamaica was one of three countries (including Guyana) when we started the Caribbean Goodwill series in 2014 and which blossomed into the Caribbean Development Tournament the following year. Jamaica is now soliciting our support and we
Steve Ninvalle
Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones
will be sending a team, however, the size of that contingent would be announced later,” Ninvalle said. The competition is being staged at a time when locals would be preparing for the Terrence Alli National Open
scheduled for November and the Caribbean Development Tournament in December. “We plan to use this as much needed practice leading up to the Caribbean Development Tournament which is scheduled for St. Lucia in December as the
intention is to retain the Caribbean Champion title which we won last year.” According to Ninvalle the association will be holding a fund raising take away lunch on August 6 to assist in sending the team. He added that one of the GBA’s top priority would be to include heavyweight Jason ‘AK 47’ Barker on the team. “The importance of keeping him active cannot be more emphasized and as an association we would have to exercise diligence.” Barker won a gold medal at the last Caribbean To u r n a m e n t . W h e n contacted, Jones hailed the initiative as step in the right direction for boxing in the region. “With all the talent in the Caribbean and with the rise of activity within our sport, it truly is now just a matter of time before we are making (Continued on page 65)
Roston Chase swept the West Indies’ awards night, taking home four trophies, Jamaica, July 7, 2017 ©WICB Media KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Guyanese teams claimed top honours when the West Indies Players Association/Cricket West Indies annual awards ceremony held here Friday night. The Guyana Under-19 and Senior teams were named teams of the year at the awards. Both sides claimed the respective Regional titles last year and were outstanding. On the Individual list, batsman Roston Chase, who has had an impressive showing recently, copped the lion’s share of the awards (4). Stafanie Taylor shone bright for the ladies. Here is the List of award winners: Awards: Under-19 Team of the Year: Guyana Under-19 Cricketer of the Year: Joshua Bishop First-Class Team of the Year: Guyana Regional Four-Day Cricketer of the Year: Roston Chase Regional Limited-
Overs Cricketer of the Year: Ashley Nurse Regional T20 Cricketer of the Year: Dwayne Bravo Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Roston Chase ODI Cricketer of the Year: Jason Holder Test Cricketer of the Year: Roston Chase T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Andre Russell Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Stafanie Taylor Women’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Stafanie Taylor Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Stafanie Taylor Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Roston Chase W I PA i n t h e C o m m u n i t y Aw a r d : Kameah Cooper Windies Foundation Award: The Chris Gayle Foundation CWI Lifetime Award: Walter Eden St John WIPA Lifetime Award: Cleveland Davidson
t r o Sp Digicel 2017 Junior CASA
B’dos halt Guyana’s winning streak
Team Guyana finished second in both Boys & Girls. (Sean Devers photo)
Regain team title after 13 years
Barbados regained their CASA team title after 13 years.
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