Kaieteur News

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Thursday July 19, 2018

Kaieteur News

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

DISENCHANTED WITH POLITICIANS

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uyanese have generally been disenchanted with the government for being slow to act and with the opposition for its customary prophecy of doom and gloom. The characters within those two entities obviously represent opposing poles of the political spectrum and have evoked decades of racial voting. Although the country is constantly changing, there are long existing problems which create disillusionment with politicians. After years of scandals, blunders and broken promises, many citizens are distrustful of them. Interestingly, a survey conducted in 2017, found that among 18- to 35-year-olds, trust and confidence in both the government and the opposition is at a historical low. If this disenchantment continues into 2020, it is possible that a large number of youths who voted in the 2015 election will abscond from voting in the next election. This raises a very serious question about the kind of democracy we will have if future governments are not elected by a majority, but by a plurality of the votes This supports the view of the French political thinker and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville, who said that in a democracy, people get the government they deserve. This could very well be the case in Guyana, if the citizens choose not to hold politicians accountable for their policies and for their conduct in office. The people should demand that the government and the opposition end their antagonistic behaviour and work together to solve the country’s problems. There is dissatisfaction with the way the government is dealing with a struggling economy, failing educational structure, poor healthcare system - which has a high maternal and infant mortality rate - crime, corruption, poverty, homelessness and high unemployment. It seems that the changes the people have voted for will remain elusive. However, it is the prerogative of the people to choose to be a part of the process of change or watch it not unfold from the sidelines. They ought to be reminded that every vote counts and that a single vote could make a big difference. It is true that politicians from both sides of the aisle will do everything within their power to gain political mileage over each other as they seek votes. It’s clear that the government has not been able to find solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing the nation, and that it is pointing fingers at the opposition for its failure. To be reasonable in assessment, the government has been in office for only three years, and given the mess it inherited, it will take much longer for promises to be fulfilled. That said, the proof will be in the pudding as to whether it succeeds by the end of its term in 2020. While the two main political parties can be credited for their success and blamed for their failures while being in office, voters believe that most politicians seem to think that they are stupid, and therefore, they can do anything and get away with it. The truth is, most politicians do not seem to understand that few things are as precarious as trust. It can take years to build and just moments to destroy. The question is why so many people, particularly those politicians who are entrusted to lead the nation, act in ways that create a deficit of trust? The answer lies in the fact that most politicians tend to become easily obsessed with power once they are given the mantle to govern. Today people are more disenchanted than ever before of politicians, to make decisions that affect their livelihoods, families and future.

President Granger is not one to hog the spotlight DEAR EDITOR, I refer to your editorial captioned ‘IMPORTANCE OF PRESS CONFERENCES,’ (KN, July 15), and The Freddie Kissoon column captioned, ‘Granger and Nagamootoo lack self-confidence,’ (KN, July 17). I congratulate and thank Kaieteur News for publishing articles which many persons may construe to be critical of the actions and/or person of the Head of State, without fear of reprisal. In the not too distant past, many an editor may have hesitated to allow such to be printed, for fear of a lawsuit or boycott or some other more personal act of retaliation. Isn’t movement towards democracy a beautiful thing? Isn’t the fact of a free press a breath of fresh air? The freedom to express opinions is a basic tenet of democracy. And the acceptance and consideration of constructive criticism by an elected representative of the people is the hallmark of an open, receptive, and responsive mind. Your editorial states that [in response to a question from a journalist], “To his credit, President Granger explained that he has been travelling a lot and so often is hard

pressed to plan press conferences.”His Excellency, therefore, listened, considered, and responded. On that occasion, President Granger also said, “My heart is in the right place.” Let me state that I believe the concern expressed in the editorial and The Freddie Kissoon Column is not without merit. I say this because I can put myself in the shoes of a journalist; journalists want more access to the President. Editor, there are times when persons have said things which – on the face of it – I find offensive. At such times, I try to put myself in the shoes of the person making the criticism. On many occasions, I conclude that the criticism has merit, was well intended, and therefore, was constructive. Discerning the intent of the person is key. Editor, I do not presume to speak for the President, but I do have an opinion of his character based on my interpretation of many of his writings, having listened to many of his public utterances, and analysis of his demeanor and statements during face to face interactions. I believe that he is a sincere and honest man of integ-

rity; he is committed to democratic principles and, pertinently, decentralisation, devolution, and delegation of authority, decision-making power, and responsibilities. To hoard the spotlight is not within his character. If one were to put oneself in the shoes of such a man, it would be easy to understand his actions. In his mind, I believe, he knows that there are systems in place to disseminate information, and facilitate interactions between the free press and the administration while he devotes his efforts to fixing the mess that he inherited from the previous regime. The President mentioned the emerging oil sector, domestic security, and foreign relations. Having said that, I iterate, that the President having noted the concern expressed by the press, has responded. With regard to Freddie’s analysis, the conclusion of which is expressed in the caption of the column, it is incorrect. While space does not permit a thorough deconstruction, I say that no person on earth has ever attained the office of Head of State or Head of Government in the absence of self-confidence.

Finally, interestingly, The Leader of the Opposition Mr Bharrat Jagdeo jumped into the fray at his last press conference. Considering his words, and putting oneself in his shoes, one doubts that his intent was to constructively criticise. Incidentally, he can afford daily press conferences, if he wants, at which he can oppose for the sake of opposing, because he has nothing else to do. Mr Jagdeo said that President Granger is racking up travel-miles, mismanaging the sugar sector, and presiding over a failed domestic security apparatus. May I remind Mr Jagdeo that President Granger did not build an expensive, malfunctioning white elephant at Skeldon; the President has never been accused of colluding with drug lords nor the creation of killing squads; and he has n e v e r b e e n known to travel abroad to meet with operators of educational institutions, many of them having dubious reputations, in order to give away Guyana’s patrimony – including land – in exchange for worthless honorary doctorates. Yours faithfully, Mark DaCosta

Minister Lawrence has a lot of answering to do DEAR EDITOR, I wish to respond to the Guyana Chronicle article under the caption, “Everything above board …Lawrence insists procedures followed in $366M drug contract …ties media reports to PNCR chairmanship race” as well as the Kaieteur News article under the caption, “Health Ministry defends $366M drug contract… Company was only one that tendered; procedures were followed”. Let me state from the onset that as a Member of Parliament (MP) of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C), I am not concerned with the internal politics of the PNC. What is of utmost concern for me is transparency and accountability of taxpayers’ monies. It would appear that the Minister and her Permanent Secretary, are seeking to exonerate themselves and have created gaps and have caused more questions to arise. In my last letter dated the10th day of July 2018, I asked a number of questions pertaining to the sole-sourcing to pharmaceuticals from HDM Labs Inc., which to date remain unanswered. This letter today seeks further clarity on my quest to unearth the truth and facts on behalf of all Guyanese. These are some of the

facts and information that is available: 1. By letter dated the 16th June 2017, Collette Adams in her capacity as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, wrote to Hardat Singh, who is the President/CEO of HDM Labs Inc., under the caption “Materials Management Unit – Ministry of Public Health, Regional Health Services, Request for Quotation Ref # MMU-08-2017 P4 Supply and Delivery of Emergency Pharmaceutical Supplies”. Notably, the letter further stated that all quotes should be submitted on or before Monday, the 19th day of June 2017, before 10:00 am. (This was for 13 items that were omitted from the “big pharmaceuticals purchase”. 2. On the 19th day of June 2017, Collette Adams in her capacity as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, wrote to Berkley Wickham, who is the Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), requesting permission to solesource pharmaceuticals, which omitted from the big pharmaceutical tender, to be sole-scoured from HDM Labs Inc., at a price of US$1,789,886.15, which is approximately GYD $366,926,660.80. Notably, the

reasons contained within the letter for sole-sourcing were as follows: “The Ministry of Public Health had a restrictive tendering process done which was opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board date the 23rd May, 2017. An evaluation report was prepared and none of the bidders were qualified to be awarded a contract.” 3. On the 20th day of June 2017, Collette Adams in her capacity as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, wrote to HDM Labs Inc. notifying the company of the award for the supply and delivery of emergency pharmaceutical supplies for the above stated 13 items. Notably, attached to this letter was a Purchase Order Ref # MMU-08-2017 P4, along with a contract for the supply and delivery of emergency pharmaceutical supplies. GCC 15.1 of the said contract stated, “The method and conditions of payment to be made to the Supplier in G $ under this Contract shall be as follows: (i) On Delivery: the supplier shall be paid within thirty (30) days on receipt of the Goods as outlined by the purchaser’s staggered schedule of delivery and upon sub-

mission of the documents specified in GCC Clause 12.” Editor, in my pervious letter which was mentioned above, I asked if the Minister could provide the nation with the approval letter from NPTAB that allowed for this transaction and state under which category of Section 28 of the Procurement Act of 2003, was the request granted? As I mentioned before, this question was never answered. 4. On the 29th day of June 2017, Collette Adams in her capacity as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, wrote toBerkley Wickham, seeking permission for restrictive tendering (retendering) for the procurement of emergency pharmaceutical supplies ref # MMU09-2017 P4. The six companies which were selected to participate in the restrictive tendering process for the same 13 items are: -Ansa McAl Limited -International Pharmaceutical Agency -Global Healthcare Supplies Inc. -Caribbean Medical Supplies -Meditron Inc. -HDM Labs Inc. 5. An examination of the Tender Evaluation Report for (Continued on page 6)

Thursday July 19, 2018

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Kaieteur News

ABUSE PREVENTION STARTS WITH YOU DEAR EDITOR, Like many others, The Caribbean Voice noted with horror the experiences of a young lady who was attempting to seek legal advice with respect to sexual groping at her workplace. It is clear that the legal fraternity needs immediate training on dealing with abused clients and that staff of all lawyers need to be provided with clear guidelines in this respect. The Caribbean Voice is willing to work with the Bar Association to help in this respect. Also, a client’s Bill of Rights needs to be formalized and posted in the offices of all lawyers and law firms. We urge urgent action by the Ministry of Social Protection and the Bar Association in this regard. Meanwhile, like many others, too, TCV is extremely happy that Two Brothers Corp. took immediate action to fire their HR Manager for inappropriate interview and touching. They have certainly set an example for all other businesses but we also hope that the Ministry of Labor will ramp up enforcement of workplace safety requirements to include abuse and mental health in general. As well businesses must set the parameters for interviews with workers or potential workers and take necessary measures to ensure that parameters are adhered to — perhaps recording those inter-

views for quality control as is done in North America, Europe and elsewhere. The Caribbean Voice has held training workshops for a number of businesses already with more being planned based on invitations. On a related matter, while rape offenses are indictable we urge that they should also be made non-bailable not only to prevent the accused offender from threatening, abusing or even fatally attacking the complainant but also to ensure that that person does not leave the jurisdiction and not subsequently be found. As well TCV supports the call by the Gender Equality Commission (W&GEC) for stand-lone sexual harassment legislation. Such legislation must include guidelines for the manner in which sexual harassment cases are handled, especially by workplaces and the police. The legislation must provide stipulations to ensure victims/complainants as well as whistleblowers privacy and protection. And it must ensure the safety and privacy of witnesses to sexual harassment/ abuse so they would be encouraged to report what they see. Meanwhile, given that latest police reports show an increase in rape and sexual abuse, an ongoing sensitization campaign is needed. – public service announcements via media, messages at

various events, flyering and postering, banners and billboards if possible. One message that needs to be driven home is that ‘no’ means no, even if one is in a relationship. Another is that mode dress is neither an excuse nor a justification for rape. Also, given that three quarters of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim — fathers, grandfathers, uncles, neighbours, brothers, sons, nephews, boyfriends, family friends — there is need for guidelines to be provided to children and teenagers especially, on recognizing where to draw the line in any interaction and what to do if attempts are being made to cross that line. As well parenting sensitization is necessary so parents understand that when their children say they have been abused they must be taken seriously instead of being called liars and threatened into silence. Additionally, there is need for mechanisms to enable abused victims to break the silence by sharing their experiences and publicly calling out abusers as well as seek help. A hotline would be one such mechanism. Or perhaps the Suicide Helpline can be expanded to include abuse. Gatekeepers/lay counselors would be another mechanism. As well, the government should foster the creation an

app that would also enable sharing and reporting of such abuse. On the one hand, almost all who suggest what should be done, expect some hazy other to take action, as they remain dismissive of the call for abuse prevention to be everyone’s business, the need for each one of us to tackle the issue in our homes, communities and workplace as that is really where the walls of silence need to be broken down and misplaced concepts such as family honor and status need to be shunted aside. On the other hand the deafening silence fosters abuse, sometimes with fatal consequences, often because victims and others know not what to do and how to do it. This need to know is critical since abuse prevention starts with you and you and you. And workshops, such as the ones offered by The Caribbean Voice, can meet this need. Finally, some years ago TCV launched an online petition calling for a registry of sex offenders to be raised. Now we are rooting for the realization of the Director of the Childcare & Protection Agency, Ann Greene’s plan to have such a registry of sexual predators of children and we hope that plans for a similar registry for sexual predators of adults will also come into being in 2018. Sincerely The Caribbean Voice

WHEN WILL THE PPC BE INDEPENDENT? DEAR EDITOR, The Procurement Act 2003 is meant ‘to provide for the regulation of the procurement of goods, services and the execution of works, to promote competition among suppliers and contractors and to promote fairness and transparency in the procurement process.’ A few of the objectives of this Act were outlined as follows ‘maximizing economy and efficiency in procurement; providing for the fair and equitable treatment of all suppliers and contractors; promoting the integrity of, and fairness and public confidence in, the procurement process; and achieving transparency in the procedures relating to procurement’.Moreover, in order to achieve these objectives, our Constitution was amended in 2002 to include Article 212W which provides that, ’There shall be a Public Procurement Commission the purpose of which is to monitor public procurement and the procedure therefore in order to ensure that the procurement of goods and services and execution of works are conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and

cost effective manner, according to law and such policy guidelines as may be determined by the National Assembly’. The Public Procurement Commission was only established in October 2016, to enhance transparency and public trust and confidence in the procurement process. The Procurement Commission was an object of bargaining and negotiation in Parliament and it must be recalled that AFC’s Ramjattan had agitated fiercely for the establishment of this Commission and had made its establishment a condition for supporting the Antimoney Laundering Bill of the previous Government which never materialized. Unfortunately, Mr Ramjattan’s hypocritical stance was later exposed as he remained silent while Cabinet continued to supersede the PPC. Mr Ramjattan’s ‘dream’ was realized more than a year after the Coalition took office. At the swearing in of the five Commissioners of the PPC, Mr Ramjattan said that the awarding of contracts is an ‘occupational hazard for Ministers’. But has anything changed since the establishment of the Procurement Com-

mission? The answer is a resounding NO! In fact it has gotten worse and the awarding of contracts seems to be the only ‘occupation’ and definitely not a ‘hazard’ since many ministers and Government officials are involved more than before! Public procurement corruption is now more rampant than ever! Unfortunately, it was not until April 2018 that the Commissioner could have gotten their ‘benefits package’ ap-

proved and obtain the required resources to begin their work which is not the approval of contracts but providing oversight to ensure that the procurement process is transparent, fair and competitive. It is clear that Cabinet continued to award contracts under and above $15 million. Therefore, we have seen that even though the AFC had vigorously advocated for the (Continued on page 6)

Minister Broomes Excesses are Unacceptable DEAR EDITOR, As Barticians, we are not at all surprised at the recent unacceptable behaviour of the goodly minister. We have been putting up with Ms. Broomes for years now. Her arrogance, intimidation and rabblerousing attitude are legendary in our community and sad to say she has been tolerated for far too long. She thrives on creating havoc, controversies and confusion. She is loud and likes to always be the center of attention, not to forget a sense of entitlement. It appears that the political power has now totally ‘intoxicated’ her. Now Minister Broomes finally got caught…plain and simple, she must face the music for nobody is above the law. Can APNU/AFC do something quickly before you lose Bartica in the next election? This is not what we Barticians voted for. It seems that over the years our votes have been taken too much for granted by politicians; things will change in 2020. Sincerely, Concerned Barticians

The DPP should review some statements by Minister Broomes DEAR EDITOR, I ask your indulgence to allow me a public forum to call for a Commission of Inquiry into APNU+AFC Minister Simona Broomes’s activities as a Trafficking In Persons activist.I make this call because Ms. Broomes recent false accusations against hard working Guyanese citizens show a callous disregard for truth, honesty and ethics. For the Minister to calmly state “I do not know what you are talking about” when asked by reporters if she had an apology for leveling false allegations after her lies had been exposed by video evidence is the demeanor of someone well versed in deception.Minister Broomes’s lack of remorse is stunning and worrying in equal measure.Minister Broomes came to prominence in Civil society as a social activist seeking to bring persons involved in Human Trafficking to Justice. From the inception, her vigilante style of justice was surrounded by whispers of self-interest, of persons being falsely accused and imprisoned to make way for the

Minister’s mining operations, as a cover for claim jumping, of personal vendettas being settled and in one case to cover for the theft of a six ounce gold chain. The last was subject of a police investigation and Minister Broomes statements at the time bear uncanny similarities to her defense of her present behaviour “I wish to make it public that apart from this intimidation, and I strongly believe that this is the case, I have also been receiving emails from unknown persons who have threatened to harm me and defame my character.” 2013/09/05 Kaieteur Newspapers. Given that we now know Minister Broomes is willing to make patently false allegations, I am asking for a Commission of Inquiry into her activities and for the Director of Public Prosecutions to reopen any case in which her testimony or actions led to the conviction of any Guyanese Citizen. I would also urge President Granger to update his ‘Code of Conduct’. Faithfully Robin Singh

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UNBALANCES OF (SOME) REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIONS THE EDITOR, Over recent weeks the press has been reporting substantive under-performances of identified Regional Administrations, either from the perspective of the Public Accounts Committee or that of the Regional Accounting Committee (e.g. in Region 4). The incidence of malfunctioning officials, i.e. in chairmanships, financial accounting, procurement et al, is reported to have been significant enough to invite concern and indeed criticism from the monitoring bodies. What in fact the latter are experiencing is but a chronic display of incompetence resulting from poor selection and appointment by ill-informed decision-makers, too many of whom are newcomers to their own positions; too many of whom are untutored in the relevant laws and regulations, and unfamiliar with the applicable systems and procedures. The point to be stressed in these circumstances, as in

any other organisation in town, is that decisions must be substantively informed by the relevant laws – an approach that at least limits the range of options, and consequently reduces margins of error. There is a substantial lacuna in knowledge amongst the current leadership, supervisors, as well as subordinates, all of whom it would appear, could have benefitted from well organised induction programmes during which they would not only have learnt together, but been able to appreciate what the other is not learning – during exchanges on the specific agenda topics. As a result so much of the current wastage would have been avoided. In the milieu, one of the apprehensions which attaches to so many regional officials is that they are, more often than less, political appointees – a fact which offers them self-confidence for extended incumbencies, regard-

less of competence. According to the salary published by SN in April 2012, the value of the position of Regional Executive Officer equates to positions listed below: Grade GS13 · Director, Office of the Budget · Director of Health Science Education · Chief Parliamentary Counsel · Deputy Finance Secretary · Deputy Solicitor General · Principal Magistrate · Registrar of Deeds · Deputy Chief Medical Officer The above, and other colleagues, must enquire of the comparable qualifications for the almost spontaneous appointments to such a position, which should demand achievement of set targets. For some unexplained reason the position of Regional Executive Officer has never been included as a normal Public Service position in the Na-

Minister Lawrence has a lot of ... From page 4 the supply and delivery of emergency pharmaceutical supplies for Regional Health Services (retender) Ref # MMU-09-2017 P4, NPTAB No. 1633/2017/43, reveals the following: (i) That Collette Adams, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, is the coordinator of the Evaluation Committee, which also comprises of Dr. Shamdeo Persaud and Jewel Sears; (ii) The bids were opened on the 18th day of July 2017. Notably, according to the evaluation report, only HDM Labs Inc. tendered for the contract. However, there was no Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Compliance Certificates submitted; (iii) Further, the bid price in the evaluation report was USD$1,891,443.46, which is approximately GYD $387,745,909.30, an increase from the quoted sole-sourced price for the same 13 items and the same quantities; (iv) Also attached to the evaluation report are three documents showing that Ansa McAl Limited, International Pharmaceutical Agency, Caribbean Medical Supplies failed the preliminary checklist general evaluation criteria. Editor, allow me to direct some more questions to the Minister of Public Health, on

my quest to unearth the truth of what transpired at the Ministry of Public Health. 1. If only HDM Labs Inc. submitted bids, why were the preliminary checklist of three other companies, who failed, attached to the evaluation report? 2. How did Ansa McAl Trading Limited fail on the ground of “Experience and Technical Capacity (Evidence that demonstrates bidder has carried out similar transactions…)” for such a small contract, when they were recently awarded a GYD $605M contract for the supply of pharmaceuticals by way of sole-sourcing? 3. Please provide information that will bring comfort to the public that HDM Labs Inc. is a recognized and efficient supplier nationwide. Specifically, we would like to be informed about which companies/institutions, apart from the Ministry of Public Health, HDM Labs Inc. supplied pharmaceuticals to and the quantities, within the last two years? Further, please state why companies that manufacture and distribute these pharmaceuticals, locally, were not offered an opportunity to provide these services? Notably, New GPC Inc. was not invited to tender in the restrictive bidding process. 4. Is the sole-sourced contract dated the 20th day of

June 2017, for the sum of US$1,789,886.15, which is approximately GYD $366,926,660.80, the same as the contract, based upon the evaluation report, for the sum of USD$1,891,443.46, which is approximately GYD $387,745,909.30 or did the Ministry purchase the same 13 items and quantities twice from the same company, HDM Labs Inc., and paid an additional USD $101,557.13, which is approximately GYD $20,819,249, on the second purchase? Editor, what is also amusing to me, is the fact that International Pharmaceutical Agency, owned by a wellknown AFC financier, failed on the ground of “Financial Capacity (Evidence of Liquid Assets or credit not less than 25% of the bid price)”. Further, based on reports in the media HDM Labs Inc. did not file any financial returns in Guyana as was stated in the letter from his accountants. I await the Minister’s promised statement in the National Assembly (today) and wish to advise her that under active consideration at this time is a report to the Guyana Police Force, the Audit Office of Guyana and the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) for investigations. Your truly, Bishop Juan A. Edghill, PPP/C MP

tional budget. But if one were to judge from the status of the Deputy, Regional Executive Officer, which equates with positions including: · Director of Protocol · Head Budget Section · Chief of Medicine · Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, – the comparison leaves one again to wonder about the educational experience criteria for selection. For reporting to this broad-based Regional Executive Officer are the following positions. Administration and Finance · Deputy Regional Executive Officer · Principal Assistant Secretary (Finance) · Principal Personnel Officer · Assistant Regional Executive Officer · Chief Accountant Public Works · Engineer · Senior Superintendent of Works

Education Delivery · Regional Education Officer · Education Officer · Senior Schools Welfare Officer Health Services · Medical Superintendent · Hospital Administrator · Regional Health Officer · Matron It would appear, that too few people know of the history surrounding the creation of the Regions and the formulation of the related Administrative Structure. It was in fact an experiment in governance that faulted at the first step; for instead of beginning with one or two Regions as a model from which critical lessons could have been learnt, particularly in the area of financial management, we were plunged waist deep into a totally new dispensation, from the underproductivity of which there has been no recovery. It is a given that in cases where one starts out making mistakes there is no, or mini-

mal, recovery along the way; but instead the sharing of wrong learning becomes accepted as par for the course. Now, after several decades we are conscientiously repeating the behaviours of the past. One does not recall any comprehensive review of its efficacy of the system over time; and how much thought has since been given as to whether the considerable investment in human capital has produced the returns, even now envisaged. Unfortunately there is no room to display the comparable jobs distribution across the Regional structure. It sorely needs to be reviewed as to whether or not some of them make organisational common sense. All in all it seems that there is a substantive case for recovering the human resources capacity of Regional Administrations, starting with such a body as the Local Government Commission. E.B. John

AN APPEAL TO SIMONA BROOMES DEAR EDITOR, Now that the video is circulating on social media I think as decency dictates, it is within Minister Broomes’s best interest to publicly apologise to the Security guards since it is now evident that she lied to at least help maintain a professional image on the government’s behalf. It is unfortunate that the people we elect to control our affairs get power drunk so easily. Mr. President does this minister exemplify the characteristics of a “fit and proper” leader of the nation you pilot? Is this the leadership you promised? First it was ‘Boom out’ in

the Parliament, now Minister Broomes is again is in public fire for getting two Security Guards locked up because for some reason she thinks ‘No Parking’ signs are below her stature. At which point does David Granger say that this Minister is not observing the Code of Conduct (If one exists) or is not behaving in a manner as is expected of anyone that holds Public Office and reprimand or deal with her the way Kamla dealt with Collin Partap in his DUI case? I understand that Minister Volda Lawrence has made an attempt to apologize on Broomes and the Administration’s behalf but

that is unacceptable (An apology is demanded from the subject Minister). I wish that Guyanese people will demand better from our Government to ensure that salt is poured on the wounds of the perpetrators that break the laws and mismanage public affairs in Public offices. Minister Broomes, in the name of Decency and Dignity I’m appealing to you to be an Adult, a Professional, a Deserving Holder of Public Office and Leader and let go of the ignorance and do the ethical thing-apologize. Sincerely, A Young Guyanese hoping for a better political future for Guyana.

When will the PPC be independent? From page 5 establishment of the PPC, Cabinet continues to award contracts which certainly defeats the purpose of ‘promoting the integrity of, and fairness and public confidence in, the procurement process; and achieving transparency in the procedures relating to procurement’. The public confidence is now at an all-time low since every day brings new revelations of massive corruption engulfing this nation with no input from the PPC. We have seen that all levels, National and Regional that contracts are not intended to

‘maximize economy and efficiency’. On many instances contracts are not awarded to the ‘lowest evaluated bidder’, and the engineers’ estimates are grossly overstated. We have seen that goods are single sourced and the excuse is that only one tender was received so the ‘fair and equitable treatment of all suppliers and contractors’ is a myth!As long as political vultures continue to infest these Tender Boards and Evaluation Committee the corruption will never cease. It is time that the qualifications outlined in the Procurement Act should be

stringently enforced. These should be persons of ‘unquestioned integrity who have shown capacity in business, the professions, law, audit, finance and administration’. How many currently meet these qualifications? In conclusion: Will cabinet ever allow the PPC to operate impartially, independently and free from political interference or will the award of contracts continue to be the ‘occupation’ of Ministers? Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councilor Region 6

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‘Miles to go...’

Discrimination continues to hamper response to HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS Discrimination by healthcare workers, law enforcement, teachers, employers, parents, religious leaders and community members is preventing young people, people living with HIV and key populations from accessing HIV prevention, treatment and other sexual and reproductive health services. This state of affairs was yesterday amplified by the United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS] as it released the 2018 Global AIDS Update ahead of next week’s International AIDS Conference scheduled for Amsterdam, the Netherlands, July 22-27, 2018. UNAIDS has revealed that across 19 countries, one in

five people living with HIV, responding to surveys, reported being denied health care and one in five people living with HIV avoided visiting a health facility for fear of stigma or discrimination related to their HIV status. In fact, in five of 13 countries with available data, more than 40 percent of people said they think that children living with HIV should not be able to attend school with children who are HIV-negative. “Communities are echoing UNAIDS’ call,” said Vincent Pelletier, positive leader and Executive Director of Coalition PLUS. “We need universal access to adapted prevention services, and protection from

discrimination. We call upon world leaders to match commitments with funding, in both donor and implementing countries,” said Pelletier. Considering the information detailed in the Global AIDS Update, UNAIDS warns that progress is slowing and time is running out to reach the 2020 HIV targets. As such the appeal is for the Caribbean, for instance, to accelerate progress to reach the 90-9090 targets in two years. Moreover, UNAIDS has issued countries with a stark wake-up call. In its new report, launched yesterday in Paris, France, at an event co-hosted with Coalition PLUS, UNAIDS warned that the global

Two life sentences for convicted child rapist An unremorseful Navindra Badal was handed two life sentences which are to run consecutively, after he was convicted by a jury for having sexual intercourse with a nine year-old girl. The sentences were handed down by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the High Court in Georgetown. Badal also known as ‘Uncle Ravi’ was found guilty of two counts of Rape of a Child under 16 years old. He had initially pleaded not guilty to both charges upon his arraignment. The offences occurred during 2016 in the County of Demerara. The convicted rapist was represented by Attorney–at-Law Maxwell McKay. The case for the State was presented by Prosecutor Orinthia Schmidt. Counsellor Celeste Mullin who spoke with the victim, was called in court t o read a victim impact statement. According to Mullin, the

young girl related to her that she felt sad about what Badal did to her. The young girl related to the counsellor that she wants Badal to go to prison for those bad things. Badal showed no remorse whatsoever. In fact, when asked by the trial judge if he had a n y t h i n g t o s a y, B a d a l replied in the negative. In arriving at a sentence for the convicted rapist, Justice Sewnarine-Beharry took into consideration that the young girl was just 9 years of age when she was violated by him. The Judge also related

that she also considered the physical, psychological and emotional scars the act has had on the young girl. The judge pointed out that Badal showed no remorse whatsoever. She emphasised that with the sentencing imposed on Badal, the court aims to send a strong message that such behaviour will not be tolerated. Badal was sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the two rape charges. The sentences are to run consecutively and he will only become eligible for parole after serving 45 years on each of them.

response to HIV is at a precarious point. At the halfway point to the 2020 targets, the report, ‘Miles to go—closing gaps, breaking barriers, righting injustices’, warns that the pace of progress is not matching global ambition. It calls for immediate action to put the world on course to reach critical 2020 targets. “We are sounding the alarm,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Entire regions are falling behind, the huge gains we made for children are not being sustained, women are still most affected, resources are still not matching political commitments and key populations continue to be ignored. All these elements are halting progress and urgently need to be addressed head-on,” he added. HIV PREVENTION CRISIS UNAIDS has revealed that new HIV infections are rising in around 50 countries and global new HIV infections have declined by just 18 percent in the past seven years, from 2.2 million in 2010 to 1.8 million in 2017.

Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director, at the launch of the 2018 Global AIDS Update in Paris. Although this is nearly half the number of new infections compared to the peak in 1996 [3.4 million], the decline is not quick enough to reach the target of fewer than 500,000 by 2020,

UNAIDS has noted. The reduction in new HIV infections has been strongest in the region most affected by HIV, eastern and southern Africa, where new HIV (Continued on page 21)

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Kaieteur News

Berbice Bridge wrongly located - Nigel Hughes - Govt. stands firm against raising tolls

Attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes Amidst calls for the government to rethink its decision to not grant toll increases to the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI), Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson says the government will not allow the draconian increases under any circumstances “The Government’s position remains the same. We think that the proposed cost by the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) is way in excess and would be burdensome to the citizens of Berbice, in Regions Five and Six.’ Minister Patterson further added, “We are not at this time or at any time at all, contemplating raising the tolls to those levels – 300%! We obviously will continue to engage the BBCI for alternative solutions save and except passing it on to the consum-

ers.” Meanwhile, Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes says the Berbice Bridge was badly conceptualised and doomed to failure. He says the bridge also stands at an inappropriate location “The Berbice Bridge was a financial disaster, the numbers never added up, they still do not add up. They want to carry the fares up. It becomes a political issue; but the reality for us in Guyana is, had we initially run the numbers, the bridge wouldn’t be located where it is today. It would be located down the river where it was narrower and more feasible… If we had really run the numbers we would have ended up with a permanent fixed span bridge rather than a floating bridge,” Hughes said. Both Minister Patterson and Attorney-at-Law Hughes were present at the National

Toshaos Council 12th Annual Conference being hosted at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre under the theme “Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future” Chairman of BBCI, Dr. Surendra Persaud, recently called on the government to allow the company to increase its tolls to keep the Berbice Bridge afloat. The bridge was con-

structed under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) scheme, a public-private partnership venture. The construction of the bridge under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration was heavily criticised because a few private investors were allowed almost total control, though only investing only a fraction of the almost G$9.5Billion (US$45Million)

used to build it. The Government of Guyana is the largest investor, but can only take control after 20 years. It was commissioned in 2009. It was disclosed recently that the bridge’s management never changed a pontoon and its maintenance programme is way behind. The company, though a private/public partnership,

had always maintained it was a private company and was reluctant to share its financials with the Coalition Government. The government had almost two years ago introduced river taxis to ferry students and senior citizens and came up with a subsidy, based the traffic on the bridge, to reduce car tolls by $200 to $1,900.

ExxonMobil no stranger to evolution of fiscal terms … Oil Company ready to “evolve” with the country - Brasington By Kiana Wilburg Once a country has been able to establish that it has proven oil reserves, then its highly investor-friendly contractual terms would have to change. In a recent interview with this newspaper, former head of ExxonMobil’s Public Relations Department, Kimberly Brasington acknowledged this fact. She said, too, that her company like many other oil operators is no stranger to this sort of “evolution.” Brasington said, “We have seen this in Brazil when their pre-salt discoveries happened. There were some existing terms for operators to get in and prove that it is there…but since it was found, now people who want in, and people who are in it, they have to get completely

different terms. The terms evolve. ExxonMobil is accustomed to this. We do this around the world in frontier and mature nations and we are there for decades. …” She added, “We are in the very early days of this. We are looking at 30 to 40 years into this relationship and it will have to be what is right for not just Exxon but Guyana.” Kaieteur News then asked Brasington if her company would be ready and comfortable with the evolution of fiscal terms for the Stabroek Block as the project progresses. The Exxon official said, “I mean, I wish I could be comfortable saying that to you. In my heart, yes, we as a company will grow and evolve with the country.” She de-

Exxon’s former head of PR in Guyana, Kimberly Brasington clined to comment further on this front. Brasington noted, however, that it was the In-

ternational Monetary Fund (IMF) which was the first to point out that with the progression of the Liza Project, fiscal terms will have to be improved for Guyana. IMF CONCERNS The IMF in one of its reports to the government highlighted several areas of concern in the GuyanaExxonMobil contract which it says must be addressed so that the government’s take can be increased. The 72-year-old institution said that Guyana must hasten moves to revise the current framework of its Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). Specifically, the IMF said, “Introduce a revised production sharing mechanism for new PSAs that provide the government with a (Continued on page 11)

Thursday July 19, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Our own worst enemy The political/ethnic divide in this country forces people to act against their best interests. There are gross violations of people’s rights which take place each day, but these become occasions for each side of the political divide to go at each other’s throats rather than come together to protect the rights of Guyanese. The result is that instead of protesting wrongdoing by the State, people end up fighting each other. This is no more evident that in the present imbroglio over the incident in the Providence parking lot. The discussions about this matter have descended into a gutter fight about which political party’s ministers, the PPP or the PNCR, were holier, rather than concerning itself with whether the security guards were wronged. That is Guyana. We are our own worst enemies. People pick sides in an argument. Rather than

standing up for principles, they sit down alongside their political loyalties. This is one of the main reasons for the almost total absence of an independent civil society space. If civil society takes a position which is perceived to be critical of the government, the PNCR supporters go on the defensive. If civil society is critical of the PPPC, the PPP supporters do the same. No wonder there is so much silence over wrongdoing. A few months ago, the Guyana Gold Board was forced to close its laboratories, after tests of some employees of the Board and the GGMC revealed high traces of mercury in their bodies - levels which were deemed to be beyond safe. This raised alarm bells and led to a protest by the union representing GGMC workers. The cause of the high levels of mercury was believed to be emissions from the Guyana Gold Board laboratory.

The lab was then located on Brickdam, near to a densely populated residential area. No tests, however, have been done on any of the residents of Hadfield Street and other adjoining streets where contamination was possible because of the emissions. The residents of that area are seemingly disinterested in knowing whether they too were affected by emissions from the Guyana Gold Board. There has been no protest. Only silence. One year ago, a Senior Counsel wrote a letter to the daily newspapers in which he pointed to the fact that the city’s by-laws prohibit the establishment of commercial businesses in the ward of Queenstown. In another letter, one month later, he listed 55 companies which were in violation of these by-laws. Well, those violations continue. Commercial businesses continue to be

Dem boys seh ...

Some people really like trouble When Ram Jattan and de people in de courts meet fuh examine de situation in de jail de whole country feel that it was a good thing, because de jail was overcrowded. And when de jail overcrowded it mean that de place gun always have nuff trouble. Dem boys remember de time when dem had a fire in de prison and nuff prisoners dead. When dem conduct de investigation dem find out that because de prison was overcrowded, prisoners nerve been pun edge and dem crank up. Old people always seh don’t see something by day then tek fire stick to look fuh it in de night. De authorities lef de prison still overcrowded and de next thing

dem boys know is that de whole prison go up in flames. That is when dem mek a serious effort fuh reduce de overcrowding. But dem boys seh as soon as dem reduce it, dem magistrates and judges fulling it up. But it look like people love de jail. Once de jail population reduce is then people does do nuff stupidness fuh go to jail. Who can explain de numbers of dem big man who troubling dem li’l gyal. Rape is always a sickening thing and nuff woman use to get rape and shut dem mouth because dem shame. Now dem big man going after li’l gyal. As fast as one get jail another one going and trouble dem li’l children. Last week one man get life

sentence fuh troubling a child. De judge ink ain’t dry and another big man go and do de same thing. He get two life sentence. And dem got some more who gun follow in he footstep. De police getting a signal to ease up pun de ganja but people can’t wait fuh de law change. Imagine dem boys seeing some man smoking dem weed and actually want blow smoke in de police face. And all because Soulja Bai seh he gun look at de law. De thing ain’t law as yet. People walking wid gun like if dey deh in a Western. Dem is things that does mek bad fuh others. No wonder de jail always full. Talk half and pray that some people get sense.

erected in Queenstown. The latest is a Chinese restaurant. But the most shocking of all is the decision of the government to have the Guyana Gold Board remove from its present location and relocate to a building in the said Queenstown where the city bylaws prohibit such an establishment. What is even more disconcerting is that the residents of that area now have to be prepared for emissions from the Guyana Gold Board. The Guyana Gold Board should not be there and should not be having a laboratory for the burning of gold, no matter how much assurance it may have received that there is no threat

to staff or to the nearby population, which we are told now includes even schoolchildren. The government must set the example of respect for the law. If it is against the law for a business to be established in the Queenstown area, the Guyana Gold Board should not be located there. And when it comes to the burning of gold, this should not happen anywhere near where people live. Mercury is a deadly poison and, assurance or no assurance, it is dangerous to expose humans, including children, to mercury emissions. But guess what? When the debate begins

about this matter, the opposition will say that the government is endangering the lives of citizens and the mouthpieces of the government will respond that this endangerment commenced under the PPP. The people will end up being caught in the middle of yet another unnecessary political tit-fortat.

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Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

The PPP’s misrule: factuality and destruction How many years will it take before the manifestations of the cruel, maddening, philistine misrule of the PPP disappears from the landscape of this nation? This column was motivated by a sad thing I heard on Tuesday from an employee of the Ogle airport. Eight Venezuelan refugees were seriously injured when the vehicle carrying them toppled over on the Lethem Road. They were flown to Georgetown for medical treatment By now many Guyanese would have seen the photos

in the newspaper of how many vehicles turned over or were seriously stuck in the mud. I was told that you have to see these interior roads with your own eyes to relate to the horrible conditions they are in, because describing them wouldn’t bring home the correct image. When you read and hear about these things and you read Mr. Jagdeo saying that he will play a part in any future PPP government, you have to despair for this country. The interior of Guyana is vast, with magnificent potential. Commer-

cial transactions in the interior are a major part of Guyana’s economy. How could any government, knowing the economic links of Guyana’s interior with a major world power like Brazil, have just sat there and did absolutely nothing about these roads. And to think there are congenital fools in this country that are going to use the tragedy of those eight Venezuelans and the images of falling trucks to indict the coalition government that is a mere three years old. Guess how many years in the presidency Jagdeo had – twelve. Ramotar had four. The interior roads that facilitate commerce in the interior were in those terrible conditions under both Jagdeo and Ramotar. There is a newly arrived circus in Guyana. It is called the Private Sector Commission. By what medical procedure they found their voices, we may never know, but they have found their voices and the echoes are reverberating. The business personnel in the Private Sector Commission are now the lecturers in

economics. They may well leave their enterprises and turn up as professors in economics at UG. Where were the eyes and voices and pens of these circus performers when the interior roads were disintegrating under Jagdeo and Ramotar? Ask all these gargantuan supporters of Bharrat Jagdeo when he was president if they castigated him for taking 60 million American dollars and building a Marriott Hotel. Why did Guyana need a State-financed Marriott Hotel when our only university was facing ruin? One of the most important degree programmes at UG is medicine. This is an area of study that is important for poor, post-colonial states, because the cost to pursue a five-year bachelor in medicine in Canada, Europe and the US is virtually impossible for even middle class families. You have to be very wealthy to finance y o u r c h i l d ’s f i v e - y e a r study in medicine in a foreign country. It was under Jagdeo and Ramotar that UG’s degree in medicine lost its certification, mean-

ing international recognition. It has since been restored, in 2015. These are the destructions that Jagdeo and Ramotar brought to this nation. The manifestations of these ruins are ubiquitous. They cannot escape your eyes wherever you are – whether travelling on a nonexistent road in Lethem, or in a bus going to Berbice from Region Four, or on your way to the airport or on a visit to a public school or in any police station to make an inquiry. Guyana fell down under Jagdeo and Ramotar, and both former presidents are barefaced enough to ask Guyanese to listen to their daily miasmic condemnations of a government that is merely three years old. The barefacedness as many would know has become morbid. Jagdeo doesn’t support a toll hike for the Berbice Bridge, but as president his government entered into a transaction with a private company that stipulated periodic increases in the toll. Let us see what Jagdeo supports. Oh yes! He gave his endorsement to the amendment to the law for the lessening of the mandatory jail

Frederick Kissoon term for small amounts of marijuana. Do I have to remind readers that this gentleman was in power for twelve years and his sidekick, Donald Ramotar had almost four years of power? Why during those almost sixteen years was the law not amended? Tracking the utter contempt Jagdeo and Ramotar have for this nation is almost impossible, because Jagdeo holds a weekly press briefing and Ramotar writes two letters a week in the newspapers. What is not hard to track, are the manifestations of their misrule. The signs are everywhere. Look at any police station in any part of Guyana, you will see how horrible was that misrule.

Thursday July 19, 2018

The oil and gas industry… Increase beneficial ownership screening to reduce corruption risks – NRGI advises By Kiana Wilburg The oil and gas sector is prone to corruption. As such, Guyana being an emerging oil and gas producer will have to put several measures in place to safeguard the nation’s wealth. One of these systems will have to include increasing beneficial ownership screening so as to reduce the sector’s risk to corruption. This was recently noted by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), an independent non-profit organization dedicated to improving countries’ governance over their natural resources. Since 2015, the institution has been providing advice to Guyana’s authorities. The Institute noted that in most natural resource-rich countries, when a company is seeking the right to explore for or produce oil, gas or minerals, sector, rules require that regulators check some basic information before granting the company a license and accompanying contract. In this regard, NRGI said that the regulator is supposed to judge whether the company is technically competent, financially sound, and is in compliance with environmental and safety rules. It noted, however, that licensing rules generally do not require screening of whether public sector officials have interests in an applicant company, which could create serious conflicts of interest. The Institute said, “We reviewed over 50 mining and oil laws around the world and

found that about half contained prohibitions on government officials or their close associates – often called ‘politically exposed persons’ (PEPs) – holding interests in companies applying for extractives licenses, but none required regulators to actually check whether or not such PEP interests existed as part of screening license applications.” It added, “This is a potentially critical gap in regulatory oversight, because a large body of real-world cases suggests that the ability to hide a company’s true beneficial owner is a major enabler of corruption in the granting of extractive rights.” In Guyana, there is no legislation or piece of regulation which requires beneficial ownership screening. On that note, NRGI has pointed out that a growing number of governments are developing legal policies and information systems for collecting and publishing data about the beneficial owners of extractives companies – the real people who own, control, or economically benefit from a company. It stressed that these reforms range from amending company registration laws and creating national public registers to sector-specific approaches like establishing extractives transparency laws and licensing requirements. But to have an impact, NRGI said that extractive sector reforms may need to go beyond just requiring benefi-

cial ownership disclosure, namely by establishing rules on what types of beneficial ownership linkages will be considered unacceptable self-dealing or corruption, and by determining the consequences that will apply when that line is crossed. Further to this, NRGI research shows that a number of countries have already established such rules, but monitoring and enforcement is lacking. Given the corruption risks, the Institute said that improving national policies and practices on allocating extractives licenses should be at the forefront of these efforts. Going forward, NRGI said that resource-rich countries such as Guyana will need to choose beneficial ownership assessment rules that best address the political, legal and industry realities in which they award licenses. Given the relative newness of evaluating corruption risks using beneficial ownership information in licensing decisions, NRGI said that officials may want to put much of the detail into less formal documents such as guidelines, so that the rules will be easier to amend based on lessons learned. Regardless of where rules are stipulated, NRGI commented that they should be subject to public consultation during their development, and publicly disclosed once finalized in order to facilitate monitoring and accountability.

ExxonMobil no stranger to evolution... From page 8 higher share of profit oil as the profitability of projects increase.” The IMF said, too, that the government should apply tighter ring fencing arrangements to its contracts. This ensures that an oil operator cannot transfer the expenses incurred at one well to another. The IMF said that in principle, the ring-fencing arrangement ensures that the government’s revenue from the Stabroek Block is calculated based on each field or well separately. In the absence of this provision, the IMF said that Guyana’s take

could be affected. In addition to this, the IMF reported that the ExxonMobil PSA has the lowest Average Effective Tax Rate (AETR) of all the fiscal regimes evaluated. The Fund said this result confirms that the terms offered in the agreement are generous to the investor. The IMF recommended that Guyana move quickly in the direction of countries that have fine tuned their fiscal regimes. The Fund said that Guyana’s tax framework needs to be urgently improved.

Dissatisfied Opposition threatens police... From page 3 submitted a bid. Yesterday, Edghill questioned how come if only HDM Labs Inc. submitted bids, why the preliminary checklist of three other companies, who failed, were attached to the evaluation report. The MP also wanted to know why Ansa McAl Trading Limited failed on the ground of “Experience and Technical Capacity (Evidence that demonstrates bidder has carried out simi-

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Kaieteur News

lar transactions)” for such a small contract, when they were early in 2017 awarded a $605M contract for the supply of pharmaceuticals. “What is also amusing to me, is the fact that International Pharmaceutical Agency, owned by a well-known AFC financi e r, f a i l e d o n t h e ground of “Financial Capacity (Evidence of Liquid Assets or credit not less than 25% of the bid price)”.” HDM Labs' offices were

traced to two Long Island, New York homes, one of them the home of Hardat Singh. The issue of drug supplies to Government-owned hospitals has been a bitter one in recent years with accusations that under the previous PPP/C administration the contract awards were fixed that only certain companies could have been approved. The contracts at one time were worth up to $5B annually.

GECOM rejects PPP’s request for continuous registration extension There will be no extension of the continuous voter registration exercise which ended on July 8th. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has rejected a request from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to extend the exercise. The party made the request in a letter to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Mr. Keith Lowenfield. When the matter was brought to the Commissioners for a vote at Tuesday’s meeting, there was a tied vote 3-3 with the Government Commissioners voting against the extension. GECOM Chairman, Justice James Patterson (ret’d), cast his vote against it. The request was therefore denied by majority vote. In its request, the PPP pointed out that the exercise was initially scheduled to commence on May 07, 2018. However, it actually began two weeks after that date, thereby truncating the desired period for registration. “The PPP firmly believes that the request for an extension was crucial and reasonable given that a number of eligible registrants were unable to engage in the process due to insufficient

GECOM Chairman, Justice James Patterson (ret’d). time. The disadvantage resulting from the shortened period was further compounded by an inadequate and ineffective public relations support mechanism,” the PPP stated. Given the importance of this process, especially in the context of openness and to prevent disenfranchisement, the PPP expressed disappointment that Justice Patterson, despite his recent public assurances of a free

and fair election, was opposed to a short extension of the continuous registration exercise to allow persons who were unable to register and carry out other related transactions, including transfers, to do so. “This latest action by the Chairman is fast becoming a trend of partisanship following his earlier casting vote for the appointment of the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) which denied the highest ranking candidate the position,” the PPP stated. According to the opposition party, during a preparatory meeting in which their concerns were raised, Lowenfield indicated that there is room for an extension in the schedule leading up to the Local Government Elections. The PPP explained that APNU Commissioner, Charles Corbin, interfaced with a senior staffer in the CEO’s office, resulting in Mr. Corbin presenting timelines in support of his “no extension” position. Providing details of what transpired at the meeting, the PPP noted that coincidently, Lowenfield subsequently voiced a concern that even a schedule with a one week extension would be “tight”.

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NBTS makes urgent appeal Felix commits to give explanation for unaccounted Haitians, Cubans for all blood types - encourages persons to become voluntary donors The National Blood Transfusion Services [NBTS] is in dire need of blood to satisfy the ever growing demand for this “life saving” product. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Health, at this time of the year the demand is high, and the blood bank is short of all blood groups. The goal of the NBTS is for all the blood supplied in Guyana to be collected from voluntary, healthy donors. “The unit of blood you donate is screened and delivered through a network of Blood Banks countrywide and used as needed. Every day, pregnant women, children, youths, adults and the elderly need blood in both our public and private hospitals,” the statement added. Person eligible to donate must be 17 years or older, in generally good health, free from any blood-borne disease and weigh at least 110 pounds. Once found suitable to donate, persons can also opt to become a Voluntary Blood Donor. NBTS Director, Dr. Pedro Lewis, is calling on all of

Guyana to support the NBTS as it works towards 100 percent voluntary donation in 2018. “We appeal to all our voluntary donors and new donors to visit the NBTS, our blood donation facilities at New Amsterdam, West Demerara, Suddie and Linden hospitals or one of our mobile units and “give a pint!” The NBTS which is located at East and Lamaha Streets [in the Georgetown Public Hospital compound] operates between the hours of 08:00 hours to 18:00 hours from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays 9:00hours15:00hours. The donation process is very simple and requires that persons register as a donor and undergo mini health checks comprising of their body weight, pulse, blood pressure, temperature and HB [Iron] level. The potential donor’s blood type will also be identified at this stage. Further, the individual will be subjected to a brief interview to determine if their sexual lifestyle and medical history permits them to donate blood. This session is

very private and confidential, according to the Ministry’s statement. Once the individual has been cleared as an eligible donor, the actual blood donation stage commences during which a unit [less than a pint] of blood will be taken. Donors are provided with some form of refreshment once the blood donation process is completed. The entire blood donation process takes 20 minutes and a person, who fits the criteria, can donate blood every two months. Blood donation allows the body to produce new red blood cells which carries oxygen around the body. Once these new cells are replicated, it allows the donor to feel more rejuvenated and healthier. Blood cannot be stored for long periods. One unit can be processed into three component parts each of which has the potential of saving a life when used to treat separate medical conditions. For further enquires persons can call: [592] 223-7182, 225-4972, 669-8776 or 6449590.

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix has committed to attend next Wednesday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Affairs, to discuss the number of unaccounted Haitians and Cubans who entered Guyana legally. There have been previous attempts to get the Minister before the bi-partisan Committee, but to no avail. “As a government Minister, while I would never undervalue the importance of such meetings, I must also underscore that my day-to-day duties must of necessity take precedence,” Felix stated in response to an article published by Kaieteur News on July 12. Felix was invited to attend the July 11th meeting of the Committee at the Parliament Building, but informed that he was unavailable to attend the session. The Committee’s Chair, Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira told Kaieteur News that the Committee has subsequently received a list of available dates from the Minister and selected July 25th. The Ministry of Citizenship has revealed to the Committee that some 22,520 persons were documented as entering between January and April this year, but appar-

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix ently 6,170 of those have not departed. Based on documentation, 17,615 persons entered Guyana between 2013 and April 2018, but there is no record of their departure. Worrying is that there are no departure records for 7,255 of the 44,747 Cubans who arrived in Guyana during 2017. For the Haitians, the records show, 3515 were recorded as entering Guyana in 2017, but 291 have been documented as departing the country. Felix explained that all are aware of the size of the coun-

try, the porous nature of the borders, the paucity of human resource capacity to man these borders, and the ingenuity of those who would contravene the immigration Laws. “My job as Minister of Citizenship is to search constantly for solutions to these issues within the ambit of my department’s mandate and the limitations already mentioned,” Felix stated. The Opposition has questioned the whereabouts of the visitors. It is contending that the Government officials were involved in a widespread backtrack racket for which Guyana identification cards are being issued. There were suggestions that this was being done to secure votes - a claim that Felix rubbished. The Minister reiterated that the government is fully committed to the building of democratic principles, where the immigration policy forms an integral aspect of good governance. “Unlike the previous administration, we will not use this route to enhance our capability to secure votes, since we are certain that the electorate is intelligent enough to see the changes we have instituted since being granted the opportunity to serve the people of Guyana,” Felix stated.

Thursday July 19, 2018

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Early diagnosis of Parkinson’s Nevis sends stone shipment to Guyana disease should start at health centre level - Neurologist The public health sector is increasingly depending on primary health care to ensure that its services reach a wide cross-section of the population. The ultimate aim is to ensure that primary health care is truly universal. As part of the efforts to expand primary health care, moves are afoot to ensure that workers at health centres across the country are able to offer services that are on par with what is offered at t h e c o u n t r y ’s p u b l i c hospitals. In order to achieve this, it is expected that medical experts at the level of the hospitals will help to train workers at health centres. Among the services that are being expanded in this regard is knowledge sharing to help health workers at the health centre level diagnose and possibly even help to commence treatment for patients who present with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. P a r k i n s o n ’s d i s e a s e [PD] is a neuro-degenerative disorder that affects predominately the dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra. Speaking of the training on the cards was Neurology Consultant at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC], Dr. Iliana Lopez. “It is important to train and orientate other staff to be able to diagnose PD,” s a i d D r. L o p e z . S h e added, “This is one of our proposals to work together with the health centres in order to do early diagnosis and to avoid complications that appear and to arrest the risk factors.” The situation that obtains currently, she said, is that the health workers at health centres are

currently able to refer patients to hospitals if they suspect them to be presenting with the disease. “We would like to assist as soon as possible. If we provide all the knowledge to orientate the rest of the physicians to do close work between health centres and the hospitals we hope that the incidence [of Parkinson’s disease] can decrease,” said Dr. Lopez. The proposal to expand the ability to diagnose the disease at the level of the health centres comes even as efforts are being promoted to encourage early screening for the disease. This is in light of the fact that the majority of cases are almost never diagnosed at an early stage, according to Dr. Lopez, who has regarded this situation as “unfortunate”. She revealed that it is usually easier to diagnose patients with if they present with early symptoms such as tremors or shaking. “Patients whose early manifestation is the tremor, we can do early d i a g n osis, but if the tremor is not present at first it [diagnosis] will present s o m e d i ff i c u l t i e s , ” D r. Lopez explained. However, through collaboration, she is optimistic that the impact of Parkinson’s disease could be closely addressed. More than 50 patients are currently attended to at the GPHC and have been responding well to treatment, according to Dr. Lopez. She, however, noted that although the disease is not associated with a high mortality rate its symptoms, if not arrested, can be debilitating to patients. As part of its promotion of primary health care, Government has

been putting measures in place to ensure that citizens do not travel more than five kilometres in any direction to access comparable health care services. In fact, it was highlighted not so long ago by President David Granger that it is enshrined in the Guyana’s constitution that all citizens are entitled to free medical attention. His declaration was forthcoming as he delivered the feature address at the opening of the recent inaugural Health Exposition, which was held at the Sophia Exhibition Site. During his address, the President announced plans to ensure that all neighbourhoods have in place a health centre designed to ensure that even the poorest of citizens will be able to readily access health care. But although every citizen is entitled under the constitution to free medical attention, the President asserted that this right is not absolute, since every citizen is also obliged to participate in activities to protect his or her own health and, by extension, the health of the nation. The Head of State made it clear that Guyana’s health objectives are driven by three priorities including: the provision of universal access to public health; promotion of universal primary health care and emphasis on preventative health care. “Primary health care is a pillar of the national public health strategy entitled Health Vision 20/ 20. It is a vehicle for ensuring universal health coverage and is one of the bases for ensuring that the national health agenda is implemented,” he informed.

Man jailed for threatening to kill mom A Berbice River resident who threatened to kill his mother while armed with a shotgun has been jailed for six years. Royan Sawyers, 40, a resident of De Veldt, Berbice River appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh in the Albion Magistrate’s Court and was found guilty on two charges. He was charged with - on 6th September 2017 at De Veldt, Berbice River - being in possession of firearm and

possession of ammunition without being the holder of the relevant licence. According to the Prosecutor, Inspector Althea Solomon, on the day in question the man went to his mother Alma Lepps’ shop at the abovementioned residence. He was inappropriately dressed and became abusive after a misunderstanding developed between them and he was asked to leave. He

made use of a series of expletives before he left in haste, and subsequently returned with a 12 gauge shotgun which was loaded with two cartridges. However, before he could act, he was spotted by a good friend who wrestled the gun from him. He was subdued and held in custody until police arrived. He was sentenced to three years on each charge. The charges will run concurrently.

NIA (zizonline.com) — Requests from clients in Guyana to the Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation (NHLDC) for aggregates mined on Nevis, has paved the way for the first shipment to be exported to that country, expanding the island’s export market. Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Acting Premier of Nevis and Minister of Natural Resources in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) described the 2,500tonne shipment as a historic one as he witnessed a barge, docked at the Long Point Port, being loaded on July 17, 2018. “This morning is a historic day, in my opinion, for the Nevis Island Administration and also the Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation. The reason why I say that is because we are currently loading 2,500 tonnes of crushed stone to be shipped off to Guyana… “Over the years we have been receiving resources from Guyana such as rice, sugar,

sand, fish products as a matter of fact we also receive jewellery and other resources and most important of all, we have been receiving our brothers and sisters out of Guyana, who bring resources here as well. So today is a reversal of that, in that, we are sending some aggregates back to Guyana which will be used for construction there,” he said. The shipment which was scheduled to leave the island on July 17, 2018, is the second largest shipment of aggregate exported to other countries. The first was on February 20, 2018, when 3,000 tonnes was shipped from the government-owned quarry at New River to St. Maarten. Mr. Jeffers who is also the Chairman of the NHLDC Board of Directors disclosed that as they continue to meet the demands for construction material locally, the corporation is exploring the possibility of making the Guyana shipment a monthly one with another planned export else-

where shortly. “We would love to make this a monthly transaction in that every time a boat comes here and they are going back to Guyana empty we would like to be able to provide them with some material to go back to cover their cost in that journey back to Guyana. “I want to say we are going to have a similar shipment we will be sending off to St. Maarten just after Culturama,” he said. Mr. Jeffers used the opportunity to commend the fourmember staff at the quarry for their effort and dedication to their job which reflects positively on the corporation and by extension all of Nevis. He stated that the NHLDC has been trying its best to ensure that all of Nevis benefits from its endeavours through the provision of employment and other opportunities, and making the necessary resources available for those involved in construction.

Labourer remanded on manslaughter charge A 45-year-old labourer was yesterday remanded to prison after a manslaughter charge was brought against him when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Junior Abrams of Mabaruma, North West District, was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that on July 14, at Kamaka Water Front, he killed Delroy Marks. He was remanded to prison until August 20, when he will appear in the

Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court. According to facts presented by the prosecution, on the day in question Abrams and Marks were at a popular shop in Mabaruma consuming alcohol when an argument broke out between them. Things escalated into a fight, and it was then that Abrams allegedly armed himself with a piece of broken glass bottle and dealt Marks a stab to the neck. The injured man was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Discrimination continues to hamper... From page 7 infections have been reduced by 30 percent since 2010. However, in eastern Europe and centralAsia, the annual number of new HIV infections has doubled, and new HIV infections have increased by more than a quarter in the Middle East and North Africa over the past 20 years. NOTFORGRANTED Due to the impact of antiretroviral therapy rollout UNAIDS said that the number of AIDS-related deaths is the lowest this century [940, 000], having dropped below one million for the first time in 2016. Yet, the current pace of decline is not fast enough to reach the 2020 target of fewer than 500, 000 AIDS related deaths. In just one year, an additional 2.3 million people were newly accessing treatment. This is the largest annual increase to date, bringing the total number of people on treatment to 21.7 million. Almost 60 percent of the 36.9 million people living with HIV were on treatment in 2017, an important achievement, but to reach the 30 million target there needs to be an annual increase of 2.8 million people, and there are indications that the rate of scale-up is slowing down, UNAIDS has observed. GAINSFORCHILDREN The report shows too that the gains made for children are not being sustained. New HIV infections among children have declined by only eight percent in the past two years, only half [52 percent] of all children living with HIV are getting treatment and 110, 000 children died of AIDSrelated illnesses in 2017. Although 80 percent of pregnant women living

with HIV had access to antiretroviral medicines to prevent transmission of HIV to their child in 2017, an unacceptable 180, 000 children acquired HIV during birth or breastfeeding—far away from the target of fewer than 40,000 by the end of 2018. “One child becoming infected with HIV or one child dying of AIDS is one too many,” said Sidibé. As such he added, “Ending the AIDS epidemic is not a foregone conclusion and the world needs to heed this wake-up call and kick-start an acceleration plan to reach the targets.” KEYPOPULATIONS The report also shows that key populations are not being considered enough in HIV programming. Key populations and their sexual partners account for 47 percent of new HIV infections worldwide and 97 percent of new HIV infections in Eastern Europe and central Asia, where one third of new HIV infections are among people who inject drugs. HalfofallsexworkersinEswatini,Lesotho,Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe are living with HIV. The risk of acquiring HIV is 13 times higher for female sex workers, 27 times higher among men who have sex with men, 23 times higher among people who inject drugs and 12 times higher for transgender women. “The right to health for all is non-negotiable,” said Sidibé. He underscored too that, “Sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, prisoners, migrants, refugees and transgender people are more affected by HIV, but are still being left out from HIV programmes.” He has, moreover, concluded that “More investments are needed in reaching these key populations.”

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Batteries thief to serve 3 months behind bars FOR RENT

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6004212: We create A/works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, A/C units, washing machines. Call Lindon: 6411086/ 694-2202 Installations, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etccall Nick 627-3206, 6301600 Money Lender, R.H Messenger. 41 Trotman Street, Golden Grove E.C.D. Contact# 668-1360 Eagle’s: Re-gas –low prices, washing machine repairs, gas stove, plasma flat screen, computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 15 Public road #2 Vill. WCB 3 House Lots. Coconut & Mango trees 49ftx10,314ft length. Price $18M. Contact# 648-7109/686-4818

FOR SALE Organic potting soil $700, Palms from $1000, Lawn grass, Ashoka trees. Tel# 6261044 1 CAT 215 Excavator 1 Mack 8 Cu yds mixer truck 1 CAT 428 Backhoe 1 double steel wheel roller. Call: 275-0367/ 683-7225 1 Pneumatic 9 wheel roller 2 Bitumin spray kettle 215 excavator spares. Call: 2750367/683-7225 One complete Water dragger Excellent condition, Ready to use, Equipped with satelite TV. Tel# 671-4019 One Excavator, Minor repairs, engine in excellent condition. Tel# 671-4019 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Off-road wheels, Lift kit, Off-road suspension. Contact #6022518, Asking $3,000,000. Fridges, freezer, 6 seater sofa set, 30 inch gas stove, wardrobes, hanging baskets, 1 Xboom stereo. Contact# 226-5013, 681-8333 Generac Pressure Wash for sale 3100 PSI. Tel#654-5267/ 652-2244/220-4203 Yamaha boat engine 250. 6625524, 681-4563, 627-8000

Summer special 16 July-Aug Cosmetology Advance Makeup Nails $15,000 per package. Free products included. Abby# 614-6749 Cosmetology advance hair, nails & make-up $20,000. Certificate will be given. All products provided. Contact: 698-3018

Self-contain rooms for working couple/single person $35,000/$32,000 monthly, Light & Water, Lodge. Call: 623-0076 Room $3000 daily furnished apts $5000 $6000 daily, we also do laundry $700 a load. #223-0994/678-5827 (1) Two bedroom apartment with toilet and bathroom at Pigeon Island Chateau Margot ECD. Contact Bibi: 220-6657, 603-9547. 1 (3) Bedroom apt in Enmore. 662-5524, 681-4563, 627-8000 One bedroom apartment 550 Sq feet for working couple or single person $35,000 monthly. Water included. Call: 638-8858 1 flat concrete house, 3 bedroom & 1 master room, PVC ceiling, tile, grill, Parfaite Harmonie, Onderneerming #662-6818

Flat wanted in North/South Riumveldt at least 2-3 bedrooms. 2-3 months rent available in advance. Call: 651-5990 Wanted experienced hire car drivers and dispatchers at Ramada Hotel. Contact #2657075/616-5419 Barbers. Contact #683-1534 1 Salesgirl preferably from East Bank Demerara. Call# 265-3586 1 ablebodied male clerk. Call: 231-2029/616-5954 Experienced pastry maker to work in Georgetown. Contact # 225-9409/618-1212 Help Wanted-Hot dog sales persons, men or women. Ages 25-35. Tel: 614-2412 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 Wa t c h m a n / H a n d y - m a n required. Apply with ID, proof, police clearance, permanent address and 3 references. Call 231-0734/6534537 Wanted land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie, Uitvlugt or East Bank. Tel# 642-1252 Wanted persons to assemble bicycle, apply at Alabama Trading, 65 Robb Street, Bourda.

Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M. Farm $4M. Herstelling 2nd bridge corner lot $4M. Uitvlugt $2.5M. Providence $5M. Call 604-6724 Tuschen house corner lot $6M $1.5. Crane Scheme house $5M. Parfaite Harmonie $3.5M. Diamond front $4M. Call 666-2326 Zeelugt - $2.3M Tushen $1.5M. Tel# 697-6311 ACCOMMODATION Secret Villa & Harmony Inn, Fully furnished, Airconditioned apartments. $6000-$9000. #225-6337/2181400/266-5243/602-8769

VACANCY One experienced cook to work @ Beer Garden preferably from WBD #679-2612 Experience Cook/ Housekeeper, Parika/Bushy Park #693-0636 for details. 1 Maid/Cleaner, 1 Security Guard for Georgetown. #2271717/659-9967 Maid for East Bank area to cook & clean, Accounts Clerk English-1 Mathematics-2, Payroll, NIS, PAYE, VAT & QuickBooks. #614-4358 Driver, Female Cleaner Office & Home Tel#233-2745 Porters/Salesmen, apply in person with application to ARK Enterprise/The Container House. 17 Lombard Street, Werk-EnRust. Experienced sales girls with 2 yrs experience. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529 Bartendercomputer knowledge, Blue Martini 169 Lamaha & De Abreau St. Call: 656-5544 5pm- 6pm

EDUCATION

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Make-up courses with Mac, Bare Minerals etcCosmetology courses $90,000- Nail Technician course $35,000. Call: 6471773/688-0009.

Furnished two bedroom apartment with AC for rent located at Lot Q Hadfield Street, Wortmanville. Tel# 651-4745/638-1112

1 Air compressor 5HP 3 Phase 230/220 volts. Call: 628-1486/698-1134.

Excavator for sale CAT 320 DL 7000 hrs Good condition, Location Kuribrong $15M Negotiable as is/where is #613-5062 2 complete 6" Land dredge 2 Perkins, 1 MWM, Kubota, Miller 15 & 25 Yamaha 12 & 16ft Aluminium boat $10M Negotiable #613-5062

SALON

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 2 bedroom apartments, fully furnished with AC in Providence. Contact # 6826238 whatsapp 1-246-8339739 & 660-7716

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A 43-year-old man who previously spent three years in prison for theft seems to not have learnt his lesson. Yesterday, he yet again appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for a similar offence, and this time he was sentenced to three months.

Classes: CSEC, CAPE: 6156604, 685-4192, 222-5913. Bernard, MEd, M.A, B.A, B.Sc, Formerly of QC First AID/CPR & home nursing courses available week-days and saturdays. Tel:225-9082 Register your child at Hidden Treasures Summer classes for slow learners in Phonics, Reading, Math etc. #675-4379 Study in Canada/US 100% acceptance MicroGraphics #264-3057 2019 Processing now.

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Room attendant, Female supervisor, Male deskstaff 25-50 yrs. Tel# 225-0198 233 South road, Lacytown Vacancy for: Marketing clerk, Logistic clerk, Garage supervisor, Purchase clerk. Contact #218-5120/603-4541 e m a i l : chungsvacancy@gmail.com HEALTH Herbal remedies: Diabetes, Hypertension, Infertility, Menstrual disorders, Enlarged prostate, Kidney & Gall stones, Arthritis etc. Call Sparman #676-5924. LEARN TO DRIVE P. Outar and C. Persaud Driving School at Maraj Building. Call: 622-2872, 6150964, 681-2808 TOLET 2 Bedroom apartment in Eccles. Rooms in Albertown. Tel# 225-3234/225-9223

Shawn Peters, of Callender Street, Albouystown, pleaded guilty to the charge read to him by Magistrate Fabayo Azore, which stated on July 5, last, he broke into the property of Nizam Bishop, at Independent Boulevard, Georgetown, and stole two car batteries worth $64,000. The defendant said that he sold the batteries and later used the money to smoke and gamble, and gave some to his girlfriend. He also told the court that the car wash business at which he is employed, pays little, and all the crimes he has committed has been to survive with his little daughter. He asked for leniency. After listening to the defendant’s pleading, the magistrate imposed the aforementioned term of imprisonment.

Assault accused remanded Forty-two year old, Leon Howard of East La Penitence, Georgetown, was yesterday remanded by Magistrate Fabayo Azore when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates Courts on an assault charge. It is alleged that on July 13, last, Howard unlawfully assaulted and caused bodily harm to Randolph Wilson at Station Street, Kitty. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was refused bail. Howard is scheduled to appear in court later this month.

Thursday July 19, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Former Gold Board accountant Technical educators challenged charged with fraud, theft from entity to “step up to the plate” - released on $300,000 bail The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the Guyana Police Force, has unearthed fraud-related activities and even theft at the Guyana Gold Board. As a result of its investigations, Rosanna Ramnarine, a former employee at the State entity was yesterday charged and placed before the courts. She was slapped with six charges—all of which alleged that she stole monies and engaged in fraudulent activities during her tenure there. Ramnarine, 35, a mother of one, of Lot 46 Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara was arraigned before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where she pleaded not guilty to all charges. She was released on a total of $300,000 bail, after her Attorney-at-Law Jed Vasconcellos made a successful application. Particulars of the first charge alleged that between February 1, 2017 and April 30, 2017 at the Guyana Gold Board located at Lot 68 Brickdam, Georgetown, while being employed as a clerk or servant, Ramnarine willfully and with intent to defraud, falsified documents in possession of the Guyana Gold Board - that being payment voucher #80782, purporting to show that Edward Hopkinson received a payment of $336,207, on March 21, 2017. The second charge read that between April 30, 2017 and June 20, 2017, also at the Guyana Gold Board, she willfully and with intent to defraud, falsified documents in possession of the Guyana Gold Board - that being payment voucher #81475, purporting to show that Brian Chase received a payment of $288,582, on May 30, 2017. According to the third charge leveled against her, between April 30, 2017 and June 30, 2017, while being a clerk or servant, she stole $288,583 - monies in possession

Charged: Rosanna Ramnarine or power of the Guyana Gold Board, her employer. It was further alleged that between February 1, 2017 and April 30, 2017, while being a clerk or servant, she stole $336,207 monies in possession or power of the Guyana Gold Board, her employer. The fifth charge brought against her stated that between February 1, 2017 and April 30, 2017, with intent to defraud the Guyana Gold Board, she conspired with a person or persons unknown, to forge Guyana Gold Board payment voucher #80782, dated March 21, 2017 And finally, it is alleged that between April 30, 2017 and June 30, 2017 with intent

to defraud the Guyana Gold Board, she conspired with a person or persons unknown to forge Guyana Gold Board payment voucher #81475 dated May 30, 2017. The Police Prosecutor presented no facts in relation to the charges. The defendant’s lawyer told the court that his client has been fully cooperating with investigations being conducted by SOCU. According to the lawyer, the matter has been engaging the attention of the police since November last year. Counsel added that since then, Ramnarine has made several visits to SOCU headquarters at Camp Street, Georgetown. The lawyer further added that Ramnarine, who is an Accountant by profession, has been unemployed since she was dismissed from duties at the Guyana Gold Board. The prosecutor made no objections to bail and Magistrate Azore granted bail to Ramnarine to the tune of $50,000 on each of the six charges. Her total bail stands at $300,000. As a condition of bail, Ramnarine was also ordered to lodge her passport with the court and to report to SOCU headquarters every Friday until the hearing and determination of the matter. She will make her next court appearance on Monday.

“The same energy that you would exert for your own progress and your growth, that same energy must also be applied to the children of this nation if you are going to be effective, and if you are going to be a leader who will make any sort of sense.” This was the informed assertion of Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson, as he addressed a gathering of senior educators who are currently engaged in a five-day Technical, Vocational Education and Training [TVET] Leadership Retreat being held at the Lake Mainstay Resort. Even as he stressed the need to have a standardised delivery of education, Hutson said that a TVET institution in New Amsterdam, for instance, must be equivalent to what happens at the Government Technical Institute or any other technical institutions across the country. This is imperative, Hutson said, “because we are all receiving the same training and we have people of the same status, and therefore there must be no disparity or gap because of leadership; people must step up to the plate and deliver.” A move in this direction, the CEO emphasised is imperative if the education system is to move forward. Crucial to this forward movement, Hutson said too, is planning,

Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson. which he assured is directly linked to results that will be realised. “There are people who don’t want to plan and believe that something good is going to happen. How can you arrive at progress, development without a plan? You have to have a plan,” Hutson noted. He added, “A plan is critical in moving a process or system forward and so what we want to see happening in the school system, we want to see in the technical and vocational system, more planning and more organising.” Hutson also highlighted the need for evaluation and by extension ascertaining, “Where have we come from? Where are we going to go? What do we want to achieve

in this year? What percentage we want to see pass in our schools or what quality of students we want to produce?” According to the CEO, there have been reports that at some technical institutes, “people just saunter along and they are not impacting. These things must change if we are going to achieve the agenda.” Even as moves are being made to introduce an oil and gas sector, Hutson stressed, “we don’t want to have to be importing brains, we have brains here, we have very bright people, but what I am saying, what is missing is the commitment and the dedication to a very good cause.” It is for this very reason, Hutson underscored that technical and vocational educators are critical to the development of any society. In vocalising the important role of technical educators in the system, the CEO added, “I really want to see us beginning to gel as a team and move this system forward. I think it is possible.” “We must look at our values, attitudes and policies, because technical and vocational education offers some distinct advantages to the society,” said Hutson, as he spoke of the need to adapt the changes that will cater to a developing knowledge-based society.

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Work-study students urged to embrace good work-ethics Two hundred and thirty students were yesterday encouraged to practice good work-ethics as they embark on their work-study stint beginning next Monday, July 23, 2018. This was done during an orientation exercise for phase two of the work-study programme organised by the Georgetown Department of Education. The stu d e n t s along with parents congregated in the Queen’s College auditorium where they were briefed on what is expected of them over the next five weeks. Work-study Supervisor, Onita Bynoe, explained to the students that work-ethics are a set of moral principles used while executing various tasks on the job. She said that it is important to have good workethics in order to produce on personal merit. Ms. Bynoe listed and explained a number of workethic principles which the students should embrace as they work at the various organisations they have been attached to. Some of these qualities and principles include reliability, dedication, self-discipline, diligence and good deportment. Julius David, another Work-Study Supervisor, gave an overview of the programme and what it aims

to achieve. He said that the aim of the programme is to create a smooth transition for fifth form students from school to employment. He s a i d t h a t i n i t i a l l y, t h e programme targeted students from Community High Schools but as time passed, those schools have been phased out, and the programme now targets junior and senior secondary schools. David said that the experience allows the students to understand how the work environment operates. Noting that some students may prefer to further their studies at the University level, David said that when they do decide to enter the world of work, they would have had some degree of experience to facilitate a smoother transition into the environment. F u r t h e r, h e r e v e a l e d that some of the organisations that collaborate with the Ministry of Education on this programme have asked for a gender balance as it relates to the students that are sent to them. Moreover, David explained that during the selection process, an effort is made to best align students to organisations based on their career choice and as such, he urged the students to make the best of

the opportunity given to them. Echoing similar sentiments was yet another WorkStudy Supervisor, Ms. Tracy Crawford, who said that students should appreciate the purpose of the programme, since the number of applicants this year outweighed the number of organisations that have indicated willingness to be a part of the work-study programme. The 230 students who underwent the orientation exercise will replace their counterparts who would have participated in phase one of the programme. According to District E d u c a t i o n O ff i c e r, M r. Sherwyn Blackman, some organisations have requested to retain students that participated in phase one of the programme. In total 159 students have been retained. He said that this happened because those organisations were pleased with the level and quality of work produced by the students. He said too that the programme not only targets public schools but also accommodates students from a number of private schools. An overall total of 389 students will be participating in the work-study exercise this year.

Unbeatable team spirit By Howard Johnson, BBC News, Chiang Rai This was a joyous news conference. The first joke was cracked by a Thai Navy Seal diver as he introduced himself: “My name is Baitoey and I’m the most beautiful in the cave.” The room erupted with laughter. First to speak was Adul, the boy who communicated with the British divers. He said the coach asked him to translate. His reply: “Chill, I can’t understand that quickly!” Cue more fits of giggles. The boys’ friends, family and nurses from Chiang Rai Hospital were smiling and willing them on from the sidelines. A compere kept up a lively patter, making sure noone was left out. As attention turned to how they became trapped, the mood in the room became more sober. The boys listened attentively as their coach described finding the shelf that kept them safe. When Titan, the youngest of the 12, said he tried not to think of food because it only made him hungry, the others laughed out loud proof again that even in the worst conditions, these boys

have an unbeatable team spirit. The boys went missing on 23 June and were found by divers on 2 July. Navy Seals then brought them food and other supplies. The group described how they bonded with their rescuers over more than a week, until their final rescue. “We played draughts (checkers),” Titan said. “(Navy Seal) Baitoey always won and he was the king of cave.” The team’s coach, Ekapol Chantawong, who was rescued with them, paid tribute to Saman Kunan, a former Navy Seal who died during the operation. “We are impressed that Saman sacrificed his life to save us so that we could go and live our lives. Once we heard the news, we were shocked,” he said. “We were very sad. We felt like... we caused sadness to his family.” Some boys said they would learn from their ordeal. One promised to be “more careful and live my life the fullest”. Another said: “This experience taught me to be more patient and strong.” The boys are due to be ordained as Buddhist monks

for a short period of time, a tradition for males in Thailand who have experienced a misfortune. How did the rescue unfold? The boys and the coach got trapped when sudden rain blocked their exit from Tham Luang cave, where they had planned to spend only an hour. Nine days passed before the boys were found by two British rescue divers. It was unclear at first how they would be brought out of the flooded cave. But with more rain expected, a risky rescue was attempted. Expert divers guided the boys and their coach through darkness and submerged passageways towards the exit. Each boy was accompanied by a diver who also carried his air supply. The boys were heavily sedated ahead of the rescue to prevent them panicking. The boys and their coach were rescued in three stages over three days. All 13 were transferred to the hospital in Chiang Rai where they received medical and psychological assistance.

Maria Butina: Alleged Russia agent ‘offered sex for job’ (BBC) An alleged Kremlin agent offered sex for a job with an American special interest organisation she targeted, say US officials. Maria Butina’s ties with Russian intelligence make her a flight risk, a federal judge ruled, and she will be held until her trial. A lawyer for the 29year-old said she has been co-operating with the US government for several months. The case is not part of the US inquiry into alleged

Russian election meddling. Ms Butina, who was arr e s t e d o n S u n d a y, a p peared on Wednesday afternoon at a US court in Washington DC. US Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson ruled that the government had proved there are no conditions of her release that would guarantee her return to court for trial. She is facing charges of failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring against the US government. She is not charged

with espionage. On We d n e s d a y, Moscow’s foreign ministry said Ms Butina’s arrest was designed to undermine the “positive results” of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday. Court filings on Wednesday say Ms Butina was living with an unnamed 56-yearold American - identified in documents as US Person 1 with whom she had a “personal relationship”.

White House insists Trump believes Russia still a threat (BBC) The White House has insisted it believes Russia still poses a threat to the US amid confusion over comments made by President Donald Trump. Mr Trump appeared to disagree with US intelligence when he responded “no” to a question about whether Russia was still targeting American elections. L a t e r, W h i t e H o u s e Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Mr Trump was saying “no” to answering more questions. It comes amid a flurry of criticism over his recent comments about Russia. “The president and his administration are working very hard to make sure that Russia is unable to meddle in our elections as they have done in the past,” Mrs S a n d e r s s a i d a t a news

briefing on Wednesday. What’s the latest confusion? H o u r s e a r l i e r, ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega asked the president whether Russia would still target American elections. After he shook his head and replied, “Thank you very much, no”, she again asked: “No? You don’t believe that to be the case?” He appeared to respond again: “No”. But Mrs Sanders rejected that interpretation later in a news briefing, telling reporters the White House was taking action to prevent any future meddling. “We wouldn’t actually spend as much time and effort as we are if we didn’t believe that [Russia is] still looking at us,” she said. Later, Ms Vega tweeted that the president had been looking directly at her

when he answered. The apparent response would put him at o d d s with US intelligence on claims of Russian interference in US elections for the second time since he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday. O n T u e s d a y, M r Trump said he misspoke during Monday’s summit when he appeared to side with Mr Putin over claims of Kremlin meddling in US elections. US intelligence chief Dan Coats said on Monday that Russia was involved in “ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy”. He told a congressional committee in February he had already seen evidence that Russia was targeting the upcoming mid-term elections in November.

43% increase in rice exports % increase has so far earned country $23.2B As the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) wraps up its 2018 first crop results from January to June, results show an export volume increase of 87,000 tonnes as compared to the same period last year. This was revealed by the General Manager, Nizam Hassan. “When we look at the figures compared to the first half of 2017, we saw first that the total volume that has been exported is 290,000 tonnes which is 43 percent more than the 203,000 tonnes than was exported during the first half of 2017,” Hassan said. The increase has so far earned the country $23.2Billion (US$111Million) this year

against the value of the export for the first half of 2017 which was $16.1Billion (US$77Million). The General Manager credited the increase to the determination of rice producers and millers to meet production targets and moreso Guyana’s access to new markets, particularly in Latin America. “We’ve seen some significant increases in some of the blocks, for example, exports to Latin America jumped by 215 percent in the first half of 2017. We did 64,000 tonnes as against 202,000+ tonnes in the first half of 2018.” Standing out for exports was Mexico and Cuba taking a total

of 133,000 tonnes - 45,000 and 88,000 respectively. Both countries did not take during the January to June exports of 2017. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo facilitated access to the Mexico market. The above mentioned comes as approximately 99 percent of the country’s rice lands cultivated having been harvested. For the first crop of 2018, approximately 508,000 tonnes of paddy has been produced equivalent to 330,000 tonnes of rice. In preparation for the second crop for 2018, 86,660 hectares of land has been prepared with 76,500 hectares (86 percent) sown.

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Men’s hockey team looking to Tendulkar joins forces with Middlesex to launch academy make big impact in CAC games MUMBAI (Reuters) - Retired India batting great Sachin Tendulkar has joined forces with Middlesex Cricket to launch an academy for budding male and female cricketers. The academy will provide training for children between the ages of nine and 14 through a curriculum developed by the coaches at the county and Tendulkar, who is the world’s leading run-scorer in both tests and one-day internationals.“I am delighted to be partnering with Middlesex Cricket on this new venture,” Tendulkar, who retired in 2013 with more than 34,000 international runs to his name, said in a statement. “The objective is not only to produce good cricketers but also good global citizens

MCC’s Sachin Tendulkar during the press of the future. “Through this association, Middlesex and I are focused on providing the very best in cricket education, as much as possible, for our stu-

dents.” Merchant Taylor’s School in Northwood will host the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy’s first cricket camp from Aug. 6-9.

Thursday July 19, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Aries, are you hoping to accomplish a goal that you've been working toward for a long time? Don't let delays cause you to fear that it will never happen.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you're likely to be in just the right place at the right time to meet the right person. You're overdue for a lucky break and probably not expecting it.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You may be in an especially nurturing mood today, Taurus. You might reach out to every living thing around you, from plants to pets to friends, children, and romantic partners.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You might wake up this morning, look in the mirror, and decide that you hate what you see even though you probably look fine.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Social responsibilities might appear to be hitting you all at once. Everyone you know seems to crave your company. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Important communications regarding finances could come today, Cancer, and it might be fortuitous if you follow up on them right away. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Your sensual side is likely to show itself today, Leo. You might find yourself viewing young folks in tight jeans more appreciatively than you usually do. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Ingenious techniques for growing your money could come your way today, Virgo. While you aren't one to jump i n t o anything, you're certainly likely to give these ideas serious thought.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today you could find yourself seeking self-knowledge through relationships, Sagittarius, especially through assisting those you love. Someone is troubled and needs your help. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Do you have a romantic evening planned for tonight, Capricorn? If so, it's likely to turn out to be all you'd hoped for. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You could feel restless and anxious to get out in the open for a while today, Aquarius, but mundane tasks could force you to postpone it. Someone you care about might ask for a favor PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) At some point during the day you might find yourself involved in a project that piques your interest far more than usual. You could throw yourself more deeply into it than is necessary now. Take care that it doesn't distract you from what needs to be.

Yesterday afternoon, the National Men’s hockey team departed Guyana for the 23rd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) games which will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia and Coach of the unit; Robert Fernandes, is optimistic of his team’s chances of winning a medal. According to Fernandes, this is Guyana’s men first appearance in the tournament for about two decades, while the women participated in 2014, and he believes that the readiness of the team is currently at the best that it can be.Guyana men will be in Pool A where there will battle Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico in round robin action for a chance to advance to the knockouts.Last month, as preparation heightened for the tournament, Guyana played in a friendly series away to Trinidad and Tobago; who are also competing in the CAC games being the top seed, pitted in group B along-

Men’s Coach Robert Fernandes gives instructions to Midfielder Kareem Mackenzie during CAC qualifiers in Jamaica. side Cuba, Jamaica and Barbados.In the three-game friendly series against the Twin-island republic, Coach Fernandes was able to identify some weaknesses of his team during real-time and video analysis: “We corrected

a few flaws on that tour including defensive structure which needed a new shape especially when we apply the press. In addition, the video analysis showed that our key playmakers weren’t getting the ball as much as we would want them to have it and so we have put measures in place to correct that.” Fernandes explained that although they lost the series, “It was a good indication of where we were.”Among the key players for Guyana will be forwards Aroydy Branford and Jamarj Assanah along with midfielders Marvin Dannett from England and T&T based Jerazeno Bell.“The boys are well prepared and I think we just need to get through our first match because although we have done our homework, we have no footage showing game play for the Dominican Republic who we will open our tournament against,” Fernandes posited.Cuba won gold in the 2014 CAC games and they are pitted in Group B along with T&T that finished with the silver four years ago.The full team reads: Robert Fernandes (Coach), Jamarj Assanah, Aroydy Branford, Rayon Branford, Jerazeno Bell, Hilton Chester, Marvin Dannett, Jason DeSantos, Robert France, Randy Hope, Kareem McKenzie, Mark Sargeant, Meshach Sargeant, Medroy Scotland, Andrew Stewart, Steven Xavier and Dwayne Scott.

BCB hosting a One... From page 29 Millington, Mariam Samaroo, Uma Matadin, Dian Prahalad, Katana Mentore, Anita Budhoo, Roshana Lynch, Kimmone Thomas, Kassie Munroe, Nivana Ramnauth and Odessa Cadogan.All Players are informed that attendance at the five hours Seminar is compulsory.

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Franco Crawford donates ‘Reds’ arrives for Berbice trip, racing cycle to talented juvenile looking forward to the activities While some would migrate and forget all about where they came from, others will remember their origins and do whatever they could to assist those back home. One such person is Overseas based former national cyclist Franco Crawford. Crawford who now resides in England has fashion himself as a community activist and also spreads the word of GOD. Though residing in greener pastures his heart is still with his homeland and would return on a regular basis. He is still a member of the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) where he started his career. Whenever home he would extend his benevolence to his club, the members and members of the community with numerous gifts and other forms of assistance. A true believer in giving he does not only assist cycling, but gives to other sports and community activities as well. He recently donated a brand new racing cycle to 14 year old Jeremiah Joseph at Springlands, Corentyne Berbice. Joseph a student of the Skeldon High School has been riding for just seven months and has shown great promise so far. Speaking at the simple presentation ceremony, Crawford mentioned that he has seen the lad ride and he has shown great potential. However, his bike is not of the best so he decided that he will help the lad to reach his true

Overseas based Franco Crawford presents the racing bike to Jeremiah Joseph in the presence of club members and Franco Crawford Jr. on his bike at centre. potential, with the donation. He stated that, “Cycling is an expensive sport and as such local cyclists need the right assistance to prosper and with help they can be among the best in the business.” He remembered his days when he could not afford to equip himself for the sport and had to struggle, so it is in him to assist wherever and whenever possible. Joseph thanked Crawford for his kind gesture and Coach Randolph Roberts for introducing him to Crawford. He stated his love for cycling and promised to do his best to

make all his well-wishers proud. Roberts also used the opportunity to express gratitude and wished Crawford all the success in the future. He restated his call for more community minded business persons and overseas based Guyanese to take a page out of Crawford’s book and continue to assist those at home. On his latest trip home Crawford has so far donated two cycles and sponsors a race in honour of his 50th birthday, while giving out numerous other gifts and donations to charity.

Fifth Annual Grenville Felix Memorial cycle road set for Sunday 29th July in Berbice

Flashback - De Nobrega winning last year’s event. The fifth annual Grenville Felix Memorial Cycle race is set for Sunday July 29th in Berbice. The event which is organised by the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) will be held in collaboration with the Felix family.The event, which is coordinated by cycle coach Randolph Roberts, is being held in honour of the late engineer who passed away five years ago at the age of 96. Felix who was one of Guyana’s first and oldest engineer’s at the time of his demise, worked with Bookers

and Guyana Sugar Corporation in Guyana and various parts of the world. This is the seventh cycling event held in his honour. The first two was held in honour of his birthday. It was changed to a memorial event after he died. The event is expected to pedal off from his former residence at Canefield East Canje, Berbice proceed to the No51 Police Station before turning back to finish at its place of origin. All the top cyclists in the country are expected to be on

show since lucrative prizes will be up for grabs. Prizes will be awarded to the first 10 finishers while the first three juveniles, the first three veterans and first three females will also be rewarded. There will also be 10 sprint prizes up for grabs. There will also be races for BMX riders.The Grenville Felix Memorial Trophy is a lien trophy and will be given to the first person who gets their name on it three times. The winner of last year’s event was Paul De Nobrega.

Now 78, iconic Guyanese Cricket Commentator Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira has done it all in his illustrious career in Sports, both behind the microphone and as well as a respected Administrator. Reds is the Guyanese to broadcast the most Test matches, has done it the longest at First-Class level and has helped to put Guyana on the map through mainly cricket. A former advisor to former Sports Minister Shirley FieldRidley during the period when Sports was seen as very important to the Forbes Burnham Government, Reds was also a former Chairman of the Guyana National Sports Council and OECS Sport Director. The veteran Broadcaster, who did his first Test in 1971 when West Indies opposed India, wants to ‘give back’ to a nation that provided him with his first opportunity to live his dream of his voice becoming a household name despite his lack of a formal education and a terrible stutter when he spoke. Reds said he is looking forward to his four-day stay in Berbice, as guest of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)

and its pro-active President Hilbert Foster. Reds, who came to Georgetown from the Pomeroon in 1945 and lived at Russell and Howes Streets, Charlestown, arrived in Guyana yesterday, was met at the airport by BCB Secretary Robby Saywack and former National Coach, Albert Smith. His first assignment will be today when he meets with young cricketers and officials of the West Berbice area. Reds will conduct a wideranging programme aimed at identifying areas in need of development but the focus will be on the Senior Berbice clubs and their Youth development. Reds informed that he will present 24 clickers to the BCB for the Berbice Umpires Association and hopes to visit as many sports facilities in the Berbice area to get acquainted with the current infrastructure. “My visit to Berbice will not only focus on cricketing matters since I am scheduled to meet with the Mayors of New Amsterdam, Rose Hall Town and Corriverton to share ideas about developing sport in Berbice,” said Reds. “I remember as an 11 years

old listening to cricket commentary on my father’s radio before I came to the City and began commentating on Case Cup, Wight Cup and Rajah Cup (local club tournaments) matches. I am really disappointed to hear that the ODI on Sunday at Providence will not be on the Radio for those in Berbice to listen to,” Reds lamented. “I used to borrow my sister’s bicycle and attend those matches on weekends. Every weekend there used to be cricket matches being played at all the grounds in Georgetown. I hear now that this no longer the case and Berbice is the only place that has a lot of cricket being played,” said Reds. Reds, who now resides in St Lucia, wraps up his Berbice trip on Saturday when he engages all Clubs, Officials, Umpires and Cricketers in a seminar from 13:00hrs to 16:00hrs the RHTYSC’s venue in Rose Hall Town before travelling to the Albion ground to do ‘live ground’ Commentry on the Roy Fredericks Cup T20 Tournament, hosted by the Blairmount Cricket Club in West Bank Berbice. (Sean Devers)

CWI hails ‘appeal’ of brand after penning Betway deal ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Cricket West Indies has trumpeted the continued attractiveness of the region’s cricket brand, after signing an 18-month commercial deal with global online betting company, Betway. The deal was initiated during the ongoing Home Series between West Indies and Bangladesh and will see the company serve as CWI’s official betting partner until the end of next year. “Cricket is the heartbeat of the Caribbean and the announcement of a second major international partnership within a six-week period underlines the appeal of West Indian cricket both in the Caribbean and worldwide,” said CWI’s commercial and marketing director, Dominic Warne. Only last month, CWI announced luxury hotel chain, Sandals Resorts, as the major commercial sponsors of West Indies cricket, in a two-year deal which will run until December, 2020. Sandals replaced telecommunications giants Digicel with whom CWI had terminated its deal a week earlier, with a year still to run on the contract.

CWI’s Commercial and Marketing Director, Dominic Warne. Warne, an Englishman who joined CWI last October, said the Betway deal would add value to the board’s mission of player development. “With Betway also supporting our integrity and player education programme, the partnership enables CWI to strengthen the guidance and support offered to our professional cricketers as they build their careers at home in the Caribbean and on the global stage,” he said. Betway’s chief executive, Anthony Werkman, said the new partnership was a strategic one for the company.

“We are always looking to enhance and grow the Betway brand and that’s exactly what we have done by partnering with Cricket West Indies,” he explained. “We are making huge investments across a widerange of sports and are sure that this partnership will prove to be a successful one. We are really looking forward to all the action.” The West Indies cricket brand has taken somewhat of a hit in recent years with the declining on-the-field performances. Once World champions, the Caribbean side now languish in the nether regions of the ICC rankings in all formats. Their 2-0 series win over Bangladesh last weekend saw them climb back to eighth in Tests but they lie still lie ninth in One-Day Internationals and seventh in Twenty20s, though they are reigning World champions. For the first time in their history last March, the Windies were forced to enter a qualifying tournament with the likes of minnows Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and United Arab Emirates, in order to reach the finals for the 50-overs ICC World Cup.

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Local female chess players Hearts of Oak Masters to make history in Barbados Annual holiday Football DPI, Guyana - Two of Guyana’s top young female chess players will be creating history when they represent Guyana at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Women’s Chess Championship in Barbados, later this month. Fourteen-year-old Sasha Shariff and twelve-year-old Chelsea Juma will be the first females to represent Guyana at this particular event, which begins on July 27 and ends August 3. Both chess players recently represented Guyana at the Carifta Chess Championship in Suriname. Shariff, who will also represent Guyana at the Chess Olympiad in Georgia, USA in September, said the experience gained from the last tournament will be key to her performing well in CAC Championship. “I think my chances are greater this tournament because in Suriname it was my first time playing out of the country and not in school. So, it was a bit difficult because I was still at the beginner stage. Now, I think my changes are greater in Barbados,” Shariff stated. Juma is also confident of doing well since she has been training almost every day. She too is applying experience gained from past tournaments to her advantage. “I am very

- First women to represent Guyana at CAC Women’s Championship

Wendell Meusa National Chess Coach excited because I have had very good learning experiences in the past tournaments, locally and out of the country and I think I have a greater chance with this one that is coming up now.” National Chess Coach Wendell Meusa said that he has been working with the young ladies for about

two months, preparing them for the competition. “Day after day they have been solving numerous puzzles. We have been working on our opening game and our end game trying to make them strong overall.” While Shariff and Juma are fledglings in the world of chess tournaments, Muesa said that they have demonstrated rapid growth and is confident that they will do well. Additionally, while the girls are in Barbados, they will receive critical training and guidance from the Barbados National Coach and International Chess Master, Terry Farley. Countries participating in the tournament include Guyana, Mexico, Aruba, Haiti, Guatemala, Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, Barbados, Netherland Antilles, Nicaragua, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, British Virgin Islands, Suriname, Panama, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Honduras, Antigua and Barbuda, Martinique and Guadeloupe. (Isaiah Braithwaite)

Usain Bolt may play football in Australia

Usain Bolt has played in a number of exhibition matches this year. (EPA)

BBC News - Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt is in talks for a trial to play football in Australia, a club says.The Jamaican former sprinter, 31, is negotiating a six-week stint with the Central Coast Mariners, a team in the country’s A-League competition.Mariners chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said the club had spent four months pursuing Bolt, and a season-long deal could follow.Football agent Tony Rallis said a deal had been agreed “in principle”.Mr Rallis, who has been involved in the deal, told local Sky Sports Radio that negotiations continued over Bolt’s pay.“The owner of Central Coast Mariners has put his hand deep in his pocket and guaranteed 70% of the salary,” Mr Rallis said.News Corp Australia reported that a “multi-million dollar” deal had been proposed.Bolt has previously trained with clubs in Germany, Norway and South Africa.The 100m and 200m world record holder,

who retired from athletics last year, has previously spoken about his interest in becoming a professional footballer.Bolt is a fan of Manchester United and one of its former assistant managers, Mike Phelan, is now at the Mariners.A Football Federal Australia spokesman told the BBC that it would not assist in funding Bolt’s trial.Mr Mielekamp said the club was optimistic that the trial could be extended.“If all goes well, who knows? He may be lighting up the A-League this season,” he told the local Seven Network on Tuesday. Mr Mielekamp said the club had received positive reports about Bolt’s performance when he trained with German club Borussia Dortmund and Norwegian side Stromsgodset. “The most important thing is we wait to find out and see how good a footballer he is first,” Mr Mielekamp said.“Time will tell at what level he is at and if it fits the A-League.”

camp starts Monday

Once again the Annual Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club (HOOMFC) will be hosting their “teach them Young” football school holiday camp. The camp which is the 21st of its kind will be held from Monday 23rd July to Friday 17th August. The activity will be held at the Scott Church ground, Princess Elizabeth road New Amsterdam and the nearby Prison Officers Sports Club and the All Saints Primary School. The programme will be held five days weekly from Mondays-Fridays from 09:00hrs -13:00 hrs. The organisers are catering for youths from age six years up and will be targeting both boys and girls. During the camp the youths will be taught the finer points of the game which includes both theory and practical. The programme also caters for the developing of their interpersonal skills and relationship. The practical sessions will entail showing the youngsters the various ways in receiving, passing, shooting, dribbling, goalkeeping and throwing the football among other points. The youths are also expected to be schooled in discipline, eti-

quette, good table manners and general education which will also include session on HIV and AIDS. Physical fitness will also be an integral part of the sessions. The main aim of the programme is to have the youths better able to appreciate the rules and regulation of the game, improve their knowledge and skills and understand general sportsmanship and have a better human relationship with others and improve their discipline generally. Certificates and other memorabilia are expected to be given to the participants at the end of the activity. During the sessions a number of prominent persons are expected to visit and impart their knowledge with the participants during the packed programme. Once again the HOOMFC is also seeking the support of the general public and the business sector for assistance especially footballs to make the programme the necessary success it usually is. Interested persons can make contact with any member of the Hearts of Oak Football Club.

Ansa McAl on board with Nand Persaud Sky Plus Sprint Classic Beverage Giants Ansa McAl Guyana Limited has once again joined hands with the Nand Persaud Group of Companies and their Sky Plus Promotion Group for their Sixth Mega Sprint Classic Horserace meet. The event, which has already been supported by Trophy giants the Trophy Stall of Bourda market will be dubbed the Nand Persaud Karibee Sprint Classic. It is slated for Sunday August 12th at the Company’s Racing Facility, No 36 Village, Macedonia Estate, Corentyne, Berbice. Seven races are listed for the day with over $4M in cash, trophies and other incentives up for grabs. The feature event is for horses classified D and lower over 880yards or four Furlongs for a winning purse of $400,000 and trophy.The other events will see the horses competing in the H and lower category for a take home prize of $260,000 and trophy over 3

Furlongs. There is an event for 3 year-old animals which will see the horses galloping for a winning take of $200,000 and trophy also over 3 Furlongs. The 2 year-old animals will be competing for a similar winner’s purse of $200,000 and trophy over 4 Furlongs. The K Class and Lower animals will have at stake a first prize of $140,000 and trophy over 3 Furlongs.There are two events for animals classified L and Lower. One for male horses over 4 Furlongs, while the female animals will be galloping over 3 Furlongs both for $100,000 and trophy. The Trophy Stall will be presenting a number of trophies to top performers including top trainer, stable and jockeys to the top performers. Interested persons can make contact with Nick on 600-7280 or Amanda on 618-5916. The Coordinator is Mohendra ‘Mohin’ Persaud.

BCB hosting a One-Day Developmental selected is: Jeremy Sandian, Nigel Deodat, Ricardo Seminar Mahendra Gopilall, Jonathan Ramdehol, Fawaz Gafoor, Rampersaud, Matthew Mohabir Seeraj, Gourav

T

he Berbice Cricket Board will this Sat urday be hosting a One-Day Developmental Seminar with Legendary International Commentator Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira. The Berbice Cricket Board has selected a squad of Junior and Female Cricketers to be a part of the historic Seminar. Players are asked to be present at the St. Francis Training Centre for 11.00 hours. The full squad of players

Pattaya, Zeynul Ramsammy, Vettorie Latchman, Rmpertab Ramnaut, Tomani Ceasar, Anthonie Alexander, Darius Joseph, Isiah Thorne, Latchman Dhauna, Pavanand Ganesh, Boodram Lakeraj, Hemendra Goordial, Vikash Singh, Tameshwar Mahadeo, Saffie Shazad, Shreedat Roopnarine and Rudra Goberdhan. Under-19 Players: Chanderpaul Govinda, Abdul Ramsammy, Marvin Prashad, Son Glasgow, Gevon Schultz,

Ramesh, Doorasammy Mahadeo, Quincy Auldies, Jarron France, Anthony Williams, Nikeem Noble, Farouk Subhan, Kevin Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Alex Algoo, Garfield Benjamin, Javed Karim, Steve Deonarine, M. Mickle, Trevon Stanislaus, Keith Simpson, Karran Arjpaul, Kevin Umroa, Christopher Harry, Leon Swammy and Cheddi Budhoo. Females: Erva Giddings, Melanie Henry, Plaffiana (Continued on page 27)

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‘Briana chose Jamaica ahead of the US,’ says mother Jamaica Observer - TAMPERE, Finland — The decision for newly crowned IAAF World Under-20 women’s sprint double champion Briana Williams to compete in the black, green and gold of Jamaica in international track and field competition, instead of United States where she was born, was made by the athlete herself. Sharon Simpson, Briana’s mother, told the Jamaica Observer on Sunday’s final day of the six-day championships in Tampere Stadium, that trips to Jamaica to visit family and the excitement of the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championships could have been the main factor in the teenager’s decision to shun the red, white and blue of the United States and their seemingly endless resources. After being too young to compete in the IAAF World Under-18 and the Youth Commonwealth Games last year, Williams returned with a bang this year to win three gold medals at the CARIFTA Games in The Bahamas, including the sprint double on her way to the Austin Sealy award for the most impressive athlete in the championships. She was a part of two recordbreaking performances then, running 11.27 seconds (1.6m/s) on the first day to break the 20-year-old

CARIFTA record of 11.28 seconds set in 1998 by Ranieka Bean of Bermuda. She also won the 200m in a then personal best 23.11 seconds (1.1m/ s) after leading off the Under-17 girls’ 4x100m team to a championships record 44.95 seconds to erase the 45.05 seconds set by another Jamaican foursome in 2009. Last week she stepped up several notches with 11.16 seconds to win the 100m here in Tampere, just off her personal best 11.13 seconds, then returned two days later to complete the double with a sparking 22.50 seconds, a new Championships Record and National Youth and Junior marks in the process. She could have easily turned out in the US colours if her mother did not give her the option to choose and also to disregard the urgings of some family members to choose ‘the easier path’ and represent the United States. “The decision to run for Jamaica as opposed to the USA was all up to Briana, she chose Jamaica over America,” Simpson told the Jamaica Observer. “She was always going to Jamaica for summer and Christmas vacations and also went to Champs, and the whole idea of being at Champs and seeing the excitement,

Briana Williams (left) and her mother Sharon Simpson after the star athlete claimed gold in the women’s 100m final. she got caught up in the excitement as well. “Track and field in the USA is boring, nothing like what Champs is about and I think that was one of the reasons she chose to run for Jamaica,” Simpson pointed out. “I had nothing to do with it, she was the one who chose.” Simpson herself might have been inadvertently leaning towards the

USA as when Briana just started racing she had started a Facebook account for her and had placed an American flag on it with the message “future US Olympian”, but the athlete later removed it after she got a taste of what track and field in Jamaica was really about. “She had made up her mind, once she went to Champs, she did not want to run for America and we

backed her by getting the paperworks done,” Simpson added. There were attempts by some family members to suggest that with the resources that the American track and field federation had at their disposal, the “best choice” was staying ‘home’ and running in the red, white and blue. “Why would you run for Jamaica when the US has all the resources,” she was asked several times, Simpson said. “But she said she wanted to run for Jamaica and I said we will not force her to run for a country that she does not want to run for.”Simpson gave an example of when she was growing up, “she was just a track baby then, she used to write with her left hand and she used to gravitate to her left hand and her father used to try to change her, but I said ‘no, put the pen down and let her pick it up and she will decide as a child growing up which hand she will use predominantly’.” As a doting mother Simpson said she would allow her only child to make her own decisions. “I won’t interfere with her decisions as long as she won’t damage or hurt herself, I will just support her and that was why I got the paperwork together for her when she decided to run for Jamaica.”

Ambris, Campbell shine on final Inspired Thomas powers to stage win and Tour yellow jersey day as Windies A hold Surrey LONDON, CMC – Sunil Ambris and John Campbell stroked lively half-centuries as West Indies A earned a draw against English County Surrey on the final day of their first class tour match here yesterday. Left to survive two sessions after the hosts declared at lunch with a lead of 361, Windies A safely navigated the afternoon at the Oval to end on 194 for three in their second innings. Test batsman Sunil Ambris sent selectors another reminder of his quality with an unbeaten 63 while opener Campbell struck 55. Vishaul Singh chipped in with 26, opener Chandrapaul Hemraj got 23, while wicketkeeper Devon Thomas finished 22 not out. Surrey had earlier added 111 in the first session as they converted their overnight 62 for one into 173 for four declared in their second innings. Ryan Patel, unbeaten on 30 at the start, top-scored with 48 as he extended his second wicket stand with Mark Stoneman (44) to 79. He put on exactly 50 for the third wicket with Will Jacks who made 47. Speedster Odean Smith was the most successful bowler with two for 15, also accounting for Patel to a catch at the wicket.Windies A then made a lively start to their run

Test batsman Sunil Ambris … struck an unbeaten half-century.

chase, with Campbell and Hemraj putting on 79 for the first wicket. Campbell struck six fours and a six off 70 balls while fellow left-hander Hemraj counted two fours in a 39-ball innings.Nineteen-year-old off-spinner Amar Virdi got the breakthrough when Campbell drove loosely to cover and Hemraj followed in the next over without addition to the score, lbw to one from seamer Stuart Meaker which kept slightly low. Ambris put on a further 48 with left-hander Vishaul Singh who scored 26 from 46 deliveries, as together they steadied the innings. The right-handed Ambris, already with a hundred on tour, faced 99 balls in just under 2-1/4 hours and counted eight fours and a six.

When Vishaul played down the wrong line and lost his off-stump to South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, Ambris found another ally in Thomas to post a further 67 in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership. Scores: SURREY 366 (Scott Borthwick 175 not out, Adam Rouse 36; Raymon Reifer 3-65, Chemar Holder 2-57, Sherman Lewis 2-64) and 173 for four decl. (Ryan Patel 48, Will Jacks 47 not out, Mark Stoneman 44; Odean Smith 2-15). WEST INDIES A 178 (Vishaul Singh 47, Odean Smith 30, Devon Thomas 28; Morne Morkel 3-12, Mathew Pillans 3-29, Scott Borthwick 2-35) and 194 for three (Sunil Ambris 63 not out, John Campbell 55, Vishaul Singh 26).

LA ROSIERE, France (Reuters) - Geraint Thomas claimed the stage win and the race leader’s yellow jersey on the Tour de France yesterday, with a powerful ride up the final climb of a gruelling 108km run from Albertville to La Rosière. Team Sky’s Thomas, who won the Criterium du Dauphine last month, attacked near the end of the 11th stage. The 2017 Giro champion Tom Dumoulin took second place, 20 seconds behind Thomas and just ahead of his Team Sky colleague and defending champion Chris Froome.Among the race’s other top contenders, France’s Romain Bardet, Italian Vincenzo Nibali and Colombian Nairo Quintana crossed the line 59 seconds behind Thomas. The Welshman attacked from the group of favourites with nine kilometres left of the 17.6-km ascent at an average gradient of 5.8 percent to La Rosiere, and caught Dumoulin, who had attacked earlier.The Dutchman could not sustain the pace of Thomas, who also caught and then left in his wake the Spaniard Mikel Nieve, the last survivor of the day’s breakaway. “I just felt good today, I followed my instincts,” said Thomas, who now leads Froome by one minute 25 sec-

Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas of Britain on the way to winning the 108.5-km Stage 11 from Albertville to La Rosiere Espace San Bernardo. (REUTERS/Stephane Mahe) onds and third-placed Dumoulin by 1:44. Several top contenders sustained heavy losses. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, who was on the attack in the final climb, finished 3:30 off the pace, and Britain’s Adam Yates crossed the line 4:42 behind.Last year’s runner-up Rigoberto Uran finished 26:07 down, killing off any hopes he may have had of a podium finish.Today’s 12th stage is likely to see the favourites battle it out for yellow again with a summit finish on the iconic Alpe d’Huez.

Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas on the podium (REUTERS /Stephane Mahe)

Thursday July 19, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Inaugural Global T20 Canada shows potential of Twenty20 Cricket in North America

Strong performances by Canadian cricketers achieved key mandate of developing local talent TORONTO, Canada – Vancouver Knights’s victory Sunday in the Global T20 Canada (www.gt20.ca) championship match capped off a successful inaugural edition of the six-team league and provided glimpses of the potential of the first Twenty20 league to be fully staged in North America. Played before a sellout festive crowd at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, the final, between Vancouver and Cricket West Indies B team, showcased the exciting Twenty20 form of cricket. On this stage, fittingly, a Canadian, Saad Bin Zafar made Canadian sporting history producing the performance of his career scoring 79 runs to lead the Knights to the title, and the champion’s prize of C$500,000. “Global T20 Canada brought the

excitement of pro T20 cricket to Canada, along with many of the world’s top stars,” said Gurmeet Singh, Chairman, Global T20 Canada. “The final in front of a packed stadium and millions of fans watching via TV and streaming shows the sport’s potential not only in Canada, but also in North America, and we plan to achieve many more great milestones in future editions.” Bin Zafar’s man of the match performance highlighted a strong showing by Canadians in the tournament, achieving one of the league’s key mandates of developing Canadian talent. Canada captain Nitish Kumar and Nikhil Dutta, the first Canadian selected in the Players Draft, also had strong performances earning acclaim from some of the sport’s biggest

stars, including Australian Steve Smith. Overall, 31 Canadians participated, including many players on Canada’s national team, providing an opportunity to learn from some of the best playing and coaching talent in the sport. Aside from the players, many stakeholders in the Cricket Canada community contributed to making the league’s first edition a success, despite the short runway to launch. “Global T20 Canada is a Cinderella story,” said Cricket Canada president Ranjit Saini. “Operations staff, volunteers and suppliers went out of their way to deliver an outstanding event to viewers. The management, staff and volunteers of Maple Leaf Cricket Club delivered world-class pitches with very limited resources.”

The strong Canadian performances came amid a star-studded field of talent - a major achievement for a new T20 league in an associate member country. Stars that participated included Smith, Chris Gayle, Daren Sammy, Lasith Malinga, Andre Russell and David Warner, among many others. Over 1,500 players from more than 40 countries expressed an interest in participating in the inaugural edition by registering for the Players Draft. Global T20 Canada also was a preview for the future of cricket. Cricket West Indies B, comprised entirely of youth players from the Caribbean, impressed winning its first four matches on the way to a berth in the final. Justin Greaves, who twice won man of the match honours, Nicholas Pooran and

Sherfane Rutherford had standout performances, with Rutherford recording the tournament’s only century. Also, Hong Kong’s Babar Hayat and American Ali Khan captured attention with their strong batting and bowling performances, demonstrating the talent within associate member nations. In total, 19 associate member nations were represented in the rosters of the five franchise teams – Knights, Toronto Nationals, Montreal Tigers, Winnipeg Hawks and Edmonton Royals. Looking ahead, league organizer, Mercuri Canada Ltd., will aim to build on these achievements for future editions. Planning is already underway with decisions to come over the coming months on league dates, markets, venues and other logistics.

Spurs send Leonard, Green Record scorer Cahill to Raptors for DeRozan retires from Socceroos

San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) passes the ball against Denver Nuggets small forward Wilson Chandler (21) during the first half at AT&T Center. (Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports) San Antonio shipped Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick, ending a standoff of nearly seven months of off-court drama for the Spurs. The Spurs announced the deal was official at noon ET yesterday.Leonard requested a trade after a meeting with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. His absence from the team became a point of consternation for Popovich and the Spurs, who didn’t have the All-Star forward on the floor for the final five months of the season because of a quadriceps injury. The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and others checked on Leonard’s availability before Wednesday’s trade, in which the Spurs were able to acquire

another All-Star in DeRozan. ESPN reported yesterday morning that Leonard has “no desire” to play in Toronto. The Raptors are rolling the dice Leonard is healthy and willing to re-sign to stay in Toronto beyond this season. Leonard is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in July 2019. With Leonard playing this season with Toronto, the Raptors would have the advantage of being able to pay $49 million more in a max deal than other suitors, such as the Lakers. Los Angeles and other teams with cap space could offer four years at $141 million; Toronto can reach five years, $190 million.DeRozan’s immediate reaction — after reportedly being informed during a meeting with team brass at Vegas Summer League he would not be traded — was not positive. On his Instagram page

Wednesday morning, DeRozan wrote, “Be told one thing & the outcome another. Can’t trust em. Ain’t no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing... Soon you’ll understand... Don’t disturb...” According to multiple reports, the first-rounder is protected if the Raptors pick anywhere from first to 20th next year. In 2020, the pick would become two second-round picks instead of a firstrounder.DeRozan has three years, $83 million remaining on his contract.Leonard spent his first seven seasons in the NBA with the Spurs, appearing in a total of 407 games and averaging 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Green, a 3-pooint specialist, joined San Antonio in 2010 and averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 520 contests. (Field Level Media)

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer Tim Cahill retired from international football Tuesday, ending an illustrious career that has taken him to four World Cups. The 38-year-old, who s c o r e d 5 0 international goals in 107 appearances, last played for the Socceroos when he came off the bench for their final group game against Peru at the World Cup in Russia. “Today’s the day that I’m officially hanging up my boots on my international career with the Socceroos,” Cahill tweeted. “No words can describe what it has meant to r e p r e s e n t m y c o u n t r y. Massive thank you to everyone for the support throughout all my years wearing the Australian badge.” The former Everton striker, one of the finest players to come out of Australia, did not say if he would continue playing club football. He joined his former club Millwall in the English Championship on a short-term deal in January, after quitting Australia’s Melbourne City in a bid to secure more game time before the World Cup. Governing body Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop hailed Cahill as a “genuine legend of our game and for a long time has been a great ambassador for football”. Ex-teammates and Socceroo fans paid tribute to the tireless player and praised

This file photo shows Australia’s Tim Cahill waving to the fans after Australia defeated Syria in their 2018 World Cup football qualifying match in Sydney. (Photo: AFP) his leadership on and off the field, using the Twitter hashtags #ThanksTim and #ThanksTimmy. “When he put an Australian jersey on, he just had a knack of scoring goals and getting us out of trouble,” former Socceroos great Archie Thompson told commercial broadcaster Channel Nine Tuesday. “He contributed in making football a brand and in making the Socceroos a brand.” Cahill, born in Sydney to a Samoan mother, started his international career playing for Western Samoa Under-20s, and only became a Socceroo in 2004 after an intense lobbying campaign to world body FIFA. Two years later in Germany, he became the first

Australian to net a goal at the World Cup, going to score in two further tournaments in 2010 and 2014. In 2007 he also became the first Australi a n t o score at an Asian Cup, and he helped the Socceroos win the Asian title for the first time in 2015. Before his stint at City, Cahill spent 14 years in England with Millwall and top flight outfit Everton, scoring more than 100 goals, before signing for the New York Red Bulls. Cahill, known for his prodigious vertical leap and trademark goal celebration, when he uses the corner flag as a punching bag, also played for China’s Shanghai Shenhua and Hangzhou Greentown.

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Thursday July 19, 2018

Kaieteur News

NFL’s Cowboys top Forbes ‘Africa real’ World Cup winners, most valuable teams list says Venezuela’s Maduro

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett leads his team to the field for a preseason NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) - The Dallas Cowboys have been ranked the world’s most valuable sports team for a third consecutive year, an annual list published by Forbes showed yesterday, with the National Football League accounting for more than half of the top 50.The NFL’s Cowboys were valued at $4.8 billion, a 14 percent jump compared to last year, Forbes said in a statement. Soccer teams Manchester United ($4.12 billion), Real Madrid ($4.09 billion) and Barcelona ($4.06 billion) occu-

pied the next three spots. Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, who were second on the list last year, rounded out the top five with a value of $4 billion, up 8 percent from a year ago. The average value of the 50 teams on the list is $2.74 billion, the highest to date, up from last year when the average value was $2.5 billion “There has never been a better time to own a top-notch pro sports franchise,” said Kurt Badenhausen, a senior editor at Forbes.“Blockbuster TV contracts and owner-

friendly collective bargaining agreements are fueling record sale prices across major sports leagues.” Teams from the NFL, whose lucrative broadcast contracts dwarf those of other leagues, took up 29 of the top 50 spots.The National Basketball Association had eight teams on the list, led by the Los Angeles Lakers ($3.3 billion) in eighth place, followed by European soccer and MLB, who had seven and six teams. No ice hockey, Formula One or Nascar teams made the cut.

Archer triple-wicket maiden hurts Gloucestershire late CHELTENHAM, England, CMC – Barbadian fast bowler Jofra Archer narrowly missed out on a hat-trick as he snared a triple-wicket maiden, an effort which helped pegged back Gloucestershire late on Tuesday’s second day of the County Championship match against Sussex.Replying to 286 all out made by Sussex on the opening day of the encounter at College Ground, the hosts climbed to 303 for eight – a small lead of 17 runs. On 298 for four, Gloucestershire appeared to be ending the day strongly before the 23-year-old Archer livened up an otherwise frustrating day for Sussex with his brilliant burst in the penultimate over, to finish with three for 59.First, the rightarmer bowled 19-year-old George Drissell (1) and Ryan Higgins (0) with successive deliveries to find himself on a hat-trick.Kieran NoemaBarnett survived the crucial next delivery but succumbed to the second ball he faced, caught the wicket, leaving

Barbadian speedster Jofra Archer. Gloucestershire tottering at the end.Resuming on 42 without loss earlier, Gloucestershire were lifted by 103 from 22-year-old Miles Hammond who helped add 182 for the first wicket with captain Chris Dent, who scored 65.Wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick stroked an unbeaten 48 while James Bracey chipped in with 34, the pair sharing a 65-run third

wicket stand before Barbados-born all-rounder Chris Jordan broke the partnership by trapping Bracey lbw. Archer experienced a breakthrough year in 2017 when he captured a remarkable 61 wickets and scored 638 runs, in his first full season in the County Championship. He was voted the club’s Player-of-the-Season and Young Player-of-the-Season.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro believes Africa and not France are the true winners of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. France beat Croatia 4-2 in Sunday’s final in Moscow, but with a team featuring a number of players of African heritage. “The French team seems like the African team. In reality Africa won the African immigrants who arrived in France,” Maduro said at an event to celebrate Police Day in Venezuela on Monday. “How much have they despised Africa, and in the football World Cup France won the trophy thanks to African players or the sons of Africans.” Two of France’s goalscorers against Croatia have African roots: Paul Pogba’s parents are from Guinea, while Kylian Mbappe’s parents are Cameroonian and Algerian. Of the players who started in the final, Samuel Umtiti was born in Cameroon, Blaise Matuidi’s parents are Angolan and Congolese, N’Golo Kante’s parents are Malian, while Raphael Varane’s father is from the Caribbean island of Martinique. Of the 23-man squad, 16 have African roots of some

France forward Kylian Mbappe (left) and midfielder and teammate Paul Pogba celebrate after they both scored in the Russia 2018 World Cup final against Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Sunday. (Photos: AFP) sort, although captain Hugo Lloris, goalscorer Antoine Griezmann, and striker Olivier Giroud are of European heritage.Maduro nonetheless congratulated the team for the “beautiful” way they played, and paid tribute to his ally and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for putting on “the best World Cup in the history of football”. The Venezuelan leader, who has presided over a collapse of the country’s economy and who has been widely condemned for the repression of opponents, called on France and Europe as a

whole to use this victory as a springboard to end the mistreatment of Africans and Latin Americans. “That’s enough racism in Europe against Africans, enough discrimination against migrants,” he said. “Hopefully France and Europe will appreciate that us, southerners, Africans, Latin Americans, are worthy and powerful.” Maduro has a tense relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has accused him of implementing a “dictatorship” in the South American country.

8th annual GBTI Open

Klautky, Murray, Lowe and Lopes shine in opening round The 8th annual GBTI Open served off on Monday last and the competition has seen some fierce action in the opening games. In the Men’s Open, Ronald Murray defeated Joshua Kaleykeyzi two games to 1; 6-0, 6-7, 6-3. Murray started off the first set aggressively with hard serves and a flurry of cross court forehand winners to leave Kalekeykeyzi unsettled and without answers. The second set, Kaleykeyzi composed himself to play with control as he brought Murray into the net to take the second set to a tiebreak 6-6 (7-5). The third set had some hard hitting rallies, but Murray eventually prevailed 6-3 to win the final game and the match. In the Over 35 category, Andre Lopes defeated Surrendra Khayyam in straight, unanswered sets; 60, 6-0 and Sandeep Chand overpowered Steve DavidLonge 6-0, 6-3. In the Mixed Doubles

Sarah Klautky

Nigel Lowe

Open, Leyland Leacock/Kizzy Richmond defeated Philbert Clarke/Diana Bharrat 6-0, 6-1. Meanwhile, in the Boys’ Singles, Mark McDonald defeated Vaedenand Resaul 6-4, 6-1, Nigel Lowe swept Jared Cruickshank 6-0, 6-0 and Jeremiah Kaleykeyzi defeated Adesh Khayyam 6-4, 6-1.

In the Girls’ Category Sarah Klautky defeated Kalyca Fraser 6-4, 0-6, 10-6. The contest lasted about 2 hrs and saw some lengthy rallies in the grueling sun. The competition continues daily at the GBTI tennis courts in Bel Air Park from 17:00hrs.

Kaieteur News

Thursday July 19, 2018

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EBFA / Juicy Juice U-13 League France’s Kylian Mbappé to donate World Cup earnings to Children’s Charity Eight matches slated for this weekend HuffPost - Kylain Mbappé is sharing his World Cup victory w ith the children of France. The 19-year-old striker who scored four goals in this year’s tournament, helping France capture its second World Cup victory, plans to donate his earnings from the win to a children’s charity, according to French news media. Mbappé plans to donate his earnings to Premiers de Cordée, an organization that offers free sports programmes to disabled and hospitalized children, Le Parisien reported. Ninon Bardel, a spokeswoman for the charity, confirmed Mbappé’s donation in an email to HuffPost on Monday but said it’s too early to say how much it will be. Sebastien Ruffin, general manager of Premiers de Cordée, described Mbappé’s generosity to the organization’s children as no surprise. “Kylian, he’s a great person,” he told Le Parisien, according to a translation by USA Today. “He always finds the right [words] to encourage them. I sometimes even feel that [he] takes more pleasure to play with the kids than the kids themselves.” Mbappé has reportedly

Kylain Mbappé kisses the World Cup trophy following France’s win on Sunday.

Timehri Panthers’ Keron Williams (right) who scored a helmet-trick on Saturday last minute is on the move against Samatta Point/Kaneville.

L

supported the organization, along with other top players, since June 2017. According to Sports Illustrated, Mbappé reportedly earns about £17,000 (about $22,500) per game with bonuses ¯ including £265,000 (about $350,000) for the World Cup victory. Mbappé, who was awarded the best young player of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, became the first teenager to score a goal in a World Cup final since Brazilian soccer legend Pelé

in 1958 at the age of 17. “If Kylian keeps equalling my records like this I may have to dust my boots off again,” Pelé tweeted in response to M b a p p é ’s a s t o u n d i n g performances. “The king will always remain king,” Mbappé tweeted back. Mbappé had been on loan to France’s Paris SaintGermain team from AS Monaco soccer club before signing over to the French team this summer. Mbappé has said he plans on staying.

eaders Timehri Panthers will be seeking to f u r t h e r strengthen their position at the top of the points table when they come up against Swan FC in the feature match from 13:15hrs on Saturday afternoon when play in the inaugural Juicy Juice sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-13 League continues with day four action at the Timehri Red Ground.Both clubs have played three matches to date with Timehri boasting an unblemished record of three wins in as many matches, Swan winning two and l o s i n g o n e .

Diamond United, a confident unit, would be seeking to notch up their third win in as many encounters when they face Herstelling Raiders in the main supporting duel from 12:15hrs, this match would be preceded by a clash at 11:15hrs between Hararuni

The hype surrounding the Guyana Cup 2018 horserace meet is as big as its $15million cash and prizes pay out and sport-betting giant Superbet has been the latest corporate sponsor to support the event that will be run off on August 19th at the Rising Sun Turf Club in Berbice.General Manager of Superbet Guyana, Shrikant Kisoensingh, handed over the sponsorship cheque to organising committee member Roy Jafarally, recently at the company’s Barrack Street, head office during a simple presentation ceremony. Also throwing support behind the Guyana Cup recently have been Discount Store, Hand-in-hand Insurance, Gizmos and Gadgets and Mazi nightclub of the USA. The programme of events for the day has been released and as is customary, the C Class event is the main attraction. The day’s full race

General Manager of Superbet Shrikant Kisoensingh handing over the sponsorship cheque to Roy Jafarally; organising committee member of Guyana Cup 2018. programme reads as follows: 1100M - purse: $680,000. 1) C class and lower, 6) I class and lower 1400M 1 6 0 0 m . To t a l p u r s e : Purse: $581,000. $3,875,000 7) J3 and lower 1400M. 2) 3yr old Derby 1100M - Purse: $485,000. purse: $2,000,000. 8) L class 1400M - purse 3) G1 and lower 1400M - $390,000. purse: $1,550,000. 9) L class 1400M - purse 4) H3 and lower 1100M - $390,000. purse $1,350,000. 10) L class 1100M – purse 5) 2yrs old Guyana Bred $290,000.

Match Day 4 – Saturday July 21 16.Kuru Kururu Warriors vs Soesdyke 21.07.1810:00hrs 10.Hararuni Eagles vsAgricola ““11:15hrs 13. Herstelling Raiders vs Diamond Utd ““12:15hrs 11. Timehri Panthers vs Swan ““13:15hrs Match Day 5 – Sunday July 22 17.Diamond Upsetters vs Swan22.07.1810:00hrs 18.Samatta Point/Kaneville vs Soesdyke ““11:15hrs 19.Agricola vs Herstelling ““12:15hrs 20.Kuru Kururu Warriors vs Diamond Utd““13:15hrs Eagles and Agricola Red Triangle with the day’s first match pitting Soesdyke Falcons against Kuru K u r u r u Wa r r i o r s . Four more matches would be played on Sunday at the same venue and times. Following is the weekend fixture.

Reigning champs ‘Gold is Money’ open defence tonight Superbet rides with Guyana Cup 2018

Part of the action in this year’s GT Beer / Keep Your Five Alive’ Competition. Following two nights of exhilarating action, play in the GT Beer/ ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ Indoor Knockout Futsal Competition is set to continue this evening with five more matches, at the National Gymnasium. In the opening fixture: Albouystown tackle Upsetters, before Future Stars and Alpha Warriors square off. Back Circle then collide with Kitty Hustlers, before Linden’s Dave & Celena All Stars go up against Bent Street. The reigning champs West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ then close the night with a clash against Alexander Village. The winners of tonight’s engagements will join Tiger Bay, Silver Bullets, Showstoppers,

North East La Penitence, Ol Skool Ballers, Sparta Boss, Rhythm Stars, Agricola, Swag Entertainment, Sophia and Leopold Street in round of 16 action on Saturday, at the same venue.According to Promoter Kevin Adonis, close to $800,000 in prize monies and trophies will be up for grabs and only the winners on each day of competition will progress to the next phase. Adonis, whose brainchild it was to conceptualise the tournament six years ago, said the whole concept of ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ is that teams have to keep winning to keep their five players on the court. “That is the only way of keeping your five alive”, Adonis stated.

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Men’s hockey team looking to make big impact in CAC games P. 27

Team Guyana before departing Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri.

Local female chess players ‘Reds’ arrives for Berbice trip, looking forward to the activities to make history in Barbados - First women to represent Guyana P. 29 at CAC Women’s Championship Sasha Shariff,

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Chelsea Juma

Reigning champs ‘Gold is P. 32 Money’ open defence tonight CWI hails ‘appeal’ of brand after penning Betway deal

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Reds Perriera is flanked by former National Coach Albert Smith (left) and Rabindranauth Saywack on his arrival from St Lucia yesterday.

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