Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

Improving Public Education While a few of the nation’s public schools are performing excellent and are achieving very good results at the CXC and National Grade Six, most are not. And it does not seem that things are going to improve anytime soon. The reason is that more mathematics and science teachers are leaving the public education system for jobs in the private schools and overseas in the Caribbean and the United States. Indeed, the nation is already seeing the fall-out from the exit of mathematics and science teachers from the public school system. And while the rest of the world is literally controlled and run by technological advancements, the number of Guyanese students registering for subjects in the hard science and mathematics has decreased significantly. So too is the percentage of passes in examinations, especially the CXC. The simple fact is the country needs well-trained and qualified teachers at all levels and in all subjects to educate our children who in return will help to develop the country. Many who have supported the Minister of Education request for better wages for teachers are also concerned about our trained and qualified teachers leaving our shores for greener pastures. It will no doubt have a deleterious effect on children. Over the years, the country has lost a great number of good Maths and science teachers. This has been a blow to the education system. But an even greater issue at hand is the fact that the nation risks losing many more if conditions do not improve. Most have agreed that teachers should be better paid. The teacher-student ratio should be much less in order to have better overall results. It should be made clear that no one is blaming the teachers for seeking a way out, as this is a natural consequence of human existence, but many are perturbed by the numbers of those leaving and the fact that the country might lose even more. The government has to provide some basic initiatives to reduce the brain drain, including offering scholarships with a bonding period attached, providing house lots and low cost loans for teachers to build their homes and regulate the overseas recruitment agencies to make sure that a suitable notice period is given to the Ministry of Education before teachers could leave. These measures are all well and good but many believe that they are mere specks on the face of the problem. The bottom line is most teachers would like to have wages similar to their fellow teachers in the Caribbean. The government must be made aware that much more monetary resources from the national budget need to be allocated to education. The reality is not all the sectors can get immediate reprieve from the budget, some sectors will have to wait a little longer. It is true that the country has many pressing needs that warrant attention, but none more profound and urgent than the education of children. It will be up to the government to find the fortitude necessary to make the tough decisions in the long-term interest of the children who are the future of the country.The ideal choice, of course, is that the country has enough wellpaid mathematics and science teachers to make sure that a higher percentage of passes are obtained at the examinations. Teacher training is a critical element in the delivery of quality education to children, but this can only happen if the math and science teachers are offered incentives so as not leave our shores. Improving public education system has to be the focus of the government in both the short and long term.

Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

Ramson talks about arrogant authorities DEAR EDITOR; Despite all the objections and legal opinions shared with the City Council, they have marched to folly today in the Magistrate’s Court. After a demand was made on my client to pay $25,000 by an agent for the M&CC for a goods container which was placed adjacent to his business premises, I was instructed by my client to write to the Town Clerk. I took that opportunity to warn not to pursue this

course of direction as it was unlawful. Well, to my surprise, mere days later, my client was served with a summons for him to be charged before the Magistrate’s Court. After the first two cases were called, one of which was against my client, and hearing the points raised by myself and Sase Gunraj appearing for the other Defendant, the prosecutor appearing for the M&CC had no choice but to put its tail

between its legs and not only withdraw the matters against my client and the previous defendant but all the matters against all the defendants without the charge even being read to them. The Prosecutor did however make a promise to “come back”. This is the type of matter which Attorneys at Law would do for fun to teach arrogant authorities a lesson. I say that guardedly since some people are incorrigible

or as old people would say “easy lesson hard fo’ dunce”. So since the M&CC has promised to “come back” so I make my promise to return every single time and have every single charge of this nature dismissed. Those who don’t like hear will feel and the next time I shall be asking for costs. Charles S. Ramson Esq MP Attorney at Law Member of Parliament

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

The AFC’s credibility Serious questions for Minister Broomes, is taking a beating GGMC on the Russian’s death DEAR EDITOR, Yes! Guyana needs a third political party, much like GT&T needs competition. My land line has not been fixed for over two months even though I have made several reports and complaints to the company. They even have the audacity to still send me monthly bills. As I speak about the need for a third party in Guyana let me first say that the AFC is responsible for the seeming quagmire that Guyana has found itself in. Like the WPA back in the 70’s and 80’s, the AFC was making significant traction and headway on the political landscape of Guyana. The healthy mix of its credible founder members was a breath of fresh air for Guyana. Their fearless and objective stances on National issues were supported by many patriotic Guyanese who were rooting for them. They also presented a healthy mix of the predominant ethnic races of Guyana and that too spoke volumes. I was told that the WPA had that same effect when they were in their heyday. Young intellectuals and folks from the Diaspora were moving to align themselves with the AFC and a certain excitement was brewing in Guyana. Then something happened. Next we heard, was that the AFC was joining forces with the APNU. The APNU is dominated by the PNC stalwarts. Many folks, who were encouraged by the formation and potential of the AFC, were not lovers of the PNC; some even hated the PNC. They disliked what Burnham had done to the country, so they shunned his PNC party. Therefore, the

February 14th Cummingsburg marriage of APNU/AFC saw a decisive dent in the support of the AFC. However, all was not lost; some held their noses and voted for the AFC in the Coalition. As a result, the Coalition was able to pull off a nailbiting, very marginal win. What has happened since the Coalition formed the Government is that the AFC and its bold, objective and “freshfaced” policies have all but disappeared. Many of the behavioural patterns for which the government - AFC is a part of the government is being accused of as wrong doings, would not have stood the mustard test were the leaders of the AFC not married to the APNU. The bushy-tailed and bright-eyed founders of the AFC would not have been caught dead anywhere near some of the scandals and missteps of the current administration. Indeed, I could hear the ‘old’ Khemraj, the ‘old’ Nigel and the ‘old’Moses, challenging any administration to explain and/or reject some of the very issues that are now receiving the AFC’s tacit support. Editor, I have been a journalist and a political consultant for many years. I worked in Barbados, Trinidad, the USA and here in Guyana. I even served a stint working for President Desmond Hoyte, during the 1992 election campaign. I am also a marriage counsellor. So if you were to ask me, I would say, that I think the AFC jumped the gun. They married the APNU too soon. Marrying the APNU has so far not served the AFC’s best purposes, except for those in the government and (Continued on page 7)

DEAR EDITOR, In recent days your goodly newspaper carried reports of a tragic mining accident at Annamuri Backdam, Mazaruni, Region Seven, in which a Russian geologist, whose name was only given as Oleg, died after a cave-in. It was also reported that Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, has pronounced on the subsequent investigations… that the company Innovative Mining Inc., owned by Mr. Parmeshwar ‘Joe’ Jagmohan, has been cleared of any negligence. I have watched the rise of Ms. Broomes from an outspoken miner to an admired activist who fought to ensure that our hinterlands are free from trafficked persons. She did admirably at the Ministry of Social Protection where a number of raids occurred on work places including at some of the foreign owned operations. The fact that she was highly critical about some of the infractions at the work places has raised her standings in my eyes. However, her stay at the Ministry of Social Protection was short-lived. She has now been placed at the all-important Ministry of Natural Resources where her knowledge of the mining areas makes her an ideal person to cover the monitoring aspect. Mr. Editor, I stress monitoring as it entails a critical aspect of what we do as a country to ensure our laws are protected and respected. That is why your report of that mining incident has me baffled not only in the haste in which this investigation was closed and the company cleared, but the very words

of the Minister. Mr. Editor, last year, the David Granger administration vowed that every mining death will be investigated and a report compiled. This was following a tragic accident at Mowasie, Konawaruk, in Region Eight where 11 mining workers lost their lives in a pit-cave in. There were a number of other cases which saw inquiries launched and a special investigator appointed. What was so different about this death? The facts of this case, as reported by your newspaper, is that somewhere around June 15-16th, a Russian geologist, whose only name is given as Oleg, was buried alive when the walls of a trench he was working in collapsed. He was reportedly taking samples. Mr. Joe Jagmohan’s company claimed it called in police and alerted the Ministry of Social Protection. The Personnel Manager did not report the incident to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the regulator, until a few days later. The facts of the case are that the remains of the geologist were cremated. The family of the geologist, according to the goodly Minister, was flown in and they stayed at the Marriott. The family did not want

the geologist to be buried here and according to the reports, requested his ashes. Minister Broomes reported that an engineer travelled to the area and came back and said he found no evidence that negligence by the company. That the earth where the samples were being taken from when the walls collapsed became unstable because of soil conditions. There are several questions to be asked. Why was this case not treated like the other mining deaths? Moreso, the fact that a foreigner was killed. The fact of the matter is that when a company sets about doing business that company has to know the rules of the game. There is a regulator. That regulator is GGMC. There is no excuse whatsoever for the company to claim ignorance and for the Minister not to have understood this point would be highly worrying. The Personnel Manager is supposed to know the implications of such a death and that it was his/her obligation to report it immediately to GGMC. Mr. Jagmohan is a prominent businessman who should also know the responsibilities. It is not enough to pass the blame or claim ignorance. We are also unclear when the remains of the ge-

ologist were cremated? Was a post mortem done? Who conducted it? Where was it done? What was the cause of the death? Was Mr. Oleg here officially? Was GGMC aware that Mr. Oleg was here and in our backdams conducting prospecting work for Innovative Mining? Was the family here when the cremation was done? How do we verify? GGMC top officials initially suggested a cover-up? Could it be that Mr. Oleg was murdered? These are all possibilities, Mr. Editor. The police reports and those from Social Protection should all be made available. Is GGMC considering any sanctions against Innovative Mining for not reporting the incident until almost a week later? I am hearing that the company is set to make a donation to President David Granger’s Three Bs program, in the form a bus. These are my random thoughts and I have more. I would love to hear more from the goodly Minister about this incident and possibly a commitment for the report of the incident to be made available. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for one mining company and for Mr. Jagmohan to claim that they did not know that a report had to be made to the GGMC. Ruel Rodrigues

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Why is this multi-billion GPL The youths yearn for change project taking so long to be awarded? DEAR EDITOR, Kindly permit me to add to the growing discussion in your column pertaining to the debate concerning the GOG/IDB/EU funded GPL Project that is yet to be awarded. As a previous writer contended, I also believe that it is very strange that an evaluation took over five months for this project with yet no award being made. After reading the letter you published from Mr. Persaud stating that three Chinese companies are in the hunt for the project, it leaves me to wonder whether there is anything happening behind the scenes. Mr. Editor, we have seen how foreign investors, especially the Chinese have bought their way into the Executive branch of our governments- both present and past. We just have to remember the problems with GTT shares, Marriott and Baishanlin of the PPP and the Harmon affair of the APNU/AFC to know how deep-rooted a problem we have. It leaves me to wonder the extent of how much even our public procurement process has been infiltrated. How would Mr. Persaud and others become convinced that three Chinese companies have been shortlisted? It would at the very least suggest that there is insiders’ knowledge at play. It would not come as a surprise that one of the Chinese

companies would have indicated that they are tipped for the project which they have boldly written to the press to proclaim. I believe that this is the same company that your newspaper exposed for the faulty work undertaken for the GPL sub-stations project. I have also seen the Head of the Hinterland Electrification Programme, Horace James, proclaiming that lowest price is not a criterion for winning a project. This was the justification used to award Cummings Electrical several tenders for which he was not the lowest bidder. What we are not seeing is a response from GPL or the Ministry of Public Infrastructure under which these projects fall about the status of this multi-billion dollar project. Mr. Editor, we would like to see who the bidders are for this project, what were their prices, and what was the engineer’s estimate. This project is funded by the EU and the IDB, both of which are supposed to have high standards for transparency and accountability at least at the level of their headquarters in Europe and the United States. We would want to suppose that the country managers are paying keen attention to the concerns raised. The Guyanese public would also like to know why this project is taking so long to be evaluated. We would want to know that all stops are pulled out that will ensure that all is above board. D. Martin

Serious accusations against Wakenaam Police Station DEAR EDITOR; I wish to notify you that approximately 3 weeks ago I was communicated to by a police officer attached to the Wakenaam Police Station bringing to my attention an administrative illegality of which the officer is currently deeply disturbed over. The officer expressed unwillingness to make the complaint for fear of victimization from the officers who would have colluded to commit the alleged wrong doing. Editor, I understood clearly what the officer was saying and decided to report what was told to me. I made contact with the Ministry of Public Security and registered the complaint to the individual with responsibilities for Neighbourhood Police Officers at the Personnel Division. Subsequently another individual came on the telephone and told me that the Deputy Commander of the Division is looking into the

matter. Notwithstanding the above, I further wish to register the said mentioned complaint publicly through your medium. The complaint is as follows: A Neighbourhood Police Officer (NPO) submitted a 7 days medical and proceeded on medical leave. The said officer then left the country via the CJIA on June 27, 2016. The medical leave came to an end on July 7, 2016. As I pen this missive the NPO has not returned from vacation. The administrative illegality is another officer allegedly made a diary

entry that the NPO returned to work on July 7 and then proceeded on Annual Leave. I was reliably informed that the Sergeant is preparing a report on the matter. Editor, the officer that brought this to my attention is claiming that favoritism is practiced at the station and not all NPO are treated equally. In conclusion I am requesting that this complaint be investigated for it is unfair that such is occurring should it be proven. Ganesh Mahipaul Citizen of Wakenaam

DEAR EDITOR, Each generation has had its own indigenous revolution and this generation, i.e. the youth of today, must create theirs. Guyana today has nearly two-thirds of its population who are 40 years and younger. This is an impressive number for a demographic that yearns for change. Theirs is the responsibility to translate this numerical strength to that of a mass movement that can demand their place at the tableat the regional, national and local government levels- and work with their seniors in influencing the development of programmes where they can acquire the benefits they seek. Unemployment among the youth as per the Caribbean Development Report is averaged at about 40 percent. It means that a significant amount of this potential pool of workers’ skills and talents are lying idle. In the presence of no known national programme that would create productive endeavours for them, they have to get up and demand that programmes be put in place to realize this. Voting like a boss, which was done in 2015 General and Regional Elections, must be transformed into real change to the benefit of this constituency. Optimism and aspiration that 2015 would have seen transformative leadership and a progressive direction such should not wane but be transformed into militant actions to bring about the change that was promised and fought for. Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow was a young man at age 21 in 1905 when he led dockworkers to change the merchant and colonial authorities to bring about improved working and living conditions for workers. From this action the trade union movement was born in

Guyana and the British Commonwealth, which earned him the title Father of Trade Unionism in the British Commonwealth and Guyana’s national hero. Critchlow did not stop in 1905. He continued the fight to advance the welfare of workers in and out of their workplace. In 1926 he organised and participated in the first Caribbean Labour Conference, which charted a course for the development of the Caribbean peoples. That programme included the fight for one man one vote (universal suffrage), internal self-government, West Indian Federation, prison reform, minimum wage, 8-hour work day, public education and health for all, among others. In the 1940s a new youth leadership brigade that included Cheddie Jagan and Forbes Burnham (men in their 30s) hit the national landscape bringing their brand of revolution. They joined the trade union movement and embraced its agenda, advanced its programme, and incorporated same into a national political movement. This militancy led to the intensification of the fight for internal self-government which resulted in independence and republic status. As a trade unionist, I am proud that one of the first things independent Guyana did was to become a member of the world’s oldest body, the International Labour Organisation. From this association two conventions were in 1966 ratified. They are Freedom of Association (Convention No. 87) and the Right to Collective Bargaining (Convention No. 98). My generation has seen the revolution that demanded equity in the political system and the trade union movement. This resulted in greater involvement of young people

in the decision-making processes, both in the union and politics. The youth in the trade movement carried the national fight to improve workers conditions. At the political level youth agitated for the age of voting to move from 21 years to 18 years. A batch of young people associated with the PNC marched from Linden to Georgetown and pressed the Forbes Burnham government to change the voting age, which he did, and we today retain. In 2012, another spark was seen in Linden/Region 10 when the youthful political leadership of Sharma Solomon and Vanessa Kissoon along with experienced trade unionists Leslie Gonsalves, Charles Sampson and Maurice Butters on the ground, that saw a struggle the likes that not been seen for some time in this society. This has resulted in inking of an agreement with Central Government on 21st August 2012 that came with the blood, sweat and tears of members of the community. This agreement includes an Economic Committee to develop an Economic Plan for the Region’s development. The people of Linden/Region 10 must hold the APNU+AFC government and regional authority responsible for implementing the Agreement. Dispensing handouts does not constitute upholding of an agreement for economic self-sufficiency. In life you get what you struggle for. This generation must now stand up and struggle for what they want. They must be their own revolutionaries. It is Labour’s view that national programmes must take on board the concerns of all groups, and particularly in this case new jobs must be created to attract and employ the young. Lincoln Lewis.

A mission to make Georgetown great again DEAR EDITOR; Please refer to a letter which appeared in your newspaper issue of Saturday July 16, 2016: “The Town Clerk believes he is the law”. Mark Roopan is at it again writing on matters he has very little knowledge about. This is

demonstrated by his utterances, in this and other letters. No Mark Roopan, the Town Clerk does not believe he is the law as you supposed. Rather the Town Clerk is acting on a statutory obligation to enforce compliance to the laws and by laws of the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01. It is an important function of the City Council as a regulatory body; we have no other option. And yes, part of this responsibility is to ensure that

all, including businesses, pay their fair share and make their contributions to protect and preserve the City of Georgetown. Frankly, judging from Mark Roopan’s statements he appears to be an individual, who cares little or nothing about the condition of our City. If he did then he would know that it takes substantial amounts of money to sustainably develop this national Capital. Perhaps, Mark Roopan feels more comfortable living in a disorganized,

filthy City—the exact physical condition of Georgetown about twelve months ago. During that period, there was no Mark Roopan to speak about law because there was very little enforcement of our by-laws; there was, and still is, in certain parts, a high level of indiscipline and lawlessness. One wonders how it is possible for individuals such as Roopan, to speak so dismissively of the efforts of this City Council to restore Georgetown and the justified

need for money, apparently without any sense of shame. However, we wish to remind Mark Roopan that we are on a mission to make Georgetown the cleanest and greenest City of the Caribbean. He can write all he wants, we are confident that, this city will be transformed; it will be clean, and there will be law and order. We will not stop until this is achieved because we are determined to leave a good legacy of a sustainably clean, safe and healthy Georgetown for the next generation. We will achieve our mission regardless of degrees of difficulties. Debra Lewis Public Relations Officer Mayor and City Council

Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur M@ilbox Region 5 Good Samaritan leads the way DEAR EDITOR, On Tuesday, June 4, pensioners living in Blairmont and neighbouring villages finally got some much-needed relief from the rain and blistering sun, and can now rest their weary legs while waiting at the Blairmont Post Office to cash their Old Age Pension vouchers. On June 10, I wrote a letter in the press in support of two previous letters, denouncing the undignified manner in which our senior citizens are treated every month at many post offices nationwide as they wait patiently for long, exhaustive hours to collect the $18,000 subsistence given by the government. I then called upon the Guyana Post Office Corporation -GPOC to provide a more reliable, hassle-free service to our most vulnerable, our elderly. Today, I’m pleased that a Good Samaritan and native of Blairmont, Mr Norang Persaud, undertook this noble initiative and erected a permanent shed with wooden benches adjoining the front of the Blairmont Post Office with the blessing and approval of the GPOC. At a small opening ceremony attended by GPOC Postmistress General, Ms. Karen

Brown; Area Manager, Mr. Balkarran Kissoon; PRO Telesha Whyte and Region 5 Vice-Chairman, Mr. Rion Peters, an overview of the project was given by Mr. Persaud, who had so far spent $400,000 of his own savings, and called for other civic-minded persons in the business community to replicate this initiative in other parts of the country. But while we appreciate this initiative, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect the business community, which is under undue pressure in a declining economy, to undertake the responsibilities of government. Our private sector is already burdened with high taxes, a struggling economy, high interest rates and lack of government incentives needed to promote growth and job-creation. I was also pleased with the commitment given by GPOC Postmistress General, Ms. Karen Brown to undertake additional improvements to the facility to prevent flooding and to provide a wheelchair ramp to the entrance of the Blairmont Post Office as is required by the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2010 Section 28 (1). Our senior citizens deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. HARRY GILL Member of Parliament (PPP/C)

The AFC’s credibility is taking... From page 5 a few other favoured ones. But the general supporters of the AFC feel betrayed. If the leaders of the AFC doubt me, they could do an audit of their supporters’ morale. I think the AFC has been weakened. Their credibility continues to take a hit. Instead of gaining ground, they have lost ground. If the AFC had waited another election cycle, and if they had continued with their focus on the working-class, on patriotism, and on transparency, they would have gained significant political collateral to better negotiate the conditions of any accord; either with the PPP or the APNU. But now their hands are tied. Their supporters across the country, especially the Indo-Guyanese, are in disarray. Additionally, there seems to be some internal disunity. And the AFC is stock because they are now legally married and any divorce will mostly hurt them. I understand that the Coalition gov-

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ernment is receiving high marks on their functionality. The international community seems to admire how things are going. The consensus is that the marriage is holding strong. They say time will tell. We are hearing that while the better life is not yet being realized by the average Guyanese, it is in the making; better days are coming. Well, we are all watching and waiting and hoping and praying. Until then, I am registering my opinion that based on how things are shaping up, Guyana needs a third party

and here is why I am saying this. If things continue the way there are going, the Coalition will be a one term government. If this Coalition loses, the AFC will be further decimated. And depending on who wins the next election, Guyana could be catapulted back to an age of blatant skullduggery and nepotism, where our wealth will be siphoned off to just a few family member and friends. And if that happens, I will hold the AFC singularly responsible. Editor, I am still waiting on GT&T to fix my phone line Pastor Wendell Jeffrey

Kaieteur M@ilbox This lady’s traffic plans need adjusting DEAR EDITOR, Is there a saying, “Don’t plan my life unless you have walked in my shoes?” If not, there should be. This is in response to the letter entitled “I am no longer enamored with the coalition” by one Lorna Abraham in Thursday’s Kaieteur News. I’m referring specifically to her suggestions which are supposed to ease the traffic congestion in Georgetown. The problem with Guyanese who reside abroad suggesting ideas to be implemented locally is that they don’t put themselves in the shoes of the average person here, as is evidently the case with Ms. Abraham. If her suggestions were implemented, how much would it cost, for example, an average store worker to pay these extra finances daily from her meager salary? Is a system like this in use in any other major city abroad? If so, which? While Guyana’s coastal towns are ideal for bicycle riding, providing and having everyone mounted on rented city bicycles presents its own logistical nightmares which would result in others pointing the accusing finger of ineptitude at the Coalition once again. Guyanese are too smart and, unfortunately, too many of us are too dishonest not to invent schemes to spirit away bicycles provided for citizens to get around the city. History has taught us that Government taking the reins

of owning and running buses and other vehicles for transportation results in disaster. Do the names Tata, Caio etc. ring a bell? Did I read correctly or did she actually suggest that goods should only be transported on Saturdays to business places? As a business person who needs supplies a minimum of three times per week or if I’m a practicing Jew or Seventh Day Adventist, I would be quaking in my business boots at such a suggestion. While I do agree more parking lots should be made available, especially around the downtown area, her suggestions on how people should get to these outlying parking lots to the center of the city needs rethinking. Bicycles should be made cheaper but woe unto those who cannot ride. One is tempted to suggest providing roller-skating boards for getting around more easily from these parking lots, but I foresee a problem with robust Mrs. Narine maneuvering her way on roller skates from the Stelling to her bank on Rob Street to conduct her transaction. One might even be facetious enough to suggest Guyanese do more walking but, alas, unlike the U.S. we’re not a nation of fat people and do not need this much exercise. My suggestion, therefore, is a significant revamping of this Master Plan by Ms. Abraham. More parking lots and bicycles sold cheaply for those gifted with the “riding gene.” Then, with the influx of so

many bicycles, we have to think about whether or not to paint bicycle lanes on our already too narrow streets. Target some of those vacant lots or spots with dilapidated abandoned buildings to be converted into parking lots. There seems to be quite a few of these along Water Street between Guyana Stores and Tiger Bay area. Parking meters are not a bad idea since it discourages people from hogging the parking spot for the entire day. People should be able to drive into the city, park for half an hour to transact business and move on again, giving others a chance to do the same. How they acquire these parking meters is another pot of trouble which I’m not prepared to stir at this sitting. While suggestions from Guyanese overseas are welcomed, it would be more practical if said Guyanese temper such suggestions by putting themselves in the shoes of Guyanese at home who do not possess the earning power of our brethren abroad. Failing to consider this would soon have us receiving suggestions proposing the Coalition seriously invest in a subway system (yes, in under sea level Georgetown) to ease the congestion in our Garden City. Malcolm Alves

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Couple arrested after baby killed Police attached to the Charity Outpost, Saturday arrested a young Jacklow, Upper Pomeroon River couple for questioning into the death of their four-year-old baby. The baby was allegedly struck by the woman’s husband during a heated altercation between the couple at the home Friday night. It is unclear what type of object the child was struck with but according to reports, the couple apparently had an argument which then

led to a physical confrontation. The man reportedly armed himself with a heavy object and attempted to hit his wife who used the baby as a shield. Other reports have suggested that the husband was imbibing alcohol since Sunday. The report added that the man previously threatened his wife that he would kill the baby who he consistently denied fathering. The couple remains in police custody.

Police hunt E’bo rapist The police are yet to apprehend a 21-year-old, Andrews, Essequibo Coast man who raped a 15- year-old, Eighth of May Secondary

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Kaieteur News

School student. Reports have indicated that the teenager was sent to a shop in her Village. She told her mother that on her way, the 21-year-old suspect rode up, placed her on the bicycle and rode away with her to the seawall where he proceeded to have sex with her. The report stated that the teenager returned home after the encounter with the suspect and reported to her

mother what had transpired. The mother then lodged a complaint with the police who have since launched an investigation but the suspect continues to evade them. Most recently, in the Essequibo Coast, a 71-year-old Bush Lot pensioner was implicated in the rape of his 13-year-old granddaugther. The man has since been charged and remanded to prison.

Britain remains committed to Guyana - UK High Commissioner …Brexit Effects will only be short-term The University of Guyana began its series of “Tain and Turkeyen Talks” last Tuesday at Duke Lodge, Kingston. The panellists discussed the implications of the Brexit vote. Sitting on the panel was UK High Commissioner Greg Quinn, who said that the effects of Britain’s exit from the European Union will be at most short-term. On June 23, last, a referendum vote was held in the UK to decide whether the country should leave or remain in the EU. The majority voted for Britain to withdraw from the EU. Following the vote there has been public debate regarding what could be the possible far reaching effects of the vote. Quinn told the gathering of students, lecturers, Government and private sector officials, that the world did not stop spinning on June 24, 2016, when the results were announced. He said that the new position in which Britain finds itself will encourage the building of new relationships, between the UK and EU; and the UK and the Commonwealth. According to Quinn these new agreements which will have to be put in place will provide opportunities to expand cooperation, trade and other activities. “We see for example, the reinvigoration of the relationship with the Commonwealth that Prime Minister Cameron started last year.” Further, the High Commissioner said that the UK is not

UK High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn going anywhere. He guaranteed that his nation intends to continue playing an influential role in the world; politically and economically. Quinn said that the Brexit vote will not affect his country’s presence and role in the Caribbean region. He said that the UK is still in the region and is for the region. He told the forum that Britain will remain committed to Guyana and that all promised funding will still be provided. Quinn said that the reasons for the referendum are now irrelevant. He considers it as an exercise of democracy and that the choice of the people has been clear. He said that until Britain fully exits the EU it will continue to play its role as a full member of the organisation. Britain will formally leave the EU in 2018. The High Commissioner

declared that Britain’s role in the world was not solely dependent on its presence in the EU. He said that his country is still the world’s fifth largest economy; it is still a member of the G7 states and the Commonwealth of Nations. He also acknowledged that the vote did come with its fair share of negative impacts. Quinn said that the vote has indeed created an atmosphere of uncertainty, particularly in the political and economic arenas. However, he does not foresee these impacts surviving over a prolonged period. The High Commissioner reported that since the historic vote there has been an upsurge of hate crimes in Britain. He said that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. He said that his country continues to stand behind its fundamental principles, the rule of law and will uphold the human rights of all people. The Brexit vote was one of the headlining issues discussed at the recently held at the Thirty-Seventh Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government as West Indians were sceptical about how the vote will affect the Region. Chairman of the Conference Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit said that the Region has had a profound relationship with the UK and it is one of the Region’s most important trading partners. Additionally, he said that West Indians should not allow themselves to be driven to imitate what happened to Britain.

Judicial colloquium on the abolition of the death penalty slated for July 20 The European Union (EU) Delegation to Guyana, in partnership with the International Commission against the Death Penalty, the Chancellor of the Judiciary, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Suriname, is facilitating a Judicial Colloquium on the Abolition of the Death Penalty. Ms. Navi Pillay, former

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and current Commissioner of the International Commission against the Death Penalty, Mr Ivan Šimonoviæ, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, and Emeritus Professor, Marc Bossuyt, Emeritus President of the Constitutional Court of Belgium, shall participate in the Colloquium. The event is slated for July 20, next at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston. The Colloquium shall include members of the local Judiciary and shall consider the themes of the role of the United Nations in the abolition of the death penalty, the experience of other countries in abolishing the death penalty, the second optional protocol to the international covenant on civil and political rights and the role of Judges

in abolishing the death penalty. The European Union, the International Commission against the Death Penalty and the United Nations advocate for the universal abolition of the death penalty. This is based on the fundamental nature of the right to life; the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people; and the absence of proof that the death penalty serves as a deterrent to crime. The abolition of the death penalty is essential for the protection of human dignity, as well as for the progressive development of human rights, they argue. Guyana still has the death penalty on its statutes. A public consultation on its abolition opted to retain the death penalty. However, there has not been an execution in Guyana since 1997.

Sunday July 17, 2016

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT…

Dem boys seh...

Contract awards must have greater transparency – Finance Minister The area of public procurement is expected to face greater scrutiny. Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, intends to tighten up on all loopholes in this area. According to Jordan, he intends to provide a greater degree of assurance about the transparency and fairness needed in the award of contracts. The economist wants to ensure greater confidence from all stakeholders in the system. He insists that this becomes paramount since there is no Public Procurement Commission (PPC) in place. The economist said that this is also part and parcel of his efforts to bring transparency to the national budgets as more than 70 percent of it deals with public procurement. The Finance Minister noted that the appointment of

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Kaieteur News

the five-member Commission requires the approval of twothirds of the Members of the National Assembly. He said that unfortunately, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) is not viewed as independent enough to carry out an objective assessment of tenders leading up to the award of contracts. Jordan recalled that the Government has recently announced the replacement of members of the NPTAB. He said that there will also be compliance with principles laid out in the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and United Nations Convention against Corruption to which Guyana is a signatory. The Finance Minister said that Government will review and revise where necessary the Procurement Act and its

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan Regulations and present these to the National Assembly by December 2017. He said, too, that the NPTAB will establish complaints mechanisms and debarment procedures that take account of international

best practices. The deadline for this is also December 2017. In the meantime, Government has approved the implementation of a Bid Protest Committee which will receive complaints of breaches in the state’s tendering process. The body had been one of the requirements laid out in the public procurement regulations. Cabinet has since received recommendations from Jordan, for the appointment of a Bid Protest Committee. A nominee of the Attorney General’s Chambers is expected to be the Chairperson. The other members are Archibald Clifton, a former senior manager of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and Continued on page 71

De evening of yuh life is determined by the morning of it A man tell dem boys de other day that a Fuss Standard teacha show him the results of a creative writing project that she class did. She asked the kids to complete a series of sentences that start wid, “I wish…” The teacher think dem children would a write about their desire for bicycles, toys, animals, and trips to the zoo and so on etc. Instead, twenty of the thirty students made reference to the breakup of their families or conflict at home: “I wish my parents wouldn’t fight.” “I wish my father would come back.” “I wish I could get full marks, so my dad would love me.” “I wish my mother didn’t have a boyfriend.” “I wish I had one mum and one dad, so the kids wouldn’t make fun of me. I have three mammy and three daddy, and they mess up my life.” “I wish I had an M-1 rifle so I could shoot those who make fun of me.” Jagdeo was in that same class and he wrote I WISH when I get big I can turn president and thief nuff, nuff govt money. Apart from Jagdeo, is hardly front-page news that the family got more troubles than anything else today. De teacher seh it continues to distress she to see little children struggling at a time when dem really should be growing up and playing. Growing up fuh dem now is a day’s wuk. Millions of these children, except Jagdeo and Ashni plus Brassington in that kind of mess. That is why dem got so much widespread thiefing, rape and murder. And dem ain’t got no good people to help dem. Jagdeo run all of dem out. Now we got young people who don’t have a role model but dem boys got an advice fuh dem. You determine the end of your life by the beginning of it, the evening of your life by the morning of it. You decide today where you’re going to be 20 years from now by what choices you make and what roads you take. Talk half and watch how you live today.

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IMF lauds Govt. for reducing bailouts to GuySuCo The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is pleased that the coalition administration is committed to restructuring public enterprises to reduce their reliance on government support. With particular reference to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Executive Members of the IMF said in their most recent report that the re-engineering of the state entity to a new business model aims to reduce inefficiencies and place operations on a financially sustainable path. Significantly, during their analysis of Guyana’s financial systems and budgets, they observed that planned budget transfers have been substantially reduced for 2016. The IMF team said that it was pleased to learn from authorities here that budget transfers are expected to

steadily decline and eventually cease over the medium term. Transfers to the Guyana Sugar Corporation were equivalent to 1.8 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015 and are budgeted at about 1.3 percent of GDP for 2016. The IMF Executive Members urged the Government however to adopt a restructuring plan for the sector that will improve cost efficiency, productivity, and alternative revenues streams, drawing upon the reforms proposed by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the state entity. They said that while the initial steps taken in that direction are welcomed, scope and pace of reform should take into account social implications. Furthermore, it appears that the government is follow-

ing through with its plans as expressed to the IMF as it has been showing GuySuCo some tough love recently. Kaieteur News understands that the entity received some $9B to handle its expenses this year and it has already expended more that 80 percent of that money. Even though it has since turned to the Government for assistance, it does not seem for the time being that its usual bailouts would be coming anytime soon. GuySuCo Chairman, Dr. Clive Thomas, said that the entity will have to resort to selling some of its lands to generate income for its unforeseen expenses over the coming years. The economist said, “What we are trying to do is to use land sales as an important means of financing over the next four to five years. We are looking at our land hold-

GuySuCo Chairman, Dr. Clive Thomas ings to see what is possible. Then (we will) decide on how to structure the sales. We have a fair idea to get (sums). So that is a significant source of income.” He added, “We asked for $12B this year and we got $9B. The rest has to be supplied by land sales. We are also trying to get the (private cane) farmers to diversify into other industries, if they want to. (Also) we have processing plants in Wales so we want to do some (more) juice canning.” Dr. Thomas stated that offers have already been coming in for the corporation to

consider. The Chairman also spoke about land along Mandela Avenue, which the corporation had realized was being disposed of by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC). He stated that this was attributed to a misconception that the land belonged to the M&CC. As for the “extreme” recommendations noted in the report on the Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry, Dr. Thomas cautioned that those working in the sector should not be worried for one bit whether the sector would be closing shop. “Indeed the changes that are coming will be radical, but it is necessary, because you cannot expect to be doing the same thing every year and getting different results. But we aren’t closing shop. We are concerned about the survival of this industry, but more importantly, bringing it to good health. “We are trying to move towards value added products coming out of the sugar assets. We are trying to use the assets of the industry in a more creative way.” Dr. Thomas said that he is working towards recovering Skeldon’s co-generation plant which was sold to Skeldon Energy Inc. (SEI). He said that the former

IMF Boss, Christine Lagarde CEO of GuySuCo, Rajendra Singh, sold the company’s generation facilities to Skeldon Energy Inc—a Special Purpose Company jointly owned by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), for US$30m, only to have it buy back power to run the factory. To date the sugar company has also only been paid US$19M of the agreed US$30M and SEI has since indicated that it could revise (Continued on page 69)

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur News

$90 M Haags Bosch compactor Cops detain stepfather in alleged rape of three children forms part of $221M landfill deal

The home where the victims resided Police in ‘B’ Division have detained the 40-year-old stepfather of the three sisters, aged 10, seven and four, who were allegedly sexually assaulted and then put out of their home. The man was arrested at his East Bank Berbice home around 02.00 hrs yesterday. Divisional Commander, Ian Amsterdam confirmed that the victims are still hospitalised. An official from the Childcare and Protection Agency said that the children will be interviewed on Mon-

day. The findings will be handed over to the police. Meanwhile, police can approach the court to detain the stepfather until the CPA investigation is complete. If the evidence is there, he could be jailed for life under the Sexual Offences Act. The mother of the children is also likely to be charged under the Child Protection Act. “If she needs help she will get help,” the official said. The abuse came to light late last week after villagers found the alleged victims on the Edinburgh seawall and

alerted a Welfare Officer, who contacted the police. The victims disclosed that their stepfather raped them and then told them to leave their home. A medical examination reportedly revealed signs of sexual assault. Police had detained the mother, who has 14 children, 11 of whom are girls. Neighbours in the area disclosed that the victims suffered physical abuse at the hands of their step-father. They also mentioned that the girls were often left alone with (Continued on page 69)

Head of the Sanitation Management Unit of the Ministry of Communities, Gordon Gilkes, has stated that the Landfill Compactor that was purchased in 2014 will be handed over to newly contracted Haags Bosch manager, Puran Bros. This was disclosed after the signing of a contract valued at $221 million between the Ministry of Communities and local contractors, the Puran Brothers Garbage Disposal Inc. Gilkes said that the “specialist” equipment, which is used to compact garbage to the required density at dumpsites, was procured in October 2014 but was never handed over to former manager of Haags Bosch, BK International due to a number of issues related to the possible management and maintenance of the multi-million equipment. He continued that Genequip was the official maintenance provider for the

- Gordon Gilkes

Head of Sanitation Department Gordon Gilkes machine and BK International at the time, insisted on providing their own maintenance services. He said that the investment was too expensive for government to risk possible damages to the piece of equipment. Lakenauth Puran, at the signing, maintained that his company remains committed

to ensuring that the Haags Bosch Landfill Site is transformed into a site that complies with local and international environmental standards. He vowed that his company will work closely along with the Ministry of Communities towards improving the aesthetics of the site and move towards implementing regulations that are in accordance with the relevant health standards.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

City Hall mulls replacing GRA for vehicle licensing According to City legislations, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has responsibility for the identification of all public transportation system operating in Georgetown. This is supported under Section 301 (26) of the Municipal and District Council’s Act Chapter 28:01 which states that the M&CC has the authority, “to supervise, control and regulate hackney carriages and carts plying for hire and the drivers thereof.” These “Hackney carriages” are automobiles for hire. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been overseeing this service and is receiving the related fees. The M&CC, as part of its wider traffic management programme, is moving to reclaim status over this service. Town Clerk, Royston King, is reportedly moving to write the state revenue collection agency to begin discussions on reverting management of identifying public transportation to the City. City By-laws declare the size and content of the hackney identification mark. King has said that a new logo is necessary to depict a true Georgetown identity. However, while the Town Clerk initiates talks with the GRA, he will also provide the Mayor and Councillors with an essay on the subject for their deliberation at a meeting. City Hall is currently mandated to provide suitable parking lots for public transportation and taxis, while managing private parking. The need to regain control of traffic and congestion matters has seen the city turn to the controversial parking meters, parking lots and even the recent removal of street vendors in commercial areas. King said that the

Town Clerk, Royston King identification of taxis, minibuses and other public automobiles by the city will aid in the management of public transportation. Only authorized transportation will be allowed in designated areas and will be given preferential treatment as a “city registered Operator” plying routes in Georgetown. He continued that it is the Municipality’s interest to look into the service rendered to citizens by public operators. King noted that many persons complain about loud music, overcrowding, drinking drivers and fast driving when traveling. He said that City Hall intends to engage drivers and/ or the minibus unions to address these matters. In an interview with Kaieteur News, King said that this latest move is part of a wider plan to organize transportation within the city limits and at the same time garner revenue so that City Hall can channel the additional revenue towards the repair of bridges, parapets and roads. He noted that public transport in the city is very chaotic and often results in the degradation of Georgetown’s roadways.

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Corentyne man jailed for killing “Dry Shrimp” back in 2008 A man who was incarcerated since 2008 on a charge of murder, but subsequently pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter has been jailed for seven years. Omar Bacchus, 23, called ‘Batty Shine’ of Bloomfield, Village Corentyne Berbice was indicted for the 2008 murder of Chandradat Hemraj, 34, called ‘Sugar Boy’ or ‘Dry Shrimp’ . He appeared before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a mixed jury in the Berbice High Court. The accused, through state appointed attorney at law, Perry Gossai, had indicated to the court that he wanted to take a certain course of action. He then pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. A probation report was then ordered by Justice Reynolds. The report was presented by Senior Probation and Social Service Officer Claudia Munroe. The

report detailed that Bacchus was the youngest of four children. His parents were both alcoholics. He had a poor upbringing and left school at the age of nine and began working, doing odd jobs to assist the family. He continued in the same vein until he was incarcerated. At the time of his incarceration he was the sole breadwinner and resided with an older brother who was an alcoholic and “Junkie”. He was a product of child labour and illiterate. He smoked marijuana and drank alcohol. He was also accused of smoking cocaine and committing petty crimes in the community. The accused and deceased were both friends. They used to hang out, drink and smoke together. The deceased was described as a “junkie”. However, he was helpful to his family and two sisters suffered mental breakdown after his demise. In a passionate plea of mitigation attorney at law,

Perry Gossai, asked the court to be lenient with his client who was a product of circumstances he had no control over. He was incarcerated for eight calendar years because of poverty; he could not afford a lawyer. His constitutional rights were breached because he did not get a trial in a reasonable time. He said that his client has thrown himself at the mercies of the court and is pleading for leniency. Justice Reyonlds before passing sentence, expressed his disappointment that after 50 years the country is not where it should be, in that a citizen could be known as “Batty Shine”. He wondered what is happening in the society. He lamented the time that the accused spent in jail and urged that more should be done for persons who live in troubled environments. The judge stated that he had in mind 25 years. He however took a number of factors into consideration. He

subtracted five years for him pleading guilty, the eight years during which he was incarcerated, another year for his circumstances and age and one for the plea made by his lawyer, thus leaving a total of seven years. The case for the prosecution as presented by Prosecutor attorney at law Stacy Goddings was that between August 30 and September 3, 2008 at Bloomfield Village, Corentyne Berbice, Bacchus murdered Hemraj, a father of three who was found dead at Bloomfield, Corentyne days after he went missing. Hemraj of Third Street, Bloomfield, Corentyne Berbice was found face down in a ditch located at the back of a yard behind an abandoned house. He had left his home at Letter Kenny about three days before to attend a religious function a few villages away but failed to return home. It is understood that he had returned to his home

village, but instead of going home he had stopped at a birthday celebration a few houses from where he lived. While he was there he was asked to purchase some cigarettes and was given a bicycle and $1,000 to run the errand. He never returned. When the body was found it was semi-nude with visible marks of violence and there

were indications that he was also sodomised . He had no shirt on and his pants and brief were around his knees. A post mortem performed on the body by Dr. Viviknand Brijmohan gave the cause of death as Asphyxia, drowning and multiple injuries. Six persons were initially arrested, however Bacchus was charged with the murder.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Police promote 187 ranks for 177th anniversary As the Guyana Police Force (GPF) celebrates its 177th Anniversary, the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud has promoted ranks of the Regular Force, Special Constabulary, Guytrac and Rural Constabulary because of their hard work and dedication to the job. Below are the ranks who were promoted yesterday. TO SERGEANT No. 12942 13886 14229 14735 W. 14891 15172 W.15491 W. 16183 W.16282 W. 16309 16445 W. 16768 16999 17045 W. 17171 W. 17200 W. 17707 18013 18028 W. 18197 W. 18246 18262 18348 18662 18724 18738 18871 18977 19045 19109 19309 19321 19429 19601 19628 19863 W. 19981 W. 19986 W. 20136 W. 20216 20289 20310 20393 20464 20532 W. 20642

Rank Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal

Name Sampson Semple Rollox Premanand Ross-Hinds Johnson Sandiford Jack Arthur Halley Crawford Tucker Ibaran Peters Aaron Blair Pitman Fordyce Mohamed Williams- Liverpool Adams Morris Parris Lawrence Grannum Stephen Clarke Kellman Chand Chunia Lowe Cummings Correia Seetaram Rikiram Koulen Castello Headley Roach Benjamin Mingo George Lynch Leocock Bhowan Bobb

TO CORPORAL No. 14174 16276 16902 17955 18403 18978 19950 19962 20897 21303 21512 21917 W. 15057 W. 17698 W. 20597 W. 16533 W. 16699 18163 18172 W. 18188 18320 18561 18624 19475 W. 20240

Rank Constable Lance Corporal Constable Constable Constable Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Constable Constable Constable Lance Corporal Constable Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Constable Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Constable Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal

Name Lambert Wilburgh Johnson Singh Fraser Mc Kenzie Longhorn Etwaroo Tinnie Murray Whyte Hoosein Richmond Garraway Adams Williams Miller Roberts Barker Griffith Fernandes Chattergoon Rose Mentis Marshall

W. 20315 W. 20317 20351 20354 W. 20373 W. 20422 W. 20907 W. 22131 W. 17191 17844 18659 18751 19297 19565 19655 19656 19811 19876 20221 W. 20417 W. 20418 20528 20615 W. 20616 W. 20708 20723 20883 W. 20903 21140 21170 21515 21557 21852 21862 W. 21382

Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable

Barlow Collins Creame Alicock Thompson Joseph Wilson Joyce Allicock Thomas Garnette Rockcliffe Singh O’ Brian Haniff Cole Griffith Phillips Forde Austin Bourne Roberts Williams Junior Rodney Cyril Scott Smith Austin Deane Nicholas Hope Jordan Archer James

W. 9071 W. 9091 W.11067 W.12387 13349

Rank Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable

Name Mc Koy Narine Sukhna Persaud Moore Porter Dowlin Lawrence Browne Fraser Goddette Williams Alexander Griffith Craigen Balliram Persaud Da Silva Christy Patterson Cornelius Kellman Hilliman Cunje Bissessar Monasingh Boson Nunes Langevine Yearwood Hartman Cummings Henry

SPECIAL CONSTABULARYAND REGULAR RANKS TO SERGEANT No. 7842

Rank Corporal

Name King

La Rose Roach Josiah Adams Kilkenny

TO CORPORAL No. 12164 8743 9508 W. 7661 W. 7757 W. 7906 W. 8444 W. 9032

Rank Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Constable Constable Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance Corporal

Name Hamilton Benjamin Ridley Vancooten Wade Sulker Wright Greaves

TO LANCE CORPORAL No. 7193 8376 8411 9512 W. 9869 W. 10906 11813 11871 12549 14046 14109 14627

Rank Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable

Name Goodridge Mentis Rollins Fraser Hamilton Alves Joseph Moideen Phagwa Anderson Dey Jacobs

GUYSTAC RANKS

TO LANCE CORPORAL No. W/16186 18696 18993 19001 19212 19599 19758 19952 W. 20307 20350 20408 W. 20593 20596 20620 20640 20717 20765 20892 20997 21035 21069 21070 21381 21198 21584 W. 21701 W. 21745 22104 22447 W. 22466 22638 23284 23294

Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal

TO SERGEANT No. W. 7625 W. 8838

Rank Corporal Corporal

Name Cummings Williams

TO CORPORAL No. W. 8557 W. 12555

Rank Lance Corporal Constable

Name Jessemy Lewis

TO LANCE CORPORAL No. 11374 12951

Rank Constable Constable

Name Stephen Cumberbatch

RURAL CONSTABULARY TO SERGEANT Rank Corporal Corporal Corporal Corporal

Name Tyrell Thompson Malcolm Bristol Campton Veerasammy Avery Trim TO CORPORAL

Rank Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable Constable

Name Persaud Cyrus Reynolds Rajpaul Singh Davenand Ramkaran Rakeshwar Sherry Cully Abdul Ahmad Lyn Sauers Adrian Azeez Royston Albert Lindon Barhoye Clyde James

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur News

No more Old Age Pension for overseas-based Guyanese Even as the Ministry of Social Protection continues to take step towards curbing the incidence of fraud and illegality committed against the Old Age Pension Scheme, citizens, law makers and Opposition politicians are raising their concerns about the matter. Former Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall is one such politician. In a detailed post on his social media page, Nandlall who is also, a People Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C), Member of Parliament, outlined what he described as a convenient shield by the Coalition Government for the provisions of the Old Age Pension Act. Commenting specifically on the decision by the government to no longer pay Old Age Pension to persons who are resident overseas, the former AG admitted that the specifications of the Old Age Pension Act have been the law since 1953. Nandlall said , though, that over the last 20 years, the PPP/C Government turned a blind-eye to them and paid Old Age pension to every person who attained the age of 65. “Age, therefore, was the only qualification used by the PPP/C administration. It was never a question of law,” the former AG quipped. The decision of the Government to cut the pension to overseas Guyanese is a desperate act

PPP/C turned a blind eye to specifics in Old Age Pension Act – Nandlall

Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall to preserve the failing economy, he said. The matter came to the fore, after Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence revealed that the Ministry will soon be putting measures in place to ensure that Guyanese living in other countries do not access a Guyanese pension, a process she described as “double dipping.”

The Minister noted that the old age pension scheme has been a subject of abuse. “When persons not living in Guyana access pension from both the Guyana government and the country in which they live; it is unfair especially for elderly persons living here,” she said. Lawrence said that recently the old age pension scheme grew as a host of overseas-based Guyanese, who had returned for 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations, took advantage to register to draw down the monies. “These persons are looking to benefit both places; we can’t tolerate the double dipping,” the Minister stressed. According to Lawrence, the government

plans to increase the limit of the old age pension scheme. However she explained that the money currently being accessed by some overseas-based pensioners can be used to boost the benefits for elderly persons living in Guyana. The monthly pension which stands at just over $18,000 can be increased to $20,000 or more, Lawrence added. A d d i t i o n a l l y, the Minister announced that the Ministry will be digitising the pension system to make it more efficient in identifying redundancies in the system. The digitised database will also indicate to the ministry persons who are

Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence authorising others to collect their pensions, which is an indication that they are not in Guyana. The digitising of the pension database will also see greater accountability within the pension system, and probation officers will have more time to do additional field work and conduct visitations. According to a statement

by the Ministry of Social Protection under the Old Age Pension Act (Chapter 36:03), it clearly states that applicants must meet certain statutory conditions to qualify for Old Age Pension. These statutory conditions are that the person must have attained the age of 65 years; must satisfy the appropriate authority that he/ she has been a citizen of Guyana for at least ten years immediately preceding his/ her claim for a pension, and the person must have been ordinarily resident in Guyana during the 20 years immediately preceding their claim for pension. “In the event that the person is temporarily absent from Guyana, the applicant or pensioner must satisfy the Authority, usually through the provision of the person’s passport and an immigration check conducted by the Ministry, that the period of absence from Guyana has not exceeded two years during the past 20 years, according to law.”

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

One year after tabling in National Assembly…

Ombudsman report on wrongfully accused former NBS boss still to be debated More than one year after it was tabled in the National Assembly, the report of Ombudsman Justice (Rtd) Winston Moore on the complaints made by dismissed former New building Society, (NBS) Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) Maurice Arjoon, are still to be debated. The former (CEO), Kissoon Baldeo of 86 Zeeburg West Coast Demerara (Assistant Mortgage Manager of NBS), and Kent Vincent of 1247 Canje Pheasant Lane, South Ruimveldt (Operations Manager), were accused of

conspiracy to defraud the NBS of $69M. The charge against the men was later dismissed on the grounds of lack of evidence. However, the stain on the men’s lives and that of their families remained. They have been fighting for years to clear their names and to receive their benefits ever since. In 2014, Arjoon filed a complaint with Ombudsman, Justice Wi n s t o n M o o r e . T h e O m b u d s m a n ’s report concluded that police wrongly charged the

former CEO and two of his managers for fraud. The Ombudsman forwarded his report to Parliament in November 2014. The matter was tabled in the National Assembly last June, but the conclusion appears to be nowhere in sight; the parliamentary debates are yet to commence. Yesterday, Clerk of the National A s s e m b l y, Sherlock Isaacs, confirmed that the matter is not on the order paper to be presented for debates in Parliament anytime soon. Isaacs said that matter is still before Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland for consideration. According to Isaacs, the Speaker, who is also an Attorney-at-law by profession, is expected to determine whether the issue is sub judice (under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion elsewhere) since Arjoon also has a case before the court challenging the wrongful dismissal by NBS. A frustrated Arjoon is nonetheless of the opinion that the argument of the matter being sub judice is a deliberate ploy to deny him justice. The former CEO noted that a few months ago, a letter was written by the Attorney representing NBS

Dismissed NBS boss, Maurice Arjoon

Speaker of National Assembly, Barton Scotland

in the court case outlining that the matter was sub judice . “When will it be debated?” is the question now being asked by the former CEO New Building Society Manager. Arjoon had told Kaieteur News that on October 1, 2015, he wrote President David Granger explaining how he was denied justice. He said that he asked for the report to be addressed in parliament. He called for compensation and “prosecution of the perpetrators of this criminal act.” The letter to the President was copied to Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and other ministers. President Granger replied to Arjoon indicating that he

had sent the matter to Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who is the Leader of the House, for his consideration. In April Nagamootoo assured that the report of the Ombudsman into a complaint of injustice by a former top executive of NBS would be raised in the National Assembly. The report was laid in the National Assembly on July 30, last year. The report points to a grave injustice done to Mr. Maurice Arjoon, the former NBS Chief Executive, who was not only charged with other colleagues, but was callously removed from his job mere months before his retirement. The report revealed that Mr. Arjoon was a victim of a vendetta involving high functionaries of the

previous government and its agencies, who punished the executive for opposing a $2B loan for a publicprivate project. The Prime Minister said nonetheless that the report made no specific recommendations on how to proceed with it in the National Assembly Nagamootoo had said that he has been looking at the Ombudsman report but “cannot make a conclusion.” He said that the report is not clear on what should be done or “if the parliament should do something. I am looking for verification.” The g o v e r n m e n t ’s stance has been highly criticized by former Auditor General and anti– corruption advocate, Anand Goolsarran. He said that sort of laid back attitude just cannot be accepted. Goolsarran said that if the Prime Minister indeed thinks he lacks direction then the logical approach would be to call the Ombudsman and seek such guidance. “What sort of laid back approach is that? I do recall that he spoke passionately about the Maurice Arjoon case and stamping out character assassination. What is that passion being t r a n s l a t e d t o n o w ? We need to see meaningful action,” Goolsarran questioned.

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2016 NGSA results are out, but was the process really controversial? By Sharmain Grainger The results of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) are out. Some education stakeholders are satisfied, some are indifferent, and others have not wasted time to share their concerns. The concerns shared are mostly linked to several changes instituted by the Ministry of Education that became effective during the Assessment this year. The Ministry, a mere few weeks before the April sitting of the Assessment, announced the changes were being implemented. The late notice was not received well by some individuals. But there wasn’t too much of an outcry, or so it seemed. However, from the get-go, one of the Ministry’s fierce critics was none other than the immediate past Minister of Education, Ms. Priya Manickchand. The former Minister under the People’s Progressive Party regime found a number of faults with some aspects of the changes and the delay of the announcement to the stakeholders. She also slammed the fact that among the changes was that candidates for the first time had to write their names, and not merely their candidate number, as was customary since the inception of the NGSA. But the Ministry touted the changes as necessary, since they would serve to ensure a more efficient means to provide proper tracking of the assessment papers in the event that a candidate number is written incorrectly or other potential issues occur. There was a claim that some

of the issues that the Ministry was seeking to avert had emerged in the past, thus there was nothing sinister about applying the changes. The support of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) was retained to help put in place the changes. The Ministry assured too that the changes had nothing to do with the marking process. There have been unconfirmed rumours that the marking process was delayed because an unprecedented number of children were not able to attain scores for senior secondary schools, thus prompting a re-marking process. Chief Education Officer, Mr. Olato Sam, dispelled such reports when he said that there really was no delay. He insisted too that the release of the results was consistent with the timeframe embraced in the past. “The only difference this year is that we wrote the assessment three weeks later than the average and we took the same amount of time, about eight weeks,” Sam told reporters. In fact, the Ministry’s Superintendent of Examinations, Ms. Sauda Kazim, made it clear that there really were no major issues with the NGSA this year, and she even spoke of plans for continued collaboration with CXC to produce the Assessment, at least for another few years. The education officials made their respective pronouncements at a much publicized press conference at which the results were officially released. And there was no reason not to believe them; after all in 2014 when the Ministry found irregularities with the

The Baccoo Speaks There has been the rash of fires, now we must prepare for the spate of road accidents. This always happens when schools are out. Drivers of public transportation tend to be that more aggressive to make the dollar. There will be an overtaking that would be both foolhardy and dangerous. The ensuing crash will set the police working again. ** A visiting Guyanese would be confronted by a gunman who seems desperate. The confrontation will be brutal after the visitor’s money. He will have an accomplice. They will make an escape but that will not be for long, because the police always seem to be around. ** The government will get

some international support over its handling of the economy. The talk in certain quarters will be that the economy is going nowhere but the truth is something else. Revenue will be up because the government has tightened on some revenueleaking areas. It is the clamping down on areas like smuggling and false declarations that the business community will complain about.

assessment at a Region One school, it did not fail to share this with the media, and by extension the public. However, I do not recall the Ministry making known the outcome of a probe into that development. But I digress. While in the Ministry’s estimation the marking process was not affected this year, in conformity with it’s earlier assurance, a Grade Six Teacher who has served the education system for over a decade was adamant that the changes did cause a great deal of controversy within the school system, much of which went unreported. The controversy, the teacher said, started soon after the Ministry announced the changes to the Assessment - two weeks before it was slated to be written. The Assessment was written on April 27 and 28, 2016 and 14,386 candidates from across the country participated. Now, the teacher in question has taught the Grade Six class at many schools over the years, but claimed to be taken aback when confronted with the mock assessment paper disseminated by the Ministry. The teacher reported that some of terminologies used, particularly in the Mathematics Paper Two, were never before used in any grade six

classes. According to the teacher, “my pupils were in shock from the minute they saw the CXC logo on the assessment paper...” It wasn’t until after my exchange with this Grade Six teacher that I recalled that a number of NGSA candidates this year had complained that the Mathematics Paper Two was really tough. The majority of the top performers contacted by this publication admitted to this. In an attempt to do whatever last-minute work was possible with the pupils, ahead of the Assessment, the teacher spoke of hustling through some CXC texts. Even as a trained graduate who has had experience at the secondary level, the teacher admitted that it was a significant challenge. The teacher revealed that it was quite a task to first understand some of the concepts used, practice how to apply them, before helping the already daunted pupils. The teacher believes everything possible was done in the short space of time, but is convinced the pupils could have performed a lot better had the changes not been applied this year. Time was definitely needed to adjust to the changes. The teacher opined that it was all too sudden.

However, a number of the pupils the teacher worked tirelessly with have secured scores to attend senior secondary schools. But this teacher’s concerns weren’t in isolation. Grade Six teachers do communicate, and the teacher was able to point me in the direction of a number of other equally concerned teachers. There are some teachers from even far-flung areas who claimed they had it even worse. They alleged that their schools weren’t even furnished with mock assessment papers, and therefore were at an even greater disadvantage. The Ministry is clearly not prepared to accept that there were challenges with the Assessment this year. It has, however, left itself opened for ridicule, simply because it opted to apply the changes at the ‘Eleventh Hour’. Many teachers might want to argue that their pupils could have done so much better weren’t it for the changes, but we’ll never

know. The die has already been cast and pupils will soon be focused on their secondary education. Some of them are happy with the schools they scored marks for, some are sad they wouldn’t be able to attend the schools they’d dreamed of attending and others are probably just happy they can relax and enjoy their vacation. Two pupils this year scored the identical marks, 568, and together share the country’s 2016 NGSA national top performer title. They are Anthony Ferreira of Mae’s Under 12 and Aryan Singh of Dharmic Rama Krishna. Congratulations are in order for all those who made it into the always coveted top one per cent, as well as all the others, who despite of their performances, were entitled to a placement at a secondary level school. I can only hope that the reported “toughness” of the NGSA this year has prepared them for the work at their new schools.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur News

== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

Life is and will always be a personal journey for everyone When I saw the large list of lawyers who borrowed money from the Treasury and refused (I will say refused because you cannot be that stupid to forget that you borrowed money from the bank, the government, your employer etc.) to pay it back, I was not in the least surprised. Nothing should alarm or confuse the student of philosophy who lives in Guyana. Anyone who lives in Guyana and went through a couple of philosophy books, has to know what a morally and philosophically Faustian, Macbethian, and soulless society Guyana has become from the seventies onwards. I was fortunate to have been brought up in a Guyana where hope, joy and love existed among its citizens. To see the transformation of this flower into miasma has to create sempiternal angst in those who once read Shakespeare, saw Long Day’s Journey into Night at the playhouse, read everything Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, listened to Motown and Burt Bacharach, studied at a fine university, and wallowed in the brightness of a secured future. Guyana is one of Planet Earth’s most bestial jungles. I will have more to say about the denial of payment to 20 ordinary contractors by the Government of Guyana for work and material supplied to the D’Urban Park project, but that very government paid an outstanding debt of 5.7 million American dollars to one

of the richest businessmen in Guyana. This very businessman is about to produce a daily newspaper. Maybe the money is to start a newspaper that will be in service to APNU and the AFC for the 2020 elections. Maybe we are seeing the beginning of the 2020 election campaign. More on this repayment and the coming newspaper in future columns, but let’s get back to the personal journey of life that all humans have to experience and endure. When I saw the list of defaulting lawyers, I thought of how personalized a life we live in this world. I paid for my daughter’s education at UG. And it is a silly piece of propaganda for anyone to accept that UG fees were $127,000 a year. I never paid $127,000. It was always much higher than that. The personal comes in when you think of how harsh life is. Here are people that own multiple properties, drive expensive SUVs, belong to the middle and upper middle class brackets, yet refused to pay back monies owed to the State, while I, who served UG for 26 years, had to pay for my daughter’s education. I will not dwell on the termination of my UG contract. Enough has been said about that. But when you throw that in the equation, then the personal journey of life becomes so obvious. The list of defaulters only proves to every citizen in this land that Guyana does not have a moral conscience. In-

cluded on the document is a sitting magistrate. How can anyone dispense justice on a magisterial bench when that person took money as a loan and refuses to repay it? It may not be a criminal offence, but it is a moral crime. When the document of debtors was published not one Government Minister, not one politician, asked the question as to how this lady can sit in judgement of others while

she refuses to repay her loan to the people of Guyana. On the contrary, many of those debtors are now receiving monies from the State itself for contracts given for various duties. So the defaulters are rewarded, while bread vendors’ livelihood was taken away from the Stabroek Market Square to make way for the float parade of the Golden Jubilee. Really! How can anyone who studies philosophy see any useful value in such a bestial society? I will not spend time here giving a lecture on why life is a personal

trip for all humans. It should be fairly obvious to all those who live in the world that you cannot separate the personal from the formal in living every day. People would come to me and ask, “why me?” When the PPP was in Government, the complaints I received about discrimination were endless. After I heard the details, I saw how potent the personal factor in life was for all of us. It is personal because you are a bread vendor and you are expendable. It is personal because you come from a culture that

Frederick Kissoon is not acceptable. It is personal because you do not have friends in the government. It is personal because you do not mix with the right crowd. It is personal because your personal standing in life makes you an inferior human.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

New regulations will save miners’ lives Far too many young, productive Guyanese lives are lost in the gold and diamond mining industry. Too many mothers are grieving the deaths of their sons, too many families their breadwinners. Young men with big dreams of a financially comfortable life, venture into the interior regions to face down the physical hardships that go hand in hand with dredging on land and in water for Guyana’s high quality yellow gold. Since the global price for this commodity went through the roof quite some years ago, it became compulsory for the government to implement the necessary measures to ensure industrial, occupational health and safety. Of course, the previous administration did as little as they possibly could, instead spending donor funds on studies and ignoring the recommendations. As soon as the Coalition Government stepped into the driver’s seat last May, President Granger commissioned an in-depth inquiry into the causes of the repetitive min-

ing site deaths. The CoI covered a 12-month period - June 2014 and June 2015 – and the findings revealed that 25 deaths were recorded in 16 accidents, 75% of which were due to collapsed mining pits, or “pit failures”. The report also stated that from 2010 to 2015, a total of 62 young miners died while working in the mineral mining industry. The worst accident recorded up to that time was the May 7, 2015 collapse of a mining pit at Mowasi, Region 7. These accidents occurred because the dredge owners and/or their General Managers and supervisors took shortcuts to get the most out of the ground in the shortest possible time with minimal effort and cost. These shortcuts turned out to be neglect of their responsibility to implement safe industrial practices. In addition, the numerous mining operations spread throughout the interior regions, along rivers and creeks, received very minimal oversight. Many of the recommendations from that 2015 CoI were

implemented, but the accidents continued, so the subject became the focus of the July 2016 Mining Safety seminar held under the theme, “Putting Safety First in Mining; charting a course to cultivate compliance and strengthen enforcement”. Here is an excerpt of the opening address delivered by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman: “The story of mining in Guyana has been one of glorious triumphs and ignominious tragedies. In fact, the (often told) harrowing adventures of the porkknocker (of old) navigating rushing waterfalls, fighting off “tigers” and escaping collapsing pits, add to the folklore of an exciting and dangerous, yet immensely rewarding industry. But what about the stories of those who didn’t survive - the countless men who lose their lives or limbs and leave behind grieving and broken families? It is their story that this seminar seeks to focus on. The loss of these good souls has left an imprint on the

lives of thousands of Guyanese and we can no longer continue with ‘business as usual’. (We are) revisiting our systems to vastly improve the operating, monitoring and modernization of our mining sector. Unfortunately, we have lost many miners over the past two years due to mining pits collapsing. While we cannot restore their lives, we can certainly honour their memories by making mining safer for these men and women who are active contributors to our country’s development. To paraphrase a popular slogan “All lives matter”, in our case we say “Our Miners’ lives matter”. The average profile of the miner who lost his life in recent times is of a young, inexperienced but eager patriot who believes that the opportunities available in the urban centres (city and towns) are too few, too restrictive to allow him a fair chance at financial success. As such, he turns to the “bush”, seeking a fortune and at the same time, defin-

ing his manhood and establishing his credentials as a self-sufficient, contributing member of society. It is he who takes care of his family’s affairs. From this profile we can see an industry that for the most part, is hinged upon a desperation to succeed. Unfortunately this desperation is compounded by acute ignorance of the basic aspects of engineering and physics that must accompany the construction of safe mines. This desperation, the ignorance of occupational health and safety requirements, and the easy availability of pliable human resources, often give way to recklessness and inevitably accidents occur. The government as the key regulator of the industry must lead the way towards responsible mining. However, it will require a collective response from every single stakeholder to implement the required policies and enhanced regulations, to monitor and enforce them, and most importantly, to improve education and awareness of everyone who is ac-

tively involved in the industry - dredge and heavy earth moving equipment owners, operators and miners. We expect that support will also come from our technical institutes, University, and the companies in the private sector that profit from the sale of excavators, ATVs and mining equipment.” The 2016 Mining Seminar focused on innovative and modern mechanisms to improve occupational health and safety practices across the sector, global best practices, and new innovations. Meanwhile, a plan of action has been presented by the GGMC that demands closer collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection, improvement in the availability of trained/graduated technical skills, mandatory continuous basic skills training on site and the introduction of certification for the owners and General Managers of mining operations who stay true to their mandate to train their staff, to implement hazard-control mechanisms, and who institute the required health and safety standards.

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Kaieteur News

My column

Is there really an economic downturn? There is talk that Guyana is slipping backward; that young people are not getting jobs. The part of jobs for young people may be true, but it is not that the jobs are not there. There are young people who are intelligent and literate, but the problem is that they are choosy when it comes to certain jobs. I had stated before that many years ago all people wanted to do was to get a toe in the door. Other jobs will come later. That is when people can change. That is what people do in the developed world. The stories are many about people starting in one area and later changing. My late friend Walter Willis started as a teacher, as I did. The story is the same for people like Vic Insanally and Rupert Roopnaraine. I notice the praise being showered on the Guyana Police Force, but that did not come easy. Today’s detectives are high school graduates who did very well at CXC and CSEC. They all might have wanted to work as clerks, but they grabbed the first opportunity to come their way. They may go on to become lawyers in the same way Guyanese who head to the United States enter the army, because at the end of the day they will get funding to further their education and go on to become anything. I have interviewed some of the young people and

found them wanting. They do not read nor do they even attempt to further their education after they leave school. In some cases many are found wanting. A former Education Minister Dale Bisnauth once said that the University of Guyana is producing some functional illiterates. President David Granger himself said that the drive is on to get children back in schools so that they could develop the tools to make them useful members of society. As for the economy, it depends on who is talking. If I am accustomed to undervaluing my imports and so maximize the profits on my investments, then when I have to pay the real cost my profit drops I complain about a decline in business. This past week another entrepreneur pointed to the slowdown in construction. He said that many people are not building because they do not have the money. Then he said something interesting. He said that he was one who went ahead and constructed his building without receiving the necessary permission. He said that many people did that. The fact is that when the illegalities are restricted there must be a slowdown. It has nothing to do with the economy. I remember Forbes Burnham allowing some things to be smuggled in. The result is that they were retailed cheaply. People con-

cluded that things were cheap. Dr Cheddi Jagan came in, plugged some of the holes, and suddenly the price of certain imported products jumped. And to crown it all, I am not hearing these complaints from the people who are affected. But I do hear the complaints of the young people. It would be interesting to hear from the taxi services. They are the people who know when money starts to slowdown. They get fewer calls. I would expect them to say that they peaked during the jubilee. The minibuses are not affected, except when the school children are not there to boost the fares. For a country with a sluggish economy the cricket ground at the Providence Stadium was crowded for the four days that the Caribbean Premium League was played here. Sales were good for all those who operated there. But we would all like to see more. What is it that we want to see, I am not sure. Perhaps we would all like more money in our pockets because we just want to party more. Traditionally the night spots all have the days when they would rake in money.

They all have their clientele. I see the price of gold is climbing again, so I can imagine that there will be another spurt in social life. I remember when cocaine flowed. People partied all the time. There were those who carried the guns as they strutted and shared money in the same way Santa Claus shares toys. That sparked the belief that cocaine was fuelling the economy. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo was pressed to debunk the belief. He insisted that his economic policies were bearing fruit. Later, the

international experts insisted that cocaine provided a healthy boost. Yet we keep seeing families struggling to make ends meet. That is so in every country because there are always people who will be on the fringe of society. It is so in every country. Guyanese are still boarding planes to head to foreign destinations on vacation. A few years ahead there will be oil. I can imagine what Guyana will be. For certain, given the focus on the Sovereign Wealth Fund there

Adam Harris should be responsible Government activity. I am a bit on the old side, but I will enjoy the fruits. I intend to be around, so I am taking care of myself.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Plans of Action for Regional Development On July 10, 2015, on the occasion of the swearing in of newly elected chairpersons and their deputies to regional democratic councils following general and regional elections of that year, President David Granger charged each council to craft a Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD) for their respective regions. The President said, “I would like you to examine your regions and work out a plan…I call it the Plan of Action for Regional Development, and I would like to see all of you develop some sort of plan of action for regional development.” Those plans were to take into account the natural and human resources of the regions, among all other relevant information. The councillors were expected to plan how those resources could

be most effectively leveraged for the benefit of citizens resident in the various regions. In the words of the President, “Every single region can be rich, no region is desert, no region is swamp land, and every region has resources, human resources, material and natural resources, and we must decide how those resources must be exploited in order to benefit our people.” Further, pointing to the seriousness of the oath, the President told the officers that they are expected to administer those regions for the benefit of all the residents. President Granger added, “I want to see the regions developing in themselves and for themselves, producing a high standard of education, high standard of employment.” So, what exactly is a PARD? A PARD is a written,

President David Granger well articulated, comprehensive document which lays out the strategic direction and process for the development of the economic, infrastructural, social and environmental future of the region with spe-

cific goals and timelines. A PARD is about action. A PARD is about partnership between a local government organ (regional democratic council) and central government. A PARD is a social contract between government and the people of a region. And each region will have one. Work has already started and progress has already been made. The Ministry of

Communities and the Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Regional Democratic Council of Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region # 10) had embarked on and since completed a pilot project to craft a PARD for that region. The fact that the project was successfully completed proves that the concept is viable. The fact that the document lays out specific plans for the development of the region proves that the concept’s implementation is a necessary prerequisite to regional and national growth. Given the strategic vision of the administration to help to make each region dynamos of development, the idea of PARDs naturally follows, since each region is culturally and geographically diverse, with varying natural and human resources. As such, management of such diversity is impossible from the centre; development must be community-driven after consultation with the people. This belief, of course, is the foundation for the administration’s philosophy of decentralisation and devolution of decision-making power to which government is committed. The administration iterates the commitment to assisting regional councils with the crafting of

their respective PARDs. It is understood that the transition from the old ways of centralised power to the bright and promising future of citizen involvement in government, will not be easy. On the 5th August, 1980, then Minister of Development and Co-operatives, Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte delivered a State Paper to the National Assembly on the subject of reorganisation of the local government system. In that paper he wrote, “Obviously, the transition from the old order to the new will not take place overnight or without problems. It is going to take time and requires patience. People will have to learn and understand the mechanics of the new system, and to accept and accommodate themselves to their new and enlarged power and responsibilities. The introduction of the new system therefore will have to be phased in a programmed and systematic way.” The administration agrees with the late President Hoyte; the challenges will be great and the road will be rough. The administration subscribes to the view that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; in the words of President Granger, “Strong regions will result in a strong Guyana”

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Preeclampsia: A dangerous and deadly condition By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Preeclampsia is a dangerous condition that some women get when they are pregnant. It usually happens during the second half of pregnancy (after 20 weeks). It can also happen during labour or after the baby is born. It is one of the main causes of deaths in pregnant mothers in Guyana. Most often, patients are not aware of their condition and tend to ignore symptoms until it’s too late. Women with preeclampsia have high blood pressure. They might also have too much protein in their urine, or problems with organs like the liver, kidneys, or eyes. Plus, the baby might not grow well and be small. WHATARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PREECLAMPSIA? Most women with preeclampsia do not feel any different than usual. Preeclampsia usually does not cause

symptoms unless it is severe. Signs and symptoms of severe preeclampsia include: . A bad headache . Changes in vision: blurry vision, flashes of light, spots . Belly pain, especially in the upper belly If you have any of these symptoms, tell your doctor. You might not have preeclampsia, because these symptoms can also occur in normal pregnancies. But it’s important that your doctor knows about them. You should also call your doctor if you have bleeding from the vagina. HOW MIGHT PREECLAMPSIA AFFECT MY BABY? It can: . Slow the growth of the baby . Decrease the amount of amniotic fluid around the baby (amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds and protects the baby in the uterus) You should call your doctor if your baby is not moving as much as usual.

Your doctor will do tests to check for any problems with the baby. IS THERE ATEST FOR PREECLAMPSIA? Yes. To test for preeclampsia, your doctor will take your blood pressure and check your urine for protein during pregnancy. He or she might also do blood tests to make sure your organs are working as they should. When your doctor tells you your blood pressure, he or she will say two numbers. For instance, your doctor might say that your blood pressure is “140 over 90.” To be diagnosed with preeclampsia, your top number (called “systolic pressure”) must be 140 or higher, or your bottom number (called “diastolic pressure”) must be 90 or higher. Plus, you must have either too much protein in your urine or problems with one or more of your organs. It is possible to have high blood pressure (above 140/ 90) during pregnancy without having high protein in the urine or other problems. That

is not preeclampsia. Still, if you develop high blood pressure, your doctor will watch you closely. You could develop preeclampsia or other problems related to high blood pressure. HOW IS PREECLAMPSIA TREATED? The only cure for preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. Your doctor will decide whether it is better for you to have your baby right away, or to wait. If you are near your due date, your doctor will probably give you medicine to start contractions. This is called “inducing labour.” Most women are able to give birth the usual way, through the vagina. But in some cases the doctor will need to do a C-section. A C-section, or “cesarean delivery,” is a type of surgery used to get the baby out of the uterus. If your due date is not for several weeks, and your preeclampsia is not severe, your doctor might wait to deliver your baby. This is to give the baby more time to grow

Dr. Zulfikar Bux and develop. If your doctor decides to wait, he or she will check you and your baby often, for any problems. You might need to stay in the hospital. If your blood pressure is very high, your doctor might give you medicine to lower blood pressure. This is to keep you from having a stroke. Women with preeclampsia can sometimes

have seizures. Your doctor will probably give you medicine during labour to prevent this. WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT PREECLAMPSIA? You can’t do anything to keep from getting preeclampsia. The most important thing you can do is to keep all the appointments you have with your doctor, nurse, or midwife. That way, they can find out as soon as possible if your blood pressure goes up, or if you have too much protein in your urine or any other problems. Also, call someone on your healthcare team right away if you have symptoms of preeclampsia or the baby isn’t moving as much as usual. Your doctor or nurse can do things to keep you from having worse problems from preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a silent killer in pregnant women. Ensuring pregnant women visit their clinics regularly will significantly decrease their risk of dying from this lethal condition.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

SUNDAY SPECIAL COPS RE-OPEN MONICA REECE, TREVOR ROSE AND SHEEMA MANGAR MURDER CASEs As the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Major Crimes Unit moves to re-open cold cases, the seemingly forgotten cases of Monica Reece, Trevor Rose and Sheema Mangar are top on its agenda. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum made this revelation last Saturday to reporters following the conclusion of the Guyana Police Force’s 177th Anniversary Route March. Blanhum said that almost daily, persons whose relatives were murdered five to 10 years ago, have been visiting the Criminal Investigation Department asking that these matters be re-opened. ”We have assured them that we are in the process of re-opening some of the cases we know for sure we will be able to make headway in,” Blanhum said Having received about 20 requests from relatives, the cops are currently working on about five cases, some of which include the cases of Trevor Rose, Sheema Mangar and Monica Reece. The Crime Chief said that he recently requested the file on Monica Reece. ”I recently requested that file (on Monica Reece). When we locate that file we will be analyzing the evidence and also we will make a determination and make contact with the Police Legal Advisor,” Blanhum said. He added that ranks will have to look at the evidence, analyze and review statements taken and then engage the Legal Advisor on the way forward. And Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud said, “We have seen the CID developing the best it has done in contemporary times, all because of those two key issues, building of morale and developing public trust. I have been receiving letters from relatives of persons who were murdered a decade and beyond, and in a particular case, a letter from the media asking for the re-opening of a case that occurred in excess of twenty years ago.” ”We are experiencing the benefits of the hard work we have made to change our organization.” ”We need to keep going in that direction,

we have not arrived, and as a matter of fact we are far from there.” On April 9, 1993, Reece, a 19-year-old security guard became known to all Guyanese after her body was dumped from a speeding pickup vehicle in the vicinity of the Geddes Grant building (now Courts) on Main Street, Georgetown. It was Good Friday night. NICILCREATED FAKEAGM MINUTES, ANNUAL RETURNS …MARCIA SHARMA FACES JAIL TIME — SOCU Investigators at the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) are currently probing a number of cases involving financial discrepancies which took place at the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). Two such matters which the officials have sought advice on thus far are based on evidence which show how NICIL cohorts colluded to create false minutes for Annual General Meetings (AGM) as well as its annual returns. In the case of the fake minutes for the AGMs, investigators found that the back-up

hard drive on which documents are stored by NICIL revealed that the minutes for the years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011 and 2012 were all created on November 2, 2015. It was concluded that the minutes for those years were computer generated on that very date and were not in existence prior to that date. These documents were therefore essentially false. NICIL also gave bogus information to the Registrar of Companies. This newspaper understands that the false information given to the Registrar pertained to meetings which were “supposedly” held on specific dates when this was not true. According to legal advice received by SOCU, this would constitute an offence under Section 518 of the Companies Act Chapter 89:01. That Section of the Act says that a person who makes or assists in making a report, return, notice or other document that is required to be sent to the Registrar and contains an untrue statement of a material fact shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $15,000 and to imprisonment for six months. In addition to this, a statement which was provided by Joel Freeman, Legal Assistant to NICIL, said that he would usually prepare the draft annual returns in hard copies from the information in the yearly reports which were specially provided to him by the former Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Marcia Nadir-Sharma. He would then give this to the Company Secretary for perusal and correction. Once the adjustments are inserted he would correct and print the document and return it to NadirSharma for her signature. He would then file same.

evidence that the company was even penalized would continue to not only raise questions about the operations at the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFA) as regulator, but also highlight the amount of influence this one investor has in the country. BaiShanLin is under fire after widespread criticisms of its activities here, spanning logging, gold mining, housing, ship building, and river transportation. It ran into financial problems after spreading itself thin, expanding in the different sectors. It owes the government and local businesses hundreds of millions of dollars. It has been granted billions of dollars in tax breaks and duty free concessions. The forest fire destroyed an area of around 906 hectares at the Haimorakabra Logging Company Inc., Upper Berbice River area, Region Ten. The fire burned an area equivalent to 10,000 large house lots. It is controlled by BaiShanLin. According to the report leaked to Kaieteur News, in May 2013 GFC’s Forest Monitoring Division carried out a routine audit of the concession which had been approved for Timber Sales Agreement (TSA) and Wood Cutting Lease (WCL). What they found was highly alarming with local forestry experts now deeming it as probably the biggest forest fire in a concession that is being operated. Whether the fire was deliberately set or accidental was not determined but GFC inspectors were convinced that a fire of that magnitude should “have been reported as soon as it had occurred or was noticed or at the earliest possible time with all the necessary actions taken to reduce damage.” MONDAY EDITION

GFC HIDES MASSIVE 2012 FIRE ON BAISHANLIN’S CONCESSION – COMPANY NEVER REPORTED INCIDENT – BURNED AREAS EQUAL TO 10,000 LARGER HOUSE LOTS A report into a massive forest fire in the Berbice forest concession of Chinese-owned BaiShanLin International Forest Development Inc. is pointing to a major cover-up by authorities and the company. The fire, discovered by forestry inspectors during a routine inspection in May 2013, was from all indications never officially reported by BaiShanLin. The fire investigation and the absence of

PPP’S ‘CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSE’ HAMPERS GOVT’S RELEASE OF INFORMATION ON CONTRACTS – HARMON Minister of State, Joseph Harmon says that while it may be the will of the APNU+AFC government to make public certain controversial contracts and agreements signed by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), doing so may open the coalition to court action. The media has been having a very hard time getting hold of certain contracts and agreements. These are mostly for projects that (Continued on page 33)

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(From page 32) were smeared in controversy. There have been several calls made by diplomats for the public not be left in the dark as regards these agreements. Even President David Granger has said that these agreements should be made public. But the situation where these contracts are kept under lock and key remains unchanged. Some of the contracts that the media have been trying to get hold of were signed by NICIL when it was being run by Winston Brassington. These include the Berbice River Bridge agreement. Over the last week, Kaieteur News made numerous efforts to get hold of the new Chairman of Board of the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL), Dr. Maurice Odle to find out if that company is willing to follow through with the will of the President. However, efforts to contact the Chairman over that period proved futile. Speaking to Kaieteur News, Harmon said that the fact that NICIL is yet to release the contracts should not be interpreted to mean that the company simply does not want to. He said that in many cases, NICIL’s hand may very well be tied. The Minister said that the Board of NICIL can endeavour to consider releasing those contacts that are not bound by a confidentiality clause. “You see, we have a situation where there is this thing called privacy of contract. If a contract is signed between two (or more) parties and that contract is signed with a privacy clause, no one party can go and release that contract,” said Minister Harmon. Harmon said that if one party decides to go public, “the other party will have a clear and strong case against you.” TUESDAY EDITION BK GETS $900M IN STEEL FOR $180M COURT JUDGMENT The questionable acquisition by BK International of eight containers of steel, worth hundreds of millions of dollars from Government, is refusing to go away. Former President Donald Ramotar and his now ex-Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, Monday continued to insist that all was not right with a transaction last year that saw the steel given to the contractor mere weeks after the May 11, 2015 General Elections. One of the biggest issues at hand is the value of the steel. According to Ramotar, a valuation of the contents of the containers early last year had placed the value around $900M. BK claimed that it received the eight containers of steel based on a court judgment which was executed in July last year. That judgment came after BK sued Indian contractor, Surendra Engineering Company Limited (SECL), for work on the troubled Specialty Hospital at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara. BK was claiming $180M in a lawsuit filed in mid-2014. How the company received the $900M worth in steel when its judgment was for $180M is what is raising questions. BK is claiming it had a judgment. Why all eight containers were handed over is what remains baffling and the government remaining quiet on the issue. According to Nandlall Monday, in late 2014, Government sacked Surendra from the hospital project after that company failed to meet deadlines, among other things. A lawsuit was filed by Government claiming around $900M. Earlier the same year, BK sued Surendra

Kaieteur News

for outstanding monies for work done. The claims were for $180M plus interests and costs. In early 2015, months before the May elections, eight containers of steel for Surendra arrived in Guyana. The Ramotar government immediately took possession of the steel, paying the Customs charges. It was placed in the custody of the Ministry of Health. Both the former President and Nandlall made it clear it was the intention to levy on containers. However, in July last year, BK managed to acquire court orders to execute judgment on the containers. With a Court Marshal, the steel was handed over to BK. Ramotar and BK’s boss, Brian Tiwarie, have exchanged a number of scathing public letters on the issue. PROMINENT GOV’T ENGINEER, WALTER WILLIS DIES Veteran Government Engineer Walter

Willis, the technical mind involved in works like the Providence National Stadium and the now renamed Arthur Chung Convention Centre, passed away at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital on Monday evening. He was 66. Willis, who suffered a brief bout of illness, was rushed to the hospital on Saturday last, complaining of stomach pains. He was subsequently placed on life support, where he died surrounded by family. GFC BOARD LAUNCHES PROBE INTO BAISHANLIN’S 2012 FIRE COVER-UP The Board of Directors for the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has launched a probe following a shocking report Sunday in Kaieteur News that the regulator may have had a hand in covering up a massive fire in the Berbice area. That 2012 fire that destroyed an area of over 900 hectares of forest at Haimorakabra, is being described as one of the largest known ones in logging areas. However, both the company, Haimorakabra

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Logging Company Inc., owned by BaiShanLin International Forest Development Inc., and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) appeared to have covered up the matter; the country only learning about it from a leaked report. The report cites GFC investigators as finding no evidence that the Chinese company made any reports of the fire or that it was even in the records of the Commission. On Monday, Chairman of GFC’s Board, Jocelyn Dow, said that an immediate probe was launched following that story on Sunday. ”We have asked for the relevant minutes of the previous Board to see what was decided and what remedies, if any, were suggested. We will have to determine whether these remedies were carried out and whether these were in fact adequate.” The Chairperson said that she has requested a copy of the report also. ”We will have to form an opinion and have the Board’s technical and other committees also examine the matter. The report was noted by us and we will, as we go along, keep you and the Guyana public updated,” Dow said. The fire, which was discovered by forestry inspectors during a routine inspection in May 2013, was from all indications never officially reported by BaiShanLin. It appeared to have occurred at least six months before. The fire investigation and the absence of evidence that the company was even penalized would continue to not only raise questions about the operations at the GFC as regulator, but also highlight the amount of influence this one investor has in the country. WEDNESDAY EDITION REVENUES INCREASE BY $3B DUE TO TIGHTENING UPAT PORTS, CLAMPDOWN ON ILLEGALITIES – FINANCE MINISTER – SAYS VAT CONTINUES TO SEE DECLINE Finance Minister Winston Jordan says that Central Government’s revenues totaled $53.4 billion at the end of April 2016. He explained that this represents an increase of 5.9 percent or $3 billion compared to revenue collections during the same period – January to April – last year. The economist said that this growth was mainly driven by a number of factors. He said that these include efficiency measures (Continued on page 34)

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(From page 33) implemented by the Government including “tightening up at ports, new focus on the regions and a clampdown on illegal activities.” The Finance Minister also stated that increased non-tax revenues (revenue earned from sources other than taxes) as well as tax revenues, contributed to the increase in central government revenues. He said that the non-tax revenues increased as a result of a payment of $100 million by DDL and increased spending during Jubilee activities. The economist said that the growth in non-tax revenues of $4.2 billion resulted from growth in the collection of rent and royalties, mainly driven by increased gold production and declarations As for tax revenues, Jordan said that this increased significantly in April. He said that this resulted in these revenues increasing by 4.6 percent or $2.1 billion when comparing January to April 2016 to the same period in 2015. Noteworthy, the Minister said, is that growth occurred for company, withholding, personal, excise and international trade taxes which increased by 11.9, 18, 8.6, 5.3 and 11.1 percent respectively. However, VAT revenues continued to decline as at April 2016, compared to the levels achieved in 2015. Jordan said that from January to April 2016, these revenues showed a decline of 6.3 percent compared to the levels achieved during the same period in 2015. The Finance Minister said that this continues to result from an increase in zero rated items added to the basket during 2015, combined with a rise in VAT refunds for 2016. FINANCE MINISTRY TAKES STEPS TO RECOVER OUTSTANDING UG STUDENT LOANS The Ministry of Finance has been taking steps to recover the outstanding monies owed to University of Guyana (UG)’s Student Loan Agency. A recent forensic audit into the institution’s Student Loan Agency (SLA) revealed that from the year 1994 to May 2015, some 17,567 or 69.4% of 25,335 student loans were deemed delinquent because students were not honouring their indebtedness. The audit report contained names of some 488 persons who were deemed “delinquent” in the loans. The list included the names of prominent Guyanese professionals and politicians. Commenting on the matter Tuesday, a staffer attached to the UG Student Loan Department noted that since the list was published, a significant number of persons have come forward to clear their debt.

Kaieteur News

”There are at least 17 persons who came forward after the list was published and made payments to the agency. Some persons paid in full while others have made arrangements to pay in parts. What has happened is some persons have been paying the loans; it’s just that they haven’t cleared them as yet. Hence their names may appear on the list.” The SLA employee outlined that while the Agency is responsible for managing certain aspects of the loan, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for making overall determinations and decisions regarding the debt collection process. Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Finance, Wanita Huburn explained that the Ministry is in the process of upgrading the Student Loan Agency. According to Huburn, the Ministry has, as a result of the audit, set up a subcommittee to oversee matters of loan recovery. She explained that through the sub-committee, efforts are being made to improve the overall system and infrastructure of the Agency. In recently published notices, the Ministry of Finance sought to remind persons with outstanding balances at the SLA, of the payment options available to them. GOVT. CONTINUING BUSINESS WITH BAISHANLIN COMPROMISES GUYANA’S INTEGRITY – DR. HINDS Recently, government indicated that it is still willing to continue facilitating BaiShanLin’s business operations in Guyana. In fact, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman indicated that the govern-

ment remains in discussions with the company about the way forward. In this regard, he spoke about a new company that may be coming to take over BaiShanLin. The fact that government continues to facilitate a controversial company—even before the company corrects the wrongs it committed—is a source of severe discomfort for anticorruption advocates like Dr. David Hinds. During an interview with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, Dr. Hinds said that given BaiShanLin’s “not so sterling track record in Guyana, one has to be somewhat concerned when the government is thinking about continuing to do business with that company.” Dr. Hinds recalled that BaiShanLin has failed to honour its obligations to Guyana even though it was given so many chances by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) government to do so. The anti-corruption advocate said that BaiShanLin’s behaviour should not attract a reward of favoured status in going forward. ”We have to desist from groveling in the face of these big companies,” said Dr. Hinds. He added that the politicians must seek to find the middle ground and balance its urge to attract investments, making sure that they do not compromise the integrity of Guyana in the process of looking for business. Dr. Hinds said that if the controversial company is allowed to continue as if it did nothing wrong, “we would be sending the wrong message to other investors.” That message would be that Guyana “is a place where anything goes…basically a free

Sunday July 17, 2016

for all.” THURSDAY EDITION JAGDEO ACCUSES HARMON OF LYING TO KEEP GOVT CONTRACTS SECRET Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, has countered statements that Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, made last week about making Government contracts public. Jagdeo said that the contracts to which Harmon referred do not contain any confidentiality clause. Harmon had said that the contracts which the PPP/C government signed during its time in office have within them confidentiality clauses, which prevent the current administration from disclosing the contents of the agreements. On Wednesday, in a press conference at Freedom House, Jagdeo made it clear that he has been calling for the government to publish both the evaluation reports for several projects and contracts which the government had deemed to be corrupt. Jagdeo considers it “absolute nonsense” that the Minister of State would inform the public that the PPP/C had included confidentiality clauses in government contracts. ”I have never seen a more inexcusable excuse for lack of transparency…The evaluation reports don’t have any confidentiality clause; this is the property of the government and people of Guyana.” Jagdeo said that normally there is a confidentiality clause in the process of negotiating during the pre-contract stage. According to him, this is a standard business practice around the world and is done so as to protect information of the other party. Jagdeo went on to say “Once the contract is signed then these are agreements and are property of government.” The Opposition Leader is of the view that the government is reluctant to release the details of the contracts because it will show that what they were labelling the contracts to be is far from the truth. Jagdeo believes that if the evaluation report for the Specialty Hospital is published it would vindicate his party and show that Fedders Lloyd was disqualified for good reasons and is not the second ranked bidder which the government reported it to be. D’URBAN PARK CONTRACTORS STILL OWED OVER $200M More than $200M is owed to the (Continued on page 35)

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(From page 34) contractors of the first phase of the D’Urban Park project, with coordinators assuring Wednesday that the payments are being held up by “paperwork”. Updating Kaieteur News, Larry London, who was coordinating the project to clear the bushes of the D’Urban Park area and create a stadium in time for the country’s Jubilee’s celebrations on May 26, last, disclosed that indeed, around 20 contractors are still owed. The contractors include those who supplied stone, sand, crusher run, and others who provided carpentry and electrical works. London was one of the main coordinators of the ambitious project unveiled by the David Granger administration last year. In addition to clearing the lands, the area had to be paved and bleachers built and roofed. However, the project ran into problems early this year when it became clear that the stadium will not be ready in time for the May deadline. The project, which was handled by the Ministry of the Presidency, was handed over to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Contractors for this second phase have reportedly been paid. “We are trying to speed up the processing of the payments. It is overdue. It should have been resolved a long time ago…paperwork, paperwork…That is what is holding the process up.” London made it clear that it is not the fault of the contractors. Several contractors in recent weeks have been complaining to Kaieteur News about the outstanding monies. One contractor reportedly imported stones from abroad. That business has ground to a halt. Some contractors are owed more than $20M each. London said Wednesday that the total is over $200M. FRIDAY EDITION BK PAID US$5.7M SETTLEMENT FOR HAAGS BOSCH TERMINATION

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Contractor, BK International, whose management of the Haags Bosch Landfill was terminated by the government in December 2015, was compensated US$5.7M, in excess of $1B, according to Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan. The minister made the disclosure Thursday at the signing of a one-year contract with contractor Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. that will see the company taking over at the operations of Haags Bosch Landfill site, aback of Eccles, East Bank Demerara. Bulkan speaking to media in the boardroom of the Haags Bosch Landfill site office said that the settlement was “designed” to allow the government to pursue a better project that would see another company managing the landfill site. It was noted that in addition to new management, Government has gone ahead and asked for proposals from several companies that will see the realisation of a project to use the landfill to produce electricity. The Minister disclosed that several companies subsequently submitted bids with two companies shortlisted. He noted that the companies submitted bids that would generate five megawatts and 14 megawatts of power respectively. According to Bulkan, Cabinet is deliberating on the selection of the company that will manage that power project. With regards to the settlement with BK International, Bulkan in defending it said it was crucial for Government to move forward with the development of the Haags Bosch Landfill site.

This was revealed at Thursday’s post Cabinet press briefing. Harmon was responding to former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s claims that there is nothing stopping the new government from making public the several controversial contracts that were signed during the reign of the PPP/ C administration. Harmon stuck to his original statements to the effect that confidentiality clauses contained in most contracts are preventing the government from making them public. Harmon said that Jagdeo’s utterance prove that he often times fail to think before speaking. ”I said what I said… I do not know if he (Jagdeo) has been in opposition for too long already, but certainly he is behaving in a manner as if he doesn’t remember things,” said Harmon. The Minister continued, “But I can say this to Mr. Jagdeo, there are some contracts that have so much confidentiality about them that are so deeply buried, we cannot see them up to now.” In this regard, he pointed to the contracts for the Specialty Hospital and the Amaila Project. Harmon said that he spoke to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, up to Thursday morning, and that Minister confirmed that he is yet to see the contracts. Harmon said that these are two projects that the government spent millions on. But the contracts remain “deeply buried”.

ONE YEAR LATER… NEW GOVT. STILLTO SEE AMAILA, SPECIALTY HOSPITAL CONTRACTS

The Ministry of Communities on Thursday signed a contract with Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. that will see the entity taking over the Haags Bosch Landfill site. The contract, which is valued at $221,400,000, was signed in the boardroom of the Haags Bosch dump site at Eccles, East Bank Demerara by Permanent Secretary Emil McGarrell and Managing Director of Puran Brothers Disposal Inc, Lakenauth Puran. At the contract signing, Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, stated that the original contract between the government and

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has indicated that the APNU+AFC government is still looking for several contracts that were signed by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic government. In fact, he pointed out two contracts that the government is still trying to locate. These are the contracts for the Amaila Falls Hydro Electricity Project and the Specialty Hospital.

PURAN BROS. SIGNS $221M DEAL TO MANAGE DUMPSITE

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Brian Tiwarie of BK International was discontinued in December 2015, due to non-compliance with the Operations Management Requirements and the expiration of the Environmental Permit. That contract was originally slated for the period of 2011 to 2021. After BK vacated the site, a temporary operator was contracted to manage the waste facility and had been utilizing cell two of the site as a temporary arrangement. The vacating of the site had allowed the Ministry to commence the procurement process for a new contract to allow another company to take over the operations at the Haags Bosch Landfill. Head of the Sanitation Management Unit at the Ministry of Communities, Gordon Gilkes said that the duration of the contract with Puran is for 12 months, beginning in July 2016 and continuing until July 2017. The landfill facility is to be opened from 7.00am to 8.00pm Mondays to Saturdays and 8.00am to 2.00pm on Sundays and National holidays. UG TO INTRODUCE GRADUATION FEE The University of Guyana (UG) will this year introduce a graduation fee to help offset an ever-increasing convocation expenditure. This is according to a statement issued by the University on Thursday which stated all eligible graduating students attending the ceremony will be required to pay a graduation fee of $10,000. While students not in attendance will be required to pay $7,000. This decision is among several others deemed to be major, that were taken at a recent statutory meeting to improve the financial condition and services offered to students at the tertiary institution. The meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC) of the University on Monday, July 11, 2016, decided that several measures be implemented to improve the university’s financial condition and services to (Continued on page 36)

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(From page 35) students. The F&GPC meeting, at which representatives of the University of Guyana Students’ Society, the University Council, and the University of Guyana Workers’ Union were present, approved a proposal by Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith to implement an annual graduation fee from November 2016. The new fee, according to reports out of the Ministry, will cover the provision of gowns to the relevant students; rental of chairs and public address system for the ceremony; the Chancellor’s reception for students; the provision of diplomas; and the publication of graduation programmes and convocation booklets, among other things. Moreover, for the first time, graduating students will be provided with diploma covers to safely store their certificates. Based on the observation of the VC’s proposal it was outlined that UG has over time been financing the graduation exercises from its scarce resources. But since tuition fees can be used only for instruction costs, expenses incurred for graduation had to be funded from elsewhere, and the expenditure associated with the ceremonies has been increasing over the years. According to the UG Bursar’s Office, for example, convocation-related expenditure for 2013 was $3,036,052; for 2014, it rose to $5,158,510; and in 2015, it grew to $8,340,766. SATURDAY EDITION

Kaieteur News

Sunday July 17, 2016

The sackings of the three officials were blamed on a Board decision. However, there is no evidence that the Board even met or knew of the decisions. On Friday, GPSU made it clear that it has noted the external interference of Lucas which has moved the environment of the organisation to a hostile and insecure one for staff at all levels evidently resulting in low morale and motivation. “The Executive Council of the Guyana Public Service Union wishes to advise that the union is in support of its members of the Revenue Authority who are currently being confronted with unwarranted challenges,” the union said. GPSU believed that the Chairman and the recent decisions “may be deemed excessive and above that authorized by Act No. 13 of the Revenue Authority Act 1996 Revised Edition 2004.” As a matter of fact, there seems to be the continued culture of the past to effect promotions which disposed of experience and qualified staff, and to terminate and dismiss staff at will and without due process. The union was also critical of statements made by Lucas that he hired an administrative assistant as he had little trust in GRA’s staffers. “The union is also offended with the unfair categorization of the staff as being untrustworthy and apparently undermining authority and revenue targets, which by virtue of their employment are their fundamental roles.” GPSU said that it felt compelled to bring the concerns to the attention of President Granger, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan and the Attorney General, Basil Williams.

SACKING OF SENIOR GRA OFFICIALS… GPSU BLASTS LUCAS FOR CREATING HOSTILE WORK PLACE - WANTS PRESIDENT’S ATTENTION

PROSECUTOR NOT IN POSSESSION OF FILE, CASE FURTHERADJOURNED

Chairman of the Governing Board of Directors for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rawle Lucas, is facing increasing pressure over a number of high-profile sackings and other decisions at that entity. In a scathing criticism of the official, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said that staffers have become insecure and de-motivated because of the atmosphere. The union wants President David Granger to pay attention. Three weeks ago, Lucas came under scrutiny after three senior officials were suddenly fired.

The case of the three men accused of lobbing a grenade at a vehicle belonging to Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall was further adjourned on Friday - as a result of the Prosecutor not being in possession of the file. Alfie Garraway, 36, of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown; Janeil Howard, 20, of Lot 322 Section ‘C’ Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara and Leroy Williams, 25, of Lot 11 Durban Backlands, are accused of conspiring with other persons to cause an explosion by way of grenade likely to endanger lives and cause damage to property. The offence occurred on June 4, at Saffon

KAIETEUR NEWS GRENADEATTACK…

Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. The matter was scheduled to be called Friday for reports and fixtures before Magistrate Fabayo Azore in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. However, Police Prosecutor, Stephen Telford, said that he was not in possession of the file which prompted the Magistrate to adjourn the matter until Monday, July 18. The accused, who have not been required to plead to the indictable charge, were further remanded to prison. $25,000 M&CC CONTAINER TAX... CITY HAS NO LEGAL RIGHT, SEVERAL CASES WITHDRAWN The recently imposed $25,000 container tax by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC) was at the centre of a legal battle. In the end the matter was withdrawn from the court on Friday. According to Attorney–at–Law Sase Gunraj, the case presented before Magistrate Annette Singh involved a few local businesses who were taken to court by the M&CC for refusing to pay the newly imposed $25,000

container tax. During his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Gunraj argued that the charge was bad in law and that the wrong entities were before the court. According to Gunraj, after careful review of the matter, Magistrate Singh upheld the preliminary legal points which he made and directed the Prosecution, represented by a member of the city constabulary to withdraw the charges or she would dismiss them. The lawyer had initially advised the Private Sector Commission (PSC), which represents a cross-section of businesses in the country against the decision of the Municipality to impose the $25,000. Gunraj had said the decision by M&CC for the fee is arbitrary and unlawful, as it was made based on the wrong section of the Municipal and District Councils Act. The M&CC on Monday announced that the Council took a unanimous decision to implement a $25,000 fee for the operation of storage containers within the city. Following the Court hearing yesterday, the Council sought to reaffirm its position on the tax issue.

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Taxpayers and their compliance with VAT - Part 2

Chartered Accountant, Sean Naughton By Kiana Wilburg Last week, we started a discussion with Chartered Accountant, Sean Naughton on taxpayers and their compliance with Value Added Tax (VAT). In the first installment, it was noted that tax revenue plays an important role in financing a country’s planned development activities. So important is its role that countries are keen to protect themselves from tax revenue shortfalls. They do this by planning several strategies to ensure a stable tax revenue collection regime. The planning strategy usually includes countries seeking to ensure that the parameters required for each type of tax to perform well are actually met. Continuing along this line, Naughton said that given the fact that VAT is a sales tax, being satisfied with the correctness of the sales reported by registered businesses would be of extreme importance in ensuring maximum revenue collection. However, because of the level of compliance issues in Guyana, the Chartered Accountant expressed that Section 61 of the VAT Act will need to be used until taxpayers become serious about compliance. Section 61 of the VAT Act provides that a taxation officer, having a writ of assistance from the High Court, may enter the business premises of taxpayers and search and seize their internal records for the purpose of making assessments. He believes that this provision is important, since many businesses that do not properly comply with tax laws still keep full records of their

operations for their own purposes. EXEMPTING GOODS/SERVICES The range of goods which are not charged the tax when sold, will impact the performance of the tax revenue. As such, Naughton believes that it is therefore critical for the level of exemptions offered to be constantly monitored in the interest of stable revenue. Research indicates that the rich benefit from VAT exemptions more than the poor. As an example to demonstrate this, Naughton said that a rich family of four may acquire four computers, one each for family members, while a poor family of four may acquire only one. In this case, he said, the rich taxpayer would have benefited from four times the tax exemption that the poor taxpayer benefited from, since computers are zero rated goods. The tax analyst said that food businesses purchase virtually all ingredients, for meals, free of the tax. His estimation however is that less than 10% of these food businesses are registered and many can be observed making over $35,000 in taxable sales within a 15minute period. The Accountant said that $35,000 in sales daily (not in 15 minutes) for a six-day work week exceeds the current threshold, but the problem is proving that this is the average daily sales over a period of 300 days. Naughton stated that these exemptions are intended to benefit the poor (at least, more than the rich) in a progressive tax system, and as such the current system has an undesirable effect. Because of this ‘exemption (Continued on page 46)

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Kaieteur News

Taxpayers and... From page 46 distribution’, Naughton explained that some countries are currently looking at ways of providing only poor taxpayers with exemption from tax on certain goods/services. He said that the proposed Fair Tax is an example of such a system. The Fair Tax system proposes to tax virtually every good/service supplied in the USA. It however provides that poor taxpayers will be refunded (in advance) the tax on certain goods/services which are absolutely necessary for their basic consumption (in limited quantities). This is done by projecting basic consumption needs in agreed quantities. The refund of the related tax is then paid to poor taxpayers, in advance, so that they could shop without feeling the impact of the tax. The tax expert said that fixing the ‘exemption distribution’ problem will not be easy, but Guyana may start by looking at capping public utility services. REFUNDING INPUT TAX CREDITS VAT is not to be borne by businesses. To ensure of this, the system allows for businesses to be refunded of VAT paid, either via set-off against VAT received from consumers or in cash from government. The sales tax system currently operating in the USA provides for no tax to be charged when sales are made to intermediaries (businesses purchasing goods for resale or further manufacture). Naughton opined that refunds of the tax would therefore not need to be paid to these, reducing the risk of refund fraud. He said that the VAT system Guyana operates requires the passing of the tax to each business in the chain,

with each needing to be refunded. He said that the handling of government’s revenue by all businesses in the chain, through to the retail business which sells to consumers, increases the risk of revenue loss. “We may want to reconsider the way we deal with refunds. The USA system simply certifies certain business intermediaries for this purpose,” the Chartered Accountant added. Naughton believes that the performance of a tax depends on the achievement of certain parameter-objectives. He said that when a tax starts underperforming, the relevant authorities would need to revisit these to see which subobjective (parameter) is not being achieved. In the case of Guyana, Naughton informed this newspaper that VAT registration of collecting agents is a major issue which needs to be addressed. He said that under reporting of sales is a compliance problem which also continues to affect business tax revenue in Guyana. He believes that it is time the relevant authorities begin enforcement; making use of Section 61 of the VAT Act. The Chartered Accountant stressed that tax exemptions are costly. He noted that this issue is not at all easy to deal with and deserves deep research. With its income tax regime proposed replaced, he said that the USA would have no option but to pay refunds to the poor (to effectively exempt the tax). Countries which continue to operate income tax regimes would, at least partly, be able to use tax free thresholds to effect refunds, he said. Perhaps, our system of refunds as it relates to intermediaries is also worth revisiting.

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R/veldt Children’s Aid Centre receives food supplies from ICO

ICO-Guyana’s Vice President, Romario Saintjohn (right) hands over some of the items to RCAC’s Programme Coordinator, Samantha Austin. The International Children’s Outreach (ICO) has lent support to the Ruimveldt Children’s Aid Centre (RCAC) in the form of two months’ worth of food supplies. During her first visit to the Centre last June, ICO’s Executive Director, Onica Charles, was inspired by the programmes being carried out by the RCAC and pledged to sponsor the food supplies for its JulyAugust agenda. ICO held true to its commitment recently when the

Vice President of ICO’s loc a l c h a p t e r, R o m a r i o Saintjohn, presented RCAC’s Programme Coordinator, Samantha Austin, with the first two-month supply of hampers consisting of items such as rice, macaroni, curry powder, cheese, potatoes, sausages, onion, garlic and black-eyed peas among others. The hampers are expected to feed more than 60 children who depend on the centre for hot meals and guidance. The Ruimveldt Children’s

Aid Centre which is located at 13 Public Road, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was established in January 1992. Like ICO, this entity also believes in enabling and empowering less fortunate children through education, positive self-imaging, respect, rights and responsibility. In addition to their feeding programme, RCAC also conducts an after-school literacy programme, sessions in computer skills, Moral and Religious Education, sports and recreation as well as recycling and litter awareness. This aid for the RCAC comes just as ICO continues work on its very own Children’s Aid Centre in Craig on the East Bank of Demerara. This centre will boast an enrichment and wellness area, computer lab, library, study room, music lab, playground, and kitchen – from which hot meals will be served to the neighbourhood children daily. All the services provided will be free of cost. ICO’s local chapter, called ICO-Guyana, is run by a Board of Directors comprising nine persons – President, Onica Charles; Vice President, Romario Saintjohn; Secretary, Rehana Ahamad; along with Juliana Peters, Maxine Perry, Candacy Charles, Sonia McLean, Adrienne Harmon and Ian Shamsudeen. Both the RCAC and ICO depend on donations to execute their programmes. Persons who would like to volunteer and/or make a donation to any of ICO’s programmes can do so by visiting www.icocharity.org. RCAC can also be contacted on telephone numbers 227-3092 and 623-3269, and they operate between 7am and 6pm on weekdays.

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Cervical cancer:

Muscle growth may be THE IMPORTANCE OF improved with longer rest REGULAR SCREENING between weightlifting sets

The American Cancer Society state that cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women in the US. But because more women are undergoing screening for the disease, the number of deaths from the condition have decreased significantly over the past 40 years. In line with Cervical Health Awareness Month, we highlight the signs and symptoms women need to look out for when it comes to cervical cancer, the importance of screening and what more can be done to increase awareness of the disease. Cervical cancer forms in the tissues of the cervix - the organ that connects the uterus and the vagina. There are two forms of cervical cancer. The first is squamous cell cervical cancer. This is cancer on the outer surface of the ectocervix - the area of the cervix that projects into the vagina. The other form of cervical cancer is called adenocarcinoma of the cervix. This is cancer of the endocervix - the inner area of the cervix. According to the American Cancer Society, cervical cancer is most common in women under the age of 50, and it rarely occurs in women under the age of 20. The National Institutes of Health state that almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 100 types of HPV, and around 40 of these can be sexually transmitted. Of these, approximately 15 are thought to be cancer-causing viruses, with two types - HPV16 and HPV-18 - being responsible for around 70% of cervical cancer cases globally. Studies have shown that other risk factors for cervical cancer include a family history of the disease, smoking, a weakened immune system and long-term mental stress. Research has also shown that taking contraceptive pills can increase a woman’s risk of cervical cancer. In the past, health professionals have referred to cervical cancer as the “silent killer.” Spotting cervical cancer in its early stages can prove difficult, as early forms of the disease do not usually present symptoms. It is not until the cancer becomes invasive that symptoms occur, such as abnormal bleeding after sexual intercourse, during menopause or

between periods, heavy or prolonged periods, unusual discharge and/or pain during sex. Given the absence or subtleness of early symptoms of the disease, it is a concern that some women may not realize they have it, and some may even ignore the signs or confuse them with symptoms of other conditions. Debbie Saslow, director of breast and cervical cancer at the American Cancer Society,

tured) may be detected. The second screening method is the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, also referred to as a cervical smear test. This involves a doctor or nurse scraping the outer opening of the patient’s cervix in order to collect a sample of cells. These cells are then analyzed under a microscope for any abnormalities. In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

told Medical News Today: “Bleeding and pain are symptoms that women sometimes do ignore, but women also identified abnormal bleeding as the most likely symptom to be associated with cancer. There are also a range of reasons that people ignore symptoms - one major explanation is denial. Other reasons can be related to culture. For example, some cultures are very fatalistic and believe that if you have cancer, there is nothing you can do about it so there’s no reason to see a doctor.” The fact that cervical cancer rarely presents any symptoms in its early stages highlights the importance of regular screening for the disease. There are two main screening methods for cervical cancer. The first is liquidbased cytology (LBC). This involves the doctor or nurse scraping the cervix with a small brush to collect cells. The head of this brush is then detached and preserved in liquid, before being sent to a laboratory to be analyzed for cell abnormalities. During a Pap test, cells are collected from a patient’s cervix and sent to a lab to be tested for abnormalities, from which cancerous cells (pic-

approved the first HPV test for primary screening of cervical cancer, called the cobas HPV test. This test simultaneously detects 14 HPV types - including HPV-16 and HPV18 - from DNA. Current recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force (UPSTF), which were updated in March 2012, state that women aged between 21-65 years should undergo a Pap test every 3 years. Women aged between 3065 years can choose to have the Pap test every 3 years, or the Pap test and an HPV test (carried out the same way as a Pap test) every 5 years. Due to increased usage of the Pap test, the American Cancer Society state that between 1955-1992, the death rate as a result of cervical cancer reduced by almost 70% meaning the screening may have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Saslow explained that in most areas of the US, cervical cancer screening rates are very high - at over 80%. But she notes that in some places, screening rates are very low, and so there should be focus on increasing awareness in these areas. www. medical newstoday.com.

Research reveals that men who had longer rest periods between four weightlifting sets showed a significant increase in muscle rebuilding activity - a process that aids muscle growth - compared with those who had shorter rest periods. Study co-author Dr. Leigh Breen, from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and colleagues recently published their findings in the journal Experimental Physiology. Weightlifting is a form of resistance exercise that involves lifting weights as a way to boost muscle size and strength. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should engage in moderate- or highintensity muscle-strengthening activities - such as weightlifting - at least 2 days each week, and these activities should incorporate all major muscle groups. Such activity is recommended in addition to either 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, in order to reap extra health benefits. To get the most from weightlifting and other muscle-strengthening exercises, it is recommended that such activities are performed in sets. For example, the CDC suggest performing 8-12 repetitions of lifting a weight in two or three sets to gain extra benefits. It is widely accepted

that an individual should take time to rest between weightlifting sets in order to give the muscles time to recover, but popular notion holds that the shorter the rest time, the greater the muscle growth. However, the new study from Dr. Breen and colleagues suggests this may not be the case. To reach their findings, the researchers enrolled 16 men and asked them to complete four sets of weightlifting in the form of a bilateral leg press and knee extension exercise. The men were asked to rest for either 1 minute or 5 minutes between each set. The researchers took muscle biopsies from the men as soon as all four sets were completed, as well as 4, 24, and 28 hours after. The biopsies were analyzed to establish levels of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) - the process by which damaged proteins within muscle cells are rebuilt, aiding muscle growth - and intracellular signaling. Within the first 4 hours after exercise, the team found that the men who had the longer 5-minute rest period between each weightlifting set showed a greater increase in MPS, at 156 percent, compared with those who had the shorter 1-minute rest period, who saw a 76 percent increase in MPS. Based on their results, the researchers suggest that shorter rest periods between

weightlifting sets may actually hinder the muscle growth process. “With short rests of 1 minute, though the hormonal response is superior, the actual muscle response is blunted. If you’re looking for maximized muscle growth with your training program, a slightly longer interval between sets may provide a better chance of having the muscle response you’re looking for.” The researchers recommend that weightlifting novices should take rest periods of at least 2-3 minutes between sets. “Over time, they may need to find ways to push beyond the plateau of musclebuilding that commonly occurs, and so may gradually decrease their rest periods,” notes Dr. Breen. For the more experienced weightlifter, Dr. Breen says it is possible that shorter rest periods may not have such a negative impact on the muscle-building process, particularly if their body has adapted to such stress. “Nonetheless, similar recommendations of 2-3 minutes between sets should help to ensure maximal muscle growth in well-trained individuals,” she adds. The researchers are now planning to conduct a followup study to assess the longerterm impact of extended rest periods between weightlifting sets on muscle growth. www.medicalnewstoday.com.

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2016 Emmy Nominations…All Lead Acting Categories

Include Actors Of Color For The First Time Ever Once again, TV has proved that it’s the place to be for some of the most compelling drama, the sharpest comedy and the most original, diverse group of characters. And it’s also becoming the place for fairness. The nominations for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced this morning and, for the first time ever, all the lead acting categories include at least one actor of color. Twitter didn’t erupt in #EmmysSoDiverse applause or anything like that, and it’s still years too late to start handing out cigars to every voting member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for their foresight, but it sure is a heck of a nice turn of events in a year that started with a call for an Oscars boycott because no actors of color were nominated. Moreover, 21 actors of color received nominations overall, in lead and supporting categories combined. But TV has usually been ahead of movies in general when it comes to offering content that, if it doesn’t always reflect reality (we’re looking at you, Monica and Rachel’s apartment), actually resembles life as we know it.

Television has offered a much bigger playground for strong female characters, gay and transgender characters and characters of all colors— and not only are there more roles, they tend to be much better roles. Just as HBO planted the flag for game-changing series that sent fellow cable networks scrambling to up their creativity game (a process that took a while to trickle down to the broadcast networks, but they’re getting there), streaming services have now blown up the business-as-usual model and created a real push for programming that calls to viewers. And while it’s literally impossible to please all fans in one fell swoop (the word “snub” will be the word you see used most today online), this year’s Emmy nominations are more of a reflection than ever of the array of characters making us laugh/cry/cringe/ fist-shake/lust/sweat/etc. and the actors who bring them to life. Better yet, there’s no trace of forced inclusion among the nominees (though I’m still not sure whether Cuba Gooding Jr.’s portrayal of O.J. Simpson was a brilliant interpretation or a parody next

to the also-nominated Courtney B. Vance, who stole every scene - in a good wayas Johnnie Cochran). Viola Davis as a badass defense attorney who’s also falling apart at the seams in How to Get Away With Murder. Rami Malek as a genius hacker whose delusions have become our delusions in Mr. Robot. Kerry Washington making us hang on her every word and gesture as Anita Hill in Confirmation. Aziz Ansari’s working actor in the

Nick Cannon and TLC’s Chilli Are ‘’Hanging Out,’’ Source Says

Looks like Nick Cannon has a new lady in his life! A source tells E! News Mariah Carey’s ex-husband has been spending time with TLC’s Rozando “Chilli” Thomas. “Nick and Chilli [have] been hanging o u t o n t h e l o w, ” t h e i n s i d e r s a i d . “[They’ve] been friends for some time and just recently this summer they have been hanging out romantically.” The source also explained how the two work well together because they’re both in the music industry. “Chilli is a very mature woman that’s been around the music industry for sometime and gets it,” the source added. “Nick has always had a crush on her growing up. He thinks she is beautiful.” Not to mention, the source notes that Nick “has a thing for older women.” However, de-

spite their connection they aren’t too serious just yet. “They are not an exclusive couple at this time just causally hanging out and seeing where things go.” Meanwhile, Nick filed for divorce from Mariah in early 2015 after a six-year marriage. Now, Mariah is engaged to business mogul James Packer, and another source told E! News Nick is “happy” for Carey and Packer, and he remains on “very good terms” with his ex. In fact, after Packer proposed, Cannon shared a meme of himself freaking out over Carey’s enormous, 35-carat engagement ring. “HILARIOUS!” he wrote in an Instagram caption. “#AllLove Congrats to @MariahCarey and James! May God Bless Your Future Union... #GreatPeople #GreatCouple.” www.eonline.com.

super-clever and heartwarming Master of None, which in its first season on Netflix offered some of the most insightful and hilarious commentary on race and ethnicity on TV (or any device) this past year. Same goes for black-ish stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, the leads on a show that tackled some of the most pressing issues of the day, including police brutality, and emerged in its second season as one of the strongest shows - comedy or drama-on right now.

Meanwhile, Regina King, Sterling K. Brown, Andre Braugher, Titus Burgess, Bokeem Woodbine, KeeganMichael Key, Niecy Nash, Tracy Morgan, Mahershala Ali and Reg E. Cathey are among the nominees in supporting and guest acting categories, and we could go on about the awesomeness of Woodbine in Fargo, Ali and Cathey in House of Cards, Brown’s portrayal of Chris Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson and all of the above. Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu would have

been a deserving addition to the best actress in a TV comedy bunch (Julia LouisDreyfus is everything, but maybe she could have been swapped out this year, since she’s already won for Veep four times?), but the fact that the same shows and certain stars tend to score nominations year after year (after year) is another issue. That, at least, is one problem the Oscars doesn’t have. The 2016 Emmys takes place Sept. 18 at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater. www.eonline.com.

Rihanna Is ‘’Safe,’’ Concert Cancelled Following Truck Attack in Nice Rihanna is “safe” following the devastating truck attack that occurred in Nice, France on Thursday last. Her rep reassures E! News that the singer, who is currently in France as part of her European leg of the Anti World Tour, is OK despite being in the area of the tragic incident, which has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 77 people and injured upwards of 100. The singer was slated to perform Friday night at the Allianz Stadium in Nice, but her concert has since been canceled. Nice’s former mayor and city official, Christian Estrosi, tweeted that her show, along with other social events that were planned to occur in the city tomorrow night, will no longer happen. The rough translation of the French tweet reads: “Tomorrow the flags of the city will be at half mast. After the

cancellation of the Rihanna concert, jazz festival is canceled.” According to multiple reports and eyewitness accounts, a truck drove on to the sidewalk and through a crowd of citizens who had gathered to watch fireworks

in the city in celebration of Bastille Day, which is a French national holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille and the unity of the French people. Officials believe this was a deliberate attack. www.eonline.com.

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Credit bureau making leaps and bounds but earnings a worry Three years later, an initiative that would have seen a major shift in the way Guyana handles its lending market is struggling but the local managers are hoping for a change in fortunes. CreditInfo Guyana was licensed in 2013 following the passage of the ground-breaking Credit Bureau Act in 2010. The introduction would suppose to see lenders like the commercial banks using a customer’s credit history report in determining if and how much to lend. In essence, the bureau gathers credit data on persons and provides these to the lending agency. Over the years, lending was largely dependent on tenure of service, assets and how much money one has in the bank that could be used as collateral. But the introduction of the CreditInfo Guyana three years has failed to dent the way Guyana does business. According to Judy Semple-Joseph, Chief Executive Officer of the bureau, the uphill climb has been tough with the entity not making money. As a matter of fact,

the entity has invested almost $200M but over the last three years only managed to rake in about US$70,000 ($14M) income over the period. The good news is that following amendments to the legislations, aggregated income was approximately US$50,000 for the first four months of 2016, so things are looking up. Currently, the bureau has managed to acquire 300,000 credit records. For the entire 2015, the credit records in the database numbered 84,000, a major improvement. While the first two years saw no banks or companies using CreditInfo, this saw a turn last year when over 13000 credit reports were pulled. For the first quarter of this year, some 4,300 reports were used. So far for this year, over 11,000 reports have been pulled. According to a report of CreditInfo, there was unacceptable progress during the first two years with evidence suggesting that although it reports were used during that period, there was only a small portion of issued loan. The report went further,

noting that lenders in Guyana are losing money due to higher credit risk with borrowers not benefitting from their good credit history. “The economy as a whole did not benefit from an acceptable ranking in the “Doing Business report.” CreditInfo had envisaged that the introduction of credit bureaus should raise the ratio of private credit to GDP by seven or eight percentage points over a five-year horizon. Three years since the bureau came into being, access to credit still remains a major hurdle for a big part of the population. Regarding financing to continue its operations, the report said that the credit bu-

reau is losing money and there is difficulty in convincing initial investors. Creditinfo Group hf. was established 1997 in Iceland and currently operates 20 subsidiaries/affiliates with 300 employees in more than 29 countries. The entity is now examining options of financing including approaching stakeholders to buy-in to the operations. Later this month, on July 27, the bureau is planning to host an outreach with plans to expand access to small enterprises. The bureau will especially by paying attention to insurance companies; credit unions; hire purchase companies and trade creditors to expand it database and services. CreditInfo is regulated by Bank of Guyana with strict laws governing the confiden-

tiality of the information, including a legal requirement for the data subject‘s consent before the information can be shared. According to the bureau, it is an independent organization that collects, stores, and organizes credit information about consumers and businesses. This information is sourced and collected from lenders such as banks, credit unions and microfinance organizations, as well as providers of various alternative types of credit such as hire purchase companies, telecommunication companies, and utility companies such as Guyana Water Inc. and Guyana Power and Light Co. “These disparate data are then subjected to a rigorous process of matching, crosschecking, merging and ana-

lyzing. Everything possible is done to ensure that the information is accurate and relates to the specific data subject,” explained Semple-Joseph. Credit bureaux are important elements of the financial infrastructure that facilitate access to finance. Easier access to finance is a significant driver of economic well-being in any country, but more particularly for those countries in the developing world such as Guyana. Today, less than 25 percent of the people living in developing countries have access to formal financial services, compared to up to 90 percent in developed markets. Financial sector development is seen to empower the productive power of businesses and bring the informal sector into the formal economy, a very necessary process.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

STANDARDS IN FOCUS Two-week Math camp begins ISO 22000 Standard - Useful tomorrow at QC for promoting Food Safety

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Queen’s College of Guyana Alumni Association (NY), Inc. (“QCAANY”) will host its inaugural ‘Math Institute Summer Camp’ at Queen’s College from tomorrow, July 18th, through July 29th. The goal of the Math Institute is to inspire rising 3rd Formers to engage meaningfully in mathematics and to give serious consideration to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). While offering sophisticated math instruction, the Math Institute extends knowledge and skills beyond the traditional curriculum. It uses a developmentally appropriate approach that combines significant mathematical content within a setting that encourages a sense of discovery and excitement about math through problem-solving and interactive exploration. Complementary activities will be integral to the experience. There will be a coding and robotics component to the programme, courtesy of a relationship between QCAANY and k12youthcode.com, a Georgia-based organization. There are a number of planned field trips among

which will be a trip to GuySuCo’s Uitvlugt Sugar Estate as well as the University of Guyana’s, Turkeyen Campus. This will further reinforce in-classroom lessons while enhancing students’ understanding of the importance of STEM in Guyana’s economic development. A number of encounters are planned featuring local professionals who will speak with students about STEM career options. The two-week programme will be free of cost to the thirty participating students from Queen’s College, Bishops’ and Tutorial High schools. It will include lunch and snacks, with beverages donated by Banks DIH. The Math Institute Summer Camp is the brainchild of Dr. Terrence Blackman, QC alumnus, Chair of the Medgar Evers Math Department, and a University of Guyana Education Resource Ambassador. He will lead the programme with support from Delon Ogle, a math teacher from QC; John Campbell and Saran Nurse, QCAANY’s President and Treasurer, respectively; Cleveland Waddell, QC alumnus and Graduate Student in Applied Math at North Carolina State University; local alumni and

friends of QC; and personnel from the Ministry of Education of Guyana. Air travel sponsorship is being provided by Fly Jamaica Airways. The July initiative is QCAANY’s latest demonstration of its firm commitment to STEM education and fulfills an earlier promise made to Minister of Education and QC alum, the Hon. Rupert Roopnaraine. Since 2000, QCAANY has awarded annual scholarships to first and second year students enrolled at UG who have distinguished themselves in the area of chemistry while at QC. The scholarships cover tuition through The Vernley Ward Bursary, named in honour of a founding member of the association. The group helped create the school’s first computer lab in the late 1990s and continues to collaborate with other alumni chapters to refurbish and upgrade equipment in the computer, physics and biology labs. Broadly stated, the organization’s mission is to contribute significantly to the advancement and improvement of education in Guyana. For more information about The Math Institute Summer Camp, interested persons can contact QCAANY at nychapter@qcguyanaalumnny.org.

Ensuring the safety of food for human consumption is important for the health and safety of our population, and it supports the sustainability of the local food sector. Implementing the food safety management system standard (ISO 22000) from the farm to the fork is a guaranteed way to demonstrate commitment towards food safety. The ISO 22000 standard, A Food Safety Management system – Requirements for any organization in the food chain specifies requirements for a food safety management system where an organization in the food chain needs to demonstrate its ability to control food hazards in order to ensure that food is safe at the time of human consumption. The standard is applicable to all primary producers, processors, manufacturers, food service providers, storage service providers, catering service providers, transportation service providers, cleaning and sanitation service providers. Food companies can derive many benefits from implementing this international standard. The standard allows food produced by those that are conforming to it to access lucrative international markets. Yes, certification to the standard will open doors to many domestic and international opportunities. The standard also enables clear, dynamic communication across the entire supply chain through organized and targeted communication among trade partners, suppliers, customers, regulators and other interested parties. In addition, traceability, which identifies an organization’s impact on food safety within the supply chain, can be achieved through

the standard. There is greater confidence in the safety of food and related products that are served and delivered along the food chain. The standard also reduces food borne diseases and ensures greater protection of workers in the food industry. World over, many food companies are using the standard as a generator of consumer confidence. These companies use less time and effort to earn the trust and confidence of perspective customers during product promotion. When unsafe food products enter the market, the entire food chain is affected and consumers are exposed to hazards. By implementing the ISO 22000, there is reduced risk of financial penalties caused by product recalls and litigations. Usually, companies implementing the ISO 22000 standard have recognized the need to continually improve their products and processes to maintain competitiveness. These companies experience fewer errors, returns on customer complaints which foster improved relationships with suppliers, business partners and customers, and give businesses a real advantage in the marketplace. The ISO 22000 food safety policy and objectives help to improve the performance of the organization. The GNBS is capable of providing technical assistance to companies desirous of implementing this international standard. Hence, any company that contributes directly to the food is urged to make contact with the Bureau. For further information on this subject, call the Guyana National Bureau of Standards on Telephone numbers: 219-0064 or 219-0065, or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgyorg

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CONSUMER CONCERNS

The parking meter scheme - some consumer concerns PAT DIAL Several consumers as well as members of our Committee have been calling upon us to make a statement about the proposed establishment of a system of parking meters in Georgetown. We had so far refrained from making any statement on the issue because we did not have any detailed information about its operation. We were of course fully acquainted with the various views on the issue which had been so vigorously ventilated in the press but these tended to be concerned with legal or statal issues. In this offering, we shall confine ourselves to those issues of immediate concern to consumers. The raison d’etre of parking meters is to prevent traffic congestion in downtown areas of cities where commercial and other business activities are transacted. It also establishes more orderly and fairer parking. If such business activities do not take place in other areas, as for example residential areas, then there is no need for meters. Accordingly, before a

parking meter scheme is implemented in Georgetown, maps should be issued showing the areas and streets which are to be metered. GECOM had recently published a number of maps of the various areas of the City for the last Local Government Elections and these may be useful to the Parking Meter Company. The City Council, or whatever Authority would be responsible for overseeing the Scheme would have to ensure that the meters are calibrated. This would ensure that the timing devices are accurate and also that old or secondhand castoffs are not installed in Georgetown. The Committee checking on the calibration would include representatives from the National Bureau of Standards and the Police. Every year the accuracy of the meters has to be tested, preferably by the Bureau of Standards.

In installing the meters, care must be taken to ensure that the ingress and egress of householders and business places are not impeded. If this is not done at the outset, lawsuits of various kinds could result. Bus terminals and bus stops should be exempt from metering, since if they were, this would result in daily chaos and confusion in such places as both bus operators and commuters could see no reason why buses should pay for providing a public service and why fares should be increased by the operators having to pass on the metered charges to them. Taxis waiting in the taxi ranks should also be exempted. This would cause no

problem since the established taxi ranks in the City are very few. Around the hospitals and Law Courts should not be metered. People go to the hospitals to take a sick person for treatment or to take the discharge of a patient. They may even go to receive treatment for themselves. And the taxis which wait around the hospitals provide a very necessary service to the sick and their relatives who are mostly poorer folk who do not have cars. Litigants and witnesses attending the Law Courts do not go there willingly. At both the hospitals and Courts, waiting for lengthy periods is a norm. In similar vein, parking around the National Insurance offices should be ex-

empt. Sometimes cars, bikes and other vehicles have to be towed away from the meters for a number of reasons. If such has to be done, it is expected that the metering company has a safe and accessible station where such vehicles are kept. And in towing away, care should be exercised not to damage the vehicle. Most important, the parking fees charged cannot be exorbitant but must be affordable. So far, from what has been carried in the newspapers, the Company has arrived at its charges by computing its profits on the basis of cost of service plus 20 per cent for City Hall. The public’s interest has not been factored in this equation.

On the face of it, therefore, it seems the Company is planning to make a profit of at least 40 per cent to 50 pe3r cent; no company in Guyana makes that kind of profit margin. It would seem that a new formula for charges has to be worked out and this could be done by the Company, the M&TC, the Private Sector and the Ministry of Business. These are some of the major concerns of the consumers. They can all be successfully addressed and allow the Company to make a fair profit and also the consumers to be more comfortable. Some of these requirements could be included in the Agreement between the Company and M&TC.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Antigua-Barbuda freezes assets… Rowley to make official visit Offshore bank implicated in to Jamaica massive corruption scheme

KINGSTON – On July 17, Dr Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, will pay an Official Visit to Jamaica, on the invitation of the Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, for further political dialogue on matters of mutual interest to both countries. Holness extended the invitation to Rowley during their bilateral discussions, held in the margins of the Seventh Summit of Heads of States and Government of States, Countries and Territories of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), in Havana, Cuba on June 4. The Visit follows ongoing discussions between both Governments, towards the resolution of long standing bilateral and regional issues, including the Implementation of the CARICOM Single Market Economy (CSME), and the related Free Movement of Community Nationals and Immigration matters, Trade and Energy Cooperation and Air Transportation. The Prime Ministers are also expected to engage on the CARICOM integration process. Both Leaders will discuss the signing of a Framework Agreement and the establishment of a Joint Commission, which is currently under negotiation, to provide a structured medium for bilateral dis-

Dr. Keith Rowley

cussions and cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Rowley, who will be accompanied by his wife Rowley, will spend four days in the island. He is expected to meet with the Chairman of the CARICOM/ CARIFORUM Review Commission, pay a Courtesy Call on the Governor General and meet with the Leader of the Opposition. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to engage with heads of private sector bodies and entities on trade and business development. During his visit, the Rowley will address the 22nd Session of the General Assembly of the International Sea-

bed Authority, which is underway at the Jamaica Conference Centre. Trinidad and Tobago played an instrumental role in the development of the Law of the Sea. He will also meet with the Vice Chancellor and Senior Executives of the University of the West Indies (UWI), members of the Diaspora, as well as students from Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, he will have a scheduled event with Trinidadian Entrepreneurs in Jamaica. The Government of Jamaica has been working closely with the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago in Kingston in preparation for the Visit. (JIS)

Venezuela oil production hits 13-year low CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s oil production fell to a 13-year low last month, declining by 170,000 barrels per day (bpd) since the start of 2016 to 2.18 million barrels per day (mb/d) in June, according to the latest oil market report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA said that “further losses” are expected in the second half of 2016. Meanwhile, Barclays estimates that Venezuelan

oil production could fall as low as 1.7 mb/d before the end of the year. Reuters recently reported that, during the first half of this year, Venezuela’s staterun oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) slashed its oil exports to Cuba by some 40 percent, citing the company’s internal trade data. On Tuesday, Luis Morillo, PDVSA’s general manager in Cuba, denied this, instead blaming a “technical and en-

gineering difficulty at the Cienfuegos refinery”. “There has not been any issue or reduction with the supply of Venezuelan oil to Cuba,” Morillo said. Nonetheless, some joint ventures and state-owned firms in Cuba were recently ordered to reduce power usage. Cuba’s minister for the economy, Marino Murillo, was removed from his post on Wednesday and reassigned to focus his efforts on tasks related to “updating the Cuban economic and social model.” (Caribbean News)

ST JOHN’S, Antigua — The Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) in Antigua and Barbuda have frozen the accounts of a Brazilian-owned offshore bank that has been in operation since 2006, following information from a Brazilian court that found a prima facie case of money laundering by certain Brazilian nationals and companies. While the government is awaiting a formal request from the Brazilian government for mutual legal assistance, with which it will cooperate within the law and existing international obligations, it said it has taken all appropriate measures, including freezing the accounts of the individuals concerned. According to informed sources, the bank in question was complicit in the largest corruption scandal ever uncovered in Brazil, which included the alleged involve-

Luis Inácio Lula da Silva

ment of Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, the nation’s president from 2003 through 2010. The scandal, centering on Petrobras – Petróleo Brasileiro SA, Brazil’s semipublic national oil company – was an enormous matrix of secretive schemes that illicitly channeled billions of dollars to favoured companies and individuals. The corruption entered the political sphere through the involvement of public office holders who got favoured individuals’ jobs in Petrobras, sometimes in key positions,

and received money in return. The activities of the Antigua bank reportedly took place between 2010 and 2014 during the tenure of the previous administration and prior to legislative action by the present Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) government to close loopholes in anti-money laundering legislation and in the administration of international offshore banks. These changes included the passage of the International Banking and International Business Corporation Acts. (Caribbean News)

Argentina judge orders cash seized former President Cristina Fernandez’s daughter BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A judge on Friday ordered the seizure of more than $4.6 million from a bank safe deposit box belonging to former President Cristina Fernandez’s daughter as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. Fernandez called the probe “a media stunt” and said the money belongs to her family. She said that it came from changing savings in pesos to dollars and that she recently declared the sum to authorities. Argentine authorities had opened the box belonging to Fernandez’s daughter, Florencia Kirchner, on Thursday night at the request of the daughter in an effort to clear her name. The ruling by Judge Julian Ercolini included two other bank accounts and came after a request by a local prosecutor Friday. Ercolini said in a statement that the seizure was needed “to preserve the state of things” and to ensure that the money “cannot be altered or modified.” “That the funds in question have been duly declared is irrelevant because in the ma-

neuvers being investigated, what is being discussed is its origin,” said Ercolini, who is also investigating construction businessmen with close ties to Fernandez’s family as part of a widening probe into allegations of money laundering. The judge is trying to determine whether Fernandez’s family received payments through hotels it owns in southern Argentina from businessmen who benefited from the granting of public works contracts. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme would have allowed the money to be laundered. Local lawmaker Margarita Stolbizer recently asked authorities to look into “suspicious movements” in the accounts and safe box belonging to the former president’s daughter. Kirchner said Friday that the money is partly from the inheritance left by her father, former President Nestor Kirchner, who died in 2010. “I asked them to open them because I have nothing to hide,” she said on social media.

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur News

IMF lauds Govt. for reducing...

Turkey rounds up plot suspects after thwarting coup against Erdogan Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian on Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday. REUTERS/STRINGER

Reuters - Turkish authorities rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters yesterday and ordered thousands of judges detained after thwarting a coup by rebels using tanks and attack helicopters to try to topple President Tayyip Erdogan. For several hours overnight on Friday violence shook Turkey’s two main cities, as the armed faction which tried to seize power blocked a bridge in Istanbul and strafed the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in Ankara. At least 265 people were killed. An official said 161 of them were mostly civilians and police officers, while the remaining 104 were coup supporters. But the coup attempt crumbled as Erdogan rushed back to Istanbul from a Mediterranean holiday and urged people to take to the streets to support his government against plotters he accused of trying to kill him. “They will pay a heavy price for this,” said Erdogan, launching a purge of the armed forces, which last used force to stage a successful coup more than 30 years ago. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our

army.” Among those detained were top military commanders, including the head of the Second Army which protects the country’s borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran, state-run Anadolu news agency said. Hundreds of soldiers were held in Ankara for alleged involvement in the coup, leaving police stations overflowing. Some had to be taken under armed police escort in buses to a sports stadium. Reuters footage showed some of the detainees, handcuffed and stripped from the waist up, sitting on the floor of one of the buses. The government declared the situation under control, saying 2,839 people had been rounded up, from foot soldiers to senior officers, including those who formed “the backbone” of the rebellion. Authorities also began a major crackdown in the judiciary over suspected links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, removing from their posts and ordering the detention of nearly 3,000 prosecu-

tors and judges, including from top courts. Erdogan has blamed the coup on supporters of Gulen, who he has frequently accused of trying to foment uprising in the military, media and judiciary. Ten members of the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors and two members of the Constitutional Court have already been detained, officials said. A successful overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled the country of about 80 million people since 2003, would have marked another seismic shift in the Middle East, five years after the Arab uprisings erupted and plunged Turkey’s southern neighbour Syria into civil war. U.S. President Barack Obama expressed support for Turkey’s government and called on all sides to avoid action that would lead to further violence or instability. French President Francois Hollande said he expected a period of repression in the aftermath of the failed coup.

From page 10 the outstanding US$11M amount. Dr. Thomas told Kaieteur News that it is imperative that the plant be recovered, as it is a major supplier of power and basically the lifeline of the factory. “It is such a major producer of power that it supplies 90,000 households in Berbice. We are in discussions with having that sale being reversed from being the property of GPL. It is an important pillar for GuySuCo. We are hoping to get it for next year. We want to be able to sell GPL power. We are getting ripped off with the plant being in the possession of another company.” The GuySuCo Chairman explained that high on the entity’s list of priorities is moving towards the diversification of the sugar industry especially as it regards refined sugar. He noted that GuySuCo is still working to achieve a breakthrough with a new upgraded sugar called, “Enmore Crystals.” “This product will help to give us some leverage to sell our sugar for more. This packaged sugar is only being done in small quantities for the markets in Canada, USA and Britain.” The GuySuCo Chairman said that the Board and Management believe that the packaged sugar will do better than

“the ordinary sugar sold in the transparent plastic bag.” He noted that samples are already being taken to the three markets he outlined, among other places where contacts are made. Dr. Thomas said, “We are trying to penetrate the market with small quantities and build up as time goes. We are basically doing this to see

how we can get a higher price for our sugar. “And so far, it has been receiving favourable reviews from our international contacts, so we are looking to see how this works out. But there are other plans in the pipeline for the diversification of this product and bringing the industry back to good health.”

Cops detain stepfather in alleged rape of three... From page 11 the alleged abuser. One neighbour also claimed that the victims stated that the stepfather would pelt the girls with anything within his reach including ‘coconuts’. Another resident, who tipped off welfare officials, said that the mother was very abusive to the children and neighbours. “Them kids does be wan-

dering around the people and you don’t see them eating nothing. If you (are to) give the kids them something to eat, she would cuss you up and tell yuh left them alone. You gotta hide and give them. Is sad though what happen cause them is pretty girls and very mannerly.” Commander Amsterdam said that charges are likely to be instituted.

PAGE 70

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana p assport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING& PUBLISHINGINC–TEL:6004212: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call:6294946 or 225-4822 RAMDASS VISA APPLICATION & immigration services, room A-4, Maraj Building, Georgetown. Call Samantha: 227-0295; 615-9295 Narine’s Trucking Service for sand, loam, stone etc. Delivery-Call: 641-2477 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Brian Moe @ 642-3543: Computer Technician: FB/ Brian.Moe.165: Home and Office visits at your comfort!! Guytec Repairs Services & Spares to washing machines, pressure washer, dryer, stoves, refrigerator, treadmill, vacuum, etc –Call: 680-2377 LEARN TO DRIVE

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Register now for summer courses in cosmetology and nails between 2nd -25th August – Cost $15,000 Call Abby:619-7603 Earn a certificate in cosmetology; enroll now at Artee’s Beauty Salon & School of cosmetology. Call: 275-0267; 680-0156

TO LET One three bedrooms house for rent @ Crane Housing Scheme -$50,000 monthly. Call: 614-5962 Rooms in Albertown & apartment in eccles. Call: 2253234; 698-7807 Rooms in Alberttown and apartments in Eccles, long & short term. Call: 225-3234; 6987807 1- New 2 bedrooms house in Triumph E.C.D -$50,000 negotiable. Call: 615-4178 VEHICLE FOR SALE One 170 Corona –Call: 6961355 Toyota Belta 1300CC, one owner, PLL 9400 + Series, 2006 model - $1.7M negotiable. Call: 655-0767

VEHICLE FOR SALE

PROPERTY FOR SALE

FOR SALE

EDUCATIONAL

2010 IST -$2.6M, 2011 BLUEBIRD -$2.7M, 2011 RACTIS -$2.6M, 2009 AXIO -$2.4M, 2009 BELTA -2.4M. CALL: 617-2891

Corner property in Grove, 1 block from Main Road- Flat House, price negotiable. Call: 1905-626-2572

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

Electronic Course. Starting 9th August. Hands-on training repairing all types of TVs,etc.Call:226-6551;225-0391

Toyota Runx, AT212, AT192, AT170, L-Touring Wagon, Raum, new model Tacoma, Nissan pickup, Honda Capa. Call: 644-5096; 697-1453 1 L-Touring Wagon (yellow) for sale $750,000 negotiable. Call: 614-5962 SALE! SALE! 2010 IST $2.4M, 2009 NOAH -$2.5M, ARUIS-$2.5M-CALL:617-2891 3 TON CANTER ENCLOSE AND OPEN BACK WITH 4D ENGINE, PRICE -$3.6M, NEVER REGISTERED – CALL: 617-2891 One Corolla Feilder Wagon, year 2010 - $1.8M. Call: 2254816; 676-6379

Fully furnished transported commercial/residential property @ 249 Buzz-BeeDam, Craig, E.B.D; also 3 Canter trucks -$240M negotiable. Call: 652-0519/ 628-6847 3 Bedrooms house in Tucville, asking price $15M, needs repairs. Call: 645-6498 Newly built @ Craig E.B.D (land size: 91X50 feet), (House 40X28), 3 rooms, 1 self contained. Call:718-213-6496; 679-8091

2010 TOYOTA PREMIO, FULLY LOADED, UNREGISTERED -$3.3M. CALL: 642-7295

House & land for sale $8,000,000, 422 Fourth Street, Herstelling, East Bank Demerara. Call: 677-0792

One Hilux E/Cab pick-up, manual, gasoline, A/C. Call: 676-0931 One Honda CRV, PLL series, year 2001 -$1.4M negotiable. Call: 624-6099 One Landcruiser Prado, PGG 7024, manual, 3RZ engine. Call: 681-2523 1 RZ, PLL, good condition. Call: 617-6781

PEN- PAL UK Re-migrant is seeking lady 35-50 for serious relationship must be able to travel around – Call: +447717834480; +592-6905061

Oswin J’s Auto Imports: Premio 2008-2011, Allion 2008-2011, Rush 2008-2009, Fielder -2008, Axio 2008. Call: 609-2815

Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494

Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461

Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities -$41M –Call: 6629335; 612-3244

Toyota Avensis for sale -$2.1M -Call: 645-0078; 603-0078 Honda Civic M/Car “SS” series -$1.4M negotiable. Call: 696-2815

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 656-0087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL @YAHOO. COM

High value transported land and 2 bedrooms newly built house, Greater Diamond E.B.D -$16M negotiable. Call: 265-4338

2004 MITSUBISHI CANTER, 4D 33 ENGINE, 2 TON, UNREGISTERED $2.4M. CALL: 642-7295 2010 TOYOTA FIELDER, BODY KIT, MAGS, CD, FULLY LOADED, UNREGISTERED -$2.5M. CALL: 642-7295

Soman, Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

TOURS Shiba Kaleko Rain ForestResort: school children f o r N a t u r e To u r i s m experience @ Rockstone, 45mins from Linden. Call: 618-4499

Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL. COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807

1-2 Storey building 80X60X30 transported, land 135X80. Upper East Bank$50M, serious calls only. Call: 677-4628/653-8754. 1 Church building in front and 2 story building at the back 30X120, vacant possession, 180 Charolotte Street Bourda. Call:624-7341/ 227-6817/2265183 Diamond, South, La Parfaite Harmonie, price to go. Call Sherwin: 629-6579; 662-2052 Transported property for sale @ Logwood, Enmore, E.C.DCall (592) 622-5824; (592) 6715395 Furnished wooden house & land & neighbouring land 60X100 -$20M Negotiable, Sol separately also M.M.Z, W.C.D. Call: 655-0767 Property for sale @ lot 32 Princess Street, Werk-enRust. Call: 621-8767 Transported property in Regent Street between Wellington & Camp. Call: 6251514 ACCOMMDATION Harmony Inn: clean, comfortable & affordable apartments/rooms, long & short term – Call: 668-0306; 218-1400; 694-7817 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

MIX BREED PUPS –CALL: 615-0146 Rambutan seedlings plants $2,000 per plant. Call: 621-4778 One 6 base music set with QSC amps, RCF speakers. Call: 622-0503; 689-9932 Toyota Hiace (pitbull) bus 2008- $1.5M, down payment $100,000 monthly. Call: 6093650; 226-8953 40 KVA generator, cement mixer, air compressor, tyre machine, bobcat. Call: 6940535

Summer Classes: Phonics, Reading, Language, Mathematics, Art & Craft & fun day (4-12yrs) July 18thAugust 12th @ Roxanne Burnham Gardens-Tel:2182076; 619-4355 IAE (Private Secondary School) register for full time (forms1-5) CXC 2017, classes for adults and repeaters. Call: 683-5742 Summer classes in Maths, English, Phonics, composition writing and much more for slow leaners. Call: 675-4379

1-210 Hyundai excavator, good condition, any reasonable offer accepted. Call: 610-0515; 216-1390 1 Lifan 110 motorcycle $55,000 press start, 1 wooden queen size bed, -$20,000, 1 television -$18,000, 1 microwave -$12,000. Call: 227-5169 1-2000 Am general 6X6 truck tractor, price -$5.5M negotiable, 1 Chevy 2500 cargo van – $2.4M. Call: 6736034; 664-5319 Muscovy Ducklings. Call: 602-7203 Trawler – Call: 616-5954

WANTED Night Manager, Security, DJ, waitresses, bartenders, 1 experienced secretary between ages 18-25, must have CXC –Call: 668-8332; 638-5303 Labourer in cabbage & tomato farm must have 2 yrs experienced, paying $5,000$5,500 per day. Call: 695-6139; 674-5052

Top flat; 3 bedroom house Counter attendants, apply at 24X40, $14.9 M, $3M down Shanta’s, 225 Camp & New payment. Contact#650-0402 Market Street. Land at Blankenburg $3.9M & up, financing available. Contact#650-0402 Land at Schoonord, Boodhoo’s Housing Scheme $6.5 M, financing available. Contact#650-0402 Dairy cows-high producers, price negotiable. Call 672-6892 to visit site. ROAD TO BELWASA & A DIP AT THE SANGAM. AVAILABLE @ AUSTIN’S BOOK STORE- TEL: 2267350/7 & AT LATCHMANSINGH DRUG STORE. TEL: 226-5053 Raw loam & mix loam (any quantity) for sale. Call (592) 627-0903; (592) 671-5395 School uniforms for Georgetown schools & leotards & tights. Call Roxie’s Fashion: 227-8538 1 Hilux 5L pickup, 1 complete music set & transported property @ Govent Garden, E.B.D. Call: 265-3586 1 Small glass case- $15,000, 1 Big glass case -$25,000, 1 Male Manniquin-$45,000, Call Simone: 626-5317

One skilled Lathe operator/ welder, one driver/mechanic, live in preferably, high rates. Call: 227-1830 Waitress for bar- Call: 6122522 Porters/Handyman with sound secondary education & able to multi-task. Apply in person @ KeyFood Trading, McDoom, Village. Girls to work in bar as waitress, between age 18-25 (walk with ID card). Call: 2564096; 660-6325 Contract cars and taxi drivers, also dispatchers. Call: 2310002; 231-0316 Cleaners between 19-25yrs for 2 weeks from Georgetown area. Call: 231-4933; 691-3550 LAND FOR SALE Transported land for sale located on the eastern side of Palmyra, Berbice. - Call (592) 622-5824; (592) 6715395 Residential 100X100 lease lot @ Kuru Kururu, first Hill from Soesdyke Junction- Call: 6806136 Continue page 71

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Kaieteur News

SCHOOL’S OUT: Don’t let their dental health suffer

From page 70

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

By Dr. Neromini Fagu This week marks the beginning of the long awaited school vacation for most children. It is a time for sleeping in late, playing with friends and of course constant snacking with all the ongoing activities. It is also a time when dental health is often neglected because the normal schedule that is followed during the academic year is now relaxed. So, it is not uncommon for them to forget to brush twice a day. At this time, it is very important that proper diet and oral hygiene are maintained. It is easy for children to deviate for the normal oral hygiene regimen but this will increase their risk of tooth decay. SCHEDULEADENTAL CHECK-UP

During the vacation period it is a good idea to schedule a check-up with your dentist. Yes, you may have two months to do it but if there are dental issues that need addressing it is always better to tackle them sooner than later. Some treatments may require more than one visit so you may need to schedule the visits accordingly so that they don’t interfere with any planned trips. Also, you don’t want to be on vacation far away only to have your children complain of a toothache. This would make your vacation memorable but for the wrong reason. DRINK LOTS OF WATER With all their activities, kids will need to be hydrated. As always, the best option is water. Carbonated drinks like colas, sports drinks and fruit

juices all have acids that can be harmful to their teeth especially if they are constantly sipping these beverages. In addition to keeping your childrenhydrated, water will help to rinse away food particles and increase saliva production in their mouths which will help to prevent tooth decay. USE MOUTHGUARDS Vacations include a lot of sporting activities and some of these can have a direct impact on your children’s teeth. You should be vigilant as to what sports will predispose your children to dental trauma. The use of a mouthguard will help to protect your children from injuries to their teeth. Some sports are obvious candidates for mouthguardsbut others are not so obvious. It is safe to

say your children will not need a mouthguard if they are playing cricket or tennis but other sports, especially contact sports are a concern. CHANGE TOOTHBRUSH Your child’s toothbrush should be changed on average every three to four months and sooner if you notice that it has become frayed or unable to brush properly. Now might be a good time to take your child to pick out a toothbrush. Hopefully, choosing their own toothbrush might encourage them to practice good oral hygiene. Maintaining good oral hygiene from a young age is essential if you want your child to keep their teeth for a long time. This vacation period is an opportune time to ensure that their dental health is in order. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.

Contract awards must have greater... From page 9 Ewart Adams, an insurance official. As for the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), there appears to be some amount of movement on the establishment of the Procurement Commission. This is according to PAC Chairman, Irfaan Ali. Ali said that the committee has received a number of nominations and the applications of those individuals are currently being reviewed by a subcommittee. The twomember sub-committee includes Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence, and the PAC Chairman. The PAC Chairman was unable to say just how many applications have been received and are being perused. The Public Accounts Committee, which

according to procedure, is chaired by a member of the opposition, has to nominate the five members of the Procurement Commission. The award of contracts in Guyana by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has always been a matter of contention in several quarters. There have been accusations of favouritism along with other complaints of anticompetitive practices. Former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, who had spoken extensively on the matter, said that the weak systems of the NPTAB need to be addressed by the new administration, as they cost the country approximately $28B annually. He then pointed to credible allegations of corrupt behaviour in public

procurement. These included sole sourcing of drug contracts, contract splitting, inflated engineer’s estimates, evaluation bias on behalf of favoured contractors, the use of inexperienced contractors, the absence of competitive bidding in some cases and overpayment to contractors. Goolsarran had said that at least US$140M is lost annually by looking at those areas. His estimation was gleaned from an overview of the Auditor General’s reports on the country’s accounts over the past few years. He had also highlighted some of the glaring shortcomings of the NPTAB, among them the absence of District Tender Boards for Neighbourhood Democratic Councils; the failure to publish in NPTAB’s website; the award of all contracts between $200,000 and $15

million; the failure of members of the various tender boards to file financial returns with the Integrity Commission; the non-establishment of a formal Bid Protest Committee and the failure to exercise due diligence in ensuring that evaluators had the requisite expertise. Goolsarran had said, too, that there are certain parts of the Procurement Act which have not been adhered to since the Act came into effect on January 1, 2004. These include ensuring the criteria used for selection are such that they do not discriminate against particular contractors and suppliers, and the award of contracts based on the lowest evaluated bid as opposed to the lowest bid. Failure to look at these, he said, has also proven to be very costly to the country.

1 complete 3 storey building for rent at 68 Pike St. Kitty Call: 615-8176 1-2-4 Bedrooms new house to rent @ West Coast Demerara– Call immediately 276-0818 Apartment in Diamond, Section A, Block X: 2 bedrooms apartment -$55,000 monthly. Call: 685-1640 for more info. Lower 2 bedrooms apartment @ Paradise Public Road, E.C.D. Security Deposit required -$38,000 monthly. Call: 625-9939 One single room, semifurnished apartment @ Ogle Railway Line. Call: 612-6797 1-2 Bedrooms apartment for rent at MonRepos, North E.C.D, price $60,000. Call: 6929295; 688-6005 2 Bedrooms flat house with 1 self contained room & A/C, parking space @129 Diamond Housing Scheme (Street after G3 building). Call: 688-2141; 642-96216 1-3 Bedrooms apartment for rent at100 D’Andrade Street, Newtown Kitty. Call: 6851769 or 671-6860 2 Bedrooms bottom flat for rent -$40,000 per month. Call: 628-7337 One Three bedrooms house in South. Call: 698-3644; 6696190

VACANCY Control Room Assistants and Visiting Officers. Massy Security (Guyana) Inc. Lot 0 Ruimveldt, Georgetown.Tel: 225-5573/6 Popular East Coast Gas Station (Non-Pareil) Day/ Night: pump attendants, sales clerk & office assistant. Contact: 695-9880 Hotel hospitality, now hiring, front desk agents, waiters, waitress, housekeepers, sous- chef, handyman/ gardener. Call: 603-3205 SENIORACCOUNT CLERK TO WORK IN CHARITY MUST HAVEALEAST FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE. CONTACT: 223-5273/4 BAR MANAGER WITH AT LEAST 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE CONTACT CONTACT 223-5273/4 OR EMAIL: RTILAK @ ADAMANTIUMHOLDINGS. COM Cashiers for supermarket – Call: 624-0033 & pump attendants. Call: 680-3863 Teachers: 2 Primary (Grades 2 & 4) & 2 Secondary (Mathematics & Science) Achiever s’ Academy – Soesdyke. Handwritten application, resume, origindocuments, & 2 refereesCalls: 613-2928/ 683-4667 Cook (food handlers certificate) - Assistant Cook, Knowledge in all cuisines. Salary - $23,000- Contact: 2227334 – 63 3 Waitresses -$16,000 (shift), E.B.D, 1 cook -$18,000 weekly, free meals & accommodation. Whatssap 661-8802 Cashier 6am-3pm & 3pm12pm. Submit application to Shell Station Providence E B D , shellramsburg@gmail.com

LAND FOR SALE La Parfaite Harmonie -$1M &$1.6M, Herstelling 100ftX50ft (corner lot) $3M, Bartica $3M & mining claims. Call: 611-7223;604-2207

1 Male Janitor/Cleaner. Apply in person @ Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling. 1 Female Accounts Clerk. Apply in person @ Alabama Trading Georgetown, Ferry Stelling. LAND FOR SALE

33.6 Acres @ Kuru Kuru, Linden Soesdyke Highway. Call:679-1151; 225-7794

Transported land for sale @ Heywood Enmore, E.C.DCall (592) 622-5824; (592) 671-5395

Land @ La Grange Public Road to Sea Dam, 4 Acres, could be use for commercial / Housing Scheme-Call: 625-1514

Transported land for sale located at the Right Bank of the Essequibo River- Call (592) 622-5824; (592) 671-5395

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Kaieteur News

Sunday July 17, 2016

Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

AIDS summit in South Africa to warn of lagging effort

Johannesburg (AFP) Sixteen years after Nelson Mandela galvanised the world to take up the fight against AIDS, experts and activists return to the South African city of Durban tomorrow, seeking to revitalise the fight against the disease. Some 18,000 scientists, campaigners, funders and lawmakers are descending on the port city for the five-day 21st International AIDS Conference — a council of war on a pandemic that has claimed more than 30 million lives in 35 years. Singer Elton John and Britain’s Prince Harry will host a session at the conference discussing the HIV epidemic among young people. “The message from

Durban to the world is going to be that it’s too soon to declare victory. We have a long way to go,” International AIDS Society president Chris Beyrer told AFP. Until 2000, only wealthier countries had hosted the biennial AIDS meeting. That all changed when South Africa became the first developing country — and the first with an unbridled epidemic of HIV in its population -— to take the helm. The conference was a highly-charged affair, but its emotional zap transformed the AIDS campaign. Campaigners fired verbal volleys at Big Pharma, accusing drugs companies of providing life-saving drugs to HIV patients in rich countries

but ignoring counterparts in poor economies. This time around, delegates will pore over the latest scientific research, amid frustration that there is still no vaccine for the stealthy, shape-changing virus. The United Nations has set a target of ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030, but warned that efforts are lagging. Infection rates are rising in many regions of the world, the UNAIDS agency said, with Russia especially hard hit. There are some 36.7 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, mainly in subSaharan Africa. Of these, only 17 million are receiving treatment.

Venezuelans pour into Colombia to buy basic goods Cucuta (Colombia) (AFP) - Thousands of Venezuelans crossed yesterday into the Colombian city of Cucuta to buy food and medicine, taking advantage of another brief opening in the border that’s been closed nearly a year. Caracas authorised the temporary opening a week after some 35,000 Venezuelans poured across the border during a 12-hour opening of the pedestrian bridge that connects Tachira, Venezuela and Cucuta. “Right now @GoberNorte is coordinating the passage of thousands of people,” tweeted Yebrail Haddad, the government secretary of the Norte de Santander department, of which Cucuta is the capital. The border opened a day earlier than authorities from both countries had previously announced.

The influx of Venezuelans comes during a 40-day freight truckers’ strike in Colombia, heightening fears that shortages could hit major cities there as well, including Cucuta. Venezuela has suffered crippling shortages for months, a ripple effect from the falling price of oil, the country’s primary export. Critics also blame grave mishandling of the state-led

economy. Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas told reporters that security forces would guarantee the arrival of supplies for Cucuta’s residents as well as Venezuelan shoppers. Colombian authorities checked those crossing the border before allowing passage, local government sources told AFP.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

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Police arrest three in Nice as Islamic State claims truck attack Reuters - Islamic State claimed responsibility yesterday for the truck attack that killed at least 84 people celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice and police arrested three more people there in connection with the seafront carnage. “The person who carried out the operation in Nice, France, to run down people was one of the soldiers of Islamic State,” the Amaq news agency affiliated with the mili-

tant Islamist group said on its Telegram account. “He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting Islamic State.” French authorities have yet to produce any evidence that the 31 year-old Tunisian killer, shot dead by police in the attack, had turned to radical Islam. Nevertheless, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel may have undergone a rapid change. “It seems that he was radicalised very quickly — in any case these are the elements that have come up from the testimony of the people around him,” Cazeneuve told reporters. Speaking from his home town in Tunisia, Bouhlel’s sister told Reuters he had been having psychological problems when he left for France in 2005. Other relatives and friends interviewed in Nice doubted he had militant Islamist leanings. Yesterday’s arrests concerned his “close entourage”, police sources said. Two other people, including the attacker’s wife, had already been detained. Bouhlel had been in France for 10 years and lived locally. He drove at the crowd in the Riviera city on Thursday night, zig-zagging along the seafront Promenade des Anglais for two kilometres as a fireworks display marking the French national day ended, until police eventually shot him dead.

Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Sudan’s al-Bashir, attending Rwanda summit, defies the ICC KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Sudan’s President Omar alBashir arrived in Rwanda yesterday to attend a summit of African leaders, defying an international warrant for his arrest after public assurances from Rwandan leaders that he would not be arrested. The African Union summit today is expected to discuss the continent’s uneasy relationship with the International Criminal Court, which some say unfairly targets Africans. Ahead of the summit, some African countries renewed efforts to quit the ICC en masse despite the opposition of some countries like Botswana. Nigeria, Senegal and Ivory Coast have been pushing back as well in recent days. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has led growing criticism of the ICC, calling it “useless” during his inauguration in May, an event that al-Bashir attended. Some countries want a separate African court with jurisdiction over rights abuses. “Withdrawal from ICC is entirely within the sovereignty of a particular state,”

Sudan president Omar al-Bashir, right, arrives in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, yesterday. (AP Photo/Ssuuna katera) Joseph Chilengi, an AU official, told reporters yesterday. Al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC for alleged atrocities in the country’s Darfur region. He should be at the ICC answering to charges that include genocide, “not persisting in this game of cat-andmouse with the court,” Elise Keppler of Human Rights Watch said last night. Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said this week that Rwanda would not arrest al-Bashir. “Africa doesn’t support

criminals, but when justice is involved with a lot of politics we take a pause to separate the two,” Mushikiwabo told reporters. The African Union summit also will discuss South Sudan, where clashing army factions raised concerns of a return to civil war. The chaos threatens a peace deal signed last August between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar. United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, who is attending the summit, has called for an arms embargo.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday July 17, 2016

Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Royal Control, Bridal Stone Corner shine on damp day at Alness race track Royal Control took control of things to run away with two races when the Alness Turf Club held the Marcel and Lillian Crawford memorial horserace meet on Sunday last at the club track Alness Corentyne Berbice. The successful day of racing saw Royal Control winning the L class and the K class races. However, the feature H and lower event was won by Bridal Stone Corner from Mansoon in a one and two for the Crawford stable. The Rock was too strong for the rest of the field as it rocked away in murky conditions to take top honours in the event for two year old

YOUnas Construction, Chris Jagdeo Construction, , Jumbo Jet Auto Sales and racing Stables, Peter Lewis Construction, Red Eagle, Balram Shane, Neville Budhan, Dennis De Roop, Bob and Sons, Guyle Hookchumchand and Mentis Welding Establishment. According to coordinator Marcel Crawford Jr, despite the inclement weather the activity came off incident free. The committee would also like to say a special thanks to the police and to all for their support and look forward for their continued patronage for the next race meet in October. (Samuel Whyte)

animals. Sand Fly stung its opponents before flying away with first place in the event for unclassified animals to round out the winners. Meanwhile, the organizing committee would will like to take the opportunity to express their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all the below sponsors, the members of the public and the various media houses in Guyana who contributed in one way or the other in making a success. Among them are Beverage giants Ansa Mc All, Delmur Trading Company, Nand Persaud and Company Limited, Attorney at law R.N Poonai, NPG Packaging,

Sunday July 17, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You could lose a good friend because of it. Art investment will pay big dividends in the long term. Put all your energy into moneymaking ventures. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Sort situations out as best you can. Watch your spending habits. You don't like confrontations at the best of times; however, you may find them difficult to avoid. You will probably have to defend your mate. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Limitation could set in if you've been spending too much. Get ready to do some fancy footwork when it comes to taking care of your financial situation. You need an energetic outlet that will help you dissipate your anxiety. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You must strive to get the most important projects completed properly, rather than doling everything in a half baked way. Relatives will be happy that you dropped by. Someone close to you will get upset easily if you are insensitive to their needs. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Get involved in sports events that will benefit your physical appearance. Sudden changes at home will affect family members more than you anticipated. You should consider getting your whole family involved in a project at home. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Don't overreact to someone's advances. Your lover will cost

B Division Guyana Association of Women Police Horserace meet on today at Bush Lot Even with a change of venue the hype is very much on and all systems are in place for the grand one day horserace meet organized by the B Division chapter of the Guyana Association of Women Police (GAWP) and friends. The venue has been shifted the Bush Lot United Turf Club Sea View Park, Bush Lot West Coast Berbice. With the police getting more accolades for good performance over the last year, several sponsors have come on board for the event. Leading the way is the Commander of the Police B Division Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam, Nand Persaud and Company Limited, Inshan Bacchus Trucking Company, Attorney at Law Rajendra Poonai, Fazal Habibulla, Baijnauth Sawmills, Romell Jagroop and

you dearly if you let them. Your desire for excitement and adventure may be expensive.

Joel Garner appointed...

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Exercise programs will be effective. Get into fitness programs to keep in shape. Your ambitious mood may not go over well with loved ones.

(From page 79) World Cup hero in 1979 as West Indies beat England at Lords to win the prestigious title for the second time. “I always answer the call in West Indies cricket. It is always an honour to serve in any capacity in West Indies cricket and I’m pleased to be back with the team as manager to share my knowledge and experience to the team and be an ambassador for West Indies cricket and the region,” Garner said. West Indies will face India in four Test matches in the upcoming series. The first match bowls off on Thursday, July 21 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua. The other matches are: at Sabina Park, Jamaica (July 30 to August 3); at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia (August 9 to 13) and at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad (August 18 to 22).

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Try to keep a low profile. Use your charm to get your own way. Finish overdue paperwork and catch up on letter writing and reading. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You can make career changes that may put you in a much higher earning bracket. Alienation may be the result of a misunderstanding. Strength will come from your ability to overtake just about any one. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Don't let someone take the credit for a job you did. You may find yourself mixed up in a triangle of sorts. Tempers could boil if someone you work with has not been pulling their weight. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) If you're in the mood, go out and socialize, or get involved in sports activities. There might be one who is quite willing to take the credit for your work. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Trips will be favorable for business as well as pleasure. Your unique approach to life will interest others. You can make excellent purchases today.

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Company, Feroze Business Entity, Chris Jagdeo and Sons, Tropical Auto Company, Lenny Singh and Ghansham Singh and Company. Already on board were Banks DIH Limited, Jumbo Jet, Peter Lewis Associated Construction, BM Soat, Sheriff racing Stable and Business Entity, P and P Insurance Brokers, Buddy Shivraj and Shano and Sons among others are on board so far. There are five races listed on the day’s card with over $2M in cash trophies and other goodies available for the winners and other outstanding performers. Over 45 horses have been entered for the meet. The owners have been using all available spaces to round out preparation and get their charges in tip top shape for the big day. A number of newly imported animals will be in action for the first time in what is expected to be an action pack day of racing.

Recently major sponsors Trophy Stall, apart from supplying the trophies for the day’s meet, presented a number of additional trophies to be presented to the outstanding individual performers on the day. The feature event is for horses classified E and lower with a winning purse of $300.000. The J class race has a winning purse of $160,000 and trophy. The K class event is for a winner’s money of $140,000 and trophy. The ‘L’ class gallop has a top prize of $120,000 and trophy. The final event is for Guyana Bred maiden two year old horses for a take home pay of $100,000 and trophy. Other incentives on offer will be for champion jockey, champion stable and champion trainer compliments of the Trophy Stall, Bourda Market and the organizers. All proceeds go towards charity. Race time is 13:00 hrs. (Samuel Whyte)

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

The Touring Indian Female Cricketers’ visit to Guyana in September 1979 Guyana is presently hosting the West Indies Female Tournament, today Kaieteur Sports and

Statistician Charwayne Walker pay tribute to the trail blazers; the 1979 Female All Star Team that hosted the

touring Indian cricketers from the Bangalore Cricket Club The girls from Bangalore captained by

Shanta Rangaswany opened their Guyana campaign with an eight wicket victory at Lusignan. The All Stars Women Cricket Club batted first and scored 67 for 7 off 33 overs. Margaret ‘Chico’ Walcott top scored with 32, Ave Morgan 14. Bowling for the girls from Bangalore Cricket Club; Diana Eduji took 4 for 9, Radheka Kothani 4 for 7. The girls from Bangalore in reply 68 for 2, Radheka Kothani 39, Shubhang Ittycheria 16 not out. Second match won by girls from Bangalore faster scoring rate played at Leonora Cricket Ground. India Club team Bangalore 111 for 6 in 40 overs, Susan Ittycheria 16, Fouzieh Khalilee 16. All Stars Women Cricket Club 61 for 7; Ave Morgon 20. Third match: India Club Team Bangalore won by 7 wickets at Bourda. All Stars batting first 101 for 8, Ave Morgan 50, Dolly Seeraj 14, M a rg a r e t Wa l c o t t 1 3 . Bowling for the girls from Bangalore; Subanji Kulkarni took 3 for 16. Girls from Bangalore in reply 112 for 2. Fouzieh Khalilee 46, Susan Ittycheria 38 not out. Fourth Match played at Albion: No result, match started at 4:15 pm because of

A 1979 composite of the Bangalore girls who had a successful cricket tour to Guyana. early morning rain. Batting first the girls from Bangalore scored 79 for 3; Fouzieh Khalilee 38 not out, Shubhang Kulkarni 26 not out, Maylene Ramdular took 1 for 16. bowling for All Stars Cricket Club. All Stars in reply reached 51 for 3 when the math was called off because of time. Ave Morgan 17 not out, Maimoon Yassin 17 not out. The 1979 All Stars Female Cricket Club that played the girls from Bangalore Cricket Club Joni James – Captain Phyllis Ramdular Maylene Ramdular Carol Hinds Eve Morgan Mainoon Yassin Margaret Walcott

Dolly Seeraj Andrea Fowler Margaret Mckenzie Dorothy Payne Paulene Singh Wendella Bovell Indian Female Team 1979 that toured Guyana: Radhika Kathari Deraya Kapadia SunathiIyer Lata Swamirathan Behrosa Eduji Fouzieh Khalilee Susan Ittycheria C. Jyoti Anja lNakra Sudha Shah Sundaya Ralekar Jamila Kapadia Diana Eduji Shanta Rangaswany S. Jayanti

Hero CPL honours Sir Garry Sobers ahead of 80th birthday celebrations The great Sir Garfield Sobers received a special presentation ahead of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) between Barbados Tridents and Trinbago Knight Riders at the Kensington Oval on Saturday morning. One of the game’s greatest players, whose influence and legacy extends across the Caribbean and beyond, Sir Garry will celebrate his 80th birthday later this month and to mark this milestone, Hero CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe was joined by dignitaries from Barbados Tridents – including Sid Mallya and T. Venkat Vardhan – as well as Tridents captain Kieron Pollard and William Griffith (CEO, B a r b a d o s To u r i s m Marketing Inc.).

M r. M a l l y a a l s o presented Sir Garry with a signed Tridents jersey and speaking at the event, CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe said: “Sir Garry is an icon of Barbados, the West Indies and the game of cricket and we are delighted to pay tribute to him and his enormous contribution across the sport ahead of his 80th birthday celebrations on 28th July. Unfortunately the birthday events clash with our games in Lauderhill, Florida, so we thought it important to acknowledge his fantastic contribution to the game. “One of Barbados’ favourite sons, Sir Garry has been a wonderful ambassador for the game for many years and as well as a close personal friend, he has

been a great supporter of the Hero CPL since day one. We are honoured to host him, his partner Jackie, son Daniel and extended family and friends to mark his birthday. I know that I speak on behalf of all fans of the CPL in extending our very best wishes at this time of celebration.” In a Test career spanning 20 years between 1954-74, Sir Garry was arguably the greatest player of his generation and scored 8,032 runs (including a then record Test score of 365 not out) in 93 Tests and taking 235 wickets. In addition to the West Indies, he also represented Barbados, Nottinghamshire and South Australia and scored 28,314 first-class runs and took 1,043 firstclass wickets overall.

Kaieteur News

Sunday July 17, 2016

MoPH Soft Shoe Football Competition

Captains predict rivetting final tonight

Captains of Tucville and North East La Penitence Delon Williams (right) and Michael Payne (left) pose with Tournament Director Troy Mendonca at Guinness Bar yesterday. Tonight’s final of the Ministry of Public Health ‘Stop Gender-based Violence’ Soft Shoe Football Competition promises to provide rivetting action for what is anticipated to be a large turnout of fans. Scheduled to be played at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue, both captains of the two finalists North East La Penitence and Tucville during a pressing briefing at Guinness Bar yesterday guaranteed fans that the game will produce end to end action and both have expressed confidence of lifting the title and the chance to be crowned new champions. North East La Penitence

captain Michael Payne whose side was responsible for defending champions Sparta Boss’s inability to defend their title after beating them via penalty kicks in semi-final action on Thursday, predicted that they will defeat the highly favoured Tucville. Payne in remarks at the briefing opened by thanking the Lord for bringing them this far in the competition and urged fans to come out and witness them in action. “As the opposing captain said they are confident of beating us, but I want to assure him that we feel the same and I’m confident that we will win.” On the other hand, Tucville’s Captain Delon

Williams in his remarks spoke of his team as a mixture of youth and experience and promised that their game plan is what they are going to stick with and play their style of game. “We will be sticking to our game plan which is to play as a team and this I believe will take us to the title,” Williams told the media. Meanwhile, Co-Director of Petra Organisation Troy Mendonca assured the public that all systems are in place for a good and competitive final and urged that they come out and witness the final. He said that while it is not his right to predict the game’s outcome, he was quick to point out that the underdogs North East La Penitence were coming off an impressive showing against Sparta Boss and expected them to put up a good fight against Tucville. Mendonca also took the opportunity to appeal to all participants and fans to take pay attention to the theme of the competition, adding that because it has become a national scourge, everyone should seek the relevant information to eradicate its spread. He then thanked all the sponsors who came on board

Rising Sun Turf Club gearing up for President Cup meet set for Sunday August 28 For the second consecutive year the Rising Sun Turf Club in collaboration with Friends of Rising Sun is set to stage the President Cup Horserace meet in honour of Executive President of Guyana his Excellency Brigadier David Granger. The event will also be held as a continuation of Guyana’s 50 Anniversary Golden Jubilee Celebrations. The event is slated for Sunday August 28th at the Rising Sun Turf Club, Arima Park, West Coast Berbice. Eight races are listed for the day with over $7M in incentives up for the takings including cash and trophies. The A and lower President Cup event will once again be the event to see with the top horses once again expected to continue their battle for supremacy

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over 1400M for an encouraging $1.2M and the President’s Cup. The other races listed for the day are the event for horses classified E and Lower over 1400M for a pole position taking of $600,000. Then there is the 1400M event for G and lower horses for a winning prize of 400,000 and trophy. The winner of the H and lower 1400M event will get $300,000 and trophy. The two year old event is for Guyana Bred horses over 1100M for a winning pocketing $280,000 and trophy. A competitive field is expected to take to the track in the race for animals classified ‘J’ and lower for the $260,000 top money over 1100 M. Horses running in the J

and Lower 1100M even will battle for a top prize of $240,000 and trophy. The K and lower 1100M event will see the winner taking home $220,000 and trophy. The final event is for horses classified L and lower with a winner’s money of $180,000 and trophy also over 1100M. Top jockeys, runner, stable and trainer will be presented with incentives compliments of Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall and the organizers. Entries are expected to be closed on Sunday 14th August and interested persons can contact Fazal Habibulla on Telephone No 232-0232 or 657-7010. The race will be run under the rules of the GHRA. Race time is 12:00 hrs. (Samuel Whyte)

to make the event possible. In the third place playoff, Sparta Boss tackle Broad

Street. The winning team will receive $300,000, runner-up

$200,000, 3rd place $100,000 and 4th place $50,000.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Guyana Junior Tennis team gains valuable experienced in Jamaica The Guyanese pair of the Girls 14 Doubles Ciara Pooran/Kalyca Fraser

defeated Kobi Wilcott/Marll Rowe 7/5 in the semi-finals last Friday before losing to

Jenna Harrison/Lauren Fullerton 6/1 in the final in Guyana’s best performance

in the 2016 Blue Mountain Tennis tournament which commenced last week Monday in Jamaica. G u y a n a ’s J e r e m i a h Kalekyezi got the better of Sebastian Bjuro of the Cayman Islands 6/3 6/1 in the Boy’s Consolation U-12 semis but lost to Jakub Nevril from the Cayman Islands 6/1 6/2 in the final. Heimraj Reaul, playing in the Boy’s under-14 d i v i s i o n o n Tu e s d a y, registered the first victory by a Guyanese when he defeated Jake Serpell of the Cayman Islands 6/2 6/0. Also in Tuesday’s action U-12 Girl, Sarah Klautky defeated Jamaican Katherine Dibbs 6/3 5/7 (14/12) while in the Boy’s U-12 division, Anish Sharma of Guyana beat Arjan Trehan of Jamaica 6/4 2/6 (11/9) They were the only Guyanese to win matches as the young South Americans struggled to post victories but according to Coach Shelly Daley-Ramdyhan they would have gained valuable experience from the trip despite their lack of success on the Court. Results for Monday 11 July-Boys 16: Harrison Clough (Cay) defViraj Sharma (Guy) 6/1 6/1 Justiri McLean (JA) def Mark McDonald (GUY) 6//4

Shelly Daley-Ramdyhan 6/3 Damani King (JA) def Keenan Persaud 6/3 6/0 Myles Harrison (JA) defAirel Khan (Guy) 6/0 6/0 Boys 14: Jakub Neveril (Cay) def Vi j a y S h a r m a ( G U Y ) 6/0/6/1 Oskar Bjuro (CAY) def Akil Browne (GUY) 6/2 6/3 Russell Fairman (JA) def Jordan Beaton (GUY) 6/0 6/3 Results for Tuesday 12th July: Heimraj Reaul (GUY) def Jake Serpell (CAY) 6/2 6/0 Girls 14: Savannah Thomson (JA) def Margaret Subryan (GUY) 6/2 6/1 Mia Sampson (JA) def Nathalie Ramdyhan (GUY) 2/6 7/5(10/6)

Girls 12 Sarah Klautky (GUY) def Katherine Dibbs (JA) 6/3 5/7 (14/12) Boys 12 Anish Sharma (GUY) def Arjan Trehan (JA) 6/4 2/6 (11/9) Jack Lomax (CAY) def Nigel Lowe (GUY) 6/0 6/0 Fixtures for Thursday 14 July Girls Doubles Quarter finals Kalyca Fraser/Ciara Pooran def Selene Kentish/Moesha Fox 6/2 Girls 14 Doubles semifinals Ciara Pooran/Kalyca Fraser (GUY) def Kobi Wilcott/Marll Rowe 7/5 Boys Consolation U-12 Semifinal Jeremiah Kalekyezi (GUY) def Sebastian Bjuro (CAY) 6/3 6/1 Anish Sharma lost to Arian Trehan (CAY) 6/2 Fixtures for Friday 15th July Boys U-12 Finals Jeremiah Kalekyezi lost to Jakub Nevril (CAY) 6/1 6/2 Boys U14 Finals Damani King (JA) def Heimraj Resaul (GUY) 6/2 6/4 Girls Doubles U14 finals Kalyca Fraser/Ciara Pooran (GUY) lost to Jenna Harrison/Lauren Fullerton 6/1

GMR&SC Day/ Night Race Meet

Roshandin Mohamed, Vieira, Doekie and Deodass impress Ryan Rahaman driving a Ford Escort leads eventual winner Shairaz Roshandin Mohamed through Turn 1 yesterday at the South Dakota Circuit.

Shairaz Roshandin Mohamed in a Honda Civic produced a daring drive down the backstretch in the 7th lap of 10 to beat Ryan Rahaman in one of the most exciting races of the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) Day & Night Meet which was held under floodlights yesterday, at the South Dakota Circuit. Rahaman, who drove a Ford Escort controlled the race from the start and

opened a sizeable lead over the first six and a half laps, before Roshandin Mohamed slowly, but surely reduced the gap and passed him around the back straights and held the advantage until the chequered flag was lowered to signal victory. In a few other results, before more lights were summoned, Matthew Vieira dominated the Superbike race with a superb ride to win by a large margin.

Hemand Budram came home second, while young Kevin Persaud held off a stiff challenge from Andy Rajkaran to take third. Also in winners row were Motielall Deodass in a Group 2 race and he beat Rafeek Khan into second place, while Daniel Deokie won ahead of Shameer Mohamed and Troy Muir in that order in another Group 2 race. Up to press time no other race result was available.

Kaieteur News

Sunday July 17, 2016

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Guyana’s two leading players set for Pan Am Badminton Championships in Peru Guyana’s Top Male & Female Badminton players, SUNBURST Narayan Ramdhani & Priyanna Ramdhani will be attending the Pan American Junior Badminton Championships July 19-23, 2016 at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento Lima, Peru. Narayan will be playing in the Under-19 Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles, while Priyanna (4times Medalist at Pan Am Juniors) will be playing in the Under-15 Singles & Doubles and Under-19 Mixed Doubles. The Updated performances for these two Players for

2016 Show: Narayan Ramdhani: Junior Sportsman of the year 2016 Gold at the GUMDAC Open Doubles Bronze at the Peru Junior Doubles International Gold at the Suriname Under-19 International in Singles, Double & Mixed Doubles Gold at the Trophy Stall Open Singles Gold at the GOA Open Doubles & Mix Doubles Priyanna Ramdhani Gold at the GUMDAC Open Doubles Gold at the Suriname Under-15 International in

Singles & Bronze in Mix Doubles Gold at the Surname Under-19 International Mix Doubles Gold at the Trophy Stall Open Singles Gold at the GOA Open Doubles & Mix Doubles The two players selected by the Development Director will also attend the Pan Am High Tech Junior Academy July 23-30, 2016. The GBA would like to thank The Guyana Olympic Association & National Sports Commission for sponsoring an Airline Ticket for the players and also Mr. Yesu Persaud of Demerara

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat. U17 League

WDFA and EDFA cancel matches

Beavers FC Under-17 team with Coach Samuel Semple at the Den Amstel ground yesterday. Rain continues to get the better of the associations which are running off matches in the inaugural GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under 17 League. West Demerara and East Demerara Football Association had both scheduled matches for this

weekend but were forced to call off same due to more rainfall. Eager to play, WDFA’s Beavers FC turned up at the Den Amstel Community Center ground but learnt that the association had called off matches since early yesterday morning.

Rain ruins Guyana, T and T fixture Rain prevented any play in the fourth round fixture of the Regional U17 50-over tournament between Guyana and host Trinidad and Tobago yesterday at the National Cricket Centre. Meanwhile, Windward Islands beat Jamaica by eight wickets at Queen’s Park Oval. Batting first, Jamaica made 146 all out in 47.3 overs while Windwards responded with 147-2 in 39.2 overs. (Player of the match Johnel EugeneWindwards). At Gilbert Park, Barbados overcame Leeward Islands by seven wickets. Batting first, Leewards were sent packing for 75 in 27.3 overs while Barbados replied with 76-3 in 21 overs. (Player of the match Shakkae Marshall-Barbados). The final round will be played today with Guyana facing Windwards at National Cricket Centre, Trinidad and Tobago playing Barbados at Queen’s Park Oval and Leewards taking on Jamaica at Gilbert Park.

Coach Samuel Semple told Kaieteur Sport that his charges are eager to play and were disappointed that no play was possible. East Demerara Secretary Gidel Austin also informed that the Golden Grove ground which was scheduled to host matches was not in a state to host any. Matches were also not possible in Berbice yesterday but Berbice Football Association President Keith Ojeer is hopeful that they are able to play three matches today. The East Bank Football Association lone venue, Grove Playfield has not been in a playable state for three weeks as a result of rain which has prohibited cutting the field. All the associations are hopeful that the rain will ease so that they can be able to clip the grounds so that competitive action can resume.

Bank, Mr. Philip Da Silva, Mr. Neville Osman & Continental Group of Companies (SUNBURST) for their contribution to h e l p m a k e t h i s To u r possible.

Narayan Ramdhani & Priyanna Ramdhani.

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Sunday July 17, 2016

Kaieteur News

Munro brilliance bests Barbados Tridents at Hero CPL MATCH REPORT 16:

(CPL) The Trinbago Knight Riders have found some of the form that saw them conquer the Hero Caribbean Premier League

(CPL) last season as they brushed aside the Barbados Tridents at the Kensington Oval on Saturday afternoon. A blistering fifty from New

Zealander Colin Munro saw them chase down a stiff target of 173 with 16 balls to spare. The Knight Riders reached 52-1 off their six over PowerPlay as they flew out of the blocks in pursuit of the sizable Tridents total. The one man to go inside the first six overs was William Perkins who made 23 when he pulled a ball from Wayne Parnell into the ever dependable hands of Pollard at mid-wicket. He was replaced by Munro who was in a serious hurry from the start of his innings. Munro got off the mark with a four and had struck his first Hero Maximum two balls later. While Munro was all brute strength and aggression at the other end Hashim Amla was playing a cultured knock as he made 31 from 34 balls, happy to turn the strike over to the big hitting Kiwi. The partnership between Munro and Amla was worth 107 and Amla only contributed 25 runs to it as Munro dominated proceedings. The Tridents found no way to exert control and at one point took the drastic measure of replacing Nicolas Pooran as wicket keeper, Steven Taylor taking over the duties after Pooran conceded his second lot of four byes. Having made the first Hero CPL hundred by an overseas player against the Amazon Warriors earlier in the tournament Munro scored 68 from just 39 balls before he holed out off the bowling of Ravi Rampaul. Although Munro was gone the Knight Riders still reached their target with ease thanks to Bravo and Denesh Ramdin. The Tridents made a

Colin Munro hits out during his 68 off 39 balls, Barbados Tridents v Trinbago Knight Riders, CPL 2016, Barbados, July 16, 2016 © CPL/Sportsfile

patient start to their innings as they attempted to set a defendable total. The Knight Riders bowlers kept it tight in the opening overs as the Tridents managed just 32 runs from their six over PowerPlay. The USA’s Steven Taylor had struggled to get going and he tried to inject some pace into his innings with a big shot over long off from a ball from Sulieman Benn. He didn’t get all of it and Umar Akmal took a simple catch. That brought together AB de Villiers and Shoaib Malik and the run rate immediately increased with the two experienced internationals at the crease. They put together a partnership of 60 in 44 balls that took the Tridents to 98-1 in the 15th over. This came to an end when a brilliant slower ball yorker from Dwayne Bravo bowled Shoaib for 47 (44). De Villiers narrowly missed out on registering his

third fifty in four Hero CPL innings, but he cemented his place at the top of the Tridents run scorers list. He now has 202 runs at an average of 67 and at a strike rate of 151 at this year’s tournament. He fell attempting to smash a Hero Maximum off Benn when he was on 45. Kieron Pollard played a brutal knock at the back end of the Tridents innings as he made 41 runs from just 20 balls including three massive Hero Maximums as the Tridents made it to 172-4 off their 20 overs. But for Munro and his blistering innings it may well have been enough, but his runs made the chase a simple prospect for the Knight Riders. S c o r e s : Tr i n b a g o Knight Riders 173-3 (C Munro 68, W Parnell 2 for 41) beat Barbados Tridents 170-4 (Shoaib Malik 47, AB de Villiers 45, DJ Bravo 2 for 34) by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare.

GDA President Birthday Competition on today It’s the President’s Birthday and a massive Domino Competition is planned for today, at her residence at 1223 Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt. President of the Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) Faye Joseph has organised a competition in commemoration of her birthday for interested teams. According to Organiser Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wiltshire, most of the top teams in the country are anticipated to participate in the tournament that has a first prize of $250,000, 2nd $120,000 and third $60,000. Each team is required to pay an entrance fee of $12,000 and teams can contact Wiltshire on tele#665-5855 or Joseph on 685-1009. Additionally, the player to share the first double love will receive $10,000, while the Best female will collect $5,000.

Faye Joseph

Kaieteur News

Sunday July 17, 2016

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2016 CFU Men’s Under 17

AIBA president to visit Guyana aiming to restore Caribbean – Ninvalle pride against USVI today

Steve Ninvalle at the recent AIBA meeting making a case for the Caribbean. The Caribbean is set to come face to face with international boxing’s top brass as president of AIBA Dr. Ching- Kuo Wu has agreed to travel to the region later this year to hold discussions with administrators of the sport. This is according to Guyana Amateur Boxing Association President Steve Ninvalle, who is in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for the AIBA Executive Committee meeting. In an interview from the Uzbek capital yesterday, Ninvalle disclosed that in discussions with Dr. Wu the

latter expressed his concern for problems being faced by the Caribbean countries and confirmed travelling to Barbados in October with a high-level team of AIBA officials. “He acknowledged the importance of the 22-nation Caribbean region and plans to have a first-hand hearing. This is a significant development as we have been clamouring for some time to be noticed and have issues dealt with,” Ninvalle said. The date for the visit has not yet been decided but the GABA boss would be

making contact with his regional counterparts to have them ready for the visit. He noted that high on the agenda would be the resuscitation of the defunct Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association. Ninvalle and several of his Caribbean counterparts have been pushing for the revival of the sport in the region and have planned and held several meetings and tournaments, with the developmental tournament involving some 13 teams from around the region in Guyana last year being one major point of their efforts. His (Ninvalle) ascension to the AIBA executive has been key to the region having a voice at the highest forum. His efforts has now begun to bear fruit and the impending meeting would see the region’s boxing officials get the chance to make a unified case for assistance to see the sport grow and secure elusive medals for their fighters in the not too distant future as advanced training programmes for both coaches and fighters will be accessed.

Head Coach Anthony Stephens raps his charges during the half time break. Guyana’s Junior Jaguars will be aiming to restore some pride today when they oppose host nation United States Virgin Islands in the feature game at 17:00hrs when play in the first round of the 2016 Caribbean Football Union’s Under 17 World Cup Qualifying, Group 4, continues at the

Mayor’s Cup football action set for Victoria ground today Competition in the Mayor’s Cup football championship continues today, at the Victoria Ground on the East Coast of Demerara with a triple header starting from 5:00pm as teams look to cash in on the Aruwai Resort of Bartica first prize and trophy. The battle for the r e m a i n i n g quarterfinal places along with the start of that phase of the competition will see teams in keen contests. Police face Uitvlugt in the curtain raiser at 5:00pm. That will be followed at 7:00pm with Riddim Squad challenging Eagles of Linden as they all seek places in the quarterfinals. The first quarterfinal game will be the nightcap at 9:00pm. Ann’s Grove are down to take on Cougars in that game which will see the

winner march closer to the money round. Among some of the key players expected to be on show are Amos Ramsay, Sceyon Hope and Andre Murray. At stake in the competition is the top prize of $700,000 and a trophy donated by Aruwai Resort. The second place team pockets $300,000 and the Ansa McAl trophy, while the third place team carts off

Amos Ramsay

Sceyon Hope

$200,000 and the John Fernandes trophy. The fourth place finishers will receive $100,000 and the Ministry of State trophy. Ricks and Sari has also donated hampers which will go to the winning team, while tournament’s top goal scorer will get a three piece suite compliments of AH&L Kissoon Furniture Store. Top Brandz of Broad and

High Streets, distributors of Interstate vehicle batteries, is among the key sponsors on board assisting the t o u r n a m e n t . Apart from Aruwai Resort and Top Brandz, among others on board are: Ansa McAl, Minister of State Joe Harmon and his ministry, John Fernandes, Ricks and Sari and AH&L Kissoon.

Lionel Roberts Stadium, USVI. Despite going into break with the scores tied 1-1 with the Guyanese scoring through Canadian born Roberto Case, Guyana fell to the lads from Reggae land 41. The other match on the day, Friday last, saw the

home team, USVI going down to Antigua and Barbuda 1-5. The Guyanese will fancy their chances of upstaging the home team as they seek full points; Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda will play today’s opening encounter from 14:30hrs.

Joel Garner appointed as team manager for West Indies senior men’s team St. John’s, ANTIGUA – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) wishes to announce the appointment of Joel Garner as Team Manager for the West Indies senior men’s team. He joined the team for the upcoming four-Test Series against India which starts this coming Thursday in Antigua. The contract will be for a period of three years. Garner brings a wealth of management and cricketing experience to the job. He served as interim manager for the 2009 to 2010 period which included West Indies tours of Australia and Sri Lanka; South Africa and Zimbabwe tours to the West Indies and the ICC World Twenty20 which was held in the Caribbean in 2010. He also served as West Indies A Team manager. Garner worked for Cable & Wireless in the telecommunications industry in Barbados as well

as a senior officer at the island’s National Sports Council.He has served in several roles to promote cricket in the Caribbean at events such as the World Travel Market. He has been President of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) for the last three terms and contested the post of the WICB presidency in 2013.Garner has been a director on the board for the WICB and during the period has sat on venue development and cricket committees. Hailed as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he played 58 Test matches and 98 One-Day Internationals between 1977 and 1987.He took 259 Test wickets at an average of 20.97 each and 146 wickets in ODIs at an average of 18.84 and economy rate of 3.09 per over. He was a (Continued on page 73)

t r o Sp GMR&SC Day/ Night Race Meet

Roshandin Mohamed, Vieira, Doekie and Deodass impress

Matthew Vieira leads the pack at the Clubhouse Turn in a Superbike race yesterday.

Hero CPL honours Sir Garry Sobers ahead of 80th birthday celebrations

MATCH REPORT 16:

Munro brilliance bests B’dos Tridents at Hero CPL

Mayor’s Cup football action set for Victoria ground today Hero CPL CEO Damien O’Donohoe was joined by dignitaries from Barbados Tridents – including Sid Mallya and T. Venkat Vardhan – as well as Tridents captain Kieron Pollard and William Griffith (CEO, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.) to honour Sir Gary Sobers with a special T-shirt. (CPL)

MoPH Soft Shoe Football Competition

Captains predict rivetting final tonight

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