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Monday June 10, 2019
Kaieteur News
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
A leader disparaged When the leader of the free world, the global head of expected excellence, of an exemplary set of personal standards, and of the associated comportment that goes with those standards, comes in for ridicule and scorn then it is time to sit up and listen even more closely. The president of the United States of America is usually not the object of what came to the fore in Great Britain, of all places. Great Britain is friend, partner, and sturdy ally. Search the memory and it is difficult to find a parallel to what is happening to the current US president. There has been public ambience through wars and competition and sharp disagreements on visions, policy, and practices in multiple overlapping and fiercely competitive theatres. Aside from the requirements of diplomatic protocols, where all involved usually follow rigid formalities and hard hypocrisies, the courtesies expected and belonging to a visiting Head-of-State have been lacking, and embarrassingly so, at the level of the street. In the street is where the naked acrimonies, so long stoked and tweeted and perpetuated from the top came full circle and before the gaze. It was neither averted nor cool. Just intentionally hostile and offensive. Those negatives also pervade many a leadership conclave. Who is this newest version of the obnoxious American? The Mayor of London bristling; outrage over POWs; palpable chilliness during, of all occasions, honoring the memory of D-Day sacrifices. Richard Nixon made his own sacrifice, when he came in for barrages of the abusive, obscene, and also endangering in Venezuela several decades ago. But he was only a Vice President; he took one in the face for Uncle Sam. Senior leaders must manifest this unflappable reserve: under pressure, from partisans, before the world. That adversarial world includes the bitter territory of the Middle East and opposing ideological camps. Finesse not foolishness; statesmanship not brinksmanship; and the contemplative not the bizarre are demanded. When leaders hurry heedlessly to display a confrontational machismo, then those edges and bludgeons are sure to accumulate in the minds of others, with reciprocity premeditated and waiting for any moment to repay in kind. That was what reigned in London. Leading a state is not the same as leading a prison gang; the former is a different kind of hood. Unruffled. Dignified. Becoming of people and place and projecting the might and security of a world power and its vast reach without having to increase volume or effort. Too much ego and recklessness at work; the appeal and applause of sections of the audience bring the belief that this is the way, and the recklessness to continue untroubled and unabashed. That was what a former local leader had to learn the hard way; through the humility of forced prostration. Incoming government ministers took long to adjust to the new realities of power, and the sharp limitations of their believed unfettered freedom to demean and to go chest to chest and blow for blow with those who question and corner them. Rarely comes thoughts of pausing, stepping back and taking stock, sacrificing the time to conduct needed post-mortems to bring learning. Recognition of personal ignorance and limitation is the beginning in self-education. Very doubtful as to whether cultivated authentically. Rather tellingly, the media reported months ago that foreign sources looked at that American chieftain and beheld a “preening, clueless clown.” Just as accurately, and even more regrettably, local folks look at local chiefs and see the similar preening and cluelessness. America can afford the luxury of many such failures, since it has the fat and flab to absorb such troubled creatures. Unfortunately, Guyana is too small to afford the many prancing and preening around in the public spaces that is parliament, politics, papers, and passageways.
Putting party power over having a fair oil contract is selfish, wicked and a mighty sin against the Guyanese people DEAR EDITOR, The history of Guyana and progress of Guyana have been weighed down, bugged down, and riveted down by racism. We must accept our racial differences, without being discriminatory, while continuously trying to burnish and enrich our differences in allowing for integration of citizens into the social, political, economic, civic and cultural attributes of our Guyaneseism, to progress and prosper as a nation. This is the only way we can get out of the race trap and move towards voting in the best interests of Guyana; instead of for a cup or a palm tree; regardless of party policy, leadership values or racial politics and politricking. It will be foolish to ask anyone to forget their race, yet we can be aligned to being race conscious and proGuyanese, at the same time. We have done enough swinging at each other. No to racist bottom-house meeting; no to employment for only cupholders; no to employment for only palm tree wavers, no to racial slurring.
Yes to integrative employment and yes to voting on merit. We have to change our philosophy and our attitude so that Guyanese can prosper. It is on the concept of prosperity for Guyanese that we must by any means necessary, benefit fairly from this phoenix-like opportunity. Seneca claimed that “the phoenix comes every five hundred years”. Guyana’s phoenix has come in the form of massive oil discoveries in Guyana’s offshore; between five to ten billion barrels of sweet crude oil with high porosity and high permeability. We must own what’s ours, we are now at the touchstone, the mecca, the providence that represents good fortune for our population of less than one million people, comprising of peoples descended from African, Chinese, European, Indian, and Native American heritage. Whether you are from Region 10, Region 2, Region 4, or Region 6, the oil is for the significant ascendancy and prosperity of Guyanese people, and we
must be the determinant and influential factor in how the oil revenue is shared. Now we have to stand tall and act courageously, to ensure that we are sufficiently compensated for our oil resources. Let us not be quislings or traitorous to our country. The oil resources were not meant to benefit 3% of the Guyanese population; the oil resources were not meant for one ethnic group; it was bestowed on all Guyana for Guyanese, and we, like our ancestors have been waiting for too long, to now be subservient, when we have the oil fortune. It is necessary to dismantle and abandon this unconscionable 2% oil contract with Esso, Hess and Nexen; a contract birthed in very shallow thinking and political expediency and not in the national interest of Guyana. It is almost incomprehensible, as to why the decision makers in our two political parties cannot come together and see that we own the forest and stop accepting two trees for the forest. If we take control of
our oil resources, by renegotiating for a 15% royalty, all our other internal fissures, frictions and follies, will be mitigated, forgiven and maybe even forgotten. The lose-lose game of putting party power over having a fair oil contract is selfish, wicked and a mighty sin against the Guyanese people. Give the other parties to the oil contract, one hundred percent of the profit, let Esso, Hess and Nexen do all the calculus, computing and massaging in determining the bottom line profit, this will be of no concern to us. We Guyanese will manage, invest, and prosper from the 15% off the top line revenue, in the form of royalties, from our oil resources. Let us move away from winner-take all, or race-takeall politics, this will happen if we renegotiate the oil contract with Esso, Hess and Nexen. We must believe in ourselves, believe in our ability to govern and serve the people of Guyana. The oil discoveries are transformative, and we must Continued on page 6
USING THE CRIMINAL; JUSTICE SYSTEM AS A POLITICAL WEAPON DEAR EDITOR, The PNC has a long history of using the criminal justice system as a weapon against its political opponents. This dates back to the late 60s when PPP leaders and activists were arrested and charged without investigations and upon no solid evidence. This continued during the 70s and 80s. During this latter period, leaders and activists of the WPA were also victims. Fastforward to 2015-2019, this policy of the PNC has not changed. Over the past four years, a number of PPP leaders, Members of Parliament and Public Servants, who served the State faithfully under the PPP Administration were charged with trumped criminal offences. Some were charged for carrying out decisions of Cabinet and executing Government’s policies and some were charged based on reports submitted by forensic auditors, handpicked by politicians. These audits were done without affording a hearing to persons whom they implicate in alleged wrongdoings. In other
words, these reports condemned these persons without affording them an opportunity to defend themselves, then, these reports are used as a basis to charge them. These charges are being prosecuted by special prosecutors, all of whom are closely affiliated with the PNC and are handpicked by Attorney General, Basil Williams and paid out of his Ministry’s budget. The conduct for which these persons have been charged are not even morally reprehensible and certainly, they do not meet the standard required to attract criminal culpability. This is what I mean when I say that the charges are concocted and fabricated. The whole saga stinks of politics, political vendetta and vengeance. They are being done simply to humiliate, damage reputations, politically intimidate and silence political opposition. In the GRDB charges, not a cent is missing but a group of young Guyanese professionals, including two PPP Parliamentarians, are slapped with dozens of
criminal charges for simply not entering a transaction into an accounting ledger. None of these persons had the responsibility to do so. All of them were board members. The special prosecutors refused to give their lawyers a copy of the Forensic Report which led to the charges. The Magistrate refused to order the Prosecutor to release a copy of this report. This is nothing more than trial by ambush. The charges against Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington are worse. They are charged with selling State properties below market value. Where in the world is such conduct a criminal offence? One only has to refer to the Desmond Hoyte era, where dozens of State entities were divested at a fraction of their market value and without any competitive process. In Singh and Brassington’s case, the properties were indeed advertised and sold to the highest bidders. One vividly remembers these two highly qualified professionals splashed across the front page of newspapers with handcuffs. Clearly, this was
one to humiliate and embarrass. I as President, granted Anil Nandlall a facility, whereby the Government would pay subscriptions for certain books that he was purchasing for the past 10 years. I granted that as part of the terms and conditions of his employment as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. I issued a letter to the Auditor General to this effect. Attorney General Basil Williams instructed the Auditor General to conduct an investigation into the acquisition of these books. The Auditor General did. He submitted a report, in which he found no wrongdoing. Basil Williams then instructed his Permanent Secretary to make a report at SOCU and no doubt, SOCU was instructed to charge Anil Nandlall. Before the charges were instituted, Mr. Nandlall purchased the said-same books and offered them to SOCU. This offer was rejected. The instruction was to charge. Clearly, the intent is to embarrass, humiliate and Continued on page 6
Monday June 10, 2019
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Kaieteur News
And any country which disregards The comedians continue to its own history has no future display their silverware in high places; no one is laughing DEAR EDITOR, The passing of the no confidence motion in Parliament by the speaker of the house on December 21st was on the grounds of parliamentary jurisprudence. The Speaker at the next sitting stated that by the powers vested in him he could as the speaker rescind the decision but would allow the controversies raised by the besieged government to be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction. This has made him appear as the first comedian in what seems like a geometric progression of comedians that followed holding democracy at ransom. Parliament is founded under the auspice of article 9 of our constitution. Article 9 states that sovereignty belongs to the people who exercise it through their representatives. In this regard, what is passed in parliament is a direct representation of the will of the people and should not be allowed the latitude of possible change by a few individuals (judges) individuals who were also allowed the right to contribute to parliament by voting. While the courts can be called on to make interpretation on the constitution, those interpretations should be used going forward - not to change what has already been passed in parliament. Surely, the Speaker would be aware of the above, yet he indulged in the parody that made our democracy into the laughing stock of the world. I must commend the CJ for dealing wisely with the matters that was thrown at her. The comedy of errors appeared in the Appeal Court. Not that a different decision by the two judges who could not see 33 as a majority of 65 would have stop the matter from reaching the CCJ - the matters were destined to reach the CCJ. I am inclined to believe that the two judges would have tried numerous murder cases in their careers and they know the significance of
having oddity in the number of jurors (11) in arriving at a conviction or acquittal. For the two to ascertain that 33 is not a majority of 65 sends the laughter reverberating to the core of our education system and the world at large. The irony of it all, is that no one is laughing at these jokes perpetuated in high places by people whom we expect to be the vanguard of our democratic norms and set examples that will exonerate rather than complicate future generations. But as it seems, the spirit of comedy continues to possess people in high places. Apparently, it has now reached the CCJ. With the pretext of giving the NCM matters an early hearing and having heard all the arguments and summation from both sides on the matters since May 10th. one month after the CCJ is yet to deliver a decision. The public is aghast! They are wondering if the CCJ has joined the band of marching comedians in high places that is prevailing over Guyana. An article appearing in KN on June 8th state that, “the CCJ in an order granted on Wednesday indicated that the matter will be opened to take new evidence which was recently made available to Attorney General Basil William.” If this should happen it would set one of the most ludicrous precedent in any court matter anywhere in the world. It would lend credence to the public to anticipate the direction of the decision as another comedy of errors becoming reality. The new evidence purported to ascertain that Charrandas knew that as a dual citizen he was not supposed to be an MP. Do we need to get a confession from Harmon, Roopnarine, Greenidge Gaskin, Teixeira, Anamayah and Lumumba to prove that they knew they were not supposed to be in parliament too? These MPs voted on the NCM too. Charrandas and the seven other MP’s all signed false
declarations about their dual citizen status to be sworn in as MP”s in 2015. These people are all educated adults. If you are going to sign a declaration and you are not sure what you are signing for, you ought to inquire. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for committing a crime! They all knew that they were not supposed to be MP’s when they sign their individual declarations. Nevertheless, the dual citizenship MP’s who voted on the NCM are protected in the written language of article 165 (2) of the constitution which reads: “The Assembly may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its membership … (even) after any dissolution of Parliament and the presence or participation of any person not entitled to be present or to participate in the proceedings of the Assembly, shall not invalidate those proceedings.” The language is crystal clear here that their participation in the NCM does not invalidate the NCM. Let’s go to a worse, but fair case scenario - nullifying all the dual citizenship MP’s vote. The “NOs” will have Harmon, Greenidge, Roopnarine and Gaskin deducted - the “NO” goes to 28. Deduct, Persaud, Teixeira, Anamayah and Lumumba from the “YESs”- the “YES” goes to 29. The “YESs” still remain a majority. The dual citizenship MP’s were there because the parties list system wanted them to be there and GECOM allowed it. It was an acceptable constitutional violation by both political parties. I see no point in AG Williams trying to reinstate Charrandas’ awareness of the law, while all the others were aware too, when the matter should have been over at the CCJ. The CCJ seeming willingness to accept what Williams considers as new evidence is mired in ludicrousness. The people continue to watch the comedians display their silverware in high places. Sadly, the audience is not laughing. Rudolph Singh
DEAR EDITOR, In 2004 Guyana produced 325,000 tonnes of sugar. At that time Booker Tate was running our industry on a management contract, then Robert Persaud became Minister of Agriculture in 2006 and shortly thereafter he terminated the Tate contract in 2009. He told his reason “they were too expensive” but as a result of this action by 2013 the industry was producing only 186,643!! In 10 years our industry’s production dropped by 58%!! Tanks, Lambada!! Now it is a fact that money which was supposed to go for the maintenance of the industry’s other assets were gobbled up by the Skeldon project, which started some time in 2003/4, so the total collapse of the industry can be blamed on two facts, 1. Robert Persaud not comprehending the incompetence of the local GuySuCo managers or the importance of the Tate management team to the industry and his own limitations to make these important determinations and 2. The very expensive Skeldon project. Since it not only cost a lot to build it (US$150 Million) but it gobbled up a lot of money which GuySuCo was forced to give it, but which was badly needed to finance important upgrading and maintenance to other important infrastructure of the industry. So the Skeldon project had, not a ripple effect but more of a tsunami effect on the rest of the Guyana sugar industry, and so its cost in real terms, was very much more than just 150 million US dollars. In today’s context, as irrelevant as this may seem to a causal onlooker, what I am stating here is that in 1989 it became clear to Mr. Hoyte and Dr. Kenneth King, that our local managers were not up to the task of running the Guyana Sugar Corporation, since the output had been steadily declining from 321,000 tonnes in 1972 to 131,000 in 1990; so they hired Booker Tate to operate it on a Management contract; by 1999 Booker Tate turned the industry around and produced 321,000 tonnes of
sugar in that year. Editor they took a rundown cultivation producing 131,000 tonnes in 1990 and made 321,000 tonnes in 9 years. It is very sad when a country did not learn anything from its own history. And any country which disregards its own history, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, has no future. There is no, we or them situation in this matter, all sides are involved in GuySuCo’s demise, and I want to state again that GAWU was part of the process of killing the golden Goose with these wild cat strikes and unreasonable demands motivated mostly by politics. So the workers must also take some of the blame. Poor governance caused this, no one side is to blame; both have to take the responsibility. We are making exactly the same mistake again, but in a much more lucrative situation for this nation’s survival, we need to hire a management team of highly qualified people in the petroleum industry on a management contract, [which will be structured on if we make money they make money, if we make more they make more] to manage our oil industry. We need to do it NOW. We also need to seek a competent management team to manage GuySuCo. I again have to ask what is going on in GuySuCo? I see in the media that the Special Projects Unit (SPU) a subsidiary of NICIL which I, for one, think that the S should stand for another word entirely, because nothing about this group can possibly approach Special. I had predicted in previous correspondence that the SPU is not properly manned and will yield nothing. Time is telling us that I was right. Its costing a lot to maintain this unit and apparently there has been no progress in identifying what will be done with the closed estates and cultivations. Finally I want to ask a few questions about Skeldon Estate, now this estate and the new factory there, was, up to the time of rebuilding the
airport at Timehri, one of the most expensive national projects in our history. In the media GuySuCo now operates Albion, Uitvlugt and Blairmont, and this year will produce only about 100,000 tonnes of sugar! It’s a long way down from the 325,000 tonnes we made in 2004! We are being given periodical updates from GuySuCo. I only have one observation, because our 2019 first crop ripened and was harvested under one of the driest conditions possible in Guyana, I would have expected a better performance in terms of the TCTS/TSA. But what is the position with the Skeldon estate? Have we allowed the SPU to operate Skeldon as a going estate? Which is what we expect it should be doing, to keep the cultivation alive in the unlikely event that we can find a kamikaze investor to buy it? If it is operating, is the SPU running it below the radar of the people of Guyana who are the real owners of it? If it is closed, we should be told, if it is operating, we should be informed about its performance, but if we are running it, why is the corporation which is running the rest of the industry not running Skeldon? Why should the SPU pay a completely different pack of ‘skeople’ to run it? Or is that too logical? I never liked the way NICIl is run, it’s out there not really legally accountable to the Parliament and the people of Guyana, I did not like it when we were in opposition and I still don’t like it now that we are in power. But then I am not the sort of man who doesn’t like the situation when I am in opposition but love it when I am the one controlling it and benefitting from it when in power, with no intention of changing it, even though I promised I would. Tony Vieira
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A Diaspora Strategy Map is necessary DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Diaspora is its second state. The population of the diaspora is almost as large as the entire population of our homeland. This has been because of direct migration, second, and third generations. This unique situation has great competitive advantages for Guyana: Guyanese in the homeland, the United States, and Canada. With such a distribution of our population, we can create great opportunities to harness the diaspora’s potential. There is the need to develop comprehensive strategic plans for solutions to national issues. There are many national issues that cannot be solved by the executive and their territorial coverage. Therefore, the need for a Diaspora Strategy Map is necessary. There are many individuals and groups that have been working to bridge this divide, but they have failed to develop a holistic approach. Many have specific purposes and often work in isolation of each other. In analyzing what has been done so far; there has been some progress with education, youth and robotics, donations, and small cultural activities. However, these are very randomized and do not mesh the entire country and diaspora. It is necessary to develop strategies that take into consideration our current disposition in the homeland and diaspora. In the US, and specifically New York, we are distributed across the five boroughs with a large population in the Queens area. In analyzing NYC demographic data, it can be stated that South Richmond Hill and surrounding areas have the largest number of Guyanese. This concentration has advantages since we can focus the development of social and economic plans for the community. The successes can ripple across the state so that we can all benefit. What are the benefits of pursuing this? An effective diaspora strategy is important to promote the consolidation of the two economies, create direct investment opportunities, and the utilization of our professional potential so that we can bridge our homeland’s integration into the global economy. While we are very occupied with the development of the oil and gas sector, the diaspora community has always been a resource that has a higher return on investment if we pursue the right strategies. One of which is as a complement to a Sovereign Wealth Fund. How? It’s important that research and development is pursued to determine the generation and preservation of wealth in the Guyanese diaspora - in New York. Specific questions would be on determining overall diaspora engagement, awareness of our knowledge-based economy, business and employment types, professional skills, changes to immigration and demographic trends, and what types of local and homeland policies must be developed to address the top priorities. In support of this, it’s important to discover
Monday June 10, 2019
Kaieteur News
and understand the various existing contributions to development, support groups and organizations, vulnerable populations, and the changing US policy and expectations. This is not everything, but a top output of this discovery would be to correlate remittances and family assistance data in support of our economy. Individually, many Guyanese have achieved great success in the diaspora. It’s important that we begin the discovery process to effectively encourage community involvement. Many countries have obtained exemplary success in this domain. Those include India, Israel, Russia, and the Polish-Slavic communities. Their diaspora actively participates in the national economic development processes by facilitating the realization of goods and services, as well as creating joint productions, and investing in several areas of the economy. For Guyana, we need to begin by bringing the right people together, identifying, and analyzing the knowledge gaps. This would include an advance understanding of business activities in terms of imports and exports, the local economy, cultural activities, education and sports, employment, travel, and vulnerable populations. It would also be very important to develop correlation with other economic data sources to create superior socio-demographic and economic diaspora profiles. The Guyanese diaspora has a similar cultural affinity with the homeland. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous for the development of national economic cooperation. In the diaspora, it would be important to create a unified self-organization, superior strategies, and policies that address all our concerns. This is important because like the other communities, we are all the same since we share the same foreign national identity. This is not a paradox! The Guyanese diaspora can develop a world-class global shaping economy. As we pursue a diaspora strategy, it’s important that there is the restoration of the trust paradigm. Any government must understand that there may exist political indifference. The fact is that the diaspora is important to national development and sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to include us as we develop a common goal and vision for a modern Guyana. The activities like the annual Unity Parade demonstrate how emotionally attached a part of the community is to our homeland. However, this has a very narrow temporal interest. In the short term, there is the need to bridge the political and cultural divide between communities in Brooklyn and Queens. Once this has been achieved, there would be an understanding of the dispersed realities of our people. We can then begin to create policies and strategies for sustainable national development. Yours respectfully, Dustin Fraser
Organised corruption must not be tolerated DEAR EDITOR, The situation in Region six is getting worse daily as the APNU/AFC coalition Government continues to destroy the lives of thousands of Berbician. Since this region is the heartbeat of the PPP/C, there are allegations that the APNU/AFC coalition Government agenda is to ensure that the PPP supporters feel the blunt of the punishments in every aspect of life. The present flooding situation in Black Bush Polder is because of the incompetence of the Minister of Agriculture and NDIA, since the debate of the 2019 budget, the Regional MP Zulfikar Mustapha and the RDC, enquired about the maintenance of these canals from Ministers Holder and Bulkan but was told that the RDC would continue to do the maintenance, unfortunately the NDIA still went ahead and awarded the contracts for the canals and refused to send a circular of the cabinet decision. This dictatorial approach is an clear indication of the hypocritical attitudes of the entire APNU/AFC Government since President David Granger, who at the National Congress of Local Democratic Organs in July 2018, said that RDCs and NDCs were bound by the Constitution to provide certain services, which include drainage and irrigation. President David Granger is a total disappointment in the management of the cabinet and his Government and must be held responsible for everything that’s allowed to
destroy the lives of Guyanese. The Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, continues to undermine the Regional Democratic Council, Region Six by appointing a “political hack” in the position of Advisors to the Minister to manipulate the RDC. This political appointee is allegedly being used by Bulkan in his capacity to undermine the regional engineer, the Regional Executive Officer, the Regional Tender Board, and even in the position of the Regional Chairman, in order to ensure the regional system benefits PNC contractors and activists . This doesn’t stop here the advisors to the Minister’s office is allegedly used to give PNC contractors and activists the contracts documents to do selective bidding and as such manipulate the procurement process. If this is all true, it is a dictatorial approach which is undermining the system and means that contractors who cannot do the job are being given for the simple reason that they are APNU/AFC coalition Government activists. The Regional Executive Officer is the Chairperson of the Regional Tender Board and must not allow the Minister’s Advisors to manipulate the procurement system in the region. Such a situation would be a clear case of organised corruption and must not be tolerated in Region Six. Regards Zamal Hussain
Using the criminal; justice system... From page 4 silence. It is no secret that Nandlall has been a thorn in the side of Williams, exposing his incompetence every step of the way. Recently, I read that the Magistrate and the Prosecutor in the Nandlall case, turning up in a different courtroom at the Magistrates’ Court and calling the case without any notice being sent to Nandlall or his lawyers, then the Prosecutor threatening to apply for a warrant for his arrest. If this is not cowboy justice, I don’t know what is. There is no Judicial Service Commission in place for nearly two years, so one cannot even lodge a complaint against this Magistrate. How is it that the Prosecutor and the Magistrate were able to be present in a different court at the same time and on the same date without that date and time being fixed on a previous occasion, must be the basis for an investigation. Irfaan Ali is another victim. The PPP Government has sold nearly 100,000 house lots at subsidised prices as part of the
Government’s housing policy. Ali is charged in respect of a few lots sold to PPP leaders, supporters and other professionals who worked under the PPP Government. Again, these charges are ridiculously concocted but Ali is before the Criminal Courts, being prosecuted by three of these special, handpicked prosecutors, who are being paid $20,000 per hour. One of the ironies is that the DPP, who was recently made Senior Counsel by the President, is one of the purchasers of these lots. She claims that she did not advise on the charges. She simply stated the obvious. We know that Congress Place did but not only on Ali’s charges, but on all of the charges mentioned above. I hear that the Financial Intelligence Unit is the newest entity that will be used against the political Opposition. Apparently, SOCU and SARA are not enough. I will expand upon the FIU a little later. Yours, Donald Ramotar Former President
Putting party power over having... From page 4 seize control of this oil tide of good fortune. The fox, the wolf, and the hyena are all at the negotiating table with us, we have to act like lions and not like prey to be consumed. Let us come together and unite in a manner that will result in an oil contract that will give us significant economic benefits. If the fiftyfifty profit share was so fantastical, it would not be a component of this asymmetrical and one side take all contract. We the people have a role to play, by using every opportunity to speak out against the atrocious oil contract; and demand 15% oil royalty, from the contract with Esso, Hess and Nexen, the 15% royalty demand must be on the 2020 ballot. It is an issue we can all vote and agree on. We have to believe in our destiny together, in our capacity to manage 15% royalties, in
the rights of citizenship – regardless of race, and that we have the wherewithal, the confidence, wisdom, and courage, to fulfill our destiny and prosper. I support the US$5,000 annual grant to every household in Guyana, as first expounded by Dr. Clive Thomas of the Working People’s Alliance; however, such a disbursement is simply not possible under the despicable two percent contract. With a fairly renegotiated contract, disbursements to Guyanese of more value will be possible, with effect from January 1, 2021. We don’t need ExxonMobil to be boasting of giving US$2.3 Million of our money, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, of which 85% went to Conservation International, an organization that has little to do with serving Guyanese. They just keep insulting our intelligence. Nigel Hinds
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Investigation comes before dismissal A dreadful thing has occurred. The personnel staff and the chief accountant of the Department of the Public Service have been ordered off the job, unlawfully and without being afforded due process. Reports in the media indicate the workers in the personnel section of the Ministry and a senior accountant were escorted off of the premises last week. The government sought to deny these reports. The Guyana Chronicle quoted a press officer within the Ministry of the Presidency saying that allegations were leveled against the officers but that they were not dismissed. This clearly, however, was not so since a termination letter has since been made public. There has been no statement indicating that this letter is a fake. If it was a fake
letter, then has there been no statement indicating that it was? It is no use splitting hairs over the difference between dismissal and termination. The fact remains; that there has been an involuntary end of the services of these workers. And from all accounts it was done without due authority. A grave injustice has been meted out to these workers. They have been denied due process. Their dismissal has been without cause and without even an opportunity to be heard. They were dismissed for God knows what reason, on either a hunch or because of suspicion of having done something. The dismissal of the workers was high-handed. They were denied the right to a hearing, then escorted out of the office in which they have worked for many years.
The dismissals are illegal. There is a procedure in place for the termination of Government employees and that process has not been followed. The government has acted cruelly, callously and cold-heartedly. It has placed workers on the breadline without just cause. The treatment of the workers is case of heavy manners. There was reason for what has happened. You investigate and then dismiss, not the other way around. Power is being exercised quite senselessly and without any semblance of justice against the powerless. Persons should not be sent dismissal letters summarily. If they did something wrong, then they should be told of it. An investigation should then be launched before any decision is taken for them to be dismissed.
DEM BOYS SEH
Corruption is a culture in Guyana It good to have a sharp memory. It is a good quality of de brain. But de ability to forget de things you don’t want is a far better quality of de heart. Live in peace and not in pieces. Dem boys start adopting those words by forgetting de unwanted things to prevent dem from getting a heart attack. Dem plan to forget all dem oil blocks that people tuck away so that dem and dem generations to come can live like kings and queens. Dem sell out de oil blocks and pocket big money. De govt should be de one to negotiate sale fuh de oil blocks and collect money fuh de people of de country. Instead, dem had dem friends negotiating on de side to sell de oil blocks and split de money wid dem. Things like that mek dem boys remember buff story. Dem remember one bout a family go to bed in de night and wake up rich next morning. Some of dem still in Guyana and some of dem live in all part of de rich world. Dem boys also want to forget wha happen in GuySuCo wid de kind of corruption that has taken place and continue to take place
this day. De people dem put to run GuySuCo operate like if is dem own personal and private property. Dem sell sugar like a supermarket and pocket de money. In fact, dem put de money in dem family name. Corruption run deep in de Guyana culture. Now it become a part of life. Long ago people had to learn right and wrong; dem had to learn to be corrupt. Now-a-days a baby born corrupt. From de time he come into de world he start peep. Look wha going on at de hospital in Berbice and nuff of dem councilors sit down quiet. Dem boys believe that somebody ain’t share properly and that is how de story come out. De Ministry of Housing had a Minister who husband use to get contract. Now Berbice got a REO who husband nephew does collect money fuh drugs from he aunty. Dem boys certain if de Auditor General go deh heself gun be shocked. He might see how much money spending to fuh purchase condoms. Talk half and watch how corruption tun a culture.
That is what due process is about. The workers have been placed on the breadline. Tremulous times lie ahead for them. The dismissed workers have monthly expenses: electricity, water, telephone, internet, cable, and hire purchase. These bills will continue to pile up and the workers have no income at the moment. Some of them have mortgages to pay and children to feed. What is going to happen to them? What are they going to do? Why weren’t they sent on leave until such time as a hearing could be organized? Why dismissal? These workers have rights. Whether a person is employed as a contract employee or directly the Public Service Commission, that person is entitled to due process. In fact, the contracts of the contracted employees within the public service specify that they are bound by public service rules. There was a time when if
something as ruthless as this happened within any public service department, the entire workforce, unionized or not, would have downed tools and refused to work until the dismissed workers were reemployed. But people are afraid of being victimized. Some of them are living month-tomonth. They too have bills to pay and they cannot afford to confront the oppressors and their cheerleaders on the outside. And so they know a wrong has been committed but they cannot stand by the side of their colleagues because they are afraid of losing their jobs. They cannot take withhold their lab out because if they are victimized their children will suffer. And in the face of these reports about the dismissal of the workers, our ‘caring’, considerate and emphatic society is screaming in silence. Not a squeak has been heard from those who once
trumpeted the cause of the disadvantaged and victimized. The defenders of the poor and powerless were on the sidelines acting as cheerleaders. The workers are the victims of political intoxication. They are victims of political power being placed in the wrong hands. And the saddest part of all is that the proponents of people’s power are on the sidelines cheering and urging another purge. There is a right way and wrong way to resolve this matter. The right way is for the workers to be allowed to return to work and to be served with notices of the allegations against them. And only after a proper and impartial investigation and a determination of guilt should these persons be dismissed.
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Kaieteur News
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Govt. aims to conduct Former head teacher ventures into mineral surveys cottage industry Government intends, through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), to improve geospatial mineral resource mapping, estimation and quantification. The purposes of this, according to the Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040, are to allow the sustainable management of land resources, and to grant better prospects to small miners who are awarded mining concessions. The strategy refers to current mining practices as dated, inefficient, unsafe, and known for generating significant environmental impact relating to loss of forest cover, and chemical and metal contamination of rivers and other water sources. It also notes the conflict that arises between miners and indigenous communities, surrounding mining activities that occur on or near ancestral lands. Unsafe exploration practices, particularly in small-scale mining, have negative long term impacts on the health of miners, as well. In a recent report, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) expressed
— New line of pepper sauce to hit local shelves
concern about the challenges facing small and medium scale miners who often find it hard to access funds for their budding operations. It said that small and m e d i u m - s i z e d concessionaires assume higher risks and costs, acquiring parcels whose true mineral wealth is unknown. If Government, however, was able to map and identify the areas where mineral reserves are concentrated, all of these issues could be avoided. In a report titled, “Toward the Greening of the Gold Mining Sector of Guyana: Transition Issues and Continued on page 22
Just about two months ago, retired Head teacher, Joan Jacqueline Butcher, decided to dedicate some time and effort to starting her own business. Today, she is poised to make her mark in Guyana’s cottage industry with a line of organic hot sauces. Ms. Butcher said that her idea was birthed after her participation in a women’s seminar hosted by the Sonia Noel Foundation, earlier this year. “I always had a passion for business; wanted to be my own boss. I tried my hand here and there, but never really got around to it because my teaching career consumed most of my time,” Butcher said. “The programme, ‘Confidence Becomes You,’ gave me the motivation I needed to start,” the retired head teacher said. She decided to invest in a line flavoured pepper sauces which she put on show for the Women and Business Expo, hosted at the Pegasus Hotel earlier this year. However, since there are
Ms. Butcher and her line of flavoured hot sauces. quite a few brands of peppers already on the market, the budding entrepreneur decided to add some creativity to her product. “I wanted to produce something healthy so it is all organic; I wanted to have flavour so I added local fruits like pineapple, mangoes and sourie and I wanted it to have a kick to it so that’s where the pepper comes in,” she explained. Under the label, Butcher’s, the former head teacher managed to churn out six different flavours of hot
sauces. She also produces jerk and seafood seasoning under the same brand – the latter products are made to order. The brand made its debut at the Women and Business Expo held at the Pegasus, earlier this year. Since then, Ms. Butcher said the brand received much support from local consumers. “We exhibited at the International Women‘s Day Expo in March and the brand has made quite an impression.” To further establish her
name, Mrs. Butcher said her business has been licensed and registered. “So, we are a legitimate cottage industry,” she added. Ms. Butcher hopes to showcase her products internationally as well. “I want be able to participate in a trade show in Antigua slated for later this year.” At present, the new sauces are marketed via the Guyana Shop and will hit local outlets including the New Nigel’s Supermarket in the coming weeks.
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Govt. aims to conduct...
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From page 21 Challenges,” the IDB noted that one major issue is the fact that mining concessions are often let or auctioned without prospecting. The Bank argued that this adds to the economic and cost constraints of following sustainable and responsible practices and cleaner technology. The Bank highlighted that currently, small miners lack the capacity to finance needed surveys and have to resort to the ‘hit or miss’ approach. It suggested that, instead of the GGMC issuing claims to small miners whose operations are scattered across mining districts, the Government should encourage clusters in designated areas with proven minerals. To make the clusters more attractive, the Bank proposed that GGMC with the support
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from international agencies, should undertake geological surveys in areas identified for small-scale mining. The priority for the government now is to improve Guyana’s capacity for evidence-based mineral resource and aggregate exploitation. The range and extent of mineral and aggregate resources have to be better understood to improve operating standards, green business practices and to inform future resource extraction planning and management, states the strategy. At present, there are advanced technologies that use metal detectors in geophysical and geochemical analyses, to improve mineral resource prospecting methods. In this regard, Government intends to conduct mineral ore resource surveys to ensure that mining operations focus on areas with proven reserves. Information collected through such surveys would be consolidated in a broader land use planning framework. The GSDS strategy notes Guyana’s need for assistance for such a venture, from qualified international agencies. Since mining is currently the largest single sector of the Guyanese economy, led by gold and bauxite, the move is likely to reduce the risk of unsuccessful prospecting and significantly minimise costs.
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$117M project aims at reducing adolescent pregnancy in Guyana a high percentage of teenage pregnancy happens to be the lack of access to contraceptives and comprehensive sexual education, early sexual activities and risky sexual behaviours, cultural differences and poverty among others. Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Alison Drayton, who runs the Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean,
informed that her organization has been committed and currently rolling initiatives across the Caribbean to reduce the incidences of pregnancies among teenagers. According to Adler Bynoe, a UNFPA Liaison Officer for Guyana, the project also aims to empower communities, parents and adolescents to prevent adolescent pregnancy in regions One and Nine.
All teachers must be qualified at int’l standards by 2040 – GSDS: Vision 2040 Minister Volda Lawrence (centre) and India- UNDPF representatives. Guyana is known to the world as an incredibly wonderful land of unspoilt beauty, where the virgin rainforest leads to the basin of the Amazon. But behind all of this pristine beauty, and like any other country, lie many social issues that affect the people of the land. Here in Guyana one of those issues affecting many young people is adolescent pregnancy. Guyana has recorded the highest rate of adolescent pregnancies in the Englishspeaking Caribbean. Based on a report of the Situational Analysis of Adolescent Pregnancy presented to the government by the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it was discovered that while in coastal Guyana 90 out of a thousand girls between the ages of 15 and 19 gave birth during 2010 and 2015. It was the hinterland which accounted for the majority of teenage pregnancy —105. Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), along with representatives of the India-United National Development Partnership Fund Project signed a $117 million pact yesterday, committing to a partnership to stamp out the social
scourge in Barima-Waini, Region One, and Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo, Region Nine, by 2022. The India- UNDPF project aims to provide the availability of, and access to quality sexual and reproductive health information and services, including commodities for adolescents. Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam believes that the launch is most appropriate and plans to give his unwavering support. The project will be implemented in three phases in all five sub-regions in Regions One and Nine, simultaneously. Specific goals
include a ten percent reduction in adolescent pregnancy in these two regions by March 2022 so as to assist in Guyana’s efforts to realize three of the Sustainable Development Goals. These are Goal 3, Good Health and Well Being; Goal 5, Gender Equality; and Goal 10 Reduced Inequities. The health minister added, “The startling statistics reveal that Guyana has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancies in the Caribbean, our adolescent fertility rate being above average especially among our indigenous girls.” She added that the contributory factor for such
Region Three Schools’ Welfare Officers host Operation Care Campaign Speaking to the relatives of a school aged child during one of the out reaches.
A few of the schools’ welfare officers attached to the welfare department in Region Three started a drive where they targeted children of school age who had poor attendance or were not attending school. Ms Maylene Foo, one of the officers said in an interview, that it is a weekly campaign at which they walk through selected villages for the week and speak with the parents of these children, about the consequences they may face if these kids do not attend school. Ms Ulanda James, another welfare officer who is a part of the operation, said that they visit various areas and they warn the parents via letters the first time. For further offences they are taken to court. She said that the donations made are mostly by private entities via their Back To School Drive in August. After distribution to the less fortunate whenever they visit these homes and they find that assistance is needed, they donate
the remaining school supplies as well as finance through budgetary allocations. Recently, they visited a number of places in Region Three and they found that in Leguan there were 40 youngsters that they engaged. Ten were complete dropouts. These were reintegrated into the school system, while the other 30 were those having poor attendance. At Parika there were 20 Venezuelan nationals of school age who they interacted with and they were put into schools. However since most of them couldn’t speak English they were put into clusters and worked with a Spanish teacher or volunteer, whichever was available to teach them. She further noted that since the campaign has started there has not been one failure as they always successfully engage and reintegrate the youngsters and prosecute the parents wherever necessary.
All teachers must be trained by 2040, and all public training institutions for teachers must be accredited internationally. Those are the goals of the Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040. The public education system has been failing to produce grades that prepare students to compete on the international stage. In 2018, the percentages of passes at the end of secondary school were 67 percent and 43 percent for English A and Mathematics, respectively. At the primary level, those were 60 percent and 38 percent, respectively. These results are poor, but could be considered decent when compared to previous years. This needs urgent attention. Guyana needs trained teachers at every level in order to improve the quality of public education. According to GSDS, 42 percent of teachers in the public system were untrained. By 2017, that statistic had been reduced to 20 percent. Though it is an improvement, it still requires attention, the strategy states. It is not uncommon for untrained teachers to be hired at schools in the countryside, as well as in riverain and hinterland communities. Some are hired to teach as soon as they leave school. This is often due to a lack of trained personnel in the area. Vision 2040’s development agenda purports itself to prioritise investments in education, particularly at the secondary level, consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4. The goal is to have 100 percent trained teachers by 2040. It predicts that this will not just improve student performance, but that it will provide better long term employment opportunities for educators, and a stronger labour market. Vision 2040 notes, “Teaching is a time-honoured profession that must be returned to its prominence in Guyanese society.” Mediocrity must be discredited, and excellence rewarded. It is expected that teachers at all levels of the service have written job descriptions with assigned outcomes and performance measures. And teachers must, as in advanced countries, be drawn from the highest ranks of university/ college graduates; “must demonstrate proficiency and mastery of subjects, and excellence in teaching skills and methods.” The strategy also notes the lack of male teachers in the education system and the effect it has on the performance of boys in school. It states, “88% of the total teaching pool comprises women, which may contribute to the challenge of keeping boys in secondary schools.” More male teachers are to be incentivized to participate in the teaching profession, to just advance students’ academics but to be counselors and sports coaches. “Participating on sports teams is an incentive to keeping boys in school.” “Particularly,” it notes, “the under-achievers must be tied to good and/or consistent academic performance.” Even then, there’s much more to be done. Training institutions have to be well accredited, not just to local, but regional and global standards. The Education Ministry currently defines standards, and it is hoped that these are gradually oriented towards international ones in the long term. The Cyril Potter College of Education is the primary teacher training college. Whether it is sufficient to meet the system’s needs is another story. So others must be accredited. Further, the teaching pool will have to be widened to attract top performers in the CARICOM Single Market Economy. The onus isn’t just on teachers, however. Vision 2040 intends to invest in attractive and competitive teacher compensation packages, which are to have parity with performance benchmarks and continual professional development.
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Shelly runs 10.88 to light up Racers Grand Prix Jamaica Observer - The darling of Jamaican sprinting, Shelly-AnnFraser-Pryce brought the house down at the Racers Adidas Grand Prix with a blistering 10.88 to win the 100m in fine style. Fraser-Pryce produced her usual bullet start and sped away for an effortless victory, to loud applause from the crowd. Her country woman Jonelle Smith finished well for second in 11.20, just ahead of Michelle Lee Ahye, also in 11.20. Fraser-Pryce was elated after the sensational effort. “I just want to thank the crowd [as] they continue to encourage me,” said FraserPryce. “This year is about enjoying the process. It’s a joy to come out here not only as an athlete, but as a mom,” she added. Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes won the men’s equivalent in 9.97 and defended his title. Jamaica’s Yohan Blake led for most of the way, but was relegated to
second in 10.01. Kendal Williams of the US was third in 10.13. Kemar Bailey Cole was fourth in 10.16, with Jamaica’s former world record holder Asafa Powell down in seventh with 10.31. Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts leapt to a meet record 14.69m to win the women’s triple jump. Ricketts, the current world leader with 14.76, bettered her previous record of 14.31 set in 2017. Liadagmis Povea of Cuba was second with 14.50m, ahead of American Keturah Orji with 14.45m. Commonwealth Games champion Danniel ThomasDodd finished a close fourth on the women’s shot put with 18.00m, well below her season’s best of 19.48m. Yaniuvus Lopez of Cuba won with 18.23m, with Jessica Ramsey of the USA second with 18.19m. Monique Riddick, also of the US, finished third with 18.16m. Earlier, American Ajee Wilson got things going on
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (foreground) comfortably leads the pack on her way to winning the women’s 100m at the Racers Adidas Grand Prix, inside National Stadium Saturday night. (Photo: Bryan Cummings) the track by winning the women’s 800m in a meet record of 1:59.22. The precious record of 2:00.23 was held by Jamaica’s Natoya Goule set in 2016.
England clinch series with commanding win
WORCESTER, England, CMC – West Indies women were once again thoroughly outplayed by England as they went down in the second One Day International by 121 runs under the Duckworth Lewis system here yesterday. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the home side scored 233 for seven after rain reduced the match to a 41 over contest. The Windies’ batters never threatened after being reduced to 42 for five early on, before another shower placed the match further out of their grasp. Set a new target of 208 in 28 overs, the visitors finished on 87 for six. The result gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, following their massive 208-run victory in the first ODI on Thursday. The win also earned England two points in the International Cricket Council’s Women’s Championship and took them to the verge of qualification for the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand. Tammy Beaumont who topscored with 61, and fellow opener Amy Jones who made 18, posted their second consecutive half-century opening stand, adding 59 runs for the first wicket. Once Jones lost her wicket to Chinelle Henry, Beaumont found another capable partner in Sarah Taylor (23), adding a further 51 runs.
Afy Fletcher was the pick of the Windies’ bowlers. And even when Afy Fletcher dismissed Taylor and Beaumont with consecutive deliveries to leave the score 110 for three, England still remained in control. Natalie Sciver scored 35 at better than a run-a-ball and Anya Shrubsole blasted an unbeaten 32 from just 16 balls, with two boundaries and two sixes, as part of a solid batting effort from the hosts. Fletcher was the Windies’ best bowler, taking 3-48 from her eight overs. England’s bowlers then produced a sensational performance in the field as the
West Indies got off to a horrible start in their run chase, losing three wickets in quick succession. Shrubsole accounted for the wickets of openers Britney Cooper (6) and Hayley Matthews (17) before Kate Cross had Kycia Knight out for a five-ball duck to reduce the visitors to 23 for three in the eighth over. Cross then had Windies’ captain Stafanie Taylor out for six and Laura Marsha added to their woes when she clean bowled Chedean Nation for 9, as the Windies fell into further trouble at 42 for five. Another shower resulted in the match being shortened to 28 overs, but the West Indies’ batters made no attempt to chase the target. Shemaine Campbelle was the topscorer with a pedestrian 29 from 49 balls, while Kyshona Knight was left unbeaten on 14 from 32 balls. Cross finished with the superb figures of 2-4 from four overs, while Shrubsole took 2-12 from five overs. Scores: ENGLAND WOMEN 233 for seven off 41 overs (Tamsin Beaumont 61, Natalie Sciver 35, Anya Shrubsole 32 not out; Afy Fletcher 3-48). WEST INDIES WOMEN 87 for six off 28 overs (Shemaine Campbelle 29; Kate Cross 2-4, Anya Shrubsole 2-12).
Cuba’s Rosemary Almanza chased Wilson relentlessly, but had to settle for second in 2:00.32. Raevyn Rogers of the US was third with 2:01.08. It was another win for the USA as Ashley Spencer sped to 54.49 to capture the
women’s 400m hurdles. It was a lovely birthday gift for Spencer, who turned 26. Jamaica’s Nikita Tracey ran well from lane eight and was rewarded with second in 55.25. Ronda White closed for third in 55.31 and fourth went to Jamaica’s 2017 World
Championship bronze medallist Ristananna Tracey, the sister of Nikita. Meanwhile, the men’s 400m event was delayed after American Quincy Downing protested his disqualication for false starting. The event was eventually won by Khaliffah Rosser of the US in 49.49. Cuba’s Leandro Zamora closed well for second in 50.07 and relegated Jamaica’s Jaheel Hyde to third in 50.35. In the men’s 100m A race, Jamaica’s Ashanie Smith won section one in 10.28, ahead of Ramone Barnswell with 10.39. Hujaye Cornwall was third in 10.39. Section two was won by Jamaican-born Andrew Fisher of Bahrain in 10.18 ahead of American Jalen Miller in 10.33. Jamaica’s Jevaughn Minzie was third, also in 10.33. At press time, Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres was leading the men’s discus with 65.04m from his first throw. It was also a meet record, bettering the 63.96 done by Travis Smikle in 2016. But with his second throw Dacres upped the ante and threw a massive 68.01m.
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CORONA FUTSAL FINAL
GMRSC Drag Championship round 2
Tiger Bay cop first title Alfred rides away with Hero Honda MVP prize Fan favourites, Tiger Bay shot their way to a 4-3 win over Back Circle early yesterday morning at the National Gymnasium to win their first title in the fourth annual Corona Futsal Tournament. The final was played in front a large and partisan crowd around 01:00hrs yesterday. Leading goal scorer and Most Valuable Player of the competition and captain of the winners’, Deon
Alfred, banged in a hat-trick, to spearhead the victory for his side. The skipper gave thanks to the almighty to for helping them win the competition and noted that the win will bring a positive vibe in his community. Alfred’s goals came in the 6th, 7th & 19th minutes, while Josiah Charles’ 11th minute strike proved to be vital in the Cliff Hanger match. On the score sheet for the
losers were Stephan McLean (34th minute) and Trayon Bobb who netted a brace in the (15th & 24th minutes). Tiger Bay carted off $500,000 cash and the c h a m p i o n s h i p t r o p h y, while Back Circle received $250,000 for the second place finish. During the third place playoff, Future Stars steamrolled Bent Street 8-4 to pocket the $125,000 third place prize, while Bent Street
walked away with $75,000. William Europe netted a hat-trick, while Keron Solomon and Jamal Cozier fired in braces to add to Randel Bowman solitary goal for the winners. Finding the back of the net for Bent Street were Sheldon Profit with a brace to go along with one goal each from Clive Nobrega and Adrian Aaron. Leading goal scorer of the tournament, Deon Alfred received a Hero Honda 150cc Motorcycle, compliments of Rose Ramdehol Auto Sales.
Miracle Optical confirms sponsorship Team Mohamed’s White GTR confirmed to participate
Romeo Singh of Miracle Optical hands over his company’s sponsorship to GMR&SC’s Serika Singh.
Deon Alfred poses with the MVP Hero Honda 150cc Motorcycle, compliment of Rose Ramdehol Auto Sales.
Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMR&SC) second round of the Drag Championship speeds off on the 23rd of this month at the South Dakota Circuit’s drag strip and as fans excitement rises and competitors begin their friendly banter, the corporate community is pouring in support for the event that is anticipated to be highly successful. Yesterday, Miracle Optical confirmed their much needed sponsorship for the meet which will see cash prizes being doled out to the respective winners in the top classes for the first time. Handing over the cheque to GMRSC’s Serika Mohamed was Romeo Singh of the eye specialisation company. Singh expressed pleasure in his company being given the opportunity to contribute to the fast growing sport in Guyana and noted his excitement with what to expect on the 23rd after round one in March saw a record number of fans coming out. This meet is expected to see a much larger turnout with more overseas competitors from Suriname expected. President of the GMR&SC, Rameez Mohamed, confirmed via a correspondence to the media that Team Mohamed’s newly acquired white Nissan GT-R is set to finally make its competitive debut at the event
after missing out in March due to transmission issues. “Yes, for sure the car is going to be racing; we already confirmed with the driver and team manager, the car is taking part in this event. What happened the last time is the car had some mechanical issues and which race car does not have issues, especially when you take the car to that limit, you do expect it to get issues. They fixed everything and they (the mechanics) have put 100% into it and they are 100% certain it will perform at this event,” Rameez added. The GT-R created tremendous hype when it first arrived in Guyana in March. It was deemed to be one of the fastest in the world, but the thousands who turned up at South Dakota were only able to see a minuscule of the true potential, with the car just doing some short runs, mainly for crowd appeasement. Rameez shared that he expects over 100 competitors to register for the event which will see the driver with the fastest reaction winning $20,000. More importantly, DEL Ice Co has sponsored cash prizes for the fastest 10second ($200,000), 11-second ($150,000) and 12-second ($100,000) cars. Tickets for adults cost $1000 and children $500. Action starts at 09:00hrs on race day.
Monday June 10, 2019
Portugal beat Dutch to win inaugural Nations League title
Portugal’s Goncalo Guedes celebrates scoring their first goal with Bernardo Silva vs the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League Final. (Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine) PORTO, Portugal (Reuters) - Portugal became the first team to win UEFA’s Nations League competition when a well-crafted goal by Goncalo Guedes gave them a 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final yesterday. Guedes, 22, nutmegged Matthijs de Ligt, exchanged passes with Bernando Silva and then beat goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen with a shot from the edge of the area on the hour for his fourth international goal in 17 appearances. Portugal had only 45 percent of possession but were more dangerous throughout as they added another trophy to the Euro 2016 title they won three years ago with a 1-0 win against hosts France, also under coach Fernando Santos. “For the last five years, we have been an almost indestructible family who know what we are capable of doing,” said Santos. “We knew we could win this match.” Although the Nations League is of far less importance, the win may have partially made up for Euro 2004 which Portugal hosted and where they were beaten in the final by Greece. Portugal extended their unbeaten record to 10 matches since losing to Uruguay at the last World Cup. They have lost only two out of 38 competitive matches since Santos took charge just under five years ago. The game took a while to get going but when it did, Portugal were far more threatening with Bruno Fernandes and Silva involved in almost all their best moves and Cristiano Ronaldo always lurking menacingly. Fernandes had several efforts on goal in the first half, including one that Cillessen
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Kaieteur News
palmed around the post and another which curled just over the bar following some nifty footwork in the penalty area from Silva. Ronaldo, whose hat-trick against Switzerland on Wednesday took Portugal into the final, had one effort on goal in the first half when he picked up the ball on the left, cut inside and fizzed a low shot which Cillessen did well to hold. The Dutch — who had one day less to recover from their semi-final than Portugal — failed to muster a shot on target in the first half. Portugal went straight back on the attack after halftime and forced a flurry of corners before their goalkeeper Rui Patricio finally made his first save, scrambling the ball away after a defender deflected a Memphis Depay pass towards goal. With the volume rising at the Estadio do Dragao, Portugal broke the deadlock on the hour through Guedes although Cillessen might have expected to save the shot. As the Dutch finally stirred, Patricio made a good save from a Depay header and defender Ruben Dias made an excellent clearance from a dangerous Daley Blind cross into the penalty area. Portugal, though, were always a threat on the break and richly deserved the win. “You have to be better with the ball and we were not,” said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. “They were masters at defending when they were ahead. We should have been a bit more clever in looking for free kicks — we were not good enough tonight.”
Portugal celebrate the UEFA Nations League Final winning vs the Netherlands with trophy. (Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine)
Nadal racks up 12th French crown as Thiem runs out of steam at Roland Garros PARIS (Reuters) - Defying the years and one of the most fierce onslaughts he has ever faced at Roland Garros, Rafa Nadal won his 12th French Open crown yesterday, leaving Dominic Thiem crushed and a packed Parisian stadium shaking their heads in wonder. The first set had been one for the ages, the second ran it close, but after three hours and one minute all that mattered was that Nadal was once again in familiar pose, flat on his back on the clay, a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 winner to clinch his 18th Grand Slam triumph in total. Of them all, this was one of his most satisfying. “Lots of issues with my knee recently... with my foot... too many issues the last few months which makes this last few weeks very, very special,” Nadal smiled to reporters, the large silver trophy at his side. “Physically and mentally I had been down.” Who could have noticed? Rarely, if ever, has any opponent played so well against Nadal on the Philippe Chatrier center court as Thiem did yesterday. Rarely, if ever, has Thiem, the best of the young guns, struck the ball so firmly, or played with such purpose and aggression. But it was not enough. Not nearly enough. Not even before Thiem ultimately ran out of steam. The 33-year-old Nadal, who becomes the first player to win the same Grand Slam title 12 times, going past Margaret Court’s 11 Australian Opens, now sits two major titles behind his great foe and men’s Grand Slam title record holder, 37year-old Roger Federer. “It’s incredible,” Nadal told the crowd. “For me it was a dream to play here in 2005 and I could not imagine I would be back here in 2019. It’s a very special moment for me.” Afterwards he would not be drawn on his Grand Slam title chase with Federer. “Your neighbor has a nicer house than you... or a bigger TV, or better garden... I don’t see life like this,” he laughed. MENTALTOLL Physically, Thiem had looked strong and resolute but who can say what mental toll his rain-delayed semi-final victory over world number one Novak Djokovic had taken? The Austrian had had
Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates with the trophy after his final match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem. (REUTERS/Vincent Kessler) t o p l a y o n T h u r s d a y, Friday, Saturday and now yesterday while Nadal had enjoyed Saturday off, having dispatched Federer on Friday before the rain set in. Certainly it would have taken a monumental effort to remain mentally positive after playing an opening set as he did, and coming out of it empty handed. Thiem slammed backhands for all they were worth, cleaned the lines with his forehand, and the sonic boom from his serve resonated around the court. He grabbed the first break of the match to lead the opener 3-2 but four games later it was all over, 6-3 to Nadal, the Spaniard seemingly another inexorable step toward the crown. CROWD ERUPTED It speaks volumes for the world number four Austrian that Thiem came out for the second set in the same fashion — throwing absolutely everything imaginable at his opponent. Games passed with no break points in sight, and the tension ratcheted ever higher until the 12th game of the set when it snapped. Nadal rifled a two-fisted backhand just long to hand the leveling set to Thiem. The French crowd erupted. Thiem clenched his fist. Nadal strode to the sidelines. But within a flash Nadal had the upper hand again, winning 16 of the next 17 points to lead 4-0 before Thiem could even register any objection. A blink later the set was over, 6-1.
If Thiem had muttered ‘plus ca change’, he would have been forgiven. So much effort to claw his way back, so little to show for it now. “I had a little drop and he was coming out in the third set like a rocket... full power,” Thiem later said, as he processed the result. Few people on the planet can hit a backhand like Thiem, even once. To do it time after time after time is boggling, but that is what it would take to unseat Nadal. Still the Spaniard rolled on, soaking up Thiem’s best shots, and the cliche beloved of numerous science fiction films and television series seemed appropriate: “Resistance is futile”. So it proved until Thiem’s final ball drifted long and Nadal was again flat on his back, adopting the pose that will adorn back pages and websites worldwide. By this stage, Thiem, too, could only look on in admiration. “You are such a legend in our sport,” he said to Nadal. Later the Austrian reflected: “It’s obviously the most difficult thing in our sport to win one of the four majors. I’m happy... I gave myself already two opportunities to win one of these. “Many — or all — guys fail to (beat Nadal) in Roland Garros finals. Just the numbers are crazy. He won it 12 times. Twelve times the opponents in the finals failed to beat him... so, also me.”
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GSCL Inc Independence Cup
Regal Masters and Wellman Masters through to final
Mahase Chunilall Troy Kippins Regal Masters and Wellman Masters have secured their places in the final of the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc Independence Cup, following victories in their respective semi final matches played yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club. Regal Masters defeated Ariel Masters by 44 runs. Regal Masters took first strike and managed 154-9. Troy Kippins led with 44 which contained five fours and one six and came off 33 balls, while Eric Thomas made 24 with two fours and a similar number of sixes. Roy Persaud made 14 and Eon Abel 13. Peter Persaud captured 3-28, Mohamed Rafeek 3-32 and Rudy Rodrigues 2-29. Ariel Masters were restricted to 110-9 in reply. R. Narine made 19, R. Camacho 15 and Peter Persaud 14. Roy Persaud picked up 3-8, Parsram Persaud had 2-16, while Kippins, David Harper and Mahendra Hardyal had one each. Wellman Masters overcame Fisherman Masters
Monday June 10, 2019
Kaieteur News
Lloyd Ruplall by 15 runs. Batting first, Wellman Masters scored 1356. Lloyd Ruplall stroked two fours and three sixes before he run out for 61, while Mahase Chunilall made 52 with two fours and four sixes. The pair added 110 for the second wicket following the loss of Greg De Franca without scoring. Jagdesh Persaud captured 2-27. Fisherman Masters scored 120-9 in reply. Patrick Khan made 17 and Dennis Mangru 16. De Franca had 218, Imtiaz Mohamed 2-23 and Wayne Jones 2-34.
Peter Persaud (left) and Mohamed Rafeek.
Windies ‘quietly confident’ against South Africa, says Estwick SOUTHAMPTON, England, CMC – While the West Indies won’t be underestimating South Africa in their World Cup encounter today, assistant coach Roddy Estwick says the regional side is confident it can come out victorious. The two sides will meet in a crucial matchup, with South Africa having lost their first three games, while the Windies are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Australia. While Estwick believes the Proteas will come out firing in a “must win” game for them, he is still backing his side to pick up the valuable two points. “We are obviously confident, but we have to respect South Africa as well. They are a good side. They have lost three games. We know they have got worldclass players so we can’t underestimate their ability and we have to go out and play hard and smart cricket and stick to our game plans. “We have to target 100 overs. At the end of the 100 overs, we have got to make sure that we are on the winning side. We just can’t single out one part of the game. Once you do that and
Roddy Estwick is confident the West Indies can defeat South Africa. that part of the game has any resistance, then your game plan falls down. We have a plan for 100 overs and we have to go and execute,” Estwick maintained. “There are areas that we can still improve. We are looking to do better and we can still improve. We can cut down the extras in one or two areas. We have missed a few chances as well, so these are areas we can back up on. We are more focused on ourselves and if we can execute our skills well, then it will take care of the process.” The assistant coach said the Windies’ bowling unit
had been impressive thus far. He said the fact the Windies had dismissed their opponents for less than 300 in both games in what has been a high scoring tournament, showed their quality. “Before the start of the tournament, everybody was saying that teams are going to make 360, 380, some teams will make 400, some teams will make 500. We bowled both teams out for under 300 runs, so we are very happy with the way the bowlers have executed (their plans). What we must do is play the one percenters a bit better
and I’m sure if we did that in the last game, we would have won the game. It’s nothing to do with the bowlers. We are all in it together. We are not going to single out the bowlers and say the bowlers did a poor job, or the batsmen did a poor job, it is a team. If you are looking for excuses in the cricket game, you can find it wherever you look,” Estwick maintained. Estwick said while both Andre Russell and Chris Gayle had picked up “some nicks” they would both be available for today’s game. SQUADS: WEST INDIES – Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas. SOUTH AFRICA – Faf du Plessis (captain), Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Brazil hit seven without reply past hapless Honduras
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (Reuters) - Gabriel Jesus got a brace and David Neres chalked up his first international goal as Brazil overran a hapless Honduras 7-0 in a pre-Copa America friendly yesterday. Manchester City striker Jesus opened the scoring after six minutes with a header and Thiago Silva made it two seven minutes later. The match was effectively over as a contest after half an hour when Romell Quioto was shown a red card for a reckless tackle on Artur, who was taken off. Philippe Coutinho got the third goal from the penalty spot after 37 minutes and was unlucky not to add to his personal total when he saw two other shots come back off the woodwork. Jesus got a fourth two minutes after the break and Neres, in his first start for the national side, made it 5-0 with a cheeky shot in the 56th minute. Substitute Roberto Firmino added a sixth after 65 minutes and Richarlison
Brazil completed their warm-up campaign for next week’s home Copa America with a comfortable win over Honduras. (Getty Images) made it seven 20 minutes from time as the home side eased up in front of just 16,000 fans in Porto Alegre. “We played well in the last two friendlies,” Jesus said. “We imposed our game and our style of play. I think you gain confidence from that and
the confidence we gained means we can keep doing what we’ve been doing.” The win was the perfect run-out for the host nation before they begin their Copa America campaign against Bolivia in Sao Paulo on June 14. Brazil, who have not won
the Copa America since 2007, are in Group A with Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela. Honduras now travel to Jamaica, where they face the host nation in the Gold Cup. The Central Americans are in Group C along with Jamaica, Curacao and El Salvador.
Monday June 10, 2019
Kaieteur News
GBTI Open Tennis tournament
Lopes win hard fought game against Murray
Andre Lopes (right) recovered from 5-1 down in the 3rd to win 7-5 in the over -35s at the GBTI Court yesterday.
Andre Lopes and Ronald Murray treated the small crowd to entertaining Lawn Tennis on Saturday night in the over-35 Men’s singles in the tenth annual ‘GBTI Open’ Tennis tournament at the Bank’s Lawn Tennis Court in Bel Air. The game, highlighted by long rallies from both players, was halted with the score one game apiece at close to 11:00PM as it brought the curtains down on a truncated rain affected opening day. Yesterday, the over-35 match resumed at 4:00PM with the commencement of the third game and in sweltering heat, Lopes and his young opponent fought hard and long for supremacy. Murray looked the likely winner when he extended his lead to 5-1 in the third set but Lopes was not giving up and gradually began to fight his way back in the contest; registering six unanswered points as he recovered to win 7-5. Also on Saturday night, Wayne Baker and Orande Dainty beat Philbert Clarke
YBG NSBF Linden Zone tips off today at MHS Hard Court With the inclement weather forcing the postponement of the first two days of the Linden Regional Zone of Youth Basketball Guyana’s (YBG) National Schools’ Basketball Festival (NSBF), the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) is pressing for a start this afternoon with three matches at the tournament’s venue; the Mackenzie High School hard court. From 14:30hrs, the first match bounces off between Linden Technical Institute and Linden Foundation Secondary. The second game tips off at 16:00hrs and will be contested between New Silvercity Secondary and home team Mackenzie High School. Last Friday’s opening games have been rescheduled for tomorrow, and the first game will be played between Linden Foundation and Mackenzie High, while the second brings together Linden Technical Institute and Wisburg Secondary from 16:00hrs.
GFF-KFC Independence Cup
Conquerors rule Georgetown zone
Rudy Grant lost to David Rose in the Men’s Singles.
and David Rose 6-4, 7-6, 11-9 in the Men’s doubles, while Joseph De Jouge and Fiona Bushell beat Leyland Leacock and Kizzy Richmond in the mixed doubles. Yesterday afternoon, Wayne Baker beat Daniel Chroust 6-2, 6-1 and Viraj Sharma defeated Matthew Yusuf 6-2, 6-0 in some of the
games in Novice division, while Tanya Chroust got a walk over. In the morning session yesterday, Wayne Barker defeated Daniel Chroust 6-2, 6-1 in the Boys Open Singles, while Akeila Jones beat Alana Chung in the Girls Singles Open 4-6, 7-6, 7-4 in the tie break and 10-8, Virat Sharma
beat Matthew Yusuf 6-2, 6-0, while Kalcia Fraser beat Rashada Harding 6-0,61 in some of the matches in the Junior division. The tournament continues today from 4:00PM at the GBTI Courts with more senior matches some of which were played last night. (Sean Devers)
Hamilton takes controversial Canada win after... From page 33 season-opening run to seven successive wins. Vettel ended up classified second ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Leclerc, fourthplaced Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes, Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo of Renault. Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh in the second Renault ahead of Pierre Gasly of Red Bull, home hero Lance Stroll of Racing Point and Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso. Mercedes congratulated Hamilton on his win. “You forced the error,” they told him. “I just want to thank the team as we had an engine problem after my crash – and it was not the way I wanted to get past.”
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- Pre-race scare for Hamilton Hamilton had problems before the start. A hydraulics leak, discovered in the morning, required two hours of stripping down and the repair of his power unit and then a slow getaway for the formation lap created more alarm. But as the lights went out, he kept cool to resist Leclerc and retain second behind Vettel who built a lead of 1.6 seconds on the opening lap. On a hot afternoon on the Isle Notre-Dame, with temperatures of 50 and 29 degrees Celsius for track and air, tyre wear was a key factor, which encouraged Hamilton to bide his time. After five laps, the gap was 2.1sec with Leclerc adrift
by 4.4sec. On lap 25, Vettel pitted from the lead for hard tyres and re-joined third leaving Hamilton to push on his worn rubber as Vettel clocked fastest lap behind new leader Leclerc. On lap 30, the Monegasque, yet to stop, led Vettel by 11.4sec ahead of Hamilton, but was losing a second each lap. By lap 33, the lead was only five seconds – enough to prompt Ferrari to bring Leclerc in. He re-joined fourth. Vettel led again by 2.3sec ahead of Hamilton with Verstappen third, 10sec adrift. On his hard tyres, Hamilton looked revitalised as he closed in on the German. On lap 39, Bottas finally passed Ricciardo for fifth as
Hamilton closed with passing range of Vettel who responded with a new fastest lap. The top two were out on their own, separated by eighttenths. A mistake by Vettel after 49 laps, when he twitched under braking at the first chicane, forced him to cut across a strip of grass before rejoining narrowly ahead of Hamilton. The Englishman saw a gap, but was squeezed out towards a wall. The race stewards announced an investigation into the incident which, on lap 58, resulted in a five-second penalty for “unsafe re-entry forcing another driver off the track.” “I had nowhere to go,” said Vettel, angry and upset. “I did not see him.”
Fruta Conquerors Football Club (FCFC) defeated Santos 3-1 to win the Georgetown Zone of the Guyana Football Federation’s KFC National Under-20 Independence Cup on Saturday last and have booked their place in the National Playoffs. Playing at the National Training Center (NTC) located at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara, the Tucville based club took the lead during the first half, courtesy of a Nicholas McArthur strike in the 16th minute. Ronaldo Rodrigues then quickly equalised for the Santos FC four minutes later but that would prove to be the first and last goal the losers would have scored for the match. Conquerors would then have to wait until the second half to take back the lead and they did that through Nicolai Andrews who netted in the 56th minute. Ravon Bayley then put the game out of reach of Santos with a stoppage time strike.
Breeders Cup fundraising event set for July 14th Horse racing, Motocross and Car & Bike show slated Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr., chairman of the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Committee (JJTRC), has indicated that he will be hosting a fundraising event titled the Breeders Cup on July 14th at the Bush Lot United Turf Club in West Coast Berbice. The action packed day will feature three aspects, namely a horserace meet, Motocross competition and a car and bike show, with all the proceeds going towards works at the developing Bush Lot United Turf Club. On the card for the horserace meet are seven races with some of the top jockeys and animals expected to make appearances. The Motocross competition will see some of the best daredevils in Guyana going head to head between intermissions for the horserace meet. The day will conclude with the Car and Bike show that will see owners of the best machines being awarded with trophies and cash. According to Mohamed, the added attractions have been included to attract persons who don’t usually come to horseracing to be part of the event. All proceeds will go towards development works at the Bush Lot United Turf Club which includes the construction of a grand stand, stables for race days and fencing. So far, the JJTRC has injected millions into the facility, with the filling of the track which was done recently, costing an estimated $1million. Habits are not the product of one decision — They’re the result of repeated choices that eventually become automatic responses. How can you know your true spiritual condition? By the company you keep and the choices you make. When you’re free to go, where do you choose to go? Whose company do you prefer?
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Monday June 10, 2019
Kaieteur News
FIFA Referee & Sports Administrator Lawrence ‘Sparrow’ Griffith receives well deserved National Award By Sean Devers “Ecstatic, delighted, wonderful, surprising but confident” were the words used by FIFA International Referee Lawrence ‘Sparrow’ Griffith to describe how he felt when he received the news of his Medal of Service Award. Nominated by the GFF, ‘Sparrow’, on May 24 got to live one of his most memorable moments when he received the award for his outstanding contribution to sports in Guyana. Born on April 3, ‘Sparrow’ grew up in Hadfield Street Lodge and says that his most memorable moment in his life is getting married to his wife and biggest supporter Hazel, on May 17, 1966. Winning this award ranks a close second, while his appointment by the GOA to attend a Commonwealth Sports Development Conference in Scotland in 2010 and getting employed at the Guyana Rice Board (GRB) which changed his life, are the other most memorable moments for him. ‘Sparrow’ whose first love was music (Piano) attended the ‘Our Lady of Fatima’ Primary School which was located on Regent Street and later the East Ruimveldt Secondary on the ‘Back Road’ but informed that he never got the chance to write exams because his father, a Policeman, did not want to ‘waste’ his money and arranged for young Griffith to join the Guyana National Service (GNS). Growing up opposite the old Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), ‘Sparrow’ developed an interest in
Lawrence ‘Sparrow’ Griffith sit proudly with his Medal of Service (on the right of his shirt). Football by playing the game on the Durban Park Horse Racing Track. He soon joined the Lodge Rovers FC which was formed by the late Harold ‘Lightweight’ Kissoon the sibling of Kaieteur News’ Columnist Freddy Kissoon. A Goal Keeper, Griffith was invited to National U-20 trials before joining Santos FC where his Administrative Career commenced at age 19. Between 1970 and 1986 he played for Lodge Rovers, St Barnabus, GRB, Santos and GFC as a Goalie. “Morris Enmore who was Santos Coach and Captain, recommended me as Club Secretary, while in 1982, former Senior National, Orville Bobb, a FIFA Referee
at that time, advised me to become a Referee,” disclosed the 61-year-old Griffith who has been involved in sports for close five decades. After the 1990 World Cup, FIFA introduced specialists Assistant Referees which were then known as Linesmen and with just a handful of them in Guyana, Griffith became Guyana’s first International Assistant Referee in 1993 before he retired in 2003 when he turned 45. He still does the job occasionally locally. Griffith’s only disappointment in an illustrious career both on and off the field was that he never got an opportunity to officiate in a World Cup. For a 10-year period
Sports runs in the blood! Griffith’s daughter National Netballer Alicia Griffith and her daughters.
Griffith officiated in several prestigious tournaments including the Gold Cup, Shell Caribbean Cup, CONCACAF U-20, the International Club Championships and the CAC Games. But it was bit of luck and the unwavering support of his wife Hazel that propelled him into that position. “FIFA had picked Orin Argyle for the CONCACAF U-20 tournament in Honduras in 1994 but he had been having knee problems and we were both called to do a fitness test which he failed. I was selected to go but that was not the end of my problems. In those days the GFF had to pay your airfare but they did not have the funds so my wife borrowed the money for my trip as I became the first Guyanese to perform those duties at International level,” related Griffith, who has a wealth of Football knowledge. Griffith and his wife have been living together for 33 years and have been married for 23 years. More known for his contribution to Football fraternity he was also the President of the Dodgers Netball Club from 1999-2001 and Secretary of the Guyana Netball Association (GNA) in 2007 and an executive Committee member on the Athletic Association of Guyana. Griffith, who would later manage the National Senior Football team on five occasions, the U-16s four times and National Futsal team thrice, explained what caused him to remain in Sports. “My Father was very strict and arranged for me to join the GNS in 1976. I was doing construction at the East La Penitence Police Station as I waited on the GNS call and I was asked to play a game for GRB at GSC ground which we lost 2-nill,” added Griffith, who has three daughters from two marriages. He got employed by GRB and did not go to the GNS. “If I had entered the GNS I might have become a Lieutenant but would never had the life I have in sports,” said Griffith, a former GFF and GFA secretary. He became the Supervisor of the Electrical department with little technical knowledge of the job before being appointed GRB Sports Organiser in 1984 and produced several National Athletes who participated in the Guystac Games. Since then his highly
Griffith and his Wife Hazel flying the Guyana flag in NY. successful career has taken off spectacularly as he performed duties both on and off the field including his role as Referee Instructor and assessor; helping to produce many outstanding Referees including the multitalented FIFA Referee Dianne Ferreira James. “My daughter (former National Netballer Althea Griffith) was attending the Sacred Heart and NSC’s Lavern Frazer-Thomas conducted a summer clinic for U-12s. In 1998 Lavern started the Dodgers Netball Club with the parents forming the executives and that is how I got involved in the Administration of Netball,” Griffith, who was mainly responsible for Guyana’s participation for the first time
in the Caribbean Netball Association’s U-16 Tournament in Barbados, informed. Griffith also worked as Sports Organiser of Sanata Textiles Limited, was Manager for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) and is presently employed at the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs as the Hinterland Sports Development Officer and has so far visited approximately 12 Hinterland Communities in Region 8. Between July 1994 and January 2001 Griffith travelled to Trinidad five times and also visited Suriname, Honduras, Jamaica, Curacao, Venezuela, Antigua, Mexico, Costa Rico, Los Angles and Miami for Football tournaments.
Sparrow officiating in a game in the USA.