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

EDITORIAL CRIME AND DRUGS IN THE CARIBBEAN Recently, some countries in the English-speaking Caribbean have begun earning a reputation for their sharply rising crime rates. Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are among the worst. Beyond the toll taken on the people and society, crime and violence have become very costly to the region’s economy, and have an adverse impact on foreign investment and tourism. With an average of 30 homicides per 100,000 persons per year, the English-speaking Caribbean now has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Incidents of assaults, armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping and rape are also above the world average and rising. The main driving force for the high rates of crime and violence in the region is the intra-regional drug trafficking trade which has led to a steady increase in the availability of firearms. The explosion of the drug trade in the region has institutionalized criminal behaviour and increased gang violence. The drug trade has also made the region vulnerable because of its geographical location which places it at the crossroads as a transshipment point between the producers of drugs in the South and the main consumers in the North. Indeed, fighting the illegal drug trade has become one of the most daunting tasks facing the countries of the Caribbean, especially those with a weak national security infrastructure. Eliminating or reducing it has been the most arduous task that has confronted the region’s heads of government. But giving up is not an option; it will leave their nations in despair. The high levels of crime and violence in the Caribbean have taken a heavy toll on human lives and impacted negatively on the region’s development. They are the result of many factors, including high school drop-outs, poverty, lack of jobs and opportunities for youths. There is also a weak and poorly managed law enforcement and judicial system. In addition, the increase in the illegal sale of drugs and crime in the Caribbean can, in part, be blamed on the rapid increase of deportees of Caribbean nationals from the United States and Canada to their respective countries. Experts have claimed that a well-aimed mix of initiatives can greatly reduce violent acts and criminal behaviour in the region. They say a more inclusive social fabric with more equality of opportunities for the marginalized youths as well as policies to reduce school dropout rates and create good paying jobs. The escalation of crime continues to wreak havoc on the Caribbean. While there is no magic formula or single policy to solve the problem, it should be emphasized that relying only on greater police action or an increase in incarceration is not enough. The CARICOM leaders must consider some softer measures to alleviate social ills such as early childhood development, education, poverty and youth delinquency to prevent the young from contributing to crime and drugs. Studies have shown that crime prevention works best where institutions such as the police or the judicial system are trusted by the public. As the leaders of the region continue to search for solutions to the crime spree in their respective countries, law enforcement in each country must clearly play its role to stem the multi-faceted scourge. Many believe that the economy and crime are intrinsically linked. A poor economy means fewer jobs and a decline in the standard of living, especially for the poor, some of whom have little or no choice but to turn to drugs or crime in order to survive. It will take a collaborative effort not only by the leaders of the Caribbean to reduce crime, but also all lawabiding citizens in the region.

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If he enters politics, he will easily get lost in translation Dear Editor, From reading Freddie Kissoon, you know that he is a well-informed person, more a product of Western culture than his own Eastern origins. He is well versed w i t h We s t e r n c u l t u r e , picking out and regurgitating the contents of any Western philosopher or Western writer or Western movie at random. I am quite sure Freddie is familiar with the movie, Lost in Translation Things and emotions and truths and identities can easily get lost in translation. This is certain to happen to Freddie should he take that step into official election politics. I heard the rum shop chat, the conversations in certain circles and the newspaper letter pages are all about the coming of a third political party. And Freddie’s name seems to be the one that is like a stuck record. From where I sit, I see the necessity of a third party. Strange enough the person who has convinced

me of that is Freddie himself. His assessments of the faults and sins of the Alliance for Change are brilliant. His exposure of the vision of the PNC is equally so. I agree with Peeping Tom. The third party will not win or have large numbers of seats but will hold the balance of power. So it looks like in 2020, the third party will either support the PNC or the PPP because one of the two will win the plurality votes but not the majority. Whoever leads the third party, I believe Freddie should not participate. He will not be seen as the person that this country views him now – a Don Quixote, brave, patriotic and idealistic after the election results. But more important, Mr. Editor, Freddie might lose his soul in the translation from philosophy to politics. He will get lost in translation. The electorate is always underestimated by politicians. People may love and admire Freddie Kissoon

but who says they will vote for him to lead Guyana. I don’t think so. People have images of who they want to be in government. People put their heroes in nice little compartments and they want them to stay there because they feel if they come out of that box, they will not be who they are and people are fearful that they will lose their love for them. I am sure that at any point in his career and after, Sachin Tendulkar would not have become the Prime Minister of India. If Sachin had ran for the Congress Party against Modi, he would have lost. India adores Sachin but as a hero not as a politician. In voting they would have said we love you Sachin but let Modi run the country, he knows how to do that better than you. It would have been the same result in Trinidad with Brian Lara. If Lara tries his hand in his own political party, he will not win. Bolt or Gayle attempting the similar thing

in Jamaica will have the same result. People want their heroes to stay in their own league especially when it comes to politics. All this talk about a third party with Freddie Kissoon and Nigel Hughes at the helm will not materialize with respect to Freddie being the presidential candidate. Yes, I see and I guess everybody else does, that Nigel Hughes fits the bill. I believe people see Nigel Hughes as making a good president. They do not see Freddie in the same way. For them this is a philosophical dreamer with an idealistic mind that wants to save Guyana. They like him on that stage. If he comes off that stage, he will get lost in translation. Would I vote for a third party? The answer is yes but I would not vote for Freddie Kissoon as a politician. I would vote for Freddie to be declared a national hero. But not to lead Guyana, not to (Continued on page 5)

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The President is entitled to determine what “fit and proper” means DEAR EDITOR, The words in article 161(2) “not unacceptable to the President” are yet again trivialised – with brutish stupidity. With an accustomed degree of theoretical rhetoric with total disregard for relevance, Anil Nandlall (also SN’s editorial of Sunday June 4) trivializes those plain, lucid, unambiguous words to mean that the Leader of the Opposition, (LOO) if he compiles a list of six nominees, but with less than six nominees being “not unacceptable to the President”, never the less, the LOO has still submitted a list of six names who are “not unacceptable to the President”. So, they argue that the President is duty bound, in law, to appoint one who he considers “not unacceptable”. As I will show it is both good law, and commonsense, that the President should reject (as advised by his Attorney General) an INCOMPLETE and IMPERFECT list. Even Equity (that institution of fairness and conscience whereby strict legal rights are overridden) does not consider as perfect, that which is imperfect. The interpretation of article 161(2) involves established test. It is this: “… to

the interpretation of words in an instrument which are plain and unambiguous….. the court is in duty bound to construe such words in there ordinary sense irrespective of consequences and may not modify or bend their meaning to achieve or to avoid a particular result” (extract from Massiah, C judgment in AG v. Mohamed Alli et al (1987) 41 WIR 176. Lawyers call this the strict or literal constructionist approach. The consequence of Mr. Jagdeo having to submit an entire new list, then cannot make President Granger’s rejection wrong. Mr. Nandlall (and the SN Sunday editor) is not permitted to (but attempts to) modify or bend their meaning. (KN June 6 “President Granger’s interpretation of the constitution is a warped one.”) Nandlall’s sterile argumentation about Mr. Hoyte; and Mr. Jagdeo’s “methodology” of having consulted some 33 civil society organizations involves no principle of interpretation. I waste no time with them. But perhaps transparency requires that he names those 33 organizations. Do they comply with article 161 as to representation in the National Assembly? For his strict construction

of article 161(2), it cannot be right, and certainly not fair, to the President, to be subjected to what can only be termed as illegitimate pressure actuated by pure selfinterest at worst, or misinterpretation at best, to waive his right to have the complete and perfect option of six “ not unacceptable” nominees. (The illegitimacy of the threats of “other consequences” (Jagdeo), “dire consequences (Nandlall), “pickle” (Rohee) inter alia). One final point about the constitutionally of the President’s rejection (based presumably on the Attorney General’s advice of his right/ power/duty to do so) I argue the novel proposition that given the constitutional credentials and status of the Attorney General of-the-day (now Basil Williams, S.C) (adumbrated in previous letters about Justice Holder’s and the Attorney General’s controversy) there is, a rebuttable presumption of regularity or correctness of the advice of the Attorney General of-theday. Only a court ruling can rebut that presumption. There is none; nor, is there likelihood of any. The constitution does not countenance every letter writer, editor, columnist, Tom, Dick, Harry or

Mary, extra-judicially, as its interpreter - only an AG. (The comparable role of a DPP in a criminal law context has no relevance to this GECOM Chairman matter). Finally, some additional (i.e. not in any of my previous letters) comment about “fit and proper”. Those few in Guyana who would have been admitted as a solicitor in England (I believe that former Chancellor Desiree Bernard is in that elite) would know that the words “fit” and proper” (in this hybrid, binary formulation) imports unexpressed or unstated criteria, or, determinants, for deciding as to such fitness and capacity. Surely, that determination is not, and cannot be, an exercise in abstraction. The certificate of admission which the Master of the Rolls (in England) signs reads relevantly thus: “whereas upon Examination and Enquire touching your fitness and capacity to act as a solicitor… I am satisfied that you are a FIT and PROPER person so to act I do... ADMIT you to be a solicitor….” What one may relevantly ask is: what are the limits of such examination and enquiry? Would anyone dumbly argue that since no “criteria” are specifically or

“You studied long and hard just to be a teacher?” DEAR EDITOR, Kindly permit me some space to bring to the attention of the public an overlooked, under-appreciated profession. I had a conversation recently with a young lady I taught three subjects at the CSEC level. She innocently asked me if I “studied so long and hard to be just a teacher.” I shrugged off the question. But this really is a very concerning statement – ‘just a teacher’.

I know the young lady consciously meant nothing by this but she voiced something that a lot of people are thinking. As a society we do not think teachers are equivalent to doctors, lawyers, engineers and we fail to realise that it takes a strong, patient teacher to produce these individuals. PERHAPS the reasoning of ‘just a teacher’ comes from the way teachers are paid and treated. The question “How

much do you make?” is often asked in an effort to correlate the successfulness of a profession. PERHAPS if teachers are paid better this view of ‘just a teacher’ would change. PERHAPS if the government stops pussyfooting with the promised salary increases, teachers will be on their way to being more than ‘just a teacher’. It’s ironic and insulting to put the word ‘just’ in front of any profession. Never bite

the hand that feeds you, right? Editor, how would you feel if I told you, you’re just a journalist? I guess until the shoe is on our foot we do not really appreciate its fitting. So today permit me some space to salute the teachers. Salute to all the teachers in the struggle to make our nation a literate one. Salute to these meek soldiers who are appreciated on October 5. Just a teacher. Jamain Hatton

particularly tabulated, in the enabling stature (compare our Legal Practitioners Act. Cap 4:01 as to the general requirement of “good character” for admission as an Attorney – at – law) there are none which the Master of the Rolls can consider in making a judgment? This is judgement as to his satisfaction that the person seeking admission is fit and proper for solicitorship. Or, that the Master of the Rolls would be abusing power if he indicated that X, Y or Z attributes were specific/particular characteristics for admission. I argue that by analogy, the President is in a similar position as the Master of the Rolls as regards “fit and proper” for appointment of Chairman. In the scheme of things, particulars (Judge-like attributes of impartiality, integrity, intelligence, non-activism, medical firmity etc.) exist by implication. The indomitable Freddie Kissoon does not think that President Granger has any such power/right/duty to arrogate to himself such delimitation as to the meaning of “fit and proper” (KN, June 06 “The Dangerous Journey of David Granger”). But Freddie does not, indeed could not, articulate as to by what other legal process a President could determine

the specifics or particulars of the power in guided expectancy that the eventual appointee would be a “fit and proper” Chairman, in the performance of this key constitutional job. I tell the story of my experience as a Magistrate when the first case under the Domestic Violence Act, 1996 was heard by me in 1997. The case was Bharrat & Bharrat V. Bharrat (CJ 6215-16/97). It was about two minor children seeking a Protection Order against their parents. I granted it. But Counsel for the parents (Respondents) had raised certain preliminary points in objection. The DVA had to be applied. And in, and, for such application, a ruling on those points required an interpretation of certain provisions in the DVA. That was the only way of determining what my jurisdiction was, and was not. What was I supposed to do ?; Retreat into a state of intellectual agoraphobia? Was I wrong to arrogate unto myself the right, and duty, to interpret the provisions; given the novelty of the issue? I was not. The Full Court ( I was congratulatory informed ) upheld my decision, on appeal. I anticipate a similar vindication for President Granger if threats of legal challenge happen. Maxwell E Edwards

If he enters politics, he... From page 4 be a Minister not to be in Parliament. The Freddie Kissoon that we know would be a different person that may lose our admiration. Freddie himself will lose his credibility I don’t think he will get the votes those letter-writers think he will. I do see a third party coming and while I share Peeping Tom’s opinion that it will hold

the balance of power I do not agree that it will not get large amount of votes. The time is ripe for a challenge to the big two. A third party may not win a majority or the plurality but it will do much better than the Alliance for Change. Please remember the AFC did not win twelve seats; it was given those. A third party will do better. V.V. Singh

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I prefer you call me African Guyanese not Black Guyanese DEAR EDITOR, Historically the word black according to Frantz Fanon denotes evil, since white symbolizes justice, truth and virginity. Speaking through a third person Fanon noted: his body is black his tongue, is black, his soul must be black too. Fanon wondered aloud “In Europe, evil is symbolized by the black man… the perpetuator is the black man, Satan is a black, one talks of darkness, when you are filthy, you are dirty – and this goes for physical dirt as well as moral dirt. The black man is equated with sin… in Europe, the black man, whether physically or symbolically, represents the dark side of the personality”. Recorded history has black being used to refer to Africans from the late 14th century, showing a strong correlation with the use of this derogatory term for enslaved Africans. I urge all our politicians and the media houses to use ‘African Guyanese’ in place of black, when referring to Guyanese of African ancestry. In using the term black when referring to a person, one is uncertain of the context and intent of the user, especially knowing that black has been frequently used over centuries as a scornful term. Life unfolds before us, based on our experiences and knowledge of the past. In his book “Black Skin, White Masks,” Fanon viewed the term black as an aberration that came into being on contact with non-Africans, along with its interminable negative

associations, such as a bastion for racism, degradation, slavery and colonialism, with colonialism still expanding in this century. All things considered, the term black is offensive when referring to humans in this epoch; it is offensive and ought not to be used. Leave it in the past with the “N” word. Even from a global perspective, especially outside of sub-Saharan Africa, we have been conditioned to view Africans of a certain hue, with extreme negativity, the darker the hue the more extreme the prejudice. Unfortunately, the etymology of the English language and the meanings given to words, trap us into propagating despicable terminology that undermines our own image and value system. The Africans have lost contact with their language that speaks to their achievements, self-confidence and self-esteem. We must constantly find ways within the English, French, Germany, Spanish and Dutch languages, among other languages to describe ourselves in positive ways, without the denigrating word labels that have been tarnished through racism, slavery and colonization, in their origins and meanings as defined directly, indirectly and loosely, by the language we use to communicate. Visualize inhabitants of a country of Africans calling each other black, while knowing the extremely negative meanings that are attributed to the word black by the dominant dictionaries. Such offen-

sive folly is inexplicable and can only be explained by brainwashing. The coinage of black in all its historical and current race labeling varieties did not evolve to capture the phenotype of the African and this deceptively harmful practice continues today. It is past time for our Government, media, and other organizations to promote a culture using African Guyanese as the default description for Guyanese of African descent. The etymology of black as defined in dictionaries, history books and movies extensively make categorizing a group of people, with such a label as invariably retrogressive, very insulting and extremely degrading. I recall back in 1994/1995 being part of a group of University of Guyana students that sent a letter to Stabroek News, asking them to discontinue using the slur term negro when referring to African Guyanese, our efforts were successful, albeit not immediately. Living in the 21st century, during the reign of the American Empire, where the term black is an integral part of the categorization of African Americans, it will be an uphill endeavour to change the paradigm. We Guyanese, within the sphere of what we control, be it the media, government or non-governmental organizations - should lift the yoke of this label from the backs of African Guyanese. Hiding behind moral relativism and situational ethics is also not acceptable and must be dis-

Glad that the subject of mental illness is being discussed DEAR EDITOR, Recently the subject of mental problems and illness has been highlighted by those at the top, including the two young British princes, and is now being taken seriously. By coincidence, I had been reading earlier on about the unjust and harsh treatment meted out to patients, some of them elderly, for behaviour not acceptable to the staff at a care home in the UK. Threats are made - some-

times actually carried out including being locked for a long time in unlit, freezing rooms for long periods. Often relatives are unaware of how their loved ones are being treated, because the inmates are threatened with further punishment if they ‘spill the beans’. Visits from family are sometimes infrequent, because of distance or personal circumstances. As has been stated, schizophrenia may have its roots in personal trauma,

sometimes not only through physical or sexual abuse, but through psychological abuse as well. And I suspect may be hereditary, being passed on from generation to generation. Not a pleasant condition to have to live with on a daily basis. One is never sure when an attack would occur and the consequences of such. Good to see the subject being ventilated and taken seriously. Geralda Dennison

couraged, be it the use of the term Afro-Guyanese, slurs at political meetings, slurs at social gatherings or the use of racist code words. How nonsensical is it for two persons of the same skin colour in Guyana to refer to one as Indian Guyanese and the other as black – with all the derogatory, condescending, discriminating and racist implications that have been woven into the meaning of black over the centuries. The problem is applicable to both the African and Indian Guyanese by varying degrees, especially as it relates to discrimination by skin colour... Why curse ourselves? When we and our children look in the dictionaries and history books and see the synonyms for black and what it represents; it will be our failure to make the change, a change we Guyanese can legitimize and make part of our culture and a change that could expand and influence the demonyms of Africans across the world. Looking at few of the leading dictionaries and extracted definitions of how black is defined and the meanings provided: MerrimanWebster: “Thoroughly sinister and evil, wicked, a black deed, black mark, invoking the devil, gloomy, marked by the occurrence of disaster, characterized by hostility or angry discontent, black resent-

ment filled his heart, black propaganda….” Cambridge Dictionary: Without hope, the future looked black; bad or evil…The opposite of white, deeply stained with dirt, characterized by tragic or disastrous events, causing despair or pessimism, five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the year, a black mood, full of gloom or misery, very depressed, very evil or wicked, my soul is steeped in the blackest sin.” Why refer to me in such a manner, juxtaposed against white, with all its positive characteristic. There is a reason that name calling is a felony. Negative name calling is ingrained on the brain and within the social ecology, it is catastrophically damaging to self-esteem, self-worth, selfconfidence and the ability of individuals to attain their full potential, inside and outside of Guyana. Using the term black is directly or indirectly demeaning; one never really knows which meaning is being attributed to the African man or woman so defined. Let’s make the change: culturally, politically, socially, economically and spiritually. In my view redemption of the word black is not a viable option in the current North American and European superstructure. Walter Rodney noted in Groundings with my

Brothers: “The adult black in our West Indian society is fully conditioned to thinking white, because that is the training we are given from childhood…The few changes which have taken place have barely scratched the surface of the problem. West Indians of every colour still aspire to European standards of dress and beauty. The language which is used by black people in describing ourselves shows how we despise our African appearance… and that black is the incarnation of ugliness. When Africans adopt the European concept that purity and goodness must be painted white and all that is evil and dammed is to be painted black, then we are flagrantly self-insulting.” Nigel Hinds Editor’s Note: Terminologies vary from territory to territory depending on cultural contexts. In the US, the term “Black” is accepted and is used perhaps more often than “African,” and is employed in journalism, academia and politics in the US African-Communities. African-Americans find the term, “Coloured” to be very derogatory yet the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) retains the word in its name. As we say, it depends on the cultural context.

Police ranks are dwelling in uncivilized lected to become a police for speaking up for their conditions rank. My concern that I want rights. I was once sent to inDEAR EDITOR It was indeed very shocking to see the condition under which police officers dwell in at the Eve Leary Compound housing the Force Headquarters in your Monday 5th June 2017 edition front page. I am a female rank stationed at the same compound and living under those same unsanitary conditions, indeed I pity those male ranks that get wet each time it rains; they have left their comfortable homes to live in far worse conditions. How can the police force take people’s children out of their homes and place them in these conditions? No one in the police force was picked up on the roadway and se-

to raise is, under the building where I am residing, there is a pool of stagnant water which is leaked from an underground septic tank. The water is discolored and very putrid, and breeds mosquitoes and worms. My stomach is sickened from that unbearable stench and I know it doesn’t affect me alone. We do not receive cooperation when it comes to reporting certain faults pertaining to our work and health. Police back bite each other and senior officers victimize junior ranks who speak out. I see this happening every day and as such, a lot is being left unsaid. Not to forget the issue of ranks being transferred to far off locations

terior location (being victimized) but had to relocate after I contracted malaria virus. The walkway to my barrack room is always soppy with slush from the septic tank’s stagnant water and pit maggots can be seen crawling about. This is the area we have to traverse to hang our washed clothing. Editor I am hoping my letter captures the attention of the President and all his relevant Ministers and those authorities of the Guyana Police Force, who can bring the necessary changes. I can say so much more but I want to be short. Thank you for publishing my letter. Concerned Police Rank Name withheld

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The Carter Centre’s format for selecting the GECOM Chairman is outdated

Teacher’s salaries for June, July and August have been withheld

DEAR EDITOR, An impending visit to Guyana by a major delegation from the Trinidad Energy Chamber prompted an article in the Trinidad Guardian (Friday June 9 2017) captioned “Guyana: trouble again?” The article focused o n G u y a n a ’s t u r b u l e n t electoral history culminating in the following manner; “Oil revenues should start to flow from 2020. And 2020 is also election year. Stakes are high”. Linking investor interest in oil and gas to G u y a n a ’s t h r e a d b a r e electoral system captures what is at stake in M o n d a y ’s m e e t i n g b e t w e e n t he leaders of Guyana’s two major political formations aimed at resolving the impasse over nomination of the Chairperson for GECOM. If the exchanges leading up to that meeting are a guide, the onus will be on one side haggling about the phrase ‘fit and proper person’, and fitness to be a judge and on the other issuing veiled threats about ‘consequences’. This is not what the vast majority of Guyanese need or want. They want national leadership aimed at creating a modern, independent, de-politicized Elections Commission, not tribal leadership aimed at prolonging elections as an ethnic census. The Carter-Price formula has been debased into a tool for prolonging a tribal census and is outdated. It should eventually be replaced by a modern professional hiring and selection process completely out of the hands of the political parties. Nothing less can guarantee either Guyanese their right to genuine democracy or investors the assurances

they need. The Carter-Price formula, however still allows, huge improvement in the Elections Commission if the political will is available to so interpret that formula. The formalities of the Leader of the Opposition providing a list to the President, as required by Section 161 of the Constitution imposes no restrictions whatever on how that list is generated. Nor need it be restricted to the Chairperson. An agreement by both men to create a professional, public, transparent and impartial process which generates a list of people, capable and willing to be Commissioners could then be presented, as a formality, to the President by the Leader of the Opposition for his acceptance. All of this is entirely feasible within the c u r r e n t c o n straints of Article 161, if the national interest were motivating the exercise. Barricading themselves within a pedantic interpretation of Section 161 of the Constitution or invoking the need for constitutional reform as a way of avoiding electoral reforms would be unacceptable to everyone except the leadership of the two major parties. An authoritative review of electoral practices around the world concluded that “Conclusive evidence from all regions of the world shows that in 80% of all democracies elections are run by independent electoral commissions either in a full manner (53%) or by supervising the work of agencies from the executive branch of government (27%).” In other words G u y a n a ’s c u r r e n t a r rangements are associ-

ated with the more backward and autocratic minority countries rather than with the range of modern approaches employed in established and emerging democracies around the world. A reformed selection process could ensure selection of men and women seen to be level headed, impartial, have managerial capacity, collectively understand logistics, human resource management, technolo g y, m e d i a a n d t h e country’s contemporary history. In terms of chara c t e r, t h e y m u s t h a v e sound leadership ability, an even temperament, be persons of integrity and able to strengthen inclusivity. The key requirements are not legal – legal advice should always be independent, in any case. H o w e v e r, g i v e n t h e bizarre current arrangement of appointing GECOM Commissioners for life, the process outlined above should be accompanied by a request from both leaders to all the current members of the Commission to voluntarily resign. The GHRA is under no illusion that those steeped in ethnic politics will have little difficulty finding ample excuses to prolong the current arr a n g e m e n t s . H o w e v e r, should the two leaders fail to provide the national leadership required for electoral reform, they must accept the responsibility for the inevitable prolonged race downwards to a 2020 election embroiled in ethnic antagonism, fuelled by desperation to c o n t r o l t h e n e w El Dorado of oil and gas. Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association

DEAR EDITOR, I wish to bring to the attention of the Ministry of Education, the Guyana Teachers Union and Guyana as whole, new developments that teachers in Region 5 are facing. The Regional Executive Officer has issued a directive that teachers who are travelling overseas during the school break will not be paid their salaries for June, July and August until September 2017. So basically three months salaries will be put on hold until September. School is scheduled to be closed on 7th July, 2017 and teachers must be in school up to 14th July, 2017. Editor if teachers are on the job up to 14th July, 2017, why it is that the June salary must not be paid to them? Did any of the officials stop to think that

teachers have families to feed, mortgages to pay, insurance, bills, etc. If teachers are working full time for the government, do you think it is even possible for them to have other side-jobs, to earn a supplementary income to aid in a situation like this? Are teachers being sidelined or punished because they want to go on vacation after the closure of school in one of the most stressful profession? Why is this happening only in Region 5? Is Region 5 not part of Guyana? Is this legal especially since teachers are working up to 14th July, 2017? Is it that some teachers have abused the system – i.e. go away and collect money and as such the others must

be punished? Is this the modern way of handling issues like these? The REO is saying in excess of 80 million is in overpayment because of teachers travelling overseas and not returning. Does the REO know what 80 million dollars is? Are there so many teachers going away from Region 5? Are teachers to be blamed for the RDC not able to account for 80 million dollars? Editor, there are many unanswered questions. I hope that the relevant authorities can shed light on this situation and expeditiously come to a compromise on this issue. I know a meeting was held on Friday, but I know for sure this matter is not finished. The REO will have his way as usual. Region 5 Teacher

TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR REGION HAS A REFUGEE PROBLEM Dear Editor, Allow me space please, to help me share this open call to David Granger, President, Chairman, of the Caribbean Community, as well as all leaders of nations within the CARICOM group. Everywhere we look in Guyana these days, we see ‘foreigners’ – just people in search of a better life. Brazilians, Venezuelans, Chinese, Indians, none of those of Caribbean origin....many here illegally; yet there has been no deportation drive as intense as the current one to send Haitians back to the devastation of their homeland in the Caribbean. These Haitians are Caribbean nationals who have been traumatized by a series of disasters. In October 2016 a category 4 hurricane, Matthew, struck the southern section of Haiti, ‘the bread basket’ of the country. Two of the five provinces – Grand-Anse and Sud were completely de-

stroyed, centuries old trees flattened. Villagers now stare at miles and miles of open landscape with scarred trees and grass – the residue left by 150 miles per hour winds that totally wiped out farms w i t h c r o ps and 200,000 homes, to displace a million Haitians; the nation’s infrastructure was devastated...damages are estimated at approximately US $1.9 billion. This is the background that gives rise to the current condition of the Haitian people who come here seeking refuge. Since ‘The Caribbean Community was organized ‘to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members to ensure that the benefits of integra-

tion are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy.’ Is it unreasonable to expect that CARICOM leaders (especially the current Chairman, President David Granger in whose nation, Guyana, an obvious homegrown Haitian refugee crisis is gestating), would be more vocal and visible in response? CARICOM was established in 1973 with a mandate to coordinate economic policies and institute ‘SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR THE LESS-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WITHIN ITS JURISDICTION’. Surely the community in collaboration with the UN could come up with imaginative ‘special projects’ to address this Haitian Refugee Resettlement Crisis? Joan Cambridge

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Region Ten Chairman allegedly threatens transfer if ranks disobey him - says he is the boss for Linden Region Ten Chairman, Renis Morian, has once again found himself in the news but this time for the wrong reasons. Several reports surfaced, recently, of him overstepping his bounds and demanding that ranks at the Mackenzie Police Station follow his orders. If they disobey, Morian allegedly threatened that he will get the entire town of Linden to come out and stage a protest. If this doesn’t work, he will have ranks transferred like he did to the previous Commander, Calvin Brutus, who had allegedly arrested one of his associates. Kaieteur News understands that the current Commander at the police station, Fizal Karimbaksh, follows the Chairman’s orders. There are at least two recent cases where Morian reportedly intervened in matters and in one, he called the Commander and threatened protest action.

Region Ten Chairman, Renis Morian In one of the cases, police ranks raided a home in Linden and took a man into custody after they found illegal drugs. Morian reportedly called the Commander and instructed that he send the individual back home immediately. The Commander then relayed instructions to have the suspect released.

In another incident, a woman from the Chairman’s church, in which he is the Pastor, was caught with a stolen phone. The police ranks went to the church to arrest and transport the woman to the station. However, the Chairman reportedly intervened and instructed the ranks to leave, claiming that he would deal with the matter. This newspaper was told that the Chairman then took the woman to the police station. Within minutes of meeting with the Commander, the two were seen leaving the station—that was the end of the matter. “The Commander like he scared of this man. He (Morian) says he has power in Linden and he is the boss and people got to follow him. Sometimes, we don’t know what cases to investigate and what to leave alone,” a police rank revealed. He explained that the (Continued on page 63)

Sunday June 11, 2017

Confusion surrounds discharge of Crum-Ewing’s alleged killer While the Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP) is empowered under Sections of the Criminal Law Procedure Act to direct a Magistrate to commit an accused to stand trial, this directive must be given before the accused person is discharged. This is the view of several legal minds, who have weighed in on the controversy surrounding the Preliminary Inquiry, (PI) of Regan Rodrigues. Rodrigues nicknamed ‘Grey Boy’ was accused of killing political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing. He had faced two Preliminary trials in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Judy Latchman prior to his discharge earlier this week. The Magistrate had been instructed by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack that in accordance with Section 72 (2) (ii) (a) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 that she should commit Rodrigues to stand trial in the High Court. Magistrate Latchman noted that she could not comply with the DPP’s order since she had already discharged the matter. Latchman said that while the DPP is of the “opinion” that there is evidence against Rodrigues for the indictable offence, her court maintains there is not sufficient evidence against Rodrigues for murder committed on Crum-Ewing. After much back and forth between the Magistrate and the DPP, the former accused was finally released from police custody. However confusion continues to surround Rodrigues’ trial and release. Some legal luminaries have since shared their views on the matter. They have shared that while the DPP is empowered by Sections 72 (2) (ii) (a) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act to issue the directive, the law states that this should be

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Kaieteur News

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack

Magistrate Judy Latchman

Courtney Crum-Ewing

Regan Rodrigues called ‘Grey Boy’

done before the discharge of the accused person. Sections of that the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act states “Where before the discharge of an accused person, Sections 66 and 67 have not been complied with, and the DPP, if after the receipt of (certain) documents and things, is of the opinion that the evidence given on behalf of the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the accused, the DPP may remit those documents and things to the Magistrate with directions to reopen the inquiry and comply with Sections 66 and 67 and may give such further directions as he (the DPP) may think proper. “After complying with the orders given by the DPP…the Magistrate may either commit

the accused for trial or he may adjourn the inquiry and subject to any directions on the matter given by the DPP forthwith notify the DPP who shall give further directions as he may deem fit and if of the opinion that a sufficient case has been made out for the accused to answer, may direct the Magistrate to commit the accused for trial. “ Additionally, this newspaper understands that at this point (after the discharge) if the DPP wants to challenge the actions of the Magistrate, she must move to the High Court to have the discharge order quashed. Should the DPP succeed in the High Court then steps should be taken for the accused to be rearrested. When the accused faces the Magistrate again and she

is still mindful to discharge him and the DPP is adamant that he should be committed then the Attorney representing the accused may also move to the High Court to challenge the DPP’s order. The release of Rodrigues comes almost two days after Magistrate Judy Latchman discharged him on the murder charge. It happened for the second time this past week. Magistrate Latchman maintained that there was insufficient evidence against him to stand trial at the High Court for the capital offence. In her ruling, the Magistrate pointed out that while the court was satisfied that Crum-Ewing was shot with a gun retrieved from a house at Riverview, Ruimveldt, which was occupied by Rodrigues. There was no evidence that Rodrigues “used the gun, pulled the trigger and shot Crum-Ewing.” Magistrate Latchman said that she believed that Crum– Ewing died as a result of haemorrhage and shock due to multiple gunshot wounds as testified by Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, who revealed that CrumEwing received five gunshot wounds – one of which was at close range. In relation to 14 oral statements given to police by Rodrigues, the Magistrate ruled that they did not implicate him in the murder. The same Magistrate had also discharged the murder charge against Rodrigues on September 14, 2016 at the end of a Preliminary Inquiry as a result of insufficient evidence. However, last March, the DPP ordered that the matter be reopened for the taking of further evidence from police witnesses and to rule on the voluntariness of all oral statements made by Rodrigues. As a result, Rodrigues was arrested on Good Friday and was taken before Magistrate Latchman on April 18.

Dem boys seh...

G/T got a shitty counshle In Jagdeo time was a shad, shad shisuashion. Mitta Sharma did seh suh because de city was very dutty, and smelly. As soon as Soulja Bai tek affice de coalition govt start a countrywide cleanup. De amount of mess dem move from wha Jagdeo create mek dem had to open several dump site to tek off de filth. And was real filth because people use to treat de city like a toilet bowl. Dem never had one public toilet in use anywhere. De old town clerk, Shoba, never think to put in facility fuh de public. Up come de new council headed by two scamps, Patty and Roy de King. De do de opposite to Shoba; dem put more toilet than people in de city. According to Mitta Sharma de reason FUH THAT is to keep de shitty nysche and clean. But when he hear de kind a money dem paying fuh de bamsie washing machine (BWM) he get more tie tongue. He seh shitty hall will soon find demself in a very shitty, shitty shisuashion. Sharma seh he see dem put de toilets all over de shitty. Wha he didn’t know is that dem put at dem house too fuh dem security guards. Dem boys see one in front Roy de King house and fuh certain he salary not paying for it. Is $82,000 a month and de guard wha he tek from de shitty counshle wukking fuh half that money when de month come. Dem boys would love to hear de explanation wha Patty and de King gun tell Guyana. Dem boys seh something got to be shitty in de shitty counshle that de smell spread far and wide. Soulja Bai did seh that de shitty counshle is independent but de smell is not independent. Dem boys hope somebody flush de counshle down de sewage system and not down dem portable toilet. Talk half and keep reading. More to come.

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

GPHC Matron finally gets marching orders

Months after a Commission of Inquiry [COI] recommended her termination, the administration of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] has decided to part ways with its substantive Director of Nursing Services [Matron], Ms. Collene Hicks.

This development was yesterday confirmed by the hospital’s acting Chief Executive Officer [CEO], Brigadier (R’td) George Lewis. Brigadier (R’td) Lewis was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer [DCEO] at the GPHC about one week ago. He was however tasked

Nurse plunges into trench as cops, bandits trade bullets A nurse heading home after a tough day at work was forced to plunge into a trench for safety after police ranks in a mobile patrol and occupants in a car traded bullets on Friday night at Victor Street, Lodge. Kaieteur News understands that while doing patrol duties around 20:00 hours, ranks spotted the occupants in the vehicle acting in a suspicious manner. When they attempted to intercept the vehicle, the car sped away. The ranks

allegedly caught up with the vehicle on Victor Street, Lodge. It was there that one of the men reportedly got out of the vehicle and opened fire at the ranks, forcing them to retaliate. At the end of the shootout, one suspect was apprehended while his accomplices managed to escape. No one was injured. The nurse was subsequently pulled from the trench by police ranks.

with acting in the capacity of CEO following the removal of Allan Johnson from that position on Friday. Hicks’ termination also became effective on the same date, according to Brigadier Lewis. Acting on the recommendations of the COI to terminate Hicks is among one of the first significant actions taken by Brigadier Lewis in the capacity of CEO (Ag). This move comes more than five months after the completion of the COI. Hicks was sent on administrative leave in July 2016 to facilitate the investigation which commenced in earnest in October of that year. The COI, which was conducted to determine whether there was any truth to allegations that Hicks’ operation compromised the proper delivery of health care at the hospital, was led by a trained nurse and Attorneyat-Law, Ms. Chandrawattie Persaud. The other members of the Commission included Mr.

Reginald Brotherson, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency; Ms. Laurelle Daw, Director of Nursing Service at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for the past seven years; Dr. Anwar Hussain who has racked-up decades of service at the GPHC and former Auditor General, Mr. Anand Goolsarran. The members of the Commission in December last year handed over their report to then Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton. Dr. Norton, commenting on the findings of the COI said, “The Commission is unanimous in its view that the continued engagement of Ms. Collene Hicks in her capacity as Director of Nursing Services would not be in the best interest of the GPHC.” Among other things, it was detailed in the report that there is conclusive evidence that the Director of Nursing Services routinely breached protocols and written agreements, including the failure to follow instructions. Several examples have been cited in the report to support the allegations of these breaches.

Ms. Collene Hicks

“Of particular note is a letter from the Chief Executive Officer to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, outlining the acts of insubordination on the part of the [Nursing] Director. This resulted in the termination of her services. This decision was put on hold following the intervention of the Guyana Public Service Union and a member of the GPHC Board,” the report stated.

The members of the COI said that it unanimously derived its decision that Hicks should be terminated from the testimonies as well as from examination of various pieces of correspondence. However, Hicks continued to receive a monthly salary even as two others acted in the position that she had left. An official had described the decision to retain the Matron as “A waste of (continued on page 15)

Sunday June 11, 2017

More ICT Hubs for Berbice As Guyana forges its way to a vastly developing Information Technology Sector and to an era where almost everyone at some point will be technologically savvy, the government of the day has made it its priority to ensure this is a reality. As such the county of Berbice is no exception when it comes to soaking up development to such an extent. During a recent Outreach, upon invitation from the Prime Minister’s Representative, Gobin Harbhajan, the Minister of Public Communications and her team that included the Director of Public Information, Imran Khan; National Data Management Unit Chairman Floyd Levi; and Director Phillip Walcott addressed a gathering of professionals within the region. Minister Hughes stated that it is the Ministry’s goal to ensure that it is easier for citizens to access online opportunities with the new

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Kaieteur News The team: from (r) - Imran Khan, Gobin Harbhajan, Minister Catherine Hughes, Floyd Levi and Haseef Yusuf

technology that will be offered. Using health as an example, she underscored, “We don’t have enough health centres and hospitals throughout Guyana. Someone is in a tragic accident and if the regional health institutions can’t deal with it we try to get them to Georgetown. This and more are the challenges that we face as a country but Technology offers us a solution. “You can have specialists assisting from wherever you are through the internet. The doctor will be able to see your symptoms and immediately, (continued on page 58)

Some of the antendees at the event

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

GRA zeroes in on huge tax evading businesses - Billions of dollars already collected The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been focusing its efforts on how it can maximize revenue collection. In this regard, the organization has been checking up on businesses and if they are up to date with the payment of their taxes. According to the GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, this move was made in acknowledgement of the fact that 80 percent of all revenues are centered on 200 large businesses. In order to capture the revenues from those businesses, Statia said GRA moved to establish a Large Taxpayer’s Unit. This division, he said, would look at those entities in their entirety.

GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia “And the reason why we are doing so is that in each of those files we would have checked that there are hundreds of millions of dollars that are uncollected in revenues. If we had reviewed them correctly, we would be in a position to collect them,” the Commissioner General expressed. He said that once the entity puts its emphasis on the large taxpayers and get that aspect out of the way, it can then begin to focus much

more of its attention on the low level taxpayers. Statia said that the entity would also be in a better position to widen the tax base so that eventually, the tax rate could go down. The GRA Commissioner General also revealed that moves have already been made to recover the taxes owed to it by the 200 businesses. He noted that from just 12 entities, GRA has already recovered over $1B. (KIANA WILBURG)

GRA sends mixed signals on false number plate issue Recent actions by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) have left some critics wondering whether the entity is sending mixed signals on the issue of false number plates. It was last Thursday that GRA boss, Godfrey Statia, announced that the onus is on the police and not his Customs Officers to report irregular matters when it is noted in the daily newspapers. His comments in this regard, were in relation to an armour-plated vehicle that came to the attention of alert Customs Officers, early last month. Kaieteur News had related that the officers were reportedly on Main Street, when they spotted a pearl-white Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) near Palm Court, a nightspot. The 2014 vehicle had a PJJ number. That number had been issued about a decade ago, making it impossible for a 2014 SUV to bear that number. The officers reportedly waited, but no one came to claim the vehicle. They then reportedly entered Palm Court and asked the DJ to summon the driver. A man came up and introduced himself as a close relative of Brian Tiwarie, a senior

principal of BK International Inc., a contracting company that has been bidding for state projects. He was unable to produce the documents for the vehicle. The man reportedly called Tiwarie. The Customs Officers called their superior with Customs’ Law Enforcement and Investigation Department (LEID) and were later told to release the vehicle. GRA confirmed that it had reached a settlement with BK for $31M. However, there was no word on whether a police report was made about the false license plates on the vehicle. The laws are clear about false number plates – up to two years jail and $1M in fine. Since an amended law in the late 2000s, a number of persons have been jailed for just having fake number plates. The police themselves said that no reports were filed. Questioned why the matter of the false number plates was not reported to the police immediately, Statia made it clear that GRA does not do police work. “I have said it before and I am going to say it again…GRA does not do police work. GRA is in the interest of collecting the rightful taxes.” The official stressed

that that is where the “demarcation” comes. “I have a fiduciary duty to the taxpayers. I am not supposed to give the taxpayers’ information to anybody out there…after all, notwithstanding, they may be a sister agency.” MIXED SIGNALS? While the revenue authority would have taken such a position in the issue of the armour plated vehicle, it took quite a different stance on similar issues. The other situation involves about 1000 vehicles which entered Guyana with foreign number plates and have not been traced. GRA investigations indicate that there is a recycling of number plates and the use of dual licence plates. Statia would have indicated to this newspaper that the Guyana Police Force was contacted about the matter and asked to help prosecute the smugglers. People trick the Authority by resorting to number plates for vehicles which would have been involved in accidents and written off. Contact between GRA and the police on this matter was made before it was signaled to and reported in the press.

Sunday June 11, 2017

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Kaieteur News

CHEC uses substandard cement blocks for Airport Project

The results of the tests done

A sample compressive load machine. China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is using low grade blocks for the expansion works that are being done on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). Kaieteur News has been able to access results of tests done by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Soils Materials and Quality Control Laboratory. The test done is called a concrete compressive strength test. The tests were done on eight-inch blocks as well as six-inch blocks both of which were aged for 26 days. The actual stress or Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) of the eight-inch block was 122.0 and the Mega Pascal (MPa) was 0.84. For the six-

inch block the PSI 60.6 and 0.42 MPa. As for the compressive load in lbs, the eight-inch block stood up to 5000 pounds and the six-inch block stood up to 4000. Compressive strength is about maximum load that can be taken by a unit before failure. Out of many tests applied to concrete, this is the one of utmost importance since it gives an idea about all the characteristics of concrete. By this single test, one can judge whether concreting has been done properly or not. Compressive strength of concrete depends on many factors such as water-cement

ratio, cement strength, quality of concrete material, and quality control during production of concrete etc. The compressive strength of concrete of quality masonry units usually varies from approximately 1,000 psi (7 MPa) to 5,000 psi (34 MPa) based on the type of concrete used to manufacture the unit. However, the MPa of the blocks used by CHEC does not even meet the standard MPa of seven. The highest PSI of those blocks is 122. The blocks are used to construct the new terminal building. Yesterday, Project Manager, Kevin Lui, of

CHEC, told Kaieteur News that it buys the block from a local supplier. However, no name was provided. Further, the company said that it usually refuses blocks sent by the supplier whenever they are found to be substandard. The CJIA expansion project entails the construction of a new terminal building. Additionally, the existing terminal building will be modernized to house departures only. Both ends of the runway have been extended by 710 metres to the North-East and 840 metres to the South-West,

with sand filling and concrete filling to commence soon. Works are currently ongoing to relocate two cargo hangers and a Rubis filling station; these are buildings between the control tower and current departure building. The construction is complete for the new diesel generator room while erection of a new fire pump station and the implementation of a new boarding corridor with bridges are to begin shortly. Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CJIA, Andrea Kellman, said the project is expected to be completed by November this year.

However, the deadline is challenged by delays which occurred under the previous administration. According to Kellman, “The project has now picked up its momentum.” The Government of Guyana had been forced to call in CHEC to renegotiate the terms after it became clear that the Chinese company was way behind. CEO of CJIA, Ramesh Ghir, at a year-end press conference hosted by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, had indicated that the project is expected to be completed by this year end.

Caricom youth ambassadors meet in Georgetown Youth ambassadors from 13 Caricom countries assembled in Georgetown for the Annual Youth Forum. The forum opened with a cultural presentation at Umana Yana on Wednesday. Each country showcased its culture at the opening ceremony. The aim of the workshop is to find solutions to the problems common to young people given that the future of the Region hinges on them. The forum ended yesterday.

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Strategy and Framework for Financial Literacy

Developing Guyana’s Rural Economy through Financial Literacy Lack of financial literacy and financial inclusion in general are the main hurdles in expanding the coverage of financial services to the rural segments of the Guyanese society. These segments include sugar cane workers,

farmers, miners, business owners, housewives and the indigenous populations throughout Guyana. Given the large magnitude of the problem concerted efforts need to be taken. Notwithstanding the

initiatives taken so far, in the January 2016 Budget Speech mention was made of an investment of over $4 billion in support of hinterland development with respect to social integration, economic prosperity, physical

infrastructure, green eneregy, sustainable development and protection of Indigenous lands. The Bureau of Statistics Regional Population Trends indicated that approximately 71 percent of Guyana’s population is clustered in villages, mainly along the coastal belt, while a few others are scattered deep in the hinterland of the country. In the rural areas, males account for 50.8 percent and females 49.2 percent. Since the challenge is to link numbers of financially excluded people to the formal financial system, the focus at the base level is to create awareness of basic financial products. The World Bank’s Universal Financial Access by 2020 envisions that adults worldwide – women and men alike – will be able to have access to a transaction account or an electronic instrument to store money, send payments and receive deposits as a basic building block to manage their financial lives. We at the Bank of Guyana look forward to achieving financial access for all Guyanese – urban and rural. I look forward to your support. FINANCIAL INCLUSION STRATEGIES FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES According to The World Bank, Financial Inclusion Strategies can be defined as roadmaps of actions, agreed and defined at the national or sub-national level, which stakeholders follow to achieve financial inclusion objectives. Successful strategies coordinate efforts with the main stakeholders; define responsibilities among them, and state clear planning of resources by, for example, prioritizing targets. Rural communities are highly underserved by financial services. People living in rural areas need access to financial services for a range of productive and protective purposes. In the case of Guyana, the strategy for financial inclusion will be to push for financial literacy programmes to ensure people can make sound decisions as well as to advocate for taking banking to all excluded sections of society, rural and urban. Initially, our approach will centre on the following: · Introducing transaction accounts and expanding access points: Access to transaction accounts can help people better manage their lives and plan for emergencies. But financial access and the underlying

infrastructure taken for granted in rich nations – such as saving accounts, debit cards and credit, as well as the payment systems on which they operate – still aren’t available to many people in the rural areas of Guyana. To its credit, the Bank of Guyana has drafted a consultation paper on Agency Banking. Mobile phones and smart cards are popular platforms for Agency Banking. In addition, GT&T in 2013 rolled out its Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) Application which is being used for paying bills. · Valid identification documents: Providing rural citizens with a valid ID is essential to access financial services. The process to obtain an ID card and open an account needs to be streamlined. This barrier to financial inclusion needs further research. · Consumer protection: While payment services including large-volume recurrent payment streams can expand financial access, it’s critical to establish secure and reliable platforms to protect data privacy and funds. To promote confidence, it’s important to treat new customers fairly, adequately disclosure key information, and establish safety and reliability standards to allow customers to make informed choices. IMPROVING FINANCIAL LITERACY Levels of financial literacy are low in rural communities. World Bank studies show that a lack of awareness prevents people in urban and rural areas from using suitable financial products and services. Traditionally, formal financial institutions have avoided or failed to offer sustainable services in rural areas. Our view is that financial literacy efforts like tailored text messages can improve the creation of new accounts and increase savings. For the purpose, the financial literacy efforts must primarly be directed towards dissemination of simple messages of financial prudence in familiar language through large campaigns across the rural areas combined with vigorous roll out of financial inclusion plans and products by banks, insurance companies and others. However, challenges to financial literacy and inclusion remain formidable. What is daunting is the sheer magnitude of the task that requires regulating the activities of service providers

Dr. Terence Smith, Deputy Governor, Bank of Guyana to thousands of illiterate poor spread across culturally disparate groups. FINANCIAL INCLUSION – INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES The global financial crisis of 2007-2008 has brought the need for financial inclusion into greater focus worldwide as it is believed that widespread incidence of financial exclusion was one of the factors that precipitated the financial crisis. The World Bank determined that a comprehensive approach to financial inclusion addresses at least three aspects: access to financial services and products; usage of financial products and services; and quality of financial services and products, defined by consumer ability to benefit from new financial services and products. In June 2010, the G20 Toronto Summit had outlined the “Principles of Innovative Financial Inclusion”, which serves as a guide for policy and regulatory approaches aimed at fostering safe and sound adoption of innovative, adequate, lowcost financial delivery models, helping provide conditions for fair competition and a framework of incentives for the various bank, insurance, and non-bank actors involved in the delivery of a full range of affordable and quality financial services. Financial regulators from more than 20 countries have made financial inclusion commitments under the “Maya Declaration”, to 1) create an enabling environment that increases access and lowers costs of financial services, including new technology; 2) implement a proportionate regulatory framework that balances financial inclusion, integrity, and stability; 3) integrate consumer protection and empowerment as a pillar of financial inclusion, and 4) use data to inform policies and track results. CONCLUSION Financial literacy and inclusion is a growing challenge as developing counties like Guyana experience an increased need for access to financial Continued on page 61

Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

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Rotary Club makes donation to Regions Seven, Eight flood victims The Rotary Clubs in Guyana last Thursday, presented a quantity of clothing, cleaning agents, food stuff, cutlery and carpentry tools to the Civil Defense Commission (CDC) to assist the victims devastated by the recent flooding in Regions Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and Eight (Potaro/Siparuni). Previous reports have indicated that 56 homes and 266 farms were washed away and destroyed by flood waters in the two regions after a prolonged period of rainfall in May. Some 3,274 residents were estimated to have been affected. According to reports, the flood waters in these two regions are already receding. There has been a lot of support from corporate Guyana to residents. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, recently visited the villages of Itabac and Kanapang in the Region Eight area where he assured the residents that the Government will use every resource at its disposal to restore normalcy in the communities. Making the presentation to CDC’s Head, Colonel Chabilall Ramsarup, was Rotary’s Assistant Governor for Guyana, Ms. Luana Falconer. Ms. Falconer noted that the Rotary was pleased to make the donation to assist the affected residents so that they can quickly return to normal life. She also promised that Rotary will collaborate with the CDC over the next few days to provide additional support to their ongoing rebuilding efforts in the affected communities. The Rotary Clubs in

Guyana include Rotary Club of Georgetown; the Rotary Club of Georgetown, Central; the Rotary Club of Demerara; the Rotary Club of Stabroek; Rotary Club of Corriverton; and the Rotary Club of New Amsterdam Guyana – 7030. Harmon, during the Post Cabinet Press Briefing held at the Ministry of the Presidency, said that the situation in Mahdia is currently being reviewed. He said that there is a national watch on weather and other emergencies which is being conducted through the CDC. “So the Civil Defence Commission is actually looking at that and they will give me a situation report and their reaction to it.” The Minister said that he is waiting to see what information comes out of CDC’s assessment of the situation and future action will be based on that. He added that the CDC has pre-positioned supplies stored at some of the flood-affected areas around Guyana and Mahdia is one such location, including Orinduik. He said that prior to the flooding, the CDC and the Guyana People’s Militia would have engaged in first responder training. “Persons who are resident in these communities are provided with training in first r esponse, first aid and assistance to persons affected by flooding or fire or any such damage, so that they can actually be on the ground and they can respond very quickly. All that is needed thereafter would be for supplies to be brought to the affected communities.”

GPHC Matron finally gets marching orders From page 15 taxpayers’ money.” “How is it that you can have so many people being paid for the same position, this makes absolutely no sense...all this money could be better used at the hospital to improve patient care,” said the official who had expressed suspicion that there was a deliberate ploy afoot to disregard the findings of the COI and quietly reinstate the Matron.

Brigadier (R’td) Lewis has however put concerns in this regard to rest with the move to terminate Hicks. Attempts (yesterday) to contact Hicks and the Guyana Public Service Union [GPSU], which has been representing her, were futile. However, this publication has been reliably informed that Hicks will not take the action taken against her lightly.

In photo, Assistant Governor Ms. Luana Falconer (right) shaking hands with Colonel Ramsaroop after the presentation. Also pictured is Past President Andrew Boyle (extreme left)) who is also the Chairman of Rotary’s Disaster Relief Committee and Past Assistant Governor Mr. Ivor O’Brien

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Guyana pursuing global strategy to improve women and adolescent Health Guyana is adopting the 15-year global blueprint on women, child and adolescent health which protects their physical and mental wellbeing and opens up economic and social opportunities, according to Director of Maternal Child Health (MCH) Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton. The universal strategy with a 2030 windup focuses on nine core areas, viz country leadership; health systems resilience;

community engagement; humanitarian and fragile settings; accountability for results; resource and rights; financing for health; individual potential; multisectoral action and research and innovation. The covenant targeting women, children and adolescents was scrutinised at the recently-held United Nations (UN) Secretary General Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health 2016-

2030, convened in Bridgetown, Barbados Dr. Hamilton, who is attached to the Public Health Ministry, Ms. Lolitta Rebeiro, Senior Medex, attached to the Regional Health Services (RHS) Department and Dr. Janice Woolford, Specialist Family and Community Health of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Guyana office, represented Guyana at the forum. The two-day consultation which opened on June 1, last, was organised by the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for the adaptation of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health to the Latin American and Caribbean context. The Mechanism comprises the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); the World Bank; the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); United Nations

Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton Population Fund (UNFPA); Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) and United Nations Secretariat for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The strategy envisions a world in which every woman, child and adolescent in every setting, enjoys the rights to physical and mental health and well-being, has access to social and economic opportunities and is able to participate fully in shaping sustainable and prosperous societies. The Bridgetown sub-

regional consultation was aimed at building synergies for the implementation framework which wants to end preventable deaths while simultaneously achieving health and well-being of women for the target group. The forum also eyed expanding the enabling environments for this grouping to thrive utilising three key objectives: Survival by ending preventable deaths; Thriving: via ensuring health and well-being and Transformation by expanding all enabling environments. Dr. Hamilton said the Ministry will be looking at the broad aspect of survive, thrive and transform so that no woman, adolescent or child is at risk of preventable death. She noted that the rightsbased approach is of vital importance to Guyana and adapting this principle to the context of the Caribbean is imperative in maintaining a healthy population. “Guyana will be looking closely at the multi-sectoral approach to women, children and adolescents which is very important as well as the community based platform. The IDB funding that we have is going to support the beginning of the preview

which will focus primarily on reproductive health,” Dr. Hamilton said. She said this means that the Ministry is looking at improving the life expectancy and quality of life of the beneficiaries and reducing the burden of NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) on them. Guyana continues to face the challenge of reducing its maternal mortality ratio, its neonatal mortality ratio as well as its fertility rate for the adolescent population. These threaten the medical system and also have grave social implications which can translate to negative economic growth for the country. A glance at the Ministry’s budget indicates that chronic NCDs continue to get the largest chunk of the annual budget because most unhealthy habits are developed during the adolescent years. Focusing on it can help reverse poor choices by this group. A UNICEF study on Guyanese women and children show that those of indigenous origin continue to be most vulnerable. Consequently, PAHO/ WHO has teamed up with other regional partners to fine tune the coordinated and integrated approach with a key plank being the consensus to transition an existing interagency mechanism called “A Promise Renewal for the Americans” (APR-LAC), into the regional interagency coordinating mechanisms for the adaptation and implementation of the Global Strategy in the Americas. At the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, a new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030) was launched. This strategy based on the achievement of the 2010 “Every Woman Every Child” movement and Strategy, highlights the need to put women, children and adolescents at the center of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This strategy draws the road map not only for the survival of the target group but also to ensure that they are given the opportunity to thrive by having the conditions/environment available to do so. The sub regional consultation saw the participation of representatives from various public health institutions; the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and civil society from 18 Caribbean countries and Latin America. Also in attendance were First Lady of Trinidad, Reema Carmona, and Kim Simplis Barrow, spouse of the Belize Prime Minister.

Sunday June 11, 2017

An amicable resolution to impactful fallout By Sharmain Grainger Purported differences that existed between the Ministry of Public Health and the US-based International Children Heart Foundation had essentially threatened the continuance of a paediatric heart surgery programme at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. In fact, scheduled surgeries for children with various life-threatening cardiac conditions should have been done last week by the Foundation which is also known as the Baby Heart Foundation. The fact that no surgery was done gave considerable credence to the related fallout. No surgery means that some ailing children will have to suffer a while longer with their respective cardiac condition. Through a strategic collaboration with the Baby Heart Foundation, the GPHC, for just over two years, has been able to offer paediatric cardiac surgery at no cost. The only cost reportedly attached to the programme was what was required for a visiting Baby Heart Foundation team to travel and stay here for a week or two to conduct surgeries.

The Foundation first started its collaboration with Guyana in 2015 and since then some 130 children with cardiac conditions have benefited. This has helped to reduce the need for children travelling overseas for such interventions. Sending children overseas in this regard had, over the years, proven to be very costly not only to the relatives of the young patients, but Government too, which is obliged to offer financial support through the Health Ministry, where necessary. What has become evident was that in recognition of the immense support Guyana has been receiving from the Baby Heart Foundation, a decision was taken at the highest level to have the situation resolved as soon as possible. The resolution came this past week following a meeting between Public Health Ministry and Baby Heart Foundation officials. This development was easily verified. In a solicited comment, Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, intimated that all issues that had surfaced have been resolved and the programme will continue. Although there were con-

cerns that the continuance of the programme could have been in jeopardy, Minister Lawrence explained that this wasn’t likely since “there was a [national] budget allocation in 2017 for the Baby Heart Foundation so it has to continue...” There were reports that the programme was compromised by what was believed to be some financial improprieties, but Minister Lawrence told this publication that these turned out to be “more a communication problem.” The ‘communication problem’ resulted in flared tempers on both sides and the subsequent cancellation of a planned trip to Guyana to conduct a series of surgeries on children in desperate need of cardiac care. Dr. Rodrigo Soto, the lead surgeon and Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Operations at the Baby Heart Foundation, also confirmed that moves were made to alleviate the issues concerning the programme. Without sharing a great deal of details, he revealed that “We were dealing with some issues and one was related to some process between Baby Heart and the Ministry of [Public] Health.” But the programme was

The Baccoo Speaks There will be another bit of excitement when a crime unit announces more charges for some people already before the court. The charges would make for interesting reading, because people had been talking even during the tenure of the previous administration. Again there would be talk of political harassment, but people know that the charges are just. ** The rains are creating

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havoc in some hinterland communities. That is not news. What is going to make

the news is the fact that two people would drown. They will be unable to differentiate river from land. Once more the government would be hard pressed to respond in a timely manner, because aircraft simply cannot land. ** A missing person is going to be found in a most unlikely place, the hinterland. This would be a case of human trafficking, but the police would be hard pressed to arrest anyone.

faced with yet another shortcoming, Dr. Soto said. The visiting Baby Heart team was not getting the full support of the Nursing Administration at the GPHC. ”Those two issues were discussed at the meeting with the Minister of [Public] Health and she was very supportive, and we kind of figured out the way to solve these issues and move forward,” Dr. Soto confided. This means that surgeries will resume, but not until September. This is, according to Dr. Soto, who related, “we are definitely coming in September, and hopefully we will not have to cancel any other trips, because we know that every time we cancel a trip the kids suffer and we never know if we will see them on the upcoming trip.” The Baby Heart Foundation conducted its first trip this year in February and others were slated for May/June and August/September period. On each planned trip to Guyana, a minimum of 15 children are usually catered to. According to Dr. Soto, who has been conducting intricate paediatric heart procedures for many years, sometimes the longer a child lives with a cardiac condition, it could mean that an intervention could be that more difficult. As such, there is always a risk of mortality associated with conducting these surgeries. But the experts of the Baby Heart team have been able to keep mortality to a minimum, even lower than what obtains in the United States and Europe. ”Actually we have been able, in 2015 and 2016, to maintain a 2.2 percent mortality rate

Dr. Rodrigo Soto.

which is extremely good, considering the average mortality in the US is three percent and in Europe it is five percent. So that is a very good outcome...we have been seeing some good results,” said a proud Dr. Soto. In fact, he noted that there has been enormous progress in the last two years regarding Guyana’s collaboration with the Foundation. This is in light of the fact that the Foundation has not only been offering its expertise in terms of conducting paediatric heart interventions, but also training for both doctors and nurses at the GPHC, in the hope that they will be able to eventually take over the paediatric heart surgery programme. GPHC’s head of Paediatric Surgery, Dr. Marisa Seepersaud, who has been benefiting from training, has been tipped to eventually head the programme which is expected to be on par with what obtains in the developed world, complete with a Paediatric Intensive Cardiac Care Unit at GPHC. The administrators of the Baby Heart Foundation have

reportedly committed to helping Guyana realise this goal too. Given the effort that has already been plugged into Guyana having its own programme, Dr. Soto noted, “it will be a shame to interrupt this programme that is so beneficial not only for the kids with congenital heart diseases, but for all the critically ill children of Guyana.” Despite the support that the Foundation has been offering, there are still many children awaiting the surgery. Dr. Soto disclosed that during the past week he was able to screen over 1,000 patients. He noted that a lengthy waiting list for paediatric surgery is mainly due to a backlog of cases that accumulated over time, because Guyana was not able to offer paediatric heart surgery in the past. Moreover, Dr. Soto is optimistic the programme will be sustained. “I hope there will not be any more hiccups, because Baby Heart really wants to continue to develop the programme and help Guyana get to where it needs to be.”

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Two dead girls in one squalid street By Michael Jordan They were both in their late teens. They both lived in a squalid little street in the city. And within a year, they were both dead. It was around 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 15, 1994, that the phone rang at the East La Penitence Police Station and an anonymous caller said: “The body of a woman on the ‘dump’ (playground) at the Multilateral School” The caller then hung up. On receiving the message, a detective from the station hurried to the school, which was a short distance from the station. He summoned the school’s caretaker, and the two men began to scour the playground, which was overrun with tall grass. Within minutes, they had found the nude body of a girl lying among a clump of bushes. Word quickly got around about the discovery, and the playground was soon crammed with people, eager

to get a glimpse of the body. Unfortunately, the detective was unable to control the crowd, which trampled any forensic evidence that might have been there. What lay on the ground was not a sight for the squeamish. The body of a teenage

girl of mixed ancestry was lying face-down on the grass. Her hands and feet were tightly bound. The victim’s tongue protruded and a sock was knotted around her face in the vicinity of her nostrils. A Ziploc bag, containing some clothing, was near the

corpse. An autopsy conducted next day by forensic pathologist Dr. Leslie Mootoo confirmed that the girl had been subjected to a slow and painful death. Not only had she been raped and sodomised, but the teen’s attackers had also stuffed a plastic bag down her throat while she was still alive. She had been struck in the face with a blunt instrument and there were abrasions on her breasts and back. Detectives surmised that she had been slain the previous night while walking through the playfield which served as a shortcut to Stevedore Housing Scheme and Tucville. A squatter living on a dam near the school recalled hearing screams coming from the vicinity of the playground at around 9.00 p.m. on December 14. Usually, when a corpse is found, wailing relatives would turn up at the scene or at the mortuary to claim the body. But although persons from as far away as Buxton and Linden came to view the corpse at the mortuary, no one came forward to claim the ‘mystery girl.’ Acting on information, detectives detained two cobblers from Bourda Market, but found nothing to link them to the killing. On Saturday, December 17, 1994, the stillunidentified victim was given a pauper ’s burial. One week later, on December 24, in a desperate attempt to have her identified, police, led by Crime Chief Winston

Felix, allowed an artist to sketch a likeness of the victim from a photo that was taken of her distorted face. The photograph was published in the Guyana Chronicle, but Christmas came and went without anyone identifying the ‘mystery girl’. However, while the case appeared to be all but forgotten, the staff from a small fortnightly newspaper, the Guyana Guardian, was quietly working on the case. Finally, on Thursday, February 2, 1995, the Guardian, run by journalist Nills Campbell, revealed that they had identified the victim. She was Beatrice Bobb, a 14-year-old who had lived in one of the small shacks that a group of squatters had set up behind what is now the Water Street Arcade. . Beatrice had lived with her mother and stepfather in a plywood and plastic structure that barely had enough sleeping space for the three. Her mother, Joan Davis, would later tell me that Beatrice began using drugs at the age of 12 and would often beg in the streets. According to her, someone had informed her that Beatrice was the murdered ‘mystery girl.’ But she said that police had already buried the corpse by the time that she was preparing to come forward to identity it. However, police had kept the clothing found near the body and Ms. Davis managed to identify a brown skirt as one that a friend had given her daughter. According to the Guardian’s story, Beatrice and another girl were walking along Mandela Avenue one night when they were attacked by a group of young men. There are reports that the girls had just left a ‘bubble session’ when they were attacked. The friend barely managed to escape. Beatrice was not so fortunate. The Guardian reported that the girls were familiar with their attackers. Mr. Campbell alleged that after receiving the information, he contacted a very senior police official, indicating that he had information that would help the police to solve the crime. However, he said that the official never attempted to contact him. Detectives visited the home of the now-identified victim and questioned her mother. They also took two young men and a woman into custody. But by then the trail had gone cold and the persons who had killed Beatrice

Bobb were never caught. Again, interest in the murder waned. But then on Saturday, October 28, 1995, the body of another young woman was found in the area of the Lamaha Conservancy near North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme. The victim had been strangled with her own dress. The day after the body was discovered, a young woman visited the Le Repentir mortuary to view the corpse. She identified the victim as her friend, 19-year-old Joy Douglas. She recalled that Joy had followed a young man to the backdam to pick jamoon, but had not returned. A police inspector who headed the investigation became intrigued when he learnt that Joy Douglas had lived in the same squatting area as Beatrice Bobb. He had also investigated the Beatrice Bobb murder, and he wondered if the two were connected. Joy Douglas had run away from home at the age of 16. At one point, she had lived in an abandoned house with other runaway girls. She had eventually moved to the squatting community. By 17 she was a mother and lived in a shipping container with her baby daughter who eventually died. A few days after Douglas’s body was identified, police took four young men, including a former soldier, into custody. The former soldier was eventually charged with Douglas’s murder. But the case never made it past the preliminary inquiry stage. There was just too little evidence to incriminate the accused, and he was eventually released. Today, if you pass the area where Beatrice Bobb and Joy Douglas lived, you will find no trace of those tiny plywood and plastic shacks. Nobody around there remembers the two girls. It is as if the two victims, and the ‘ghetto’ they once called home, had never, ever existed. If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. Our numbers are 2258458, 22-58465, 22-58482 and 22-58491. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon@hotmail.com

Sunday June 11, 2017

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Former soldiers and diaspora Guyanese in state employment On September 1, 2015, which would be three months after the APNU+AFC entity came into power, I published a column with the title; “Lawyers and military men in politics throughout Guyanese history.” This was a response to an editorial in the Stabroek News questioning the possibility of former soldiers adapting to their new jobs in civilian government. Here is reproduction of the ending paragraph of that column, “The perspective that sees the many former soldiers in the present government as military men who haven’t lost their earlier regimentation is very questionable. That is an unfair assessment. What is wrong with lawyers and former soldiers in government?” Since that 2015 article, the number of former army officers in state employment has multiplied exponentially. Only this week, a former army head became the acting CEO of the

Georgetown Hospital. The increasing presence of former military officials in state employment has generated both anxiety and curiosity. I cannot understand why this should be. For me there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What I find not only unacceptable but crass, reprehensible and disastrous is the constant employment of diaspora Guyanese in high state jobs that local Guyanese have been overlooked for. In all honesty, this is moral turpitude of the worst kind and I will justify my opinion below, but first let’s look at the former soldiers. I have taught many of the former hierarchical members of the Guyana Defence Force. These men and women possess university degrees. Many of them went abroad and furthered their studies. After 55, they retired from the army. With the new government from 2015, many of them have found

employment with the public sector. One question is pertinent. Are they qualified for the positions? The answer is yes. The second question; what is wrong with former soldiers in government and not doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers? What we overlook when we become curious about former soldiers taking up state jobs, is the reality that these men and women stayed in their country. They were right here when Jagdeo and Ramotar were on a rampage. They were right here attending UG that was falling down when they were students there. There were right here in Guyana enduring blackouts, a dead bureaucracy that still doesn’t serve the nation, and receiving a public pension that was and is still chicken feed. Ask me about that; I get an NIS pension and a UG pension. The Government changed in 2015, and since then we

have had a deluge of diaspora Guyanese that in all my trials and tribulations fighting for this sad nation, I never heard about or saw. They were long gone before the state ever thought of throwing me and Mark Benschop in the Brickdam lock ups. They were long gone before Jagdeo ever contemplated suing me for libel. What is asinine about our politicians, both from the PPP and the APNU+AFC coalition, is that they go about telling young Guyanese to stay and develop their country. Yet with an acrobatic imbecility they employ people who left here and enjoyed scholarship and academic opportunities in foreign lands, so they could come back to Guyana and say they are more qualified than local Guyanese. And they are catapulted into positions of lucrative pay. And not to mention, we are not seeing the application of their skills and

brilliance. One of them says he will ban cell phones from a building that serves the public. Another tried to rent a building for six million monthly, while government has empty buildings and empty lots that he can use or build on, respectively. Come September 2017, another ruling politician will deliver the feature address at the UG graduation and the graduates will be exhorted to stay and serve their country. What a stupid country Guyana is. What a reckless, irresponsible political leadership we have had the past twenty-five years. We read letter after letter in the newspapers about some former army officer taking up an appointment in the public service and we are alarmed. Yet our scholars and academics and trained public servants bit the bullet, stayed in the cesspool of nihilism for decades and decades enduring the impossibility of life

Frederick Kissoon in their country, and they are denied their rightful place in the sun. And who gets the place in the sun? The prodigal sons and daughters who turned their backs on us and lived in post-modern countries, and received first-rate university training, while our children had to endure flown coop facilities at UG. If the young folks are reading this, then I ask you; why would you want to stay?

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In recent months there has been some public discourse on the performance of the Alliance For Change as a key partner in the Coalition Government. While the genesis of this discourse is very likely the PPP’s propaganda and misinformation machinery, this focus on the AFC is evidence of widespread public attention and support. It also shows us that the general public has high expectations of us which has not diminished. There has been some concern that the AFC, because of its comparatively smaller size (in number), is being subsumed by our larger Coalition partner, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). While understandable, this concern could not be farther from the truth. It is not based on fact

Kaieteur News

Sunday June 11, 2017

We will remain true to our raison d’être

side their APNU counterparts on this objective which has turned out to be much bigger than we could have seen from the opposition benches. Nevertheless, we are intent on changing Guyana’s international image, and changing the previous narco-based economy which was inherited in 2015. We are on the way to creating a stable, robust and credible economy in which local and foreign investors would be truly confident. Any objective analysis of the AFC’s performance and status in government will conclude that the party has retained its independence and that we steadfastly represent the interests of Guyanese people in a responsible and judicious manner. The party remains strong, credible, independent and progressive. The AFC is here to stay and we will remain true to our raison d’être , i.e. to represent in the strongest ways, our Guyanese people from all parts of this beautiful land.

or reality. So let’s deal with this issue frontally. It could be argued, credibly too, that the AFC has been the leading light in Government, and that our Ministers have been performing at a visibly consistent high level. The eight AFC Ministers directly manage a considerable amount of the national budget and beyond question have been managing their respective sectors most creditably, including Public Infrastructure, Indigenous Peoples’Affairs and Telecommunications. It could also be reasonably argued that the AFC has hesitated to state its positions on several public issues, which we would have done as members of the Opposition before May 2015. The reasons for this stand are

many, but we encourage you to make a comparison between the young, rambunctious AFC of 2011 with the more mature version that carries weighty responsibilities. You will find that our ears and hearts have not left the ground. We are fully aware of the discomforts of our citizens, the matters that disappoint you, the events that result in your anger, and even those times when you are convinced that the AFC, as in local parlance, “does not have your back”. We are aware of your impatience to see justice done and for the government to recover stolen assets; you want speedy resolutions to the damning scandals involving members of the opposition. The AFC, just like you,

wants to see a quick end to these scandalous acts that have robbed the treasury of a huge chunk of money. The wheels of justice turn very slowly and the processes, including new legislation, take a long time. We are sure that you would agree that the charges must stick so that none of the guilty is able to slither out. We have begun to achieve some of the objectives that we set more than two years ago. In several cases we have gone past the first stages of making the conditions right, e.g. addressing the concerns of the hundreds of small scale gold and diamond miners. This too is a process that will get better as we go along. While our leaders have been careful to act responsibly and have avoided rushing to the press, there has been very robust representation and objections to several issues internally, but in keeping with the accepted norms of public behaviour, we will always act

in a civil and responsible manner. The AFC is a vital part of government; our members are working diligently in Cabinet alongside our Coalition partners to effect the positive changes that we promised. This remains our first priority. This approach changes sometimes so that we could stay in step with global changes, Caribbean events, and even changing circumstances in Guyana. However, in no way have the goals, principles and core values of the AFC been eroded, changed, diminished or subjugated! Far from being subsumed, the AFC stays at the forefront of every effort to transform our national economy and the political landscape into a progressive, modern ensemble which can compare favourably to any CARICOM sister state. At Cabinet, our Ministers have been working well along-

Sunday June 11, 2017

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My column

Are we really using the growth in digital communication? I had a chance to hear about the developments in eGovernment, and I must say that the developments so far have been impressive. The rollout began some time ago, but there were setbacks. For one, the cable that was supposed to bring more bandwidth from neighbouring Brazil was a failure. It was supposed to open a whole world of digital communication. I was there when the government launched the programme. There was the talk about the expenditure and the impact this programme would have on Guyana. This programme died in the mud. The cable broke in many places, and it was only a matter of time before the project was scrapped. A lot of money went down the drain. It was the same with the Skeldon sugar factory. I remember when the announcement came that Guyana was going to modernize the sugar industry with a state-of- the-art sugar factory. Guyana spent more money on this project than on any other in its history, but the factory never got going.

It was all of US$150 million from the Chinese. For a poor country to throw so much money away is criminal, but that is what we did. But that was not the only money that this country poured down the drain because of ambitious projects, and foreign people who were bent on their own pockets than on national development. They saw a group of poor people reaching for the stars when they did not even have a ladder to reach the roof. So there I was sitting to hear about the eGovernment programme that started with the cable from Brazil, but is continuing without it. According to the report, all the police stations have been linked. This tells me that each police station can access the main database at force headquarters. This tells a lot. If a man is arrested in Berbice and he has a record in Essequibo, the police can easily track that person. I was hearing that wanted men were arrested in various parts of the country, but I simply did not know that every police station had the information.

Whenever I had a chance to travel, I could not help but be amazed that a police patrol car can pull up behind the driver of a car and before long, determine that this person had an outstanding ticket or a warrant in some other part of the country. I did ask whether we have the same capability given the extended digital service, but I was told the hardware was missing. I suppose it has to do with the cost. But this is very necessary, because of late there has been the announcement that thousands of smuggled vehicles are in the country and they are unregistered. We hear about cars bearing false number plates, and some months ago there was talk about digital number plates. This would mean that all the police have to do is scan that plate and know whether it belongs to that car. Rest assured, the use of cars to get away from crime scenes would be reduced, and the perpetrators would be caught. My pet peeve, education, can also benefit from this programme. I am not sure why I am not hearing more about the

use of the technology in schools. We complain about shortages of teachers in certain subject areas. For sure, a school can use the system to access another teacher online. Word is that teachers from Turkeyen no longer have to drive to Tain on the Corentyne. The classes can be conducted electronically. There was a programme called ‘Broadcast to Schools’. The Education Ministry tried to use this programme to take certain programmes to schools in the remote part of the country. Now here we are with technology to make things so much better, but we are slow to use it. This must be a case of old habits die hard. But there are plusses. I am hearing about these hubs that have young people who may not have access to the internet being able to use their electronic devices to do research if they are so inclined. In my day there was always the library with the huge Encyclopedia Britannica. Some of us had to travel miles to do simple research. The library was almost always full. These days everything is at

our fingertips, and, with the digital networks, there is no reason for students not to do better. I hear that they could do their school-based assessments electronically. Gone are the days when the internet was the preserve of a few who had money. But there are some people who use the internet for mischief. This week a video that was circulated caused quite a stir. Someone happened to have a camera phone that appeared to capture a man chopping at something. The video contended that the chopping was in Lodge, Georgetown. But I had been near the location when this was to have happened and I saw or heard nothing. I so informed the person who sent me the video. Then the person attached a photograph of a badly chopped woman. Later that night a woman called me to ask about the chopping. I said what I had been saying all day, that it did not happen anywhere in the city. There have been other videos, probably gleaned from some source outside Guyana. With the

Adam Harris expanded internet I expect to see more of this and with it, the panic that such things could cause. But there are advantages. In some countries the police were able to make arrests because people posted crimes and the perpetrators were readily identified. To facilitate the expanded internet, the government is buying bandwidth from Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company. Somebody is making money, when indeed the government could have been saving money.

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Guyana is being internationally branded as a ‘green’ state By HE David Granger What would you expect of a country which is larger than any Caribbean Island; with variegated landscapes including coastlands, grasslands, highlands, islands, wetlands, waterfalls, lakes and rainforests which is divided by a thousand-kilometre-long river? Where would you encounter some of the world’s largest and rarest species of ants, armadillos, bats, caimans, monkeys, rodents, snakes, spiders, storks, toads, turtles and vultures? How could you explain to a visitor that the species of birds, bees, butterflies, fish and frogs are too numerous to count? We live in a big, beautiful and bountiful country which possesses a thousand natural treasures. Our country lies at the heart of the Guiana Shield, one of the world’s oldest geomorphic formations and one of earth’s last remaining tracts of pristine forest. Its forests, like a limitless sea of broccoli, are the habitat of some of the world’s

unique species of flora and fauna and envelop much of its territory. Guyana’s luxuriant biodiversity is the base of a potentially competitive, world-class eco-tourism industry. Our country needs a strong tourism industry, one that is more than a weekend excursion or a hunting expedition. Our country will be obliged, sooner or later, to reduce its reliance on the six sisters – bauxite, diamonds gold, rice, sugar and timber – which have served us well in the past but which, at times, could be very fickle. International markets always change. Dinosaurs, no matter how huge, must adapt or die. Guyana’s future is ‘green’. We are on the path to building a ‘green state’ – one which will promote harmony between humanity and the habitat of our rich fauna. I personally signed the Paris Agreement on climate change at the United Nations in April last year. I pledged, as part of Guyana’s commitment under that agreement, to place an additional two mil-

lion hectares under conservation. I promised the Guyanese people, also, that the Protected Areas System will be expanded and extended countrywide. Protected areas will be established on the coastland and the hinterland. Every region will be a ‘green’ region, administered by a ‘green’ capital town and, eventually, will have at least one legally-designated, regional protected area. These protected areas are not ornamental. They can be profitable destinations for sustainable tourism. Our country recognises the importance of projecting a favourable image and of possessing a formidable international reputation for protecting the environment. Guyana is being internationally branded as a ‘green’ state. I am selling Guyana as a ‘green’ state wherever I go. I see ecotourism development as a pillar of our ‘green’ economy. It is pivotal to economic diversification and to the creation of sustainable employment for thousands of young people leaving school

every year. Our country, apart from being blessed with a bountiful biodiversity, possesses a rich culture. Our huge diaspora has been our most generous customer of our culture. The diaspora is a faithful tourist market. Its annual pilgrimages to national festivals such as Mashramani, Emancipation, the Regatta, the Rodeo and ‘town-days’ should not be underrated. Its passion for gold jewellery, rum and rice is a small but reliable market. The extension of our culture industries, especially art galleries, craft shops, museums, and drama and the production of CDs of folk and popular music and DVDs about the environment sell well. Our unique wooden architecture is an international heritage showpiece which still attracts the more thoughtful tourists. Our country is rich in potential. We do have the core of a globally-competitive product and a corps of highlymotivated tourism operators. The public and private sectors, collaboratively, can develop the tourism sector into a competitive world-class industry. This will not happen without increased investment, innovation, improved infrastructure and the penetration of international markets. Huge craters in our precious national parks will outrage international opinion and repel our tourists; fish will die in turbid rivers that resemble chocolate milk shake rather

HE David Granger than cola; birds will migrate and animals will run away to greener frontiers when we destroy their habitats by cutting down too many trees. Investment is needed to convert this natural wealth into a world-class product. Investments will originate, largely, from the private sector. Tourism is a private sector-driven industry and has a pivotal role to play in ensuring this country’s economic development. Infrastructure will originate, largely, from Government’s initiative. The state will continue to support

tourism development by improving aerodromes, bridges, ferries, highways and stellings. Government, right now, is unlocking the country’s ecotourism potential by improving communications in the hinterland where our ecotourism product is largely located, and to which access is mainly by air and river. International marketing is important to tourism development. International marketing, however, can be costly, but will pay big dividends. Government will continue to provide resources, within its means, to promote our country as a desirable destination for the world’s tourists. Our country is unique. We must be proud of this precious patrimony which we inherited from our foreparents. We can derive great profits from sustainable eco-tourism without damaging or destroying this blessed place. We are mere trustees of our ancestors’ legacy. We must bequeath it to our children and grandchildren.

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Chest Pain: When is it dangerous? By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Approximately 10% of visits to emergency departments are because of chest pain. About 13% of these patients with chest pain will be having a heart attack. It is not always straightforward if someone’s chest pain is related to a heart attack or another lifethreatening event. Today we will try to help this situation by sharing information on chest pain that may help you decide when it should be taken more seriously. WHAT ARE SIGNS THAT MY CHEST PAIN MAY BE DANGEROUS? The following are chest pain symptoms that should not be ignored and requires a doctor visit: - Chest pain that is new or severe - Chest pains that happens along with shortness of breath - Chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes - Chest pain that gets worse when you walk, climb stairs, or do other types of physical activity - Chest pain that scares or worries you

Having chest pain does not necessarily mean you are having a heart attack. Most often the pain is usually caused by less serious problems, such as muscle pain, heartburn, or anxiety. Even so, you should not take any chances. People often delay seeking help for a heart attack because they think the symptoms are not serious or will go away. When they do that, they risk permanent damage to their heart – or even death. IS CHEST PAIN THE ONLY IMPORTANT SYMPTOM OFA HEART ATTACK? No. Other symptoms are important, too. Sometimes people do not go to the hospital because they do not have any pain at all. But it is possible to have a heart attack without pain. This is more likely in women, people with diabetes, and people older than 60. It is important to pay attention to any of the symptoms of a heart attack, which can include: - Pain, pressure, or discomfort in the centre of the chest - Pain, tingling, or discomfort in other parts of the upper body, including the arms, back, neck, jaw, or

stomach - Shortness of breath - Nausea, vomiting, burping, or heartburn - Sweating or having cold, clammy skin - A racing or uneven heart rate - Feeling dizzy or lightheaded or even fainting These symptoms are important if they last more than a few minutes or keep happening over and over (coming and going). If you think you might be having a heart attack, call for help right away. Do not try to get to the hospital on your own. IS HEARTATTACK THE ONLY CAUSE OF CHEST PAIN? No. Chest pain can be caused by lots of other problems, including: - Heart problems other than heart attacks, such as infection around the heart - Muscle soreness after an activity that involves the chest muscles - Diseases that cause pain, such as arthritis - Shingles (herpes zoster), a condition linked to the chickenpox virus that also causes a painful rash - Any kind of injury to the chest, including surgery - Digestive problems such

as heartburn, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, or irritable bowel syndrome - Problems affecting the lungs, such as pneumonia (an infection in the lungs) or blood clots in the lungs %Psychological problems, such as panic disorder or depression %Weakening of the lining of the big blood vessel in the chest (called the aorta) WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM? The staff treating you in the emergency room will examine you and then run tests to try to find the cause of your pain. But don’t be surprised if you do not find out right away why you have pain. The cause of chest pain is not always easy to find. Even so, doctors can usually tell if your heart is in trouble.

The tests you might have include: - An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) – This test measures the electrical activity in your heart. It can help doctors find out if you are having a heart attack. You may require multiple of these tests - An X-ray- This will help doctors rule out other dangerous causes of chest paBlood tests – During a heart attack, the heart releases certain chemicals. If these chemicals are in your blood, it might mean you are having a heart attack. You may be admitted to do other tests depending on your situation. WHAT IF IAM HAVING A HEARTATTACK? If you are having a heart attack, the doctor will give you treatments to reduce the damage to your heart and

Dr. Zulfikar Bux relieve your pain. These may vary from getting a high dose of aspirin to getting injections. In some cases you may be taken to a “heart lab” to get a stent placed. The sooner you get treated for a heart attack, the better the treatment will work. Every minute counts when it comes to keeping your heart muscle alive! Do not leave your chest pain to chance!

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Kaieteur News

SUNDAY IN SPITE OF JAGDEO’S RANTS…GOVT SAYS IT ONLY INHERITED BILLIONS IN DEBT FROM PPP

BANDITS SHOOT WOMAN IN STOMACH IN ATTEMPT TO STEAL CAR – ATTACK OCCURRED NEAR POLICE STATION

“Nothing but fluff” is how several members of Government have chosen to describe Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s comments. The Opposition Leader has constantly reported that the coalition administration inherited Guyana from the PPP in a good state with billions of dollars in the Treasury. The Government is saying that the only thing it has inherited from the PPP is “billions of dollars in debt.” In this regard, the government pointed to the fact that it is now saddled with the repayment of billions of dollars in debt on the Skeldon Sugar Factory because of the Jagdeo regime. The administration said that it is because of the PPP’s poor leadership that the government had to step up to the plate recently to handle a US$17M loan to be repaid on the Marriott Hotel. The hotel is also in need of US$5M in repairs in order to keep the Marriott International brand. Government officials also cited the fact that the coalition government was forced to scrap the controversial fibre optic cable project which cost taxpayers over $1B. It was also pointed out that due to the mess with CLICO, Government was left with no choice but to begin repayments of $5.24B that was invested by NIS. The aforementioned is compounded by the fact that the Government had to inject over $30B in direct cash transfers to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), due to the horrible state in which it was found.

Police were Sunday night trying to track down two bandits who shot a 44-year-old woman in the stomach outside her residence at Victoria Road, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara. The attack occurred at around 22.00hrs, about six houses away from the Sparendaam Police Station. The victim was identified as Jewel Gibson. She is reportedly employed as a librarian with the Guyana Defence Force. The robbers made off with Gibson’s cell phone, house keys, and the keys for the Toyota Premio she was driving. The victim was also wearing a gold chain, but an associate of Gibson’s was unable to say whether this was stolen. A woman who lives at the same premises as the victim said that Gibson had just arrived home and had turned into the driveway when she was attacked. The woman said she was inside when she heard “a popping sound.” She then heard Gibson screaming, and on looking outside, saw a man “leaning into” Gibson’s vehicle. The woman said that she alerted her husband, who went outside. However, by then, the robber and an accomplice had fled. The tenant and her husband took Gibson to the Georgetown Public Hospital. She was said to be conscious and her condition stable. Kaieteur News understands that the bullet exited through Gibson’s side. The tenant believes that the robbers had intended to make off with Gibson’s car, which she only acquired a few months ago.

But Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has still been insisting that the Government inherited Guyana from the PPP in good standing. At one of his most recent press conferences, the former President sought to correct a statement which he alleges was made by the Government. Jagdeo claimed that the Government made statements to the effect that it assumed office and found an empty Treasury. This is erroneous, said Jagdeo. While Jagdeo holds fast to those comments, the Government is maintaining that this was never said. Officials clarified that when the party assumed office, the Consolidated Fund was found to be “in heavy overdraft.” This issue was also clarified in a previous interview that was conducted with Finance Minister, Winston Jordan. MONDAY

GUYANA COULD END UP WORSE OFF WITH OIL – JAGDEO The Government is giving Guyanese the wrong impression that the coming of oil is

Sunday June 11, 2017

an automatic saving grace. There is a real possibility that Guyanese can wake up worse off in 2020 than they are now. That is the contention of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. At a recent press conference, Jagdeo spoke about the absence of “realism” in the minds of many government officials and said that they are passing the dream onto Guyanese. The Opposition Leader said that because government expects that Guyana will become rich overnight due to oil, it is forsaking the traditional sectors. “This is dangerous,” he said. Further, Jagdeo said that the money that is projected to be derived from oil is not, by itself, enough to save Guyana. The Opposition Leader referred to the current deal struck between the Government of Guyana and ExxonMobil where the profit from oil production will be shared equally and government will benefit from a two percent royalty. He said that that deal does not guarantee much for Guyana and that the only assurance is the royalty. This, he said, is because the profit that is to be divided is gross, meaning, profit after cost would have been deducted. Jagdeo said that there is a real possibility that for many years, there will be no profit when the cost is deducted. ”The one thing that is sure is the royalty; you may not get profit for many years. So we are looking at two percent royalty.” Oil is currently being sold at around US$50 dollar per barrel. Jagdeo estimated Guyana’s royalty come 2020 using that figure. He said that two percent of US$50 works out to US$1 per barrel. This is to be multiplied by the amount of barrels that Exxon plans to produce a day 100,000. That works out to US$100,000 per day which when multiplied by 365 (one year) works out to about US$36M which exchanges to about GY$8B a year. Jagdeo said that the government has signed an agreement with DDL “that will cost the treasury $80B dollars and they are only getting $8B in royalties per year. They have already given up 10 years of future royalty of the oil that we produce by this one agreement. In the meantime the rest of the economy is sinking.” Jagdeo said that government of-

ficials are busy walking around spreading hope of a better life and “the good life” but with no action in place to see the realization of those “dreams”. He said that many are being offered jobs, money and gas “but there is no realistic basis for these things.” ”So the reason I use those assumptions…it is not a massive sum coming from the royalty, it a fairly decent sum, but when compared to a single action that this government did, it amounts to nothing at all…they have given up more,” said Jagdeo. TUESDAY FIU TO REGISTER DIAMOND DEALERS INANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING CLAMPDOWN Diamond dealers are facing increased scrutiny now, with authorities moving to ensure that they fall under newly enacted, tougher regulations that target money laundering. The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) over the weekend gave notice to dealers, whether they operate individually or as companies, to make contact with them to start a registration process. The notice is also for persons who were registered before. Attention has been placed, in recent years, to especially the gold trade, which has huge potential for money laundering. It appears that the attention has now shifted to the diamond trade. FIU is an autonomous body responsible for requesting, receiving, analyzing and dissemination of suspicious transaction reports and other information relating to money laundering, terrorist financing or the proceeds of crime. It was established and operates within the ambit of the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AMLCFTA) 2009 and its regulations were amended to include harsher penalties and tighter monitoring. According to an advertisement in last Sunday’s edition of Kaieteur News, FIU noted that it had been established under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML CFT) Act (Continued on page 41)

Sunday June 11, 2017

(From page 32) No. 13 of 2009. It notified “all persons or entities, who or which deals in precious and semi-precious stones, that they are required to comply with, inter alia, the obligations set out under Sections 15, 16, 18 and 19 of the said Act. Those obligations include the submissions of specified reports and other information to the FIU.” The regulator asked the dealers to make contact with his office before June 30, 2017, to initiate a registration process. ”Persons or entities that were previously registered are still required to contact the FIU for further information/guidance,” the notice said. The FIU compiles reports for competent and law enforcement authorities if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that transactions involve money laundering, proceeds of crime or terrorist financing. Among other things, it is supposed to extend legal assistance to foreign jurisdictions with respect to production orders, property tracking, monitoring, and forfeiture or confiscation orders. EDUCATION PS SEES NOTHING WRONG WITH HALF MILLION-DOLLAR GUARD HUT The newly appointed Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Education, Vibert Welch, sees nothing wrong with expending some $540,470 of taxpayers’ dollars to construct a guard hut at his Bent Street, Georgetown, residence. Several eyebrows were raised over the size of the structure, and the amount of money that was spent to carry out the project. The structure is approximately five feet in width, five feet in length and about eight feet high. And judging from it appearance, the structure had recently been painted with the electrical components already in place. The contract was awarded to Linden Ogle, who was listed among the contractors that submitted proposals for the construction of the hut. Concerns were even raised over the selection process since it is alleged that it was the same contractor that was hired to construct a previous hut for the PS during his tenure at the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs. According to documents seen by Kaieteur News, the expenditure was listed under line item 6242 as “Maintenance of buildings” when in fact, the money was used to construct a new structure. A Ministry official has labelled this as a ‘misappropriation of funds’. Welch was appointed the PS at the Ministry of Education during the reshuffle of Permanent Secretaries by Government earlier this year. A photograph of the hut was sent to another contractor and an estimate was done which revealed that

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mative. He noted that this provision is included in contracts that permanent secretaries sign on to. Brotherson said that Permanent Secretaries “work real hard” and are not home often. ”So they need security guards or services to look over because Permanent Secretaries are mostly out and about,” Brotherson said. Quizzed on whether there was a conflict of interest when PS Welch signed off, giving approval for the construction of the hut for himself, Brotherson said no. ”The hut is the property of the State. (Although) he will be using it, it belongs to the State” he said. MAN KILLS NEIGHBOUR OVER BORROWED CASH

the structure should have cost the Ministry approximately $90,000 to build. The contractor intimated to this publication that he could have constructed six huts with the awarded sum. Welch via telephone Monday, told Kaieteur News that the hut needed to be constructed because persons were frequently going into his yard at nights apparently to steal his belongings. ‘GREY BOY’ DISCHARGED AGAIN FOR CRUM-EWING’S MURDER “There is absolutely no evidence; no case for him to answer to,” said Magistrate Judy Latchman before disch a r g i n g R e g a n Rodrigues again for the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing. It was an emotional moment for Rodrigues, also known as ‘Grey Boy’. The 33-year-old man dropped to his knees and cried when Magistrate Latchman told him he was free to go. “Freedom, Freedom,” he was heard shouting while sitting in the Police Outpost at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The Preliminary Inquiry into the matter concluded Monday during which Magistrate Latchman ruled that a prima facie case was not made out against Rodrigues at the close of the prosecution’s case. Attorneyat-Law Nigel Hughes represented the prosecution. During a synopsis of the evidence, the Magistrate said that while the court was satisfied that CrumEwing was shot with a gun retrieved from a house which was occupied by Rodrigues at Riverview, Ruimveldt. there was no evidence that Rodrigues “used the gun, pulled the trigger and shot Crum-Ewing.” Crum –Ewing died as a result of haemorrhage and shock due to multiple gunshot wounds.

WEDNESDAY MINISTRY PAYS $20,000 MONTHLY TO RENT PORTABLE TOILET FOR GUARD Following a recent exposé by this newspaper over the utilisation of taxpayers’ monies to construct more than a half-million-dollar guard hut at the residence of a Permanent Secretary (PS), questions were raised over the official’s entitlement to security allowances. The PS of Education, Vibert Welch, found himself at the end of the barrel this week when documents were submitted to this publication showing that he would have given approval for the construction of the hut at his Bent Street, Georgetown residence. The receipt showed that an amount of $540,470 was spent to construct the guard hut. Several eyebrows were raised over the size of the structure, and the amount of money that was spent to carry out the project. Quizzed on whether Permanent Secretaries are entitled to security allowances, the PS of the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson, responded in the affir-

The police have issued a wanted bulletin for a 42-year-old man who murdered his neighbour Monday night during an argument over borrowed cash. The suspect is Troy Tasho, called “19” of ‘B’ Field Sophia. Tasho is accused of murdering Roy Beckles, a father of three. The incident occurred around 18:30 hrs. The victim of ‘B’ Field Sophia, Georgetown was stabbed to the right shoulder and died on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Kaieteur News was informed that Beckles had loaned his neighbour money and after the 42-year-old suspect failed to repay his debt, the deceased told him not to worry with the cash. This however, got the partner of the dead man upset. She and the suspect got into an argument on Monday in her spouse’s absence. Reports are that Beckles was on his way home from work when he saw his neighbour and wife cursing out and threatening each other. He reportedly got between the two and was in the process stabbed. The police said that the victim was attacked with a cutlass and k n i f e . RESIDENTS SHUT DOWN SKELDON OVER PLANNED PRIVATIZATION

OF SUGAR ESTATE Over 500 sugar workers, business owners, housewives, pensioners and vendors from the Skeldon/ Corriverton area on Tuesday closed their businesses and took to the streets to protest the planned closure and sale of the Skeldon Sugar Estate. The protest which commenced from the Skeldon Sugar Estate and concluded at Republic Square, saw the massive crowd marching along with placards belting out slogans to have their voices heard. Vendors from the Skeldon Market who left their stalls to support the protesters highlighted how the planned closure will affect their livelihood. A vendor and parent of five children stressed that since the announcement of closure her business has not been booming as before. She is fearful that it will get worse and eventually leave her out of a job. ”We does barely get to catch we hand at the end of the day cause business slow, slow and now they wanna close the estate, What you think will happen to me children that I gotta support? Much less them sugar workers. Something else gotta happen cause people punishing.” Another vendor reiterated, “I am a vendor at that market for over five years now and is mostly them sugar workers does buy, If Granger tek way the estate, wheh them people gonna get money from? What they gonna buy with? Leaf? Cause me can’t see how you want punish we more when we barely making sales”. Regional Chairman DavidArmogan lamented that if the Government pushes ahead with its planned decision, Guyana’s economy will spiral downward. “Over 10,000 persons will be jobless by year end. Can you imagine what that will mean for this economy? Businesses will close down like today. Skeldon and the entire Berbice will become a ghost town if they (Continued on page 42)

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Kaieteur News

(From page 41) close this estate.” COURTNEY CRUM-EWING MURDER…MAGISTRATE DECLINES DPP’S ORDER TO COMMIT ‘GREY BOY’ FOR TRIAL City Magistrate Judy Latchman has declined to carry out an order by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack to commit Regan Rodrigues to stand trial at the High Court for the murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing. The directive from the DPP comes one day after Magistrate Latchman discharged the murder charge against Rodrigues also called ‘Grey Boy’ citing insufficient evidence. Particulars of the charge against Rodrigues alleged that on March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, he murdered CrumEwing. In a letter dated June 6, 2017, addressed to Magistrate Judy Latchman, the DPP said, “In accordance with Section 72 (2) (ii) (a) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01, I hereby remit to Your Worship the above-mentioned matter and direct you to comply with Section 65 and 66 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 with a view of committing the accused.” Kaieteur News understands that the matter came up again Tuesday during which Magistrate Latchman said that she would not comply with the DPP’s order since she had already discharged the matter. And that the DPP could not direct her to commit Rodrigues to stand trial under the Section outlined in the letter. But Rodrigues remained in police custody. The DPP was likely to renew her order to the magistrate.

THURSDAY BAISHANLIN IMPORTS ENDED UP IN REGENT ST. STORES -GRA BOSS SAYS 18 SISTER COMPANIES ALSO BENEFITTED Kaieteur News was the first to expose how some Chinese firms were manipulating the tax concessions system so as to ensure that their network of “sister” or “related” companies was given a distinct advantage over other local entities. The scheme was one that saw these Chinese firms receiving billions of dollars worth in equipment and machinery for the mining and logging sectors. But instead of using these for the approved purpose, many of these items ended up on the shelves of stores within the established network. In a recent interview Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia, confirmed that this newspaper was “right on the money” with its reports. In fact, Statia revealed that the

imports of BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc. often ended up in Regent Street stores. He said, too, that 18 sister companies for BaiShanLin enjoyed part of the pie. The GRA boss explained that the Authority has taken steps to ensure that several forms of abuse where tax concessions are concerned are addressed. In this regard, he pointed out that the revenue authority has pulled in Vaitarna Holdings Private Inc, “because as far as we are concerned they were not adhering to the terms of the contract.” Statia said that the GRA is even engaged in court matters related to companies which received tax concessions for equipment and machinery but failed to use same for the purpose for which it was granted. BaiShanLin apparently came here in the mid-2000’s, becoming initially involved in logging. According to official records, the investor in 2006 registered two companies- BaiShanLin International Wood Group Inc. and BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc. Since then, the principals of the company have registered more than

Sunday June 11, 2017

15 others. They include BaiShanLin Housing and Construction Inc.; BaiShanLin Mining Development Inc.; BaiShanLin International Shipbuilding and Heavy Industry Inc.; Heilongjiang Forest Engineering and Processing Development Inc.; C-G Economic and Trade Cooperation Park Inc.; New Life International Inc.; BaiShanLin International Investment Group Inc.; BaiShanLin China Shareholding Group Inc.; H7P International Inc.; Quick Auto Service Centre Inc.; Yongli Investment Inc.; BaiSheng International Investment Inc.; New East International Inc.; East International (South America) Inc.; H&P Quarry Inc. and Fun Time Family Park Inc. Since the birth of these companies, BaiShanLin has been venturing into all kinds of business outside the original logging operations it came here to do. These including ready-mix cement, barge operations, trucking, gold and diamonds mining, logging, housing, fuel, road maintenance, ship building, among other things. Further, Kaieteur News even caught the company offloading steel at a construction site in North Road back in January last year. SUSPECTED PRADOVILLE ‘SCHEMERS’ CLOSER TO CLIMBING COURT STEP …AS SOCU RECOMMENDS CHARGES FOR BRASSINGTON AND ASHNI SINGH AND OTHERS The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has completed its Pradoville 2 investigations and has sent that file to the police legal adviser (PLA) recommending that 12 persons be charged. Among the 12 recommended for charges are former Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; and former head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited

(NICIL) Winston Brassington. According to a well placed source, the files were sent to the PLA, Rtd. Justice Claudette Singh. However, Justice Singh is still to make a decision on the matter. But Justice Singh has said she has not seen any files in relation to the Pradoville 2 probe. She explained that the files could have been sent, but have to go through certain channels before they get to her. According to the source, while SOCU can recommend charges, it is left to the legal opinion of Justice Singh to determine if the charges are strong enough to be laid. The source said that it is important that the files be properly studied so that the correct decision is arrived at. Further, the source said that although SOCU has its own position on the investigation, the PLA has to determine if there is sufficient evidence of criminality to warrant a charge. The source noted that it is the same benchmark that the police (SOCU) are guided by when they make their recommendation to the PLA. With the recommendation for Singh and Brassington to be charged, the police will have issues making that a reality, since both men are no longer living in Guyana. Brassington now lives in Miami, Florida, and Singh is said to be working in Washington. Initial reports had placed him in the oil rich country of Dubai. Brassington was at the helm of NICIL when the controversial Pradoville 2 scheme was conceptualized. There were whispers among Government members that the former head has a lot to answer for in relation to the Sparendaam Scheme. The contention was and still is that the lands that were sold to (Continued on page 43)

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(From page 42) former government ministers and close friends of the PPP/C administration was seriously undervalued. Ashni Singh was the Minister of Finance at the infancy stage of the project and is believed to be a recipient of one of those plots overlooking the sea. COURTNEY CRUM-EWING MURDER… MAGISTRATE MAINTAINS RULING, DISCHARGES ‘GREY BOY’ FOR THIRD TIME City Magistrate Judy Latchman has maintained her ruling. There is not sufficient evidence against Regan Rodrigues for him to stand trial at the High Court for the murder of political activist, Courtney CrumEwing. Wednesday, the Magistrate discharged Rodrigues, also known as ‘Grey Boy’, for the third time in one year on the murder charge following directives in a letter sent to her by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack. In a letter dated June 7, 2017, addressed to Magistrate Judy Latchman, the DPP said, “In accordance with Section 72 (2) (ii) (a) of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01, I hereby remit to Your Worship the above-mentioned matter and direct you to comply with Section 65 and 66 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01 with a view of committing the accused.” However, Magistrate Latchman underscored that while the DPP is of the “opinion” that there is evidence against Rodrigues for the indictable offence, her court maintains there is no evidence against Rodrigues in relation to murder committed on Crum-Ewing. In complying with Section 66 of the Criminal Law (Procedure) Act, Chapter 10:01, Magistrate Latchman asked Rodrigues if he had anything to say in answer to the charge. An emotional Rodrigues said, “I’m innocent. I don’t know anything. The police (rank) (name called) put a gun in my house and said I swim across the Demerara River. Two times I get free from this charge.” “How much time I got to prove myself innocent in this country?” he asked. Thereafter, Rodrigues behaved in a disorderly manner. With handcuffs on and shackles on his feet he walked out of the prisoners’ dock demanding that he be allowed to leave the courtroom. As he was making his way to the prisoners’ chute he was held back by three police ranks, all of whom encouraged him to maintain his composure. FRIDAY IN LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS…2,600 HEAVY DUTY MACHINES IMPORTED; ONLY 319 REGISTERED – GRA From the year 2010, just about 2600 heavy duty machines were im-

ported. But of this amount, only a paltry sum of 319 was registered with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). This state of affairs was explained by GRA Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia on Thursday. He told media operatives that the authority has been going through its records to see what concessions were granted on heavy duty equipment. Statia said, “From 2010 and more so from 2012, just about 2600 heavy duty equipment was imported, but GRA only has 319 of those are registered. It means that about 2300 are outside there, somewhere. Out of that 2300, about 1200 were granted exemptions and 1000 were not granted exemptions. But out of the 1200 that were granted exemptions, they were moved to sectors that were not granted exemptions.” In this regard, he explained that some persons received exemptions for heavy duty equipment to be used in the Agriculture industry. He said that the industry is one which would be granted exemptions. ”A person buys it for agriculture and sells it the next day to miners, and so he takes a windfall. But if these things were registered we would know, and that is why we want them all registered. We were doing some calculations and we are losing close to $3 to $5B on it.” It is for the aforementioned reason that the GRA boss stressed that the area is one which has to be monitored and regulated. Furthermore, the Guyana Revenue Authority recently commenced an exercise geared towards ensuring the registration of all heavy duty vehicles and equipment that were imported and are in use. The revenue-collecting body made this known in an advertisement that was published in the Kaieteur News. The Authority outlined in the ad that these heavy duty equipment and vehicles include backhoes, bulldozers, combines, compactors and cranes. GRA stressed that owners of these heavy duty vehicles and equipment are required to present a motor vehicle registration form and

the relevant import documents and Bill of Sale to the Licence Revenue Office, on Camp Street, Georgetown, to facilitate the registration process and thereafter have the vehicles/ equipment examined. FALSE NUMBER PLATES ON BULLET-PROOF SUV…CUSTOMS OFFICERS AREN’T TRAFFIC COPS The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is taking its secrecy laws seriously. Even when laws are found to be broken, that tax collection arm of the state is not bound to report it once it has to do with a taxpayer. That much was made clear on Thursday when top officials of the GRA answered questions, during a press conference at its Camp Street headquarters, on a current case that has drawn lines in the sand when it comes to inter-agency cooperation. The matter at the centre of the debate has to do with an armour-plated vehicle that came under the radar of alert Customs Officers, early last month. The officers were reportedly on Main Street, when they spotted the pearl-white Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) near Palm Court, a nightspot. The 2014 vehicle had a PJJ number. That number had been issued about decade ago, making it impossible to be affixed on a 2014 SUV. The officers reportedly waited, but no one came to claim the vehicle. The officers then reportedly entered Palm Court and asked the DJ to summon the driver. A man came up and introduced himself as a close relative of Brian Tiwarie, a senior principal of BK International Inc., a contracting company that has been bidding for state projects. He was unable to produce the documents for the vehicle. The man reportedly called Tiwarie. The Customs Officers called their superior with Customs’ Law Enforcement and Investigation Department (LEID). They were told to release the vehicle. Kaieteur News had reported on the matter with GRA. That entity later confirmed that it had reached a

settlement with BK for $31M. However, there was no word on whether a police report was made about the false number that the vehicle had. The laws are clear when it comes it false number plates – up to two years jail and $1M in fine. Since an amended law in the late 2000s, a number of persons have been jailed for just having fake number plates. The police themselves said that no reports were filed. Thursday, GRA was pressed on the issue during its press conference. According to Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia, indeed an incident occurred on May 5, a Friday evening. Statia made it clear that reporting to the police is not part of GRA’s function. “The police themselves should have been doing the same checks as my officers are doing. My officers are not traffic cops. What the police should do now is seeing that Kaieteur News has raised it, they should say ‘come Mr Tiwarie, I will charge you now’. Ask the police now why no charges have been instituted.” Statia did disclose that the number that had been affixed on Tiwarie’s vehicle was one issued to another vehicle owned by the contractor. “All he probably did was exchange it from one vehicle to the next.” The Commissioner-General said that the incident would not be the first, or the last, and listed several cases and instances, including even staffers, now fired, who were caught using false number plates on vehicles. The SUV had reportedly come into the county in 2014 or 2015 and was released to BK without the proper Customs processes being followed or the taxes paid. No duty free waiver was granted. GPHC BOARD REMOVES ACTING CEO – RECENTLYAPPOINTED DEPUTY TO FILL VOID Less than a week after naming a

former Army Chief as its Deputy Chief Executive Officer [DCEO], the Board of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation has removed its acting Chief Executive Officer [CEO], Mr. Allan Johnson. The result of this action, according to information emanating from the Public Health Ministry, is that the new DCEO, Brigadier George Lewis, will be required to act in the position of CEO. In a statement issued by the Ministry, it was revealed that “Acting Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC], Mr. Allan Johnson, was removed from the post with effect from Friday, June 9, 2017,” Chairman of the Board of Directors Kesaundra Alves announced. Alves, according to the statement, said that the Board unanimously decided to remove Johnson following a series of lapses, which included the embarrassment of the Corporation before the Public Accounts Committee [PAC] last month end. In a letter to Johnson, Alves outlined that “the incident before PAC has embarrassed the Board and staff of this Corporation and, to our dismay, has caused the public to question the desire of the Board for transparency and accountability in the handling of the Corporation’s money”. The letter continued, “The GPHC Board also had cause to question your judgment on a number of occasions. Moreover, you continue to be absent or request early release from Board and Board Committee meetings…(and)are therefore consistently unavailable to supply the Board with pertinent information or to take instructions from the Board.” The letter concluded by noting that, the Board valued Johnson’s “time and efforts at GPHC” and wished him “the very best of health and success.” Johnson, a former CEO of the New Amsterdam Hospital, was seconded from that hospital in 2015, to function at the GPHC as its CEO. A new CEO has however since been appointed at the New Amsterdam Hospital in the person of Mr. Colin Bynoe. SATURDAY DELAYEDAPPOINTMENT OF GECOM CHAIR WILL NOT HAMPER NEXT ELECTIONS – HARMON Accusations against the coalition government, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change, of planning to stall the next elections, were on Friday addressed by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who denied any truth to the allegations. Harmon was at the time fielding questions at the Post-Cabinet Press Briefing. He said that the administration of President David Granger has made it clear that it has no intention of either lengthening or (Continued on page 44)

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(From page 43) shortening the term of office. The Minister said that the next elections scheduled for 2020 will be called, and General and Regional elections will be conducted as required by the Constitution of Guyana. “At the time when elections are to be called, they will be called. So you can put that matter to rest about trying to delay any elections.” Harmon said that the process of the selection of a Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is still within the domain of consultations between the Leader of the Opposition and the President. “…so I would wish to leave it there. In fact, I believe the Leader of the Opposition is on record as saying that he doesn’t understand all this speculation and so that is going on, but he believes that the President has said that he will work assiduously with the Leader of the Opposition to ensure that we get a Chairman of the Elections Commission that is acceptable to all Guyanese and that can perform that function.” He reminded that Jagdeo is set to meet with Granger “on Monday June 12, 2017 at 18:00hrs at State House and thereafter the nation will know what would have come out of that consultation”. PS BUILT TWO GUARD HUTSAT THE PRICE OF SIX An estimate submitted by

Kaieteur News

an independent engineer, has concluded that the $1.5M of taxpayers’ monies spent to construct two guard huts for the current Permanent Secretary (PS) for the Ministry of Education, could have built six such structures. This would come at a time when State Minister Joseph Harmon would have warned public servants to act in accordance with the law or be exposed to sanctions or disciplinary action. Harmon during the postCabinet Press Briefings at the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday, said that he had requested that PS of the Department of Public Service Reginald Brotherson “give a comment” on the issue and he did. “His comment was very expansive and I would rely on those comments,” Harmon said. He did not say what those comments were. The PS, Vibert Welch, had

found himself in hot water earlier this week after it was revealed that he had approved the sum of $540, 470 to construct one hut at this Bent Street, Georgetown residence. The guard hut made headlines and was a major talking point this week. DUTY FREE CONCESSION FOR CUSTOMS HEAD… “I GRANTED PERMISSION”- GRA BOSS The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has defended the circumstances under which a senior official there was granted a duty free

waiver on a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). How the matter became public knowledge also has the authority concerned, and may soon see a policy announced that will restrict the use and presence of smartphones in the offices there. At the heart of the matter is the reported case of Customs head, Lancelot Wills. The official applied to the Department of Public Service last year for a waiver on taxes and duties for a Toyota Harrier, which has an engine capacity of over 2300cc (Cubic Capacity). The application was re-

Sunday June 11, 2017

jected by the department, which said that the vehicle was older than the 8-year restriction introduced last year by the administration. Additionally, the 2008 model was over the 2000cc limit that Wills would have been entitled to. However, after that rejection, the vehicle was in early January registered as PRR 7091. Wills apparently paid just over $180,000 in taxes and duties. It appeared he was granted a concession. However, from the amount he paid, it appeared he was granted the 10 percent rate that is applied to remigrants.

After collecting the vehicle in January, someone at GRA realized that there was a mistake and attempts were made in April to correct the rate. GRA’s system, however, does not easily allow entries to be backdated. Wills was assessed more than $1.8M in taxes and duties. There were immediate questions whether Wills could have been granted a waiver, having been initially rejected by the Department of Public Service late last year. He was subsequently sent on leave. On Thursday, GRA’s officials were questioned about the matter. According to Commissioner-General (CG), Godfrey Statia, the Customs head indeed applied for a concession for the vehicle but according to the public service rules, he was not supposed to be given one over 2000cc. Statia admitted that that was the reason Wills was denied. The top official explained that previously, only two officers in GRA were entitled to waivers with unlimited CC- he (Statia) and the Deputy Commissioner-General, Hema Khan. Statia said that GRA has made cases for two other senior officers to also be granted waivers on vehicles with unlimited engine capacity. The two were the heads of Customs and the Law Enforcement and Investigations Department (LEID). The reasons are because the officers need all terrain vehicles to conduct their work, which includes going after smugglers and other evaders. According to the CG, it is difficult to go behind a smuggler with a 2000cc vehicle. As matter of fact, Statia said, they don’t even make the 2000cc vehicles anymore. As such, he decided as the Commissioner-General that since GRA is a body corporate that reports to a Board of Directors, he allowed the concession to Wills.

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Launch of ‘Born Blue’ documentary - amplifies Guyana’s response to congenital heart defects The colour of a baby’s skin at birth is always an important factor. While most babies are born with a pink colour, there are others who arrive with a more bluish shade. The latter is often associated with a congenital heart defect. Some babies may suffer a few years, but without proper treatment their fate is usually inevitable – certain death. This was particularly emphasized in a video documentary completed by the experts associated with the Guyana Programme for Advanced Cardiac Care (GPACC), which is in place at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. It is also supported by those of the International Children’s Heart Foundation [Baby Heart Foundation] which is based in the United States. The GPACC progamme has at its helm Canada’s University of Calgary specialists Dr. Debra Isaac and her husband Dr. J. Wayne Warnica, who are supported by local experts, the likes of Cardiologist, Dr. Mahendra Carpen. The introduction of the programme allowed for the establishment of a state of the art Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CIUC) at GPHC which was commissioned last December. The programme was however already in motion. At an event at the Cara Lodge, Ballet Room Wednesday evening, the GPACC officials unveiled the very graphic documentary ‘Born Blue’ which showcased the joys and pains of extending cardiac interventions to fragile babies suffering from congenital heart defects. In almost each instance of the near 40-minute documentary, the mothers of these young patients were emotionally overwhelmed, not only because there was hope for their babies’ survival but because they were able to access such services at no cost in their homeland. The lead experts captured in the documentary were Dr. Isaac and Dr. Rodrigo Soto, the lead surgeon attached to the Baby Heart Foundation. Together they were able to amplify the challenges, obstacles and successes of the cardiac programme. The release of the documentary represented meaningful collaboration between the Public Health Ministry and the High Commission of Canada. Moreover, speaking at the forum Wednesday was High

Commissioner of Canada, Mon Pierre Giroux. He pointed out that the attendance at the event was in fact indicative of the commitment to supporting a worthy cause that will contribute to the development of the health care sector in Guyana. The forum was attended by a wide cross section of public figures including Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, who performed the duties of Head of State; several government officials, including the Ministers of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence and Dr. Karen Cummings; former Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsarran; Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Barton Scotland; business magnate, Mr. Yesu Persaud, among several others. Giroux said that Canada had long recognized that access to health services is an essentially component to the wellbeing and quality of life that can contribute to economic growth and prosperous communities. He noted that promoting health care has become a Canadian core value, which has been extended to Guyana through the GPACC initiative. Ms. Lawrence, Senior Minister of Public Health, expressed gratitude for the Canadian support from which the public health sector has been able to benefit Through the documentary, she noted that the Ministry will be able to succeed in its quest to further raise awareness of Guyana’s public health cardiac programme. Although Canada has been providing a great deal of financial and technical support towards this venture, Minister Lawrence stressed the need for the local business sector to also lend its support as she recognized the presence of Chairman of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. “Cardiac care is indeed costly…so I hope that this activity will encourage our private sector to invest extensively in this area where so many of our citizens and particularly our young children are at risk of cardiac disease,” Minister Lawrence noted. Among the programmes being offered through the Canadian collaboration are echo-cardiography and paediatric cardiology. To date there have been some 91 cardiac surgeries and 41 cardiac intervention since the start of 2015 under the supervision of Calgary University experts.

But according to Minister Lawrence, “it is evident that in moving forward, continued assessment of outcome and impact of these programmes, as well as an evaluation of the

effectiveness of educational interventions, must be conducted.” She, moreover, observed that training remains a key priority in sustaining these

programmes thus adequate funding would be critical to the sustainability. “It is therefore imperative for our business community, and I hope there are some

persons here from the Ministry of Finance will become involved and play a more decisive role. Providing quality health care is a (continued on page 58)

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More ICT Hubs for Berbice From page 11 long before it gets to that critical stage, an intervention could be made.” She lamented that for such developments to take place better internet access must be provided. “The first

Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

thing we did is to establish an E-Governance network, a fiber optic network and so what we have been able to do is connect high schools across the length and breadth of the coast onto this network. This simply means that

students can access free internet from the respective schools.” Minister Hughes also made mention of the new legislation tabled in parliament that will be launched into action in

August of this year. This will provide an opportunity for persons desirous of obtaining a licence to provide internet services, besides the main player GTT who is currently the only licensed entity in the country to provide internet access (WiFi). The Minister highlighted that with the recent additions of Information

Communication Technology Hubs implemented in some parts of the country with Region Six benefiting from eight such hubs. It is one step forward in raising the bar of technology. According to her, “If we start to use the technology we feel that we can start to provide better services to the citizens of Guyana and in the end develop our country in a far faster way.” She reiterated that it is the commitment of the Ministry to ensure that citizens can enjoy the comforts of having the internet through the use of ICT Hubs all in an effort to make things easier for citizens. Mr. Floyd Levi, Chairman of the National Data Management Unit, divulged that currently in Berbice the Network runs from New Amsterdam to Skeldon, going into areas such as the East Bank of Berbice and Crabwood Creek. He noted however that networking in the Black Bush Polder area is non-existent but assured that the unit is working to have that area from No. 51 Police Station to beam signals into Black Bush. Some

of the agencies utilizing the Network Coverage Provided in Berbice include the National Insurance Scheme, Guyana Revenue Authority, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Guyana Police Force, Supreme Court and the Lands Registry. He further revealed that areas such as Sisters Village on the East Bank Berbice, Lighttown and Plegt Anker are also expected to benefit. He said, “Access to the internet is not only vital for business but vital to keep the youths in the communities.” The network will also be extended to Moleson Creek and eventually to Orealla. Director of Public Information echoing similar sentiments as the Minister explained that “in diversifying the services that are needed we want to ensure that we understand, recognize and embrace the fact that though it may seem intimidating or seem unrealistic that these things are actually happening with the youths driving this process”. The goal of the Government is to have 62 ICT Hubs within Region Six. Eight are already a reality.

Launch of ‘Born Blue’ ... From page 57 mandate of the Ministry and we have to prioritise that, but the effort cannot be unilateral it must be collective,” said the Minister as she appealed to potential financiers to “subscribe in a tangible way as you possibly can.” Prime Minister Nagamootoo underscored that “what concerns us and how we respond to needs of our society is paramount.” He, however, observed that with the kind of support that has been forthcoming from Canada, Guyana’s health care has in fact “made progress; we are not at a standstill.” He noted that it was because of limited resources, Guyana was required to partner with entities such as the University Calgary to help advance its health care efforts. Meanwhile, Minister Lawrence in speaking of the documentary said that it is aptly titled ‘Born Blue’ as it reminds of the cardiac complications that can develop during pregnancy. She added, “We can all relate, I think of the apprehension that surfaces when we hear cardiac disease or in the more familiar parlance heart problems, heart attack or heart failure.” It is the expectation of the Minister that once the public is

able to view the documentary there will be a better understanding and appreciation for all that is involved in the provision of cardiac care. The GPACC programme, according to the Minister, has been very dynamic in providing cardiac services under the direction of the Calgary University specialists. With their support a number of cardiac care programmes have been developed and implemented in partnership with the GPHC and the Institute of Health Sciences Education. “The efforts of GPACC have been invaluable as thousands of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases have been treated,” said Minister Lawrence pointed out. “Its goal has been to advance care for adults and children in a sustainable way by building capacity in the public health system in Guyana through the provision of clinical cardiac services and education for Guyanese doctors and nurses and other associated health care providers. We are all indebted to the University of Calgary and all of the other Canadian institutions that are a part of this worthy mission.”

Sunday June 11, 2017

By Dr. Neromini Fagu It’s easy to take for granted some of the things that are automatically done by our body. Most of us don’t have to worry about the way our facial muscles work when we smile or when we are eating. However, for people with facial paralysis, simple tasks like these can be a source of great distress and anxiety. Bell’s Palsy, also known as “facial palsy” or “facial neuropathy”, was first described in 1821. The condition was named after anatomist Charles Bell and is characterized by acute facial paralysis but to this day its cause remains unclear. Trauma, surgery, local infection, tumour and stroke account for about 25 percent of the cases while the remainder are considered viral and associated with ischemia and compression of the facial nerve in the area of the temporal bone. Viruses that have been linked to Bell’s Palsy include the common cold sore virus Herpes simplex; chickenpox and shingles - Herpes zoster; mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr; cytomegalovirus; adenovirus; rubella; mumps; influenza, especially influenza B; and hand-foot-and-mouth disease -Coxsackie virus.

Kaieteur News

BELL’S PALSY Regardless of underlying causes, the facial nerve swells and becomes inflamed, causing pressure within the canal of the skull. The condition affects the facial nerve which is the seventh of the 12 cranial

nerves present in our body. That nerve has two major functions, controlling the muscles of facial expressions and to conduct taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue and oral cavity. In addition to facial muscles, the facial nerve affects tears, saliva, taste, and a bone in the middle ear. Some of the signs and symptoms of Bell’s Palsy may

include: · Twitching, weakness, or paralysis on one side, or rarely both sides, of the face · Drooping of the eyelid and dryness of the eye. · Excessive tearing in one eye. · Drooping corner of the mouth, drooling, dryness of the mouth (xerostomia)

· Ringing in one or both ears · Hypersensitivity to sound · Headache and dizziness · Taste impairment Men and women are affected equally and while Bell’s Palsy can occur at any age, it is less common before age 15 years or after age 60. It unequally affects persons who have diabetes or upper respiratory tract infections, or

STANDARDS IN FOCUS Vendors and shopkeepers must use approved weighing and measuring devices The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is mandated under the Weights and Measures Act of 1981 and its Amendment to ensure that all weighing and measuring devices used in commercial trade are approved and verified for accuracy. Recently, the GNBS has seen an upsurge of the use of unverified and unapproved devices by vendors plying their trade in the various markets. This practice must be discontinued as the GNBS will only allow weighing and measuring devices that are approved to be used in trade. When approved and verified devices are used, consumers are not given short-weights and measures, and the likelihood of users of these devices over-weighing the products they are selling significantly reduces. During verification, Inspectors of the GNBS use their standard masses and electronic balances to carry out weighing tests and adjustments to devices to ensure accuracy. However, there are still quite a number of vendors who do not submit their devices for verification, or are using unapproved dial scales, such as the domestic dial scales. Unannounced surveillance inspections have to be conducted by Inspectors at shops, markets and other retail outlets countrywide to remove all dirty, defective, unapproved and unverified devices periodically. During the period, April to June 2017 surveillance inspections were conducted countrywide. These resulted in visits to more than 3500

premises and stalls where weighing and measuring devices were being used. Overall, the number of devices seized so far for the period totalled 335 scales, 43 masses and two measuring rules. Just recently, Inspectors raided the Stabroek and Bourda markets and seized a large quantity of unverified and unapproved weighing and measuring devices. These devices comprised mainly of the unapproved domestic dial scales which amounted to approximately 100 pieces. The domestic dial scales (kitchen scales) continue to make up a large percentage of devices seized despite efforts by the GNBS to educate vendors that these devices were not designed for commercial trade. The spring mechanism within these domestic scales cannot withstand the rigors of repeated use during commercial transactions. As such, these scales quickly become defective and inaccurate and consumers are given shortweights. The GNBS will continue to use the various means available to further educate users of weighing and measuring devices and consumers on the need to use and purchase from approved devices. Meanwhile, surveillance exercises will continue for the remainder of June at markets and shops, and verification for the second half of this year will commence in July. For further information, please contact the GNBS on 219-0064-66 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org

who are pregnant, especially during the third trimester. Most people affected by the condition will have full recovery within two months with or without treatment while a small number may experience permanent muscle weakness. The affliction can recur for unknown reasons, and may affect the same or opposite side of the face. While Bell’s Palsy is not

common, it does have a negative impact on oral health and affects every individual differently. The loss of muscle tone on the affected side may interfere with the person’s ability to chew food. This may lead to an increase in dental biofilm accumulation resulting in dental caries. The affected muscles surrounding the eye may Continued on page 61

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Dr. Neromini Fagu

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SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 6471773/660-5257

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VACANCY Security, Marketing Clerk, Bond Clerk, Labourers, Truck Driver, operator. Interested persons e-mail: chungsvacancy@gmail.com Senior Diesel Mechanic wanted to work in G/Town. Call: 218-1455 Cook/ Baker and welder/ fabricator for interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 6182020 for more information One experienced pharmacy assistant to work in a reputable pharmacy in G/ Town (flexible hours). Call: 227-0630 Refrigeration/ Electrician technician: Apply in person at BM Enterprise Inc. GFl Wharf, Houston East Bank Demerara. Accounts Assistance, send CV by email: laltag@yahoo.com or whatsapp: 680-3863, customer sales assistant: 6240033

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Lawn grass organic potting soil, supari Palm, foxtail, palm @ $1,000, Crotoon, Ashoka, Ficus, Exora. Call: 626-1044

Male workers to work at Ice Factory in Rosignol. Call: 6183800 between 8:00am- 2pm Garbage Truck Drivers, attractive salary and benefits. Call: 227-1717

Office furniture, used computers, display racks & stands for store use. Call:2258066/624-6783

Experienced curry cook, roti/ puri cook, cleaners & counter servers. Apply @ Hacks Halaal. 5 Commerce St.

Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc. Call: 225-9032;647-2943;604-5198

Live in waitress to work in a bar- Call: 604-6606; 6924646

Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, video games & repairs – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231 New rice-field pump with 20’ canvas conveyor and drive shaft sold with 1 stihl motor blower -$500,000. Call: 638-1829 Apple I-phone 6, 6 Plus, 7 Plus, 64GB (like new) (not 16GB), factory unlocked $89,000, $129,000. Call: 6753062 Pit-bull pups for sale. Call: 672-7884 One greenheart 3 bedrooms wooden building only with all accessories, grills, sliding door, etc @ bargain price. Call: 227-4285 Nine (9) pure bred German shepherd pups, location: La Grange, W.B.D – Call: 6546354 1 White Passo, PSS, 1 -2 door sankey cooler, 1 -280 Sthil slasher, 1 Door upright coole, all brand new. Call: 602-3000/ 690-1038

Cook/cleaner, attractive salary. Call: 220-2878

Mixed breed pups- Tel: 6469002/ 601-9414

Mini bus Driver for Timehri, route 42, work & park. Call: 604-7501/666-5634

200HP Yamaha Outboard, 330 HP PR Perkins, Radiators for Diesel Engine. Whatsapp: 786-399-3109

FOR SALE/FOR RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

Stand up freezer - $45,000 & $65,000 negotiable, gas stove ranger, American made $65,000 neg, 2 Stihl brush cutters -$65,000. Call: 6803863

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WANTED Experienced Male workers on farm, age 30yrs and older. Call: 231-1408 between 8am1pm

One driver for office in Eccles call 233-2745 must be between the ages of 30- 40yrs. Salesgirls & boys with supermarket experienced , apply with written application to Best Buy Food supplies, Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville. Mini bus driver 55yrs and older, 40 Route. Call: 6176760 1 Accounts Clerk, preferably from E.B.D – 5 subjects CXC minimum @ gtcareers592@gmail.com We pay in $US for land in Eccles, Herstelling, Providence, Farm, Parfaite Harmonie, Zeelugt. Call: 6117223/684-5822

You deserve a relationship filled with love & excitement. Call Harmony Singles: 6262629/676-6312(free registration 21-35yrs female)

LAND FOR SALE

Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501

La Parfaite Harmonie -$1M, Zeelugt -$2M, Tuschen Phase 1 and land -$4M. Call: 642-1252

Not working vehicles for sale, 1 small bus, 1 canter, 2 cars, 2 motor bikes, 1 bobcat. Call: 227-4377/624-6013

La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.3M & $1.6M, Providence (corner lot) -$4M, Herstelling -$3.5M, Farm -$2.6M, Uitvlugt $2.6M. Call: 651-1969/6292881 Land at Well Street Ogle, E.C.D Back Lot 65feetX105feet -$12M. Call: 625-1514

2011 ALLION - $3.3M, 2011 RACTIS -$2.5M, 2009 SIENTA - $2.1M, NOAH & VOXY - $2.6M, VEHICLES UNREGISTERED & FULLY LOADED. CALL: 642-7295

La Parfaite Harmonie Main Road 1 Hilux Extra Cab- 5L Diesel - $1.8M, $1.6M, $1.4, $1M, Pickup, GVV series. Call: 664- Herstelling -$3.5M, Eccles 3808 $6.5M, Tuschen - $1.2M. Call: Nissan X-Trail 2004 -$2.7M 604-6724 or 686-9608 negotiable or make an offer. Call Chubby Halley: 671-7290 La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.7M, $1.4M, $1.2M, Herstelling 1 Mitsubishi Lancer Car PJJ, $3M, Tuschen -$1.2M, house leather interior, silver grey - & land in La Parfaite -$17M. Call: 666-2326 $600,000. Call: 604-1299 One Toyota Raum, PMM series, low mileage, excellent condition, one owner. Call: (592) 626-7450 One minibus RZI 2008, new battery, engine, transmission, gear box service, body, good seats -$750,000. Call:682-3285 Landcruiser Prado, low mileage, 2007, colour: white, PNN Series, fully loaded, excellent condition, serious inquires. Call: 624-0005 Toyota Dyna canter (open back). Call: 680-3863

Wanted Driver To Sell Water Must Have Lorry. Apply Nimbus Water. Tel 231-7002/ 622-0445 Urgently needed experienced garbage truck drivers, paying $6,000 per day, labours $4,000 per day. Call: 670-7920 1 Diesel Mechanic, must have knowledge of Perkins & Duetz engines, Cat & Doosan Excavator. Call: 2269768/660-2998 An experienced exvator operator. Must be between 30yrs & 50yrs. He must be prepared to work in the Interior. Call: 223-7165 Middle age couple (40-50) to live and work on farm/resort at Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke Highway. Call: 643-0333/6978008 Looking for a family of four to live & take care of a farm on the Upper Demerara River. Call: 670-7920

PEN PAL

VEHICLE FOR SALE

Wanted land to buy: Eccles, Tuschen, Herstelling, Providence, Farm, Uitvlugt, we pay cash. Call: 604-6724/ 686-9608 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665

New Hope land - $4M, Enmore- $2M Call: 688-0087, 638-8484 35 Acres located in Port Kaituma. Call: 619-5173

TO LET 4 AC Rooms/ 1 extra room, for business/offices @ 21 Seaforth St. C/Ville, Georgetown. Call: 226-1877, 624-7436, 654-9350 Furnished 2 bedroom apartments in Nandy Park, parking available. For further information – Call: 619-4824/ 619-0267/642-7533

WANTED Canter Driver with valid Driver’s Licence & recent Police Clearance. Contact Rohan: 694-6108, 627-2229. Wanted land to buy: Eccles, Tuschen, Herstelling, Providence, Farm, Uitvlugt, we pay best price. Call: 6662326 Security guard wanted to work in Georgetown. Call: 227-1717 One able bodied labourer. Tel: 219-4533/616-5954/231-2029 Hairdresser/Nail Technician apply at West Shore Plaza, 15 Public Road, Ruimzeight, W.C.D. Call: 269-1524/6563561 Chainsaw men with or without chainsaw, one security guard to work in the Interior. Attractive Salary, Contact: 220-2878 Female worker wanted that finished CXC 2017. Call: 6225518

Newly built apartment in a safe & health environment. Call: 622-6512/ 698-6496 Semi-furnished: 3 Bedrooms, upper flat, located at Durban Street, Wortmanville. Call: 600-2828. Serious Enquiries only.

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS) LEARN TO DANCE Dance to keep fit, lose weight build self-esteem while having fun, variety of styles. Call: 626-2629/676-6312 MASSAGE Angels Massaging Spa. Come relax and be pampered. Call: 694-9775 Continued on Page 61

Sunday June 11, 2017

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Kaieteur News

CONSUMER CONCERNS

The National Tobacco Control Act offers protection to the public By PAT DIAL Every year on 31st May, “World No Tobacco Day” is commemorated worldwide under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). In Guyana, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conducts all “No Tobacco Day” activities. “No Tobacco Day” is a continual global campaign to educate the public as to the dangers of tobacco usage and to advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption including passing new Legislation or strengthening extant Legislation. The Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) for many years has been one of the strongest advocates for stringent tobacco control and worked with D r. L e s l i e R a m s a m m y, former Minister of Health and a very enthusiastic and able advocate of tobacco control. It was under Dr. Ramsammy’s watch as Minister of Health that the first National Tobacco Control Bill was drafted in 2012. Unfortunately, for the last four years, the Bill was under review by various agencies. It is at last now brought to Parliament and will hopefully become Law before year-end. Tobacco usage is not

only responsible for the death of over seven million people per year but responsible for the serious impairment of health of many millions more. It is a major cause and exacerbation of diseases such as asthma, lung cancer and cancers of the mouth, of coronary disease, blood pressure, diabetes, some kidney diseases and also negatively affects the reproductive system. It also results in tooth decay and other dental problems. Tobacco use by pregnant women could also have very negative effects on newborn babies. The main reason why tobacco use causes so many serious diseases and ailments is that the tobacco leaf contains many harmful poisons. Tobacco use is a threat to National Development. It increases health care costs; it puts greater pressure on the hospitals and health centres by having to care for sufferers from tobacco diseases and to expend foreign exchange on the purchase of drugs to treat them. It decreases production and productivity of the national work-force by absenteeism and by workers being slower and less able to perform with maximum efficiency. It exacerbates poverty as the poor are the

BELL’S PALSY

From page 59 result in difficulty in closing the eyelid on the affected side. The eyelid may need to be taped closed at night, and protective eyewear must be used during dental treatment. To avoid drooling, people with facial paralysis usually chew all of their food on the unaffected side of their mouth which may result in jaw pain and disorders like temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Treatment of people with Bell’s Palsy is multileveled and may include medications, patient education, facial reanimation treatment, neuromuscular retraining, home dental hygiene programmes, routine dental examination, and periodontal appliances. Oral care regimen for affected individuals is crucial in order to avoid long term complications. Emphasis should be placed on the importance of twice daily brushing and flossing, therapeutic mouth rinse, and the need to rinse with water after eating so as to remove

food particles that may be trapped in the cheek area of the affected side. Dry mouth is a common occurrence of the condition. Saliva plays an important role for the health of the mouth by preventing tooth decay, cracked lips, rough tongue, bad breath, and it reduces the risk of infection on the tongue, cheeks and gums. To treat dry mouth, your dentist may recommend mouth rinses that have fluoride and may apply fluoride treatment during your dental visits. On a lighter note, there have been many famous sufferers of Bell’sPalsy. You may be surprised at some of the names which include George Clooney, Pierce Bronsnan (James Bond actor), Sylvester Stallone, Katie Holms, Roseanne Barr, and Terrence Howard. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.

main users of tobacco and this drives them to spend less on food, education and health care. “Second hand smoking” could also cause disease and death to non-smokers who inhale tobacco smoke in such places as public transport, waiting rooms, bars, and fast food restaurants. The new Legislation addresses this problem and seems to confine smoking to the confines of the home. Many smokers would desire to end their smoking addiction and do try on their own but with only mild success. Greater success could be achieved if there was organized help offered by the Public Health authorities and though the Legislation does not require it, the Ministry of Public Health should begin to provide it. All over the world the Tobacco Lobby always try to delay Tobacco Control legislation or to influence such legislation in their favour or even to circumvent it. When the Tobacco Control Bill becomes Law, the Ministry of Public Health, the Consumer and Competition Commission and the Consumer bodies must ensure that the Law is fully enforced. An important segment of the Legislation would be concerned with marketing,

advertising and packaging of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Advertising material should be absolutely truthful and there should be no deceit as for example promoting one type or brand of tobacco product as being healthier or better than another when all tobacco products are equally dangerous to health. The GCA has always been advocating the adoption of the general Caribbean standardCROSQUE’s model of packaging of cigarettes and tobacco products. In that model, the health warnings are prominently displayed and illustrated with graphic pictures of various diseased conditions caused by tobacco and at least 60% of the box or container’s face is devoted to such warnings. Smuggled cigarettes and tobacco products would now easily be identified since their packaging would not resemble the packaging under the new Legislation. The Customs Department could eliminate smuggling and the legal producers who have been bitterly complaining of smuggling and unfair competition would be happy. The consumer community would feel much relief and even elation that the National Tobacco Control Act would have come into being.

Developing Guyana’s... From page 14 services. In various parts of the world mobile phone technology, urbanization, the growth of microfinance, and the prevalence of remittances all ensure that even poor, rural populations can easily access a bank account from a mobile phone or Internet connection. Finally, several countries now look at financial literacy and inclusion as the means for a more comprehensive growth, wherein, each citizen of the country is able to use his/her earnings as a financial resource that they can put to work to improve their future financial status and simultaneously contribute to the nation’s progress. Next week we will discuss the benefits of saving for retirement. Thanks for all your comments and support. As usual, please send your comments or questions to deputygovernor@bankofguyana.org.gy

From Page 60

PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 House & land at Mon Repos -$19M. Call: 645-8543 House and land available @ La Parfaite Harmonie, Providence, Etc, We also assist with financing. Contact Pacific Development: 2236035/ 227-8274 House for sale -1 2 flat 3 bedrooms house located @ Belle West #2 W.B.D, asking $9.5M. Call: 604-1299 Goat Creek, Riverfront , 75 Acres land -$7M, Lanaballi River Front, 50 Acres -$9M. Diamond -$7.5M Call: 6880087, 638-8484 Riviera Island: 145 Acres $30M, Tuschen property $5.8M, $6M, $15M. Call: 6880087, 638-8484 Tuschen 2 bedroom flat houses: $10M, land $2M. Call: 688-0087,638-8484 Melani 2 bedrooms - $10M, Tuschen $25M, Canal #2 (15 acres) -$9M. Call:6880087,638-8484 Beautiful transported roadside property; East Canje Berbice with all amenities flower and vegetable gardens. Call: 592626-7450

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 One house to rent @ Atlantic Gardens. Call: 677-8860/ 6149060 Upper flat for rent 3 bedrooms in Atlantic Gardens- Call: 227-4377/2270613/624-6013 2 & 3 Bedrooms apartment for rent @ Nandy Park. Call: 641-3318 Two bedroom apartment at Eccles - $55,000 – Call: 648-7004 1- 2 Bedroom house to rent at Grove, E.B.D – Call: 2660892/ 681-1047 Apartments – $45,000$160,000. Call: 644-5151 (1) 3 bedroom top flat house, fully grilled, 1 room, AC $40,000 upstairs toilet & bath @ La Paraite Harmonie. Call: 666-7823/ 266-0392 1 - 3 Bedrooms selfcontained fully furnished upstairs in Diamond, 4-2 bedrooms apartment in Providence, furnished and unfurnished. Call: 672-1906/ 216-2299

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CAKES & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery also wedding dresses for sale. Call: 670-0798

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Kidney patient in desperate need of transplant After being convinced ten years ago by doctors that a successful kidney transplant would have improved her well being, Reena Sultan, a 31year-old mother of one, is once again seeking the assistance of the public to save her life. Back in 2007, Sultan had undergone a successful kidney transplant in India. She recalls that her brother had donated a kidney to her. “I was feeling well and my life was back to normal but then a couple months ago, the woman said that her symptoms began to return. I started to feel dizzy again and I started to swell. Sultan said that she visited the doctor’s office and learnt that her condition had returned. The doctors told me that if I don’t get this transplant again. I am going to die,” an emotional Sultan stated. She is pleading with members of the public to help her raise $5 million to undergo a surgery in India. She explained that the surgery can be done locally but the cost amounts to $8

million. That is why she is seeking help to go to India. “I already have a donor. He is my nephew. He is 24 years old and he is ready to donate but it is just to raise the monies.” At present, Sultan undergoes treatment for her condition at the Doobay Renal Centre. In an interview with Kaieteur News, the woman’s husband, Fazil Sultan, stated that the treatment his wife receives involved hemodialysis known as dialysis which is used to purify the blood and to get rid of the waste products in the body. She would receive treatment thrice weekly. The dialysis treatment which involves the removing of blood from the body passes through a dialyzer which is a two part filter that acts like an artificial kidney. During the process the unwanted particles are filtered from the body and that blood returns to the circulatory system. A catheter has been inserted into the superior vena cava of her heart. Doctors inserted the

Reena Sultan catheter which will help her condition. The catheter which has a two month usage timeframe has been in for about eight months, since they can barely afford the dialysis. Her husband lamented that his wife’s condition is rapidly deteriorating and is in need of urgent medical attention. Anyone desirous of rendering assistance can contact the couple on their telephone numbers: 227-4167 or 693-1191. Funds can also be deposited to their Republic Bank account #298-9358.

Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Region urged to do something about Venezuela - US official calls on PM Trinidad Express - Less than a week after calling for the removal of the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) over a “derogatory” approach to Venezuela’s government, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley met Friday with a US official who expressed the view that the “entire region” ought to be concerned about the Latin American country. Rowley met with Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Fran-

cisco Palmieri, to “discuss this country’s stance on the position taken by the Organisation of American States (OAS) in relation to Venezuela”, a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair disclosed F r i d a y. L a s t We d n e s d a y, Rowley announced that, speaking earlier that week with Chile President Michelle Bachelet, he had made it clear his Government took strong issue with OAS Secretary General Luis

Almagro’s “derogatory” approach to Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro. In March this year, Almagro accused Maduro’s government of carrying out a “self-coup” after that country’s Supreme Court took over the functions of the opposition-led Congress. Rowley made his statements at a news conference on returning from an official visit to Chile. He also said then Trinidad and Tobago, as its policy, does not interfere in the affairs of sovereign nations and would not be influenced to do so now.

Region Ten Chairman allegedly... From page 8 Chairman would brag to police ranks that he got the previous Commander transferred with just one phone call and can do it again. “Imagine, if the Commander is scared what do you think happens to junior ranks. It’s like the police stations in Linden are run by the Chairman,” the rank said. He added, “You will see, this article will be published and he (Morian) is going to

make the Commander say this is not true but all the ranks in the station know what goes on here. The Commander is just trying to play it safe until they (force) move him.” The rank added that the Commander is someone who does not like trouble and as such, he obeys the Chairman since he is worried about his position. Only Friday, this newspaper carried an article in which Morian embarrassed a police-

man after the rank went to the Bayrock Ground to shut down the music on the morning of May 26, last. In a video recording, Morian could be seen collecting the microphone from a DJ, in the presence of the police rank— and telling the cheering crowd, “The police can’t stop the music. It is time the police realize that Linden is run by an administration, in which I am the boss, and not the police.”

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Sunday June 11, 2017

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Russia says tells US not to strike Syrian pro-government forces again Reuters - Russia said yesterday it had told the United States it was unacceptable for Washington to strike pro-government forces in Syria after the U.S. military carried out an air strike on pro-Assad militia last month.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov relayed the message to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call yesterday initiated by the U.S. side, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. U.S. officials told Reuters

last month that the U.S. military carried out the air strike against militia supported by the government of President Bashar al-Assad which it said posed a threat to U.S. forces and U.S.-backed Syrian fighters in the country’s south.

Russia said at the time that the U.S. action would hamper efforts to find a political solution to the conflict and had violated the sovereignty of Syria, one of Russia’s closest Middle East allies.

“Lavrov expressed his categorical disagreement with the U.S. strikes on pro-government forces and called on him to take concrete measures to prevent similar incidents in future,” the ministry said. The two men had also exchanged assessments of the situation in Syria, it added, and confirmed their desire to step up co-operation to try to

end the conflict there. The ministry said Lavrov and Tillerson had also discussed the need to try to mend the rift between Qatar and other Arab nations through negotiations, and had talked about the state of U.S.-Russia relations and planned meetings between officials from the two countries.

Ethiopia, humanitarian groups say food aid for 7.8 million to run out Reuters - Ethiopia will run out of emergency food aid for 7.8 million people hit by severe drought by the end of this month, the government and humanitarian groups said. Successive failed rains blamed by meteorologists on fluctuations in ocean temperatures known as the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) have created a series of severe back-to-back droughts in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region. In Ethiopia, the number of people now critically short of food is expected to rise by at least two million by next month, according to figures compiled by the government and its humanitarian partners.

Donors, international aid groups and the government say existing food aid for the current 7.8 million will run out as funds are critically short this year with Ethiopia receiving slightly more than half of the $930 million to meet requirements until July.”We are in a dire situation,” John Aylieff, the World Food Programme’s representative in Ethiopia, said during a field trip to Warder in southeast Ethiopia, one of Ethiopia’s hardest-hit areas. “We’ve got food running out nationally at the end of June. That means the 7.8 million people who are in need of humanitarian food assistance in Ethiopia will see that distribution cut abruptly at the end of June,” he added.

Protesters rally against Islamic law in dozens of U.S. cities Reuters - Protesters held rallies across the United States yesterday to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organisers say poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe anti-Muslim hatred is behind the condemnation. ACT for America, a selfdescribed grassroots organisation focusing on national security, staged rallies in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend an event that ACT billed as “March against Sharia.” On the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an

equal number of counterprotesters. Many of the latter were dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting “No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA.” The atmosphere was tense but the protest went off with no violence and only one arrest, police said. More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns. Critics say the organisation vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies are part of a wave of antiMuslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fuelled by President Donald Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign.

Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

Brazil’s Temer wins victory in bid to keep power - for now Brasília (AFP) - Brazilian President Michel Temer defied predictions of his imminent political demise when a court acquitted him on charges of having won election thanks to dirty money. And after Friday’s vote in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) he promptly went on the offensive in his battle to survive additional corruption accusations. Despite being branded by opponents a political “zombie” and likened to characters from “The Walking Dead” television series, the scandalplagued president’s acquittal in the TSE showed he still has plenty of political life. The TSE judges voted 4-3 against stripping Temer of his mandate on the grounds that the 2014 presidential election was contaminated by undeclared campaign donations and bribes. That clears him to serve out the rest of his term to the end of 2018. Dissenting judges painted a grim picture of the way Brazilian corporations seek to buy politicians in Latin America’s biggest country. But with the panel drawn

Michel Temer at 3-3, the TSE’s president Gilmar Mendes cast the deciding vote, urging cool heads at a time of national turmoil. “You don’t switch the president of the republic every hour,” he said. “There are serious proven facts but not enough to annul the mandate.” That spared recessionravaged Brazil being plunged into its second leadership crisis in 14 months, following the impeachment of leftist

president Dilma Rousseff last year and her replacement by her then-vice president Temer. It also backed up Temer’s strategy of arguing that corruption accusations against him are a dangerous distraction when he is needed to put Brazil back on the economic rails. Eurasia Group consultants said Temer’s chances of being toppled before the end of his term have now dropped from 60 to 30 percent. “We underappreciated the ability of the presidential palace to weave a narrative that Temer’s permanence in office represented the best bet for institutional and economic stability until the 2018 elections,” Eurasia Group said. Temer was clearly invigorated, greeting the TSE victory as “a sign that the national institutions continue to guarantee the smooth functioning of Brazilian democracy,” his spokesman said. However, the decision dismayed those pushing for Brazil to face up to its massive corruption problems.

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

The State’s role in the development of sports... (From page 66) a national plan would have dealt with branding the venue etc., so that an image of an international stadium reflects on the live stream and other media outputs as the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall when the transformation took place for the Caribbean Under-16 Basketball Championships last year. These ideas needed to be sold to corporate Guyana. The AAG allowed the facility to appear too bland for an international meet. The criticism of the association cannot be too harsh because this is its first attempt at hosting what should have been a mega meet. More people decided to stay home and follow the live feed on social media as opposed to going to the venue. The association needed to convince more people to leave their homes to support the Guyanese athletes, who needed it the most against the South Americans. Maybe the association was more concerned about its administration of the meet or the athletes in its care, which is normal. Guyana

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones has been at the forefront of the development of sports, but Jones does not have the resources necessary for macro investments at his disposal. Yet, with whatever little he has, he has been able to impact positively on most disciplines, which was never done before. Jones was the most senior official from the State to show consistent interest in Guyana hosting the South American Junior Championships. Jones among other advisers from the Ministry of Education was the only high-profiled officers at the Leonora track on the final day of the meet last Sunday. It tells a story of how low a priority sport is to the State that more officials could not see it fit to go out and support Guyanese athletes at an international meet in Guyana. The absence of the State continues to undermine the development of sport. Their attitude determines how the nation responds to its athletes, who continue to await a transformation in Government’s posture toward them.

performed exceptionally well, using the advantage as the hosts to significantly increase its medal numbers at the meet. However, what compounds the problems of Guyana hosting the meet is what Hutson stated in an interview afterward. He informed that the Championships cost in excess of GUY $30 million and the AAG is indebted as a result with service providers still to be paid. This further highlights the deep chasm that exists between the State and organisers, and its absence in policy and person. Government’s absence in policy was clear because an international event of that magnitude ought to be one that gets the requisite funding to ensure its success. However, one of the excuses here could be that the event was not on the State’s budget owed to late notice. Guyana was not originally scheduled to host the meet. Guyana secured the rights belatedly after Bolivia pulled out as hosts. Notwithstanding, this is where the influence of the State becomes necessary in orchestrating a successful path for the event.

Sunday June 11, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You have a wonderful combination of optimism and spirituality, Aries. You believe in miracles as well as angels, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) There's no other way to say this, Libra - you're in the mood for love. Tonight you may feel a strong urge to be with your partner.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Don't be afraid to ask for help today, Taurus. It may be that your friends and family help you with a task or you discover a mechanized solution that does the job for you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You have a generous spirit, Scorpio, which could get you into trouble if you aren't careful. When you get a gift of money or even a hint of one, your tendency is to buy presents for all your friends.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You can expect your love life to take a dramatic turn for the better, Gemini. This may be because you feel more selfconfident than you have in a long time.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You hardly even believe in love, much less love at first sight, but something that occurs today may turn you into a believer. You never know when it will happen.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You're looking good and feeling great, Cancer. Now if only your home environment reflected who you are.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It's likely a hidden talent of yours is revealed today, Capricorn. All those scraps of writing could turn into something more concrete, such as a novel.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Sign up for a class or workshop today. Your career could greatly benefit from more training. A short computer course might be all you need to move your career a giant leap forward. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You've been working especially hard lately, Virgo, and today you may begin to reap the benefits of all your hard work. Some project that's dear to your heart may be nearing completion, and even you are impressed by the results!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You will feel especially close to family and friends today. There's a lot of positive energy in the air, and people feel optimistic and congenial. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You're likely feeling confident, optimistic, and enthusiastic today. You feel as though anything is possible, and indeed it is. If you feel a bit of wanderlust and are anxious to explore new places and meet new people, you may soon receive the chance.

PAGE 67

Excitement brewing ahead of CARICOM Day Cuff Out Boxing Villages along the West Coast of Demerara and beyond have already began to talk about the inaugural Slingerz Family Entertainment/Vergenoegen Boxing Gym CARICOM Day Cuff Out Amateur Boxing Tournament set for Sunday July 2nd at the Vergenoegen Rice Mill

Tarmac from 21:00hrs. Already confirming their participation are boxers from the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force, Six Head, Wakenaam, Linden and Berbice Gyms. According to the organiser, Collis Payne, fighters will be rewarded with medals, trophy’s and gifts for

their efforts. Slingerz Family Entertainment will be providing the musical entertainment for the night apart from other support for the tournament as they have done when they were in football. Payne is also making a call for more corporate support.

Windies hoping to level series tonight after... (From page 69) should have not been beaten so badly by Afghanistan and they would have not had much time to reflect on what went wrong on Friday. West Indies could not have asked for a better track to bowl on and everything seemed to be going to plan after 40 overs with Afghanistan on 140-5. However, after a high-quality but sedate 81 from opener Javed Ahmadi, Gulbadin Naib (41*) and Mohammad Nabi (27) shared in an unfinished 48-ball 58-run seventh wicket stand that lifted them to 212, which many felt did not appear too big a challenge for West Indies. The Afghan pacers also utilized the grassy track to keep batsmen quiet in the Power-play overs but from the time Khan struck with his first ball, it exposed the batsmen’s lack of skill and technique against quality spin. Khan’s destructive career best 7-18 which is the fourth best ODI figures behind Chiminda Vass (8-19), Shahid Afridi (7-12) and Glen McGrath (7-15), should not be surprising since spinners, many with far less ability than Khan’s, have dominated in the West Indies tournaments at all levels. Khan and Afridi are both leg-spinners and both had their ODI best figures against West Indies. Afridi was the architect of destruction at Providence in 2013 when West Indies were dismissed for 98, their lowest ODI total in the Caribbean.

Today the West Indies batsmen could again have their hands full picking Khan’s googlies, which he uses very often, something Bishoo should do more often. However, the Afghan batsmen are uncomfortable to short balls and Shannon Gabriel and Alazzari Joseph are quicker than any of their Afghanistan counterparts. Miguel Cummins and Skipper Jason Holder also troubled to batsmen with the extra pace and carry on what is one of the better pitches in the West Indies. The fast men have the ability to limit Afghanistan to a total below 140 and despite how well Khan bowls if West Indies bat with more positivity against the other bowlers they should easily emerge victorious. On Friday the West Indies batsmen treated the bowlers

with inexplicable respect and reached the boundary only once in the first 21 overs. This was even before Khan was introduced and turned the match on its head. On such a large ground which should again be on the slow side, rotation of the strike and pressing the boundary riders was something the West Indies top order never did. West Indies will need a positive start from Kieron Powell and Evin Lewis setting the stage for Chase, Shai Hope, Jason Mohammed and Jonathon Carter, the best batsman to spin in the team, to build on after Afghanistan outplayed the hosts in all departments of the game, especially fielding. Despite their horrific loss on Friday West Indies should be the favorites to win today and level the series.

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Sunday June 11, 2017

Kaieteur News

The State’s role in the development of sports is non-existent By Edison Jefford The invisibility of a definitive presence in the administration, organisation and nurturing of sports in Guyana continues to undermine real growth and d e v e l o p m e n t , notwithstanding an abundance of talented athletes, who simply yearn for the commitment of our leaders. The concept of the State in this article is denotatively used as the institution of Government and its related arms, and will be connotatively converted at times to suggest an adverse attitude in the system of governance and leadership toward development of a distinct Guyanese sports culture. This issue became exigent last weekend when

the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) hosted the South American Junior Championships at the National Track and Field Centre, which is located at L e o n o r a , We s t C o a s t Demerara. This article is intended to highlight how the absence of the influence of the State adversely affected the national thrust of the occasion, despite the shortcomings of the AAG and its direct responsibility for the management of the international event. It must be noted that except for Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, the visibility of the State in ensuring the event was a national success was disappointing to say the least. It is becoming clearer by the day that Jones is not enjoying the support of the

State, despite his success in the transformation of several important functions of the National Sports Commission (NSC). For instance, before Jones assumed the post, sport associations, community groups and even individuals had never benefitted financially from the Commission. In two years, Jones has been able to surpass his predecessor in this particular function. In addition, his activism in sport across Guyana is to be admired. However, this commentary is not about the performance of Jones, which will be assessed in a separate essay. It is rather about the State’s attitude or put another way, its adverse reaction to sports, using a just-concluded international event as an example that forces sports-nationalists to

conclude that sports is not a priority for Government. For some shallow sport administrators, what they just read here is what they believe they must avoid Government’s intervention in their administration of their respective associations that have international affiliation and responsibility for the development of their disciplines. An understanding of the role of the State and that of associations is the first step in furthering unity in and growth of sports culture in this land. Unfortunately, such an understanding is sadly missing amid those two key stakeholders, creating an environment where there are continuous shortcomings on both levels of administration. It seems as though associations want to be the only beneficiaries from the State; they would relish funding, but do not want the State enquiring about their performance in administering sport.

Christopher Jones Developing a successful culture relies on the elimination of this selfishness and the emergence of a partnership that ensures the national interest is foremost. Lack of an understanding of the influence of the State stultified all the efforts of the AAG in hosting a major regional competition. Even AAG President, Aubrey Hutson inadvertently recognised this to be true,

and admitted that he underestimated the magnitude of the occasion. While the AAG may have done its best, there were aspects of the State apparatus that if activated for the event, Guyana could have made significant strides. A perfect example of the fictional correlation is Jones having to rescue the local athletes from an unwholesome encampment situation at the National Gymnasium after a photograph circulated on social media with them sleeping on the bleachers. An overwhelming presence of the State from the beginning would have prevented this occurrence. It is generally believed that those aspects like a national Marketing and Public Relations plan to galvanise mass support for the nation’s top 50 athletes were simply beyond the human resource capacity of the athletics association. In terms of marketing, (Continued on page 65)

Sunday June 11, 2017

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Eccles overcome Diamond by 38 runs Eccles defeated Diamond by 38 runs when the National Sports Commission Ministry of Education AL Sport and Tour Promotions 20th Annual Primary Schools Day/Night Windball Cricket Champions Trophy continued with Lower East Bank Demerara Zone at the National G y m n a s i u m . Playing in the female category, Eccles batted first and made 97-0 with Doniela Thom scoring 67 (9x6s) and Jada Binns 18. Diamond responded with 59-1. Thehira Suegrim got 48. Grove beat Craig by nine wickets. Batting first, Craig managed 66-1. Fenella Moore hit 35 and Bibi Kissoon 22. Grove responded with 69-1. Shamaya De Costa made 34 and Nicola Narine 12. Peter’s Hall overcame New Diamond by 11 runs. Peters Hall took first strike and scored 77-2. Amelia Scott got 26 and Shamika Thumbler 26. New Diamond were limited to 66-2 in reply. Jania James made 48 and

Shania Denzil 18. In the male division, Diamond defeated Peter’s Hall by nine wickets. Peter’s Hall batted first and made 105 without loss. Edward Scott slammed 52, Rajesh Singh got 31 and Isaiah Cordis 18. Diamond replied with 108-1. Joshua Dias scored 50 (7x6s) and Jonathan Looknarine 34. Eccles beat Covent Garde n b y 2 9 r u n s . Eccles took first strike and posted 129 without loss. Kisan Singh hit 61 and Mickael John 60. Covent Garden were restricted to 100-2 in reply. Zahim Mohamed g o t 4 7 ; D e v i n Roopnarine contributed 16 and Matthew Jason 14. Grove beat IPE by 10 wickets. IPE batted first and managed 30-2; Fardeer Khaan made 12. Grove responded with 31 without loss. Randy Khan got 18. New Diamond defeated Craig by 10 wickets. Batting first, Craig scored 87-3. Josia Singh led with 54, while Neimehia Saunders

made 14. New Diamond replied with 90 without loss. Ray Richards struck 45 and Deonarine Dindial 40. In other results in the female segment, St Margaret’s made 62 without loss with Otalia Thomas getting 44. Winfer Gardens responded with 41-2, Malikiya Straker got 18. Five-time champions Mae’s made 100-2; Saska Persaud hit 53 and Zayna Qual e n d e r 3 3 a g a i n s t Enterprise who replied with 94-1; Tanya Mohabir struck 70 and Dewanie Crandon 22. In the male category, J E Burnham made 63-3 with Travis Smith scoring 38; R a s h i d i Ta y l o r 2 - 1 4 . Winfer Garden responded with 64-6. Orlando Dickie made 14; T. Smith and Nickolio Mangroo had two wickets each. For m e r c h a m p i o n s Mae scored 111-3; Nickolas Samaroo slammed 53 and Quintin Pinto 41. St. Gabriel’s made 81-2 in reply; Chad Barker got 45 and Kwasi Edinbora 12.

Diamond School female players take time out for a photo. J E Burnham made 82-0. Travis Smith got 26, St. Margaret’s 84-0. Jensen Barry made 12. St. Agnes 59-3. Jahein Straker 44, David Xavier 13. Tucville 60-2. Devanty Mc Calmond 30, Joseph Harry 16, Chai Williams 12. St Ann’s 80-3. Rayan Adams 40, Randy Hughes 22. South Ruimveldt Park 79-3. Mshah De Jonge 32,

John Simon 28. St Angela’s 102-1. Antinio Mc Arthur 60 (10x6s), Shaoabe Hutson 34. Ketley 85-1. Enoch Munroe 36, Meshach Charles 19, Ian Ward 18. St Pius 95-2. Akeem Pereira 34, Damion Ifill 24, Colin Mc Donald 22. Enterprise 86-3. Dometri Ramking 59, Shewat Fortuine 12.

North Georgetown 803. Shaquan Walters 49, Kemol Aulder 12. St Stephens 78-6. Jaquan Cole 20, Joseph Mc Intosh 12. S. Walters 230. Defe n d i n g c h a m p s Sophia 66-5. Sherwin Evans 36, Leon Forrester 16. St. Ann’s 53-1. Randy Huges 21, Javon Toolseram 20.

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Cavs end Warriors run to keep Finals series alive

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) rebounds the ball against the Golden State Warriors during game four of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. (Ronald Martinez/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports) C L E V E L A N D (Reuters) The Cleveland Cavaliers staved off NBA Finals elimination and ended Golden State’s shot at an unprecedented perfect run through the playoffs with a gritty 137-116 win over the Warriors on Friday. Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 40 points and LeBron James chipped in with 31 as the defending champions pulled to within 3-1 and forced the best-of-

seven series back to Oakland. “We finally settled in, man, it was about damn time, for all of us just to really see what playing well as a group looks like against a great team like the Warriors,” said Irving. “We understand who they have on their team and what they’re about and how established they are, but I think that in those three losses we lost track of who

we were at the time. We’re still a special team as well. We are here for a reason.” The Cavaliers, who beat the Warriors in a decisive seventh game last year after trailing 3-1, are now trying to become the first NBA team to rally back from a 3-0 series deficit. The feat has only been accomplished four times in the National Hockey League and once in Major League Baseball.

Independence Draughts competition set for next Saturday The Guyana Draughts Association would be holding its National Independence ‘B’ Class tournament on Saturday 17th June. Then on Sunday June 25th the National ‘A’ Class competition would be contested. Both games would be played at the National Gymnasium M a n d e l a , Av e n u e Georgetown. Starting time is 10:30am on both days. Registration will start from 10.00am and the fee is three hundred dollars per person. Trophies would be awarded to the top four players in each of the categories. The games would be decided on a five round Swiss system. Players are reminded to be on time for the draw because late comers would be at a disadvantage. No bye would be awarded to any player, a must play rule is in effect. Defending ‘B’ Class player Ulric Brathwaite

Mr. Jiaram would be eager to defend his title which would earn him promotion to the ‘A’ Level. However, much is left to be desired since Tuschen player Davanand Persaud has signaled his intention to return to the game. Former ‘B’ Champion Lyndon Heywood is another force to be reckoned with, while some new players from Canal No. 2 and East Coast

Demerara are expected to participate. The top four players would be given an opportunity to enter the ‘A’ Competition the following week. Meanwhile, the ‘A’ Class competition would be left opened since defending Champion Khemraj Pooranmall has indicated to the Association that he will not participate in competitions for this year. Mr. Jiaram President of the Association is appealing to Corporate Guyana not to honour any request from the Guyana Draughts Association without the original signature of the President of the Association and the Original A s s o c i a t i o n ’s S t a m p . Further verification must be done by calling the President on 614-6671. All draught players countrywide are invited to participate in the upcoming event.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) passes the ball away from Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23)and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second half in game four of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 35 points. The game was the most physical yet of the Finals and saw James and Durant come face-to-face at midcourt for a heated argument while a play was being reviewed. Durant was upset after being accidentally slapped by Kevin Love on a block attempt and after a lengthy review Love was assessed a flagrant foul. The top-seeded Warriors, who had won their first 15 games of the playoffs, will get another chance to close out the series in front of their

own fans tomorrow. Cleveland, determined not to watch the Warriors celebrate a championship on their home court for the second time in three seasons, came out flying with a record 86 points in the first half to lead by 18. Their first-half output beat the previous mark of 79 points set in 1985 by the Boston Celtics. Golden State’s usually sharp-shooting offense never found its rhythm and the Cavaliers never took their collective foot off the pedal, leading by as many as 22 points late in the second

quarter. Whenever the Warriors looked like they might go on a run and start chipping away at the lead, the home side responded with a rimrocking dunk from James, a three-pointer from Irving or some tenacious defense. “Our defense was not sharp. They made tough shots, they got it rolling. I thought they played a tremendous game,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “I think the biggest thing, though, was they brought a level of physicality that we did not match. We have to do a better job of that.”

Ostapenko roars back to upset Halep in French Open final PARIS (Reuters) Jelena Ostapenko produced an astonishing fightback to overpower favorite Simona Halep 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the French Open final yesterday and become the first Latvian grand slam champion. The 20-year-old looked down and out when Halep had points for a 4-0 lead in the second set but hit back with an audacious display of power to steamroller thirdseeded Romanian Halep. Ostapenko also recovered from a break behind in the third set and finished the contest with a flashing backhand winner to become the first unseeded player to win the title since Briton Margaret Scriven in 1933. Not only that but it was

her first title of any kind, emulating the feat of Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten who won his first Tour crown at Roland Garros in 1997 on the day Ostapenko was born. Incredibly, she walloped 54 winners during the twohour contest, matching her error count, as she threw caution to the wind on a boiling hot day on Court Philippe Chatrier. Halep’s steady approached looked like taking her to a first grand slam title but she appeared drained at the end by the constant barrage coming from across the net. Not only did the third seed fall short in the Roland Garros final for the second time, but defeat also cost her

the world number one ranking that would have come with victory. Ostapenko, who turned 20 on Thursday when she beat Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, threw her distinctive green headband into the crowd after a warm embrace with Halep who look devastated. “I mean I can’t believe I’m champion at 20,” Ostapenko, the youngest finalist for 10 years, said on court. “I knew that Gustavo Kuerten won his first Roland Garros the day I was born, I have no words. “There were a couple of games when everything went my way and I was ready to fight for every point.”

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Windies hoping to level series tonight after embarrassing loss to Afghanistan

Rashid Khan returned the fourth-best haul in ODIs, West Indies v Afghanistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia, June 9, 2017 © AFP By Sean Devers in St Lucia In association with Vnet Communications Noble House Seafood, Baksh Travel Service, Payless Varity Store & Golden Arrow Inn in St Lucia The riot act must surely have been read to Jason Holder and his team after they sunk to a new low with their embarrassing 63-loss to Afghanistan in the first ODI at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground on Friday and should be desperate to rebound with an emphatic win tonight to level the three-match series.

West Indies have not only been beaten by a team ranked lower than them in their own backyard but have also been defeated psychologically and for a young inexperienced unit such a loss could be a massive blow to their confidence and egos. The loss was surprising but not totally unexpected since it is common knowledge that the standard of the West Indies FirstClass and Super50 tournaments is the lowest among all the Test playing nations which is why it is sometimes unfair to expect Regional players to excel at the International level.

Johnson Charles pulls one over midwicket, WICB President’s XI v Afghanistan, warm-up T20I, St Kitts, May 30, 2017 ©WICB But losing to Afghanistan? Not even the most loyal West Indies fan would find an excuse for Friday night’s pathetic performance even with a team missing nearly all of its senior players. On a track which assisted the four West Indian pacers, 18-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan destroyed the West Indies who left out their own leggie Devendra Bishoo who has not done anything significant to merit selection in the squad ahead of Rakeem Cornwall. Bishoo followed up an

Deion Nurse and Colin McKoy cop gold in Pan Am Masters weightlifting championship

Deion Nurse (left) and Colin McCoy won gold for Guyana. They arrived in the Dominican Republic merely one day prior to the start of the competition but veteran weightlifters, Deion Nurse and Colin McKoy turned in commendable performances to capture gold at the Pan Am Masters weightlifting championship in the Dominican Republic on Friday evening.

McCoy competed in the 62kg class and lifted a total of 140kg, while Nurse competed in the 85kg class and carted off the gold after lifting 183kg. Mr. Nurse explained that they competed among a combined group of 14 lifters. Kaieteur Sport had spoken with Mr. Nurse mere

Shai Hope was watchful starting out v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Providence, April 11, 2017 ©AFP

hours before the duo was scheduled to compete and he had said that they are primed up and ready for action. He had also bemoaned the minimal acclimatization period but promised that he and his countryman would have aspired to give of their best. Yesterday afternoon, he said that the duo was truly delighted with the achievement when everything is taken into consideration. He is grateful to several entities that contributed to the trip including Director of Sports, Christopher Jones and the National Sports Commission, the executive of the Guyana Olympic Association, Industrial Safety Supplies, Antartic Maintenance and Repair, Ansa Mcal, and Morse Archer.

ordinary Regional Super50 with three expensive wickets in his last five ODIs. Roston Chase has great temperament and is well suited for Test cricket, but like Bishoo he had an

ordinary Regional Super50 and is not seen as a Limited overs batsman. If he retains his place tonight he should bat at number three and the others bat around him. It has to be admitted that

the pool of ‘International ready’ players in the West Indies is now getting smaller and smaller since all of our quality players are unavailability for various reasons. But even this team.

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Sunday June 11, 2017

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Trophy Stall Annual Independence Badminton tournament 2017

Competitive play highlights first day action The Guyana Badminton Association’s Trophy Stall Annual Independence Badminton Tournament started on Friday at the National Gymnasium. The tournament started out with the Open Men and Ladies Singles and all matched were played off to the SemiFinals as the players turned in very competitive performances. The GBA has expressed pleasure at seeing several of the senior players who turned out to take part in this event. Results of the Matches Played off were: Men Singles First Rounds: Ronald Chang Yuen defeated Medharishi Ramdhani: 21-12, 21-6 Marlon Chung defeated Akili Haynes: 25-23, 21-13 Gokarn Ramdhani defeated Tyrese Jeffrey: 2115, 17-21, 21-14 Jonathan Mangra defeated Ravin Singh: 2111, 21-5 Men Singles QuarterFinals: Narayan Ramdhani defeated Nicholas Waldron:

Action in one of the Men’s matches on opening day of the Trophy Stall Badminton tourney. 21-12, 21-6 Ronald Chang Yuen defeated Darrell Carpenay: 21-18, 21-16 Marlon Chung defeated Eton Hubbard: 21-11, 21-13

No play on second day The second day of the second round Guyana Cricket Board Hand-in-Hand three-day inter county U19 tournament was rained out without a ball being bowled yesterday. The Demerara and Guyana select U17 game is set for the Everest CC, while Eve Leary is the venue of the Berbice and Essequibo encounter. Weather permitting play will commence at 9:30hrs today.

Jonathan Mangra defeated Gokarn Ramdhani: 21-9, 21-10 Ladies Singles Quarter-Finals: Shivannie Persaud

defeated Ayanna Watson: 21-16, 21-17 Ladies Singles SemiFinals: Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Venessa Shelto: 21-

5, 21-7 Greer Jackson defeated Shivannie Persaud: 21-5, 217 Action in the tournament continued yesterday with the

Under-11,13 & 15 Boys and Girls Singles, the Open Man & Ladies Singles Semi-Finals, Finals & Consolation rounds will be played off.

MOE/NSC cricket coaching clinic concludes at Port Mourant

Rising Sun Turf Club to host meet on June 25 The Rising Sun Turf Club in collaboration with the Guyana Association of Women Police will be hosting a grand one day horserace meet on June 25 at their West Coast Berbice track. Six races are carded for the day and over three million dollars in cash and trophies will be up for the taking. Over 45 horses have been registered for the meet with the feature event being the classified G class and lower for a distance of one mile for a top prize of $300,000. The runner up will take home $150,000 and third prize $75,000. Other events listed are the I class and three-year old Guyana bred, J 1 and lower,

K class and lower, L 1 and lower and L 2 and the unclassified. Among the top horses slated to take part are Settling Star, Appling Harvest, Got to go, T and T, Cat Massiah, Bird Man, Chelsea, Red Jet, Red Regent, Something Special, Bridal Stone Corner, Party Time, Puppy Tail, Richie Poo, Seven Dust, Little Star and Unruly. Owners of horses must play at least $5,000 for each horse at the time of entry and entries will be closed on June 19. Horses can be entered through Cynthia Kelly 622 5975, Compton Sancho 691 1174, Fazal Habibulla 657 7010 or Niketa Ross 662 4668. Action gets underway at 13:00hrs on race day.

Participants following the clinic.

The Ministry of Education National Sports Commission three-day coaching clinic concluded recently at Port Mourant. The programme saw 24

participants from the East Berbice Corentyne area attending the session which were conducted by Latchman Yadram. Participants were

exposed to both theory and practical aspects of coaching including batting, bowling fielding and wicket-keeping. Coach Yadram thanked Godwyn Allicock for

organising the clinic and urged those present to share their knowledge in schools. The teachers welcomed the initiative and thanked Yadram for his effort.

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Alysa Xavier – star hockey player with eyes on the prize The term ‘Guyanese Girl rocks’ can be aptly ascribed to Alysa Teresa Xavier a star Goalkeeper whose eyes are on the prize academically as well as on the Hockey field. Age 24, this former Queen College girl who graduated with ten subjects at the CSEC level may appear like the ordinary modest girl but she is the kind of woman a country, a father can be proud of literally. “This kind of inspiration is needed among our youth and I commend this young w o m a n f o r h e r outstanding exploits that projects the positive light on herself, the sport and the country.” Such were the commendations spoken about Xavier a US based Field Hockey Goalkeeper who is holding her own as a recent graduate of the Miami University, Ohio during a meeting on Thursday last with Minister of Sports Nicolette Henry. Her love is for hockey but she was also an ace cricketer who probably has the record for hitting the most sixes out of the Eve Leary ground in her Guyana

RAN 15s Competition

school days. Understandably so she hails from a family of sportsmen and women where Anthony Xavier, the current administrator of the National Stadium, is a former National Volleyball player and several of her siblings also have a love for hockey. Originally from Subryanville, Georgetown, Xavier is one of eleven siblings and started playing hockey at age eleven (11) but started goalkeeping at age thirteen (13). “Alysa showed great promise from an early age, exceeding the expectations of others and rose through the ranks quickly to make the Guyana National Hockey team,” said Phillip Fernandes her forever coach who is the President of the Guyana Hockey Board. Reflecting he said, she was the youngest player at age 14 to have made the National team to date and for several years she was a mainstay as the number one goalkeeper for the Guyana National team for sojourns in and out of Guyana. In 2013 she was selected

Alysa Xavier (left) during her visit with Minister Nicolette Henry. t o b e o n t h e PANAMERICAN All-Stars team, a first for Guyana and she remains the lone Guyanese to have been selected to that status. Through links established by the Guyana Hockey Board, she was offered a Hockey scholarship to the Miami University, Ohio in 2013. Since then, there has been no looking back for this young woman. Academics wise, Xavier excelled in

Kinesiology, maintaining an above 3.0 grade average over the four years period before graduating in May with a Bachelor ’s of Science degree. On the field, she was no less brilliant and her efforts along with other teammates ensured that the University’s Te a m w o n t h e M i d American Conference Championships in 2013 and 2015. Ultimately Xavier aspires to be the best

goalkeeper in the world, while being a Clinical Exercise Physiologist. Her strides in the sport have been many, as have been her exploits and her forever coach who is the President of the Guyana Hockey Board says, what she has done is a first for Guyana and the board is aspiring to secure similar opportunities for other prospective hockey players who are as determined and as committed as Xavier is. “She has made us proud,” Fernandes said. When not playing hockey, Xavier is a work horse who believes in action and walking the talk. Though not where she wants to be eventually, she believes that “anything is possible if you work hard for it” and noted too that while life may not be always smooth sailing, giving up should not be an option. “For the first two years on campus, it was tough coping, but then it came easy afterwards ...operating outside your comfort zone always leads to greatness

and that makes the difference between winners and quitters.” She can be found on Facebook by simply looking for her name. S o m e o f A l y s a ’s accolades includes:- MAC Champions 2013, 2015, - MAC Goalkeeper of the year 2015 & 2016, - NCAA statistical champion (Goal save percentage) 2015. - All- MAC 1st Team, 2015&2016. - NHFCA senior All-Star team 2016. - Three-time defensive player of the week for 2015 and 2016. - Scholar-Athlete Citation for maintaining at least a 3.0 scholastic average while participating in Field Hockey (2016). - English 111 project “just writing- nothing more nothing less” was selected and published in the textbook College Composition at Miami University. - Panam elite team- 2013. - Runner-up player of the year (Guyana)- 2013. (Mondale Smith & Tekia Hanover)

Another day of gloom for T&T ruggers as Guyana win 24-17 -Green Machine move on to play Mexico

Part of the action in yesterday’s RAN 15s clash between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. By Rawle Welch It was another day of gloom for Trinidad and Tobago national ruggers against Guyana’s ‘Green Machine’ who condemned them to another defeat in the Rugby Americas North (RAN) South Zone 15s Competition yesterday, at the St. Stanislaus College ground, Carifesta Avenue. The Guyanese ruggers who’ve dominated the Trinidadians in recent years continued their control over their regional counterparts with a masterful performance, winning 24-17

to set up a date with Mexico on July 1 in Mexico. Winger Avery Corbin was in terrific form bundling over the tryline twice, while flanker Richard Staglon and right lock Ahamad Isaacs added one apiece. Captain and scrum half Ryan Gonsalves converted twice to complete Guyana’s final score-line. For the visitors, James Phillips, Karlon Alexander and Samuel Roberts each scored a try, while Johnson Alleyne converted once. Watched by a fair-sized crowd that included Minister

of State Joseph Harmon, Director of Sport Christopher Jones, Patron of the Guyana Rugby Football Union Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento, Union President Peter Green among others, the Trinidadians following a relentless opening attack in the Guyanese half eventually were rewarded with a try through James after nine minutes. The Trinidadian winger broke several tackles, before hurling himself over the tryline to put them ahead early. The conversion was missed.

However, urged on by home support the ‘Green Machine’ responded seven minutes later when Staglon bundled over the line following a punishing drive that started in Guyana’s half of the field. The ensuing conversion was missed to keep the score level. Buoyed by their response, Guyana controlled the possession and stretched their advantage three minutes later through Corbin, who ended over the backline to terminate another grueling offensive assault. This time the

conversion by Gonsalves was good as Guyana took a 12-5 lead that remained that way until the half. The final period was a replica of the first as the Tr i n i d a d i a n s p u s h e d forward with intensity and threatened to score, but the Guyanese defence was unyielding in response and denied the visitors thrust. Another exhibition of offensive dominance resulted in Guyana’s next set of points when the almost unstoppable Isaacs drove over the try-line in a demonstration of sheer

power to make it 17-5 after the conversion was missed. That try came in the 59th minute of play. The Trinidadians had to wait until the 73rd minute to respond through Alexander, who ploughed his way through the Guyana wall to score a try which was converted by Alleyne to make it 12-17. However, Guyana were in no mood to entertain any close challenge and Corbin’s herculean solo effort after receiving a pass from inside Guyana’s half placed the icing on the cake for regional juggernauts Guyana. He sliced through the Soca ruggers defence, fending off several tackles, before executing a breathtaking leap over the line, leaving a host of defenders in his wake to make it 22-12. Gonsalves converted to make it 24-12 in the 78th minute, before Roberts’ 84th minute try for T&T came just as the whistle sounded to hand Guyana victory.

t r o Sp RAN 15s Competition

Another day of gloom for T&T ruggers as Guyana win 24-17 -Green Machine move on to play Mexico

The victorious ‘Green Machine’ pose for a photo op following another win over Trinidad and Tobago yesterday at St. Stanislaus College ground.

Ostapenko roars back to upset Windies hoping to level series tonight Halep in French Open final

after embarrassing loss to Afghanistan Deion Nurse and Colin McKoy cop gold in Pan Am Masters weightlifting championship

Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko celebrates with the trophy after winning the final against Romania’s Simona Halep. (Reuters / Christian Hartmann)

Cavs end Warriors run to keep Finals series alive

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