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Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
WE HAVE A FAR WAY TO GO
I
t is said that no society, nation or country can achieve social, political and economic stability and sustain able development in an unpredictable environment in which people, regardless of class, level of education, profession or political affiliation, do not conform to the laws of the land and the social norms. All societies need decent, productive and law-abiding citizens in order to prosper and maintain peace and social harmony. Unfortunately, Guyana barely fits into this type of society. The adherence to laws and rules, without which there can be chaos, does not come after economic and social development has been attained, but before. Chaos is an unpredictable situation for all countries, because it creates instability and jeopardizes every economic activity and every aspect of life itself. Guyana has an unpredictable economic, social and political environment that is the antithesis of a business atmosphere that should encourage investment of every kind, the exercise of entrepreneurship, and the safety and comfort of conducting business. What prevails in the country is pandemic indiscipline at all levels of governance, which is a disregard for the laws, rules of civility and the rights of others. No class or sector of our society is exempted from this type of depraved behaviour. Indiscipline in Guyana takes many forms. For example, driving on the highways and the byways is an unpredictable and unnecessarily risky experience because of the disregard for laws and rules, and for life. Many drivers often operate their vehicles above the speed limit and sometimes under the influence of alcohol. Many vehicles are not licensed or insured and in some cases, they are operated by people without a driver’s licence or who have purchased their licence. Bus and taxi drivers overtake lines of traffic, in the process driving on the wrong side of the road. Driving through a red light or without acknowledging the presence of a stop sign happens to be a common experience. Two lanes of cars do not merge by alternate cars, but by might and bluff. No wonder the number of traffic accidents remains high.More serious is when people act outside of the prescriptive rights law and capture other people’s land and there is no recourse. Other disorderly behaviour includes larceny, armed robbery, extortion, non-payment of electricity bills, the avoidance of Customs duties and nonpayment of taxes, corruption and theft of the country’s finances. Not to mention the sexual abuse of children and women, and sexual harassment in the workplace and of the vulnerable in society. This rampant indiscipline exists because there is inadequate enforcement of laws, and the elites are not put in prison for corruption, theft of the country’s resources and other white collar crimes. Instead, they are offered plea deals to pay fines. Indiscipline is often at the expense of the public, e.g., itinerant street vendors, men urinating in public and the open use of vulgar language. For some, indiscipline is being justified for putting food on the table by any means necessary. The fact that there is the perception that elements of the police force are corrupt and government workers are slow to act, does not mean that the public has to bribe them in order to get things done. They should be exposed and, where necessary, shamed. However, people are not ashamed to be engaged in bribery and other illegal activities. The truth is, stealing and crookery have become acceptable in our society. Politicians from both sides of the aisle have condoned indiscipline and other illegal acts by party members because they do not wish to risk losing a vote.Many law-abiding citizens are forced to join the ranks of the indisciplined, because if they play by the rules, they would be seen as outsiders and could get sidelined by their bosses or the political elites. Abiding by rules is a prerequisite for socio-economic growth and development. In this respect, we have a far way to go in Guyana.
From the desk of the GECOM Chairman DEAR MR. EDITOR: The headline blazoned on the first page of The Kaieteur News edition of Friday June 15, 2018 proclaiming thusly: “GECOM hiring policy concerns not about race, but fairness.” Those are the words of Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition adumbrated the same concerns as I have, perhaps more elegantly, hence this Letter to the Editor. No, I am not accusing the Leader of larceny of my idea but rather I do applaud him for having the courage and indeed, gonads, to enunciate a principled position. To advocate for the contrary by promoting ethnicity before ability and subjugation for suitability or any other platitude is to coronate ethnicity King of this domain, ordained by the crown prince - Institu-
tional Racism. It would be maladroit and explosively dangerous to enunciate otherwise. The following came to me from a FACEBOOK follower. “Lest we forget this was the ethnic make-up of GECOM in 1999 Senior Managers 1999 Doodnauth Singh – Chairman Stanley Singh – CEO; Gocool Boodoo – ACEO Administration Albert Ramsaroop – Chief Accountant Arnold Depoo – Advisor to IT Department Arun Mangar – IT Manager Totaram Mohabir – Manager GECOM Stores and Purchasing. On the face of it these gentlemen appear to be from one common ethnicity. A few conclusions follow. My first impression was that my friend
“Dood” (the Chairman) must have had a very fertile catchment area from which to choose his team hence the apparent racial imbalance. I have the honour of sustaining that tradition. Today there are those who are crying ‘foul,’ ‘unfair’ ‘we wuz robbed’ merely because the Chairman of GECOM gave his casting vote in hiring a senior manager “…not about race, but fairness” as per Dr. Jagdeo. This is the system that was in place for decades. I challenge anyone to dispute my claim that GECOM is the best run bureaucracy in Guyana. I suppose my good friend Mr. Doodnauth Singh is turning in his grave right now at the concerted efforts of those who would wish to undo his good work. Democracy and free and fair elections are conjoined
Siamese twins and the sine qua non of any stable democracy. There are those who want to see this country Balkanised. Their modus operandi is to sow seeds of discord and division. I urge you, nay I adjure you, to keep a safe antiseptic distance from such counterfeits. We are abiding in an environment where truth is distorted and integrity is put in a blind trust pending its ultimately evacuation from polite society. To those who would continue in the mirage of fake news be warned that there is that possibility that you may be taken to your ultimate destination elsewhere by a murder of crows. Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson Chairman Guyana Elections Commission
Police ranks and the acquired leadership skills DEAR EDITOR Congratulations to the police. I read with much pleasure in the print media that 21 members of the Guyana Police Force ranging from the rank of constables to deputy superintendents recently successfully completed a threemonth training course in leadership. According to the media the course was sponsored by the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Programme. Ms. Alexandra King, Political and Economic Chief at the United States of America Embassy in Guyana. David Ramnarine, Commissioner of Police (ag) and Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security, addressed the graduates at the graduation. They all raised some apposite issues and concerns. The reports stated that Ms. Alexandra King called on the participants to share what they have learnt in the last three months with their colleagues in an effort to bring positive change among them. The acting Top Cop cautioned the ranks to put what they have been taught into good use and to use the knowledge and skills for the good, as the force is increasingly under the microscope. The Honourable Minister urged the ranks not to be vessels to be filled, but rather as lamps to be lit and shine. He posited that many times he noticed that nice programmes come and that when the players leave, the passion and so on die. He yearned for people who will ensure that it flows from there. Training in the Guyana Police Force is a sine qua non. It is the lifeblood of the
organisation. It is the main root of development in the GPF. Other sectors even though very important are but the branches of the tree. Cut the main root and the tree dies. The police have boasted and quite rightly so, of exposing hundreds of their ranks to training conducted by the police themselves; at the University of Guyana and other institutions of learning; done locally by overseas facilitators from the ABC and other countries as was the case of the just concluded leadership training under review; and training overseas. These training inputs, although commendable, invite many unanswered questions: How do the police identify training needs? Do the training satisfy the needs of the
GPF? Are there benefits for the individual officers? Are there benefits for the supervisors/ managers? Are there benefits for the department, the community they serve and the country as a whole? Or is it that history will record that an innumerable number of police ranks were exposed to some kind of training and nothing else happened? According to Alice in Wonderland, if you do not know where you are going any road will take you there. Some time ago I wrote that the ideal thing for the police to do is to conduct a Job Task Analysis country wide to identify training needs as it relates to a vastly changing and dynamic environment they are now required to serve and protect.
The process is a time consuming and expensive exercise, but it is indispensable. However, in the interim there are other areas the police can be guided by to identify training needs. Space does not allow me to go into greater details but l had outlined several areas in an article in the last edition of the Guyana Review. In addition, there must be a fit and proper system in place to evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of the police training. It is imperative that the training activities be evaluated. Bumgarner (2001) suggests, “In doing fullfledge training evaluation, favourable evaluation results can be used to demonstrate the usefulness of training and (Continued on page 5)
IGNORING THE TRAVELLED ROAD THROUGH IGNORANCE DEAR EDITOR, The letter published in Kaieteur News, on Monday, June 18, 2018, titled ‘Don’t Trivialise History’ written by Lincoln Lewis is timely. I believe it should be sent to all Ministers and Administrators. The irony is that the President has anchored his words and deeds based on Guyana’s exciting, interesting and unique history. The Prime Minister also does the same. However, I have had more than one experience with some Senior Bureaucrats and Political office holders who pay no credence to experience. I recall on a visit to an area on West Bank Demerara I helped develop in the 60s; the Political Appointee seemed
disinterested when I tried to explain to him the background and complex nature of the area. I don’t always agree with Lincoln Lewis, but in this instance, he is absolutely correct. His words require serious consideration. The problem seems to be that some folks who now hold high office seem to believe that they know everything. It is a sort of arrogance that can give this Coalition problems and allow for other missteps. A simple telephone call will help those who now hold high office to the likes of a Sir Shridath Ramphal, Sase Naraine, Eusi Kwayana, Ashton Chase, Oscar Clarke, Bryn Pollard, Sydney
Grenville, Yvonne HarewoodBenn, Vic Persaud, Winston Bentham, Sylvanus Mc Kend and others who experienced the ‘hell fire’ and struggles for Independence, before many of the now disinterested were born or at best were in cradles. There is the solid contention that ‘ancestral piety’ and a knowledge of the road we traverse would give us the intellectual strength to make the present and the future safe and glorious. Those now in charge must honour and understand the wisdom contained in our National Anthem. Let us avoid the errors of an immediate past. Hamilton Green Elder
Tuesday June 19, 2018
THE FACT OF THE MATTER DEAR EDITOR Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson has made my point, emphatically, about the perverse ethnic and political domination, and lack of diversity and racial exclusion in the make-up and hiring practices of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), in his considered –but irrational decision – to reject the top ranked candidate, Vishnu Persaud, for the post of Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of GECOM. Persaud emerged as the highest-ranked candidate from an interviewing and review process which imposed surprising double jeopardies on him. The facts are: Persaud served in the position for over three years; Persaud was in employment at a senior level, for several more years; Persaud has had ‘very good’ performance appraisals from CEO Lowenfield; Persaud acted in the position of CEO vice Lowenfield - on a number of occasions; and Persaud has exceeded the requirements for the job, as advertised, greatly. In fact, the position should not have been advertised in the first place but the gentleman should have been rightfully reinstated to his post, a post which only fell vacant due to the absence of a full commission. The hung vote across the table, however, meant that the Chairman Patterson had to cast his vote. A three-week delay for decision yielded his ‘considered’ position that Roxanne Myers, the second ranked candidate, was his choice for the DCEO position. I repeat here my assertions that the decision is gross, irrational, lacking in fairness, and is an injustice, not only to the individual it negatively impacted but, also, to the whole Guyanese society. The arguments of meritocracy, which were proffered by some, in defense of the ethnic dominance and skewed culture at GECOM, have been thrown out of the window by the Chairman’s action. Here we have had a candidate, who clearly merited due, fit and proper consideration, cast out in spite of having been ranked the highest of all those interviewed. Even worse, the decision validates persistent claims that a group of Guyanese, representing perhaps 50 plus percent of the population, have no merit in the considerations
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for fair employment also at GECOM. The decision has, I have heard, left a bitter taste, also, in the mouths of AfroGuyanese employees at GECOM who felt that Persaud was unfairly treated. And here, I repeat my assertion that GECOM at the top management level is dominated by up to 90 percent Afro-Guyanese. If the same were true for similar dominance by Indo- or any other group of Guyanese it would still be wrong, and unhealthy, and must attract similar condemnation and efforts for redress. We have to deal with uncomfortable truths fairly. I have referenced the Lawrence Inquiry, which deemed the British Police as being ‘institutionally racist’ as a reference point for similar situations and behaviour elsewhere. I insist that critical institutions of the state such as GECOM, become reflexively racist, sometimes without knowing it, but, also, become victims and pawns for the undertaking of sinister actions, by some, to the detriment of fairness, justice, public good and sustainability of the nation. And this goes for whichever group dominates in any similar institution of the state. The continuance of the denial of fair employment on the basis of race, ethnicity, and association in critical institutions of the state, such as GECOM, is a manifest denial of the civil rights of citizens and is injurious to a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and yet fragile nation. Some of us, therefore, should not beat the drums in support of civil rights and justice, for groups discriminated against in other countries, while we support and/or undertake discriminatory practices against groups of fellow Guyanese . Moral equivalency matters in this issue. An urgent staff audit, of
GECOM, must-be-undertaken, to answer questions of lack of diversity, ethnic suppression and exclusion, and political dominance at the institution. Such an audit has to take account of geographic imbalances and imbalances at various employment levels. Furthermore, the stakeholders have to arrive at formulations to address these matters, as they relate to the hiring of temporary staff and contractors for elections when these issues become even more exacerbated. GECOM CEO, Lowenfield, has to have the courage to, dispassionately, map the agency for unusual employment anomalies said to be, also, existing representing family and membership of particular churches. Explanations, for any such anomalies, must be offered, to allay negative public perceptions and anxieties and to allow for redress GECOM, as a matter of urgency, has to draft, invite public comment and, thereafter, adopt a Corporate Social Responsibility Charter (CSRC), and a Governance Charter, which speak to its ethos and commitment in respect of its constitutional mandate to prepare for and conduct free, fair and transparent elections, for Guyana, which are acceptable. These should come out of a risk assessment process using acceptable matrices, and they should be regularly monitored, and reported on, for compliance. In the meantime, much needed ethnic sensitivity training is required to deal with complaints of disdainful treatment at all levels of engagement with the Commission. The ongoing deliberate, open and, also, surreptitious stacking of GECOM senior staff with persons of a particular group and of a particular political preference, have been just confirmed via Facebook and Twitter posts (Continued on page 6)
Giftland has concerns about duties and the other company DEAR EDITOR, First off let me correct Mr. Dereck Chin. The Government did not build my road. We took a dam and built it into what it is now at a cost of over $400 million of our own money. The construction included sidewalk, drainage, and street lighting along with bus shed. Our Government was kind enough to apply a thin asphalt top on our finished road. Mr. Eddie Boyer, whose housing development fought and won the rights to make full use of our roadway access, instead of developing his own, knows better and should have advised him so. Also for Mr. Chin’s Information, roads, sewerage, fiber optic cables, sanitation and all amenities have been paid for and to date are being maintained by Giftland. We are not harassing the Government for services that would put a strain on our already overtaxed infrastructure. Mr. Chin as an overseasbased Guyanese, should be cognizant of these facts. Recent disclosures have raised many questions which would be enlightening to know. (a) GRA has stated that there is a breach of contract by a foreign company. There has been misuse of the concessions and duty free equipment to supply these to Movie Towne. Isn’t this fraud on the Government? (b) If concessions were granted for the airport then, how can the materials and equipment end up at Movie Towne? it is in the Public interest to have a detailed list of these and what fines are being charged for this attempt to rob the country of revenue, knowing that this act was illegal. (c) Was Movie Towne also complicit in this arrangement, a thorough investigation by the C.I.D is required here to determine intent? Mr. Statia mentions that
equipment that was used illegally on MT would be paid for later after MT opens. Can Mr. Statia share with us how this will be done? Having paid all my duty and VAT upfront and now finding that there was fraud to supply MT, I would be very interested to know what fines are being levied. It now stands that MT is getting credit on duties and VAT which we paid up front. Mr. Statia mentions that “equipment” was used by the foreign company on the MT project. He does not mention materials. Having paid hefty duties and VAT on all my imports not related to the Cinema component, I would be grateful for the proof that cement, steel, escalators, elevators, glass,
shop fronts, doors, washroom , electrical, plumbing and all other items which we paid duty for, including our generation sets, were equally duty paid by this foreign construction company and MT. It appears that the foreign company worked at that time period with inbuilt duty free, it would be reasonable to surmise that this would have applied to these other items as well, having shown that they had already done this with “equipment for MT” The Giftland Group is open to competition of whatever kind as long as the playing field remains level. This is all we are requesting. With Regards, Roy Beepat Chairman Giftland Group.
Police ranks and the ... Frome page 4 the appropriateness of expending training dollars.” The Kirkpatrick Model of training evaluation can be very instructive. It has four levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. The reaction level focuses on the participants’ perception of the training. This is the most common type of evaluation. The learning level focuses on the knowledge or skills required, ideally through a pre-post test. The behaviour level looks at whether or not the knowledge or skills is actually applied to the job by observing
the participants use what was learnt. The results level focuses on the department’s return on investment or cost benefits analysis, for example cost savings, increase in work output or quality. Bumgarner recommends, “For criminal justice managers to know that the organisation has truly benefited through the training of its employees, all four levels should be examined. “ Yours faithfully Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)
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An Analysis GBTI’s Financial Performance for 2017 DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry Limited’s annual report for their financial year ended 2017 was recently made available to its shareholders. The Bank has been marred in several controversial legal matters involving the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) coupled with a massive fraud close to $1 billion that occurred in 2017. This missive sought to thoroughly dissect and or analyze the financial health of the institution in the interest of all of its shareholders including both majority and minority; and other key stakeholders. Commercial banks and all other licensed financial institutions are governed by the Financial Institutions Act 1995 which is enforced, inter alia, by the central bank. The Central Bank has the supervisory and regulatory authority for these institutions and by extension the financial sector. While it is noted in the annual report that the reporting is subject to two reporting standards – that is, the IFRS and the Bank of Guyana Supervision Guideline No.5, logically the central bank which is the regulatory and supervisory authority ought to be and is the supreme au-
thority in this regard. The revenue streams of a bank constitutes four key components – (1) commissions and fees; (2) investments in financial instruments both locally and abroad; (3) interest received from loans and advances and; (4) foreign exchange. The main income or the larger portion of its income, however, is earned from the loans and advances or its credit portfolio. Thus, it is this component that when perusing a bank’s balance sheet, it is prudent to examine the asset quality of the bank’s balance sheet. The bank has reported an after tax profit of $1.5 billion for 2017, down from $2 billion in 2016 or by 25 percent while total assets increased marginally by 0.15 % or $148 million compared to the corresponding period in 2016; retained earnings and reserve increased by $837 million or six percent from $13.7 billion in 2016; net loans and advances declined by $1.4 billion in 2017 or 3.22 % from $45.5 billion in 2016 to $44 billion in 2017. As can be deduced from the tables above, the bank has reported a net loans and advances in its balance sheet of $44.7 billion out of a total loan portfolio
of $48.3 billion thereby reflecting a loan provisioning of $3.6B. However, of extreme importance, the level of non-performing loans is a whopping $11.8 billion representing 24.5 percent of its total portfolio and, more worryingly the bank has underprovided for these bad loans by a massive $4.4 billion as is illustrated in the above table and prescribed by the regulatory guidelines.
SHADES OF UGANDA DEAR EDITOR: Starting in July 2018, Uganda will tax its citizens for using social media networks including WHATSAPP, TWITTER and FACEBOOK. What impact such a tax will have on that country? Clearly the Government of Uganda led by an intellectually bankrupt septuagenarian who has been in power since 1986 because of widespread election irregularities. The system is supported by an Elections Commission weighed in favour of the Presi-
dent. Why? The President has exercised unilateral authority to impose a Chairman on their Elections Commission. Sounds familiar? Only a democratically stagnant politician would want to stack the Elections Commission in his favour as a means to perpetuating a shambolic system of elections in a nation. It is this kind of regressive thinking that leads politicians to do the most “dotish” of things like tax social media rather than the fiscally responsible
act of cutting the cost of their Cadillac lifestyle in a donkey cart economy. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda promised the people in 2016 that he will fight poverty and corruption although he had been in charge of the country for 30 years and it is under his watch the greatest growth of poverty and corruption occurred. Isn’t it the same thing we heard with the promises of the good life? Where is the good life for the common man in Guyana? Instead today we are getting heavy doses of “passing the buck” as the well connected newly sun propagandist defends the under-performance of this Granger regime. Regards Albert Allen
This means that the profits declared are not real profit. Additionally, this practice is referred to as creative accounting or sometimes referred to as ‘window dressing’ – an accounting terminology
which accountants and students of accounting would know that it is just a decent term in the accounting profession to describe in essence – management fraud. As a comparison to further illustrate how GBTI’s financial health is deteriorating at a rather rapid pace, GBTI’s financial performance was once the most financially sound and enviable bank in Guyana. To this end, having perused the annual report for the financial year 2 0 0 8 , t he bank had reported a profit after tax of $940M, a net loan portfolio of $12.8 billion and reserves and retained earnings of $3.85 billion. Of interest to note, in that year the level of impaired or non-performing loans stood at $1.851 billion and a total provisioning of $1.9 billion; clearly reflecting that the provisioning for bad loans was actually more than the level of the bad loan portfolio. When re-worked to compute what the actual level of provisioning should be as prescribed by the Central
Bank’s Supervision Guideline No.5, that figure worked out to $1.4 billion. Again, this was a another reflection of prudent financial management of the institution and also skillfully declaring less profits by providing more for bad loans rather than declaring more profits and paying more corporate taxes. In other words, the bank was actually making more profits in those years up to 2009. From then on, the bank started to weaken at a r a t h e r a l a r m i n g r ate thro u g h e x c e s s i v e r i s k taking, and poor quality lending practices. It is in the interest of the 40% minority shareholders, against the background of the analyses presented in this letter, to effectively and object ively ask the right questions and grill the Board of Directors at the next AGM set for June 21, 2018. Yours sincerely, Banking and Economic Analyst MSc. (Banking) (Name & Address Supplied)
THE FACT OF THE MATTER From page 5 – now being rapidly taken down. This event also supports charges that GECOM has been ‘captured’ by one political entity.
There is now the feeling that there is complete destruction of any general perception of fairness, integrity and transparency at GECOM. Commissioner Alexander should really be making bet-
Another disaster and a blameless RDC DEAR EDITOR Another breach, another flooding, another millions of dollars in losses and disruption of lives to residents. Another blame game in full force and the regional authority is entirely blameless. Shamshun Mohamed
A HYPOTHESIS Dear Editor, A hypothesis: if my good friend Dr. Steve Surujbally was still Chairman of GECOM and had cast his vote for Vishnu Persaud, would the PPP have expected any other political party to trumpet “racial bias”? Just asking. Yours faithfully Rashleigh E Jackson
ter and positive use of his time and intellect rather than rushing in to the support the indefensible, both for the specific case and for the general issue here. He seems to have appointed himself both: as the wordsmith and the mouthpiece for GECOM’s Chairman. There are no other options left, given the preferred position at the highest levels at GECOM, but to refer the current matter to the Ethnic Relations Commission and to bring the scrutiny of relevant international bodies on GECOM. He has become ‘the source’ of misrepresentations and half-truths appearing in sections of the media. It is indeed regrettable that he is the main person advancing the case of the ‘deplorables’ both at GECOM and in the media And, if GECOM, as has been stated, has ‘dirty laundry’ the only place it must be washed is in the full view of the Guyanese public and the international community. Robeson Benn Commissioner Guyana Elections Commission
Tuesday June 19, 2018
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Rose Hall Town man found guilty of 2010 murder of fruit vendor A Berbice High Court jury yesterday found Stafford Harry called ‘Bilal’ guilty of the March 27th 2010 murder of watermelon vendor Hansraj Samaroo called ‘Long hair’. The 12 member mixed jury convicted Harry after more than two hours of deliberation. The verdict was handed down before Justice Brassington Reynolds and the prosecution led by Prosecutor Towana Hardy. Harry will receive his sentence on July 3rd. A probation report was ordered by the judge. Meanwhile, immediately after hearing the verdict, the accused shouted “wow” in disbelief at what he just heard. He broke down in uncontrollable tears as he stared at the jury while shaking his head. His relatives who were also present in court seemed equally shocked as Harry, while the wife, son and another relative of the victim showed relief. Prior to the verdict, Harry gave his cousin a “thumbs up” with a sharp smile. The wife of the deceased, Kamarie Samaroo told this publication that “I am satisfied”. As the ranks waited for the Prison bus to arrive to take the accused back to prison he was heard crying at the top of his voice in the courtroom for a while.
When the bus eventually arrived, the tears continued to flow while he was being taken away. Hansraj Samaroo, of Hampshire Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was shot during the course of a robbery committed at his home on the 27th March 2010. He died a day after the incident after going through an 8-hour surgery. The Prosecution in their case presented during the trial stated Harry in the company of two others robbed the deceased of jewellery and money and subsequently shot him. The state’s principal witness Kumarie Samaroo, wife of the deceased, in her testimony had detailed that she lived with her husband and two of her children at their lot 63 Hampshire Village home. She explained that on the day of the incident, she had just come from the market, at approximately 17:30hrs, and had secured the money from her day sales in a wardrobe in the upper flat of their house. Her husband was upstairs and she retreated to the bottom flat to begin cooking dinner. She said that shortly after she heard their dogs barking and she checked outside to see what they were barking at. She recounted that when she
their mouths and had on caps, and she recognized the accused after he removed the handkerchief from his face. She eventually gave in and directed him to the wardrobe which contained the day sales of $300,000, proceeds from the sale of a motorcycle totaling $200,000 and US$1000. Her husband had $20,000 and a cellphone in his
pocket - that too was stolen along with her gold jewellery. They escaped and her son Rishi chased after them on a motorcycle. Shortly after he returned with her other son Samuel Samaroo, and they all took Hansraj Samaroo to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. He was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed
shortly after surgery. Pathologist Vivekanand Bridgemohan had testified that it was damage to the femoral artery that caused hemorrhage and shock. He said at the time he could not see specifically what may have caused laceration to the femoral artery. Seven witnesses in total gave sworn testimonies before the court.
Appeal Court refuses stay of CJ’s orders in Berbice rice farmers’ case Dead: Hansraj Samaroo turned around Harry was in front of her with a gun in his hand telling her “lie down and take off yuh jewellery”. The woman said that at that point she began to scream for her son ‘Rishi’ who lived next door. She also called out to her husband who was still upstairs but by that time Harry had rushed to the upper flat, and she heard gunfire minutes after. It was her husband being shot. Samaroo also testified that Harry dealt her lashes about her body and demanded money. She said that the accused and others had handkerchiefs tied across
The Court of Appeal has ruled against a stay of the orders by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George in the matter which a group of Seafield, West Coast Berbice rice farmers are challenging President David Granger’s revocation of their leases. The three farmers - Phillip Johnson, Rawle Miller and Rupert Blackman - had been embroiled in legal battles over lease lands, used for rice cultivation in the area since 2015. The farmlands amount to just over 25 acres and are situated at the North Main Canal in the rear of Plantation Seafield, West Coast Berbice. The farmers had initially taken court action against Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ ADA) after the board revoked their lease. In February 2016, former Chief Justice Ian Chang granted orders quashing the decision made by the MMA/ADA to cancel the leases. The court found that it was not up to the MMA/ADA to determine the legal validity or invalidity of the leases, and then to purport
to cancel them on the basis of its own legal finding. The order was made absolute in February 2016, but the leases were still cancelled by the authority in March 2016 without any appeals being filed. The farmers then returned to the High Court to pronounce the President’s actions as unlawful, and to award damages for the breach of their constitutional rights. The group of independent rice cultivators through Attorneys at Law, Anil Nandlall, Rajendra Jaigobin and Manoj Narayan, contended that MMA/ADA’s revocation of their leases had been discriminatory, arbitrary and capricious. Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George SC subsequently ruled that the revocation of leases for lands used by farmers for rice cultivation in Seafield, West Coast Berbice, by President David Granger is illegal, since it violates Article 142 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana. (Continued on page 22)
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Kaieteur News
Did CJIA building materials end up at MovieTowne site? - Giftland raises question, wants audit done One week after what should have been a routine press conference to talk about the progress of MovieTowne’s mega project at Turkeyen and some of its challenges, the fallout is continuing. Yesterday, Giftland’s chief executive, Roy Beepat, raised the question whether materials granted under duty free concessions for the US$150M expansion project at the Timehri airport ended up or were used at the MovieTowne project. Under concession agreements with Government, investors or foreign contractors can bring in equipment duty free, once that equipment is used for the specific project. The same goes for building materials, including lighting, cement, steel, windows, paints and other items. Any deviations are considered breaches. On Sunday, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), as the body that monitors duty free concessions, admitted that equipment currently being utilised in the construction of MovieTowne, was in breach of the terms of another Investment Development Agreement (IDA). While GRA did not name CHEC as being the guilty party, it was obvious that it was CHEC that the authority was referring to. GRA was responding to allegations that it delayed the granting of concessions to MovieTowne and therefore affected the timeline of the project. Giftland opened in July 2015, spawning from a rela-
Giftland’s chief executive, Roy Beepat tively small store in Water Street. It is hugely popular, but with money from local banks financing it and high overheads, the opening of parts of MovieTowne, including its movie theatres, later this year could essentially spell the death of Giftland. Beepat is insisting that he borrowed heavily and saw little benefits in terms of concessions from the past Government, except for equipment to the Caribbean Cinemas movie theatres. Beepat wants to know whether materials that came for the airport project, a Government of Guyana project involving a loan, ended up at Turkeyen. The businessman, in a Letter to the Editor (see today’s edition), said that the misuse of equipment at
MovieTowne is tantamount to fraud. “It is in the public interest to have a detailed list of these and what fines are being charged for this attempt to rob the country of revenue, knowing that this act was illegally (sic), was Movie Towne also complicit in this arrangement… a thorough investigation by the C.I.D is required here to determine intent.” Beepat noted that he paid all his duties and Value Added Tax upfront. He wants to “know what fines are being levied” since it is a case of MovieTowne getting “credit on duties and Vat” while Giftland paid upfront. Giftland also wants GRA to ensure and make checks to see whether buildings materials from the airport project
MovieTowne’s Derek Chin was not mixed in MovieTowne project. “I would be grateful for the proof that cement, steel, escalators, elevators, glass, shop fronts, doors, washroom , electrical, plumbing and all other items which we paid duty for including our generation sets were equally duty paid by China Harbor and MT (MovieTowne), as it appears that China Harbor worked at that time period with inbuilt
duty free, it would be reasonable to surmise that this would have applied to these other items as well, having shown that they already done this with “equipment for MT”.” Beepat insisted that the Giftland Group is open for competition as long as the playing field remains level. On Sunday, GRA in its scathing response to MovieTowne, denied it caused the delays of the
Project. Noting that construction of MovieTowne commenced in 2011, GRA disclosed that it was only in mid-2017 that the principals first met with the GRA to discuss the issue of concessions. They requested that concessions be backdated to the commencement of construction. However, the authority said it could not backdate the concessions. GRA also said it pointed out that there were breaches at the MovieTowne site, with concessions being abused. “Rather than terminating the IDA, and notwithstanding the breach, the GRA agreed to allow both projects to continue, with the understanding that the available remedies under the said IDA will be enforced subsequent to the completion of both projects.” GRA said that MovieTowne submitted an IDA application to the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and was advised in September 2017 by the GRA that only concessions similar to those granted to competitors in the industry will be (Continued on page 11)
There are questions now whether materials ordered for CJIA’s expansion project ended up at MovieTowne, Turkeyen.
Tuesday June 19, 2018 The arguments as to why Mr. Vishnu Persaud was denied the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are as pitiful and they are unconvincing. This column is, however, not about the merits, of the majority decision by GECOM to not give the post to Persaud. This column is about the weight which is attached to experience within the public sector. Mr. Vishnu Persaud had almost fifteen years of experience at GECOM. How GECOM could have discounted this in any evaluation, and instead concentrate on who has a better grade point average in academic qualifications, is totally bewildering. That experience has to count for more than something, because in most jobs, what is important is not academic qualifications but institutional knowledge. This institutional knowledge includes understanding the systems and procedures in place. In North America, many private companies look more favourably at work experience than academic qualifications. There are many managerial jobs which require only basic common sense. The need for a
Experience vs. Certification Master’s Degree or even a Bachelor’s Degree is often unnecessary, since what is more important is an understanding of the systems and procedures in place, something to which greater weight needs to be given to experience. Someone should attempt to explain the additional utility which is obtained, in non-scientific fields, from having a Master’s Degree as against having a Bachelor’s Degree. Also, some of the best workers are not those with all those fancy certificates. Some of the best workers are those with on-the-job experience. There are many persons who are working years in a job, only to find that when the time comes for promotion, instead of them getting the position, it is handed to someone else from outside the company, simply because that person has academic certificates. Yet, it is the same worker who has come through the ranks, but who was never been able to further his or her academic studies,
who has to teach the ‘outsider’ the systems and procedures, and be subject to the authority of that ‘outsider’ It is patently unfair to those who have laboured for years within a system, and who rightly have a legitimate expectation of promotion, to be denied that promotion on the basis of someone from outside the firm getting the job. What matters is knowing the systems and procedures, and not necessarily the academic qualifications. Those who own machine factories, for example, would point to the greater value which uncertified millwrights bring to the job as against someone with an engineering degree. There are many persons in the field of journalism who can write a good story and land a scoop far better than those who have Degrees in Communication. There are persons lecturing today about entrepreneurship who have never run a business. All they have is book knowledge. They lack an understand-
Dem boys seh ...
Jagdeo share concessions like sweetie Everybody believe that Guyanese stupid. Dem does plan wha dem want to do before dem come. Then dem does meet wid de people who controlling de concessions and mek promise. Dem boys watch how dem plan to con de government. Dem does walk wid two foreigners who gun talk bout dem investment. All de foreigners believe that Guyanese like hear bout money and is Jagdeo give dem that impression. When people come wid money and dem tell him how dem got he share separately, Jagdeo does do wha dem bad woman does do—throw back and open up. Then he does give away almost everything almost -because he got to keep some
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Kaieteur News
things fuh he friend and family. That is how he sign dem concessions that got Roy Beepat seeing red. He get ee people to give so much concession that if de government didn’t change, all dem concession wha he agree to would see nuff new company. Then he woulda boast about de foreign investment. De people who know, ask him to show how much money dem investments bring in. He point to de buildings. Jordan and Statia do de examination and find that Guyana pay dem investors to come. One of dem enjoy de sweet till de government change. When dem boy pull up de files dem see concessions, but dem didn’t see returns. Is when de Giftland man
talk that people outside de circle see how Jagdeo give away de country. And he does always use he power to spite people. He get vex wid de Giftland man and he sell a piece of land in de area to MovieTowne. He know that MovieTowne could set up a powerful competition fuh Giftland. Is a good thing that Statia hold up certain things and demand that Mitta Chin do wha he promise to do that things start to slow down. Chin now promising to put up de solar plant wha he was to do from de start, but woulda run away and lef if dem did get chance. Talk half and watch dem concessions.
ing of the day-to-day problems of managing a business. Some of the best radio announcers in Guyana were persons without university Degrees. They were much better at elocution and inflection than many of those who were lettered with Degrees. They also understood their listeners better. The practice of overlooking experienced persons for positions within the public sector emerged in the mid-1970’s. It was occasioned by the development of an educated class, following the decision of the government to grant free education at the university level. These persons who graduated from our local university felt that they belonged to an elite grouping with an entitlement to top-level jobs. Given at the time that the State controlled more than 80% of the economy, the educated elite, many without a day’s working experience, had to seek jobs
within the public sector. The government felt an obligation to help them, and therefore established the practice of favouring those with academic qualifications over those with the experience and practical on-the-job knowledge. The preference was the basis of abuse. It was used to catapult politically-aligned persons to positions of authority. It led to square pegs being placed in round holes. Many of those who were placed in positions of authority did not have a clue about what they were doing. The practice was also part of the plan to ensure political control of the public sector. In order to obtain certain positions, a degree became absolutely necessary. And there were accusations that only certain persons were favoured with the opportunity to attend university. This limited the upward mobility of those who could not obtain the timeoff to attend classes, but who could do the job because of their experience. The practice of giving preference to persons with academic qualifications also took place at a time when the govern-
ment was trying to justify the problems in the economy as a managerial problem, when in fact there was a political crisis. The recent controversy over the hiring of GECOM’s Deputy Chief Elections Officer, is just the tip of the iceberg. It is part of a wider crisis of management and politics in the country. The management class has never solved the problems of the economy. It hardly solved the problem of public sector performance. And those problems are going to continue, until and unless a decision is made to give greater preference to those who have the hands-on experience and practical knowledge.
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Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Medical check-ups: the President and his ministers When Prime Ministers and Presidents offer explanations to their nations for a policy, action, decision, indiscretion, mistake, etc., one assumes that it is watertight, so unfair criticism could be easily dismissed, and the result is that there is no credibility loss. Last month President Granger went to Trinidad for a medical checkup. I don’t have a Facebook account and have absolutely no contact with the Facebook account of any person in the world. But I was told
there were quick reactions on social media as to why he didn’t do it in Guyana. The government issued a press release and it went like this. His wife has Caricom Secretariat medical insurance and he is covered by it. They have been doing the yearly Trinidad trip for a long time now. But such an explanation tempts one to ask questions. First, does the insurance still cover the person if they leave CARICOM’s employment? At the time she made the trip to Trinidad, she was not a
CARICOM employee. Mrs. Granger’s Wikipedia page has her as retiring from CARICOM in 2008. The answer has to be, then, that she is still entitled to medical benefits. That is a very generous arrangement an employer provides. If that is not the case, the alternative reasoning is that she continues to be on the scheme because she contributes to it. I honestly don’t know if when you retire, you can still contribute to your employer’s medical insurance. But Mrs. Granger,
NDIA working with CDC to bring relief to Dalliwala farmers - NAREI to intensify extension services
The Ministry of Agriculture, through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the National Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) will soon be offering needed assistance to farmers in the riverine community of Dalliwala, Region 10. This development comes in wake of farmers indicating that farming in the community has scaled down because of the lack of intervention, improper drainage, inability of farmers to access farmlands, and a lack of proper market facilities, among other issues. NDIA’s CEO, Fredrick Flatts indicated that the authority is working with the Dalliwala Community Development Council to assist
with clearing access channels to these farmlands. NDIA is currently awaiting a map of the village from the Regional Chairman before meeting with farmers to discuss how best they can be assist. NAREI CEO, Dr. Oudho Homenauth also said that the agency is working closely with farmers through its regional office to increase its technical capacity in the village. Dalliwala is a small farming community mainly accessible by boat, with just more than 20 farmers who supply a significant percentage of cash crops to Linden. Many persons in the village depend on farming and selling their produce for a livelihood.
according to the government, has Caricom insurance benefits. President Granger said since he was covered by his wife’s scheme, he went for the checkup too. But there is a question here. Even if he is a beneficiary of his wife’s medical benefits, why leave Guyana for a medical check-up if it can be done here? My perspective is on the symbolic implications. If the President can go to another CARICOM country for medical treatment then what does it tell us about the development of medicine in Guyana. My argument is that as president, he has to instill confidence in the country’s institutions. This is merely the way I see it. Think of how the population will feel if a prominent businessman is robbed and murdered and we bring in private detectives from another country. The very first question is; why can’t our local boys handle it? Going for a medical examination that can be done right here in Guyana may not inspire confidence in our own facilities. It is a completely different story if the tests are not available in Guyana. Of course I am assuming here that the President’s medical checks could be done here. If not, he had every right to be in Trinidad. Last year, the nation was told by an official press release that
certain ministers have been going to Ireland (not a big, developed European power with a large population) for medical treatment. Then the Prime Minister was out for almost three months because of a cardiac ailment. Two months ago, a female minister went abroad for health reasons, but there was no announcement. Now we have Minister Amna Ally travelling for the same purpose. But here again, reason has symbolic implications. The press release was unambiguous. She wasn’t feeling well, checked into the Georgetown Public Hospital and as a precaution, will travel for further medical tests. There is a watertight reason for any Guyanese going abroad for medical facilities which are not available in Guyana. Surely, that is what any human would call commonsense. But should the political directorate leave if the facilities are available here? The criticism of our leadership going to foreign lands for medical reasons goes back way into the reign of the PPP. Most PPP Ministers and their families during their 23-yearold tenure went abroad for treatment. Against this fact must be measured the state of medical facilities in Guyana.
Frederick Kissoon After 52 years of Independence, it is a fair question to ask why we are not up to scratch like Trinidad. The answer is money. Trinidad has been an oil economy for a long time, enjoying a fantastic income compared to poor Guyana. Simply put; Trinidad has money to make available to its citizens medical treatment comparable with developed countries. I know that because in 2000, my eye doctor, Dr. George Norton recommended an emergency trip to Trinidad and it saved my sight. It is sad, though, that after 52 years of Independence, the wealthy and politically powerful could go abroad while the average person faces a terrifying prospect at the Georgetown Hospital. My mother died there, unnecessarily so.
Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
Taxi driver gets 3 years for grooming underage relative for sex
Jailed: Daniel James Thirty-one-year-old Daniel James, a taxi driver, was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment for grooming an underage female relative of his, for sex, following the completion of the trial conducted by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. James had denied the allegation that between December 12, last, and January 18, he communicated with a child under the age of 16, via WhatsApp, with intention to engage in sexual activity with her. The Magistrate, before ruling on the matter, stated that Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers had called a number of witnesses to testify and none of the witnesses’ evidence was discredited. Hence the
Magistrate imposed the custodial sentence on him. James was represented by Attorney-at-Law Paul Fung-a- Fat. According to information, James, when he first started to communicate with the juvenile, knew that she was underage, and he continued to communicate with her. It was also reported that during the month of January, last, James made arrangements to meet and have sex with the teen. A relative of the teen saw the interaction between the teen and James, and reported the matter to the police station. An investigation was later carried out and James was arrested and charged.
Region 5 REO chased from PAC... From page 11 Regional Administration received a nil financial return, indicating that the amount was not expended. Then there was $20M which the region spent to procure emergency medical supplies. “We are trying to get an explanation as it relates to how you account for the excess,” said Juan Edghill, who was chairing the PAC meeting at the time. Edghill stated that he and other members of the PAC received a copy of correspondence between Morrison and the Auditor General. Edghill described the exchange as ‘highly unusual’. “Had you allowed the Auditor General access to the in-
formation in your region we probably would not be spending 40 minutes on this particular matter,” Edghill stated. According to Edghill, the REO wrote a letter indicating to the AG that none of his staff could get any information unless they went through him. Edghill indicated that the Audit Act states that the head of the budget agency or governing body shall furnish the auditor general from time to time, or at regular period as may be specified by the AG, with the accounts of the transactions of the budget agency or entity. “It didn’t leave for discretion, Sir. It shall…” Edghill told Morrison.
Tuesday June 19, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Albouystown man gets Local entrepreneurs lack faith in 4 yrs for selling ganja Govt.’s ability to manage oil industry An emotional 34-year-old father of four, who was recently nabbed with close to half pound of marijuana, was yesterday sentenced to four years imprisonment by a City Magistrate. A teary-eyed, Kevin Clarke, of 135King Edward Street, Albouystown, was jailed when he appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Clarke pleaded guilty to the charge which alleged that on June 14, last, at the aforementioned address, he had in his possession 184 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. When asked why he had the narcotics in his possession, Clarke stated, “It’s my first offence. I only did it because I recently lost my job. This was the only thing left for me to do. I did it to feed my family. I’m very sorry, please forgive me.” Facts presented by Police Prosecutor, Arvin Moore, stated that on the day in question, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on information, went to the abovementioned address. The court heard that at
By Abena RockcliffeCampbell
Jailed: Kevin Clarke the time when the search was carried out on the premises, Clarke was not at home. Moore added that a search was then carried out in Clarke’s room and a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be marijuana, were found concealed in a barrel in a haversack. Moore further told the court that at the time of the search, Clarke’s stepdaughter, who was at home, told ranks that the bag belonged to him. Clarke was later arrested and taken to Brickdam Police Station where he admitted to owning the illicit substance in a caution statement. The Magistrate after listening to the prosecutor imposed the custodial sentence and a $30,000 fine on Clarke.
Much attention has been given to the lopsided contract that the Government of Guyana signed with ExxonMobil. The focus has been on the fact that Guyana’s share seems disadvantageous. However, businessmen appear more concerned with the fact that the contract does not provide adequately for local content, and that the government does not seem ready to handle an oil industry. A few businessmen recently spoke to this newspaper on the grounds of anonymity. This is following a recent forum hosted by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce (GCCI) where some entrepreneurs openly expressed worry over some issues directly linked to the oil industry—including the delayed establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF). The forum was hosted at Duke Lodge, and Charles Ramson Jr. was the featured speaker. At that forum, one businessman even highlighted the fact that the public, under
successive governments, hardly ever knows the state of the Lotto Fund. He then posited the likelihood of similar situation occurring with the SWF. Since then, this newspaper spoke to several business owners who have differing views about Guyana’s preparedness for first oil in 2020 and the government’s ability to overlook the process there. One very prominent businessman said, “I think it is time we move away from the contract. Yes, we could have gotten a better deal. But the government has already said that it would not be renegotiating. There is no sense flogging a dead horse. What we have to fight for now is our local content. We also have to hold our government accountable” The businessman said that there is much to be done and the government is moving at a very slow pace. “I find it hard to believe that we will be remotely ready by 2020.” He then pointed out that the issues that need to be fixed in Guyana for businesses to thrive, “go beyond the issues directly tied to the oil sector. The fact that I feel the need to speak to you off-
the-record tells a story. I am not confident that my comments will just be viewed as constructive criticism and that I wouldn’t be victimized.” The businessman said that politicians in general, both government and opposition, need to become more mature “they also need to work together to secure a better future and the time is now.” Another businessman said, “The fact that our Government seems to be a walkover does not help us to put much confidence in it. They allowed ExxonMobil to have its way with the contract and they are allowing Exxon to do what it wants and call it local content.” Other businessmen expressed similar sentiments, while a few others are convinced, “the government is doing its best under the circumstances.” The argument supporting that stance is that “this is still a very young government with mostly fairly new politicians. Then these politicians are faced with building a sector that is completely new to not only them, but Guyana.” Immediately following a recent press conference hosted by Opposition Leader
Bharrat Jagdeo, he told Kaieteur News that most businessmen are complaining about the state of affairs in various sectors.” “They are all complaining; few of them have anything good to say. They all think this government is failing them,” the former President emphasised. Also, former opposition Member of Parliament, Charles Ramson Jr., recently called on the government to consider legislative protection for Guyanese seeking to benefit from the local content obligations of oil companies. He too said that he spoke to several businessmen who complained of not being given contracts from ExxonMobil. Ramson said, “Our businessmen are being overlooked while ExxonMobil gives out catering, meet and greet and brokerage contracts to companies that are not owned by Guyanese”.
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
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Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
$15M payment for supply of ‘wrong’ bulldozer to Region Six in limbo …Construction contract used to procure machine - Audit report There is deep worry that the state could lose $15M paid to a contractor who supplied a ‘wrong’ bulldozer to officials in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne). A report from a special investigation done by the Auditor General’s office unearthed major breaches in the transaction. The report was turned over to Regional Executive Officer (REO), Kim WilliamsStephen on Tuesday last. The report found that the region and the supplier signed a construction contract instead of a supply contract, resulting in irrelevant terms and conditions. The probe was sparked by media reports, that regional officials received a D4 bulldozer in the sum of $14.8M from K&P Project Management Company in December 2017, when in fact the bid documents had stipulated a D3 bulldozer. Williams-Stephen has indicated that the region signed
Region Six REO, Kim Williams-Stephen
Former Region Six REO, Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya
for and received the bulldozer, but later wrote to the suppler requesting that it be removed, since it was the wrong machine. The REO indicated that they had received confirmation from the contractor that the correct bulldozer would have been supplied. This was not done. On June 7th, 2018, the REO wrote to CARICOM General
Insurance Company Inc. seeking to levy on a performance bond of $14.8M. The contractor had furnished the region with the bond from the insurer. The matter of the purchase was raised at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting yesterday, and there was some worry that officials may be unable to levy on the bond, since the region ac-
The bulldozer which was supplied by K&P Project Management Company
cepted the bulldozer and there was no subsequent contract signed with the supplier. Interestingly, the audit report revealed that the supplier furnished the region with a performance guarantee dated March 13, 2018 to June 13, 2018, for the supply and delivery of one reconditioned D3 Angle Blade bulldozer. PAC Chairman Irfaan Ali raised questions on how a bond was issued when the region did not enter into a new contract with the supplier. “Did you [the region] sign off as verifying that the equipment was received?” Ali asked the REO.
Williams-Stephen replied, “Yes”. Ali then asked, “Did you proceed to make full payment based on that verification?” Again the REO replied in the affirmative. “Then what are you claiming? You have no claim. That is why I am saying that you have killed the bond. You have accepted the equipment. You have verified the equipment and completed the transaction by paying over,” Ali asserted. The REO then confirmed that all she has in her possession is a bond which was produced without a contract. “And the contractor has
your $15M,” Ali stated. Williams-Stephen pointed out that this transaction occurred under the watch of REO Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya. MAJOR BREACHES The Auditor General’s report stated that the purchase of the D3 bulldozer was not explicitly stated in the region’s approval and that the supplier did not meet one of the qualifying criteria which stipulated that the bidder must have supplied equipment of a similar nature. According to auditors, a performance security was not (Continued on page 20)
Tuesday June 19, 2018
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Construction of $400M D’Edward sluice begins More than 10,000 acres of arable land will soon become accessible following the awarding of the contract for construction of a four-door sluice at D’Edward, West Coast Berbice, to Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited (CBCSL). General Manager of Mahaica/Mahaicony/AbaryAgricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Aubrey Charles, said the more than $400Million sluice forms part of the agency’s ongoing drainage and irrigation programme. “The contractor has mobilised and they are on the ground at the site making the necessary preparatory works for the construction of that 4door sluice. On completion they will have in excess of 10,000 acres of land which will benefit from enhanced drain-
General Manager, MMA/ADA, Aubrey Charles age in this Abary, Berbice area,” Charles said. Meanwhile, CBCSL’s Site Manager, Hyderbad Kassim
Machinery mobilised for construction of the 4-door sluice
explained that the works which have already begun are expected to last for eighteen months and more than two
24 months for man who stole from lover to feed children A father of three, who told the court that he stole a quantity of jewellery and cash from his lover to support his three daughters, was yesterday sentenced to 24 months imprisonment on a simple larceny charge. Winston Marshall, 35, a security guard, appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, and admitted to the charge which stated that between April 6 and June 17 at D’Urban Street, Georgetown, he stole a quantity of gold jewellery valued $847,000, 200,000 cash and US $300—totalling $1.1 M, property of Abena Hudson. When asked by the Magistrate why he stole the articles, Marshall replied “I took the articles because I had bills to pay and my children to look after.” He added that he shared a relationship with the victim and he took the articles unknown to her because if he had asked she would have gotten upset. Police Prosecutor, Arvin Moore, told the court that Marshall and Hudson are known to each other, since they shared a relationship. The court also heard that
Marshall would normally visit Hudson’s home to spend time with her whenever the need arose. The prosecutor added that last Sunday, the victim was tidying her room when she observed that the articles mentioned in the charge missing. The woman confronted Marshall and he admitted to removing the articles because he was in need of it. As a result of what Marshall told the victim, she went and made a report at a police station and he was later arrested and taken into custody. An investigation was then carried out, and he was charged for the offence. Before sentencing Marshall, Magistrate Latchman asked him if he wished to say anything, and he added “The little money that I had remaining I took it and give the mother of my three children because she is currently unemployed.” The Magistrate told Marshall that she had taken into consideration his early guilty plea, the prevalence of the offence and the need to prohibit others from contemplating same; hence, she imposed the 24-month sentence.
Jailed: Winston Marshall
dozen residents will be employed. “The majority of workers from the community will comprise carpenters, labourers, masons, and chainsaw operators. The heavy-duty machine operators will mainly be drawn from the city. We already have approximately 24 to 30 names. So as soon as we are ready they will be called out,” Kassim told the Department of Public Information. The MMA/ADA is a semi-autonomous agency under the Ministry of Agriculture. Its main function is the administration of state lands in the Region Five, West Berbice area. Through its services, it maintains drainage and irrigation infrastructure and dams, and oversees the beneficial use of lands leased to farmers.
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High Court quashes Bulkan’s decision to remove Linden Town Clerk The High Court has ruled that former Linden Town Clerk, Jonellor Bowen, was unlawfully dismissed by Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan. It was further ordered that the Ministry pay costs to Bowen in the sum of $50,000. Acting Chief Justice Roxanne George handed down the ruling on May 25. This was as a result of litigation brought against the Minister by Attorneys at Law, Charles Ramson Jr. and Mark Conway on behalf of the sacked Town Clerk. Yesterday, Ramson said “It is important that when the executive acts in a manner which does not respect the rule of law, the principles of natural justice and due process, the court must act as a check on executive power. Otherwise the nation will end up in a territory of tyranny.” Last December, Ramson sought from the court, “An Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari quashing the decision of Ronald Bulkan, Minister of Communities for the Government of Guyana, to revoke the Applicant’s appointment as Town Clerk of the Linden Mayor and Town Council as the decision is unlawful, ultra vires, arbitrary, contrary to and breaches the principles of natural justice, and for the said Minister to attend before this Honourable Court to show cause why the said Order or Rule Nisi granted herein should not be made Absolute.” This was after Minister Bulkan took a decision to revoke the appointment of Bowen, effective March 23, 2017. Bowen was appointed on
Former Linden Town Clerk, Jonellor Bowen June 28, 2012, by former Minister within the Local Government Ministry, Norman Whittaker. Her employment became effective on July 3, 2012. A letter from the Communities Ministry had stated that the Minister in his deliberative judgment had taken a decision to revoke Bowen’s appointment, effective immediately. No reason was stated in the letter. Apart from the revocation order, the letter further informed Bowen to make arrangements for an orderly and accurate handover of all assets, keys and documents pertaining to the administration and the Council, to the Deputy Town Clerk of the Linden Mayor and Town Council. Following months of being on administrative leave, Bowen had resumed duties within the municipality on March 1. Councillors of the municipality had passed a noconfidence motion against her on July 27, 2016 and she was sent on administrative leave in October, following a Com-
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan
Attorney at Law, Charles Ramson Jr. mission of Inquiry into alleged wrongdoings within the Council. The Commission of Inquiry, which later released its findings, had found that the motion brought against the Town Clerk was “in contravention with the procedures set out in Section 8 of Chapter 28:01 of the Municipal and District Councils Act of the Laws of Guyana and was also in contravention of the Standing Order rules under Section 9.
$15M payment for supply of... (From page 14) enforced and an advance payment of 53% for the contract sum was paid to the supplier, even though the contract did not make provision for such payment. It was also revealed that the bid document had indicated that a 10% performance security in the amount of $1.5M would be required. Auditors found no evidence that the security was provided by the supplier, an indication that the requirements of the bid were not enforced by the region.
Further, the audit revealed that regional officials did not examine the bulldozer upon its receipt for defects. When auditors inspected the bulldozer supplied, they found that the chassis plate appeared to have been tampered with, it had a damaged belt, a unit hanging without a nut, rough welding, fabrication works and damaged rubber mount, wire and cable. The contract was signed on September 12, 2017. Auditors found that the contract included the lines, ‘stop work and periodically cease con-
struction without reason before completion’ and ‘the employer hereby covenants to pay the supplier as per measured works completed’. This shocked auditors, as it mirrored contracts used by the region for construction works. The region had also published the invitation for the bid in one newspaper, which is a breach of the Procurement Act, which stipulates that this should be done in newspapers of wide circulation. As a result, only one bid was received.
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India offers Ex-Im credit support for exporters -as private sector also announces closer ties with Cuba, Canada The local private sector has announced that it is upping its aggression to improve trade with Cuba, Canada and India. Yesterday, during an announcement by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on the establishing of three trade facilitation councils to boost exports, Indian High Commissioner, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, announced that he is working on developing a mechanism where local exporters can benefit from the credit from the India Export/ Import Bank. With the bank currently working on a number of projects which it is financing for Guyana, the diplomat said that he is hoping to have local businesses meet representatives of the bank when they come next time. He hailed the trade councils being established, noting that w h i l e a t r e a t y w a s signed in 2003, very little was done to boost trade between Guyana and India. Businesses had to depend on their own work. Also present at the chamber’s headquarters on Waterloo Street for the announcements of the councils were President of GCCI, Deodat Indar; Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian
Chatterjee; Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin; Cuban Ambassador, Narciso Soeorro; Advisor to Foreign Trade, Rawle Lucas; and other officials. Indar explained that last year, the Chamber noted the downturn on the local scene, and as part of its campaign to reverse the tide, managed to sign three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Cuba, Canada and China, during visits to those respective countries. In Newfoundland and Labrador, collaboration with the businesses there could potentially see up to 400 companies now with linkages to Guyana. However, w h i l e t h e chamber recognized the importance of the agreements, it was also noted that there was no mechanisms to move trade forward. It was decided to form three trade facilitation councils - one for each country Already named to chair the Guyana/India Trade Facilitation Council, Indar revealed, is Dr. Surendra Persaud. The official noted that the Cubans’ presence in Guyana has been significant, with 1,000 of them trading here monthly. According to Minister Gaskin, the initiative by GCCI
Minister Dominic Gaskin (standing third from left), GCCI officials and the envoys from India, Canada and Cuba yesterday. must be lauded. He promised Government’s support. Lucas noted the Foreign Ministry’s delight, and said that the councils are important, as trade remains perhaps the biggest driver
of economy. He urged that it be improved. Meanwhile, High Commissioner Chatterjee, said in 2016, Guyana was Canada’s largest trade merchandise partner in the
CARICOM. In 2017, the trade was valued at CAD$700M . She said that the MoU is important and would come at a time when two high level ministers are due
to come to Guyana from Newfoundland, Canada, later this year. She tagged Canada’s technical expertise in the oil and gas sector as something that GCCI can tap into.
High tide flooding at Wakenaam… Antigua Prime Minister on ending de-risking River defence contractor’s failure to secure in the Caribbean work site resulted in flooding –MPI official
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Many small island states in the Caribbean have been stigmatized as major tax havens and money laundering centres. But, the small size of these jurisdictions and the relatively minuscule volume of transactions, disprove this fallacious classification. Antigua and Barbuda, for example, has under five billion in total onshore and offshore banking assets, with less than a few dozen remittances daily. It is instructive that there is a presumption of money laundering involving Citizenship by Investment flows to the Caribbean, while the very investors can move funds seamlessly, to invest in the Investment Residency programmes of developed states without any such characterization. Interestingly, it is in these very developed countries from which de-risking is being pursued, that 95 per cent of global illicit flows take place. The focus on micro states in the Caribbean while sidestepping the major money
laundering centers in developed countries, is counterproductive. The problem of money laundering and counter terrorism financing must be tackled in the countries where the problem is greatest and most prevalent. The creation of the perception that the Caribbean region is high risk and susceptible to financial crimes and tax evasion, has driven up the costs to both the domestic and international banks of providing the most basic banking services. In addition, the time to complete transactions, which were once measured in hours or days, now take weeks and months to be processed, because of new and cumbersome due diligence requirements. As a growing number of small banks no longer have CBRs in a global money centre, they are forced to establish relationships with smaller banks in Central America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, the transfer process is lengthened and cumbersome.
Officials attached to Regional Democratic Council of Region Three are continuing their assessment of the damage caused by a high tide which led to flooding in several sections of Sans Souci, Wakenaam, Essequibo Islands, over the weekend. Residents were sent into a state of panic early Sunday morning after unusually high tides broke through a section of a temporary sea defence, sending water from the Essequibo River rushing into homes. The breach left residents of Wakenaam wading in knee-deep water and assessing their losses, which includes millions in livestock and household appliances. While spring tides are being blamed for the breach, fingers are also pointed at a contractor who worked on the sea defence in the area. During an interview with Kaieteur News yes-
t e r d a y, C h i e f S e a a n d River Defence Officer attached to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, (MPI) Kevin Samad, confirmed that initial investigations revealed that the occurrence was as a result of negligence on the part of the river defence contractor who was conducting works in the area. According to Samad, a team from the Ministry is on the ground continuing work to rectify the situation. Samad explained that the contractor was duty bound to ensure that the site was adequately secured by the end of the day, but he failed to do so. Samad noted, however, that due to combined efforts on the ground, the contractor has since fortified the area. “We would like to assure residents that there would not be a recurrence of such a scenario,” he said, adding that a detailed assessment of the flooded
areas is continuing. Reports reaching this publication indicated that the breach occurred at around 05:30 hrs on Sunday. Following the breach, the small island of about 3,200 residents became vulnerable to the spring tides. According to residents, water from the river flooded the small farming community within minutes, destroying everything from household appliances to livestock. Some residents said the water rose to some three to four feet. Others claimed that they were affected by water as deep
as six feet. It is believed that the water remained at a high level for about five hours before receding. Some residents told Kaieteur News that the water rose so quickly that they were unable to save anything. Based on reports, refrigerators, washing machines and cupboards were destroyed. Director General (ag) of the Civil Defence Commission (CD C ) , L t . C o l . Kester Craig, Wakenaam NDC Chairman Sheikh Ahmad and Regional Executive Officer of Region Three, Dennis Jaikaran, are in the villages assessing the state of affairs.
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Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
Dr. Prem Misir resigns in Fiji university drama FOR RENT
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Vice-Chancellor of The University of Fiji, Professor Prem Misir has resigned amid drama in senior management, it has been revealed. The senior management has been embroiled in employment issues regarding senior members of the university academic faculty, according to well-placed sources. The Fiji Sun Online revealed that they included Professor Narendra Reddy, Professor Tupeni Baba, Professor Ruvendra Nandan, Professor Shaista Shameem, Professor Anirudh Singh and Professor Subramani. Sources indicated that the seven professors met as a caucus about three or four months ago and lodged a complaint to the chair of the council, Anil Tikaram. He was asked to investigate allegations of breaches of regulations. Some staff were being hired and fired in alleged breaches of the employment law. In one case, the contract of Professor Baba, who was the Dean of School of Humanities and Arts, was being terminated. He had earlier voiced his concerns about the alleged abuse of office at UniFiji. His termination was later reversed because there was no provision for probation in the contract and it was a breach. There were employees who did not like Professor Misir. When he applied for a
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work permit extension himself, five employees complained to the Immigration Department. He had to seek help from the Prime Minister’s office. The Fiji Immigration Department is said to have been reluctant to provide another work permit to Professor Misir. He resigned after that, but later changed his mind. When he called UniFiji to say he wanted to withdraw his resignation, he was informed that his resignation letter had been accepted. He had also appointed Professor Narendra Reddy as the acting VC. Professor Baba was not the only staff whose employment had been terminated. Professor ABM Shaukat Ali, who was a Science Professor and said to be very good at his job, had his contract terminated too. He had spoken up during a senate meeting that he did not agree with the
new School of Social Science that was going to be developed. There are three employment cases against the university that are pending right now. The former staff members claimed they were wrongfully terminated. Board chairperson and Pro Vice Chancellor of UniFiji, Anil Tikaram, said: “The VC has resigned on his free will and there were no other factors which led to his resignation.” In addition, when asked about when the post of the VC will be advertised, Mr Tikaram said that they would advertise in a month’s time. Professor Misir is Guyanese. He was a former Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and was also the University of Guyana’s ProChancellor.
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From page 7 In the course of her ruling, the Chief Justice granted a permanent conservatory order restraining servants and agents of the MMA/ADA or any other officer of the State from entering upon, remaining, occupying, or in any other manner whatsoever from interfering with the applicants quiet and peaceful possession of the land. The Chief Justice also awarded cost in the sum of $300,000 to each of the farmers. In addition, the Chief Justice refused to grant the farmers $5M each in damages for the infringement of their fundamental rights which they had contended. Although the Chief Justice acknowledged that the farmers’ fundamental rights were infringed upon, she ruled that no evidence was led to prove damages. However, obviously dissatisfied by the Court’s decision, lawyers for the Attorney General and MMA/ ADA lodged an Appeal in the Court of Appeal against the decision of the Chief Justice. On March 5, 2018, they also filed an Application for a Stay of execution of the Orders of Chief Justice Roxane George. This Application was heard by Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory, in chambers at the Court of Appeal, last week. A f t e r r e a d i n g a l l t h e A ff i d a v i t s a n d w r i t t e n submissions and hearing oral arguments, Justice Gregory refused the Application made by the Attorney General and MMA/ADA for a stay of execution of the Chief Justice’s orders and ordered the Attorney General and MMA/ADA to pay $50,000, each to Miller, Johnson and Blackman.
Tuesday June 19, 2018
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Kaieteur News
APNU+AFC councillor, Abel Seetaram, Evidence in ‘Warlock’ granted $150,000 bail pending appeal murder trial Just days after he was convicted and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for the felonious wounding of a chips vendor, his relative, Abel Seetaram through his Attorney Horatio Edmonson managed to secure bail amounting $150,000 pending his appeal at the Berbice High Court by Justice Brassington Reynolds. The 39-year-old APNU+AFC councillor was found guilty by Magistrate Rhondell Weaver at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court, on May 30th, on a charge of wounding committed on 54-year-old Nateram Rabindranauth. Seetaram’s Attorney, Horatio Edmonson, had requested that a probation report be compiled on his client’s behalf before the sentence. Attorney Edmonson during a plea of mitigation for Seetaram requested a noncustodial sentence for Seetaram. Nateram Rabindranauth was hospitalised at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital with a broken jaw, fractured nose and internal bleeding in January. The vendor ex-
cannot be located
Victim: Nateram Rabindranauth
Granted bail: Abel Seetaram plained that he was plying his daily trade along the No. 11 Public Road when he saw his son involved in a scuffle with Seetaram’s son. Rabindranauth, the cousin of Seetaram, stated that he stopped and attempted to intervene, when Seetaram came out and dealt him lashes about his body with a piece of wood. He said that he fell to the ground and was bleeding profusely from his nose when Seetaram reportedly walked away with his son in the direction of the Fort Wellington Police Sta-
tion. Rabindranauth stated that shortly after he managed to compose himself and subsequently left for the Police Sta-
tion with his son as well. A report was made and a medical document was given to him by the police to visit the Fort Wellington Hospital.
Brothers discharged from police force seek reinstatement Two former policemen who are brothers, one of whom was discharged from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) after he was accused of stealing a firearm, are seeking reinstatement. The men, former Police Constables Kevon and Malcolm Johnson, were handed dismissal letters after Kevon was charged and placed before the court for allegedly stealing a gun from the GPF. They were both attached to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU). Melvin Duke, Attorney for the brothers, is contending that Malcolm, the younger brother, was never implicated in any allegation, and that he was dismissed under “questionable circumstances.” In addition to being charged with larceny of a firearm, Kevon Johnson was also charged for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. However, both of the charges were dismissed. In March, Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman dismissed one of the charges which alleged that on August 27, 2017 at TSU, Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, Johnson stole a 9mm pistol valued $375,000 and ten live rounds of ammunition - property of the Guyana Police Force. Delivering her ruling,
Magistrate Latchman had stated that given the fact that three police ranks who had testified in the trial had given the court three different oral statements which Kevon Johnson had allegedly given to them, she did not consider that evidence. The Magistrate also said that while she believed that Johnson had the firearm in his possession, the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to prove that he had appropriated the weapon And before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, Johson had faced another charge which alleged that he had the arms and ammunition in his possession, when he was not the holder of a firearm licence. That charge was also dismissed. In relation to the larceny charge, according to the prosecution, police ranks acting on information went to Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara, where they made contact with Johnson who was under a shed gambling with four friends. The court heard that a physical search was conducted on the defendant and the gun and ammunition were found in his pants crotch. The prosecutor had told the court that Johnson was arrested and admitted that he
Former Police Constable Kevon Johnson found the gun along with the ammunition in a cupboard when he was taking out a pair of boots. Johnson had reportedly said that he discovered the firearm in his boots and that this caused him to become “nervous and shocked”. “I wanted to know how it (the firearm) could have gotten there, because I didn’t put no firearm in my (police) boots.” According to Johnson, he had told his brother that he placed the firearm on his person, and thereafter left for a friend’s house where he was apprehended by police ranks with the firearm. “When I see the car I run. As a police officer you are trained to protect any fire-
arm.” He explained that after the unmarked vehicle approached him he ran away, and some plainclothes police ranks chased after him. “I run because I didn’t know it was who and I was already nervous because I had a firearm on me. One of the police caught up with me and it was then I realize it was police, because I know the officer who caught up with me.” Johnson, who is said to have been a part of the police force for five years, said that he was never trained or “briefed” as to what to do if he found an unassigned gun in his possession, adding that, he was ignorant about the seriousness of the offence, at the time.
Murder accused: Delon Henry
Murdered: Dexter Griffith
Five spent shells that were recovered from the scene of a murder at ‘Warlock’, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, cannot be located, says retired Police Sergeant Eon Jackson. Those spent shells, components of a firearm, were expected to be tendered yesterday in the trial of Delon Henry, also called ‘Nasty Man, who is accused of the September 29, 2015 murder of Dexter Griffith, formerly of Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara. Henry, who has retained Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson, is on trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown, for the capital offence. Prosecutors Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt, who are presenting the case for the State, are expected to call 13 witnesses, among them police ranks. The State is contending that on the day in question, Henry shot and killed Griffith. However, the spent shells are nowhere to be found, and according to former Police Sergeant Eon Jackson, who held the post of Ballistics Analyst at CID Headquarters, he collected the items, which were concealed in an evidence bag, from one Constable Grant, sometime after the murder. According to Jackson, apart from checking CID Headquarters, he also made checks at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) for the items, but was unable to locate them. Jackson, who is presently employed at the Guyana Forensic Laboratory, testified
to conducting certain examinations on the spent shells. Earlier on in the trial, Lorraine Griffith, the mother of the deceased, recounted her final moments with her son, whom she said would frequently visit her home to leave his young daughter in her care. The mother told the court that about 17:30hrs on the tragic day, she was sitting in front of her gate, from where she watched her son play a game of football. The witness recounted that after playing the game, her son took a shower and was preparing to leave her home when someone called out for him. She said that her son walked up the road to ‘Warlock’, an area in East Ruimveldt, where she later met with him to tell him that his daughter was crying. While there, she recalled that a man known as ‘Gun Butt’, rode up alongside her son and enquired about one ‘ D e l o n . ’ Lorraine Griffith added that she heard what appeared to be gunshots, minutes after she walked off from the scene. She said that she next saw people running away from the scene. According to the woman, she asked her son’s reputed wife what had happened and she was informed that her son had been shot. The woman disclosed that she ran to an alleyway. where she saw her son lying in a drain with what appeared to be numerous gunshot wounds. She added that her son was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday June 19, 2018
Tuesday June 19, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Region 5 REO chased out of PAC meeting … Financial Secretary to probe failure to cooperate with Auditor General on $94M drug procurement Ovid Morrison, the Regional Executive Officer (REO) for Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) will face an investigation for his alleged non-cooperation with the Auditor General’s office which is looking into how taxpayers’ monies are spent in the region. Morrison and his team of regional officials appeared before the bi-partisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at the Parliament Chamber yesterday to be grilled on expenditure for 2016. However, during the hearing, they were told to leave the meeting after it was revealed that auditors were experiencing difficulties acquiring information related to the procurement of drugs. The PAC members attempted to secure reconciliation information to ascertain how the region received $94M in excess drugs from the Public Health Ministry. PAC Chairman, Irfaan Ali, huddled with the PAC members and advisers who included the Auditor General (AG) Deodat Sharma; Financial Secretary, Dr. Hector Butts and Accountant General, Jen-
nifer Chapman. Following that meeting, Ali requested that Butts conduct the investigation into the non-cooperation claims. Ali reminded that Morrison was sent away previously to get information requested by the PAC. “After consultations with the PAC and its advisers, we are of the view that you have not made any attempt to correct your ways and be prepared for us. In these circumstances we have decided to ask the Financial Secretary to examine all the facts surrounding this matter and to take the necessary administrative and other measures provided under the law, as he is required to do,” Ali stated. He noted that Part 6 of the laws of Guyana, under offences, states that a person who knowingly and without lawful justification or excuse intentionally obstructs, hinders or resist the Auditor General or officer authorised by him in the exercise of his power under the Act, commits an offence. According to Ali, the PAC remains dissatisfied with the response to the AG’s report,
PAC members and advisors in discussion, before the Financial Secretary was asked to investigate Region Five’s non-cooperation with the Auditor General. and with the performance of the region at the sitting. “We are of the firm view that no attempt was made to provide the answers or information required to help the Auditor General at PAC. On this note, we will not be able to continue the examination for Region Five until the Financial Secretary would have
In the hot seat! Region Five REO, Ovid Morrison (centre) being grilled at yesterday’s PAC meeting.
Did CJIA building materials... From page 8 allowed, and further, that additional information was needed, inclusive of source of financing, before a recommendation can be made to the Minister of Finance for approval. “MovieTowne’s container arrived at the wharf on October 21, 2017, and without the approval of the IDA, the GRA facilitated MovieTowne to clear its goods with a Prior to Processing (PTP) arrangement on November 19, 2017.” GRA said that the goods were uplifted on November 28, 2017 demonstrating that there were no delays on its part. “On December 29, 2017, MovieTowne was granted an IDA consistent with those
granted to competitors in the industry which allow for the waiver of Duty and VAT on certain equipment.” MovieTowne, which has several facilities in Trinidad and Tobago, is promising to take entertainment to another level, with Starbucks and IHOP, and Hard Rock Café, among the big names to come. It is promising eight cinemas with the latest technology. It was only a few weeks ago that investigators slapped fraud-related charges on former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, and privatization head, Winston Brassington, for the sale of the Turkeyen lands to MovieTowne, among other
transactions. The lands, prosecutors are insisting, were sold below market value. MovieTowne’s principal, Derek Chin, has insisted that the lands, sold below market value, were part of the concessions for plugging in US$40M into the project. Chin is a Guyana-born businessman with interests in Trinidad and Tobago. The issue of concessions, including duty free and tax breaks, has been one for hot debate in recent years, with local businesses complaining bitterly of being sidelined with foreign investors benefiting significantly, with little evidence, grounded in figures, as to exactly what Guyana was getting in return.
completed his task which he is empowered to so do,” Ali noted. The region transferred $135M by way of two Inter-
Departmental Warrants to the Ministry for procurement drugs and medical supplies on behalf of the Regional Administration.
The first warrant was for $60M. Another warrant valued at $75M was issued. According to the REO, the (Continued on page 12)
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Kaieteur News
Too Frail for Death Row? Texas Inmate Seeks Execution Reprieve AUSTIN, Te x a s (Reuters) - After two recent botched U.S. executions of inmates with compromised veins, a convicted murderer and rapist is arguing he is too ill to be put to death by lethal injection in Texas later this month. Lawyers for Dan n y Bible, a 66-year-old inmate set to be executed on June 27, said in a federal court filing in June that his health and vein access were worse than inmates in Alabama and Ohio whose executions were called off after IV placements failed. The cases have capital punishment critics questioning whether justice is served by executing a person convicted of horrific
crimes but who is now too weak or sick to be considered a threat. “At some point you would think that some segment of society, if not all of society, will say that enough is enough and this goes beyond seeking justice to excessive retribution,” said David Stebbins, a federal public defender who represented Alva Campbell, the inmate in the botched Ohio execution in November. “But unfortunately, I don’t think we are there yet,” he added. Some death penalty proponents counter that sympathy should not be shown to inmates whom they accuse of trying to game the
system by filing appeals that take decades to wind through the courts, denying justice to the victims’ families. The average age of death row inmates has increased in the United States as the number of executions has trended downward, as fewer states conduct lethal injections and appeals take more time. More than 40 percent of U.S. death row inmates are 50 years of age or older, according to U.S. data and the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. In recent years, death row inmates were just as likely to die awaiting execution as they were to be executed.
Tuesday June 19, 2018
Tuesday June 19, 2018
GCS honors S/American Games Silver Medalist King & Williams The Guyana Committee of Services (GCS) in collaboration Star party Rentals and Payless Variety Store made a presentation to South American Games 100m Silver Medalist Jermaine King and Daniel Williams who took Silver in 400M for their outstanding performances in Chile last September. The presentation was done during Payless Power Hour live TV programme last Saturday and host Rajan Tiwari commended the athletes for their outstanding showing in Chile and wish e d t h e m w e l l w h e n t h e y leave this month end to represent Guyana in Ecuador The 17-year-old King hails from Canje in Berbice
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Kaieteur News
Bellew: I would stop Tyson Fury quicker than I stopped David Haye
Jermaine King (left) is presented with his reward by Rajan Tiwari on behalf of Payless Varity Store. and Attended the Canje Secondary where he wrote his
CSEC exams and is awaiting the results.
Tony Bellew (right) says he will stop Tyson Fury faster than he did to David Haye (left). (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) SSNation - In an interview with Sky Sports, Tony Bellew says he would look forward to a prospective bout with Tyson Fury, while disregard-
Tuesday June 19, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Are you sure that other people wouldn't like you to be in another space than where you are right now, Aries, or even be a different person than the one you always thought you were? TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) People will understand and appreciate your desire to stand out from the crowd today, Taurus. This isn't a sign of arrogance on your part. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You love everyone on this planet, Gemini, and this isn't the day to come bothering you with all the little details of everyday life. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Sometimes you make mistakes because of your lack of objectivity, Cancer. You have a certain tendency to wish that other people were just like you. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You were once a creature of reason, Leo. For you, everything had an explanation, a reason to exist, and a place in the world. You never missed a chance to share your viewpoint. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) How about changing roles today, Virgo? It's true that you aren't one for idle chat. You prefer taking action rather than talking about grandiose ideas that never go anywhere
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Scientists are sometimes pretty strange. They can be so engrossed in reality that they seem almost absent from it, as if they float above the Earth. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) As the real Scorpio that you are, you aren't in the habit of talking without saying anything constructive. Sometimes people accuse you of having nothing to say. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) The people around you wouldreallyappreciate it if you'd slow down and relax a little. You always seem to be running around, so much so, in fact, that you've been neglecting the people close to you, especially your family. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You did the right thing to put off those important decisions and not give in to pressure, Capricorn. You know well that sometimes it's important to relax and rest for the busy. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You have a generous nature, Aquarius. You know how to give and devote yourself to solving the problems others that confide in you. This will still be true today, but not entirely in the same way. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It's always like this at first with you, Pisces. You know something is happening but have no idea what. It's as if electricity flows through you.
ing Fury’s claims that he’s too small to get in the ring with him. Bellew finds that ironic considering the massive size disparity in the ring with
Fury’s last opponent. “I would love it,” Bellew told Sky Sports. “People tell me that he said I’m too small, yet he gets in with a guy three inches smaller than me, and about a stone lighter. “I’m not too sure what he actually means when he says too small. Right now, I’ll be honest, Tyson Fury isn’t really ready for me. I would stop Tyson Fury quicker than I stopped David Haye. There’s no two ways about it.” Bellew goes on to encourage Fury to reach out to promoter Eddie Hearn if he needs a marketable fight as he’d be amendable to the idea. Bellew thinks the potential clash would sell out any stadium in the U.K. Would any of you put money on Bellew taking out Fury?
Eleven Clubs to receive ... From page 31 Cricket Club, Police, Betsy Ground, Guymine, Canefield, Young Warriors, Belvedere United, Courtland, Block 4 Tain, Big Star, Chesney, Rose Hall Tigers, Ramnarine Memorial and Jai Hinds. Eight remaining Clubs in the Upper Corentyne area and those in the West Berbice would receive their donation next month. The $1M Balls Project is one of the most ambitious in the history of Berbice Cricket and Foster hailed the cooperation of Beharry who singlehandedly raised $500,000 from his family and close friends. The two close friends who have assisted each other during their respective Presidency, have also committed themselves to assisting promising youth cricketers after the completion of the $1M Balls Project.
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Lukaku double as Belgium outclass brave Panama
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku scores their second goal. (REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins) SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - A stunning volley from Dries Mertens and a Romelu Lukaku double broke the resistance of a brave Panama side on their World Cup debut as Belgium cruised to a 3-0 win in their opening Group G game yesterday. Mertens hammered home a superb volley two minutes into the second half, sending the ball arcing over Jaime Penedo after Panama struggled to clear a cross. Lukaku’s hard work up front was rewarded when he headed home Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant pass off the outside off his foot to make it 2-0 in the 69th minute and the big striker latched on to an Eden Hazard pass to complete the scoring with a neat
finish. The announcement of the first team to represent the Central American nation at the World Cup finals was greeted by an ear-splitting roar from the thousands of flag-waving Panamanian fans dotted in clusters around the Fisht Stadium. The debutants endured a shaky start as Lukaku went close for Belgium in the opening minute after an incisive pass from De Bruyne set Yannick Carrasco free down the left, but the striker fired wide. Despite being forced to spend much of the game defending, the Panamanians showed strength, speed and trickery when they did break forward, and they created
chances of their own in a scoreless first half. Belgium wasted no time in the second period as Mertens quickly opened the scoring and as the underdogs started to chase an equalizer the space opened up. The Belgians showcased an array of clever set-pieces and will be happy with their performance against a physical Panama side ahead of games against Tunisia and England, who meet in Volgograd later on Monday. “That first win in the World Cup is always a special moment. Panama, as we expected, played very organized, very well-drilled (but) we were patient,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez told reporters.
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku scores their second goal. (REUTERS Francois Lenoir) “The second half, that little bit of quality of Dries Mertens and then Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku with Kevin De Bruyne being instrumental in those attacks.” OPENING GOAL The opening goal came as a relief to the Belgians, who have seen other favorites struggle against well-organized opponents in the opening round of World Cup games. “It was tough. A long run-
up to the World Cup and finally you have the first match and everybody expects so much,” Martinez said. “You have such an urge to run and do your thing and then you notice your legs don’t co-operate. You see it with every team in their first match. I hope the second match goes better,” the Spaniard added. The Belgians put their slow start behind them in the second half as their passing
game started to click, but Panama still managed to find opportunities for counter-attacks and were unlucky not to score. “It is a result that can’t be positive because we lost 3-0 but they could have won by a landslide,” Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez told a news conference. “I think we did a good job - some people thought we would lose by seven goals but it was only 3-0,” he said.
All Seasons crowned ‘Champion of Champions’
Jamaica to confirm team by month end Jamaica has confirmed that its team to the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors boxing tournament will be submitted to the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association by this month end. Head of the Jamaica Boxing Association Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones recently dispatched an email to his Guyanese counterpart Steve Ninvalle. Jones disclosed that the Jamaica boxing fraternity is eagerly looking forward to participating in the tournament and would be submitting its team way before the July 7 deadline given by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association. “This is a tournament our boxers definitely look forward to. We will certainly be attending,” Jones said in
the email received last week. Jamaica and St. Lucia came to Guyana in 2016 for the first edition of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors tournament and has not missed attending the annual event since. The tournament is the only of its kind in Latin America and the Caribbean and was organized to assist in developing the skills of the regions nursery. Ninvalle applauded Jamaica. Last week Grenada became the first team to register for the third edition of the annual event which is scheduled to be hosted at the National Gymnasium from August 17-19. The Spice Island has named a team of six inclusive of four boxers, one referee/judge and a coach.Meanwhile, the association will stage its
Stephen Jones second in series of preparatory Under-16 competitions on Saturday at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis gym. The competitions are being held twice a month and are scheduled to conclude on August 4 following which a team will be encamped for the regional tournament.
Tournament winners All Seasons Racing Service team members pose with the winning trophy along with the first prize following the conclusion of the ‘Champion of Champions’ Domino Tournament. All Seasons Racing Service led by topscorer Sultan Rooplall, who registered the maximum 18 games, cantered to an easy win in the recently staged ‘Champion of Champions’ Domino Tournament which was organised by Senior Organising Secretary of the Georgetown Domino As-
sociation (GDA) Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wiltshire. They ended the final on 89 games to cart off the first prize of $175,000 and the winning trophy, while New Castello finished second on 67 games followed by Medi Care on 61. They took home $75,000 and $35,000 respectively,
along with trophies. The top female player and the Most Valuable Player received $5,000 respectively. Some of the sponsors included Dynasty Sports Club, All Seasons Racing Service, Tony’s Jewellery, CBB&L Import & Export and Boston Casting Jewellery among others.
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Kane strikes twice as England snatch 2-1 win over Tunisia
England’s Ashley Young shoots at goal from a free kick. (Reuters Ueslei Marcelino) VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) - England captain Harry Kane scored twice including a stoppage-time win-
ner as he led his side to a lastgasp 2-1 win over Tunisia in their opening World Cup match yesterday.Just when it
looked like England were going to extend their disappointing run in World Cup tournaments, Kane stooped at the far
post to turn in a header in the 91st minute.England had promised to launch their campaign with attacking football
‘Papo” Haniff wins pre-Father’s Day El Dorado Annual Golf Tourney
In picture the 5 winners pose with the Miss World Guyana finalists as well as DDL representatives and other dignitaries. El Dorado delivered on its promise for a well-supported 6th Annual Tournament as the golfers at the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) took to the course and battled for supremacy. And it was no easy victory for former golf coach Nazeem “Papo” Haniff who managed to scrape to the front, as at least 3 others were close on his heels; for a while our Tournaments have not seen such keenly contested activity. Papo, who has not been in the winner’s seat for quite a while now – he was the Guyana Open Men’s Champion about 8 years ago – explained, “My game is coming
back good!” This means of course that he is another strong contender for the Guyana Open Champion in November. On hand to formally open the Tournament was El Dorado Brand Manager, Maria Munro, who in addition to wishing the golfers a great torunament, expressed the Company’s pleasure to be involved with the Lusignan Golf Club, and their commitment to continue to support the Club in its development. El Dorado Rum, a brand of Demerara Distelleries Ltd (DDL) began sponsoring golf tournaments as a distinct sponsor from
DDL since 2011, while DDL itself has been supporting the LGC for over 20 years. At the end of the tournament the winners were: Best Gross – Avinash Persaud 75; Nearest the Pin – Nazeem ‘Papo’ Haniff. The Net score winners were: 4th place – Richard Haniff 69/11; 3rd Aleem Hussain 69/11; 2nd – Balgobin Ragnauth 69/21; and 1st Nazeem Haniff 68/9. In addition to the tie of Net 69 for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places, the Net scores up to 72 showed just how keenly the tournament was contested, despite the fact that the grounds, while payable were
not completely dry. Close Net scores were returned by Patanjalee ‘Pur’ “I love that winning feeling” Persaud 70/ 18; Munaf Arjune 71/9; Kassim Khan 71/9; Patrick Prashad 72/9; Troy Cadogan 72/25; Avinash Persaud 73/2; Lekhnarine Shivraj 73/18; and Brian Hackett 73/19. On hand to assist with the distribution of prizes and hampers were five of the finalists of the Miss World Guyana pageant, just concluded on May 26, 2018, including winner Ambika Ramraj, first runner-up Tracy Smith and second runner-up Joylyn Conway.
and they tore into Tunisia from the start of the Group G game, their red-shirted players buzzing into open spaces. Kane put England deservedly ahead in the 11th minute when Tunisia keeper Mouez Hassen could only palm a strong header by John Stones towards the striker who coolly netted.“At 1-1 we had a plan to... keep probing but not get caught on the counter-attack,” said England manager Gareth Southgate. “At the end the pressure built and built. We did the right things and made good decisions and were good value for the win.” Tunisia came to Russia with a reputation for being hard to break down. Instead they were opened up repeatedly by England early on, especially on the right flank with Kieran Trippier posing attacking menace with his pace and incisive crosses. However, England were let down by a lack of composure in front of goal on a hot night on the banks of the Volga river, with many players clearly bothered by clouds of gnats. England paid the price for their wastefulness when the North Africans, who had barely begun to press forward, were awarded a penalty before the break. Defender Kyle Walker swung an arm behind him and caught Fakhreddine Ben Youssef in the face and Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan pointed to the spot. Ferjani Sassi, after appearing to whisper a prayer to himself, scored low to the right of England keeper Jordan
Pickford in the 35th minute. PENALTY CLAIMS England had penalty claims of their own turned down before struggling to maintain their intensity after halftime. Tunisia looked more comfortable as they sat back in defence, only to be undone by Kane in the 91st minute. From a Trippier corner, a glancing header from Harry Maguire found the Tottenham Hotspur striker at the back post and he cleverly nodded home to give England a winning start. “We could have had a couple of penalties, especially when you look at theirs,” Kane said. “Maybe (it was) a bit of justice to score at the back post at the end. That’s football, that’s the ref. It showed good character to get on with it.” The result means Belgium top Group G on goal difference after a 3-0 over World Cup debutantes Panama earlier on Monday. England came to Russia determined to put behind them the disappointment of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when they failed to win a game and went out at the first hurdle. Then came elimination from Euro 2016 at the hands of tiny Iceland. However, Kane believes Monday’s win showed the spirit within Southgate’s young and largely inexperienced squad. “It’s massive. I am so proud of the lads. We kept going. We spoke a lot about togetherness and we’ve got a great bond together,” he said.
National Female Powerlifting... From page 32 the presentation ceremony. White assured the players that while her chosen sport is powerlifting she is very impressed with the level of competition that she saw and most importantly the discipline and sportsman like behaviour that exhibited among the players and therefore she would be urging her father to come on board for another year. White recently made history when she became the first woman in Guyana to claim a National Dead Lift Record 195KG in the Junior 84+ KG category. The record is an unofficial FESUPO (South American Powerlifting Federation) record and is considered the heaviest deadlift ever done by any woman in Guyana. Further, she has a Squat of 165KG which is a Junior record in the 84+ KG category and a Bench record of 65.5KG which is another junior record in the 84+KG category.
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Sweden bury World Cup opening jinx to beat South Korea NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia (Reuters) - Sweden won an opening World Cup game for the first time since 1958 with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea, but they will need to find their shooting boots if they are to match their two other, trickier opponents in Group F. After dominating the game but missing a string of chances, the Swedes won a 65th-minute penalty when Kim Min-woo brought down Viktor Claesson in the box. Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar initially waved the Swedes away, before being called to consult the Video Assistant Referee system. In the second VARawarded penalty of the World Cup, Sweden’s 33-year-old captain Andreas Granqvist swept the ball low and left of impressive goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo. “The VAR took a while but we are very pleased they had it ... I was pretty sure,” Granqvist said of the wait. The result brought wild celebrations from hordes of
Sweden’s Andreas Granqvist scores their first goal from a penalty. (Reuters Murad Sezer) yellow-clad Swedish fans, fearful their team would draw another blank after failing to score in their last three games. Sweden had not won an opening World Cup game since 1958, when they were the hosts and eventual runners-up.
The Asians began the game brighter, harrying for the first 15 minutes against an initially sluggish-looking Sweden. But the Scandinavians quickly found their poise, coping comfortably with Korea’s attacks despite the
Windies A lose opener despite Mohammed hundred BIRMINGHAM, England, CMC – Captain Jason Mohammed struck a fluent hundred but West Indies A started their tour of England on a losing note with a heavy 131-run defeat to Warwickshire here Sunday. Asked to chase a mammoth 386 at Edgbaston, the tourists were dismissed for 254 in the 41st over despite Mohammed’s sensational 102 from 93 deliveries. Wicketkeeper Devon Thomas struck 30 and West Indies senior team all-rounder Rovman Powell, 28, but Windies A lost their last four wickets for just 36 runs to decline rapidly at the end. Debutant 21-year-old fast bowler Daniel Douthwaite (343) and new-ball partner Oliver Hannon-Dalby (3-55) both claimed three wickets apiece, along with off-spinner Alex Thomson (3-53). Captain and opener Dominic Sibley had earlier struck a top score of 115 while left-hander Will Rhodes stroked 69 and Ed Pollock and Matthew Lamb, 47 apiece, to lead Warwickshire’s assault. Sibley put on 72 off 42 deliveries for the first wicket with Pollock who smashed seven fours and three sixes in a 24-ball cameo, before adding 50 for the second wicket with Andrew Umeed who made 28. However, it was a 138-run, third wicket stand between
Captain Jason Mohammed … struck an exhilarating century in a losing cause.
Sibley and Rhodes which opened the floodgates for the hosts. Right-hander Sibley struck 10 fours and four sixes off just 103 deliveries while Rhodes, a 23-year-old lefthander, counted six fours and three sixes in a 58-ball knock. Both, however, fell in the space of 10 balls but Lamb and Thomson kept the scoreboard ticking in a 47-run, fifth wicket partnership.Left-arm pacer Dominic Drakes (2-74) and new-ball speedster Oshane Thomas (2-91) both led the Windies attack but proved expensive. Hannon-Dalby and Douthwaite then quickly reduced Windies A to 47 for
three in the seventh over before Mohammed arrived to dominate. He put on 27 for the fourth wicket with Sunil Ambris (8) before adding 58 with Powell for the fifth wicket and a further 60 with Thomas for the seventh.All told, Mohammed crunched nine fours and five sixes, before he was seventh out in the 33rd over with the score on 218.West Indies will play their second one-day match of the tour on Tuesday when they take on Worcestershire at New Road.The two matches are warm-ups for the Tri-Nations Series involving hosts England Lions and India A, which begins Friday.
absence of defender Victor Lindelof through illness. Swedish coach Janne Andersson said the penalty was “crystal-clear”, adding: “I felt the wait for VAR was unnecessary.” SON V FORSBERG In a game short on finesse,
several of Sweden’s best chances fell to Marcus Berg, who had one close-range side-foot shot spectacularly saved by Cho off his knee in the 21st minute. “We played the match the way we intended, but I’m a little unhappy with the chances we didn’t put away,” added Andersson. Both teams’ star players provided their creative drive, Son Heung-min trying to drive Korea forward from the left flank but again failing to have the same impact on the international stage as he does in the Premier League. For Sweden, the pacy Emil Forsberg constantly fed the frontmen, and also curled a shot over from outside the box. Korea’s best chances fell to Koo Ja-cheol, who headed just wide in the second half and Hwang Hee-chan who saw his stoppage-time header also just miss during a late, desperate siege. The Asians’ coach Shin Tae-yong had no complaints about the penalty, and praised
his team’s battle with Sweden for aerial superiority. “It was unfortunate we lost,” he lamented, saying he was now focused on the next game against “formidable” Mexico, who stunned world champions Germany 1-0 in the other Group F opener. Though not the most attractive of games, there was a terrific atmosphere in the 42,300-strong crowd at the blue-and-white Nizhny Novgorod stadium next to a cathedral at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers. The Swedes, many in de rigueur Viking helmets, easily outnumbered and out-sang their red-clad rivals in the avant-garde, sun-kissed dome built to evoke wind and water.Sweden go into their game against Germany with confidence. “If we win against Germany, we are through. The pressure is on them,” said the ebullient Granqvist. Few will be giving a chance of progressing to Korea, who have now only won one of their last 10 World Cup games.
Caster Semenya: Olympic champion to challenge ‘unfair’ IAAF testosterone ruling BBC Sport - World and Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya is to challenge “unfair” rules affecting some female athletes. Athletics’ governing body the IAAF has ruled some female runners with naturally high testosterone levels will have to race against men, or change events, unless they take medication. Semenya will fight the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). “It is not fair. I just want to run naturally, the way I was born,” said the 27-year-old South African. “I am Mokgadi Caster Semenya. I am a woman and I am fast.” The rule, which comes into force on 1 November, applies to women who race in track events from 400m up to the mile. Semenya, a two-time Olym-
Caster Semenya is a two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion. (Michael Dodge) pic champion and three-time world champion, has previously been asked to undertake gender testing by athletics chiefs, but no results have ever officially been made public. Testosterone is a hormone that increases muscle mass, strength and haemoglobin, which affects endurance.
Lawyers Norton Rose Fulbright will lead Semenya’s legal challenge, which is scheduled to take place in Lausanne on Monday. They said: “Ms Semenya, like all athletes, is entitled to compete the way she was born without being obliged to alter her body by any medical means.”
Ministry Learn to Swim Programme starts July 9
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he Ministry of Presidency – Depart ment of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport/ National Sports Commission will be conducting its July/August Vacation Learn to Swim Programme from July 9 – August 17, 2018. Sessions for children ages 6yrs – 10yrs will be at the Colgrain Swimming Pool located at Camp Street Georgetown, while age category 11yrs – 16yrs will be at the National
Aquatic Centre located at Lilliendaal, East Coast Demerara. Registration commences on June 25, and will be on a first come first serve basis. Registration fee is $1,000. Interested persons can be registered at the office of the Colgrain Swimming Pool, National Aquatic Centre or at the National Sports Commission located along Homestretch Avenue. All participants must wear a swim cap.
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Brathwaite, bad weather hold off Sri Lanka ESPNcricinfo - Sri Lanka had dismissed the stubborn Shai Hope soon after tea, giving themselves one final chance to surge to victory, but then the rains arrived, followed by bad light. In the end, West Indies drew the match with five wickets in hand, with 32.3 overs lost to the conditions. Perhaps Sri Lanka will rue the two hours they had spent off the field, protesting the ball-tampering charge on Saturday. Another 25 overs of play could have seen them scythe through the West Indies lower order, as they had in the first innings. Though the rain clouds sealed the draw, it was Kraigg Brathwaite who had set it all up. He was secure in defense and resolute in attitude right through the day, refusing to be shaken by Sri Lanka’s
short-ball bursts, declining to be lured into loose drives, and capably defusing the spinners, who even on day five did not gain substantial turn off this pitch. Brathwaite’s innings soaked up 172 balls, moving to 58 not out during its course. Hope resisted best in his company. The two of them saw out 35.5 of the 60.3 overs Sri Lanka bowled at them in the day. Hope’s innings was split into two, because he had had to go off after being hit in the ribs by Lahiru Kumara, but he nevertheless played a vital hand, batting out 115 balls while scoring 39. Sri Lanka will likely be disappointed that even the overs that were available to them had proved insufficient. By lunch, they had had three wickets, and seemed set to
surge quickly to victory, their quicks running hot. The first West Indies wickets had not taken long to come - Kasun Rajitha seaming a delivery away from lefthander Devon Smith to have him nick one to second slip in the fourth over of the innings, before moving one into Kieran Powell to have him caught at square leg. Before they had even got to double figures, West Indies were two down. Later in the session, after Hope had been struck and forced to exit t h e f i e l d , Roston Chase had his off stump uprooted by Suranga Lakmal, who set the batsman up with a succession of away-seamers, before sneaking a straight ball through his defences. Then came the main Brathwaite-Hope stand. Although obviously still sore,
West Berbice Cricket Association academy set for July With the aim of developing the game in the area, the West Berbice Cricket Association (WBCA) will be hosting a two-week academy for male and female cricketers between the ages from 10-19. The Academy will be held at Fort Wellington Secondary School and sessions will be conducted by coaches attached to the West Berbice Cricket Association (WBCA) and selected resource personnel. The Programme will commence at 08:00hrs and conclude at 15:30hrs daily and will be divided into two sessions with lectures being done on various topics in the morning and cricketing activities in the afternoon. Tokens will be given to the best student from the various age groups and the respective disciplines; batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping, while two U13 matches are also on the cards. President of the WBCA David Black said the objective of the programme is to encourage individuals within to become more involved in the game thereby helping them to enhance their skills, instill discipline, become more health conscious, crime awareness, foster better understanding of the rules of the game and to produce better individuals which will benefit the community. Black added that the youths are talented but need some guidance in the various departments of the game so they can be better prepared for future tournaments. He noted the importance of players becoming aware of the laws of cricket and stressed
fifth wicket. Fourth ball after tea, Lakmal got a ball to cut in at Hope and had it ricochet off his elbow into the stumps, but although suddenly Sri Lanka were alive again, the weather soon intervened. First the rains washed out about 78 minutes of play. Although the teams took the field again, only 2.3 overs were possible before the umpires hauled them off again for bad light. The final delivery was proof that there was still life in this pitch - Jason Holder struck in the box by a ball that jagged in off a length. But before Sri Lanka even began bowling, Shannon Gabriel had imposed himself on the day again, as he has throughout these first two Tests. He blasted out the last two Sri Lanka wickets, to claim
an exceptional match haul of 13 for 121 - the third best in West Indies’ storied bowling history. He struck Suranga Lakmal in front of the stumps before Sri Lanka had got off the mark for the day, then bowled Dananjaya twice, in his second over. The first of those dismissals was wrongly deemed illegitimate, umpire Ian Gould signalling a no-ball, even though a sliver of Gabriel’s boot had landed behind the line. Scores: Sri Lanka 253 (Chandimal 119*, Mendis 45, Gabriel 5-59, Roach 449) and 342 (Mendis 87, Dickwella 62, Gabriel 8-62) drew with West Indies 300 (Smith 61, Kumara 4-86) and 147 for 5 (Brathwaite 59*, Hope 39, Rajitha 2-23, Lakmal 2-48).
Eleven Clubs to receive First Division Caps from BCB and Chief Brand
- More Clubs to receive cricket balls
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David Black on the importance of discipline. Black, who served as manager of the Guyana U19 team for a number of years, indicated that the programme will be held annually and is calling on the business sector for support. “The camp’s main focus is to reach out to the youths in the various communities that want to play cricket and are not attached to any club, we will also be reaching out to the students that just completed the kiddy tournament in the various schools and the coaches will indentify the students who will be sent to clubs.” The camp is open to youths from Ithaca to Abary bridge.
Outstanding Fathers honoured by ... From page 30 he stated was delighted to honour Ravindranauth Kissoonlall as the Father of the Year. Kissoonlall, is a father of two sons and also serves as the Cricket Manager/ Asst Organising Secretary of the Club. Kissoonlall, Foster stated is not only a good parent to his two sons but also
Hope negotiated a fresh shortball examination with aplomb, even smacking a Lakmal bouncer for six in front of square. There were times when he played and missed, and others when he miscued shots, but the chances never went to hand. Brathwaite seemed much more in control, getting plenty of bat even to the balls that s u r p r i s e d h i m either by staying low, or leaping alarmingly. Inconsistent bounce had become a feature of this surface through the day. It was the second session, in which West Indies only lost the wicket of Shane Dowrich to the offspin of Akila Dananjaya, that the hosts really laid the groundwork for this result. Hope and Brathwaite put on 53 for the
serves as a positive role model to every member of the RHTY&SC and is the head of its cricket section. Asst Secretary of the Club, eighteen years old Simon Naidu stated that the ten cricket teams worked hard to make the project a success and expressed gratitude to the Nero’s Family for their cosponsorship. Gratitude was
also extended to Bakewell, Bounty Farm Ltd, Ryan Tillack, Sham, Johnny, Deonarine Shane, Navin Raghoo, Food-for-the-Poor and R. Lawson. Kissoonlall expressed thanks to his fellow Club mates for honouring him and pledged to uphold the high standard he has set in the past.
he remarkable suc cess story of Berbice Cricket continues to expand on a daily basis with new programmes and activities being unveiled to develop the game. Since the election of the new Berbice Cricket Board Executives led by Hilbert Foster on the 18th February, 2018, close to twenty cricket tournaments have been launched at all levels. The Berbice Cricket Board has also unveiled dozens of developmental programmes/ activities. On Saturday last, President Hilbert Foster unveiled another programme “the provision of First Division Caps” for the eleven confirmed Clubs in Berbice Senior Cricket. The Caps were donated by Ansa Mcal under the Chief Brand and would be used by the Teams for the upcoming SKYY Vodka 20/20 Tournament and the rest of the packed 2018 First Division Season. This is the first time in the history of Berbice Cricket that all the teams would be provided with cricket caps for the First Division level. Foster launched the Caps Programme by handing over twelve Caps each to the Upper Corentyne and Skeldon Teams. The Presentation was done during the historic Upper Corentyne Cricket Association first ever Award Ceremony. A passionate Berbice Cricket Board President urged the Players to wear the caps with pride and to play a major
Representatives of the Upper Corentyne and Skeldon Teams pose with their First Division Caps. role in the restoration of Berbice Cricket. He also expressed gratitude to Ms. Tami Khan and Kelvin Singh of Ansa Mcal for their cooperation. The other Clubs that would receive caps are West Berbice, Blairmont, Police, Young Warriors, Tucber Park, Albion, Rose Hall Canje, Port Mourant and Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club. Meanwhile, more Cricket clubs in the Ancient County would benefit from the $1M Cricket Balls Project being
spearheaded by Foster and former Berbice Cricket Board President Anil Beharry. Fifty Clubs have already benefitted at the cost of $600,000 worth of red and white balls. Another twenty Clubs would receive $200,000 worth of balls next week, leaving about fifteen to receive theirs by the end of July, 2018. The Clubs that would benefit are Flying Star, Edinburgh, Goed Bananen Land, Tucber Park, Mental Hospital, Sisters, Mount Sinai (Continued on page 29)
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National Female Powerlifting Champion urges youths to take sports seriously
Guyana crush Leewards by 8 Wkts But Jamaica take Blaze T20 title
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Runita White (right) presenting the sponsorship cheque to REO Region Four, Ms. Pauline Lucas.
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ational Junior Powerlifting Champion Runita White has issued a passionate appeal for young people to take sports seriously, advising that it would help in their holistic development. White issued the call during the presentation ceremony of the REO Inter Secondary School Cricket Competition during the finals. Her father, businessman Rudyard White from W and R Electrical was one of the main sponsors of the sixteen team competition which saw teams from Region Four competing for the inaugural REO Trophy. In her address to the finalists, fans and other students, Runita urged students to see sports as an avenue in boosting their self-confidence, while stressing that it helps in several areas. “This is the first time that my father through his business is sponsoring a sport event, however based on the response that we have seen and the fact that I am confident that it has helped in identifying some of our better school cricketers I
am confident that my father will continue sponsoring this and other sporting disciplines,” she said. “What I would like to do, however, is to urge students, mostly our young people, to see sport as an avenue for creating development and enhancing themselves as it helps in inculcating discipline, sportsmanship, unity, dedication, love, cohesive behaviour, commitment and dedication, while many of you would agree, this seems to be lacking among our young people,” she said. She added, “As a young woman I am not just saying that sports is good because I want to sound impressive and look good but rather because I have benefited significantlyfrom the very advice that I am giving you. I have seen how it has helped me with my own personal life, with my holistic development as an individual as a young lady and most importantly in my business and professional life,” she said. White in 2016 acquired her Degree in Communications Studies from the Univer-
sity of Guyana and is currently reading for a MBA from Nation’s University, said that had it not been for sports she is unaware as to where and what she would have been doing. “Sports had helped me to guide my life and that is why I am passionately appealing to many of you to see sport not just as something to take up your time but as a means of further strengthening and enhancing your skills and talent,” she stressed. She admitted that she began competing in the sport of bodybuilding in February of 2018 and has excelled, thus far as she takes whatever she is involved in seriously. The talented young businesswoman noted that the aim should not be ‘just taking part’ but rather competing at the highest possible level. “You must not just play a sport, you must do it with passion, determination, humbleness and most importantly be very disciplined and dedicated as once you possess these attributes then you would certainly be excelling,” she told those at (Continued on page 27)
Mexico face disciplinary case over homophobic chant MOSCOW (Reuters) World soccer’s governing body FIFA has opened a disciplinary procedure against Mexico after alleged homophobic chants by Mexican fans during their World Cup win over Germany on Sunday. Mexico fans have long shouted an insult that gay rights groups argue is homophobic at keepers taking goal kicks. “Further updates will be
communicated in due course,” said FIFA. “As proceedings are ongoing please understand we cannot comment further at this stage.” The Mexican football federation (FMF), which has repeatedly appealed to fans to stop the chant, was sanctioned 12 times for homophobic chanting during the World Cup qualifying campaign, receiving warnings for the first two offences and fines for 10
more. The chant was widely heard at Mexico games in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when FIFA took no action, but it has since launched a clampdown and other Latin American teams, including Argentina and Chile, have also been fined.FIFA is employing three specialist observers at each World Cup match to report discriminatory behaviour by spectators.
hemaine Campbell staked a strong claim to regain her Windies spot when she powered Guyana to an emphatic eight-wicket win over the Leeward Islands in the final round of their Windies Women’s Blaze T20 Championship in Jamaica last Sunday evening. But while the 25-year-old opener ended the series with over 150 from five innings her team only managed wins against defending Champions T&T and the Leewards as Barbados emerged Champions. Campbelle who last represented the Windies in November 2016 against India in Vijayawada, top scored with an unbeaten 28 with three fours and a six as Guyana galloped to 53-2 in 10.1 overs replying to the paltry 50 all out
in 17.5 overs made by the Islanders after the Guyanese had asked them to bat on a Sabina Park track with bounce and carry. Campbelle, who made her Windies debut in against South Africa in 2016 a day before her 18th birthday, arrived at the crease after Sheneta Grimmond (5) was trapped LBW Shawnisha Hector at 5-1 and along with Lashuna Toussaint took the score 31 before Toussaint (7) was bowled by Amanda Edwards. Campbell then dominated the unbroken third wicket stand with the consistent Akaze Thompson (4*) whose name should be mentioned when the Windies selectors sit to pick the next Windies T20 team. Earlier, Windies pacer
Subrena Munroe trapped Eldora Sylvester (4) at 9-1 before Windies left-arm pacer Erva Giddings removed Shebani Bhaskar and Tiffany Thorpe for ducks as the Leewards slipped to 10-3 and nobody except Saneldo Willet (11), who was run out by a good piece of fielding by Kasysia Shultz at 32-6, reached double figures for the Leewards who never recovered. Giddings bagged her second four-wicket haul as she finished with 4-18 while Munroe (1-8 from 3 overs), Tremayne Smartt (1-7 from 4) and Thompson (1-2 from 4) ensured that the Guyana pace quartet were dominant. The 50-over format commences on Thursday and Barbados are the defending Champions.
Outstanding Fathers honoured by RHTY&SC Kissoonlall named Walter Nero Father of the Year
Ravindranauth Kissoonlall receives his Award from La Donna Nero and Troy Nero.
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or the twenty fifth successive year, the Cricket Teams of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS honoured outstanding fathers as part of their celebration of Father’s Day. The teams honoured dozens of fathers under their Annual Walter Nero Tribute to Fathers’ Programme. The programme is sponsored by the children of Walter Nero, in memory of the father of eight children who died three years ago. The Club provided food hampers to eighty fathers, while Ravindranauth Kissoonlall was named the
Walter Nero Father of the Year 2018 and received a trophy, framed Certificate of Excellence and collection of gifts. Earlier in the month, the ten cricket teams and the Over-35 Group provided breakfast to dozens of fathers as they waited to collect their monthly Old Age Pension. Three fathers also received special gifts from the RHTY&SC. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster congratulated the fathers on being outstanding parents. T he Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club selected the fathers primarily on then being outstanding role model parents and urged them to share their experience with the
younger generation of fathers. Noting that the current generation of parents faces new challenges as compared to the past, Foster stated that fatherhood is a special gift from God. With the advent of social media, parenting has become even more difficult for the younger generation. The long serving Secretary/CEO called on the parents to assist the RHTY&SC to spread its Say No/Say Yes Message. The Message is to get youths to Say No to Drugs, Crime, Suicide, Alcohol, Tobacco, PreMarital and to Say Yes to Education, Religion, Sports, Culture and Life. The RHTY&SC, (Continued on page31 )
Tuesday June 19, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. sponsors WIFBSC Ind. Champ for DCRA 150th Goodluck expresses gratitude
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o n g t i m e c o r p o r a t e supporter of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA), Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. located at 226 Camp S t r e e t , N o r t h C u m m i n g s b u rg , Georgetown, has once again showed its commitment by fully sponsoring reigning We s t I n d i e s F u l l b o r e Shooting Council (WIFBSC) Individual Champion Ransford Goodluck for the 150th Canadian Fullbore Rifle Championships. Just off his commanding performance at the WIFBSC Championships at the Paragon Ranges in Barbados last month, Good luck will now point his rifle towards the Connaught Ranges, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada form August 18-25, next. General Manager of
Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. Hemant Narine commenting on his company's decision to fully sponsor Goodluck said that they had no hesitation when approached pointing out that the top Caribbean marksman is deserving of the support. “The support for Mr. Goodluck I think has been earned. He has had a good year so far competing at the Commonwealth Games and then taking the cake at the Caribbean level. As a company we have been following his progress and we believe that he would continue this good form at the Canadian 150th championships.” Apart from winning the Overall Aggregate in Barbados with a score of 390.27 Vs to countryman Lennox Braithwaite's 379.26 and Canada's Geoff
Woodman who placed third with 373.026; Goodluck also won Day 1 and 2 Aggregate whilst placing 2nd in the Day 3 Aggregate.He was 2nd at the 900 yards and 3rd at 600 yards on day 3; won the 1000 yards and was 3rd at 500 yards on day 2; was 1st at the 300 yards whilst taking 3rd at both the 500 and 900 yards on day 1. In responding, Goodluck said words could not express the way he feels about the tremendous gesture of Mr. Narine and Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. towards his quest to be the best in Canada. “The commitment shown by this company is great and has stimulated me to ensure I do the best I can at the Canadian 150 t h in August. Training for me will continue every Sunday until we depart around August 10th f o r C a n a d a . ” GuyanaNRA Secretary Ryan
Administrative Assistant of Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. Ms. Crystal Kallu presents the cheque to Ransford Goodluck . GuyanaNRA Secretary Ryan Sampson is at right. Sampson was on hand for the presentation yesterday and extended thanks to Narine
and Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. for its continue support for the sport. The
company was one of the major sponsors for Guyana's th 150 Anniversary last year.
BCB invests in 36 fast bowlers under Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh T Coaching Programme
he Berbice Cricket Board on Saturday last hosted the largest ever fast bowling clinic to be organised by a Cricket Board in Guyana. A record thirty six junior fast bowlers attended the One-day Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Coach Clinic at the Albion Cricket Ground. The fast bowlers drawn from across the Ancient County and were from the Under-15, Under17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels. Berbice Cricket Board President Hilbert Foster hailed the fast bowling clinic as a tremendous success and reflected the passion that has returned to Berbice Cricket over the last four months. Berbice Cricket Board had planned for twenty fast bowlers and was blown away with the large turnout. The fast bowling clinic was the second one hosted by the Berbice Cricket Board after a wicketkeeping clinic which was attended by twenty youths. The Board would also be organising clinics for left arm spinners, leg spinners, off spinners and batsmen. Additionally, the Berbice Cricket Board would also organise four Two-day Coaching Programmes across Berbice. To date, a total of 102 youths have attended this
The young fast bowlers pose with Coach Winston Smith. Programme in the Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne SubAssociations. Foster, stated that the Berbice Cricket Board is taking advantage of the long rainy season to complete all of its developmental programmes. After the completion of the Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching Programme, seventy youths between the ages of 12 to 19 years would be selected to attend the Berbice Cricket Board
Academy from the 23rd to 27th July, 2018, at the Albion Cricket Ground. A panel of Coaches with personal experiences would conduct the Cricket Academy, with the main objective of getting all Berbice Players properly prepared to represent Berbice and Guyana. Foster also disclosed that preparation for the 2019 Inter-county season at the Under-15, Under-17, Under19 and Female levels, with
the aim of winning each one of them has started. Berbice, he stated has lost Championships due to fast bowling points and this would never happen again. Coach Winston Smith worked with the attentive young bowlers on the four principles of fast bowling including Stability and force generation. Work was also done on the bio mechanics of bowling, run-up, gather, foot landing, release and follow through. The Coach also had
intense interactive work with the bowlers on hand movement, on how to bowl the off cutter, in swing, out swing and pace variations. Work was also done on the importance of physical fitness and how to achieve it. Smith disclosed that he was able to indentify at least fifteen fast bowlers with immense potential and special emphasis would be place on fast bowling for the rest of the year as the county start early preparation for the
2019 Inter-county Junior Championship. While Berbice is well known for its spinners, the Berbice Cricket Board is seeking to have at least four destructive fast bowlers for each of its Junior Teams at the Under15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels. Among the fast bowlers attending the historic clinic were Christopher Harry, Isaiah Thorne, Kevlon Anderson, Javed Karim, Nicholas Lawson and Leon Swammy.
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Brathwaite, bad weather hold off Sri Lanka P.31
Kraigg Brathwaite led West Indies' fight to save the Test AFP
Shannon Gabriel, who was rewarded with the wicket of Kusal Mendis in the first test (pictured), was named man of the match for his impressive 10 wickets. ŠAFP
Kane strikes twice as England snatch 2-1 win over Tunisia P.29
England’s Harry Kane scores their second and winning goal. (Reuters Gleb Garanich)
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