Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Friday June 20, 2017

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 Mps BEHAVIOUR UNBECOMING Last Friday, the business of the National Assembly came to a crushing halt for about 15 minutes when Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland walked out of the parliamentary chambers after a backbench opposition member refused to obey his commands. The hostility between the Speaker and the Opposition Members of Parliament was uncalled for. Parliament is where the government Ministers and MPs and members of the Parliamentary opposition take turns to debate issues pertaining to the interests of the people. It is not the chamber for MPs to settle personal scores, hurl insults at one another or make false accusations. The incident that prompted the Speaker to vacate Parliament stemmed from the opposition MP, Nigel Dharamlall’s refusal to obey the directives of the Speaker. He was asked to use another term instead of ‘decimate’ but he chose to refuse, thus showing his contempt for the House. Many felt that he should have been suspended from the House for insubordination. Mps ought to know that the National Assembly is not the place where accusations can be made without proof. Either Mr. Dharamlall does not understand the rules governing the House or he is blatantly violating them. That said, no Member of Parliament should be allowed to disrespect the Speaker without facing serious consequences. Known for their rancorous debate in Parliament, members of parliament believe that they can violate the rules of the House and not be punished. The opposition members of parliament were adamant that MP Dharamlall did absolutely nothing wrong for the Speaker to place a gag order on him. They drew a line in the sand and stood with their colleague to send a message to the Speaker that his actions toward Mr. Dharamlall were unfair and unjust. They contended that they would not accept anything short of fairness from the Speaker. There were loud noises from both sides of the aisle as the opposition accused the government of being incompetent and betraying the trust of the people. Hostile reactions by MPs will not address the fact that the people are increasingly seeing politicians as a group of selfish and egotistical politicians. We know that some MPs can be quite profuse and brutal in attacking their opponents, but they become incredibly touchy when they find themselves at the receiving end. Most people view MPs as the authors of their future; people whose task is to chart a way forward for Guyana. But sadly, some MPs have shown not to have any pride in the August House since their behaviour continues to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the citizens. Not only has their behaviour caused the public to be disappointed, but they have also failed to set the right tone and atmosphere for a decent debate. Parliamentarians have a duty to set high standards and be good examples for youths. Most Guyanese are peeved at the dismal performance of the MPs they elect, especially those in the opposition. What is even more annoying is that their performance in terms of finding solutions to problems often pales in comparison with the generous remuneration they receive. However, at this critical juncture of the nation’s history where sacrifice by everyone is required, MPs should lead by example. Such approach would definitely go a long way to help rebuild some of the trust and respect which Guyanese traditionally had for MPs but they have lost it because of their self-serving attitude and disruptive behaviour.

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

This nurse needs the support of her colleagues Dear Editor, I have been watching with great interest the dynamics that are being played out in Region 5 at the Fort Wellington Hospital with the registered nurse, her functional superiors and the politicians. May I say at the outset that Ms. Marks should be commended for identifying the healthcare and administrative problems at the Fort Wellington Hospital. She was doing so in the best interest of the patient and the health care institution. Ms. Marks demonstrated that she is an embodiment of leadership, professionalism and competence. Being a competent and responsible nurse, she was adhering to the basic principles of the

Dangerous Drug Act of 1919. The problems (malpractice) were presented to the hierarchy of the Public Health Ministry, but they failed to acknowledge and address the issues that were raised. They became concerned when the matter was presented to the press. They panicked. As a healthcare professional I do not engage in debate with individuals, who are not medically trained. The regional executive officer, Mr. Morrison, a lay individual should not seek to pontificate in matters beyond his level of competence. I do hope the prescribers of the medication (Pethidine) will be called in

by the good offices of the Guyana Medical Council and the Chief Medical Officer and be questioned about their knowledge (competence) in the administration of the dangerous drug - Pethidine. With due respect to these gentlemen, I think they should be involved in a well structured intern and residency program supervised by competent skills with the likes of Dr. Carl Hanoman, Dr. Hugley H a n o m a n , D r. R o g e r Luncheon, Dr. Dean Sharma, the late Dr. Enid Denbow, Dr. Walter Chin, Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Sookraj and Dr. Gordon Baird. Just to name a few. I am calling on the nursing fraternity to rally around their colleague

because a vital principle is at stake. If you do not stand up for something, then you will fall for anything. There are some principles that are nonnegotiable. To Ms. Marks, I say stick to the principles of healthcare and don’t be moved by any bastardly acts of intimidation. I do hope the patient involved in this saga is referred for counselling and supervised care. All of which are vitally necessary for the total rehabilitation of the patient. The writer of this letter is a graduate from the New Amsterdam School of Nursing and has practiced nursing in the New York area in clinical and administrative areas in reputable teaching institutions. Robert Fraser

WPA has presented the President with its own vision and ideas Dear Editor, The meeting between the Working Peoples Alliance and President Granger arising out of the President’s decision to reassign Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine to another Ministerial portfolio took place on Saturday June 17 at State House. The WPA thinks that it was a very useful meeting, as it allowed the party to engage the President and his team on burning issues of concern to our party. We raised a range of concerns with the President and his team and in the circumstances tried to be as frank as we could.The President responded to our concerns and introduced some of his own. WPA feels that the meeting was cordial and fraternal. On the issue of the r e a s s i g n m e n t o f D r. R o o p n a r a i n e , W PA reiterated that while it does not question the President’s right to determine where in the cabinet Ministers are asked to serve, the fact that we are part of a partnership and coalition and that the

minister in question is an Executive Member of the WPA, it would have been prudent and respectful to consult with us before making a decision. WPA repeats that its first knowledge of the imminent move was when the President met with Mr. D e s m o n d Tr o t m a n o n Monday June 12, one day before the formal announcement. In a statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency following the meeting with the WPA and the President, the latter appears to be sticking to the view that the WPA was consulted on the Roopnaraine reassignment. WPA respectfully disagrees with the President’s notion of consultation in this instance. For us, consultation constitutes active engagement prior to decision making. We cannot accept that notification of a decision after it has been made amounts to consultation. However, we hope that in the

future, we can find common ground on this matter. W PA u s e d t h e opportunity at the meeting to relay to the President our belief that government and not parties should govern. Hence the WPA has no desire to interfere with the day-today business of government. It is however, our firm view that as a partner in the Coalition, we should play a meaningful role in shaping the general vision and program that inform the direction of the government. In this regard, we suggested to the President and his team some areas in which we feel the WPA has an immediate interest in helping to shape thinking and policy. I n p a r t i c u l a r, W PA expressed the view that the transition to a Green State cannot be actualized outside of the decriminalization of the current state apparatus. This is critical for us in the WPA since it is our view that the nature of the state is an important aspect of national development. Other areas touched on during the

meeting were the Sugar and Rice Industries, the imminent Oil Economy, Social Cohesion, and the Education Sector. WPA feels that the most important outcome of the meeting is the decision to hold an APNU meeting on July 22nd, 2017. We see this as a major breakthrough, since the APNU has not met for almost two years. It is our view that much of the discontent and concerns arise out of the failure of the APNU to function. WPA hopes to further press its case for a deepening of relations and meaningful participation within the APNU and the broader coalition at this m e e t i n g . W PA w a s represented at the meeting by Dr. Clive Thomas, Dr. David H i n d s , D r. Wa z i r Mohammed, Dr. Rishi Thakur, Ms. Tabitha SaraboH a l l e y, M r. D e s m o n d Tr o t m a n , M r. Ta c u m a Ogunseye, Mr. Jinnah Rahaman and Mr. Ali Majeed. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley WPA Chairperson

The analogy between Obama’s bailout and GuySuco’s survival Dear Editor, The machinations which have occurred in this government provide some of the most striking examples of hypocrisy and deception seen in modern times. Earlier this year, the unions and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) were invited to provide alternative plans to demonstrate how the industry can enjoy a turnaround in fortunes. This was followed up with a series of engagements between a team

representing the Government and teams representing the PPP and the unions. As far as I am aware, those engagements have not been brought to a halt. A White Paper and then a State Paper was subsequently laid in the National Assembly, for there to be a national debate on the way forward for the sugar industry. These initiatives held up great hope for the workers and their families. Everyone felt that the Government was acting in good faith

and was really interested in a collaborative effort towards finding a solution. Lo and behold, we accidentally stumbled upon a letter written by Mr. Joseph Harmon, Minister of State acting on behalf of the Government of Guyana, appointing Wesley Kirton, as a glorified real estate agent, to sell all of Guysuco, or any part thereof. This letter was written since November 2016.What this (Continued on page 5)

Tuesday June 20, 2017

Such a tragic loss of life is always so sad DEAR EDITOR, The loss of life is always sad. I had been listening to a radio discussion about the “tower block fire” in London. Then I read the recent very interesting letter about the “Enmore Martyrs”. I would like to give my personal experience of this ‘special day’, in June 1948, and hope this could be published, because it shows how others suffered as well at the time, going through psychological trauma, through no fault of their own. I was then in my first job, as a pupil teacher at age 17, at the Government primary school, awaiting my Cambridge School Certificate exam results, starting in April 1948, travelling by train every day to and from Enmore, having just left high school. Every day another female teacher and I travelled from Georgetown to schools along the East Coast, including Enmore. I was one of the Enmore group. From the start of the strike, there was general tension throughout the community, including the children at school. Men lined the railway line where we walked to get to the school building and the only bridge leading to the school, from early morning. The line gradually length-

ened. Throughout this ordeal I had to walk that short bridge from road to school, where men sat on the rail at either side, muttering. I walked fast, and turned cold when one remarked that “no matter how fast she walk, if I want to catch she, I can catch she”. After a while, some of their women, probably realising the danger I and perhaps other teachers were in, joined the men on the line and some sat near the bridge. The men then armed themselves with sticks and tools of their trade and betook themselves to the “backdam”. After threats from the strikers, the teachers were advised to “let the children be”. The children became ‘cheeky”, chattering and doing as they pleased. A van of policemen was sent to patrol the road. Then the “martyrdom” happened. We saw crowds running to and fro along the road. The hospital staff who looked after the casualties told us what happened next. A crowd of cane field workers, armed with the tools of their trade, attacked the policemen, hanging over the back of the truck, armed with firepower. The outnumbered police used their weapons. The rest is history, henceforth de-

scribed as ‘martyrdom’. I can only speak of my terror walking to the school building every morning for the duration of ‘hostilities’. And there was no one to talk to about it. The other older female teacher who used to travel from town with me made arrangements to stay with a local family. I was a minor with no such contacts and could not. My parents never knew of my misery. Perhaps I speak subjectively - but I have - and will always have - a different perspective. And it is not racial whatever I am today, my Indian father is entirely responsible for - the sacrifices he made for me, buying every book on the school’s list, eventually selling his bicycle and walking to work, to see me through high school, etc., never complaining, always encouraging, with “you must study hard”, filling our lamp with “kero” twice a week. My duty was to wash the lamp’s chimney every Saturday. Fortunately, I was an avid reader, with a retentive memory. I truly burnt the midnight oil. When I ended my working days, in my prized job with the telephone giant in the UK, I hoped he was happy wherever. Geralda Dennison

The analogy between Obama’s bailout... From page 4 means therefore, that all the actions of the Government thereafter conveying the impression that they were engaging on Guysuco, were all a charade. Only a few days ago, I wrote a civil and balanced letter, querying a social event held in Florida last Saturday and the legality of funds raised there from. My queries were genuine and made in good faith as a Member of Parliament. The very same Mr. Kirton responded. His response was as abusive as it was venomous. I refuse to descend to such level by dignifying his toxic rantings with a response. However, I was aghast and at loss to understand the nature of his response. Then I saw the correspondence and realized that he was singing for his supper. His commission fee for the sale may set him good for life. The Government’s decision to sell Guysuco is not based on any economic analyses, or on the Commission of Inquiry’s Report or,

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upon any impact assessment done. Indeed, other than political considerations, no one knows on what basis is the Government acting. Guysuco is not simply a business and cannot be viewed from the perspective of profit and loss. It is an institution. The Obama Administration could not have afforded to allow certain huge companies to crash during the financial meltdown and therefore bailed-out these companies, the same way the Guyanese economy cannot afford Guysuco’s closure. It still is the largest employer in Guyana, employing over 15,000 workers. It still is one of our largest foreign exchange earners and one of our major direct contributors to GDP. When one takes into account the fact that nearly 100,000 persons, directly or indirectly, depend upon Guysuco for their livelihood; the total amount of taxes, which they pay; their NIS contributions; the economic impact of their domestic consumption; the cost of finding alternative employment; the

cost of maintaining the drainage and irrigation network in the backlands right across the coast; the cost of healthcare and other social services, which are provided by Guysuco to communities nationwide; the cost of provision of electricity for 90,000 households in Berbice by the Skeldon Co-Generation Plant (as per Dr. Clive Thomas), one will quickly see that the cost of closing the estates far exceeds the cost of keeping them functioning. When one adds to this equation, the over 30 Billion dollars, which was disbursed to Guyana for the abolition of the subsidies and which was used as budgetary support for other sectors with only a small fraction going towards Guysuco, the case becomes even more unassailable. For the reasons I have adumbrated, I stand firmly in solidarity with the sugar workers and their families. Their cause is just, win we must, history and time are on our side. We will grind oppression into the dust. Anil Nandlall

Many if not all ministries have a serious lack of engineering skills DEAR EDITOR, In a KN Article of June 7, it was reported that a Government investigation into the collapse of the Palmyra monument on April 26 found that failure was due primarily to a poorly designed earthen foundation to support the structure. Failure of the infilled masonry mortar blocks base support seemed to have been due to their low compressive strength. The previous PPP/C government had apparently assigned Design Consultants Services Ltd. (DCSL) to prepare the preliminary design, specifications and estimated cost to construct this project which was given as $125M. Construction, however, was kept on hold until the newly elected APNU+AFC Govt. decided to resurrect the project and based on the re-

vision of DCSL Design by its appointed Consultant FEBCAM, the Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture decided to proceed with project construction. Innovative Engineering Consultant Services (IECS) were appointed final design consultant, FEBCAM as supervising consultant and Alternate Contracting Enterprise (ACE) as the primary Contractor. During its early design of the Project, IECS observed that soil data was required fro the foundation design in order to determine the strength and consolidation characteristics of the soil and its capability of supporting the stresses imposed by the structure. Accordingly, IECS requested the soils data but was advised by the Ministry of Culture that geotechnical

investigation was not carried out and will not be done since no budgetary allowance was made for this segment of work. At this juncture, IECS should have walked away from its assignment since no competent engineer could design the foundation for a structure of seeming complexity without adequate soil data. Instead, it was reported that IECS used historic soil data to prepare the stature design which on construction quickly ended with catastrophic consequences. Similarly, it is not clear whether the specification listed the minimum crushing strength requirement for the mortar filled blocks used for the statue base, which also failed. Only a concrete testing laboratory could have provided information that the blocks met (Continued on page 6)

Alcohol consumption in Guyana has played a viciously negative role DEAR EDITOR, The Father’s Day greetings on social media reflected the various complex emotions about fathers, good fathers and bad fathers and good fathers who are sometimes bad and so on. Alcohol consumption in Guyana has played a huge part in diminishing the capacity of many men to be good fathers and in destroying families. There are too many stories of children begging

and hoping that their fathers would not drink The full page advertisements then, about alcohol and fathers and manhood are a mockery of those pleas and hopes by the Guyanese who hope that the fathers around them would stop drinking. The alcohol industry is vicious in its continued perpetuation of the myth of happiness and alcohol. Congratulations though, to the people, also alcohol sellers, who

choose to use their non-alcohol Malta brand to promote their Fisher activity for fathers and children. The ads were smaller, not as prominent but important as they seem to indicate that there is a possibility for the private sector to provide events for Guyanese men and others to enjoy healthy lives and relationships without alcohol threatening to destroy them. Vidyaratha Kissoon

Citizens go to the GRA to do business not to spy with smartphones DEAR EDITOR, Kindly permit me space to respond to GRA’s letter published in your newspaper on the 15th June 2017 regarding the restriction of smartphones. I quote the Commissioner’s statement as published on 8th June 2017. “Very soon, there will be no smartphones entering my building…. both officers who work with me, and also tax payers.” There is a distinct difference between “there will be no smartphones entering my building” and there will be no use of smartphones. The former conjures up images of persons leaving their smartphones in their cars or lodging them with the security at the entrance. If the Commissioner meant the us-

age of phones then the public may be more understanding. In trying to stop any unscrupulous staff from leaking information, GRA should take into consideration the inconvenience to the large majority of persons who are there to transact their business only and not to spy on others. Maybe special cameras should be installed at the point of contact between their employees and the public. This will act as a deterrent and if monitored curb any attempts to leak information. It is important to note an employee with a smartphone and data plan does not need to use a visitor’s phone to steal information. As a matter of fact I really

do not see why an employee will allow a visitor to take photographs of documents at the risk of been caught. The main concern for the Commissioner should be internal.GRA must be commended for recently constructing a modern waiting area with internet access. This is a step in the right direction. Marcus Craig

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Political games in the appointment of GECOM Chairman DEAR EDITOR, Please publish this letter on the political games between the President and the Opposition Leader representing Government and Opposition. There is wide spread concern and uneasiness over the delay in the appointment of the Chairman of GECOM in view of impending regional elections followed by general elections. This issue has been playing out for too long in the public arena. This matter should have been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the President and the Leader of the Opposition in fulfillment of their constitutional duties following confidential conferring in good faith. But what is outstanding in these meaningless, occasional meetings between the President and the leader of the Opposition, is the photo opportunity; the people are disappointed, as nothing good in the national interest has come out of these meetings, much to silent, widespread dissatisfaction of the Guyanese people. On the appointment of the Chairman of the GECO, the language of the Constitution is clear with all due respect to the lawyers. What other meaning should be imposed/ argued on the term “or any

other fit and proper person”. Anyone found to be a fit and proper person from the first list of six persons could have been appointed as was done in the past. That settled the acceptable constitutional interpretation in practice. I am of the view that our President has not been getting sound legal advice from his legal advisers. Differences in the interpretation should have been referred to the Court, right up to the Caribbean Court of Justice, if necessary. Rejecting the lists of nominees is unfortunate and embarrassing for us in CARICOM and the international community. We have to get right our politics, our Constitution, appointments to constitutional bodies, our elections, and the management of the economy, and major industries for the good of all. The President and the Opposition Leader must demonstrate sincerely to the nation they can put aside their partisan politics in fulfilling their constitutional duties in an exemplary way in the national interest. It must be admitted that our country is divided largely in the politics of race/ethnicity for many years. A fair and just political and

constitutional solution must be found on the basis of wide consensus taking into account of our ethnic demographics. The tokenism of racial inclusion and the executive administration’s window dressing of a Social Cohesion Ministry, with meaningless and deceptive public relations gimmicks, will make no impact in this society; and is wasting tax payers’ money. What hope is there for our country if the political leaders cannot meet in mutual confidence, and confer in good faith and agree on issues of national interest? This should be done without posturing in the media on individual political positions before arriving at mutual agreements. The nation looks to the President and the Leader of the Opposition who should be role models and set the tone for the conduct of national affairs in the interest of all the citizens. Ministers, Members of the National Assembly, and public officials must fall in line in the conduct of their statutory, administrative and service duties to the public. They must set a good example as role models for now and future generations. Joshua Singh

A novel and interesting idea from the 1960’s with several pro- coalition government which Carter Centre the posals with a view to address- hitherto was not possible. A DEAR EDITOR, The Carter Centre has made some interesting suggestions regarding constitutional reforms. Among the several recommendations are direct elections for president who may or may not belong to a political party. Voters, if my understanding of the recommendation is correct, can vote for all of the candidates in some preferred or ordinal manner which will then be aggregated and the candidate with the highest number of votes will be declared winner. The thinking behind this recommendation is that it will encourage voters to vote across party and by extension ethnic lines. This is indeed an interesting even though not entirely novel idea. The British Government came up during

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Kaieteur News

ing the racial problem which was described by the then Colonial Secretary Duncan Sandys as ‘the curse of Guyana.’ After all efforts failed at arriving at a political solution, Sandys suggested the system of proportional representation. The PPP was perceived to enjoy an electoral advantage under the then ‘first pass the post’ or constituency model. The Party, for instance in the 1961 elections managed to get roughly 57% of the seats in the Legislative Assembly with under 50% of the votes cast in its favour. In other words, its parliamentary strength was significantly greater than its popular strength. One outcome of that constitutional imposition was that it created the basis for the formation of a post-election

clear advantage of the Constituency model is that it lends itself to more stable and accountable governance as voters vote directly for candidates representing defined geographical boundaries as opposed to the current party list system. This is perhaps something that the Constitutional Reform Committee may want to give consideration to in its quest for greater accountability at the level of constituency politics. The Carter Centre has done well to put forward some ideas on the way forward in terms of a new governance paradigm. The time is long overdue for the administration to make public the recommendations of the Constitutional Reform Committee that was set up over a year ago regarding a proposed framework within which the broader consultations could take place. The Guyanese public is awaiting a response from the Granger administration on this fundamental issue of constitutional reforms which incidentally was one of its major manifesto promises. For some reasons known only to itself the issue of constitutional reforms appears to be put in cold storage. Hydar Ally

I was not allowed by the Speaker of the House to make my point DEAR EDITOR, I would be grateful for your publication of my letter which seeks to clarify two issues currently circulating in the media. Firstly, in another newspaper dated June 17, 2017 under an article captioned “Speaker walks out of House after Opposition disobedience”, I wish to state categorically and unequivocally that paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the article are an egregious mischaracterization of what transpired. Paragraph Three (3) says “This latest confrontation between Scotland and the Opposition Members of Parliament started when opposition backbencher Nigel Dharamlall refused to withdraw his statement that the Government of Guyana was “decimating” the Indigenous People...” This is not correct! Paragraph Four (4) says: “Dharamlall was repeatedly cautioned to withdraw his statement by the Speaker and when he continuously re-

fused he was asked to take his seat so that the next speaker, Minister of Social Cohesion...” This is also incorrect! Paragraph Five (5) says: “This directive did not find favour with the opposition MPs who stood en mass in the Chamber to protest the action.” This is also not correct! Only recently, I participated in an outreach with the Leader of the Opposition, visiting many Amerindian villages across Region 9, and there is stark evidence of the decimation of Amerindian livelihood caused by the insidious policies of the Government towards our First Peoples. Secondly, on the website of the Department of Public Information, there is a short video interview of the Honourable Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, which is a gross misrepresentation of the occurrences that transpired in the House. The recording shows the Prime Min-

ister deceptively saying that my use of the term “decimate” caused the furor. This is a blatant untruth echoed by the Leader of the House and amounts to high irresponsibility and contempt. The fact of the matter is there was obvious discomfort expressed by the Government side of the House when I sought to represent the plight of the 17,000 sugar workers within the context of the Terms of Reference of the CoI. The unrepentant and inhumane policy to close sugar estates rendering thousands of workers jobless and without significant opportunities of gainful employment must be addressed within the context of their need to own and access lands as a means of securing a livelihood. Unfortunately, I was not allowed by the Speaker to make this justification since I was ordered to take my seat. I look forward to your kind cooperation. Nigel Dharamlall Member of Parliament

I am suggesting the importation and use of Haitian labour DEAR EDITOR, I wish to revisit the matters concerning Guysuco and its impending restructuring. I hope the Government has taken good note of the speed with which the PPP and its cohorts have been able to shut down activity on the Corentyne even though for a day. The GAWU have the largest credit union in operation in this nation. If they are serious I think that they can join in with Government and not only make strong proposals, but also come up with a viable plan to turn around Skeldon factory using its capital from the credit union. I still cannot think that a serious union can prevent members from accessing work as we have witnessed on the West Bank of Demerara. The workforce has not even made

an attempt to go to Uitvlugt and try out the conditions there. One would feel that if after trial they find the conditions much more than they would have endured at Wales, then they would justifiably have grounds for protest and complaint. As it stands these workers have simply quit their jobs and are thus not eligible for severance. It seems as though the Government will have to engage in a migrant workers scheme much like the USA Farm Worker Scheme of yesteryear. I knew many persons who availed themselves of such opportunities and they did well. I was only a child then, but I saw the improvement in the lives of the families who so benefited. Instead of turning back the Haitians the government needs to en-

courage those persons from Haiti who have farm experience to come and work in the Guysuco fields. For sure they will demand less pay than those workers who are now refusing to be engaged. A lso we brought in 400 Chinese for the Marriott construction and another 350 from India for the construction of the stadium. So why not send employment agents to Haiti and gather the best of their labour force for service here. With oil production on the horizon we are going to be faced with an acute shortage of labour in various skills, even unskilled labour. It is time that we start now to develop a disciplined labour force to meet the imminent challenges ahead. Cyril Walker

Many if not all ministries have a... From page 5 design requirements but apparently, no one requested this test although it was necessary. Failures of the Palmyra Monument, Kato Secondary School, and several other public work projects indicate that the APNU+AFC Govt. continues to employ incompetent, inexperienced and generally unqualified Consultants, Construction Supervisors and Contractors for its civil engineering projects. Firstly, these service providers should be pre-qualified to ensure that they have the relevant qualification, experi-

ence, and other parameters to competently undertake the given assignment. Continued reluctance to do so would only add to failures and cost escalation of projects. Performance bonds should be mandatory for all contracts as this will enable the Govt. to recover its expenditures when contractors fail to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of their obligations. Those firms that fail to perform should also be barred from future Govt. assignments, even if it is for a specified period. Finally, the APNU+AFC Govt. should recognize that

many if not all of its Ministries do not have the required technical personnel with the competence and experience to undertake execution and oversight of many of its engineering projects. The Palmyra project clearly bears this out as its Ministry of Education, Department of Culture technical personnel did not comprehend the importance of geotechnical investigations and material testing to determine masonry blocks strength for the design and construction of this structure in accordance with generally accepted standards. Charles Sohan

Tuesday June 20, 2017

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GPHC plagued by infrastructural shortcomings – Minister Lawrence - foreign support being utilised to address dilemma The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] is plagued by infrastructural shortcomings. This state of affairs was recently amplified by visiting Cardiology Specialist, Dr. Debra Isaac. Dr. Isaac who hails from Canada’s University of Calgary and has had an important part in the Guyana Programme for Advanced Cardiac Care (GPACC), made the infrastructural observation in a documentary titled Born Blue, which alludes to babies born with congenital heart disease. The documentary was recently unveiled at a forum at the Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown. According to Dr. Isaac, the fact that patients sometimes have to be moved from one building to another, sometimes in conditions that are not desirable, poses a challenge to health care. As she agreed with the observations, made by Dr. Isaac, the Public Health Minister in an invited comment to this publication said, “She is quite right, t o d a y ’s s c e n a r i o i s n o t

how a hospital is built...” Minister Lawrence however noted that although it is true that the GPHC is faced with such a challenge, it is not unique to that health facility. “It is not GPHC alone; it’s almost all the hospitals that we have had for a period of time...Some of them we inherited from our colonial masters and so on; some of them were old buildings that were turned into hospitals,” explained Minister Lawrence. She added, “From my perspective there seem not to have been a broader vis i o n i n t e r m s o f where Guyana is going by 2025, how many people will we have, what type of communities will we have, and what will be the services needed? We’ve lacked that type of forward looking vision. What has basically been taking place, they were building little offices, little buildings and so on as they went along,” related Lawrence. But moves are apace to address this glaring shortcoming. The efforts in this regard are starting at the

GPHC. According to Minister Lawrence, “Presently we do have an architectural service from the United States that is freely looking at the entire [GPHC] compound. “They are going to make some decisions as to how we move forward because there is so much to take into consideration...where we put what, where we can move what because of the connectivity that we need.” However, Minister Lawrence when asked about the decision to halt a building that was slated to accommodate a day care facility at the public hospital, insisted that she had no hand in that matter. She said that the move to works on the multi-million dollar building would have entirely been up to the hospital’s Board of Directors. The Minister, nevertheless, admitted that she had shared some concerns which were premised on her background in social services. “I did indicate to the [former] Chief Executive Officer [ag] when I came on, the things we have to look at to ensure that we pro-

WPA calls on Nagamootoo to stop pussyfooting with Constitutional Reform The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) is quite dissatisfied with the reality that Constitutional Reform is yet to be realized. At a press conference, yesterday, at its Queenstown Headquarters, WPA Executive Member, Dr. David Hinds, expressed the party’s view that a great disservice is being done to the nation with the absence of Constitutional Reform. He pointed to Constitutional Reform as a manifesto commitment that is still to be realized. Dr. Hinds said that in every manifesto it ever prepared, from way back in 1985, the WPA has sustained a commitment to Constitutional Reform. He said, “We fought for the inclusion of Constitutional Reform as a very important and central plank of this (the APNU+AFC) manifesto. We are not satisfied that the government has not moved purposefully in terms of dealing with Constitutional Reform.” Dr. Hinds acknowledged the work of the Constitutional Reform Committee chaired by Attorney at Law, Nigel Hughes, and noted that the committee submitted its report to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo since last year. “But, every time the Prime Minister speaks he says, ‘Well you know we are going to bring things on stream.’”

Dr. Hinds said that the WPA is ready to see real action as the party is tired of Nagamootoo’s continued promise to get things on stream.” The WPA executive member said, “We are dissatisfied with (the delay). We feel that Constitutional Reform is critical to everything that we are doing because it has to do with the way the State is reconstructed, the allocation of power, the whole question of ethnicity and the sharing of power in this country.” Dr. Hinds continued, “We are very strong in the reduction of the powers of the President. We feel that despite some modification, the last time around in 1999/2000, the presidential powers are still too much and we will like to see a modification of

those powers. There are things that we feel need to be done immediately and that constitutional reform should be put on the table as a central plank.” Dr. Hinds, who is a political scientist, said that ultimately Governments come, and Governments go, “but it is important that we have rules of engagement. These are what make up a constitution; a Constitution is rules of engagement that assure the population of a country that their security is guaranteed. Dr. Hinds said that the WPA will argue within the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for a kick start of the constitutional reform process “for us to make good on our promise in the manifesto.” (Abena RockcliffeCampbell)

The building on which works have been halted. vide a day care/night care for our staffers’ [children]. “I come out of the social sector and I am big on that... What I do know is that you cannot build a day care/night care [facility] in the hospital because of the contamination. I gather all of that was taken into consideration. “Secondly, it has to be built according to the early

childhood development policy. So it is not just building a room and calling it a day care and night care. Those are some of the things the Board might have looked at and found that it could not continue like that,” related Minister Lawrence. She said that she is very satisfied with the work of the Board. Some $15 million was al-

located to the construction of a facility to accommodate the day care/night care facility which was halted after some 80 percent of the works were completed. The construction of the building was reportedly the brainchild of the former CEO of the hospital, Mr. Allan Johnson, how has since been removed from that position by the hospital’s Board.

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

Kaieteur News

EU reaffirms Paris Climate pact is ‘fit for purpose’ ...will not be renegotiated The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union (EU) has reaffirmed that the Paris Climate Change pact is fit for purpose and cannot be renegotiated. This conclusion came on the heels of the US President Donald Trump Administration’s intention to withdraw from the agreement and to commence renegotiations to re-enter either the Paris Accord, or an entirely new transaction on terms that are “fair” to the country. “We are getting out but we will start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair. If we can, that’s great, and if we can’t, that’s fine,” the American President said while noting that trillions of dollars will be lost by imple-

menting the agreement. The Paris Agreement is an accord within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions, mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. The agreement was negotiated by representatives of 195 countries at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC Paris, and was adopted by consensus on December 12, 2015. The EU Foreign Affairs Council is, however, reaffirming that the Agreement is fit for purpose and cannot be renegotiated. “The Agreement is ambitious yet not prescriptive and allows each Party to forge its own path, in contributing to the goals that serve to combat climate change, which threatens development, peace and stability around the world.” The Council also expressed deep regret over

US President Donald Trump. (usanews-tv.com photo)

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini. (File photo)

what its members described as a “unilateral” decision by the US Administration to withdraw from the pact. The body welcomed the “strong” statements of commitment to the Paris Agreement from countries ranging from major economies to small island states including Guyana. “The Paris Agreement

brought us together in very challenging times. It is an unprecedented multilateral agreement between nearly 200 parties, supported by regions, cities, communities, companies as well as other non-state actors across the world, to address a problem that threatens us all. It demonstrates, along with the 2030 Agenda for Sus-

Guyana’s State Minister, Joseph Harmon. tainable Development, our collective responsibility towards the entire planet, for this and future generations, and our commitment to act accordingly,” the council in a statement noted. “The EU and all its Member States will not only implement the Paris Agreement, but are building strong global alliances to make sure [it] will be implemented, even after Trump’s decision to step back,” EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, was quoted as saying in a release sent to this newspaper yesterday from the EU Delegation

to Guyana. Mogherini was quoted also as saying that combating climate change is a quest i o n o f s e c u r i t y, n o t a luxury. Meanwhile, Guyana has signaled its intention to remain committed to the agreement. Guyana’s Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said that it was “unfortunate” that such a position has been taken by the US since “the rest of the world is going in a certain direction.” While saying that he wished not to speculate on whether small states will follow the US in pulling out of this agreement, he noted that Guyana remains committed to its obligations. Guyana is expected to honour its obligations through the development of a comprehensive Emissions Reduction Programme (ERP). “We are committed to it. We have actually seen the impact which global warming can have with effects of climate change,” the Minister said, making reference to the excessive rainfall that resulted in several commun ities in Regions Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) experiencing severe flooding some weeks ago.

Tuesday June 20, 2017

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Kaieteur News

And then there were five… The removal of Dr. Rupert Roopnarine as Minister of Education effectively reduces the coalition to five. The Working People’s Alliance has lost the only Ministry it had in the coalition and with it any leverage it would have had of influencing policy. The Ministry of Education was the largest Ministry in the terms of budgetary expenditure. With the seizure of this Ministry, the PNC/R now controls the Ministries of Health, Communities, the Presidency, Public Service, Finance, Social Security, Education and Foreign Affairs. In terms of budgetary resources, the PNC/R now has a greater share of resources, within the government, than theAFC which has responsibility for Agriculture, public security and natural resources. The PNC/R becomes the top honcho within the government. The WPA, for all intents and purposes has been booted from the government. Its members will

try to desperately hold on to their jobs but this will come at the price of giving token support to the coalition. The WPA has served its purpose. It was used to burnish the image of the PNC/R. It was used to create the illusion that there is a new PNC. If the party which once accused the PNC of assassinating one of its leaders could jump in bed with the PNC, then this clearly is a suggestion that the PNC/R is not the same as the old party which unleashed terror against the WPA in the late 1970s and 80s. The WPA is no longer needed. It is being dumped. How else does one explain replacing a person with the ability and intelligence of Roopnarine with a junior Minister and splitting the education portfolio? If there were just reasons to remove the Minister of Education, then the replacement would have been different and there would have been no need to split the portfolio.

The leaders of the WPA are blind to this reality. They will grovel at the feet of the PNC/R. They will accept whatever crumbs are now thrown at them because they have allowed themselves to be seen as spent political force whose only value to the coalition was to boost the image of the PNC/R. Like how the United Force was treated from 1964 to 1968, the WPA will find itself on the political sidelines. The other smaller parties in the coalition had better take note. The time is coming when they too will be dumped. The reason is simple. The AFC is now equated with the PNC/R. The PNC/R has effectively managed to pull off a coup within the leadership of the AFC and now effectively controls that party. The AFC was huffing and puffing recently about the need to renegotiate the Cummingsburg Accord. Well, it is not surprising that that issue

Dem boys seh ...

Guyanese had dealings wid de devil Is not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy. Jagdeo radio station does always got call in programme and one and two people does call. Sunday gone was Father’s Day and a lady who husband dead a while ago and lef she wid couple children, call in pun de radio programme de day before.. She seh she was asking God fuh help she out because she got nuff mouth to feed and she deh terrible. Jagdeo best friend, Babbie, was listening and he hear wha de woman seh. He don’t believe suh he decide to mek fun of de woman. Right away he call he secretary and instruct her to get on to de radio station, and find out wheh de woman who call in and ask God fuh help, live. He then tell de secretary when she find out, to go to de market and buy a good set of stuff and carry it wheh de woman live. He send it wid de following instruction. “When de woman ask who send de food tell her it come from de devil.” “De secretary do everything Babbie tell

she to do. De tun up at de lady house wid goods late in de afternoon. It was not only nuff fuh Father’s Day, but fuh last she more than a month. De lady was so happy that she smile wid all she teeth. She hair pun she head stand up to show how happy she happy. Dem pickney start to jump fuh joy when dem see so much food including apple and grapes. De secretary was smiling and de lady thank she. Then de secretary ask de lady if she don’t want to know who send de goods. De lady look at de secretary, shake she head and seh, “No. Just saying thanks to whoever send it. “I don’t care who de person is because I know when God orders even de devil obeys.” Jagdeo, de other devil, was handling de phone calls that day. He did give away too. He give de same Babbie a whole complex fuh free, and ee give Gouveia a whole hotel fuh dem sleep. In fact, he nearly give away de whole of Guyana. Talk half and know that you have dealings wid de devil.

has dropped off the political radar. The present leadership of the AFC will not push this further. They are comfortable with the status quo within the coalition where the AFC is now an extension of the PNC/R. Electorally, the WPA cannot be equated with the AFC. The WPA has in recent years become something of a political heterotroph. It has attached itself to other parties in the hope of opportunistically gaining a political foothold in parliament. It was once in bed with the Guyana Action Party and then it joined with the PNC/R to form the APNU. It has run out of victims. It has now lost its political currency. It will

be cast to the sidelines. The AFC is often seen as the successor to the WPA. But this is a mistaken view. The WPA has never electorally enjoyed the sort of support which the AFC gained. The WPA’s leadership was traditionally part of the middle class but the party itself was a mass-based party which has strong working class support. The WPA’s failure to contest the 1980 elections, which were the most farcical in Guyana’s history, cost it the opportunity to demonstrate that it has mass backing. The AFC does not have the same origins as the WPA. The AFC is not a mass-based party.

It is effectively an outlet for the middle class which emerged under the PPP and which needed a political vehicle. TheAFC is now indistinguishable from the PNC/ R. The PNC/R has used the AFC to blur class lines. So even though the ruling coalition is now a coalition of five, it is effectively a coalition of four and will eventually become a party of one.

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

The AFC and the WPA are either lying or ignorant of reality As I write this column, dialogue with the British Prime Minister and a Northern Ireland party is still going on. If the British PM is to remain in office, she needs parliamentary support from another party. If that is not forthcoming she will preside over a weak government so fragile that a no-confidence vote can topple her. Once she has voting majority, then her power base is secure. But she will never be free of the exacting hand of her junior partner because her small ally will do what is both commonsensical and pragmatic - make demands. There is something in life called “practical commonsense” and it operated throughout history and will never cease to stop. Here is something that most Guyanese ought to know. There are tiny shops all over the place specializing in car parts. Once you go to them, the seller knows you couldn’t find what you wanted at the

big, established outlets. The seller is not going to offer you the market price. That will never happen. If you want your car to go on the road you better pay him above market rate. What happens when you miss the last ferry and you have to be in the main city before morning comes? The speed boat guy isn’t going to charge you the normal price. What most humans will do is bite the bullet, tell yourself he is unscrupulous; cuss him out quietly so he cannot hear, but you will pay him what he wants to take you to the mainland. The two examples offered here exist in graphic form in coalition politics. The Northern Ireland party is not going to tell the UK Prime Minister that they love her so much that they will offer her a parliamentary majority. No, they will bargain with her. She wants to remain Prime Minister and she will offer concessions.

This is the nature of coalition politics. Mr. Burnham wanted in 1964 to be Prime Minister. He didn’t have a majority. The United Force agreed to team up with Mr. Burnham. One of its demands was that its leader must be the Finance Minister. Mr. Burnham agreed. If one year after the government was in power, Mr. Burnham had sacked the Finance Minister or transferred him, the coalition would have fallen and maybe the United Force would have gone over to the PPP. The Finance Minister and the Prime Minister did not get along but the UF/PNC coalition lasted until the next election in 1968. What happens in coalition politics is that the Prime Minister or the President has de jure power but the small

party propping up the Prime Minister or President has de facto power. Put another way; there is a subtle diminution in the power of the leader of the government. The AFC has twelve seats in its name. If there is a quarrel in the coalition and the AFC withdraws, the coalition can fall if the AFC agrees to a no confidence vote. There is a covenant between the AFC and APNU named the Cummingsburg Accord. The AFC can lie as much as it wants to the people of Guyana by shouting out that it cannot go against Cabinet decisions and Cabinet decisions are binding. The fact is the president politically as against the legal power he has, cannot and will not fire or reassign AFC Ministers unless the AFC agrees to it. In his talks last Saturday

with the WPA, the President openly acknowledged that fact. The AFC in not wanting to rock the boat may acquiesce to the removal of an AFC Minister but if the AFC does not want to, the President in not wanting to rock the boat too, will back off. The Cummingsburg Accord has a restraining hand over the political authority of the President. This is the nature of coalition politics. As I have observed in several columns within the past 18 months, there is no such thing as a unity cabinet in coalition government. It is a contradiction in terms to refer to such a phrase. The AFC says there is a unity cabinet in coalition government but it cannot point to one example in the world. Surely not in Israel, Ger-

Frederick Kissoon many, Italy. The AFC has simply been lying to the nation that it cannot go against decisions of Cabinet. It is now the WPA’s turn to lie. The Ministry of the Presidency issued a press release saying that the WPA has accepted the President’s right to change his cabinet. Which right? The legal or the political one? The two are not complimentary.

CAL cancels several flights following storm warning Caribbean Airlines (CAL) was yesterday forced to cancel several flights following warnings of a Tropical Storm heading for Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada. The Miami to Georgetown flight via the

Port-of-Spain route has been cancelled for Guyanese passengers. All connecting flights to Trinidad and Tobago have been cancelled. Affected passengers are being urged to change or cancel their reservation without any penalty attached.

The following flights have been canceled: Port of Spain to John F. Kennedy, New York; Port of Spain to Tobago; Tobago to Port of Spain; Miami to Port of Spain; Port of Spain to Guyana; Kingston to Antigua; Antigua to Barbados; Fort

Lauderdale to Port -ofSpain; Orlando to Port-ofSpain; Port of Spain to St. Lucia; St. Lucia to Port of Spain; Port of Spain to Barbados; Barbados to Port of Spain; Port of Spain to Grenada and Port of Spain to Suriname.

Tuesday June 20, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Trial of commercial matter to commence five years after filing in High Court

Ronald Bulkan

Justice Rishi Persaud

Justice Navindra Singh

By Rehanna Ramsay Some five years after it was filed, a matter involving Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited and Precision Woodworking over an alleged breach of contract will finally be heard in the High Court. The matter which was filed on May 15, 2012 before Commercial Court Judge Rishi Persaud will now be heard before Justice Navindra Singh. During a hearing yesterday, Justice Singh set a date from the commencement of trial of the matter. The case is set to be heard in October. The date for trial was set pursuant to a preliminary ruling by

Justice Singh. According to court documents, the original action filed in 2012 by the principals of Precision Woodworking outlined a breach of a contractual agreement between the Woodworking Company and Republic Bank. A synopsis of the matter outlined that the Woodworking Company had secured certain loans via Republic Bank but subsequently fell in arrears in their loan servicing. Republic Bank, as part of the process of recovering the loan, had appointed a receiver to secure assets

of Precision by way of notice of a Court Order in June 2011. H o w e v e r, P r e c i s i o n Woodworking through its Directors Rustum Bulkan and Ronald Bulkan subsequently approached the court on allegations that Republic Bank had breached their agreement for settling the matter and unlawfully appointed a receiver. According to the court documents Attorney- atLaw Nigel Hughes is the Counsel for Precision Woodworking and Attorn e y s – a t - L a w, R o b i n Stoby, S.C and Tariq Khan

are the Counsel for Kashir Khan (the receiver) and Republic Bank. The case was originally set to be heard five years ago before Justice Rishi Persaud but the trial never commenced due to several delays at the preliminary stage. Kaieteur News understands there were in excess of 60 interlocutory appearances of the case before Justice Persaud but the matter never went to trial due to a number of reasons; among them is a failure by the second named defendant (Republic Bank) to file witness statements. The Judge thereafter r e c u s e d h i mself and the matter was reassigned to Justice Singh in October, last year. At the preliminary stage of the hearing before Justice Singh, a summons was filed by Precision Woodworking to have several paragraphs of the initial statement of claims which were struck out by the original presiding Judge, restored. In affidavit in support of the summons, the plaintiffs noted that the decision to strike out various paragraphs of the claim was

prejudicial, premature and without foundation in law. They therefore sought an Order of the Court to restore paragraphs of the statement of claim. In his written ruling delivered on June 6, last, Justice Singh wrote that based on a review of the file, records and the synopses of the case it is ordered that the original claims be restored. The Judge explained that during the time before Justice Persaud, the Defendants (Republic Bank) had not filed witness statements despite several orders by the Court directing them to do so. The decision by the Judge outlined that “it is surprising that a preclusion order was not made against the defendants in view of

their continuous refusal to comply with the Orders of the Court.” “Notwithstanding the fact that the Defendants had not filed witness statements, it appears that Justice Persaud engaged in a pre-trial conference whereby he sought to define the issues that the Court would want addressed during a trial and made the order/s striking out certain claims.” Additionally the Judge noted that it must be understood that this matter has not been set before a different Court; “this is the same Court, only differently constituted.” On those grounds, the order was made to have all specifics of the Plaintiffs original Statement of Claim dated September 20, 2012 restored.

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

Kaieteur News

COI had no part in Ministry’s decision to limit CSEC subjects - Caesar Care must be taken in a decision to limit the number of subjects that students are permitted to write at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate [CSEC] examination. This assertion was yesterday made by Mr. Ed Caesar, a former Chief Education Officer [CEO] of the Ministry of Education. Caesar was recently tasked with leading a Commission of Inquiry [COI] into the

education system, from which a number of recommendations were forthcoming. These are expected to help effect improvement measures. Although the final report on the COI is yet to be completed, Caesar yesterday assured that there were no recommendations in a preliminary report already presented to the Ministry in this regard. At the forum earlier this year to present the preliminary

report, Caesar had however noted that proper advice for students, particularly as it relates to their subject options, should not be optional. He said that it is imperative that the public education system have in place a cadre of personnel who are capable of offering this crucial advice. But Caesar, in an invited comment, yesterday, insisted that the preliminary report did not offer any recommenda-

tion that students should be prevented from writing as many subjects as they like if they are so capable. “We did not say anything about that in our report. All we said is that we are to ensure that our children benefit from any examination that they have to write...but I am aware we have our views. However, we didn’t mention anything at all about that,” Caesar stressed yesterday. The Education Ministry has imposed a limit on students writing the CSEC examination. Based on a circular signed by CEO, Mr. Marcel Hutson, and disseminated throughout the 11 education districts, “the maximum number of subjects a student can select in any stream in a List, A, B or Sixth Form Secondary School must not exceed 10. Mathematics and English must be included.” Added to this, “The maximum number of subjects a student can select in a List C, D or E Secondary School must not exceed six. Mathematics and English must be included.” The circular further pointed out that of the maximum of 10 and six subjects, there is also a pre-requisite to the number of subjects a student can write at CSEC. This will depend on the student’s performance at the National Grade Nine Assessment and/ or the Annual Examination administered at the end of Grade 10. It was outlined that the results of elimination tests administered to Grade 11 students at schools will not be

Former Chief Education Officer, Mr. Ed. Caesar used as a criterion to determine the selection of students to enter for the CSEC examination. Even as he insisted that the COI had no role to play in advising the Ministry in this regard, Caesar pointed out, “We didn’t say that they must be limited but we want our young people to benefit from their experience at school. How that has to be done, the Ministry has to look at that very carefully and I think this suggestion or what is coming up has to be examined very carefully.” According to Caesar, “Personally I believe that we must ensure that our young people have the ability and the capacity before they are allowed to write exams.” The former CEO is convinced that “we must stop preparing them [students] merely for exams and prepare them to

utilise information to gather information so that they can apply their strategies and techniques to whatever is necessary to live in Guyana or wherever else. “That to my mind is important. Getting our young people to know how to gather and use information and apply this...whether it is to Maths, English, Geography or whatever, that is critical to develop a young person academically, and for living,” Caesar added. In order to achieve this goal, Caesar had highlighted the need for Welfare Officers to play an integral role in the guidance of students. “Our members are suggesting that if there can’t be a welfare person in a school, there must be a Welfare Officer responsible for a cluster of no more than five schools in every region,” said Caesar. Moreover, Caesar had posited that the Welfare Officer must also possess guidance and counselling skills since such persons would essentially have to be more than a mere Welfare Officer. “That person has to advise on careers with respect to these students,” said Caesar. “Rather than doing 32 subjects, students can be advised that they can do as few as seven and be able to pursue their career of choice.” “People need to advise our young people but in order for people to do that they need to know how to advise,” said Caesar. “The Welfare [within the public education system] is a cry for help.”

Mahaicony resident excretes 72 cocaine filled pellets

A Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident is in custody after he reportedly swallowed 72 cocaine-filled pellets. Randolph Muir, called “Roach”, of Lot 3 L Enterprise, Mahaicony, ECD, was arrested on Sunday at the Eugene F Correia International Airport. He was heading to Bar-

bados. The Suspect was escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he excreted 72 cocaine-filled pellets weighing a total of 592 grams. He is in police custody and is likely to make a court appearance on Wednesday.

Tuesday June 20, 2017

White House says it retains right to self-defence in Syria; Moscow warns Washington (Reuters) The White House said yesterday that coalition forces fighting Islamic State militants in Syria retained the right to self-defence, as Russia warned it viewed any planes flying in its area of operations as potential targets. Tensions escalated on Sunday as the U.S. military brought down a Syrian military jet near Raqqa for bombing near U.S.-allied forces on the ground, the first time Washington had carried out such an action in the multipronged civil war. It was also the first time the U.S. Air Force had shot down a manned aircraft since May 1999. In a move that will fan tensions between Washington and Moscow, Russia made clear it was changing its military posture in response to the U.S. downing of the jet. Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar alAssad, said it would treat U.S.-led coalition aircraft flying west of the Euphrates

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Kaieteur News

River in Syria as potential targets and track them with missile systems and military aircraft. It stopped short of saying it would shoot them down. The Russian Defence Ministry said it was also immediately scrapping a Syrian air safety agreement with Washington designed to avoid collisions and dangerous incidents. Moscow accused Washington of failing to honor the pact by not informing it of the decision to shoot down the Syrian plane despite Russian aircraft being airborne at the same time. Washington hit back, saying it would “do what we can to protect our interests.” “The escalation of hostilities among the many factions that are operating in this region doesn’t help anybody. And the Syrian regime and others in the regime need to understand that we will retain the right of self-defence, of coalition forces aligned against ISIS,” White House

spokesman Sean Spicer said. The U.S. military said it was repositioning its aircraft over Syria to ensure the safety of American air crews targeting Islamic State. The White House also said it would work to keep lines of communication open with Russia amid the new tensions. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the United States was working to restore a “deconfliction” communications line with Russia meant to avoid an accidental clash over Syria. Marine General Joseph Dunford said there were still communications between a U.S. air operations center in Qatar and Russian forces on the ground in Syria, adding: “We’ll work diplomatically and military in the coming hours to re-establish deconfliction.” The U.S. Central Command had issued a statement saying the downed Syrian military jet had been dropping bombs near U.S.-backed SDF forces, which are seeking to

Qatar says it will not negotiate unless neighbours lift ‘blockade’ (Reuters) Qatar will not negotiate with its neighbours to resolve the Gulf dispute unless they first lift the trade and travel boycott they imposed two weeks ago, its foreign minister said, but added Doha still believed a solution was possible. The United Arab Emirates, which along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain imposed the measures to isolate Qatar, said the sanctions could last for years unless Doha accepted demands that the Arab powers plan to reveal in coming days. Qatar has denied accusations by its neighbours that it funds terrorism, foments regional instability or has cosied up to their enemy Iran. The dispute has opened a rift among some of the main U.S. allies in the Middle East, with President Donald Trump backing tough measures against Qatar, even as his State Department and Defence Department have sought to remain neutral. Yesterday Qatar held war games with Turkish troops, showing off one of its few remaining strong alliances af-

Turkish armored personnel carriers drive at their military base in Doha, Qatar on Sunday. (Qatar News Agency/Handout via REUTERS) ter two weeks of unprecedented isolation. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Doha was ready to “engage and address” the concerns of other Gulf Arab states in what he described as a proper dialogue with predetermined principles, but reiterated that sanctions must be lifted first. “Until now we didn’t see any progress about lifting the

blockade, which is the condition for anything to move forward,” Sheikh Mohammed said. The countries that imposed the sanctions have denied that they amount to a blockade. Sheikh Mohammed said he planned to travel to Washington next week to discuss the economic effect of the “blockade” and its effects on the global fight against terrorism.

PAGE 22

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VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pit-bull – Call: 650-7501 2011 ALLION - $3.3M, 2011 RACTIS -$2.5M, 2009 SIENTA - $2.1M, NOAH & VOXY - $2.6M, VEHICLES UNREGISTERED & FULLY LOADED. CALL: 642-7295 3.5 TON & 4 TON CANTER, OPEN BACK WITH 4D35 & 4D34 ENGINE, PRICE -$3.8M & $4.2M. CALL: 617-2891 TOYOTA FIELDER – 2009 WITH BODY KIT & RIMS $2.5M, SIENTA -$2.1M. CALL: 617-2891 One used Suzuki Escudo, excellent condition. Call: 6238078/ 645-4131 JustArrived: One Toyota Premio, never registered, excellent condition, fully loaded. Call:6238070/645-3131

1 Transported property. Call: 265-3586 For your packaging needs: scotch tape, manual strapping machine, polystraps, polybags, shrink wrap, waxed boxes, etc. Call: 6292292 New Generator Diesel 110W, Generator/welder diesel 110w, waterpumps-3" gasoline. Call Melissa: 6292292 Sale! Sale! Seafood Mania!! Fish & Shrimp, all types and different processes. Call Cassie: 227-8176/77 ext 10 Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, video games & repairs – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999

Suzuki Escudo fully powered, mag rims, excellent condition. Call: 625-7380 ACCOMMODATION Journey Inn apartment rental, short term with AC & Kitchen, as low as -$15US. Call: 6421783/ 646-3011634/7182301695

MASSAGE Neisha’s Massage Spa. Call: 674-8147 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIAL OFFERS FOR THE SEASON. CALL: 690-6494 PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 677-7827, 6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807

WANTED Salesgirls & boys with supermarket experienced , apply with written application to Best Buy Food supplies, Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville. 1 Accounts Clerk, preferably from E.B.D – 5 subjects CXC minimum @ gtcareers592@gmail.com 1 Diesel Mechanic, must have knowledge of Perkins & Duetz engines, Cat & Doosan Excavator. Call: 2269768/660-2998 Hairdresser/Nail Technician apply at West Shore Plaza, 15 Public Road, Ruimzeight, W.C.D. Call: 269-1524/6563561 Post classified ads free on www.guyamazon.com Live in general domestic, must know to cook & waitress from E.C.D (live in/out) salary $20,000 weekly. Call: 610-3974

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

Prime Gold & Diamond Mining Land for sale contact 223-5273/74 Land at 42 Coglan Dam, size: 37X270 price -$5.5M negotiable. Call Mr. Howes: 677-9938 or Mrs Clarke: +13473870537 Land for sale at Block “12” Lot 176, First Street, Non Pariel, E.C.D- Call: 669-5532/ 270-5302

PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Property @ the corner of 172 Zohora St. & Market St. Better Hope, East Coast Dem - $11.5M neg. Call: 220-1583 between 7am-5pm only. 2 Story building with extralarge land in well built $74.5M. Call: 220-1583 between 7am-5pm only. Beautiful 2 storey concrete, 4 bedroom property for sale at Rumzeight Garden, W.C.D with AC/ Hot & Cold water. Call: 699-9666/ 269-0189 House for sale, 2 flat, no flooding, 6ft fence, price $18M negotiable. Call: 2335400, 218-0595 One three bedroom concrete house for sale Contact Mala: 917-254-2909, location: Vryheid’s Lust, North. Call: 699-4111/626-2208

One cleaner to work at hotel contact 223-5273/4 Truck driver for TM and Model M trucks contact 2235273/74 Canter Driver; must have a lorry License contact 2235273/74 One live in domestic and gardener to work in Mahaicony River. Call: 6559419/ 225-6571 One experienced cook for various types of vegetarian dishes, working hours from 7:00am-2:00pm, Monday Saturday 623-1615

Hardworking, pleasant, physically fit, literate, team player (Plant Shop Staff) 1825 years. Tel: 646-2108, Georgetown Experienced salesgirls @ Christine’s Variety Store, Lombard Street. Call: 2278529

TO LET 4 AC Rooms/ 1 extra room, for business/offices @ 21 Seaforth St. C/Ville, Georgetown. Call: 226-1877, 624-7436, 654-9350 One bedroom apartments to let for more information. Please contact: 226-4001

One experienced pharmacy assistant to work in a reputable pharmacy in G/ Town (flexible hours). Call: 227-0630 Office Assistant: passes in Maths and English, computer Literacy, submit CV: ifsvs@hotmail.com Shift Cashier 7-2pm for general store on the E.C.D. Call: 649-2950 1 Experienced person to work in office for fish export company call: 674-1846/ email: 20112011@gmail.com One female cleaner for office in Eccles call 233-2745. Find job listings www.guyamazon.com

on

Night Auditor, apply to Manager, Herdmanston Lodge, 65 Peter Rose & Anira Street. Immediate vacancy for 2 females to work @ Ice Factory in Blairmont, must have Maths, English. Call: 231-1408/642-9191

Furnished newly renovated self-contained room, water & electricity, 12 Sussex Street Charlestown -$30,000 monthly! $30,000 Security. Call:219-1951/689-8757 1 Bedroom bottom flat apartment -$45,000, 1 Bedroom upstairs apartment - $50,000, Garnett street, N/ town Kitty. Call: 226-2421, 652-5778

CAKES & PASTRIES For all your catering needs please contact: 226-4001

2 & 3 Bedrooms apartment, recently renovated, fully tiled & free Wi-Fi @ Nandy Park. Call: 641-3318 Room in Albertown. Call:2253234

Female worker wanted that finished CXC 2017. Call: 6225518

PEN PAL You deserve a relationship filled with love & excitement. Call Harmony Singles: 6262629/676-6312

VACANCY Cook/ Baker and welder/ fabricator for interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 for more information

American Variety Store, 140 Regent & Light Street, Georgetown: experienced cashier and Salesgirl, apply in person.

Experienced caterpillar mechanic contact 223-5273/4

One hire car Driver, apply in person, 4 First street, Alberttown, 4 buildings from Cummings Street.

40 Acre Land @ Port Kaituma Rd. Side with spring & creek. Call for information: 684-7516 CAR RENTAL

Tuesday June 20, 2017

Kaieteur News

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS) LEARN TO DANCE

LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

Dance to keep fit, lose weight build self-esteem while having fun, variety of styles. Call: 626-2629/676-6312 Learn Latin dancing in 2 months starting June 26, 2017 at 5:30pm Every Monday & Thursday For more info call 695-1325 Continued on Page 23

Tuesday June 20, 2017

Community Health Centres equipped to deal with increased cases of ‘Red Eye’ In the last week alone, the Campbellville Health Centre has seen a dramatic increase in cases of conjunctivitis better known as ‘red eye,” compared to the entire month of May. During the period June 12June 16, 2017, a total of 179 cases were recorded, as compared to 24 cases in May 2017. Speaking with Department of Public Information, Dr. Angelique Parkinson, of the Campbellville Health Centre urged persons who feel that their eyes are infected should visit the nearest Health Centre in their Community as soon as possible. Dr. Parkinson said, “Red eye is usually a selflimiting condition which means that within a week a person will recover from the symptoms so it is better to seek care at the primary health care level rather than the emergency department of GPHC,” she urged. “For this type of condition it is best to visit the health centre closest to you rather than appearing at the emergency department of the public hospital,” she added Conditions of ‘red eye’ include a sandy feeling in one or both eyes, itching or burning sensation in one or both eyes, excessive tearing, discharge from one or both eyes, swollen eyelids, Pink discoloration to the whites of one or both eyes and increased sensitivity to light. It is important for persons who have red eye to note that if they touch their infected eyes and touch simple things the virus will s p r e a d D r. P a r k i n s o n pointed out. Persons are advised to

avoid touching eyes with your hands, wash hands frequently with soap and water, use anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, avoid sharing towels, blankets and pillow cases. Persons should not use anyone else’s eye makeup, face make up, makeup brushes, contact lenses or eye glasses, and should not use swimming pools. It is also recommended that if you have red eye you apply a cold pack to the affected eye, two to three times daily for 10-15 minutes, or use anti-inflammatory drugs prescribes by a health worker. Conjunctivitis When the conjunctiva; the thin transparent layer of tissue that lines the inner surface of the eyelid and covers the white part of the eye becomes swollen or infected, it is known as Conjunctivitis, or ‘red eye. Types of Conjunctivitis are the Viral Conjunctivitis occurs with symptoms of a cold, flu, or other respiratory infection. It begins in one eye and may spread to the other eye within days and discharge from the eye is usually watery rather than thick. Bacterial Conjunctivitis usually begins in one eye and sometimes spreads to the other eye. Discharge is normally of pus, a yellowgreen color and can occur with an ear infection. Allergic Conjunctivitis may occur with symptoms of allergy, such as an itchy nose, sneezing, a scratchy throat, or asthma and Conjunctivitis Caused by Irritants can produce watery eyes and mucus discharge. (GINA)

PPP wants Speaker to have same law for Govt., Opposition The People’s Progressive Party is calling on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, to enforce parliamentary rules and regulations equally to Parliamentarians representing the government and the opposition. Leader of the Opposition and PPP/C General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, made this call during a press conference at Freedom House, Robb Street, yesterday. Jagdeo was at the time addressing the robust rebuttal by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, on Thursday in the National Assembly concerning Jagdeo’s presentation concerning the Petroleum Commission Bill of 2017. Trotman had berated Jagdeo saying that he had no right to lecture the APNU+AFC government as it relates to governance. Trotman went on to say that there are a number of projects which would have either failed or suffered under the hands of Jagdeo. The Minister identified the Skeldon Sugar Factory, The Marriott Hotel, The National Insurance Scheme and the

Released on bail Paula Gill Latchman to clean the guard hut but the woman refused. The court heard that an argument ensued and Gill and Latchman had a scuffle during which Gill dealt the

Berbice River Bridge Company that is struggling to stay afloat. According to Jagdeo, Trotman’s statements were a deviation from the substance of the debate which was the Petroleum Commission Bill. Further, the Opposition Leader said that at one point in Trotman’s presentation he referred to Jagdeo directly which is not allowed in the National Assembly. When a parliamentarian is making a presentation at all times he is expected to address the Speaker. Jagdeo said that at one point during his earlier presentation he made the mistake and referred directly to the Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. He said that after he erred, the Speaker corrected him and from then on he spoke directly to Dr. Scotland. Further, Jagdeo said that as it relates to his fellow opposition parliamentarian Nigel Dharamlall being silenced by the Speaker on Friday, the same measure should have been taken as it relates to Minister Trotman who in his determination went off track from the substance of the debate. The former President said that Trotman’s behaviour was unbecoming

since the Natural Resources Minister was once a Speaker of the Honourable House in the past. Jagdeo said that the bone that Trotman picked with him was linked to him suggesting that the government adopts the Norwegian Model as it relates to managing the oil and gas sector. The Opposition Leader said yesterday that there are a number of models around the world. However, Jagdeo said that he recommended the Norwegian Model because it allows less political interference. He said that Norway has one of the largest Sovereign Wealth Funds. Jagdeo believes that the recent actions taken by the Speaker have set precedents which will make it hard for him in the future as he continues to be the Speaker of the House. When asked what steps the PPP/C plans to take as the party continues to accuse Dr. Scotland of being bias towards the party, Jagdeo said that he hopes the Speaker will soon come around to realise what is going on and be a fair and just Speaker of the National Assembly for all Guyanese.

Woman found in rice field drowned- PM The woman whose decomposed body was found in a rice field at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD) died from drowning according to a Post Mortem examination performed on the remains yesterday. Kaieteur News was informed that due to the state of decomposition, the pathologist could not determine whether there were any injuries on the body. The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Patricia Ronald of Lot 5 Crane Housing Scheme, WCD. She was identified by her sister.

Security guards brawl lands two in court A 55-year-old security guard of Laing Avenue, Georgetown yesterday made an appearance before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm. Paula Gill pleaded guilty to the charge which alleged that on June 15 at Charlestown Secondary School she assaulted Samantha Latchman so as to cause her actual bodily harm. Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves told the court that the Latchman and Gill are known to each other since they both work at the Charlestown Secondary School as security guards. The Prosecutor said that on the day in question Gill told

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Kaieteur News

woman several blows to her face, causing it to become swollen. The matter was then reported and Gill was arrested and charged. When given a chance to address the court, Gill stated that on the day in question she told Latchman to clean the guard hut. She said that the woman she held on to her shirt and she defended herself by hitting her. Based on her explanation the magistrate recorded a not guilty plea. Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves had no objection to bail being granted to the defendant and she was placed on bail in the sum of $60,000. She will make her next court appearance on June 26. Pic saved in Tuesday as: Gill

The sibling said that the victim left home the Sunday to come to Georgetown but never returned. According to reports, the victim was identified from her clothing and her handbag. She is of Amerindian descent. Her body was discovered by rice field workers around 07:30 last Tuesday. Based on information received, the police were called to a rice field after the body of the woman, clad in a blue shorts and yellow jersey, was found. The victim sustained severe injuries to her face. A dark-silver and black ‘Nine

West’ shoulder bag was found next to her body. It was soaked with water from the field. The police also found a pair of pink rubber slippers. In the bag there was a handkerchief, a pack of cigarettes, sweets, sugar, tablets, and pieces of white paper that resembled a hospital’s prescription. The name, Patricia Ronald was written on one of the papers. The papers were also wet and muddy. Kaieteur News understands that the woman was seen consuming alcohol at the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling a few days before.

Blockmaker’s disappearance baffles family Rawle Emmanuel Junior Rodrigues disappeared from his grandfather’s home a week ago and his family is worried for his safety. The 23-year-old left his Lot 22 Hill Street, Albouystown, Georgetown home on the morning of June 13 last and never returned. His grandfather, Anthony Rodrigues, said that he has searched everywhere he could have think of but found no clues that could lead to him finding the young man. A police report has been made. Anyone with information about the young man’s whereabouts can contact his grandfather on telephone number 682-6927.

From Page 22

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Apartments – $45,000$160,000. Call: 644-5151 1 - 3 Bedrooms self-contained fully furnished upstairs in Diamond, 4-2 bedrooms apartment in Providence, furnished and unfurnished. Call: 672-1906/ 216-2299 156 Alexander, Kitty, Georgetown, bottom flat for rent, suitable for restaurant, office, etc. Call: 226-9731 Salon stations to rent; facilities available for spa & massage. Call:642-6204 or 227-4198 4 Rooms for rental on top flat, bottom flat for business, 230 South Road Bourda. Call: 653-4366/ 690-9948 3 Bedrooms bottom flat apartment, fully refurbished $65,000 monthly with 2 months security. 2 Bedrooms bottom flat @ Happy Acres, E.C.D. Call: 220-3690 or 667-9537

EDUCATIONAL Canadian School of Arts & Science: Summer Classes 2017- Pre-K, Nursery, Primary, Secondary (July 10th – August 11th). Call: 216-6921/ 22 for registration I.A.E – Registered now for full-time secondary school, lessons, CXC/CSEC classes, adults, students, repeaters. Call: 683-5742/621-7365 9 Course, Diploma in computer- office 2016, windows 10 -$20,000 off for CXC students 2017 @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-enHoop. Call: 264-3057 Summer Computer Glasses for age 5-14 early registration -$8,500 @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-en-Hoop. Call: 2643057

Missing: Rawle Emmanuel Junior Rodrigues

Computerized Accounting, PC Repairs, graphics courses. Register Now @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-enHoop. Call: 264-3057/Study in Canada or USA Call Now!

PAGE 24

Tuesday June 20, 2017

Kaieteur News

Parking meter official charged with shooting 10-yr-old in NY An official of the controversial parking meter project has been charged in New York for the shooting of a 10year-old over the weekend. Semion Mosheshvili, 42, of Hewlett, N.Y., pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, first degree reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to a report on Silive.com yesterday. The 10-year-old who was shot Saturday in Prince’s Bay

was rushed to the hospital by the shooter’s wife, according to the defendant’s attorney. Manhattan-based attorney Arthur Gershfeld made the point Sunday in Richmond County Criminal Court as part of an attempt to prove his client was not a flight risk. “When my client’s wife took the (victim) to the hospital, my client took his children home,” said Gershfeld. “As soon as the detective called, we went to the (123 Police) Precinct.” Mosheshvili, who is a

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Tropical Storm Bret with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (mph) last evening moved rapidly towards Trinidad and Grenada. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in its 5.00 pm (local time) bulletin said that the storm, the first named for the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was located about 125 miles south east of Trinidad and 225 miles south east of Grenada. The centre of the storm was loc a t e d b y a n A i r Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft to be near latitude 9.4 North, longitude 59.8 West. “Bret is moving toward the west-northwest near 30 mph and is expected to continue at a slightly slower speed over the next 48 hours. On the forecast track, the tropical storm is expected to move near or over Trinidad and the

eastern coast of Venezuela tonight (last night) and early Tuesday,” the NHC added. It said that maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts and that “little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours” Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the centre, mainly north of the centre and a tropical storm warning has gone into effect for Trinidad and To b a g o , Grenada, Venezuela from Pedernales to Cumana including Isla de Margarita. A storm watch remains in effect for Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. The Trinidad and To b a g o governm e n t announced the closure of schools and Education Minister Anthony Garcia said “this is to ensure that the safety of our students, our teachers and all those who

longtime friend of the homeowners, was visiting from Long Island with his wife. Their five children also were in the house at the time of the incident, said Gershfeld. “My client had no idea the gun was loaded,” he said. “They’re not ruthless people.” Police said the gun was licensed to a woman who lives at the house. Mosheshvili allegedly began handling the 9mm handgun on the second floor when it went off, said a police

spokesman. The bullet pierced multiple walls, then the first-floor ceiling before entering the shoulder of the 10-year-old boy, sources said. The victim, who authorities said was a neighbor, was at home recuperating, as of Sunday afternoon, authorities said. Neither Mosheshvili nor his wife had an opportunity to speak with the boy’s family as of Sunday, said Gershfeld. Prosecutors requested

$20,000 bail, based on reports he fled the scene before police arrived. But after hearing both sides, Judge Raymond Rodriguez set bail at $10,000 bond or $5,000 cash. Mosheshvili’s wife was in attendance at his arraignment and paid for his release. Neighbours said they didn’t hear any shots Saturday, on what typically is a quiet street. “Nobody heard anything,” said neighbour Pauline Yam. “I was watching the news this morning and

saw the house and thought it looked familiar. But the family usually just keeps to themselves.” Moshesvili is the chairman of Smart City Solutions which owns 80 percent of a project to bring parking meters to the city. The project has been halted by Government, after weeks of protests over the award of the project by the City Council. Consultations are currently ongoing on the way forward.

Tropical Storm Bret formed, several territories brace for its passage

Potential Tropical Cyclone Two forecast track. (National Hurricane Center graphic) operate within our schools is maintained. “So because of safety issues we are closing all schools in Trinidad and in Tobago,” he added.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister S t u a r t Yo u n g s a i d “ a t this stage the Government’s position is that there should be no

panic”. “The OPDM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management) has been in constant communication with the necessary authorities including the Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o Police Service, the Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o Defence Force, the Met Office, the local and rural government, meaning all municipal corporations and other entities and State apparatus that would you expect to have to deal with a situation such as

this,” he said on television here. In Grenada, the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) said it is continuing to monitor the weather system and the authorities announced the closure of all schools yesterday. “Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the state of Grenada overnight Monday into Tuesday morning with moderate to strong convection and thundershowers. The disturbance is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 50 to 125 millimeters over the Wi n d w a r d Islands,’ NaDMA said. It urged people, particularly in the south of the island and those living in flood prone areas to be especially vigilant, adding “if you have not yet done so, it is a good time to ensure that all drains and water ways around your property are cleared from all obstructions and that you have in place your hurricane plan and preparedness kit.” The Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) an n o u n c e d the cancellations of several domestic, regional and international flights.

Accused leads defence, maintains alibi... From page 16 response to murder allegations put to him, the policeman told the court that Allicock related that he had an alibi. “He said 'Officer I was not in this country at the time. I was in Suriname.'” As result, Detective Etwaroo said a confrontation was held between the accused and the father of the deceased. During the confrontation with the father of the deceased, the officer recounted that Allicock repeated his statement. Steve Allicock replied, “You never see me uncle, I was never around. I went to Suriname backtrack.” Questioned by the Prosecutor the officer told the court that he could not say why it took investigators so long before Allicock was charged for the murder. Under cross-examination by Defence Attorney Maxwell Mc Kay, the Policeman told the court that he made no checks to substantiate the alibi provided by the accused.

Tuesday June 20, 2017

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

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Major change as Koepka wins U.S. Open ERIN, WISCONSIN (Reuters) The winds of change were blowing at the U.S. Open on Sunday as Brooks Koepka sailed to a four-stroke victory at Erin Hills, making it the seventh consecutive major that has crowned a first-time winner. A changing of golf’s old guard has been underway for some time but the 117th U.S. Open signaled that it can be considered complete with neither Phil Mickelson and/or Tiger Woods teeing up at major for the first time since the 1994 U.S. Masters. Fans now run to see Dustin Johnson, Rory

McIlroy and Jason Day, the youth movement having firmly taken hold. Koepka, South Korea’s Kim Si-woo, Japan’s Hideki Matusyama, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Americans Brian Harman and Rickie Fowler were the names battling for major glory on Sunday, rather than the likes of Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink and Ernie Els. Sentiment and nostalgia will always find a place on the leaderboard, as 37-year-old Sergio Garcia showed by notching his first major win at the Masters in April, while 50-year-old Wisconsin-native

Steve Stricker provided an emotional touchstone in an Erin Hills swan-song. But the year’s second major belonged to the young guns who tackled the longest layout ever for a U.S. Open. Koepka, who looks as if he would be at home in a National Football League huddle, held firm against buffeting winds and crushing pressure to claim a sensational four-shot victory over Harman and Matsuyama. The muscular American, who started the day one back of the lead, tamed his nerves and a wind-whipped course,

Tuesday June 20, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) It is time to clear your decks. You will have to help family members sort out unfortunate difficulties. Your leadership ability will enhance your reputation. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) Be sure to take care of the needs of youngsters. This could be a serious relationship. Get the whole family involved in a worthwhile cause or cultural event. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Try to curb overindulgence today. You may want to take a serious look at your goals and objectives. You will be appreciated for the competence you exhibit and for taking on responsibilities.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You can make amends by taking them somewhere special. Changes in your domestic scene are apparent. Your irritability may drive your loved ones crazy. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Be aware of deception when it comes to your position, and be sure not to jump to conclusions. Spend time with your lover today. Don't bother getting even; they'll make themselves look bad. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You will be full of energy and you need to find something constructive to do. Don't hesitate to voice your ideas and opinions. You may need to make a few alterations to your living arrangements.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Don't take sides if you wish to remain on good terms with both parties. Ask others to help, or you may feel that a burden is weighing you down. You can make major accomplishments while on short trips.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You can enjoy the company of others and come in contact with an ideal mate, if you get out and mingle. Find out all you can; secret enemies may lead you astray. Travel if it's needed to start the ball rolling.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't get involved in joint ventures. You must try to lay your cards on the table. Talk to your mate and tell them how you feel. Favors will be offered readily.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Be ready to explain your actions. Listen and formulate your course of action. You will be indecisive. Make changes to your home that will be pleasing to everyone involved.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Take time to find out all you can. If you can get away for a vacation, do so. They will not have the patience to wait for you to complete things that they've asked you to do.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Don't get involved in secret affairs or underhanded involvements. Be sure to pay attention to your financial status. Your involvement with children will be most rewarding.

carding six birdies, including two to kick-start his round, against a single bogey for a five-under 67. Koepka’s winning total of 16-under equals the lowest score to par for a U.S. Open, matching Rory McIlroy’s victory at Congressional in 2011 on a par-71 layout. After days of being humbled, Erin Hills turned nasty for the final round as heavy winds pummeled the links-style layout adding an intriguing wrinkle to the year’s second major. But Koepka would not be blown off course producing a near-flawless final round, subduing the winds with a mix of power and precision. “Obviously the wind picked up and I felt like that played right into my hand,”

said Koepka, who considers himself a good ball-striker and good putter. “And I felt confident all week, so to feel as confident as I did on a Sunday of a major and coming down the stretch was pretty neat.” One of golf’s biggest hitters, the 27-year-old also demonstrated a killer instinct along with a deft touch with the putter, rolling in a monster 41-foot birdie putt at the eighth. When Matsuyama, at number four the highest ranked player to make the cut, delivered the round of the day a six-under 66 to get within one of the lead, a rampaging Koepka countered with golf’s version of the knockout punch, clinching victory in ruthless style by registering

three straight birdies from the 14th. Harman, level with Koepka with six to play and without a bogey on the back nine all week, took his first at the 12th after his tee shot ended up in the belt-high fescue and followed that up with another at the 13th. The miscues put Koepka alone back on top of the leaderboard, a perch from which he would not be removed. “It hasn’t sunk in, obviously, yet, and probably won’t for a few days,” said Koepka. “That’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced and to do it on Father’s Day it’s pretty neat. “I didn’t exactly get my dad a card, so this works.”

IPL and PSL owners snap... (From page 29) and the Port Elizabeth team by Dubai’s Ajay Sethi. Both have previous involvement in cricket, Kumar owns a Hong Kong franchise while Sethi is involved at Channel 2 in the UAE. CSA also unveiled eight ambassadors, all former South African national players: Graeme Smith, Andrew Hall, Ashwell Prince, Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Adams, Allan Donald, Andrew Hudson and Paul Harris. Despite no Indian players being available for the tournament, its overlap with the BPL, the chances of Australian players being scant given the clash with their summer and the ECB’s refusal for Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy to at-

Pakistan success... (From page 32) qualify automatically, the Caribbean side will enter a 10-team qualifier scheduled for next year, to determine the final two World Cup berths. South Africa have retained top spot in the newest rankings on 119 points, two ratings points ahead of Australia with India lying one point back in third. Latest ICC One-Day International rankings: 1 South Africa 119 2 Australia 117 3 India 116 (-1) 4 England 113 (-1) 5 New Zealand 111 6 Pakistan 95 (+4) 7 Bangladesh 94 (-1) 8 Sri Lanka 93 9 West Indies 77 10 Afghanistan 54 11 Zimbabwe 46 12 Ireland 41

tend the launch, CSA president Chris Nenzani was hopeful the competition would receive global support. “We thank all other cricket boards and we hope that they will support this venture in the manner that we

have helped and supported their leagues. We hope they will help us to make it a success,” he said. More than 400 players have registered their interest with a draft scheduled for August.

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

Champions Trophy XI: Sarfraz pips Kohli, Tamim at No. 3 ESPNCRICINFO - The batsmen: For a short tournament where sides played a maximum of five games, the openers were both unanimous choices, based on consistency and the impact of their runs. Shikhar Dhawan, the tournament’s leading run-getter, partners Fakhar Zaman, who played the most impactful innings in the tournament, in the final. It would have been unfair to omit the tournament’s third-highest run-getter, Ta m i m I q b a l , w h o shouldered the bulk of B a n g l a d e s h ’s b a t t i n g workload, despite failing in the only game they won. He slots in at No. 3, an unfamiliar position for him. Virat Kohli had another exceptional tournament with the bat, amassing 258 runs at an average of 129, having only been dismissed twice, both losses for his side. Our jury was split between Kane Williamson and Joe Root, two of the other modern batting masters across formats. Williamson’s greater weight of runs and consistency in his side’s three games saw him through. The allrounder There was place for just one allrounder, as is the case with most XIs in the tournament, and despite Hardik Pandya’s surge in the final, there was no better

choice than Ben Stokes, whose hundred against Australia, along with handy bowling performances against Bangladesh and New Zealand, decisively tilted the s c a l e s i n h i s f a v o u r. Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim and Shakib Al Hasan were the others in contention. Wi c k e t k e e p e r a n d captain This one was close to a no-contest, with Sarfraz Ahmed making it c o m f o r t a b l y. N i n e dismissals and one tournament-changing batting contribution were more than enough for most of our jury to back him with the mittens. Even more importantly, for picking up the pieces after the omnishambles that was their opening game against India and leading his side to their first Champions Trophy title, he also pipped Kohli as the captain of our XI. The bowlers Despite pitches that mightily favoured batsmen, this tournament will be remembered for some of the bowling performances it produced. Three of the four bowlers in the XI are from the two teams which played in the final. Hasan Ali, the t o u r n a m e n t ’s h i g h e s t wicket-taker and Mohammad Amir, who bowled two incisive spells

ESPNcricinfo’s team of Champions Trophy 2017, as voted by our staff panel © ESPNcricinfo Ltd against Sri Lanka and India, combine with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was India’s shining light in the bowling department. The final spot goes to Adil Rashid, who despite being dropped for the first game, ended up as the spinner with the most wickets in the tournament. Josh Hazlewood has good reason to feel hard

done by, but such was the stop-start nature of Australia’s campaign that his best effort went in vain. Both Liam Plunkett and Junaid Khan impressed, and could well have taken up the fourth bowling spot, but some of the drier, used surfaces in the tournament meant the jury went with the spinner, rather than the

extra seamer. ESPNcricinfo’s team Shikhar Dhawan (338 runs at 67.60) Fakhar Zaman (252 runs at 63) Tamim Iqbal (293 runs at 73.25) Virat Kohli (258 runs at 129) Kane Williamson (244 runs at 81.33)

Ben Stokes (184 runs at 92, 3 wickets at 62.33) Sarfraz Ahmed (c/wk) (9 dismissals, 76 runs at 76) Adil Rashid (7 wickets at 20.28) Hasan Ali (13 wickets at 14.69) Bhuvneshwar Kumar (7 wickets at 28.14) Mohammad Amir (5 wickets at 30.20)

Tsonga bounces back at Queen’s after French Open shock (Reuters) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga returned emphatically to winning ways in the Queen’s Club Championships in London yesterday, putting his shock first round exit at his home French Open firmly behind him. Tsonga outplayed his compatriot Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-2 in the opening round of the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event in his first match since suffering a fourset defeat by little-known Argentine Renzo Olivo at Roland Garros. The loss to the world number 91 Olivo had been particularly disappointing for Tsonga in light of his three-title season during which he also reckoned that becoming a new father had helped provide him with fresh inspiration on court. Yet even while never needing to find top gear in the sunshine, the two-time

France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in action during his first round match against France’s Adrian Mannarino. (Action Images via Reuters / Tony O’Brien Livepic) Wimbledon semi-finalist demonstrated why he could

still be a threat on the grass at 32 as he dismissed the

challenge of the man who had beaten him in Monaco in

April. Mannarino, ranked 62 in the world, had started brightly, swapping breaks with Tsonga, but once the world number 10 found rhythm in his groundstrokes and his opponent needed a time-out in the first set for treatment to his back, it proved a straightforward win. The key game was the marathon eight-deuce sixth in the opening set which finally saw left-hander Mannarino surrender his delivery for a second time after Tsonga had eked out six break points. A run of seven straight games saw the fifth seed take complete control before he became the first winner in t h e w e e k - l o n g championships, wrapping up victory in 67 minutes. “It was a good match. I played pretty well. I had to play my best tennis to get over him,” Tsonga said. “I

sweated a lot.” If he can find his best form, Tsonga, who lost to Andy Murray in the 2011 Queen’s final, could be one of the major threats to world number one Murray, who is seeking a sixth championship triumph. So will Bulgaria’s sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov, on the evidence of his superb 6-3 61 hammering of French O p e n m e n ’s d o u b l e s champion Ryan Harrison in just 54 one-sided minutes. D i m i t r o v, w h o h a s shown signs of rediscovering his 2014 best when he won Queen’s, was in imperious form, reducing Harrison to such frustration that the American landed a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after smashing his racket against his foot in the second set. Murray opens the defence of his title today against fellow Briton Aljaz Bedene.

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

PAGE 29

Fresh-faced Germans made to sweat in 3-2 win over Australia (Reuters) Fresh-faced Germany were made to work harder than expected in their 3-2 victory over Australia in their Confederations Cup Group B debut yesterday with the world champions’ young squad still adjusting to tournament life. With half a dozen key players rested this summer ahead of next year’s World Cup title defence in Russia, Germany coach Joachim Loew brought a young team to Russia. The players who made the journey are eager to prove themselves ahead of next year’s World Cup. Loew’s men would have had a far easier afternoon on the Black Sea were it not for their wasted scoring chances. “We played a really good first half but after an hour we lost the plot a bit,” Loew told reporters. “But you can still feel the commitment of this young team. They are hungry, they want to win matches, have the courage to play attacking football.” “For many it was the first game in such a tournament so I am satisfied,” he added.

The Germans were in control from the start and outsprinted their opponents, with Lars Stindl converting a perfectly timed cutback from Julian Brandt to put them ahead in the fifth minute. They squandered a bagful of chances in a onesided first half with Leon Goretzka, Sandro Wagner and Julian Brandt all coming close. They were punished when Tommy Rogic scored out of nowhere, his first offtarget shot bouncing off a defender’s back and his rebound slipping in under keeper Bernd Leno. Their joy lasted only three minutes with the Germans earning a penalty in the 44th and Draxler putting them back in the driving seat. Goretzka grabbed another in the 48th but the Germans dropped the ball with Leno letting a shot slip out of his hands and Tomi Juric tapping in. Germany were left to rue their poor conversion rate as they also

Germany’s Leon Goretzka heads at goal against Australia in the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 - Group B match at Fisht Stadium, Sochi, Russia. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach) hit the post late in the game. “First half they were too good for us, and we struggled to get control of the game,” said Australia coach Ange Postecoglou. “We made it too easy for them. “Second half was better. Absolutely I thought we matched it with them for periods of the game and the character and resilience they showed is unquestionable.” The Germans next play Chile on Thursday, while Australia face Cameroon.

Winning the World Cup would silence critics, says Matthews LEICESTER, England, CMC – Teenaged batting sensation Hayley Matthews believes a strong outing in the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup would go a long way in silencing the West Indies’ critics, who believe the Caribbean side can only excel in the shortest format of the game. West Indies played superbly to win the Twenty20 World Cup last year in India, dominating the mighty Australia Women in the final. But Matthews believes the Windies possess the quality and the skill to add the 50-overs title to their trophy cabinet. “The girls think we definitely have a good chance. In terms of other people, I’ve actually been seeing a lot of critics saying that we don’t have much of a chance so it would be really good if we could go out there and prove a lot of people wrong,” the 19-year-old Barbadian said. “This would definitely show where our cricket is at right now. Obviously 50 overs is a different format to

T20 and people would have been saying we aren’t as good at this format of the game so we really want to take this 50-overs World Cup to see where we are at in terms of moving forward.” West Indies Women have had a stuttering start to the tour of England losing all of their preparation games in their build up to the June 24 to July 23 tournament. Their most recent defeat came against India Women here last Friday when they went down by five wickets at Leicester Grammar School. They mustered only 174 for nine and India rebounded from 86 for five to overhaul the target in the 43rd over. Matthews, who gathered a half-century in the game, said though the Windies tasted defeat there were a lot of positives which could be taken from the outing. “I wouldn’t really say it was a setback. In terms of the pitch [on Friday] it was a bit slow so I don’t think that getting 170 on that pitch was too bad,” Matthews pointed out. “Obviously while we were bowling we got a lot of

early wickets. We had them [86] for five at one point [and] obviously [we were] a bit disappointed not to bowl them out but we still took a lot of positives out of [that game].” West Indies Women continue their final preparation today when they take on Pakistan in their first official ICC warm-up game before taking on South Africa in the second and final official warm-up Thursday. They open their campaign against reigning champions Australia on June 26 and Matthews said there was still some tweaking to be done before that game. “It’s definitely going to be a couple challenging days out in the nets but I think it’s just going to be a lot of finetuning, [working on] a lot of small areas where we didn’t click [against India],” she noted. “We missed a lot of chances in the field and that I think that’s going to be one of our key areas in the tournament so it’s just like I said to fine-tune those little areas.”

Skipper Taylor says official warm-ups critical to preparation LEICESTER, England, CMC – Captain Stafanie Taylor has placed a high premium on her side’s t w o o ff i c i a l w a r m - u p games as West Indies Women chase form and confidence ahead of their crucial opening match of t h e I C C Wo r l d C u p against reigning champions Australia next Monday. The Caribbean side clash with Pakistan Women at Grace Road here today in the first of those official warmup matches, hoping to turn the page on some pretty ordinary form that has seem them lose three preparation games in the last two weeks. “The good thing about the World Cup is that you have warm-up games where you basically get a feel of your team and you move on from there,” Ta y l o r s a i d h e r e yesterday. “We have our first warm-

up game on Tuesday and we will be basically looking at getting ready for our first game on the 26th.” She added: “We played two practice games [in Southampton] and the results didn’t come the way we wanted but we have [these] two warm-up games were we definitely need to improve and win both games leading into the first game against Australia.” West Indies lost to a strong England XI and a Southern Vipers side – the Twenty20 outfit based at Hampshire Cricket Club’s home of Ageas Bowl. More recently last Friday, the Windies crashed to a five-wicket defeat to India Women in another disappointing outing. With their opening game of the preliminary round fast approaching, Taylor said her side needed to pay attention to fundamentals if they were to succeed in the

West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor chats with head coach Vasbert Drakes during a training session. (Photo courtesy CWI Media)

tournament. “I think we need to do all the three components well – bat, field and bowl – if we definitely want to win,” the Jamaican pointed out. “And we have to keep the support going whether we win, lose or draw. We have to stay together as a team.” West Indies have been installed as one of the favourites to win the tournament, especially after being good enough to reach the final of the last showpiece four years ago in India. And Taylor said with three weeks of preparation having been already put in, it was now time for West Indies to execute. “It’s all about belief. A couple of our players played in these conditions before and we know what it is like,” she said. “We did all the hard work so I think it is about going out there and executing.”

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

Reggae Boyz head off to defend Caribbean Cup title Jamaica Observer Head Coach Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore has named 11 local-based players to his squad, as Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz seek to defend their Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean Cup title in Martinique June 2225. The other nine players in the 20-man suqad have been pulled from the US leagues, and at least two — goalkeeper Dwayne Miller of Sweden’s Syrianska FC, and utility Kevon Lambert with links to Serbia’s FC Vojvodina — are joining the group from Europe. Jamaica’s delegation departed the island yesterday morning in two groups, as it makes its way to the eastern Caribbean. The main group is expected to travel through Miami, while the smaller zig-zags to Turks and Caicos Islands, then the Dominican Republic, and then onto Martinique. Both groups are expected to arrive to their final destination today, with lengthy layovers scheduled. In a new format, the championship round of the Caribbean Cup will be played on a semi-final basis, with only four teams involved as opposed to the eight that did battle in the last

Theodore Whitmore tournament. Jamaica will take on French Guiana in the opener on Thursday at the Stade Pierre Aliker in Martinique’s capital of Fort-de-France at 6:00 pm (5:00 pm Jamaica time), while Curacao will tackle hosts Martinique at 8:30 pm (7:30 pm Jamaica time). The loser of match one will face the loser of match two on Sunday for third place, while the two winners will clash for championship honours to bring the curtains down on the double-header. All four teams have qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, July 7-26.

Whitmore had promised a mixed group of Jamaican players, and he appears to have delivered it. “It will be a balanced set (of players) and one which can bring home glory at the end of the day,” he told the Jamaica Observer last week. The former Jamaica standout, who expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s delivery in a 1-3 friendly defeat at the hands of hosts Peru last Tuesday, said as defending champions of the regional crown “there will be pressure” to repeat. “We are the defending champions and everybody is looking forward to playing against a Jamaica team, just like how we are looking to play against everybody… we just have to keep our composure and keep our heads,” Whitmore noted. Th Boyz had won the title, their sixth, when they defeated arch-rivals Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors 4-3 on penalties, after both teams had played goalless following regulation and extra time in the final played at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on November 18,

NAPF/Caribbean and NAPF/FESUPO Powerlifting

Romenex Exploration Ltd. Guyana support for Tineisha Toney The Aishalton based Romenex Exploration Ltd. Guyana has stepped on board with tangible support f o r o n e o f G u y a n a ’s budding female p o w e r l i f t e r s , Ti n e i s h a Toney, who is set to represent the Golden Arrowhead at the upcoming NAPF/Caribbean and N A P F / F E S U P O P o w e r l i f t i n g Championships in Orlando Florida, next month. Toney, Guyana’s 57kg Sub-Junior sensation and one of four females on Team G u y a n a ’s 2 2 - m e m b e r contingent for the July 3-8 championships, was born in the village of Aishalton making it an easy decision for Romenex Exploration Ltd. to support her.

Director Marshall Mintz said he was happy to learn that the small village had produced a national star in the form of Toney who has also been excelling in her academics. ”We are more than pleased to be associated with this budding star in her quest to bring glory to her nation and by extension herself and village. We wish her all the b e s t i n n e x t m o n t h ’s competition.” Toney is excited and rearing to bring home the bacon on her maiden international tour and is hoping her performance adds up to Guyana winning b a c k t h e t e a m Championship which they have won in 2010 and 2012. In the preliminary

nominations to date, the confident athlete will be coming up against nine (9) other athletes in the Women Open Raw Classic from Ecuador, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico. In the Women Junior Raw/Classic show, she will be up against USA’s Emily Gardner. In the Women Open Equipped she will take on athletes from Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and the USA. In the Women Sub Junior Equipped, Toney will be up against two USA lifters, while in the Women Open Equipped she will be up against four other athletes and she is the lone athlete in the Women Sub Junior Equipped.

2014. Squad — Dwayne Miller (Syrianska FC), Damion Hyatt (Arnett Gardens FC), Rosario Harriott (Harbour View FC), Damion Lowe (Tampa Bay Rowdies), Ladale Ritchie (Montego Bay United), Oniel Fisher (Seattle

Sounders), Sergio Campbell (Pittsburgh Riverhounds), Jamie Richardson (UWI FC), Ewan Grandison (Portmore United), Cory Burke (Bethlehem Steele), Michael Binns (Portmore United), Shaun Francis (San Jose Earthquakes), Jermaine Johnson (Tivoli Gardens

FC), Kevon Lambert (FC Vo j v o d i n a ) , S h a m a r Nicholson (Boys’ Town FC), Ricardo Morris (Portmore United), Javain Brown (Harbour View FC), Shaun Genus (Reno FC), Junior Flemmings (NY Red Bulls 11 ) , O w a y n e G o r d o n (Montego Bay United).

Guyana courting foreign ‘super-player’ for CENTROBASKET -shortlist further reduced to 16 players

Jordon Alphonso By Edison Jefford A well-placed source confirmed that Guyana’s Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has been using all its overseas-based resources to search for a ‘super-player’, who will be a major asset for the biggest basketball challenge to ever face the country. Guyana will compete for the first time at the CENTROBASKET Under17 Championship, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 26-30 after qualifying last year with a second place finish at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U-16 Championships in Guyana. CENTROBASKET is the Central American Championships and because of the magnitude of the occasion with Guyana being placed in Group ‘A’ with Mexico, Puerto Rico and Bahamas, which had beaten them in the CBC U-16 Final, it was clear from the start that Guyana had to shop super talented players to be in any contention in the Dominican Republic. After confirming that the federation was actively pursuing this route to improve its roster for the important international

Kevon Wiggins assignment, Kaieteur Sport contacted Manager and appointed Head of the Guyana Delegation to CENTROBASKET, Andrew Hercules for an update. Hercules was not optimistic that the process will yield the desired result. “We would love to have some more ‘bigs’ (centre) and some solid guards based on our weaknesses from CBC, but we are just hearing about some players in the US,” Hercules said yesterday. According to him, there is nothing finalised yet in terms of names and position. He said that he is aware that some of the players being looked at have passport issues. One of the eligibility rules for players to represent Guyana is that they must be in possession of a Guyanese passport, which all of the overseas-based prospects are struggling to procure. “Nigel (Hinds, GABF President) wants to see documents not just hearsay. We are hearing about some players but we have nothing on paper,” Hercules said, adding that two of the players, who were part of the CBC team and are now based in the US, will be returning to join the 14 players they have further shortlisted from the initial list of 28 players.

Those two players are forward, Jordon Alphonso and guard/forward, Kevon Wiggins. The other players are Kwesi Roberts, Andrew Johnson, Jermaine King, Royden Glasgow, Akeem Crandon, Kelmar Carmichael, Isaiah Hintzen, Shemar France, Jahleel Young, Nigel Johnson, Denzil Rose, Jether Harris, Jonathan Copeland and Tremain Emmanuel. The group has so far endured two weekends of excessive conditioning work and will be heading into offensive and defensive drills this weekend. Hercules said that they have to rely on the fact that the group of players have been together since CBC to have some results in the Dominican Republic. “Our sessions have been good so far. It is an uphill task, but we hope to rely on team chemistry. We are hoping that the togetherness of the team create the team’s DNA. They are expected to be better than last year,” Hercules indicated. The other group at the CENTROBASKET U-17 Championships includes the hosts, Dominican Republic, Panama, Jamaica and the United States Virgin Islands.

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

PAGE 31

Warm-up match cancelled IPL and PSL owners snap due to WIPA venue snub up South Africa franchises

Darren Bravo … controversy arose over his involvement in the practice game. P O R T O F S PA I N , Tr i n i d a d , C M C – A scheduled practice match between West Indies and a Trinidad and Tobago XI set for today, seems to have been scuppered because the choice of venue was not given the thumbs-up by players union, WIPA. In a statement Sunday, the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board said Cricket West Indies operations manager Roland Holder wrote TTCB chief executive Suruj Ragoonath to indicate the game could not proceed because of the choice of the National Cricket Centre as the venue instead of the previously agreed Brian Lara Cricket Academy. “CWI is unable to approve the WI team playing at the NCC,” the TTCB said Holder wrote in his communication. “The game was agreed on

the basis of it being played at the Brain Lara Cricket Academy and that West Indies Players’ Association has not approved of our international team playing at the NCC.” Bizarrely, the NCC is a regular host venue for matches in the Regional first class championship and Super50 tournament while the Brian Lara Stadium, only opened in March, is yet to host a regional match. The TTCB said, however, that the Brian Lara Stadium was unavailable because of ongoing work on the pitch and outfield at the newly-completed facility. “In the circumstances the match is being called off,” the TTCB statement said. “The TTCB wishes to thank the players for making themselves available for the match in particular Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree,

Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo.” Speculation was rife the game would have been abandoned regardless of venue, largely because of the involvement of exiled lefthander Bravo. Media reports last weekend said CWI was upset over the 28-year-old’s inclusion since he was barred from national and international selection after being sent home ahead of last November’s Tri-Nations Series in Zimbabwe for labelling CWI president Dave Cameron “a big idiot”, on the social networking service Twitter. CWI has demanded Bravo remove the offending tweet and tender an apology, neither of which he has done. Prior to the game being cancelled, the TTCB said it had been trying earnestly to guarantee Bravo’s involvement. “[While] the issue between Bravo and the Cricket West Indies remains unresolved the TTCB was making every effort to have Bravo participate in this game in an effort to help ease his return back into first class cricket,” the national board said. It was unclear if West Indies would pursue other warm-up fixtures with the opening One-Day International against powerhouses India bowling off at Queen’s Park Oval here Friday.

Port Mourant arrest Police in BCB 50 overs competition Hemraj stars with 50 and 4 for 15 A brilliant half century and bowling figures of 4-15 by national middle order batsman, Chandrapaul Hemraj led Port Mourant to a massive victory over Police Cricket Club, as the Berbice Cricket Board’s Senior 50 Overs competition commenced under brilliant sunshine at the Port Mourant Community Center on Sunday last. Winning the toss and electing to field, the Port Mourant bowlers proved too much for the visiting Police team, as the policemen were bowled out for 74 in 30 overs. Batting for Police, C. Lindie top scored with 20,

while S. Phillips followed with 12. All the other batsmen failed to reach double figures. Bowling for Port Mourant, Chandrapaul Hemraj took 4 for 15 in his 9 overs, which included 3 maidens, while Omesh Mathura and Arif Chan took 2 wickets each and Doorasani Mahadeo took 1. Batting for Port Mourant, skipper Chandrapaul Hemraj made a belligerent 52 not out off 42 deliveries. His 52 included 4 x 4’s and 2 6’s. He received valuable support from Loydel Lewis and Daniel Samaroo. The competition

Chandrapaul Hemraj continues on Sunday at various venues across the county of Berbice.

ESPNcricinfo - Two South African businessmen, two IPL franchises, two PSL franchises, and representatives from Hong Kong and Dubai were unveiled as the owners of the eight teams in South Africa’s T20 Global League. The owners, the cities and their marquee players were unveiled at an event in London yesterday. Durban, Benoni, Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Cape To w n , B l o e m f o n t e i n , Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth will each host a franchise, which left no room for the likes of

Kimberley, East London and Potchefstroom, who host franchise cricket. The Stellenbosch franchise will likely play at Boland Park in Paarl. International buyers own three-quarters of the franchises with the biggest name being Shah Rukh Khan. The Bollywood superstar added to his Knight Riders brand with the purchase of the Cape Town franchise to add to teams in Kolkata and Trinidad. There was also a second IPL influence. The Delhi Daredevils’ holding company GMR sports

bought the Johannesburg franchise. The two South Africanowned franchises are based in Pretoria and Stellenbosch and run by South African businessman Osman Osman, who owns a lifestyle brand, and Brimstone, a company owned by Mushtaq Brey. Two PSL owners, Fawad Rana of the Lahore Qalandar, and Javed Afridi from the Peshawar Zalmi, bought franchises in Durban and Benoni respectively while the Bloemfontein franchise was bought by Hong-Kong’s Sushil Kumar (Continued on page 25)

Sabina Global Communities supports Stage of Champions 11

Organiser Videsh Sookram (right) accepts the cheque from David Aparisio of Sabina Global Communities. Sabina Global Communities of Lot 9 St. Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo has thrown their support behind the Stage of Champions 11 which is set for November 18 at Theatre Guild. Stage of Champions 11 is a bodybuilding and fitness competition which features local and overseas athletes competing in various categories. The contest is being sanctioned by the Central America and Caribbean Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (CAC) and the Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GABBFF). David Aparisio of Sabina Global Communities presented a cheque to organiser Videsh Sookram at a simple ceremony held at

Space Gym, Croal and Sandyman Streets yesterday. Aparisio said he is happy to be part of the show and that as a modern international entity they focus on healthy foods with their motto being ‘promoting resilient sustainable agriculture.’ “We thought it best to support the competition and to be aligned with people who make the sacrifices to pay attention to their personal well being,” he stated, adding that a healthy lifestyle will do Guyanese society well. Sookram thanked Sabina Global Communities who is one of the main sponsors along with space gym. He stated that the show is expected to be an exciting one with a number of top

athletes from various countries expected to compete. He informed that Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Anguilla and St. Marten (Dutch and French) are the countries that have confirmed their participation so far. Athletes will compete in the U143lbs, U155 lbs, U165lbs, U176lbs, 177lbs and over, female bikini and men’s physique open. Cash prizes, trophies, medals and hampers will be up for the taking. Among other sponsors on so far board are Fitness Express, Farfan and Mendez, Rawl Chin Floral A r r a n g e m e n t , P r e m ’s Electrical, Dereck Jaisingh Trucking and Machinery, David and Annavell Gold Nudget Run. (Zaheer Mohamed)

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Tuesday June 20, 2017

BFA/J’s Golden Arrow U-20 Tourney

Cougars are champs; NA United take 3rd

BFA/ J’s Golden Arrow Under-20 Champs, Cougars FC. Cougars Football Club pulled out all the stops to cart off championship honours via kicks from the penalty mark in the Berbice Football A s s o c i a t i o n ( B FA ) organised J’s Golden Arrow Under-20 competition which concluded on Friday night last at the All Saints (Scotts School) ground, New Amsterdam. Coming up against the

previously unbeaten Paradise Invaders, Cougars lifted themselves from an early 0-1 deficit in the 6th minute, owing to a Shaqueel De Harte goal to equalize then take the lead, thanks to goals from Xavier Johnson in the 43 minute and Reagan Reece in the 57 minute. Paradise Invaders then drew level at 2-2 in the 59 minute through Captain rd

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Nimrod August. The scores remained locked at 2–2 at the end of the 80 minutes of regulation time and kicks from the penalty mark were required to decide the winner. Cougars prevailed 3–2 to lift the inaugural Golden Arrow U20 first place trophy and medals. In the third place match between New Amsterdam

United and Hopetown United Rangers, the former hammered the latter, 4-0. The goal scorers were Orin Glen in the 40 , Stephen Rigby 46 , Quinn Hazel 60 and Jamal Butts in the 74 minute. Shaqueel De Harte ended as the tournament’s highest goal scorer with four goals followed by Butts with three. Cougars’ Trivette

Cougars Captain collecting the winner’s trophy from a representative of the sponsor.

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Edwards was voted the best goalkeeper with Paradise’ Aubrey Joseph declared the most valuable player of the competition. Mr. Jermain Sripaul of J’s Supermarket was on hand along with others to

distribute the trophies and medals as well as Golden Arrow milk to the outstanding performers. An appreciation plaque was presented to the sponsor by Mr. Shurwin Forde on behalf of the BFA.

Attack victim Kvitova relishing Wimbledon return BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND (Reuters) Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says returning to the scene of her “fairytale” first grand slam win will be a particularly emotional occasion this year. Kvitova only recently returned to competition after a knife attack at her home in the Czech Republic in December left her with an injured left hand. Rehab has only been part of the work that the 27-yearold has had to undergo. Psychologically, the violent attempted robbery clearly left a scar. She returned to action at the French Open this month, losing in the second round, and she is playing on the grass at the Aegon Classic at Edgbaston this week as she builds up to her favorite event. “When I was on the way back I thought, I would really like to play Wimbledon and I feel that I can say, in some way, I am ready for Wimbledon. I played Roland Garros as a preparation,” she told Reuters. Kvitova, who plays f e l l o w C z e c h Te r e z a

Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova in action against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea at Wimbledon last year. (REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge) Smitkova in Birmingham today, said she had been overwhelmed by the welcome she got from fellow players and others in the game. “It was amazing. I was

really looking forward to seeing other players and coaches (but) I didn’t expect that huge welcome from all of them. It was so nice to see them all smiling and wishing me good luck and

welcoming me back,” she said. She can expect much more of that when she turns up at the All England Club where she enjoyed a surprise win over Maria Sharapova in the 2011 final and then triumphed again three years later, beating Canadian Eugenie Bouchard. “I love the people there. I love England. At Wimbledon, it feels so quiet, so comfy, for me as a home. I am always renting a house and for me it is more than a tournament, I feel like we are a family there. It is just more relaxed for me, it is amazing,” she said. Kvitova was an eighthranked 21-year-old when she first won Wimbledon and she admits she did not really know how to handle the moment. “The first one was like a fairytale, I have to say. I really didn’t know what was happening. I won the grand slam but I was like ‘OK, what now?’. It was really happiness but I never expected to win that, so it was a surprise for me and other people. The second one was more special, deeper, I really enjoyed it more,” said

the Czech. “NEW HAND” It would be a major surprise if, after everything that has happened, Kvitova were to claim a third Wimbledon title. While she is back in action, her hand remains troublesome and she is not sure if it will ever fully be back to how it was. “Naturally, it is not fully recovered, it will still take a few more months, maybe a year, who knows, no one can really say,” she said. “I am not sure if any day it will be 100 percent, I don’t think so but I just need to do what I can.” She added: “I need to live with it. I think I will have to get used to my ‘new hand’ if I can call it that, we are still worried about some inflammation and that kind of thing but I think it is a small risk, now compared to a few months ago.” There has also been a healing process psychologically as she dealt with the shock of the violent intrusion in her house. “It wasn’t easy. I would lie if I said it was easy. The first days, first months, were very difficult mentally as

well, I do have my mental coach so I was working with him a lot on this but I have to say that people around me, family and friends, helped me a lot as well. I think I am getting over it,” she said. “It will probably still be there for the rest of my life but I think I will deal with it somehow.” The past year has also given Kvitova a different perspective on her profession and one she will take with her to Wimbledon. “I think the main thing is that I love playing tennis and love to be back and that is what I am really enjoying now. Probably I have never enjoyed tennis as much I do know – it is a beautiful feeling, I have to say. “I always loved to play tennis but now it is a different level. That is what is important for me right now, it doesn’t matter how many matches, if I win or lose or whatever, I will just enjoy it. “Of course I am back because I want to win some big tournaments, but it is not just that I am going there because of that. I am just really glad I can play tennis again”.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday June 20, 2017

PAGE 33

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat. U-17 League – WDFA Rd. 2

Pouderoyen 10 Crane Rovers 1; Eagles FC 4 Wales United 0

From right, Stephon Fraser, Akeem Pinder, Keanu Lawrence and Devin Gaskin - Pouderoyen FC.

Ronaldo Macey (right), Adrian Adelph and Shon Thompson (left) - Eagles FC. On account of Keanu Lawrence’ five goals, Pouderoyen FC romped to a comprehensive 10-1 drubbing of Crane Rovers when play in round-two of the West Demerara Football

Association leg of the G F F / N A M I L C O Thunderbolt Flour Power National Intra Association Under-17 League commenced on Sunday at the Leonora Stadium.

Also in a dismissive mood on the day were Eagles FC of Stewartville which blanked Wales United 4-0. Lawrence hit the back of the nets in the 10th, 22nd, 29th, 68th and 76th minute

Fudadin is a good pick for England tour or is he a victim of neglect By Zaheer Mohamed The West Indies will be touring England in August and September this year and many have already predicted that it will be a tough tour for the regional side. England is currently ranked at number three in test and four in ODI, while the West Indies are at number eight is test and nine in ODI. While an automatic berth for the West Indies at the World Cup seems unlikely, the Caribbean side will want to improve their test rankings. But the regional selectors must put together a side that can adapt to the conditions as quickly since not many of the region’s players are plying their trade there. One name that readily comes to mind is batsman Assad Fudadin. Since his last tour to South Africa in 2014/’15 where he sustained an injury during a fielding drill prior to the first test which sidelined him from playing on tour, Fudadin has not played for the senior team. He was asked to rest for 6-8 weeks upon his return to the Caribbean and following his recovery he turned out for the Guyana Jaguars in the 2015 PCL. He played two first class games prior to the England

Assad Fudadin and Australia series in 2015 but wasn’t selected; failure can never be seen as a reason for his omission. Following a decent performance in the regional Super 50 where he was the second highest run scorer, he was called up for the one day games during the West Indies A team tour to Sri Lanka in 2016. What was most astonishing is that the Guyana selectors didn’t see him as a first choice for the last PCL even though he was one of the leading batsmen in the local franchise league where he notched up two centuries in four games. However, he was picked for the latter stages of the tournament and responded with a century against a f o r m i d a b l e Wi n d w a r d Islands attack and a half

century versus Trinidad and Tobago. Fudadin, who was part of the victorious West Indies U15 team in the Cost cutter World Cup in 2000 and the West Indies U19s in the 2004 World Cup, has played in three test matches with a highest score of 55 against New Zealand. In his three tests, the West Indies drew one against England and won two versus New Zealand. Fudadin also bowls medium pace and is also is good close in fielder. His ability to bat for long periods, play the ball late, which is essential in conquering the swinging balls in England, keep his wicket intact in gathering runs and experience, makes him a good pick for the England tour.

and found able support from Akeem Pinder who netted a hat-trick (66th, 68th, 71st) with one each from Stephon Fraser, who opened scoring in the 4th minute and Devin Gaskin in the 50th minute.

Crane Rovers’ consolation strike came off the boot of Arvin Pollard from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute. Eagles were led to their win thanks to a double from

Shon Thompson who netted either side of play, 9th and 50th. Ronaldo Masey in the 18th and Adrian Adelph in the 69th minute were the other players to score.

Jones, Hernandan guide Wellman to victory Wayne Jones grabbed four wickets and Hardat Hernandan hit an unbeaten 46 as Wellman defeated Parika Defenders by nine wickets when the Mike’s Pharmacy, Trophy Stall and Nauth Motor Spares softball tournament continued on Sunday at Bourda. Parika Defenders batted first and were bowled out for 69 in 18 overs. D. Singh made 18 as Jones finished with 4-8 and Sheldon Perch 2-14. Wellman responded with 75-1. Hernandan hit two fours and four sixes, while Latchman Kallicharran made 23. We l l m a n o v e r c a m e Floodlight by seven wickets. Batting first, Floodlight made 89-6 with Anil Beharry scoring 40 and R. Singh 15. Kallicharran claimed 3-17 and Mike Singh 1-12. Wellman made 90-3 in 17 overs in reply. Raymond Harper struck 39, while Jagdesh Persaud got 33. In the female category, Mike’s Wellwoman beat Blue Divas by nine wickets. Blue Divas took first strike and managed 61-6 in 12 overs. Akeema McKenzie made 13 and Lisa Gilkes 12; Zola Telford had two wickets. Mike’s Wellwoman

Wayne Jones

Hardat Hernandan

responded with 62-1 in eight overs. Joan Vansertima hit 31 not out and Haseena Mohamed 19. Trophy Stall Angels defeated 4R Lioness by 44 runs. Batting first, Trophy Stall Angels scored 125 without loss. June Ogle

struck 76, while Alicia Allen got 46. 4R Lioness made 847 in 15 overs in reply. Sheneeza Abrams got 15; Jenelle Nero had 2-15. Te a m s d e s i r o u s o f participating in the competition can contact Wayne Jones on 650-1790.

t r o Sp NAPF/Caribbean and NAPF/FESUPO Powerlifting

Romenex Exploration Ltd. Guyana support for Tineisha Toney

Pakistan success sees Windies WC hopes fade further

West Indies … hopes of automatic World Cup qualification quickly fading.

Tineisha Toney receives the sponsorship cheque from Mr. Marshall Mintz.

LONDON, CMC – Any hopes West Indies harboured of overhauling Pakistan and clinching the crucial eighth spot in the International Cricket Council one-day rankings have all but disappeared as the Asian side

have surged to sixth position following their capture of the ICC Champions Trophy here Sunday. In the latest rankings released yesterday by cricket’s world governing body, Pakistan gained four

Winning the World Cup would silence critics, says Matthews

Teenaged opener Hayley Matthews … keen on silencing critics of the Windies Women side.

points to jump from eighth to sixth on 95 points, now ahead of seventh placed Bangladesh on 94 and Sri Lanka, who have slipped to eighth on 93 points. Pakistan, who had lingered at eighth in the world rankings in recent times, convincingly beat powerhouses India in the final at the Oval by 180 runs to lift the title regarded as the mini World Cup. Wi t h t h e s u c c e s s , Pakistan have further enhanced their chances of automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in England, while West Indies slipped further behind in their quest to also seal a direct spot at the tournament. Ironically, Pakistan had edged West Indies for the final spot in the Champions Trophy because of their eighth place ranking. West Indies remain in ninth spot on 77 points in the latest rankings following a disappointing 1-1 draw in the recent three-match series against ICC Associate side Afghanistan. They are now faced with the task of closing a 16-point gap on Sri Lanka by the September 30 cut off date for automatic qualification for the World Cup. Hosts England and the remaining top seven sides in the rankings by that date will earn automatic qualification. The Windies face India in a five-match series starting Friday at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and take on fourth-ranked England in another fivematch series in September. If they lose these series and subsequently fail to (Continued on page 25)

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