Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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

Editorial

A Time For Everything On Thursday May 26, 2016, Guyana joined ranks with two of its CARICOM sisters; Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago which have traveled the golden threshold of 50 years of independence. In the case of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago four years ago, the event was celebrated with great fanfare. There were some review, introspection and analysis about the state of affairs then and now. For without the past, there is no present or future. But there is a time for everything. The same is true for Guyana. Blessed with more natural resources, greater land mass, and numerous waterways and near perfect weather than its neighbours, Guyana’s experience since independence has been extremely difficult. It was marked by violence, ethnic and political strife, economic deprivation, mass migration, the marginalization of a certain group, corruption, greed and spiteful politics. Indeed, Guyana’s passage into independence was very rough. For one reason, Guyana led by the late Forbes Burnham was caught in the heated Cold War politics between the East and the West, more specifically between the US and the then Soviet Union. This meant the interests of the superpowers were foremost. For another reason, Guyana had faced a major setback when its constitution was suspended by the British in 1953, just 133 days after the Government of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan was elected to office but was removed by the British. The military intervention by Britain led to the installation of an interim government and a series of diplomatic initiatives which subsequently brought the Socialist government of Forbes Burnham to office in 1964. By then, the deep wounds of racial strife and violence between Indo-and-Afro-Guyanese had inflicted serious damage to the country. Burnham’s hold on power which lasted for 21 years until his death in 1985 was described by some as the dark period in Guyana with rigged elections, oppression, and a ban on some major foreign food items and goods. Simply put, Guyana was squeezed between the East and the West and was shut out from the world. Following the 31 years since Burnham’s death, Guyana has been working its way out of its terrible past, and although the journey has not been easy, Guyanese can take pride in their achievements. Regular democratic elections have been maintained with peaceful transition of power from one government to another. Also, the country has enjoyed relative social peace and a reasonable economic growth rate. Having declared itself open for business with the world in 1986 by President Hoyte, Guyana has attracted foreign investment from many countries, including China to help develop its rich natural resources. However, its bauxite, sugar and rice industries have had some major setbacks while its underground economy of illegal drugs flourished. Remittances from the diaspora increased fivefold. Meanwhile, its liberal policies toward its indigenous people have made their community the fastest growing segment of the population. Today, Guyana continues to progress moderately, but its deep and painful past is still present. Its politicians continue to divide the races. Corruption, crime, illegal drugs, joblessness, an inefficient public service, poor health education systems, an archaic judiciary and the lack of visionary and transformative leadership have set the country back. In this its 50 independence anniversary, hard times have befallen the country, therefore sacrifices must be made to ensure its survival. However, the sacrifices cannot be made on the backs of the poor and the working class. Many are growing more desperate every day. The most desperate are engaged in criminal activities. These, of course, are the consequences of independence. Although they are a tragedywhich the nation cannot afford, the experience of 50 years of independence shows that there is a time for everything. th

Sunday June 12, 2016

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

We will never, never return to Guyana DEAR EDITOR; I and my friends have been following the upsurge in criminal activities via your online editions, and despite all the readings and warnings from relatives, we persevered in traveling to Guyana to watch the trinations series cricket match at the Providence Stadium. We were such an elated group when we organized to make the trip that needed all of us to sacrifice incomes from our jobs and make use of the little vacation days to spend them in Guyana. It was the first trip to Guyana for many years for quite a few of us in the group. However, all the elations were short-lived when on June 7 after the entertaining game between South Africa and Australia, much to our anger and surprise; the personal bags and luggage of 2 of my accompanying friends were stolen from the vehicle that

t o o k u s t o t h e s t a d i u m . I t ’s unimaginable and depressing that having paid for parking and ushered in to park by 3 police officers, the vehicle could have been broken into and 3 suitcases and bags removed from it. How could this have happened in a secured parking lot that was as bright as daylight in the night? One could understand the carry-on bags being removed without anyone seeing, but 3 loaded suitcases! The break-in at the stadium illustrates the insecurity of paidparking. The parking fee per vehicle was G$1,000 per match, and the people who provided security were not ordinary civilians, but police officers. Seeing these officers gave us a sense of security that it was safe to leave our bags, which ended up not to be. The bags contained passports, cash in US currency and other valuables. The

suitcases contained clothes, personal effects and gifts for the impoverished in Corentyne. Despite all the complaints at the stadium when the items were discovered missing, without any satisfaction, we decided to report the matter to your newspapers at your Georgetown office after leaving the stadium to have a “reward” advertisement be placed, only to discover that a senior government official was there. When we described to him what happened and shared our suspicion on who could be considered the culprits with the hope that he would have rendered valuable and helpful intervention, he did not. Having placed the ad, we left dejectedly for our hotel. Now in our safe abode and society, we bid farewell to Guyana, and never to return again. Angry diaspora citizen

Sunday June 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Damning accusations against Region One Chairman DEAR EDITOR; It is remarkable that the Regional Chairman of Region 1 has found some mouth now to criticize systems in Region 1. Systems which he was very much involved in – he was one of the policy-makers during the widespread incompetence when his party was in power. The RC is accustomed to his party awarding contracts to friends of the PPP. As a result of this, it seems that Region 1 has been willed over to only certain contractors from back in time. The RC is fully aware of all of this but he is making a noise to make it appear that he is above board and suddenly works are not progressing. That may be true. More should have been done since the new Government took office. For example, certain officials whose allegiance is ‘we know where’, should not be left in those positions to stagnate progress. The new administration inherited: 1. The contractor for the Pure Water Supply who arbitrarily decided that one side of the road must get water one day and the other side the next day. Residents have to be crossing the road to collect water so that they always have a supply of this precious commodity in their homes; 2. The electricity system

which has a contractor (uncle of a former PPP REO who feathered his nest so well that he is still living off the proceeds); 3. The Barabina Road (again courtesy of a former PPP Regional Chairman) whose brilliant idea of a concrete bridge (Kumaka Bridge) is the reason that the water is backing up and causes the flooding of the roadway; 4. A local Methuselah whose nephew (PPP) put him in charge of the Kumaka revetment project. He is still employed complete with an ATV to ride around all day; 5. A group of workers who make no effort to hide the fact that they support the PPP and so are not in the game of promoting any development in Region 1; 6. An arrangement whereby a known PPP cohort who is a teacher is allowed to live in the residence owned by the State and who hardly

ever turns up to her assigned duties. Guess she has the coverage of her protector who is very senior in the PPP 7. Many more instances which could be mentioned. However, the new administration seems to think that keeping certain people in certain positions will cause their allegiance to change overnight. Wake up people, this will not happen. These people are being paid hefty salaries to stagnate the plans for development in the Region. They are not taking instructions from the Government and they are being paid to sit there and stagnate Guyana’s progress Does it make sense? Region 1 needs a changing of the guard. This is not about ‘witch hunting’. It is about sensible planning and placement of officials who are serious about promoting development in the Region and ultimately the country.

Why does the Regional Health Officer have to have a rented car? Was there not an ATV at the Hospital? The Regional Chairman speaks about unity when he is instructed so to do and then out of the other end of his mouth he does the opposite. Who visits communities before Ministers’ visit and tells them not to show up? Who encourages villages to post banners saying that they do not want Ministers to visit their area? Who is fooling these people? Why are these people being blindfolded? Is it true that Food for the Poor sends stuff to a certain PPP businessman at Kumaka and those are put to the purpose to which they should? I sure hope not. Who has the

solar panels for a certain Government Project in Wauna? The RC is such a person now but when he was the Social Worker in the Dept of Education, he allegedly covered up a situation that may need to be researched. The former AREO is being sent back to Region 1 as DREO. His close ones get contracts from the Government. Nepotism? Yet the current administration sees it fit to re-instate him. Something stinks to the high heavens here. Will this individual pro-

mote any development in Region One when he was posted there to serve the will of his PPP masters? Would someone ask the Minister of Communities to comment on this? Now that the message is clear for us to see – Region 1’s best bet is to shut up, take the political bashing, do not look forward to any progress because the party we voted for seems to be in bed with the party we voted against. We are the laughing stock. More to come. Really Upset Supporter

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Unbecoming conduct of The impending closure of the WALES sugar factory Minister Keith Scott DEAR EDITOR; The APNU+AFC administration has been elected given the people dissatisfaction and disapproval with the management of the state’s business under the leadership of Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar. Previous governments have been held accountable through public media and the ballot in 2011 and 2015. This government has a responsibility to learn from and build on the historical development of this nation, and avoid the pitfalls of its predecessors. The previous governments were held accountable by me and this government must understand that the same principle shall be applied to it. There has been some bright sparks in the performance of government ministers, among whom are Simona Broomes and Cathy Hughes, and this should be to the government’s advantage to build on, not cast aside. In the case of Broomes, who is deemed a rights activist and was awarded for her role in fighting against human trafficking by the United States Government, when she was assigned to the Labour portfolio notwithstanding the absence of direct Labour experience, she was the best fit

among the identified ministerial pool. This minister took the labour landscape with deserving seriousness. Among her first task was moving to enforce the Laws as required for both workers and employers where she brought about results, notably the settling of outstanding grievances, which contributed to improving the industrial relations climate and offered hope to workers that the APNU+AFC is a labour friendly government. Broomes’ stellar performance was brought to an abrupt end with the removal of her having oversight responsibility for the day-today activities of the Labour Department. When she was reassigned to the Ministry of Natural Resources it was advised that she would also have responsibility for workers’ issues in the mining and forestry sectors. Even though this commitment was made to the people of this country, the fact that the required legal instrument to cover such responsibility has not been given to her, she has no legal mandate to execute the task. Her replacement has done absolutely nothing beyond chat and liming at the bars in Georgetown. This conduct is doing a disservice to the labour landscape and is fast becoming an embarrassment to this government, even moreso when the parties campaigned on respecting the rule of law, rights of citizens/workers, and pursuing a Green Economy, all of which require a stable industrial relations climate. Presently there are numerous industrial relations matters that beg attention. The minister has not even

taken the time to understand his role, responsibilities, and what are the day-to-day characteristics that embody Labour. The removal of Hughes from the portfolio of tourism is a mistake similar to the act committed against Broomes. Hughes over the years has demonstrated a vision and passion for this sector. She worked tirelessly in this field prior to entering political office and her colleagues in the government would have been aware of this. Rather than allow her vision and commitment to the tourism sector to shape and influence government’s policies and programmes, that would redound to revenue earning and national development consistent with a green economy, this portfolio has been given to someone who has not demonstrated similar interest, zeal and passion. While there is respect for what can be considered the political correctness in the statements made by Broomes and Hughes when their portfolios and evident passion were pulled from under their feet, like the proverbial rug, as a citizen, stakeholder and leader in this society, I am registering my dissatisfaction with the government’s approach. This government is giving rise to speculation that competency and vision are not important components of its armoury in governing this country, and that the progressive women within the leadership fold will first feel the hammer. Lincoln Lewis.

DEAR EDITOR; In seven months, the Wales Sugar Factory will be closed resulting in a loss of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. This is a dramatic development that calls for a quick response from the government. This is no ordinary event to be taken lightly or in stride by the Ministerof Agriculture or the government. The time to act is now because the welfare of thousands are at stake. The consequences are severe for the employees, their families and businesses in and around the area. Of course, on the day of the closing tempers will flare, but it will be up to the government to cool them. As it now stands, 1500 workers will be thrown onto the breadline in the worst case scenario where the likely compensation will be a few months’ salary. This is a bitter pill to swallow, especially for long-serving employees who stand to lose their health benefits and a portion of theirpension. The impact of the losses will not only affect the 1500 employees, it will trickle down and across to affect entire families and communities where there are concentrations of persons employed by the estate. The government should move quickly to limit the consequences and cushion the impact of those who will be affected. The government should work with the union to put together a team of individuals with the ability to assist

the workers and their families and to collect the data needed to understand, anticipate and plan for the full ramifications of the job losses at Wales and nearby villages. And if needs be, the workers and others who will be affected should be given financial advice, individual and family counselling, social support and guidance on employment and business opportunities. There should be resources set aside to help ease the burdens of the employees and their families. Losing a job is difficult for most persons, but it is far more nerveracking, especially if those persons are the only wage earners in the household. Given the current economic climate, the Government needs to be proactive in anticipating the impact of the closing of the Wales Sugar Factory on the people and the community. They should not be left to cope on their own. If that happens, the financial hardship and the social impact could spiral into additional burdens which could lead to turmoil in the community as well as in the sugar industry. Uneasiness is settling over the sugar estates which could further cripple the sugar industry and the economy. The recent strike at the Rose Hall Estate is testimony to the uneasiness of the workers there. There must be empathy for sugar workers all across the country because of the back-breaking labor which they have to endure. Months of indecisions, foot-dragging and half-

hearted attempts to tackle the serious issues in the sugar industry have become putrid and the government has only itself to blame. It has not come-up with an alternative plan about the future of Wales and the other sugar estates. There are many problems that are hampering the chance to turn-around GUYSUCO and neither its management nor the government has offered any short term solutions let alone a long term resolution to the problems. In the absence of a solution, the taxpayers will be burdened to continue to subsidize the sugar industry by some G$10 billion yearly. Unless the government finds a solution, the subsidy may continue forever because closing GUYSOCO is not an option. The closing of the Wales Sugar Factory will hang around the government’s neck like the proverbial albatross but it is not the first to be closed. Former President Bharat Jagdeo closed the Diamond and the La Bonne Intention sugar estates in 2003 so it is hypocritical for him and his PPites to criticize this government for closing the Wales Estate. These are difficult times, given the fall in prices for sugar, but even so, there are better and worst ways to handle the sugar industry. The onus is on the Government to choose the better way. The government has to show the workers at Wales that it respects and cares about them. Dr. Asquith Rose

Govt. houselots not for the poor of Guyana DEAR EDITOR; Like most reasonable young people I have decided to give the new ruling party my support and reasonable time to streamline efforts to resolve some of the main issues we have in our country. One year after, I can see of the front page of every pa-

per (obviously not the Guyana Times) about our findings in the forensic audits. I stand corrected, but is this a smudge thing to obliterate the opposition or are we truly working to move forward? Let me be very frank, the opposition has a few brilliant minds and would have garnered much more support from the youth, had the young blood rose to the occasion rather than sit and become greedy. Irfaan Alli, in particular I’m greatly disappointed in, as I had looked forward to him along with Hon. Bharat Jagdeo pushing for our youth more than the other members.

At this point, I wonder who will ever fight for our youth. Mr. President, you may be a profound human being but I find some of your linesmen are clueless as to what they are about. I find some so arrogant that it is scary. Let us nip this in the bud before we become further lost. I know of a good friend who had applied for a house lot in 2010 and to date has not been contacted. Upon visiting the CH&PA (Housing Ministry) last week, well for one she can attest to the change in the atmosphere and the professionalism she was greeted with compared to her past visits. However, to her dismay, she was told that although she had qualified for a “middle income” lot since in 2010, there aren’t any available neither are the “low income” lots. What they do

have is “high income” for 2.5 million and up. So much for the middle class and the poor people, what I’m hearing is, ‘if you don’t have money, you can’t get a home’. Well in this case let the friends and family of the previous administration continue to buy all the lands available and exploit our country’s resources for their benefit. I get a better picture as to why the previous administration ‘looked after their people’ so that regardless of who is in power they will always be taken care of. Who is going to look out for the ones that didn’t have those resources to their reach, who is going to look out for the poor and better question; who will look out for ALL GUYANESE. Let’s see where the next year takes us! Michael Mars

Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

UNC walks out after motions denied…

Moonilal, Speaker clash

Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal, right, and his United National Congress colleagues prepare to leave the parliament chamber yesterday. Photo courtesy Parliament Trinidad Guardian - In a surprise move, the Opposition walked out of Parliament Friday, after its requests to debate the plight of financially disadvantaged sick children and the country’s soaring murder rate were refused by House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George. The walkout occurred just before Finance Minister Colm Imbert delivered his explanation of government’s $2.5 billion withdrawal from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF). But even before the walkout took place, tensions had been generated between the Speaker and Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal over the way he had attempted to present a question. Moonilal had filed a question for reply by the Government concerning the injunction granted to the National Gas Company against the assets of Super Industrial Services Ltd (SIS). He’d started to read the question he had originally filed with the Parliament. But he was halted by the Speaker and advised to read the question (number seven) as it was stated on the agenda. He remarked then that he should read “your question” (inferring the question as it was structured on the parliament’s agenda). The Speaker asked him to withdraw that statement and apologise. Moonilal asked what he should withdraw. He was told to withdraw the statement he made about the question. He questioned, “What statement is that?” The Speaker then suspended proceedings for three minutes. During the break, Moonilal showed reporters the original question he’d filed and started reading. It was different from the one on the agenda. When proceedings resumed, the Speaker

asked if he’d had an “opportunity to consider what your position is.” Moonilal asked if he should read question seven and in response to her next question—if he would read the one on the agenda— agreed to do so. He didn’t apologise or withdraw the earlier statement, nor was he asked about it by the Speaker again, and proceedings continued. But shortly after, Opposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar unsuccessfully sought leave to raise two matters of urgent national importance for debate. One involved government’s failure to provide timely access to the Children’s Life Fund to financially disadvantaged children in need of urgent life-saving medical treatment. She noted several children had already died because of government’s failure to provide this and the lives of other children similarly circumstanced were in jeopardy. Another motion concerned government’s failure to address the unprecedented increase in the number of murders in T&T, which Persad-Bissessar said had citizens living in fear and was

damaging T&T’s international reputation. But the Speaker said the motions didn’t qualify under the Standing Orders where they were filed and suggested another SO. She added that while the matters were important, they needed to be filed correctly. She also said there was need for a meeting between the presiding officer and Opposition MPs and a request had been received. She said she expected the chief whip’s delegation to take the opportunity of the meeting next Monday for “all these matters” to be clarified. Opposition MPs then rose and exited the chamber. The Opposition UNC was yesterday denied access to a parliament space to host a media conference after they walked out the House. They had intended to explain the walkout to reporters, at a planned briefing at the office of the Opposition at the Parliament complex. But parliament communication official Jason Elcock told reporters that press conferences weren’t allowed while the House was in session. Instead, the Opposition addressed reporters on the parliament grounds.

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Sunday June 12, 2016

Dem boys seh...

THIS DREAM GUN COME TO PAST People believe dream does come through. Some of dem does go to sleep wid things pun dem mind and when dem wake up dem does seh is dream. Friday night, de Waterfalls boss man went to bed early because he was tired. He was keeping wake every night fuh he padna and best reporter, Dale Andrews. He come to wuk early, Saturday, and tell de entire staff he had this dream. And de dream look real because he see real people. He seh he dream de director of de mental institution does release three inmates who recover to de best of de director satisfaction. De nurses put de three men in a showcase suh de director can visually evaluate dem for a few minutes before he talk to dem. He see one of dem shadow boxing, one staring at he clothes and de other trying fuh see de back of he pants. De director call de shadow boxer and ask him, “What is your name?” and de man seh Robeson. “Wha you gun do if I am to release you in de general public?” ask de director. Robeson seh, “I gun do de same thing wha you see me doing just now—shadow boxing—because if I don’t do that I gun run mad.” De director shy he back wheh he been. Then he call de man wha watching he close. “Wha you name?” De man seh ‘Ten Edghill.” “Tell me wha you gun do if I am to release you from dis institution.” Ten Edghill seh, “Sir when I go out I gun buy some nice clothes fuh me wife.” De director she, “Eh heh. Wha nex?” “I gun dress she up and put she fuh lie down pun de bed.” De director seh, “Sounds good. Then?” “Sir I gun pull off she underwear, pull out de string from de waist and fly a kite.” De director seh, “Don’t even think about loosing dis one. Send in de other one wha trying fuh bruck he neck to see he backside.” “Wha you name?” “My name? Bharrat Jagdeo.” “Tell me wha you would do if I am to loose you out in de general public?” He seh, “Director. I gun go out and find a wuk. I gun wuk very hard.” “Wha you gun do next?” “I gun save all me money.” De director seh, “Sounds good. Wha you gun do wid all this money?” “Sir, I gun buy a new Bee Tee because this one, got a big hole.” Talk half and hope that this is one dream gun come true.

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OLPF Project suffered grave management issues As if the financial weaknesses associated with the One Laptop Per Family Project (OLPF) weren’t horrible enough, forensic auditors have identified that the initiative also suffered from grave management issues. Auditors attached to Ram and McRae, Chartered Accountants said in a detailed report that several key positions for the project were handed to individuals who were not competent or qualified enough to hold the positions. In this regard, the auditors said that the senior accounting position in the Project was held by Darshani Nandkisore. She was hired on February 1, 2012 at a monthly basic salary of $200,000. The auditors said that Nandkisore’s principal qualification is the Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) examination. They said however that this is not a professional examination and would not ordinarily equip its holder for the position of Accounts Manager. The Ram and McRae

– Forensic audit report auditors said that it is likely that the failure to employ a suitably qualified person may have been responsible for the inadequate internal controls within the Project. Additionally, the auditors said that Abdalla Hamilton was hired as the Project’s Warehouse Manager. His basic monthly salary was $150,000 through the period of his employment, which spanned from January 1, 2012 to July 31, 2015. The forensic auditors said that a review of Hamilton’s personal file revealed that his academic qualifications were certificates in AutoCAD and Advanced AutoCAD. AutoCAD is a computer aided drafting software programme used for creating blueprints for buildings, bridges and computer chips. The auditors said that AutoCAD is used mainly by drafters, although engineers, surveyors and architects may need to use the software from time to time.

The Ram and McRae auditors said that it does not appear that Hamilton possessed the necessary qualifications to function as Warehouse Manager. The auditors said that it is important to note that Hamilton is the son of former PPP Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Health, Mr. Joseph Hamilton. The One Laptop per Family (OLPF) Project was a national initiative aimed at bridging the digital gap, by providing access to information technology, the internet, training and skills development to families across Guyana, which will enable citizens to become part

of the global information and knowledge network. It was officially launched on January 21, 2011 at the Guyana International Conference Centre. The Project was introduced by the then President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who mentioned that “the objective of the venture is to enhance Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and create opportunities for the beneficiaries of the laptops.” Based on statements made by Mr. Jagdeo during the Project’s launch, the Government of Guyana had initially planned to acquire and distribute a total of 90,000 laptops to low income families in Guyana. However, the Project acquired only 55,145 laptops, of which 50,009 were distributed.

Habits are not the product of one decision — They’re the result of repeated choices that eventually become automatic responses. How can you know your true spiritual condition? By the company you keep and the choices you make. When you’re free to go, where do you choose to go? Whose company do you prefer?

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Resuscitation of failed Fibre Optic Cable Project in limbo …Project still under review - Hughes Even though Government had set aside more than $200M to resuscitate the PPP’s failed fibre optic cable project, Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, said that the investment at the moment is stalled. She said that two independent studies on the project were commissioned by Government. She said that these were a forensic audit which focused mainly on the financial operations and functioning of the eGovernance Unit over the period January 1, 2012 to May 31, 2015. Hughes said that this was done by Ram and McRae Chartered Accountants and submitted on December 18, 2015. The Minister said that the second audit was done on the Georgetown to Lethem fibre optic cable project which was done by a team of telecommunications specialists. She said that a draft report was submitted on May 6, 2016 but it has not yet been accepted as final. Hughes made it clear that while Government is in receipt of both audit reports, no

decision has been taken to rehabilitate the Georgetown to Lethem fibre optic cable project. She said that the Project is still under review. The Telecommunications Minister added that her administration is committed to transparency in public procurement; as such, any continuation of this project will conform to the National Procurement and Tenders Administration process. In the National Assembly, Hughes articulated on several occasions that the ICT sector and the knowledge management industries will be the ones that will have to be cornerstone of this country’s future. On this premise, she made it known that Government intends to make a number of investments in the ICT sector. The Telecommunications Minister said that in keeping with this thrust to expand broadband connectivity and the integration of Ministries, Government plans to invest $240M to resuscitate the troubled Fibre Optic

Cable Project. She explained that $140 million has been allocated to consolidate, monitor, maintain and extend the existing eGovernment Fibre Optic and LTE Network around Georgetown and along the coast from Moleson Creek to Charity. Government will spend a further $100 M to repair and upgrade the Georgetown–Linden Fibre Optic Cable, Hughes said. She recalled that this project was abandoned by the previous Administration after it had spent $1B. Hughes said that the lack of a feasibility study, poor planning, and absence of effective project management and the use of inexperienced contractors are some of the major contributing factors that led to the failure of this project. Hughes said that Government will move to correct all this so that the people of Guyana, regardless of their socio-economic status or remoteness, will be digitally connected and socially included. The Parliamentarian asserted that the strengthening of the eGovernment system is critical in imparting added value to processes that characterize good governance. She said that improved connectivity within government will permit joint planning and assessment resulting in Government’s business processes

Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes becoming more efficient. Minister Hughes noted that the eGovernment expansion will also serve to facilitate connectivity between Government and citizens thereby strengthening accountability, connectivity between government and citizens and connectivity between and within communities’ thereby building social cohesion and economic development.

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Kaieteur News

Search called off for missing Corentyne fishermen It has been two weeks since armed pirates attacked three fishing vessels off the coast of Guyana and threw five fishermen overboard resulting in the death of one. While the families of the missing fishermen have given up hope of their survival, hope grows dimmer that even their bodies will be recovered. Dhanpaul Rampaul, of No. 67 Village, Corentyne; Dochand Sukra, aka ‘Bucher”, 54, of No. 55 Village, Corentyne; and Munesh Churram, aka “Boyo”, 26 were all tied to an anchor and thrown overboard by five pirates armed with cutlasses on Friday May 27, last, during a brazen 11:00 hrs attack at sea. Their colleague, 44-yearold Hemchand Sukdeo’s dead body was discovered hours later entangled in the fishing seine of another boat. Only the captain of the vessel, Seepersaud Persaud, 43 of No.78 Village, Corentyne who was also thrown overboard lived to tell the horrific tale. The captain of the ill-fated vessel “Rosanna 664” recalling the dreadful ordeal to this publication that he and four crew members were aboard a boat in the Lower Shell area, Nickerie, when another boat with five men armed with cutlasses came up alongside. The armed men boarded his boat and took away two 48HP outboard motor engines, tied up the four crew members and threw Persaud overboard. “One of dem start holler seh lemme throw dem overboard and me start beg and me beg dem and because me beg, dem throw me overboard and go away with me crew,” Persaud said. He was subsequently rescued by the crew of another fishing vessel in the area after drifting for some time. The other crew members were held captive and assisted the hijackers in robbing two other vessels. At the end of the ordeal, the bandits threw Hemchand Sukdeo and the other crew members overboard after se-

verely beating him. Sukdeo’s body was subsequently found entangled in a seine with a chop wound to his head. The pirates, executing their second hijacking, relieved a vessel “Ackbar SK 1509”, carrying a captain and crew of four of over $600,000 in fish. Owner of that vessel, Clet Natoo, stated that according to information given to him by his crew members, the hijackers doused the entire boat with gasoline and threatened to set it alight but did not carry out the act. Police subsequently arrested five fishermen in connection with the piracy attack. Ramchan Latchman, 23, married and a father of two of No. 65 Village, Corentyne; Ganesh Naidoo, 41, of No71 Village; Ramesh Singh, 53, of Liverpool Village, a father of two, Stephen Leon Leacock, 19, of 366, No. 77 Village and Leon Sammy, 29, married and father of one of Lot 1 No. 75 Village, all of Corentyne, Berbice were all charged with the murder of crew member Hemchand Sukdeo. LOSING HOPE Wife of Dhanpaul Rampaul, 34-year-old Bulaire Kellawan, stated that she lost hope that her husband is still alive. “Da was de fuss time he go out to sea and he can’t swim. Police tell me seh dem man ah hold out seh dem anchor dem suh if dah happen, me husband dead cause he can’t swim”. Bularie said that her husband of 17 years always wanted to venture into the fishing business. “He always want do fishing but he does tell am seh you can’t swim suh if something fah happen what you gon do”. The wife of Munesh Churram, Tajpatie Suseran, said that she is has high hopes that her husband of four years is still alive. “I know it in my heart that he’s still alive. Some days it’s hard but I still carry on hope that he is alive. He loves his children and I know he misses them. He will come home to see them”. His wife mentioned that

she has not received an update on the ongoing search adding that the last she heard was the search is still ongoing. SEARCH CALLED OFF Commander of ‘B’ Division, Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam told this publication that the search has been called off for the three missing fishermen. The Commander stated that the family members of the missing men are still conducting searches in the area with hopes of recovering the bodies of the men. Amsterdam also added that the case file was sent to the DDP to institute further charges.

MISSING: Dhanpaul Rampaul

MISSING: Dochan Sukra

MISSING: Munish Churman

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Law enforcement expected to handle - as GRPA General Secretary still to account matter- Min. Holder for $100M loan, monthly subventions Back in February, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, had addressed the National Assembly and had called on the opposition to account for a $100M loan which was taken from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and assented to by a trio of officials to pay farmers in 2014, but was never repaid. In response, Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj had disputed the Minister’s address, saying that the loan was arranged through the GRPA, with the records submitted to the Rice board. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) parliamentarian had stressed that the money went to farmers. Speaking to Kaieteur news on Friday, Holder made it clear that that money is still to be repaid. This is despite existing documents including a promissory note, signed by Seeraj, which stipulated that the money be repaid on or before October 31 st, 2014. Holder noted that at this stage, the matter was expected to be handled by law

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder The promissory note which auditors found while combing through the GRDB records enforcement.In addition, the Minister has had cause to lament the fact that the GRPA has been the recipient of $2.5M from the previous administration. However, no audited statements have been produced showing how the money was expended.

According to Holder, there is still no accounting for the monies that RPA received as part of the subventions. He made it clear that the onus lay with Seeraj, who is a sitting Member of Parliament for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), to provide answers.

“Why isn’t he accounting for it,” Holder queried. “(And the) $100M (taken from) the rice board, ostensibly to assist farmers or something, as a loan to be repaid by October 2014. It never was. There is no accountability.” Asked about whether any punitive action was on the table for the General Secretary’s actions, he expressed optimism that the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) or the police authori-

ties might have the matter in their hands. He noted that it was outside his ministry’s remit, but rather in the realm of Public Security and the police. Last year, an audit into the GRDB unearthed documents attesting to GRPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj, receiving a $100M loan from the GRDB back in 2014. According to the documents, Seeraj signed for the ‘loan’ in July of 2014 with the understanding that it would have been repaid in October 2014. Exactly one year later, that money was yet to be repaid. Documents also showed that the loan was approved

GRPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj by former GRDB General Manager, Jagnarine Singh. At the time, Seeraj was serving as Vice President of the GRDB, a position he relinquished in July of 2015. Also signing on to the agreement was then Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma, had been critical of the transaction when it came to light late last year. He had noted that the transaction was done under the wraps and may never have been uncovered had it not been for the forensic audit. Sharma, who bore oversight for the platitude of forensic audits launched last year, also told this newspaper that at the time the auditors uncovered the questionable loan, it was found to be suspicious since there could be found no record as to a reason for the loan, nor collateral. Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, had stated that a priority should be to recover the money or hold principals accountable. He had cited the fact that the GRDB amendment Act of 1994 makes no provision for granting loans, making it null and void. Co-Chairman of the Rice Producers Association- Action Committee and current GRDB board member, Jinnah Rahaman, had also denounced the entire transaction, noting that the GRDB was not a lending agency. Both Seeraj and Ramsammy have defended their roles in the transaction, with Seeraj stating that the money had been secured for part payments for rice farmers who had supplied paddy to Ruimzeight millers, but were not paid on time. Dr Ramsammy had also been quoted in sections of the media saying that he would “do it again” as the transaction brought relief to rice farmers.

Sunday June 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Consider removing the Georgetown Prison - Prison COI report

The report on the Commission of Inquiry into the March 3, 2016 Camp Street Prison disturbance has recommended that the State consider the removal of the Georgetown Prison from the centre of the city. The COI established to inquire into the deadly fire, which claimed the lives of 17 prisoners at the Georgetown Prison in March. The COI was ordered by President David Granger. The President appointed Justice James Patterson, Merle Mendonca and retired Director of Prisons, Dale Erskine as Commissioners to oversee the work. The panel is expected to investigate, examine and report on the causes, circumstances and conditions that led to the disturbances on the morning of March 3, 2016, that resulted in the death of prisoners and any other subsequent disturbances at the Camp Street Prisons; the nature of all injuries sustained by the Prisoners, and any other subsequent disturbances. According to the report on the two-month inquiry

seen by the newspapers, Commissioners have pointed out a number of deficiencies in the Guyana’s penal system. Among these, is the gross overcrowding and lack of adequate infrastructure within the prison facilities. The report highlighted a number of infrastructural deficiencies, including the noncompletion of the new Brickdam Prison which has placed unnecessary burden on the overcrowded Georgetown Prison. Recommendations were made for the complete construction of the new prison at Lusignan and upgrading Mazaruni Prison facilities to improve the prison holding capacity of prisoners under humane conditions. According to the document “This prison has the capacity to house an additional 250 prisoners.” The commission also noted the archaic state in which food in the prison is prepared. The report said that infrastructure for cooking quality food is grossly unsatisfactory and notwithstanding the food may be palatable, the manner in which it is prepared

The Camp Street Prison facility

with fire wood will always be a recipe for protests by prisoners. Additionally, proposals were made for Capital A Block be renovated and be named ‘Centre of Learning and Reconciliation” for prisoners. “It should have a good library with appropriate technology and other supporting material to aid inmates to develop themselves,” the document stated. “Enhance the structure and equipment at the Cecil Kilkenny Prison Officers’ Training School at Lusignan

to create a receptive learning environment for prison officers.” The Commission also proposed a review of the in-

ternal walls of high security blocks to avoid prisoners breaking through them along with more effective system of

lighting in dormitories to be introduced to avoid tampering and turning off of lights by prisoners in divisions.

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Some prominent Guyanese indebted to Finance Ministry for UG loans Over 17,500 debtors...

A forensic audit into the University of Guyana’s Student Loan Agency (SLA) has revealed that from the year 1994 to May 2015, some 17,567 or 69.4% of 25,335 student loans were deemed delinquent because students were not honouring their indebtedness. Recent report also indicated that during that same period, the Government of the day – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had approved $9,489,453,973 through the National Budget or US$45.5M using the current rate of exchange of G$210 to US$1. During the period – April 2011 to December 2014, $1,800,000,000 (US$8,571,429) was received through a process whereby the Agency Head is informed by the Budget Department that funds have been approved to be released to the Agency. Loans issued during the audit period (academic years 2011-2012 to 2014-2015) amounted to $1,581,422,277 of which $1,432,669,005 was issued to students at Turkeyen Campus and $148,753,272 was issued to students at the Tain Campus. The total number of students who would have obtained loans up to December 31, 2014 was 25,335. The total value of the loans was $9,159,644,463. Of the total number of students who have received loans (25,335): 4,713 or 18.6% are recent graduates or are still students; 1,776 or 7% were able to repay their loans totalling $679,918,794 including principal and interest. Five students had their loans written off while 1,278 or five percent have been paying. However, they have not been up-to-date, the report showed. The report had also stated that there was a clear indication that the then Ministry of

Finance and by extension, the Agency, did not pursue the defaulters with a view to recover their indebtedness. However, a notice was published on the Ministry of Finance website last Thursday where the Ministry is now asking students to settle their debts. The notice stated that students must be reminded that repaying their loans is an obligation that must be honoured. The Ministry is asking students who have outstanding balances on their loans to visit the Student Loan Agency to discuss the repayments of these monies. The Head of the Agency at the time when the report was conducted, Rawle SueHo, advised the auditors that he was never instructed to operate the Student Loan Fund as a “revolving one.” Sue-Ho further explained to the auditors that “Several attempts to have the Ministry of Finance/Government of Guyana address the high level of delinquency did not result in action. “In addition, the Agency was/is not suitably staffed to pursue defaulting students. On the other hand, in excess of $12M is repaid monthly through deduction orders, the vast majority of which were implemented after action was taken by the Agency”. The audit report went viral with a list with some 488 persons who were deemed “delinquent”. Some of the names are prominent Guyanese professionals including the former Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Robert Corbin; former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) and prominent Attorney, James Bond; Magistrate, Adela Nagamootoo, the daughter of Prime Minister Moses Nagamottoo; PPP’s Central Committee Member, Majeed Hussain; Attorneyat-law Jaya Devi Manickchand; Magistrate Judy Tanujah Latchman, Attorneys Roysdale Forde, Ronald Burch-Smith, Paul Braam; and former Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys. Joan Ann Edghill, daughter of former Junior Finance Minister and current PPP/C MP, Juan Edghill, is also on the list along with Deputy Solicitor General Prithima Tiwari Kissoon. Among the other delinquents are also, Attorneys Leslie Sobers, Roger Yearwood, Natasha Grey, Bernard Da Silva, Jochebed Pollard, Dexter Todd, Lauren Dundas. (The list that was found in the report begins on pages 14 and 15 )

Sunday June 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

To protest or not to protest By Sharmain Grainger While dedication is important, remuneration could often be the factor that determines how much an individual commits to a profession. So it should come as no surprise that some teachers within our public education system are swiftly becoming frustrated that they are yet to hear about an increase for this year. This has reportedly been no fault of the union which represents them – the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU). For the past five years, teachers were eligible for a five per cent increase. The union was able to ink an agreement with government to this effect. But that agreement expired last year. The GTU has ever since been trying to renew its agreement with Government for a new remuneration package for the teachers it represents. But this process has not been very simple. In fact, the GTU had accused the Government of deliberately delaying the negotiation process and had even threatened to take industrial action earlier this year if it wasn’t fasttracked. The talks have since continued. During talks two Fridays ago there was consensus between the two sides with regards to several of the nonfinancial aspects of the Union’s proposal. “For all the issues that don’t have any relations with finances we agreed on most of them,” GTU General Secretary, Ms. Coretta McDonald confided. Among the non-financial aspects of the proposal is that teachers in the hinterland be given shorter periods to serve their contracts and also be able to gain points for promotion. Usually teachers are required to serve a five-year

period after completing training at the Cyril Potter College of Education. Smaller class sizes for teachers has also been recommended by the Union and it has called for measures to be put in place to encourage teachers to further embrace information communication technology. But as it relates to the financial aspect, the GTU is hoping to ink an agreement, spanning the period 2016 – 2020, that will translate to a 40 per cent pay increase for this year, 45 per cent for next year (2017) and 50 per cent for the following three years (2018-2020) for all categories of teachers. The Union has also proposed duty free concessions for other categories of teachers, apart from heads and deputies, and more allowances for teachers who work in the hinterland. The talks, between the Union and the Ministry, were slated to continue on Friday last. But as soon as it was kicked into motion, the convenors were forced to put it on pause; and for good reason too. Word had reached the meeting that the teachers of a public school had engaged protest action. The school – Brickdam Secondary – has for sometime been a bother to the teachers who work there. They had long dubbed the environment not conducive for the teaching and learning process. On Friday the teachers complained of having a school void of potable water and made known that the building is so flawed that it appears to be slightly leaned. Both Union and Ministry officials, including Chief Education Officer, Mr. Olato Sam, agreed to suspend the nego-

The Baccoo Speaks

The age of the prominent criminals is going down. Indeed they seem to be younger and that is going to be the exclamation when two of them are arrested after committing a robbery in Central Georgetown. They are going to attack a shopper but the police would be there. A chase would ensue.

The people in the streets are going to make a valuable contribution. ** The waterways can provide excitement but they can also be dangerous for the unsuspecting. A body will be fished out of a city waterway and it would bear marks of violence. The suspicion is that a thief would try to escape but as fate would have it the waterway would arrest him with fatal consequences. ** Fires are always on the cards. Another household would be plunged into gloom because of a fire that would start in the lower portion. A lighted object would be the cause.

tiation meeting in order to head down to the school to appease the protesting teachers. It was long expected, though, that the operations of the school would have been relocated to a more conducive location. In fact the GTU had been advocating for this quite publicly too for some time. According to McDonald, GTU has been saying that Brickdam Secondary, Central High and St. Margaret’s Primary are all schools that should have long been relocated. This was not only premised on evident hazards, such as what obtains at Brickdam Secondary, but because there are concerns as it relates to space. “They are cramped in the city and every now and again when you have some kind of confusion, such as protests and so on, those schools are disturbed,” McDonald amplified. But there is hope for an intervention, at least for Brickdam Secondary. This is in light of the fact that the CEO not only gave an ear to the teachers’ concerns, but instructed that measures be taken to remedy them forthwith. But this does not speak very well for the Ministry, since the fact of the matter remains that the Brickdam School has been faced with some of the same concerns since 2012. The teachers did not fail to highlight this in great detail on Friday. They even reminded the CEO that they had brought their concerns to the fore before, evidently to no avail.

Sam assured that engineers would have commenced work over the weekend. He even went as far as to summon Ministry engineers to the school on Friday so that they could have examined the issues that triggered the protest action in the first place. “They looked at the toilets, they looked at the doors, they looked at the lighting facilities, they looked at everything, and they have promised that over the weekend that they are going to be doing some work,” McDonald related. Sam agreed with the Union that if the teachers resume work tomorrow and find that there have been no improvements, they will have every right to refuse to work. “Many times it is taken for

granted when head teachers write the Ministry about concerns...nothing is done. No one stops to send one or two officers to the schools, but when teachers decide to protest and they (Ministry officials) go down there then they can see for themselves and understand what teachers have to go through sometimes,” stressed McDonald. While it is expected that much needed change will be realised shortly for the

The Brickdam Secondary School

Brickdam School, it can certainly be deduced that the negotiations for a renewed remuneration package for teachers is definitely destined to be considerably delayed, given the fact that we are already halfway through the year. It is, however, anticipated that negotiations between the Union and the Ministry will continue as soon as Wednesday and will not have to be triggered by industrial action.

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Guyana’s Energy Sector - Part One By Kiana Wilburg Based on statistics, Guyana’s Energy Sector seems has been significantly active. In fact, a total of 5,001,497 barrels of petroleum-based products were imported in 2015 representing about 13,703 barrels per day (bpd). This represents a 1.27 percent increase when compared to 2014. Petroleum imports for the year were acquired at a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value of US$355,201,732 representing a decrease of 36.76 percent from that of the previous year. Twenty-six percent or 834,056 barrels (2,285 bpd) of total imports were obtained under the PetroCaribe Agreement during 2015. There were increases in the consumption of Mogas (gasoline), Kerosene, Avjet, Fuel Oil and LPG (cooking gas) with reductions in the consumption of Diesel and Aviation Gasoline. Notably, consumption of Avjet and Fuel Oil increased by 32.58 percent and 5.11 percent respectively. The average cost per barrel of petroleum-based imports decreased from US$113.72 in 2014 to

US$71.02 in 2015, a decrease of 37.55 percent. This downward trend also continued for the average unit CIF value for each petroleum product. There were decreases of 32.85%, 37.91% and 38.95% in the average unit CIF value (US$/bbl) for Mogas (gasoline), Gasoil (diesel) and Jet fuel/Kerosene respectively. In addition, the average unit CIF value for Fuel oil, Aviation Gasoline and LPG also decreased by 42.08%, 22.31% and 34.13%, respectively. SOLAR ENERGY 1,164 kW of solar photovoltaic capacity was documented as being the total installed capacity in Guyana producing an estimated 2,125 MWh of energy annually. Building on the experiences of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA)’s solar PV grid-tied system, GEA, through competitive bidding, procured a 10 kWp solar PV system for the Agency’s head office. This will result in additional annual savings of $920,000 and avoid carbon dioxide emissions of 8.8 tons annually. During 2015, GEA’s Engineers installed 11 energy efficient LED solar-powered

street lights, bringing the total number of installed solar-powered street lights to 13 and resulting in annual savings of about $800,000 per year. GEA’s Engineers, during the year, repaired and rehabilitated a total of 1.655 kW of solar PV equipment at four schools. HYDROPOWER The GEA, with support from the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) coordinated with other Arco Norte countries to gather information to support an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)funded pre-feasibility study to explore the possibility of an electrical interconnection and generation expansion project involving Guyana, Brazil, Suriname and French Guiana. Fifteen visits were conducted at eight hydropower sites in five different Regions during the year. As part of the GEA programme to encourage and demonstrate the use of renewable sources of energy, a number of activities were completed at the Hosororo, Region One hydropower site. Collection and analysis of water level data and watershed delineations were

also done at the Kumu site, Region Nine. WIND ENERGY GEA continued to monitor and record wind data (speed and direction) at four sites: Port Mourant, Kumu, Mahdia and the University of Guyana. GEA also assisted the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc. (HECI) in selection and evaluation of fifteen potential wind sites along Guyana’s coast, where the best four will be chosen to carry out wind measurements. BIOMASS ENERGY In exploring the use of rice husk biomass to generate electricity, a 400kW/hr gasification system was installed in Region 2 (Pomeroon - Supenaam) by a private rice miller. The project was installed with the assistance of The Energy Research Institute (TERI) and support from the Government of India. 100 energy efficient wood stoves purchased in 2014 were distributed and demonstrated at a pilot scale to 10 households in 10 hinterland communities. Additionally, 10 energy efficient institutional wood stoves were also

demonstrated and distributed to nine hinterland residential schools/institutes. The energy efficient design will result in an 80% reduction in firewood consumption versus the open fire. ENERGYEFFICIENCY Engineers from the GEA and Ministry of Public Infrastructure replaced 37 high pressure sodium vapour (HPSV) street lamps rated at 250 watts with energy efficient Induction Lamps rated at 120 watts. It is estimated that $1,173,000 would be saved annually and 14.7 tons of CO2 emissions would be avoided. Ten (10) energy efficient LED street lamps rated at 80 watts, 100 watts, and 120 watts replaced ten 250 watts high pressure sodium lamps. Sixty-five 100 watts LED street lamps were procured as part of the Agency’s ongoing effort to promote energy efficient street lighting and replace existing 250 watts HPSV street lamps. It is estimated that $1,468,000 would be saved annually when the lamps are installed. With support from the Work Services Group, a total of 300 defective photo sensors on street lights were replaced as part of GEA’s

efforts to conserve energy, translating into annual energy savings of about $18.2 million. GEA completed Energy Consumption Assessments of 70 buildings in the last three years along with the changeout of inefficient lighting at 28 buildings. RESEARCH Engineers of the GEA conducted research in a number of areas: hydropower, natural gas, vapour recovery systems, biomass, wood waste potential, energy potential from rice husk, gasification systems, refrigerant replacement, solar powered and energy efficient street lights. GEA conducted several visits to the Town of Bartica based on government’s mandate to transform the area into a ‘Green Town’. Energy assessments targeted at government buildings and schools with the aim to reduce energy consumption, assessed the potential for roof top grid tie and standalone solar PV installation were conducted. GEA also identified a suitable location to conduct wind measurement and is currently awaiting the relevant approval to install a wind mast. To be continued …

Sunday June 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

The world has few superheroes; he was one This will be one of the most difficult columns to compose. What can anyone write about Muhammad Ali one day after he was buried that has not been published since last week by all kinds of humans from all over the globe? In the end, one has to settle on the mental satisfaction that in one’s library of columns, there is a composition on a human that was extraordinary. So extraordinary that one simply cannot be a commentator and not do a viewpoint on him; on one of the few superheroes civilization has produced. To avoid repeating from the thousands of descriptions and analyses of Muhammad Ali that have dominated the world press in the past week, I will contextualize his importance to the meaning of life. Before I go further, it needs to be said that no commentator can look back at his/ her career and find that there was not even a published paragraph on the unbelievable icons of this world. Michael Jackson was included on my list, even though his music didn’t touch the genre of philosophy as Bob Marley, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and a few others did. Jackson’s contribution to global pop culture reached greater heights than the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Motown. Nelson Mandela made my list and I guess every other writer on Planet Earth. A few icons are getting on in age and one hopes they stay around forever but that is not scientifically possible, and when they do leave us, our pen must do the right thing. My mind comes to Mikhail Gorbachev. He is 85. I think Gorbachev’s place in world history is not properly addressed. He shaped the 20th century to allow for greater freedoms for the peoples of the world. The genius of pop music, Burt Bacharach is 88. The football genius, Pelé is still young at 75 but from July to November in 2015, Pelé was hospitalized nine times. Pope Francis has my adoration. He is 79. Naom Chomsky is 87. I do not like how he overlooks Third World fascism, but Naom Chomsky is an international icon that the world needs. We should be glad we have him around. Gary Sobers is 79. I am not a huge admirer of Fidel Castro. I think he destroyed a beautiful legacy through the morbid pursuit of permanent power achieved through the use of murder and violence.

Muhammad Ali comes within the great, phenomenal tradition of humans who throughout thousands of years of history have taught civilization that without dignity there can be no actual existence. He showed the peoples of the world that if you are willing to fight other people’s dirty wars for them, you will end up a victim like those you kill, because people who send you to war

have no use for you. The only winner in war is the man who sends you onto the battlefield to kill for him. Ali showed the world that emulation of other people’s culture is another way of losing your dignity. At the height of global fame that was simply breathtaking, he turned his back on mainstream American culture and converted to Islam. It didn’t matter if he would lose his international following; if he would be shunned by his own country. In his heart that was what he

wanted, and he openly embraced what he felt was his calling. The stark contrast between Michael Jackson and Muhammad Ali is incredibly graphic. Jackson wanted acceptance by one and all, so he emulated other cultures with tragic results. Ali would never shape his life to please others just because he wanted their acceptance. This is where the greatness of the man lies. The entire world knew he was serious about his religion and his name-change, but Ali never let it affect his attitude

to race relations. You have to look very hard to find condemnation of White Americans by Muhammad Ali, and you wouldn’t find it. You have to look very hard to find condemnation of other cultures by Muhammad Ali, and you wouldn’t find it. This is the beautiful legacy he has the world with. He was a man for all seasons, all races and all countries. The lesson we should learn from Muhammad Ali’s life is that you can be proud of your race, your religion, your culture, but those are

Frederick Kissoon personal values that should never play a judgmental role in your relationship with the people you meet, work with, or have to relate to. He was Black, he was Muslim, but above all he was humane, and his humanity overrode everything else.

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Kaieteur News

My column

There are grounds for prosecution and time to bask in the glory There are some things that never seem to change. People always seem attracted to public funds and would do some of the most ridiculous things to enrich themselves. Of course there are always loopholes in the financial system, because the checks are not as stringent as they should be. On Friday it came to light that the people at the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority opted to sell fuel as though they were an importing agency. Some enterprising staff decided to requisition hundreds of gallons of petrol for vehicles, many of which were inoperable. The internal auditor should have picked up this bit of irregularity. On checking the various invoices he should have seen the volume of fuel being used. He had the opportunity to see previous requisitions. Then he would have had knowledge of the vehicles that were in the workshop. But these things missed him. They also missed everyone until the audits that the Granger administration conducted revealed them. Of course these audits had discovered a lot of irregularities, all of which demand prosecution. It is here that the wider society seems to very angry with the government. The evidence is being unearthed, but there is no corresponding action. I spoke to some of the people who are in control of the audit findings and their answers surprise me. For example, one of them said that most of the findings have been handed over to the police. It is here that the problem arises. In one case the advice is that the statute of limitation for prosecution has passed. I was directed to the legislation, but not being legal minded I am tempted to think otherwise. I simply can’t imagine a man stealing and hiding the loot for a specified period that surfaces to spend it. The legislation talks about two years. I am tempted to believe that the countdown begins from the discovery and the discovery was made after the new government came into office. Take the case of the fuel irregularity discovered at the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority. The signatures of the authorizing bodies would be on the vouchers. They are the ones answerable. My worry is whether the files have been passed to the police.

I saw the reports on the Guyana Water Inc. There was Shaik Baksh taking decisions and incurring expenses that would not stand up to scrutiny. Again that file should be with the police. But whatever the case, the public expect action. So far none is forthcoming. I suspect that these are early days and that the expectation of the public would be satisfied. Yet it is the audit on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited that yields the most irregularities. There are many big names surfacing. The public would go bonkers if these are prosecuted. The courtroom would not have enough space to hold spectators. The audits apart, I must say that the glow from the jubilee celebrations is still with the people of this dear land. They came in by the thousands from their adopted home. Some had not been home for thirty years but they were caught up in the spirit so they came. The figures suggest that at least fifteen thousand came. I know that there were more, because not all expatriate Guyanese live in North America and Europe. They live in Suriname and in the Caribbean islands. There were those who claimed that the expenditure to host the event was astronomical. Compared to what tiny Barbados is putting out later this year, our expenditure was chicken feed. However, the returns were over the moon. The hotels all made money and from what I have been hearing they have a clientele that they would be seeing more often than not. The taxi services enjoyed doing business with the foreigners. They hiked their rates and there were no complaints. The souvenir stores did brisk business and many Guyanese enjoyed a lot of pocket money. I saw the exuberance; I saw the nationalism; I saw the spirit that earned Guyanese the title of being the most hospitable people in this part of the world. But there were some complaints. There were a few people who were upset with the physical arrangements. There were positive comments, though. One read; “I missed the Flag Raising and the parade but I attended the gala. I had pone and Chinese cake. I noticed that they served a variety of food. The President signed my pro-

gram and I’m taking it back to show my kids. I am impressed with the changes in Guyana.” - Selwyne Felix, Guyanese citizen People complained about the cutlery and the ware. I suppose tradition would demand china and silver. However, to my mind, it would have been extremely costly to buy china for 1,500 people. But then again, there was talk about renting. This is Guyana and I simply don’t know of any place that could have furnished 4,000 pieces of china for such an event. Investigations now tell me that most countries go for fancy but disposable ware. The focus is on cost and on the environment. I saw some of the plates used for the occasion and while they were not china I noticed that they looked fancy. The people who came, though, wanted to be there and could not care much about the niceties of the old days. I may have made some enemies but such is life. I now reproduce some of the comments that were made about the jubilee. “I attended both the National Flag Raising and the Golden Jubilee Float Parade event. I am very pleased with

both events. They were both a positive experience for me as both events displayed excellent coordination” Lynette Soderburg, returning Guyanese from the United Kingdom “I would deem the National Float Parade and the Flag Raising Ceremony both ‘fulfilling events.’ I am very happy to say I attended both events. I look forward to seeing events which display a sense of National Pride in the future, something children will remember in the next 5070 years. I must say that I observe that the East Indian turnout was not much; the crowd consisted of mainly Afro-Guyanese, although the National Flag Raising Ceremony and the Golden Jubilee Parade were both National events” - Aubrey Ramington, returning Guyanese from the United States of America. “The Flag Raising ceremony was satisfactory. The programme was respectable. There was however technical problems, some stands at D’Urban Park were not receiving clear sound, those seated in particular stands were only able to hear what was said through echoing feedback from the sound sys-

tems provided. Also persons were not able to see over the person in front of them due to how the stands were built. Also, the quality image on the screens provided was not satisfactory. We need to improve on technical issues for other major events of this nature. The programme for the Float Parade was great. I commend the coordinators for organizing a ‘Great display of Guyana’, and I admire the fact that the costumes for this year’s display were decent” - Mary Adams, Guyanese citizen “The Golden Jubilee Float Parade was well done, unique. I admired the youths especially, and participants were very enthusiastic to perform. The seating arrangement at D’Urban Park was satisfactory, no cause to remove. The National Flag Raising ceremony was well arranged. ‘Hats off’ to the Minister of Education, Hon. Rupert Roopnarine and the

Adam Harris Minister within the ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Hon. Nicolette Henry. She did a commendable job in organizing the event” - Dolly Purlette, Guyanese citizen. “Wonderful preparation for both events. They were both commendable. Both events were a ‘call for Guyanese from near and far.’ I am disappointed that the President didn’t say much at these events, although other returning Guyanese and I were eager to hear the president’s remarks at such historical occasions” Corlis Harewood, Returning Guyanese residing in Barbados

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Decentralisation and regional empowerment (Part 2) By Hon. Ronald Bulkan, Minister of Communities (Address to the residents of the Potaro-Siparuni Region on Wednesday May 25, 2016) Every day, the administration is mindful that your schools need better equipment and more staff. Our children are our future. The President knows this. To quote His Excellency, “Education is the

gateway to greater opportunities. It is the means to a more equal society. It is a pathway towards improved well-being. It offers an escape from poverty.” My friends, can we dispute that education is the key to a better life? No! That is why the administration is committed to improving the schools across this region and throughout our country.

In the last general and regional elections held on May 11, 2015, Guyanese decisively sent the message that they want a break from the past. Guyanese chose the politics of inclusion over the politics of division. Guyanese chose to elect into office a new administration. An administration which promised transparency, accountability, democracy and regional autonomy. Autonomy means that our regions must be managed from within the regions. This is what we promised when we were in opposition, and this is the strategic direction in which we are heading. The APNU+AFC adminis-

tration is committed to the decentralization of decision making from central government to regional administrators. Guyana is a large and diverse country, our various regions have a variety of human and natural resources. Our various regions each have diverse geographic features. Given these facts, how can one expect that our country could be governed from an office in Georgetown? It is only logical, therefore, that each region be given the power and authority to chart their own courses and plan their own destinies. This is not a new idea; this policy is enshrined in our

Hon. Ronald Bulkan, Minister of Communities laws and in our Constitution. In keeping with that constitutional mandate and considering that the administration is committed to the rule of law, your government will pursue the strategic vision of decentralisation and regional empowerment. His Excellency President Granger has charged each region with developing and fashioning a plan for their own development. This plan will take into account the current economic conditions of the regions, the regions’ available natural resources, the regions’ available human resources, and the needs of the regions’ residents. This plan is called the Plan of Action for Regional Development or PARD. As the word PARD suggests, central government will partner with regional administrators to develop each region to its full potential, but make no mistake, regional government not central government will take the lead in this endeavour, within the strategic direction being taken by central government. This is the correct approach to governance in Guyana. It is the only way to develop our country. In the words of the President, “Strong regions will lead to a strong country.” There are other advantages to the regions themselves charting their own courses. Empowering each region will result in citizens taking ownership of their own futures. Empowering regional administrators will result in each citizen taking pride in the region in which they live. Guyanese will again be proud to be Guyanese as we work together to make our country great no matter which region we live in. This is the reason why the administration has announced that each region must have its own flag, of those flags we will all be

proud. On a related note, we are all aware that Guyanese usually refer to their regions by a number instead of by their names. Residents of Potaro-Siparuni, it is clear that the reason for this is that the names of the regions are too long and often difficult to remember. However, how can anyone form an emotional bond with a number? We need to call our regions by their names. The administration therefore, has taken a decision to send teams into the regions to consult with residents and administrators regarding the flags as well as the simplification of the name of each region. Ladies and gentlemen, the soon to be new names and flags will result in persons taking greater ownership and pride in their own regions. Making Mahdia a township is part and parcel of the strategic direction of this administration that each region must have a capital town which will provide all essential governmental services such as driver’s licences, passports, NIS, pensions, GRA services, disability payments, land titling, business registration, marriage certificates, and so on. President Granger has said that, “Guyana’s new economic geography will emphasise the centrality of capital towns.” His Excellency has said that, “the benefits of capital towns in rural hinterland regions will become evident through the generation of rural, non-farm employment. Poorer folk who always seem to predominate in the rural and hinterland regions may find employment easier in nearby capital towns.” In the President’s message to the National Assembly, last Tuesday, he emphasized, “We will create stronger regions administered by capital towns in order to develop hinterland and rural communities more rapidly.” He said also, “Three new capital towns - at Bartica, Mabaruma and Lethem - have already been created. A fourth will follow at Mahdia. Every region, in the end will be administered and directed by a capital town.” I close by wishing you once again a happy 50th anniversary. Let us work together to develop our country from strength to strength. Let us work together to create a better life for ourselves and our children. Let us put aside our petty disagreements and embrace our neighbours. We have a future to build. Let us get on with the work at hand. Happy Independence.

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Giving your child over-the-counter medicines By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine WHATARE OVER-THECOUNTER MEDICINES? Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are medicines that you can buy in a pharmacy or store without a doctor’s prescription. They come in different forms, including pills, creams, and eye drops. They are often safer to use, but misuse can lead to negative consequences. Sometimes it’s better to let illnesses go through their course than to excessively use OTC medications to suppress them. OTC medicines are commonly used to treat: . Fever . Cough and cold . Allergies . Skin rashes, diaper rashes, or hives . Diarrhea or constipation Some OTC medicines can cure conditions (such as rashes), but many only treat symptoms for a short time. HOW DO I KNOW THE CORRECT DOSE OF MEDICINE FOR MY CHILD? To figure out the correct dose, you need to look at the medicine’s “Drug Facts” label. The section called “Directions” tells you how much medicine to use and how often to use it. The dose might depend on your child’s weight. If you do not know your child’s weight, use the dosage for his or her age. To give your child the correct dose, make sure to: . Use the dosing device that comes with the medicine. If the medicine doesn’t have a dosing device, ask the pharmacist or doctor for one. . Read the directions every time, even if you have given the medicine to your child before. Medicines can come

in different strengths. Also, companies sometimes change medicines and doses. . Follow the directions carefully. Do not give your child more medicine than directed. Giving your child extra medicine will not make him or her feel better, and it can cause serious problems. CAN OTC MEDICINES CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS? Yes. OTC medicines can cause side effects. The side effects depend on the medicine. Children are more likely to get side effects from OTC medicines than adults. CAN I GIVE MY CHILD 2 OR MORE OTC MEDICINESATTHE SAME TIME? It depends on the medicines and their “active ingredient.” The active ingredient is the part of the medicine that treats symptoms. Every medicine has at least one active ingredient. To know what the active ingredient is, look at the “Drug Facts” label. It’s important to read the ‘Drug Facts” carefully, because medicines that treat different conditions can have the same active ingredient. For example, fever medicines and cough and cold medicines can have the same active ingredient. Do not give your child two medicines with the same active ingredient. Giving your child two medicines with the same active ingredient can cause an overdose. This can cause serious - and even lifethreatening - problems. WHEN SHOULD I VISIT A DOCTOR? Visit your doctor or the emergency room if: % Your child has side effects or problems from an OTC medicine. % Your child’s symptoms don’t get better or get worse after using an OTC medicine. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO?

You should: . Talk to your child’s doctor about OTC medicines at routine check-ups, before your child gets sick. Ask him or her which medicines you should use, when to use them, and how to use them. That way, if your child gets sick, you will know what to do. . Ask questions if you are unsure which medicine to use or how to use it. You can ask the pharmacist or your child’s doctor. . Choose a medicine made to treat only the symptoms or condition your child has.

. Close the medicine tightly and store it out of your child’s reach. . Teach your child that medicine shouldn’t be eaten like candy, and that it can be dangerous to take too much. Here are some other safety tips: . Do not give your child medicine made for adults without first asking the doctor or nurse. . Do not give cough and cold medicines to children younger than six years old. Cough and cold medicines can cause serious problems in young children.

Plus, they are not likely to help with symptoms. . Do not give aspirin to children younger than 18 years old. It can cause a lifethreatening condition called Reye syndrome in young people OTC medications are often present to help suppress symptoms of an illness. It’s your immune system (your body’s defence) that cures the illness and not the OTC medications. You should therefore use OTC medications wisely, especially in children, who often have more side effects.

Dr. Zulfikar Bux

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Sunday June 12, 2016

SUNDAY SPECIAL

News”.

GRENADE THROWNAT KN PUBLISHER’S VEHICLE

GRENADE THROWNAT KN PUBLISHER’S VEHICLE REPRESENTS GRAVE ACT OF TERROR …IT WAS DESIGNED TO INTIMIDATE, HARM AND CREATE FEAR – GOVT

Police were last Saturday night summoned to the Kaieteur News Saffon Street Charlestown offices after unidentified individuals hurled a grenade next to a vehicle belonging to owner and publisher Glenn Lall. The incident occurred shortly after 22.00 hrs, and Mr. Lall’s vehicle, a Lexus, was parked on the western side of Saffon Street. Mr. Lall and other staffers were outside the Kaieteur News building participating in a wake for Assistant Editor Dale Andrews, when a security staffer heard an unusual sound near Mr. Lall’s vehicle. Thinking at first that someone had shattered one of the windows, the staffer checked the vehicle, but observed no damage. However, on checking the front of the Lexus, the staffer spotted the grenade lying near one of the front tyres. The police were immediately notified. DALEANDREWS, KAIETEUR NEWS’ ‘CRIME CHIEF’ DIES “To say he will be missed is an understatement” said Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, as he searched his soul for words to describe a man who loyally served his company for 15-odd years—Dale Anthony Andrews. Dale, 47, passed away last Saturday morning following a brief illness that was due to prolonged heart-related complications. Dale was no stranger to ranks and officers of the Guyana Police Force. He was no stranger to Ministers, past and present, of Public Security—formerly Home Affairs. He was definitely no stranger to the media fraternity. Kaieteur News was not prepared for the day when he would have become just a memory. A passionate human being, a real professional, a lover of music and other fine arts, a dutiful father and a man who acknowledged

DALE ANDREWS

his creator, is what Dale was. He and Michael Jordan were the leading crime reporters during the famous crime wave. Dale risked his life for what he loved—journalism. The wee hours of the morning and the comfort of his bed were no deterrents for this journalist whenever duty called. Dale was a true role model for young ones who started off their career in journalism at Kaieteur News. In addition to reporting he served as an Assistant-Editor. A visibly shaken Glenn Lall told the rest

GRENADE THROWN AT KN PUBLISHER’S VEHICLE of the staff of plans he had for Dale. Dale had a strong background in radio broadcasting and Lall wanted to use that to his advantage whenever Kaieteur Radio becomes a reality. Lall said that he had already told Dale that he would have been placed in charge of Kaieteur’s radio department, but those plans can be no more. Lall described Dale as a professional who loved what he was doing. “There are a few like him in Guyana.” SHAIK BAKSH COLLECTED GWI CASH AFTER SUBMITTING FAKE INVOICES

invoices submitted. As a matter of fact, some of the documents presented by Baksh and his team found similar handwriting on bills issued by different persons. In some cases, bills issued in one location for services rendered, were also issued by the same person in another location, suggesting they were false. The matter of the irregularities was raised during an emergency meeting held on May 28, 2015 by the Chairman, Ramesh Dookhoo, and Board of Directors to discuss the conduct of the Chief Executive Officer. MONDAY EDITION

Former chief of the state-owned Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), Shaik Baksh, who was sent home shortly after the new administration took office, last year, has been recommended to face disciplinary actions. An audit report into the operation of the entity, which is charged with overseeing water connections to homes across the country, also recommended actions against other officers where applicable in accordance to GWI policy and procedures. The audit report, paid for by the Inter-American Development Bank, said in several instances, Baksh, a former Housing Minister under the Government of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government, breached established company policies and procedures and abused his authority while executing his functions. Among other things, Baksh who also served as Minister of Education, was accused of misappropriation of cash advances for sites visits. For the period January 2014 to May 2015, the Chief Executive and his assistants collected $3.9M to facilitate official field trips. The official had reportedly used GWI’s assets to campaign for the PPP/C during the last General Elections. However, auditors HLB R. Seebarran & Co could not easily verify the authenticity of the

GRENADEATTACKAT KN…”A MIRACLE THAT DEVICE DIDN’T EXPLODE” – EXPERTS Explosive experts are saying that it was nothing short of “a miracle” that the fragmentation grenade that was thrown last Saturday night in close proximity to Kaieteur News failed to explode. This was relayed to Kaieteur News last Sunday by senior police officials who are trying to track down the perpetrators, who hurled the device from a grey-coloured vehicle without number plates. ”The experts are puzzled…they say it’s a miracle that the grenade didn’t detonate,” one official said. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said that the device was a ‘live’ fragmentation grenade and that the pin had already been detached. Fragmentation grenades shatter on impact, with the fragments shooting out with great force in different directions. Blanhum said that investigators are still trying to trace the vehicle from which the grenade was thrown. He said police have examined footage from CCTV cameras at Kaieteur News. Video footage shows a grey-coloured vehicle, which is heading north, slowing as it approaches Mr. Lall’s vehicle. The occupants then accelerated after the device was thrown. Speaking to reporters shortly after midnight; Commander of ‘A’ Division, Clifton Hicken said that sometime around 22:30 hrs, the Ruimveldt police station received a call stating that a “bomb was thrown at Kaieteur

The coalition administration has categorically condemned the wicked and dastardly attempt by certain “intellectual authors” to cause grave harm and terror by throwing a grenade at the vehicle of Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall on Saturday night. This incident occurred when Lall and other staff members were at a wake which was being held for the late Kaieteur News editor/journalist, Dale Andrews. The Government in a strongly worded statement said that it is alarmed by the act of domestic terrorism which was attempted against the newspaper and it stands resolutely in defence of press freedom in Guyana. The Government noted its relief that no one was hurt or damage caused to any property. The Government noted nonetheless that such a cowardly attack must strengthen the resolve of the citizenry that evil, in all its forms and incarnations, must not be allowed to prevail and must be relentlessly and uncompromisingly conquered. The coalition administration said, “We do not believe that the dropping of a grenade, even if a fake device, alongside a newspaper publisher’s vehicle could be considered a joke or a hoax. It was grave and an undisputed act of terror designed to intimidate, harm and create fear.” The APNU+AFC administration said that it commits its full support to the Guyana Police Force as it investigates “this sickening attempted act” of terrorism. It also looked forward to the perpetrators and possible intellectual authors being identified, pursued, arrested and placed before the court and being dealt with to the full extent of the law. ”Kaieteur News is one of Guyana’s leading independent media organizations that has a proud and zealously guarded reputation for fearlessness in reporting government excesses, corruption and abuse of power, particularly under the previous administration.” FORENSIC AUDITS…DELAY IN LAYING CHARGES WILL SEND MIXED SIGNALS – TIGI PRESIDENT Since being announced last year, forensic audits have been carried out into 50 state agencies and projects. Out of those 50, some 30 have been released to the public with the first one, the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) report, released in February. But Transparency International Guyana Institute (TIGI) President Troy Thomas feels that the delay in instituting charges may cause others who might be engaged in corruption to doubt the seriousness of the authorities in taking action. In a recent interview, he acknowledged that while it could not yet be definitively said that any of the principals named in the forensic audits were guilty, the evidence contained in some should form the basis for suggesting criminal charges. ”For me, it was disappointing to hear that there may not be prosecutions based on the evidence,” Thomas said. “I’m not a legal authority, but it seems clear in some instances that there was wrong doing. And I would reiterate that corruption is meant to be hidden. “Therefore the evidence you see will be but a (Continued on page 33)

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(From page 32) small (portion) of what really transpired. I think they really need to evaluate it closely… Insofar as there are no consequences, people don’t feel deterred in any way.” He made it clear that the administration needs to demonstrate it was serious in going after corruption. Thomas said that this was not a partisan position, because if it is a matter of state resources (as it was in most of the audit reports) then it should concern every citizen. ”Everybody should want something to be done about misuse of the public funds. We can’t continue to have a case where people feel they can do whatever they want with state resources. We are not going to progress that way.” Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan had recently stated that efforts to bring those responsible for financial transgressions to justice were being delayed by fearful witnesses. He had lamented the absence of a witness protection programme. TUESDAY EDITION MODERN GUYANA HAS NO ROOM FOR ATTACKS SUCH AS THAT ON KAIETEUR NEWS – UNITED KINGDOM United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner, James Quinn, has joined the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Press Association (GPA) to condemn the recent act of terror perpetuated against Kaieteur News. It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” Quinn’s statement against the attack on Kaieteur News is a stark reminder of Franklin’s mantra. The High Commissioner urged that all stand united against any form of attack against press freedom. On Saturday evening, as staffers and friends of Kaieteur News congregated for the wake of fallen senior crime reporter and assistant editor, Dale Andrews, someone threw a grenade that landed near the vehicle of Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall. It was a live fragmentation grenade. Experts are saying that it can only be “a miracle that the device did not explode.”

The Government and the GPA have since condemned the act. Quinn is the first envoy to publicly condemn the attack on Kaieteur News. He said, “Freedom of the press is sacrosanct. There is no room in a modern Guyana for attacks such as that on KN over the weekend.” Quinn said that it is of utmost importance that “all condemn this and all other attacks on those whose jobs it is to act as the spotlight of society.” Kaieteur News has been targeted before. It has been firebombed, five pressmen were gunned down and a serving Minister of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) had threatened the lives of staffers. GRENADE ATTACK AT KN…COPS CHECK ABANDONED CAR FOR POSSIBLE LINK Police are examining a grey Toyota Spacio that may be linked to last Saturday night’s grenade threat on Kaieteur News. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said that the vehicle was found abandoned in the vicinity of Norton Street and Mandela Avenue, shortly

after a grenade was thrown at the vehicle of Kaieteur News publisher, Glenn Lall. Kaieteur News understands that police have received reports that the vehicle was abandoned shortly after the driver struck down an elderly woman. On Sunday, an individual reportedly told the police that the carjackers had stolen the car from the owner. Police are reportedly trying to locate the owner. The vehicle fits the description of the grey Toyota Spacio from which an individual tossed a fragmentation grenade at Mr. Lall’s vehicle. A source said that the explosives experts detonated the grenade in the vicinity of the Georgetown seawalls Monday. ”They had to detonate it because it was unstable, since the pin was out,” a source said. According to the source, the grenade differs from those that are used by the Guyana Defence Force. Kaieteur News was told that the grenades in stock at the army have detonators that can be removed. The grenade that was thrown outside Kaieteur News reportedly had a built-in deto-

nator, which necessitated the experts having to explode the device. Experts have said that it was nothing short of “a miracle” that the device didn’t explode when it was thrown. When fragmentation grenades explode, the fragments are hurled with great force in different directions. The source also said that the explosion would not have only caused extensive damage to Mr. Lall’s vehicle, but could have also triggered explosions to any other passing vehicles. GPA CALLS ON POLICE TO DIG DEEP TO SOLVE KN GRENADE CASE The Guyana Press Association (GPA) has condemned the most recent and brazen attack on press freedom saying that it was well “calculated.” On Saturday evening staffers and friends of Kaieteur News congregated outside the building for the wake of the late Dale Andrews. On that solemn occasion, persons were alerted by a loud sound. It was later realized that that was the sound of a grenade that was thrown near a vehicle owned by Kaieteur News publisher, Glenn Lall. On Monday the GPA said that stakeholders in the international community, opposition, government and civil society must speak out against what seems like a calculated act to intimidate the work of Kaieteur News. The Association called on the Guyana Police Force to execute “an in-depth investigation into the presence of a live grenade near a vehicle owned by the publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall… Regardless of the motive, the act alone has a chilling effect on press freedom.” Further, the Association called on the intellectual authors and perpetrators to “desist from such a dastardly act.” GPA affirmed that the media in Guyana must be allowed to carry out its crucial work of being society’s watchdog, ensuring transparency and efficacy in state and the private sector, without frightening distractions like these. The GPA noted the government’s “prompt statement” condemning the attack and of its full support to the Guyana Police Force in the investigations. The government has said that the grenade thrown at Lall’s vehicle represents (Continued on page 34)

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(From page 33) a grave act of terror. The government noted that the act was designed to intimidate harm and create fear. GPA, like government, pledged solidarity with the staff of Kaieteur News and the wider media community during this period.

FORENSIC AUDIT FINDS…$111M SPENT ON PUMPS FRAUDULENTLY RECORDED AS ‘FERTILIZER EXPENSES’ -INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRANSFER CAME FROM CABINET THROUGH DR. LUNCHEON

WEDNESDAY EDITION TERROR ATTACK ON KAIETEUR NEWS MUST NOT GO UNPUNISHED – GPSU URGES The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) last night condemned the “despicable” terror attack against Kaieteur News which occurred on Saturday while staff members attended a wake for one of their colleagues, Dale Andrews. The GPSU said that it upholds Freedom of the Press and any attempt to suppress investigative journalism and the dissemination of information will be vigorously condemned. With this in mind, the entity said that the tossing of a fragmentation grenade at the vehicle of Kaieteur News publisher, Glenn Lall and in the vicinity of others can only be seen as an act of terrorism and cannot be condoned in any society. ”This act, by cowardly person(s), to intimidate and cow the newspaper into silence should not be tolerated. Kaieteur News should continue to expose wrongdoing wherever and whenever they occur.” The GPSU is of the view that this type of behaviour should not go unpunished and called for the Guyana Police Force to “work strenuously in finding the architect(s) of this heinous act and bring the perpetrators to justice”. SIX DETAINED IN KN GRENADE ATTACK PROBE – 19-YEAR-OLD DRIVER AMONG SUSPECTS Police appear to be close to identifying the mastermind and motive behind Saturday night’s grenade attack on Kaieteur News, following the arrest of six people Tuesday. The suspects include the 19-year-old driver of the grey Toyota Spacio, PSS 5252, that police found abandoned near Norton Street and Mandela Avenue, shortly after the device was thrown. The driver is from Kitty and ‘A’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken said that those in custody are from Georgetown and Sophia. Commander Hicken said the driver had first claimed that he was the victim of a carjacking. On being further questioned, he said that he had lent the vehicle to someone. ”We questioned him and this led to two others.” Three other individuals were then de-

tained. Hicken declined to say whether investigators believe that the impounded car is the same vehicle that was used in the attack. But he assured that the Force is “working assiduously” to crack the case. ”Fifteen detectives are working as we speak…we want to ensure that we tie everything up,” the Commander said, adding that members of the public have also provided investigators with information. Kaieteur News observed that the left bumper of the impounded car has a dent, while the rear number plate was smeared with mud, as if to conceal the numbers. The front number plate is missing. The words “Dream Chasers” are engraved on the front windscreen. A source said that the vehicle belongs to a Kitty businesswoman. Kaieteur News understands that some time after the grenade attack, the 19-year-old driver had told ranks at the Alberttown Police Station that he was driving south along Albert Street, Alberttown, at around 22.30 hrs, when two men on a CG motorcycle rode up to him. He claimed that the pillion rider drew a handgun, forced him to stop, and then forced him out of the vehicle before driving away with it. CULTURE MINISTRY DEPOSITED $57M INTO SPECIAL BANK A/C The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport is found to have been breaching the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003. This was highlighted in the recently released forensic audit report on the Ministry. When the coalition (A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) assumed office, the Culture Ministry was made a department within the Ministry of Education. Forensic auditors noted that the Ministry, on many occasions, violated laws and other accounting procedures. Further, auditors found that the Ministry retained a lump sum that was supposed to be returned to the Consolidated Fund.

It was reported that a Bank of Guyana cheque for $56.7M was prepared by the Ministry in favour of Industrial Fabrication Inc and Consultancy Services. Kaieteur News understands that the cheque was prepared some time in 2013, but for some unstated reason, the Ministry never handed it over. The cheque was then deposited to the Project Special Bank Account on May 20, 2014. During this time, Frank Anthony was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport. Auditors pointed out that the amount being the unexpended balance of the public moneys issued out of the Consolidated Fund, should have been returned and surrendered to the Consolidated Fund at the end of the Fiscal year, December 31, 2013. This should have been done as prescribed Section 43 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act 2003. The Fiscal Management and Accountability Act requires that any unexpended balance of public moneys issued out of the Consolidated Fund at the end of each fiscal year be returned and surrendered to the Consolidated Fund at the end of each fiscal year. THURSDAY EDITION COPS HUNT ‘KEY PLAYER’IN KN GRENADEATTACK Detectives are convinced that very soon they will be able to find the mastermind behind the recent grenade attack on Kaieteur News. At this point, the cops are grilling 11 persons, who were fingered by each other. They are all giving conflicting statements. Most of those persons have identified one key player, who the police believe will answer all their questions once he is apprehended. Commander of ‘A’ Division, Clifton Hicken said that they went to the court for an extension of the 72 hours. ”We are digging as deep as we can to get to the bottom of this,” the Commander revealed. The first person who was taken into custody was a 19-year-old driver. He had reported that the car he was driving was hijacked.

The forensic audit into the Guyana Marketing Corporation has red flagged a fraudulent accounting transaction, where $111.2M was used by the corporation from its Fertilizer Programme to pay for vertical axial pumps and was then falsely recorded as “fertilizer expenses”. The auditor, Saykar A. Boodhoo, detailed in his forensic report that it was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, George Jervis, who requested in November 2014 that the GMC make this payment. The request was granted. This was not, however, what the fertilizer programme was conceptualized to do. The fund was supposed to help mitigate the shortage of urea fertilizer available to the farmers. The programme was thus formed in 2008 by the then government. The auditor detailed that when the time came to record the transaction in the 2014 draft audited financial statements; it was put down as fertilizer expenses. He made it clear that if the transaction had been above board, the cost of the pumps would have been depreciated and capitalized over its operating life. As if this was not enough, the auditor revealed that information was subsequently made available to him that showed that another agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), may have recorded the same transaction on its books as part of its fixed assets. ”So in brief,” the auditor observed. “Two Ministry of Agriculture agencies may have recorded the same transaction on their books.” In a twist, however, GMC management stated that the decision to expend the money on axial pumps was a Cabinet decision that was made on October 7, 2014. CARJACKERS ABANDON CAR AFTER VICTIM THROWS REMOTE STARTER IN TRENCH – VICTIM BEATEN AND LEFT FOR DEAD Carjackers were forced to abandon a car on Tuesday night after their victim—a taxi driver reportedly threw his remote starter (keys) in a trench at Plum Park, Sophia, when the men pounced on him. It is unclear how many persons attacked 44-year-old Gladwin Brandis, but reports are that the persons might have hired him to take them into Sophia. It is believed that the father of five picked up his attackers on the road, since the last job he got from the base–Green Ice was around 19:00 hrs on Tuesday. Brandis was severely beaten and left for dead in the back seat of his Toyota Allion, bearing registration number HC 6253. He was discovered in an unconscious state around 06:00 hrs Wednesday by persons in the area. The police and the base were notified and he was taken to the hospital. At the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Wednesday, his wife, Nicola Brandis, said that she last spoke with him around 17:00 hrs on Tuesday just before he left home to go out and work. ”I called him a few times and I didn’t get him but I didn’t think anything of it because he had to go to the cricket so I say he was probably at the stadium. But around (22:00hrs) (Continued on page 35)

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(From page 34) I called back and all his phones were off,” the woman said. After the man failed to return home Wednesday, his wife said that she called and informed family members who immediately started to look for him. ”While looking, we hear that someone called into the base and say that there was a car parked in Sophia and that a man was in the back seat so his brother went and saw it was him,” Mrs. Brandis said. Kaieteur News was told that Brandis was rushed to the GPHC by his brother and police. FRIDAY EDITION MINISTRY PAYS PENSION TO 27 ‘GHOSTS’ A rather bizarre situation was discovered by forensic auditors attached to Nizam Ali and Company when they launched an investigation into the Old Age Pension Fund. The Scheme was riddled with strange discrepancies. The auditors noted that in one instance, the formerly named Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security was paying pension to 27 ‘ghosts’. The auditors first noted this weird occurrence when they found that pension books were uplifted by 27 persons who were not even eligible pensioners. When the auditors attempted to confirm the existence of these persons by contacting them, attempts were unsuccessful. The auditors said that no evidence exists to support the existence of these persons. As such, the auditors were unable to say who the individuals that collected the pension were. The auditors made it clear that the application and approval process for this system involves a few clear cut steps. The forensic auditors said that the laws stipulate that applicants must attain the age of 65 years. It was also noted that a completed application form is supposed to be signed by the pensioner in the presence of Chief Welfare Officer with a copy of his identification card/ passport attached. The auditors said that applicants are then interviewed by the social worker and the application is then forwarded for approval by the Chief Probation Officer which is done within six weeks. For applicants beyond the age of 67, the auditors said that the respective Ministry assesses whether the applicant has fulfilled the requirement of being domiciled in Guyana two years preceding the application. They said that this is done through an examination of the applicant’s travel docu-

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ments to determine any period of absence; local knowledge of residence and information from Immigration Office. TWO MORE HELD FOR GRENADE ATTACK ON KAIETEUR NEWS “WHEREVER IT LEADS, PEOPLE WILL GO TO JAIL” – COMMANDER HICKEN Police have detained two more suspects in connection with last Saturday night’s bungled grenade attack on Kaieteur News. One of them is believed to have handed over money to the individuals who threw the grenade at a parked vehicle belonging to Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall. The men were arrested in Georgetown late Thursday afternoon and remained in custody at press time. This brings to 13, the number of people in custody. They include the 19-year-old driver of a Toyota Spacio that is said to be similar to the vehicle from which the device was thrown. The investigation is being spearheaded by ‘A’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken and ranks from the Major Crimes Unit. Investigators have been tight-lipped on the possible identity of the planner(s) and the motive for the attack, but Commander Hicken on Thursday promised that individuals will be charged “wherever the chips fall.” ”Wherever it leads, people are going to go to jail,” the Commander said. Kaieteur News understands that some of the detained individuals are giving conflicting statements. The detained 19-year-old driver is said to be among those allegedly giving ‘conflicting statements.‘ He had first claimed that he was carjacked at around 22.30 hrs on Saturday by two men on a CG motorcycle, while driving along Albert Street, Alberttown. That car was later found abandoned on Norton Street and Mandela Avenue. THOSE DAMNING FORENSIC AUDIT REPORTS… ANY INACTION GOVT. WOULD ONLYAMOUNT TO POLITICAL SUICIDE –WPAEXECUTIVE MEMBER Over twenty forensic audit reports have been released by the Government and there has not been a single charge leveled against those who have been implicated in the said reports. While some critics opine that the Government is dragging its feet in this regard, Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Dr. David Hinds believes that the citizenry should exercise a little patience with the “Better Life For All” Administration.

In an interview with Kaieteur News, Dr. Hinds opined, “I cannot believe the government would do nothing about the audits.” He said that Government’s inaction would be a politically suicidal move. “I think they are err-

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The University professor said that in politics, the first question is always—”How is this going to affect our chances at the poll?” To this question, Dr. Hinds said that realistically, the government has to weigh this very carefully. He noted, “Unfortunately, political morality is always very low on the pecking order for governments and political parties. But if little or nothing is done, that will amount to a political victory for the PPP.” He added, “They could argue that they are vindicated because the government could not pin anything on them. Note, the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo keeps repeating the mantra—if you find corruption charge the people. And former President Donald Ramotar on the other hand keeps saying that the government is going after PPP people.” Hinds said that whether these two positions are coordinated or not, they amount to a kind of circling of the issue by the PPP, which then pushes the government into a corner. POORLY CONSTRUCTED WELLS WILL COST COUNTRY ALMOST $200M – GWI BOSS

SHAIK BAKSH ing on the side of caution,” he added. Dr. Hinds said that this is understandable given the PPP’s drumbeat about witch-hunting and the fact that the Coalition would need votes from the PPP’s traditional constituency if it’s going to prevail at the next elections. But over-caution, the activist said, could eventually lead to inaction and this could cost the Coalition support in its core base. He said that in such an instance, the Government finds itself between a rock and a hard place.

Some 15 wells across the coastland region of Guyana have run into issues. These wells were all commissioned and drilled within the last five years under the previous Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) administration headed by Shaik Baksh. Baksh’s successor at GWI, Dr. Richard Van West-Charles during an interview with this publication stated that the technical team of GWI recently found that the casings of the 15 wells throughout the coastland were “corroding”. “Apparently the decision was made some time ago in the previous administration to use (Continued on page 36)

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(From page 35) carbon steel casings. It seems as if it is inferior and probably not enough due diligence was done on the engineering side. There probably were other imperatives that we’re not clear about, but what we do know is that these casings are corroding, so we have to re-sleeve all of those wells before we have a major disaster on our hands. That is our priority.” Among those 15 wells, he noted that Tuschen, Vergenoegen and Hope wells were included. The well at Hope is one of the three wells that popular businessman Brian Tiwarie was contracted to drill. Dr. Van West-Charles was pellucid in stating that the deterioration of the well casing was no fault of Tiwarie’s, as he was instructed by the former GWI administration to use the carbon steel casing. He stated that the Hope well is functioning and repairs will be made shortly. The Chief Executive indicated that the cost for repairs to the 15 wells is close to US$1 million – a little over 190 million Guyana dollars. He emphasized that the main causes for the faulty wells were wrong engineering decisions, poor direction from the administration and the use of inferior materials. OVER 100 POLICE RANKS GET HOUSE LOTS DURING BERBICE OUTREACH The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), on Thursday announced that it conducted another successful “Meet the Public Day,” in Region Six at the Albion Sports Complex. Over 100 ranks of the Guyana Police Force were allocated house lots in Kildonan/ Chesney and Number 76 and 77 Villages, at prices ranging from $92,000 to $300,000. According to a release from the Government Information Agency, Commander of ‘B’ Division, Ian Amsterdam, applauded the CH&PA and Minister with responsibility for this sector, Valerie Sharpe-Patterson, for working with the Guyana Police Association to organize the activity. ”I am indeed very happy that our Police Association has been able to broker this deal with the Ministry allowing our ranks this easy access to receive a house lot,” Amsterdam said. Amsterdam pointed out that the issue of house lot acquisition has been a burning one for the ranks of the force. He explained that

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this is because the application process was tedious. ”The process was so long and then our rank could not get the time to leave work and go spend a whole day in Georgetown, so I just thank the Minister for coming to us,” he said. The ‘B’ Division Commander said the allocation will also help improve security in new housing areas. ”If we have ranks living in all the new housing schemes, that is also going to be a security benefit to the area, because they would be able to provide some amount of security to the neighbourhood, that they are going to be living in,” he said. The day’s activities also saw several other citizens being allocated house lots. The activity is expected to continue today as CH&PA will be at the Region Five, Regional Office (Fort Wellington), for another outreach. This one will target serving ranks of the Guyana Police Force and residents of Burma.

20-year-old man who they believe is a key player in the failed grenade attack at Kaieteur News. They now have only two suspects in custody but the hunt intensified Friday night for the 20-year-old and another associate. The bulletin was issued for Shemar Wilson, called ‘Abdue,’ who is wanted for questioning in relation to ‘attempting to cause explosion’ which occurred on June 6, 2016, at Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Wilson is said to be from Lot 43 North Sophia, Georgetown and from Lot 51 West La Penitence, Georgetown. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Shemar Wilson is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 225-227, 225-8196, 227-1149, 226-7065, 911 or the nearest Police Station. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence. GRENADE ATTACK WAS MEANT TO SILENCE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION - CHILEAN ENVOY JUSTICE MUST RUN ITS COURSE - US AMBASSADOR

SATURDAY EDITION GRENADEATTACK ON KN… WANTED BULLETIN ISSUED FOR KEY SUSPECT Police have issued a wanted bulletin for a

In the wake of the botched attack against Kaieteur News, that saw individuals hurling a fragmentation grenade at Publisher Glenn Lall’s vehicle, the envoys of both Chile and the United States of America (USA) have come out in sharp condemna-

Sunday June 12, 2016

tion of the attack. Guyana’s first ever resident Chilean Ambassador, Claudio Rojas Rachel, said Friday, that the attack represented an attempt to limit the freedom of expression and information, things necessary for a democratic society. “It is important to emphasize that if we want to build a democratic society, freedom of the press is of essence,” the resident Ambassador stressed. “And for any media outlet to be a target of any (attack) is a limitation of freedom of expression and information.” The Ambassador stated that freedom of expression and information was something that the nation had much use for. He emphasised that no effort must be spared to prevent such an attack. US Ambassador Perry Holloway also unequivocally condemned the attack, emphasizing that the US never tolerated such actions. He expressed ample faith in the police, who are currently questioning a number of suspects and have issued a wanted bulletin for another. “We condemn the attack and I’m convinced the police are carrying out their investigation and they have the capacity to get to the bottom of what is happening,” Ambassador Holloway said. “So we look forward to the course of justice (being) carried out.”

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FAOG to host Men’s Conference The Men’s Ministries Department of The First Assembly of God (FAOG) Church Wortmanville will host their Fourth Annual Men’s Conference, June 15-17 beginning 6pm each day at the Church under the theme: “Reclaiming Your Inheritance”. The Conference is in line with Guyana’s celebration of its Golden Jubilee. A press release stated that the Conference started in 2013, and will continue this year with the aim of continuing to empower Men. “We are aware that men are burdened with several issues and desire a forum to discuss these issues and find solutions. It is our intention to have men focus on who they are, what they are created to do, what potential exists within them and the gifts God has promised to anyone who follows Him,” the release noted. During the three days of the Conference, Men can be assured of a safe, all-male environment where they will be exposed to teaching sessions, discussion forums and presentations in the performing and creative arts. “We believe that Men will

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Reverend Dr. Raphael Massiah fully understand that the life God has intended for them is not a life that is sub-standard, defeated, constrained and full of spiritual or psychological depression,” the release continued, adding that the Conference will teach that God has prepared an inheritance for each individual - an inheritance that will make them free, prosperous, established and secured in all matters of life. Reverend Dr. Murtland Raphael Massiah, a local and international speaker and the

Senior Pastor of First Assembly of God Wortmanville, will be the main speaker. Dr. Massiah serves as Chairman of the Board of the Guyana Post Office Corporation and as the Assistant Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Guyana. He is Founder of the Generation Next Community Development Association, an initiative that serves and empowers youths of the community through academic tutoring and practical training.

Palm Court, Ministry of Public Health among winners of Bright Up Guyana competition There were a total of 16 entries for the Bright Up Guyana Competition which was held for Guyana’s Independence celebrations. And the victors included Palm Court, Guyana’s number one entertainment hotspot and the Ministry of Public Health. Kaieteur Entertainment understands that the winners received their awards on Friday night. The accolades also covered winners in various categories. Palm Court won unani-

mously, in the commercial category for best decorated and illuminated building while NT Computec came in second place. In the noncommercial category, the Ministry of Health copped second place for best decorated and illuminated building while the Hydrometerological office came in first place.For best decorated building, the Ministry of Agriculture won this category while the Ministry of Education came in second position.

‘The Voice’ Singer Christina Grimmie Dies After Being Shot at Orlando Concert Singer Christina Grimmie, a performer on “The Voice” in 2014, has died after being shot at a concert venue in Orlando, Florida, Friday evening, her rep confirmed early Saturday morning. She was 22. The male suspect shot himself and is dead, Orlando Police Department public information officer, Wanda Miglio said during a press briefing early Saturday morning. In a statement, Grimmie’s rep said, “It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord. She was shot at her show in Orlando and, unfortunately, didn’t survive the gunshot wounds. We ask at this time that you respect the privacy of her family and friends in their time of mourning. If you’d like to give back to Christina’s family in her memory, please consider donating to the families GoFundMe page in their time of need.” Grimmie and the band Before You Exit were signing autographs and selling merchandise after their show ended at 10 p.m. at Orlando’s Plaza Live Theater, when a man carrying two guns walked up to her and shot her, Miglio said, adding it was unclear how the suspect entered the venue with the firearms. She said police responded to a call received at 10:24 p.m. that shots had been fired at Plaza Live Theater. Miglio said Grimmie’s brother, Mark, “immediately tackled the suspect, stopping him from causing any more harm to Christina and her fans. During the struggle, the suspect shot himself. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene....Her brother is a hero for saving and stopping

him from not hurting anyone else,” said Miglio. Grimmie posted the YouTube video below in 2011 of herself singing the song “Lonely Day,” while her brother is at her side playing the guitar. In another press briefing Saturday, police said the gunman was a 21-year-old white man carrying two handguns, loaded magazines and a hunting knife. His name will be released at a later time. The suspect traveled to the concert venue from another part of Florida “to commit this crime,” Orlando Police Department Chief John Mina told reporters. There’s no indication that he knew Grimmie and investigators are searching his belongings to determine a motive for the shooting, police said. Concert-goers who had posted footage of Grimmie’s performance, like the Instagram user below, expressed shock at hearing about the singer’s death after just having watched her on stage. Police initially said they were unsure where Grimmie was shot, or how many shots were fired. The motive remains unknown. Orlando police released

this statement following confirmation of Grimmie’s death by her rep: “With deep regret, Christina Grimme has succumbed to her injuries. We have no additional updates. The investigation is in its preliminary stages. We know there are many questions and we will do our best to answer them as the investigations unfolds.” “The Voice” reacted to news of the New Jersey native’s death by changing its Twitter avatar to solid black, and tweeting, “We are heartbroken. @TheRealGrimmie is a loved member of our family. Our thoughts are with her and her family. #PrayForChristina.” A subsequent tweet read, “There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice. Our hearts go out to the friends, fans and family of @TheRealGrimmie.” When reports of Grimmie’s death first surfaced, #PrayforChristina was the top trending hashtag on Twitter. After her death was confirmed, #RIPChristina became the top trending hashtag as Grimmie’s fans took to social media to express an outpouring of grief.

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Why weight matters when it comes to joint pain If you’re having the occasional twinge of joint pain when you go for a walk or climb stairs, or you’re worried about arthritis because a parent had it, one step toward prevention is to check your

weight. There are two ways that being overweight raises your risk for developing osteoarthritis (the most common joint disorder, which is due to wear and tear on a joint). First, excess weight puts

additional stress on weightbearing joints (the knee, for example). Second, inflammatory factors associated with weight gain might contribute to trouble in other joints (for ex-

ample, the hands). Let’s look at weight and your knees. When you walk across level ground, the force on your knees is the equivalent of 1½ times your body weight. That means a 200-

pound man will put 300 pounds of pressure on his knees with each step. Add an incline, and the pressure is even greater: the force on each knee is two to three times your body weight

when you go up and down stairs, and four to five times your body weight when you squat to tie a shoelace or pick up an item you dropped. Losing a few pounds can (Continued on page 49)

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Why weight matters when it comes to joint...

From page 48 go a long way toward reducing the pressure on your knees - and protecting them. For example, research has proven that a sustained 10to 15-pound weight loss in obese young people can translate to a much lower risk of osteoarthritis later in life. THE BEST TACTICS FOR LOSING WEIGHT Increasing physical activity has many health benefits and can help you shed weight. But stepping up your exercise alone is rarely enough to help you lose weight. Every pound you’d like to shed represents roughly 3,500 calories. So if you’re hoping to

lose half a pound to one pound a week, you need to knock off 250 to 500 calories a day. A good way to start is to try to burn 125 calories through exercise and eat 125 fewer calories each day. Don’t forget that the math works both ways: indulging in an extra 100 calories a day without burning them off can leave you 10 pounds heavier at the end of a year! Over time, routine treats like a scoop or two of ice cream, a calorie-packed coffee drink, or visits to the cookie or candy jar can tip the scales in the wrong direction. (http://www.health. harvard.edu/)

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Long-term marijuana use alters How Much Sleep Does Your Schoolbrain’s reward system Long-term marijuana use disrupts the brain’s normal reward processes, which may lead to dependence on the drug, according to a new study. Researchers found that individuals who were longterm marijuana users had increased activity in certain areas of the brain associated with reward when presented with marijuana-associated cues, compared with when they were presented with fruit-associated cues. Study co-author Dr. Francesca Filbey, of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, and colleagues publish their findings in the journal Human Brain Mapping. Though marijuana is the most commonly used illicit

drug in America, with around 22.2 million users in the past month, an increasing number of states are legalizing its use for recreational or medical purposes. However, despite this increase in marijuana legalization, Dr. Filbey and colleagues note that there is limited information on how the drug might lead to problematic use. While only a small number of studies have investigated how marijuana use impacts the neural circuits of the brain to trigger cravings for the drug, some of these studies have suggested that the mesocorticolimbic reward system is involved. This system incorporates several brain regions that release dopamine - a neurotransmitter that regulates the reward and pleasure centers - in response to certain cues. To further investigate how marijuana use might affect the mesocorticolimbic reward system, the team enrolled 59 daily, long-term marijuana users - who had used

the drug for an average of 12 years - alongside 70 non-users. Fast facts about marijuana . Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main active ingredient in marijuana . In 2011, there were almost 456,000 drug-related emergency department visits in the U.S. in which marijuana use was involved . Altered senses, change in mood, impaired body movement, and problems with thinking and memory are just some of the effects of marijuana use. Both groups were presented with visual cues. These included marijuana-associated images, such as a joint, bong, or pipe, and selfselected images of preferred fruits, such as a banana, an apple, or grapes. The researchers explain that fruit is a natural reward cue that is “inherently salient and represented in the brain’s reward system.” During the stimuli task, the researchers assessed the participants’ brain activity using functional magnetic reso-

nance imaging (fMRI). The team found that longterm marijuana users showed greater activity in the mesocorticolimbic reward pathways of the brain when they were presented with marijuana-associated cues than when they were shown images of preferred fruits. Specifically, in response to marijuana-associated cues, long-term users had greater brain activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, anterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus, and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The researchers also found that the greater the interference of natural reward pathways in response to marijuana cues, the more problems that were experienced as a result of marijuana use, such as family problems. “Continued marijuana use despite these problems is an indicator of marijuana dependence,” notes Dr. Filbey. No greater activity in these regions was identified among non-users in response to marijuana-associated cues, the team reports. (http://www.medicalnew stoday.com.)

Age Child Need? The back-to-school time brings many new things: new clothes, new school supplies and new class schedules. And when it comes to getting your kids back on a school sleep schedule, you may also need a new routine. Last year’s schedule may not work, because for kids and sleep, age matters. People’s sleep requirements change as they get older, said Dr. Maria Melendres, a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, in Baltimore. And it’s not only the amount of sleep needed that changes with age; it’s also the pattern of sleep stages that occur during the night, Melendres told Live Science. There are two general types of sleep: rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep and non-REM sleep, Melendres said. Depending on a person’s age, the amount of time the individual spends in these stages varies, she said. It’s believed that the different stages of sleep have different functions, though those exact functions are unknown, she added. Both types of sleep are necessary for optimal learning, but it’s thought that REM sleep is particularly vital for cognitive functions, such as consolidating memories, and for the growth and development of the central nervous system, Melendres said. NonREM sleep is thought to be more restorative; in other words, it’s the type of sleep that helps keep you awake during the day, she said. Many recommendations about sleep stay the same no matter your age; for example, it’s always important to try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. And screen time at night - from using phones, laptops, televisions or tablets - is always a no-no (the light from screens has been shown to suppress levels of the sleep hormone melatonin in the brain). But other recommendations do change with age. Here are the best sleep tips for your children, from preschool age to high school age. PRESCHOOLERS (3- TO 5-YEAR-OLDS) Preschoolers need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Children at this age may actually start going to bed a little earlier than they did as toddlers, because they are no longer napping,

Melendres said. But that doesn’t guarantee that bedtime will be easy. It’s also during this age that children may develop what experts call “behavioral insomnia,” Melendres said. Parents of small children may be familiar with this phenomenon, which occurs when children start testing the limits of bedtime, she said. Little kids may refuse to go to bed by coming up with excuses such as “I need another hug” or “I need a glass of water,” Melendres said. But the most important thing that a parent can do in this case is set limits, she said. Behavioral insomnia is perpetuated when parents give in to what the kids want, she said. SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN (6- TO 13-YEAR-OLDS) The National Sleep Foundation recommends that school-age children get from 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Most kids this age do get the recommended amount of sleep, Melendres said. It’s during this period that some kids may develop nighttime fears, such as a fear of the dark, Melendres said. Younger school-age children (and older preschoolers, too) have wild imaginations, she said. Other problems, such as nightmares and snoring, may also affect children’s sleep at this age, she said. [Top 11 Spooky Sleep Disorders] Kids in this age group spend a lot of their sleep time in slow-wave sleep, or deep sleep (a type of non-REM sleep), Melendres said. Because this type of sleep is so restorative, school-age children are usually very alert during the day, she said. That means that when you see third- or fourth-graders, for example, who fall asleep in school all the time, it’s a big red flag that they may not be getting enough sleep, she added. Moreover, doctors know that not getting enough sleep can affect every aspect of a child’s day, Melendres said. It’s not just performance in school, she said. Sleep deprivation affects attention, concentration, decision making and problem solving, Melendres added. It can also make kids moody and even hyperactive, she said. To ensure that school-age children get enough sleep, it’s important that they have a regular sleep schedule on both weekdays and week (Continued on page 51)

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How Much Sleep Does Your School-Age Child Need? From page 50 ends, Melendres said. Bedtimes shouldn’t vary between more than 1 or 2 hours from weekday to weekend, she said. TEENAGERS (14TO 17-YEAR-OLDS) Teenagers often fall short

of getting their recommended 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, Melendres said. Indeed, only about a third of all teenagers get enough sleep, she said. Kids in this age group have a lot of demands, such as after-school activities and

homework, which can keep them up at night, and then they have to wake up very early for school, Melendres said. But at this age, parents no longer have as much control over bedtime as they once did. Moreover, teenagers’ cir-

cadian rhythms may make it difficult for them to fall asleep early enough at night to get enough sleep. Kids’ biological clocks naturally shift around the time of puberty, Melendres said. Someone who was able to easily fall

asleep at 9 o’clock during his or her school-age years would have a natural tendency to fall asleep later, after reaching adolescence, Melendres said. [10 Facts Every Parent Should Know About Their Teen’s Brain] And because bedtime is

delayed, a teen’s natural wakeup time is delayed, too. But even if a teen goes to bed at 11 p.m., to get the recommended 8 to 10 hours of sleep, she or he would have to wake up between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., which usually isn’t feasible on a school day.

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Kaieteur News

Police Sergeant testifies in Gladson George murder PI

MURDERED: Gladson George

MURDERED: Travis Rudder

Orpheus Johnson

Police Sergeant Michael Ramdass testified in court earlier this week, when the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of Gladson George continued before City Magistrate Judy Latchman. Sergeant Ramdass is the prosecution’s main witness. He witnessed the shooting of George while he was travelling home along the Agricola Public Road. George, called ‘Brother’, 32, of Brutus Street, Agricola, was

pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), minutes after he received two bullets to the head while he was sitting in a minibus at Agricola Public Road on April 22, 2015. George had just joined the bus and from all indications, his killer was trailing him and waited for the opportunity to strike. Orpheus Johnson, 28, of Craig, East Bank Demerara, has been charged with George’s murder.

Sergeant Ramdass who is currently stationed at the Felix Austin Police College was led in his evidence by Police Prosecutor, Vishnu Hunt. A t t h e t i m e o f G e o rg e ’s demise, the police officer was stationed at the Brickdam Police Station and was attached to the Traffic Department. This PI continues on Tuesday. Johnson, a pork knocker and father of one, is also charged with

murdering Travis Rudder Snr. Gunmen firing semi-automatic pistols through a bedroom window pumped 12 bullets into Rudder Snr., and a few more rounds into his wife and baby son, as they slept in the bedroom of their Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara home on June 21, last. By the time the gunmen’s clips were empty, 26-year-old Rudder lay sprawled and lifeless on his bed; his 18-month old son, Travis Rudder (Jnr), badly wounded, with six gunshots to the stomach and back, and Rudder ’s reputed wife, Mawanza Gill, bleeding from gunshot wounds to both legs. This matter is still engaging the attention of the court. Johnson is said to be well known to law enforcement authorities. H i s criminal career dated way back to 2009 when

he faced multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder and robbery under-arms. However, Johnson was not convicted on the charges. He was tried in the High Court for the 2009 murder of Brendon Charles but was freed in October 2013 by Justice James BovellDrakes. Rudder was accused of the March, 2007 murder of his 17-yearold ex-girlfriend Donnis King, who was shot in the stomach at her Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara home. Rudder was arrested some six months after the killing, but was found not guilty in 2011.

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Deportee “Smiley “faces Judge for attempting to kill “Bully” A man who started the New Year in 2013 by allegedly slashing another’s throat is on trial in the Berbice High Court before Justice Brassington Reynolds and a mixed Jury on a charge of attempt murder. The man, Hansel Andre Lewis called “Smiley” “Hansel” and “Andre”, 38, of 479 John Lewis Street, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice, is charged with attempted murder committed on Chris Borrowes on New Year’s Day 2013 at Republic Road, New Amsterdam. He is also charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm or to maim, disfigure or disable Burrowes. Prosecutor, Attorney at law Stacey Goodings, told the court that on New Year’s Day 2013 at Republic Road New Amsterdam, Lewis wounded Chris Burrowes with intent to murder him. Burrowes, 41, called “Bully” of Alexander Street, New Amsterdam was slashed across his throat following an altercation between the two men. He was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital and taken to the ICU where doctors’ performed emergency surgery on him. Lewis, a deportee from the USA, went home. He was subsequently arrested for the crime and charged. Attorney-at-Law Ramesh Rajkumar is appearing for the accused. Prosecutor Goodings has so far called four witnesses. Policeman Ashook Latchimi Persaud, stated the part he played in the investigation.

Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Businessman Anthony Cadore, the owner of the Rainbow Bar, in his evidence stated that he had an Old Year’s Night activity at his bar. He said that the incident did not occur at his bar but a distance away. The place was full so he did not see the incident, but saw the two men some time during the activity. Burrowes, in his evidence in chief, told the court that he had known the accused for a number of years. On the day in question he was in the vicinity of the Rainbow Bar. He had drunk Banko Wine and was standing on the road. The accused came and stood next to him. “Hansel was smoking something and I told him to remove and go somewhere else. He told me I like to talk. After that I did not see him and went home. “I returned on the road. I had just finished urinating and was in the process of zipping up my pants when the accused appeared next to me. He pulled out a knife from his left side pocket and stabbed me in my left side neck. I looked at him good, there was nothing blocking me. I held on to my neck because it was bleeding.” Burrowes stated that he subsequently went to his parents’ home not far away from where he was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital. He was discharged on January 18. The preliminary inquiry was conducted by Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo which concluded that a prima facie case was made out against the accused. The matter is continuing.

BUXTONIAN DROWNS IN BERBICE RIVER A surveyor attached to SRK’Ngineering disappeared in the Berbice River and a contractor is blamed for negligence Police are now investigating the circumstances which led to the surveyor disappearing in the Berbice River around midmorning on Friday. Reports are that the surveyor, Ceon Hughes, 25, of Noble Street, Buxton, was with a group of about seven men working with Surveyor Gary West on East Bank Berbice. It was not sure why the men were surveying the Rotterdam, Lonsdale area. They were allegedly required to enter sections of the Berbice River. The men were not wearing safety gear. Hughes who reportedly was a freshman was not a good swimmer and was instructed to survey by the river. According to a resident, Navindra Hardeo, he would

usually be around the riverside doing various jobs and also assisting the sluice attendant. He was around the area when they saw these strange persons arrive and begin measuring and spying. He enquired of the people what they were doing. He begged the “boss man” for a small piece so he would assist him, but the man refused. He stated that he noticed Hughes who probably could not swim being instructed to walk backwards with the staff towards the river. The “boss man” subsequently asked for a boat and he collected one and went out into the river with Hughes. The boat was a small one and could not carry the two of them, since it began taking in water. They aborted the mission and returned to shore. Hardeo stated that

Hughes was left again to fend for himself and was forced to walk backwards into the river when he slipped and went under. He, Hardeo, was asked to help and immediately plunged overboard. The current was strong and he grabbed the struggling Hughes who he stated was still holding on to something, which he reasoned was the ‘staff’. He tried desperately to bring the man out of the swirling water, but after a time the man let go of his hands and disappeared. He is upset at the attitude of the “boss man” who was on his phone most of the time and for forcing the man to enter the water. Residents subsequently joined the search party using boats and seine, but up to press time the body was not recovered. Hughes reportedly has a young child and his wife is pregnant.

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Kaieteur News

For the Children Sake Foundation celebrates 14 years

Utamu Belle (right) of Guyana Times cops the Journalism Award. BY JACQUEY BOURNE Linden’s only NGO which is community-based For The Children Sake Foundation, celebrated 14 years of existence last Wednesday with a week of activities. It started with a Church service and ended with a concert and award presentation at the Linden Concert Hall and School (LICHAS) under the theme “Unity is Strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration wonderful things can be achieved.” According to Executive Director, Vernon Todd, the Foundation decided to award some notable people during their anniversary celebrations because of their outstanding contribution to the Community and Region as a whole. “We would just hold our anniversary but this year we decided to honour some

people in eight categories who we believe have made sterling contributions to the Region in their field.” Todd said that the Foundation was formed by Selwyn Glasgow and that the mantle was passed to him to lead. He said that it is the desire to give hope to children and families around the community by giving them the nourishment they need and by helping children with basic education. The Executive Director said that some children who visit the centres have experienced the nightmare of neglect and abuse. Others are loved but are forced to work due to extreme poverty. Still others come from homes with parents who are physically disabled or who make their living by prostitution. He noted for many young girls, the care and education they receive at the feeding centres are the only

The recipient (right) of the Leadership Award.

things that stand between them and a similar fate. “Children are the focus of our work and are important participants. We invite children to tell us about the problems they see in their communities and we help improve systems and structures to make their world a better and safer place to live. “Sponsor a child is at the foundation of our work. On a long term basis it provides relationships with children and sponsors, a funding base that we leverage to secure from Linden Fund USA, Food For The Poor, Corporate gifts, resources from local businesses, one time donations and more. “This variety of funding sources creates synergy and amazing transformation for the Children in the communities where we work.” Todd also noted that the children are the future of today and not tomorrow. COMMUNITY-BASED Todd said that over the years Volunteers begin working in a community by asking a lot of questions and finding out what problems the community sees especially the children. He noted that they address the root causes of poverty and injustice, designing integrated sustainable solutions and together they come up with a plan, decide on ways to evaluate and measure success and get to work. He said the community is also involved, empowered and trained and its members take ownership in the programmes and progress. “Every six to nine months we look at the original plan to assess and evaluate our success. If we are not meeting our goals we make adjustments and then keep working. When we work together we can draw on each other strengths making our work more sustainable. So we bring together local churches, businesses, community organizations and other non profitable organizations. “Our goal is that this network will keep looking out for the well being of children even after we transition out the community.” Todd outlined. Todd said that as an organization they serve all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or creed and their hope is to reflect the unconditional and transformative love of Jesus in culturally appropriate ways. “We love the way Jesus cared for the poor and oppressed and the way he showed us how to listen to children and look out for widows and orphans. Where possible we partner with churches and equip them to meet the needs of their communities.”

ACCOUNTABILITY According to Todd measuring the progress of their work is an essential part of their accountability to the communities they serve, their partners and their donors. “We do a baseline survey before we begin work. We design each programme to measure our progress toward specific child well being indicators. After three to five months we remeasure those indicators to compare with the baseline. All along the way we measure and share our results with community members so that they can be aware of the reported changes and validate them. The community also provides feedback through qualitative interviews and focus group discussions.” Among the Awardees were Dr. Gregory Harris for Outstanding Contribution in Community Building in and around Region Ten, Vladimir Glasgow for Youth Development, Commander E Division Calvin Brutus received the Award for Civic

Commander E Division Calvin Brutus receives the Award for Civic Responsibility. Responsibility and Utamu Belle of Guyana Times and Jacquey Bourne of Kaieteur News copped the Journalism Award.

The other categories awarded were Outstanding Service to the Region, Award of Excellence, Leadership Award and Volunteer Service.

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Kaieteur News

Former NDIA head responds to forensic audit “It was brought to my attention on June 10, 2016 that the Audit of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) was published on the Ministry of Finance’s website. I was looking forward to reading the said report since I knew that the response and supporting documentation that was provided by me and NDIA’s staff to the auditors, when I was given a preliminary draft of the said report, would have addressed all of the misconceptions and allegations being peddled. Sadly this was not the case. The published audit report was very similar to the draft provided to me for my response, but it failed to contain my response to issues raised and more so, it failed to reflect the documentation provided to the auditors. In or around February 2016, I was provided with an extract of the draft “forensic report/audit” on the NDIA for the period November 1, 2011 to May 31, 2015 by the

Ministry of Agriculture. I was requested to provide a response to the issues raised in the said report. Since I was afforded the opportunity to access all the relevant information from the NDIA, I compiled a detailed response with supporting document and submitted same to the now Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NDIA in the same month. I fully addressed all of the issues raised in the response that I provided. I am confident that such documentation and response can withstand any scrutiny by the public. It therefore baffles my mind why it is that my response and supporting documentation were not included in the completed and published Audit report. My response should and can be requested from the NDIA’s management. Nonetheless, I shall now provide a summary of repeated highlighted issues with some clarity on what my responses were to the report that I provided to the

Chairman for the Auditors. I should note, however, that publication does contain some verbal responses I provided to the auditors during my interview with them. I do not know to date whether the auditor has received my formal response to their draft audit which was given to the Chairman, NDIA. It is my opinion that there was adequate time to review/ investigate the facts provided in my formal response rather than publishing a report containing hearsay and selective reporting. The published report substantially remains the same as the draft report. Only those in authority and the auditor can really answer why my formal responses were not published. I shall now address some of the issues published in the said report/audit and reported in the press. NDIA’S FIXED ASSETS REGISTER: At the time of the audit being conducted, the register

was considered as not having all of the data but the list of equipment reported under section 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and in Appendix 1 to 8 of the published report were actually from the existing assets register. The NDIA sought to address this shortcoming by employing an accounting consultant in 2015. It was only around November, 2013 that the NDIA’s accounting was detached from the Ministry of Agriculture’s. NDIA commenced working on its fixed assets register long before the commencement of the forensic audit and this was made known to the auditors while I was on duty as the CEO. An updated assets register forms part of my response to the draft audit report. $1.8B SPENT ON REPAIRS FOR EQUIPMENT: I wish to reiterate that with regard to the $1.8B spent by the NDIA for the reported period, the said money was for over three and a half years. Further, the cost of $1.8B as compiled by the auditors include repairs for other assets such as computers and pump buildings rather than equipment only as is stated in the audit report while the actual cost is approximately $1.725B. All these facts are known or ought to be known by the auditors if a detailed examination is carried out on the annual expenditure by budgeted line item and the nature of works completed. Nevertheless, every expenditure incurred in this category of expense was executed with accompanying approved contract(s) primarily from the NPTAB along internal approval certificates, vouchers and there were separate engineers/staff members responsible for overseeing these works that includes, determining their satisfactory completeness and certification. There has always been proper segregation of duties in this regard. The expenditure on equipment are always guided

Lionel Wordsworth

by the advise/ recommendation of the Mechanical Engineers(s) and reports on their justification were prepare and available for review during the audit period. ACCOUNTABILITY DURINGMYACTIVE TENURE AS CEO OF THE NDIA: It was during my tenure that the establishment of a procurement department, inspectorate department with auditors, accounts department and mechanical department was established and staffed. Many of the expenditures had the input from other agencies such as GuySuCo and the RDC’s during their implementation and were audited over the years. As such I can assert that every expenditure can be accounted for with all supporting documentation and full justification for such expenditure. I am unaware that the auditors were denied any engineers’ reports, contract document/ justification during my tenure at the NDIA while conducting their audit. SOLE SOURCING: With regard to the public disclosure on sole sourcing being 75% of current budget works, it was not reported fairly and accurately where or why the sole sourcing was

done. In the main, sole sourcing went to Water Users Associations, NDC’s, Farmers’ Groups and in excess of 60 Community Development Councils primarily to maintain drainage and irrigation channels (weeding and cleaning). Such sole sourcing is provided for in the NPTAB procurement act of Guyana for community works and such venture simply supports the village economy for thousands of individuals and farmers in the many communities along the coast and Region Ten. The residents in many communities are the ones that are employed to execute the contracted maintenance works. All the sole sourced projects would have received the requisite contract approvals from the relevant agency (NPTAB/NDIA) and supporting documents to justify the expenditure are available. I must note that these sole sourcing procedures are still being executed by the NDIA, as financial resources in the budget are allocated for these very purposes annually. During my active tenure as CEO of the NDIA many persons worked hard and tirelessly in extremely difficult conditions, especially dealing with natural disasters such as floods. The published audit does not reflect my response and supporting documentation and further only sought to undermine and tarnish the professional character of many of the said employees of the NDIA, including myself. It is quite unfortunate that the public is not privy to my detailed response to the draft audit and the supporting documentation. It is my hope that the full response will be made known at some point.”

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Kaieteur News

Root Canal Therapy: Why is it necessary? By Dr. Neromini Fagu When your tooth becomes severely damaged or infected, there are two treatment options your dentist will offer – extraction or root canal therapy (RCT). It is not always possible to save a tooth with RCT especially if there is extensive decay or root fracture. For RCT to be done, there needs to be a certain amount of remaining tooth structure for the placement of a final restoration, otherwise the tooth would have to be extracted. This week we will begin a series of discussions onRCT. There are probably few other dental procedures that conjure up more fear and anxiety than the dreaded words from your dentist that a tooth will need RCT. Well, I am hoping that after our discussion you will more understand the procedure and be better prepared

when it becomes a necessary treatment option for you. The main thing that you should be aware of is that root canal therapy does not cause pain but instead relieves it and it is also a way of saving your tooth. The dental terminology for root canal therapy is endodontics. The word “endodontic” comes from the Greek “endo”, meaning inside and “odont” meaning tooth. Endodontics is the treatment of the diseased or infected dental pulp (nerves of the tooth). The dentist who specializes in root canal therapy is called an endodontist. Most general dentists are very capable of performing root canal therapiesand will usually refer complicated cases to a specialist. There are several reasons why your dentist might suggest you need RCT, with the most common reason being a decayed tooth that has an in-

fected pulp. In this case, even though you might want to do a filling, that is not the most suitable treatment option. Many times patients think that their decayed tooth can be filled, especially if they are not experiencing any pain on the tooth. This is not always the case and a proper history of the tooth is needed. Putting a filling on a tooth with a diseased pulp will do more harm than good.

In addition to deep decay, a tooth might become inflamed or infected because of repeated dental procedures on the tooth, faulty crowns, or a crack or chip in the tooth. Also, trauma to a tooth may cause damage to the pulp even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. The RCT procedure is

very similar to having a routine tooth-filling and usually can be completed in one or two appointments, depending on the condition of your tooth. There are many reasons to try and save your tooth with RCT and these include: · Being able to maintain efficient chewing · Protecting other teeth from excessive wear or strain · Having normal biting force and sensation · Natural appearance Some of the signs to look for that might indicate a tooth needs RCT are: · Spontaneous pain · Prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold · Tenderness to touch and chewing · Discoloration of the tooth · Swelling, drainage and tenderness in nearby bone and gum tissues Sometimes, however,

Dr. Neromini Fagu there are no symptoms. You should not put off doing a root canal even if the tooth stops hurting. It is wishful thinking to hope for the pulp to heal on its own. As the pulp dies, the canals and chamber of the tooth may become calcified as the tooth tries to protect itself by laying down more dentine. This calcification may make RCT at a later date more complicated as the location, negotiation and enlargement of canals will be more difficult. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu @hotmail.com.

CONSUMER CONCERNS

Tobacco control legislation could be in force by year-end. PAT DIAL On May 31, last, “World No Tobacco Day” was commemorated worldwide. The Guyana Consumers Association has been calling for many years now for the Tobacco Control Legislation. During the tenure of Dr Leslie Ramsammy as Minister of Health there was a great deal of activity in this direction. Dr Ramsammy is one of the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable advocates of tobacco control in the Region. Consumerism throughout the Caribbean had enjoyed his support on the issue. Tobacco use is one of the greatest health afflictions of modern life. In the Developed Countries, Governments and NGO’s have been assiduously battling against it by the use of Legislation, Education and the Law Courts.

Their efforts have been successful. Today, tobacco use in the Developed World has declined and continues to decline. The tobacco companies now find their profits in the Developed World are also declining and so are now focusing their main marketing activities in the Developing Countries. Four years ago, the United States Food and Drug Administration published a list of 93 harmful or potentially harmful chemicals found in the use of tobacco products and in tobacco smoke. Those chemicals, when ingested or inhaled over time, cause serious diseases which are life-threatening and greatly impair health. Such diseases include heart diseases of many types, breathing and respiratory diseases including chronic airway obstruction; lung cancer

and cancer of the mouth and lips and pharynx; leukemia; kidney and urinary organs; liver and stomach ailments. Smokers and other users of tobacco products do not realize they are being afflicted with such diseases since they develop gradually and when they do realize it, it is sometimes irreversible or too late. Ailments caused by tobacco use are not only distressing to individual sufferers but are also a social burden in that worker productivity is reduced and added costs are imposed on the health services. It is often these social burdens which stimulate many governments to act against tobacco use by legislation and other measures since they realize that what is gained by tobacco revenues is far outweighed by the social and financial costs caused by tobacco use. Most of the main Caribbean countries have now got modern tobacco legislation in

place. For many years now, Guyana has had such legislation in draft but for one reason or another, such draft legislation was never passed into Law. It does seem that now at last, this legislation will be in the Statutes by year-end. We understand that little or no changes have been made to the original draft which forbade smoking in enclosed places and public transport and public places; banning tobacco promotion and sponsorship; banning cigarette-selling to and by minors; and ensuring that cigarette packages carry clear warning pictures on 50% of their surface. It has also been recommended that taxes on tobacco products be increased. We understand that the Trinidad and Tobago legislation is stronger. There is also a CARICOM standard in force in several CARICOM states. This standard has a large number of warning photographs which

cigarette packages must carry on 50% of their surface. In Guyana we are about to adopt the standard as a mandatory national standard and it is hoped that this will be effectuated very soon. Since all cigarettes and tobacco products sold locally are produced abroad in jurisdictions where graphic warnings on packages are already mandatory, the local distributors should have very light expenses in changing to boxes and packages with graphic warnings. Five or six years ago, DEMTOCO, the main local distributor, estimated that the change-over to packages with graphic warnings would have cost US $1.2 million and would have negatively affected their profitability in any one year. Today, the situation is different, and DEMTOCO is prepared for all eventualities. About two years ago, the then Regional Director, Ms Cavil de Zavala, who presided

at the Annual General Meeting of the Company, when asked by a shareholder how the Company would deal with these attacks on the Tobacco Industry and on the Company’s profitability, replied that such attacks were worldwide and had been going on for some time but that the Tobacco Industry and her Company have developed ways of meeting all such challenges. Though the Guyana Consumers Association, as the major consumer advocate in the country, feels that the draft bill could be strengthened, the Association thinks it preferable that bill, after debate, should be passed into Law, rather than to risk further delay in the search for perfection.

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Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery; also edible images and Wedding dresses for sale. Call: 670-0798

Earn a certificate in cosmetology; enroll now at Artee’s Beauty Salon & School of cosmetology. Call: 275-0267; 680-0156

Experienced female accounts clerk apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling. Hallow Blocks maker- Call: 233-2767 20,000 BM Purple Heart, 20,000 BM Green heart, 20,000 BM Kabukalli, Large quantities of Nibbi furniture. Call: 651-1969; 681-8897 We pay cash for land in La Parfaite Harmonie, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt, Eccles, Providence, Herstelling. Call:651-1969; 681-8897 3 Wash bay attendants – Contact: 615- 6944; 227-5169 Sales Assistant with computer knowledge, spreadsheet, Mathematics, etc, able to multi-task. Apply @ Key Food Trading, McDoom Village Decent experienced taxi drivers, dispatchers & contract cars to work base. Call: 660-6102 Male sales assistant/porter must be able to multi-task. Apply within @ Sparkle Trading, Meten-Meer-Zorg. (No Calls)

One live in couple and one arch/acetylene welder. Call: 227-1830 Truck driver to work in Georgetown –Call: 227-1717

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Rotweiler pups - 622-6646/ 652-8511 1 Complete cabin cruiser, excellent condition also top catch seines. Call: 654-2817; 622-2958 1-45 Leyland DAF (blue) $2.2M. Contact 260-4018/6619096 Pure bred German shepherd puppies for sale. Call: 6253918

WANTED Security, Cleaner, Waitress, ages 18-25, bartenders. Call: 668-8332; 638-5303

1- Cat 320 BL excavator, 1 Cat 428 Back Hoe, 1-930 Cat loader, 1-Cat D44 bulldozer. Call: 275-0538; 683-7225 1-Pneumatic Roller 9 wheels, 1-55 Leyland Daf Truck. Call: 275-0538; 683-7225

Experienced professional cook/pastry maker, cashiers with computers skills @ Annabel Bistro, 36 Public Road La Grange W.B.D –Call: 678-3400

Handy Boy, dishwasherapply @ Shanta’s, 225 Camp & New Market.

CAKES & PASTRIES

Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

1-spring filled mattress, queen bed, double door wardrobe rugs, fridge LG music set, water dispenser, etc. Call: 690-7859 FOR SALE 1 Boat for sale 50’X13’X6’ steel cargo boat 671 GM engine. Call: 691-5104; 6093447 ROAD TO BELWASA & A DIP AT THE SANGAM. AVAILABLE @ AUSTIN’S BOOK STORE- TEL: 2267350/7 & AT LATCHMANSINGH DRUG STORE. TEL: 226-5053 One 6 base music set with QSE amp, RCF speaker. Call: 221-2817; 699-5790 XBOX one with games & controller, also XBOX 360 games & controllers- Call: 683-8386 Sale! Dell Computers complete with 19" screens $49,000, Laptops -$55,000, Projectors -$59,000, free games etc. FutureTech: 2312206 Show Case 3X2, 4X3 ($35,000 & $25,000). Patricia: 626-5317 1-Toyota Raum HB 7729 in excellent condition, price $750,000 negotiable. Call: 6424416 Complete bush high frequency radio system, pick up signal in any remote area. Call: 600-0036; 223-1273

1-light tower-$850,000, 1-928 F loader-$7.3M, Cat 3406 engine-$1.3M, Cat 3116 engine-$1.1M-Contact #6500402, 661-9096 Cat 3208 engine-$850,000, Diesel welder with deutz engine-$1.2M- Contact #650-0402/661-9096 Large water pressure tank, filters for water purification, large HP Colour Laser jet 4650 DTN printer -$60,000. Call: 684-8232 Cat 928F Loader, Cat 3116, 3406 and Cummins L10 Engine, Miller Welder, Light Tower.Contact # 661-9096 2-Daf 45 10-Ton Flatbed Truck, 1-Kobelco Sk160 Excavator-4D34 Engine. Contact #661-9096 Prime Residential Lots, in Gated Communities, Schoonord, W.B.D, Blankenburg, W.C.D, Contact #661-9096; 269-4018

VACANCY Female housekeeping staff, male security guard. Call: 225-0198 or visit 233 South Road, Lacytown. Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 Carnegie trained chef/cook. Call: 600-7388; 225-7933 or visit us at 173 Sherriff Street. Exist for porters, cashiers, salesgirls; apply @ Lot 16 Vlissengen & Duncan with application & passport size picture. Hair/nail & barber stations for rental, discounts for new comers @ New Market St. Call: 638-1106 Cashier 6am-3pm & 3pm12pm. Submit application to Shell Station Providence EBD, shellramsburg@gmail. com Experienced female accounts clerk 20yrs & older, preparing ledger, payroll, NIS, VAT etc. Preferably from W.C.D- Call: 260-4239; 665-1064 Marketing Representative between ages 25-35years old, must have driver’s License. Call: 223-0090 One experienced driver to work with baker shop. Call: 681-3983 Truck Porter to travel in and out of Interior. Call: 618-2020 Dragger Operator (Brazilian must have 10 years experience) contact # 2235273/4 Truck Driver for TM Model M Truck ( must have experience) contact # 2235273/4 Caterpillar Mechanic contact # 223-5273/4 Ranger (must know to use GPS) contact # 223-5273/4 Exist for cashiers and salesclerks @ Nirva Supermarket, apply in person with written application. Call: 227-5771 1 Sales attendant @ Phatz Style 16E Durban St. Call: 6265317

German Shepherd pups 6 weeks old, vaccinated with clinic card. Call: 699-6006

One field supervisor to work in Georgetown. Call: 227-1717

Large land (37’X724’) in Bagotville W.B.D residential or farming -$5.7M. Call: 6000036; 223-1273

One Hobart welding generator, 10,000 watts, in excellent condition –Call: 699-4300; 228- 2734

Porters/Labourers, apply @ Wieting & Richter Ltd, 10-13 Water Street Kingston.

125 Yamaha Riva Scooter, 1 Fridge, 1 Stereo set. Call or Text: 668-8190; 618-9035644-6608

Gold & Diamond land for sale or Joint Partnership in Ekereou and Parish Hill. Call: 600-0036; 223-1273

2009 ALLION -$2.8M, 2009 RAUM -$2.2M, 2010 IST$2.6M, 2009 FIELDER $2.5M, 2011 AXELA $2.6M. CALL: 617-2891 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 1 Leyland DAF LF HIAB truck 5 ton HIAB new, hardly used GTT 2960 -$4M. Call: 622-6746 AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Hilux Surf, BRR, RZ & Pitbull, Pajero Junior, Spacio: Cash / terms- Call:680-3154 1 FUSO Crane GTT 20 $4M; 1 HINO ranger wrecker GVV1890 -$4M, 1 HIAB Canter GTT 7140 -$3.5M. (negotiable) Call: 622-6746 Toyota AT212, AT192, LTouring Wagon, Solid Def pickup 4X4, RZ, Runx, Canter, Honda CAPA. Call: 644-5096; 697-1453 One 19 Seater pit-bull, high top minibus, immaculate condition. Call: 692-9374; 643-4188 Ford F350 4X4 35’rims + tyres, lift kit 2005, diesel fully loaded auto. Call: 610-5370 1 Long base Canter -$2M, 1 Short Base Canter -$1.4M, 1 RZ bus -$1M, 1-212 car $1.1M, 1 Galant -$900,000. Call: 604-6724 TM Truck with Winch & Led light, as is -$3.5M negotiable. Call: 616-7635 2RZ Minibus EFI, 1 Long base, 1 Short, BLL series. Call: 668-5792 Toyota Vios –Call: 216-3661; 662-3186 Toyota AT212 Silver Grey, PSS series. Call: 699-7559 2007 Nissan Dualis (Retractable Roof) -$4.5M, 2006 Suzuki Escudo-$4.5M. Call: 609-3650; 226-8953 2010 RAV4 24000CC -$9.8M, 2007 RAV4 – Leather seating/ steering controls -$6M. Call: 609-3650; 226-8953 2008 Premio (TV/Reverse Camera) -$3.1M, Verossa$3.2M, Allion -$3.8M . Call: 609-3650; 226-8953

1- 1999 Suzuki side kick, 4 doors, good condition. Call: 655-1965 1-DX 225 Doosan Excavator, very good condition. Call: 610-0001

VEHICLE FOR SALE

PEN PAL American Citizen, 40, Indian, looking for female 21- 40, for relationship, marriage, send p h o t o johnnysingh952@yahoo.com Overseas (US) based Guyanese male seeks female friend for serious friendship 25-40yrs & possible LTR- Text: 668-9180; 618-9035;

2007 Blue Bird -$2.350M, 2001 212 -$1.9M, 2004 Nissan Wingroad -$1.7M, Pit-bull $1.5M. Call: 609-3650; 2268953 2009 Axela -$2.975M, 2010 Toyota Auris -$2.9M, 2008 IST -$2.650M, 2007 Auris $2.450M . Call:226-1973 (Continued on page 71)

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Flooding in Region 5… MMA/ADA, NDIA team up to provide pumps, excavators, tech. support

From page 70 FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Pump and Excavator at Trafalgar North

1 Bedroom apartment in Charlestown for couple $30,000 monthly –Call: 2233958; 660-9463; 681-0951 Rent Regent Street: Avishkar Store, Lot 127, Avinash Store A B Water Street. Call: 2237500; 219-5354 Space for rent @ Ashmin’s Building – 50% off first month’s rent. Call: 683-7954 Following on the heels of floods in Region Five which placed residents and farmers in jeopardy, the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ ADA) is rolling out its arsenal to defend against the encroaching waters. It is understood that the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) along with the MMA/ADA has deployed pumps to Trafalgar Sluice and Bush Lot Village, while one was expected to be moved from Canje River to Trafalgar Square. In addition, the agencies have affirmed that four excavators have been moved to the flooded area; two at Trafalgar north, one at Trafalgar south and one at Golden Grove north. Two tractor pumps are also draining flood waters in the residential areas of Golden Grove north and Trafalgar north; and two additional tractor pumps have been deployed to drain the residential area of Trafalgar south. “In response to the above-mentioned efforts,” the agencies said in a statement yesterday, “the flood waters have receded by two to three inches in residential areas of Golden Grove north and Trafalgar north and south at 17:30 hours on June 10, 2016.” “It is important to note (that) the MMAADA/NDIA have been working in conjunction with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Region Five and the relevant Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). The outfall channel at Trafalgar Sluice was dredged by the NDIA in early May, 2016 but was silted up after a few days of sunshine, as a result of reduced flows.” They also noted that one of two vandalised pumps at Trafalgar is scheduled for rehabilitation by NDIA before the next rainy season that the two vandalised pumps

at Trafalgar have a combined capacity of 350 cusecs (over 130,000 gallons per minute); these pumps, when operated, kept the outfall channel clear. DIAGNOSIS Noting that the areas currently flooded in Region Five are Lovely Lass, Golden Grove, Trafalgar and No. 29 Villages, the MMA/ADA/ NDIA listed the recent excessive rainfall; the inoperable pumps at Trafalgar, which they noted were vandalised two years ago. They also noted that the siltation of the sluice outfall channel at Trafalgar; and the presence of excess vegetation in the village channels played a contributory role in the flooding. It was projected, however, that over the next three days water will continue to recede and bring an end to the flood by tomorrow. This projection, however, is dependent on there being no significant rainfall on today. The El Nino phenomenon has come to an end and Guyana is in the season of frequent rainfall, with showers in some instances lasting for prolonged periods. This has increased the risks of flooding in vulnerable areas across the country. A few days ago, a resident and farmer within the rural community of No. 28 Village, West Coast Berbice had expressed dismay at the efforts of the MMA-ADA to remedy the situation. The concerned farmer had complained that persons are losing their livestock and water levels have intruded into residents’ bottom houses. He had blamed the disastrous situation on the dysfunctional sluice located at No. 27 Village, WCB. It was reported that the problem has been ongoing for more than six weeks. The concerned farmer reported that the sluice that should be doing the work has been blocked for the past two years.

NDIA personnel monitoring water levels in the area

One apartment for rent at Mon Repos, Market Street, E.C.D –Call: 220-7330

PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Corner property in Grove, 1 block from Main Road- Flat House, price negotiable. Call: 1905-626-2572 Property @ La Parfaite Harmonie -$20M, $25M,$ 6M, New Road -$17M, $20M, Pouderoyen -$45M, CI $6.5M, La Grange Public Road-$18M. Call: 604-6724 Newly built property for sale, Block 8 MonRepos, E.C.D $14.8M.Call:654-4312;657-5530 Republic Park Ph1: 2 flats 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, well maintained, including yard $51M-Call: 609-6516; 6170758; 645-2580

ACCOMMODATION Georgetown: Fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment: airconditioned, Wi-Fi, housekeeping & utilities included ($106,000/$67,000). Call: 668-0306; 694-7817 Harmony Inn: clean, comfortable & affordable apartments/rooms, long & short term – Call: 668-0306; 218-1400; 694-7817

2 Storey house, 5 bedrooms semi-furnished, 65 Palmyra Village, East Canje Berbice, price negotiable. Call: 6706688; 621-2066 Enmore: Hope West, 1-two storey 3 bedrooms wooden building, overlooking FoulisCall: 602-2818; 649-1434 House & land for sale by owner at Plantation Peter’s Hall E.B.D –Call: 617-6015 Tuschen: 1 2-Flat Concrete Building, price negotiableTel: 231-9690/9693. Call between 08.00 hrs - 16.00 hrs.

LAND FOR SALE Zeelugt -$1.6M, Uitvlugt $2.2M, Eccles -$5.5M, Herstelling -$3.2M, Farm $2.2M, Bartica -$2.8M. Call: 651-1969; 681-8897 Stewartville Public Road $8M, New Road V/Hoop Road -$30M, Leonora $3M, $3.5M, Care Tuschen -$1.4M, Crane -$5M. Call: 604-6724 Land situated at 33 area F Zeeburg South W.C.D, size: 150X55’. Call: 615-1594; 6683293 1-Houselot for sale @ Lot 5 Bel-Air Village, First Street. Call: 680-8936; 671-7312

Property for sale in prime commercial location in Rose Hall Town, 1½ lots for $6MCall: 683-5629 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities -$41M –Call: 6629335; 612-3244 One roadside, 2 storey building @ V/Hoop, ground excellent for restaurant or other business –Call: 6540779 House & land 150X100 @ 6 Good Hope EBE, Double Lot @ 41&44 Vergenogen E.B.E, Double lot (business spot) @ Zeelugt. Call: 642-6642 CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494 EDUCATIONAL

FOR SALE/ RENT American pool table – Call: 277-0578

I.A.E Classes for CSEC January/ June 2017: Mathematics, English A, Business & Science Subject for Students, Adults & repeaters. Call: 683-5742

VEHICLE FOR SALE 2007 Raum -$2.3M, 2008 Belta -$2.3M, 2013 Vitz -$2.5M, 2008 Allion -$2.8M. Call:6093650 2006Allion-$2.4M, 2005 Premio (TV/Reverse Camera) - $2.5M, 2008 Toyota Rush $3.0M – Call: 226-1973; 226-8953 Suzuki Carry truck, ideal for vehicle for small business man. Going cheap, price $1.2M neg. Call: 684-8231; 661-9447 Bigo (Toyota Rush) 2007, Toyota 100 Sprinter, AE91 Corolla, owner leaving country. Call: 691-0060 Mitsubishi GLX Sports $400,000, MR2 Sports Toyota -$500,000, 200 Mercedes Benz -$300,000. Call: 226-8013

TO LET New self-contained 3 bedroom house, upper flat, security cameras; security lights, window screens @ Diamond, E.B.D. Call: 2260880; 603-0067 Spacious 3 bedrooms upstairs @ MonRepos -$50,000 monthly, lower flat -$45,000. Call:220-0538; 645-2395;629-5300 Restaurant with liquor license, great location Soesdyke Linden Highway $60,000 – Call: 600-0036; 2231273 6 Bedrooms house, shower in each room, great for expats, overseas etc @ Highway, 10 mins from Airport -$2700US/Monthly. Call: 600-0036; 223-1273 2 Bedrooms apartment $50,000 monthly @ 29 Howes Street. Contact Petboy on the above address. CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 6435122, 656-0087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL @YAHOO. COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 6987807

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FEMALE IN CUSTODY FOR MECHANIC’S MURDER A woman has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of 25-yearold mechanic, Pooran Baljit, whose bloodied body was discovered in his bedroom at his Lot 57 Madewini, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara home Thursday night. Kaieteur News understands that the police are working on several leads but seem close to solving Baljit’s murder.

The mechanic was stabbed to death around 21:00 hrs, right next to the room his parents were sleeping in. He was discovered in a pool of blood on the floor of his bedroom. Reports are that the mechanic was stabbed to the right and left side shoulder and left side stomach. The killer escaped, leaving a knife on the windowsill in the mechanic’s

bedroom. The cops are working on several theories as they investigate the young man’s death. One such t h e o r y i s t h a t B a l j i t ’s attacker entered his bedroom through an open window and hid there until the young man went inside and bolted the door. Another theory is that the assailant might have grabbed the mechanic from outside the room window and stabbed him repeatedly as he was about to close it before retiring to bed. Baljit’s body was discovered by his mother who immediately rushed him to

DEAD: Pooran Baljit

the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. According to information received, a short while after Baljit’s parents retired to bed, his mother heard her son screaming. The woman alerted her husband, Harichand Baljit, and they both rushed to their son’s room to see what was happening but discovered that the room was locked from inside. While the woman waited at her son’s door, her husband ran out to the side of their house to get to his son’s bedroom. It was there that he saw his son was lying in a pool of blood.

Teenagers accused of seaman’s murder freed Kevin Washington and Dennecia Halle, the teenagers who were charged with the murder of Seaman, Antonio Isles, have been found not guilty of murder. The teens walked out of the prisoners’ dock in the courtroom of Justice Navindra Singh and embraced their relatives standing a short distance away. Justice Singh told the teens that now they have been given the opportunity to improve their lives, they should always think three times before they act. The decision came on Friday, after a mixed jury panel was instructed to return a unanimous verdict of not guilty for the murder in favour of the two accused. Their Attorneys, Dexter Todd and Peter Hugh had made no case submissions which were

MURDERED SEAMAN: Antonio Isles upheld by the Judge. The two teens were held in connection with the March 1, 2013 murder. According to newspaper reports, Isles, a fisherman from of 248 Pike

Street, Kitty, was severely beaten by a group of persons in the area. After the attack, Isles was left lying on the road, but eventually was taken to the Kitty Police Station and then to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Hospital, (GPHC) where he later succumbed to his injuries. Residents of Pike Street, Kitty, however, believed that some youths were responsible for Isles’s death. Two teenagers were afterwards arrested and charged for the offence. The duo has since pleaded not guilty to the indictment before Justice Singh and a mixed jury for the murder of 40-year-old man. On Wednesday, State Witnesses testifying in the trial told the court that a group

of armed and rowdy youths surrounded the fisherman the day, he was fatally injured. State witness Margaret De Florimonte who is said to be living a short distance from where the incident occurred said that she was at home when she heard a commotion on the road. De Florimonte said that she walked toward the noise in her street and found a group of children standing around the fisherman with sticks in their hands. She said that she recognised Halle, the female accused, from among the group of children. Kelvin Teaser, who identified himself as an associate of the victim, later told the court that he had a Guinness with Isles about 15 minutes before the man was found lying injured at the side of the road. The witness claimed that he heard a commotion coming from the direction he and Isles had just shared a drink and smoked cigarettes. He said that he went to check out the noise, when he saw a group of youngsters standing around the injured man; some of them had pieces of wood ‘2x4,’ in size in their hands. Teaser testified that he asked the teenagers why they were beating the fisherman and they said that it was because he had stolen something. He said that Isles was unconscious and buckets of water were thrown on him in an effort for him to regain consciousness. However, following the ruling on the no –case submission, the judge pointed out that the police investigation into the murder was poor and amounted to insufficient evidence for the offence which the teens were indicted. The case was presented by State Prosecutors, Orinthia Schmidt and Michael Shahoud.

Sunday June 12, 2016

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Clinton leads Trump by 11 points in White House race - Reuters/Ipsos Reuters - Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 11 points in the U.S. presidential race, showing little change after she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee this week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday. The online poll, conducted from Monday to Friday, shows 46 percent of likely voters support Clinton while 34.8 percent back Trump. Another 19.2 percent support neither candidate. Their parties hold conventions in July ahead of a Nov. 8 election. Clinton’s lead was nearly the same a week ago, before she had amassed enough convention delegates to win the nomination and before Trump drew criticism from leaders of both parties for questioning the impartiality of a Mexican-American judge. Trump, 69, enjoyed a bigger boost after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee in May. Having trailed Clinton, 68, for most of the year, Trump briefly erased a double-digit gap and pulled about even with the former secretary of state. Clinton this week defeated party rival Bernie Sanders, 74, in four of six nominating contests, most notably California and New Jersey, and won the endorsements of President

Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and other party leaders. Trump this week sparred with party leaders and struggled with questions about his now-defunct Trump University. A lawsuit accuses Trump and the for-profit school of defrauding thousands of people, including many who paid as much as $35,000 to learn Trump’s real estate strategies.

A wealthy businessman who asserts the lawsuit is politically motivated, Trump said presiding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel was biased against him because of Trump’s plans to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Trump later added that Muslim judges could be biased against him also because of his pledge to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country. Trump’s comments drew sharp criticism from Republi-

can leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Trump later said he would no longer talk about the judge. Friday’s results had 1,276 respondents and a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.2 percentage points. (Reuters/Ipsos polling results: polling.reuters.com/ #!poll/TM651Y15_13/filters/ LIKELY:1/type/smallest/ dates/20160401-20160610/ collapsed/true/spotlight/1)

Hillary Clinton

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Auditors propose strict measures to strengthen Old Age Pension Scheme Forensic auditors attached to Nizam Ali and Company have proposed a menu of strict measures in an effort to strengthen the management systems for the Old Age Pension Fund which was found to have numerous weaknesses. The auditors said that the Ministry of Social Protection should start by ensuring that it locates missing application documents or prepare new files for pensioners. They

suggested that the Ministry desist from issuing Old Age Pension books to persons other than eligible pensioners. Additionally, the auditors said that the Ministry should carry out a detailed census to determine whether persons living in the hinterland area are alive and eligible for pension. Additionally, the Ministry it said, should develop a policy whereby social worker accompany the Toshaos who

collect pension books, distribute all to eligible pensioners in the respective communities. With regard to issues that were found with actual pension books printed versus books distributed, auditors strongly recommended for the Ministry to provide a detailed reconciliation of all Old Age Pension books for 2015. They said that the details should include the number of books printed, number of

books issued to social workers, number of books returned by social workers, damaged books and number of books on hand. Further, the auditors said that a monthly reconciliation should be done on an ongoing basis. As part of this reconciliation process, they said

that there should be a monthly count of the quantity of pension books on hand done by the Internal Audit Department. The auditors from Nizam Ali and Company said that as for serial numbers for books issued to pensioners and not recorded, the Ministry needs to rectify this issue by completing the process of inputting all book sequence against the name of eligible pensioners on the data base.

After completing the process of inputting the serial numbers of the books, the auditors said that the lists should be arranged in serial order numbers to determine the extent to which all books are accounted for. They said that this process can also be used to sanitize the list of eligible pensioners and remove names of persons on the database who no longer exist.

Police closer to ending K/News... From page 3 shatter on impact, with the fragments shooting out with great force in different directions. Following the attack, there have been widespread condemnations from various sections of society with the Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo labeling the act as an attack on the freedom of the media in Guyana. Former President, Donald Ramotar; Social Activist, Freddie Kissoon; President of

Guyana Press Association, Neil Marks; United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner, Greg Quinn; The Private Sector Commission; Chile Ambassador, Claudio Rojas Rachel and US Ambassador, Perry Holloway, have all voiced their opinion on the dreadful act. Kaieteur News has undoubtedly been on the forefront addressing issues and tackling corruption–head on. When the device was tossed at the publisher's ve-

hicle, a security staff heard an unusual sound near the Lexus SUV, which was parked on the western side of Saffon Street. Upon checking, the staffer spotted the grenade lying near the right front wheel. Staffers were at the time participating in a wake for KN's Assistant Editor, Dale Andrews, who passed away earlier on the same day. Video footage from a Kaieteur News CCTV camera shows the grey vehicle, which is heading north, slowing as it approaches Mr. Lall's vehicle. The vehicle then accelerated after the device is thrown. This newspaper was able to confirm that the grenade is of an extremely old manufacture, dating back to the 1940s. The source also said that an explosion would not only have caused extensive damage to Mr. Lall's vehicle, but also severe injury to persons in the vicinity.

Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Iraqi cleric Sadr asks followers to stop attacks on rivals’ offices Reuters - Iraq’s powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr asked his followers to stop attacking offices of Iranianbacked Shi’ite political parties that he accuses of corruption, after authorities said they could resort to force to restore order. Sadr ’s followers on Thursday and Friday stormed or attempted to storm offices of the Dawa party, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) and the Badr Organisation in five southern cities, according to the provincial authorities of Basra, Amara, Kut, Nassiriya and Najaf. The provincial authorities did not report any casualties during the incidents. Authorities “will stand up with force and firmness to deter the violators,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who belongs to Dawa, said in a statement on Friday evening. “Pressure on the corrupt political parties has to be done in a peaceful manner,” Sadr said in statement addressed to his followers, posted on his

Moqtada al-Sadr website Friday evening. Dawa has led most governments formed after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, by a U.S.led coalition in 2003, with major participation from ISCI and Badr. While Sadr also had ministers in post-Saddam cabinets, including three in the current Abadi government, he has led protests over the last four months demanding Abadi replace politically affiliated ministers with independent technocrats. The cleric also promised earlier this year to punish

those suspected of abusing their official positions to get rich. Iraq, a major OPEC exporter which sits on one of the world’s largest oil reserves, ranks 161 out of 168 on Transparency International’s Corruption Index. The dispute within Iraq’s majority Shi’ite community began turning violent when Sadrist protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily fortified government district, known as the Green Zone, for a second time, on May 20. Four demonstrators were killed. Sadr ’s followers have been staging protests demanding anti-corruption reforms since February. His rivals see in the demonstrations an attempt by the cleric to dictate his views to the rest of the political class. The Sadrists have not staged protests near the Green Zone since Abadi ordered an offensive on Falluja, the stronghold of Islamic State militants near Baghdad, on May 23. But they continued to demonstrate in other parts of the capital and in other provinces.

Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Letter to the Sports Editor

Claude Raphael is a Pretender Dear Sports Editor, I am amazed at the unrelenting pomposity of Claude Raphael and his friend Winston Bos t o n . C l a u d e Raphael was a one term director of the WICB, he attended three meetings of the board in the entirety of the two (2) years that he served. Raphael is currently attempting to get

CARICOM to do his bidding. Raphael and his buddies, Bissoondyal Singh and Roger Harper, must understand that CARICOM is not the PPP government. I take this opportunity to tell the Guyana Cricket Board congratulations. Continue to push ahead and your success will know no bounds. The realization will

soon dawn upon these individuals that you are not sleeping at the job. The question Raphael should answer is why he did call for dissolution of the WICB while he was a Director of it! Especially since cricket in the West Indies was dark and grey during that time. Yours in sports, Anand Dyal

Hestick dominoes set for today June 12 Hassar Nest Sports Club of South better Hope will come alive today June 12 when Troy Hestick hosts a father’s day dominoes competition starting at 13:00hrs. Entrance fee is $1,000 while trophies and medals are being sponsored by Trophy

Stall and Tony Nicholls. Meanwhile, the South Turkeyen Sports Committee will be staging father’s day walk-a-ton on Saturday June 18 commencing at 06:00hrs. Participants will be charged a fee of $200 per mile for the event which will start

at Square of the Revolution and continue around Georgetown before concluding at the National Park. After the conclusion of the event which is being orgainsed by Johnny Barnwell some 25 fathers will be honoured in Sophia.

Sunday June 12, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Focus your efforts on details, and keep to yourself in order to finish your work. Get involved in creative projects that could turn into moneymaking ventures. Try to accommodate them without infringing on your own responsibilities. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Lighten up your serious attitude Try to communicate if you wish to help. Secret affairs will eventually backfire on you. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You can sell your ideas to those who have the money to back them. Make sure that you make reservations early. You can learn from those who have had similar experiences. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Think about your priorities. Be cautious who you deal with financially. Take advantage of moneymaking ventures. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Take a long look at your present direction and consider your professional options. Partnerships may be plentiful. Consider making residential changes; either moves or renovations could payoff. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You will be looking for creative ways to make a little extra cash. Do you really want to start something with someone you can't reason with? Pamper yourself; the self esteem it brings you will be most gratifying.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Be diplomatic but stem when it comes to giving of yourself. Use your innovative mind to surprise youngsters. You will have good ideas for home improvement projects. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You will gain a lot if you listen. You'll look guilty if you don't lay your cards on the table. Don't hesitate to take short trips. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your contributions will be valued and helpful. Find out all the facts before you jump to conclusions. Refrain from using the highway as a racetrack. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Love can be heightened if you sit down and discuss your future plans. Try to channel your energy into physical work. You can evade the issue as usual by being affectionate, fun loving, and far too active for your lover to catch on. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Travel and entertainment will be pleasurable. You need to distance yourself from the situation for a little while first. You will be extremely receptive to new and progressive methods at work. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Changes could be overwhelming. Don't jump as quickly as you usually do. Career changes may not be your choice right now, but in the long run they will be to your advantage.

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Buxton United, Mahaica flawless... (From page 77) converting. It took some time for the Yarrowkabra Jaguars to claw back but that they did on 24 minutes when Mellon Joseph rocked the nets. The half ended with the scores unchanged but it was the new kids on the block that would snatch the lead four minutes after the break, Desmond Chester doing the honours. Never allowing their neighbours to feel that they were going to have things their way, KK Warriors equalized in the 58th minute thanks

to a Laren Matthews goal and six minutes later from the penalty spot, they retook the lead when Jonathan Bailey scored. As the minutes ticked away, the Warriors were fancying their chances of taking full points but the debutants had different ideas, Michael Williams firing home in the 69th minute to earn an equal share of the points for the young Jaguars. Today, weather permitting Diamond United will take on Agricola from 13:00hrs while Grove are down to oppose Herstelling in the main match.

Georgetown Football Association Two matches were scheduled for the GFC ground yesterday but did not come off. According to the GFA, yesterday’s matches along with today’s encounters will all be played at the Tucville ground from ground from 09:00hrs. Santos will oppose Camptown, Pele play Alpha United, Order and Discipline match skills with Eastveldt, while GFC tangle with Fruta Conquerors.

Guyana boys were disappointing... (From page 78) a double-double with ten points and thirteen rebounds. Game number three: Jamaica blew out Guyana seventy-seven to forty-six. For the winners O’Neil Morgan had a game high twenty-three points, Kevin Young sixteen points, eight rebounds, Darrel Barret ten points. For Guyana, Dwayne (Brown Sugar) Roberts top scored with seventeen points. He also pulled down ten rebounds, skipper Marvin Hartman twelve points, seven rebounds, Kwesi Heywood nine points. Game number four: Grenada edged Guyana fiftynine to fifty-four, Allen Date led Grenada with fourteen points, skipper Marvin Hartman had a game high fifteen points for Guyana in a losing cause. Dwayne (Brown Sugar) Roberts supported his captain with twelve points and eight rebounds. Game number five: Guyana beat Cayman Islands in overtime fifty- eight to fifty-five, Dwayne (Brown Sugar) Roberts had a double–double with twelve points and sixteen rebounds, Kwesi Heywood thirteen points, Lonsdale Paul ten points with three- three pointers. For the Cayman Islands, William Peguero had fifteen points and fifteen rebounds, Fabian Thompson thirteen rebounds and eight points. Guyana boys finished ninth in the tournament. Jamaica beat the Bahamas fifty-three to forty-eight in the finals. Kevin Young of Jamaica was voted the most valuable player of the tournament. Kevin Young top scored in the finals with twenty nine points, he also had ten rebounds and six

blocked shots. For the Bahamas, Lavar Simmons, Francis Farrington and Quinton Demeritte each scored eight points. The 1999 Guyana National Team that failed to bring home the bacon: Marvin Hartman – captain from Linden Foundation Secondary, Carey Griffth- Saint Stanislaus College, Lonsdale Paul – Richard Ishmael Secondary, Wilfred Branch – East Ruimveldt Secondary, Dwayne Roberts- Wismar Christianburg Secondary, Rawle Toney –Linden Tech-

nical Institute, Louis Alexander- New Silver City Secondary, Allister HenryGuyana Industrial Training Centre, Ruyaud RahamonSchool of the Nations, Dale Sauers- Kwakwani Secondary School, Kwesi HeywoodCharlestown Secondary School, Keiron Adams- Saint Stanislaus College, Bernard Daniels- Coach. Next Week Kaieteur Sports will take a look at Guyana girls’ performance. Jerry Lee Johnson of Saint Stanislaus College was outstanding.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday June 12, 2016

Warriors beat Cavs and move to brink of NBA title CLEVELAND (Reuters) The Golden State Warriors bounced back from an embarrassing road loss two days ago to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 on Friday and move one win away from a second consecutive NBA championship. The win was a devastating blow to LeBron James’s Cavaliers, who lost their first home game of the postseason and now trail the best-ofseven NBA Finals 3-1 with Game Five scheduled for to-

morrow in Oakland. “All of our guys played extremely well. We just competed like crazy,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “It was a great response from Game Three, where we were really embarrassed by our performance.” Stephen Curry powered Golden State, who lost by 30 points on Wednesday, by scoring a game-high 38 while Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 34 points. James had 25 points and 13 rebounds for his

10th double-double of the postseason. Of the 32 teams that have faced a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals none have ever come back to win the championship. But Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue, well aware that the odds are stacked against his team, had a blunt message. “If you don’t think we can win, don’t get on the plane. I just think we’ve got to come back anyway, so we might as well come back and play,” said Lue, about the possibility of

forcing a Game Six. “We’ve got to come back to Cleveland, don’t we?” The Warriors, who fell behind by as many as 20 points after a miserable start to Game Three, responded with a much stronger effort to start this one as each team traded shots for much of the first two quarters. The tightly-contested first half, easily the most intense 24 minutes of the series so far, included 15 lead changes, which was more than the previous three games combined. Cleveland looked ready

to pull away to start the second half when they extended their lead to eight and whipped the home crowd into a lather but Golden State would not fold. The Warriors quickly took over in the final quarter when they shored up their defense and kicked their offense into a higher gear. With just under six minutes to play Harrison Barnes gave the Warriors their largest lead of the night up to that point when he drained a three-pointer for a 93-84 lead. It marked a 17-point turnaround from the third quarter when Cleveland, who went with-

out a field goal for a sixminute stretch of the fourth, led by eight points. “I thought we played hard. I thought we competed. I just thought we made some defensive mistakes that cost us,” said Lue. “And every time we made a mistake, they made us pay.” Late in the fourth quarter the game was briefly interrupted when a shirtless fan with “Trump Sucks” painted on his chest ran onto the court inside Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, which will host the Republican National Convention

STAG Elite League FINALE

Slingerz to battle Alpha United in final; Pele and Conquerors play for 3rd By Franklin Wilson The cream of the crop has come to the fore once again following the semi finals of the inaugural Stag Elite League Finale organised by the Guyana Football Federation. Playing at the Leonora Track and Field Facility on Friday night last, Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United blanked Fruta Conquerors 4-0, while winners of the GENESIS chasing the double, Slingerz Football Club, eased past Pele 3-1. Despite intermittent rain and a steady north/easterly breeze that kept its presence from start to finish, Alpha and Slingerz proved yet again that they are the top two clubs in the Land of Many Waters. Two goals either side of play saw Alpha dismissing in no uncertain terms, the challenge of Fruta Conquerors which had actually ended the preliminary stages of the Finale 4 points ahead of Alpha on 34. But when it mattered, the former national champions delivered in flamboyant style with a solid display of allround football; Conquerors on the other hand, whilst exhibiting flashes of their previous brilliance, never looked the potent side that fans got accustomed to watching. After even exchanges in the opening minutes, it was Alpha United, Guyana’s most successful club at the regional and international level that gradually turned the game their way. Elder statesman Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams on the end of an assist from Andrew Murray sent Alpha into the lead 26 minutes into the match. Three minutes later Murray himself took the spot-

light with a well directed header on his knees on a cross from his Captain Dwight Peters, Goalkeeper Dennis Edwards couldn’t deny the former national player. Alpha kept the advantage intact even as Conquerors had very few threatening runs at Alpha w h o s e custodian Richie Richards stood firm between the uprights. There was little change to Alpha’s dominance in the final 45 minutes and this was underscored by the fact that Conquerors were again kept off the score sheet. Alpha were not done, however, as two more goals were added to their first half account. With four left to regulation time, Delon Lanferman rocked the back of the nets to make it 3-0 in Alpha’s favour. Daniel Wilson put the icing on the cake two minutes into added on time to seal a huge win for Alpha which sealed a date with arch rivals in the grand finale final on Father’s night at the same venue. Slingerz actually scored all the goals on the night, the first of which was an own goal which came as a result of poor communication between defender Kestor Jacobs and goalie Winslow McDowall. Jacobs’ back pass to McDowall eluded his feet and ended up at the back of the nets in the 11th minute which gifted Pele the lead much to their delight. Going into the match as the only unbeaten team in their 14 matches with their only blemish being a draw, Slingerz, while not looking as clinical as they have been in the preliminary stages, did enough to keep Pele quiet, at least in terms of scoring.

Pele did have a few good moments but generally they were second best for most of the match. The Pele boys were hardly able to enjoy their 1-0 advantage as Slingerz which drew a foul just outside the area in the 15th minute made Pele pay for the infringement. The ensuing free kick was taken by Brazilian Murilo Barbosa after a dummy by Captain Tichard Joseph. The shot hit the cross bar and rebounded into the path of Clive Nobrega who made no mistake in hitting the ball past Devon Charles. It was no looking back for Slingerz as they aim for the coveted double of the GENESIS and FINALE titles. Three minutes after the break, Dominican forward Julian ‘Ju Ju’ Wade who had missed a few opportunities in the first half finally made it right by heading home in the 48th minute as his side nosed ahead. Many opportunities were created by the West Demerara based side but lack of potent finishing continues to be one of their challenges as was evident. But fine work down the left side of Pele’s goal by Brazilian Barbosa produced the goal for Slingerz. Barbosa worked his way deep into the offensive third before laying the ball off in a snappy manner to Trayon Bobb who obliged by hammering it into the back of the nets in the 52nd minute thereby sealing yet another win for Slingerz. So it is a clash that many were hoping for and it is reality, Slingerz versus Alpha United for the FINALE championship; Pele and Conquerors will tangle in the 3rd place playoff.

Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

PAGE 79 GCB officials pose with the newly acquired bowling machines.

Cricket Guy Inc. acquires bowling machines for Coaching Education Programme Cricket Guy Inc. (CGI) has acquired two bowling machine for the Guyana Jaguars and Academy players. The National age group players and National Female teams are also expected to benefit from this valuable asset. The bowling machines are expected to benefit training sessions in a favorable way, since it allows for programmes to be conducted in a more realistic and meaningful manner, with coaches being able to structure net sessions in a systematic way that incorporates varying types of learning. The bowling machine provides batsmen with an opportunity to enhance their strengths as well as explore the challenging batting areas they may face. The machine allows for batsmen to have extended batting practice that

may not be otherwise presented by bowlers. Further, the machine provides for an opportunity for coaches to simulate different types of deliveries that may not be readily available to batsmen based on the nature and quality of bowlers in a given squad. In addition, the bowling machine allows for meaningful practice both indoors and outdoors, generally providing a good mix between automated (abstract) practice and actual (real) practice and match context. President, Mr. Drubahadur indicated that CGI feels delighted to be able to provide such an invaluable asset to the players gear inventory. The players and coaches have highlighted the need for such equipment, and our organization is today honored to be

able to provide such purposeful tool towards the CGI’s coaching education programme. CGI continues to assess its pool of players and its available resources, and continually seek to take all necessary and realistic steps to add value to the coaching education process and by so doing, adding purpose and value to the players and team’s performance.

Competition heats up in GBTI Jubilee Open Tournament The 2016 GBTI sponsored Open Jubilee Competition has been very competitive and keenly contested as a number of payers have advanced to the next round. This was the comment made by coordinator of this year’s competition, Shelly Daly Ramdyhan. She disclosed that while there were no upsets, several players have been very competitive and aggressive in moving ahead in this year’s competition. “Everybody is playing as though they are going to win this competition. It’s very competitive and as the competition moves on the public can expect more intense and exciting matches as the competition progresses,” she said. The competition coordinator stressed that the seeded players have all defeated their opponents in fine style, noting that players such as Anthony Downes and18 year old Nicola Ramdyhan have both won their matches in very convincing manner. Both Downes and Ramdyhan have won their matches 6-0, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-4 respectively. She pointed out that they are both male and female defending champions. There is no doubt that the defending champions means business, noting that Downes was very dominant in his match. She urged the public to come out and support the players. “The competition quality

is good as a number of persons have been training very hard in an effort to win,” she said. The elder Ramdyhan who is not seeded in this year’s competition disclosed that her focus is on reaching the finals as she said that she intends to take it one match at a time. This has been evident with her easy dismissal of Shawna Gentle 6-3, 6-2. “I have not been involved for a very long time, so I am now getting back into the competition and my focus is winning one match at a time,” she noted. It was also disclosed that while the elder Ramdyhan is going after the title, number three seed Aretta Dey has great intentions of winning also as she has kicked off this year’s competition in fine style and seems to be in a no nonsense mood. Meanwhile, defending champion Anthony Downes, who has professed that he is not only passionate about the sport but takes it with great seriousness, admitted that he has upped his training sessions. He said that he has been viewing several of the matches and admitted that this year’s quality is much higher than in previous years. “The players are all hungry and this is the kind of spirit that helps to motivate each other in doing their nest,” he said. He added, “Every player who goes out unto the court

does so with the sole intention of winning and I am inspired and upbeat as I am eager to show my skills and talent in every match that I have to play. The public should come out so that they can have an insight into the quality of the competition.” Downes who is aiming to stretch his record of six titles, firmly believes that he will win this year’s competition. He stressed that his immediate focus would be to campaign in North and South America as he will be entering some international competitions. Downes disclosed that while his doubles partner Harry Panday doesn’t have any intentions of playing in the big league he enjoys competing with the older Panday. “Harry Panday is a very good player and we have been training over the past several months and his techniques and aggression is very nice. I enjoy playing with him and together I firmly believe that we can win the doubles this year as that is our focus,” he said. He further noted that his plans to establish an Academy to help spread the sport to far flung, river rain and other communities is still on his agenda adding that he firmly believes that the country has young talented persons who once given the right training and opportunities can do well both regionally and internationally.

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

MoH Soft Shoe Football Competition

Holmes Street upset defending champs Sparta Boss Utilising home field to their advantage, the two entrants from nearby Tiger Bay community, situated no more that 200 metres from the venue registered emphatic victories on Friday

evening, at the Parade ground on Middle and Carmichael Streets. However, of the two victories, none was bigger than the 4-2 win by Holmes Street over defending

champion Sparta Boss, the first major upset of the competition to date. Playing in the Ministry of Health-sponsored Soft Shoe Football Competition with the theme ‘Stop

-action continues today at MoH ground Gender-based Violence’ the Tiger Bay unit displayed no fear for their more established opponents and encouraged by the partisan support from the residents of their community took the lead in the second minute through Jamal Blackman, who fired past the goalkeeper to his right. Exhibiting the skill and teamwork necessary for this format of the game, Akeem Saul made it 2-0 in the 12th minute after streaming down centre-field to reach on to a pass from the back and finished clinically past the

had the ball something special would happen and Blackman working beautifully in tandem with Saul duplicated his teammate’s effort when he hit a well placed shot past the keeper, before Sparta Boss’s Sheldon Shepherd netted just before full time. E a r l i e r, C h a n n e l - 9 Wa r r i o r s d e f e a t e d Campbellville 4-1. Joshua Fiffee lashed in a pair in the 15th and 17th minutes, while Ken Wilson, also scored twice in the 20th and 30th minutes. Adolph George second

Ministry of Health with Darren Harris and Andre Kerr netting in the second and 22nd minutes respectively. Leopold Street and North Ruimveldt played to a 1-1 draw with Rondel Williams12th minute goal giving Leopold Street the lead, before Anthony Sancho leveled in the 25th minute. Laing Avenue and West Back Road played to a 1-1 draw. Odel Young scored for West Back Road in the seventh minute, while Roy Cassou responded in the 22nd minute.

Queen’s Street scores in their clash against Ministry of Health on Friday night at the Parade ground. advancing keeper. One minute later, Sparta Boss managed to reduce the deficit through Eusi Phillips, who hammered a free kick into the top left hand corner past a surprised goalkeeper and the scoreline remained unchanged at the break. Coming out in the second period, Saul picked up from where he left off when his ferocious right-footer hit the goalkeeper’s hands, but still managed to sail over the goalline to complete a brace. Dominating most of the possession, Holmes Street looked like every time they

minute strike was the lone response for the loser. Kitty withstood a second half blitz from Globe Yard that included a treble from Leon Roberts to prevail 5-3. Terrence Lewis fired in a double in the fifth and 27th minutes, while Alpha Sylvester copied his effort with a brace in the sixth and 30th minutes. Nigel Denny’s 17th strike completed their tally. Roberts’ goals came in the 18th, 21st and 23rd minutes. Queen’s Street eased to a comfortable 2-0 win over

Action in the event is slated to continue today at the Ministry of Health ground on Brickdam and Vlissingen Road with six more matches. In the opening fixture at 19:00hrs, Sophia take on California Square, while West Front Road and Broad Street meet from 19:45hrs. In the third fixture at 20:30hrs, Tucville go up against Albouystown, while Festival City engage A l e x a n d e r Vi l l a g e a t 21:15hrs. In the fifth encounter, North East La Penitence b a t t l e Tu c v i l l e f r o m 21:45hrs, while the final fixture is between Bent Street and Cross Street from 22:30hrs. The winning team will receive $300,000 and the Championship trophy, while second, third and fourth placed finishers get $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. Other sponsors on board are: GTT, Lucky Dollar, Nigel Supermarket, Junior’s Jewellery, Star Party Rentals and 2-J’s General Store.

Kaieteur News

Sunday June 12, 2016

PAGE 81

NAMILCO/GFF Flour Power Nat. U17 League

Buxton United, Mahaica flawless as EDFA kick off; Yarrowkabra Jaguars & KK Warriors draw

Kuru Kururu Warriors scorers from right, Jonathan Bailet, Shamar Gillis and Laren Matthews. By Franklin Wilson Buxton United were in dismissive mood when they faced Plaisance Panthers in yesterday’s feature match, w h i l e M a h a i c a Determinators were equally solid when they set the tournament on its way against BV Triumph United when the East Demerara Football Association leg of the NAMILCO/GFF Flour Power National Under-17 league kicked off yesterday afternoon at the Golden Grove ground, East Coast Demerara. Following a colourful march-past of the competing teams minus Buxton Stars which did not show up, the competing teams got the on field action underway in style with a total of 12 goals being scored as the respective losing teams failed to score. Buxton United, one of the eight Elite League teams competing in the various associations and the lone on the East Coast, did not waste any time in stamping their authority against Plaisance Panthers. Brandon Smith opened their account in the 14th minute before Ronaldo Fredericks doubled the advantage 5 minutes later. Kobe Durant converted the first of his double in the 31st minute to make it 3-0 in Buxton’s favour as the first half ended with the score unchanged. On resumption, Buxton continued where they left off from the first half; Plaisance not finding a way to stem the flow of goals much less to contain the rampant Buxtonians. Joshua Liverpool made it 4-0 one minute after the resumption, while Isaiah Anderson increased the advantage in

the 60th minute. Three minutes later, Durant completed his double to make it 6-0 with the 7th and 8th goal coming off the boot of Yamani Armstrong in the 69th minute and Troni Semple one minute later to complete a perfect performance from Buxton United. The opening match of the league saw Mahaica Determinators easing past BV Triumph United 4-0, Kevon John firing in two goals of his own including the first goal of the league which came in the 10th minute and was celebrated in grand style by John with a summersault. Seven minutes later, John was again on the score sheets as the advantage for Mahaica was doubled. The result was more-or-less confirmed for Mahaica in the 35th minute thanks to a Nicholas Daw goal. Plaisance while not able to pull one back did keep Mahaica at bay as only one goal was scored in the final 45 minutes, Kareem Pitt doing the honours in the 76th minute. EDFA Vice President Gregory Wickham during remarks following the march past congratulated all the players and clubs for being a part of this tournament whilst also expressing gratitude to the Management and Staff of NAMILCO for their investment and the GFF for the initiative. Wickham encouraged the players to always play fair and respect each other, encouraging them to be very competitive as scouts would be watching them as the GFF seek to put together a national U-17 squad. Matches today at the same venue from 13:00hrs will see Buxton Stars facing

off with Ann’s Grove, to be followed by a showdown between Buxton Youth Developers and Victoria Kings. West Demerara Football Association Slingerz Football Club in their debut competitive youth match had to come from behind to salvage an equal share of the points in their match against Wales United, the lone encounter on the West Demerara at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground; the match ended 1-1. Wales took the lead in the 29th minute thanks to a Shawn Downer goal. Slingerz evened proceedings five minutes before the half time break when Revaldo Smith hammered home his shot. Another match will be contested today when Den Amstel entertain Eagles FC at the same venue from 12:00hrs. East Bank Football Association Debutants Yarrowkabra Jaguars made a great impression in their first match with a come from behind 3-3 draw with neighbours Kuru Kururu Warriors in the lone game that was contested at the Grove Playfield yesterday. Mocha Champs walked away winners of their scheduled clash against Friendship which failed to show up for the feature game. However, the fans that were present at the Grove Playfield were not disappointed as they witnessed a high octane match between the two Linden Soesdyke Highway villages. KK Warriors it was that sailed ahead six minutes on, Shamar Gillis (Continued on page 73)

Yarrowkabra Jaguars goal scorers from right, Mellon Joseph, Desmond Chester and Michael Williams.

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Sunday June 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

National Junior Squash Squad picked GSA President confident of success in Cayman Islands By Sean Devers The Guyana Junior Squash team has dominated the Sport in the Caribbean for over a decade and this year the 11 times defending champions are set to participate in the 2016 Junior Caribbean Squash Championship in the Cayman Islands from July 14-25. The 30 member squad, which began preparing for this tournament in May, was trimmed to 22 last week and preparatory work will intensify in the coming weeks before the team which includes Ben Mekdeci (U-19 boys), Shomari Wiltshire (U-13 boys) and Taylor Fernandes (U-19 girls) takes a break about a week before they depart Guyana. The team will be coached by the experienced Carl Ince and Managed by Garfield Wiltshire, former Southern Caribbean Squash Champion in the late 1980s and early 90s. When Kaieteur Sports visited the Georgetown Club on Friday night the boys had completed their work for the evening but the girls were at practice on all three Courts under the watchful eyes of Ince and President of the Guyana Squash Association (GCA) David Fernandes, who spoke about the team’s training and chances of winning 12 team titles in a row. Fernandes, a former

Taylor Fernandes (right) & Larissa Wiltshire hard at work in practice at GT Club on Friday night.

National Hockey player, said that some of the players could not train as they should be due to write exams but added that he was satisfied with how preparations are going. It was disclosed that the young players run three laps twice a week in the National Park from 17:00hrs, do Gym work with trainer Kezqweyah Yisrael on Tu e s d a y e v e n i n g s i n addition to working on their skill, technique and tactical areas on the courts at GT Club from 18:00hrs to 21:00hrs and from 09:00hrs to 13:00hrs on Saturdays. “We have some very talented players in our squad this year. And with discipline and dedication we can see our players win in several categories,” said Fernandes, who plays a major role in the development of squash

locally. Coach Ince said, while he did not want to single out any player, there were some players he is expecting to win titles if they play their best Squash. “The main challenge as Coach for me is in the smaller age group where the players have never played much and have to be taught the basics. But these kids are smart and they learn quickly. Overall I would say I am very satisfied with preparations,” Ince informed. Fernandes said he feels the boys have a slightly better chance of winning but says both teams have a great chance of continuing this country’s success at this level in the Caribbean. “I am confident that both teams will do really well in the U-13, U-15 and U-19

while with self belief the U17s can surprise many this year,” Fernandes stated. The GSA head thanked their sponsors and said many new sponsors are coming on board while informing the National Squash tournament is set to commence on Tuesday June 28 and concludes on the Sunday. The teams read: (Boys) Ben Mekdeci, Alex Melville, Alex Cheeks, Rithew Saywack, Daniel Islam, Anthony Islam, Shomari Wiltshire, Samuel InceCarvalhal, Demetrius De Abreu, Michael Alphonso, James Mekdeci, Karim Khan, Mohryan Baksh (Girls) Taylor Fernandes, Larissa Wiltshire, Rebecca Low, Makeda Harding, Maya Collins, Abosaide Cadogan, Madison Fernandes, Kirsten Gomes, Paige Fernandes.

Guyana boys were disappointing at the CBC Youth Championship in 1999 Guyana will play host again when the CBC under sixteen basketball championship gets cracking in July 2016. The last time the championship was held in the 83,000 square miles was in 1999. Jamaica won the boy’s title, while Suriname emerged as the female champs. The 1999 tournament was the fourth major championship hosted by the land of many waters. The inaugural senior CARICOM Championship 1981, the seventh CARICOM Championship 1988, the 1994 Senior CARICOM Championship

were also hosted here. Today, Kaieteur Sports and Statistician Charwayne Wa l k e r j o u r n e y b a c k seventeen years and take a look at the performance of the Guyana boys’ team led by Marvin Hartman. Opening Match versus Trinidad and Tobago at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall – Trinidad and Tobago won sixty-seven to fifty- four. Shorn Solomon led all scorers to twenty points, Yeroden Patrick nineteen points, for the host point guard Dale Sauers from Kwakwani top scored with thirteen points, Rawle Toney

Marvin Hartman had three, three pointers in twelve points, Kwesi Heywood twelve points.

Game number two was the game of the tournament. St Lucia edged Guyana in double overtime in 88 to 87. For St. Lucia Jevon Vitalis top scored with seventeen points, Dave Theodore sixteen points, Frank Baptiste fourteen points, fourteen rebounds, Lester Charles twelve points, Lance Charles eleven points. For Guyana Kwesi Heywood had a tournament high thirtyone points, Dwayne (Brown Sugar) Roberts supported Heywood with twenty-two points and seven rebounds, skipper Marvin Hartman had (Continued on page 73)

Kaieteur News

Sunday June 12, 2016

PAGE 83

Keen competition expected as Mayor’s Cup football continues at Victoria ground today The action promises to be fierce today at the Victoria ground on the East Coast of Demerara when play in the A n n u a l M a y o r ’s C u p football tournament continues with a triple header card. Today’s script will be written by BV Triumph and Cougars, who battle in the opening encounter from 5:00pm. The action continues at 7:00pm with Ann’s Grove of the East Coast challenging Grove Hi Tech of the East Bank of Demerara. The latter side will be led by the talented Joel Dick who will hope to cause much problems for the Ann’s Grove lads. The nightcap from 9:00pm will feature a clash between home side Victoria Kings against Federal Winners Connection of Linden, which is a meeting

of the respective area champions. Know fighters Victoria Kings will depend on Aubrey Gibson and Winston Pompey to spearhead their challenge. Marmaleque Davidson, a young player with immense talent will take the fight for the Linden team. Davidson would be well remembered for his exploits in the Digicel Schools tournament over the last two years. He has graduated admirably to the senior ranks. The tournament is down to its last 16 teams. The other teams in this stage are Camptown, Santos, Pouderoyen, Beavers, Cougars, Riddim Squad, Western Tigers, Den Amstel, Uitvlugt and Eagles of Linden.

Aubrey Gibson

Marmaleque Davidson

Winston Pompey

Sponsors on board so far are Top Brandz of High and Broad Streets Charlestown, distributor of the popular Interstate batteries, Aruwai Resort of the Essequibo River is one of the main contributors to this tournament with notable help from Ansa McAl,

Minister of State Joe Harmon and his ministry, John Fernandes, Ricks and Sari and AH&L Kissoon. The teams are competing for the Mayor’s Cup and a first prize of $700,000 donated by Aruwai Resort, second $300,000 and the

Ansa McAl trophy, third $200,000 and the John Fernandes trophy and fourth $100,000 and the Ministry of State trophy. Ricks and Sari has also donated hampers which will go to the winning team. The tournament’s top

Joel Dick goal scorer will get a three piece suite compliments of AH&L Kissoon Furniture Store. The tournament is coordinated by Lennox Arthur, former National footballer and later Coach, who has been behind this tournament for 22 years.

Minister, NSC meet associations on sport policy, facilities - Sport associations asked to come up with solutions By Edison Jefford Minister within the Ministry of Education with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Nicolette Henry implored sport associations yesterday to come up with solutions to the problems that face sport and its development in Guyana. The minister made the plea during her closing remarks of the second meeting that was held with sport associations to continue to develop their relationship with Government and refine the sports policy aimed at comprehensively addressing the progress of sports. “We know what the problems are; I hear about the problems more than the solutions. We have to come up with what the next steps are; we have to come up with an evidence-based approach, and what we will do to advance our cause,” Henry said. “I want us to focus on the solutions and opportunities that are available,” the

Minister within the Ministry of Education with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Nicolette Henry (seated, left) addressing the representatives from Sport Associations yesterday at the National Resource Centre; Director of Sport, Christopher Jones is at the podium while NSC Chairman, Ivan Persaud is seated right.

minister indicated, adding that she is aware that things can happen to develop sports based on her interactions during the preparations for Guyana’s celebration of Independence. Henry said that the Private Sector is “eager and engaged” and she was pleased with the support of that sector. “People were putting their monies where their mouths were,” she said,

observing that the same can happen for sports with the right vision. Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, who moderated the forum, told the gathering that National Sports Commission (NSC) is working with EGovernance to develop a data base of local athletes in all sport disciplines to serve as a primary source of information.

He said that associations will be contacted this week for information to input into the system that is a work in progress. Additionally, associations were expected to provide information yesterday to refine the draft National Sports Policy, following an initial meeting last December. According to Jones, the NSC is pushing to have the Policy completed before the

end of this year. “We want to get a sense of challenges, and what we can do to alleviate some of those challenges. Our major objective is completing the Sports Policy,” Jones said. The Director of Sport said that the lack of facilities dominated discussions at the meeting held at the National Resource Centre, Woolford Avenue. He informed that the

current policy guiding the Community Ground Enhancement Fund needs to change. “I am not pleased with some figures I have seen allocated to some grounds. If we continue we’ll be reinventing the same old wheel that kept sports behind for 23 years,” Jones stated, adding that he had recommended how the fund should be disbursed. He indicated that he had suggested that the primary facilities within communities benefit from an allocation of $10 million, which would be reasonably sufficient for the requisite enhancement; as opposed to spreading meager that are inadequate to venues. Jones is hoping that this aspect of sport development can be addressed as soon as possible so that Government can begin to measure real progress. The policy and development of facilities are key aspects of the overall advancement of sports in Guyana.

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STAG Elite League FINALE

Slingerz to battle Alpha United in final; Pele and Conquerors play for 3rd Clive Nobrega (center) scores the equalising goal for Slingerz against Pele. Franklin Wilson photo

Warriors beat Cavs and move to brink of NBA title Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and Warriors forward Anderson Varejao (18) reach for the ball in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) and Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23). (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

Minister, NSCmeet associations on sport policy, facilities Holmes Street upset defending champs Sparta Boss

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