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Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL Trump’s vanity diplomacy falls flat (Republished from The Guardian)
O
nly a year ago, many feared that Donald Trump’s dealings with Kim Jong-un might end with a bang. Then came the Singapore summit. Mr Trump boasted that they “fell in love” and that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat. The bromance did not look sustainable. Now a follow-up in Hanoi has ended in a whimper, collapsing without the heralded signing of at least a limited deal. North Korea needs an easing of sanctions and wants to pursue economic development; Mr Trump wants a diplomatic triumph with his name emblazoned on it. But these powerful drivers are not enough to bridge the gulf between the sides. While North Korea speaks of denuclearisation on the peninsula, it has no intention of unilateral disarmament – as US intelligence officials note. Gestures such as halting missile tests have some value, in real terms as well as in building the relationship, and disabling the Yongbyon nuclear plant would have more; the question is how much they are worth. Many had feared Mr Trump might pay too highly, as he did in Singapore. Hours before their talks in Hanoi, he predicted a “fantastic success” in their long-term dealings. His hunger for a personal triumph was spurred by the excoriating testimony from his former lawyer Michael Cohen back home. When it all went wrong, he said the US had walked because Mr Kim wanted all sanctions lifted – a huge step, not in his gift. North Korea insists it sought only partial (though substantial) sanction relief. It had also made it clear prior to talks that it wanted to see sanctions lifted before it put Yongbyon out of action. The reported sidelining of Steve Biegun, the US special representative, cannot have helped – but may have been effect as much as cause. Many already suspected John Bolton was key to the talks’ collapse. The question is where they go from here. In his postsummit press conference Mr Trump boasted of progress, described their dealings as “very friendly”, and even exculpated Mr Kim over the treatment of Otto Warmbier, the US student who died after being held in North Korea for 17 months. North Korea struck a harsher tone, saying Mr Kim “got the feeling that he didn’t understand the way Americans calculate” and may have “lost the will” for further talks. The risks of another summit are now much greater for both sides, and its appeal diminished. Mr Kim has already been boosted at home and abroad by two presidential meetings. His train home runs through China, and it now seems even likelier that he will stop off in Beijing. Mr Trump’s warm embrace pushed China into hugging the North close, despite its previous distaste for Mr Kim. South Korea got talks back on track after Washington and Pyongyang hit problems before. But it will find it harder going this time, and until those relationships improve, it cannot get much further with the inter-Korean economic initiatives it wants to pursue. It may be that talks simply peter out, with the US essentially returning to Barack Obama’s “strategic patience”. It was a poor idea the first time round, and Pyongyang’s weapons programme is now much further advanced. But the fractious response North Korea gave last night suggests that worse outcomes are possible. Yes, the world is safer than when Mr Trump and Mr Kim were trading insults. But Mr Trump’s vanity diplomacy has strengthened the North Korean leader. A humbler, more careful and more pragmatic approach, seeking to freeze rather than eradicate the weapons programme, would have been a far wiser course.
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
The International Community is looking DEAR EDITOR, The President lifted hopes for early elections in accordance with his Constitutional duties when he announced that he wrote to the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to begin preparations for the elections. However, his letter contained two cynical caveats; one being that enough funds would be provided with the approval of the National Assembly, and the other that GECOM would be provided enough time to hold “credible elections.”The implication
of his letter is that elections will not be held by March 21, as required by the Constitution. Clearly, the President has abdicated his Constitutional duty to GECOM, which will determine the time required. Two months have elapsed since the passage of the motion of no confidence and neither the President nor the GECOM chairman has seen fit to commence preparations for the elections. As other observers have noted this situation smells of a conspiracy among the APNU/AFC government, the GECOM chairman, and the GECOM secretariat to defer
elections as long as possible. GECOM has come up with every possible excuse, including that they are waiting for instructions from the chairman, who was waiting on instructions from the government. Now the government is being guided by GECOM. The Constitution is very clear that elections MUST be held within 90 days of the passing of a no-confidence motion, unless a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly extends the time. There is no provision for GECOM to extend this time because it is not ready. The government appears
afraid to go to the polls any time soon. F o r t u n a t e l y, t h e international community is looking. Even though their concern is muffled it is there. Additionally, the Guyanese people may appear deceptively docile. It would behoove the government to observe the crisis facing the Maduro government in Venezuela. The Guyanese people are equipped more than ever to safeguard their God-given inalienable right to selfdetermination. God help us if we return to the past. Randy Depoo
‘RAMJATTANUSES’ THE CONCEPT OF ‘ NECESSITY’ FOR POLITICAL INTERESTS DEAR EDITOR, necessary in the interest of NZAR 21, Gates J stated pronounce lawfulness based I have read with great peace, order and good that, “The Constitution’s simply on the will of the interest, Mr. Ram’s letter government; but it must not very indestructibility is part majority. (Stabroek News, 27/2/19), do more than is necessary or of its strength. Nor can lawfulness be “Ramjattan cited doctrine of legislate beyond that; [ N o m a n h a s t h e accorded to the tyranny of necessity to justify failure of (iv) it must not impair the authority to tear up the the mob.… Administration to comply just rights of citizens under Constitution.] Such tyranny lacks w i t h N o C o n f i d e n c e the Constitution; The Constitution remains universal morality and the Motion”. (v) it must not be one the in place until amended by courts will not assist usurpers Besides the comments sole effect and intention of Parliament… [and] may only simply because they are on point in the letter, I have which is to consolidate or be changed in accordance numerous, powerful, or even heard some of Ramjattan’s strengthen the revolution as with that Constitution. popular.” assertions on the doctrine such. The Constitution In essence, the conditions and concluded that With regards to the p r o v i d e s f o r i t s o w n n e e d e d t o i n v o k e t h e Ramjattan‘s aim was to Constitution, the Court of mutation. “doctrine of necessity” have distort the concept to suit his Appeal in Republic of Fiji v Usurpers may take over not materialized in the political interest. Prasad [2001] NZAR 385, as they have in other context of Guyana, nor is I must say, however, that noted that there were limited jurisdictions, and in some there any potent condition even courts across the world circumstances in which there cases rule for many years that warrants the Govt.’s have had to grapple with the may be a departure from, or apparently outside of, or d e p a r t u r e f r o m doctrine of necessity, and s u s p e n s i o n o f , t h e without the Constitution. constitutional provisions. have faced difficulty in Constitution to deal with an Eventually the original order Mr. Ramjattan’s notion of imposing strict compliance emergency for the purposes has to be revisited, and the “necessity” therefore hints at with the law while at the of preserving the rule of law Constitution resurfaces… redefining the concept to suit same time recognising and maintaining order. E v e n t h e G l o r i o u s APNU + AFC interests, or political reality and the risk Earlier that year, the Fiji Revolution must eventually rests on a false premise. to public order and safety. High Court in Prasad v be tamed by the Constitution. Yours sincerely, The conditions that Republic of Fiji [2001] For the courts cannot Ronald Singh support the ‘doctrine of necessity’ were laid down by Haynes P of the Court of Appeal of Grenada in Mitchell v Director of P u b l i c DEAR EDITOR, and necessary PR. Prosecutions[1986] LRC The incidence of vacancy notices, which With the convenient and cost-effective (Const) 35, 88-9 (Haynes carry rather rude warnings that only shortlisted communication facilities available these days, P) as follows: ( i ) a n i m p e r a t i v e applications will be acknowledged, has been why indulge in this off-putting practice of necessity must arise on the rise. I find this increasing (mal)-practice forewarning applicants that their applications because of the existence of among some current colleagues (oops!) in the might not be acknowledged? Chances are that if the ads are carefully exceptional circumstances noble profession of Human Resource not provided for in the Management rather disconcerting; I believe it crafted, unsuitable applications will not C o n s t i t u t i o n , f o r might even ‘turn-off’ rather than encourage proliferate.Too many ads lazily replicate the official job descriptions, which naturally immediate action to be good applications. I therefore wonder about its genesis and include many incidentals; instead, the core taken to protect or preserve essentials of the job should be extracted from some vital function to the value to the advertiser. I joined the Human Resource Management the job description to write a good State; (ii) there must be no profession in the days when the laborious advertisement that ‘markets’ the job without other course of action typewriters and ‘gestetner’ printing machines enticing every ‘Tom, Dick & Harry’ to apply! were in vogue; yet we acknowledged every A well-crafted ad will be shorter and reasonably available; (iii) any such action application - even the unsolicited ones! It is therefore less costly to the company/office. Nowrang Persaud m u s t b e r e a s o n a b l y common courtesy, good professional practice
Isn’t this advertising discourtesy and laziness?
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Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
GECOM HAS TO COMPLY WITH THE CONSTITUTION DEAR EDITOR, The 1980 Guyana Constitution Article 106 was radically amended during the 1999 - 2001 Constitution Reform period by the addition of two new clauses 106 (6) and (7) based on the recommendations of the report of the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) Report of July 17, 1999. This provided for “the Cabinet, including the President, who is part and parcel of the Cabinet as provided for in Article 106, must resign if the government is defeated by a majority of all the members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” Please note that the CRC does not appear to have recommended a three month period within which elections were to be held nor does it appear that it provided for an extension by a 2/3 majority of the National Assembly. The original recommendation as stated above meant that the government had to resign immediately and elections held forthwith. The amendments to Article106 which we know today were approved unanimously by the National Assembly in Act No. 17 of 2000. Fast forward to December 21, 2018 when the first no confidence motion was ever debated in the National Assembly and passed and thus for the first time Article 106 (6) and (7) have been set in motion. The response of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to this Constitutional requirement has been, shocking maybe to the younger generation, but cynically predictable, for many who are familiar with the true PNC creature that lurks beneath the outer covering of the APNU and AFC.
It is now 70 days since the no confidence motion was passed, seven weeks since the Speaker re-affirmed that the motion had passed, three weeks since the Chief Justice (ag) has ruled that the motion is valid and that the clock on the three months which began on December 21, 2018 is ticking. The government has openly refused to comply with the Constitution, the legislature and the judiciary within these 70 days and has gone to great lengths to delay the naming of a date for elections on or before March 19, 2019. This has included the use of the courts and threats to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice to have the motion made invalid and or to stay the 90 days post December 21, 2018. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has also been exposed as part of this conspiracy to delay the elections and as of February 19, 2019, the GECOM is in gross violation of Articles 106 (6) and (7) and 162 of the Constitution. Article 162 (1) of the Constitution states clearly that: “The Elections Commission shall have such functions connected with or relating to the registration of electors or the conduct of elections as are conferred upon it by or under this Constitution or, subject thereto, any Act of Parliament.” By a four to three majority, the vote of the GECOM Chairman included, a vote at the February 19, 2019 weekly statutory meeting of GECOM resulted in a decision to: 1) inform President David Granger that GECOM cannot conduct elections within 90 days after December 21, 2018; and 2) to inform President David Granger that GECOM needs funding for elections.
The PPP rightly and immediately stated that, “GECOM’s refusal to begin preparations for General and Regional Elections, after the December 21, 2018 vote on the no-confidence motion, finds it complicit in frustrating the timeline for the Constitutionally due elections. Additionally, there has been no effort to make a decision on what obtains in the short-term. There has also been no decision at the level of the Commission on when GECOM will be ready for elections.” In other words the Guyana Elections Commission, a body headed by a retired Judge, has knowingly and willfully usurped the powers of the Constitution. One must remember that holding elections within a short period is not something new. Article 69 (1) makes it clear that “each session of Parliament….shall begin at such time (not later than 6 months from the end of the preceding session if Parliament is prorogued or 4 months from the end of that session if parliament is dissolved) as the President shall appoint by proclamation.” Therefore elections have to be held and a new Parliament inaugurated within 4 months. Further Article 61 makes this even clearer that “the election of members of the National Assembly under article 60(2) shall be held on such a day within three months after the dissolution of Parliament as the President shall appoint by proclamation.” These Constitutional provisions are unambiguously clear. This is not the first time that GECOM is operating under these constitutional provisions; these same provisions were in place for the
2001, 2006, 2011, and 2015 general and regional elections. GECOM has to comply with the Constitution. It cannot make up its own requirements. In fact, GECOM can only intervene to postpone elections to a specific date only after the date has been appointed by the President for elections and only then due to “danger or serious hardship” either generally or in a particular area. Thus, GECOM has no authority to state that it is unable to hold elections prior to the date of elections being announced . The Constitution therefore expects that GECOM should always be in a state of readiness to hold scheduled and unscheduled elections and thus limit its powers to postpone or interfere with the date of an election only after the date was proclaimed by the President and only due to “danger and serious hardship”. In addition, holding unscheduled elections within three months is also not new. Having prorogued the 10th Parliament on November 10, 2014 by proclamation published in the Official Gazette, President Ramotar on January 24, 2015 by Proclamation # 1 and # 2 of 2015 in the Official Gazette announced that general and regional elections would be held on May 11, 2015. On February 27, 2015 the President by proclamation #3 and # 4 of 2015 dissolved the 10th Parliament and the 10 Regional Democratic Councils. From the time of announcement of the date for elections, GECOM had three months and two weeks to hold general and regional elections, and eight weeks from the time of the dissolution of the 10th Parliament in 2015. Elections were held as
appointed. Thus, the announcement by GECOM on February 9that a press conference that it needed 148 days (almost 5 months!) is a blatant attempt to deceive the Guyanese people and violate the Constitution and provide the rationale for the President to further delay. GECOM is always supposed to be in a state of readiness to hold elections, more particularly since the last continuous registration ended on July 8, 2018 and the Local Government Elections were held on November 12, 2018, it should have been efficiently and rapidly been able to put itself into operational mode to hold elections immediately after the passage of the no
confidence motion on December 21, 2018. However, the government and its appointees on the GECOM want no elections, in open violation of the no confidence resolution of the Legislature and the ruling of the Chief Justice. They want a new National House to House Registration as the means to have no elections until 2020. The government has said it has five years and it will stay in power for the full five years. The second motion “to inform the President that GECOM needs more funds” to hold the elections is another perversity and again another violation of another article of the Constitution. (Continued on page 6)
A dumb state of affairs DEAR EDITOR, The role of any Opposition that is worth its weight in salt, is to maintain a sense of No Confidence in the Government. The ANPU/AFC opposition did it to the Ramotar administration; remember? So what the PPP did against the Coalition is brilliant; if only because what the opposition did against the then PPP government was equally as brilliant. What is dumb, is a Constitution that allows for a simple majority of the parliamentary members to so “brilliantly” affect the proper functioning of the country. How can one vote (whether interpreted as Absolute or Simple) be allowed to stymie the governance of an entire government? And what is dumber, it that the very people (both sides) who were negatively affected by the dumb Constitution, refused to make Constitutional reform a priority and are preparing to go back to elections with the possibility of the VERY SAME THING happening all over again, for the third time.Is it wrong to conclude that like the Constitution, the parliamentarians are also dumb? Actually, can we not conclude that we who vote for the dumb parliamentarians, are the dumbest? Wendell Jeffrey
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THE PEOPLE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THE PROMISES OF THE PAST! DEAR EDITOR, As I watch the television news and read the daily newspapers, I can’t help but smile and curse at the same time when I see the Coalition Government ministers going all over the country to meet, greet and share out goodies to the ordinary people in their villages and making more promises that if the people reelect them in the upcoming elections, they will enjoy more good life. Editor, it makes me very angry to see that these ministers still believe that the people are gullible and will forget all the promises that were made to them in 2015. Well, I have some news for these ministers, don’t insult the intelligence of the Guyanese people, they are smarter thank you think and I guarantee you are in for a rude awakening in the upcoming elections. Editor, I would like to focus this missive on the AFC ministers, because it is the votes that they garner that caused the coalition to win
the elections and as everyone knows most of those votes were disgruntled PPP supporters. Please allow me to quote from Raphael Trotman, leader of the AFC, in the Sunday Stabroek News of February 3, 2019 whilst addressing the National Executive Council of the party, acknowledged that the party did make some mis-steps in government and the leaders forgot the masses and he knows that they are hurt but promised that they will work fervently to make things right.” For the enlightenment of Trotman, Nagamootoo, Ramjattan, Patterson and all the leaders of the AFC, let me share a classic example of their betrayal of the people. Before the 2015 elections, all of them were readily available and accessible. You could talk, call or text them anytime and you would get a reply. Lo and behold, after the elections they were all missing in action. It was as if they
do not exist anymore. On the rare occasions when they came to Berbice and held callin programmes on local television stations, I tried to implore, nay beg, Ramjattan and Patterson to do something about my street, which is in a deplorable state, but it was like throwing water on duck’s back. They just brushed you off with all kinds of excuses and go along their merry way. Imagine, we have to beg them to spend our own money, taxpayers money on projects to benefit us the people and they behaving as if it’s their money. During those times, they didn’t care a hang about the people, but now they are running back to the people begging them for their votes. Well I want to tell them, ‘boat done gone a fall” and in the meantime we the residents are repairing our street with our own money. You will hear from us in the upcoming elections. Yours faithfully, Imtiaz Baccus
A BLESSING IN DISGUISE DEAR EDITOR, The no-confidence motion is certainly a blessing in disguise. At no point in our history have we found government ministers and even the opposition parliamentarians so busy touching base with their constituents. The whole scenario resembles good old Santa Claus at Christmas time. Moreso, our Santas are doling
out gifts right, left and centre particularly in areas that were forgotten since these Santas were afraid to wet their soles on these mud dams in the past. They flew too fast and passed their nests after each national election but now ‘with a few feathers plucked from ... (their) wings (we) make ... (them) fly an ordinary pitch’. The old people say, it can be how carrion crow
manoeuvre ‘deh dinna’ table is on de earth. At least we can say ‘dat dem santas own faat wake them up’. Therefore, they have to be busy with cleaning up their mess.I agree with the GECOM Chairman on him being ‘no paladin’. He is indeed no paladin for elections dictated by Constitutional requirements today as he resides in a bygone era. Sincerely yours Ed Singh
Friday March 01, 2019
GECOM HAS TO COMPLY WITH... From page 5 Article 222 A, an amendment that also arose out of the Constitutional Reform period, with regards to Constitutional bodies such as the Guyana Elections Commission states “In order to assure the independence of the entities listed in the Third Schedule – (a) the expenditure of each of the entities shall be financed as a direct charge on the Consolidated Fund, determined as a lump sum by way of an annual subvention approved by the National Assembly….. (b) each entity shall manage its subvention in such manner as it deems fit for the efficient discharge of its functions, subject only to the financial practices and procedures approved by the National Assembly to ensure accountability…”. The Committee of Supply of the National Assembly on November 16, 2018 approved by majority vote the lump sum of $5,371,061,000 for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the period ending December 31, 2019. The sum $6,368,100,000 requested by GECOM had been reduced the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, who noted that the commission had indicated that there were sums left over from the previous year’s allocation. The excuse now being presented using Section 80 B (6) of the amended 2015 Fiscal Management and Accountability Act by the APNU/AFC government that any alteration of the agency’s annual budget must be approved by the National As-
sembly is deliberately misleading. Section 80 B (1-5) and (8) comply with the provisions of Article 222A, that is that this is an annual subvention disbursed in a lump sum to the respective body within a month of the approval of the appropriation by the Minister of Finance. We are now learning that this has not been done by the Minister. Therefore, GECOM’s independence has been compromised as it has to ask the Minister to release monies already approved to it for its use. S 80 B (6) clearly prohibits the Minister of Finance from altering the appropriation to GECOM, as he is empowered to do with the appropriations of non-Constitutional agencies. S 80 B (6) does not prevent GECOM from utilizing the “lump sum” as it sees fit to carry out its functions. Section 80B (6) can only be referring to supplementary financial papers not to the use of the funds already appropriated as Article 222A (b) makes it clear that “each entity shall manage its subvention in such manner as it deems fit for the efficient discharge of its functions...” Therefore there was and there is nothing stopping or preventing GECOM from utilizing their 2019 Budget of $5.371 B to prepare, manage and hold general and regional elections in compliance with 106 (6) and 106 (7). Thus, the issue of funding is yet another subterfuge by the government and GECOM to disregard the Constitutional provisions and ensure that elections are not
held within the Constitution stipulated time of 90 days, March 21, 2019. The President’s letter to GECOM in response to their two majority decisions and his letter to the Leader of the Opposition on the eve of his departure on Tuesday February 26, 2019 is reminiscent of what he did earlier in January—buying time, buying sympathy, giving the impression that he is sincere in holding elections while openly disregarding and violating the Constitution. The President is not unaware of the constitutional and legal provisions l have referred to in this letter. He is willfully and knowingly catapulting Guyana into a constitutional crisis never experienced before. On March 21, 2019, the President and the entire APNUAFC government will be unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful. The recent NACTA survey showed that more than 60% of the Guyanese surveyed wanted elections to be held and held soon. Mr. Granger is deaf to their views. H i s t o r y, w h i c h t h e President loves, will judge him harshly as the President who refused to comply with the Constitution, who held on to power despite having lost the mandate of the people to govern in the November 12, 2018 Local Government Elections and lost the confidence of the majority of the elected representatives in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018. It is time for Guyanese, regardless of which political party they support, to stand resolutely in defending the Constitution and our parliamentary democracy. This is no time to sit on the fence. Do we want to live in a constitutional democracy or do we want to return to living under a dictatorship? Sincerely Gail Teixeira
Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
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Over 1,500 vehicles visit Lethem from Brazil on weekends A worker sprays vehicles coming from Brazil at the Takutu Bridge as part of the precautions to prevent the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease from coming here.
Brazilian cars in front of a Chinese store in Lethem recently.
M
ore than 450 kilometres from Linden, Region 10, lies a dusty, sleepy community that borders with neighbouring Brazil. It has all the makings of a wild west town in the movies. With a population of 2,200 persons, Lethem in Region Nine has been named a town by the Coalition Government. It has one major thing going for it. It links Guyana with Brazil via a bridge that has been build with the cooperation of the government of that Portuguese-speaking country. With little access to developed areas like Boa Vista and Manaus, Brazilians from the border area of Bom Fim have trekking to Guyana to shop. They like the Chinese stores that line the commercial area. There are about 20 Chinese stores and other businesses that line the commercial area. Once, it was largely controlled by locals who sold
off to the Chinese after the Takutu Bridge was commissioned in 2009. Since then, for some residents in the area, the Chinese presence has been good for business, or at least for the Chinese. The cars have been coming from Brazil. Some days it can be about 50-60 vehicles coming with families and traders to purchase clothes, electronics and a host of other things. On weekends, Friday to Sunday, the number of vehicles can reach 500 per day.For the annual rodeo, which Lethem is widely known for, the number of vehicles from Brazil can reach over 1,000. There is no charge for crossing the bridge. Very few vehicles from Brazil venture from outside of the area to come to Linden and Georgetown. There may be isolated cases where someone travelling the continent would do so. Guyana has a trade agreement with Brazil where virtually anything can be sold
without attracting tax. There are exceptions. For example, cigarettes, beer, firearm, motorcycles and vehicles all attract tax. Goods for the Chinese stores come from the city weekly in trucks. There is not significant farming.Residents of Brazil are involved in trade, hotel business, cattle farming, mining with a few working for the Chinese. Work is hard to come by, with women riding miles on bicycles to work in the town. At certain times of the year, the water in the Takutu River would fall to levels that can allow residents from both sides to walk across. It also allows for smuggling. There is a move now, with interest from the Chinese, to build a road linking Linden and the coastland to Lethem. It will not be cheap. The total distance is more than 450 kilometres, with the current road built of dirt, mud and sand.Several times of the (Continued on page 9)
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Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
EPA issues permit to Aurora Gold for underground mining
Aurora Gold Mine (AGM) has been given clearance to begin underground mining. The Canadian company was given the all-clear a week ago, according to Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman. He made the disclosure during a tour of AGM’s Mazaruni operations yesterday. “I am happy the government was able to issue the final permits for the underground mining… last week the EPA issued that,” said Minister Trotman. He said the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had cleared the mine plant before. “So, we were awaiting EPA’s approval for the environmental part… the two regulatory agencies are separate and should be kept separate, and so I’m happy that on their own the EPA was able to come around and see that this is a good and viable project,” the Minister noted. Minist e r Trotman toured AGM’s Mazaruni operations with the South African delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Godfrey Oliphant. South Africa has shown interest in mining operations in Guyana. Both states are to sign a simple Declaration of Intent to enter into a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for; training and capacity
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman with South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Godfrey Oliphant, his delegation and Management and staff of Aurora Gold Mine at the company’s Mazaruni operations. building, strengthening of both countries’ regulatory frameworks, enhancing valueadded capabilities, geological surveying and mapping of Guyana’s resources and environmental preservation and modernisation of mining techniques and practices.” In the meantime, the South African Deputy Minister said he was very impressed with the mining operations at Aurora. “Mining at Aurora is the way of the future… this is what South Africa wants… mines in South Africa represents the past, but we are more interested in the future,” the South African Minister
noted. Both ministers lauded the company’s health and safety efforts and records, as well as the emphasis it has placed on “female inclusion” in the workplace. Aurora Gold Mine now has a 16 percent female workforce. Through a project called the “women learning to operate heavy-duty machinery”, womenfolk are being encouraged to take up more jobs traditionally held by their male counterparts. Minster Trotman lauded the project, stating “it stands out well in what is expected to come in the future”. (DPI)
Monitoring Metered Oil …
Guyana should require Exxon, others to use independent certifying firms, standards - Int’l Consultant By Kiana Wilburg With a plethora of capacity issues facing the country in its bid to prepare for oil, there is still a chance that it can ensure transparency and accountability when it comes to monitoring metered oil. This came to the fore when Kaieteur News conducted an interview with International Oil and Gas Consultant, Anthony Paul. This publication asked Paul to share how Trinidad and Tobago keeps track of the volume of oil produced, the price at which it was sold, and the costs incurred by oil companies. With respect to the volume of oil produced, Paul noted that TT’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mines, as it was then called, had established a Petroleum Inspectorate, whose role and function was to measure and certify quantities produced and sold. The Chatham House Advisor said that TT’s Customs Department also witnesses shipme n t s . P a u l s a i d , “There are standard industry methods for measuring and certifying volumes, and the physical and chemical properties of oil and gas, which affect the price. T&T uses these.” Further to this, Paul noted that in Joint Ventures, nonoperating parties require that the operator engage an independent certifying firm to validate the reported volumes and composition being sold and/ or exported. Based on checks with lo-
International Oil and Gas Consultant, Anthony Paul cal authorities, Guyana is far from making use of such systems and mechanisms. But all hope is not lost. Guyana still has a chance to protect itself says Paul. He noted that the Government may not need the internal capacity to do this themselves, but rather, require that independent certifying firms, methods and standards be used by the oil majors. Further to this, the international Oil Consultant said that this is an area into which locals should be promoted very rapidly, as it is an ongoing business for many years and can bring additional value to Guyana, inclusive of the requisite analytical laboratories that must be certified to internationally acceptable standards. TRAINING FOR GUYANESE Last April, this newspaper
raised the issue of having systems in place to monitor oil offshore with the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia. Statia had said that special officers would be trained to monitor metered oil production by ExxonMobil. But efforts to follow up with him on this matter recently proved futile. Be that as it may, the tax chief on several occasions said to Kaieteur News that he is aware of how important meter monitoring is to ensuring accountability and transparency in the oil and gas sector. The Chartered Accountant had said that this type of monitoring is imperative, as there are documented cases where the failure to do so has cost nations billions of dollars in revenue.
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Friday March 01, 2019
No reason for a meeting between the President and Opposition Leader
T
he proposal for a meeting between the President and the Leader of the Opposition is bizarre. No useful purpose can be served and no useful outcome had by such a meeting, given the present situation in which the government has placed itself. The government illadvisedly challenged the validity of the no-confidence motion. In so doing, the government locked itself into a corner by which it could not have asked GECOM to commence any preparation. GECOM has engaged in actions which have been perceived as being dilatory. GECOM, which hosted elections as late as November 12, 2018, is now claiming that it will need at least five months to prepare for elections, and this is without the requirement for house-tohouse registration.
A constitutional crisis is brewing, because there is no way that GECOM, having not readied itself since December 21, 2018, can now be ready to host elections by March 21, 2019. If no elections are held by that date and if the period of holding such elections is not approved by the National Assembly, the government will be illegal. The government, or at least some of its members, may be of the opinion that it can invoke the de facto doctrine in order to justify staying in office beyond March 21, 2019. But as Christopher Ram pointed out in a recent programme which was streamed live via social media, the doctrine cannot be invoked if a situation is avoidable. If the government has been inert in complying with the no-confidence motion, then it can be justifiably argued that the doctrine is
being used conveniently to frustrate the constitutional provisions rather than cater for a lacuna which was unavoidable. The proposal for a meeting between the President and the Leader of the Opposition must be viewed in the context of the government seeking to now demonstrate that it has made attempts to avoid a constitutional crisis, and in particular, to allow for the extension of the time by which elections are to be held. However, the government finds itself in a tangle. For one, how is it that it is now trying to have discussions to supposedly extend the time by which elections are due when all along it said that there is no final decision as yet by the court on the validity of the no-confidence motion. In pursuing an appeal of the Chief Justice’s ruling, the government is restating its
Death sentence for Pomeroon miner who murdered pensioner A 43-year-old miner of Good intent, Lower Pomeroon, was yesterday sentenced to death by Justice Sandil Kissoon, after he was found guilty by a 12-member jury, of the murder of 72-year old Osmond Fiedtkou. Kenrick Lyte was charged in 2014 for the offence. The summary read that the incident took place at Groete Creek, Essequibo River between July 9th and 13th 2014. The court heard that Lyte owed Fiedtkou money and was not repaying same. Fiedtkou was angry with Lyte, which led to them arguing. While alone in a boat, however, Lyte shot the pensioner to the chest with a shotgun, which was in the boat, being driven by Fiedtkou. Lyte then threw away the gun and sank the boat in an attempt to cover up his crime. During the trial, Lyte had maintained that he was innocent. Defence Counsel agreed that on the day in question the two men were last seen together. He noted, however, that none of the witnesses provided evidence to prove that Lyte had had an argument with Fiedtkou and then shot him. He further claimed that none of the witnesses saw Lyte sink the boat and dump the shotgun that had been used to commit the murder. The prosecution on the other hand urged the jury to rely on the circumstantial evidence of the crime when arriving at their verdict. It was argued that there was a motive to commit the act, since the Lyte owed Fiedtkou, and Lyte in his caution statement had alluded to the fact that he indeed had an argument with the pensioner. The prosecution also pointed out that the defence had failed to establish that the act was committed in self-defence or by accident, since the post mortem examination had revealed an entire case of pellets in the victim’s chest, which suggested that he was shot at close range. The act was deemed as deliberate. The prosecution underscored that Lyte’s intentions were to kill and hide what he did, since he disposed of the shotgun and sank the boat. After hearing from both the prosecution and defence, the jury went into deliberation for close to an hour before returning with a unanimous guilty verdict. Justice Kissoon subsequently handed
Kenrick Lyte down the death sentence after pointing out that Lyte had “deprived a 72-year-old gentleman of his life”. He added, “Society cannot exist with persons such as yourself amongst humanity… you are therefore sentenced to death in a manner authorized by law”.
Over 1,500... From page 7 year, when the rains come, it is not unfamiliar for it to be impassable and for parts to be underwater or washed away. The cost for building the roadway, including bridging a number of rivers, is said to be in the vicinity of hundreds of millions of US dollars, and cuts through some of the country’s untouched forests, a real worry for conservationists. There have been questions about the viability of spending that kind of money for a road when there are other priorities, especially on the coastland, which contribute much more to the government tax coffers.
conviction that the no confidence motion was invalid and therefore there is, at least in its opinion, no obligation to call elections. It also finds itself in the awkward position of not being able to provide the Leader of the Opposition with a precise date when elections can be held. On the one hand it does not subscribe to the view that elections are to be held since it holds that the no confidence vote was invalid. And then on the other hand, it has had no discussions with GECOM as to when exactly elections, if necessary, will be held. What then, is there to be discussed with the Leader of the Opposition? The better option would be to meet first with GECOM. The only purpose which will be served by having a
meeting between the President and the Leader of the Opposition would be to demonstrate that it took steps to avoid a constitutional crisis and therefore, if needs be, has cause to invoke the de facto doctrine to stay in office beyond March 21, 2019. Any such invocation is going to be hotly contested by constitutionalists, because it is a doctrine of last resort. The de facto doctrine legitimizes actions of public officials, including governments, if it is later found that the said officials of governments were holding office illegally. Desmond Hoyte was trying to be clever when he described the post -1997 PPPC government as de facto rather than de jure. For a government to be de facto, it
not only has to have de facto possession of power, but also its hold on power has be to in compliance with the established legal order. The Coalition government will find it difficult to convince the Courts of the latter. In examining the legality of the de facto doctrine, the fundamental question to be answered is whether the crisis which triggered the invocation of the doctrine could have been avoided. The government will be hard pressed to demonstrate that at all times it acted in good faith to avoid a constitutional crisis.
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Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
The Bertram Collins College: Philosophical failure of Jagan, Burnham, PNC, PPP
T
he Bertram Collins College is in the news in a controversial way. The accusation is that the college’s intake is skewed in favour of African public servants. Is that so? The answer is yes. But is there context to that answer. The answer is yes. But to explain that context, one has to go back to the 1957 split between the two iconic anti-colonial fighters – Jagan and Burnham.
In going back, we will see the great Burnham was a philosophical failure. The great Jagan was an equal, philosophically, and their inability and incapacity to reach over the fence to the other side led us to the racial cul-de-sac we are now in. The parties and leaders they have left behind cannot get out of the ethnic labyrinth that the founding fathers were imprisoned in. Before we journey into
history and current sociology, a word about the principal of the college, Lawrence Paul. He has invited me to lecture to the students. Paul knows my philosophical approach to life. He was my student at UG. He did the course on philosophy with me in which we had to examine the thoughts of all the great philosophers, from Socrates in ancient Athens long before the birth of Christianity right up to the 20th century with Jean Paul Sartre.
Paul knows what I will say to those students. I will tell them that Burnham and Jagan were never racist, couldn’t b e bothered about being ethnically biased, but sadly found themselves relying on ethnic constituencies in which they wanted to get out, but couldn’t, because they lacked the capacity to think in innovative ways in philosophical terms. When the PPP split, both Jagan and Burnham found support in large ethnic sections of Guyana. Then Jagan became Premier. He was unable to devise unique pathways to attract the urban proletariat. Burnham as opposition leader felt comfortable with his support base of African Guyanese. Burnham became head of government in 1964. Burnham gave up on trying to win Indians, because he felt they were tied to the umbilical cord of Jagan. Jagan, as opposition leader, couldn’t devise genuine ways of attracting the African urban p r o letariat, even though Jagan was a devout embracer of class politics. So Guyana evolved with an Indian peasantry, Indian landed class, an Indian petty bourgeoisie, an intellectual African middle class, a professional class of African state workers, and a predominantly urban African proletariat. Guyana since Independence has been a plural society. Burnham never wooed the
Indians to come over to the public service. They remained ensconced in business activities. Presidents Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar, never thought of birthing financial institutions to create a landed African middle class and a nascent African petty bourgeoisie. The failure of the PNC and PPP governments to invent ideas and policies to change the plural society has left us today with the two major races occupying different economic spheres of existence. I taught at UG for 26 consecutive years. In the programmes of banking, marketing, accounting, business management, Indian applicants prevailed. In history, sociology, literature, social work, public management, African students dominated. The reality is that one set of people apply to the police force, public service and the army, while another set goes for banking, business investments, etc. We come now to the Bertram Collins College. It is not sufficient for the college to say a high percentage of African applicants responded. It was not sufficient for successive PPP governments to conclude that Africans prefer white collar state jobs. Innovative thinking had to be devised by PPP and PNC administrators to reach out. My suggestion for the
Frederick Kissoon future of this country is that whoever is in office needs to pursue one fundamental pathway – make an extraordinary effort to change the permanency of the sociological roles of Indians and Africans. Finance should be provided for African Guyanese to create an entrepreneurial class. Indians must be given incentives (ASAP) to join the state security forces (including prison and fire), and the public service. I would suggest to Lawrence Paul that he does affirmative action in the college. Set aside a quota for Indians and Amerindians. Give them incentives. What is wro n g w i t h that? The answer is nothing and Guyana wins handsomely. Charges of racism will continue, because the plural society encourages it. And the plural society is being kept alive by PPP and PNC leaders who are philosophically bankrupt. The time is long overdue for a wholesome African petty bourgeoisie and a graphic presence of Indians in the entire state sector. As Marvin Gaye sang in his humongous hit, “let’s get it on.”
DEM BOYS SEH
Things rough wid Basil de Willie Basil de Willie try everything to hold off de elections. He go to court to challenge de no confidence motion and de Chief Justice rule against him. He appeal. He ask de Chief Justice fuh a stay and she had to remind him that she didn’t give a ruling. He send de motion to de Appeal Court and ask fuh a stay. Yesterday dem boys see him crying in he office. Nobody coulda get him to talk. Is when de Chat-3 call him de story come out. De appeal court refuse to grant de stay. Every time he go to de court wid a case he losing. Now Soulja Bai wondering if he did mek de right decision when he appoint Basil de Willie as de Hay Gee. That is a serious wuk. It mean that you got to know law and express yuhself in
court. Elections coming. De Chat-3 pun de odda side hoping to get back de wuk as Hay Gee. He get disappointed when he didn’t get de wuk as presidential candidate. Young Ramson did want de same job and Jagdeo shut him down early. He seh de boy got to get experience. Now dem boys believe that he might mek de young man Hay Gee and shutout de Chat-3. Well if that happen? Dem boys don’t want to think about it. Pun de odda side, people telling Soulja Bai that he should talk to Roysdale. He is a good lawyer and it look he know more law than Basil de Willie. From long he was de lawyer who did represent Soulja Bai party when it challenge
de elections wha Janet win. He go wid a case before de then Chief Justice and he impress de woman so much that in open court she tell him he got a far way to go. And she wasn’t talking bout Russia or London. And in any case, if that is de case he got to use de airport. Soulja Bai spending nuff money pun de airport. And de money is not building a new one. It just repairing de old one. Dem boys don’t like wha going on and dem even ask Soulja Bai and de people he put fuh manage de project to come clean. De only thing dem cleaning is de floor. It look like if somebody got to go to court again. And dem would have a good case if dem don’t tek Basil. Talk half and find a wuk fuh Basil de Willie.
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Friday March 01, 2019
Jagdeo points to Govt. attempts to hide letter to GECOM, calls it fraud - PPP commissioners walk out of meeting By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell “Fraud! This is nothing more but fraud, they are not misleading one person; they are misleading an entire country.” That was the assertion of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday at his weekly press conference. When he yelled, “fraud” Jagdeo was referring to the existence of two letters addressed to the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on the same day. Both letters were written by President David Granger. The letters were written just a few days ago—February, 25. The following day, the Ministry of the Presidency announced that President Granger had written to GECOM in response to a letter GECOM had sent, informing of the constraints being faced by the Commission, causing it to not be ready for elections. The Ministry released a copy of the letter sent by the President. The letter read, “I have noted that GECOM, as a constitutional agency, would require a new appropriation of funds approved by the National Assembly for the conduct of General and Regional Elections. I now write you in that context for us to initiate consultations on the readiness of GECOM for the conduct of General and Regional Elections.” It turns out that that was not the only letter sent by Granger.
Another was sent to the GECOM Chairman, and this is the one that PPP members on GECOM have in their possession. That letter reads: “The Government is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the Commission is provided with the financial resources and has sufficient time to conduct credible elections. I urge the Commission, therefore, to commence preparations for the conduct of GRE (General and Regional Elections). The Government will initiate measures to provide the funds required and to seek the approval of the National Assembly to ensure that an agreement can be reached, given both the Constitutional requirements and GECOM’s capability.” While it seems to be a case of government reneging on an official position and sending another letter that does not give GECOM clear instructions to prepare for elections, Jagdeo thinks otherwise. He thinks that the government is committing fraud, as it tried to replace the first letter (the one instructing preparations), with another which seeks to merely assess GECOM’s readiness. Jagdeo told the media, “One document was presented to the Commissioners and another document is on the website of the Ministry of the Presidency… this is fraudulent behaviour.” Jagdeo said that, as a result of the deception, the Guyanese people were misled into thinking that GECOM was not instructed to commence preparations for the
GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj conduct of General and Regional Elections. He said, “When this country thought that we were moving forward, the second letter takes us back to old arguments… it only talks about discussions.” He added, “…the first letter was explicit…three critical issues were dealt with, including constitutional compliance, instructions for GECOM to start preparations for elections.” According to him, the credibility of the Government and President Granger himself, is at stake. “This overshadows everything else… how can you engage with a government of this nature in good faith? This is a national scandal,” he said. After Jagdeo’s press conference, a missive was released to the media in the name of GECOM Commissioner (PPP) Sase Gunraj. Gunraj said that, at a Statu-
A vote for any extension to life of Govt. will be aiding and abetting criminality - Jagdeo The supreme law of Guyana says that General and Regional Elections are to be held within three months following a successful motion of no-confidence against the government. It also makes provisions for that deadline to be extended. But, the government cannot secure an extension on its own. The constitution requires a vote of a two-thirds majority of the 65-seat National Assembly. This means, with the current make-up of the National Assembly where the government merely has a oneseat majority, the opposition would have to vote with the government in order for legal and constitutional extension to be made possible. Yesterday, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo told the media that the People’s
Progressive Party/Civic will not support any extension to the life of the government. He said that that is the position adopted by the party in an attempt to ensure that it is not made complicit in any of the “criminal behaviour” perpetuated by the government. Jagdeo said, “They are hoping that this period expires (the three months mandated by the constitution) and we are forced into a situation where we have to extend (the life of government) so that the country does not go into a constitutional crisis.” He then made it clear, “We will not vote with this government to extend its life.” Rhetorically, Jagdeo asked, “What are we voting for, to extend the life of this government so that they can continue to abuse state re-
sources; so that they can continue to steal and transfer resources? (Are we going to vote) so that they can continue to violate the constitution and so that they can continue to make excuses for not holding General and Regional elections?” He continued, “I am going to vote with them for that to happen? That is what they want me to do… extend the life of the government to do that. (And) they are not even talking in good faith, so why?” Jagdeo further asked, “You want me to do that so that they can continue to behave the way they are behaving? Travelling all around the world and raping the resources. I did not even want to deal with that today.” (Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell)
tory Meeting of GECOM held the day after the letters were sent to the Chairman, one letter circulated. Gunraj stated, “The letter, inter alia, urged the Guyana Elections Commission to commence preparations for the holding of General and Regional Elections.” He said that yesterday, Jagdeo drew his (Gunraj’s) and his colleagues’ attention to the existence of a second letter, purportedly under the
hand of President David Granger, also dated the 25th of February, 2019. Gunraj said that PPP Commissioner Bibi Shadick made contact with the Office of the Chairman of GECOM and requested a copy of correspondence received by the Chairman from the President. An email was received from the Office of the Chairman of GECOM at 1:07 pm on the 28th February, 2019, in which the one letter was attached. Then, at a meeting of the Commission held yesterday at 3pm, “an inquiry was made about the existence of a second letter, and the Chairman only then confirmed the existence of a second letter, and copies were hurriedly made and provided to Commissioners.” Gunraj stressed that no previous mention was made of the second letter, nor was any effort made to present copies thereof to Commissioners. He said that, at the meeting yesterday, “A discussion on the content of this second letter ensued and upon inquiry, the Chairman responded that it was not his opinion that the second let-
ter superseded the first.” But, APNU Commissioner Vincent Alexander then tendered the view that it did supersede the first, said Gunraj. “Thereafter, a request was made by Commissioner Shadick for the Secretariat to provide a plan for preparation for the holding of elections, in keeping with the urging of the President. At this point, Commissioners Alexander and Trotman insisted that any such plan must include House to House Registration,” said Gunraj. He continued, “This flies in the face of the urgent need, as prescribed by the Constitution of Guyana, to hold elections within three (3) months of the successful passage of a vote of no confidence. Further, it can only be seen as another act in the series of dilatory tactics employed by certain Commissioners and the Secretariat of GECOM to derail this important and constitutionally mandated timeframe. It having become very obvious that there was no plan to be discussed regarding the preparation for elections, we were left no option but to walk out of the meeting.”
Opposition Leader rejects March 6 meeting with President By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has long said that any further meetings with President David Granger will be predicated on the issues listed on the agenda to be discussed. Jagdeo said that unless the president wants to discuss a possible date for elections, meetings are essentially a no, no as far as he is concerned. That position now appears to be unwavering. Earlier this week, President David Granger extended an invitation to Jagdeo for a meeting on March 6. Jagdeo is still to actually respond to the President’s invite. Before informing Granger about his refusal, Jagdeo informed the media. He did so at a press conference hosted yesterday at his Church Street Office. At that forum, Jagdeo did not even state if he plans on ever penning a formal response to the Head of State. What he stated, however, is that none of the topics the President proposed to be discussed are appealing to him. Jagdeo asked, “Why do I need to meet with President Granger next week? He wanted to consult with me on the National Assembly’s constitutional role in the present
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo situation, and that is clearly defined in the constitution. He does not need to consult with me on that.” Jagdeo suggested that instead of the President consulting with him on such an issue, he should just simply “read the constitution and comply with it.” The Opposition Leader said that the second issue President Granger wanted to consult on has to do with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s readiness for the hosting of General and Regional Elections and requirements for funding to enable GECOM to conduct such elections. Jagdeo said that he also need not be consulted on those two issues.
Addressing the request to meet on GECOM’s readiness, Jagdeo said that it is a waste of time meeting with the president on that, simply because he believes that the government gave “directions to GECOM not to be ready. They have not even started preparations and the constitutional period is essentially expired.” Regarding funding, Jagdeo said, “Section 222 of our constitution allows GECOM to use the lump sum money they have (the $3B for house-to-house) in their own discretion and that is adequate funds for the conduct of General Elections.” Jagdeo railed, “So why does he want to consult with me? (He said) nothing about when they are going to have election, the date for election. I made it clear that unless a date for election is the topic there will be no meeting. They will drive us into unconstitutional territory, and we will go there, because we are not going to compromise on this government complying with the constitution of Guyana.” He continued, “The entire world will treat them as illegal; we will treat them as illegal and they would be illegal. There will be no doubt about it.”
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Thirty-five businesses joined GMSA in 2018 The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) held its annual general meeting (AGM) yesterday, at the Marriott Hotel, where the President, Shyam Nokta, told the gathering that the Association welcomed 35 new organisations to its membership, including the Demerara Distillers Limited. The figure took the GMSA’s membership total to 135. The association has taken several measures to strengthen the relationship between businesses involved in manufacturing, social and business services and the Government of Guyana. These include Ministerial Roundtable Discussions with a focus, in 2018, on Agro-processing. GMSA has put a joint technical committee in place between the company itself and the government. The two sides meet bimonthly to address critical issues affecting the Agroprocessing sector. Specific also to its work for the Agro-processing is Uncapped, a programme of activities that has caused several small agro-processors to have their products recognised at the national level. However, President Nokta noted several challenges to the manufacturing sector in 2018, worst of which was the high cost of energy, coupled with issues of stability and reliability. Many manufacturers, Nokta said, have been pushed off the grid by these limitations and have resorted to self-generation. Further, Nokta said that tax measures introduced in
Budget 2017, like VAT on electricity made this issue worse, affecting manufacturers negatively throughout last year. Adjustments to the VAT regime in 2018 caused some manufacturers to not be able to reclaim VAT on inputs for exported items, and Nokta said that this disincentivised both manufacturing and exports, affecting key sub-sectors like wood-processing and rice. Nokta said that the extended rainy season and lack of maintenance, caused access and infrastructure to become key challenges in the first half of 2018. Many roads to the interior were rendered impassable. To this day, accessibility remains a challenge, as there are severe challenges in getting goods to hinterland communities over land. During consultations for Budget 2019, the GMSA President noted that several suggestions were made, covering areas such as taxation, access to finance, public procurement, energy standards and regulations. Sector-specific measures were proposed for the forest and wood products, agro-processing, construction and engineering sectors. In the presence of Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, Nokta urged that the measures be considered, since they would make room for the manufacturing and services sector to flourish, hence, the diversification of the economy. While some submissions of GMSA were incorporated into Budget 2019, such as the
A section of the gathering at the Annual General Meeting yesterday at the Marriott Hotel reduction of the manufacturing and non-commercial rate to 25 percent, Nokta said that the changes are not significant enough to alter a business environment in which ease of doing business has not been enhanced in recent years. Present at the head table of the AGM was Country Representative for the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), Sophie Makonnen, who said that greater competitiveness and economic diversification are key indicators of a strong economy. In this context, she also mentioned that technology innovation is quite relevant, and must be heeded by this country. Despite the challenges, Nokta said he believes the manufacturing sector will continue to hold its own, “while at the same time recognising that the sector should be able to catalyse a far greater contribution to the economy�.
GMSA President Shyam Nokta
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Kaieteur News
Ruling today for Trini accused of faking own kidnapping Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore is set to make a ruling in the trial of 33-year-old Sawak Maraj, a Chemical Engineer, who is accused of faking his own kidnapping. On the last court appearance, the Magistrate ruled that after going through the entirety of the evidence led by Police Prosecutor Dominic Bess, she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a prima facie case had been made out against him for the offence. Hence, he was called upon to lead a defence in the matter. Particulars of the first charge against Maraj alleged that on October 27, last, at Georgetown, he knowingly gave false information to the police, stating that he was kidnapped and that his abductors demanded US$700,000 for his release. It was further alleged that on the same day at Madewini Re-
sort, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, Maraj conspired with other persons to negotiate to obtain a ransom of US$700,000. The Trinidadian pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on $1M bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on his second court appearance, after spending three weeks on remand. Late last year, the defendant was granted permission to leave the jurisdiction and return to his homeland. He has been showing up in court every time his matter is called. Maraj, who had opted to give an unsworn statement, had told the court, “I am not guilty of these charges. Your worship, at no point did I agree with anyone to fake my kidnapping. All this time, I still believed that Abraham was a bona fide employee of Exxon, who was at the airport to facili-
tate as a recipient on Exxon’s behalf,” Maraj noted. He added that he was driven to several locations and that’s when he realized that something was wrong. He told the court that he was taken to a hotel and a cutlass was placed to his throat, and he was threatened. ”I became very afraid; I knew no one and I was very confused. I was visibly relieved when the police came shortly after my capturers had fled.” According to information, Maraj arrived in Guyana on October 28, last, via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. He reportedly left the airport in a taxi and was heading to a hotel on East Bank Demerara when he disappeared. It was a Guyanese who went to the hotel and made reservations for Maraj. Shortly after the engineer left
the airport, a photograph of him with someone holding a cutlass to his neck, was sent to his parents and other relatives in Trinidad and Tobago. It is alleged that the ‘kidnappers’ threatened to kill their victim if the demanded ransom was not paid. The engineer’s family immediately made contact with the Guyana Police Force and forwarded the photograph. This newspaper was informed that local ranks were able to track the number that the ‘kidnappers’ used to make contact with Maraj’s relatives. They were also able to trace the location where the call was made. Ranks were immediately mobilized from around Georgetown and sent to the location in a bid to rescue the ‘victim.’ On arrival at the hotel, they took up strategic positions. They were puzzled when they entered the room where the ‘victim’ was being held and found him relaxing on a sofa, drinking a can of fruit-juice. He was not bound or gagged.
Trinidadian Sawak Maraj
GTT launches monthly live chat on issues After recently sharing the company’s highlights and review on Tuesday with the media, GTT says it is seeking to launch a monthly Live Chat platform under the theme “Real Talk”.
This was revealed by GTT’s CEO, Justin Nedd. Nedd disclosed that this new forum will allow for live communication with the public to keep them informed about relevant topics such as
liberalization, Blaze service roll out, customer experience and a number of other related matters. “This direct channel will provide full transparency as we extend the same spirit of open dialogue shared with the media.” Nedd explained that GTT did not just change its tagline to “Do More” but is changing the way the company interacts with its customers. “Our VP of Customer Experience, Orson Ferguson, and the team are doing a great job by doing pulse checks via customer surveys, sending gentle reminders on bill payments, sharing product information as well as helpful tips on services,” said Nedd. He reminded that GTT’s vision is to improve the life experiences of customers by unlocking innovation through applications and infrastructure to every home and business; a vision he said, that is more like a promise to the people of Guyana. GTT is expected to roll out its first Real Talk live chat forum on its GTT’s Facebook Page on March 08, 2019 at 2:00pm. The “Do More” company encourages the public to like its Facebook page to be a part of the discussions.
Friday March 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Court asks Minister to explain action in Berbice Bridge takeover Justice Gino Persaud has directed Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, to provide the court with an explanation on the toll order. Attorney for the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated, (BBCI), Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran, noted the Minister has been given 28 days within which he must provide a decision. The Judge issued the directive after the matter came up before him at the High Court yesterday. In application to the Court, the bridge company had noted that Section 15 of the Judicial Review Act provides as follows: “It is the duty of any person or body making administrative deci-
sions, if requested in accordance with this section by any person adversely affected by the decision, to supply that person with a statement setting out the findings on material questions of facts, referring to the evidence or other material on which those findings were based and giving the reasons for the decision.” According to the court papers, the bridge company said it wrote the Minister on November 6 asking for details that would have helped those findings, but he failed to provide the response. The BBCI therefore filed legal proceedings against the Government in the High Court, and served notice on
the Minister of Public Infrastructure and the Attorney General, the first and second named defendants, respectively, for a statement outlining the decision for the takeover of the maintenance and operation of the Berbice River Bridge. The Attorney General’s Chambers is appearing for the State. Amid a 360% increase in tolls, which was demanded by the BBCI, the Government on November 5, last, announced that it was taking temporary control of the bridge in the interest of the safety of the public. According to court documents filed by the BBCI, on November 1, Minister
Inquest into 2018 drowning of Soesdyke engineer continues The inquest to determine if anyone should be held criminally liable for the death of 32-yearold Neil Sookram, who drowned between July 29 and July 31, 2018, at a Wharf located at Block ‘R’ Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara, continued yesterday. The inquest is being conducted by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Yesterday two witnesses testified in the matter which was subsequently adjourned to March 15, 2019 for continuation. The Coroners Act Chapter 4:03 states that an inquest means, “An investigation as to the cause of a death held by a coroner with a jury.” According to reports, Sookram was an oiler on a barge and tug owned by Siri Communities Import and Export Inc., which is located at 18 Meadow Bank, East Bank Demerara. According to a witness, on July 2015 they moored the barge and tug at the Bhaskaram Wharf and Sookram and the other employees remained on the tug to complete their task, but they would leave sometimes and return to the tug. On July 29, 2018, Sookram and the other employees were
Dead Neil Sookram told to go home and return the following day. However, Sookram, who was a habitual drinker of alcohol, left the tug and went to a nearby rum shop, and was consuming alcohol at about 16:00 hrs. On the said day, about 20:30 hrs, Sookram, who appeared to be intoxicated, was escorted to the gate of Bhaskaram Wharf. The security guard then escorted him to the tug. It was reported that on the following day, Sookram could not be found. As a result, enquires were made as to his whereabouts and the employees
started to search for him A report was made to the police On July 31, last, Sookram’s body was found in the Demerara River at the Land of Canaan Koker. It was clad in a blue brief around the thighs, blue jeans to the bottom of his left foot and one brown boot on his left foot. On August 3 last, a post mortem examination was conducted on the body of the deceased and the cause of death was given as asphyxiation due to drowning, compounded by blunt trauma to the right side of the head and abrasion to the ankles.
Patterson caused to be issued and advertised in the Official Gazette the Berbice River Bridge (Public Safety) Toll Order 2018 No. 42 of 2018, made under Section 11(b)(i) of the Berbice River Bridge Act Cap 51:06 ordering that the functions of the concessionaire, (BBCI), to maintain and operate the Bridge shall be exercised by the Government. The Official Gazette also said that Minister Patterson having determined that the exercise of those functions by the Government is necessary and expedient in the interests of the public during the period November 5, 2018, to the
date, the Minister specifies by notice on the cessation of the threat to public safety. It also said that the tolls will be levied and collected and any exemptions shall be the same as those levied, collected and exempted immediately before the coming into operation of the said order. According to the bridge company, by a Concession Agreement dated June 12, 2006, entered into between the Ministry of Public Works and Communications, on behalf of the Government of Guyana and the company, it is made clear that BBCI shall be obliged at its own expense to operate and maintain the
Toll Bridge. The company said that Berbice River Bridge Act also provides that it has the right to specify different toll amounts in relation to the use of the bridge by reference to such circumstances or combination of circumstances as the BBCI may, after consultation with the Minister, determine. The bridge company argued that in a public statement on July 10, 2018, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Surendra Persaud, announced that a toll adjustment was an essential requirement to ensure that it can continue to execute its mandate.
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Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Appeal Court refuses “interim” stay in no-confidence case
Court of Appeal Judge Rishi Persaud yesterday refused to grant an “interim” stay of the High Court decision which upheld December 21, 2018 no confidence motion against the Coalition Government. Justice Persaud told legal teams representing parties named in the appeal that he would move to grant an expeditious decision after hearing the oral arguments in the case. Justice Persaud said that he is not minded to grant an interim stay at this time. During the case management hearing, the lawyers agreed to submit all written arguments and then present oral submissions on March 15. The government, through Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams has moved to the Court of Appeal—where it is seeking an interim stay of the judgments and orders made by Chief Justice (CJ) Roxane George Wiltshire—in relation to cases arising from the December 21, 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Motion in
Justice Rishi Persaud
Attorney General Basil Williams
the National Assembly. The government is further asking for a Conservatory Order, preserving the previously existing state of affairs that the President, Cabinet and all Ministers of the Government remain in office until the hearing and determination of the appeal filed in regards to the judgments which were handed down on January 31, at the High Court in Georgetown.
In the court filings Dr. Barton Scotland, Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana; Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition and Christopher Ram, Attorneyat-Law have been listed as Respondents. In a Notice of Appeal filed, the government said that the CJ erred and misdirected herself in law when she ruled that the National Assembly of Guyana properly, validly and lawfully passed a motion on
a vote of confidence provided for by Article 106 (6) of the Constitution by 33 votes and that Government was defeated. Attorney General Williams further contended that the CJ erred and misdirected herself in law when she ruled that the passage of the motion of no confidence provided for by Article 106 (6) of the Constitution by the National Assembly on 21st December, 2018 requires immediate resignation of the President and Cabinet. “The Honourable Chief Justice Roxane George Wiltshire erred in law and fact and her decision was unreasonable and cannot be
supported having regard to the evidence,” Williams maintains. The government has filed a summons with the Court of Appeal supported by an affidavit sworn to by State Counsel Raeanna Clarke, in which it is requesting the Stay and Conservatory Order. According to Clarke, “I am advised by my Attorneys-atLaw and verily believe that the Conservatory order is necessary to preserve the status quo ante as the period for the hearing and determination of the matter may expire before that time prescribed in Article 106 (7) of the Constitution which
requires that the President and Government remain in office and hold elections within three (3) months.” Clarke said, “That I will contend that the appeal has good prospects of success and the Honourable Court ought to grant a stay and a conservatory order in order to ensure that if the appeal is successful it is not rendered nugatory.” Clarke, in the affidavit, said that the Court of Appeal has held that it has jurisdiction to grant a stay of execution of a declaratory judgment in matters that would affect the public interest.
Armed robber jailed three years in his absence - Arrest warrant issued An arrest warrant has been issued for Laing Avenue, Georgetown resident, 24-year-old Nykoseye Gritten, known as “Boney” and “Skull”. This is as a result of him being convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment yesterday for robbery under-arms. Gritten had absconded from trial. Gritten was on trial in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts before Senior Magistrate Dylon Bess. The court heard that on April 21, 2018, at Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown, while armed with a gun, he robbed Ganpat Seepersaud, of $400,000 in cash. Yesterday Magistrate Bess ruled that after going through the entirety of the evidence led by the prosecution, he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt
Nykoseye Gritten that Gritten committed the offence. According to information, Gritten was shot during an exchange of gunfire with cops, on April 21, 2018 after robbing Seepersaud.
When the charge was first read by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, Gritten pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison. He was later granted bail and his matter was transferred to Magistrate Bess. It was reported that on the day of the robbery, Gritten, who was on a motorcycle, followed Seepersaud. After the robbery, the police were alerted and gave chase, resulting in an exchange of gunfire in which Gritten was shot once to his right foot. A police statement had noted that the attack occurred as Seepersaud, a Bourda Market vendor, was leaving his business place for home in a taxi. As Seepersaud was about to open his gate, the police said, Gritten who was armed with a handgun, (Continued on page 30)
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
Guyanese Sheran Harper commissioned as Mothers' Union Worldwide President
I
n a colourful and packed Southwark Cathedral Tuesday night, Mrs. Sheran Harper, was commissioned to her o f f i c e a s Wo r l d w i d e President of Mothers' Union, a movement of four million members worldwide, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Right Reverend Justin Welby. “Sheran, let me congratulate you for the trust the members have bestowed on you in electing you as their Worldwide President,” he said. He also thanked o u t g o i n g Wo r l d w i d e President Lynne Tembey for all of her years of service. “There is only one Mothers' Union! It is the world's oldest and largest women's movement. It is one of the Anglican
Archbishop Welby, Caroline Welby, The Bishop of Guyana, Charles Davidson, Board of Trustees and Sheran Harper (sixth from right) (Credit: Georgie Scott/Mothers' Union) Communion's greatest gifts to the worldwide church,” Archbishop Welby said. Guests arrived at Southwark Cathedral to the sounds of Calypso from Nostalgia Steel Band, reflecting Harper's Guyanese roots. Archbishop Welby spoke of the “powerful force” that is Mothers' Union to the congregation of more than 600 friends, family and Mothers' Union members, many of whom flew in from around the globe and closer to home for the occasion. The service was also attended by the High Commissioner of Guyana, His Excellency Fredrick Hamley Case and a representative from the High Commission of Rwanda. The Bishop of the
Archbishop Justin Welby leading a round of applause after Sheran Harper is commissioned as Worldwide President of Mothers' Union (Credit: Georgie Scott/Mothers' Union)
Diocese of Guyana Right Revd Charles Davidson, the Bishop at Lambeth, Tim Thornton, The Bishop of Southwark, Bishop Christopher Chessun and Bishop Anthony Poggo also took part in the service. “I feel overjoyed and humbled by the outpouring of love and support I have received. I am so very grateful to everyone who travelled from far and wide for this special day in the history of Mothers' Union. Thank you everyone who came and those who were unable to but were lifting me up in their prayers,” said Harper. She continued, “I especially thank Archbishop Justin for his encouraging words. We are indeed a unique and extraordinary gift from God. Mothers' (continued on page 29)
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
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Friday March 01, 2019
Guyana Goldfields announces mill expansion
G
u y a n a Goldfields Inc. has announced that the second phase of its mill expansion is mechanically complete and was fully commissioned as of February 25, 2019. “Based on the highly encouraging results from trials supplementing mill feed with pre-crushed ore, as well as the higher than expected performance in throughput from the completion of the first phase mill expansion in 2018 [average 2018 mill
throughput of 7,000 tonnes per day ("tpd") versus a design template of 6,600 tpd], the scope of the second phase of the mill expansion was reduced to include only the addition of a precrushing circuit.” The original scope included the addition of the pre-crush circuit along with a 1,000 tpd ball mill, representing a total 2018 capital savings of US$2 million. The company said it expects that the second phase of the mill expansion will further improve
recovery by up to two percent throughput by 10%, and allow for 75% redundancy of the primary crusher. Scott A. Caldwell states: "Mill performance has continuously exceeded our expectations. The anticipated enhanced capacity and redundancy of the primary crushing circuit will further lower our per unit costs in our efforts to optimize and continuously improve our operations.” Guyana Goldfields Inc. is a Canadian based mid-tier gold producer primarily focused on the exploration, development and operation
of gold deposits in Guyana. It is the single largest gold
The mill area at the Aurora mines, Region Seven.
producer, moving now to develop the country's first underground mine. However, it is facing troubles from a number of
shareholders with a key general meeting in a number of weeks. The operations are at Aurora, Cuyuni, Region Seven.
Security services vehicles with sirens, flashing lights ordered to remove them
T
he Guyana Police Force's Traffic Department is warning vehicles belonging to security services that they are not allowed to have e m e rg e n c y s i r e n s a n d flashing lights. According to the police, owners of Security Services and other persons should be aware that the Road Traffic (Guyana Fire Service) Order made under Section 49 specifies clearly what “Emergency Vehicles” are. The police explained that it means approved police vehicle carrying a lamp, showing to the front an amber light and sounding
continually a bell, gong or siren. It also covers vehicles of the Fire Service which carry pumps, trailers or other vehicles of the and includes any vehicle carrying a lamp showing an amber light and “sounding continually a bell, gong or siren, in which any member of the Guyana Fire Service is being conveyed to any fire or suspected fire.” The police urged all owners of security services and other persons who are “guilty of having such equipment attached to their vehicles, to have them removed or face the consequences of being prosecuted”.
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
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Friday March 01, 2019
Fire destroys C'tyne business place, adjacent property
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t just around 14:30 hrs y e s t e r d a y, a blaze ripped through a threestorey building that housed a hardware store and restaurant, along with a house on an adjacent lot. Eyewitnesses told Kaieteur News that they noticed wires near the business place sparking and shortly after a "boom" was heard. This resulted in a massive fire that completely razed the buildings. The owner of the business, Dave Subnauth was not available when this publication tried to contact him for a comment, but it is understood that he had recently renovated the building which was once the "Countryside Cinema" located on the public road of Number 64 Village. The next door building was unoccupied since the owners reside overseas. However, neighbours stated that just recently they returned to the country on vacation and had constructed a new fence with grill work included. A car
which was parked under the house was also completely destroyed by the fire. Second in Command of the Fire Service in Berbice, Clive McDonald told the media that they received the first call at the Corriverton Fire Station at approximately 13:40 hrs and the unit immediately responded. He said, "on arrival the entire building was engulfed in flames, the crew immediately went into operation because of the magnitude and threat. They went to an open source of water at about 400 metres away". McDonald explained that subsequent to that, the unit called for backup and a fire tender from the Rose Hall Fire Station arrived to assist. The official stated that he could not put a time frame as to when the second building caught fire, but noted that because of the distance to source the water "it took some time" before they returned with the water. At the scene, the buildings were already
The fire and the aftermath completely burnt, with smoke still emanating, but firefighters were still working to quell the remainder of the inferno from within the buildings while residents lined the public road watching on. One female resident who was very helpful in assisting firefighters, explained that the Corriverton Fire Tender arrived shortly after the fire began on the business place, but when they arrived they appeared to be experiencing difficulties with their pump. "When they were trying
at the back to put the pump on the big fire truck, they took probably three quarter of an hour, then they resorted to something else, where they took a pump and we jump start it with my vehicle and we get water to come here. They had to go to Number 56 to get water and then come back, so by the time they returned then this second house had already caught fire", the woman said. She stated that residents had gathered and formed a bucket brigade to help douse
the fire on the second house, before it caught on to the other houses nearby. This was successful. According to the woman,
the firefighters did their best, but it was their equipment that failed them, "this house was not even supposed to burn", she said.
Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
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BARTICA WRAPS UP
GRAND MASH WEEKEND In style
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uyana's 49th Republic Anniversary celebrations at Bartica, spearheaded by the Regional Administration, went on in grand fashion this past weekend, with massive support from the general public. Thursday last, the Department of Education held its Schools Float Parade around the streets of Bartica, putting on show more than a dozen school in one of the largest turnouts for the annual event. Friday evening's Republic Candlelight Parade also saw a large turnout, with participants from the disciplinary forces, public service and the schools. The parade culminated at the Third Avenue Beachside Boulevard, where a grand cultural show preceded the annual Flag-Raising Ceremony. Addressing the large gathering just before midnight, Minister of
Communities, Honourable Ronald Bulkan, delivered a strong message of unity, good governance and a stable government, in spite of certain challenging circumstances.
DCC set to rock Queenstown tonight Tonight, all roads lead to the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) which is hosting its Club Night that offers music and entertainment. Potential vocalists would be allowed to showcase their talent by way of karaoke. And there would be no shortage of
ERC to host
“ A
contingent congregated at the Beachside Boulevard for the Mash Wash Down and Lime, creating a spectacular atmosphere well into the night. Mashramani 2019 at Bartica was a resounding success. The regional programme will be wrapped up on March 1 with the Appreciation and Prize Giving Ceremony.
Social Cohesion Minister deems
Mash 2019 a success A
food. The roast pork and the chicken have titillated many palates and will continue to do so tonight. There would also be cookup. Meals will be served from 7 PM to 10: 30PM. Unlimited beverage would be on sale. See you there.
”
Play at NCC next week
udiences of local theatre will soon be treated to the unique Guyanese play “I AM US”. The gala opening is on Saturday March 9 with one more show on Sunday March 10, 2019 at the National Cultural Centre. The play is presented by the Ethnic Relations Commission, (ERC), with a basic message of preserving tolerance and peace, despite the challenges elections can bring. Admission is free. The ERC said that the one-of-a- kind Guyanese play, with a mixed cast of almost a dozen characters, represents the hurdles faced by two neighbouring families of the two major ethnic groups. The Commission said that members of both families display
The hoisting of the Golden Arrowhead was followed by the grand 592 Jouvert, which went into daylight at the Community Centre Ground. And that was only the start of celebrations at Bartica. Mash Day revelry in the streets saw participation from many government departments and agencies, alongside input from the private sector. Again, the large
qualities of trust and togetherness in everyday life but suspicions and mistrust surface during an upcoming election. It said that the play has its share of humour which the Guyanese audience would welcome. The Commission said , “However, questions often avoided are brought into the open; what we perceive of each other and how we overcome the historical divisiveness of elections, while converting our strengths and weaknesses to achieve togetherness as one nation.” The ERC believes that several messages in the play are relevant and challenges every Guyanese to ponder their sense of purpose for a united Guyana.
s the Department of Social Cohesion begins to close the curtains on the Mashramani 2019 celebrations, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton has deemed the activities held thus far as a success. Remaining on the calendar of events is the Linden and Berbice Mashramani parade slated for March 3, followed by the Champions in Concert, in Mahdia, on March 9. Minister Norton noted his satisfaction with the massive involvement and support shown by the young people which he opined was instrumental in the success of the country's 49th Republic Anniversary. The Minister said, “Though the Minister of Social Protection, George Norton 23rd of February has come and gone, the Mash spirit still lives will become a fixture of the Mashramani since we still have Mash activities, with the celebration. last being in Mahdia where we will have a “The organising committee will always have Champions concert. this on their agenda, and we will insist that the But overall, I am happy for basically the clean-up exercise starts as early as possible. crowd support...” Thus far, it is proving to be quite successful. He added , “It was amazing to know that at 3 However, we have taken note of complaints in the afternoon the Mashramani route was made about garbage bins not being placed filled to capacity, both Vlissengen and Irving along the route, therefore consideration will road and Durban Park... you had to be young, be taken to improve the citizens' experience,” strong and active in order to withstand the he explained. longest route we have ever had, and you On Republic Day, [Saturday, February 23], could have seen the energy from the young workers were seen walking behind the last people.” float cleaning up garbage into the wee hours Minister Norton said that from all of Sunday. indications, support for future Mashramani It was highlighted that the Mayor and City activities will continue to increase as Council (M&CC) aims to introduce a necessary improvements will be made. mandatory fee in 2020 for the cleaning up of “Mash is here to stay, and we will try to vending spots along the Mashramani route, improve moving forward,” he said. as efforts for persons to better dispose of their These improvements include the upgrading garbage were futile. (Modified reporting by of their clean-up exercise which he believes DPI)
Kaieteur News
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Friday March 01, 2019
Alexandra Correia and Surinamese Vojiya Taylor for INSPIRE YOU Event on Sunday
Vijoya Taylor
Two vibrant and talented young ladies have joined the lineup for the transformational INPIRE YOU event.The event is hosted be Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts in collaboration with Women Across Borders.
Alexandra Correia is a beautiful and very humble young lady who loves to help people. She is the Commercial Manger of Trans Guyana Airways and Evergreen Adventures, two companies under the Correia Group of Companies. Vijoya Taylor is full of life and passionate about the creative sector. She is the daughter Sean Taylor, the founder of the prestigious Alphamax Academy School. Mr Taylor hails from Guyana and his daughter very proud of her Guyanese roots. Her love for unique, eyecatching jewelry led her to start making her own creations. She lives and works as a teacher in Paramaribo, Suriname, and draws inspiration from the exquisiteness of nature and life in the tropics. They will be joining a lineup of powerful women such as Hilda Bournes (Mississippi) Christine Neblette (New York) Bethany Love (Arozona) Jacqui Phillips (New Jersey)Dr. Safeeya Mohamed (Trinidad) Cloyette Harris Stoute (New York )Ms. Claudette Rogers Director of Maritime, Thandi McAllister, MariskaFiedtkou Jordan and Ruqayyah Boyer are part of the local line up. The INPIRE YOU event will motivate you to give the
Gavin Mendonca to perform at
Alexandra Correia world the best version of you and is scheduled for March 3 at the Pegasus Hotel. Tickets are available at Pegasus and Oasis Café.
Wine of the
KFC LINK SHOW 34 Week … this weekend
F
ans of Creole Rock musician, Gavin Mendonca, will be in for a treat this weekend when the KFC Link Show 34 curtains go up on Friday evening, March 1st for its 34th annual production. Audiences can look forward to two hours of solid entertainment with a large cast of over 30 persons. The cast is a mixture of the very experienced actors teaming with newcomers. Gavin Mendonca is well known for his Creole Rock music which is a fusion of Guyanese Folk Music, Creole Culture and Dialect, and Punk Rock n' Roll.Gavin is also the host of his self-produced radio show – Radio Rock 'n' Roll, Guyana's Premier Rock 'n' Roll Radio show, bringing rock music to a wider audience, and allows a platform for Rock Music from all around the Caribbean/Region to be heard on Guyana's National Radio Station. He is also an advocate for more local content on Guyanese Radio; as well as one of the directors of the annual 'Rupununi Music and Arts Festival'. Gavin has represented Guyanese Rock 'n' Roll multiple times in Trinidad, as well as Suriname, Colombia and Dominican Republic, the UK and the
f you're looking for a wine that's a perfect blend of sharp rapture and elegance, then the Antigual Uno Malbec is the perfect pick. It was birthed in the historic winery called Bodega Antigal which is located in Maipú, Mendoza – Argentina. Its origins date back to 1897. With a completed remodeling in the 2000s, the Bodega Antigal was able to achieve the very best in high-tech functionality and houses a state-of-theart facility whose gravity-flow platform system allows for a largely “hands off” approach to winemaking thereby eliminating the need for forceful pumps and crushers. Since 2007, the company started the exports of its mouthwatering treasure mainly to the US market, and quickly became a statewide recognized quality brand from Argentina, with its signature UNO Malbec. In fact, UNO Malbec, received its
I
US. Also a composer, he has written many songs that are patriotic and tell a story about being Guyanese, such as 'City By De Tides' (a song about his home town) and 'The Great Rebellion' (a song about Cuffy, and the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion) and the 2015 Christmas Hit 'Cause Is Christmas (in Guyana)'. He is also currently the bassist of local Heavy Metal band - Feed The Flames. He has managed to fuse Guyanese Culture, which is truly unique, with Rock 'n' Roll, creating an entirely new sub-genre of Rock Music – Creole Rock. Gavin's main aim is to contribute to the preservation of Guyanese Culture and Heritage through is works The KFC Link Show 34 is produced by GEMS Theatre Productions and the Theatre Company and directed by Ron Robinson. Show dates are from Friday 1st to Monday 4th and the show starts promptly at 20.00hours (8.00p.m.). Tickets are $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000 available at the National Cultural Centre, KFC Mandela Ave. and Regent & King streets branches. Security is provided for vehicles and please adhere to the NCC dress code.
The Antigal 1 (Uno) Malbec: An Argentine Masterpiece first recognition by the prestigious US Magazine Wine Enthusiast. Additionally, Antigal has been recognized worldwide for its quality, with a strong presence in America, Europe and Asia. But that's enough history for you. Let's get down to the more interesting part: taste and what to pair it with. This wine undoubtedly showcases the optimally ripe grapes of Argentina's vineyards. It has an intense, almost blood red colour and carries a powerhouse taste of red fruit, cedar, and vanilla spice. But this boldness is beautifully tapered off by smooth firm tannins. It is perfect for pairing with pasta and red meats. This Argentine masterpiece can be found at the Wine Vault located at the Marriott Hotel for $8300 VAT inclusive. You can also find it at the Hibiscus Restaurant, Nice Restaurant and Bar, Palm Court and other leading hotels and bars.
Kaieteur News
POP
CULT
THE REVIEWS ARE IN!!!
A Star is Born: Lady Gaga hits all the right notes in this beautiful love story
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WHATZ
THE
Friday March 01, 2019
HOTTT
this weekend!!! 704 Sports Bar to host the ultimate De-stresser weekend for the ladies
The legendary Destiny's Child famously said, “Ladies it ain't easy being independent.” And at 704, the management and staff understand just how hard the ladies work to take care of themselves hence the reason
this unique establishment is inviting all ladies to head on over to the 704 bar to indulge in their simply tantalizing Destresser cocktail. The first 30 will get this signature cocktail for free. See you there!!!
704 Sports Bar presents Build Your Bucket every Wednesday and Friday
It's Heineken Fridays at 704 Sports Bar
At the 704 Sports Bar, there will always be an opportunity to evolve your choices. And every Wednesday and Friday, party-goers will get a chance to build their bucket. This interesting concept allows you to pick any combination of six beers to Build Your Bucket (BYB) and get it at a special price. This offer is available from 5pm to 7pm! See you there.
O
ne star soars; the other crashes and burns. It's a tale as old as time, flattened and fatigued by constant repetition. So why in hell did Bradley Cooper choose to make his debut as director with the third remake of A Star Is Born? What could he bring to the role of the selfdestructive headliner living in the shadow of the protégée he loves? And why did he have Lady Gaga, going out on a limb in her first starring role, to follow in the footsteps of the legends who previously aced the role of the newbie: Barbra Streisand (1976), Judy Garland (1954) and Janet Gaynor (1937)? Talk about walking a tightrope without a net. The movie starts and you think, “Oh no, not again.” And then, boom: Cooper sneaks up and snaps you to attention. Though there's no disguising the film's dated origins, the actor-turned- director's defiantly fresh approach allows A Star Is Born to emerge as a skyrocket of soul-stirring music, drama and heartbreak. By dumping the usual Hollywood bullshit for something that feels raw, scrappy and lived-in, Cooper and Gaga knock it out of the park. Seamlessly integrating terrific original songs with a script he wrote with Eric Roth and Will Fetters, Cooper refashions his Star for a right-now generation tired of watching blunt truth give way to softball fantasy. The Oscar race has now officially begun. His character, Jackson Maine, is a washed-up country rocker with a love of booze and lines of blow. The musician's depressive state has its roots in a turbulent childhood reflected in his contentious relationship with his older brother Bobby (Sam Elliott), who resents Jackson for co-opting his voice. And Dave Chappelle scores as Noodles, a friend who worries that not even love can save the hard-livin' musician's soul. Cooper's performance is enhanced by his surprisingly credible singing. There are times when Jackson's lyrics still get through to him, as in, “Maybe it's time to let the old ways die.” Or maybe it's time for him to find his purpose in helping Ally, a waitress who's getting nowhere as a singer-songwriter. The role is usually played as an ingénue looking for guidance in a world of male predators.
Lucky for us — and the movie — Gaga doesn't do ingénue. Her would-be star from a boisterous Italian family (Andrew Dice Clay barrels through the role of her rowdy Sinatra-crooner dad) has been kicked around by an industry that likes her sound but not her look. She's a street fighter who knows she's good. Still, Ally balks when this famous singer drags her onstage. Of course, the crowd goes wild. Gaga is a lightning bolt of emotions — and one hell of an actress. Born Stefani Germanotta, Gaga constructed herself as a one-woman visual extravaganza (remember that meat dress?). But not in this movie. To play Ally, she strips herself of all artifice. There's nothing to hide behind. And while Jackson shrinks from the spotlight, she inhales it like oxygen. The script hints at a sharp notion, that Ally might lose herself in the same way her dad did. Her new manager, Rez (Rafi Gavron), wants Ally to add dancers and glitz to her act. Can she resist? Cooper elevates a shopworn genre by fully integrating story and song. And the film gains welcome authenticity by recording the songs live, solos and duets, at various music fests, including Coachella and Glastonbury. Jackson and Ally are singer-composers who write what they live. Early on, they sit outside a supermarket at night, crafting an anthem about the euphoria and terror of what's ahead. 'Its called “Shallow” — and it's easily the best movie song in years. The director's gut-level commitment to the material comes through, even when the film tips dangerously into shallow sentiment. It helps immeasurably that the songs Cooper and Gaga wrote in tandem with other musicians, including Mark Ronson, Jason Isbell and Lukas Nelson (Willie's talented son), give a real-deal urgency to this tragic love story. You get pulled into a force field, thanks to Cooper's behind-the-camera chops and Gaga's sound and fury. By the time the end credits roll, you realize that, in fact, two stars have been born. (https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movi e-reviews/a-star-is-born-movie-reviewlady-gaga-729475/)
Aura Bar and Lounge at Pegasus Hotel pres. club night Saturdays Every Saturday, the Management at Aura will be providing an ambiance filled with quality service, delicious food and great music. Every Saturday should be a party to remember and the Aura is determined to give you that experience. The Lounge will be open from 8pm. Music will be provided by Guyana's most popular DJs. For reservations, you can make contact with management on: 225-2853 or 600-6912.
If you are a die-hard fan of the Heineken brand then 704 Sports Bar is where you need to be this and every Friday. According to management, fans can get six Heinekens for just $2800 between 7pm and 9pm. Be sure to take advantage of this offer guys!
Escape the after work traffic today at Palm Court As the Great Caribbean Singer, Father Fox says, "Who does go to work on a Thursday or even a Friday?" Well, unfortunately, most of us do! But that shouldn't stop you from "ducking" every once in a while when the pressure seems too much and you desire to have a little fun. Every Friday, one of Guyana's number one entertainment spots, Palm Court will be offering a light celebration called "Escape the after work traffic. The event gets started from 4:00pm to 7:00pm so see you there.
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Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Truck fetching combine kills mom of four dropping grandson to school
The low bed truck and trailer with the combine harvester on it. A 41-year-old mother of four tragically lost her life in an accident along the Albion Public Road sometime around 13:30 hrs yesterday. Dead is Christina Raghu of lot 305 Kilcoy Squatting Area, Corentyne, Berbice. Reports are that the woman had just dropped off her grandson at the Cropper Primary School and was riding home when the accident occurred. It was disclosed by police sources that the truck bearing license plate number GLL 7901 with trailer number TNN 6629, which was transporting a combine harvester, projecting two feet on both sides of the trailer, was proceeding west along the southern carriageway of the road and in the process, Raghu, who was going in the said direction on the southern side of the road, was struck by the combine’s extension. A resident told this publication that the woman rode out from a street onto the public road when a low bed heavy duty truck and trailer transporting the combine struck her off her bicycle. She
Dead: Christina Raghu
was shortly after picked up and rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital. It was while she was seeking medical attention that she succumbed to her injuries. Relatives stated that the driver and owner of the truck are claiming that the woman
was at fault. The driver is currently in police custody assisting with investigations. The woman’s niece told Kaieteur News that her aunt was a hard worker and focused most of her life and time to her children and grandchildren.
The bicycle that the woman was riding
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
PAGE 27
Roads to be constructed and rehabilitated across the country (cont’d) Rehabilitation/Construction of Miscellaneous Roads 2019 - Regions 2, 3, 4 & 5 Lots 1-42
(Continued on page 31)
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Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Regional leaders concerned about escalating situation in Venezuela BASSETERRE,St.Kitts-CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders ended their two-day inter-sessional meeting here late Wednesday night saying they were “deeply concerned” by the recent further escalation of tensions in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. In a statement, the 15-member grouping reiterated their original
position of non-interference in the internal affairs of the South American country where Opposition Leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself interim president, is leading the effort to remove PresidentNicolasMaduro fromoffice. While Guadio has the backing oftheUnitedStatesandseveralother Western countries, Maduro, who
was sworn into office last month, is backed by Russia, China, Cuba and several others. CARICOM has been seeking to play a mediating role in the conflict and said they were concerned that the escalation of the situation is increasing the hardship and suffering of the population exacerbated by the imposition of sanctions” mainly by Washington.
Venezuela’s Guaido says plans return to Caracas despite threats BRASILIA (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said yesterday he plans to return to Venezuela despite threats against himself and his family, including prison, and he plans to work out his return route this weekend. Speaking to reporters after meeting Brazil’s
right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, Guaido said there was no chance of dialogue with the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro without discussing elections. Bolsonaro said during a joint statement with Guaido that he was the hope for restoring a “free, democratic and prosperous Venezuela.”
GGMC officials visit Kurubuka ... (From page 3) far, failed to explain, in any convincing manner, its rationale for not engaging the recognized union – the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU).” In fact, the unions said in the joint statement, such an explanation has been unforthcoming as no sensible explanation can be proffered in the first place. “It should not be forgotten that the Constitution of Guyana and the Trade Union Recognition Act compels employers to engage the legitimate workers organisation in Collective Bargaining.” BCGI’s action, the meeting recognized “dismayingly”, is not an isolated incident, but rather, seems to be a reflex action by foreign-enterprises operating locally. “This dismal conclusion was reached after the meeting noted that an almost similar approach was embraced by the Malaysianowned Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL). The DTL, in 2016, had moved to dismiss a number of workers after they took part in a protest exercise outside that Company’s Head Office in Kingston, Georgetown. That matter was subsequently settled after the intervention of the Courts were sought.”
It was also disclosed that since then, the company has been refusing to engage the recognised bargaining agent – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) – and has even gone as far as refusing to attend meetings summoned by the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Social Protection. Similarly, the unions recalled that the National Mine Workers Union (NMWU) in 2017, called attention to certain breaches by the Canadian-owned Guyana Goldfields Inc. “The union, at that time, had also expressed concern that workers were not being granted any pay increases and were bothered about the composition of the Workers’Complaint Committee. The FITUG/GTUC also recalled concerns being expressed, in the media, regarding employees employed with El Dorado Offshore (EDO), another foreign enterprise involved in the oil sector, who could be fired were they to disclose their working-conditions.” SCORN According to the unions, with many foreign-enterprises operating in the extractive sectors, those workers make sacrifices to be away from their loved ones, sometimes for extended
periods, but yet, in spite of those laudable efforts, are treated with apparent disdain and scorn when they demand their fair share of the pie. “The actions of foreign-enterprises in Guyana are by and large no different from their practices in other third-world nations as well. Many reports and articles, in several countries, have spoken to nearly identical situations as the profit-motive, it appears, trumps every other concern, including environmental well-being and employees welfare. Our concerns, at this time, are heightened recognizing that several foreign companies have established themselves, in recent times, as they seek to benefit from opportunities flowing from the oil and gas sector.” The representatives made it clear that it is not averse to foreign investment. “But, at the same time, we have justifiable concerns regarding the practices and ploys embraced by some foreign-enterprises operating locally. On this score, we were heartened that the Government has indicated that workers’ rights must be upheld. We indeed look forward to the Government giving meaning to its utterances recognizing nowadays the neoliberal construct of the economy.”
Friday March 01, 2019
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to be indicted on corruption charges, pending hearing Jerusalem (CNN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be indicted on bribery and breach of trust charges arising from three separate corruption investigations, pending a hearing, Israel’s attorney general announced Thursday evening. The announcement, so close to April’s general election, marks a dramatic moment in Israeli politics and is a major blow to Netanyahu as he seeks a fifth term in office. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, denouncing the investigations as a media-led witch-hunt. In a prime time broadcast shortly after the announcement, Netanyahu blamed the left for pressuring Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit — a Netanyahu appointee — to
issue an indictment. Netanyahu is entitled to a hearing on the impending indictment before charges are formally laid, but that is not expected to take place until long after the election. Under Israeli law, Netanyahu is not required to step down if he is indicted. He is only required to step down if he is convicted and that conviction is upheld through the appeals process, which could take years. Thursday’s developments cloud an already murky Israeli political landscape. Netanyahu’s political enemies will use the investigations against him, but his coalition partners must now decide whether to support a leader who is likely to be indicted or withdraw support and risk
angering their shared rightwing voter base. So far, key right-wing coalition partners have said they will still support Netanyahu since he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In the first case, known as Case 1000, Mandelblit intends to charge Netanyahu with breach of trust. Case 1000 deals with alleged gifts Netanyahu received from overseas billionaires totaling 1 million shekels (approximately $280,000), including cigars, champagne, jewelry and more. The alleged transfers occurred between 2007 and 2016. In exchange for the gifts, investigators say Netanyahu tried to advance a tax break that would have benefited the businessmen.
Pelosi: Kim Jong Un the ‘big winner’ of summit with Trump House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was relieved that President Trump didn’t make a one-sided deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their summit in Vietnam, but said that even holding a second meeting with Kim amounted to handing a victory to the dictator. “I guess it took two meetings to realize Kim Jong Un is not on the level,” Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters in Washington. “He was a big winner, Kim Jong Un, in getting to sit face to face with the most powerful person in the world, the president of the United States.” Trump, who abruptly left the summit Friday without reaching a deal for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, had gone into the meetings full of praise for Jong Un, who he portrayed as his “friend.” American foreign policy experts had warned of the danger that Trump, who had seemed to revel in the pageantry of his earlier summit
Pelosi: Kim Jong Un the ‘big winner’ of summit with Trump with Kim, might be tempted to give away too much in exchange for too little. Pelosi said she was not surprised that the president was returning without a landmark deal for ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons. “Diplomacy is important, we always support it, but the
prospect of success seemed dim in light of the insincerity of Kim Jong Un,” Pelosi said. Pelosi also scoffed at Trump’s statement that he believed Jong Un did not know the specifics of what had happened to Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died after being jailed in North Korea.
Trudeau denies wrongdoing in corruption case (BBC) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied wrongdoing after he tried to shield one of the country’s biggest firms from a corruption trial. Mr Trudeau said any lobbying by him or his inner circle for engineering giant SNC-Lavalin was done to protect jobs. In explosive testimony, exJustice Minister Jody WilsonRaybould said she faced “sus-
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Kaieteur News
tained” pressure to abandon prosecution of the Quebecbased firm. Opposition Conservatives are calling on the Liberal PM to resign. They are also demanding a public inquiry following Ms Wilson-Raybould’s testimony on Wednesday before the Commons justice committee in Ottawa. Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Mr Trudeau
said he disagreed with his former justice minister’s “characterisation” of events and maintained his staff followed the rules. The prime minster said he had full confidence in an inquiry by a parliamentary justice committee into the affair and in an investigation by the federal ethics commissioner, and would “participate fully” in that process.
Trump Says He Walked Out on Kim After U.S. Demands Rejected (Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump said he walked out of his second summit with Kim Jong Un after the two leaders couldn’t agree on a deal to relieve North Korea of U.S. sanctions in exchange for Pyongyang giving up much of its nuclear weapons programme. Trump said Kim “wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, and we couldn’t do that.” In exchange, the North Korean leader had offered to dismantle its main nuclear facility at Yongbyon. “It wasn’t enough,” the president said at a news conference after the summit collapsed. The U.S. presented Kim with evidence of additional secret nuclear sites, surprising the North Koreans, ac-
cording to Trump. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that even without Yongbyon the country would still possess missiles, warheads and other elements of a nuclear programme that were unacceptable to the U.S. The summit’s collapse sent global stocks sliding as the future of U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks remained uncertain. While Trump said the meeting ended amicably with a handshake, he hasn’t committed to another summit with Kim. “We just felt it wasn’t appropriate to sign an agreement today,” Trump said, adding that he was open to more talks in the future. “I want to take off the sanctions so badly because I want that country to grow. But they had to give up more.”
Pompeo said the U.S. asked Kim “to do more. He was unprepared to do that.” South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s spokesman called the outcome “regrettable” in a statement, but said “there has been progress that was more meaningful than any time before.” China’s foreign ministry called for both sides to continue talking. Kim sees nuclear weapons as the main guarantor of his dynastic regime’s security, and wants sanctions relief in return for merely pausing his weapons program. Trump’s administration, meanwhile, has insisted Kim take real steps toward giving up his capabilities before dropping sanctions. On Thursday, Trump had nice words for Kim even after the summit collapsed.
Guyanese Sheran Harper commissioned... From page 18 Union is at a very important point in history when our Trustee Board now reflects the truly global nature of the movement. Our recent global conversations, with emerging themes are setting the tone for the future of our work which will be even stronger in meeting the needs of the communities we serve in a life-changing way.” The new global Trustee Board was also commissioned by the Archbishop. They are Nikki Sweatman (South of England), Rev Libbie Crossman (Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, Australia, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea), Canon Catherine Hilton (North of England), Jennifer Barton (Wales), June Buter (All Ire-
land), Thembsie Mchunu (Central Africa, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Southern Africa, Kathleen Snow (Canada, South America, U.S.A, West Indies), Roshini Mendis (Korea, Myanmar, North India, South India, Sri Lanka), Paul Hindle (Scotland), Deaconess (Mary Kamwati (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Jerusalem and the Middle East) and MariePierrette Bezara (Burundi, Congo, Indian Ocean, Rwanda, West Africa). Referring to the readings from Romans, the Archbishop spoke about the simplicity of the New Testament and how, once called by God, He “takes us by the hand and takes us on the greatest adventure that there is, the adventure of Christian discipleship. That adventure has taken
Mothers' Union from Mary Sumner in the countryside of England to a worldwide organisation on which people can depend,” he said. He spoke of the challenges that many Mothers' Union members face in their work of supporting the communities in which they live and serve, “in many places you will have to bear the cross of other people's suffering. Whether it's in Burundi, the DRC, Guyana, South Sudan, Nigeria or in towns and cities and slums, whether it is domestic violence, whether it is loneliness, whether it is spiritual emptiness, the Mothers' Union is there bringing hope and a future. So, make yourselves known,” he said.
Sports journalist Tony Becca is dead KINGSTON, Jamaica - CMC – Veteran sports journalist Tony Becca, 78, died in hospital early yesterday. Becca, who was best known for his expertise in cricket, was being treated in hospital for the mosquito borne dengue fever and reportedly developed complications. For many years, he was the sports editor with the Gleaner Company and in October, 2005, Becca was one of the Caribbean’s top sports writers to be inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in Hartford, Connecticut for his outstanding contribution to the development of the sport in the United States. Following news of his death, leader of the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP), Dr.
Peter Phillips expressed sadness at his passing. “Tony Becca was a giant of Jamaican sports journalism. We shared a love of cricket and this, over many years, solidified our friendship. His passion for and reportage of sport, in particular cricket in Jamaica and the region elevated many Jamaican and indeed West Indies players unto the world stage. He saw Caribbean sports as a large extension of who we are as a people and he believed that our sports on the world stage was a powerful dec-
laration of nationhood and independence,” Phillips recalled. He said Becca was not only recognised regionally as the expert in his field, but also commanded global respect based on the extent of his knowledge, the reliability of his reports and the range of his experience. “Becca’s body of work exemplifies his excellent standard of sport journalism. He was always willing and ready to share what he knew. His good nature and engaging disposition will be missed,” the Opposition leader said.
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Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Opposition Leader will meet with Rusal workers
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Leader of the Opposition BharratJagdeohassaidthathisparty intendstomeetwithworkersofRusal to have them air their concerns, and lend to a solution for the current issueofworkers’rightsbeinginfringed upon by Bauxite Company of GuyanaIncorporated(BCGI). Jagdeo had, since the issues reached the public weeks ago, commented publicly, stating that the company must adhere to the Constitution of Guyana, but he has not made any effort to provide assistance. Asked why he hasn’t had briefings with Rusal as he has had with oil giant Exxon Mobil, the People’s ProgressiveParty(PPP)GeneralSecretary said that Rusal never requested a briefing with the opposition,asExxonhaddone.Hesaidthat he cannot request a briefing from a private company. It was Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who instructed Exxon, with which the government is conducting business, to brief the opposition on matters related to the country’s budding oil and gas sector. “Did [Rusal] request to brief us? The answer is no.” It is Jagdeo’s contention that the government must make an effort to involve the opposition in its current negotiations with Rusal. He said that, though the PPP is concerned, it cannot pronounce on whether the company should be sanctioned, because he does not know whether Rusal has actually breached any laws. The meetings, he said, between Rusal representatives and Ministers Amna Ally and Raphael Trotman, have been closed door meetings. “It seems as though it is all about politics. Ally goes to a meeting and she carries the entire media there. The workers’ interests’ must be protected by the government of Guyana. That’s clear. But it can’t be a media show. We don’t know what Rusal told them, because Rusal has sent people to meet with the government. They had private discus-
sions. We’re not privy to those discussions. We don’t know what they were told.” Jagdeo nevertheless said that the PPP intends to meet with the workers on the issue. He contended that the current handling of the issue by Minister of Social Protection,AmnaAlly, is less about finding a solution and more about putting on a “media show”. In this regard, he said that he does not want his engagements with the workers to be superficial. The Opposition Leader also criticised the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who gathered in front of Rusal’s office on Forshaw Street yesterday, protesting so that the government would be pressured to act against the foreign company. He described the TUC’s actions as duplicitous, as he contended that they only want the opposition to get involved when there are issues, but that the TUC doesn’t credit the PPP for the good work it has done for workers’ rights. Jagdeo contended that the TUCdidnotspeakoutfor the sugar workers when 7000 of them were laid off. He said, “Not a single set of energy from the TUC, and people of every race work in the sugar industry. What about the 1,972Amerindians who were fired by this government? Not a word in solidarity with those people who were fired. So it’s not just about people coming in from abroad and treating our workers badly. This government has treated our workers badly for two years.” He said that the PPP’s track record on workers’ rights has been a strong one; that the party’s time in government was spent keeping the economy open for investment to foreign investment, while still protecting workers. “We’ve been on the forefront of struggle for workers of Guyana. The bauxite workers always have our solidarity, and they’ll continue to have it,” Jagdeo said.
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ranks on mobile patrol responded and confronted Gritten, who discharged several rounds in their direction. The police returned fire hitting Gritten who managed to escape. Police acting on information proceeded to a house in Duncan Street, where a search was conducted and an unlicensed revolver with two live rounds and one spent shell were unearthed. Gritten was previously charged with the 2014 murder of Albouystown money changer Wendell Liverpool. He was freed in 2018 after a no-case submission made by his lawyer was upheld in the High Court.
Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
PAGE 31
Roads to be constructed and rehabilitated across the country (cont’d) (from page 27)
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Friday March 01, 2019
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Friday March 01, 2019
Govt. forges ahead with drug treatment courts -training in ‘Alternatives to Incarceration’ begins Those who participated in the training workshop
US Charge d’Affairs, Terry Steers-Gonzalez
T
he Government is forging ahead with its plans to establish drug treatment courts across Guyana to reduce the use of incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. This was announced by Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan who was at the time delivering remarks at the first of a series of train-
ing courses on ‘Treatment Alternatives to Incarceration including Drug Treatment Courts’ in preparation for the establishment of drug treatment courts. According to Minister Ramjattan, who is also performing the duties of the Prime Minister, the first will be a pilot at the Magistrates’ Court in Georgetown, Region Four,
and over time similar drug courts will be implemented in areas including Corentyne, Region Six, Bartica Region Seven. “We have to save hundreds of lives by virtue of utilising alternatives to incarceration…in those areas that are rife with drug offenders we will implement a second court,” Minister
Life imprisonment for wife killer A labourer was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of the murder of his wife at Charity, Essequibo Coast, in 2015. The summary read that between the 16th and 17th March 2015, the accused, Anthony Joseph, killed his common law wife Quineza Patricia Benn. During the trial, the court heard that Joseph and Benn were in the habit of consuming alcohol. On several occasions, Benn had made reports to the police that Joseph would beat her, threaten to kill her and accuse her of being unfaithful. On the March 16th 2015, however, around 16:00 hrs, Joseph and Benn were seen together imbibing alcohol at a liquor restaurant. They subsequently had an argument. They then moved to another rum shop where they continued imbibing. The following day around
07:00 hrs, Benn was found dead on the roadside, with injuries to her face, chest and head. According to the deceased woman’s grandmother, in her deposition, on the 17th of March 2015, she went down to Forbsie Street where she saw the body of the deceased bearing marks of
violence. The court provided enough evidence to convince the jury of Joseph’s guilt. After a verdict of guilty was returned, the presiding judge, Brassington Reynolds sentenced Joseph to life imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
Ramjattan emphasised. The Drug courts will take a public health approach using a specialised model in which the judiciary, prosecutors, probation and social service officers, health personnel and treatment communities will work together to help addicted offenders into longterm recovery. Adding that lawyers, prosecutors, and magistrates can decide the conditions so those persons can receive treatment instead of serving jail time, Minister Ramjattan said: “Rather than jail, the drug offender, ask them whether they are willing to go through a treatment process and that is the important thing here… We want to have non-custodial penalties for those who are found with small amounts … you
shouldn’t send them to jail. Those who are addicts and they come often to court.” The initiative is a commitment made by the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (ES/CICAD) and Secretariat for Multidimensional Security of the Organisation of American States (OAS). It is part of Guyana’s national drug master plan for 2016-2020 that includes a policy to reduce the use of incarceration for non-violent drug offenders. US Charge d’affaires, Terry Steers-Gonzalez in his remarks noted that Guyana with its relatively small population and low prevalence of drug use, is fortunate, however, no country can afford to be complacent.
Therefore, he commended the Government of Guyana for forging ahead and fine tuning its drug master plan. OAS Repre s e n t a t i v e , Jean Ricot Dormeus said that it was just a matter of time for Guyana to pilot an addiction treatment court, which has prod u c e d e n c o u raging results in fifteen countries in the hemisphere. He said this move will bring hope to many families who have a loved one suffering from addiction abuse. The Treatment Alternative to Incarceration training workshop targeted law enforcement officials, representatives from Guyana’s judicial system, as well as representatives from the Organisation of American States among other stakeholders.
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Friday March 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Lightbourne upbeat... From page 35 to feel sorry for themselves, that we have to play in the conditions, even though they had nine fresh players for the match. “We got a lot out of being down here. a lot of the guys are on the bubble of making the team. We came down here to get a few answers to selection questions and that was the main thing.” Bermuda, seventh in the Nations League standings with two wins from three group matches, could qualify for the Gold Cup for the first time if they beat Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo on March 24. Meanwhile, L i ghtbourne has been heartened by the return to fitness of 28-year-old Lambe, a forward with
English League Two side Cambridge United, who played at t h e w e e k e n d after a month out with a dead leg. “I’m back to full fitness, I’m just looking to get minutes and get a bit of sharpness back,” said Lambe, whose side is six points above the relegation zone. Lambe, with just four goals under his belt this season, has not scored for his club since their 2-0 win over Swindon Town at the end of October. Smith, 24, another Bermuda striker, made his Oxford United debut, coming on late in their 1-0 win over Blackpool in an English League One match at the weekend, following his move from non-League outfit Lewes.
Lallbachan, Campbell... Cyclists gearing up for... From page 40 1-12. Openers Campbell and Lovell executed a number of handsome drives to put Demerara on course before Lovell was lbw to Gladewin Henry (1-23) for 16 which included three fours. Campbell and Mavindra Dindyal then consolidated to see their team home as they finished on 83-1 in 14.3 overs. Campbell struck seven fours in an unbeaten 40 while Dindyal made 22 not out with four fours. At Lusignan, Berbice won the toss and decided to bat, scoring 135 all out in 47.2 overs. Isia Thorne top scored with 34 while Tameshwar Mahadeo made 30, Ravishkar Sobhai 27 and Rampertab Ramnauth 10. Sachin Balgobin snared 323 and Nityanand Mathura
Friday March 01, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) If certain projects or tasks have seemed difficult to finish, take advantage of the energy provided by today's planetary aspects. This energy will give you all the zip you need.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The energy of the day makes you ready for almost anything, Libra. Given your sometimes radical approach to whatever you do, you may need to rein yourself in.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You might feel more energetic than you have in a long time. The day's planetary aspects offer a powerful energy that will increase your mental acuity and physical strength.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today may be an excellent time to take a second shot at something that didn't work out the first time, Scorpio. Falling flat on your face can damage your confidence and self-esteem.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) If there's something you want to take on, Gemini, today's the day. The celestial aspects will see an increase in physical and mental strength that can work wonders for you. CANCER(June21–July22) If you've been feeling sluggish lately, Cancer, today will see a surge in energy that will greatly increase your creativity and physical strength. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Leo, if there's something interesting that you want to try, go for it. Adventure brings excitement, creative flow, and energy, and these are essential to you. Yours is a highly artistic nature. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today's energy will help you take steps toward getting things in order. Tackle the drawers, closets, storage rooms, and cabinets. Organization is a good activity for today. Creating order brings a sense of peace and personal control.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your ability to find innovative approaches to tasks may serve you well today, Sagittarius. Today is full of added energy and mental acuity. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) If long-overdue work has piled up, today is the day to dig in. Added strength and mental acuity are in the air, and the projects that you couldn't get to before will be readily accomplished. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Don't worry about being productive today. Thanks to the high energy provided by the planetary aspects, it might be one of the most efficient days you've had for a long time. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Expect an added boost to your physical energy today. It's an excellent day to clean out closets and storage rooms. Some exercise like biking or walking will be most enjoyable.
3-27. In reply, the President’s XI were reduced to 38-6 and eventually fell for 88 in 44.5 overs. Jonathan Van Lange top scored with 17 and Satya France got 10; those were the only batsmen to reach double figures as Mathew Pottaya picked up 4-20 while Salim Khan had 2-9 and impressive fast bowler Thorne, who was named man-of-the-match had 2-29; Berbice won by 47 runs. Leaders Demerara will play Berbice in the final at Bourda, tomorrow.
New Trend Auto 18-hole... From page 41 Medal Play competition. Prizes and bragging rights will go to the top three golfers in each Flight. Individual prizes will also to the player with the Nearest to Pin, Longest Drive, Best Gross, and Overall Best Net. Players would receive free water and drinks. The public is invited and welcome to witness the action free of charge at these tournaments. For further information, persons can call the LGC on 592 220 5660.
From page 41 First and Third Avenue, South along First Avenue, Right onto Sixth Street, Left onto Fourth Avenue, Left onto Eight Street, Left onto Second Avenue, Finish Line at Second Avenue and Third Street. Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall has expressed delight at being able to work with the GCF to bring off such an event that is long overdue. “We at the level of the Town Council are very excited for what we know would be a memorable day of cycling where our youths and even the not so young would have an opportunity to see Guyana’s best cyclists in action on our roads. We are really working towards pushing sports and getting our youths to appreciate and get involved so this we are hoping would stimulate a new desire to get our people more active and focus more on their health.” Marshall noted that plans for the historical event is well underway and the Townis
ready to welcome Guyana’s best, come March 16. “This also provides an opportunity for our youths and not so young riders to be a part of the day’s action as we have ensured that races would be put on for them. This I know would provide lots of excitement for members of the Bartica Community and who knows, it might very well just be the start of a local national champion being born.” GCF President Horace Burrowes applauded the efforts of the Mayor and Town Council of Bartica for agreeing to partner with the federation for the event which he noted would be satisfying for all and sundry. “This would be a momentous occasion for the sport and for the Mayor and Town Council of Bartica to have its first major road race. I think it is has been a long time in coming but it’s finally here so I am urging all our cyclists to be there and bring their A games to the race so that the community will enjoy a fantastic day of competitive action.”
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Kaieteur News
NBA roundup: Wade buzzer-beater lifts Heat past Warriors Dwyane Wade banked in a miracle shot — a 3-pointer at the buzzer off of one leg — as the host Miami Heat shocked the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors 126125 on Wednesday night. Goran Dragic had 27 points off the Miami bench, Wade finished with 25 points in a reserve role, and Josh Richardson scored 21. The Heat snapped their six-game home losing streak, and they did it two nights after losing to the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. Dragic scored 20 of his points in the second quarter Wednesday, when Miami led by as many as 24 points. That was the highest-scoring quarter of Dragic’s career. Klay Thompson led Golden State with 36 points, Kevin Durant had 29 and Steph Curry added 24. Draymond Green fouled out and was held to five points. Trail Blazers 97, Celtics 92 - Damian Lillard scored 33 points and Maurice Harkless added 17 as visiting Portland continued to cruise through its East Coast road trip with a victory against Boston, which lost its fourth straight. Jusuf Nurkic added 16 points as the Trail Blazers improved to 4-0 on their seven-game trip. It was their fifth consecutive victory overall and it came one day after eight Portland players were trapped in an elevator for 30 minutes while at practice at nearby Emerson College. Kyrie Irving scored 31 points for the Celtics, who went 5-6 in February. Irving’s scoring outburst came after he scored just seven points in a loss at Toronto on Tuesday. Bucks 141, Kings 140 (OT) - Eric Bledsoe opened overtime with a 3-point basket, and Nikola Mirotic added another two minutes later, allowing visiting Milwaukee to pull away from Sacramento and post its 12th win in 13 games despite limiting star Giannis Antetokounmpo to 24 minutes due to a sore right knee. Bledsoe paced the Bucks with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists for the fifth triple-double of his career. Antetokounmpo scored 17. Sacramento’s Buddy Hield led all scorers with 32 points. The Kings played the fourth quarter and overtime without rookie standout Marvin Bagley III, who injured his left knee in the final minute of the third period. Rockets 118, Hornets 113 - James Harden scored 30 points, and Clint Capela had
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) celebrates after making the game winning basket past Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35). Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports 23 points and 17 rebounds as Houston won its third straight game with a narrow victory at Charlotte. The Rockets let a 15point, first-half lead slip away completely and had to come from 12 down in the second half. They ultimately seized control with a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and salted the game away on two free throws by Harden with 14.6 seconds remaining. Chris Paul added 17 points and 10 assists for the Rockets, and Gerald Green and PJ Tucker scored 15 apiece. The Hornets, who lost for the fifth time in their past six games, were led by Kemba Walker with 35 points. Lakers 125, Pelicans 119 - LeBron James had 33 points and 10 assists as host Los Angeles held off New Orleans. It was the first game in which James and Anthony Davis faced each other since Davis publicly demanded a trade late last month with the Lakers reportedly being his top choice for a new team. Davis, who sat out the Pelicans’ 128-115 victory against Los Angeles last Saturday in New Orleans, had 22 points in 21 minutes Wednesday. Brandon Ingram scored 23 points, Kyle Kuzma added 22, and former Pelican Rajon Rondo had 11 points and 16 rebounds as Los Angeles won for the second time in six games. Former Laker Julius Randle led the Pelicans with 35 points. Spurs 105, Pistons 93 LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points, and San Antonio
defeated visiting Detroit to snap a three-game losing streak. DeMar DeRozan and Marco Belinelli added 17 points each for the Spurs, who won for just the second time in their past nine games. White hit for 15 points, and Jakob Poeltl and Patty Mills scored 11 points apiece for San Antonio, which returned home from its arduous Rodeo Road Trip with a victory. Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 22 points, Blake Griffin added 17 points, and Andre Drummond contributed 10 points and 17 rebounds for Detroit. The Pistons had a three-game win streak snapped. Jazz 111, Clippers 105 Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points while Rudy Gobert
added 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead Utah over Los Angeles in Salt Lake City. Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio added 13 points apiece for the Jazz, and Favors grabbed 11 rebounds. Utah won its fourth straight home game after overcoming early shooting struggles. Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari scored 18 points apiece to lead the Clippers. Montrezl Harrell added 16 for Los Angeles, and Patrick Beverley had 12 points and 10 boards. Mavericks 110, Pacers 101 - Rookie Jalen Brunson drilled a clinching 3-pointer with 1:03 to play, and Dallas beat visiting Indiana. Brunson finished with a career-best 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, and he added five assists and
three steals. Rookie teammate Luka Doncic scored 26 points, including a deep 3-pointer with 2:02 to go for a 103-96 lead. Bojan Bogdanovic led Indiana with 22 points but managed just four points in the fourth quarter. Wesley Matthews, in his return to Dallas since being traded prior to the deadline, contributed 20 points, including two late 3-pointers. Hawks 131, Timberwolves 123 (OT) Rookie Trae Young matched a career high by scoring 36 points for the second straight game as host Atlanta rallied to beat Minnesota. John Collins added 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting as the Hawks avenged squandering a 22-point lead in a 123-120
overtime loss to Minnesota on Dec. 28. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 37 points on 12for-19 shooting from the field and added 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who fell to 9-22 on the road this season after dropping the opener of the three-game trek. Andrew Wiggins had 21 points for Minnesota, Derrick Rose had 18 and former Georgia Tech star Josh Okogie chipped in with 15 while playing in front of family and friends in attendance. Wizards 125, Nets 116 Bradley Beal scored 31 points as Washington overcame a sluggish start in the opening minutes and rolled past host Brooklyn, snapping a fourgame losing streak and winning for the fourth time in 13 games. The Wizards gave up the game’s first 10 points but wound up leading for the final 38:20. Trevor Ariza added 14 of his 23 in the third quarter when Washington outscored the Nets by a 33-19 margin. D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points and had seven assists for Brooklyn, which lost for the fourth time in its past six home games. The Nets heard some boos from fans after the final buzzer. Bulls 109, Grizzlies 107 - Zach LaVine scored 30 points on 12-for-19 shooting to help Chicago win at Memphis. Lauri Markkanen contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls in his fourth straight double-double and 10th consecutive 20point outing. Otto Porter Jr. scored 20 points as the Bulls won for the fourth time in five games. Avery Bradley recorded 23 points and seven assists and Mike Conley scored 21 despite a 7-for-21 shooting effort for the Grizzlies.
Lightbourne upbeat despite 5-0 defeat in Havana Havana, Cuba, CMC – Bermuda national Coach Kyle Lightbourne remained upbeat despite a 5-0 defeat against Cuba in a friendly at the Estadio Pedro Marrero here Wednesday, ahead of their crucial final CONCACAF Nations League qualifier against the Dominican Republic next month. Bermuda, who drew 2-2 in a behind-closed-doors practice match against a Cuba select team on Monday, fielded almost a whole new team from the island’s previous
Kyle Lightbourne competitive match, a 1-0 victory in Bermuda over El Salvador in a National League qualifier in November.
Overseas professionals Danté Leverock, the Bermuda captain, along with Nahki Wells, Reggie Lambe and
Jonté Smith all missed the Cuba matches. Despite the heavy loss, Lightbourne found some positives in the performance, pointing out that Cuba made several changes from Monday. “They made about nine changes from the practice game and played their fullstrength team,” Lightbourne, whose team trailed 3-0 at the break, said. “The first half was disappointing but in the second half we came out and played a lot better. “The temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), which was hard dealing with. I said to the players at half-time not (Continued on page 34)
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Jason Holder calls for minimum wage to halt Kolpak exodus ESPNcricinfo - Jason Holder has called upon the ICC and FICA to ensure a “substantial minimum salary” for international cricketers. Speaking in the aftermath of Duanne Olivier’s decision to sign a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire, effectively ending his international career, Holder revealed he had held discussions with FICA, the Federation of International Cricketers Associations, a collective of players’ unions, on the subject and warned that, if players kept favouring domestic leagues over representing their country, it could become hard to “continue putting up the front” about the quality of international cricket. Olivier, aged 26 and recently established in South Africa’s Test team, joined an exodus that has, in recent months, seen compatriots Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbottand Rilee
Rossouw prefer a future as Kolpak registrations in county cricket to representing their national team. With players from some nations able to earn more and sign longer-term contracts from domestic leagues, Holder fears more could be lost from the international game. There were 14 Kolpak registrations playing county cricket in 2018, while West Indies has previously struggled with the availability of some players due to schedule clashes between the international game and T20 leagues. “It’s really sad to see another quality player lost to Kolpak cricket,” Holder said. “Until something is properly done to keep players a little bit more grounded financially I don’t know how much longer you can continue putting up the front. “People still want to see international cricket being at the forefront. I just think, going
Concacaf Confirms Details of 34th Ordinary Congress on March 28 Miami - The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) confirmed details of its 34th Ordinary Congress, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. The Congress, which is constituted by Concacaf’s Member Associations, will commence at 10:00 am (local time) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani will preside over the Congress, which will count with the participation of all 41 Concacaf member associations and the Concacaf Council. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and guests from the international football community will be in attendance. As part of this Congress, elections will be conducted for the following positions: Concacaf Council: President (ex officio FIFA Vice-President) • Mr. Victor Montagliani – unopposed; Vice-President – Caribbean • Randolph Harris unopposed; Vice-President – North America • Yon de Luisa –unopposed; Member – Central America • Jorge Salomon –unopposed; Female Member • Ms. Sonia Fulford • Ms. Jeaninne Wong-Loi-Sing; FIFA Council Member – Central America • Pedro Chaluja –unopposed.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani
Jason Holder during a net session. Getty Images forward, we need to find a way to keep players playing for their country so we can have an attractive product. “Probably the ICC and FICA needs to get together and institute a substantial minimum salary so that players will feel comfortable coming home to represent their country. “Test cricket is something
that has picked up in the last year and a half. West Indies beating England; Sri Lanka beating South Africa: these are significant things. These can continue to spark Test cricket. There’s so much prestige behind it and so much work behind it. I can only hope we can find some common ground where players are properly
compensated and encouraged to play Test cricket as opposed to running off to domestic leagues. “Personally I have had a few conversations with people at FICA. They are doing a hell of a job trying to get a level playing field for everyone and trying to have a fair standard for players and for leagues to be able to attract players. I don’t want to speak of a figure at this time but I’ve had discussions with people at FICA and we are trying to find solutions to these problems. “It’s just ongoing discussions. I don’t know if we’ll find a middle ground as soon as we like. Hopefully in the not too distant future we can find common ground where players are playing for their countries and also have time to play in domestic leagues.” Holder, who has signed a short-term stint as an overseas player for Northamptonshire in the early weeks of the season, also hinted that he had
received Kolpak offers. And while he reiterated his commitment to West Indies cricket for the foreseeable future, he did suggest he could look to “cash in” towards the end of his career. “Most young cricketers in this day and age have had that dilemma,” he said. “It’s about what you want as a player. I’ve had age on my side, getting into West Indies cricket early and wanting to commit to it. I wanted to give myself a fair shot at a good international career and, if I stay fit and healthy, I can always cash in at the back end of my career. “Some other players don’t feel that way because of their personal needs. I don’t judge people for their decisions. They have to live with the decisions and be happy with the ones they make. “But it’s really sad that you lose quality players due to domestic leagues and with a lot more players going Kolpak.”
Chris Gayle hints at ‘un-retirement’ after six-laden 162 ESPNcricinfo - Chris Gayle never was the retiring sort, really. And so much did he enjoy the run-soaked fourth ODI in Grenada that he confessed afterwards he just might be rethinking his decision to retire from the format at the end of the World Cup. Gayle struck 14 sixes in his innings of 162 - the secondhighest score of his ODI career - on the way to leading West Indies to their highest total in this form of the game. It was his second century of a series in which he has now amassed 347 runs from three innings at an average of 115.66 and a strike rate of 120.06. During the innings, he became the 14th man, and second from the Caribbean after Brian Lara, to reach the milestone of 10,000 ODI runs. As a consequence, he has proved to himself he still has the ability to contribute at this level. So while it is only ten days since Gayle announced he intended to retire after the tournament, he has suggested that, if he were able to regain some fitness, he might decide to extend his career. “I think this is one of the most entertaining games I’ve ever played in,” Gayle said. “It was a fantastic game of cricket. I’ve been playing a lot of T20 cricket so it’s always going to be a difficult coming back into 50-over cricket. But
Chris Gayle launches one down the ground. Associated Press eventually the body gets accustomed to the 50-over format.“I just have to work on the body and then maybe you can see a bit more Chris Gayle, maybe. Things change quickly. Hopefully the body can change in the next couple of months and we can see what happens. “To get the 10,000-run milestone is a great feeling. I’ve done it in T20 as well. It’s a fantastic achievement from my point of view. Doing it for West Indies as well, that makes it even more superb.
“What’s the matter with the body? I’m nearly 40. But could I un-retire? We’ll see. We’ll take it slowly.” While Gayle enjoyed the game, he felt West Indies could have won if they had played “a bit smarter”. They allowed England to put on a century opening stand and then plunder 154 from the final ten overs, then fell away with the bat from a position of strength at 220 for two. “We didn’t utilise that new ball well,” Gayle said,
referring to England’s opening stand of 100 within 14 overs. “If we had, we would have been chasing 380. “I’m sure the team are all disappointed. I can see the expression on their faces. It’s a learning process for the young players. If they do things differently they could have won. So it’s good to see that body language when you lose. When that situation comes again I’m sure it will be totally different.”
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2018-19 West Indies Championship
Reifer grabs 5-20 as Barbados Pride falls for lowest total in Guyana Story and photos by Sean Devers A sixth five-wicket haul from leftarm pacer Raymon Reifer sent his Countymen crashing to 76 all out on the opening day of Guyana Jaguars’ penultimate round match on a slow Providence track with a tinge of grass yesterday. This was Barbados’ lowest total in Guyana, and third lowest overall after their 58 in Barbados in 2012 and 64 against the Windwards also in Barbados in 2013 as only tail-ender Chemar Holder 22 (3x4) and Rashidi Boucher 17 (4x4) from 27 balls) reached double figures. The fourth first-class cricketer from a family that includes former Test captain Floyd Reifer, the 27year-old sliced through the Bajan batting order to finish with 5-20. Reifer got support from fellow seamer Christopher Barnwell who captured 2-26 while Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford, and left-arm spinner Veerasammy picked up a wicket each to earn the South American Franchise 4.5 bowling points including 1.5 fast bowling points. Barbados were dismissed in just 29.1 overs at lunch which was extended by 17 minutes. But by the close the Jaguars, were again let them down by their top order and reached 162-7 with a lead of 86 after being 98-6 at one stage. Vishaul Singh made 33 from 72 balls, 95 minutes with four
Vishual Singh pulls during his 33 at Providence yesterday. boundaries batting at number three while Reifer is unbeaten 33 from 75 balls with five fours. Anthony Bramble, Jaguars’ leading run scorer with 475 runs, chipped with 23 from 21 balls and 26 minutes; reaching the boundary five times while Tagenarine Chanderpaul who again struggled find the gaps made 19 from 99 balls, 115 minutes and reached the ropes twice. Johnathon Carter has so far picked up 3-45 while Miguel Cummins has 2-39 on a day in which
17 wickets tumbled. The Bajans elected to bat in sunny conditions and quickly lost Shane Moseley (2) when the left-hander played back to one that ‘nipped’ back from Reifer and trapped in front at 15-1. Boucher stroked Romario Shepherd for four in the day’s third over before hitting the Berbician for two more boundaries in his next over before he was caught on the back foot and was LBW to Reifer for 17, 32 minutes into the day’s proceedings with the score on 21-2. Two runs later Skipper Shamarh Brooks (1) was caught down the leg
side trying to tuck one off his hip from Shepherd, and without addition to the score, Carter, the only Bajan with 400 runs this season, edged at a catch to the Keeper as Reifer struck again. The left-handed Carter (7) was twice beaten in the over with balls that left and was tested with a short ball as Reifer bent his back on the slow track despite the grass, before orchestrating his demise with a beauty. Aaron Jones (4) drove at a wide ball from the impressive Reifer and was well taken at third slip by Jamaican off-spinner Ramaal Lewis playing his first game for the season, to leave the Bajans on 28-5. Barnwell struck twice by removing Shamar Springer (8) and Tevyn Walcott (8) as the visitors slumped to 44-7. And when Sherfane Rutherford induced Jomal Warrican (0) to provide Bramble with his fifth catch to take his dismissals tally to 37, Barbados were 44-8 and in danger of falling for their lowest total. Marquino Mindley (5) steered Reifer to Singh at gully at 50-9 but Holder struck Barnwell for back-toback boundaries before smashing him for four more in his next with Cummins joining in the late order resistance with a boundary in the same over as the last pair added 26 valuable runs. Permaul bowled Holder with his first ball of the match to leave Cummings unbeaten on five. When the Jaguars began their reply Chanderpaul Hemraj (9) got going with a boundary with the score on
11, had his stumps scattered by Cummings. Singh joined the subdued Chanderpaul and batted responsibly with the diminutive Singh batting with a positive but not reckless manner. Together they took their team to 68 before Chanderpaul was caught behind off a good ball from Carter before Singh, just when he looking set for a big score, was caught down the leg side, flicking at Carter at 73-3. The Jaguars soon slipped to 785 when Leon Johnson’s failures continued when he pushed forward to one from Cummings and was caught behind for one while Barnwell (2) tried to flick Carter forward of square on the leg-side and was taken at slip at 78-5. Bramble came out in a pugnacious mood and clobbered five fours from 21 balls but after missing a couple of wild swipes, he was LBW for a cameo 23 at 98-6. The level headed Reifer and Rutherford carried the score to 140 but when their partnership was beginning to flourish the left-handed Rutherford (15) with 2x4 drove powerfully at a wide ball from Springer and the edge flew to Carter to second slip who held a stupendous left-handed catch with ball almost past him. Reifer continued to bat well and his shot selection was impeccable as he picked the balls to hit and along with Shepherd (7) saw the Jaguars to the close. An intriguing second day is anticipated in what could be an exciting low scoring encounter and the action commence at 10:00hrs today.
GMR&SC National Race of Champions
King vs. Vieira battle will excite; Group 2 Champ to win return ticket to Miami The first leg of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMR&SC)/ National Race of Champions powers off this Sunday at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri with much anticipation since this year is going to see the doling o u t o f c a s h a n d prizes in addition to trophies for the top drivers in selected classes. Ye s t e r d a y, a correspondence from the GMR&SC revealed that Ramchand’s Auto Body Shop and Wrecker Service, along with Executive Travel Service, have thrown their support behind the club to sponsor a return ticket to Miami, USA for the champion driver in the Group 2 class. The release expressed the GMR&SC’s gratitude to Ramchand’s Auto Body Shop which is located at Good Hope on the East Coast of Demerara and
Executive Travel Service, located on Garnett Street, Campbellville for coming onboard in a bid to make the sport more lucrative which will encourage others to join either by support or participation. P r i o r t o y e s t e r d a y ’s announcement, it was revealed that the winners of the Choke Starlet Cup, Miracle Optical Street Tuner and Prem’s Electrical Sports Tuner are set to pocket $500,000 each while Mohamed’s Enterprise has sponsored in excess of $250,000 for the top novice bikers. The correspondence further mentioned that the reigning two-time Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) Group 4 champion, Andrew King, will be part of the 24race programme action this Sunday. King will face stiff
competition from Mark Vieira, who was on course to be the 2018 champion heading into the CMRC final round in Guyana but problems with his machine, coupled with f a n t a s t i c d r i v i n g from King at South Dakota, denied Vi e i r a the opportunity for a first Group 4 CMRC overall win. “We are excited to see Andrew go head to head with Vieira. The battle between them will be quite fiery and now with prizes up for grabs in four other groups, we expect these drivers to pull out all the stops this Sunday. Fans can’t afford to miss it”, the release read. S o m e o f the other confirmed racers for Sunday are, Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr., Peter Morgan, Shawn King, Raymond Seebarran, Danny Persaud, Shan Seejattan, Azaad Hassan, Motilall
Mark Vieira leads Andrew King down the straight away during the group four action at the March’s National Race of champions. Deodass, Rameez Mohamed, Annand Ramchand, Kevin Persaud, Matthew Vieira and Vishok Persaud. Other sponsors of the event include, Air Services Limited, M o h a m e d ’s Enterprise, Truck Master,
Special Auto, Nexus, Cyril’s Taxi, Motor Trend Service Center, Prem’s Electrical, Windjammer Restaurant, A&R Printery, Trans Pacific Auto Sales and Spares, N&S Fuel Pump and Injector Services, Choke Gas Station, Miracle
Optical, R. Kissoon Contracting Services, ENetworks, Powerline, B.M. Auto Sales and Supreme Ventures Enterprise. Admission to the venue on race day is $1000 for adults and $500 for children.
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Farfan & Mendes Men’s 1st Div. Hockey League
Bounty GCC and Vintage notch wins
Vintage player Johnny Phang (left) challenges Supernova’s Meshach Sargeant for possession. The 2019 Farfan and Mendes First Division Men’s Hockey League resumed on Sunday after breaking for Mashramani celebrations with two matches at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive. The games had a change from the usual Saint Stanislaus College (SSC) ground venue and the home teams took full advantage of the opposition with Vintage winning 3-1 and Bounty, 7-0. GCC Vintage clashed with Supernova, the National Development squad, and the visitors fell behind in the early minutes of play, Vintage’
penalty corners (PC) making the biggest difference in the match. Veteran striker and former national, Orson Ferguson, was first on the score sheet as he completed a penalty corner pass with a deflection into the Supernova net after only four minutes. Despite the confident demeanor of Vintage, the young Supernova strikers managed to carve their way into scoring distance three minutes later and midfielder Hilmar Chester capitalised on a defence error to tie the game. Influential Vintage playmaker and former
Vintage’ Patrick Edghill (on the ball) being challenged by Supernova defenders.
national, Orson Semple however not only showed his dominance in midfield, but dominated the score sheet in the second half by completing two penalty corners to leave the final score at 3-1 for Vintage. In the first match, powerhouses Bounty GCC didn’t hold back against the rebuilding Old Fort side. GCC dominated play but the youthful Old Fort team held firm in the first half and it was a moment of b rilliance from National midfielder, Meshach Sargeant, who produced one of his typical moments of skill to get past the last two Old
IAAF World Rankings Launched The IAAF has launched its new official world rankings system, designed to provide a more effective way of identifying the top athletes in each discipline by rewarding consistency and competition among the world’s best. Athletes’ positions in the IAAF world rankings will be based upon the points they score, determined by their performance and place, and the importance of the competition in which those results are achieved to the IAAF global calendar. Following a 10-month period of consultation with stakeholders from across the
athletics family, the final rankings system balances the wide-ranging feedback and competing needs of those within the sport. The world rankings will not be used for qualification for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, but today’s launch will enable athletes, member federations and key stakeholders to see during the 2019 season how the world rankings system works in practice. The world rankings will also bring clarity to the competition structure from national through to global events, incentivising the top athletes to support the best competitions.
“For the first time in the sport’s history, athletes, media and fans will have a clear understanding of the hierarchy of competitions from national through to area and up to global events, allowing them to follow a logical season-long path to the pinnacle of athletics’ top two competitions,” said IAAF President Sebastian Coe. “The IAAF world rankings will drive and shape the global competition system including entry into future major championships and enable everyone in and interested in our sport to know who is No.1 in the world.” (IAAF)
Fort defenders before firing home in the 24th minute. With Old Fort only down by one goal, spectators were keen to see whether they could withstand another half
of immense pressure applied by GCC but the Bourda men opened the flood gates just two minutes into the second half through an Alan Fernandes shot.
Mark Sargeant, Kareem McKenzie, Kevin Spencer, Devin Hooper and Sargeant all scored one goal in the second half to add to GCC’s seven goal tally.
F&H Printing on board Mambo Sports Bar Domino tourney F&H Printing became the most recent corporate entity to offer support for the Mambo Sports Bar/Mark ‘Jumbie’ Wiltshire 18-team Domino competition which will see most of the top teams in the country vying for prize monies in excess of $300,000 and trophies, at the Barr Street-based Sports Bar. On Wednesday, during a simple presentation ceremony which was conducted at Trophy Stall in Bourda Market, staffer Alexis Barrington handed over trophies to Wiltshire for the March 3 event. Wiltshire, in response thanked F&H Printing for its continued support to the sport, adding that they’ve always been one of the entities that the Domino fraternity can turn to
for assistance and in every instance has never reneged. He assured fans that a number of top teams have already committed to participating in the competition and he expects a keenly contested day of rivalry. The winning team will receive $150,000, while second and third place finishers will take home $75,000 and $45,000 respectively. All top finishers will collect trophies. Meanwhile, Wiltshire informed that the Guyana National Domino Association rules will be in effect and the format to be used is 4 games 6 sittings in 2 in 1 out system. Double six time is 14:00hrs and entrance fee is $12,000 per team.
Trophy Stall staffer Alexis Barrington hands over one of the trophies to Mark Wiltshire.
Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
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RFA Champions League
Tabatinga Football Club, RFA Female defending champions
Defending GFA Male Champions Tabatinga Football Club pictured with GFF President Wayne Forde (stooping, right).
Defending male and female champs Tabatinga and Gladiators to face Snatchers in opening matches, tomorrow
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ollowing the official launch of the Rupununi Football Association (RFA) Champions League on February 20, last at St Ignatius Benab, on field action is set to kick off tomorrow with a male and female match. Defending male c h a m p i o n s Ta b a t i n g a Football Club will tangle with Snatchers Football Club while female champions, Gladiators Football Club will oppose their counterparts from Snatchers FC in the supporting match from 18:00hrs at the Wadapna Centre Ground. All the clubs contesting the Champions League have expressed gratitude to RFA President Ryan Farias and his executive for their continued hard work towards ensuring the game is played consistently in the association. President Farias noted that the RFA provides a platform for both male and female players from across the Rupununi to showcase
their skills and talents. The top team from the league will pocket $500,000 while $300,000 and $150,000 has been set aside for the respective second and third placed teams. Trophies and other prizes will also be on offer for the Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper. Meanwhile, at the launch of the Champions League, President Farias expressed gratitude to all club members for their continued support throughout the year. The President outlined his vision for the development of the game in the Rupununi. Also an Executive Member of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), President Farias extended greetings from the federation President, Wayne Forde and Executive whilst sharing its vision towards the development of football in Guyana. And, Mr. Ken Grant handed over gear to the Referee while other clubs made short presentations.
GBA/Pepsi Mike Parris U-16 Card on Tomorrow
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he Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will stage its second Pepsi Mike Parris Under-16 competition tomorrow at the Andrew Lewis Gym, Albouystown. The competition will see the return of the Vergenoogen Gym, formerly the Essequibo Boxing Gym after they missed out on the first held early last month. Other gyms expected to participate are Forgotten Youth Foundation, Pocket Rocket, Rose Hall Jammers, Young Achievers, Sophia Boxing Gym and Harpy Eagles. Cuban Coach Francisco Roldan will be on hand to assess the young fighters. Fistic action punches off at 13:00hrs.
Kaieteur News
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Twenty-nine battling for Final 7 spots at GCA Junior Nationals C/ships 2019 Two of Guyana’s top female Junior players go head to head, Chelsea Juma Fide rated 1112 takes on 2018 Olympiad Player Nellisha Johnson FIDE rated 1085.
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wenty-nine (29) young vibrant prospects took to the boards on Sunday last at the National Resource Center, all with valid hopes of being in the qualifying seven )7) of the National Junior Chess Championship Finals. The event hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), took off with verve as upsets and thrills littered the playing halls for the entirety of the two rounds played on the first day. On board 1 of the first round, Christ Church School’s Champion Akili Theophil armed with the black pieces tried his best to hold off a ruthless attack by his opponent Joshua Khan.
The critical moment in the game came when Khan missed a decisive mating pattern allowing his opponent the mercy that he would eventually come to regret. Theophil was not nearly as generous in his opponent and launched a counter attack the very moment Khan lost the advantage, comfortably winning the g ame. H is mo men tu m however, was halted in the second-round after he blundered against one of the tournaments joint leaders, Jarrell Troyer who came well prepared with his scouted preference in Caro-Kann Defence. Troyer had also beaten Samirah Gobin in a roller
coaster first-round match up. Playing on board 2 in both of Sunday’s rounds, one of the events unrated favorites Andre Jagnandan quickly defeated his much younger opponent, Kaiden Alli before going on to outplay the FIDE rated topseed Jaden Taylor (1125) in an end game thriller. A meteoric debut was made by the promising 8 year-old prospect Arysh Raghunauth who won his game against Milan NuriRamautaursing on board 5 with the black pieces and was primed for another win against opponent Odit Rodriguez who is twice his age. However the tale of his triumph was not to be, as
Friday March 01, 2019
Two young prospects Arysh Raghunauth right scans the board against his opponent Milan Nuri-Ramutarsingh. They are both students of the Wendell Meusa Chess Foundation.
Rodriguez being much more experienced, managed to slither away for a full victory when the young prospect succumbed to time pressure. Raghunauth’s spectacular effort however, did not go unnoticed by spectators as the tournament halls resounded loudly in his applause after the electrifying game came to an end. R o d r i g u e z ’s a l s o defeated Italey Ton-Chung in the first round ending day as one of the tournaments coleaders on two full points. Member of the 2018 Batumi Olympiad Team, Nellisha Johnson rated 1085 conceded a first round defeat to Chelsea Juma rated 1112 who played the white pieces, both players have been consistent headliners in the female category for quite some time and are amongst the favorites to make the qualifying 7.
Johnson’s Olympiad teammate Sasha Shariff defeated Jibrill Alli in the first round but fell victim to Ethan Lee, fide rated 1095, who had also beaten Nickel Charles in round 1, making him one of the events coleaders at the end of the first day. Ghansham Allijohn defeated Noah Rahaman and Waveney Johnshon in the first and second rounds respectively. Aravinda Singh who has made quite an early impression in the two previous tournaments this year, won both his games on day 1, first against Maliha Rajkumar and then against Queen’s College’s Rajiv Lee. Singh’s game against Lee was quite another spectacle, both players had equal chances going into the end game. At the critical position Lee had a wayward knight ready to leap back
into the game with tempo on blacks weakened b pawn and active rook against Singh’s dark squared bishop and rook who were both experiencing some amount of passivity in the position. It was only until Lee decided to play defensively against Singh’s advanced passed pawn that Singh was able to take advantage and improve his position. He {Singh} improved his chances by forcing the trade of rooks due to check mating threats then went on to comfortably convert the victory with his extra pawn. Though defeated in this round Lee no doubt will try to bounce back into the race for the podium positions as he is known to be a very strong positional player amongst the juniors. Mahin Rajkumar and Angel Rahim held each other at stalemates to produce the only drawn game of the first day.
Lallbachan, Campbell shines in Demerara victory; Thorne boosts Berbice Demerara and Berbice will clash in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board/Dave West Indian Imports Inter County U15 50-over tournament following victories in their final
preliminary round matches yesterday. Led by outstanding performances from Omari Lallbachan and Jadon Campbell, Demerara defeated Essequibo by 9
Man-of-the-match Isia Thorne receives his prize from match referee Moses Ramnarine.
wickets at the Everest Cricket Club. Essequibo decision to bat backfired as they lost openers Sarwan Bisram (01) and Shaziff Mohamed (06), both falling to Thaddeus Lovell, leaving the score on 17-2. Deo Kanhai (04) was removed by Joash Charles while Justin Meghu (10) was lbw to Omari Lallbachan as Essequibo slipped into further trouble on 40-4. Aryan Doodnauth seemed undaunted by the fall of wickets and played a number of decent shots, striking three four’s before he was run out for 21. Lallbachan, Riyad Latif and Joash Charles then
Omari Lallbachan accepts his man-of-the-match prize from Anil Persaud.
combined to bowl out Essequibo for 82 in 46. 3 overs as no other batsman
The points standings following the preliminary round games: Teams Matches Win Loss Tie Abandon Demerara 3 3 0 0 0 Berbice 3 2 1 0 0 President XI 3 1 2 0 0 Essequibo 3 0 3 0 0
managed double figures. Lallbachan bagged 4-18 to claim the man-of-the-match Win Total 18 12 6 0
Bowling 1.5 0.6 0.1 0.1
award while Lovell had 212, Charles 2-16 and Latif (Continued on page 34) Batting 5 4 0 0
Total 24.5 16.6 6.1 0.1
Kaieteur News
Friday March 01, 2019
National Boxing Coach Terrence Pool receives Guyana’s 5th highest Award A Solider since March 1, 1982, Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and National Boxing Coach Terrence Poole last week received the Medal of Service, Guyana’s
Terrence Poole fifth highest National Award. The 55-year-old former boxer said getting the award felt great. “It was a pleasure for me to be honoured with the Country’s fifth highest award” said Poole, Coach of 16 times defending National Boxing Championships Club, GDF. “I was called by the Protocol Office of the Ministry of the Presidency and was told that my recommendation was approved by his Excellency President David Granger,”
Poole recounted how he knew he had gotten the award. The Coach who grew up on Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt informed that it was his predecessor Lennox Daniels who first saw his potential as a Coach and encouraged him to make the transition from Boxer to Coach. “This shows I have not failed him. This Award shows that my work is being recognised by persons at the highest level and this gives me the courage to continue to work harder” the dedicated Poole stated. “I enjoy winning as a Coach and teaching the Art of boxing from the young to the old” added Poole, the father of eight children, the eldest being a 36 year-old son and the youngest, a daughter who is 25 yearsold. Poole, who is presently working with the Pugilists shortlisted for next April’s Pan Am Games, thanked Steve Ninvalle, President GBA, Daniels, Chief of Staff Brigadier Patrick West, all Officers, Ranks and Civilians of GDF, his entire family, friends and wellwishers. (Sean Devers)
New Trend Auto 18-hole and Romel and Robin 9-hole to unfold at LGC this weekend Following hard on the heels of the Valentine weekend tournament and the relaxing Mashramani celebrations tournament, the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) is set to host two exciting tournaments this weekend. To m o r r o w, f r o m 12:30hrs the New Trend Auto of David Street, Campbellville 18-hole 3Flight (0-13, 14-21 and 2228) Medal Play tournament takes place. CEO and Owner Rudy Ramalingum, who decided
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to set a standard in quality and service six years ago when he started the business, has expanded to include the Foodtown Brand Restaurant, wholesale foods and snacks. Prizes would be offered to the 1st and 2nd place finisher in each Flight; Nearest to Pin, Longest Drive and Best Gross. From O9:00hrs on Sunday, Club members Romel and Robin have combined to sponsor a 9hole 2-Flight (0 -7 and 8-14) (Continued on page 34)
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Cyclists gearing up for historic race in Bartica on March 16 - GCF teams up with MTC of Bartica
Horace Burrowes - GCF President The Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) in association with the Mayor and Town Council of Bartica have teamed up to bring off what would be the first major Road Race in the Town on Saturday March 16, next. The best of the nation’s
cyclists including seniors, juniors and veterans will all be heading to Bartica to ensure their names are carved in the history books for what is anticipated to be an exciting day of action. Over $400,000 in cash along with other incentives
Gifford Marshall - Mayor of Bartica will be at stake with the top six seniors, top three juniors and masters to receive prizes. There would also be 20 sprint prizes up for the taking. According to the organizers, there would also be BMX races for youths of
Bartica in the 6-9 years and 9-12 years categories while the senior citizens would also have the opportunity to roll back the years as they too would be catered for. The proposed Race Route is as follows; Start at (Continued on page 34)
t r o Sp 2018-19 West Indies Championship
Reifer grabs 5-20 as Barbados Pride falls for lowest total in Guyana
The Jaguars celebrate the demise of the ‘big Fish’ Jonathon Carter caught by Bramble off Raymon Reifer who had 5-20.
Raymon Reifer pulls during his unbeaten 33 yesterday at Providence.
Twenty-nine battling for Final Lallbachan, Campbell shines in Demerara victory; 7 spots at GCA Junior Nationals Thorne boosts Berbice C/ships 2019 Tournament Co-Leader Aravinda Singh with the white pieces takes on the young Maliha Rajkumar in their first round encounter.
Mavindra Dindyal (left) and Jadon Campbell
GBA/Pepsi Mike Parris U-16 Card on Tomorrow
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