Monday March 06, 2017
GRA strengthens systems to expose tax dodging companies The manipulation of financial records by companies to evade paying their fair share of taxes is a practice that is alive and well in Guyana. But the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is on a mission to pinpoint those companies seeking to cheat the system and make them pay up. This is according to GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia. “If you look at most of these manufacturing companies and even those in the mining sector, they have a lot of related party transactions whereby directors trade between themselves, trade within the company, directors even have shell companies that
Media integral to reaching youth for social cohesion
- Commissioner General
GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia purchase on behalf of the company…So we are actually looking at it now by actually
establishing a large taxpayer’s unit.” The GRA Commissioner General said that the Unit will be looking specifically at “big companies” and how they do business. “So there are certain software that we are now instituting which will allow us to get down to these things, because if you look at the industry, you would be able to see whether some are understating their earnings and those that are not.” With the new systems in place, Statia is confident that GRA will be better able to pinpoint those who have doctored their financial records. (Kiana Wilburg)
Hamilton Green pension Bill for second reading Thursday The Hamilton Green Pension Bill will be read for a second time on Thursday in the National Assembly. The Bill seeks to safeguard benefits and other facilities to the former Prime Minister who served from 1985 to 1992. According to the Order Paper for the 62nd Sitting of the National Assembly, the Bill, once passed, will enable Green to live in keeping with the high office he occupied. The Bill was read in the National Assembly for the first time in November of last year. Green had defended his right to benefit from a former Prime Ministers pension despite being criticised by a number of individuals and organisations. The former Prime Minister and former Mayor of Georgetown had said that there is nothing unique about past Prime Ministers being given a pension when all ‘civilised’ countries have established systems in place which cater for such officials after they would have demitted office. Green had said that although it is covered in law for the President and Prime Minister to receive some benefits after leaving office, the former administration had carried the matter to Parliament in 2011 and thereafter only former Presidents and not former Prime Ministers were catered for. Green is the only living former Prime Minister besides Samuel Hinds. However, Hinds had served as President of Guyana after the death of Dr Cheddi Jagan in 1997, making him a beneficiary of a Presidential
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Pension. As such, Green remains the only Prime Minister not able to receive a pension. Since the announcement of the Bill, a number of persons would have levelled their criticism of government’s intent to give Green a prime minister’s pension including Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo. According to Jagdeo, for the Bill to have any merit, government must show what contributions Green would have made to Guyana that qualifies him to have a special Bill in his name. Jagdeo likened the Bill to his pension scheme which was heavily criticised by the government while it was in opposition. He described the move as duplicitous. The former President also questioned the title of the Bill since it will naturally benefit all future former Prime Ministers. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had said during a press conference that the issue has to be seen both in a historical and peculiar context. He said that in the peculiar context there is only one former Prime Minister that is available for any benefit. “The issue from the historical context is that if someone held the office of Prime Minister and the person continues to be alive, you couldn’t give that person the pension of an MP (Member of Parliament). What he is getting there is the pension of a member of parliament because there will be no law that created a Prime Ministers pension.” He said that without looking at the personality
Former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green concerning the Bill, the matter should be considered as a justice issue. “Is it fair that someone serving as Prime Minister is getting a parliamentarian’s pension? So it requires the creation of a law for the first time to deal with that peculiar situation of one Prime Minister hanging out there on a pension that is not a Prime Minister’s pension.” According to Nagamootoo the Bill will not take effect from 1985 but rather from the date of passage in the National Assembly. He stressed that Guyanese need to put aside their differences and bitterness that has contaminated the nation’s political culture, causing individuals to become angry when dealing with people who would have held offices in the country. “He held the position of Prime Minister and therefore I believe this is a once for all legislation to allow him to enjoy the benefits a Prime Minister ought to get.”
Social media and the mainstream media outlets integral to bringing about social cohesion among young people in Guyana. Social media and the mainstream media outlets have integral roles in bringing about social cohesion among young people. This is according to information outlined in the National Draft plan towards achieving a more socially cohesive society. The National Draft Plan for Social Cohesion was unveiled earlier this year. Then Social Cohesion Minister, Amna Ally, said the plan was launched to bring Guyana one step closer to achieving an enabling environment where persons are willing to embrace their unique diversities, “and where we will support key actions that will replace confrontation with corporation, facilitate the reduction of inequalities and promote greater tolerance and acceptance, mutual respect and improved livelihood for all.” With assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry was able to complete a series of sensitisation and consultation sessions countrywide. The democratic approach by the government, the Minister said, is in keeping with the government’s aim to ensure the mass of the citizens were duly consulted before the plan was completed. According to documents seen by this newspaper during the pilot stage of the face-to-face consultations (Regions 2, 7 and 10), the participation of youth was limited. The information indicated that it was recognized that traditional strategies (public consultations, focus groups) are perhaps effective in mobilizing affiliated youth, but are unable to engage the average young person and those at risk. Efforts were therefore made to reach the young people through Facebook and radio. It was also pointed out that consolidated inputs
of the media consultations have been incorporated into this draft Strategic Plan. “The strategy for youth engagement was designed to address the reality that one single consultative approach would not reach the entire youth spectrum, which is made of three separate but at times overlapping subcategories of males and females between 18 and 35 years of age.” According to the document, while these groups often fall within more than one category, it is evident that there are differe n t groups of youth holding very different needs and opinions. Hence, the importance of cumulating inputs from both the face-to-face municipal and regional consultations and the media consultations using radio and Facebook.
As part of the process, Dr. Paloma Mohamed Martin spearheaded a team of researchers, who managed the media consultation during the period OctoberNovember 2016. There are radio call-in programmes; six radio programmes on four stations were utilized to host half hour programmes for four weeks. Following training with presenters and negotiations with radio stations as well as preparation of the Facebook page and online postcards, the project began on Wednesday. The audio recordings were collected from each station for every programme. Additionally, each programme was monitored by a member of the project team, monitoring forms and transcripts of each programme were created.
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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
THE REMAINING THREE YEARS In Guyana, as in most other countries, it seems that democracy only exists at elections when the people exercise their democratic right to vote. After elections they are ignored and treated as if they did not exist. Most of their complaints are ignored, which suggests that they are only needed every election cycle to elect one of the two parties to government.Many felt that the two-party system is hurting the country; a strong third force is needed to give the electorate more options and perhaps to have the balance of power. It seems that some cabinet members are so arrogant that they have publicly stated that if the people do not like what they are doing or are in disagreement with their policies or ideas, they can vote them out of office in the next election. Their remarks are not only crude, but these individuals believe that they are superior to the masses and can do or say anything to them without repercussions. However, those in authority are the servants of the people and their behaviour could have serious political consequences for the party and for the country’s future. This is not new. Since independence, the two political parties have developed a dependency system which has made many rely on them for employment and their well-being. They believe that they are the Messiahs with divine right to rule the nation. Some are under the impression that the masses are fools and they are the functional literates who should govern the country. The truth is, visionary and transformative leaders do not disrespect the people; instead, they listen to them and act on their behalf. Disregarding the people is a far from being a visionary and transformative leader. However, the time may well come when the government will be taught a valuable lesson in humility and listen to the people who elected them. The leadership of the PPP knows that lesson very well and is now doing their darn best to be as humble as possible to the people. It is a lesson about having power and losing it. They have realized that they have made some colossal mistakes and are now taking steps to correct them. The last fifteen years of autocratic rule have not only damaged the psyche of the people, but it has also cast the PPP leadership in a bad light. During the 2015 election campaign, many promises were made to the people by both parties, but it seems that many of the key promises are being ignored by the government. When in power, both parties have dictated policies to the people instead of getting them involved in the decision making process. It is said that democracy thrives on freedom, but dictatorship thrives on oppression. Over the years, each party took turns to oppress the population. The PNC did so for a good part of its 28 years in office, and the PPP for the last 15 years. In those periods, both parties have displayed little respect for people. All is not well with the people. Many are jobless, desperate and hopeless and have been consumed by poverty. There are many excellent ideas being offered by the people, but they are not taken in consideration. It seems that the government is content on making decisions without input from the people. The last administration did it and it paid a heavy price at the polls. The people should have a voice to represent them beyond voting on elections day, otherwise dictatorship will demolish all semblance of democracy in the country. The government has three years to prove that it is different from the last administration.
Policies that are not grounded in social consciousness DEAR EDITOR, The more society listens to Finance Minister Winston Jordan on the issue of taxation, it is recognised his fiscal policies are not grounded in social consciousness. Education and health are fundamental rights as prescribed by the Guyana Constitution. This means that the State, via the government, is duty bound to provide these services, directly or through support systems. There are social reasons for these services given their importance to enlightenment and wellness in ensuring production and productivity, which are necessary to guarantee the growth and development of the people and the society. It makes sense to ensure citizens are provided opportunity and access throughout their lives, if people are rightly seen and valued as the reason for a nation’s existence. Minister Jordan, who today seeks to tax those for accessing education and health services, needs not forget the guiding principle for the purpose of these services, and where he and his ministerial colleagues had access to free education from nursery to university and health services, having come from humble background, were it not for these, could not have been where they are today. Compassion will inform having gotten through the door, when you look back or down at others, it should be
to lend a hand across or up. This is how continuity and development takes place. When in 1926 the Caribbean trade union leaders moved to frame a developmental agenda for the citizens/workers, education and health were considered critical for such, hence the call to make it public. The United Nations (1948) in its Human Rights Declaration considers both services critical to human dignity and respect, and important to the pursuit of being free from want, hunger, and other social ills. Guyana is a member of the UN. To tax those who access these services, as against taxing the businesses that provide the services, is not only a violation of a person’s fundamental right to access, but is punitively designed to make it prohibitive and by extension a denial of the rights. Let me make it very clear- in a mixed economy (public, private, and cooperative) services operate at competitive cost (direct and indirect) and allow persons to access same base on choice. The government provides a fully tax public funded education (nursery to secondary) where all are allowed access. The private sector provides educational services but at a direct cost borne to the students. I am not sure if the cooperative sector provides this service. But government cannot treat education as a fundamental right then turn around and
charge people for accessing this right when the State, has via the Constitution, made its access competitive. Those who are providing private education must confirm to the laws governing their business (including paying their taxes). Those who established non-profit schools, the government can require of them, through sensible measures, to shoulder some responsibility in certain areas as a way of helping to maintain the public good. There are much best practices around the world where treatment of profit and non-profit organisations proving the same services are dealt with. In the meantime those that have been recalcitrant the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority must peruse them. I disagree with President Granger’s contention that only because a few private schools registered complaint he will retain the taxes for now. This view is not grounded in what is the purpose of education and its importance to a nation’s development. It would be helpful to hear Minister of Education Rupert Roopnarine’s thinking on this issue and he is urged to speak to it. Also, the government needs to advise which other societies are taxing their citizens to access health and education services. The public school system has its deficiencies which too have to be addressed. I am advised that the private schools are pulling the
teachers with higher remuneration packages, there are complaints about teachers going to university and not giving students the needed time, etc. At the same time it cannot be denied that government, as a result of shirking its responsibility, has seen teachers going into their pockets to provide teachings aids and supplies for their classroom. These are concerns and problems that can be fixed and fixing these require meaningful engagement with the providers and executors of education. The government must engage the Guyana Teachers Union in constructive negotiations. Where Guyana is seeking to strengthen and deepen its foundational principle of social cohesion (One People, One Nation, One Destiny), government has to be mindful of the universal principles that undergird it, which are Social Inclusion, Social Capital, and Social Mobility. What is needed is a Tax Structure where every citizen pays his/her fair share, and doing this taxes have to be progressive, social consciousness has to inform its conceptualisation, which would factor in protecting fundamental rights and freedoms, and realising the developmental thrust of the society. Taxation as a fiscal tool absent social consciousness is tantamount to taxation that is designed to deprive and oppress the masses, and by extension retard growth and development. Lincoln Lewis
Why the deafening silence from the Ministry of Business? DEAR EDITOR, I thank your newspaper for its indulgence of this follow-up to my letter on the parking meter situation of March 3. For one thing, the Town Clerk blundered seriously when he failed to answer the fundamental question: Smart City solution is the best option compared to which other solution? How can he claim that with such arrogant certainty when he did not even look at alternative solutions, or what other metered parking providers have to offer? One of the many benefits of public tendering is that you have options and you can rate objectively the best option available. And so get value for money. The Town Clerk has also claimed that Smart City would be investing over 10 million
US dollars in the metered parking project. If that were true, wouldn’t the ministries that publicly pronounced on the project have given a more favourable evaluation of the project? Is there a Letter of Intent or a Memorandum of Understanding that supports that claim? Has anyone seen such a document? Was that proposal ever submitted to Go Invest? Would not such a huge investment fall within the purview of the Ministry of Business? Go Invest? Why the deafening silence from the Ministry of Business? Is silence here ‘golden’ or just plain ‘yellow’? Businesses invest in a new market based on measured and calculated risks with their eyes firmly fixed on the Return on their Investment (ROI).
Understandably, when Smart City was asked about their anticipated Return on Investment, it deftly deflected the question. Only stupid people would disclose that. Usually, when businesses are venturing into a new market they first carry out certain analyses of the potential market. For example, the economic situation: level of disposable income, level of corruption etc., Did Smart City solutions carry out any such study? Would not carrying out such a study be considered foolhardy, reckless in business circles? Did SmartCity make a dumb move? Certainly, Smart City would have been aware of the huge number of forensic audits and commissions of inquiry that are taking place in the country. Didn’t that
mean something to them? In the case of Smart City, based on admissions made during a television interview, no feasibility study was done. A feasibility study would have included an evaluation, at the barest minimum, of the needs, interests and preferences of the major stakeholders involved, namely city businesses, organizations (schools, churches, government ministries, public utilities,) residents, workers and commuters. When confronted with a sustained vocal and vigorous response from the stakeholders, Smart City went into scramble alert mode to make adjustments to their implementation strategy. Here certain inferences can be made: that Smart City Continued on page 6
Monday March 06, 2017
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The AFC has not reached out An open letter to President Granger to help the youths of Guyana DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me space in your letter column to express my dissatisfaction with the APNU+AFC coalition government more so one of its main partners the Alliance For Change (AFC). One of the themes of the now government during the campaign was, “jobs for young people and youth empowerment” a promise that is yet to be realized. To date the government has not come up with a comprehensive plan nor strategy to create employment. We all know the equation; Unemployment = Crime. President Granger and his cabinet need to come up with a comprehensive economic plan; work with the Private Sector and foreign investors to get this economy going, and create jobs for the Guyanese youths. Nine out of ten youths will tell you how frustrated they are and how financially
challenging it has become under the Granger led administration, an administration that promised “The Good life for All”. We are yet to see qualified youths placed in key positions in the ministries, government agencies and state boards. How will our young people get the relevant experience if they are denied these opportunities? Now back to my reason why I am dissatisfied with the AFC. I recently made contact with a prominent member of the AFC, Aseef Balmacoon just to see how he was doing only to learn that things weren’t so well with him. Aseef Balmacoon is a name and face that was featured in all the newspapers and election posters for the APNU+AFC in 2015. He is youth activist and was a national candidate in 2011 and 2015. This is a young man who campaigned for the AFC and Coalition, who spoke at
several rallies and community meetings. He had the responsibility to oversee one hundred and sixty one (161) ballot boxes and polling stations. To this day Aseef Balmacoon is unemployed. His party, the AFC or the coalition government has not assisted him with a job. Is this how we thank our young people who risked their lives to stand against the PPP and help to put the coalition in power? If the government can treat one of its own in such a manner I can only imagine how they will treat the rest of the Guyanese youth. I therefore call on President Granger and Raphael Trotman, the new leader of the AFC to correct this injustice against Aseef Balmacoon. I have enclosed Balmacoon’s number so he can be contacted to verify my claims in this letter. A. Thomas
Congratulations to the Chief Justice (ag) and Chancellor (ag) DEAR EDITOR, All of Guyana ought to be proud of the milestone realised by our judiciary on account of the simultaneous recent elevation of two of our outstanding female legal luminaries the Honorable Justices Yonette CummingsEdwards and Roxanne George-Wiltshire to the positions of Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag.) and Chief Justice (ag.), respectively. I truly believe that the honour bestowed on these two distinguished women, s i m u l t a n e o u s l y, will resonate beyond the
confines of the judicial system and find its way into the consciousness of our womenfolk as a whole. If it is true that women have long broken through the proverbial glass ceiling as far as elevation of high office is concerned, the simultaneous occupation of these two exalted positions in the judicial system, by two women is an accomplishment which, in all likelihood, is not emulated anywhere else in the world. I believe, as well, that the elevation of two women to these distinguished positions
Much more can be saved by not using envelopes at all DEAR EDITOR, It is good that Government is identifying ways and means to become more efficient and cost-effective in the use of its material and human resources. In reflecting on its intention to implement a process of “reusing envelopes”, I wish to suggest that our Government goes even further by reducing/removing the use of envelopes altogether through the following: · Increase the use of ‘soft-mail’/ e-mail which would not only obviate the need for envelopes, but save paper and time and the cost of hand-delivery; · Consider the pros/cons of phone calls versus written mails; this might not go down well in a civil service culture of CYA, but we should never resist cultural shifts. · In those cases where ‘paper’ must be used such ‘papers’ can be stapled with the addressees ‘label-pasted’ appropriately. With apologies for any appearance of preaching to the converted Nowrang Persaud
is a reflection of the determination of the administration of President David Granger to enrich the lives and enhance the profiles of Guyanese women. I believe that the elevation of these two women of distinction is but the beginning of the opening up of new avenues of opportunity under this administration. My own wish, and, I hope, the wish of every Guyanese, is that this development impacts meaningfully on both the consciousness and confidence of every Guyanese women, causing them to become increasingly aware of the fact that gender equality is much more than a mere chimera. My hope, as well, is that the elevation of these two outstanding Guyanese women will create a renewed sense of confidence in the fairness of our justice system. Simona Broomes Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources
DEAR EDITOR, I write this letter so it can reach the President’s eyes. I see it as a letter openly addressed to President Granger so I will address him directly. Firstly I hope for and wish you strength to do what must be done over the coming weeks, months and years of your tenure as President. I LOVE my country, feel extremely privileged to work where I do, with amazing colleagues and was lucky enough to have parents who helped me further my education. That being said, as a young professional who made the CHOICE to come back home and try to make a contribution to my country; I am so disheartened and frustrated to the point of tears about what is happening in Guyana today. Your people are hurting, they are in pain, and they are trying to make you see this. I say YOUR people, because you are the head of
our country. It is YOUR ministers that have made the decisions that are causing your people pain. It is YOUR voice that is noticeably absent from the edicts being passed DOWN to the people. Do you plan on waiting until your ministers make a tangled mess of these situations, and then you’ll come in to save us? Is that the plan? Logically I know that YOU can’t fix everything, and we don’t expect you to. BUT, you have a golden opportunity to look outside your window, read the papers, look into the faces of the people who voted for you; the faces of those who MATTER EQUALLY, and see their pain. Start thinking logically, and PLEASE START LISTENING TO YOUR PEOPLE. THEY MATTER....ALL OF THEM. Annalise Bayney, MSc Wildlife Biologist
The analysis of the AttorneyGeneral is manifestly mediocre DEAR EDITOR, I submit the conclusion re; my letter of Saturday, March 04, 2017 captioned, “The mental gymnastics of the Attorney-General.” I take the opportunity to reiterate that the ejusdem generis rule has no application to the interpretation of that Article because of the use of the disjunctive word “or” separates the categories of persons identified in the Article. The use of the disjunctive word “or” conveys a contrary indication of the method of construction of the said Article. This much is learnt from the very case referred to by Mr. Basil Williams, SC, MP, that is Kochuni v the State of Madras. In the extract to which Mr. Williams, SC, MP, refers, the Court speaking of the ejusdem generis rule observed; “It is not an inviolable rule of law but is only a permissible inference in the absence of an indication to the contrary.” The Attorney General who has presumably read the judgment of Crane. J.A in the Badri Persaud case to which he referred, must be aware that His Honor explained: “more specifically as regards the meaning of the words “or” , “other” or “otherwise” prima facie, they exclude the application of the ejusdem generis rule and when used, they are not to be construed
as being of the same genus as specific words which precede them, unless the expression “similar” or some equivalent expression is used or unless the context so determines or requires.” Another case to which I would like to refer the Attorney General is Maharashtra University v Mandal and others, civil appeal No. 2050 of 2010, a decision of the Supreme Court of India. The Court had under consideration the Maharashtra University Health Sciences Act 1998 and more particularly, Section 2(35) which defined the word teacher to mean. “Full time approved Demonstrators, Tutors, Assistant Lecturers, Lecturers, Leaders, Associate Professors and other persons teaching or giving instructions on a full time basis in affiliated colleges in approved institutions in the university.” Justice Ganguly in his judgment noted that “even though the approved teachers and those “other persons” who are teaching and giving instructions fall into two different classes both are encompassed within the definition of teacher under
Section 2(35) of the Act. The word “and” before “other persons” is disjunctive and indicate a “different class of people.” His Lordship continued “But like all other linguistic canons of construction, the ejusdem generis principle applies only when a contrary intention does not appear. In the instant case, a contrary intention is clearly indicated in as much as the definition of “teachers” under Section 2(35) of the said Act is in two parts. The first- deals with enumerated categories but the second part which begins by the expression “and other” envisages a different category of persons and here “and” is disjunctive. So while construing such a definition, the principle of ejusdem generis cannot be applied.” The Attorney General has failed to proffer any view that would have taken into account, Section 5 of the Interpretation and General Clauses Act which provides that “or”, “other” and “otherwise” must be disjunctively construed. In Article 161(2), each of the eligible categories of persons therein mentioned are separated by the use of the Continued on page 6
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Those who are guilty will President Granger continues hate the SARA legislation to show interest in the youths DEAR EDITOR, Before I discuss the subject of SARA, let us examine a few trends and observations that should help in rearranging the ignorance of some minds. I, like many others who silently speculate, have strong suspicions that there is a composition of individuals and dominant forces steadfastly united in their efforts at keeping certain types of crime alive and operable in Guyana. Hence, resistance toward the establishment of a SARA here is inevitable. Some of those individuals, I believe are well established; establishments that were made possible as a result of activities that a SARA now seeks to discourage and completely end. Those individuals are not jokers, or masqueraders, they are not bothered about Mashramani; they don’t even support that! If one is to carefully observe trends, some of the most organized and unified groups are those with dishonest intent, whether it is students who cheat for better grades, narcotic traffickers with their synergetic networks or clandestine persons of prominence who launder money like water flowing from a rapid. While thousands of acres of land were being leased away for alleged cutbacks, logs and gold smuggled, and cocaine allowed to transit almost unhindered through our ports, a certain political elements in our country sought to promote the impression that overt criminal activity such as armed robbers and simple larcenies were our only nuances. They even attributed it to a particular race. This, I believe, was one of the many guises to detract attention from those massive covert crimes that were being committed by many who now have deep aversions towards a SARA. Their crimes weren’t snatching bags; they were conscientiously and systematically robbing the state. Crime has no ethnic origin. There are revelations of criminal activity,
particularly related to various types of fraud and narcotics trafficking, which implicated multi-ethnic players. What we see in news reports from multiple media sources and outlets so far suggest that no one is being singled out or prosecuted solely based on ethnic or political linkages. The same could be said from an observation of matters brought before the Courts so far by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) relating to other white collar criminal investigations. The State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) is gearing up to pursue similar ligations, via civil proceedings, once that Agency’s Bill is assented to in our Parliament. The latter has been creating grave concern, particularly among some persons closely linked or part of the former administration, as well as their surrogates in the private sector. I made the illustration regarding multi-ethnic collaboration within criminal networks because some individuals are again seeking to use racial innuendoes as distractions and accusatory assertions against those specialized anti-crime units such as SOCU and SARU. It is fair to say, that some sections of the private sector remain clearly partisan and detest the Coalition Government along with its policies against corruption, tax-evasion, money laundering, narco-trafficking and trafficking of persons; just to name a few of the diabolic criminal activities that placed this country under various international watch-lists and impending sanctions. Some of those individuals seem to have concerted priorities, which are to extract, pillage and siphon as much as they can from this country. For them, Guyana is their cash cow. Some of those
individuals are prime suspects of unchecked capital flight. They cheat Guyana and rob consumers while living extravagant and affluent lifestyles. I have no qualms or issues with affluence, providing it is achieved honestly. Those individuals hate the coalition and SARU. They believe that one must ‘get rich quickly or die trying’. Anything they do legally is often a front. They have contaminated our sociocultural sphere, and many young minds whom they influence or brainwash into believing that conning the system makes one successful or a champion. Ironically, some who subscribe to that mindset often find themselves being subjects of those very wheelers and are merely utilized conveniently for errands of their predators. Astonishingly, some of those individuals are now making their voices heard. They are beginning to smell the SARU coffee and bellyache daily over State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) legislation. To them corruption and abuse of state assets are such integral and acceptable elements of their successes that any accountable system must be challenged as undemocratic or an intrusion to their rights; their rights to continue perpetrating, collaborating, abetting and condoning the depletion of our State’s Assets. What persisted in the past supported a questionable parallel economy. It placed Guyana in a real bubble. Now that the bubble has burst, the coalition Government finds itself in a precarious position; a position that may require austerity measures to prevent our country from slipping into recession. I will have more to say later Orette Cutting
The analysis of the... From page 5 disjunctive word “or”, with the faint hope for the dawning of some understanding. I repeat that the category of “any other fit and proper person” mentioned in Article 161(2) must be construed disjunctively. The Constitution creates no preferential order among these categories of persons. Each category is mutually exclusive and merits independent consideration. In other words, the list submitted by the Leader of the Opposition could be comprised of six judges, or, six former judges, six persons qualified to be a judge, or, six fit and proper persons. I am troubled that the President will allow himself to be influenced by the opinion of the Attorney General which so patently lacks analysis and scholarship and which is focused on the appointment of a judge which only serves to fuel widely held public suspicion that the interpretation of Article 161(20 by the Attorney General has been tailored with an ulterior objection in mind. Needless to say any unconstitutional stratagem will be forcefully challenged. Anil Nandlall
DEAR EDITOR, Kindly allow me to respond to a letter that was published in your newspaper on the 2nd March, 2017 captioned ‘President Granger is bypassing young people’; in this letter the case of the Deputy Regional Executive Officer for Region 9 was mentioned along with statements that are not accurate and try to devalue our President’s passion for Youth Development countrywide but more specifically in this Region. This author clearly does not understand how the system works; therefore allow me to clear some misinformation on my part that was in this letter. I have been the Deputy Regional Executive Officer of the Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo Region for a few months therefore I am in support of the Ministry of Communities pronouncement to appoint Mr. Kerwin Ward as the Regional Executive Officer Acting. In my opinion Mr. Ward is very seasoned and dedicated individual who is capable of carrying out the duties of the Regional Executive Officer given his years of experience in the Public Service and allegiance to serve the people which he has done for over 20 years. Additionally the statement made against His Excellency President David Granger which
states that he is ’‘bypassing the youths ‘is one that is very misleading in every logic especially as it relates to the Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo Region, since there is a clear sign that young people within this area have been elevated to prominent leadership positions; such as the position of Regional Housing Officer, District Development Officers, Town Clerk of Lethem and the nineteen year old Deputy Mayor of Lethem just to name a few. I advise ‘’ Deonarine Ramphal’’ to seek accurate information and think with good reason before putting such a statement into the national papers and moreover I would like to reiterate my point that while there is certainly need for inclusivity of our Youths in the country’s administrative system there is absolutely nothing erroneous about appointing experienced and skilled public servants to these positions so that our young people can grasp valuable knowledge before they take up the mantle to function in higher leadership capacities. To further reinstate my point I would like to leave this quote as food for thought, I faithfully believe that – ‘Success is not a function of the size of your title but the richness of your contribution’. Robyn S. S Sherwyn Wellington Deputy Regional Executive Officer
Gross negligence and inefficiency in Mr. Jordan’s own ministry DEAR EDITOR, I have been taken aback by the Government’s attempts to justify and rationalize its decision to levy a 14% VAT on the purchasers of private education services. The claims attributed to the Hon. Minister of Finance as reported in the newspapers, if true, point to gross negligence and inefficiency in his own ministry and the Ministry of Education. Government inefficiency and/ mismanagement should not be the argument for the introduction of new tax burdens for citizens. Perhaps the most jarring of his assertions was this one’ ...”if the government didn’t put a tax, by the end of this semester or the next, the fees go up”.....followed by another, marginally less offensive... the operators of private schools can afford to absorb the 14% VAT.” These statements, betray the pettiness and hostility that many in power have shown towards the growth and success of private education in Guyana. There has always been a focus on fees collected but a complete
disregard for the efforts and costs incurred in the provision of the service. Incidentally, this growth and success has been due to the public’s dissatisfaction with the quality of public education. When questioned about the “absorption” of the levy by private school operators, the Minister then said; “what I was recommending was only a way out. I don’t want to suggest that VAT on tuition fees was meant to be absorbed by the schools” A way out from what? Education is a right. If a government is unable to adequately cater to public demand for this right, entrepreneurs and genuine non-profit organisations will work to supplement and enhance access to it. Those interventions improve the quality of the service but do not alter the right. The 14 % levy impedes access to the right of a good education for thousands of Guyanese children and is inappropriate. The suggestion that private school operators can afford to absorb the cost is not the way out. L. T. French Maryland, USA
Why the deafening silence from... From page 4 solutions felt, probably based on certain assurances given to it by a third party that it would be a slam-dunk situation in Guyana. Are there any inferences that can be drawn not only from the steep, sharp reduction in the size of the parking fees but the time sequence of the concessions? Yes, there are. And they indicate a predatory approach to the market. Businesses use a certain methodology for evaluating a potential market. What are some of the factors a legitimate business considers before venturing into a new market? These are political, economic, social and technological. Did Smart City
solutions consider Guyana’s political, economic, social and technological situation and decide to take advantage of it and go for the jugular and make a killing? There seems to be some indication that they are aware of Guyana’s lack of technological sophistication when they made vague references to other features of the parking meter machine. Smart City has repeatedly claimed that there is a positive correlation between metered parking and businesses generating increased sales. Smart City alludes to thousands of cities where it claims that has happened but, again predictably, cites no specific instances. Is Smart City solutions
not aware that correlation does not mean causation? Metered parking does not generate increased sales. Increased sales are generated by other factors. Would the Smart City metered parking solution weather the storm and succeed in being implemented? Or, would the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) ‘Starve the Beast’ strategy prevail and score a major victory - the triumph of the ‘power of the people’ over the ‘people in power’? My guess is based on probabilistic thinking and playing the percentages. I give the ‘power of the people’ a very good chance of winning. Business Consultant
Monday March 06, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Guyana’s EITI application…
Trump’s repeal of disclosure law will have negative impact …but it would not be fatal - Natural Resources Minister By: Kiana Wilburg The coalition administration has taken note of the recent action by USA President, Donald Trump to repeal a key piece of disclosure law which no longer strong-arms American companies in the extractive sector to divulge what they are paying to foreign governments. The Government has also acknowledged that Trump’s action will have an impact on all countries which are implementing the principles of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). One of the key requirements of any country that is part of the EITI fold is to allow scrutiny of Government’s records of what it receives from companies in the extractive sectors. Guyana is currently applying to be part of the EITI. While Trump’s action could have an impact on Guyana’s application, and all countries implementing EITI principles and standards, the Government is saying that the impact would not be a “fatal one”. Specifically making this statement was Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman. Trotman said that the reason for this is that the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 gave birth to similar disclosure rules in the 28 countries of the European Union (EU). The disclosure rule that Trump repealed was part of the Dodd-Frank Act (fully known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) which placed regulation of the financial industry in the hands of the government. The legislation, which was enacted in July 2010, created financial regulatory processes to limit risk by enforcing transparency and accountability.
“Therefore, most, if not all of the international companies that will operate in Guyana, will already be in compliance with those disclosure rules in other jurisdictions and will have precedents to disclose payments to Guyana for inclusion in its EITI Reports.” The Natural Resources Minister also said that this was the advice sought and received so far on the matter. He said that the Government will continue to monitor events in the US and take guidance from Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, on the way forward. Since the law was repealed, it has attracted much criticism from anticorruption bodies, including EITI. In fact, Chairman of EITI, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has since spoken against Trump’s move. Reinfeldt said that the law, which had allowed for American companies to disclose what they are paying foreign governments ,was a complement to the EITI disclosure requirements. He added, “I reiterate earlier held EITI positions on this matter. Our aim is to ensure responsible and transparent resource governance and this requires multiple efforts. The SEC took great care in drafting these rules in consultation with industry to ensure that they complement the EITI’s efforts and avoid unnecessary duplication. I would urge Congress to consider this matter thoroughly, and to ensure that any action does not undermine the hard-won gains in this arena.” GUYANA’S APPLICATION With the emergence of a multi-billion-dollar oil sector, the Government of the day is of the belief that EITI is necessary. As such, it is doing everything possible to safeguard the earnings from oil and gas by working to fast
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman track Guyana’s application to EITI. The Government’s action in this regard is spurred particularly by the declaration of significant oil finds by one of the richest American oil companies in the world, ExxonMobil. Should Guyana become a member of EITI, it will be required to ask all companies in the extractive sector, including Exxon Mobil, to reveal what it is paying the government, among other things. While there are a few more stages left to go through, Guyana certainly made significant headway recently as it relates to its application for membership to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative with the launching of Guyana’s very own EITI Multistakeholder Group (MSG). This is one of the requirements for Guyana to make it into the EITI fold. Speaking to the importance of the initiative, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat, National Coordinator of Guyana’s EITI Secretariat, said that EITI brings together a number of groups. He said that these include oil and gas companies, representatives of government, local and international stakeholders and assessment management companies. The National Director stressed that the objective of the EITI is to bring international and acceptable standards for transparency to the oil, gas and mining sector.
USA President, Donald Trump
EITI Chair, Fredrik Reinfeldt
Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge
The National Director said: “EITI creates opportunities for the building of trust among stakeholders and indeed the community at large. “Companies are required to disclose what they pay to government and the government must in turn disclose what receipts from the companies are made.” “These figures are then compared to discover any discrepancies, and the information made public as a way to foster public scrutiny and greater accountability over natural resource profits earned by governments…” The Director said, too, that Guyana has already satisfied a number of requirements. However, there are still a few steps which need to be completed. These include adapting the terms of reference of the MSG, determining the materiality and scope, to review and finalize a draft work plan, to prepare a communication strategy and plan for it, to review and ensure the finalization of the scoping study which was commissioned and prepared by a consulting firm etc. The National Director assured that the Secretariat
will provide support to the MSG. THE GEITI –MSG Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, also provided an update on Guyana’s status thus far. He said that the GEITI –MSG is a primary body which will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating the successful implementation of the global EITI standards. The Natural Resources Minister said that the body will provide and establish a framework to promote collaboration and consensus building in implementing the EITI accordingly. He said that the grouping is a true demonstration of inclusivity and transparency as all stakeholders are represented at the table. Trotman said that this includes government, civil society and industry. With four members and equivalent alternates on the MSG, Trotman noted that the Government will be represented by high level
officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and the Guyana Revenue Authority. He revealed that the GEITI will be chaired by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Trotman noted that efforts to find a suitable standalone location for the EITI secretariat have already commenced. He said that hiring additional support staff for the Secretariat has already begun. He hopes to have a full staff for it before the end of the first half of the year. Trotman said, too, that in the coming weeks, there will be an outreach programme to engage the public on all matters of importance and interest within the natural resources sector. Oil has been seen as a major boon to Guyana, which has been described as one of the poorest nation in this part of the hemisphere. ExxonMobil’s find is estimated to be at least 1.4 billion barrels.
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PAGE 8
Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
As attacks outside jail escalate…
Prison Director wants cops to search inmates heading to court The Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts
Deputy Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels believes incidents like the recent stabbing of a prisoner at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts can be eradicated, if police ranks conduct routine searches on prisoners they escort. The Deputy Prison Director pointed out that prisoners leaving the penitentiaries to attend court are searched with metal detectors. However, he said that police ranks reserve the right to search prisoners, as this would be an additional layer of security. On February 6, murder accused Timothy Paul Chance was stabbed to the
abdomen with an improvised ice pick. The stabbing occurred minutes after Chance and four co-accused (two male and two female) – two of whom are juveniles – were committed to stand trial in the High Court for allegedly killing Professor Pairadeau Mars on May 12, 2016 at Prashad Nagar, Georgetown. Chance was stabbed in the abdomen with an improvised weapon when he was accosted by the two male accused. Chance was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. His attacker was placed on lockdown. According to reports, there has been an ongoing
feud between Chance and the two male co-accused. A source said that the duo have been accusing Chance of leaking information to police, which led to their arrest. The two men had been reportedly plotted to harm Chance if they were not freed of the murder charge. On that same day, another murder accused, Regus Lamazon whipped out a knife in the police outpost at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts during a brawl between several prisoners who were waiting to attend court hearings. Police ranks immediately called for backup as pandemonium ensued. Kaieteur News was
informed that a fight broke out in the holding area, during which Lamazon pulled out the knife from his pocket in an effort to defend himself. It is still unclear what the prisoners were fighting about. Minutes after the incidents, the prisoners were all subjected to a search. But according to a source, the search was futile, since police ranks were unable to retrieve the improvised weapons. Questions have been raised as to where prisoners are getting these weapons from. It is still unclear if they are leaving the jail with the items. In another instance, a prisoner was spotted in the prison van with a brick. He had threatened to throw it at reporters if they had taken his photograph. Since the year started, there has been a constant uproar at the City Court in which fights would break out between prisoners in the holding area. In some instances fights would even break out between police officers and prisoners. Last year, a prisoner, who was about to enter the prison van cuffed an Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP) to his face after condemning the manner in which the officer was speaking to him. Initially, the prisoner had grabbed an iron bar at the back of the vehicle to confront the police officer. However, other ranks intervened and relieved him of the bar. These incidents have led to an increase in ranks patrolling with high powered rifles at the court. Police ranks at the court were recently given batons. It has been observed that prisoners are rarely being searched before they are placed in the court look ups, despite there being police ranks with metal detectors at court. Calvin Johnson called (Continued on page 10)
Deputy Director of Prisons: Gladwin Samuels
Dwain King who was stabbed by Calvin Bailey
Calvin Bailey
Regus Lamazon was seen with a knife in the court lock ups
Calvin Johnson was brutally attacked by other prisoners in the court lock ups
Timothy Paul Chance was stabbed by his co-accused while being escorted to the holding area
Shawn Edinborough after he was chopped by another inmate
Monday March 06, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Private education is not a cash cow Politics and taxes do not mix. The politician makes the tax laws; the tax man implements these laws. Any other relationship is bound to become toxic. This is why Guyana must be worried when in the midst of a controversy between private scho0ls and the government over Value Added Tax (VAT) the GRA has reportedly said that it will be taking action against taxdodging private schools. The GRA must be careful to preserve its independence. The timing of its announcement against noncompliant private schools will anchor perceptions and engender fears that the GRA is being used to go after persons who have been
critical of the government. The GRA needs to disabuse this perception and stay clear of being embroiled in the ongoing dispute over VAT being applied to private education. The GRA will open itself to criticism that all along it was not doing its work against these defaulters, but now that the government is at odds with private education, defaulting schools are be targeted. The GRA must stay clear of being caught up in this sort of problem and concentrate on its role of applying the country’s tax laws evenhandedly. The fact that some private schools may have defaulted in filing their tax returns, does not establish a basis for them
being taxed. The tax on private education is a tax on a service and the merits of this decision are being contested at the moment. Those persons who are picketing the GRA over the taxes should be told that they are at wrong. The GRA is not responsible for the imposition of VAT on private education. The Ministry of Finance is the agency where the pressure should be applied. The Ministry of Finance is now attempting to justify the VAT on private education because of the revenue gains which will be had. It has argued that the country stands to gain more than 300 million dollars in taxes since the top eight private schools have a combined income of
Jagdeo lambasts Govt. at Babu Jaan - no tributes to late President Cheddi Jagan
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo Those who turned up at the Babu John memorial site to hear tributes to the late President Cheddi Jagan were utterly disappointed as most of the speakers turned the occasion into a political rally. The close to 2000 persons heard speaker after speaker wading into the present Government about the ills of society and the mismanagement of the country. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was the main speaker, in his 45 minutespeech reminded those in attendance that Jagan’s achievements were many, but he would not spend time regaling them on what the late president had achieved. He said his time would be spent on looking at what is prevailing in the country and the ideas of the present PPP party. He immediately launched into a broadside of the APNU/AFC government, accusing the coalition of
mismanagement, corruption, victimization, intimidation and fear that is being carried out on the population. He warned that the Opposition People Progressive Party (PPP) will mobilize its supporters to take to the streets in mass protest for a number of reasons if the situation continues. The Opposition Leader said that in less than two years a pattern is emerging of the present government carrying out a campaign of using state agencies to drive fear into the population. Jagdeo queried why the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) is “raiding businessmen’s homes and taking them into the Office of the President,” and questioning them “about their dealings with the GRA”. “Why sugar workers are being told that if they strike they will close the industry; why introduce VAT on education and when people protest the Minister of
Finance is threatening to come after the school for tax evasion; why when people protest against the corrupt parking meter deal , the president says they are tax dodgers and the government will come after them?” “The Attorney General mentioned that “we put them deh” in an effort to intimidate judges that they have to give ruling that is favourable to the government and then launches an attack on them if they rule against the government,” he said. He also alleged that Trade Unionist and former Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Carvil Duncan was called to the Office of the President and “being bribed to resign”, then “the president saying he doesn’t want blood on the carpet; the miners, after threatening to strike being bullied and threatened by the GRA that they will be taxed heavily, SARU threatening to go after person with tall buildings.” Jagdeo told his followers that what is emerging is a dictatorship “like in the Burnham era,” and urged his followers to stand up and fight against the dictatorship. “We cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated and enslaved. The PPP is the answer to the present crises and, we must be prepared to offer the leadership, we cannot be fearful. We are the only party that could save you from dictatorship, freedom and being enslaved.” He urged members not to be hostile, but be accommodating to those who want to return to the party, Continued on page 11
two billion dollars each year. This is how the figure of 300 million is arrived at, since 14% of two billion is around that sum. When you add in all the other private schools, including those not approved by the Ministry of Education, then the cost of private education can end up running as high as ten billion dollars, which means that the VAT can boost the tax coffers by as much as 1.4 billion dollars. The downside of the argument is of course that the VAT on private education based solely on its revenue potential effectively takes 1.4 billion dollars out of disposable income, which will be spent by consumers in the market supporting thousands of small businesses and workers. The VAT on private education is therefore displacing the private sector activity and particularly smallscale businesses, the very businesses which the government hopes will generate the jobs which it
promised to the people when it was campaigning for office. The two billion dollar tuition is being waved around. It can have the effect of making the ordinary citizen believe that the private schools are flush with money and that since many of them are not tax compliant, that the VAT is justified. The GRA does not need a tax on VAT to make the schools tax compliant. The GRA has the means to ensure that those private schools which owe taxes are reminded of their tax obligation. VAT is a new tax in so far as private education. It is borne by consumers and not the school owners. If some private schools are not tax compliant, then VAT is not going to make them tax compliant. It will only increase
the burden on parents who will have to find more money to pay school fees. The two billion dollars in income is not profit. It is income from which expenses have to be paid. The private schools have to pay its teachers. They are operating out of buildings which cost millions and for which loans had to be taken and payments made each month to the bank. They have ancillary staff to be paid. They have overheads to be paid. Private education is not a cash cow. The government should not be milking it.
Monday March 06, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Major shake-up in Public Service Ministries...
Agri. Ministry PS, Deputy Finance PS sent on leave, others reassigned
Permanent Secretaries and Heads of the various Departments paying keen attention as Minister Harmon discussed Permanent Secretary responsibilities. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon yesterday announced the reassignment of several Permanent Secretaries, a move he said, is aimed at ensuring efficiency and accountability in the public service sector. The reassignments have affected the Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Legal Affairs, Public Health and the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, a GINA release stated. The Minister, who was particularly disappointed with budgeted spending, said that with effect from March 1, 2017, Ms. Joylyn Nestor Burrowes has taken up the
post of Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, replacing Mr. George Jervis, who along with the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Finance), Ms. Prema Roopnarine have been asked to proceed on leave. Ms. Collette Adams will now serve as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health following the removal of former Permanent Secretary, Mr. Trevor Thomas. Ms. Delma Nedd, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education will now function as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, while Mr. Alfred King, who
was previously Permanent Secretary of the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, will now serve in the same capacity as the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs. Mr. Vibert Welch, who served in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, has now been moved to the Ministry of Education. Ms. Melissa Tucker, the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs will now function as the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport. Former Head of the Works Services Group of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Mr. Geoffrey Vaughn has been elevated to
the position of Permanent Secretary for that Ministry, while Ms. Marlyn Stephens from the Public Service Commission has now been assigned to the Public/ Police Service Commission as the Secretary and Ms. Sophia Hunte is now the acting Secretary of the Teaching Service Commission. The Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Social Protection, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Communities, Ministry of Business, Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Public Service and the Ministry of Public Telecommunications all remain the same. The Minister, who made the announcement at the closing ceremony of a threeday retreat and workshop at Splashmins Eco Park for top management employees of Ministries, Agencies and Departments of the Government, said that changes in the public service sector are critical to the provision of improved services to citizens. He referenced the performance of the Ministries during 2016, where less than 50 percent of budgetary allocations were spent. “Last year, in our performance as Ministries, our public sector infrastructure programme, the completion rate was miserably low. Some claimed that they were new in the job, some weren’t sure what was
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon delivering remarks at the closing ceremony of the three-day retreat and workshop. expected and some were just ambivalent about the consequences of not doing things at the right time. So our performance last year was not good and we have to do better this year. You have to provide a service to the people and the State gives
necessary to ensure improvements in performance. “When you are a public servant, a Permanent Secretary, you have the capacity to function in any Ministry of the Government because your training is
“Last year, in our performance as Ministries, our public sector infrastructure programme, the completion rate was miserably low….” - Minister Harmon you a budget to do so, but if at the end of the year you can only show 15, 20 or 30 percent completion, then something is wrong. We will have to make changes,” Minister Harmon said. Directly addressing the Permanent Secretaries, who were a part of the workshop, Minister Harmon said that it is expected that they will be able to continue functioning in their new offices, adding that Government will continue to provide training, where
standard. We have invested in training of public servants. We have invested in training at the level of Permanent Secretaries. We are investing at the level of entrants into the public service and we are investing in training for persons in the middle tier. So we are spending quite a large sum of money in training people; training Guyanese to function at the level that is expected of them. Once you are given that training, much is required,” he said.
JAGDEO LAMBASTS GOVT. AT BABU JAAN
A section of the crowd. From page 9 especially those in the AFC and those who want to join for the first time including members of the
APNU. He took a swipe at former GECOM Chairman Steve Surujbally and blamed him squarely for the PPP losing the last election. He accused
the former GECOM elections Chairman and the GECOM CEO of playing parts in rigging the last elections.
Touching on the appointment of the Chairman of GECOM he said that if the President unilaterally appoints the Chairman of GECOM then the party will be calling on its supports to hit the road in mass protest. He accused the Kaieteur News of being in bed with the present Government and quoted the newspaper stating that “Jagdeo has agreed to submit a second list but if that list is rejected by the president, observers believe that President Granger will unilaterally appoint a chairman since the constitution allows him to do such.” He said that cannot happen and if it occurs then his party will be engaging in mass protest. He also encouraged the sugar workers to take to the streets and strike. “The teachers strike and get what they want, you have to do the same, you used to strike when the PPP was in government, so you have to strike now.” He told the cheering crowd. He also accused Kaieteur News of being the chief of writing fake news. He accused the government of having no plans, no vision and accused President David Granger of being out of touch with reality and
trying to stimulate the economy by his plantain chips, “fried rice, cook up, fried fish, bread fruit chips mantra, instead of finding ways of stimulating growth.” “Instead of telling people about selling plantain chips and fry rice and cook up, people want to hear about jobs in major manufacturing sectors, information technology and ecotourism.” He said that the government should find ways of attracting investments and “stop killing the Guyanese people with tax”. “They are talking about austerity measures, using old envelopes, reusing paper and the President flying all over the place with large entourages in Private Jet, costing us over $20M. We use to travel in ordinary aircraft.” He also took swipes about the state of crime in the country, instruction being given to the Commissioner of police and the maligning of the office of the DPP among other topics. Also in attendance and speaking were former president Donald Ramoutar, and former Prime Minister Sam Hinds.
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Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
Burnt body in car trunk…
Mom begs cops to solve seven-year-old mystery By: Romila Boodram Almost seven years after the burnt body of 36-year-old Roy Mitchell Persaud was found in the trunk of his car at Palmyra, Canje, his mother says she believes she knows who killed her son and is now begging investigators to reopen the case which she says has gone cold. But this time, Shira Tahal only wants ranks from the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Major Crimes Unit to look at her son’s case and take her statement, since she has lost confidence in the detectives who were probing his death which occurred on May 09, 2010. While hinting of a potential cover-up, Tahal said that one of the three young men, who may have played a role in her son’s death, is related to a senior police official stationed in Berbice. The woman said that for seven years, she and Persaud’s two children, were forced to look at the suspects, who continue with their lives as if nothing had happened. Roy Mitchell Persaud’s body, burned beyond recognition, was discovered in his car trunk at Palmyra, Canje, two days after he left his Lot 36 Smythfield, New Amsterdam home to ply his trade as a taxi driver. “He came from Trinidad to fix his children’s passports
- “I think I know who killed my son, now the police have to tell me if they did it”
The burnt car in which Roy Mitchell Persaud’s body was recovered and during the time, he was working in the nights and taking care of his children during the day,” his mother said. She explained that after her son failed to return home the Friday night (May 07, 2010), she got worried and started making calls the following day. “I went and look around and asked people but no one saw him and the Sunday, I get a call that a car was found burnt and I went to the station and informed the
police and they told me that they knew,” the woman said, while adding that it was Mother’s Day. According to Tahal, relatives were able to identify the vehicle as the one Persaud was driving. The chassis number on the burnt car also matched the taxidriver’s vehicle. Scraps of the blue denim jeans, the father of two was wearing when he left home, were also found. Police arrested a man, whose mother is a senior
police official, but he was subsequently released. This individual and two other young men were allegedly the last persons seen entering Persaud’s car. Shira Tahal said that after her son was laid to rest, she received information about her son’s death from several persons, but never went to the police station, because of the way she was treated in the initial stage of the probe. According to the woman, taxi drivers who were working at the New Amsterdam car
Dead: Roy Mitchell Persaud
Persaud’s mother, Shira Tahal
park the night her son disappeared saw the three young men entering Persaud’s car. He never returned to the park when he left with them. A friend of Persaud’s reportedly said that he had seen three strange men in the victim’s car, driving up the one-way. “The guy said that he see the car driving on the wrong side of the road and when he watch in the vehicle, he see three men and he didn’t see my son,” Tahal said. She also indicated that they had received information that the men may have killed Persaud for two artificial gold chains he was wearing at the time. Rumour has it that Persaud was asked to transport the men to an isolated area where the
passenger sitting behind the driver strangled him. His body was then placed in the truck of the vehicle and taken to another area where the car was set on fire. Residents in the area said that they noticed a fire the Saturday night and thought it was garbage burning. Tahal believes that if investigators question all the eyewitnesses, they can get somewhere with the case. “I believe there is a God and I think if the case lands in the right hands there will be justice for my son. I heard one of the boys was involved in an accident and break up his hands and feet and another one almost tripped (had a mental breakdown).” Once the case is reopened, Tahal said that she is convinced that charges will follow.
Moves afoot to provide oil and gas education - UG to get $100M from GGMC With the discovery of oil offshore Guyana, government is making several strides to ensure that locals are given the opportunity to be trained for employment in the sector. Already, the University of Guyana stands to receive $100M in financial support from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission to provide programmes to train and educate Guyanese. This is according to Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman. Trotman said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed between the Ministry and UG for the money to be handed over this year to start relevant programmes. According to the Minister, the money will cover a five year period. Further, Trotman said that government is working with all of the companies involved in the sector, that are operating in Guyana to
ensure money is set aside to provide training and capacity building. “So already, we are processing applications for scholarships. Persons in GGMC are being sent out. I can say as well the Public Service Department is actively issuing scholarships. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also homing in on opportunities.” Trotman explained that he was informed that the Government of Chile has made offers to assist in this regard. He added that the Mexican Government and its Petroleum Institute are getting ready to sign a MoU with Guyana for the establishment of a Petroleum Institute in Guyana. “Hopefully, we can base it at the University of Guyana, but also there is a component in that for training at Universities in Mexico. So we are gathering everything, even as we speak and people are starting to go off.”
The Minister recalled that following the release of the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council results last year, his ministry met with
top students who indicated their interest in becoming petroleum engineers. “We actually met with each one of them, we brought
them to the Ministry with their parents and we’ve been monitoring them and have started the process. Many of them are now in sixth form,
and so we are in constant review with them to ensure they are on track to graduate and are looking at universities (Continued on page 23)
Monday March 06, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Missing and murdered women...
CADVA, dissatisfied with investigations, wants answers By Rehana Ahamad The insistence of the Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness group, (CADVA) led to police ranks getting their hands dirty. This eventually resulted in the Guyana Police Force solving the six-year-old mystery of what happened to Babita Sarjou. It turned out that the young mother of one was killed and buried in the yard of the home she once shared with her husband. He has since been arrested and the legal proceedings are ongoing. The police force was duly lauded for its efforts, which brought some amount of closure to Sarjou’s family. But this is merely a matter of one down, many more to go. There are still many families craving justice for the women in their lives who have been killed, or have gone missing without a trace. “Or perhaps a trace that the authorities are failing to follow,” Head of CADVA, Dianne Madray wondered. It was eight months ago
CADVA’s Dianne Madray
that Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, signalled his intention to reopen the 2010 murder case of Sheema Mangar, the 21-year-old Demerara Bank employee who was run over by a car driven by the man who
snatched her Blackberry cell phone. But since last July, Mangar’s mother, Radica Thakoor, has not heard anything from the police in relation to her daughter’s case. For seven long, painful
Nandlall concealed salient... (From page 2) that are missing in the Chambers. What benefit would I derive by concealing documents from the Attorney General? All these documents are in the court system.” In a recent statement to the media, Nandlall said that Williams, continues to clumsily blame every person under the sun, other than himself, for his manifest incompetence. “Yours truly, SolicitorGeneral, Sita Ramlal, Deputy Solicitor-General, Pretima Kissoon, former Chancellor, Carl Singh and indeed the entire Court of Appeal, among others, have all been victims of blame by the Attorney- General, in his relentless attempt to hide his ineptitude.” The Opposition member said that the most recent example of this “puerile strategy” is contained in an affidavit filed by the AttorneyGeneral for leave to appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) against the judgment obtained by Dipcon against the State. Nandlall noted that this judgment was granted since October 21, 2015, by Justice Rishi Persaud. With this in mind, the Opposition Member expressed that Williams has been holding the office of Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs since
May 2015, a full six months before the judgment was granted. Nandlall said that the State in these proceedings was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Roysdale Forde. Nandlall said that the AG Chambers has an institutional record-keeping system that documents the status of every matter pending before the Court, and the Attorney-atLaw who has conduct of the matter, whether that Attorneyat-Law is attached to the Chambers or is external to the Chambers. “It is obviously the responsibility of the AG to apprise himself of each case in the system. This current AG loves to create the impression that he is the first holder of that office. Unfortunately for him, the reality is different and the public knows that. Every new Attorney-General has had the duty, when he assumes office, to familiarize himself with the workings of the office, including the pending cases. I did the same.” Nandlall said that if an AG fails to do so and something goes wrong, then he must “man-up” and accept responsibility for his failure and negligence, rather than throwing child-like tantrums. Turning his attention to the Dipcon matter, Nandlall said that not only was the judgment granted six months
after Williams was appointed but he had conceded that he learnt about it in January 2016, a further four months after the judgment was granted. “If this was not an indictment enough, the incompetence was further compounded by the AttorneyGeneral filing an application for an extension of time within which to file a notice of appeal, until May 12, 2016. A further five months after he admits knowing of the existence of the judgment. Therefore, the entire period of the neglect is an entire year from the time he took office.” Nandlall said that even if one were to excuse the prior incompetence, and accept that Williams only learnt of the existence of the judgment in January, 2016, he contended that a competent Attorney-at-Law would have filed an application for an extension of time, within which to appeal, i.e. in January, 2016, itself. “This learned AttorneyGeneral took a further five months to do so and then blames me and the rest of the world for his plight. In my considered opinion, the Court of Appeal was perfectly correct in dismissing his application.” Nandlall added that there is a high likelihood that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) would do likewise.
years, her heart has been aching to see the man responsible for killing her baby girl, behind bars. When Thakoor heard of the breakthrough with the Babita Sarjou case, there was some amount of relief in her bones. She was sure that in the matter of weeks, the capable Crime Chief would be able to reverse all the wrongs and botched investigations previously executed by the police force. She had hope that the man responsible for heartlessly taking her daughter’s life, would immediately be found and made to face the consequence, but this didn’t quite happen the way Thakoor imagined it would. “Since the announcement was made, I haven’t heard back from the police. I really don’t know what is going on. I don’t know wha happening again,” a troubled Thakoor said yesterday. When contacted shortly after, Crime Chief Blanhum said that he could not comment on the Sheema Mangar investigation, but noted that efforts are ongoing to find her killer. CADVA’s Dianne Madray is however, not very convinced. She is questioning the intentions of at least one of the police ranks (name provided) who has been working the investigations of not only Sheema Mangar, b u t a l s o i n r e l ation to Shonnette Savory, the young Prospect, East Bank Demerara resident who has been missing for about seven months now. “I had some issues on my last trip because I called out the officer and his superior became very angry. I ended up walking out. This officer is also working on the Shonnette Savory case, and I don’t feel like they have gone forward on any of these
The late Sheema Mangar cases,” Madray said. She noted that Crime Chief Blanhum had cautioned her, saying that she was wrongfully accusing the officer. However Madray is firm in her belief that the sluggishness of the Sarjou, Mangar and the Savory cases, has as much in common as the rank carrying out the investigations. “It can’t be a coincidence. Even the Sarjou file disappeared until I called that out,” Mangar reminded. The women’s rights activist told this newspaper that she is not trying to impose on the work of the Guyana Police Force, but wants to dry the tears of those mothers who are just are heartbroken as they were when they first heard of their children’s death or disappearance. “I am not a threat to them (the police force). I am there to help these families. They
have not provided any information on neither the Mangar nor the Savory Case,” Madray said. The woman said that she is at a loss to understand why the police are still unable to provide any update on especially the Mangar case, given that the force had much evidence to work with. “These cases are dragging slowly. With Sheema, I feel there is some kind of cover up again, going back to the vehicle. They had even found it and had even taken DNA samples.” Madray, who is currently overseas, is planning to return to Guyana soon, to meet and request a follow up with Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). “It is very heart breaking. Just as with Mangar, that nothing is happening with Savory’s case. The mother lives in New Jersey and is in distress. She has not been getting answers. All these families...mothers are crying out for justice and little is done.” Madray believes that families should not have to suffer for six years like Babita Sarjou’s mother did, to get answers. “This begs the question of where the funding is going when they talk about violence against women,” Mangar pointed out. She added, “After the Sarjou case, they were opening a few cold cases. I want to know, did these go cold again?”
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Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
Untrained first responders do more harm than good at accident scenes
First responders to an accident scene may be doing more harm than good to the victims they attempt to rescue. This is the contention of many, including Director of the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Dr. Zulfikar Bux. He reminded that one of the basic rules of assisting an injured person, is to avoid moving them until trained responders arrive. In many parts of the world, road accidents are simultaneously responded to by the police, the ambulance service and firefighters. But that’s often not the case in developing Guyana. Often times, ranks of the Guyana Police Force are the first officials on the scene of an accident, and in many cases, most commonly the ones involving less than three people, they fail to summon the assistance of an ambulance. Without doing any proper assessment at the scene, police officers would sometimes haphazardly remove an injured person, lifting the victim into the tray of their pickups as they take them to hospital. Other times, they would act as mere spectators, while untrained members of the public, armed with good
- Director of the Accident and Emergency Unit intentions, do pretty much the same. But as Dr. Bux explained, this lack of caution can have tragic consequences. Even though the injured person or persons may arrive faster to a medical institution, the unprofessional handling of an accident victim can result in them sustaining further injuries. Many of these can lead to a life-long disability, or even death. Traffic Chief, Dion Moore told Kaieteur News that basic preparation training for the Guyana Police Force requires that ranks be trained in administering First Aid care. But according to Dr. Bux, even what the police force is currently teaching cannot solve the problem. Asked whether there have been instances where the lack of training of ranks has resulted in an injured person eventually dying, Dr. Bux said: “We can’t call it negligence if they are not trained to properly respond to accidents. They had a little thing that was done as part of their curriculum, but (that was) first aid training just basically to deal with cuts and bruises and so on.”
Even if this is found to be the case, police officers, like public spirited citizens, are protected by the Good Samaritan Act. This generally means that basic legal protection is afforded those who assist a person who is injured or in danger. In essence, these laws protect the “Good Samaritan” from liability if unintended consequences result from their assistance. In the case of traffic ranks, though, Dr. Bux said that a need for training has already been recognised, and so far, approximately 100 ranks have undergone more extensive First Responder training that would enable them to more effectively lend assistance to those injured as a result of an accident. “We are training some more persons as well,” Dr. Bux pointed out. Traffic Chief Moore had said that police officers have always been taught how to do make much with whatever resources they have access to. However, in many cases, traffic policemen show up at accident scenes, acting as mere spectators as untrained
civilians handle the injured. The most recent instance of this happening was during the hit and run accident which claimed the life of 40-year-old Roopesh Ramotar of Houston, East Bank Demerara. This newspaper was present when police officers showed up at La Grange Public Road, West Bank Demerara scene. Two to three ranks simply stood around watching as public spirited citizens hauled and tugged at the injured Ramotar. Nobody, at that time could confirm whether the man was dead, or alive. This is just one of the many cases that leave loved ones wondering if the outcome would’ve been different, had police officers exercised caution and follow protocol by carefully removing the injured person, or calling and waiting until an ambulance arrives. Because vehicular accidents are so very common, it is likely that almost every Guyanese above the age of 10 may have witnessed one; be it a mere fender bender, or a horrific multi-vehicular smash up. In the case of the latter, there are a few basic steps that every Good Samaritan should follow. HOW TO HELP First and foremost, a call
should be placed to emergency services. This can be followed by ensuring there are no threats of an explosion. It is important to examine the scene for fuel flowing, fire, smoke, or exposed wires. If this is the case, a Good Samaritan may be better off waiting for the arrival of professionals. Online tips suggest that the victim should then be approached calmly and carefully, so as to not send the already injured person into a panic that can cause further grievances. A ‘Good Samaritan’ is advised to specifically ask the victim if he or she requires assistance, providing they are conscious. This was explained as being an important step, since not every accident victim may want help, even if it appears the person needs it. A ‘Good Samaritan’ may even be subjected to legal action if he or she proceeds to assist an injured person who refused their help. One very important point to remember is that many injuries are not visible, so it is usually advised to avoid moving an injured person until emergency services arrive, unless of course, their life is threatened by something like a possible explosion.
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
The next step is to ensure that the victim, if unconscious, is breathing. If not, CPR may be needed. If a Good Samaritan does not know how to perform CPR, he or she is advised against even attempting to, since it can cause the victim more injuries. Rolling the victim on to his or her side is recommended to protect their airway. If an attempt to do this is being made, it is important to make sure that the person’s neck is properly supported to protect or prevent injury. Good Samaritans can also assist in bandaging a person’s injuries in the case of severe bleeding. All in all, it is generally advised that persons avoid handling an injured person, until an ambulance or some professional arrive to give medical assistance. Meanwhile, Former Health Minister, Dr. George Norton had recognised that not enough persons have been making use of the ambulance services that are available. This prompted the setting up of an Emergency Medical Service Unit, which will see ambulances being stationed at the Central Fire Station at Stabroek, Alberttown, Diamond and Mon Repos Fire Stations, along with Emergency Medical Technicians available on a 24hour basis. But, it is the coordinated response to accidents that now needs careful attention.
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Kaieteur News
Can we revitalize Guyanese literature through film adaptation?
I still recall, as a student attending a special viewing of the movie ‘To Sir With Love,’ the surge of pride I felt when Sidney Poitier’s character is quizzed about his origins and he replies: “British Guyana.”. Though I would have appreciated seeing a Guyanese in the role, that pride is still there every time I revisit that film. Sadly, the only other time I have heard Guyana mentioned in a movie has been in films, often hurriedly made, of the so-called ‘Guyana Tragedy’, in which 900 souls were tragically lost in the jungle community called Jonestown. It doesn’t have to be this way. There is a wealth of material lying quiescent in our works of literature with quite a few strong contenders for adaption to screen. For example Edgar Mittelholzer’s My Bones and my Flute could easily be classified as horror. Persons (during the 1980s) would recall being frozen with delicious fright and anticipation in front of their radio sets, as they listened enthralled to James Sydney’s masterful rendition of the novel as a radio play. The tale, which is set in 1930s British Guiana chronicles the trials of the Nevinson family along with the narrator (Woodsley) who are cursed after coming into contact with an old manuscript. They are first haunted by spine-chilling flute music that only they can hear however this is just the beginning of the horrors that will be visited upon them. Mittelhozer situates the bulk of the narrative in the mysterious interior of Guyana fully utilizing the “scare-potential” of that location. He superbly ratchets up the tension to a point of utter panic as the characters scramble to devise a plan to be rid of the curse and the evil that surrounds it. Notably a work of fiction written with the forethought of adaption to the big screen is Apata: The Story of a Reluctant Criminal by Harold Bascom. It centres on the character of Michael Rayburn Apata, whose future holds great promise, until a disastrous chain of events leads to robbery and assault, and climaxes with a major manhunt. Other possible candidates in the
genre of drama are Black Midas, Dear Future, Web of Secrets and The Coloured Girl in the Ring. Black Midas (Jan Carew) is a cautionary story about greed and the class struggle in postcolonial Guyana. The protagonist, Aron ‘Shark’ Smart, is orphaned very early in life and raised by his grandparents, who emphasize the value of an education. However when his education is curtailed and opportunities dwindle, Aron follows in the footsteps of his father and becomes a diamond prospector (pork knocker). Wealth quickly follows and the futile resolve to buy his way into the middle class. After failing disastrously and losing his fortune, Shark returns to mining recklessly which results in his being maimed in an accident, ending his quest in anguish. Dear Future(Fred D’Aguiar)utilizes several “voices” to tell the narrative of the youngest child ‘Red Head’ in a family who, after being accidentally hit on the head with an axe by his uncle, perceives the world from a surrealistic, dream-like viewpoint. The narrative examines the use of personal and political power. Web of Secrets (Denise Harris) weaves a tapestry of fantasy, folklore and whispered family discourses to warn of the danger of repressing the past, while asserting the liberating strength of truth. The Coloured Girl in the Ring (Brenda Chester DoHarris) is an imaginary journey of a young Black woman coming of age in British Guiana, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the political and racial turbulence of the latter 1950s and 60s. Recollections of her family life, authoritarian school teachers, and her friends’ ill-fated inter-racial romance affect the choices she makes to break free from the ring of stifling poverty and racial insularity. As the narrative unfolds, an unforgettable tableau of recognizable sights, sounds and scents in colonial Guyana develops. Characters such as policeman Eustace, desperately in love with Shirley (a striptease dancer) succumbs to murder and suicide, a victim of his own recklessness; the drunkard Mr. Braithwaite, who kicks
his family out; the black pudding ladies Ada, Ida and Edna; Bahadur the grocer, cake shop owner Ragunandan and Balgobin the milkman are fashioned with theatrical flair. In a technology-driven world with access to numerous socialmedia websites to pass time, teenagers are reading less and less. Resuscitating the film industry in Guyana can therefore serve as a tremendous opportunity to channel the creative works of our iconic literary writers to the younger viewers and draw their attention back to books. Visual adaptations of these novels can capture their imagination and thus engage them with the characters and the storylines. They will be encouraged to seek out the actual books and develop their analytical thinking skills as they consider the structure of the film and how it differs or marries up with the structure of the book. There is also an advantage in adapting radio dramas and stage plays to film, as it allows the producer to illustrate things that could not possibly be done in the theatre or on the radio. Some notable mentions that should make the transition to big or small screen are Ian Valz’s sidesplitting comedy House of Pressure, Francis Quamina Farrier’s enduring Tides of Susanberg; Grace Chapman’s spine chilling Green Bottle and Leon Saul’s For Better or Worse. There is also Harold Bascom’s surreal, award-winning play, Makantali, and the graphic novels of Barrington Braithwaite. Incidentally, the late actor Norman Beaton created a play based on Braithwaite’s ‘Jaguar’ character. Of import are the early advances Guyana had made into the film industry with productions like the musical comedy ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ (1976) starring Habeeb Khan and produced by Vivian Lee; ‘Operation Makonaima’ (1974) an entertaining B movie about a man framed for the attack and murder of his fiancé, who escapes from jail and hunts down the killers; and Agro Seizeman (1974) produced by F. Hamley Case. There was a
Sidney Poitier in his iconic role in ‘To Sir With Love’
considerable lull in the development of Guyana’s fledging cinema industry, but despite this, some films, though not edited locally, were shot in part or wholly in Guyana. The Terror and The Time (1981) by Rupert Roopnaraine and Martin Carter; and Lewanne Jones’ In the Sky’s Wild Noise (1983). These were followed by Jezebel (1991) by Paloma Mohamed based on the play of the same name that dealt with the topics of Infidelity and AIDS; Rainbow Raani (2006) by Pradeep Samtani and Mickey Nivelli; Guyana 1838 by Rohit Jagessar; A Jasmine for A Gardener (2012) by Mahadeo Shivraj; the collaborative effort of Shivraj and Neaz Subhanwith and a screen version of Ronald Hollingsworth’s Till Ah Find a Place. Last year, the movie Old Higue, was written and directed by veteran music creator, Bonny Alves,
and his wife Charmaine BlackmanAlves, both of SSignal Productions. In 2011, former President Bharrat Jagdeo pledged G$30 million to the ‘President Film Endowment Project 2011.’ This project was to supposedly initiate and aid discussion between the necessary stakeholders, to develop the local film industry. Last year as part of the Golden Jubilee events CineGuyana Inc. (a film company established in 2010) hosted a Short Film Festival, where eight short films were shown in St Ignatius, Anna Regina, Bartica, New Amsterdam and Georgetown. At the launch, Minister w i t h i n t h e Ministry of Education, with responsibility for Sports and Culture, Nicolette Henry, disclosed that the government is investing monies into the local film industry (Continued on page 24)
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Efforts underway to market Rupununi as a tourism destination The Visit Rupununi team and Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Indranauth Haralsingh displaying the Rupununi folder
The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Visit Rupununi on Friday launched the presentation of Rupununi folders in an effort to promote and market Rupununi as a tourism destination. In brief remarks at the launch at the GTA Boardroom, Sophia Exhibition complex, the agency’s Director, Indranauth Haralsingh said that the Rupununi folders produced are one of many marketing initiatives that GTA and Visit Rupununi will be working together to ensure tourism development. “These (Rupununi folders) are a major marketing tool that the Guyana Tourism Authority will be using, as well, when we go to trade shows abroad, locally and even events here in Guyana, and it is a key tool for visiting
Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
Rupununi,” Haralsingh explained. The GTA Director highlighted that the partnership achieved with Visit Rupununi helps, “in the areas of marketing of new products and product development, joint ventures in community meetings and scoping, especially in training and capacity building.” He noted that the agency is involved in tour guide training for North Rupununi residents, and hopes to implement boat captain training soon. The GTA Director urged the public to visit the Rupununi to attend the various activities scheduled. Visit Rupununi’s Tourism Coordina t o r, Candace Phillips said that the production of the folder is a ‘labour of love’ since the collaborative piece exhibits
the key areas of the Rupununi. She noted that the folders provide information on accommodation, tour operators and titled Amerindian villages. Phillips expressed gratitude that the GTA published the first prints of the Rupununi folders since it minimised the cost of the printing materials. Visit Rupununi was established in 2015 to develop international and local tourism through capacity building of communities and tourism service providers to market the destination, raising awareness within local communities and supporting the establishment of tourism services to provide quality, diversified and safe tourism and conserve the nature based, traditional heritage of the Rupununi. (A GINA release)
Ministers laud senior judicial appointments
Several female ministers of government have welcomed the appointment of women to the two highest positions in the judiciary. Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards was appointed Chancellor of the Judiciary acting and Justice Roxane George, Chief Justice acting. The appointment of Justices Cummings-Edwards and George to the highest judicial offices in Guyana marks the first time that women have been appointed to head the Judiciary. Justice Roxanne George is also the daughter of former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Kenneth George, who retired in 1995. Speaking to the Government Information Agency (GINA), Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, said that it is a great day for Guyana to witness such an appointment; it means that women are breaking the barriers, she said “It’s a great day when we have women holding such prestigious positions. March 08 is International Women’s Day and this is just to show women that we are breaking the barriers,” Hughes said. Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, said “It is well-deserved! They have worked hard to achieve these positions.” The minister said she was elated that President David Granger values women and recognises their contributions to the development of the country. “Young women and girls can now look to them as role models,” Lawrence said. Meanwhile, Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, said she is pleased to know that women are finally being recognised for their contributions. “It is a result of hard work, experience, professionalism and dedication that landed them the well-deserved positions,” Ally said, adding that she is confident that they will contribute towards the further advancement of Guyana’s judicial system. “All of Guyana ought to be proud of the milestone realised by our Judiciary on account of the simultaneous
Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire as Chief Justice (ag) recent elevation of two of our outstanding female legal luminaries. I truly believe that the honour bestowed on these two distinguished women, simultaneously, will resonate beyond the confines of the judicial system and find its way into the consciousness of our womenfolk as a whole. If it is true that women have long broken through the proverbial glass ceiling as far as elevation of high office is concerned, the simultaneous occupation of these two exalted positions in the Judicial system, by two women, is an accomplishment which, in all likelihood, is not emulated anywhere else in the world,” Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes said. Minister Broomes said that she believes that the elevation of two female judges to these positions is a reflection of the determination of the administration to enrich the lives and enhance the profiles of Guyanese women, and the beginning of the opening up of new avenues of opportunity under this administration. While extending best wishes to the women judges, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, said that one of the primary goals of the administration is to promote gender equality and women empowerment and propel women to occupy significant and decisive roles in the social, cultural and economic sectors of Guyana. “They are highly trained
Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards as Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) and professional and competent individuals. The education of… women and girls, is one of the best investments that a developing country like ours can make in its future. The education of the female is a key driver to economic growth and overall development. Education and training opportunities when completed must be coupled with equal employment opportunities. Therefore the APNU/AFC government is pleased to fulfill its mandate of equal employment opportunities of our highly skilled and qualified women within our society by the appointment of Justice Yonette Cummings as acting Chancellor of the Judiciary and the Justice Roxane George as acting Chief Justice,” Dr. Cummings said. Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, adding her voice to the accolades said, “As a woman I am happy to see that women are stepping up to the plate and for too long the judiciary was being governed by male dominates so, with two females actually being promoted to the acting post at the same time really says a lot.” Ferguson is optimistic that the women will make Guyana proud, as they set out their goals and objectives of enhancing the country’s judicial system. Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings-Williams said that she is happy that women are being given the opportunity to serve in senior positions, and that it does not only fall in line with the 2030 sustainable goals but it also gives younger women the motivation to do great. Prior to her appointment, Justice Cummings-Edwards acted as the Chief Justice. Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh, officially demitted office on February 23, 2017, paving the way for the new appointments. (A GINA feature)
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Kaieteur News
Lobbyists recruited at $16M price tag for two years Trinidad Guardian - In October 2016, the T&T Government entered into a US $2.4 million (over TT$ 16 million) agreement with lobbyist organisation—the Group DC—to provide lobbying services for this country. This is according to documents found on the US Department of Justice website. Lobbying groups are often used by governments around the world and has been used by T&T even before independence in 1962. The issue of a lobbying group being paid to arrange a call from US President Donald Trump to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was aired in February in regional and local media, with both Rowley and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young denying the claim. In a newspaper report, Young was quoted as saying there was “absolutely no truth” to the report that T&T paid anyone nor was there any lobbying with anyone in order for the conversation to
take place between Rowley and Trump. Before the US elections were contested on November 4, T&T had already secured the services of lobbying organisation The Group DC. Under the agreement between the Government and the lobbyist group, The Group DC is expected to promote investments from the US into T&T, to further the macroeconomic objectives of the Government of T&T, and to improve the bilateral relations between T&T and the US, and identifying key individuals to improve these relations. The group is also contracted to assist in initiating and sustaining relationships between the Government and US Members of Congress. The agreement will continue for a period of two years at a rate of US $1.2 million annually. T&T is expected to make quarterly installments to the firm. According to correspondence from The Group to the Ministry of Finance, the lobbying and
Dr. Keith Rowley government relations consulting firm was strategically positioned to cultivate and enhance the Government of the Republic of T&T (GORTT’s) bilateral relationship with The United States and to address the GORTT’s key priorities. “These priorities include among others the continued development and diversification of T&T’s economy, promotion of foreign investment and trade, enhancement of regional
IMF expected to approve more money for Jamaica
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (third left), addresses a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister to close out the visit of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission team to Jamaica. He is joined by (from left) IMF Mission Chief, Dr Uma Ramakrishnan and Minister of Finance and the Public Service Audley Shaw. (JIS) KINGSTON – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to make available an additional US$170 million to Jamaica, under the Precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (PSBA), following the first review of the programme in April. Once approved by the IMF Executive Board, this will bring to US$574 million the money available to the Bank of Jamaica for drawdown, as needed. This was revealed at a press conference weekend at the Office of the Prime Minister, to conclude the IMF Mission team’s two-week visit to review the programme for the period ending December 31, 2016. The team reviewed the country’s performance in terms of the quantitative targets and structural reforms under the US$1.64-billion PSBA, which was approved in November last year, replacing the four-year special Extended Fund Facility that was scheduled to end this month. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his address, said he is pleased that Jamaica has met all the benchmarks and performance
criteria for the review quarter. He emphasised that the Government will remain vigilant and committed to maintaining fiscal management and will ensure that the programme remains on track by securing effective administration of the institutions that effect fiscal policy. “Though we are happy, I am not celebrating. Jamaica’s development as an independent country means that we have to take responsibility for our fiscal management, with or without the IMF. It is important that we develop the culture of our own review… as Jamaica must take responsibility for its fiscal policy,” he said. Holness said the Government will be increasing its monitoring intelligence and surveillance over public bodies and will be scouting the international and local scenes for potential threats to sustaining a strong fiscal environment. Meanwhile, Minister of Finance and the Public Service Audley Shaw, said the country’s economic performance is on track Continued on page 22
security measures through collaboration and intelligence sharing, and pursuit of beneficial macroeconomic and tax policies and initiatives. “Given the shared interests of the US government around these priorities, we have an opportunity to strengthen the existing bilateral partnership in the pursuit of these interests by utilizing comprehensive strategies.” Prior to using The Group DC, T&T used the services of Ainsley Gill and Associates. Government had been using Gill’s services intermittently since 2004, under then prime minister Patrick Manning. In 2009, Government paid US $4 million for similar services from Gill for a twoyear period. Gill was named in the agreement as a managing partner of The AGA Group LLC. •The Group will lobby the appropriate authorities for an expansion of the benefits under the Caribbean Basin Initiative or any other alternate arrangements to include additional products
and services. •Ensure that domestic producers of rum are not negatively affected by the subsidies and other form of support provided by the US to domestic firms operating in the US and its territories. •Monitor legislative issues affecting T&T in the US Congress and submit reports on the discussions on the same. •The Group will also collaborate with government officials and follow up on the May 2016 visit to the US for meetings related to energy, security, commerce and anticorruption issues. •The Group will also work to follow up on the recent Customs Mutual Administrative Agreement between the government and the US Department of Homeland Security, whose purpose is to enhance intelligence sharing between the two nations. •The Group will also collaborate with the GORTT on addressing the challenge of ISIS recruitment of its citizens. An email to Finance Minister Colm Imbert on the
anticipated returns to T&T was not answered. Calls and text messages to Young and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie also went unanswered. Government awarded an annual contract of $7.5 million (US$1.2 million) to a Washington-based firm to lobby the Bush administration on T&T’s behalf. The tender, officially awarded by the Central Tenders Board, was won by Ainsley Gill and Associates, after the firm beat out one other lobbying group for the contract. While no agenda was outlined for Gill’s lobbying, the Manning administration made it clear that it wanted to get duty-free access to the United States market for goods packaged in T&T. Gill, who is the managing partner of the firm, is Trinidadian and served as the secretary of the T&T Association in Washington DC. Gill said he met Prime Minister Patrick Manning at a cocktail party at Howard University in December 2003 during Manning’s trip to Washington DC.
Barbados gets another downgrade blow and warning that dollar under threat BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – International ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) weekend hit Barbados with yet another downgrade, while warning that the sustainability of the Barbados dollar is under threat as government continues to rely on the Central Bank to finance its deficit. The development came just a few days after Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler admitted that a high fiscal deficit and debt accumulation were retarding economic growth but insisted that the Barbados dollar is in absolutely no danger of being devalued. It is currently pegged to the US dollar 1:2. But in a statement issued in the evening, S&P did not rule out a possible devaluation. It said increased reliance on Central Bank financing of the still-high government deficit and the fall in international reserves reflect heightened challenges “for the sustainability of the peg to the US dollar” and underpin expected weaker growth prospects in Barbados. As a result, the ratings agency said it was lowering the long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on Barbados to CCC+ from B-. It also lowered the short-term foreign and
Chris Sinckler local currency sovereign credit ratings to C from B. “We consider the policy of ongoing dependence on Central Bank financing at odds with the government’s goal of defending Barbados’ long-standing currency peg with the US dollar. It
significantly curtails the Central Bank’s ability to act as a lender of last resort in the financial system,” S&P said in its statement. “The government has not succeeded in substantially reducing high fiscal deficits. Furthermore, reliance on the Central Bank to directly finance these deficits continued to rise again in 2016. From April to December 2016 (the first nine months of fiscal 2016-2017) the Central Bank, and, to a lesser degree, the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), in effect wholly financed the government’s borrowing needs,” it added. S&P said it expects Barbados’ net general government debt to continue to rise toward 111% of GDP over the next three years, from 101% in 2016. (Caribbean360)
PM: We aren’t borrowing! Daily Nation – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is not worried about the country’s latest downgrade by international rating agency Standard & Poor’s. That’s because his Government has no plans to borrow money on the international market. Stuart told a gathering of Democratic Labour Party (DLP) members and faithful yesterday he would instead be focusing his efforts on keeping Barbados’ economic growth on the upswing. The DLP president was in an upbeat mood during the party’s mid-year conference at Queen’s College when he briefly dealt with Friday’s downgrade of the country’s long term credit rating by S&P from B to CCC+.
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IMF expected to approve more money... VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Premio, Blue Bird, IST, Honda CRV, Toyota Spacio, Fielder Wagon, 212 Carina, RZ & Pitbull bus – Call: 650-7501
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs to refrigerators washing machine, gas stove, all units. Call Lindon: 641-1086/ 694-2202 Repairs to washers, dryers, stoves, deep fryers, control system etc. Call: 619-0793/ 699-8802
LAND FOR SALE Land @ Soesdyke, 6 lots measuring 135’X175’. Call: 627-3334/696-8935, email:fcranmore@guyana voice.com 1-5 Acres coconut and other fruit bearing, no chemical, lease or sale – Demerara River across Timehri docks. Call: 261-2988
La Parfaite Harmonie - $1.3M, $1.8M, $1.6M, $1.1M, Herstelling - $5M, Uitvlugt $2M, Zeelugt -$2M, Zeelugt -$1.6M, all price negotiable. Call: 614-6802 Land for sale @ Dowden Street, Kitty 125’X57’. Call: 619-4152/ 227-1905 La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.3M, Uitvlugt -$2.3M, $2M – Call: 642-1252
Transported corner lot with approved building plan @ 90 Garnett & Republic Streets, Newtown Kitty. Call: 6016000/227-3305 TO LET Journey Inn apartments & Car Rental. 1&2 bedroom self contained. Call: 658-0927/ 233-2300/ 718-2301695 3 Bedrooms apartment for rent, bottom flat. Call:2258084/689-6001 PEN-PAL
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)
1 Mitsubishi box Canter for sale. Call: 679-9261/671-1568 1 New model Vitz, press start, A/C, excellent condition $1.5M, good for bank purchases, 1 Toyota Verossa -$2.3M. Call: 639-2490
Need a Friend for a serious relationship. Call Mike: 6046211 (no texting)
DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MIN BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPOTR & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPESTRATE . Call: 698-7807
One complete sawmill situated at Yarrowkabra Industrial Site Soesdyke/ Linden Highway. Call: 6441190/ 609-8041
Lot 14 Croal & Longden Street: 4 Storey building (infront Demico). Call: 663-1876
1 14 feet Aluminum Boat, 1 15 HP Yamaha Outboard Engine (Short Foot), 1 Cummings-10 KVA Generator Call: 664-5807
1 Big music set, owner migrating. Call: 690-5225
PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 House for sale & removal at Campbellville 23ftX40ftContact Ganesh: 614-6202 2 Storey house 35X45 3 bedrooms, 1 self-contained @ 5th Avenue Diamond, H/ Scheme. Call:677-0583/664-5052 1 Front building & a 2 storey building on 1 (lot) 180 Charlotte Street Bourda W30XL120 $55M negotiable. Call: 624-7341/ 227-6817/226-5183 Property for sale @ Low lands Hope E.C.D; 4 bedrooms house upstairs and downstairs -$9M negotiable. Call: 647-0655 Two houses and land for sale at Agriculture Road E.C.D. Call: 642-9633 Goat Creek, Riverfront , 75 Acres land -$7M, Lanaballi River Front, 50 Acres -$9M. Diamond -$7.5M Call: 688-0087 Riviera Island: 145 Acres $30M, Tuschen property $5.8M, $6M, $15M. Call: 6880087 Tuschen 5,8,6,2 bedrooms; Hope- 2 bedrooms $7.8M, Hogg Island 20 acres $8M Call: 688-0087
CAR RENTAL
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
One Diesel welder on trailer. Call: 699-4300/228-2734
La Parfaite Harmonie - $1.4M, $1.8M, $1.6M, Farm -$6M, Uitvlugt -$2M, Diamond $4M, Herstelling -$5M. Call: 604-6724
1 Lot of land @ Yarrowkabra $950,000. Call: 672-5876
SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/6605257
1-Leyland DAF GRR Series; excellent condition. Call: 6804101
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
CAT 215 Excavator, Leyland DAF 55 Tipper Truck, D4H CAT Bulldozer. Call: 2750538/ 683-7225 1- CAT 320 BL Excavators, 428- CAT Backhoe, 1 CAT 930 Front End, 9 wheeled pneumatic roller, Double Steel drum compactor- Call: 2750538/ 683-7225 Generator Diesel 1100w, Generators/welder Diesel 1100w, water pumps – 3" Gasoline. Contact Wills: 2278176 ext 10 For your packaging needs: Scotch tapes, strapping machines – manual, poly straps, shrink wraps. Contact Wills: 227-8176 ext 10 Sale! Sale! Sale! Seafood Mania!! Fish/Shrimp!! All types and different processes. Call M.Wills: 2278176 ext 10 2 Leyland Dump truck (55210), 1 Caterpillar Backhoe, owner migrating, very good condition. Call: 672-5876 Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, video games & repairs – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999
AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MIN BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPOTR & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPESTRATE . Call: 698-7807
Downstairs apartment @ Lot 148cc, Eccles Housing Scheme, prime business place @ Bagotstown, Public Road, E.B.D- Call: 233-2252/ 6623337/680-4375 3-Bedroom apartment at Festival City Entrance, 3Bedrooms top flat at 592 Tucville. Call: 225-6485/6653622/610-5437 Modern, private, selfcontained furnished or unfurnished one bedroom apartment for rent across Zeeburg School. Call: 2770397 1-2 Bedroom apartment to rent fully furnished, including internet, cable, TV, parking available. E.C.D –Call: 6672536 2 Bedrooms apartment for rent at Section ‘C’ Sophia -$25,000 monthly. Call: 677-2405
WANTED One driver/porter from Diamond, Grove area. Call: 2161043, 677-6620 VACANCY Cook/Baker and Kitchen Assistant for interior location. Applicants must be experienced, for details call: 618-2020 Female assistant, bookkeeper 25-40yrs @dynamic shipping, logistics & marketing co. @ Timehri, knowledge of VAT, PAYE & NIS. Apply @ josephbhaskaran@gmail.com Vacancy for one Driver / Expediter contact Leonard- # 609-5123 Receptionist, Male Security guard age 30-45, 233 South Road Lacytown. Call: 225-0198
Melani 2 bedrooms - $10M, Mon Repos -$30M; Mon Repos -$12M. Call: 688-0087 CAR RENTAL WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAPREATES, SPECIAL OFFERS! CALL: 690-6494
Bins/Tubs. Suitable for icing in all sizes. . Contact Wills: 227-8176 ext 10
Barber. Call: 683-1534
MASSAGE The Gent’s Spa: Massage done by Tiffany, mobile services. Book appointment now! Call: 677-5465
From page 21 with gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the 2016-17 period estimated at 1.7 per cent. Among quantitative achievements, Shaw noted that the country is on track to meeting the primary budget surplus for central government of seven per cent of GDP, and the country has also surpassed the target for non-borrowed International Reserves. Regarding structural benchmarks, the Minister said the Government is actively identifying positions which will be affected by the implementation of shared corporate services in public relations and communications under the Public Sector Rationalisation Action Plan. An internal audit has been done and the Government has quantified the implications through the development of a costed transition plan. The Accountant General’s Department has also been restructured and responsibility for further development and management of the Central Treasury Management System has been transferred to that department. (JIS)
LEARN TO DRIVE
1 Female cleaner for office in Eccles and home. Call: 2332745
C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
ENTERTAINMENT Jubilee Resort: pool, water slide, boating, paintball, games, etc, open daily – 10:00am-6:00pm. Call: 2258915/623-7313
1 Cook/pastry maker- Call: 231-4303/ 676-3541 Wanted land to buy at Tuschen, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt, La Parfaite Harmonie, best price offered. Call: 657-9594 Mature couple to live in and work at a Resort in Parika. Call: 231-0363 between MonFri 9am-4pm Drivers with mini bus & taxi licences for work with company. Telephone number: 664-0802 Salesgirls and cleaners. Call: 225-7417
Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
White House asks Congress to probe Trump’s accusation of Obama wiretap
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets President-elect Donald Trump at inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as president on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Reuters - The White House asked the U.S. Congress yesterday to examine whether the Obama administration abused its investigative authority during the 2016 campaign, as part of an ongoing congressional probe into Russia’s influence on the election. The request came a day after President Donald Trump alleged, without supporting evidence, that then-President Obama ordered a wiretap of the phones at Trump’s campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in New York. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump and administration officials would have no further comment on the issue until Congress has completed its probe, potentially heading off attempts to get Trump to explain his accusations.
“Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling,” Spicer said in a statement. U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, head of the House Intelligence Committee examining possible links between Russia and Trump’s campaign, said in a statement yesterday that any possible surveillance on campaign officials would be part of the probe. Trump made the wiretapping accusation in a series of early morning tweets on Saturday amid expanding scrutiny of his campaign’s ties to Russia. An Obama spokesman denied the charge, saying it was “a cardinal rule” that no White House official interfered with independent Justice Department
investigations. Under U.S. law, a federal court would have to have found probable cause that the target of the surveillance is an “agent of a foreign power” in order to approve a warrant authorizing electronic surveillance of Trump Tower. “There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, or as a candidate or against his campaign,” former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who left the office at the end of Obama’s term, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The White House offered no evidence yesterday to back up Trump’s accusation and did not say it was true. Democrats accused Trump of trying to distract from the rising controversy about possible ties to Russia. His administration has come under pressure from Federal Bureau of Investigation and House and Senate congressional investigations into contacts between members of his campaign team and Russian officials. Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Florida resort, said in his tweets on Saturday that the alleged wiretapping took place in his Trump Tower office and apartment building in New York, but there was “nothing found.” Trump should immediately turn over any evidence he has to support his allegation, said U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Moves afoot to provide oil and... (From page 12) that they may go…but the opportunities are in Mexico, China, the U.S. of course, Scotland, New Zealand, and Australia. So we’re starting the process of matching expectations with institutions.” He added that Guyanese who are involved in the oil
and gas industry abroad have started to come home. Thus far one such person has registered a company called “Total Tech”. “We believe that we may have found a way to work with that company in conjunction with ExxonMobil to train Guyanese and they are different positions; some of
them are ordinary seaman, some are roustabouts.” Trotman stressed that government would like to see that a modest number of Guyanese are employed in the sector. He said that this is hoped to be achieved through the Local Content policy. He said that it is something government is very concerned about and has taken action to ensure that even on the vessels which are currently operating, that Guyanese are on-board. The Minister said that for someone to be employed in the sector, they would need to receive special training, since it is a highly technical job. He said that at the level of government, work is being done with the Ministry of Education to boost capacities at the technical institutes and at UG.
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Iraq to get 10 billion pound loan for British contracts
Iraqi Acting Finance Minister Abdul Razzak al-Essa (R) speaks during news conference at the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili Reuters - Britain agreed yesterday to arrange 10 billion pounds in loans to finance infrastructure projects in Iraq over a 10 year period, a programme that would only benefit British companies, an Iraqi minister said in Baghdad. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in the Iraqi capital that serves as a framework to provide up to 10 billion pounds in funds to specific projects during this period, including water, sewage, electricity, healthcare and transport. “This loan is exclusively allocated to British companies,” Iraqi Acting Finance Minister Abdul Razzak al-Essa told a news
conference at the signing ceremony. Interest rates will be set when the contracts are agreed, the minister said. Britain is a main partner in the U.S.-led coalition helping Iraq defeat Islamic State, the hardline Sunni group that overran about a third of the country in 2014. “For the United Kingdom this is a further evidence of the bilateral support that we are giving and continue to give to Iraq, to help Iraq move forward to recover from the ravages of Daesh (Islamic State),” British ambassador Frank Baker said. Fourteen years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the country still suffers from poor electricity and water supplies
and a shortage of schools and hospitals, while existing facilities are neglected. The oil-exporting country is also plagued by corruption that eats away at its crude sales income. Government finances have been further weakened after 2014 when oil prices collapsed. The fall in oil prices coincided with the launch of Islamic State’s offensive across Iraq which set off a new wave of sectarian violence, displacing more than three million people. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces pushed the militants back and are besieging them now in their last major urban stronghold, on the western side of the city of Mosul, in northern Iraq.
India to host Dalai Lama in disputed territory, defying China Reuters - Indian federal government representatives will meet the Dalai Lama when he visits a sensitive border region controlled by India but claimed by China, officials said, despite a warning from Beijing that it would damage ties. India says the Tibetan spiritual leader will make a religious trip to Arunachal Pradesh next month, and as a secular democracy it would not stop him from travelling to any part of the country. China claims the state in the eastern Himalayas as “South Tibet”, and has denounced foreign and even Indian leaders’ visits to the region as attempts to bolster New Delhi’s territorial claims. A trip by the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese regard as a dangerous separatist, would ratchet up tensions at a time when New Delhi is at odds with China on strategic and security issues and unnerved by Beijing’s
Dalai Lama growing ties with arch-rival Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration is raising its public engagement with the Tibetan leader, a change from earlier governments’ reluctance to anger Beijing by sharing a public platform with him. “It’s a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more
assertive,” junior home minister Kiren Rijiju told Reuters in an interview. Rijiju, who is from Arunachal and is Modi’s point man on Tibetan issues, said he would meet the Dalai Lama, who is visiting the Buddhist Tawang monastery after an eight-year interval. “He is going there as a religious leader, there is no reason to stop him. His devotees are demanding he should come, what harm can he do? He is a lama.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday the Dalai Lama’s trip would cause serious damage to IndiaChina ties, and warned New Delhi not to provide him a platform for anti-China activities. “The Dalai clique has for a long time carried out antiChina separatist activities and on the issue of the ChinaIndia border has a history of disgraceful performances,” spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing.
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Germany, Italy and France at odds over EU defence fund – newspaper Reuters - Germany opposes a proposal by France and Italy to use bonds to finance a new 5 billion euro (4.32 billion pounds) European Union defence research fund, saying it would not be a viable way to finance European military projects, according to the Handelsblatt newspaper. Such a plan would “violate the basic principles of good budget practices and therefore is not a viable option for financing European defence efforts,” the paper quoted a German government paper as saying in today’s edition. Germany also argued in the paper that it would be unacceptable to view national contributions to the fund, which was first proposed in November, as one-time measures to obtain exemptions from European stability
and growth requirements. The European Commission first proposed the fund in late November as a way of allowing European governments to lower costs by joining forces to buy new helicopters and planes. Paris and Rome back a proposal from the commission that would allow money for the fund to be raised on capital markets, underwritten by capital or governmental guarantees, but Germany is strongly opposed, the newspaper reported. It said Berlin could block any agreement to move in that direction. The German defence ministry referred questions to the finance ministry, which could not be immediately reached for comment.
Brazil’s prosecutor plans to investigate ministers, senators for graft – source BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) Brazil’s Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot plans to ask the Supreme Court for authorization to investigate ministers in President Michel Temer’s cabinet and senior senators from his PMDB party for corruption as soon as this week, a source familiar with the plans said yesterday. Folha de S. Paulo reported yesterday that the request by prosecutors will include Presidential Chief of Staff Eliseu Padilha and Wellington Moreira Franco, the minister in charge of executing a major infrastructure and privatization programme for Brazil’s centre-right government. According to the paper, prosecutors are also considering whether to include Temer himself in the requests. The source, who asked not to be identified because
Rodrigo Janot he was not authorized to speak publicly, told Reuters the thrust of the Folha report was correct but did not confirm the names of the ministers and senators involved in the request, which is based on recent plea bargain deals by 77
employees of Brazil’s largest construction group Odebrecht S.A. At the time of the request, prosecutors will also ask the Supreme Court to make public the content of the executives’ depositions, which are under seal, the source said. Odebrecht - which agreed to a record $3.5 billion deal with Brazilian, Swiss and U.S. authorities to settle bribery charges in December - is at the heart of the sprawling Car Wash investigation into illegal political payments by firms in return for contracts with state oil company Petrobras. The statements by Odebrecht executives are expected to rattle Temer’s government, which is already struggling with rock-bottom popularity ratings, as it seeks to pass unpopular austerity measures aimed at curbing Brazil’s massive budget deficit.
Immigrant Chief wants harmonised skills certificate for Caricom Daily Observer - The Chief Immigration Officer, Annette Mark, is calling for the implementation of a standardised Caricom skills certificate, complete with special security features, after her department discovered a Jamaican man with a fake certificate. The official said although the country is only aware of the one case here, there are reports of several others across the region. “I would love to see some sort of security feature, maybe even a card given to persons who are skilled, because that is the only way we can guarantee it. When you look at the skills certificate throughout the region, they are all different and it really is just a document that can be easily replicated; there are
Annette Mark no security features,” Mark told OBSERVER media Saturday. She said the issue has been discussed at home, but her recommendation has to be made when Caricom
immigration heads meet. Mark said that in the absence of a standard, secure card, the countries have to continue to carry out their own checks and balances. “In Antigua, the checks and balances are still there and anybody who comes with a skills certificate should [have it] verified by the free movement desk. At the airport now, we have to be more vigilant when someone who came to be a skilled person, especially certain categories of persons,” she said. Just last week, a Jamaican man who claimed to be a security expert, presented a fake Caricom skills certificate in Antigua & Barbuda. He has since been jailed. This was the first reported case in the twin island state but Mark said authorities expected it.
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Odebrecht could abandon all projects in Peru within six months: Kuczynski Reuters - Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, which has admitted to paying bribes in 12 Latin American countries, can leave behind all its ongoing projects in Peru within six months, the Andean country’s president said in an interview published Sunday. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, speaking to local newspaper La Republica, said the government was hoping to minimize the damage to ongoing public works projects that could stem from Odebrecht’s exit. “It’s a complicated matter because it’s a very large company that has various projects under way in Peru and, of course, there should be a gradual exit,” Kuczynski said. Odebrecht, which has been active in Peruvian infrastructure, energy, irrigation and
industrial projects for nearly four decades, is being investigated for a massive corruption scandal that has ensnared the past three administrations. Asked how long it could take Odebrecht to leave behind all its ongoing projects in the country, Kuczynski said, “I would say six months, perhaps less.” Kuczynski, an ex-banker who took office last year, had previously expressed his wish for Latin America’s largest construction company to leave Peru and pay at least 90 million soles ($27.45 million) to settle the graft case. Odebrecht admitted late last year that it had paid bribes totalling $29 million in Peru between 2005 and 2014. In the past decade, the company had been awarded contracts worth some $12 billion in Peru.
Zimbabwe doctors call off strike ahead of civil service walk-out Reuters - Zimbabwean junior doctors yesterday called off a three-week strike saying the government had partially met their demands, a day before a one-day walk out by other public sector workers. Doctors at public hospitals went on strike on Feb. 15, demanding annual bonuses, an increase in on-call allowances and cheaper cars. Nurses joined the strike last week. The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) said in a statement it had decided to end the strike after “seeing the plight of patients”. The government had deployed army medics to
Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
work at major public hospitals after the doctors walked out. The government increased allowances to $360 per month rather than the $720 demanded by doctors, promised a car loan package and created 250 new posts for doctors with immediate effect. “The ball is now in government court to deliver on promises and improve on doctors’ conditions of service, failing which, as the ZHDA we remain resolute that we will take decisive action to defend the best interests of the health profession in Zimbabwe,” the ZHDA said.
Battle-hardened in Britain, May prepares for Brexit talks Reuters - British Prime Minister Theresa May is unlikely to bow to political expedience in Brexit negotiations but will make up her own mind about what she believes is best and refuse to give ground - that’s if past form is anything to go by. May, who backed the campaign to stay in the European Union in last June’s referendum, will have to carry or quell the eurosceptics in her ruling Conservative Party as she formulates her negotiating priorities and strategy. The 60-year-old - often described as “sphinx-like” in the British press - has revealed little in her first eight months as leader about how she will approach divorce talks with Brussels, perhaps wary of weakening her hand. But her previous experience of trying to win the support of the eurosceptics who drove Brexit could offer some clues about her modus operandi: two years ago when as interior minister she sought to opt back into the European Arrest Warrant against the wishes of many in her party. May got her way in the end after a bruising encounter over the warrant, which speeds extradition between member states. She did not backtrack an inch and forced it through parliament. Her conduct and strategy present a picture of a stubborn negotiator who sticks as firmly as possible to what she believes is in Britain’s best interests. Several government aides and a lawyer with knowledge of the matter said she was driven by a conviction she was right - that Britain needed to adopt the warrant and other EU justice measures - and, while acknowledging their shortcomings, would not let anything stand in her way. Supporters say her ultimate success offer
Theresa May evidence of her political steel, know-how and negotiating skills. Critics say the selfbelief that drove her to open a rift in her party and face down a rebellion could be a weakness if it becomes inflexibility that hinders Britain striking winning the best deal. “If you believe in what you’re doing, that’s key. If you do believe you’re doing
the right thing, that gives you resilience,” May told the BBC’s Desert Island Discs programme less than two weeks after the fight. She steadfastly refused to allow lawmakers a vote on the arrest warrant which she said was in “our national interest”, reneging on a pledge to the outrage of the eurosceptics, instead offering only a vote on a broader package of justice measures. In a rare admission that her strategy may have been misjudged, she added in the BBC interview: “If I was starting it again now, would I do it in a different way? Given the understanding of how parliament felt then, perhaps I would.” May spent six years as home secretary, or interior minister, before taking over from David Cameron as prime minister last year following the June 23 referendum when Britons backed leaving the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent.
Mexico opens migrant defense centres at U.S. consulates (Reuters) - Mexico opened legal aid centres at its 50 consulates across the United States on Saturday to defend its citizens, the Mexican government said, amid worries of a crackdown on illegal immigration under U.S. President Donald Trump. Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray exhorted the U.S. government to respect the rights of Mexicans and called for the United States to allow a path to legality for undocumented migrants. “We are not promoting illegality,” Videgaray said, according to a video of an event at the Mexican consulate in New York provided by the foreign ministry, saying that Mexico supported following the law, but that means respecting human rights. Trump has issued orders to initiate tougher deportation procedures during his first month in office, following up on campaign vows to fight illegal immigration and to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The Pew Research Center estimates there are nearly 6 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States.
Monday March 06, 2017
Agard for OECS Championship Ramona Agard, Guyana’s leading boxing referee/judge affiliated to the Guyana Boxing Association has been invited to officiate in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) championship next month in St Lucia. GBA president Stave Ninvalle said that his St Lucian counterpart David ‘Shakes’ Christopher has requested the service of Agard, a One Star referee. The OECS championship is scheduled for April 26 to 29 in Castries. “Mr. Christopher has made it known that the upcoming championship would be of the highest standard in all departments hence his appeal for Miss Agard,” “I have no doubt that she will do Guyana proud and open the door for even more of our officials,” Ninvalle added. Agard’s trek to St Lucia will make it the second time in three years that a Guyanese referee/judge will be officiating in that CARICOM country. In March of 2014, Mark
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Ramona Agard Drakes was applauded by the St Lucian Amateur Boxing Association following a sterling performance during a Tri Nation competition involving Guyana, Martinique and St Lucia. Meanwhile, Ninvalle disclosed that St Lucia has also asked Guyana to send three novice fighters to the championship. Those boxers will be selected following the Andrew Lewis National Novice competition scheduled for this month end.
Keith Thurman could face... From page 34 slashed, forcing most fights of any significance onto pay-perview. For a fight of Thurman-Garcia’s caliber to land on CBS was a major coup. It wasn’t a disappointment, but it isn’t one anyone needs to immediately see again. Showtime — which has been reinvesting heavily in boxing — has pieced together something of a welterweight tournament, with Shawn PorterAndre Berto scheduled for April and Kell Brook-Errol Spence slated for the spring. Thurman, inactive since beating Porter last June, insists he wants to stay busy, and Showtime has a deep pool of opponents to match him up with. Or … he could look across the street. The most accomplished welterweights are still Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, Top Rank-promoted fighters who regularly appear on HBO. Pacquiao is involved in bizarre negotiations with Amir Khan — is there really $38 million out there for the two of them? — while Bradley is merely waiting for the right fight. A Bradley-Thurman fight would be stylistically appealing, and the winner would have a legitimate claim to the No. 2 spot behind Pacquiao in the division. There are good fights for Thurman, and maybe next time he will fight the full 12.
DCC elections set for today, but all is not well at club The membership of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), one of the older and more established clubs in the country, are scheduled to meet at 6:00pm to hold elections for an executive to run the affairs of the club. All is not well at the institution with various accusations being leveled at the President Alfred Mentore by many members. Efforts were made yesterday to mediate the impasse but proved unsuccessful. One member and former club President, Sherlock Atwell, shed some light on the dispute in an interview with Kaieteur Sport, informing that they could not resolve the key problems. Atwell informed that no elections were held at the club for three years and only the President, Mentore, and Secretary Seon Greaves, who also performs as Treasurer of recent, have been performing functions for some time now. Alfred, it seems, is attempting to run for the post
of President. However, the DCC Constitution states in Article 111, 3:01 – (Composition, Election …) – (111) ‘A member shall not be eligible for election as President after he or she has held the position of President for five consecutive terms.’ Mentore has been at the helm for more than five terms this newspaper was informed. One big point of contention was that up to press time yesterday no voters list was available to the membership to see who were eligible to vote. Many members were not informed, as is the norm, when they were in default of paying dues so when many attempted to correct this anomaly they were denied. Atwell said this seems to be a ploy to interfere with the rights of some members, as many as over 30, being able to choose the leadership they so desire. The members are angry and are asking for a proper list of voters be presented prior
Speedboat racers wants... From page 31 “We will fall on the international calendar of Formula one thus ensuring that the tourism product is further enhanced while raking in well, needed revenue for the country. Can you imagine every year we have some 25-30 boats coming into this country to compete? That certainly will boost this country internationally. We would also have our own racers who have the ability to compete effectively with these racers,” he declared. He reiterated his view that Guyana has quality racers who once given an opportunity will bring success to this country. Scott pointed out that he had visited a few competitions with the view of examining the quality and the level of competition. He said, after looking at them he has no doubts on the ability of local racers to dominate the sport internationally. “My boat is doing at the moment 140 miles and if I can do that here and when I go out and watch the guys there I am very confident that if we get involved we can certainly win as we have the passion, determination, dedication and most importantly the required skills,” he reassured.
to the 6:00pm start of the Annual General Meeting. It is felt that many of those not allowed to pay their dues be allowed to do so because the customary process was not followed of informing persons when they were in default. Questioned on the involvement of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) to help find a solution, Atwell informed that they were initially asked to intervene
and did. They met the parties and Mentore had promised at that meeting to have elections since February, however that was not the case and it was deferred to today. The GCA will be sending observers to today’s meeting but under the constitution of the club, they cannot really dictate on the outcome. It is hoped that better judgment prevail and the constitution is followed at today’s meeting and the DCC can elect a competent executive to run their affairs.
NSC Mash Badminton winners to receive prizes today
The National Sports Commission Mashramani junior badminton tournament was played off on Saturday last at the National Gymnasium in the Under-11, 13 & 15 Boys and Girls Singles. The Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) is very pleased to see the young players in action and the youngest was only 4 years old. The association has set the presentation of prizes for today at the National Gymnasium. The Matches Played were: UNDER-11 BOYS SINGLES SEMI FINALS: Avinash Ramnarine defeated Nikhil Sookraj: 21-18 Jonathan Debidin defeated Jared Bird: 21-1 UNDER-11 BOYS SINGLES FINALS: Jonathan Debidin defeated Avinash Ramnarine: 21-4 UNDER-11 GIRLS SINGLES SEMI-FINALS: Kayla Jordon defeated 4 year old Gianna Ramnarine: 21-9 Hailey Choo-A-Fat defeated 4 year old Gianna Ramnarine: 21-18 UNDER-11 GIRLS SINGLES FINALS: Kayla Jordon defeated Hailey Choo-A-Fat: 21-12 UNDER-13 BOYS SINGLES SEMI-FINALS: Vikash Mootoo defeated Matthew Beharry: 21-11, 21-6 UNDER-13 BOYS SINGLES FINALS: Andrew Debidin defeated Vikash Mootoo: 21-9, 21-8 UNDER-13 GIRLS SINGLES SEMI-FINALS: Lesha Singh defeated Lathika Kandayel: 21-12, 21-17 Sasha Singh defeated Elesa Sangster: 21-14, 21-19 UNDER-13 GIRLS SINGLES FINALS: Lesha Singh defeated Sasha Singh: 21-8, 21-3 UNDER-15 SINGLES FINALS: Crystal Permaul defeated Sarah Samad: 21-16, 21-16 The presentation programme starts at 6:00pm today.
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Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
Mandy Mangru! A little player with big dreams
Mandy at her school’s graduation ceremony. By Sean Devers At just 17 years-old, National Women’s cricketer Mandy Mangru is a little player with big dreams and she has all the tools to make them come true once she works hard and remains focused on what she desires in life. Mandy has already played seven times at the senior level for Guyana and still has another two years in Under-19 cricket. She first represented her country in 2013 at an Invitational U-19 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago organised by T&T’s Women’s Cricket Association and enjoyed success with bat and ball. Little Mandy was just 13 and only a bit taller than the wicket. After returning from T&T, Mangru made her debut the same year for Demerara in the Women’s Inter-County competition. Mangru made her entry into this World on September 22, 1999 and has lived all her life at Good Hope Mahaica. She is one of two girls and the youngest of three children born to Gowkarran Mangru and Taramatie Singh. Mangru’s early days were like any other little girl growing up in the countryside until she fell in love with cricket. Since then her passion for game is as strong as ever at a time when some young ‘County girls’ are getting pregnant and married and the young boys are turning to alcohol. Mangru explained that it was the Scotiabank Kiddies Cricket programme which, like it has done for thousands of little children across the Caribbean, fueled her interest in the game. “When I was going to school I was in grade four around 10 years old and I used to see the boys them playing cricket on the school ground and I just like fell in love with the game. A couple months after there was the Scotia-Bank Kiddies cricket and that’s when I really started to get interested in cricket,” the former Bygeval Secondary
School student informed. Her first entry to competitive cricket was in the softball format when, as an 11 year-old she captained the Mahaica Queens in the GT&T 10/10 competition and led them to the Super 16 round. The East Coast Demerara teenager hails from a village that has produced West Indies players in Female, Male and Blind cricket. Mahaica is the home of Test players Colin Croft and Shiv Chanderpaul, former West Indies U-19 opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, West Indies female player Indomattie Gordial-John, and West Indies Blind player Ganesh Singh. Mangru has the opportunity of joining this group who came from that village and went on to play for the Regional side. Like young Chanderpaul, Mangru has a sound academic foundation and has balanced education with sports, and is a ‘well rounded’ individual. “I have 9 CXC subjects and I want to further my studies at any University of the West Indies (UWI) or at the University of Guyana. I want to study sports management,” she revealed. Efforts are being made to get Mangru into the UWI Cave Hill in Barbados where female cricket is better structured than in Guyana where the Demerara players on the National side has to rely on softball tournaments to keep active. In a Guyana team with Shamaine Campbell, Tremayne Smartt, Erva Giddings, Sabrina Munroe and June Olge, all of whom have represented the West Indies, Mangru is the youngest player and like a sponge, soaks up the experience and knowledge of playing with and against these players. A problem for young talented teenagers like Mangru is that there is no U-19 female cricket played before the Guyana team is selected for Regional U-19 tournaments. “There was no Demerara U-19 team when I started to play. There
was only training sessions with a lot of girls and that was in 2013 when I made my Guyana U-19 debut. My parents are my number one supporters who have been with me through thick and thin when it comes to cricket,” said Mangru. “I also give a big thank you to myself for never giving up and always working hard to do my best,” Mandy said with a laugh. She has played eight times for Demerara and her player of the Match performance of 5-5 from 3.1 overs in 2015 when Demerara beat E’bo at the GDF ground remains her best bowling figures at the intercounty level, while her batting has improved tremendously. Mangru was also high in praise for Coach Andrew Lovell, who helped her for the two years she was at Everest and Coach Clive Grimmond and Coach Andre Percival for their assistance later in her fledging career, but said she is no longer at Everest since there is no female hard ball cricket in Demerara now. Only in Berbice females play hard ball cricket with the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) being the driving force in this regard. Berbice, the female Inter-County Champions are set to play in a male competition organised by the RHTYSC and Hilbert Foster. The Corentyne Club, GCB’s club of the year, has been approached to
have Mandy participate in Berbice cricket. “My favorite male cricketers are South Africa’s AB DeVillers and India’s Captain Virat Kholi and for female it’s West Indies players Stafanie Taylor and Shamaine Campbelle,” said Mangru. She also admires 27-year-old Indian player Harmanpreet Kaur, 24year-old Meg Lanning, 27-year-old Elyse Villain and 24-year-old Alyssa Healy, all Australians. Off the field Mangru loves to listen to music and play video games, especially those on sports. She is also a good Table
Mandy Mangru after a good batting performance for Demerara.
Tennis player and not surprisingly, an above average Pool player since her father is one of the best at Pools in Guyana and Coaches Mandy and her brother in that sport. “My one wish would be to become an amazing cricketer for the West Indies female team and to hold some records, like becoming the leading run scorer for West Indies in all formats of the game and maybe someday Captain the West Indies team to both 50 and 20 overs World Cup titles…. that’s my wish,” Mandy said with dreamy look in her eyes.
Lucrative prizes on offer for Benjamin Sports store and Fitness Gym Cycle road race The fourth annual ‘Benjamin Sports Store’ open cycle race which is organised by the Flying Ace Cycle club is all set and ready to ride off on Monday 13th March on the Corentyne Highway. The 50 miles event is expected to pedal off at 10:00hrs from Fyrish Village in front of the Benjamin Sports Store and proceed to the No 51 Police station before returning to its place of origin. The race, which is open to riders throughout the country, will see prizes being given for the first 10 finishers, the top three juveniles, the first six veterans and the first three females to cross the finish line. There will also be special races for mountain bike riders, while the BMX riders will also be showing off their mettle. There will be eight sprint point prizes up for grabs. A grueling event is anticipated as all of the top riders in the country are expected to be in attendance as they vie for the lucrative prizes on offer. Marlon Williams is the defending champion. There is also expected to be different categories of road races on the day. Benjamin a native of Berbice was a former national cyclist who represented Guyana at both the
Former national cyclist Wilbert Benjamin (left) hands over the sponsorship cheque to Coordinator Randolph Roberts. junior and senior levels. He was also a former school and junior champion who won the national schools championship on three consecutive occasions. He still rides in his adopted home land of Canada where he also operates a sports store. He is expected to be among the riders.
At present he is one of the top cycle race sponsors in the country. The presentation ceremony will be held immediately after the completion of the event. The event will be coordinated by coach Randolph Robert. Cyclists are reminded that they must ride in their club colours. (Samuel Whyte)
Monday March 06, 2017
RHTY&SC, M.S hosts successful 13th Biannual General Meeting – Executives elected for new two years term The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club on Thursday 3rd of March held its 13th bi-annual General Meeting at the J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School. Scores of Club members including the Over 35 Group turned up at the two and a half hours meeting to discuss the Secretary/CEO report, a comprehensive financial report and to elect office bearers for the 20172018 term of Office. Members also discussed a wide range of matters concerning the development of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation and plans for 2017. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster provided a detailed account of activities for the 2015/2016 period where a total of 857 programmes/ activities were successfully organised. Plans for 2017 includes the Annual Award Ceremony, Youth Review Magazine, Cricket Academy, celebration of Rose Hall Village 175th anniversary, Republic Bank Summer Camp, Christmas Village, Berbice Sports Award, Award of Excellence and the hosting of numerous cricket tournaments during the year. Club members also approved the Treasurer’s Financial Report which showed the RHTY&SC on a solid financial footing for
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2017. Other matters discussed at length including captaincy for the new cricket season, a discipline Code of Conduct, protection of Club’s gears, expansion of the Charity programme to assist pensioners on the 1st day of every month, the importance of physical fitness and the importance of Club members working to assist those less fortunate than them. Club members also agreed that membership shall remain free for 2017 and also approved unanimously a no confidence motion against the Region 6 Sports Officer who seems to have a personal vendetta against the RHTY&SC and its Management. The Officer, who is still on probation has been attacking the Club on a regular basis via Facebook and members feel that as a Government Officer he is very divisive. The Motion would be submitted to the National Sports Commission, the Ministry of Sports and President David Granger. Members also approved the Captains and vice captains of the Club’s different cricket teams for the 2017 season. Lucas Arthur would lead the Under 15 team with Mohindra Gopilall as his deputy. The others are: (1) Under 17 – Kevlon Anderson (Capt), Junior Sinclair (Vice)
(2) Under 19 – Kevin Sinclair (Capt), Kevlon Anderson (Vice) (3) Under 21 – Brandon Prashad (Capt), Kevin Sinclair (Vice) (4) Intermiade – Delbert Hicks (Capt) (5) Second Division – Major James Fraser (Capt), Kevlon Anderson (Vice) (6) Female – Shemaine Campbelle (Capt), Erva Giddings (Vice) (7) First Division (Capt) and Clinton Pestano (Vice). Coach for all the teams shall be Delbert Hicks, while Plaffina Millington, Hicks, Eon Hooper, Mark Papannah and Meliane Henry would join the captains and vicecaptains in the Club’s Cricket Development Committee which would be headed by Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster. The Discipline Council for 2017/2017 would be headed by veteran Club Executive Neville Beaton and includes Elizabeth Brusche and Rabindranath Kissoonlall. Elections for the Club’s Executive Members show those elected were President – Keith Foster, Vice President – Mark Papannah, Secretary/ CEO – Hilbert Foster, Asst Secretary/Office Manager – Simon Naidu, Treasurer – Shemaine Campbelle, Organising Secretary – Keith Hicks, Club overall Captain-
Shawn Perriera, Asst Organising Secretary – Rabindranath Kissoonlall, Public Relations Officer – Anil Ramnarine and Committee Members – Sohan Harry, Elizabeth Brusche, Neville Beaton. Meanwhile Neville Beaton was elected Chairman of the Club’s over 35 Group, while Foster would serve as Secretary, Bridgette McDonald would serve as Treasurer, while Committee members of the Over 35 Group are Lucy Pike, Volda Cort and Keith Hicks. The signatures on the Club bank account for the next two years would be the Club Secretary Hilbert Foster, Shemaine Campbelle, Mark Papannah and Sohan Harry. President David Granger remains the Honorary Patron of the Club until December 2020. The long serving Secretary/CEO urged the Club members to remain united while continuing to work harder for more success in the future. He pleaded with the newly elected Executives to focus on the work ahead and to develop a culture of discipline, honesty and dedication. Special congrats was extended to seventeen years old Simon Naidu on his election as Asst Secretary, Anil Ramnarine as Public Relations Officer and Mark Papannah as Vice President.
The newly elected RHTY&SC Executives after their Elections.
Speedboat racers wants year round Regatta …urges Govt. to get involved
Dave Scott A number of racers who take part in the annual Bartica Regatta celebrations are appealing for a year round calendar of regatta. The racers noted that this can be possible if Government is committed to the development of what they dubbed as Formula One Speed boat racing. Coordinator of the Speedboat races for the 2017 Bartica Regatta, Dave Scott said that a number of long time racers continues to approach him and the Regatta Committee in putting systems in place for more regatta each year. He disclosed that currently the country has only two Regattas being held in Bartica and Lake Mainstay in Essequibo. However, should Government get involved he firmly foresees other parts of this country being able to hold regatta activities. Quizzed on if this is as a result of racers wanting more competition, Scott, who is going after his sixth successive title said, that racers are passionate and wants to be given more opportunities at competing against each other. “I think that they should not only have regatta one time a year or in Bartica or in Essequibo but they should be regattas at various locations in Guyana thus helping to enhance the country as a tourist destination year round,” he argued. He said that Guyana has the ability to attract a wide range of tourists through different platform and activities stressing that speedboat races is one such platform. He revealed that as a result of his passion for the sport he had sought to organize a regatta but was
unsuccessful. He said that he had even approached the boat operators in Linden but learnt that they had little and in some cases no experience and therefore were not prepared to welcome such an initiative. “At one time I was trying to organise a Regatta to be held in the Demerara River and we even explored a particular part of the river and began plans to make it a reality, however this didn’t materialize. But I think that even in Berbice we can hold a regatta of this nature.” Commenting on the level of competition, Scott said that while the organizers are doing their best he firmly believes that there is room for improvement while adding that more can be done. “The organizers are trying their best, however without proper systems and support from Government being implemented, then the major challenges faced by the regatta committee each year will continue,” he noted. He added, “Government must understand that while it’s all nice and good for the private sector to play a part in the annual celebrations, they must pay a major part if they are going to ensure that the event attracts regional and international tourists.” Scott expressed optimism about Guyana joining, stressing that the benefits are enormous. “I am also hoping that soon we can join the formula one association like the formula one cars. Formula one outdoor racing would be the biggest event in this country.” he opined. He said that we have racers who can hold their ownagainst racers from Dubai, Brazil, China, India, USA, Canada, Europe etc. Continued on page 29
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Kaieteur News
Monday March 06, 2017
Root, Woakes send Windies to series defeat ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies produced an erratic performance all round as they slumped to yet another series loss, with a four-wicket defeat to England in the second One-Day International of the threematch series here yesterday. Hampered by a plethora of soft dismissals, the hosts could only muster 225 all out off 47.5 overs, after opting to bat first at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium. Jason Mohammed carved out his second half-century in as many games with exactly 50 while Kraigg Brathwaite got a pedantic 42 and lefthander Jonathan Carter, a breezy 39. In reply, England twice recovered from dangerous positions to reach their target in the penultimate over, with Joe Root stroking an unbeaten 90 and Chris Woakes, an enterprising 68 not out. The pair added a superb 102 in an unbroken seventh wicket stand which pulled the visitors around from the strife of 124 for six at the half-way stage, and put them over the line with 10 balls remaining. Opener Jason Roy weighed in with 52 and amazingly along with Root and Woakes, were the only ones to reach double figures. Off-spinner Ashley Nurse shone, claiming three for 34 from his 10 overs while legspinner Devendra Bishoo picked two for 43. England lost Sam Billings to just the second ball of the innings when the righthander edged the pacy Shannon Gabriel into the cordon where Nurse at second slip parried the catch to Kieran Powell at first slip, with a single run on the board.
Chris Woakes and Joe Root saw England home, West Indies v England, 2nd ODI, Antigua, © Getty Images Roy and Root then survived several anxious moments as they dug England out of trouble with an 86-run, second wicket partnership. The right-handed Roy especially lived a charmed life early on. He was dropped on one in the second over off seamer and captain Jason Holder, as Carlos Brathwaite made a fabulous attempt at a diving one-handed catch at mid-on but failed to hang on. Two balls later, he was given not out when he appeared to nick one behind but replays proved inconclusive after Windies took recourse to DRS. Riding his luck, he transferred the pressure back on the Windies bowlers by belting seven fours and a six off 48 deliveries as he put England in control. He had reached his ninth ODI halfcentury off 45 balls in the 15th over when he holed out to Carlos Brathwaite at longon off Nurse four balls later in the same over.
West Indies then hauled themselves back into the game, claiming the next five wickets for 37 runs in the space of 60 deliveries as Nurse accounted for captain Eoin Morgan (7) in the 21st over and Moeen Ali (3) in the 25th, while the erratic Bishoo knocked over Ben Stokes (1) and Jos Buttler (0) in between. But the Windies hopes of running through the England lower order were dashed as Root and Woakes combined to take the sting out of an attack, missing Gabriel who limped off with a side strain and never returned. Root’s 21st ODI halfcentury came from 127 balls and included just three fours while Woakes survived chances on 44 and 58, to count five fours and two sixes in an 83-ball knock – his second ODI fifty. Earlier, West Indies struggled from the outset and once again needed the enterprise of Mohammed and Carter in order to hit their straps. The hosts seemed to be taking control at 159 for four in the 37th over when they suffered a now familiar
collapse, losing their last six wickets for 66 runs in the space of 69 deliveries. West Indies were in early trouble when Evin Lewis (8) was caught at cover point by Billings off a leading edge, trying to turn seamer Steven Finn (2-38) to leg in the third over and Powell’s (9) muted return to West Indies colours continued when he skied an ill-advised pull in the seventh over, to present Finn with a simple caught and bowled chance and his 100thODI wicket. When Shai Hope edged a cut at a wide delivery from seamer Stokes to fall for 16 in the 14th over at 46 for three, West Indies were in deeper trouble. For the second time in three days, Mohammed came to side’s aid, striking two fours and two sixes off 71 balls but more importantly, adding 72 for the fourth wicket with Kraigg Brathwaite and another 41 for the fifth wicket with Carter – partnerships which gave the innings much needed energy. Brathwaite laboured 70 balls and counted just two fours and his dismissal – stumped missing a charge at off-spinner Moeen Ali in the 30th over – allowed Carter and Mohammed to up the scoring. The right-handed Mohammed reached his halfcentury in the 35th over with a pulled six over mid-wicket off Stokes but was gone two overs later, losing concentration two deliveries following the drinks break and clipping a simple catch to Adil Rashid at mid-on off seamer Liam Plunkett. Carter struck two fours and a six in a bold 36-ball knock but once he skied Plunkett (3-32) to mid-off in the 39th over, the innings fizzled badly. The final ODI is set for Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday.
Jason Mohammed cuts during his hard-earned half-century, West Indies v England, 2nd ODI, Antigua, ©AFP
SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES K Brathwaite st Buttler b Moeen Ali E Lewis c Billings b Finn K Powell c & b Finn +S Hope c wkp Buttler b Stokes J Mohammed c Rashid b Plunkett J Carter c Rashid b Plunkett *J Holder c & b Rashid C Brathwaite c Billings b Rashid A Nurse b Plunkett D Bishoo not out S Gabriel run out Extras (b1, lb2, w6) TOTAL (all out, 47.5 overs)
42 8 9 16 50 39 15 23 13 0 1 9 225
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Lewis, 2.4 overs), 2-21 (Powell, 6.3), 3-46 (Hope, 13.3), 4-118 (K Brathwaite, 29.4), 5-159 (Mohammed, 36.2), 6-173 (Carter, 38.5), 7-199 (Holder, 44.1), 8-219 (C Brathwaite, 46.3), 9-224 (Nurse, 47.2), 10-225 (Gabriel, 47.5) Bowling: Finn 8-1-38-2, Woakes 8-1-26-0, Plunkett 7.5-1-32-3 (w2), Stokes 5-0-29-1 (w1), Rashid 9-0-53-2 (w3), Moeen Ali 10-0-44-1. ENGLAND J Roy c C Brathwaite b Nurse S Billings c Powell b Gabriel J Root not out *E Morgan lbw b Nurse B Stokes c wkp Hope b Bishoo +J Buttler c wkp Hope b Bishoo Moeen Ali b Nurse C Woakes not out Extras (lb1, w4) TOTAL (6 wkts, 48.2 overs)
52 0 90 7 1 0 3 68 5 226
Did not bat: A Rashid, L Plunkett, S Finn. Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Billings, 0.2 overs), 2-87 (Roy, 15), 3-108 (Morgan, 20.1), 4-113 (Stokes, 21.5), 5-117 (Buttler, 23.2), 6-124 (Ali, 25). Bowling: Gabriel 3-0-17-1, Holder 10-0-46-0, C Brathwaite 4-0-38-0, Bishoo 10-0-43-2 (w3), Nurse 10-0-34-3 (w1), Mohammed 4-0-15-0, K Brathwaite 5.2-0-22-0, Carter 2-0-10-0.
Kraigg Brathwaite lifts down the ground in a rare show of aggression, West Indies v England, 2nd ODI, Antigua, ©AFP
Ben Stokes fell to Devendra Bishoo as England’s collapse gathered pace, West Indies v England, 2nd ODI, Antigua, ©AFP
Result: England won by four wickets. Series: England lead three-match series 2-0. Man-of-the-Match: Joe Root. Toss: West Indies. Umpires: N Duguid, C Gaffaney; TV – R Palliyaguruge.
Monday March 06, 2017
2017 NJCAA Indoor Championships
Guyanese Andrea Foster cops silver in 800m on debut
800m silver medalist Andrea Foster and her teammate who won gold, Eugenie Hue. Competing in her first Indoor National Championship on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) circuit, Guyanese Junior Middle distance Queen, Andrea Foster won the 800m silver medal after being edged on the line by Essex County College teammate, Eugenie Hue. On scholarship, which she started last September and aiming to major in General Science (Bio-Med), Foster, clocked 2:14.03 with Hue being timed at 2:13.63. Already creating waves at Essex having been named Athlete of the Year (2016) for Cross Country at the Newark, New Jersey based College; Foster informed that she also competed in the 600m and 1000m events, but her main focus was the 800m, having qualified for all three events. Foster commented on her performance: “It was a great race and I’m just thankful that I was able to medal at the nationals because I’m still adjusting to the breathing, but thanks be to God. I am looking forward to the outdoors to see what it brings for me.” A total of 15 athletes competed in the prelims with 9 making the final. 800 Finals 1 Hue, Eugenie SO Essex 2:13.63 2 Foster, Andrea FR Essex 2:14.03 3 St. John, Ariel FR Cloud County 2:14.77 4 Maasotuo, Hellen FR South Plains 2:15.86 5 Collymore, Dawnel FR Monroe 2:16.85 6 Hunt, Latoya SO Iowa Central 2:17.09 7 Griffiths, Courtney SO Cowley 2:17.72 8 Swisher, Mattie SO Dodge City 2:21.41 9 Backman, Jemima FR Monroe 2:23.84 (Franklin Wilson)
Andrea Foster on the podium.
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Kaieteur News
V Net Communications supports Good Success SC
Captain of Good Success SC Imran Khan (4th from left) accepts one of the team jerseys from CEO of V Net Communications Safraz Sheriffudeen (3rd from right) in the presence of members of the club. V Net Communications of Delph Street, Campbellville continued its support for sports when they presented a quantity of cricket uniforms to the Good Success Sports (GSSC) Club of Wakenaam. At the presentation ceremony which was held yesterday at the sponsor, GSSC Secretary Nazeer Mohamed expressed gratitude to the entity for their support. He said that V Net Communications has always been supportive to the club and their input is very much appreciated once again. Mohamed added that uniforms are not that easy to obtain and this partnership further cements their relationship with V Net Communications. He stated that such gestures will help to motivate the younger members of the club and will encourage their members to remain committed. Chief Executive Officer of V Net Communications Safraz Sheriffudeen said that that they will continue to support sports in Wakenaam and
hope that their contribution will help to promote the game on the island. Sheriffudeen added that he is impressed with the talent
of the youths in Wakenaam and plans are in the making to stage another tournament there. Both Mohamed and Sheriffudeen congratulated
Keemo Paul on his selection to the Guyana senior team to oppose Jamaica in the Regional four-day tournament.
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Limacol Round Robin / Knockout Football Competition
Nelson’s missile gives Tigers another title in 2017 - Winners return home with bragging rights and third place
Action in the final of the Limacol Round Robin / Knockout Football Competition that featured Western Tigers versus the Guyana Police Force on Saturday night, at the GFC ground. ‘Golden Jaguars’ midf i e l d e r C o l i n N e l s o n ’s missile from just outside the box proved just e n o u g h t o g e t We s t e r n Tigers over the line in their clash against the Guyana Police Force in the final of the Limacol Round Robin / Knockout Football Competition which ended on Saturday night, at the Georgetown Football Club ground. Following a foul which saw referee Sherwin Moore award a free kick just outside the Police penalty area, Nelson strode up and unleashed a powerful leftfooted strike that rebounded off the crossbar, before landing over the goalline to give the Tigers the lead after nineteen minutes in the
Monday March 06, 2017
Kaieteur News
highly anticipated matchup. After that it was the Tigers who attacked with menace and came close to scoring on many occasions with one instance having a goal disallowed for an offside infringement. The two teams went to the break with the Tigers clinging to a narrow 1-0 advantage and the large turnouit of fans braced themselves for a frenetic showdown in the final period. In the final period, Police’s Quincy Holder came close with a right-foot effort, before Captain Dwain Jacobs’ attempt landed wide of the upright. Both teams came close after then, but solid goalkeeping and shots that narrowly missed the intended
target kept the scoreline 1-0 in favour of the Tigers before the final whistle sounded to hand the West Ruimveldtbased unit another victory in 2017. In the playoff for third place, Linden’s Winners Connection prevailed 5-3 in a penalty shootout against Santos to take home bragging rights after their encounter ended 2-2 in regulation time. Keon Sears had given the visitors the lead in the 27th minute, before Orin Yarde gained the equaliser in the 77th. Keith Caines then gave Santos the ascendancy wheh he netted in the 83rd, before Cedric Hunte tied things up two minutes later to send the skirmish into over time which failed to produce a winner,
Winners Connection won in a penalty shootout. The winner of the competition walked away with $500,000 and a trophy, while 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams collected $250,000, $125,000 and $75,000 respectively and trophies. In the night’s full results: Final Western Tigers 1- Police 0 Western Tigers Scorer- Colin Nelson 19th. Third Place playoff Winners Connection 2Santos 2 Winners Connection won 5-3 in Penalty Kicks Winners Connection Scorers Keon Sears 27th Cedric Hunte 85th Santos Scorers Orin Yarde 77th Keith Caines 83rd
Keith Thurman could face Manny Pacquiao, Tim Bradley despite lackluster win (Yahoo Sports) NEW YORK – Keith Thurman stood in the center of the ring on Saturday, a perplexed look on his face reflecting, perhaps, an inability to fully process the moment. He was a winner, eking out a split decision over Danny Garcia, unifying a pair of welterweight titles. Yet he was being received like a loser, with a mix of boos and cheers cascading down from the crowd and a group of puzzled ringside reporters wondering why Thurman nearly gave the fight away. This was supposed to be Thurman’s moment, and honestly, it was an opportunity missed. A Barclays Center boxingrecord crowd, a nationally televised audience — these were all things Thurman craved. In an interview in his Brooklyn hotel room this week, Thurman acknowledged he wanted the money that comes with being a pay-per-view star, but craved the recognition that comes with mass exposure. “I want to be the people’s champ,” Thurman told Yahoo Sports. “I want to be the guy who gives fans what they want.” For five rounds, Thurman did. He landed a kneebuckling right hand early in the opening round. He landed two more in the second. He combined thudding power punches (102 in all, per PunchStats) with savvy defense. In the third, Garcia ducked to Thurman’s waist, looking to tie him up. Thurman paused, waited for Garcia to pop up, and clipped him to the temple when he did. He was in control … until he wasn’t. Thurman gave away the sixth round before
rallying in the seventh. But the game plan changed. The aggressive fighter through the first five rounds morphed into a defensive one over the last seven. He was an NBA team trying to milk the clock in the fourth quarter, an NFL team playing prevent. He fought like a fighter who knew he won the first half of the fight and believed he could simply cruise through the second. “I was not giving the fight away,” Thurman said. “I felt like we had a nice lead, we could cool down. I felt like we were controlling the threeminute intervals every round. My defense was effective – he wasn’t landing.” It’s true. Garcia was far from brilliant. He flicked out an occasional jab (41 total) and desperately tried to time Thurman’s advances with counter hooks. Fighting a top contender, Garcia looked like a fighter nearly four years removed from facing one. He rallied late, made the fight interesting but the 140-pound titleholder who coolly dispatched the fearsome Lucas Matthysse has never seemed so distant. “It is what it is,” Garcia said. “I can’t cry over anything, I’ll come back strong like a true champion. I would love to have a rematch to get my titles back.” A rematch? For now … pass. On paper, GarciaThurman was what boxing needed. Premier Boxing Champions — the Al Haymon-headed time-buy series — has been an unqualified failure, further dividing a sport already deeply divided. HBO’s budget has been badly Continued on page 29