Kaieteur News

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AIETEUR New US ambassador Thursday Edition NEWS

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urges genuinely

March 14, 2019 - Vol. 12 No. 11

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

free and fair elections - and a constitutional judiciary process

Price $80

Online readership yesterday 107,369

Tender Board official caught on camera removing bid documents; police called in The MV Kimbia traveled across the Demerara river, yesterday, in its first run since being docked for maintenance

Newly rehabilitated MV Kimbia takes first run

Waini boat explosion…

President calls Finance Minister Jordan Body found has power to release believed to be on GECOM to funds for elections that of blind submit work - Nandlall argues at programme no-confidence case appeal passenger

World Bank hires Mexico's

no-nonsense regulator to help EPA

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Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019 Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, over the weekend, attended the launch of the Ethnic Relations Commission's 'This is Us' theatrical play, which speaks to the appreciation of ethnic differences, respect for political choices and resolution of conflicts.

Tolerance for each other

A scene from the play.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

PAGE 03

President calls on GECOM to submit work programme

P

resident David Granger yesterday morning, wrote to Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret'd) James Patterson, requesting that the Commission present him with a work programme in the shortest possible time.

In his correspondence to Patterson, the President said it is essential that he is informed of the Commission's readiness to deliver credible elections in Guyana.

“I urge you to present your plans, programmes and financial needs which will guide my proclamation of a suitable date for elections,” the Head of State said in his correspondence to Justice Patterson.

Since the passage of the 'no confidence motion' against the Government, on December 21, last, President Granger has twice consulted with Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. He also consulted the Chairman and Commissioners of GECOM. Two such meetings took place last week.

Granger emphasised that

Ball is in your court: GECOM's Chairman, Justice (Ret'd), James Patterson the Government of Guyana will not interfere or intrude in the work of the Commission.

Last week, the President invited the Commission to a meeting to discuss issues related to the hosting of General and Regional Elections this year.

“Let me make one thing clear. The Government is in no way interfering or intruding in the constitutional role and duty of the Commission. It is for the Commission to advise me that it is ready and I will

then proclaim a date.

“Naturally, I will like to proclaim a date that is sanctioned by the National Assembly and the Constitution, but we have not intruded in the work of the Commission and we are prepared to support the Commission in what it has been doing.

“It is not for me to overrule the Commission,” President Granger said in a statement following the meeting.

He maintained that “the Commission is independent.

President David Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo meeting last week.

It is not for anybody to give the Commission instructions as to when elections are to be held. Once the Commission says it is ready, I will announce a date and I hope that date is as early as possible.”

According to a government statement, Article 62 of the Constitution of Guyana states that “Elections shall be independently supervised by

the Election[s] Commission in accordance with the provisions of Article 162.”

Early elections are likely to be held following a noconfidence motion filed by the Opposition that was carried and that toppled the Coalition Government, a little more than three and half years into its term.

The government has gone to court to challenge the legality of the vote with

the matter now being heard in the Appeals Court.

In the meantime, the Opposition has raised pressure for early elections which they say according to the Constitution is supposed to be held within 90 days of the no confidence vote, which ends on March 21.

The situation has placed Guyana, on the verge of starting oil production, in uncharted waters.

Finance Minister Jordan has power to - Nandlall argues at release funds for elections no-confidence case appeal

A

lthough the Cabinet seized to exit after the passage of the NoConfidence Motion on December 21, 2018 in the National Assembly, Finance Minister Winston Jordan still has the power to budget funds for the holding of general elections, even though the minister cannot go back in Parliament, argued former Attorney General Anil Nandlall.

During his submissions to the court, Nandlall

explained that if Minister Jordan or a new minister is appointed by the President after the holding of elections that Minister will lay in Parliament a statement accounting for those monies budgeted for those elections.

Nandlall argued this, yesterday, when the Court of Appeal continued hearing arguments in the case of Attorney General v Christopher Ram, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, in his capacity as representative of A

General sought to dismiss previous arguments by Attorney General Basil Williams, who he said, is trying to create panic by painting the picture that the country will collapse if monies are not circulated, as a result of there no longer

Anil Nandlall Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, and Bharrat Jagdeo in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition.

The legal challenge stemmed from the passage of the No-Confidence Motion.

Hearing the appeal is Chancellor of the Judiciary Yo n e t t e C u m m i n g s Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud.

The former Attorney

being Cabinet to approve funds.

According to him, Articles 218, 219 and 220 which speak to the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Fund of other public fund, when read c o n s e c u t i v e l y, m a k e

provisions for monies to be withdrawn to offset the nation's expenses.

Advancing further arguments, Nandlall said that No-Confidence Motion is nothing new to Guyana's Constitution and (continued on page 13)

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Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Guns and robberies

G

unpoint robberies are a seeming everyday occurrence. Despite a more concerted and sustained effort by a heavily undermanned Guyana Police Force, guns and robberies have become embedded in the national fabric.

They are so frequent as to indelibly imprint themselves into the terrified psyche of a beleaguered society.

The simple routine function of moving in this country rises to the gravity of an occupational hazard. Leaving the house may or may not be the point of maximum danger, but a sequence of events is set in motion. There is now the vulnerability of being fair game and subject to any method of ambush.

Head to a bank and be prepared for the tensions of combat. One does not have to withdraw cash; just do not be carrying anything that resembles a moneybag.

That could be curtains for the unwary.

Leaving the home is bad enough; leaving a bank is almost like entering a war zone. One overloaded with loaded guns, ready triggers, waiting men, trailing cars.

Nobody and nowhere is exempt. A long-resident foreign priest is robbed at gunpoint right in the front of a known religious house in Queenstown, a once reserved neighbourhood of pristine ambience now as unsafe and targeted as any old place in downtown, commercial Georgetown.

Returning to the house could be one long exercise in evasive and protective precautions. This is the unrelenting state of alert in which Guyanese now exist.

How did matters deteriorate to these barbaric depths?

As dark and terrible as things were in the latter quarter of the last century, they were never this ugly, this deplorable.

In spite of all the so-called modernity of new cars, new skyscrapers, new tycoons, and new money, by any sober and balanced estimation matters have never been as perilous as in the last couple of decades.

For with the new tycoons and new money came new hustles and new strategies.

Those are best remembered and embodied in the sophisticated games of narcotics smuggling and money laundering.

For all the newness and the new businesses, and those two in particular, there came the compromises, the smugglings, and the runnings which called for men of a certain ruthless caliber and weapons of all kinds of deadly caliber, some of which are believed to be unknown even to the army and the police. Those guns and men are out there; some are out in the streets wreaking havoc on a hapless civilian populace.

What came about because of underground business demands has now seeped into larger society and spiraled out of control. Conniving and colluding political masters should be praised for blessing citizens with the gift of this mortal societal endangerment.

Of course, in the beginning, it was well-received as conspicuous consumption and prosperity of a rare kind.

As of late, Guyanese in the gunsights are not so sure.

Yes, the old way created jobs of a kind; the new way exposed them: accounting and reporting.

For its part, the GPF struggles to come to grips with what is now a settled and dangerous phenomenon. It is uphill but not unconquerable; just unmanageable currently. And for this, the guilt belongs to those political luminaries who made a deal with devil in selling out this country and its now targeted peoples. The many guns and schemes (and the wise guys behind them) have come under increasingly sharp scrutiny.

A lot of it is too late and too little; but a start has been made and that is part of the problem. The once occupied hardcases are now free to roam the streets and put hardware to work to the detriment of an honest hardworking class.

How many false promises or white elephants will be found on this path?

DEAR EDITOR, I began this letter at least three times, and, each time, the backspace key erased the words of anger. The anger stems from reading your article entitled, “IDB praises Guyana’s efforts to strengthen oil and gas sector,” which appeared in the March 12, 2019 edition. In fact, the photo accompanying the article made me wince.

I winced because this image seems to symbolize the sashaying of Guyana onto a dangerous path. This path will only lead us to being saddled with tremendous debt.

At the end of this path

lays a system of slavery for our next generation; they will be generating capital for the Bank while engaging in the exchange for the ephemeral, which seems to be couched as climate-related matters.

I wonder how many false promises or white elephants will be found on this path?

Will our grandchildren be able to enjoy the possibility of oil wealth?

The leadership of Guyana needs to safeguard against the gamble of the country’s future wealth. Wouldn’t you agree with me that not one barrel of oil has been sold?

Why then would the leader-

ship of Guyana want to leverage the possibility of oil against the improbability of being debt-free? Isn’t this the best time to remind our leaders that a bird in the hand is worth two in bush?

As if the Guyanese government has not learnt from past mistakes, it is leading its constituents into the debt trap—once again—exemplified with the signing over of our future to the tune of US$41 million and continuing to entertain a bauxite company digging a hole for fourteen years with nothing to show for it.

The leadership of Guyana needs to decide if they want

us to stand and to live free today or to crawl and become slaves and beggars of tomorrow. Speaking of slavery, we need to let Rusal go, because they wukin’ for nutin’.

By the way, what exactly is the Electronic Single Window for Trade and the Energy Matrix Diversification? And what are their promises for the future of Guyana?

Notwithstanding the possibility of debt, is it possible for the government of Guyana to lean on its local banks?

Help us to think through the issues, L. A. C. Archer

President Jagdeo 2006 vs. President Granger 2019 – An unfair and misleading comparison DEAR EDITOR, The average reader may not realize that the ongoing television replays on statements made by then President Jagdeo in 2006, falsely give the impression that President Granger is saying nothing different today.

The view that Dr. Jagdeo has now changed his position or President Granger is saying the same thing Jagdeo said in 2006, is totally untrue and misleading.

Clearly, these statements accrediting GECOM’s authority to determine when to hold elections were made in different contextual situations/circumstances that must be con-

sidered before any true conclusion can be elucidated.

To begin, in 2006 the GECOM chairman was mutually agreed on by the government and the opposition parties. His name was extracted from a single list of candidates submitted by the then Opposition Leader. In essence, both parties expressed confidence in the chairman and GECOM in the discharge of their individual and collective functions, professionally, with regards to elections. Yes, legal ramifications aside, it was with such confidence in GECOM, that then President Jagdeo made the statement being paraded on the television.

On the other hand, the current GECOM chairman was unilaterally hand-picked by President Granger as the ‘fit and proper’ person for the job.

President Granger threw out the window three lists of names submitted by the Opposition Leader, basically saying that none of the names was fit and proper for the job. Therefore, the current chairman was not mutually agreed on by the political parties.

Given the current political context, President Granger’s statement on the role of GECOM in determining the date for elections cannot and should not be seen in the same

vein as that of President Jagdeo in 2006.

In closing, let me reiterate that while the respective statements made by the two presidents appear to address the same phenomenon/issue, the context, circumstances and rationale which gave rise to such statements remain vastly different across the two eras. In essence, the television presentation/ad on a statement

by Jagdeo in 2006 on the role of GECOM in setting elections is taken/paraded out of context, thus, unfair and misleading.

Regards, Ronald Singh

LITTLE CRIMES BREED BIG CRIMES DEAR EDITOR, A few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to observe the Stabroek Market area being searched by ranks of the Guyana Police Force, during what was clearly an impromptu raid for drugs and illegal items, which resulted in 13 persons being arrested.

There were sniffer dogs which were dispatched to the area with dozens of ranks with high-profile equipment, who were stationed mainly at the entrances of the market.

This seems to have led to an “epiphany” on the part of the Georgetown City Constabulary, who have suddenly sprung up with a new and intuitive grasp of reality since that raid, with the department now conducting random stop and search within the area which has resulted in the discovery of cannabis under the canopy area My question to the City Constabulary is: why only now they are having these illuminating discoveries and realizations when ‘Everybody and their Grandmother’ knew of the illegal activities that

occurred for decades ‘under the clock’ at the Stabroek Market, but did nothing about it?

Whatever happened to the grand plans they had to have CCTV installed in and around the municipal markets to monitor the daily activities there?

What has happened to their ‘Bicycle Patrols’ that could have operated in and around the busy markets as is done in other countries?

A claim by the Constabulary is that illicit drugs are transported to and in the marketplace in significant quantities, which however go unnoticed. How could this be?

Couldn’t those Constables who constantly harass vendors for minor infractions use their time and energy to stop the wanton transport of these illicit items?

A more ridiculous claim by the Constabulary is that “legitimate vendors” play a vital role in the continuance of the criminal activities, with narcotics even being found in stalls, which suggests that stallholders or persons operating stalls are partakers of

the illegal trade activities.

My question is: are these stallholders or operators of the stalls not charged and hauled before the courts when these discoveries are made?

Are the stalls not seized and re-allocated to law-abiding citizens who wish to carry out legitimate business?

If they claim that these errant market vendors communicate via WhatsApp and other means of technology so that by the time the Constabulary ranks get on the ground,

they already have the illicit items stashed, then I would like to know who they communicate with. Is it other members of the Constabulary?

How else would the vendors know that they are coming to carry out a raid?

I would like the Constabulary to understand that little crimes breed big crimes, and when they smile at little crimes, before they know it big crimes blow their heads off.

Sincerely Anu Bihari

The Opposition Leader must conduct himself responsibly DEAR EDITOR, The Leader of the Opposition has convinced himself, and his adherents, of abilities and powers he neither possesses constitutionally, or realistically. His initial success in securing the passage of a no-confidence motion, has emboldened him into believing that this government has been so weakened constitutionally, politically and morally, both here and abroad, that it cannot recover and its demise is imminent.

The Opposition Leader, because of his ability to influence many people, seems intent to seize the opportunity to attempt to usurp powers not granted him under the constitution.

Among the powers he has abrogated to himself are the powers to declare that: (Continued on page 6)

Thursday March 14, 2019

Why is Linden being shut-out of Guyana’s Cricket?

DEAR EDITOR, I write in support of a letter in the Kaieteur Newspaper dated 10th March, 2019 penned

by Winston Boston. His letter clearly outlines the problems we have been experiencing within the cricket fraternity for the past 10 years or so, and quite rightly blames the PPP/C and APNU/AFC Governments along with the Judiciary for the lawlessness.

In 2014 the PPP/C government and opposition combined, through the Guyana Cricket Act, to legitimize our cricket by introducing democratic process for elections intended to resolve the problems that existed within our cricket environment.Within the framework of the Law, parliament unanimously agreed to include Linden as an integral part of the administration and also the on-field process of cricket.But to date, almost five years later, we are still swirling in the wilderness, with our players being totally shut out and our administrators and the Upper Demerara Cricket Association (UDCA) not being allowed to participate in any function as stipulated by the law.Linden and/or the UDCA seem to have been abandoned by all and sundry.

We have not received any funding from

the relevant authorities and so we are left in the wilderness to struggle for survival, even with the law on our side.

But as Mr. Boston pointed out – the authorities have all played their role over the years in this sad and hurtful situation.

Even though the UDCA is a lawful member of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB), we have never been invited to any elections, meetings or to participate in any tournaments. From time to time you will observe in the newspapers that the DCB is running an Inter-Association tournament but the big question is: who are the DCB executives? What Inter-Association tournament?

The UDCA is one of the Constituent Associations which means that it is part of the DCB membership. Is this a phantom board?

We are simply begging those in authority (the Politicians on both sides, the Judiciary, the people of Guyana etc.) – please give the youngsters of Linden the opportunity they are entitled to by law. It is their civil right.

Please bring this horrid state of affairs to an immediate end!

Marvin Burns Linden Resident

THE MEDIA NEEDS TO GET OFF OF THIS BANDWAGON DEAR EDITOR, Well the chickens have come home to roost.

The evil intent of all the constitutionalists and great lawyers has always been to cow this government into submission. We have read the daily dissertations and heard the many views electronically portrayed why this government should just pack up and go and leave the treasury to be plundered by many of the same elements baying like hounds after Mr. Granger’s flesh.Many years ago when a senior judge ruled a government of the comrades illegal, the said government was allowed to remain in place until GECOM had properly finalized preparations for the elections that were billed.

GECOM would be out of

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Kaieteur News

place in calling for elections when it has not yet completed its homework. In the former case the two heads of services told that judge that they could not guarantee the maintenance of public order. The judge then allowed the government to remain in place according to the doctrine of necessity.The mal-intention of the proponents is showing up daily as the various veiled and not so subtle threats are spewed publicly in the various media and on the stomp.

Under a certain founderleader, the leader of the opposition would have long been removed and placed under protective custody. The current media frenzy would have long been curtailed and many persons dealt with condignly.

This country needs persons

who would build for posterity. The media needs to get off of this bandwagon and work with the government for an effective solution to the impasse. Continuous whipping up of frenzy is counterproductive. Telling an ‘ignorant’ supporter that the president and other ministers should be chased out of certain districts can only cause disorder.

The media is the fourth estate of the realm. The media must behave responsibly and lead the way when required.

Regards, Cyril Walker

The Linden /Ituni/ Kwakwani road rehabilitation – a job well done DEAR EDITOR, Admittedly the demands on patience and tolerance of commuters using the Linden to Kwakwani road had reached breaking point over the past several years – having to endure intolerable travelling conditions on a poorly maintained but vitally important artery to our south east hinterland region.

So that when the most recent effort in 2017/2018 to get it right commenced, there was obvious skepticism. It was indeed a long process, but it became clear that this time around there appeared to be more rational planning and technical engineering input into the re-design and repairs of this unpaved red loam /laterite surface.

The now rehabilitated roadway - enhanced with distance posts designated in kilometres - was completed in late 2018, and has been so far living up to the expectations of its architects. It is profoundly appreciated by its users, including residents of Ituni, Kwakwani and the Upper Berbice River, as well as timber mining and agricultural investors, who can now complete their travel in half the time previously taken, and presumably with reduced vehicle maintenance.

The real test will however come later on with the midyear

rainy season. A sustained road maintenance initiative is the only option to ensure stability through this testing period, and, from all indications, this strategy is already in effect and will continue as a permanent feature.

It is somewhat reminiscent of the maintenance programme in the erstwhile Demba/Guybau era of the 1970s, when active bauxite mining in Ituni and points beyond demanded presence of managerial mining sub-headquarters in Ituni. Personnel movement between Linden and Ituni was vital and was facilitated by such a maintenance programme with graders and scrapers operating at regular intervals.

Indeed a properly maintained and passable ItuniKwakwani road is a major consideration in support of further investment in that subregion. Successful viable investment will in turn justify such costs.

Note as well that there is a branch off the Linden-Ituni road at 67km called the Ituni/ Tacama road (a section of the old Rupununi cattle trail) which runs south east for some 50 km to Tacama where the Colonel John Clarke Military School is located, and then further on to the villages of Tacama, Calcuni and Ituni on the Berbice River.

The Tacama savannahs is a major economic zone committed to forestry and large scale agriculture and is fortunate to have the GDF facility in this ecozone, and to benefit positively from the efforts of their “corps of engineers “ in the maintenance and upkeep of that Ituni /Tacama trail.

Now that road users have been justly rewarded, I believe they also have an obligation to use the road responsibly, especially in relation to speeding and reckless driving during wet and rainy conditions.

Drivers of log trailers and 40ft containers laden with lumber are frequent users, and these vehicles do most damage to the road when speeding under wet conditions.

Also a few errant timber workers have adopted a bad practice of loading logs on the roadside, causing occasional traffic disruptions and road damage.

Regulatory guidelines, road use advisories and police traffic intervention could curb these infractions.

A job well done by the relevant Ministry (Public Infrastructure), Region 10 administration and the associated road contractors.

Thank you on behalf of the road users and keep the maintenance programme active.

Rowland Fletcher

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Thursday March 14, 2019

Campaign for the presidency of CWI RUSAL and Guyanese Workers: a served the BCGI since their DEAR EDITOR, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, maybe beCultural Dilemma arrival in Guyana in the area While players are struggling with the bat cause he is a politician from the OECS, and and ball for West Indies cricket to get back on track, there is a fight for leadership in the administration. Outgoing President Jamaican Wycliffe “Dave” Cameron is being challenged

by Kittitian Ricky Skerrit. Cameron who is not a favourite with the cricketers, has served six years at the helm. He replaced St Lucian Julian Hunte.From reports it seems as if the race will be extremely tight, with Barbados and Guyana supporting the incumbent, and Windward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago backing Skerrit. What is noticeable is that during the past decades, businessmen and entrepreneurs control cricket in the region.

Former Barbados and West Indies pacer, Joel Garner, who contested the presidency, was defeated by Cameron, and decades ago Clive Lloyd, former captain of the West Indies team in the glory days, who was also manager and selector, was very much involved in administration, but it seems for several reasons he is no longer with Cricket West Indies (CWI).

Trinidadian Deryck Murray, vice captain of the West Indies, served on the Board of the twin island republic, but never at the helm of the West Indies Cricket Board, now renamed Cricket West Indies.

Skerrit is a politician, he served as Minister in his native St. Kitts/Nevis and is getting the backing of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

moreso, the Vice President candidate, Dr. Kishore Shallow, is from St. Vincent.

Gonsalves said that Skerrit and Shallow are modern Caribbean personalities steeped within Caribbean Civilization and they can develop cricket in the region. Despite the fact that Cameron is not a favourite with the players and it was during his administration in 2014 the West Indies abandoned the tour in India, Jamaica might support him for the Presidency.

It is not certain who the Leeward Islands will back. It is rather disappointing that former outstanding cricketers are not actively involved in the administration as it was yesteryear. Trinidad Jeffrey Stollmeyer and Jamaican Allan Rae were very much involved in the 1960s. Barbadian Clyde Walcott and Wes Hall served as President of the WICB and Joe Solomon played an important role in Guyana but was never President of the WICB. The cricketing knights in Antigua, Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Richie Richardson, and Curtly Ambrose, though involved in administration, never served as President of the WICB or CWI. It will be interesting to see who the 12 representatives from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Windward and Leeward Islands will elect when they meet on March 24 in Jamaica.

Oscar Ramjeet

This beautiful country of ours is being crippled by its leaders DEAR EDITOR, I am very disappointed to see how this beautiful country of ours is being crippled by its leaders.

Whenever a person or organization decides to set up a business, they are always given guidelines and all the Rules of law pertaining to that business, e.g. - environmental impact, quality of goods, and services taxes etc., and very often when these persons or organisations fail to comply with the law, they are taken to court and penalized.

GECOM, on the other hand, does not seem to know about the constitution and the supreme laws of Guyana, or if they do know and they are not ready to hold elections in time according to the constitution, then they are guilty of breaking the supreme Laws of Guyana governed by the constitution, and thus should be taken to court and penalized.

GECOM is consuming billions of tax dollars, and failing to deliver quality services.

These people should be removed from office and replaced by individuals who can provide quality service for money received, in a timely manner.

We need a Government who will always have full respect for the Constitution, the Na-

tional Assembly, the Supreme Court, and the Chief Justice. No excuses can be accepted or tolerated from GECOM because our country is not blessed with one hundred million people, and with the amount of money we are spending, we are supposed to have a valid voters’ list at all times.

We have heard silly complaints from people about young people’s names not on the list, bloated list and dead people’s names on the list, for over ten years. Was this the same list that the coalition triumphed with in 2015?

Whenever people die in this country, a report is made to the Police, the local authority, the N.I.S…why does GECOM not have access to such information, and how much time and effort will it take to delete their names from the voters’ list? National registration starts at age 14, voting age is 18; GECOM has four years to include those few young people’s names, and this is not done.

Are these failures a lack of competence? It is now high time the Government and GECOM stop dragging their feet in reverse gear away from elections. Every bad move or decision made by the Government is putting an extra feather in the Opposition’s cap.

Ed Singh – Lethem

DEAR EDITOR, I have noticed with deep concern the ongoing quarrel between the Local RUSAL’S Management, including BCGI, and the Workers, and the Workers’ Union in Guyana. For many decades, I have been studying what was then the Soviet Union and what became now - The Russian Federation. The philosophies and principles of the Soviet Union (USSR) and now The Russian Federation was based on the fact that the workers are the bosses. It was the union’s paradise.

The USSR and still the Modern Federation premise was all based on respect for workers and placing the workers’ interests at the forefront of Industrial Management.

Workers were to enjoy more amenities than managers and supervisors, because this was what the philosophies and wisdom of V.I. Lenin was based on. Moreover, for decades, we were taught and shown how the Soviet Union was a worker’s paradise and now for this to be happening here in Guyana is a scary trend, even worrisome.

RUSAL, is a majestic International Corporation, doing important service to Guyana and beyond by supplying aluminum and aluminum products around the world, and providing opportunities in mining and also enriching countries and workers by the circulating of wealth, and by its marketing strategies of the bauxite and the bauxite ore.

I do not think that the current dispute is one of animosity towards the Guyanese population or Guyanese workers employed by RUSAL but more of a cultural conflict because of the hardships and difficulties the Russians went through coming towards the end of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the onslaughts of World War Two and its effects on their country’s history and economy.

It is what I consider a dangerous trend or “cultural change” in the Soviet Union, where those in power want to have power and have it all cost, climbing on top and over the workers. It is not only a Soviet Union problem, but one that still exists around the

world - even the “free world’ whereby overall, the big companies or countries try to get up at the destruction of smaller companies or smaller countries or smaller people by bigger people.

Guyana is projected to be one of the largest oil producers around the world, with many spinoffs and businesses, so the Government of Russia as an Industrialist is now looking to Guyana as being a country of high investment prospects to its national interests. Therefore, Guyana being this country that is taking off sooner or later in the oil industry, with the potential to induce other companies in Russia to set up smelting plants for the processing of aluminium products in Guyana, assembling plants, offers great potential for a lucrative economic relationship between Guyana and Russia, and between Russia and other countries. However, if this atmosphere of mistrust continues to exist between the workers and one of Russia’s industrial giants, it might scare various governments and politicians of going into business with Russian companies or the Government of Russia.

I understand what a wonderful set of people the Russians are, having worked with them for a number of years. I

of security (although having been replaced in recent times).

In addition, I have a close relationship with Russia and respect for Russia’s history, so I find it painful that the management style and technique that is ongoing at this juncture in Guyana appears to be antagonistic to the workers and what is happening is making Russia look bad, making Russian corporations seem fearsome to do business with. RUSAL’s management needs to understand “what goes around comes around” and they have to realize that this is Guyana - a country where we always have workers’ liberation, workers’ independence and strong powerful unions – without which workers would not be able to have their rightful benefits and would be abused.

The Russians are known generally for decency and respect to all. I wish to recommend that the Government of Russia at time such as this, intervene through its very competent Ambassador to Guyana as a friend of Guyana, and be involved in ensuring that Russian Corporations do not take advantage of workers and poor countries. In the end, it will reflect favourably on the Russian Government and the people of Russia.

Sincerely, Mr. Roshan Khan Snr.

The Opposition Leader must...

From page 4 1. the government will be illegal if elections are not held by March 21, 2019; 2. the President must name an election date within 90 days of the passage of the no-confidence motion, that is, by March 21, 2019; 3. the Guyana Elections Commission must undertake immediate preparations to deliver elections by March 21, 2019; 4. the failure of the President and GECOM to deliver elections by March 21, 2019 is illegal; 5. government expenditure and the award of contracts is illegal during this period; 6. Parliament would stand dissolved by March 21, 2019; 7. he would cause the international community to deliver governmental and personal sanctions post-March 21, 2019; and 8. he can offer “good faith” discussions with the President which can lead to a reprieve of all of the above or some form of arrangement.The above represent only the opinion of the Opposition Leader and are neither constitutional nor political reality. Only the President, National Assembly, Guyana Elections Commission and the courts have the authority to pronounce on these matters, and they have, or are in the process of doing so, and the Opposition Leader must conduct himself responsibly.

Sincerely Oscar Dolphin

Thursday March 14, 2019

The Orinduik Block...

Eco Atlantic to sell interest once oil is found-CEO

By Kiana Wilburg Once Eco Atlantic and its other partners in the Orinduik Block, Tullow and Total, find oil, Eco intends to sell its interest.

This is according to its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Gil Holzman. He made these remarks during a recent interview that was posted on the company’s website. Holzman said, “Having Tullow and even Total which is the second largest super major, they don’t need us in the long future in the producing field. We are not in the business of being oil producers for the next 25 years. “Let’s be honest; we are very good at what we do, to identify opportunities, very good in exploring and hopefully we will prove to the market that we are very good in discovering oil.”

The CEO added, “But we are not a downstream kind of company ...We will simply be bought out for the oil that we have in Guyana by one of the big players who is looking to continuously register more oil on their balance sheet ...Even guys in the region, Exxon, Total, Repsol, Tullow, they know exactly what is the environment.

They understand the amazing fiscal terms that we have and

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Kaieteur News

Eco Atlantic CEO, Gil Holzman as I said, let us first drill, discover some oil and then we will see...”

Holzman stressed that he is not going to be sitting on an oil rig for the next 25 years.

ORINDUIKJVPARTNERS In January 2016, Eco signed a Petroleum Agreement and became party to a Petroleum Licence with the Government of Guyana and Tullow Oil for the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana.

Tullow Oil as the Operator of the Block, paid past costs and carried Eco for the first 1000km2 of the 2550km2 3D Survey. Further, Tullow contributed an extensive 2D seismic data set and interpretation. The Company’s 2550 km2 3D seismic survey was completed in September 2017, well within the initial four-year work commitment the Company made for the initial 1000km2.

In September 2017, Eco announced that its subsidiary, Eco Atlantic (Guyana) Inc. entered into an option agreement on its Orinduik Block with Total, a wholly owned subsidiary of Total S.A. Pursuant to the option.

Total paid an option fee of US$1 million to farm-in to the Orinduik Block. An additional payment of US$12.5M was made when Total exercised its option to earn 25 percent of Eco’s working interest in September 2018.

Following the exercise of the option by Total, the Block’s working interests became: Tullow – 60% (Operator), Total – 25% and Eco – 15%. In October, last, the Government approved of the Total farm-in on the Orinduik Block, which has the potential for almost three billion barrels of oil equivalent.

Tender Board official caught on camera removing bid documents; police called in

The Tender Board offices on Main Street.

A senior official of National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) is in deep trouble after an attempt was made to tamper with a bid document.

The police have now been called in and the official, a Senior Procurement Officer, could very well face charges.

It would be news that the NPTAB could do without as over the years, the entity has been facing accusations of corruption in its ranks.

Staffers were accused of colluding with

contractors, tipping them off of what other contractors bid and even tampering with submitted documents.

Since coming to office in 2015, the Coalition Government, which was in opposition then, was critical of NPTAB. It made a number of changes, including to personnel and board members.

Located in the Ministry of Finance compound, Main Street, the entity is charged with handling contracts for Government that are (Continued on page 12)

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Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

Waini boat explosion…

Body found believed to be that of blind passenger

An earlier photograph of 73-year-old Phyllis Archer and her husband, Carl Archer, who is still missing Soldiers have located the body of another victim from last Sunday’s boat explosion at Barima/Waini, North West District.

Police confirmed that the ranks found the body of a man, believed to be blind passenger, Carl Archer, on the beach yester-

day afternoon. Archer was travelling with his wife, 73year-old Phyllis Archer, who sustained burns and is being treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

They were sitting together. Mrs. Archer reportedly saw her husband’s

body on fire.

Police had recovered the body of Antonio Wells, a Ve n e z u e l a n , a t S h e l l Beach several hours after the mishap.

But it remains unclear if any more passengers might

have perished. Police sources said that several Venezuelans were rescued and may have returned to their homeland.

The whereabouts of the boat captain, known only as “Sakie,” remains unknown The explosion occurred around 08:00 hrs on Sunday, shortly after the vessel, which had ferried some

24 passengers from Venezuela, arrived at Barima/ Waini, Region One. The vessel left San Felix, Puerto Ordaz located near the Venezuela border, around 11:00 hrs on Saturday.

The vessel, captained by a Guyanese, left for Charity via the Barima River around 04:00 hrs.

Phyllis Archer and her

husband were sitting in the back seat when she heard an explosion.

The boat immediately burst into flames and she saw passengers jumping overboard. The elderly woman remained in the boat as it began to sink and suffered burns to her body.

She was rescued but there was no sign of her husband.

World Bank hires Mexico’s no-nonsense regulator to help EPA

By Kiana Wilburg Through World Bank funding, Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now has Mexico’s no-nonsense oil r e g u l a t o r, C a r l o s d e Regules, as its consultant.

Regules is the founding D i r e c t o r o f M e x i c o ’s Agency for Security, Energy and the Environment (ASEA). Confirming this yesterday was EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams.

Since meeting Regules in May 2018 at an Oil and Gas Forum in California, Kaieteur News has been carrying a series of articles featuring the regulator, all of which the EPA and the World Bank have paid strict attention to.

In many of those publications, Regules made it clear that Guyana is at a very important time in its history and it should regulate the sector without fear or favour.

He had explained, “You are at the beginning of a new moment in history. The country is going to move from being dependent on certain economic activities and it is going to become a regional hub; a very important place for oil and gas in the region.

And Guyana has an opportunity to make it right from the start because you

have a clean sheet of paper for this sector.”

The Executive Director of ASEA continued, “So before achi e v i n g f u l l scale development of the oil and gas resources, Guyana has the opportunity to create an institutional framework that makes the sector stakeholders operate in a responsible manner…”

The Mexican official added, “But I can’t stress enough that one of the ingredients of this institutional framework will be astute and honourable regulators.

One of the characteristics of a good regulator is independence.

“You want regulators who are defining the rules for the long run, to be independent from the political cycle. They should also be financially independent so they can plan for the long term and have the resources to do so.”

The Oil and Gas expert said that the sooner Guyana can have strengthened systems for environmental regulation in place, then it would be better off in terms of managing the sector.

In addition to this, the Executive Director of ASEA said that the Gov-

ernment would be able to provide the people of Guyana with the certainty that there are regulators and institutions in place that will take care of their interest.

Further, Regules has been a strong advocate for Guyana’s EPA to have high standards and demand only internationally acceptable best practices from companies like ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron.

He stressed that these firms are used to operating in environments that demand compliance with the best safety standards. As such, Regules said that G u y a n a ’s authorities should not lower their standards in fear of scaring off rich oil companies.

Since his exposure in the local media, Mexico and Guyana have had increased relations in the area of training with Regules leading the way. In fact, the EPA has had a few of its staff members trained by the ASEA. Regules has also been a staunch advocate for Guyana to demand internationally recognized insurance policies from oil companies and move away from self-insurance. Local authorities are now moving in the direction of the former.

Thursday March 14, 2019

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Kaieteur News

The things that Santos said Bernard De Santos who died last week has left his mark on the country, as much as the country left its mark on him. This column is not a tribute to Bernard De Santos but merely a reflection of some of the things which he said in public and which are relevant as the country approaches its worst ever constitutional crisis.

Bernard De Santos is a man for a crisis, be it personal or political. If your life depended on the quality of legal representation then you had better get Bernard De Santos.

If there is any lawyer who could break down a prosecution’s case, it was Bernard. A great many persons are today free men because of his art of cross examination and his mastery of summing up which combined are unsurpassed in criminal defense.

In and outside of the Courts, he had that quality which all great advocates have. He had presence. And he could deliver his summing up in a commanding style which the ordinary juror could identify.

Bernard will be remembered for something that he said at the commencement of the case brought in front of Justice Desiree Bernard, challenging the ascension of Janet Jagan was President. The swearing- in of Janet Jagan and the victory of the PPPC in 1997 were met with almost daily violent street protests in the city. At the commencement of that case Bernard De Santos spoke to the media.

He said that the Courts are the proper place for disputes over democracy to be settled. He noted that it was in the hallowed chambers of the courts that the

litigants argued their case, put it before a judge and awaited a resolution. He was making a case for the resolution of what was essentially a legal matter in the courts rather than fighting and rioting in the streets. In another Court case, the immunities of the President were being challenged.

Bernard again made another public comment. He explained the thinking of the framers of the post-1997 constitutional amendments which retained the immunity from criminal and civil prosecution of a sitting President.

Bernard De Santos explained that without these immunities, the Presidency would be brought into disrepute because the absence of the immunities would open the floodgates to all manner of trivial criminal and civil charges against a sitting President. He gave a rational expla-

nation for the retention of the immunities of the President, during the constitutional reform process. The immunities protect the institution of the Presidency.

A case was brought before our Courts to secure an interpretation as to whether it was mandatory for ’ fit and proper’ person appointed as Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission is required to be a judge, a retired judge or have judge-like qualities. After the ruling by the Chief Justice there was a symposium hosted by the PPPC at which De Santos spoke about the case and the decision.

He noted that Guyana still has independent jurists of integrity and courage. He pointed to the Chief Justice as embodying

those qualities, and in his own inimitable said he knew she was a woman but she had ‘balls’ (courage). Recently, a controversy arose over the ‘dissing’ of someone nominated for Senior Counsel. De Santos, waded into the arguments which suggested that the appointments were made at the discretion of the President.

He argued that the conferral of ‘silk’ on attorneys should not be done at the discretion of the president because the Head of State is not familiar with the record and qualifications of the nominees. Despite his strong views and his outspokenness, he was not a man who harbored grudges. Bernard De Santos’s home was open to persons of all political persuasions. While he

was Attorney General, one of his close friends was Winston Murray, a senior leader of the then opposition political party.

Bernard could differ with your political views but at the same time, sit and engage you in the most entertaining and riveting conversations. He possessed rare human warmth, a quality which would be sorely missed as much as his strong opinions which he shared, regrettably, ever so sparingly.

Rest in Peace, Santos! , .

Dem boys seh ...

All party is not sport This is a strange time. Is a time when political parties campaigning different from de days when dem use to stand up at street corner and cuss out dem opponents. Of course, de whole street campaign ain’t gone out of style but it ain’t as popular as de old days.

Dem was de days when dem politicians talk people use to shake dem head even if dem didn’t understand de word wha de man use. And dem old time politicians use to crack jokes; not like this set who can only cuss and dem talk about decency. Dem boys seh is Obama introduce this new campaign trend. Obama jump pun social media and send out so much message that anybody who had a phone could hear wha he saying. Is de same thing in Guyana except that de politicians posting wha everybody calling fake news. One person post a news how Soulja Bai get in an accident and he break he foot and how de escort car write off.

Somebody else pose how two Ministers sons shoot Brian O’Toole and de police covering up de thing. De thing get so bad that even people in jail campaigning. One of dem campaign

like Sandra Gyal and raise money.

People don’t even fight up to go to political meetings. Some of dem claim dem hear everything already. Just go pun WhatsApp anybody gun see de campaign. People talking and cussing one anodda. By de time dem done de people who go to talk pun de road at de elections meeting ain’t got nutten new to seh.

This new situation saving nuff embarrassment. People don’t have to worry about transporting supporters from one corner of Guyana to anodda. Nobody ain’t got to play a game of who got a bigger crowd than who.

De last time some people claim that dem had de biggest crowd. When de elections results declare dem go home to Vet Steve and call he a cheat like if is he did count de crowd.

Is only dem new party got a problem attracting anybody and dem know this. One party had a man who was PNC and PPP. De man gone and join anodda party.

It look like when people hear party dem think about sport.

Talk half and realize that not all party is sport.

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Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Is the TUC smoking conga pump?

I read the TUC’s 19point document to the power holders. It is a reasonable, plausible and credible submission. But its omissions make it appear either suspect or hastily pasted together. Obviously, the TUC would have consulted far and wide.

But in the end either those who submitted the final document or those who had the major input into it were smoking bush weed or conga pump.

Here are some omissions that remind you of a scene in the first James Bond movie, “Dr. No.” Bond’s enemies put a pink-toed tarantula in his bed to sting him.

The omissions in the TUC document bite even hotter

than Bond’s pinky enemy. The TUC wants the constitution to be amended so that a vote of no-confidence cannot be carried by one vote.

What the TUC forgot to mention is that on December 21, 2018 a no-confidence motion was passed by one vote to bring down a parliament whose shape was determined by one ballot. Yes, you are reading right – one ballot paper with an X on it. The APNU+AFC got a seat in parliament to make their standing 33 against 32 for the PPP because the parliamentary seat of Region Eight was won by one vote.

Now if you are going to recommend that the constitution be amended so that a government cannot fall by a

no-confidence motion of one vote then it is not wise to devise some mechanism that a political party cannot win a majority of parliamentary seats by one vote?

Here is my contention. If it is wrong for one member, just one member of the House to cause a ruling party to have its mandate curtailed and have to call fresh elections then, it is not morally questionable for a parliament to be passing budgets and enacting legislations and it came into being by just one ballot paper?

Since I am asking the question it is obligatory for me to answer. I see nothing wrong with a political party winning an election by one vote.

If that is the way the science of voting made it happen, then that is science.

There is an electoral system commonly referred to in journalism and political commen-

tary as First Past The Post (FPTP).

The real name is constituency system. This is an electoral arrangement whereby seats in parliament are decided by the winner in the constituency.

Our local government election has a section in which you vote in a constituency.

The present Mayor of Georgetown won his council seat in his constituency.

If you Google FPTP, you will see that based on how it works absolutely nothing was wrong with Al Gore winning more votes than George Bush yet Bush w o n t h e p r e s i d e n c y.

Clinton got more than three million votes than Trump but Trump is president. How does FPTP work?

A political party can contest 20 constituencies lose in all and end up with no seats.

But when you tally its votes overall in the entire country,

it has substantial support.

The Lib-Dem party in the UK was a perpetual victim of FPTP. So it decided in a referendum to ask the British people to change from FPTP to Proportional Representation. The UK stuck with FPTP. In Trinidad which has FPTP, a political party named COP won the third highest votes in the 2007 election but didn’t get a seat.

As to the TUC’s insistence that a vote by one parliamentarian should not be allowed to topple a government, I do not see any fundamental unfairness in that. I see nothing undemocratic if a motion or bill is defeated by the vote of one parliamentarian. I think such a system allows for the manifestation of conscience which nations need to deepen the moral fabric of society.

The most egregious omission in the TUC document whose irony bites you hotter than the pink tarantula is the complete avoidance by the TUC of a colonial stupidity that this country needs to push into the Atlantic Ocean ASAP. No country should have a Labour Department that

Frederick Kissoon investigates industrial, labour, racial and sexual exploitation of employees and it is staffed by public servants whose boss is in turn a public servant and whose boss is in turn is the minister.

A long time ago, the Labour Department should have been scrapped and made into a constitutional body that is independent of central power and whose researchers can be insulated from the temptation of big money by big moneyholders. The Labour Department as presently constituted in former British colonies is one of the world’s biggest stupidities. Only people who smoke conga pump would see nothing wrong with its present shape.

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

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Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

New US ambassador urges genuinely free and fair elections - and a constitutional judiciary process As Guyana prepares for early elections following a noconfidence vote last December, new US ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, has stopped short of endorsing one.

Rather, the diplomat is urging free and fair elections.

“Moving forward, we will continue to encourage genuinely free and fair elections, freedom of speech and assembly, multiparty representation, and a constitutional judiciary process. We will emphasize the importance of citizen security and territorial integrity along your long-established borders. And we will encourage the protection of your natural resources and incredible biodiversity,” the envoy said yesterday.

Ambassador Lynch was presenting her credentials to President Granger, yesterday, at Office of the President. She said the U.S. is mindful of Guyana’s importance within the Caribbean Bloc, as a leader in economic growth and in combating organised crime.

The president said that Guyana would prefer non-interference in its internal affairs.

In his remarks, President Granger reminded that Guyana and the U.S. have enjoyed cordial relations for more than five decades in the areas of commerce, defence, the economy, energy, public

Welcome to new US Ambassador: (From left) Dr. Kevin Healy Ambassador Lynch’s husband; President David Granger, Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch and Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Jardine-Waddell, and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Mr. Terry Steers-Gonzalez at the conclusion of the accreditation ceremony. health, public security and youth empowerment.

“Our relations are founded on mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, cooperation for mutual benefit, respect for treaties and international law,

and the maintenance of regional peace and security,” President Granger said.

The Head of State said both countries share the values of respect for the rule of law and civil rights while noting that Guyana is committed to ensuring that the Caribbean and the South American

continent remain a zone of peace.

“Peace in our region could be endangered by transnational threats such as trafficking in people, weapons and narcotics; money laundering; illegal migration; environmental hazards and territorial aggressions…

“Guyana is a small state.

It is resolved, however, to defend its territory, dismantle transnational criminal networks and develop its natural

resources for the benefit of its people. The capabilities of the criminal cartels could exceed those of small states such as Guyana. We must seek support, through partnerships with other states which have an interest in preserving the Caribbean and the South American Continent as a zone of peace,” said President Granger.

Friendly States He said, too, that Guyana looks forward to the support

of friendly states in its legitimate quest to protect itself against threats to its people, its economy and its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“The preservation of regional peace and stability is vital to protecting our common interests. We welcome investment from foreign firms and will work towards ensuring a safe, stable and secure environment for investors,” said President Granger.

Additionally, the President noted that Guyana is moving towards the establishment of a ‘green state’ within the Guiana Shield of the South American continent.

“The ‘green state’ would emphasise the protection of our environment, the preservation of our biodiversity, the promotion of renewable energy and the adaption of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation,” President Granger said.

Ambassador Lynch, like President Granger, said Guyana and the U.S. have a long-standing partnership that has remained strong in the face of change. “Our shared values of democracy, human rights, and economic freedom keep this partnership rooted in mutual respect,” she said.

The newly accredited U.S. Ambassador said she is impressed by the history of collaboration and exchange between the two countries.

“Together we have blazed new trails in industry and commerce, fought to safeguard the local (Continued on page 23)

Tender Board official caught on...

From page 7 above a certain amount$10M for goods and services and $20M for construction projects.

This particular case is threatening to undo the squeaky-clean image that the NPTAB and Government would have wanted.

While a senior official, Mark Bender, referred questions to Berkley Wickham, head of the Tender Board, Kaieteur News was told that the matter was exposed about two weeks ago.

Well-placed sources disclosed that two weeks ago, bids were opened as normal for several ministries and agencies.

The bids are opened in front of representatives of the contractors and ministries and agencies. It is also done in the presence of media personnel.

It was explained that the bid documents are stamped, recorded and stored in a secured area in the NPTAB building.

One day after the bids were opened, the officer in question reportedly asked permission, and accessed the room. Kaieteur News was told that it was highly unusual for officers themselves to enter the room.

Rather, if they want information, they would request and they would have to sign for the information or documents.

The matter was immediately reported to officials and a quiet internal investigation was launched.

The video recordings indicated the officer entered the room and was seen stuffing documents in his pocket. He reportedly dropped these documents behind a flower pot.

He was later seen picking them up and leaving the compound with it. Video recordings indicated that the documents were returned next day.

It was explained that under regulations three copies of tenders/bid documents are normally submitted by con-

tractors.

The NPTAB officials investigating the matter reportedly had their attention drawn to a Ministry of Public Infrastructure tender of more than $100M. On closer examination, it was found that the tender amount by the contractor was raised by more than $15M on two copies. The third copy however had a lower amount.

The officer under investigation apparently had no access to that document which was in another room, in the custody a senior manager.

The procurement officer, who has been one of the longest serving employees of NPTAB, and serves as a training personnel as well, was sent on immediate administrative leave.

Kaieteur News was told there was another incident last year where a recording was made where the staffer allegedly asked a contractor for money in return for information.

The police are said to be investigating.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

PAGE 13

Repsol to drill later this year $130M for solid waste,

other city projects

D

Repsol has hired a jack-up rig for drilling later this year.

H

ouston, TexasR o w a n Companies plc. yesterday announced that Repsol Exploracion Guyana, S.A. has signed a contract for the EXL II, a high-specification Super 116E Jack-up rig, for work in Guyana.

The contract is for one well beginning in the third quarter of 2019 with a duration of approximately

45 days. The EXL II is currently under contract with BP in Trinidad.

Rowan is a global provider of contract drilling services with a fleet of 25 mobile offshore drilling units, composed of 21 selfelevating jack-up rigs and four ultra-deepwater drillships.

The company's fleet operates worldwide, including the United States

Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea, the Middle East, the Mediterranean Sea, Central and South America.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e company is a 50/50 partner in a joint venture with Saudi Aramco, entitled ARO Drilling that owns a fleet of seven self-elevating jack-up rigs that operate in the Arabian Gulf.

Finance Minister Jordan has power to release funds for elections From page 3 democracies around the globe. In fact, he said it is a permanent fixture in Commonwealth nations, including Guyana.

Now that the government has to resign in accordance with Article 106 (6) of the Constitution which reads, “The Cabinet, including the President, shall resign if the government is defeated by a vote of majority of all elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence,” its only function, Nandlall said, is to hold elections within three months from the passing of the No-Confidence Motion.

This, he said, is pursuant to Article 106 (7) of the Constitution of Guyana w h i c h r e a d s , “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an

election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”

Nandlall supported a ruling of Chief Justice Roxane George that 33 is a majority of all 65 elected members of the National Assembly.

He explained that the 65seat National Assembly was adopted from independence, and a vote of one over the other always constitutes a majority and has always been a majority in Guyana's Parliament.

According to counsel, in her ruling the Chief Justice referenced that in 2014, the

Government held 32 seats, while the Opposition which enjoyed a majority of 33 seats, and that combined Opposition laid a NoConfidence Motion. He said that then, the majority Opposition was able to pass Bills without the input of the minority government.

“They now come to burden your honours for you to come up with mathematical gymnastics that 33 is no longer the majority. If Charrandass Persaud, the problematic voter had not strayed from the flock, wouldn't the motion have been defeated, or would we have needed another vote?” Nandlall submitted.

The appeal hearing continues this morning when Nandlall is expected to address the court on an issue raised by the Chancellor.

rainage and irrigation, solid w a s t e management and repairs and upgrades to market places are the priority areas for the Mayor and City Councillors (M&CC) of Georgetown when the council's budget is completed, in a matter of weeks.

Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore disclosed that in its budget for 2019, the M&CC is looking at an estimated, $130M for the rolling out of projects.

These will include the completion of upgrades to the Kitty Market and La Penitence Market, upgrades to stalls at the Bourda Market and rehabilitation of the roads at the East Ruimveldt Market.

Mentore said that the Solid Waste Department was asked to recommend ways in which revenue could be brought into the council coffers.

He pointed out that m o s t o f t h e council's revenue is paid to persons contracted to handle garbage disposal, and to those hired monthly to clean drains daily and maintain the city's environment.

As such he noted that the “more revenue the

Deputy-Mayor Alfred Mentore department brings in, the better the council will be able to utilise these funds on other projects.”

Mentor added that the engineering department is

yet to submit plans on what priority areas they wished to have addressed before the wrapping up of the council's budget.

“Hopefully, we'll have a general idea of all the various departments of the council, and out of that, I presume, a plan as to when we'll have the full budget presentation by the chairman of the finance committee.”

So far, a feasibility study has been completed by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and there are plans to finance the rebuilding of the Stabroek Wharf.

The council may look at the newly built wharf (when works are completed) as a tourist attraction as the vendors have been/will be placed in other locations.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Thursday March 14, 2019

2018 growth rate to be revised Child rapist 'Lally' to be sentenced upwards - Finance Minister

F

inance Minister, Winston Jordan, is c u r r e n t l y preparing the End of Year Outcome report for 2018 for presentation by mid-April.

In providing a preview to the results thus far, the economist said that last year's growth is expected to be revised upwards.

During an exclusive interview, the Finance Minister said that this would be based on the strength of better performance in sugar.

He said that it should be in the range 3.6 to 3.9 percent.

Jordan said that final numbers will be in the report.

In his 2019 budget speech, the Finance Minister had said that projection for real growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for 2018, would be 3.4 percent, a significant improvement on

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan the 2.1 percent recorded in 2017.

With the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) now charged with managing the operations of three estates, Jordan had said that the viability of the nation's sugar

industry has been given a new opportunity with restructured cost profiles.

He had said that the ongoing recapitalization of the Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt Estates, as part of the Sugar Task Force threeyear plan for GuySuCo, is anticipated to result in production in future years rising from a low of 98,000 tonnes by the end of 2018, to nearly 145,000 tonnes by 2021.

F urther to this, the Finance Minister had said that the Guyana Sugar Corporation will continue to introduce cost-reducing measures, explore lucrative markets and marketing strategies, and undertake critical capital works.

He had said that sugar production is projected to increase to 113,262 metric tonnes, in 2019.

A

37-year-old man who raped a seven-year-old girl after luring her with a “sweetie” is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28, 2019, following the presentation of a probation report before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Sexual Offences Courtroom at the High Court in Georgetown.

A few hours ago, a 12-person jury convicted Clinton Anthony Doris c/d Lally, of the crime which he committed on March 27, 2014 in the County of Demerara.

Based on information, on the day in question the young child was strolling home when Doris lured her to his home where he said he had a “sweetie” to gave her.

It was there he raped the child, after which he sent her home. The incident came to light after the child cried out to her parents about feeling pains.

Attorney Ravindra Mohabir represented Doris, while the case for the State was presented by Prosecutors Lisa Cave, Seeta Bishundial and Sarah Martin.

RAPIST: Clinton Doris

Community Service

Members of the Moriah Seventh Das Adventist Church in North Ruimveldt recently decided to do something for the residents of Layou and Kaikan Streets.

The walkway was flooded for years. It has now been raised through the construction of a concrete walkway. That walkway is being capped now.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

PAGE 15

$30M Lands and Survey building commissioned in Berbice

The new $30M office in Berbice.

T

he Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission in conjunction with the Ministry of Presidency yesterday officially declared open a brand new building that will serve as the new location for the entity in Vryman's Erven, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Situated just a street away (next door to the Vryman's Erven Secondary School) from where the previous GLSC Department was located (below the RDC Region Six), the building is fully powered by solar energy and caters for persons with disabilities with the inclusion of a wheelchair ramp.

It also is equipped with air conditioning units on the lower and upper level. It was constructed at a cost of approximately $30M. Declaring the office open with a simple ribbon-cutting segment and the unveiling of a plaque, was the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

In his address to employees of the entity, regional officials and other Ministers of government, Harmon considered the

occasion one of significance since he believes that it represents their commitment to providing quality service to Guyanese.

Acknowledging the commission as one of the "stellar performers" in the government he credited the board and management for the success.

Harmon added, "Three years ago I spoke at New Amsterdam Town Week and said that New Amsterdam is in for bigger things. I pointed out that Government intended to spend an enormous sum of money to ensure that this town receives a major boost.

Today you can see it".

This, he said, could only have been executed because the government acted systematically and planned carefully for the development of the country.

"No longer is it necessary for you to leave this town to go to Georgetown for services which are being brought to you," the Minister pointed out.

He recalled that it was only in June 2018 that he stood at the very location and turned the sod to commence

Man tells magistrate he boils and drinks ganja for asthma

A

man was sentenced to five m o n t h s ' imprisonment, yesterday, after he pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

The man, Bernard Britton, 45, was arraigned before Magistrate Esther Sam in the Anna Regina Magistrate's Court. The charge read that on Sunday August 19, 2018 Britton at his Adventure Sands Home, Essequibo Coast, he had in his possession 40 grams of Cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The man told the

magistrate that he was very sorry. He went on to say to the magistrate, 'The drugs is me own, but a does boil it and drink it for asthma.'

Since the street value of cannabis was determined to be $20,000, the accused was fined $30,000.

He was also sentenced to five months' imprisonment

by Magistrate Sam. The magistrate pointed out that she did not impose the statutory penalty, since the defendant was remorseful and had no previous convictions.

She also noted that the man's age was taken into account.

construction of the new building since it was budgeted for in 2018.

It is his belief that once there is good supervision coupled with contractors who are committed to executing the work for which they are paid, "we can have government buildings such as this provided all across this country at a good (continued on page 20)

PAGE 16

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

Maid accused of stealing from Minister's house

Donitta Rajkumar

A

maid employed

by Minister S i m o n a Broomes yesterday found herself on the wrong side of the law as she was charged for stealing a quantity of cash from the minister's house.

Donitta Rajkumar appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts where she denied the charge after it was read to her.

It was alleged that between March 6, 2019 and March 9, 2019 at Lot 2 Lodge Housing Scheme, the accused stole from the dwelling house of Simona Broomes cash totalling to $195,000.

Rajkumar was represented by attorney at law Everton Singh-Lammy who told the court that his client is 33-years-old, a mother of three and she resides at Lot 1 Westminister, La Parfaite Harmonie.

The attorney stated that Rajkumar was already on station bail and he pleaded for the magistrate to be lenient as the accused is the sole bread winner of her home.

Police prosecutor Seon Blackman related that on the day in question, the minister left to carry out her work duties, leaving the defendant in the home alone. The money was left in a metal (continued on page 17)

Bus driver fined for assaulting police officer

A

nother person felt the brunt of the law when he appeared before a city magistrate, slapped with three charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and behaving in a disorderly manner.

The accused, Akeem Harmony, entered a guilty plea to all three charges after listening to them. At the time, he was before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts.

The first two charges alleged that on March 10, 2019 at America Street, Georgetown, the accused unlawfully assaulted and resisted lawful arrest by a peace officer who was acting in the execution of his duties.

Finally, it was alleged

that on the same date and location he behaved in a disorderly manner.

Before sentence was passed, Harmony asked to explain himself. He told the court that he was asked to present his documents to the police however he was not in possession of them.

“The police say that he has to carry me to the station.

When we started to walk he pushing he hand in my pants and boxers pulling it up so I just tell him not to pull my clothes, I will walk,” Harmony stated. He went on to say that, “I started to pull away and that's how he say I assault him and such.”

Magistrate McGusty then fined Harmony $10,000 for each of the offences and placed him on a bond to keep the peace for 12 months.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

PAGE 17

Newly rehabilitated MV Kimbia takes first run

T

he MV Kimbia was taken on a trial run, yesterday, after undergoing rehabilitation that lasted three years. The boat was driven along the Demerara River, between the ports of Georgetown and the Demerara Harbour Bridge, shadowed by a tug, the MT Aruka.

The boat was retired three years ago for major rehabilitation that included works to its steering mechanism, which were done by Brenco Shipping & Trading Company Limited, in collaboration with Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands.

Courtney Benn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Courtney Benn Contracting Services and owner of Brenco, informed this publication that the engine received a complete factory overhaul.

It can now run at speeds of up to 12 knots.

The engine is as good as new. The works included the replacement of the entire rudder system with two new rudder blades, shaft tubes, the replacement of two rope

guards and two kegs which were completely missing from the vessel, the supply and installation of new steering gear and hydraulic power unit with components in both the bridge and engine room, new piping and connectors where necessary, and replacement of two propeller shafts and coupling flanges.

While the engine was being overhauled the vessel spent 48 days in the dry dock, where a team of specialists from both companies were actively engaged in the execution of tasks.

It has, for some time, been uncommon for boats like the Kimbia to undergo rehabilitative works. Marine vessels were simply not maintained. A vessel like the Torani, the sister vessel to the Malali, sank in the Essequibo River.

However, in the past three years, five vessels were rehabilitated, among the MT Aruka, mvBarima, Alan Young, MT Setter and now, the Kimbia.

Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Transport & Harbours Department,

The MV Kimbia on its test run in the Demerara river, yesterday

Dwane Griffith; and Senior Mechanical Engineer, Ray McLean, said that the MV Kimbia was built in the 1980s. It plied the North West and Berbice Riverruns.

It is now expected to service Kumaka, covering the journey much faster than it was doing before it was pulled into dry docks.

Maid accused of stealing from...

From page 16 drawer in a room to which Rajkumar had access.

However, when the minister returned she went to the drawer where she left a sum of $200,000 only to find that $5,000 was left. A report was made hence, Rajkumar was charged for the present offence.

Prosecutor Blackman objected to bail based on the fact that the money was left in a drawer to which the defendant had access and

also at the time she allegedly was the only one home. He further mentioned that the money is a substantial amount.

The prosecutor asked that if the magistrate considers bail conditions should be attached to same.

Magistrate McGusty then upheld the bail application of the attorney and granted bail to the tune of $75,000 under the condition that Rajkumar lodge her passport. The matter was adjourned to April 5 next.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Thursday March 14, 2019

Lamaha Gardens residents concerned over businesses operating in residential only zone

T

he plague of nonadherence to zoning laws has become a norm on Guyana's social landscape and has led to a breach in many land regulations.

Citizens have been complaining of commercial entities occupying spaces into communities designed for residential purposes only.

Residents of Lamaha Gardens are looking to change this unfavorable trend and have been lobbying to have the issues of zoning addressed.

Last Tuesday, at the unveiling of a sign board to be erected in the junction of Duncan Street and Bel Air Road, Georgetown, Chairman of the Lamaha Gardens Community Cooperative Society, Ronald Alli, noted that over the years, the residents have been abandoned by the public sector authorities in their quest to address many negative influences imposed on the community.

“These impositions are inconsistent with the objective of orderly and harmonious development and preservation of the amenities set in the planning scheme provided by the Central Housing and P l a n n i n g A u t h o r i t y, ( C H & PA ) f o r o u r community.

Lamaha Gardens was laid out in 1966 and developed as a residential community based upon a planning scheme approved by the Central Housing and Planning Authority.

Typically, such planning schemes seek to provide for orderly and harmonious land

A business place housed in the Lamaha Gardens area

use development through the zoning of land and the presentation of amenities.

Therefore, any activities not consistent with these objectives are not to be tolerated.”

According to Alli, this includes rearing of animals such as cows and the intrusion of incompatible land uses, such as commercial businesses operating in an area approved as a residential scheme.

He noted that the residential scheme is approved by the CH&PA with conditions consistent with objectives of orderly and harmonious development.

“Consequentially and in order to safeguard the rights of proprietors to enjoy the

use of their properties consistent with the approved schemes, the clauses were included in the transports issued to property owners that no cattle , pigs , donkeys , sheep, horses or other livestock shall be kept or reared in the community.

The lots shall be used for residential purposes only.

No shop, trade, industry or business whatsoever shall be carried on the said lots and no advertisement shall be erected or exhibited thereon.”

“Since then, nothing has happened to change that position.

Therefore, all regulatory agencies including the Georgetown Municipality have a statutory duty to safeguard the residential status of Lamaha Gardens.”

The signboard was unveiled by Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore, Mayor Ubraj Narine and Mr. Ronald Alli

Hence the Lamaha Gardens Community Cooperative Society is collaborating with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC) on the issue.

C i t y M a y o r, U b r a j Narine, and Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore, who were present at the launch of the sign board project, committed to helping address the concerns of the residents.

Mayor Narine told the gathering that the City Works Committee should be among those to be commended for the effort in Lamaha Gardens. He assured the residents that the new council will work to have Georgetown retain the title of being the 'Garden City'. He highlighted the importance of residents in all communities working to maintain a clean environment.

“I encourage residents to be responsible…When you see someone throw garbage out of a vehicle, call them

and ask them to pick it up; be ambassadors,” Mayor Narine urged.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor, Mentore urged the residents to respect and upkeep land covenant.

“I was mandated by the Mayor to be the conveyor for a National Capital Planning Commission aim to deal with zoning and regularisation of several communities. We have been working to bring about the various changes, and we are happy that the people in the community have been doing their part to take the bold steps to develop their community,” Mentore said.

President of the Lamaha Gardens Community Co-op Society, Ronald Alli, said the installation of the sign aims to restore order and a sense of place, consistent with the expectation of living in a residential neighbourhood.

“This is a step to say the residents value orderliness and environmental decency in our community.”

Over the years, members

of the Lamaha Gardens have complained of a growing number of commercial entities taking occupancy in the community. The private businesses range from a daycare centre, to a fitness gym and travel agency. Also located in the urban residential area is the head o f f i c e G u y a n a Wa t e r Incorporated, (GWI).

“Several of the properties operating now as businesses have been rented out. Our main concern is that it's a breach of the agreement and community laws.”

In some instances, residents believe that the breach of the community covenant can put others at risk.

“We have one business place that has been secured with armed security guards because it had been robbed on a number of times.

Should something happen and those security guards open fire there's no telling who could be hurt; we have children living in this area.”

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

Senior Counsel Miles Fitzpatrick passes away

Senior Counsel Miles Fitzpatrick

S

enior Counsel Miles Fitzpatrick h a s d i e d .

President David Granger, extended condolences at the d e a t h o f M r. M i l e s Fitzpatrick, S.C., yesterday.

Mr. Fitzpatrick died on Tuesday at his Cowan Street, Kingston residence after a period of illness. He was 83.

Mr. Fitzpatrick was one of the founding partners of the law firm DeCaires, Fitzpatrick and Karran. He also served as one of the initial directors of Guyana Publications Incorporated.

In a statement the Guyana Press Association, (GPA) noted that Mr Fitzpatrick was lauded for immense and invaluable contribution to the legal profession and his equally important role in the development of Stabroek News. He was also lauded the continued fight for press freedom in Guyana.

Stabroek News noted, “As part of a group of close friends of David de Caires, the founder of Stabroek News, Senior Counsel Miles Fitzpatrick played a key role in the establishment of the newspaper.

He was part of the first board of Guyana Publications Inc, the publishers of Stabroek News in November 1986, and remained a Director until 2008.

Whenever de Caires was not present, Fitzpatrick took charge of areas such as writing editorials and

editing letters. He was particularly instrumental in the training of reporters on the laws of libel and handling any legal cases that arose against the newspaper.

“As a director, he was fully involved in advising during periods when there were serious challenges to t h e n e w s p a p e r. T h e newspaper will be forever indebted to him for his sage advice and input”.

Former Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the former senior counsel.

“By any measure, he was a solid, sincere patriot who followed in the footsteps of his father, Magistrate Fitzpatrick and thereby enhanced the legal profession in Guyana and the Region.

“I remember Miles from the old College days, always being serious, and committed to high standards.

“In the 70's, even when we interpreted the political and social situation in Guyana differently, the knot of the old school tie allowed us to maintain mutual respect and deep affection. A friendship, I will miss due to his passing.

“From time to time, I would seek his views and advice on a miscellany of matters.

Indeed, the legal fraternity and citizenship as a whole have lost a good man.”

PAGE 19

PM condemns attacks on journalists

P

r i m e M i n i s t e r, M o s e s Nagamootoo, has condemned the recent attack on the President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Ragubir.

In a statement, which was published via the Department of Public Information, (DPI) Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that journalists should be allowed to conduct their duties without fear of intimidation.

“I have noted the attack on the GPA President and other journalists by the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, and elements of his party junta.

Journalists must be allowed to practice their profession without fear or harassment.” “ C a l l i n g t h e G PA President 'stupid' is not only gender persecution but an attack on journalism and press freedom. This type of intolerance has led invariably to the assassination of journalists and economic sanctions against media houses, and should not be tolerated in Guyana,” the Prime Minister pointed out.

“That was the period when journalists were labelled as vultures and carrions; when a journalist was assassinated and another jailed for five years after being tried for treason.

“Then an out-spoken media critic was doused with fresh faeces at a time when no one thought that a journalist could be dismembered, (Saudi Arabia's) Jamal Khashoggi,” Prime Minister wrote.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who was the former Vice-President of the International Organisation of Journalists (IOJ) and a founder of the now-defunct Union of Guyanese Journalists, offered his solidarity to the GPA President and her colleagues.

He said, too, that the Coalition Government will not allow the intemperate attacks to muzzle journalists.

The GPA, on Monday, issued a statement condemning the continued attacks on media professionals by Jagdeo.

The association said that it views the continued attacks as encouraging threats to the lives and livelihoods of media professionals.

GPA said that it has been documenting the attacks made by Jagdeo over the last few months. These are consistent with attacks he made in the past as a sitting Head of State.

These were and are not limited to referring to journalists as “Carrion crows and vultures” and as “opposition media” and singling out media houses.

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo GPA noted that over the months, Jagdeo has referred to private media outlets as “fake news”, “biased news”, or “government aligned news”. He is on record saying that he will call on his supporters to boycott one newscast and its parent company.

He has singled out the privately owned Kaieteur News, state owned Chronicle and former GPA President Gordon Moseley with accusations of being “government aligned”.

At a recent press conference, Jagdeo faced questions on his Pradoville mansion. At least three members of the media posed questions to him on this matter. He became irritated.

He eventually lashed out at Raghubir as she questioned him.

Jagdeo was asked whether the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA)

offered him to settle in having him pay the state the difference as SARA believes that he was given the Ogle land at a price below market value.

Jagdeo responded, “I had preempted that by saying even if they offer me to pay one cent more to settle it (he would refuse). They never did (asked). I preempted that.”

This is when it became most uncomfortable for the former president.

Raghubir asked, “On what basis were you going to reject it? “ He responded, “That is my position.”

Raghubir: “I just wanted to clarify on what basis you rejected the payment?”

Jagdeo: “Because I rejected it. I do not have no basis. What kind of stupid question is that?”

Raghubir: “That is not a stupid question, it is a logical question. You made a statement and I am asking you to clarify.”

Jagdeo: “I said it is political; you have to use deductive reasoning, if it is a political thing. I get impatient with silly questions.”

Raghubir interrupted: “I get impatient with stupid statements.”

Jagdeo continued: “If it is a political matter, it's an adventure. Why would I waste my time behind an adventure which is a political matter? That is the reason I rejected it.”

Dental clinic offers free service, cash to Blind Society

The staffers of the dental clinic and the members of the Blind Society on Tuesday

A

n East Bank Demerara dental clinic says it is making it a mission to target the vulnerable in society. On Tuesday, 25 members of the Guyana Society for the Blind visited the Peter's Hall offices of C. Persaud Dental Lab and Clinic.

Seven of them were children. “For the past few years, since 2013, we have been offering free services to the Blind Society.

It is part of our social programme,” explained Cobeer Persaud, head of the clinic.

Among other things, the members of the society were given general checkups, cleaning and polishing and free dentures.

“We also made a cash donation of $200, 000,” he disclosed. Collecting the cheque on behalf of the society was Theresa Pemberton, from Sandra Persaud, wife of the dental technician. According to Persaud, he is targeting The Palms, home for senior citizens and the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre next.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Thursday March 14, 2019

Clinton Williams back as President of GMSA

W

ith regards to its Article of Association, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the fiscal year 2019-2020 on February 28, 2019, where a new Board of Directors was elected.

The Board held its first meeting on March 12, 2018 to elect the Executive for the period 2019-2020.

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated (GNIC), Clinton Williams, was once again elected as President of the GMSA. Williams last served as President of the organization back in 2010. He now succeeds Shyam Nokta who assumed the Presidency of the GMSA for the period 2017-2019.

Williams is supported by Ramsay Ali of Sterling Products as First Vice President; Rafeek Khan, of Woods Direct as Second Vice President and; Glenis Hodge of Tropical Shipping as Third Vice President.

Williams ex p r es s ed gratitude to the Board for their confidence in reelecting him as President of

The new executives of GMSA. the organization. He hopes to work closely with each member of the Board and the Sub Sectors Membership in particular, to address the social, political and economic issues of Guyana.

Williams will also be serving as the Chairman of the Association's Construction and Engineering Sub-sector. The Chairmen of the various subsectors include Mr. Ramsay Ali as Chairman of the Agro-processing Subsector; Rafeek Khan as Chairman of the Forestry & Wood Products Sub-sector;

Ms. Carol Webster-Carter as Chairwoman of the Services sub-sector; Mr. Brian James as Chairman of the Fast Foods Sub-sector and; Annette Arjoon-Martins as Chairperson of the Environmental Sub-sector.

Other Executive members of the board include Shyam Nokta of Environmental Management Consultants; Yonette Jeffers o f L a p a r k a n Tr a d i n g ; Ramesh Dookhoo of Banks DIH Ltd.; Peter Pompey of Brass Aluminum Cast Iron Foundry Andre Cummings o f C u m m i n g s Wo o d

Products; Raymond Ramsaroop of Edward B. Beharry & Company Ltd.;

Clement Duncan of Swansea Industrial Associates; Joycelyn Williams of JTW

Management Institute Inc. and Mahadeo Panchu of KSM Investments.

A roof over the head

Republic completes acquisition of Cayman National Corporation Ltd.

C

ayman Islands R e p u b l i c Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) has announced the closure of its acquisition of a majority interest in the Cayman National Corporation Limited (CNC).

RFHL has confirmed that all employees of the CNC Group will be retained following the acquisition of the majority shareholding and that the Bank will not be rebranded.

“Cayman National is a leading full-service institution in one of the world's most sophisticated financial centres. Its brand is resilient and strong, and its management and employees are a critical part of that brand strength,” says Chairman Ronald Harford, “We do not want this to change. It will continue to be the same bank known, loved, and run by a very strong and experienced team of Caymanians.”

In a release, Republic said this transaction comprised the purchase of 74.99 percent of the issued shares in CNC at an offering price of US$6.25 per share

by RFHL's Barbadian subsidiary, Republic Bank Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o (Barbados) Limited.

The overall cost of the transaction was US$198,474,012.50. As a result of this transaction, the asset base of the RFHL Group will increase to approx. US$12 billion. For its fiscal 2018 (October 2017 to September 2018), CNC recorded profit after tax of US$26.5 million.

Established in 1974, the CNC Group has five subsidiaries: Cayman National Bank Ltd., Cayman National Fund Services Ltd., Cayman National Securities Ltd., Cayman National Bank (Isle of Man) Limited, and Cayman National (Dubai) Ltd. It is the largest financial services company based in the Cayman Islands, providing banking, trust and company management, fund administration, and wealth management services to clients in the Cayman Islands and around the world.

CNC is (and will continue to be) publicly traded on the Cayman

Islands Stock Exchange.

“RFHL and CNC share the same ideals with respect to values, business processes and opportunities,” says Harford.

“The acquisition of CNC will allow us to combine and leverage the talents of our two world-class organisations.

“We are particularly eager to learn from Cayman National's experience in international financial services and serving high net worth clients. We are pleased to welcome both the employees and clients of the CNC Group to the Republic Family.”

This acquisition is part of RFHL's ongoing expansion.

The Group operates in several territories, including Barbados, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Ghana, Guyana, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Group's acquisition of the nine ScotiaBank operations in the Eastern Caribbean, St. Maarten and Guyana is ongoing with that acquisition currently receiving the attention of all the relevant regulatory bodies. (LoopCayman)

Some 22 families in Kamwatta Village, Mabaruma sub-district, Barima/Waini, Region One are recipients of homes.

The homes were built under Government's housing improvement programme, which is targeting, also, residents of the hinterland areas.

(Ministry of Indigenous People's Affairs)

$30M Lands and Survey building commissioned in Berbice From page 15 cheap price.

“Cheap not in the sense low quality but in terms of what it takes to get the value for your dollar."

It was in that light that he compared the cost to build the new GNLC building as against the $69M NIS building in Corriverton, he said, "In Region Six, people make all sorts of statements.

“I want to compare what you see here that has cost you $30M to the NIS building at Corriverton that cost $65M and look at what it is. Already (the NIS building) is in need of repairs, so when people compare and speak about this government..."

The minister disclosed that the land policy that is being executed by the GLSC is undergoing review and reform. The physical facilities, he said, are a part of the restructuring taking place in land management and the policy in relation to land.

"Everywhere that you go, as the population expands, you have a conflict to resolve for land because to the extent to which the population and domestic use expands it is to that extent that you have commercial, industrial and agricultural use being challenged and so it is an important issue that GLSC is tackling," the Minister of State noted.

Mayor of the Township, Winifred Haywood, congratulated the government for taking the initiative to have the GNLS department in their very own building. This she said will allow the staff to work effectively and inefficiently when providing services to the people of Berbice.

Some of the services offered under the GLSC includes land administration services, surveying services among others, Just recently the commission successfully hosted the 17th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC17).

Thursday March 14, 2019

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Venezuela seeks to restore power Wismar Bridge project receives amid looting; China offers help new financial proposals Tender Board continues…

Ministry of the Presidency - Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and SportCompletion of Training Facility – Phase 4 Sophia Training Centre

Completion of Annex Building, National Archives, Homestretch Avenue

C A R A C A S / MARACAIBO, Venezuela (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro’s government scrambled yesterday to return power to western Venezuela following heavy looting in the country’s second largest city, while China offered to help the OPEC-member nation end its worst blackout on record.

Power had returned to many parts of Venezuela after a nationwide outage last week, with the country’s main port terminal of Jose, which is crucial for oil exports, resuming operations. The government said people could return to work on Thursday, following several consecutive public holidays due to the lack of electricity.

School will remain suspended for 24 more hours, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a state television broadcast yesterday, adding that power supply had been broadly restored but problems remained in some areas with transformers that had been “sabotaged.”

The ruling Socialist Party blamed the outage on U.S. sabotage, accusing President Donald Trump of being responsible for several cyber

attacks on Venezuela’s main dam. Energy supplies remained patchy in the sweltering western state of Zulia, where anger after nearly a week without power overflowed into street violence.

Looters smashed shop windows and made off with merchandise in more than 300 businesses across the state along the border with Colombia, the Zulia chapter of business organization Fedecamaras said in a statement. Following the wave of pillaging on Sunday, many businesses sold off their remaining merchandise on the cheap for fear of more looting. The country’s top food company, Empresas Polar, said four facilities in Maracaibo, Venezuela’s biggest city after Caracas, had been sacked this week, with looters making off with water, soft drinks and pasta.

CHINA SUPPORT Venezuela, which has long suffered from high crime rates and shortages of basic goods, plunged into a deep political crisis in January when Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled congress, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing

Maduro’s 2018 re-election was not legitimate.

The move has put Venezuela at the heart of a geopolitical tussle, with the United States leading most Western nations in recognizing Guaido as the legitimate head of state, while Russia, China and others support Maduro.

The United States is preparing to withdraw its remaining diplomats from Venezuela, an effort that will not involve the U.S. military, after Maduro on Tuesday ordered them to leave within 72 hours.

China yesterday offered to provide help and technical support to restore electricity, and backed Maduro’s assertion that the problem was the result of sabotage.

Maduro’s critics have insisted that rampant corruption and a decade of incompetent management by state authorities were to blame.

A technical problem with transmission lines linking the Guri hydroelectric plant in southeastern Venezuela to the national power grid likely caused the blackout, former energy company officials and local engineers have told Reuters.

PAGE 22

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

Jewellery cleaner accused of fraudulent conversion

SERVICES

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Pure breed german shepherd puppies, 7 weeks old, fully vaccinated and dewormed.

Contact No# 619-9203

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Tel: 609-2815, 696-4659

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Spacious 2-bedroom apartment in Festival City.

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Live in or Live out, Domestic worker. Call from MondaySaturday between 8:154:15pm #223-7500 1 Experienced cook. 1 counter staff wanted. Call 623-8654

Self contain rooms for working couple/single person $32,000 monthly light & water, S/ Riumveldt. Call: 623-0076

Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665/6493750

Newly renovated apartment for rental at Peters Hall. 2239677,698-5800/648-1391

Wanted land to buy: Parfaite Harmonie, Herstelling, Providence, Tuschen, Eccles, Farm, Zeelugt, Uitvlugt, best price pay. Call: 666-2326

Salon for Rental- Hair stations, Nail stations, Barber stations available for rent. Tel#6996505/615-1872 New Market Street Barber & hair dresser stations to rent in nice large, clean & spacious salon. Call 227-4075, 227-1509 1 three bedroom fully furnished, 1 two bedroom full furnished in Diamond #2162299/672-1906/617-2666 LAND FOR SALE House lots for sale. New development. 200k down.

20k monthly. www.jobfairworldwide.com 233-6997/622-1957 Transported land 11.6 acres.

Lot 15 public road. #2 Village W.C.B. Price $18M. Contact 686-4818, 648-7109

PROPERTY FOR SALE House and land available at Parfaite, Tuschen, Diamond etc. Contact Pacific Development Inc. 223-6035/ 604-4909

FOR RENT

Parfaite ten year up 2.2M 1.9M Province 6M Farm 3.5M Parfaite front 6M Tuschen 1.5M Call 666-2326 LEARN TO DRIVE N. Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way @ Cuffy Square. Affordable package. Call: 644-5166/6912561 VACANCY One waitress & cook needed.

Apply in person at the coffee bean 133 Church Street #2232222 Cashier. 2 Shift - 7am-3pm & 3pm-11pm. Apply to: Shell Service Station Providence or Shellramsburg@gmail.com Body work Technician to work in Georgetown to spray truck #227-1717 Truck Driver to work in Georgetown. Tel#227-1717 Experienced male cook for interior #688-3844

(1) salesgirl from G/t EBD or WBD #223-9677 (1) Captain to ply from Georgetown-Bartica.

Contact#650-0402/603-1402

A jewellery-cleaner who allegedly betrayed the trust of a customer and fraudulently converted to his use and benefit the jewellery entrusted to him, was brought before the court, yesterday. He was granted bail after answering the charge.

Seon Vancooten denied the charge which alleged that on February 28, 2019 at America Street, Georgetown, being solely entrusted with a stainless steel chain valued at $100,000 and one silver ring

VACANCY 1 Male cook to work in interior. $90,000 monthly.

Experienced land dredge workers. Tel# 629-8280. Call btw 8:30-5:30pm Surveyor Technician. Must know to use GPS. Contact 2235273/74

1 General domestic (housekeeping) Ages 30-45.

Tel 673-5300

General domestic with cooking experience for East Bank. #614-4358

(1) Manager to work @ a hotel, restaurant & bar located in Charity on the Essequibo Coast. Contact 665-6082

One cleaner. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street

Precept guard. Attractive package. Call 623-5255 One experience attractive waitress 18-25 yrs, living around ogle. Salary $20,000 wkly. Contact #610-3974 Experienced Cashier, Counter servers, Roti/Puri cook, Cleaners, Apply Hacks Halaal with H/written application VACANCY Sales girl. Apply at Alabama Trading 65-67 Robb Street Bourda Accounts clerk. Apply in person at Alabama Trading.

65 Robb Street, Bourda

Vacancy for mason. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb St Bourda Receptionist. Ages 25-50. #225-0198. 233 South Road Lacytown Male factory worker needed, must have police clearance.

For more info, call: 223-0090 One experience truck/tractor driver to drive distribution vehicle. Apply @ 65-67 Robb Street Bourda 1 qualified female teacher/ tutor to teach/care for 3yr old boy. Apply 65-67 Robb St Bourda Alabama

Start a new career. Free training. Earn 5k-20k daily.

233-6997/622-1957 www.jobfairworldwide.com

Experienced accounts clerk.

Must have passes in maths & english. Apply @ Alabama Trading 65-67 Robb Street Bourda

1 Cook and 1 domestic at University Garden. Workers needed from surrounding area. Call 231-8737

Tutor/Nanny to work from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street

Experienced salesgirls with 2 yrs experience. CXC maths & english. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529

Industrial Sales Representative, 5 Subject CXC Age 25+ Experience in Sales, must own vehicle, email resume: vacancy@josarltd.com

Chef & assistant cook preferably Carnegie trained. #225-7933 or visit 172 Sheriff Street

One experienced female shop attendant. 18-25 yrs from E.C.D. Salary $20,000 wkly.

610-3974

valued at $20,000, property of Mark Patterson he fraudulently converted the property to his own use and benefit.

The accused was arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty.

An unrepresented Vancooten informed the court that he is 39 years of age with two children. He stated that he resides at Lot 42 Garnett Street, Georgetown.

The facts of the charge were presented by police prosecutor Annalisa Brummell. On the day in question, Patterson took the articles mentioned in the charge to Vancooten to clean. He went away and returned 20 minutes later to uplift his articles.

However, Vancooten claimed that he had to go out so he handed it over to someone else to give the victim when he returned. As a result Patterson confronted the person he was directed to by the accused but the man claimed he already gave the articles to someone else.

Vancooten was then taken to the police station where a report was made.

After listening to the prosecutor the magistrate granted bail in the amount of $75,000.

The matter was adjourned until April 3, 2019 where the defendant is expected to return to court.

Bus driver remanded for allegedly robbing passenger Jarai Farley was yesterday brought before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he was made to answer a charge of robbery with aggravation.

The self proclaimed bus driver entered a not guilty plea to the charge which read that on March 8, 2019 at Crown Street, Queenstown, Georgetown, while in company of others, the accused robbed Mahindra Mahadeo of two gold chains valued at $70,000.

Farley was represented by attorney at law Damion Da Silva. The attorney told the court that his client is 22-years-old and resides at Lot 24 Guyhoc Park, Georgetown.

Police prosecutor Seon Blackman objected to bail based on the nature and prevalence of the offence.

(Continued on page 23)

Thursday March 14, 2019

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Build on sacrifices, foundation laid by the martyrs 106 years ago - Greenidge at Rose Hall Martyrs’ Memorial It was 106 years ago when 15 sugar workers were shot and killed by colonial police at the Rose Hall Estate during the March 13, 1913 strike action. It was an event that also saw 41 workers being injured.

Badri, 26; Bholay, 33; Durga, 72; Gafur, 27; Jugai, 30; Juggoo, 37; Hulas, 25; Lalji, 45; Motee Khan, 26; Nibur, 75; Roopan, 25; Sadulla, 23; Sarjoo, 21; Sohan, 33; and the lone female, Gobinda, 32, are the names that will forever be remembered in history. Thus, every year a memorial service and wreath laying ceremony is held at the East Canje Memorial site in remembrance of those that had their lives ripped from them.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge,

delivering the address at yesterday’s memorial at the East Canje memorial site, located just under a mile away from the Rose Hall Estate.

Referring to the events of that day, Minister Greenidge alluded to the fact that that struggle for change resulted in better relations between employers and labourers as well as between Government and labourers.

He went on to acknowledge that the struggle resulted in better conditions, better pay and respect for the rights of workers “not only in Rose Hall, not only those who were in the fields at Rose Hall, but also workers across all of Guyana.”

He added that those actions meted out to the workers that ultimately resulted in their demise, on looking back, is “unacceptable”. They were all

caused by a failure to honour a promise.

It was in this light that he placed emphasis on the significance of the monument, noting that it should serve as a reminder for future generations, of the sacrifices that are necessary if freedom is to be achieved.

It should also be a reminder that freedom, once achieved has to be safeguarded by “those who wish to enjoy the freedom by being alert and defending their freedom enduring many types of sacrifices and deprivations.”

Minister Greenidge stressed that focus will have to go beyond personal interests. He reminded that all are not afforded the same chances.

Three Guyanese among 11 illegals detained in Bahamas NASSAU, BAHAMAS– Eleven foreign nationals were arraigned in a magistrate’s court on Tuesday on various charges ranging from possession of a fraudulent extension stamp, overstaying, illegal landing to engaging in gainful occupation without the right to work.

The foreign nationals appeared in Court 8 before Magistrate Subusola Swain.

A statement released from the Department of Immigration yesterday outlined that the foreign nationals charged in Nassau comprised four Venezuelans, three Guyanese

and three Jamaicans.

Beatriz D. L. Velasquez Marquez, Mallessia A. Cadogan, Tavanna S. Bennett, Tameka C. Clair and Tomay Clarke were arrested on March 9 at the Sugar Hill Night Club on Thompson Boulevard.

They were all charged with possession of a fraudulent extension stamp.

The women were fined $1,000 and in default of payment, they would serve nine months at Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDOCS).

Chelsea Alexander, Beatriz

A. Garcia Castro, Yanneris C. Garcia Caicedo and Deymilis A. Arcia Aragor were also arrested at Sugar Hill Nightclub on Thompson Boulevard on March 9 and were charged with overstaying. They were fined $1,000 each and if found to be in default of payment, they would serve nine months at the BDOCS. Terrian Nikita McPherson was arrested on March 8 in the Church Hill Subdivision, off Soldier Road. She was charged with overstaying and was fined $1500.00 or one year at the BDOCS. (ewnews.com)

Bus driver remanded for allegedly...

From page 22 The facts of the charge indicated that the parties were in a bus when it stopped at the location. Farley then grabbed on to the victim, choking him.

He was able to relieve Mahadeo of the articles mentioned in the charge.

An alarm was raised and in a failed attempt to escape,

Farley was caught while running away by public spirited persons.

However, the other suspects were able to make good their escape. The stolen articles were not recovered. Magistrate McGusty then denied the bail application made by the attorney and remanded Farley to

prison. He was instructed to return to court on March 27, 2019 for statements into the matter.

“We might aspire to ensuring a sound education, equal opportunities to employment, opportunities to enhance the well-being of our children and their descendants but I think we are much closer today than we were in 1913.”

He said that there are new opportunities on the horizon along with new industries emerging. These can and will result in transformational change “involving the generation of new skills, new

job opportunities, facilitating new aspiration and ensuring that with the improved skills we can exploit better markets, we can be better rewarded than the sugar industry has been able to reward its workers in spite of the severity and third conditions in which they worked.”

He urged persons to build on the sacrifices and foundation laid by the martyrs 106 years ago.

Regional Chairman, David

Armogan, who also spoke at the memorial, gave a brief history of the Rose Hall Martyrs. He echoed similar sentiments to Minister Greenidge.

Prior to the speeches, wreath’s were laid at the monument by the officials.

Present at the occasion were Ministers, George Norton, Khemraj Ramjattan, Karen Cummings, Keith Scott and Mayor of New Amsterdam Winifred Haywood.

New US ambassador urges...

From page 12 biodiversity, and made strides to improve the health and safety of all Guyanese.

“As Ambassador, not only will I continue the work of my predecessors, I will aim to deepen the relationship between our two nations and our peoples, moving forward in partnership to our mutual benefit,” she stated.

Ambassador Lynch noted that Guyana and the U.S. share a spirit of community, with dynamic expatriate and diaspora communities, while stressing the importance of fostering a multicultural society.

Partnership “Guyana is embarking upon a time of significant transition and growth, and I am excited to be in Guyana for this moment in history. Your nation is poised to become a regional leader with unprecedented opportunity.

“While there are still many challenges to overcome, we remain committed to collaboration with the government and people of Guyana to rise above those challenges and prepare for a bright future,” she said.

The Ambassador noted that together, Guyana and the

U.S. can build upon the new economic opportunities that are developing here. The U.S. she said supports Guyana as it uses its resources to invest in infrastructure, increase bilateral trade, diversify the economy, and strengthen social services.

“At this moment of incredible potential, we must continue to rely on each other,” Ambassador Lynch said while also noting that there has been a strengthening of democratic processes and political institutions.

Director-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey JardineWaddell; Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Mr. Terry Steers-Gonzalez, and Ambassador Lynch’s husband, Dr. Kevin Healy, were also present at the accreditation ceremony.

In a separate statement, the U.S. Embassy in welcoming the ambassador, disclosed that until recently, she served as the Acting Assis-

tant Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

She has also served as the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for LAC; USAID Mission Director in Iraq; and the Director of the Office of Iraq and Arabian Peninsula Affairs in USAID’s Middle East Bureau.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Lynch has been with USAID since 1993, and served overseas in Bangladesh, Peru, Afghanistan and Iraq. In Washington, she has served in the regional bureaus of the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, and the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs (OAPA).

She replaces Ambassador Perry Holloway who retired a few months ago and is now working with Guyana Goldfields.

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Trump ex-aide Manafort hit with 3-1/2 more years in prison, new charges WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sentenced to about 3-1/2 more years in prison and was hit with a fresh set of criminal charges in New York yesterday, drawing sympathy from a president who declined to say whether he would issue a pardon.

Manafort, 69, is due to spend a total of 7-1/2 years behind bars when the sentence by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson for crimes related to secret lobbying and witness tampering is combined with another of just under four years issued by a different judge in Virginia last Thursday. He has already served nine months of the sentence. The veteran Republican operative has received the longest prison term yet in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

It amounts to a sharp fall for a man who earned millions of dollars as an international political consultant to proRussia politicians in Ukraine and dodged more than $6 million in taxes by hiding his income in offshore bank accounts.

Paul Manafort That money could have been used by the government to help pay for veterans’ hospitals and other services, Jackson told Manafort, who was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair because of a condition called gout.

“Why? Not to support a family, but to sustain a lifestyle at the most opulent and extravagant level possible. More houses than one family can enjoy. More suits than one man can wear,” Jackson said, referring to Manafort’s previous luxuries.

Just minutes after Jackson read her sentence, the Manhattan district attorney un-

veiled a separate indictment charging Manafort with residential mortgage fraud and other New York state crimes, which unlike the federal charges cannot be erased by a presidential pardon.

Manafort faces up to 25 years in prison on the three most serious charges.

“No one is beyond the law in New York,” District Attorney Cyrus Vance, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Trump, who in November said he had not ruled out giving Manafort a pardon, yesterday said that “I have not even given it a thought.”

“It’s not something that’s right now in my mind. I do feel badly for Paul Manafort - that I can tell you,” the Republican president told reporters at the White House.

Trump has called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt,” and Manafort’s lawyers have argued that this case does nothing to prove that the campaign conspired with Russia. They have noted that the crimes sending him to prison stem from his lobbying work, not his time with Trump’s campaign.

“But for a short stint as a campaign manager in a presidential election, I don’t think we’d be here today,” Manafort lawyer Kevin

Downing told Jackson.

Jackson suggested that the “‘no collusion’ mantra” was simply aimed at winning a pardon from Trump. Jackson added that Mueller’s ongoing investigation could yet reveal that Manafort worked with Russian interests during the campaign.

‘A HARSH LESSON’ Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said Manafort had engaged in an extensive cover-up that deceived the U.S. government and the American public, and continued to try to undermine the investigation even after he pleaded guilty.

“He engaged in crime again and again. He has not learned a harsh lesson. He has served to undermine, not promote, American ideals,” Weissmann said.

Manafort, clad in a dark suit and a purple tie instead of the jail garb he wore to his Virginia sentencing, apologized for his actions and asked Jackson not to impose any prison time on top of the 47 months he was given by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis in Alexandria.

“This case has taken everything from me already - my properties, my cash, my life insurance, trust accounts for my children and grandchil-

dren, and even more,” Manafort said.

“Saying ‘I’m sorry I got caught’ is not an inspiring plea for leniency,” the judge told Manafort.

She also said Manafort’s expression of remorse rang hollow.

“It’s hard to overstate the number of lies and the amount of fraud and the extraordinary amount of money involved,” Jackson said.

Jackson had ruled on Feb. 13 that Manafort breached his agreement to cooperate with Mueller’s office by lying to prosecutors about matters pertinent to the Russia probe including his interactions with a business partner they have said has ties to Russian intelligence. Jackson’s sentence builds on what many legal experts called the surprisingly lenient sentence from Ellis when Manafort was sentenced for his August 2018 tax fraud and bank fraud convictions - far shy of federal sentencing guidelines.

Ellis last week praised Manafort’s “otherwise blameless life.” The sentence Manafort received from Jackson was well below the 10 years he could have faced for the two criminal counts to which he pleaded guilty in September 2018.

Jackson showed little sympathy for the argument

by Manafort’s lawyers that his failure to disclose lobbying activity on behalf of Ukraine was little more than a paperwork error.

In a chaotic scene outside the courthouse, Downing said Mueller’s two cases against his client had shown “no evidence of any collusion with Russians,” as protesters called Manafort a “traitor” and a “liar.”

Mueller is preparing to submit to U.S. Attorney General William Barr a report on his investigation into whether Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia and whether Trump has unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe. Trump has denied collusion and obstruction and Russia has denied U.S. intelligence findings that it interfered in the election to boost Trump.

Manafort is one of the 34 people and three companies charged by Mueller. Others who have pleaded guilty include former campaign aides Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos, former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone has pleaded not guilty.

Brexit set for delay after May wounded by rejection of ‘no-deal’ LONDON (Reuters) - The British parliament yesterday rejected leaving the European Union without a deal, further weakening Prime Minister Theresa May and paving the way for a vote that could delay Brexit until at least the end of June.

After a day of high drama, lawmakers defied the government by voting 321 to 278 in favour of a motion that ruled out a potentially disorderly “nodeal” Brexit under any circumstances.

It went further than the government’s position of keeping the threat of a “nodeal” Brexit on the negotiating table — a stance many in her party said was essential to push Brussels to make further concessions to the deal they have rejected.

While the approved motion has no legal force and ultimately may not prevent a no-deal exit, it carries considerable political force, especially as it passed thanks to a rebellion by members of May’s own Conservative Party and her cabinet.

May, who still insists it is not possible to rule out a nodeal Brexit entirely, said lawmakers would need to agree a

way forward before an extension could be obtained.

The European Commission repeated that a delay would indeed require a justification - but positive comments from Germany and Ireland suggested that EU members at last saw a prospect that a viable deal would be found, and were inclined to help.

The pound rose more than 2 percent on the rejection of ‘no-deal’ and was headed for its biggest daily gain this year.

The government said there were now two choices agree a deal and try to secure a short delay to Brexit, or fail to agree anything and face a much longer delay.

May said her preference was for a short delay, which would mean the government trying to pass the deal she negotiated by the middle of next week.

THIRDATTEMPT She hopes to find a way to persuade hardline proBrexit lawmakers to back her deal at the third attempt, on the grounds that the alternatives offer a less clean break with the EU. But on Wednesday evening, senior eurosceptic lawmakers were defiant, with

one, Steve Baker, declaring they would keep on voting against May’s deal if it was put forward again.

Another eurosceptic Conservative lawmaker, Andrew Bridgen, said parliament no longer represented “the people”, who had voted for Brexit, by 52 percent to 48, in a referendum in 2016.

“This is very dangerous territory we are going into with regard to our democracy,” he told Reuters.

In the text of a motion scheduled for a vote on Thursday, the government said if a deal was reached by March 20, the day before an EU summit, Britain would ask for the Brexit negotiating period to be extended from March 29, the date set in law, until June 30, just before the new European Parliament meets.

If no deal was agreed by March 20, “then it is highly likely the European Council at its meeting the following day would require a clear purpose for any extension, not least to determine its length, and any extension beyond 30 June 2019 would require the United Kingdom to hold European Parliament elections in May 2019”, the motion said.

After Wednesday’s vote,

Britain’s PM Theresa May the European Commission promptly restated its position that it was not enough for parliament to vote against leaving the European Union without a deal — it also needed to find a deal that lawmakers could accept.

“SIGN OF REASON” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the EU would want to know the purpose of any British delay, but added: “I think things look a bit brighter today than they did yesterday.”

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed the British vote as “a sign of rea-

son”.

The outcome of the vote angered many pro-Brexit members of the Conservative Party, who had wanted to retain the option of a “no-deal” exit as a bargaining chip, knowing that it would cause disruption in the EU as well as Britain.

After two-and-a-half years of negotiations and two failed attempts to pass the Brexit deal that May agreed with the EU, the vote against a no-deal exit still leaves undecided how, when and on what terms Britain will leave the club it joined in 1973.

After lawmakers crushed her deal for a second time on Tuesday, May said it was still the best option for leaving in an orderly fashion.

If Britain does seek a delay, it will require the agreement of all the bloc’s other 27 members.

The EU would prefer only a short extension, ending before EU-wide parliamentary elections on May 24-26.

May’s deal covers such issues as citizens’ rights, the status of the Irish border and Britain’s divorce bill from the EU. It takes Britain out of the EU single market and customs union, common fisheries and farm policies and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. It also offers a status-quo transition period in which to negotiate trade arrangements.

Under a no-deal exit, there would be no transition period to soften the disruption to trade and regulations. Britain would quit the EU’s 500 millionstrong single market and customs union and fall b a c k o n Wo r l d Tr a d e Organisation rules, which could mean tariffs on many imports and exports.

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

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Thursday March 14, 2019

CARICOM SG warns of the impact of climate change on the region BUDAPEST, Romania (CMC) – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque says climate change remains an ‘existential threat’ to the development of the Caribbean.

Addressing an interna-

tional conference on Building Resilience to Natural Disasters, LaRocque said that ”it has been recorded that between 2000 and 2017, member states of our Community suffered at least seven major disasters in which damage

ranged from 33 to 226 per cent of the affected country’s gross domestic product (GDP)”.

LaRocque made reference to the 2017 experience where the estimated cost of reconstruction after the devasta-

tion caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria was put at five billion US dollars.

“For us therefore, especially with the prediction of more intense and frequent storms, seeking to build resilience against that phenomenon is urgent,” he told the conference that is also being attended by several CARICOM foreign ministers.

Romania, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, is using the conference for debate and exchange

of good practices regarding resilience to natural disasters, and to identify and develop cooperation models between States in order to reduce the effects of global warming.

LaRocque, in highlighting the factors required to build the necessary resilience, stressed the importance of having access to concessional development financing well in advance of a disaster.

But he bemoaned the fact that CARICOM countries, because of being labelled

middle-income countries, cannot access this type of financing, since the principal criterion used is GDP per capita. “From our perspective, there is urgent need for the international community and international financial institutions to change the criteria for access to concessional development financing by middle-income Small island Developing States (SIDS).

“Substantial weight must be accorded to our vulnerability in this regard.

PM says comments after CARICOM briefing damaged LIAT’s reputation KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (CMC) – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says public comments about LIAT’s latest financial crisis made by participants at last month’s Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Inter-sessional summit in St. Kitts-Nevis have not helped the Antiguabased regional carrier in need of US$5.4 million to continue serving regional destinations.

Gonsalves told Parliament earlier this week that the principal shareholder government of LIAT provided information to the CARICOM meeting about the current financial condition and the immediate prospects for the survival or the development of LIAT in its existing framework.

Gonsalves, who is chair of LIAT’s shareholder governments, said some persons attending the CARICOM gathering “did not heed my request, settled and agreed upon, not to address this mat-

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves ter publicly until the shareholders and other prospective governments had an opportunity to resolve further some thorny issues touching and concerning LIAT”.

He told legislators that, unhelpfully, some participants at the conference “could not resist the tempta-

tion on leaving the conference to alarm the public with declarations such as ‘LIAT will run out of cash to operate in 10 days’, ‘LIAT will close down by the end of March 2019 if reluctant shareholder governments do not cough up some money’ ‘Even Ralph is fed up with LIAT’”.

Barbados Govt. moving to tighten legislation dealing with properties acquired through crime BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The Barbados government says it will soon introduce amended legislation that allows law enforcement to confiscate the property of criminals who commit a wide range of offences.

Attorney General Dale Marshall said that the new Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Crime Bill 2019 will also provide for offenders who got rich off those illgotten gains within the last 20 years not to be safe from prosecution.

“It is intended to strike at essentially those assets that are in the possession of the criminal element of our country, where those assets are either themselves the proceeds of crime or are intended or have been used in the commission of crime or in unlawful conduct,” Marshall told Parliament as he outlined the government’s plans to tackle

criminals who have accumulated wealth by illegal means.

He told legislators that while there was a Proceeds of Crime Act which had been enacted in 1990 and had been amended in 1998 and 2002, there were still glaring deficiencies.

Marshall said it allowed the Crown to confiscate proceeds of crime only in connection with drug offences and those related to terrorism.

“So the Proceeds of Crime legislation that we have today in Barbados and that has been here for the past 29 years, was focused solely on proceeds from drug crime or terrorismrelated crime.

“So that the Proceeds of Crime legislation that we have, if you put terrorism associated issues aside, effectively we look only at proceeds of drugrelated crime. Now that is a glaring deficiency,” Marshall said, adding that the amended

legislation would cover proceeds from corruption, money laundering, and racketeering among others.

He said also that 20 years prior to this new legislation being passed, criminals would still stand to lose their monies and properties if found guilty.

“So the limitation period is a 20-year period, 20 years after you acquire the proceeds of crime. So while you have 20 years after the ill-gotten gains are acquired… that 20 years is not only looking forward, it also looks backward.”

Marshall told Parliament that a portion of the monies confiscated from such proceedings will go towards a regional account to help in the Caribbean’s fight against crime, while the remaining would go towards helping to fund law enforcement in Barbados.

Thursday March 14, 2019

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Kaieteur News

Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Karate Association hosts first annual karate exam The Guyana Mixed Martial Arts Karate Association held its first annual karate and Kung fu exam last Sunday which saw students from the different clubs giving their best performance. There were three 1 kyu brown belt who were promoted to the rank of pre-shodan brown belt, these are Chandrapaul Sukhu, Mahendra Gorakh and Tyrese Harris. They were Students from each rank which is color belt (kyu level) who received a certificate for their performance in the various groups. These are: Alicia Seecharan, Jack Canjie Deng, Jeremiah Hardy, Hemant Tegi, Kevin Cao, Shiv Ferreira, Mark Ferreira and Chandrapaul Sukhu.

A total 59 students took the exam the youngest was 5 years and the oldest 40.

Master Lloyd Ramnarine would like to congratulate all the students for their hard work, he also said that he is preparing 9 students and himself for an international tournament in New Jersey on the 24th and 25th May 2019.

The Iron Fist Martial Arts Academy is involved in the following styles: Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Kobudo weapon (Bo staff) and Jui Jitsu. The Red Dragon Martial Arts Academy do Chinese martial arts (Kung fu).Vreed-en-hoop Martial Arts Academy do Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Kobudo weapon (Bo staff) and Traditional Sword; while the La Parfait Harmony Invisible Kicks Martial Arts Academy take

Students proudly display their certificates following the grading exams. part in Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Kobudo Weapon (Bo Staff),Traditional Sword and Jui Jitsu.

A new martial arts academy, the Herstelling Tigers Martial Arts Academy to be held at the N.D.C building and one in Alberttown, will be opening their doors. Interested persons

Thursday March 14, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today you might gather with some very smart friends at a coffee house for an intellectual conversation, Aries.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) A fabulous career break could come your way today, Taurus.

It could be a raise, promotion, or even a new job in a new field.

It could also involve a completely different location.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) An unexpected release of tension could come today, Gemini. Something that has been restricting you and limiting your growth is going to disappear, and you will want to run through the streets shouting.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Some strange but wonderful things could be happening to you now, Cancer.

Sheer luck could well be in the picture. Have you wanted to move to a nicer place? If so, now you probably can.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) A rather black mood that's been plaguing you since early morning could suddenly disappear when a business or romantic partner brings wonderful news your way, Leo. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you've been concerned about your health for any reason, Virgo, today your medical professional could give you a clean bill of health.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Creative energies are flowing like a river today, Libra.

Ideas for projects should come thick and fast. You can't wait to get started. You may even formulate plans to market them once they're done.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You might have intense dreams and visions tonight that could be almost prophetic, Scorpio.

These premonitions could be personal, but they're apt to be more worldly, such as political events or something in the life of a celebrity you admire.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A lecture given by a magnetic speaker could excite your imagination and interest you in a new and intriguing field, Sagittarius. You could also learn about some books on the subject that you want to read.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A friend or colleague could introduce you to a way to increase your income by doing what you love most, Capricorn.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Enthusiasm for spiritual and metaphysical studies could have you feeling optimistic about the future.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today you might want to host a meeting of your metaphysically inclined friends, Pisces.

can call 698-6727, 673-0823, 698-7456, 266-2869 or 622-4857 for any information needed.

The exam was conducted by Sensei Raul Joseph, Sensei Aliya Ramnarine, Shihan Lloyd’s Ramnarine, Sensei Zafar Ramnarine and Sensei Abrar Wahid.

Coach Roldan ....

From page 29 named soon but revealed that a seven-member party will travel and will comprise five Boxers along with Coaches Poole and Roldan Bantamweight Keevin Allicock and middleweight Desmond Amsterdam who beat their Trinidadian opponents in the International bouts of the recently held Patrick Forde Memorial Championships, headlines the shortlisted Boxers.Poole explained that Amsterdam and Allicock are among the most Technical pugilists at the Amateur level. Those in training are Allicock, Amsterdam, Colin Lewis light welterweight, Jamal Eastman lightweight, Markember Pierre Light heavyweight and Sean Griffith Flyweight, while Clairmont Gibson bantamweight, Astion Niles light heavyweight and Julius Kesney flyweight are part of the training squad.

Coaches: Terrence Poole Technical Director (MS), Francisco Roldan (Cuban Coach), Sebert Blake, James Walcott, Clinton Moore and Gregory Cort.The GOA will offset all of his expensive while he is here and Head of the GOA K. Juman-Yassin explained that Roldan’s length of stay here would depend on the Boxers.

The Guyanese fighters will hope to be successful in Nicaragua where the Pan American Games qualifiers will take place in early April.

The World Championships is before the 2020 Olympics which are set for July/ August in Tokyo.“If they qualify for the Olympics Coach Roldan will be here until 2020,” explained the GOA Boss.

PAGE 28

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

Beterverwagting and Carmel Secondary triumph

Mr. Jones hands over the MVP prize from Mr. Jones.

Beterverwagting Secondary and Carmel Secondary were crowned male and female champions respectively when the National Sports Commission MOTP Cheddi Jagan memorial five-over Windball tournament concluded recently at the National Gymnasium. Beterverwagting Secondary defeated Camille’s Institute by 10 wickets in the final.

Camille’s Institute batted first and managed 63-2.

Beterverwagting responded with 64 without loss. Kapil Dev Phagoo, who was named man-of-the-match, struck 40.

In the semi finals, Beterverwagting scored 63-2, taking first strike with KapilDev Phagoo scoring 28.

Vreed-en-Hoop responded with 57-2; Yogesh Dibidin claimed 2-14.

Camille’s Institute posted 100-1; John Pillay struck 68.

Carmel Secondary responded with 88-2; Jamal Da Santos made 67 as N. Morris picked up 2-13.

Carmel Secondary beat Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary by

nine wickets in the third place game. Vreed-en-Hoop took first knock and managed 63 without loss. Aryan Khan got 32. Carmel Secondary scored 68-1 in reply. MVP of the tournament Jamal Dos Santos made 38.

In other matches, Queenstown made 63-3 with Jahvan Worrell scoring 35; Akeem Smith had 2-20.

Covent Garden responded with 65-3; Alex Leal got 25.

Goed Fortuin managed 593. Ravi Ragnauth made 25; Nikosi Morris had 2-23.

Camille’s Institute replied with 62-1.

Beterverwagting Secondary posted 128 without loss.

T. Singh struck 52. Soesdyke Secondary got to 70-3, in reply. Ronaldo Walcott scored 39 as Kapil Dev Phagoo snared 2-27.

Camille’s Institute rattled up 104-0, batting first. John Pillay slammed 51 and Alex Arinda 42. Covent Garden were restricted to 72-1 in reply. Jason Juan made 32 and Alex Leal 30.

Goed Fortuin made 51-3;

Director of Sport Christopher Jones presents the trophy to the victorious Carmel Secondary.

Satish Persaud scored 31; Samuel Thomas took 2-15.

Queenstown Secondary responded with 41-4. Persaud captured 3-21.

In the female category, Carmel Secondary beat Camille’s Institute by 10 wickets in the final. Camille’s Institute managed 82 without loss, batting first. Stacy Flores made 32. Carmel Secondary replied with 85 with out loss.

Player of the match I. Amerdeo stroked 40 and Siana Abrams 25.

In the semi finals, Carmel Secondary scored 91-2, batting first. I. Amardeo slammed 74; Allecia Allen took 2-31.

Tucville Secondary mustered 59-3, in reply. Amardeo had 220.

Camille’s Institute scored 130 without loss; Stacy Flores struck 60, while Alicia Davidson made 54. Covent Garden made 51-1, in reply.

Agrippa got 32.

Tucville Secondary won the third place game against

GHB/Farfan & Mendes/ Woodpecker Products leagues

Champions to be crowned this weekend

T

he Farfan & Mendes men’s and the Woodpecker Products women’s leagues which are being organised by the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) will see its final matches being played this weekend and the respective champions being crowned at the Saints Stanislaus ground on Carifesta Avenue.

On Saturday, four matches are scheduled with

the penultimate game being between GBTI GCC and Bingo Spartans. After that match, the women’s champions, GBTI, will receive their championship trophy along with other accolades.

The feature match will be an intense affair when Bounty GCC and Pepsi Hikers meet in the Farfan & Mendes men’s league. Hikers are above GCC by two points and a win by GCC against the favourites will make Sunday’s matches

interesting.

On Sunday, Hikers play Saints Hockey Club (SHC) in the feature game, while GCC Vintage will play Supernova in the opener before Old Fort crosses sticks with Bounty GCC. This tournament will serve as a good warm up for the National men’s and women’s players who are scheduled to compete in a three-nation tournament in Canada later in the month.

Beterverwagting Secondary collects their prize from Mr. Jones.

Covent Garden. Batting first, Tucville Secondary managed 64 without loss; Kizan London made 29. Covent Garden Secondary managed 61 with out loss in response. N.

Agrippa scored 43.In an earlier fixture, Annandale Secondary made 47-1 while Camille’s Institute responded with 51-1.

The Programme was

Bingo Spartan’s Makeda Harding looks to clear a dangerous ball out of her defence.

organised by NSC MOTP Sports Officer Alistair Munroe who expressed gratitude to the parents who came out in numbers and the NSC for their sponsorship.

Thursday March 14, 2019

Berbice Cricket Board expresses disappointment at the non-selection of Subrina Munroe In a release the Berbice Cricket Board has expressed their disappointment at the non-selection of a player to the Guyana female team. The release stated, “The Berbice Cricket Board and the entire cricketing public in the Ancient County would like in the strongest possible way, like to condemn the non-selection of West Indies pacer Subrina Munroe from the Guyana Team, that was recently selected to play in the upcoming West Indies Female 20/20 and 50-Overs Tournaments.

The non-selection of Munroe in the team is nothing but a total injustice to a dedicated, discipline and hard working player, whose professional attitude can never be questioned.” “President of the Berbice Cricket Board Hilbert Foster expressed his disgust at the non-selection of Munroe. He stated that some of the players selected ahead of the West Indies pacer would struggle to make both

the Rose Hall Town Metro and Berbice Female Team if they reside in Berbice. Munroe has always performed outstandingly well for Guyana and the West Indies and to downgrade her to standby status is a total insult. The selectors of the Guyana Cricket Board need to get their house in order and select national teams based on performances, discipline and fairness, not on a quota system for each county or reward for clubs or Boards who they view as supporters of the current system.”

“Subrina Munroe along with Tremayne Smartt and Erva Giddings have served Guyana well as a trio and at her age, she still has much more to offer our county. The Berbice Cricket Board demands justice for Ms. Munroe as this is no way to treat a faithful performer. We would also like to wish the Guyana Team under the leadership of Shemaine Campbelle, great success in the tournament.

The Berbice Cricket Board is quite confident that Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabi, Erva Giddings, Tremayne Smartt, Melanie Henry, Plaffiana Millington and Lafona Gilgeous would make all of us in Berbice proud. It is however very painful for us to be denied the opportunity to witness our players in action in the ancient county despite Berbice being the major provider of outstanding female cricketers,” the release concluded.

Shemaine Campbelle of its kind after being founded in 2007 with a membership of eleven females. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club with sponsorship from Metro Office and Computer Services of Quamina Street, Georgetown has invested heavily into the team and over the years they have made us proud. We would like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of Mr. Tag Jadennauth and Avia Lindie of Metro over the last eleven years along with Level III Cricket Coach Winston Smith who has done a lot of work with the female team.

We at the Rose Hall Town

GMR&SC Drag Championship Strip Extension work almost complete Work has been ongoing on the strip day and night for its timely completion for March 24.

Subrina Munroe

RHTY&SC, MS congratulates its six female Senior Players on National Selection The Patron, President, Executives and Members of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS would like to congratulate the six female cricketers who recently gained selection to the Guyana Senior Female Team. The girls would be representing Guyana in the West Indies Female 50-Overs and 20/20 Tournaments that would be played shortly in Guyana, a release from the club informed.

It further stated that, West Indies player Shemaine Campbelle would lead the team, while the other Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club players selected are Erva Giddings, Melanie Henry, Sheneta Grimmond, Plaffiana Millington and Shabika Gajnabi. Campbelle is an inspirational leader on and off the field, leads by example and we are confident that she would inspire the Guyana team to give of their best. The veteran Giddings has over a decade of national experience and has represented the West Indies as well, while Gajnabi and Grimmond over the last year have been involved in several West Indies Training Camps.

One thing we are delighted about is that our members were selected based on merit, the release informed.

The Rose Hall Town Metro Female Team is the only

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

One of the major objectives of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) new executive was to complete the installation of a launch pad and extension of the drag strip, as the body had set out to raise the standard of local motor racing.

Last year, the launch pad was completed at a cost of approximately $13million and after raising some funds for the extension of the drag strip, work began this week, with one eye on next Sunday’s first round of the Drag Championship.

Yesterday, a release from the GMR&SC

SS Jaguars and Zeelandia march into final

Siddiq Mohamed Youth & Sports Club would like to remind our six female players that our success has been based on a simple formula of sheer hard work, discipline, dedication, a strong faith in the God we serve and we would like to urge them to continue doing so. Representing the Golden Arrowhead is a once in a lifetime privilege and we look forward to them lifting the trophies at the end of the tournaments. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would also like to extend best wishes to our fellow Berbicians Tremayne Smartt and Layota Gilgeous on their selection as well.

noted that the project neared completion.

Just mere days after the club confirmed work had begun, the project is near complete.

Head of the club, Rameez Mohamed, in the release expressed thanks to all the sponsors for their continued support.

“The end of the strip where the drag race stops has a huge drop and for the high-powered cars reaching that speed and dropping off would be dangerous,” he noted.

The March 24th event will be the first time a recorded quarter-mile run will take place at South Dakota’s drag strip.

S

ans Souci Jaguars and Zeelandia will clash in the final of the Wakenaam Cricket Committee Farmers T20 Cup competition following victories in their respective semi final games which were contested on Sunday last at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground.

Sans Souci Jaguars defeated Noitgedacht SC by eight wickets. Batting first, Noitgedacht SC were bowled out for 96 in 19.2 overs. Matthew Cheong slammed five fours and one six in a top score of 43, while Neil Ramalho made 16. Siddiq Mohamed picked up 4-15 and Zameer Zaman 22.

Nokta Moses Sans Souci Jaguars responded with 97-2 in 10.4 overs. Nokta Moses struck 31, Beesham Moses 28 and Zameer Zaman 25. Cheong had 2-10.

Zeelandia upset Sans Souci by 18 runs. Zeelandia took first strike and managed 173-5. Jashpaul Gangaram struck four fours in scoring 43, while Navishaul Pooran made 37 with five fours and one six.

Seon Venture took 2-12. Sans Souci threatened somewhat before they fell for 155 in 19 overs in response. Kamal Khan scored 47 including three fours and two sixes and Quacy Whyte 22. Ryan Atkinson grabbed 4-23 and Ajay Ghansham 3-24.

Zameer Zaman

Ajay Ghansham The final will be contested on March 24.

PAGE 30

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

Winners receive prizes for Skyy Vodka Domino The respective winners of the just concluded Skyy Vodka two-day Domino Tournament which was held to commemorate the 48th Birth Anniversary of one of the sport’s ardent enthusiast, Richard ‘Saddest’ Mittleholzer, received their prizes during a simple ceremony that was conducted on Monday, at the Dynasty Sports Bar, South Ruimveldt.

Spartans with 80 games were declared the winners followed by Players on 77 and All Seasons in the cellar with 72.

The winners collected $150,000 and the championship trophy, while second and third place finishers took home $75,000 and $40,000 respectively.

Barbara Marshall, who recorded 17 games, was voted the Most Valuable player (MVP) of the final and her performance earned her $8,000.

Also receiving prizes were Dexter Thompson and June Watts, who both won Citizen Wrist watches for being adjudged the MVPs of the preliminary rounds after registering 17 games each.

Brand Manager Edison Jefford, speaking at the occasion, said he was extremely happy with the conduct of the tournament, adding that he envisages more collaboration with the sport in the future.

Mittleholzer in his response thanked the Company for its continued commitment to the development of sport and also promised to strengthen the relationship between the two parties.

Among the other sponsors on board were Grill Kings, YK Pawn Shop, Montcherri Beauty Salon, John Lewis Fashion and Magnum and Campari.

A Skyy Vodka representative hands over the winning trophy and first prize to Spartans Captain in the presence of Brand Manager Edison Jefford (2nd left), Guyana National Domino Federation President Faye Joseph (left) and team members.

West Indies Championship - Keen interest still in final two matches ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – There is still more than just passing interest with the final two matches in the West Indies Championship, starting tomorrow here and in Trinidad.

With the Guyana Jaguars having finished their schedule of matches for the season last round and accumulated 154.2 points – they have practically claimed the Headley/ Weekes Trophy, symbol of West Indies first-class supremacy, for a fifth straight season.

The Jags are 23 points clear of Leeward Islands Hurricanes, their nearest rivals, who still have a mathematical chance of clinching the title, as they prepare to face a starstudded Barbados Pride at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

At the same time – Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and Jamaica Scorpions will be aiming to finish the season strongly when they meet at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The Hurricanes however, face the highly improbable, if not impossible task of gaining the absolute maximum 24 points against the Pride to be able to surpass the Jaguars and take home their fifth West Indies first-class title for the first time since they shared with the Jags 21 years ago.

It would take miraculously spectacular batting and bowling from the Hurricanes to gain all the points left on the table and pip the Jaguars for the title by just – one point.

And, the Hurricanes

should not be ruled out, as they have the batting and bowling to get the job done, plus they are playing their best in almost a decade, are on familiar turf and beat the Pride in their first match at the start of the season last December, so they would relish a season sweep.

There also a few personal landmarks that could be accomplished by players on both sides in this contest: • Hurricanes off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall needs six wickets for 200 in the Championship and 84 runs to complete the double of 500 runs and 50 wickets for the season.

• Pride and WINDIES opener Kraigg Brathwaite requires 117 to become the 21st batsman overall and the sixth from Barbados to score more than 4,000 career runs in the Championship.

• Pride’s Jonathan Carter needs 23 runs to join veteran Windward Islands Volcanoes left-handed opener Devon Smith in the 700-run club for the season and 80 to reach 4,000 first-class career runs.

• Veteran Hurricanes pair of Devon Thomas and Montcin Hodge require 47 and 53 respectively, to also become members of the 700-run club for the season.

• Hurricanes batsman Keacy Carty has 515 runs and needs 85 to reach 600 runs for the season.

Squads; Hurricanes (from) -– Rahkeem Cornwall (captain), Sheno Berridge, Nelson Bolan, Keacy Carty, Jahmar Hamilton, Montcin

Hodge, Damion Jacobs, Alzarri Joseph, Kian Pemberton, Jaison Peters, Akeem Saunders, Devon Thomas, Terance Warde.

Pride (from) – Shamarh Brooks (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Keon Harding, Chaim Holder, Chemar Holder, Marquino Mindley, Shayne Moseley, Shamar Springer and Tevyn Walcott.

Umpires – Nigel Duguid (Guyana), Verdayne Smith (Jamaica) Match Referee – Vanroy Burnes Reserve Umpire – Bernard Joseph Red Force (from) – Denesh Ramdin (captain), Yannic Cariah, Bryan Charles, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kyle Hope, Imran Khan, Jason Mohammed, Khary Pierre, Jeremy Solozano, Odean Smith, Anderson Phillip, Marlon Richards, Lendl Simmons and Daniel St. Clair.

Scorpions (from) – Paul Palmer (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Dennis Bulli, John Campbell, Akim Fraser, Assad Fudadin, Garth Garvey, Nicholson Gordon, Derval Green, Brandon King, Kennar Lewis and Jermaine Levy.

Umpires – Zahid Bassarath, Gregory Brathwaite (Barbados) Match Referee – Michael Ragoonath Reserve Umpire – Kashif Sandy

B/ce Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition

Trafalgar strong favourite to retain title-NA Kings enjoy similar billing

Part of the action in this year’s Berbice Zone of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ competition.

After two days of entertaining football, the business end of this year’s Berbice Zone of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition will bring the curtains down this Saturday, at the New Amsterdam Ferry Stelling.

Defending champions Trafalgar will face Lichfield in the first semi-final, while New Amsterdam Kings tackle East Bank Gunners in the other last four encounter.

The champs have so far displayed ominous form throughout the competition and are expected to survive what is billed as a stern test

for them.

Players the caliber of Kevin Layne, Olvis Mitchell and Delwyn Fraser will lead the charge for a place in the final for Trafalgar, while Lichfield’s chance of a final appearance will rest on the performances of Allan Garnett, Shelton George and Carlos Grant.

In the feature clash, NA Kings will most likely start as favourites to advance, especially with the likes of Quinn Hazel and Jamal Butts.

On the other hand, East Bank Gunners pursuit of a place in the championship

game will depend on how well Sherwin Nicholson and Joseph Giddings perform.

The winning team will receive $300,000 and the championship trophy, while second, third and fourth place finishers will take home $150,000, $100,000 and $75,000 respectively.

It is expected that a number of Banks DIH officials along with media representatives will be on hand to witness the finals of this year’s tournament.

The other sponsor on board is Colours Boutique of Robb Street.

Thursday March 14, 2019

East Coast and Georgetown record victories

Chanderpaul Ramraj Round two in the Demerara Cricket Board Under-17 Inter Association Competition concluded yesterday with two matches.

At Lusignan, East Coast Demerara demolished West Demerara by 166 runs. Batting first, East Coast Demerara posted a mammoth 236 for 6 from their allotted 50 overs.

Middle order batsman Chanderpaul Ramraj stroked a solid 59, Chetram Balgobin an

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

Pan Am Qualifier’s hopeful in training

Coach Roldan expresses satisfaction with progress so far

Rudranauth Kissoon

entertaining 47, Rudrunauth Kissoon 30 and Edmond Pearson 29. Bowling for West Demerara, Aamir Jabriel and Daniel Roberts grabbed 2 for 18 and 47 respectively.

West Demerara in reply folded for 71 off 31 overs.

Avesh Persaud made 14 as Rudrunauth Kissoon claimed 3 for 5 runs off five overs, while Trevon Charles, Shafeek khan and Jagdesh Dowlatram had two each.

BCB pays tribute to its former President Roy Baijnauth The President, Executives and Members of the Berbice Cricket Board would like to extend our profound and deepest sympathy to the family and friends of our former President, Roy Baijnauth who died recently after a brief illness. Known throughout the Ancient County as Uncle Roy, Mr. Baijnauth served as President of the Berbice Cricket Board for four years and well over a decade as Head of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association.

Mr. Baijnauth despite being a highly successful businessman was well known for being a humble, approachable and simple individual. Berbice Cricket was able to maintain its high standards in the 1990’s and early 2000’s due to the unselfish and outstanding contribution of Roy Baijnauth and several others. Under his leadership, the Upper Corentyne First Division Team with Bhim George at the helm was able to be crowned National Champion. Mr. Baijnauth, love of the gentleman’s game also extended to sponsorship of tournaments, support of clubs and promising youth players while numerous cricket grounds received materials from his Sawmill business.

‘Uncle Roy’ was highly respected for his calm advice and was never known to lose his temper under pressure. The Berbice Cricket Board recognised his outstanding contributions to cricket and presented to him, two of its highest awards “Tribute to Heroes” and “Life Membership”. We intend to honour his memory in a special way after holding consultation with his close relatives. We would be renaming one of the BCB Awards Ceremony Prize in his memory.

The Berbice Cricket Board would also like to extend sympathy to our Vice President Albert Smith on the sudden death if his beloved wife, Somanie. It is our hope that God would bless and guide him during this difficult period.

Over at Wales, Georgetown made work light of East Bank Demerara, winning by six 10 wickets. Batting first, East Bank were bowled out for 31. Daniel Mootoo grabbed three wickets, while Niran Bissu and Yohance Angoy had two each.

In reply, Georgetown’s opening batsmen Brandon Jaikaran and Mitra Dhanraj cruised to 31 without losing a wicket to give their team a commanding victory. The competition concludes tomorrow at Lusignan where East Coast Demerara will face off with East Bank Demerara and West Demerara will Battle Georgetown at Wales. All matches start at 9:00 hours.

The boxers going through their drills at the Six Head Gym yesterday.

By Sean Devers Training for the Pan Am Boxing Qualifiers from April 211 commenced on Monday March 25 at the ‘Six-Head’ Gym in Albouystown and the 51-year-old Cuban Boxing Coach, Francisco Hernandez Roldan, said he was satisfied with the progress so far when Kaieteur Sport visited the Gym yesterday.

The Spanish Coach, who was sent home three months after the APNU Government was elected in 2015 after working here for three years and three months, disclosed in very good English, that the

focus at this period was on Conditioning and Tactical and technical preparation which he feels is very important.

Roldan is responsible for overseeing Boxers who are vying for selection to represent Guyana at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships, South American Youth Games, Pan Am Qualifiers and the Goodwill tournament and yesterday he was seen putting the pugilists through their paces.

National Head Coach Terrence Poole said that the technical aspect is the focus since that is an area that needs

the most work.

“The standard of the Pan Am qualifiers in Nicaragua is very high, since this is the only qualifying tournament before the Pan Am Championships and most of the top teams will be participating,” Poole informed.

Competition is expected to be very tough but Poole is confident Guyanese fighters will give a good account of themselves and qualify for the Pan Am Games which is scheduled for Peru in July.

Poole informed that the squad to Nicaragua will be (Continued on page 25)

PAGE 32

Thursday March 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

UK Company 1E continues support for local cricketers - former national middle distance star influential Former national middle distance star Waveney Benn once again used her influence to garner support for young cricketers of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC).

Benn, who has made it a habit to journey annually to the land of her birth, has also utilized the opportunity to solicit support from UK-based Software firm IE to assist in the further development of young aspiring athletes and this time the DCC was the recipient of a quantity of cricket boots through the goodwill of Benn’s place of employment.

The now retired Benn, who dominated the local scene in the late seventies and early eighties, before migrating to the UK, is no stranger to offering support for young athletes and while her association with cricket is relatively new, her desire to see young athletes progress goes way beyond her first love athletics.

Speaking via telephone yesterday, Benn said it was really her situation when she was a young budding athlete that has made her determined to assist whenever she could.

“I came from a situation where I grew up in a home that could not afford a pair of running shoes for me, but was always determined to succeed, but not because that was my circumstance I am going to ignore the plight of others, instead whenever I

could, support would be coming,” Benn assured.

She said during her visit she would normally make it her duty to go around and watch athletes from several disciplines during training sessions and competitions and what she saw was a lot of talent, but a lack of proper gears to enhance the athletes’ preparation and performance which very often contributes to the athlete’s frustration and in many instances the talent goes to waste.

Hence she vowed to return to the UK and use all her connections to give back and so far it has been constant and successful and she thanked all those including her fellow employees and employer for their unwavering support to the cause.

Careful to state that she has not abandoned her sport of choice, the urge to offer assistance to the DCC was prompted by a conversation she had with several senior club executives.

This is not the first time that the UK Software firm 1E has supported Benn in her endeavour and according to her; CEO Sumir Karayi has agreed to lend assistance in the future.

Benn was quick to acknowledge the support given by fellow staffers, who according to her did not hesitate to get on board.

“I have an excellent relationship with my Company

Former national middle distance star Waveney Benn (centre) receives a part of the donation from IE employee Diksha Drewal in the presence of fellow employees recently. and Staffers and I would like to extend my gratitude to all of them, we are a family.”

However, she insisted that the ones she really loves to help are those who portray the right attitude and commitment because they remind her of her own approach and dedication to sport.

She thanked the Software firm for its timely support and wished that the relationship grow from strength to strength in the future.

Meanwhile, club representative Roger Harper thanked the track & field star for her continued support to the organisation, adding that the donation will be used to benefit the young cricketers.

BCB/NBS Second Division 40-Overs Cricket Tournament

Rose Hall Town Bakewell and D’Edward CC to clash for championship honours on Sunday The historic Albion Community Centre on Sunday would come alive when it hosts the Final of the 2018 Berbice Cricket Board/New Building Society Ltd 40-Overs Second Division Tournament.

Berbice powerhouse Rose Hall Town Bakewell would clash with D’Edward Cricket Club of West Bank Berbice for the prestigious title and bragging rights as the best Second Division team in the Ancient County.The Final, which

Courts Furniture Store, FACC cycle road race now set for this Sunday March 17th It has now been confirmed that the annual cycle road race sponsored by the Courts Furniture Store in Berbice and organised by the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) will be held on Sunday March 17th.

The event was previously scheduled for March 3rd and held in observation of the Mashramani celebrations and has seen a few changes made to the previous arrangements.

The 50 miles event is expected to ride off from in front of the Courts Furniture Store at Main and St Ann’s Street New Amsterdam, Berbice, at 13:00 hrs. The riders will proceed to Nand Persaud Business Complex at No36, Village, Corentyne before returning to finish at its place of origin.

Prizes will be awarded to the first six finishers in the open category, the top three veterans the top three juveniles.

Courts Berbice Branch Manager Stanley McKenzie (left) hands over the sponsorship cheque to FACC club captain and cyclist Balram Narine as Coach Randolph shares the moment.

There will also be prizes for the first two cyclists from the FACC to finish the race. There are eight prime point prizes up for grabs.

The event will be the 20 annual race sponsored by the Furniture giants. Manager of Courts Berbice Branch, Stanley McKenzie is expected

to start the race, whilst he and other officials are expected to be on hand to assist with the distribution of the prizes.

(Samuel Whyte)

would bowl off at 11.00 hours on Sunday, is expected to be a close encounter with Rose Hall Town Bakewell being slight favourite on the Albion track which usually fovour spin bowling. It would be a match between youth and experience with Rose Hall Town Bakewell being an almost Under-21 team, while D’Edward Cricket Club has a matured experienced team. Rose Hall Town Bakewell Team have five Berbice Second Division Titles, while D’Edward have two.

Guyana’s Under-19 player and Guyana Cricket Board Academy member Kevin Sinclair would lead the Rose Hall Town Bakewell team. He would receive support in the batting department by National Under-19 opening batsman Junior Sinclair, West Indies Under-19 Selectee Kevlon Anderson, Surendra Kissoonlall, Guyana Under-15 batsmen Jonathan Rampersaud and Mahendra Gopilall The talented Chanderpaul Govindan, all rounder Keith Simpson and Sylus Tyndall are all capable of scoring runs in the strong batting line up.

Their bowling would be spearheaded by the fiery Tyndall, the former Guyana Under-19 fast bowler. He would be supported by medium pacer Kevlon Anderson, left arm spinner Keith Simpson and off spinners Junior Sinclair, Kevin Sinclair, Jonathan Rampersaud. West Indies female players Shemaine Campbelle and Erva Giddings

will miss the Final due to national duties.

D’Edward Cricket Club on paper have a strong batting line up with players like Keith Fraser, Jaipaul Heeralall, Lakeraj Sookra, Heeralall Bridgelall, Altaf Khan and Devendra Lalsa.

D’Edward Cricket Club are well known for power hitting and recently chased down 160 against Young Warriors Cricket Club in the Semifinal where they lost just one wicket in just nineteen overs on their small home ground.

The massive Albion Ground would test the strength of their powerplay.

Their bowling would center around medium pacers Keith Fraser and Devendra Lalsa with support from Hemraj Harilall, Navin Rampersaud, Romesh Boodram and Heeralall Bridgelall.

BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the tournament as a resounding success as it would be the first time that the tournament, which attracts over 85 to 90 teams, would be completed within a one year span after it would have been launched. Representative of the New Building Society Ltd including Deputy CEO Anil Beharry and Berbice Regional Manager Rana Persaud are expected to be present to hand over prizes and trophies after the Final.

The winning team would take home $100,000 and championship trophy, while the runner-up would get $50,000 and a trophy.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 14, 2019

PAGE 33

Trophy Stall supports KMTC Alisha Fortune to compete in Phagwah meet World Masters C/ship in Poland The Trophy Stall with several locations, including Bourda Market, has partnered with the organising committee of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) for the staging of their upcoming Phagwah meet fixed for Sunday at their Turf Club at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne racetrack.

Proprietor Ramesh Sunich continues to lead in his support for local sporting events with horseracing no s t r a n g e r. S u n i c h h a s supported many events staged by the KMTC and this week committed to assisting them for Sunday’s event.

Rupert Campbell representing the Trophy Stall presented trophies for the champion jockey to Justice Cecil Kennard of the KMTC as part of their contribution.

There was made one change made to the programme with the G1 race now for horses classified F3 and Lower and carries a first prize of $340,000, second place will receive $170,000, third place $85,000 and fourth place $42,000.

Other races listed are LNon Earner which fetches a top purse of $130,000, three year-old Guyana Bred for a winning prize of $250,000, J and K in which the champion will pocket $200,000, L-Non winner W/A for a top prize of

R

Rupert Campbell (right) of Trophy Stall presents the champion jockey trophy to Justice Cecil Kennard. $150,000 and L Open which will see the winner taking home $180,000. The races are being run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority.

Contact can be made with Ivan Dipnarine on 331-0316, Justice Cecil Kennard on 623-7609 or 225-4818, Fazil Habibulla on 657-7010, Dennis DeRoop on640-6396 and Compton Sancho 6911174 for information on the event.Among the other sponsors assisting the staging of the event are: Ansa M c A l Tr a d i n g L t d . , Demerara Distillers Ltd., Muneshwar’s Ltd., Republic Bank, Hand-in-Hand Insurance, Dalip Trading, Horse Shoe Racing Service, Nand Persaud and Co.,

Guyana vs Belize 10 Days to go

Mike’s Pharmacy, Patsan Trading Enterprise, JP G h a m a n d i , M a t t a i ’s Supermarket, Kanhai’s Guyana Electrical Agency, Silvie’s General Store, Rice Miller-Kissoon Dyal, Rohan Oditt of M and B Contracting Company, D. Gobin Agri Spares of Essequibo, Goodwood Racing Service, Mohamed’s Enterprise and L. Seepersaud Maraj and Sons.

eigning Outdoor World Masters 2 0 0 m Champion, Alisha Fortune, is set to make her return to the indoor version of the competition which will be hosted in the city of Torun, Poland from March 24th – 30th.

At the outdoor championship which was held in Malaga, Spain, last year, Fortune had amassed three medals including Silver in the 100m and 400m events to go along with her gold Medal.Now, days before the dedicated athlete/bodybuilder is due to depart for the United States (U.S.) where she will get her Polish travel visa, she is faced with the huge deficit in her budget that is earmarked at $875,000. So far, she has raised $310,000 and during a recent interview with Kaieteur Sport, Fortune expressed gratitude to her financial backers. Those persons/entities include, Beterverwagting

Alisha Fortune

Neighbourhood Democratic C o u n c i l , D r. J u l i a n Amsterdam, Star Party Rentals, Modern Optical, KP Thomas and Sons, Challus McKinnon of HIEB and the Guyana Committee of Service.Fortune revealed that she is anticipating a contribution from the National Sports Commission (NSC) but she is not aware what the sum will be.

When quizzed about her readiness to compete and

attempt to fly the Golden Arrowhead high once again, the multitalented athlete noted that physically she is in tip top shape but the hassle of raising funds can be stressful at times but she is confident going forward.

Any person or organisation desirous of supporting Alisha Fortune as she attempts to make the nation proud once more can contact the Guyana Committee of Service or call telephone number 642-0615

rt o p S GMR&SC Drag Championship P. 29

Strip Extension work almost complete

An overhead view of the South Dakota Drag Strip. (Michael Charles Photo).

Pan Am Qualifier’s hopeful in training P. 31

Cuban Boxing Coach Francisco Roldan makes a point to the boxers yesterday.

Coach Roldan expresses satisfaction with progress so far

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