Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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Saturday March 18, 2017

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL LONGING TO RETURN, BUT… Many Guyanese abroad have in recent times expressed serious intentions of returning home. Their reasons for wanting to do so vary - the majority of them admit to struggling to make ends meet in their adoptive environs. However, they have not been able to make any such move due to a lack of employment opportunities here. This is unfortunate, because Guyana needs all the skills that it can get. Qualified engineers, architects, doctors, nurses, teachers, management personnel and tradesmen and women are among those longing to return to help develop the country. However, they are worried about the crime rate and substandard healthcare. While this is happening, it is very painful to see so many young graduates from the University of Guyana leave our shores for the Caribbean, North America and Europe. It is even more difficult to believe that most of our young graduates see no future here. But it could be much different if they are gainfully employed. It is not so difficult for the authorities to create such opportunities. Allowing our young graduates to leave the country at this juncture of its development could have serious consequences for economic, social and human advancement. We have fertile land, a near perfect climate, enough food to feed ourselves and the people of the Caribbean, numerous rivers, lakes and waterways for the development of hydro-power, and the personnel to execute the tasks necessary to develop the country. Our mountains, caves, trails, tropical forests, wild animals and different species of birds can transform Guyana into world class tourist destination. Not to mention that Guyana has an abundance of natural resources and minerals and the recent discovery of large quantities of first grade crude oil in Essequibo by the US oil company, ExxonMobil could make it a very prosperous country. However, we must transform the water and electrical distribution systems so that there can be a reliable uninterrupted source of water and electricity to supply all the people across the country. But the most important component that is missing is the political will to curb crime, jump start the economy and create jobs. It must be done if we as a people are serious about developing the country and providing a better life for all as promised during the election campaign. The authorities must offer attractive remuneration and opportunities to the best and brightest at home and in the diaspora to return to help rebuild the bridges, construct a new network of eco-friendly access roads to the various regions of the country, restore the deteriorating infrastructure and improve the health care, education and social service systems. This is urgently needed to develop the country, reduce poverty and meet the socio-economic needs of the people and move Guyana into the 21st century. We reiterate that it is up to the government and the private sector to provide the opportunities so that our young graduates could remain at home, and to encourage Guyanese nationals in the Diaspora who are longing to return to their beloved country. As a nation, we should no longer sit idle by and allow the rest of the world to utilize the talents and skills of our best and brightest. We can and must afford them the opportunity to work and to build their dreams at home. Our leaders simply have to develop the political will to start the process if they are truly serious about keeping our valued citizens at home, develop Guyana and improve the well-being of all. Indeed, many in the Diaspora are longing to return home. We should not allow this opportunity to slip away.

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

When did the Minister discover there was a drug shortage? D e a r E d i t o r, T r a n s p a r e n c y and accountability in the public procurement process was perhaps the most fundamental issue on the political platform of the AFC/APNU when they were in the opposition. Arguably, no other area of procurement was subject to greater scrutiny than the public health system. It is no secret that the pandemonium was generated because New GPC was a major player in the arena. The friendship between Former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Managing Director of New GPC provided the impetus. Yet, with the barrage of allegations made of irregularities regarding awards of contract to New GPC over the years, not a scintilla of credible evidence was every presented to support the avalanche of allegations. S i g n i f i c a n t l y, one can hardly recall even a protest being lodged against any of the awards, a facility available under the Procurement Act. N e i t h e r w e r e any of these awards ever challenged in the Courts on the ground that they were infected with bias, capriciously done, or done in a manner contrary to and in contravention of the Procurement Act, or any other law. I n d e e d , I r e call as Attorney General, I defended a Constitutional challenge filed against the State by one of New GPC’s competitors. I t s g r a v a m e n was that, the M i n i s t r y o f H e a l t h ’s p u b l i c procurement process and that of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) were designed and skewed to create an unfair advantage in favour of New GPC and this, was discriminatory against the Applicant. T h e A p p l i c a n t was represented by the leading Senior Counsel in the country. I appeared in person.

I u s e d t h e o pportunity to present to the Court all the requisite procedures, manuals and guidelines, including those from Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health O rg a n i z a t i o n ( W H O ) a n d t h e Procurement Act - all of which formed the amalgam of the ministry’s procurement methodology. The evidence was thoroughly examined by a very experienced Court, which in the end, dismissed the case, on the ground that the Applicant, abysmally, failed to prove its allegations. T h e c a s e w a s never appealed. There is a written Judgment on the matter. In most civilized societies, such a pronouncement from a High Court would have put such a matter to rest. However, in Guyana, the self-same allegations continue to abound, unabated. F a s t - f o r w a r d to the APNU+AFC in Government. I w i l l a r g u e , and if necessary provide the evidence to demonstrate, that there have been more contracts awarded ultra vires and in violation of the Procurement Act (2003), between May 2015 to March 2017, (22 months) than from 2003 to May 2015 (over 12 years). T h e m o s t e g regious would include, the decision to contract Fedders Lloyd, which was handpicked for the Specialty Hospital, the hundreds of millions awarded for the clean-up of Georgetown, the billions spent on Durban Park, the Parking Meter contract, the Wind Farm project, the four hundred million fertilizer deal, the several deep-water wells given out by Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), the hundreds of contracts being gifted in the Regions in due disregard of the regional tendering system, the rental of the Drug Bond at Sussex Street for fourteen million dollars per month and the over

three billion GPL meter contract – all of which were executed without any public tendering system and in violation of the Procurement Act. These examples are not exhaustive, but I believe I have made the point. C u r r e n t l y, t he nation is faced with yet another gigantic scandal for the procurement of some one billion and five hundred million dollars ($1.5b) worth of drugs by the Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence. I t i s u n c o n troverted that this humongous procurement was done ultra vires and in contravention of the Procurement Act and is therefore illegal and unlawful. Indeed, NPTAB was informed after the fact. A week after the matter was made public; the Minister offered her explanations in a Statement. The Statement raised more questions than it provided answers. To b e g i n w i t h, on what basis did the Minister form the sudden opinion that there was an emergency shortage of drugs, when for months she, her predecessor and the Government in and out of the National Assembly, vehemently denied that there was any such shortage. A s r e c e n t a s a month ago, the issue was raised in the National Assembly and Minister Lawrence stoutly denied any shortages. She accused the opposition of misinformation. A d d i t i o n a l l y , the Former Chairman of Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Max Hanoman, resigned and one of the reasons he gave for his resignation was that, Minister George Norton was refusing to even acknowledge that there was massive shortage of drugs in the public health system. T h e M i n i s t e r must proffer a reason for her sudden volte-face. Anil Nandlall

Two more judges for Appeal Court expected D e a r E d i t o r, N o w t h a t a c t ing Chancellor Carl Singh has gone into retirement and Roxanne George Wiltshire has been appointed Chief Justice (acting), it is expected that steps will be taken to appoint two judges to the Court of Appeal - a delay which has been preventing the hearing of dozens of appeal. There is also need to appoint a few more High Court judges in order to dispose of the huge number of back log cases. The Court of Appeal has been in limbo for some time now because of the vacancies, and legal sources feel that the government was not too anxious to make the appointments until it is

satisfied that it has judges who would be sympathetic t o t h e G r a n g e r administration. On November 25 last year, there were press reports in which Minister of State Joseph Harmon stated that the President will move with reasonable speed on the appointment of judges recommended by the Judicial Services Commission, and Attorney General Basil Williams stated that the President has a discretion in the appointment of judges, but that contention was refuted by former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran, a senior counsel as well as former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. Nandlall repeatedly accused Williams who was recently

elevated to the inner bar, of lackluster performance and lack of knowledge. On the other hand, the current Attorney General is critical of his predecessor for failing to keep him abreast of activities of the Ministry of Justice b e f o r e t h e n e w administration took office. It is anticipated that the Courts will be busy in the next months and years in light of the large number of pending cases now on the docket in nearly all the courts and the extensive investigations now going on for corruption by senior members of the previous administration. However, according to the opposition leader, Jagdeo, the government is targeting opposition politicians

instead of going after drug lords and money launderers. T h e S t a t e A s sets Recovery Programme (SARP) and Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) were established to track down persons who defraud the government and sources say that there are dozens of persons and business houses are involved in dishonest schemes. The Judicial Services Commission comprises the Chancellor (acting), Yonette Cummings Edwards, Chief Justice (acting), Roxanne GeorgeWiltshire, retired Justices Prem Persaud and Lennox Perry. Carvil Duncan has been removed from such. Oscar Ramjeet

Saturday March 18, 2017

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A restrictive interpretation of the concepts of sovereignty and democracy DEAR EDITOR, Careful analysis of the decision of the Honourable Ian Chang, Chief Justice (Acting), does appear to confirm that our learned Chief Justice (Acting) reached his determination in Cedric Richardson v Attorney General of Guyana & Raphael Trotman by a finding that Act No. 17 of 2001 was not exempted from the requirement of a referendum to establish validity by the proviso in Article 164 of our Constitution. Consistently with this determination, the Honourable Ian Chang submitted as follows: “Since the alterations effected by Act No. 17 of 2001 to Article 90 also dilute and diminish democratic sovereignty (whatever that may mean) under Articles 1 & 9, the holding of a referendum was required to achieve legal validity and efficacy. None was held.” In the opinion of the Honourable Chancellor (Acting) who unreservedly concurred in the finding of the Honourable Chief Justice (Acting): “The legislatures under the Caribbean consti-

tutions although extremely important, cannot, as Parliament can in the United Kingdom, claim superiority over the other two branches of government. Caribbean Parliaments are not at liberty to legislate whatever or however they see fit without having regard to the limits enshrined in the constitution which ultimately have to be construed and guarded by the judiciary.” In effect, given the role of the judiciary as guardian of the constitution, this intractable issue appears to resolve itself into the aspirational concept of judicial supremacy notwithstanding the express provisions in the Constitution designating this instrument as the supreme law. As concerned the construction to be applied to “democratic” in Article 1 of our Constitution the Honourable Chief Justice (Acting) determined it to mean the disaggregated discrete rights of the electorate including the right to elect the President and which in his submission could not be diminished nor diluted without

a referendum. In concurring in this opinion the Honourable Chancellor (Acting) determined that “[t]he constitutional elements of sovereignty and democracy are not issues the Court can likely ignore. These are matters that touch the constitutional entitlements of our people. The Court must be prepared, and indeed it is the duty of the Court to ensure that the constitutional entitlements of the people are not eroded. A restrictive interpretation of the concepts of sovereignty and democracy, limiting them as being attributes of the state, without reference to the people goes against the grain of the approach to constitutional interpretation advocated by jurists in the region and to which I referred earlier in my judgment.” Contrast in this context the approach to statutory interpretation divined by Francis Bennion, a leading exponent of constitutional interpretation in the international legal fraternity: “A statutory term is recognised by its associated words. The Latin maxim noscitur a sociis states this contextual principle,

whereby a word or phrase is not to be construed as if it stood alone but in the light of its surroundings. While of general application and validity, the maxim has given rise to particular precepts such as the ejusdem generis principle and the rank principle.” Undoubtedly, the constitution is a statute of inordinately peculiar significance and as determined in the celebrated case of Collymore v Attorney General: “No one, not even Parliament can disobey the constitution with impunity. The constitution is therefore the ultimate source of power and authority.” (R. M. Belle Antoine, Commonwealth Caribbean Law & Legal Systems, at p. 98) And in the authoritative submission of the internationally recognised Durga Basu, where the constitution has definitively, decisively and conclusively determined an issue, curial intervention is not to be entertained. In my respectful submission the construction applied by the Honourable Chancellor to the term “democratic” in Article 1 is materially dysfunctional and

No VAT on Medical Services and Prescription Drugs DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has noted with concern a “Peeping Tom” article published in the Wednesday, February 1, 2017 Edition of the Kaieteur News titled ‘VAT! VAT! VAT!” in which the writer erroneously wrote that, “VAT is now chargeable on medical services.” The GRA has subsequently published the revised Zero Rated Supplies (Schedule 1) and Exempt Supplies (Schedule 11) during the month of February, 2017. Yet articles citing VAT on medical services were published on March 8, 2017 and March 9, 2017 titled “VAT on childbirth” and “VAT on SBAs” respectively. It is very important for the general public to be aware that there is no VAT on medical, dental, hospital, optical or paramedical services in accordance with Paragraph 8 of Schedule II of the ValueAdded Tax Act, Chapter 81:05 which states the following: “… Exempted for the purposes of section 18 are a sup-

ply of medical, dental, hospital, optical or paramedical services, other than veterinary services…” These services are exempted and as such, persons should not be charged VAT. In addition, Schedule 1 to the VAT Act, paragraph 6 states: MEDICAL SUPPLIES The following medical supplies are zero-rated for the purposes of section 17 (a) A supply of medicines and drugs of a kind available only by prescription; (b) Any of the following medicines for human use (i) Analgesics in the form of liquids, tablets, capsules, or other solid dosage forms for oral or rectal use; (ii) Cough and cold preparations in the form of liquids, tablets, capsules or

other solid dosage forms for oral and nasal use; (iii) Antacids and antiflatulants in the form of liquids, tablets, capsules and other solid dosage forms for oral use; (iv) Laxatives in the form of liquids, tablets, capsules or other solid dosage forms for oral or rectal use; (v) Anthelmintics in the form of liquids, tablets or capsules for oral use; (vi) Oral rehydration preparations in the form of salts or solution of W.H.O./ Pharmacopoeia standards. (c) Diabetic (i) Glucometers (glucose blood test machines) and

glucose blood strips made for use with such machines; (ii) Insulin syringes with needles and devices for the administration of insulin. (d) Spectacles prescribed by an optometrist in the treatment of the human eye and visual system; (e) Crutches. GRA is reminding the media that its Tax Advisory Services Section may be accessed via telephone numbers 227-6060/227-8222 extensions 1201-1204 for clarification on any tax matter of public interest. Guyana Revenue Authority Public Relations Unit

egregiously flawed if only by reason of the generally accepted rule of statutory interpretation enunciated by Francis Bennion above and encapsulated in the maxim noscitur a sociis. This maxim has given rise to particular precepts such as the ejusdem generis principle and the rank principle. In this context, let me hasten to acknowledge with appreciation that by reason of Article 5 of the Interpretation and General Clauses Act of Guyana the ejusdem generis principle has been abolished in Guyana and which was drawn to the national attention by the erstwhile Attorney General. However, what is important to bear in mind for present purposes is that the abolition of this derivative principle leaves essentially unimpaired the original principle of statutory interpretation from which it is derived. In the ultimate analysis, therefore, it follows as a matter of ineluctable inference that the term “democratic” must be construed in the same manner like the surrounding terms “indivisible”, “secular” and “sovereign” all of which speak undeniably to a unified political entity in diametrical opposition to the Honourable Chancellor’s (Acting) concept of “constitutional entitlements of the people” which are not to be eroded and must be construed to comprehend, among other things, the right of electors to elect a President. But, needless to say, this interpretation of “democratic” must be seen to accommodate a construction that patently goes against the generally accepted construction in the international legal fraternity and enunciated by Francis Bennion. And in the premises, the interpretation of choice is between that of the

honourable Carl Singh, the honourable Chief Justice Chang (Acting) and the leading authoritative jurist Francis Bennion. To conclude, Act No. 17 of 2001 does not offend or infect either Article 1 or Article 9 of our Constitution and is in full compliance with the provisions of the proviso of Article 164 of this instrument. Consequently, its validity or constitutionality does not depend on the favourable outcome of a referendum as posited by the aforementioned learned judges of the Guyana Supreme Court. Before terminating discussion on this issue it may be useful to remind the reader that in his judgment the honourable Chief Justice (Acting) relied heavily on the relevant dicta of Chief Justice Conteh of Belize in the aborted Bowen v Attorney General and the judgment of the learned Chief Justice Sitri in Kessavada Bharati v Attorney General of India. However, Chief Justice Conteh in his relevant determination had identified the separation of powers doctrine and the rule of law principle as constituting the normative requirements of the constitution both of which appear to be in compliance with Chief Justice Sitri’s “basic structure” doctrine of the constitution. Indeed, semantically, it is virtually impossible to construe the surrounding terms of “indivisible”, “secular” and “sovereign” employed in Article 1 of the Constitution as speaking to the disaggregated discrete rights of the electorate in a democratic society. Professor Justice Duke Pollard, BA (Hons) LLB (Hons) LLM.LLM LEC.JCCJ (rtd.), Department of Law, University of Guyana.

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The PPP under new leadership could be a force to be reckoned with DEAR EDITOR, I, as most Guyanese am deeply concerned at what appears to be the laid-back attitude of the APNU/AFC coalition government, as our economic woes deepens and head towards crisis level. This government took office promising to do much better than its predecessors but has done no better and many believe it has in fact done worse in just the two short years it has been in office. It is understandable if not accepted that the rhetoric of most political campaigns go beyond reality in their promises but even with that taken into consideration this coalition has taken that expectation to a whole new level. Sugar, a backbone to our economy is crumbling without a plan in place to take care of the human and economic fallout; rice another important industry is in further trouble as giant miller and marketer, Alesie has taken a decision to walk away, Forestry is underperforming and is burdened by poor investment policies, Gold another key industry is taking the strain in more ways than one and the people are taking more blows than they ever did before, while government spending is hampered. Does our government really care; are they paying attention to the cries of the people, or are they stuck in a cocoon playing and fiddling while they wait for expected oil revenues to roll in and provide the campaign promise of a good life for all? It is hard to believe that supporters of this coalition would want to give it another term after getting a taste of its current poor performance.

The PPP under Jagdeo would be hard pressed to benefit from the fallout support of the coalition but if reconstituted with a more progressive leader it could be a force to be reckoned with. I am so disappointed, as are many who supported the coalition, at its current dismal performance and outlook for the future. Amidst all this we have a Parking Meter controversy which is locked into a deadly contract which no one seems to have an answer to. Are we, as a nation, supposed to endure all these hardships and band our bellies while we wait until the next general elections or is this Government going to step back and take corrective measures and figure a way back. The Finance Minister does not seem to think that there is a problem and is telling us to hold strain while his economic garden starts to flourish. The trouble with that is we do not even know what he has planted and how long it will take to bear fruit. One would think that we would by now have a Nation Development Plan which takes into consideration the key areas of national development, such as National Security, Agriculture, Business and Industrial investment and development, Education, Culture and Sport. Such a master-plan would have the inputs of all political parties, and civil society and would be used to guide our development instead of reinventing the wheel with every new government which takes office. I fear that that may be too simplistic an idea for our complex and complicated political culture to wrap their heads around. Until then, we wait, stressed out, for better to come. Bernard Ramsay

Saturday March 18, 2017

Pradoville improprieties and false fiduciaries DEAR EDITOR, I refer to my letter in KN Friday, March 17 on the issue of the price of land in Pradoville 2. I now add my arguments. Subsidy has a universal connotation it is for those who are in financial or economic need; in a position of not being, otherwise, to afford. They all could have afforded a market value whether by loan finance, or equity finance. So, this nonsense about “receiving subsidy” only makes the case of abuse of authority stronger; not weaker. It is precisely for reasons like what has obtained in these Pradoville improprieties that such unjustly enriched has been referred to by Judges of great eminence, as “false fiduciaries”. Governments have been able to trace and recover the people’s assets that have been unconscionably acquired. The recent Sri Lankan experience is an instructive one. It is not SOCU’s role as an investigation unit (in the Guyana Police Force) to decide questions of guilt or innocence (that is for a Magistrate, or, Jury in the High Court); or, if there is a real prospect of conviction if charges are instituted (that is the DPP’s role) SOCU is concerned only with the question: is there reasonable grounds to suspect that a crime has been committed. If there is, SOCU attracts no opprobrium if it investigates as to the existence of available evidence in proof of such crime. In this Pradoville 2 matter even the mute would be-

lieve that such reasonable grounds to suspect exists. And it must not be lost sight of that such evidence as unearthed is relevant and usable for the purpose of civil recovery, or proceedings for damages by the Attorney General. Presidential immunity (article 182) and presidential removability (article 94 – “President may be removed for violations of the Constitution or gross misconduct”) are separate and mutually exclusive aspects of our constitutional jurisprudence; immunity is one thing, removability is quite another. So, where evidence of violations or gross misconduct (e.g unjust enrichment) would not be relevant or admissible in judicial process (civil or criminal) since immunity makes the President not answerable, or, unaccountable for his violations or gross misconduct in the courts of law; he is never the less accountable or answerable in extra judicial process – the legislative (people’s) court; the court of the National Assembly, be it at the level of the elected representatives in the National Assembly; or the electors themselves at Stabroek Market, or Babu John, Port Mourant. You cannot be removable (at any rate in constitutional theory) for “gross misconduct” and yet be eligible, to right minded and right thinking peoples, for reelection, in spite of, or regardless of such gross misconduct. So, if presently SOCU,s investigation ex-

poses such gross misconduct, the people’s/ electorate’s right to know of them, makes SOCU’s investigation not only constitutionally permissible (by necessary implication), but beneficial. Mr. Nandlall is myopic about SOCU. He writes: “I was instrumental in the establishment of SOCU. It was created for the exclusive purpose of investigating organized crimes under the Antimoney Laundering Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMC/CFT) law. Pradovill 2 has nothing to do with this law….” So, Mr. Nandlall would have your readership believe that the PPP/C’s original conceptualization and intent about SOCU somehow makes it an immutable legal entity incapable at law or in administration of differentiation, or variation (as the case may be) as to its purpose, scope and priorities at the discretion of this APNU+AFC Government of course, there are no such incapacities on this Government. But, that is the arrogance and predilections for inefficiencies of use of the PPP/C. I would remind him that money laundering has its many insidious forms; and that its categories are not closed; nor can they be sensibly considered as exhausted. Even if Robert Persaud, (Mr. Nandlall’s former Ministerial colleague) is, singularly contrite or remorseful in his disposition to pay a fair market price, at least, (and to his credit) he is doing nothing but unburdening his

conscience. To those resisting the human urge to do so, I say Mr. Nandlall (as their Counsel) rather than espouse intransigence should be guided in his advice to them by the law which is this: any position which enables a servant to earn money by its use gave the master (ie the government as employer) a right to receive the money so earned even though it was earned by a criminal act… the government is entitled to that money (Reading V Attorney General (1951) AC, 507 (H.L)). And the word “trust” in article 142(2) (b)(v) of the Constitution means that there is no refuge in article 142 of the Constitution’s guarantee, against deprivation of property. So, set is the law against unjust enrichment that even the full appreciated value of the property might belong to and be recoverable by the Government. And so I say to Mr. Nandlall: if there is anything “diabolic” in this matter it is NOT the government’s justified pessimism or cautions reservation about its in-house capabilities (hence the resort to private lawyers; and you can tell the readers what is different from when the late Doodnauth Singh as AG retained you as a then fledging PPP–ite, as a private lawyer to represent him in the important GRA case of Brent Griffith at the CCJ in 2006); rather, it is your “colleagues” wanting to preserve in the error of their unjust enrichment, that is diabolic. Maxwell E. Edwards Attorney-at-Law

Has GuySuco ended operations at Skeldon? DEAR EDITOR, In my letter to the print media, (KN, Feb. 25th, 2017), I committed to provide this nation with fact based details and analysis on the sugar industry despite the excruciating pain it inflicts on GuySuCo’s IMC and its massively huge salaries for the top boys. Editor, I will demonstrate once again the deceptive tactics employed by GuySuCo to achieve its shut-down and sell-out goals. It is now public knowledge that GuySuCo’s CEO proposes divestment of

Skeldon Estate, a process projected to deliver 1.6 billion dollars to GuySuCo’s coffers and reduce Govt.’s overall subsidy for 2017. The Corporation is also pellucid that it does not have resources to maintain that Estate. Govt. has latched onto these positions and is pursuing divestment relentlessly. We now come to GuySuCo’s belated announcement of the abandonment of the 1st crop 2017 at Skeldon citing two unsafe boilers as the reason.

In that announcement, GuySuCo shifted focus to Skeldon Energy Inc (SEI) and explained that, the company is making “every effort” to operationalize t h e t w o cogeneration units in late August 2017 giving an impression that Skeldon will operate in 2nd crop 2017. In condensing these pieces of information on Skeldon, we have (1) a keen interest to divest, (2) no resources to sustain operations and (3) dependence on SEI to the fix co-generation plants. From this, the obvious questions that come to any logical mind are: (1) Assuming that SEI fixes the cogeneration plant by August 2017, will GuySuCo operate Skeldon in 2nd crop 2017? The Corporation already stated that it does not have resources to do so. (2) What is the present status of repair works on the cogeneration plant?

If repair work is not in progress at this moment, it is clear that there is no urgency to complete such works by August 2017. Any major boiler repair such as replacing generating and superheating tubes, repairs to air-heaters and economizers are time consuming. My fellow citizens ought to brace for another stunning announcement on cancellation of operations for 2nd crop 2017. If this m a t e r i a l i z e s , G u ySuCo has effectively ended operations at Skeldon using safety and SEI as scapegoats. The IMC and its mill-stone team would have executed a classical method of deception on this nation to achieve its goal of increasing unemployment in this country and pave the way for the basement selling price of this most prized estate in Guyana. Sookram Persaud

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Cabinet confident City Hall will renegotiate parking meter contract It is the strong belief of the Cabinet of Ministers that the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC) will heed to their recommendation that the parking meter project should be suspended for three months. Initially, the basis for the suspension was to provide an avenue whereby City Hall could consult persons who have been protesting against the implementation of the project over the last seven weeks. During yesterday’s PostCabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency, Minister of State Joseph Harmon was asked whether his government would be playing an influential role to sway City Hall’s decision towards instituting the suspension, since the majority of councillors are politically aligned to the coalition government of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change.

Harmon said that he believes when the full council of the M&CC deliberates on the issue, it will act with some amount of alacrity in the interest of the people, while understanding very clearly what the government’s position is. Further pressed on whether any direct conversations would have taken place between councillors at a party level, Harmon said he could not speak for the parties involved, but suspects that the relative parties would have communicated to their councillors on their position. Harmon was also asked whether government envisages there being a breach of contract between the M&CC and Smart City Solutions (SCS) if there is a suspension of the contract. The Minister reiterated that Cabinet has given its advice and that it expects the advice to be heeded. “My understanding is

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

that the City Council has to have a meeting, where the advice of Cabinet is given to it and it is ratified, and they move forward with that. Thereafter, they will then contact Smart City Solutions, and

that is the process, because it is a contract between those two parties, and the government’s intervention basically is to ensure that contract between the two parties is renegotiated on differ-

Natural Resources Ministry gets green light for oil consultancy dept. Guyana is set to benefit from a new department within the Ministry of Natural Resources. This branch is being established for consultancy purposes, said Minister of State Joseph Harmon at yesterday’s post-Cabinet briefing. Harmon said that the Ministry will be taking on a team of petroleum consultants to guide the development of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas industry. The team will support and guide the government in the review and implementation of the field development plan for the oil discovery by ExxonMobil. Last week, the government appointed an advisor to the president on petroleum. Harmon said that the ad-

visor, Dr Jan Mangal, is of Guyanese descent and has a wealth of experience in the marine and oil and gas industries. Dr Mangal holds a Doctorate in offshore and geotechnical engineering from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Edinburgh. “Dr Mangal, in addition to assisting with the development of Guyana’s hydrocarbon regulatory framework, will advise the government in matters relating to ExxonMobil and its partners in Guyana as they pursue development of the Liza discovery,” Minister Harmon said. The oil that was discovered in the Liza field, in the Stabroek block offshore

Guyana, is said to be equivalent to between 0.8 to 1.4 billion barrels of oil. The field development plan is a blueprint for maximizing the recovery of the petroleum resources whilst ensuring sustainable development and responsible management. The Ministry of Natural Resources has enlisted the assistance of several international agencies and countries to help in the development of the oil and gas industry. When contacted yesterday afternoon, Natural Resources

Minister Raphael Trotman told Kaieteur News that the first task of the new department in his Ministry will be to render advice on Exxon’s developmental plan which was submitted last December. In essence, the team is to make sure that Guyana is getting a good deal. Trotman explained that Exxon will not be granted production licence until the developmental plan has been approved. ExxonMobil is expected to begin production of oil by 2020.

ent terms.” Harmon added that he is unable to say precisely when this process will begin, but believes that with the urgings of government, the process will begin very shortly. Town Clerk Royston King, in a letter to Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, told the minister that the contract does not allow for a suspension of the contract, and such a breach would trigger the compensation clause in the agreement. Minister Harmon stated that it is a legal issue and will be dealt with accordingly. “The government has made its concern very clear and therefore, whether there is to be compensation or not, that is a matter to be addressed in the process. My understanding of the process is that if the parties do not agree with a position, then they go to arbitration, and in the arbitration these issues are dealt with, but I believe the signal sent by government is a strong enough one that the parties to the contract understand that this is something that needs to be done.” Further, Harmon was asked if there is any other recourse the government can take in the event that its advice is not heeded. According to the Minister, there are two options - suspension and revocation. He added that if an intervention by a party which can be described as ‘Force Majeure” exists, then certainly the parties to the contract will understand what

needs to be done. A ‘Force Majeure’ clause is commonly used in contracts and serves to free all parties of any liability when there is an unforeseen event beyond their control preventing the agreement from being enforced. According to Harmon, the decision to advise City Hall to institute a suspension came after extensive discussions by Cabinet. He said that Cabinet believed it had sufficient information which informed the decision. “Some of the issues Cabinet agreed needed to be addressed were, the installation of parking meters on streets that are within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the use by the concessionaire company (SCS) of parapets that were not under the jurisdiction of the Mayor and City Council, the cost of parking in the city of Georgetown, provisions for the parking of police, army and fire service vehicles as well as ambulances in areas of Georgetown, the financial arrangements of the project and the greater involvement of stakeholders in the process.” He said that it is the strong view of Cabinet that the concerns expressed by citizens of Georgetown and Guyana must be taken into consideration in these matters, and as such, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan was requested to report the issues of concern raised to the M&CC.

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Saturday March 18, 2017

Kaieteur News

UG, Giftland collaborate to launch UG-VIP Cards

From left: UG’s Dr. Paloma Mohamed, Mr. Roy Beepat, UG VC Professor Ivelaw Griffith and Deputy VC Dr. Barbara Reynolds

A section of the gathering at the launch Giftland, in collaboration with the University of Guyana (UG), yesterday unveiled a UGVIP Card. The UG-VIP card was launched during a ceremony in the university’s Education Lecture Theatre (ELT). In attendance were the UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith; Dr. Fitzgerald Yaw, Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives and Mr. Roy Beepat, Chairman of the Giftland Mall. The UG-VIP Card is one that will offer staff and students of the university special dis-

counts within various departments of the Giftland Mall including the Department Store, the Stationery Department, the Documentation Centre, Clothing and Shoes. The offer will also be made available at Sportsmaxx, Giftronics, Giftland Officemax and from selected Giftland Mall Licensees. Mr. Beepat thanked the University of Guyana for its partnership and continued business with Giftland and said that he is looking forward to being of further service to the students and staff of the institute.

Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue expansion...

GPL, GTT awarded $50M in contracts for relocation of utilities In the past, the timely relocation of utilities had proven to be a major stumbling block in Government projects being carried out on time. This was one of the reasons for the completion date of the East Bank Demerara Road Expansion Project – and other projects being delayed. The Government is seemingly trying a different approach, since contracts in the sum of $50,095,649 have been awarded to local companies for the relocation of utilities to pave the way for the expansion of the multibillion-

dollar Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Road Expansion Project. The Sheriff Street– Mandela Avenue Project is being funded by the InterAmerican Development Bank. The contract was signed on March 15, 2013. The scope of works for the Sheriff Street into Mandela Avenue road corridor includes asphaltic pavement, road safety, upgrading traffic intersection signals at each of the major road junctions, and traffic and drainage improvement works.

There is also expected to be structural works to bridges, culverts and other supporting infrastructure. Pavement works will include the construction of a two-lane roadway with a median partitioning the two lanes along Sheriff Street. The first section of Mandela Avenue will involve expansion from a two-lane to a four-lane roadway with a median in the centre, while the second section will consist of three lanes. During the Post-Cabinet (Continued on page 10)

Saturday March 18, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Harmon avoids directly answering questions on contract for emergency drugs Media operatives were left somewhat disappointed yesterday when Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, avoided giving a direct answer to questions regarding the recent procurement of emergency pharmaceuticals for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). At a post cabinet press conference held at the Ministry of the Presidency, Harmon was asked to state if Cabinet knew about the award of a contract for the drugs, in which four companies benefitted, one being ANSA McAL Trading Limited. He was also asked to provide some clarity on how much each company was awarded to supply drugs for GPHC. Harmon did not acknowledge whether cabinet was aware of the contract for emer-

gency drugs. Instead, he explained the process for the award of contracts. The Cabinet Secretary said that contracts are made at the level of the government ministries where something is identified to be purchased by that entity. “There is an evaluation committee that evaluates…and it makes its recommendation to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). After NPTAB deliberates on the contract, they finalize their positions on it and then it is sent to Cabinet for its no-objection. That is the process,” expressed Harmon. The politician added, “Now until such time that something comes from NPTAB to Cabinet, then it would not be able to make a

determination on any contract... So I will say to you, that is the process and this is where we are.” The Cabinet Secretary also noted that the Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence will be making an additional statement that will point out several issues with regard to emergency drugs. On Saturday last, Minister Lawrence informed the media that the collusion between moles in the public health system and a few crooked suppliers of pharmaceuticals, is what has led to her taking a controversial route in the recent procurement of emergency pharmaceuticals for GPHC. The Minister made this comment in an effort to correct misleading statements in some sections in the media. The misguided comments

Dem boys seh ...

Govt. behave like a sweet man and he wife De government like dem li’l children who got nuff toys and don’t even look at dem till another child pick up one. Dem have big people like that. Some woman got clothes and shoes hang up and not using till somebody ask dem to borrow. Then dem have men who got dem wife at home but dem does hardly pay she any mind. But let another man just look and all of a sudden this husband want to kill. He is de same man who got all dem outside lady, but let any person try to get he wife. Dem boys seh that is wha happen wid de government and de city council. De government got some roads that dem decide to keep fuh demself. De council got some

roads that dem can’t repair. Ever since Jagdeo was president dem use to lef de road and Jagdeo had to fix it, because when he friends come dem woulda have to drive pun good road. If de road got big holes is de visitor gun shame and Jagdeo gun shame. That is why when Soulja Bai come into power, he start to repair almost all dem road in Georgetown. De thing get to de stage wheh de council just use to sit back and lef everything to de government. Then de parking meter people come and de council decide to tek back de road that it was ignoring all de time. De government actually own some of dem road, but like de husband who got nuff woman, it never pay attention

to who use some of dem and even claim dem. De parking meter deal change all of that. De foreign people come and put up meter all over de place, till Soulja Bai tell dem to move dem. Dem refuse to move de meter. There and then Soulja Bai bring out he baby bulldog and mark off all de government road. Is now de city council suddenly know that it ain’t really got much control. And besides, de road repairs gun done and dem boys know that when that over, is done de parking meter done. People can’t park properly when a road bruck up. Talk half and watch de government tek back all it roads from de council.

she said, were in relation to certain documents which were leaked to the media, giving the false impression that the hospital tried to procure drugs from ANSA McAL Trading Limited through sole sourcing. Lawrence stressed however that ANSA McAL was among four companies from which these emergency supplies were procured. The other companies included New GPC, Health 2000 and Chirosyn Discovery. The Minister of Public Health said that other companies were not a part of this process due to ongoing investigations into their late/or non-delivery of critical drugs during 2016, which they were contracted to procure for GPHC. She said that some of these pharmaceuticals were overdue by as much as six months, which exacerbated the drug shortage at the hospital. To this end, she explained that moves were made to fast track the procurement of these pharmaceuticals to minimize the negative effects on patients due to the shortage of some critical drugs. “This influenced the de-

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence cision to seek the green light from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) for ANSA McAL to supply drugs and pharmaceuticals to the tune of some $605M.” Lawrence explained that ANSA McAL is one of only two companies in Guyana that is able to provide the cold chain storage necessary to maintain the integrity of a wide range of pharmaceuticals that are critical in the health

care sector, in Guyana. “ANSA not only air freighted the drugs (this helped spike the cost to import the items) for the public health sector, but also donated four refrigerators to GPHC to store the emergency supplies at the internationally acceptable temperature of 20 to 80C. No other company in the history of the institution has provided cold storage facilities at the hospital, even though at least one of them (New GPC) was the sole supplier of pharmaceuticals to the institution for over 20 years.” Lawrence said that all pharmaceuticals for the entire nation was sole-sourced from that company for billions of tax-payers’ dollars. During that period, she said, GPHC used icepacks to store these sensitive drugs at the facility, because the main refrigerator was in poor condition and unable to maintain the correct temperature for these drugs endangering their efficacy, potency and integrity. Lawrence stressed that she was unwilling to jeopardize the sector and patients’ lives and took what may appear to be the now-controversial route.

Lethem cop charged for sexually assaulting female doctors Osbert Paul, a corporal in the Guyana Police Force, who is attached to the Lethem Station, was yesterday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Paul was ordered to pay a total of $100,000

bail on two counts of sexual assault. It is alleged that Paul sexually assaulted two physicians who are attached to the Lethem Hospital. Paul will make his next appearance in the Lethem Magistrates’ Court.

PAGE 10

Saturday March 18, 2017

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Walter Rodney must be turning in his grave on what the WPA has become I sincerely believed that over a long period of time, Christopher Ram was a leading member of the WPA. All the information I got, through casual conversations with people associated with the WPA, made me believe that Ram was indeed a leading figure in the WPA, and a major benefactor of the WPA. We are talking here about more than ten years ago. It was because of this knowledge that I made passing reference to Ram as one of the leaders of the WPA in one of my columns early in 2016.

Ram replied to indicate he was never a WPA member. This really shocked me. I was literally confused. I sought an opinion from Dr. David Hinds, a good friend of mine. He indicated that Ram was right when he wrote that he was never a member, because Ram never held a membership card. I was still confused. I suggested to David, the WPA issue a response with the clarification that though Ram was never a member, because of his activism in the party, the WPA considered him as equal to being a mem-

ber. The whole world knows about the terms, “de jure” and “de facto.” We use those terms all the time in conversation, literature, journalism and academia. Ram wasn’t a de jure member but a de facto member of the WPA. But David’s point was that Ram was right when he wrote he wasn’t a member. I insisted that the WPA clarify the situation. My attitude was totally unrelated to Ram. It was shaped by my belief that historians and researchers would be misled on reading

what Ram wrote. I am obsessed with the publication of facts, because history then is properly recorded. I had my first university training in the discipline of history. The WPA never offered the clarification. In response to attorney Jerome Khan, in a letter of May 10, 2016, Ram wrote; “If Mr. Khan did basic research, he would not claim, falsely, that I am currently or have ever been a member of the Working People’s Alliance.” Last week, one of the WPA members, Tacuma Ogunseye,

GPL, GTT awarded $50M in contracts for... From page 8 Press Briefing yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency, Georgetown, Minister

of State Joseph Harmon revealed that a contract in the sum of $27,841,000 was awarded to the Guyana Tele-

phone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT) for the relocation of telephone utilities. For the electricity utilities relocation, a contract in the sum of $22,254,649 awarded to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). “These works are preliminary to the expansion and the extension of Mandela Avenue/Sheriff Street.” Harmon noted. Meanwhile, the awarding of these contracts would come days after contractors vied for a component (Lot Four) of the project during the opening of tenders at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) earlier this week. The engineer’s estimate was announced at $5.3M. Among the bidders, was Surrey Paving and Aggregate

Company Limited – a Jamaican company which is currently part of a joint venture with local contractor – BK International Incorporated – carrying out works on the US$42M West Demerara Road Expansion Project. Kares Engineering Incorporated, which found itself in hot water after one of its creations – the $1B Kato Secondary School – began experiencing structural defects, was also among the bidders. Earlier this year, the initiative had its project rescope completed following protracted delays and back in July 2016, the NPTAB received five bids for the project. The engineer’s estimate back then was announced at US$36.4M.

in a KN letter revealed that Mr. Ram for a number of years sat in the executive leadership of the WPA. The issue here is not Mr. Ram. He has done nothing wrong. He stuck within the law and literal interpretation of words, when he wrote that he was never a member. It was the WPA that was the dishonest party. In not responding to the public statements of Ram with a clarification, the analyst and historian would not have known about this juncture of the WPA’s politics. In writing about the history of politics, all information is poignantly priceless. Ogunseye brought out the de facto membership of Ram because of a particular situation – Ram was pungently critical of Clive Thomas. Ram even devastated the WPA by saying the WPA’s two co-leaders have occupied that position since 1985. One can safely assume that if Ram was not publicly impertinent to Thomas, the historian would never have known about Ram’s insertion into the WPA’s leadership. This entire incident just goes to show how dishonest is political leadership in this country. The WPA knew that Ram was a valuable comrade to the party, but for some ungodly reason, didn’t think it had a political and moral obligation to explain Ram’s role in the WPA at a certain juncture in the WPA’s life . Surely, Walter Rodney must be turning in his grave. The WPA, of course, does not exist, so there will be no

Frederick Kissoon WPA response to this column. One or maybe two (does the WPA have more than two members?) individuals in the WPA will write in their personal capacity, but as a party, we won’t see an official response. These individuals only respond to me when I note that the party is virtually and functionally dead. But never in their reaction would they describe the ways, modes and shapes of the party’s existence. Dr. David Hinds and I are personal friends. Our politics don’t interfere with our friendship. I spent more than one hour one evening at Nicky’s Fish Shop showing him why the WPA is dead. But he didn’t accept my adumbrations. Last Thursday, we were in the picket line in the antiparking meter protest, and when it was over, I suggested lunch at a new Creole restaurant on Camp Street. He said he couldn’t make it; he had to attend a WPA executive meeting. I said the meeting has to be held in the cemetery.

Saturday March 18, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Alleged breaches on duty free concessions…

GRA demands businessman pay $212M in duties, taxes A Berbice businessman has taken the Minister of Finance and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to court over a decision to cancel his concessions and make him pay more than $200M in customs duties and taxes. According to court documents, the businessman, Inshanally Bacchus, Chief Executive Officer of I & R Bacchus Trucking Service of Bush Lot Village, West Coast Berbice, was granted an Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari, directed to the Minister of Finance, quashing his decision made on November 23rd, 2016. That decision, by the minister, purports to terminate the Investment Development Mineral Prospecting, Mining and Stone Quarrying Agreement entered on March 13th, 2014, between the businessman and the Government of Guyana, represented by the Minister of Finance. The businessman, through his arguments, said that the decision was capricious, whimsical, arbitrary, in breach of the rules of natural justice, in violation of his legitimate expectations and is unlawful, null, void and of no effect. The Minister of Finance was called upon to show cause why this order nisi should not made absolute. Another order was also issued to Fitzroy Corlette, Head of GRA’s Law Enforce-

ment, quashing his decision to demand from the applicant by letter dated November 22nd, 2016, the sum of $212.3M as Customs duties and taxes. Those Customs duties and taxes related to certain machinery, equipment and motor vehicles, Bacchus stressed, and represents penalties on tax exemptions which were lawfully granted. Corlette and GRA were asked to defend the decision, barring which it would be overturned. Bacchus was also granted an order or Rule Nisi of Prohibition against GRA restraining it and its servants and/or agents from seizing, forfeiting and/or disposing certain machinery, equipment and motor vehicles, and that GRA be made to show reasons why the orders should not be absolute. BAUXITE DEAL According to the affidavit supporting his contentions, the businessman said that on October 29th, 2013, he entered into a written agreement with Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc., a mining company carrying out certain mining operations mainly at Kurubuka, Upper Berbice River, Guyana. These included excavating and transporting bauxite overburden. The businessman by way of letter dated November 14th, 2013, said he applied to the then Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment,

Robert Persaud, for a waiver of duty and taxes on a list of trucks and machinery. He submitted copies of the contract and quotations. According to Bacchus, the application was duly processed and he was informed by telephone to attend the office of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Upper Brickdam, where he was presented with an agreement already prepared for signature. Bacchus noted that he pointed out that his sole purpose was for work at the bauxite site and not gold mining. “I was then informed by officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and verily believed that the agreement was the standard proto-type agreement which were being used by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for the purpose of recommending the grant of the concessions for which I applied to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment.” The agreement was also signed by the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh on behalf of Government and witnessed by GRA and GGMC staffers. The businessman said he was asked to apply to GRA for VAT exemptions on the equipment. This was granted for eight heavy-duty Caterpillar machines. He also later was granted concessions by

GRA on eight Caterpillar trucks and one excavator costing $464M. Bacchus said he applied for and was granted more duty free concessions in 2015. He spent almost $960M more. QUESTIONABLE ARRANGEMENTS However, that same year, the businessman’s contract ended with the equipment parked for several months. In August, 2016, the businessman said he was contracted by China Harbour Inc. to transport sand and loam for the construction of a new international airport at Timehri.

He used some of the equipment he had purchased for the bauxite project. However, in November last year, the businessman said that GRA and Corlette wrote him and pointed out that his equipment and concessions were under investigation. “The investigation revealed that neither you nor your company is the holder of a Prospecting Licence, Mining Permit, Privilege nor any other licence issued by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), but was rather sub-con-

tracted by RUSAL Bauxite Company of Guyana to remove overburden and transship bauxite from Kurubaka.” GRA insisted that this was contrary to the investment agreement, which specifically stated that he would be involved in the mining for silica sand and not his contractual obligation with the RUSAL Bauxite Company of Guyana to remove overburden and transship bauxite. GRA told the businessman that he had breached the conditions of the concessions when he also utilized some of (Continued on page 23)

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 18, 2017

Saturday March 18, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Wales sugar workers storm out of ministers’ outreach …over non-payment of severance benefits By Brushell Blackman Cane harvesters attached to the Wales Sugar Estate yesterday stormed out of a ministers’ outreach programme at the Patentia Community Centre. The workers’ action was precipitated by the lack of clarity with regards to payment of severance benefits that were allegedly promised in December last year by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). Addressing a boisterous gathering, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan explained that the government finds itself in a difficult position, since the funds needed to pay the severance to some 317 cane harvesters is a burdensome $375M. Ramjattan said that at the moment the government has no money to offset this expense and GuySuCo is bankrupt, and they will not be able to pay that amount. Underscoring the complexity of the problem, the Public Security

A section of the gathering at the ministers’ outreach yesterday. Minister of Public Telecommunication Cathy Hughes interacting with cane harvesters. Minister said that in the past 22 months the government has doled out $32B to the sugar corporation, and it is no longer feasible for that entity to continue to milk the government’s coffers. Ramjattan also explained that the government needs to await a court decision that

was brought against GuySuCo by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), challenging the corporation’s stance on the reason for not paying the cane harvesters severance. GAWU is contending that the Termination of Employ-

CH&PA faces uphill task regularizing ‘Skull City’ squatting - negotiations with Toolsie Persaud plugged The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is examining the regularisation of portions of land at Plantation Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara, occupied by squatters. The area is popularly known as ‘Skull City’ and is located west of a burial site along the right bank of the Demerara River. Minister within the Ministry of Communities Valerie Adams-Patterson and a team of CH&PA officials including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul visited the area yesterday to address an ongoing squatters’ issue with the residents. During the visit, the minister put forward the option of regularisation of a portion of the households, and relocation of others. “When I spoke with you guys, my initial reaction was to relocate, now that I have come here and I see the quality of the homes then I realise that’s a difficult task, and we have to go back to the drawing board. I have, my CEO and myself… we see what we have here. I can say right off it is not easy to relocate, so it might be possible that we would have to call Toolsie (Persaud) in and negotiate on your behalf,” the minister told the residents. “I do not like the idea I see… of three houses on one lot, that would have to be rec-

tified and those persons most likely would have to relocate because, we cannot regularise you on one lot, so we would have to source lands for those persons, but the homes that are initially here, we have to come up with a different (solution),” the minister added. The Minister committed to meeting with the squatters in two weeks’ time, when decisions - including who would be relocated and who would remain - would be made. Lucian Pierre, on behalf of the squatters, welcomed the move to address the problems. “I just want to take the opportunity on behalf of the residents to thank you for coming, and we are looking forward for further negotiation,” Pierre told the minister. He said that this was the first time that the substantive Minister with the responsibility for the housing sector would have visited the area with the aim of addressing the issue. “With all due respect, we had Mr. (Anil) Nandlall come here, but he came here around election. I guess that was for votes. We had two representatives come here from Freedom House. I guess that was for votes, but you as a substantive Minister in the Ministry coming here to listen to our concerns… I want to thank you

for that opportunity, and I guess that at the end of the day, with the guidance of God, we would be able to thrash it out, and at the end of the d a y, e v e r y b o d y w i l l b e happy,” Pierre told the minister. The 12-acre plot at Plantation Great Diamond is owned by Interior Forest Industry Limited (Toolsie Persaud Limited) via transport dated 1981. However, approximately 73 households or 284 persons have occupied the area for the past 37 years. The area is supplied with electricity and water. Community representatives and Toolsie Persaud Limited officials, recently met Minister Patterson as part of efforts to resolve to the longstanding issue. Persaud, who bought the land from Demerara Sugar Corporation, has been insisting that the squatters move. According to the CH&PA CEO, however, Persaud has also indicated that he is open to negotiations on the issue. One of the alternatives that Persaud has put on the table is being supplied by the government with alternative land. In the past, community representatives approached the CH&PA with regards to the regularisation of the area, however, because the area is privately-owned and the occupiers face possible eviction, CH&PA did not proceed with the regularisation process.

ment and Severance Pay Act states that if the sugar workers have to journey more than ten miles from their original (Wales Estate) place of employment to a new (Uitvlugt estate) location to work, the workers have the option to request severance. During the interaction with the large group, Ramjattan explained that the Wales cane harvesters are integral to the operation at the Uitvlugt estate, and should the government go the severance route, that estate runs the risk of collapsing, because of a shortage of labour force. This explanation did not sit well the gathering of mostly cane harvesters, who said that the Uitvlugt estate labour issue is not their concern, and they should be paid what is rightfully theirs. The farmers explained that in December last year they were given all assurances, by James Sukhoo, Industrial Relations Officer of Wales estate, that the sever-

ance will be paid. One farmer said “Mr. Sukhoo call we here (Patentia Community Centre) and tell we that we gun get this money”. The irate farmer said that their identification cards were photocopied on that day in preparation for the payment. One farmer who addressed the gathering was almost in tears as he pleaded with Ramjattan for help in sorting out the severance payment. “Mr Minister mi heart bunning meh as I speak to you, please minister we family depending on we.” Ramjattan for his part said he understood the frustrations the farmers are experiencing, but asked that an amicable solution be sought to bring closure to the issue, and that government is obligated to await the outc o me of the court matter brought by their (workers) union (GAWU) against GuySuCo. It was at this juncture that

the farmers stormed out of the meeting and stood across the road from the community centre and proceeded to picket outside the venue. The cane harvesters are contending that other designations of staff at Wales estate were offered their severance, so it is only fair that they are given theirs. The government has so far paid $339M in severance benefits to workers of the Wales sugar estate. The estate ground to a halt on December 31st last year after the decision was taken by the government to close a number estates, as GuySuCo is over its head in debts and the ruling administration said that it will no longer ‘prop up’ the troubled industry. Yesterday’s ministers’ outreach was attended by the Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Minister of Public Telecommunications Cathy Hughes, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan and Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder.

Government dismisses findings of a report by United States government ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it “deeply regrets” the position adopted b y t h e U n i t e d States regarding the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) and its anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CTF) regimes. Washington outlined its position in the 2017 US International Narcotics Control Strategy Report that the Gaston Browne administration said “misrepresents the situation” here. It said contrary to the characterization in the Report, Antigua and Barbuda operates a CIP that adheres to the highest international standards and best practices. “Similarly, with regard to its AML/CTF regime, Antigua and Barbuda has been found by every competent and au-

thoritative international body to be compliant with their rules. These include the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, the Financial Action Task Force and the OECD Global Forum on Tax Information Exchange. “The government of Antigua and Barbuda is, therefore, perplexed over the depiction in the INCSR 2017, particularly as it provides no evidence of its claims and assertions, many of which bear no attribution or source of information.” The government said it has invited the US government to “present the evidence supporting the claims and assertions contained in the Report and undertakes, upon the production of such evidence, to rectify any and all proven claims”. In the Report, Washing-

ton claims Antigua and Barbuda is an offshore center which continues to be vulnerable to money laundering and other financial crimes. It said its relatively large financial sector and internet gaming industry add to its susceptibility and that Antigua and Barbuda also operates a CIP that increases its susceptibility to money laundering and other financial crimes. “Antigua and Barbuda is a transit point for illegal drugs going to the United States and Europe,” the Report added. But the government said that “no evidence is provided or any sources given for these bald assertions” and further the reality shows the island has not appeared on the FTAF list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” since its exit in 2013.

PAGE 22

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Dwayne Stephen Auto Sales! New Shipment of Vehicle: Rush, Blue Bird, Note, Axio, Allion. Call: 665-2330/ 6486869 Next to new 2013 Silver Nissan March PWW series, new magrims & new tyres – price $2.6M negotiable. Call: 660-6145 Rita 01-02 Tractor Foreign used Massey Ferguson 165$1.7M, MF 135- $1.2M, MF 265-$2.2M, MF 165 Loader Tractor -$2.4M. Call: 682-5230

INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966

Saturday March 18, 2017

Kaieteur News

TO LET 2 Bedrooms apartment in Eccles New Scheme, rooms in Alberttown. Call: 225-3234 Lodge apartments (Vlisssengen/ Durban): furnished (visitors) USD$600-$1,000 monthly, unfurnished 2 bedroom -$60,000, studio -$40,000 monthlyCall:668-7687/677-9638/697-6421 Lodge (Vlissengen/ Durban): Professional/Office/ Business (no food retailing) space. Call: 668-7687/ 6779638/697-6421 2 Bedrooms apartment for rental – Robb Street Boarda. Call: 227-5367/617-3749 One bedroom apartment fully grilled and tiled -$35,000 monthly. Call: 672-3699

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

2005 Tacoma from Canada $2.4M ford 150 sports -$1.6M, Ford Ranger Sports - $1.5M. Call: 682-5230

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM

AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: PICKUP, 9-11 SEAT MIN BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPOTR & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807

WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP REATES,SPECIALOFFERS FOR THE SEASON. CALL: 690-6494

CAR RENTAL

1- CAT 320 BL Excavators, 428- CAT Backhoe, 1 CAT 930 Front End, 9 wheeled pneumatic roller, Double Steel drum compactor- Call: 275-0538/ 683-7225 2 Leyland Dump truck (55210), 1 Caterpillar Backhoe, owner migrating, very good condition. Call: 672-5876 Fibre-Tech 220 9192/6907. Fiberglass, Resin materials in any quantity all for your repairs. Two Massey Ferguson tractors 4299 and 290. Price negotiable- Call:611-1277 One Mitsubishi Canter – Call: Rayon: 671-7108 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Lot 14 Croal & Longden Street: 4 Storey building (infront Demico). Call: 6631876 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: office, storage bond, lesson place, church -$20,000 per month. Call: 603-6400 3 Bedrooms upper flat located at Vreed-en-Hoop, 3rd Building in from Junction. Call: 673-3064 Three storey 75ftX25ft building/bond. Call: 2230654/ 225-0604 Self-contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. Tel: 227-2993 Bottom flat house @ 25 North Road & Oronoque Street, fully furnished/ air condition/ residence /business.Call: 226-7012

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 677-7827, 6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM

CAT 215 Excavator, Leyland DAF 55 Tipper Truck, D4H CAT Bulldozer. Call: 2750538/ 683-7225

Fully furnished three bedrooms, top flat, opposite Georgetown Hospital School of Nursing. Call: 225-3756/ 662-0973

Gardener , watchman, handyman, guard – Call: 2237500 Monday – Friday 8:154:15pm, Saturday 8:15am1:15pm 1- Pump attendant – Call: 6240033; 1-customer service/ sales assistant. Call: 6240033 1 – Accounts/office assistant- Send CV to laltag@yahoo.com or whatsapp: 680-3863 Employment Available @ Hicks Ville Hotel: washer/ presser and hotel attendants. Call: 231-0951/ 223-3448

Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, video games & repairs – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231

Experienced salesman. Apply with handwritten application to Key Food Trading, Mc Doom Village, next to post office.

Mix breed female pups Rottweiler & Brazilian Mastiff - 12weeks old, fully vaccinated. Call: 225-0301

One live in domestic to work in Mahaicony River, Serious person. Call: 655-9419

1 Big music set for sale, owner migrating.Call: 6905225

Experienced salesgirls apply @ R.Sookraj & Sons, 108 Regent Street Georgetown.

Toyota Dyna Canter. Call: 680-3863/612-1082

Maid required work and cooking.Call:658-8669

Beauty Salon equipment. Call/whatsapp: 270-5074/ 259-3153/655-2142/616-6221

1 Handyman with electrical knowledge @ Shield Intigrated Systems @ 57 Brickdam Road, to make appointments. Call: 690-6679

One 312 CL CAT Excavator Short Broom, owner leaving country, mint condition, 4600hrs, asking $14M. Call: 625-2685 XBOX 360 Console, Dell Inspiron B130 Laptop, Samsung tab 3 Kids LG K7 smart phone. Call: 621-9604/ 694-1748

1 Bottom flat 2 bedrooms @ Diamond E.C.D – Call: 6641030/ 654-7081 Three bedrooms bottom flat @ Lamaha Gardens. Call: 2255084/ 689-6001

Accounts Clerk for Eccles, Industrial Site area knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT, Quickbooks. Call: 6144358 Refrigeration & Ice Machine maintenance workers age 25 & older. Call: 231-1408/ 6429191 between 8 to 1pm Earn 5k-20K daily at home. Call: 233-6517/622-1957/ www.jobfairworldwide.com

IT Technician to manage network at Shield Intigrated Systems at 57 Brickdam Road, to make appointment. Call: 690-6679

One shop assistant to work in the Interior, must have experienced. Call: 678-0565 Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate-Tel: 6225518 1 Live in nanny/domestic to take care of children & home, must know to cook various dishes 38-48yrs. Call: 600-1898 Live-in waitress with secondary education, salary $80,000 monthly. Boarding & lodging free. Age 18-25 years- Tel:610-3974 Farm Workers, preferably couple. Call: 265-3586 (8:00am-4:00pm, Mon- Sat) One lorry Driver experienced in selling water located in Charlestown. Call: 678-1234 Live-in domestic must know to cook Indian Dishes $80,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free 25-40yrs – Call: 610-5043 Live in or live out waitress. Call: 643-9007/ 666-4647 Skidder/Loader operator, service man/ mechanic, experienced required. Call: 656-8754 Stall “B” Bourda Market needed experienced salesgirls. Call:227-3407 1 Accounts Clerk, preferably from E.B.D – 5 subjects CXC minimum @ gtcareers592@gmail.com

LAND FOR SALE 1 Lot of land @ Yarrowkabra -$950,000. Call: 672-5876 Transported land for sale size 37X270 @ Coglan Dam, Vreed-en-Hoop, W.B.D. Call: 650-5644/677-9938

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

Urgently needed workers to work at Ice Company @ Meadow Bank Wharf, training provided. Call: 2311408/ 642-9191/ between 8am-1pm.

Secret Villa apartments fully furnished, hot & cold water, Jacuzzi, air condition from $20USD daily. Call: 225-6337/ 266-5244/668-0306 Harmony Inn: Furnished self contained apartments & rooms from $20USD daily. Call: 218-1400/ 694-7817

50X198 located in Friendship E.B.D –price $4.2M (negotiable). Call: 645-6498 EDUCATIONAL First Aid/CPR Course @ St. John Association, 110 Cowan St, Kingston for details. Call:225-9082 Continued on page 23

Saturday March 18, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Nursing education...

Official emphasises need for reduced student-tutor ratio - decries “too large” class sizes A major downfall in nursing education was first brought to the fore after the 2010 intake of students in the country’s nursing schools. The intake then, according to a health official, was too massive when the complement of staff was taken into consideration. The official revealed that this move was, in fact, a political decision, and thus officials within the system were not willing to voice their concerns. The intake in the Georgetown School of Nursing, for instance, amounted to about 267 students per classroom. Understandably, over time the enormous class sizes became unrealistic and both tutors and students began to signal concern through various forms of protest action. Moves were made to address the situation but this, the official related, was not nearly enough. “From 267 per class, they decided to reduce the classes in two, but that was still an oversized class and still unrealistic...it was just a big fiasco,” the official noted. The “disastrous” outcome, the official said was not unexpected, when the examination results of the 2013/2014 were unveiled. “Those exams would have been disastrous because we had extremely large groups, far too few faculties...there were simply not sufficient resources in the classroom,” said the official, who revealed that although monies were reportedly donated to help improve nursing education a number of years ago, mea-

sures in this regard were not seen as important. “Monies were made available to improve nursing education and promises were made to do this and that, instead those responsible refused to properly utilise this to address the problems that existed, and still do in the system,” the official revealed. “The results of the 2010 intake were the worse that the system had ever seen,” said the official, who weighed-in on the results of the most recent sitting of the country’s 2016 Professional Nurses State Final Examination, calling it “equally disastrous”. The recent examination was first administered in October of 2016, but following its completion, there were allegations that the examination papers were leaked prior to the sitting of the examination. A total of 179 students were required to re-sit the examination last month, but based on the results seen by this publication, only 23 (just under 13%) of the lot, from across the nursing schools, secured overall passes. The nursing schools that participated in the State Finals were the Georgetown School of Nursing, the New Amsterdam School of Nursing, the Charles Roza School of Nursing and the privately-operated St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. The official is convinced that the number of students in the classroom in the public nursing schools, in addition to a number of other factors, is still having a major impact

GRA demands business... From page 11 the motor vehicles and equipment at the CJIA expansion project, “contrary to the purpose for which the concession was granted by GRA”. He was asked to pay $212.3M within 14 days of receipt of the letter. Failure to comply will result in GRA taking the necessary steps to locate, seize and immediately commence forfeiture and disposal proceedings of these items in

accordance with the provisions of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01. However, Bacchus took a lawyer, Anil Nandlall, who in a letter to the GRA contested the arguments and insisted that no conditions were breached. In addition to Nandlall, the other lawyers representing the businessman are Manoj Narayan, Sasha S. MahadeoNarayan and Rajendra Jaigobin.

on the results. But this may, however, be a tall task for the local nursing schools at this point. This is in light of the fact, the official noted, that there simply is not enough staff within the public nursing schools. He noted that while at the university level, large class sizes can be acceptable, the limited staff at the nursing school may not allow this to be possible. “Universities can do that because they have more faculties and they have more systems in place where a lecturer could carry a course with a hundred- or 200-plus students,” said the official. “This is because they have a formula where every 10 students are a part of a tutorial group. There is

somebody who is working with the lecturer to help, and when it comes to the clinical exposure, again there is a formula where there are one to four students to a lecturer. But of course in a country like Guyana, I wouldn’t say that we can go one to four, but maybe one to eight could be possible,” the official related. According to the official, those tasked with managing the nursing schools should recognise that the issue that needs to be addressed is “if you increase numbers, you have to match it with the resources and that didn’t happen.” But there were efforts implemented to help address the shortcomings, the official noted, and this

reportedly saw an improvement in the performance in 2015. But according to the official, the improvements seemed to have collapsed, given the performance of the re-sit, which seems to be on par with the performance of those admitted to the programme in 2010. Nursing students are usually given the opportunity to re-sit examinations on three occasions. T h e y a r e , h o w e v e r, given a fourth opportunity, but as a private candidate. However, the official revealed that on the three occasions allowed, tutors are faced with a major challenge, since they are tasked with “dealing with those repeating the programme as well as those among the new intake for a particular year.”

$5M compensation sees teen accused of dance instructor’s death in accident freed The family of Narissa Spencer, the dance instructor who was killed in an accident last April, accepted a $5M compensation from the 18year-old driver accused of causing her death by dangerous driving. As a result, the matter was dismissed against Dwayne Griffith of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown yesterday by Magistrate Fabayo Azore. Griffith was accused of driving motor vehicle PTT 9623, in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Spencer on April 28, 2016. Based on reports, the dance instructor, of Friendship, East Coast Demerara was struck down at the junction of Lamaha and Oronoque Streets, Georgetown, while walking to teach an aerobic class. Spencer was reportedly crossing a street during heavy

From page 22

PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 House for sale 2482 North Ruimveldt, 2 flat, no flooding , 6 feet fence, in secure area. Price $21M negotiable. Call: 233-5400/ 218-0595 House/land with business- 5 bedrooms, 2 bath W.C.D, Anna Catherina. Call: 6142466 Goat Creek, Riverfront , 75 Acres land -$7M, Lanaballi River Front, 50 Acres -$9M. Diamond -$7.5M Call: 6880087 Riviera Island: 145 Acres $30M, Tuschen property $5.8M, $6M, $15M. Call: 6880087 Tuschen 5,8,6,2 bedrooms; Hope- 2 bedrooms $7.8M. Call: 688-0087 Melani 2 bedrooms - $10M, Tuschen $11.5M & $25M, Canal #2 (15 acres) -$9M. Call:688-0087

KILLED: Narissa Spencer

FREED: Dwayne Griffith

rain. It was reported that the driver of the vehicle tried to swerve away from the woman, but despite his efforts he still hit her. The car is reported to have toppled several times before coming to a standstill on its side.

Griffith who had been out on $600,000 bail was also charged for driving without being the holder of a driver’s licence; driving without a third party insurance and driving a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner.

Quick Sale! 3 Bedrooms house located in East La Penitence, price $13M negotiable, land size – 40X80 – Call: 645-6498

HEALTH Have your health checked through iridology- Monday April 3. Call Hazel’s Herbal Store: 226-9136 Dietitian’s Clinic: dietary counseling for all disease conditions, BMI check, blood pressure testing etc. Call: 231-9335

MASSAGE The Gent’s Spa: Massage done by Tiffany, mobile services. Book appointment now! Call: 677-5465

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 18, 2017

Iraqi forces edge into Mosul’s Justice Department delivers documents on wiretap claim to Congress Old City, Nuri mosque in sight

An armoured vehicle of federal police drives past destroyed buildings from clashes during a battle against Islamic State militants at the Bab al-Tob area in Mosul. (Reuters) Iraqi forces battling Islamic State in Mosul edged into the Old City and around the al Nuri mosque on Friday trying to seal off a main road to prevent militants sending in suicide bombers to attack their positions.

Troops are meeting fierce resistance as militants retreat into the Old City, where street fighting is expected in the narrow alleyways and around the mosque where Islamic State declared its caliphate nearly three years ago.

A helicopter fired rockets into the area and heavy gunfire and mortar blasts echoed as troops made forays in districts near the Nuri mosque, where Islamic State’s black jihadist flag hangs from its leaning minaret.

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said it delivered documents to congressional committees responding to their request for information that could shed light on President Donald Trump’s claims that former President Barack Obama ordered U.S. agencies to spy on him. The information was sent to the House and Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman. A congressional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the House Intelligence Committee was examining the documents and might issue a public statement about them later on Friday. Another government source, who also requested anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said an initial examination of the material turned over by the Justice Department indicates that it contains no evidence to confirm Trump’s claims that the Obama administration had wiretapped him or the Trump Tower in New York.

President Donald Trump Leaders of both the House and Senate intelligence committees, including from Trump’s Republican Party, have said they have found no evidence to substantiate Trump’s claims that Obama ordered U.S. agencies to spy on Trump or his entourage. The White House has publicly offered no proof of the

allegation. On Monday, the House panel sent the Justice Department a letter asking for copies of any court orders related to Trump or his associates which might have been issued last year under an electronic surveillance law or a wide-ranging anti-crime statute.

Yemen migrant boat attack kills at least 42 Forty-two people have been killed when a boat carrying Somali refugees off the coast of Yemen was fired at from a helicopter, the International Organisation for Migration says. Women and children were among those killed when the vessel was hit near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the IOM said. Images from the scene showed a boat strewn with bodies. In a separate incident on Friday, at least 22 people died

in an attack on a mosque inside a military base in Yemen. Two missiles were fired at the mosque, in the Kofal military camp west of Marib, officials said. Among the dead on the boat were Somali refugees carrying identity documents issued by UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency. About 80 survivors were rescued and taken to hospital, according to the IOM. It is also not known where the boat was travelling to and from.

It remains unclear who carried out the attack. A Yemeni trafficker who survived the attack told the Associated Press that the boat was fired at by a helicopter gunship and a military vessel. Saudi Arabia, which is leading a US-backed coalition in the war in Yemen, has US-built Apache helicopter gunships. The coalition, which in general controls Yemen’s airspace, has not commented on the incident.

Saturday March 18, 2017

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 18, 2017

Saturday March 18, 2017

SOMWARU RESPONDS TO... (From page 26) Haniff have the audacity to conduct her personal business from the office space of the BCB? Certainly, by seemingly allowing the BCB to pay for Office space and the operations of her personal business, which is conducted on a lease that was transferred without the consent of the BCB executives and its members, must be deemed highly immoral and demoralizing; above it all, it is saddening to know that Ms. Angela Haniff has apparently refused to release documents belonging to the BCB, regardless of authority personnel requesting of her to do so. Angela Haniff and her collaborates must not be allowed to autonomously act in selfcentred manners, especially

when there is an established structure of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB). The disorderliness should Stop; Stop it must! I would like to make it clear that my objective for Berbice cricket is to produce cricketers not to become popular or use the BCB as a charity to enrich myself. Mr. Mortimer George, the BCB, as per its constitution appended to the Cricket Administration Bill consists of member clubs and associations. It does not provide for individuals to be members and certainly not for life so stop masquerading. It also reminds me that the last two presidents failed to read the bill since their clubs are not members of the BCB, what an oversight. I look forward to correcting this situa-

tion at my first meeting. Mr. George you need to read the entire Cricket Administration Act, not parts of it. We are in the process of conducting financial and asset audit so more may be discovered. I am already aware that the BCB is broke since the GCB was approached to pay for the audit. Mr. George, you and your cohorts can continue to write letters, we will run the cricket for the benefit of the kids in Berbice. Yours Sincerely, Dhieranidranauth Somwaru 1st Vice President BCB (Elected) President (ag) BCB President- Guyana Umpires’ Council Headmaster- Berbice Islamic School.

Saturday March 18 , 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A friendship might suffer if money becomes an issue. Your nerves are frazzled. Be cautious who you deal with financially. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Curb or cut out that bad habit you've been meaning to do something about. Don't volunteer private information about yourself unless you're prepared to be talked about behind your back. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You're in the mood to get out and visit friends. Don't hesitate to go ahead with any plans for entertainment. You'll only hurt your lover if you don't. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Don't overextend your self in order to add luxury items to your entertainment center. Don't waste this exciting day by sitting at home. Things have been moving so quickly that you need to do something physical to release your tension. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Changes regarding family members will set you off. You may be overly emotional when dealing with your mate. You may want to stay in the background today. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Things may not be as harmonious as you would like with colleagues or employers today. Opportunities to make advancements through good business sense are evident. Pamper yourself today.

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Kaieteur News

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You can make favorable real estate offers today. Go directly to the source if you want to know exactly what's been going on. Try to make arrangements with close friends or relatives to spend a few days away. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Think of starting a new business or emotional partnership. It's time to get yourself back on track. Prove your worth; concentrate on getting the job done and steer clear of office politics and gossip. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Take precautions while traveling; you don't have to get anywhere that fast. Don't be afraid of opposition; your suggestions are valid. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You will enjoy the interaction with youngsters and take great pride in the projects you've completed. Try to calm down and listen to your partner's complaints. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Satisfy your passionate mood. You will need to take a look at the renovations that are necessary and try to find the cheapest way to get things done. Concentrate on spending quality time with children. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You can expect the fur to fly on the home front. Your communication skills are at an alltime high. Expect to have more people on your domestic scene.

DDL sponsors 45th Kennard’s Phagwah... (From page 31) and fourth place set to receive $225,000 and $112,000 respectively. A five furlong race, as well as five six furlong races is also on the day’s card. It was revealed at the handing over ceremony that the five furlong race is opened to horses that did not win the ‘L’ Class and the winner will ride off with $100,000. The top three performers will

earn $50,000, $25,000 and $13,000 in that order. The six furlong race is opened to horses classified ‘L’ and Lower, three-year old, Guyana bred horses and the winner will receive $150,000. Horses classified ‘E’ and Lower will also contest a six-furlong event with the winner pocketing $400,000. A first prize of $110,000 is up for grabs for horses clas-

sified ‘L’ Open over six furlongs, while three-year-old Guyana bred maidens will also battle over six furlongs for a $200,000 first prize. Horses classified ‘J’ and Lower will run for over six furlongs for a first prize worth $140,000. The other event on the day’s card is opened top horses classified ‘H’ and Lower and they will battle over seven furlongs for a top prize of $250,000.

WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE... (From page 31) Development League concluded on Sunday 12th March at the Guyana Defence Force ground in Georgetown with the GDF emerging victorious after a nail-biting 2-1 win over Region Nine’s Paiwomak Warriors. Another team from the Rupununi – St. Ignatius – came in third with a 3-1 win

over Georgetown’s Fruta Conquerors. Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and Patron for Women’s Football Valerie Garrido-Lowe was on hand to present the trophies with GFF President Forde on Sunday at the GDF. The league, supported by FIFA and played in an innovative 7-a-side, 50-minute for-

mat, is part of the GFF’s plans to develop women’s football across the whole of Guyana, paving the way for a full-format, national women’s league in the future. Football fans can find and share the images online at f a c e b o o k . c o m / fifawomensworldcup or via the FIFA Women’s World Cup Twitter account @FIFAWWC.

Pollard, Narine, Badree, Simmons to play... (From page 26) would bring back former West Indies captain Darren Sammy, whose last assignment was winning the World T20 crown in Kolkata last year. Sammy was instrumental in Peshawar Zalmi winning the PSL earlier this month and says he has not yet given up hope of making a West Indies comeback in limited-overs cricket. “I’m only retired from Test cricket,” Sammy said after

Roach superb... (From page 28) deliveries. Lesporis was eventually stumped off Warrican about half-hour before tea leaving Volcanoes on 219 for three at the break but Roach returned again to help undermine the innings in the final session. He accounted for Smith — who was fifth out with the score on 238 — superbly caught at second slip by Nurse. Scores: VOLCANOES 283 (Devon Smith 103, Keddy Lesporis 59, Tyrone Theophile 44; Kemar Roach 4-22, Jomel Warrican 4-69, Ashley Nurse 2-71). PRIDE 22 without loss.

participating in the recently concluded Hong Kong T20 Blitz. “I’m not retired from limited-overs cricket. I’m available for selection. We have a

series coming up against Pakistan, [I’m] available for that and wherever my services are needed.” (Colin Benjamin)

Kaieteur News

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Saturday March 18, 2017

Demerara, Berbice FIRST QUARTERLY REFEREES register crushing wins FITNESS TEST ON TODAY Demerara and Berbice recorded convincing victories when the third and final preliminary round matches in the Guyana Cricket Board Dave West Indian Imports inter county U15 50-over tournament concluded yesterday. At Everest, Demerara beat the President’s XI by eight wickets. Pacer Devanand Khemraj uprooted the stumps of Mahendra Gooplall (00) and had Tamnni Caesar (02) caught before Zeynul Ramsammy was run out for two to reduce the President’s XI to 26-3 after they deiced to bat. They then lost Ken George (04) and Reynaldo Mohamed (01) in quick succession, however despite wickets falling around him opener Shemar Yearwood batted solidly. The lefthander faced 102 balls and struck three fours before he was lbw to Daniel Mootoo for 32. Skipper Elnathan Suknanand was the only other batsman that reached double figures with 13 as the President’s XI were bowled out for 84 in 34.2 overs. Brandon Jaikarran took 2-0 off one over while

Shoaib Shaw accepts the man-of-the-match award from referee Grantley Culbard. Chanderpaul Ramraj had 217 and Khemraj 2-19. Demerara lost Ushardev Balgobin lbw to J. Barton for three before Shoaib Shaw and Jaikarran took them within sights of victory with sensible batting. Shaw hit four fours to remain unbeaten on 37, while Jaikarran was taken at slip off Raynaldo Mohamed for 10. Andre Seepersaud was unbeaten on 10 as Demerara finished on 85-2 in 20.2 overs. Barton and Mohamed had one wicket each. At Eve Leary, Berbice

defeated Essequibo by 10 wickets. Batting first, Essequibo were sent packing for 85 in 41.3 overs. Sheldon Charles led with 28 while Ronald Scouten made 15. Hemraj Heralall grabbed 4-19, Garav Ramesh 4-21 and Abdul Ramsammy 2-14. Berbice responded with 86 with out lost in 24.2 overs. Anthony Williams scored 35 and Ricardo Ramdeal 34. Demerara and Berbice will now clash in the final tomorrow at Bourda.

Pollard, Narine, Badree, Simmons to play Pak T20s

Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine are back in West Indies’ colours © AFP ESPNcricinfo - The Trinidad quartet of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and Samuel Badree has been picked by the West Indies selectors to play in the T20 segment of the limited-overs series against Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the four players are part of a squad picked for the first two contests of the fourmatch series. The T20 series starts on March 26 in Barbados with the following three matches to be played in Trinidad on March 30, April 1 and 2. It is understood that all

the four players were informed on their selection on Wednesday, by WICB selection committee head Courtney Browne. It is not clear whether the four will feature in the final two games of the T20 series, which will end three days before the IPL begins. All the four players are part of various franchises in the IPL. West Indies’ last T20 series was also against Pakistan, in the UAE last S e p t e m b e r. Wi t h t h e exception of Simmons, the players in question all featured, although West

Indies lost the three-match series 3-0. Simmons has not played for West Indies since featuring in the two-match T20 series against India last August in Fort Lauderdale. Based on the WICB policy to pick only players who featured in the Regional Super50, none of the four players are expected be available for selection for the ODI segment of the Pakistan series which follows the T20 series. Although the senior WICB staff comprising team director Jimmy Adams and chief selector Courtney Browne have indicated that the board is likely to review its selection policy, it is fair to assume that none between Pollard, Narine, Simmons and Badree will be picked for the three-match ODI series. Despite his lean recent form, Carlos Brathwaite is expected to lead West Indies in the T20 series against Pakistan. It remains to be seen whether the selectors (Continued on page 25)

Georgetown: Thirtyeight referees from across Guyana will participate in the first quarterly fitness test of the year today at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora beginning at 15:00hrs. This will feature three categories of referees – Tier One (Elite referees), some from Tier Two and some from Tier Three. Tier Three referees are those potential referees who are being exposed to the fitness test as part of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) overall r e f e r e e ’s t e c h n i c a l development programme. Head of the GFF Refereeing Department, Stanley Lancaster explains that the test comprises the Interval, CODA (Change Of Direction, Agility) and RSA (Repeated Sprint

Ability) components. “For the Assistant Referees, the test is in three different parts. The AR test deals strictly with timings. Between each, there is a period of six - eight minutes’ compulsory rest. For the Interval, each AR must cover ten laps minimum for them to pass. For the CODA and RSA, they must reach within the zone by a specified time.” The Referee test, on the other hand, will be conducted in two parts, the RSA and the Interval. The first will consist of five (5) 40-meter sprints within a specified time with 1 ½ min rest between each sprint followed by a six-eightminute rest period and the latter will consist of 10 laps of 40-meter sprint and 25 meters recovery period

between each interval. The successful completion of the referees’ fitness test is a compulsory element as required by FIFA for referees to effectively manage the game with their positioning and movement. This test will be complemented by in-class sessions consisting of Laws of the Game knowledge and video analysis. As part of continuous capacity building, the Referees Department has a comprehensive national programme planned for the year including development of referees in the hinterland regions. The first programme to be conducted will be held in Aishalton, Region Nine and is being planned in partnership with the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’Affairs.

Letter to the Sports Editor

SOMWARU RESPONDS TO MORTIMER GEORGE Dear Editor, Allow me to respond to the two articles written by Mr. Mortimer George which were published on February 28th, 2017 in the Kaieteur News, Stabroek and Guyana Chronicle, and then in Kaieteur News on 1 March, 2017 and in the Guyana Chronicle on 16 March, 2017. In these articles, it appears that Mr. Mortimer George either made valiant efforts to highlight issues that were more pertinent to his apparent aims of upholding the favorable image of particular members of the Berbice Cricket Board, namely Angela Haniff and company, or he has been out of touch with the realities of the existing circumstances and situations pertaining to the BCB, Angela Haniff and fellow colleagues. Surely, one would expect Mr. George to be cognizant of principle, ethical guidelines and legal implications surrounding matters of interest to the Berbice Cricket Board, and Angela Haniff. It is hoped that Mr. Mortimer George, would be aware that the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is a corporate body, established

under the Guyana Cricket Administration Act No. 14 of 2014; that the BCB held its last Annual General Meeting (AGM) in December, 2014. This means that for almost three years, there has been no further AGM of the BCB, since this was last held in December, 2014. Further, he should be cognizant that the BCB rented an office space for decades, going way back to the days of Mr. Leslie Amsterdam. This fact becomes important, since on whose authority does the secretary has to transfer BCB assets. On this basis, it must be acknowledged that Ms. Angela Haniff was elected as secretary at the said 2014 AGM, and had rightfully assumed her position. However, individuals are not likely to concur that authority would be invested in the secretary of the BCB, to transfer previous BCB assets into her own name. One is likely to find such a conjecture dishearteningthat a land telephone formerly assigned to the BCB would be apparently unilaterally transferred to and in the name of Angela Haniff. So discouraging is such a conceptualization that when one considers that the BCB

was paying for all telephone bills, that the BCB was ill informed of such a transfer, that payments were allowed to be continually made on such a transferred telephone bill, one is left to perceive the action of transfer to be highly deceptive, thoroughly unfair, full of trickery and extremely discouraging. Further, it is even more demoralizing and depressing when one recognizes that the lease for the BCB has been apparently unilaterally transferred to Ms. Angela Haniff. At some stage, one must ask themselves whether, Angela Haniff and the Berbice Board are one and the same? Certainly not! Are other executives aware of these actions? I am not. However, Ms. Angela Haniff continues to seemingly act in ways that questions her authority to f u n c t i o n l e g i t i m a t e l y, ethically and transparently – “for on what basis could Angela Haniff refuse direct instructions from the vice president of the BCB to prepare an asset register and to hand over asset to the BCB? On what basis or by what authority does Ms. Angela (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

Saturday March 18, 2017

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Digicel Regional First-Class cricket

Red Force fall for 202, Jaguars 38-1 Evin Lewis was tested with a bouncer from debutant Kemo Paul who soon had him caught at slip for his first wicket in First-Class cricket.

By Sean Devers in Trinidad In association with Stag Beer, Cascadia Hotel & V n e t Communications Led by Isaiah Rajah (41) and a 71-run stand between Imran Khan (36) and Yannic Cariah (33), Trinidad & Tobago’s Red Force reached 202 all out on day one of their seventh round Digicel WICB Regional First-Class match at the Queen’s Park Oval yesterday. By the close Guyana Jaguars were 38-1 with Rajendra Chandrika on 12 and night watchman Devendra Bishoo on 6. Shemron Hetymer fell for 15 with three fours. The young Jaguars, without their most senior batsman Shiv Chanderpaul, who was allowed by Manager Rayon Griffith, to travel to the USA for personal reasons and fast bowler Keon Joseph, left out due to a left keen injury, managed just one wicket in a

slow first session in overcast conditions. Already depleted by the loss of opener Tagenarine, who fractured his finger while batting in Jamaica and was replaced by Assad Fudadin, the South American Franchise made regular inroads against a team without any of their marquee players and by the end of the day the Jaguars were enjoying the slight advantage. Raymon Reifer (3-48), rookie fast bowler Romario Shepherd, in lively spell picked up two wickets in the space of five runs to break the 71-run stand and West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who bowled too many balls, took two wickets each. When play commenced, Kyle Hope steered Shepherd for four in the first over before spanking him elegantly to the cover boundary, while Evin Lewis caressed Raymon Reifer for a glorious cover boundary. The left-handed Lewis

Yannic Cariah turns Shepherd off his pads during his 71-run stand with Imran Khan yesterday. (Photos by Sean Devers photo)

hooked Shepherd for six before stroking the bowler exquisitely through cover for four in the same over, while debutant 18-year-old Kemo Paul started with maidens to both Hope and Lewis on a track with a tinge of grass but no real pace. Lewis flicked Veerasammy Permaul for four before being tested with a bouncer from the talented Paul as the scoring dipped. Paul soon got his first FirstClass wicket when Lewis edged a beauty which left him, to Fudadin at second slip in the 16th over with the score on 34-1. His 22 lasted 41 balls and included three fours and a six. The left handed Rajah joined Hope, whose last innings yielded an unbeaten 105 in Grenada and then Hope latched onto Shepherd and hammered him to the cover boundary to bring up the 50 off 21.1 overs. By lunch, under dark cloudy skies, the Red Force had progressed to 62-1 from 27 overs with Hope on 19

Skipper Leon Johnson talks with Kemo Paul as he prepares to bowl his first ball in First-Class cricket yesterday.

and Rajah on 15 and the partnership already 28 on the fast outfield. After the interval Hope rocked back and slapped Bishoo for four before Rajah cut Reifer for four and danced into Bishoo and drove him sweetly through extra cover for four. When well set for a big score, Hope, one of only two batsmen with 500 runs in the tournament, was caught by at slip by Shemron Hetymer off Reifer for 23 from 101 balls with four fours and T&T were 81-2. Bishoo was smashed for four by Jason Mohamed but Bishoo had the last laugh when Mohamed (11) edged to the Keeper Anthony Bramble as the Red Force slipped to 94-3. It was soon 111-4 when Rajah lofted Bishoo to longon when nine short of his third First-Class fifty and his 41 lasted 91 balls and was decorated with six fours. Ya n n i c C a r i a h hammered Bishoo behind point for four and by Tea was on 15. Imran Khan (7) was with him and the Red Force were 125-4. After the break Cariah slashed Bishoo for four before Khan hammered four off-side boundaries off Reifer in the second over after Tea as the Trini pair came out with positive mindsets. In Reifer’s next over Khan, oozing confident, lofted him back over his head for another boundary to bring up the 150 in the 60th over. A square driven boundary by Cariah off Shepherd, who replaced an expensive Reifer, brought up the 50 partnership. Shepherd charged in and

bowled fast on the easy paced pitch and peppered Khan with some well lined short balls before edging a drive past the slip cordon for four. Seemingly unsettled by the bombardment of bouncers, Khan was taken at cover in Shepherd’s next over for a shot filled 36 from 52 balls with seven fours and finally the entertaining 71run stand was broken. Shepherd got rid of Cariah five runs later to

leave the score 177-6 after he had faced 32 balls and reached the boundary twice. With the sun out in all its glory for the first time for the day and a small crowd with included Daren Bravo watching, Permaul removed Khary Pierre (1) at 192-7. Reifer removed Katwaroo (20) and Marlon Richards (7) before Permaul had Bryan Charles (0) to end the innings as the last four wickets fell for 10 runs.

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Petra Organisation Futsal Tournament

Camp Street ‘All Stars’ dream go north against West Front Road

Saturday March 18, 2017

Orealla receives volleyball donation from former Physical Education Specialist

-Champs Bent Street beat Stevedore The third and fourth place finishers walk away with $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.

Sophia’s leading goalscorer Akeem Jaikissoon (yellow jersey) weaves his way past a player from Alexander Village during their clash on Thursday. Camp Street All Stars dream of duplicating their notable Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition performance went north of reality after being subjected to a crushing 10-2 defeat at the hands of a visibly rejuvenated West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ unit in the final round of the knockout phase of the Petra Organisation Futsal Tournament on Thursday night, at the National Gymnasium. Playing in the second of six scheduled games, Carl Tudor and Roy Cassou were utterly devastating in attack and fired in a treble each in the one-sided demolition. They were ably assisted by Randolph Wagner, who netted a brace, while Andre Webber and Jamal Pedro booted in one goal each. Also looking in irrepressible form were defending champion Bent Street who hammered Stevedore Housing Scheme 6-2 thanks to goals from

Colin Nelson, who fired in a double, while Konata Manning, O’kenie Fraser, Kelsey Benjamin and Sheldon Profitt added one apiece. We s t D e m e r a r a Guinness champion Pouderoyen Showsttoppers were no match for Back Circle, losing 4-1, while Sophia and Tiger Bay, also recorded lop-sided wins against Alexander Village and Hustlers respectively. In the closest encounter of the night, Albouystown squeezed past Campbellville 3-2. The competition resumes next Tuesday with the start of the round-robin phase, at the same venue. The top two finishers and the best two third placed teams from the respective groups will advance to the quarterfinal phase. Winner of the tournament will receive $400,000 and the championship trophy, while the runner-up takes home $200,000 and a trophy.

The event is slated to conclude on April 15th. Results from the night: Game-1 Hustlers-1 vs Tiger Bay-6 Tiger Bay Scorers Deon Alfred-8th and 19th Own Goal-6th and 13th James Meredith- 25th Keoma Gravesande-15th Hustler Scorers Anthony Sancho-9th Game-2 West Front Road-Gold is Money-10 vs Camp Street All-Stars-2 West Front Road Scorers Carl Tudor-7th, 9th and 28th Roy Cassou-18th, 26th and 27th Randolph Wagner-10th and 25th Andre Webber-20th Jamal Pedro-29th Camp Street Scorers Own Goal-12th Ron Lyken-13th Game-3 Albouystown-3 vs Campbellville-2 Albouystown Scorers Melvorn Ross-6th Jermin Daniels-15th Roy Samuels-20th Campbellville Scorers Ozeal Small-7th Azuma Small-11th Game-4 Alexander Village-2 vs Sophia-4 Sophia Scorers Akeem Jaikissoon-2nd, 8th and 29th Desmond Cottam-30th Alexander Scorers Kevin Gordon-5th Ryan October-13th Game-5 Bent Street-6 vs Stevedore Housing Scheme-2 Bent Scorers Colin Nelson-17th and 26th Konata Manning-6th O’kenie Fraser-15th Kelsey Benjamin-23rd Sheldon Profitt-24th Stevedore Scorer Shane Morris-8th Dorwin Filter-25th Game-6 Back Circle-4 vs Showstoppers-1 Back Circle Scorers Sylvester Richardson-2nd Stephan McLean-14th Akeemo Anthony-15th Keron Joshua-20th Showstoppers Scorers Dexroy Adams-13th

Rachel McIntosh and Sherifan Moore receiving the balls from Arnold Sukhraj. During a recent visit to Orealla on behalf of the G.A.I.L Foundation to install Playfield Equipment at the Orealla Nursery School, former Physical Education specialist attached to the Allied Arts Unit of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Arnold Sukhraj, presented two volleyballs to representatives of clubs in the area. In brief remarks before

handing over the 2Wilson Soft Touch Volleyballs, Mr. Sukhraj said the former DoS is aware of the great strides being made by players in Orealla with the assistance of the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) and thought it best to contribute in his own small way because he is still concerned about sport development in the country. The balls were received

by Ms Rachel McIntosh of the Force 11 Volleyball Club and Ms. Sherifan Moore of the Reggae Volleyball Club. Both players expressed their gratitude for the gift and promised to make good use of same in their daily practice sessions. Orealla is an Amerindian Village located fifty six (56) miles, on the left bank of the Corentyne River. (Samuel Whyte)

Roach superb as Pride combats Smith hundred

Fast bowler Kemar Roach … claimed four wickets in a superb spell. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC — Test pacer Kemar Roach sent a strong signal to selectors ahead of the Pakistan series as his four-wicket haul trumped Devon Smith’s 28th first class hundred on the opening day of their seventh round clash in the Regiona four-day championship here yesterday. Choosing to bat first at Kensington Oval, Volcanoes were lifted to 283 all out by Smith’s enterprising 103, with Keddy Lesporis getting 59 and Tyrone Theophile,

44. The visitors had cruised to 116 without loss at lunch and then 200 for two in the second session but the innings fell away badly thereafter as they lost their last eight wickets for 93 runs. Roach, who has not played for West Indies in 14 months, led the rout with a brilliant spell of four for 22 from 15 overs, a performance unlikely to go unnoticed with Pakistan arriving in the Caribbean shortly. He was supported by

Test left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican with four for 6 9 w h i l e o f f - s p i n ner Ashley Nurse picked up two for 71. At the close, Pride were 22 without loss, still 271 runs behind their target. Volcanoes appeared in full control during the first session, thanks mainly to Smith who combined with Theophile to put on 121 for the first wicket. The left-handed Smith struck 16 fours in an innings spanning 196 balls and just under 4-1/2 hours while T h e o p h i l e ’s k n o c k comprised eight fours off 108 deliveries in 2-1/2 hours. Roach stuck a double blow after lunch, trapping Theophile lbw in the fourth over before removing Taryck Gabriel for a first ball ‘duck’ to a catch at the wicket off the very next delivery. The 35-year-old Smith repaired the innings, however, in a solid 78-run third wicket stand with Lesporis whose eighth first class half-century was an attacking one, including eight fours and two sixes and coming from a mere 62 (Continued on page 25)

Saturday March 18, 2017

GMR&SC ‘Reaction’ International Drag Meet

Guyana vs. Suriname rivalry resumes in just over 24 hours

Dragsters seen at the starting line during a previous Meet.

Boxers ready to war as GBBC stage ‘Locked and Loaded’ fistic affair GBBC President Peter Abdool (extreme left standing) observes as the boxers sign their contracts. Other officials are Karen Agtarap (2nd left standing) and Andrew Thorne (extreme right standing).

Amidst all of the bragging and boasting, professional boxers are not committed to face off until they actually enter into a contractual agreement. Over the past weeks there have been threats and violent promises after the Guyana Boxing Board of Control ( G B B C ) t e n tatively announced the names of several boxers for an impending card slated for Sunday April 9. Well, true to their promise, the officials of the GBBC summoned the respective boxers to the Avenue of the Republic office of Insurance brokers, Abdool and Abdool, yesterday afternoon to observe the rituals of signing their respective fight contracts. This is the 2nd edition of the World Boxing Council (WBC) amateur tournament, immediately on the heels of the inaugural launch in Trinidad and Tobago last February 28. The card, christened

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Kaieteur News

‘Locked and Loaded’ will be staged at the Giftland Office Max open air arena, Liliendaal, ECD and comprises 3 potentially scorching professional affairs and a similar number of amateur bouts. The main professional bout brings together former local and Caribbean Boxing F ed er atio n ( C A B O F E) bantamweight champion Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques up against Venezuelan, Luis Alberto Requena in a 10 rounds flyweight scrap, while the main supporting bout will see former CABOFE middleweight king, Edmond DeClou, returning from a selfimposed hiatus to match g l o v e s w i t h Wi n s t o n Pompey in a 6 rounds super/middleweight clash. Lightweights, Imran ‘Magic’ Khan and Keeve ‘Killer’ Allicock will start the night’ proceedings when they battle over 6 rounds and this could develop into an interesting shindig. Yesterday afternoon

DeClou pulled no punches as he warned Pompey that “this time nah long time.” He was referring to two previous encounters where he had won the first but had to settle for a draw in the second. “I still believe that I had won that bout and I now know that I will have to be convincing and leave no room for hanky panky,” said DeClou when quizzed on plans for the impending bout. Pompey remained unmoved and warned his opponent that he (Pompey) has gained invaluable experience while campaigning in France recently. “I am ready for anything Edmond brings to the ring,” he assured. Marques knows nothing about his opponent but assured that he only needs a few minutes in the ring to assess his quality. Sporting a decent 17-15-2 record, Marques said that he is far more comfortable in the flyweight division and will be at his fighting best come

fight night. Not much was said by Khan and Allicock but the vicious visual exchanges spoke volumes. President of the GBBC, Peter Abdool, was also at the forum and gave the card the thumbs up. He assured that Luis Alberto Requena is worth his salt and would arrive in adequate time to allow local boxing pundits to assess his worth. Meanwhile, the organizers have already dispatched the requisite correspondence to officials of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and they have already matched their choices. Bantamweight, Rewinne David will face Akeela Malazon in a women’s affair, jnr/welterweight, Kelon Isaacs will box against Euel A g u s t i n , w h i l e welterw eight, S tephan Gouveia matches gloves with Jackford Joseph. Both the professional and amateur squads have already commenced training at their respective gyms.

In just over twenty-four hours, the long-awaited clash between Guyana and Suriname will take place when the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) ‘Reaction’ International Drag Meet, at the South Dakota Circuit. The two countries have a long standing battle in drag racing, many of which have seen a number of exciting duels among some of the best dragsters from the neighbouring territories. Guyana will be represented by a strong contingent headed by reigning champion Sean Persaud in his Toyota Caldina which destroyed all opposition at the season ending Meet in October last year. However, he will not be alone in his quest to ensure that Guyana defends home turf against the anticipated strong contingent from Suriname. Expected to provide adequate support for Persaud are Anand Ramchand, Peter Daby in their Mitsubishi Evo and M a z d a R X 7 m a chines respectively, while the confirmation of Rondell Daby’s Toyota Supra is always a welcomed feature. The Toyota Supra is one of the most feared machines to take to the starting line in local Drag racing and providing that it is confirmed

for tomorrow’s impending showdown it is anticipated that the Circuit will buzzing with excitement as fans will be eager to witness the confrontation between Daby, Persaud and whoever the Dutch send to represent them. Word from within the racing fraternity is corroborating that all the categories are heavily subscribed and a lot of thrilling battles are in store for fans. Then there is the promise of existing records being shattered in the process and this pledge by competitors is sure to guarantee a large turnout. Among the categories to be contested are the F Class 14 Seconds Bracket, E Class - 13 Seconds Bracket, D Class - 12 Seconds Bracket, C Class - 11 Seconds Bracket, B Class - 10 Seconds Bracket, A Class - 9 Seconds Bracket and the 8 Seconds Bracket. The Porta Tree Timing device with specialised starting lights will be operational throughout the day. Starting time is 12:00 hrs and admission is adults $1000, children $500. Meanwhile, the Circuit will be closed to vehicular traffic from 06:00hrs18:00hrs today and tomorrow to facilitate the staging of the Meet.

Jammers tackle Warriors in Anamayah Basketball final R o s e H a l l To w n Jammers of Rose Hall Corentyne booked their place in the final of the Annual Anamayah Basketball Competition for teams in Berbice when they gained a walk over from Hopetown Steelers of West Berbice who failed to show up for their crucial semifinal encounter. The Jammers are now expected to take on the New Amsterdam Warriors in what

is expected to be a keen contest in the final at a date to be announced. T h e Wa r r i o r s h a d destroyed the Fyrish Black Sharks in the first semifinal encounter to advance to the final. The tournament, which is sponsored by the Anamayah Memorial Hospital and Law Firm, has been organised by Vibert Garett. (Samuel Whyte)

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Saturday March 18, 2017

Cyclists to battle from Ocean View to Mahaicony and back in GCF 2nd Points Race In its quest to ensure that riders earn their place when it comes to overseas representation, including the Caribbean Championships; the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) will stage its second point’s race of the season tomorrow. Competitors will be under starter’s orders from Ocean View International Hotel on the East Coast of Demerara from 08:00hrs proceed to Mahaicony before returning to the starting line for the finish to complete 70 miles. The following points would be awarded to the first 10 cyclists to cross the line, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. This would be reflected in all three categories; senior, junior and veterans. Team Coco’s Jamal John

Junior Niles had won the first race which was held on February 12th and will be hoping to add another 12 points second time around but would be tested by teammates Hamza Eastman and Stephano Husbands apart from the

Curtis Dey likes of Paul De Nobrega (Digicel Team Evolution), Linden’s Shaquel Agard, C o n t i n e n t a l ’s G e r o n Williams, Trojan’s Romello Crawford, United’s Andrew Hicks and Raphael Leung, Orville Hinds and Michael

Lear Nunes Anthony among others. Curtis Dey, who has been dominant in the junior category so far this but did not ride in the first race from Georgetown to Long Creek on the Linden Soesdyke Highway and back, will be

Jamal John aiming to make his mark in this event. He would be tested by Briton John who won the first race, Adealie Hodge and Marcus Keiler among others. The battle among the veterans would be exciting

given the fact that the dominant Junior Niles had to settle for third place behind Lear Nunes and Ian Jackson in the first race. Niles would be seeking to step it up whilst Nunes would be aiming to take another win.

MAYOR OF LINDEN APPOINTED PATRON OF MARTINIQUE CLASH

GFF President Wayne Forde (left) presents the federation crest to Mayor Carwyn Holland in recognition of him being appointed Patron for the impending clash in the presence of other officials. Georgetown: The Guyana Football Federation has appointed Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland as the official patron of the upcoming international friendly match between Guyana and Martinique on Tuesday, 28th March in Linden. The clash between the Golden Jaguars and a powerful Martinique side

warming up for its fifth appearance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup marks the return of international football to Linden after a six-year hiatus. GFF President Wayne Forde made the patronage announcement during a preparatory inspection visit to Linden on Friday. “Mayor Carwyn

Holland, on behalf of the Guyana Football Federation Executive Committee, you are now the official patron of the international friendly – Guyana versus Martinique,” GFF President Forde said following a meeting with Mayor Holland. “Congratulations to the Linden community. This is an exciting opportunity for

Linden to show itself a worthy recipient of such an important friendly match.” The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 28th March at the McKenzie Sports Club Ground, with tickets priced 1500 GYD. The GFF is encouraging all fans to wear yellow to show their support for the Golden Jaguars. “We want to thank you

on behalf of the people of Linden – the home of football in Guyana – and I can assure the people will be coming out in full numbers and we will be looking forward to wearing o u r y e l l o w, ” M a y o r Holland said. “It should be a great day for all of Linden and a great day for football in Guyana.” The GFF delegation,

including Executive Committee member Keith Ojeer, Technical Director Ian Greenwood, Competitions Director Ian Alves and Marketing and Sponsorship Director Dario Mc k l m o n , a l s o m e t representatives of the McKenzie Sports Club to discuss logistical planning f o r t h e c l a sh.

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DDL sponsors 45th Kennard’s WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE Phagwah Horse Race Meet SHINES IN FIFA’S GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT

Female football action in Guyana.

DDL’s Wines and Spirits Manager, Maria Munroe (left) hands over the sponsorship cheque and trophy to Justice Cecil Kennard. Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) will sponsor the feature event of the 45th Annual Kennard’s Memorial Phagwah Horse Race meet set for tomorrow at Kennard’s Turf Club at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne,

Berbice, beginning at 1pm. DDL’s Wines and Spirits Brands Manager, Maria Munroe presented Justice Cecil Kennard with the sponsorship cheque as well as the trophy for the winner of the ‘C’ Class and Lower

event over one mile on Thursday at his Brickdam office. The race carries a first place prize of $900,000. The second place finisher pockets $450,000 with third (Continued on page 25)

G e o rg e t o w n : Wo r l d governing body of football FIFA has promoted the inaugural edition of Guyana’s National Women’s Development League on its internationally popular social media platforms, putting women’s football in Guyana on the global stage. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Facebook page and its Women’s World Cup Twitter account carried a

gallery of images and in fo rmatio n f r o m las t weekend’s finals, involving the Guyana Defence Force, Paiwomak Warriors, St. Ignatius and Fruta Conquerors. “This league has been a big step forward for the development of women’s football in Guyana, and it is a huge boost for all the players, coaches, referees,

clubs and Guyana’s football to see this level of support and encouragement from FIFA,” said Guyana Football Federation President Wayne Forde. “We can’t wait for the start of next season to build on this solid foundation as work together to take women’s football to the next level.” The National Women’s (Continued on page 25)

t r o Sp Petra Organisation Futsal Tournament

Camp Street ‘All Stars’ dream go north against West Front Road -Champs Bent Street beat Stevedore

Part of the action in this year’s competition.

Digicel Regional First-Class cricket Kyle Hope cuts for four off Devendra Bishoo.

Red Force fall for 202, Jaguars 38-1 Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210