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Police take over Thursday Edition NEWS probe into alleged Tender Board breach AIETEUR

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March 28, 2019 - Vol. 12 No. 13

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Govt. to make elections funds available ahead of CCJ ruling Without resources Power struggle at Guyana Goldfields…

Another suspect Executives say all is for oversight, permits held as cops seek US assistance to arrest and policies mean well; shareholders Guyanese woman nothing - EPA Head say figures bogus Fuel dealer's body in car trunk…

Housing issues dominate concerns at govt's public day

Members of the public swarmed the Ministry of Housing Booth at the Square of the Revolution, yesterday

New laws imminent for maritime sector - Former CCJ Judge completes review, hands over recommendations

Kaieteur News

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Thursday March 28, 2019

Power struggle at Guyana Goldfields…

Executives say all is well; shareholders say figures bogus

W

ith a special shareholders meeting weeks away, the internal struggle at the country's largest gold mining operations is intensifying.

Hours after a statement

by Guyana Goldfields Inc. about future plans and projected production, a number of shareholders reminded that they have hired an independent, international consulting practice specializing in the resource sector to provide a third-party review and analysis of the resource model at the Aurora mine.

For several months now, former founder, Patrick Sheridan, and a number of shareholders, has been fighting the current Board of Directors over what they say is poor management and questions over the figures as announced.

In addition, the shareholders were concerned over what it says was a sharp drop in the value of their investments- the drop is in the vicinity of hundreds of millions of dollars. The Aurora mine was commissioned in early 2016 becoming the biggest single gold producer.

It is in the process of entering underground mining shortly, the first in

The Aurora mill area, Region Seven

Scott Caldwell, President & CEO Guyana.

The company has been handed millions of dollars in tax concessions and has in excess of 500 employees at the mine site on the Cuyuni River, Region Seven.

Ahead of the special

Founder and former Chairman, Patrick Sheridan shareholders' meeting, the company has hired former US ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway to help over aspects of its operations.

According to a statement yesterday, the Canadianbased Guyana Goldfield said

it has an updated Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates, and life of mine plan (LOM) completed by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. The company is upping its annual estimated average recovered gold production to 218,000 ounces over the next five years at average operation cash costs of US$753/oz, including royalties to the Government of Guyana.

It has total capital of US$124M to develop the underground mine and US$256M in sustaining capital.

500,000 ounces "Aurora has produced more than 500,000 ounces of gold in just over three years of commercial production

and, despite some tough challenges, we remain confident in our future success," said Scott Caldwell, President and CEO. "We have identified and initiated a number of cost savings programs that will lead to improved operational e f f i c i e n c y. We h a v e strengthened our leadership team, streamlined our organizational structure, initiated partnership arrangements with key contractors and suppliers and, in addition, implemented improved operating procedures and optimized our capital spending.”

The company said it engaged a consultant to review the Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates, and overall LOM plan at Aurora last October after it became apparent that gold production during the fourth quarter would fall short of the forecast, which had been based on the original resource model developed in 2012, under prior management.

“The updated Mineral Resource is based on a revised geologic interpretation of the style and structural controls for certain areas of Aurora mineralization resulting from open pit production and geologic mapping, 12,801 metres of new oriented core drilling along with relogging of some 50,000 metres of drill core.”

Guyana Goldfield said its production is expected to peak in 2024 at -251,000 ounces. Total estimated LOM capital cost, excluding working capital, is expected to be US$381 million including a 10% contingency.

Capital costs include US$124 million in development capital for the underground mine and US$250 million in sustaining capital over the

mine life.

The development capital is expected to be split between 2019 and 2020.

Misleading?

Meanwhile, the “concerned shareholders” in a statement, said that given the continuing concerns over the company's seemingly misleading disclosures and general market skepticism, they want to ensure that an independent review is conducted.

“The Concerned Shareholders believe that their third-party review will serve as a check and balance against the company's resource model, especially if the company tries to use its resource model to excuse management's poor performance.”

"We want to ensure that the current Board and management aren't manipulating data to justify their poor results. Over the past year alone, the Company's missed production and cost guidance have left shareholders with market losses exceeding $500 million," said Sheridan, one of the largest shareholders and former Executive Chairman and former director of the company.

"We believe that the root cause of the Company's problems is poor execution, poor planning, and poor mining practices —not the resource model. It's important that shareholders, the market, the Government of Guyana, and the public at large have credible and reliable information”.

The shareholders said that last year, the current management of Guyana Goldfields twice lowered production guidance by a cumulative 25% and increased their projections of their all-in-sustaining costs by 20%.

In addition, the shareholders pointed out that (continued on page 18)

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 03

Govt. to make elections fund available ahead of CCJ rulings

P

resident David Granger has assured that funding to ensure the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is ready for elections will be made available.

With the recent Court of Appeal decisions, the Cabinet meetings have now restarted and it is the intention to request funds through a Bill which will be laid in the National Assembly for authorisation.

Speaking to reporters at the Ministry of the P r e s i d e n c y y e s t e r d a y, Granger was answering questions on the state of preparedness when it comes to the Guyana Elections Commission.

A shock December 21 no

confidence vote against the Coalition Government in the National Assembly that was deemed carried had brought on the prospects of early elections.

H o w e v e r, t h e Government challenged the legality of the vote and after the High Court upheld it, the Court of Appeal last week in a majority decision overturned the High Court ruling.

The Opposition has approached the Caribbean Court of Justice for a final review.

In the meantime, the political situation has been raising alarms with the business and diplomatic communities.

GECOM, with representatives from both

sides of the house, has been split on early elections with the Government side insisting on house-to-house registration to correct a bloated list.

The Opposition, however, insisted that houseto-house is not needed and that GECOM has to always be in a state of preparedness.

According to President David Granger, he has never disengaged from GECOM. “I have written a couple of letters to the Chairman (Justice (Ret'd) James Patterson. The chairman has written a very detailed letter of the preparations so regardless of what happens at the Supreme Court; regardless what happens at the Court of Appeal; regardless what happens at

the Caribbean Court of Justice, we are going to make sure we satisfy GECOM's request.”

Among other things, Patterson recently asked for over $3B in funding for elections.

According to Granger, the government and the executive branch cannot interfere in the internal decision-making process at GECOM. Granger said that he is happy at the level of cooperation from the Chairman with the requests from GECOM to be satisfied as far as possible.

“We are going to go back to Parliament and make requests to ensure that GECOM has everything it needs. We are committing to

having clean and credible elections in the country…and I will engage GECOM to ensure that the request made to me by the Chairman is satisfied.”

In other words, the President said, whatever happens at any level of the judicial system, Guyana is going to be prepared for elections.

With regards to concerns of the business community, Granger said that it is a misperception… there is no crisis.

“Everything that happened since December 21 has been logical and on the part of Government, it has been under the framework of the law. As far as I know, Government has done nothing to endanger or

President David Granger cause disorder to the business community.”

He said that Government is willing to meet any group, as long as he is in Guyana, to assure that Government has been open and transparent.

“We used our legal rights. The Opposition is exercising their own to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice.”

Probe launched at West Dem Hospital following death of newborn transferred to GPHC - Couple believes negligence, inoperable theatre might have contributed Gibbons added that his reputed wife was in pain all day Saturday into Sunday while hospitalised. He recalled, too, that when he arrived at the hospital Sunday around noon he heard his wife screaming in pain.

“I was till outside and I could hear she hollering inside...I wanted to ask them

The West Demerara Regional Hospital where Nicola Ali was admitted one day before she was transferred to the GPHC and her newborn was pronounced dead.

A

Plantain Walk, We s t B a n k Demerara couple is mourning the loss of their newborn, a development which has triggered an investigation at the Region Three West Demerara Regional Hospital to determine if negligence was the cause.

Senior hospital officials confirmed that a probe has been launched into the incident, but are convinced that protocol was followed from the point of admission to the subsequent referral of Nicola Alli, 18, the mother of the dead baby.

However, the woman and her reputed husband, Orlando Gibbons, are

convinced that the hospital must accept some culpability. This is owing to the Gibbons's report that Alli's repeated cries to be attended to were ignored and might have delayed the process of delivery and perhaps even been a contributing factor to the eventual death of his first child – a baby boy.

A delayed birth, according to medical reports, is said to occur when circumstances prevent an infant from being delivered during the normal time frame. It is said, too, that if immediate medical intervention is provided, the infant may only suffer minor conditions and will go on to

heal without problems.

However, a delayed birth can also result in more serious medical issues, especially if a traumatic birth injury occurs.

The still distraught Gibbons who'd already pick the name Jahiem, for his son, told this publication that he is still recovering from emotional hurt and his wife simply cannot stop crying.

“I don't know what to do,” said Gibbons as he chronicled his wife's experience at the West Demerara Hospital.

He recalled that his wife, who was attending clinic regularly at the very hospital, started to experience some severe abdominal pains

Saturday. Alli, Gibbons recalled, decided to visit the hospital in order to be examined.

Upon arrival, Gibbons said that health workers found that the woman was manifesting early signs of labour and was admitted as a result.

“On Saturday morning she wake up and say she feeling pain in she stomach and she said she going and check herself at the hospital.”

He asserted that “right through the pregnancy was normal; everything was good. She was going to clinic all the time, right at the Best H o s p i t a l [ We s t D e m Hospital].”

if I couldn't get a transfer because I ain't see them doing nothing for she but something tell me leh we wait till the 2:30 [pm] visit.

But when I waited I see they start preparing she for an ambulance,” Gibbons recounted.

According to Gibbons, based on the reports he (continued on page 21)

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Kaieteur News

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

Protests are part of democracy

P

rotest must be looked upon as a robust feature of any democracy, including those ones still groping toward a healthier manifestation and more vibrant expression of its freedoms at work.

Governments under duress are expected, if not demanded, to pursue continuous improvement of standards and tolerances; to adhere to high ideals when confrontations push patience; and to maintain composure when developments threaten the norms of civil and social calm.

Undoubtedly, the world over the protesting is not known to adhere to the high standards to which the state must be committed. Right up front, it must be said that whatever the rationales or underpinnings, protest is a right. It is part freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom to challenge those situations that harbour ill for the quality of democracy, indeed quality of existence.

In true democracies, these freedoms rise to the level of the sacred.

They must not be interfered with; or curtailed to such an extent that objectives are so severely impaired and impacted that any political or social protesting presences are rendered invisible to the point of impotency.

Though not to be interfered with, the state still has a responsibility to manage the overall environment and maintain acceptable minimums in the commerce of everyday activity. This is nonnegotiable. The rights of the protesting have to be balanced against the rights and welfare of the wider public.

There is this delicate balance of monitoring and managing, on the one hand, versus giving as wide a latitude as possible for those dissenting to operate, on the other.

The protesting must exercise any and all rights carefully and thoughtfully, while seeking to gain maximum leverage and volume for their messages. Parliament provides a powerful forum. No one expects the protesting to be polite, for as one radical long ago took the opportunity to remind: the polite usually have little to show for their restraint.

But restrained they must be.

For with the special right to protest comes more than a few responsibilities. Amidst the right to apply pressure at sensitive pressure points, and maximizing attention on the ongoing governance disputes, there are the responsibilities to conduct protesting and picketing exercises in a peaceful and orderly manner; to maintain discipline and decorum in keeping with stated objectives; to appreciate the static vulnerable nature of businesses and that livelihoods depend on underlying commerce (whether sympathetic or hostile to political position); and to respect the rights of others to traverse the same spaces freely and without fear.

In terms of the latter, rumours and reports (all supposedly confirmed by a savvy street) speak of recruitment of paid protestors from the more economically depressed areas to add weight and colour to the political passions and energies patrolling the pavements and thoroughfares; and to introduce elements of ethnic violence for purposes of tensions, fear, and electoral turnout and success.

Any passing foray into the elections history of this country is sure to reveal that intimidation, tension, and upheaval have all been sturdy presences in those low and raw times of what is argued to be a democratic process.

In the final reviewing, it really does not matter which group is behind any such nefarious orchestration, and for whatever objectives. The racial, political, and social divides not only grow sharper, they also bare more scars on the outside while housing deeper wounds on the inside.

Thus, the stage is set for the next cycle of voting; the next lifetime of unyielding animosities. Protest is a right; but only when done right.

Thursday March 28, 2019

Mr. Mueller failed ignominiously at the worst possible moment DEAR EDITOR, The Robert Mueller Report is out. I think that is about the best thing I can say about it. It might have been better if this fiercely disputed investigation and longawaited report had stayed suspended for as long as it could have been stretched out, given how and where it ended.

I think that Special Counsel Mueller’s partial summary, as disclosed by Attorney General Barr, raises more questions than answers.

In fact, I have some difficulty determining where the answers are, and what they are really saying when found.

Looking closely at the carefully worded and hedged language of the Special Counsel synopsis, I come across more non answers than any straight answer. Try as I might, I could not come across a single straight, definitive answer on any issue. It is this hodgepodge of guarded, neutral, and escapist verbiage that leaves matters more clouded than helpful.

As freely acknowledged and repeatedly so, no conclusions

are reached. Thus, there is this masterpiece of evasion, obfuscation and, truth be told, timidity.It was expected that Special Counsel Mueller would have exhibited more intestinal fortitude and made a call; the hard call and several of them, in fact.

Instead, he chose to walk and write straight down the middle in the equivalent of see some evil, but it is not really evil at the core; hear some perversities, but unwilling to interpret the audibles detected; and speak (write) a few pallid truths (if that is what they are) by saying what would require an oracle to unravel.

Mr. Mueller seemed determined to please everyone, by having it both ways. In my time, I have come across some nuanced language, but the kind in this report is so vague as to find a ready home in the Guyana Constitution.

Editor, it is no secret that I have little regard and less interest for the object of the investigation; that goes for his alleged foreign coconspirators as well. Still, I believe that the summarized

report opens the door for more partisan acrimonies and to keep the related political timebombs hanging menacingly in the air.

Supporters are already celebrating raucously taking their lead from their vindicated hero at the top; while opponents are not surrendering any inch and calling for the full report.

There is trouble brewing there. Even if the language of the full report is as equivocating as the now public summary, political foes are sure to discover enough to take a view that it is the diametric opposite of exoneration. I do not see how they will not be able to; and particularly as such relates to obstruction of justice.

Already I foresee this draining, distracting affair continuing well into the future. This is not going anywhere anytime soon. The blame for this rests squarely on the shoulders of the suddenly fainthearted Special Counsel.

Given his insistent courage over the last two years, this one is peculiar and inexplicable. The very least

Mr. Mueller could have left in the wake of this tedious, contentious investigation was that the president made serious errors of judgment and that he should be held accountable before the Congress.Or, if the facts and circumstances did not so support, that the Chief Executive made no such misjudgments; then that, too, ought to have been said and written in the most unambiguous manner. Mr. Mueller took comfort and pride in doing neither. If this were a motion picture, it would be titled, The Great Escape.Now the political dogfight and public hysterias start all over again (or continue unabated), and in several directions at once.

Depending on the point of view, Mr. Mueller should be given a medal for his pains or condemned before history for wilting under the fire of expectations. I think he knows much better, and was better equipped to do better, way better. He failed ignominiously at the worst possible moment.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Long live the Guyana Police Service DEAR EDITOR, On Page 12 of the Stabroek News of Thursday, 21st March, 2019 the story under the caption ‘ It’s now the Guyana Police Service’ represents good and long overdue news. The word force sounds a bit too aggressive and maybe brutal also; the word service sounds more caring, willing and concerning. Again I would say that it is a step in the right direction, but the members of the Guyana Police Service from Constable to Officers would have to ensure that the desired goals are met by changing their mindset or attitude, on how they deal with members of the General Public, by not applying one set of rules for the poor and less privileged and another set of rules for the rich and those who believe that they are powerful.

Time and time again we see that the Police conducting random stop and search exercises don’t stop the drivers of the Prados, Toyota Land Cruisers and other highend tinted vehicles, much less search them.

The attention is focused primarily on the hire cars and the Mini Buses, and the older your vehicle appears to be the more often you are likely to be stopped.

I am also wondering if changing the word Force to

Service, the Police are going to go to the virtual complainant (VC)’s home and take a statement from him or her or to have a witness for the Prosecution submit a statement by visiting the person’s home, and not asking them to come to the Police Station which at times can be miles away.

What is currently happening in many instances, the Police ask the virtual complainant or the star witness to come to the station at a given hour. He/she is a worker that gets home after four in the afternoon, and by the time they get to the Station, the investigating rank would have already left for home.

The person is then told that the rank in question is not at the Station, so, ‘you can come back tomorrow’. How frustrating this can be to the people who can help the Police to build a case, and to have or secure a conviction.

The Minister of Public Security is on record as saying that there is an acute shortage of ranks in the Guyana Police Force. I hope that with the word Service that would change, and with that, the following:1. The Mini Bus driver on being stopped by a Traffic Rank would not stop about four rods away from where he was stopped, exit the bus, and produce his licence that already has one thousand… or

more, in it (the Licence book).

2. The Police would not selectively stop motorists for tint and other reasons.

3. That every person that is issued with a driver’s licence has gone through the process, and did not offer a bribe.

4. That when a report is made to the Police on Patrol, something you would seldom see or at the Station, the appropriate action would be taken in a timely manner.

5. When members of the public give the Police information of a sensitive nature or otherwise, their identity would not be disclosed.

6. No Political interference in Police Investigation

from the Regional or National Level.

7. On making a report to most of the Police Stations, the Constables there would not tell you to come back when the Sergeant comes.

With all of the above being said, there are many, many Police ranks out there who at all times try to perform their duties in a professional manner, so as not to sully the image of the Guyana Police Force now the Guyana Police Service.

Long live the Guyana Police Service, as a people we cannot live without them.

I always remember the saying, ‘After God is the Police’ Archie W. Cordis

‘Shame Guyana, Shame’ DEAR EDITOR, For all these years of my life, I have been very proud of my country, until I read Freddie Kissoon’s column of March 26, 2019. “Guyana secretly buries dead foreign prisoners”. How can we blame Trinidad and Barbados for the way they are treating our people at the Airports, especially when they are refused entry, when such atrocities are happening in our own country?

How can you keep deportees in a cell until they find their own airfare or die? Is that the practice of principles of social equality (Democracy)?

Do you know how many hundreds of people are deported from Canada and America yearly, and their tickets are paid by the same country?Nelson Mandela, the international peace and freedom award achiever, is most likely turning in his grave.

Shame Guyana, Shame.

J.C. Grant-Stuart Snr. Toronto, Canada

Thursday March 28, 2019

The People will ultimately deliver a definitive ruling DEAR EDITOR, The old adage ‘actions speak louder than words’ has taken on a new level of prominence and significance in the context of the political ‘goings on’ in Guyana. The entire Guyanese community at home and aboard are now able to compare and contrast and make conclusive findings on the real versus the counterfeit, the sincere versus the hypocrite, political grandstanding versus reasonable and rational behaviour.

The swift move by the Leader of the Opposition and other parties (outside of government) through their lawyers to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for a full and final determination of the validity of the no-confidence motion is sufficient proof of keeping good faith with the commitments made to the people of Guyana.

This action is not only a clear indication that there is

no intention on the part of the PPPC to hold the people of Guyana in a protracted period of uncertainty and fear, but also a clear indication of our belief in the democratic process and that this issue should be resolved by the people of Guyana when they go to the polls earliest.

We, the PPPC, respected the ruling of the Speaker on the 21st December 2018, we respected the ruling of the Chief Justice on 31st January 2019, we respect the 2-1 decision of the Court of Appeal on 22nd March 2019 (even though this decision was adverse to our cause) and we look forward to a swift fair and binding ruling from the external review court, the CCJ. It is our belief that this is an opportunity for the distinguished members of this court to ensure the scales of justice are balanced.

Many are disappointed with the utterances that are

coming from the Granger administration; it is worrying to believe that such recklessness exists among elected officials.

Parliament should not be reconvened, more so if the intention is to pass supplementary papers to further fund the APNU/AFC election campaign. The current use of state resources is beyond brazen, the green and yellow is omnipresent in all ‘government’ outreaches and events, the lack of concern for the partisan appearance of government events raises the specter of a paramount PNC party in our country once again. After all the legal luminaries have their say at the CCJ, we will one way or the other end up in the hands of our nation’s highest decision-making body; the People; and there will be a definitive ruling.

Yours Truly Bishop Juan A. Edghill

POWER PARADOX DEAR EDITOR, The fight for Venezuela is similar to the fight for the Suez Canal in 1956. It will determine the fate of US global hegemony, similar to how Suez determined British fate. After being defeated, British prestige was permanently damaged.

On Saturday 23 March 2019, Russian Jets landed with about 100 soldiers and 35 tons of military equipment in Caracas, Venezuela. The message is clear from Russia to the United States - to get to Venezuela you have to go through me.

The United States has been trying to uproot the socialist government of Venezuela for at least 17 years. In

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Kaieteur News

2002 Washington supported a failed coup to unseat Hugo Chavez who was a democratically elected president of Venezuela. This is a general trend of the US to remove leaders of countries that hinder US interests. In 2003, US troops overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein under the pretext that he had weapons of mass destruction, but up to today none have been found. In 2011 Muammar Gaddafi was killed by militants supported by the US. Russia caught on and prevented the US from removing Bashar Assad from power in Syria. Last year US president Donald Trump announced he would remove US troops from

Syria but later backtracked due to political pressure in the US. Since 2012, the US has imposed more than 60 rounds of sanctions on Russian individuals, companies and government agencies. Although it has affected Russia’s economy, Russia does as she pleases. Russia dumped $101 billion in US holdings last year.

The US quest to mould the world to benefit the US is ubiquitous. On July 6, 2018, the US officially imposed heavy tariffs on Chinese imports. China imposed retaliatory tariffs on US goods. On May 20, 2018, China and US agreed to put the trade war (Continued on page 6)

MAJORITY VOTE DEAR EDITOR, I want to address the difference between a simple majority vote and an absolute majority vote as argued in the Court of Appeal ruling last Friday, 22nd March.

Some say that the Constitution ‘loosely’ or ‘prescriptively’ defines what a simple majority is and what an absolute majority is.

They reason that because certain articles speak to the number of present members required to cast a vote, that is what determines a distinction between a simple and an absolute majority.

For example, Article 168 (1) calls for “a majority of the votes of the members present and voting” (said to be loosely as a simple majority), while in contrast, Article 106 (6) calls for “a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly” (said to be loosely as an absolute majority).

This deduction is inaccurate for the following reasons.

What needs to be understood is that majorities pronounced in Constitutions are deciding rules of what it takes

to pass a decision, not rules that stem from the number of representatives that should be present—that itself is a necessary condition for the deciding rule to execute. In other words, we are confusing member composition with the electoral system required to decide winner from loser.

More generally, that electoral system is called a majority vote, except, where necessarily, there is another qualification required, such as an ‘absolute’ or ‘super’ majority vote—the threshold values of which are arbitrarily determined by country or electoral system.

Furthermore, we see that both Articles, namely 168 (1) and 106 (7) demand the presence of “all the elected members.”

The difference between the two is the deciding factor, i.e. ‘a majority’ vote and ‘twothirds’ majority vote. So how can an absolute majority be determined based on the number of members present, i.e. “all the elected members”?

If we examine closely Articles 168 (1) and 106 (6), the constitution does prescribe

the deciding factor or electoral system—that is, a majority vote.

If there is anything to be considered ‘absolute’, it would be regarding member composition, not the deciding factor which is ‘a majority.’

To summarize, my view is that the Constitution is only making a distinction between the necessary conditions required to pass certain votes, i.e. how many members should be present. Some may want to define scenario one, ‘members present and voting’, a simple majority, or scenario two, ‘all members’, an absolute majority, but that is up to them and, indeed, for the courts to decide on.

But it would be grossly inaccurate to do so, because the only deciding factor or rule in both scenarios is prescribed, clearly and unambiguously, as “a majority” vote, i.e. ‘greater than half’, also known as a simple majority vote.

So, it is important that clarity is emphasized in our rational, deductive arguments.

Yours faithfully, Ferlin Pedro

In Search of Our Humanity DEAR EDITOR, Dr Henry Jeffrey’s Future Notes of Wednesday, 27 March, once again touches a nerve, however isolated from so many others. His argumentation probes, without being intrusive, and one is left to recall, in these tides of March, the treatise on ‘Emotional Intelligence’.

On the other hand, for the past three months, there are those of us who have been flooded with the passion of so many intellectuals as articulate as Dr. Jeffrey. Unlike him, however, they only rouse. They offer little or no soothing of the nerve. It is

more a loud daily pounding on a table of confrontative sensitivities so endemic in our society, and which too reach out beyond our shores.

But in the distance, one sees nothing more than the natural drought which the weather now indicates.

One is overwhelmed by questions, while having difficulty finding answers. There is the endemic dilemma of divisiveness some fifty years now, multiplied by the disproportionate number of citizenships of contentious duality.

Even in the case of the latter, their morality makes a dis-

tinction between the eligible ‘duality’ of voters, and the ineligibility of those for whom the former can vote.

And yet, not totally irrelevantly, this ‘dual’ morality did not attend to the very human imbroglio involving an investor of distinctive foreign citizenship, who brazenly and illegally imposed sanctions on employees of pure (Continued on page 6)

PAGE 6

No more winner-take-all, Guyanese must feel integrally involved in the governance process DEAR EDITOR, Guyana, perhaps more than any other country in the Anglophone Caribbean, has a sordid history of undemocratic elections. Part of the problem has to do with our ethnic makeup over which we have no control.

We are, for all practical purposes, historically, a transplanted society which came about primarily from the need to provide cheap labour for the plantocracy. With the exception of the Amerindians, all the other major ethnic groups came to the shores of Guyana to work as labourers in the sugar plantation.The situation is not dissimilar to some other countries in the Caribbean, except for the fact that Guyana, and to a lesser extent Trinidad and Suriname, have significant segments of both Indians and Africans, which after the attainment of independence status gave rise to a competition for political power mainly along ethnic lines.

This ethnic tension is particularly pronounced during election periods, as was the case during the early 1960’s in the former colony of British Guiana. Such was the intensity of the political rivalry during that period that former British Secretary of State Mr.

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

Duncan Sandys described race as the ‘curse’ of Guyana.

Historians blamed the British Government for having engineered the so-called ‘curse’ which has plagued this nation during the immediate pre-independence period and which regrettably continues to persist until this day, with varying degrees of intensity.

In an attempt to mitigate the effects of ethnic politics following the split of the PPP in 1955, the British Government ostensibly introduced proportional representation to allow for post-elections alliances which failed to bring about political stability and social cohesion. The PNC-UF coalition government folded up before its tenure came to an end in 1968. Subsequently, the PNC ensured that it remained in the seat of government through fraudulent means until October 5, 1992 when the United States intervened through the Carter Centre to force the Desmond Hoyte administration to agree on electoral reforms which ultimately resulted in free and fair electionsThe point I am seeking to make is that given the entrenched nature of ethnic politics in Guyana and the ensuing lack of trust, some measure of outside assistance is unavoidable in order to get

In Search of Our ....

From page 5 Guyanese citizenry, albeit in an isolated community upriver; and of the coastal of vocalists only the representative Union raised objection – an evocative exception amongst the cacophony of vociferous intellectualism.One keeps searching for the healing process, for the medicinalists who will design a programme of reconstruction, for the complainants who would recant into a collective that would organise a strategic plan which would culminate in numbers like 63 and 64, and eliminate division.For many of us, there is so little time left.

Yours faithfully E.B. John

the parties together to agree on fundamental electoral issues which otherwise might be problematic.

It is in this context that the intervention of CARICOM, the Carter Centre, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the ABCE countries in our electoral politics has to be seen. So far, the Carter Centre has already met with the Guyana Elections Commission and a meeting is already scheduled with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Regardless how the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) rules on the validity of the No-confidence vote, election preparations have already been placed on the front burner. The Guyana Elections Commission cannot hide under the fig-leaf of an impending ruling from the CCJ, but should put itself in a position of readiness to hold credible elections whenever called. In this regard, I support the position of the Carter Centre that it is possible to sanitize the existing List of Electors without having to spend billions of dollars on fresh house to house registration. The international community has a role to play in ensuring that the will of the people prevails in national elections. With the country on the verge of economic take-off thanks to oil and gas, the political stakes are much higher. This makes it all the more imperative to ensure that there is a departure from a ‘winner takes it all’ governance model to one in which all Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation, feel integrally involved in the governance process.

Hydar Ally

The PPP/C’s refusal to go to Parliament is justified DEAR EDITOR, The PPP/C’s refusal to join the APNU + AFC government in parliament is frowned upon by sociopolitical commentators and certain political factions in Guyana. A closer scrutiny of the rationale for the PPP/C’s non-participation, however, would reveal the potency of such a decision.

While there are several reasons advanced by the political pundits and members of the higher echelon of the PPP/C, I have chosen, in the interest of time and space, to focus on three pertinent ones: the pending CCJ ruling; government’s flouting of the constitution; and the government’s disrespect for the rule of law. First, the PPP/C’s return to Parliament before any ruling from the CCJ could have farreaching implications that would further contribute to the current malaise.

The gov’t is likely to table Bills and motions which would be validated by the presence of the Opposition Members, even if they abstained from voting, because the gov’t has a one-seat majority. While it is very likely for the CCJ to overturn the Court of Appeal’s ruling, those decisions/Bills/motions passed during this period would remain binding on the incoming government. Overturning them would lead to opposition and chaos.

Second, the gov’t has flouted the constitutional provisions, despite recognizing and singing their respect for the constitution as the supreme law of the land.

Rules are neither created nor applied in a vacuum; they are created and used for a purpose, i.e., rules are intended to direct our conduct. One is left to ponder the oath these Parliamentarians took when their tenure began.

The gov’t bluntly refused to abide by the no-

confidence vote which was validly passed on December 21, though they initially conceded defeat.

Using bullying tactics, they even refused to obey the Chief Justice’s ruling and continued business as usual. In light thereof, why should the PPP/C rejoin them in Parliament?

To return to Parliament before the CCJ’s ruling would be subscribing to the bullying and unlawful conduct of the APNU + AFC gov’t.

Finally, the votes of dual citizens cast during the life of Parliament up to the noconfidence motion were adjudged by the High Court to be legitimate and legal due to other constitutional provisions on point.

However, based on the said ruling and the subsequent Court of Appeal ruling, dual citizens who hold Parliamentary positions would be illegal and unlawful.

To that end, all votes cast by such individuals would be illegal and unlawful and therefore lead to illegitimacy of the motion and/ or Bills tabled and passed. Dual citizens on the gov’t side have so far shown no indication of withdrawing, nor has the gov’t given any guarantee that they will remove these individuals from Parliament. Should the PPP/C join the gov’t in Parliament, they would be contributing to this blatant disregard for the constitution and the rule of law.

In essence, the PPP/C’s decision not to participate in Parliamentary affairs while the CCJ’s ruling is pending is sound.

To do otherwise would lend credence, and contribute to the bullying tactics of the gov’t and its continued flouting of the rule of law, and gross disregard for the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Yours faithfully, Ronald Singh

A demonstrably false argument DEAR EDITOR, I taught Math in a New York City High School, and I am much intrigued and befuddled about these terms, “simple majority” and “absolute majority”, as they relate to the recent decisions on the NCM. I have considered the following majority votes in a 65-

POWER PARADOX

From page 5 on hold. They are still in negotiations and no one wants to back down. Neither Donald Trump nor Xi Jinping want to appear weak, because both leaders pledge to make their country great again. China has shown that the US cannot push China around and her dominance is waning.

The world is no longer unipolar with the US in control undisputedly. Russia, China and Cuba are backing Nicolas Maduro along with more than half of the world’s countries while the US, Canada and United Kingdom along with about 50 allies are backing Juan Guaido. Caricom is split, with Jamaica, St Lucia, Haiti and the Bahamas backing Guaido and the rest backing Maduro or at least recognizing him as the president of Venezuela. Caricom’s official position is noninterference in Venezuela’s internal affairs and a solution must be reached through peaceful dialogue. If the United States never sanctioned Venezuela, the country would not be in the mess it is in. Why did the US not allow Venezuela to sell its oil? This affected many Caricom countries adversely, because PetroCaribe allowed many countries to use the money available, because of credit, to supplement their budgets. That is the reason countries like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines are upset with the attempt to overthrow Maduro. They were benefitting from PetroCaribe.

History has shown that the will of the people cannot be suppressed forever. Time will tell who will win.

Yours truly, Brian E Plummer

member parliament.

33/32 51% 34/31 52% 35/30 54% 36/29 55% 37/28 57% 38/27 58% 39/26 60% 40/25 62% Which is a simple majority? Which is an absolute majority?

Attorney Nandlall and several other writers say the Constitution makes no mention of an “absolute majority”.

In one instance (regarding the extension of parliament) it did mention 2/3 majority, but with regards to NCM it refers only to “a majority”.

Allowing that those deliberating are hung-up over the term “absolute majority”, is there a Mathematical reasoning why the majority side must include a margin of at least 3 votes over the minority side to qualify as an absolute majority? Why isn’t 1 (one) sufficient to qualify as a majority – whether simple or absolute?

The position (34/31) is a

margin of 3-votes separating majority from minority.

There doesn’t seem to be a clear understanding that this Math problem is really a pie of two unequal parts - increasing one side by one vote necessarily means the other side loses a vote.

Trying to figure out what is a majority out of 65 is not like purchasing a 1/2 pound of onions that sells for 25 cents a pound (25/2 = 12.5 rounded to 13), and the customer pays 13 cents.

The reason for the rounding-up is that the shopowner cannot lose (must be a commercial law) - and that half-cent is not coming from thin air; it is coming from the pocket of the customer.

For this reason, Dr Alexis’ argument: (65/2 =32.5 round-up to 33, then +1 = 34) is wrong. Where is the 0.5 coming from?

Where is the +1 coming from?

Not from this air, but from the other side of the two unequal parts of the pie.

Dr Alexis does not recognize that his configuration now produces a margin of 3 (34/31) between the two sides. It is my opinion that he has presented a demonstrably false argument.

Mike Persaud

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 07

New laws imminent for maritime sector - Former CCJ Judge completes review, hands over recommendations

By Kiana Wilburg

G

u y a n a ' s maritime sector will be armed with a new set of laws and regulations that will enable it to have better oversight of the oil and gas sector. This was noted yesterday by Director General of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Claudette Rogers.

She made this known during the opening ceremony of a conference that was organized by MARAD and local law firm, Hughes Fields and Stoby.

The event which was held at the Marriott Hotel sought to give stakeholders a better understanding of what would be required of Guyana's maritime administrators in the petroleum industry.

Present at the event were MARAD officials; Members of the Diplomatic Community; Minister of Public Infrastructure, David P a t t e r s o n ; Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Minister, Cathy Hughes and several Maritime stakeholders from the Caribbean region.

Guest speakers at the event included Professor Eric Smith from the AB Freeman School of business at Tulane University; Rear Admiral James Olsen, Retired Admiral of the US Coast Guard with responsibility for Alsaka; Colin Young, Regional

Advisor of the Caribbean International Maritime Organization; and Thomas Steigwald, Petroleum Consultant.

During her remarks, the Director General said that while MARAD has made significant strides in fulfilling its mandate over the last two decades, quite a lot still needs to be done to position the department to respond to the demands and challenges that would arise from the fledging oil and gas sector.

With this understanding in mind, the Director General said a consultant was retained to update the Maritime Legislation. She revealed this consultant to be the former Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Professor Duke Pollard.

The MARAD Director General said that Justice Pollard has since completed the legislative review and has submitted the requisite recommendations which would pave the way for the realization of a more robust system of maritime administration in Guyana.

Rogers said that the general perception of MARAD's role is that it simply issues licenses with respect to seamen competencies, pilotage and carrying out inspections.

However, Rogers clarified that the role of MARAD in safety and environment protection should not be convoluted or ignored given

MARAD's Director General, Claudette Rogers during her presentation yesterday

the rapid increase in marine traffic that is occasioned by the commencement of petroleum drilling in Guyana's Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ).

The Director General said it should be noted that although Guyana has ratified the main International Maritime conventions; the requisite regulations need to be enacted or put in place because the country follows the common law system. She said that the legal and administrative arrangements must be given currency if all of the desired goals and objectives of the country's Maritime policy are to be achieved.

Rogers said that of course, the need for sectorial co-operation relative to the implementation of these policies cannot be over-

emphasized.

Citing another key development, Rogers said that last year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member State Audit was completed. Contrary to some public pronouncements that Guyana had a bad report, Rogers clarified that the Maritime Administration's performance was commendable.

She said that in preparation for this audit, a number of critical elements had to be addressed. The Director General said that these involved flag, port and

coastal state administration.

The official said, “The reality is that MARAD is required to be in line with the demands of the International Maritime Organization.

Therefore, the regulatory issue as well as the institutional, technical, environmental and socioeconomic considerations must be aligned with established best practices.”

She continued, “As a direct result of the IMO Audit, several measures were necessary. These include the implementation of a total Quality Management System; a self-

assessment based on global industry standards; and Engaging a recognized classification society to carry out surveys and inspections to vessels above 500 Gross registered tonnage (GRT) and to issue certificates on behalf of the Administration.”

Rogers added, “In this regard, it should be noted that based on internationally approved standards the Maritime Administration is responsible for the issuance of statutory certificates.

However, this function may be delegated to a (continued on page 12)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 08

Thursday March 28, 2019

Business bodies urge expeditious handling of no-confidence appeal T

he Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) have joined calls for a speedy resolution of the ongoing political situation.

The Chamber, which had recent elections that saw National Hardware's Nicholas Boyer named President, said yesterday that it continues to be an active and vigilant observer of the political situation in Guyana.

“The GCCI wishes to reiterate its initial position regarding the effect of political uncertainty on the level of economic activity.”

The business community has been complaining that since the December 21 no confidence vote which triggered a collapse of the Coalition Government, revenues have dropped significantly.

The no-confidence vote was nullified last Friday with the Court of Appeal, in a majority decision, overturning it.

There have been

The new executives of the GCCI.

meetings between the various business bodies and the Coalition Government and the Opposition.

According to GCCI, it is of the fervent hope that the matter of contention in the political arena, which is now before the Caribbean Court

of Justice, will be expeditiously resolved.

“This resolution will bring an end to the degree of political uncertainty and ensure that a favourable business environment prevails,” the business body said.

Meanwhile, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday too called on the CCJ to consider speeding up t h e a p p e a l s .

PSC said it is concerned about Guyana's current business climate in the midst of the political uncertainty

facing the country.

“The PSC had discussions with local and international businesses who have expressed reservations in investing as the uncertainty continues. There has been a reduction in Government and private

sector contracts directly attributable to the uncertainty.

The PSC is of the strong view that the expeditious resolution of this political situation will bring great relief to the business (continued on page 9)

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 09

The crisis of uncertainty T

here is a political crisis. A no confidence motion was passed in the National Assembly and a crisis has erupted over its validity and the holding of elections in compliance with that motion. Despite the fact that the Court of Appeal has now overturned the no confidence motion, there exists uncertainty since the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) can overturn the decision of the Court of Appeal.

If the CCJ overturns that decision, then the crisis will deepen since it will mean that the government ought to have held elections by the end of March and did not do s o . Wi t h t h e G u y a n a Elections Commis s ion preparing for house to house registration, a process which can take more than one year, it means that if the CCJ overturns the Court of Appeal decision, GECOM will not be ready for elections this year and the government without a

political agreement extending its life would be illegal.

The suspense which has gripped the nation since the passage of the no confidence motion has fed into the b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y.

Business has slowed since December and which has now slowed to a crawl.

This crisis has led to uncertainty in the economy and has led to a slowdown in business activity which the government is not denying.

What the government is saying is that there is no political crisis. It is implying that any slowdown cannot be as a result of the political situation in the country.

The government may not feel that there is a political crisis. But the government is living in its own cocoon which is divorced from the realities which the business community is facing.

The business community has a long memory and it knows that whenever there are elections, and the PNCR is at risk of losing those

elections, there is always a high possibility of violence and arson and looting.

Businesses therefore contract their inventories in the run-up to elections.

Importation shrinks and therefore fewer semidurable and durable goods are imported.

C o n s u me r s b e c o m e more circumspect during elections. They invest more in food than in clothing and other items. As such, there is a contraction in business activity both at the import level and at the level of local demand.

The business community has been complaining that since December there has been a slowdown in business activity. This coincides with concerns over whether elections would have been held by April 30, 2019.

GECOM has indicated to the government that elections can be held by the end of November 2019. This is a wholly unrealistic timeline given that it involves the house to house

Business bodies urge expeditious handling of no-confidence appeal From page 8 community.”

PSC said that it continues to be a strong advocate for enabling a business environment for national growth and development.

“The Commission calls on the Caribbean Court of Justice to provide a prompt resolution to this matter so that both local and international organizations and businesses would again see Guyana as a country with boundless opportunities.”

On December 21, the National Assembly voted on a no-confidence motion against the Government that was brought by Leader of

the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo.

The vote was immediately appealed by the Coalition on the grounds that it was not properly carried and that the Government parliamentarian, Charrandass Persaud, was not eligible to sit in the National Assembly by virtue of the fact that he held dual citizenship with Canada.

Persaud has left Guyana under the protection of the Canadian government.

The High Court upheld the vote but it was overturned last Friday.

Guyana had been preparing for early elections.

Dem boys seh...

Dem shareholders and Guyana Goldfields cussing one anodda Dem have serious problem wid Guyana Goldfields. That is a company that come to Guyana to invest a lot of money to dig up gold.

When de foreign people come, dem promise to be de salvation to de country.

Dem promise jobs and of course, to fill de treasury. People start to believe that Guyana would never be poor again. In fact, dem had de slogan 'Have no fear, Guyana Goldfields is here'. Dem boys did suspect that dem tek money from people in Canada and was de people money dem spending. When dem declare gold de suspicion by de shareholders was that de gold coming slow. But dem boys suspect that kak was passing.

Dem believe thatde company was declaring less gold than it actually find. That would screw up de shareholders, mess up Guyana and get nuff people very rich pun de side.

Is de Waterfallspaper that mek de first noise bout de company. It come in wid promise of local content. But de company shed dem

Guyanese workers quick. Dem use to use local plane; dem end up bringing dem own plane and shut out Guyanese.

Dem use to renttrucks in Guyana to fetch de rocks wha dem blast. De next thing de Guyanese know is that de company start to cut a deal wid people from Colombia.

Dem boys want to know if de company can kak de shareholders dem wonder wha does happen when it come to Guyana. Now de shareholders mekking noise. Dem challenging de company fuh prove wha dem declare is true.

De company deh pun de odda side claiming all manner of good things. Things now reach de stage wheh dem got to call a big meeting. Dem got to produce books fuh audit and dem got to produce reports. Is a big job to satisfy dem shareholders. Imagine people from Canada can mek a company shiver and de government in Guyana getting play like a yo-yo.

Talk half and watch fuh de meeting.

registration.

If GECOM, without house to house registration had indicated that it needed five months to have an election, how come it is now signaling with house to house registration – a process which can take as long as 12 months – it can be ready in a mere eight months.

This unrealistic timeline also creates its own headaches for business because they cannot plan for the year without factoring in the possibility that elections may be held. The holding of elections is a consideration of which businesses have to take account.

The government therefore may not believe that there is economic

uncertainty because of any political crisis. But the reality is that whether or not the government believes there is a crisis, whether or not it is a misperception, businesses are cagy about what will be the outcome of the case before the CCJ and its likely implications.

There is a crisis. It is a crisis of uncertainty. And that is sufficient to hurt businesses. But is that the real reason for the slowdown or is the decline in business due to deeper problems with the management of the economy?

We know for a fact that there are problems in the foreign exchange markets.

US dollar notes are in short supply and there has been a deprecation of the

Guyana dollar against the US dollar. We also know that last year was one of the worst years for exports. We also know that net foreign assets are at its lowest for some time.

So what is the real cause of the decline in business? Is it only the political uncertainty or is the malaise much deeper and related to economic mismanagement?

The government and the private sector need to meet to discuss both issues: the state of political uncertainty and the state of the economy. The two are not unrelated.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 10

Thursday March 28, 2019

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

I took my dog to see the biggest circus ever at Cuffy Square yesterday

I

remember when I was a very small boy my mom took me to the circus. The ground was somewhere on Thomas Lands; the National Park didn't exist then. When I became a father, I took my kid three times to see the circus, the last being Circo Romano at the National Park.

Yesterday I took my dog to see the biggest circus ever held in Guyana – Circo

Guyano. The alternative name as stated in last Sunday's advertisement in Kaieteur News was, “Bringing Government to the People (BGTTP). If anything done by the government of the day in the colonial and post-colonial history of Guyana was a failure, BGTTP was yesterday.

Most people are under forty in Guyana. But for folks like me who are in their

sixties, on entering the Cuffy Square, a whiff of the Burnham era touch your mind when public servants and others were expected to fill the space where President Burnham had his bandwagon on display.

Nothing made sense at BGTTP. Nothing looked l o g i c a l a t B G T T P. Everything looked wrong at BGTTP. I turned west into Homestretch Avenue to get

to the BGTTP circus. A traffic rank stopped you to say you cannot travel because the crowds have occupied Homestretch Avenue where BGTTP was being held. You had to travel west on Hadfield Street. The vast tarmac of D'Urban Park was locked off so there was only parking on Hadfield Street which is a narrow lane. Why would the government have such a large event and not open up D'Urban Park to accommodate vehicles?

I parked way up eastern Hadfield Street and walked to Square of the Revolution with my dog. As I gazed upon the scene, confusion was graphic. As I entered Square of the Revolution ground, a woman came up to me.

She intoned; “You can quote me, Mr. Kissoon; my name is Verna Austin of Kitty. A big business falsified a Deeds Registry document and took my property and they just said they cannot help me.”

This is where BGTTP was an abysmal failure. The same bureaucrats that have misled and mistreat citizens when they go to them in the public sector institutions are the same bureaucrats tending to citizens' queries.

There was a Central Housing and Planning Authority booth manned by the same technical people

that toss your application aside and forget about you.

You had to take your complaints to them.

As I moved further, my Wortmanville friend from the past, Dexter Vanveen, was trying to manoeuevre into a large crowd to get a house lot application. He said to me, “Freddie, can you get one for me?”

I asked him how was I going to get into that crowd.

Why aren't there forms on a table for people to pick and complete? I met another Wortmanville friend who was born next to my home.

His name is Calvin Hector.

He showed me replies and replies from the Ministry of the Presidency which promised to look into his requests but nothing has been done so far.

Thousands of persons had to line up and take a number. When their number is called, they go up, state their complaints and they are told to go to the particular booth that will deal with them.

While interviewing people, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was the director of Department of Public Information, Imran Khan.

He joking said that the place is for people who have complaints and not dogs. I told him my dog had a complaint. I said to Imran that with that huge number of people in the line, the

Frederick Kissoon waiting will be long and run way into the evening.

He said, “We will be here.”

Minister Winston Felix let me know in pellucid semantics that his ministry is not responsible for the permanent prisoners at the Diamond Police Station and for facilitating their movement out of Guyana.

He said that is the jurisdiction of the police force.

I went up to the Commissioner of Police and relayed what Felix had just said. The Commissioner acknowledged that the permanent foreign prisoners are a police issue and he will look into it.

The most interesting event at BGTTP was the open confrontation between the Prime Minister and AFC executive Derek Basdeo over allegations of the rigging of internal elections in the AFC in Berbice.

Mr. Basdeo came up to me in the presence of other AFC officials and said he wants to go public with what he knows. What he said was so shocking it indicates that the AFC has imploded. For me BGTTP was the biggest circus ever. My dog loved it.

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

PAGE 12

Thursday March 28, 2019

Ministry notes notable dip in TB/HIV co-infection rate

T

uberculosis [TB] control in Guyana continues to be laced with challenges and one of the most critical is the HIV epidemic within the population.

This challenge, Junior Minister of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, said, has been identified as one of the biggest concerns and underlying cause of the increase of both TB morbidity and mortality.

But according to Dr. Cummings, although HIV was fuelling the TB epidemic in 2018 the TB/HIV co-infection rate was 16 percent.

“This is a very good

indication that the coinfection rate is also on the decline as it was consistently higher than 20 percent for over 10 years,” said Dr. Cummings.

She revealed that currently the TB and HIV programmes are working on scaling up the Isoniazid Preventative Therapy in persons living with HIV and both programmes have been involved in several trainings covering different levels of health care providers.

Added to this, the Minister said that there is joint planning between the TB and HIV programmes along with collaborative committee meetings which

were established over the years.

The Minister,s remarks were made as World TB Day was observed on Sunday last [March 24]. She said that over the past years the TB epidemic has shown some form of stability with its incidence on the decline.

In 2018, for instance, the TB incidence was 69 per 100,000 population. This decline, Minister Cummings said, is also noticeable in the prisons where in 2018 only eight new cases were detected.

“This is indeed the lowest number of new TB cases recorded in 19 years. It is a direct reflection of the

commitment of the Ministry in combating this disease in key populations.”

Minister Cummings said that infected inmates are isolated and treated using the Direct Observation Treatment Strategy [DOTS].

“It is important to note that DOTS has been implemented in all the correctional facilities in Guyana and the 2017 cohort of TB patients in the prison had a 91 percent treatment success rate,” the Minister shared.

She disclosed that the team at the National TB Programme works in close collaboration with the medical staff of the prisons and other TB staff in the regions to conduct screening and TB clinics at all of the prisons in Guyana.

“There is a joint team effort established with the HIV programme to conduct clinics in the prisons,” the Minister said.

But according to the Health Minister, despite the gains made and the fact that it is curable, TB continues to be listed as the top infectious

Junior Minister of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings killer worldwide, claiming over 4,500 lives daily.

According to the Minister, the emergence of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) poses a major health threat and could put at risk the gains made in efforts to end TB worldwide.

Anti-TB medicines have been used for decades, Dr. Cummings said, adding that strains that are resistant to one or more of the medicines have been identified across the world. Drug resistance emerges when there is poor quality drugs, patients stop treatment prematurely; antiTB medicines are used inappropriately and through incorrect prescriptions.

M o r e o v e r, h e r e i n Guyana TB has been identified as a priority health problem. In this regard the

Public Health Ministry through its National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) has been calling on persons to become more involved in the fight against TB by educating themselves about the disease and to assist in raising awareness among others.

Through its Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) programme, the NTP is fully committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to enhance the DOTS programme by particularly e x p a n d i n g a n d strengthening the Community DOTS Initiative in the hinterland regions.

This tactical move, according to Dr. Cummings, “will definitely boost the fight against TB countrywide.”

“Until death do us part”, ex-boyfriend threatens woman

A

3 4 - y e a r- o l d man found himself before a city magistrate facing a c h a rg e o f t h r e a t e n i n g language. He is accused of telling his ex-girlfriend, “Until death do us part; I will murder you.”

Kenyon McCurdy denied the charge which stated that on February 13, last, at Cornhill Street, Georgetown, he used threatening language towards Vanessa Gonsalves.

McCurdy who was not represented by an attorneyat-law informed the court that he is a contractor who resides at Campbellville.

The charge was read to the accused by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in

the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts. Police prosecutor Seon Blackman stated that the parties once shared a seven-year relationship.

On the day in question Gonsalves allegedly received a cell phone call from McCurdy.

The defendant reportedly told her, “Until death do us part; I will murder you.” The victim then left and went to the Brickdam Police Station where a report was made and McCurdy was subsequently arrested and taken into custody where he was charged for the said offence.

Magistrate McGusty after listening to the facts asked McCurdy, “You told her that until death do you

part? Are you married to her to make such a statement?”

In response McCurdy stated that, “I swear on my life and my mother life, I didn't do anything.”

Furthermore, in an effort to persuade the magistrate to grant him bail, McCurdy stated, “My mother has nine children and we didn't grow up like that. We don't be in trouble.”

After listening to both sides the magistrate stated, “This is a serious allegation and I cannot release you on bail which can allow you to go and carry out your threats.” She remanded the accused to prison and instructed that he return to court on April 10, 2019.

New laws imminent for maritime sector From page 7 classification society where applicable to make such issuances on its behalf based on expediency.”

Further to this, Rogers said that MARAD was required to put in place, the requisite institutional arrangements and human resources to make the system efficient and relevant.

She said, too, that it was required to enact regulations to give full and complete effect to the conventions which Guyana has ratified. In

this regard, she said, “For example, one of the observed limitations of MARAD was the fact that Guyana had not ratified the Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) 95 Conventions and our local Maritime surveyors were issuing certificates based on this regime which was a significant breach of International Maritime laws.”

The Director General added that MARAD sought to correct this but there was resistance from those who embrace the old regime.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Model homes at Prospect

A one- bedroom house which will be given away to one lucky low-income earner

T

he Central Housing and P l a n n i n g Authority (CH&PA) will be hosting an Open House Exhibition at Prospect New Housing Scheme East Bank of Demerara this Friday.

The exhibition will showcase more than 50 houses at the site for low income, moderate and middle-income earners. The exhibition's theme is “'Embracing the prospect of affordable living, opening doors while opening minds”.

According to CH&PA Public Relations Officer, Iva Wharton, the project which commenced last October will provide various opportunities for people who are within the low-income bracket. “The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) would have constructed 20 lowincome units and together

with some private developers, they would have constructed 30 units. “The low-income unit's value is $4M, the moderate $6M and the middle income $9M,” Iva Wharton said.

The CH&PA will also be giving persons who would have qualified for the $4M mortgage the opportunity to get their plans and estimates at a cost of $3000 on-site at the exhibition exercise.

“We know the price on the open market to prepare estimates and plans are very costly, but CH&PA will provide applicants with a lower cost. This offer will be available for persons who own land. They will be required to walk with their pre-qualification letter and we give them the copy of the plan and the estimate to take to the NDC and the bank.”

There is also a disabilityfriendly unit showcased.

Wharton highlighted that the Hinterland houses were constructed with materials from Annai, Region Nine.

Partners in collaboration w i t h C H & PA i n c l u d e Republic Bank, the Ministry of Communities, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Prison Service and several contractors and providers of building supplies.

At the end of the exhibition, a single bedroom house will be given away through a draw. “To become eligible to participate in the draw, the applicants must be categorised as a low-income, earning $75,000 or less and the applicant must not be the owner of any land.

“The person who owns this house will be given six months to pay off for the land before moving into the house, which will be fully furnished,” Wharton explained. (DPI)

Some of the newly constructed houses at Prospect Housing Scheme, EBD

One of the duplexes constructed by CH&PA

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Thursday March 28, 2019

PPP's challenge to GECOM Chairmanship…

CCJ in case management hearing tomorrow

T

omorrow, March 29 the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will hold a case management conference in an appeal against the unilateral appointment of retired Judge James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The appeal was filed by former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, after the Court of Appeal upheld President David Granger's

decision to unilaterally appoint Patterson, saying it was in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana.

In a Notice, the CCJ stated that the “the Case Management Conference is convened to give directions regarding the Notice of Application filed on the 20thday of February 2019, to inter alia, treat the Notice of Appeal filed on the 6th day of February 2019, as urgent.

“And, to determine the orders that are appropriate and necessary including the

provision of timelines for filing submissions and other documents for the further progress of this case.”

The hearing will be heard by video conference at the Guyana Court of Appeal in Kingston, Georgetown.

People's Progressive Party (PPP) Zulfikar Mustapha is the Appellant, while Attorney General, Senior Counsel Basil Williams, is named as the Respondent.

Last June, Chief Justice Roxane George ruled that

the President acted lawfully when he unilaterally appointed Justice Patterson as Chairman of GECOM. As a result, Mustapha filed an appeal against Justice George's decision with the Court of Appeal.

Anyway, Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette CummingsEdwards and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory sat on the panel.

In upholding the Chief Justice's ruling, Justice Gregory noted that in the process prior to the appointment of the GECOM Chairman by President Granger, there should have involved more consultation and consensus, rather than the supplying of 18 nominees from three lists of six names.

These were eventually rejected by the President.

According to Justice G r e g o r y, t h e m e r e submission of a list did not mean the President should pick one of the nominees, even after a prolonged period of eight months.

“The submission of a list, never mind 18 names and three lists, but without the engagement on their acceptability, separate from the choice, could not have led to a consensual candidate,” she said. The Judge noted, too,

that the President could not have been expected to make a choice without some discussion on the potential candidates, their qualifications, and other pertinent characteristics. She essentially stressed that it is for the President to determine who is fit and proper for the position from the list of nominees supplied by the Opposition Leader.

The judge also stressed that while the proviso rule in Article 161 (2) of the constitution is not ideal, President Granger resorted to the provision in the interest of the public.

“If he finds, therefore, that none of the lists is acceptable …he has the right to appoint one whom he finds suitable. Therefore a resort to the proviso was not l a w f u l a n d unconstitutional.”

In upholding the decision of the Chief Justice Roxane George, Chancellor of the

J u d i c i a r y, J u s t i c e Cummings-Edwards said that the proviso rule in Article 161 (2) of the constitution should have been enacted earlier; after the President rejected the first list.

Although she agreed with some of the submissions presented by Nandlall, the Chancellor noted that under Article 161 (2) of the Constitution, President Granger has the right to appoint a GECOM Chairman. Similarly, Justice Persaud said there was nothing to suggest that the President acted unconstitutionally, illegally or unreasonably in appointing Justice Patterson.

The President could not be forced to choose from a list, because that could lead to an “unreasonable fettering of his discretion.”

“That could possibly lend itself to politicking, abuse by one …Again such an interpretation may also attempt to elevate the Leader of the Opposition to a position over and above the norms associated with his authority,” Justice Persaud added.

Being dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, Mustapha is now asking the CCJ, the nation's highest court, for a review.

Police take over probe into Tender Board breach

T

he Guyana Police Force is now spearheading its own investigation into the tampering of bid documents at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) by one of its s e n i o r o ff i c i a l s . T h i s publication was informed of this development yesterday

by Finance Secretary, Michael Joseph.

The attempt to tamper with a bid document has raised alarming questions for NPTAB, a processing entity for state contracts. The incident had been marred by secrecy, since the board failed to notify the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), the body responsible for investigating wrongdoings in the handling of state contracts.

Last week, Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma, said that the Procurement Commission wrote asking for a report.

“I can tell you that matter

Finance Secretary, Michael Joseph is being looked at by the Procurement Commission.

They have asked for a report into the alleged incident,” Minister Sharma had said.

Kaieteur News was told that the Procurement Commission was upset that it had to learn of a problem at NPTAB through the media.

For that, NPTAB has been written to, by the PPC, requesting an explanation for its failure to notify the

Commission.

Officials from the PPC were present at last week's tender openings, as well as last Tuesday's, but the official at the last tender opening told this publication that his investigation was routine, and that it was not related to the recent incident.

It was reported that a Senior Procurement Officer of NPTAB, who has been there for years, was sent on administrative leave almost three weeks ago.

This was after he was reportedly caught on camera taking bid documents from a secured room at NPTAB. It was reported that NPTAB, which oversees the opening of bid documents from contractors and suppliers, processed a number of them.

The documents were then stored in a special room.

Copies were reportedly also in the custody of a senior manager.

Hours later, the staffer (continued on page 22)

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

PAGE 16

The home where the horrific attacks took place yesterday morning.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Mute kills self after stabbing spree, rape

Inside the home where Rafael Charles hanged himself

‌as birthday celebration goes wrong in Bartica

A

2 3 - y e a r- o l d Byderabo gold miner, who sent a number of persons to the hospital, after a stabbing spree yesterday, is dead.

Police said that Rafael Charles, a mute, committed suicide after he went on a stabbing spree in that Bartica ward, Essequibo River.

According to police, Charles, during the early morning madness, attempted to kill Keith James, 56, a sawman who also lives in Byderabo.

Police investigations revealed that the deceased was a close friend of James.

About, 18:00hrs on Tuesday, James and Charles were consuming High Wine in celebration of the former's birthday.

At around, 02:30hrs, police said, James and his wife, Patricia Charles, 56, and a 14-year-old relative retired to bed leaving Charles and a teenager, Rodwell Charles, who lives there, watching television.

H o w e v e r, C h a r l e s reportedly armed himself with a knife and slashed Rodwell Charles, (the teen), across the neck, and then went to James and his wife and dealt them several stabs about their bodies causing severe injuries.

Officials say that the

teenaged relative once shared a relationship with the now dead man.

The couple reportedly ran out the house leaving their female relative on the bed. The deceased reportedly sexually assaulted the girl.

Neighbours and others gave a slightly different account. They said that the teenaged girl was attacked

by Charles and Rodwell came to her rescue.

Rodwell was not so fortunate and during the ensuing altercation, he received a life threatening slash to his throat and cuts to his hands.

The teen was forced to jump from the back of the house to escape further injuries. Charles then attacked the couple.

Charles was later seen by the couple tying a piece of electrical wire to the roof and then hanging himself right in the home.

The injured persons were rushed to the Bartica District Hospital where they were admitted.

They were subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further treatment with their conditions listed as serious but stable.

The body of Charles is at the Bartica hospital mortuary awaiting a post mortem.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 17

Housing issues dominate concerns at Govt Public Day

H

ousing issues dominated the concerns of hundreds of citizens, who swarmed the square of the revolution yesterday at the opening of Government's first public day.

The massive outreach is being conducted at the Square of the Revolution saw more than 22 Government ministries and departments present to assist the public.

Guyanese turned out in their numbers to meet with the various ministers and agency heads to seek resolutions to their concerns.

Among those present during the morning were Minister of State Joseph Harmon; Minister of Social Protection Amna Ally; Minister of Communities,

Ronald Bulkan; Minister of Indigenous People's Affairs, Sydney Allicock; and Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine.

Hundreds of citizens were awaiting their turn to meet with the various officials by the time the event kicked off at 09:00 hours.

Minister Harmon told the hundreds of citizens gathered that the Coalition Government recognised the urgency with which matters need to be addressed and decided to conduct the outreach.

“We acknowledged that if we were to just wait and meet with you in our offices, it might take a long time to get service to you.”

He further assured the citizens that outreach is not a

Members of the public swarmed the Ministry of Housing Booth at the Square of the Revolution, yesterday “one-off event” but is part of continuous Government engagements with the

people. “We will be going to various communities across this country to bring

Guyana must implement int'l maritime policies, regulations - Regional Advisor

F

o r e i g n A ff a i r s M i n i s t e r, C a r l Greenidge, disclosed a few months ago that Guyana signed on to several conventions and ratified a few protocols which will help to protect the country from most of the environmental risks that are associated with the operations of oil companies.

But while this can be considered a commendable feat, implementation of the said measures will be crucial to Guyana's success.

Making this salient point yesterday at the 2019

Maritime Conference held at the Marriott Hotel was Mr. Colin Young, Regional Advisor-Caribbean with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

During his keynote address, Young said, “The Government of Guyana is congratulated for its accession to eleven IMO Instruments in 2019.

However, it is urged to consider that implementation is critical to safeguarding Guyana's marine environment within which port State inspection plays a crucial role in ensuring that

shipping takes place s e c u r e l y, s a f e l y a n d efficiently on clean oceans.”

The Regional Advisor said that his office and by extension, the Technical Cooperation Division (TCD), remains open to assist Guyana with its implementation of the instruments to which it is party.

Some of the conventions which Guyana signed on to include the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (Bunkers Convention), 2001; and the

International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC).

Guyana would also be able to benefit from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) which provide financial compensation for oil pollution damage that occurs in Member States.

Guyana is also expected to sign on to the Protocol of 1992 to amend the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage.

Government service to the people…this is a part of what we are doing in government.”

Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, echoed similar sentiments.

Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn HastingsWilliams expressed her eagerness to meet with the people. According to her, it is important for the government to have continuous engagements with the people of Guyana.

“We believe in taking the government to the people.

We don't believe in sitting in our office because many times persons come to see ministers and they can't get access because Ministers are engaged in other important matters.

“So we decided that as ministers of the government we should be bringing our services to the people,” Minister Hastings-Williams

said further noting that the massive turn out “is very encouraging”.

The booth managed by the Department of Housing was the busiest and was active all day as scores of persons raised issues about house lots and the need for more of the government low cost homes.

Several persons expressed frustration over the length of time it takes to acquire a house lot.

Some applicants claimed to have applications for house lots dating back 10 years at the Ministry of Housing. They expressed hope that their concerns will be addressed through the forum.

PAGE 18

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Passport office coming to Linden

I

n a matter of weeks, residents of Region Ten, Upper DemeraraUpper Berbice will be able to access citizenry services in a spanking new modern passport office that has been completed.

The 2,000-square foot building was built at a cost of $30,6M. It is located at Retrieve, Linden.

In one of the photos, a few of the Immigration Officers who are on training to man the office there.

Bloody trail leads police to thief

A

57-year-old man found himself before a city magistrate charged for stealing a quantity of car parts, after a bloody trail led the police and the victim to his home.

Michael Smith, who is a handy-man for Western Union and MoneyGram, hails from Lot 137 Pike Street, Kitty. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The charge alleged that between March 16, 2019 and March 17, 2019, at Pike Street, Kitty, Smith stole one battery, two car mirrors, one sun visor, electrical fittings and other articles property of Viswanand Narine.

Smith who was formally dressed in a white shirt and black pants, limped his way into the courtroom of Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates' Court, yesterday.

P o l i c e p r o s e c u t o r, Annalisa Brummell, objected to bail being granted to the defendant based on the nature and penalties of the offence. She also highlighted the fact that the items were found in the defendant's home.

The charge stated that Smith lives six houses away from the victim. On the day in question, Narine left his vehicle to attend to an errand a short distance away. When he returned it was discovered that the articles mentioned in the charge were missing from his vehicle.

Moreover, there allegedly was blood on the vehicle. A trail led to Smith's home. When confronted by the victim the accused reportedly ran away.

A report was then made at the police station and Narine, in company of a police officer, went to the home of the defendant. A search was conducted on the premises and the items were found.

The articles were lodged at the police station.

Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty then upheld the submission made by the prosecutor and remanded Smith to prison, citing that he poses a flight risk in returning to court since he ran away when confronted.

The matter was adjourned until April 10, next when he will return to court.

Smith then began to beg the magistrate to release him on bail promising that he will return to court for every hearing. “Your worship just please grant me bail. I promise I'll come back every time.”

The magistrate then quoted the lyrics of a song by Gregory Isaacs that “Promise is a comfort to a fool.”

Executives say all is well...

From page 2 a ScotiaBank analyst on a November 13, 2018 tour, made the following comment: "While we wonder if previous operational disappointments may not h a v e h a d a g r a d e reconciliation component, the company reiterated that poor performance of year-to-date production was due to execution issues, most notably the slow mobilization of the new contractor."

The shareholders said they believe there are no substantial issues with the resource model at Aurora.

“Instead, they believe the missed guidance and increasing costs

plaguing the company are the result of poor management (including the engaging of an unqualified contractor) and lack of oversight by the Board.”

In the coming weeks, the “concerned shareholders” said they will present a new life of mine plan for Aurora that, if executedwiththeproperoversight, should allow the company to realize the full potential.

“The new LOM Plan will focus on ensuring the longterm viability of the mine and thus ensure the continued support of shareholders, the Guyanese government, and employees of the Company.”

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 19

Region Three teachers to benefit from Inclusion Professional Development training

T

eachers from the West Demerara District stand to benefit from an Inclusive Professional Development (IDB) training that targets n u r s e r y, p r i m a r y a n d secondary schools.

This is being made possible through the Ministry of Education (Region Three) in collaboration with National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD). The venture is intended to heighten the level of performance by teachers, after training in the areas of active learning, effective planning, and making teaching methods more accessible.

The training workshop is an 18-month initiative that is divided into five modules.

Teachers meet once every two months and after completing all five modules they receive a certificate after being assessed on the impact of their involvement in their schools, and their role play strategies.

Upon completing their stint teachers are then made to become advocates in their schools and communities by extension. The event is the first of its kind to be

Teachers at the IPD training workshop

conducted in the West Demerara District.

Tuesday's session was held in the Boardroom of the Ministry of Education Region3 Head Office and spearheaded by Facilitator, Akeisha Benjamin.

She explained that the main purpose behind the training is to allow teachers of developing the skills to make their teaching methods more accessible to pupils r e g a r d l e s s o f g e n d e r, background or disability.

She added that this can be achieved through helping teachers to learn how to recognize and overcome a range of problems that may act as a barrier to pupil learning.

The training workshop

was also geared at molding teachers so that they can structure their everyday teaching to actively engage students.

T h r o u g h t h e development of teaching, training resources/skills, knowledge about special needs, and creating an inclusive classroom, each participant will become a resource tool and an agent for change in the varying schools.

Benjamin noted that the five-module training will have follow-up activities to assist in sharing of knowledge, application of skills, and also make room for practical presentations.

She explained the motive behind adapting the IPD

Man charged for shooting at cops walks free

A

lmost one year after he was charged for shooting at police ranks that were trying to arrest him, 26-year-old Keron Hinds was yesterday freed of the charge after City Magistrate Dylon Bess upheld a no-case submission made by his lawyer, Siand Dhurjon.

Apart from that, Hinds of Smyth Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, had also been accused of being in possession of a Taurus Pistol and five matching rounds when he was not the holder of a firearm license on April 16, 2018 at Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown.

These charges were also dismissed by the City Magistrate.

In the no-case submission, Dhurjon argued that the prosecution failed to prove that his client had knowledge or possession of the firearm and ammunition. In relation to the charge for discharging a gun at the police ranks, Dhurjon further argued that his client never fired shots.

Hinds had been out on $400,000 bail pending trial. The Prosecution had contended that on the day in question, police received a telephone call stating that someone was discharging rounds, at the seawall. The caller gave a description of the person.

Police officers on patrol duty in the area at Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown saw Hinds, who matched the description. The court heard that Hinds, upon seeing the police, started to run and a police constable

FREED: Keron Hinds

pursued him. Hinds allegedly turned around when he was about 10 feet from the ranks and discharged a firearm.

Other ranks then pursued Hinds and they saw him throw an object under a car. He was then apprehended and was taken back to the car where a search was conducted under the vehicle and the firearm was discovered.

Hinds was arrested and escorted to the police station where he denied the allegations.

training was fuelled by the fact that in June 1994 representatives of 92 governments and 25 international organisations f o r m e d t h e Wo r l d Conference on Special Needs Education, held in Salamanca, Spain.

They agreed that a dynamic new statement on the education of disabled children was essential, thus

paving the way for inclusive education to be the norm. In addition the Conference adopted a new framework for Action, the guiding principle of which is that ordinary schools should accommodate all children, regardless of physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions.

The framework states

that all educational policies should stipulate that disabled children attend the neighbourhood school 'that would be attended if the child did not have a disability'.

Schools represented at Tuesday's function included those from La Grange, Tuschen, Vreed-en-Hoop, Crane, and other West Bank Demerara villages.

PAGE 20

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Fuel dealer's body in car trunk‌

Cops seek US help to arrest Guyanese woman who allegedly plotted murder

O

n the heels of the arrest of a Foulis, East Coast Demerara taxi driver, police have now detained an Albouystown block maker for the 2009 murder of fuel dealer, Ramzan Alli. Police from the Major Crimes Unit arrested the men on Tuesday.

The taxi driver is said to have confessed to killing Alli at the behest of a woman, who allegedly had a dispute with the fuel dealer.

The woman is said to have been in a relationship with the taxi driver, who was allegedly a 'family friend' of Alli. Kaieteur News understands that the woman is in the United States. Local investigators have reportedly already requested help to have her arrested and deported.

The taxi driver has reportedly told investigators that Alli was slain at his Good Hope, East Coast Demerara home. The body was then placed in a rented car and transported to the Coldingen Railway Embankment Road.

The woman who allegedly plotted the murder

- block maker, taxi driver detained

Ramzan Alli is said to have ordered her accomplices to kill Alli the same day that the victim and his relatives were having a religious service for Alli's brother, Akbar Alli, who was gunned down on July 24, 2008.

It is unclear what part the detained Albouystown man may have played in the crime. However, the taxi driver has reportedly said that another man assisted him. Police had detained the taxi driver and his lover in 2009 after Alli's body was found, but were unable to lay charges. Alli was discovered dead around 08.00 hrs on Sunday, July 12, 2009, in the trunk of his rental car, which was on the Coldingen Railway Embankment Road.

While his limbs were not bound, a plastic bag was duct-taped over his head.

A post mortem revealed that he died from suffocation compounded by blunt trauma to the head. Relatives had launched a search after several calls to Alli's cell phone went unanswered.

The father of two had reportedly left his home to buy meat for a religious function for his brother, Akbar Alli, a scrap metal dealer who was slain on Brickdam on July 24, 2008.

A relative eventually spotted the rental car on the Railway Embankment. The relative reportedly saw blood dripping from the trunk. He then forced the trunk open and found the body.

Detectives had suspected that Alli was killed somewhere else and brought in his car to the embankment.

Relatives had ruled out robbery since they said he never wore jewellery and did not have any money on his person.

Who's to blame?

This is the deteriorating state of the David Rose Street in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown. The road reportedly started to collapse after it was repeatedly traversed on by heavy duty trucks leaving many persons to question whether the road was poorly constructed or if the weight is simply too much.

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

Without resources for oversight, tough permits and policies mean nothing You can have the thickest, most robust piece of legisla-Head, Dr. Vincent Adams tion or Environment Permit with international regulations inserted in them; it all means “diddly-squat” if you don’t have the resources to ensure full implementation and proper oversight.

This was noted by Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, yesterday at the Marriott Hotel. He was one of the panelists at the Guyana Maritime Conference-2019.

During his address, Dr. Adams said that when it comes to the oil and gas sector, oversight is key. He said that the agencies representing the government in this sector are trying to put things in place as fast as possible to be ready for the sector.

Speaking for the EPA in this regard, the Environmental Engineer said that the entity is not quite ready.

To paint a more vivid picture of the level of oversight that is needed by such a regu-

EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams latory agency, Dr. Adams made mention of his experience at the US State Department. The EPA Head said that there was always a representative from the Department who was stationed at every oil operation 24/7.

He noted, too, that the US State Department had more

trained personnel and expertise than the companies had, and the officials were able to ensure that whatever the oil companies had to implement, they did so to the highest standard.

The EPA Head noted that due to a lack of resources here, such a practice could not be adopted at this point. He posited that the Caribbean region and by extension, the Diaspora holds a number of experienced Guyanese who can be called upon to fill the capacity gap that exists here.

He believes that the Diaspora is a most untapped resource.

Dr. Adams added, “It is important that we have oversight and are able to work with the contractors too because we are all in this together. We all have a common interest, that is to produce oil and make money...but we have to do so safely.” (BY KIANA WILBURG)

Eversham girl, 6, killed by hire car

PAGE 21

PM fails to conclude cause of maternity death A post mortem examination conducted on the body of 25-year-old Theresa Henry of Good Fortuin, West Bank Demerara(WBD) has proven inconclusive.

Henry died at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, (WDRH) last Tuesday. She was being treated at the facility for pregnancy- related symptoms.

She was admitted to the hospital suffering from excessive vomiting and abdominal pain.

Her mother, Sharon Davidson, explained that her daughter “couldn’t eat solid food but only drank liquids.”“So I decided to take her to the hospital last week to get saline because she was weak from the vomiting.”

Speaking to Kaieteur News last Sunday, the woman said that her daughter had visited the WDRH during the previous week but she was treated and sent home. “Some time the week before, she went to the same hospital and the doctors gave her antibiotics to treat her for a throat infection that they said she had. When she went back this time, the doctor told her that she didn’t need the antibiotics because she didn’t have a throat infection.“This time, the doctor gave her saline and two injections for the pain and vomiting. They ran some tests on her and recommended that she does an ultrasound because we knew she was pregnant but we didn’t know how far along she was,” Davidson said.

She continued that the ultrasound revealed that her daughter was nine weeks pregnant. The woman said that the doctor subsequently told her that her daughter would need to stay in the hospital to be monitored.

“After the doctor told me that she would be admitted, I spoke to her and told her that I was going home to get her things. She said that she understands and I left her,” added

Theresa Henry Davidson.

The woman noted that besides the pregnancy symptoms, her daughter was healthy.

“She never had any conditions or health issues before. Therefore, you can imagine my surprise when I hear that Theresa died. When I leave the hospital, she was talking good and everything.“I wasn’t even gone for a proper hour just to come back and hear sorry your daughter didn’t make it. I was and I still am in shock,” the aggrieved mother added.

She noted that the explanation given to her by the nurses leaves much to be desired.“All they said is that the doctor brought her up in the ward. She had a seizure and fell off the bed and died. The woman noted her daughter had never suffered from seizures before. “We can’t understand what happen because she does not suffer from seizures.”

“They have not been telling us anything so we don’t know what to believe.”

West Dem Hospital following...

Killed: Arianna Lowenfield

The car that was involved in the accident.

A 33-year-old hire car driver of Number 79 Village is now in police custody following an accident along the Eversham Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice, resulting in the death of a six-year-old pupil of the Eversham Primary School on Tuesday afternoon.

Dead is Arianna Lowenfield.

Reports are that the girl was attempting to cross the public road to purchase something from the shop when the car hit her.

The hire car, bearing license plate number HC 2523, was at the time heading south along the eastern side, in the vicinity of the Eversham sluice bridge when Lowenfield reportedly ran from west to east from behind a lorry proceeding north and came into contact with the front of the car.

The mother of the child told reporters that her daughter was on the road and was making her way to the shop around 15:30 hrs when she heard a loud noise.

“By time me reach out meh neighbour bin done gone with she to the hospital and when me go hospital she done dead.”

According to the grieving woman, a villager told her that the car that hit her daughter was speeding along the road and was on his cellphone when the accident occurred.

She was picked up and rushed to the Port

The hire car driver is in custody Mourant Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival by the doctor.

The driver was subsequently arrested and is presently in custody at the Number 51 Police Station. A breathalyzer test was done on him but no traces of alcohol were detected.

Investigations are ongoing.

From page 3 received, the delayed birth might have caused his son to develop a low heart rate. He said he was also told that his wife needed a caesarean section [C-section] instead of a natural delivery.

But what was even more troubling to the man was the news that the hospital's operating theatre was inoperable for the past two weeks. This therefore meant that the woman had to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for the needed procedure to be conducted, Gibbons shared.

“My problem is that in addition to taking long, long to attend to she [Alli] they know that the theatre wasn't

working and they could've transferred she ever since...That is my main concern. I believe if she was transferred earlier my son could have been alive,” Gibbons reasoned.

In addition, the man, who drove behind the ambulance, said that when it arrived at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction the ambulance stopped for a nurse on board to exit.

This, too, was of concern to Gibbons since, according to him, “this was an emergency. How is it that they could be stopping at that busy junction to drop off some nurse when my son was literally dying?”

At the Georgetown Public Hospital the baby continued

to have a low heart rate but was eventually pronounced dead, much to the disappointment of his parents.

“I need people to know what really happen at this hospital because this was just negligence especially since they already know that the theatre wasn't working, and they knew full well she would've needed to get cut [Csection],” Gibbons argued.

When contacted for a comment on the man's complaint, a senior hospital official would only say that an investigation has been launched which will ascertained whether there was any mismanagement of the patient resulting in the death of the baby.

PAGE 22

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

Croal Street robber slapped with sixth charge

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Spacious comfortable flat @ Houston McDoom. Open floor plan. Ideal for office, single/double occupancy.

Call 664-8150/233-0547

Industrial Sales Representative, 5 Subject CXC Age 25+ Experience in Sales, must own vehicle, email r e s u m e : vacancy@josarltd.com

1 Fully furnished 3bedroom.

2 fully furnished 2 bedroom Diamond & Providence. Tel: 216-2299, 672-1906, 682-6238 WANTED Experienced hire car drivers at Ramada Princess hotel. 2657075, 616-5419 Cashier/waitress, night supervisor, assistant cook.

Apply within 172 Sheriff Street or call 225-7933 (1)Diesel Mechanic to work in the interior. Interested persons can call cell#625-5136 Monday-Friday 8am-4pm Waitress to work in Bar #6614863

Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezer-Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158

1 welder to work in the interior, interested persons contact tel# 625-5136 Monday-Friday from 8am-4-pm

LEARN TO DRIVE N. Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way @ Cuffy Square. Affordable package. Call: 644-5166/6912561 LAND FOR SALE House lots for sale. 40x80 transported $3,000,000 cash.

200k downpayment. 20k monthly. 233-6997/622-1957 www.jobfairworldwide.com Parfaite Harmonie transferrable 2.5M, Parfaite Harmonie 1.6M, Farm 3.5M, Herstelling 5.5M, Diamond 11M Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M Schoonard $3M Dairy with foundation & Fence $2M Farm $3M Tel# 656-0701/651-1969 Transported land 11.6 acres.

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

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/6560087, ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Fabs Rental, Beterverwagting ECD Cars from $4000 #604-0883 AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIAL OFFERS! .

CALL: 690-6494

Receptionist. 25-50 yrs. 233 South Road Lacytown or call 225-0198

Prime business location. Lot 3 Anna Regina Public Road (size 2400 sq feet). Contact 662-0561 for details

Eagle’s re-gas AC, Fridge, Washing machine & computer repairs, Gas stove, Plasma flatscreen, Electrical installation & more. Call: 6972969/646-0966

CAR RENTAL

Coconut and banana pickers for farm in the Pomeroon. 6891270 or 662-5173

Porters. Apply with written application @ Best Buy Food Supplies, Lot 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville

Vacancy for porter. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street Bourda DemBake @ Land of Canaan is seeking distributors & experienced drivers & sales agents.

Email CV: admin@demerarabakery.com / 266-5848 Driver for office in Eccles. Age 25 to 45. Call 642-9823 Wanted for Soesdyke area.

One head master as team leader. Good remuneration package. Call 612-1848 VEHICLE FOR SALE Foreign used 6x4 sinotruck Howo dump truck & excavators for sale. Tel: 5023408/677-8104 Honda SUV PTT series.

Contact 225-1005, 225-9230, 623-0368 Toyota caldina wagon (PLL) Price - $875,000 negotiable.

Any good offer accepted.

Tel:658-4021

Skilled carpenters to work in Linden. 602-9469, 660-6385

PROPERTY FOR SALE

1 Live in domestic. Must know to cook indian dishes 25-50 yrs. Salary 100,000 monthly. #610-3974

House and land available at Parfaite, Tuschen, Diamond etc.

Contact Pacific Development Inc. 223-6035/ 604-4909

Handyman. Tel# 628-9268

Chris Pollard, who was remanded to prison for conducting several robbery sprees around Croal Street, Georgetown, yesterday had another charge added to his five counts of robbery.

The 18-year-old man, also known as ‘Godfather’, once more appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where his sixth charge was read to him.

The recent charge alleged that on February 19, 2019 at Croal Street, Georgetown, Pollard stole from the person of Jasmine Patrick one Samsung Galaxy cell phone valued at $44,000.Pollard entered a not guilty plea to the charge after it was read to him.

The defendant who to date is unrepresented by an attorney-at-law informed the court that he hails from Lot 46 D’Urban Street, Georgetown and he is unemployed.

Magistrate McGusty instructed that he is to remain on remand until April 17, 2019 when he is to return to court for the commencement of his trial in all the matters.

Earlier this month Pollard

Female suspected drug dealers busted at Berbice Bridge Three female drug dealers who opted to transport their merchandise in the dead of the night were nabbed by alert police manning the police check point on the eastern half of the Berbice River Bridge.

According to information, about 23:30 hours on Monday, a party of police ranks was on duty at the Police Check Point when the ranks stopped a silver gray (Runx) motor car No PNN 9408. The vehicle had three females inside. It was being driven by Nandi Barker, 36, a market vendor of lot 70 Kaneville, East Bank Demerara.

The other two occupants were Sabrena Gardan, 21, unemployed, of lot 59 Grove, East Bank Demerara, and Tanesha Niranjan, 20, a Market Vendor, of lot 23 Second Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara.The occupants were told to step out of the vehicle which was searched by the police. During the search the cops unearthed a blue plastic tarpaulin in the trunk. The tarpaulin was opened in the presence of the women and eight compressed transparent plastic parcels were found inside.

Cargo boat 36'-42' new or used. Suitable for open water.

676-7677

House for sale, Eccles Housing Scheme. 7 bedrooms, 3 toilets and bathrooms enclosed. $28.5M. Call 6420391/ 001447587233657

1 Experienced cook wanted.

Call 623-8654. 8 - 4pm

Barrack St Kingston. Call 6018895, 681-8926

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

WANTED

Business space to rent. No restaurant. Serious enquiries only. 233 South Road 2250198/615-0317

Land to buy. Parfaite Harmonie, Herstelling, Farm, Eccles, Province, Tuschen, Diamond. Best price and cash.

Call 666-2326

Camp St ground floor for commercial purpose. Enmore mall. Commercial space available. Richard 608-7675, 674-1705, 233-2614

Mechanic and trainee mechanic needed in Kitty. Call 623-0318

was slapped with five counts of robbery. He denied all.

The first two charges alleged that on February 14, 2019 and February 19, 2019 at Croal Street Georgetown, the accused robbed Barrat Danos of US$500 and Natasha Nurse of one Samsung 7 Edge cell phone, respectively.

He used personal violence on his victims.Also it was alleged that on March 4, 2019 at Savage Street, Georgetown. Pollard stole from Rosomania Deamius, one LG cell phone valued US$120, US$1,800 cash and one passport. He also used violence.

It was further alleged that on February 14, 2019 at Croal Street, the defendant, armed with a knife, robbed Anneeza Kissoon of one Samsung 7 Edge cell phone valued at $120,000.Finally, it was alleged that the accused, on February 27, last, at Croal Street, stole from the person of Keshana Persaud one Samsung Galaxy Edge cell phone valued at $75,000.In 2018 he was charged for taking his father’s firearm and ammunition.

TO LET

These were further opened and found to contain leaves, seeds and stems, suspected to be cannabis.

The women were told of the offence committed, cautioned, arrested and taken to Central Police Station, along with the suspected narcotics and the motor car. The contents were subsequently tested and weighed in their presence and found to be 14.5 Pounds, (6,539 grams) of cannabis.The three suspects are in custody and are expected to be charged shortly.

Police take ...

From page 14 asked permission to enter the room, something that is unusual.Rather, under the control system, the officer should have requested documents and signed for them.

He reportedly stashed the documents in his pockets and later left the NPTAB compound without returning them.According to officials, an internal probe found that two tender documents were raised by $15M.However, the attempt to tamper was discovered after a staffer talked and checks revealed that a copy of the bid document in the custody of the senior manager did not have the new figures.

The contract, a road project, was said to be worth over $100M.It was said that last year, the same staffer was caught on tape asking a contractor for money, but the matter went dead.

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

New Health Centre for Supply, EBD

Regional Democratic Council, Region 4 Construction of Supply Health Centre, EBD

Bidder

PAGE 23

Amount ($)

Major Rehabilitation of Friendship Secondary School, Friendship, EBD

Ministry of Public Infrastructure Geometric Improvement to Vlissengen Road, Region 4

Bidder

Amount ($)

CAJ Construction Firm

23,200,485

ACL Construction Guyana

25,857,238

H. Nauth & Sons

55,070,474

JPM General Construction & Engineering Services

27,638,432

Ideal Engineering Services

56,059,700

Colin Talbot Contracting Services

55,722,266

Aoud Kumar Construction

28,494,180

Ivor Allen

71,253,651

Memorex Enterprise

29,418,159

Chung’s Global Enterprise

30,591,253

Royal Contracting Services

24,608,364

Compustruct Engineering Incorporated

30,288,682

Ayeni Hatton Construction Company

Courtney Benn Contracting Services 59,346,026 Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company 55,625,765 BK International Incorporated

64,510,267

Chung’s Global Enterprise

68,963,958

26,914,236

S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies & Construction Services

47,659,100

Randolph Taylor Construction

25,511,835

Engineer’s Estimate

57,119,136

KW Electrical Company & Building Contractor

30,404,110

Alvin Chowramootoo Construction & Blockmaking

28,781,115

Sim con Engineering C om pany

26,604,129

Sky Construction

28,483,720

Procurement of Works - Bridges Lot 1 - Reconstruction of Area 'J' Industry Bridge, ECD, Region 4.

Lot 2 - Reconstruction of Little Diamond Bridge, ECD, Region 4

Bidder

Lot 1

N oel Joe’s Construction Services28,037,415 M & P Investm ent E ngineer’s E stim ate

28,641,338 31,098,043,40

Bidder

Amount ($)

Simcon Engineering Company

56,161,512

M&P Investment

58,691,819

R. Kissoon Contracting Service

67,598,410

Memorex Enterprise

58,213,320

Royal Contracting Services

44,861,630

Z&H Investment Incorporated

53,886,690

Randolph Taylor Construction in collaboration with CK Construction and Transportation Services

53,120,432

ACL Construction Guyana

50,352,632

Linton Nickles Enterprise

59,800,274

Compustruct Engineering

68,325,180

Engineer’s Estimate

68,642,335

Extension of New Diamond Grove Primary School, Diamond Grove Housing Scheme, EBD

Bidder

Upgrading of First Cross Street, First Avenue Diamond, EBD

Bidder

General Rehabilitation of Bladen Hall Multilateral School, Bladen Hall, ECD

Amount ($)

Amount ($)

Amount ($)

Lot 2

Surrey Paving & Aggregate Company

23,552,736 23,552,736

H. Nauth & Sons

20,476,452 20,285,412

S. Jagmohan Hardware 24,694,350 24,694,350 Supplies & Construction Services

B&J Civil Works

14,547,108

Colin Talbot Contracting Services

14,768,750

Puran Brothers Disposal 20,194,550 20,200,550 Incorporated

A&A Engineering Services

14,094,980

Adamantium Holdings

DY Engineering & General Construction Services

14,126,800

N&S General Engineering28,762,000 28,762,000 & Construction Services

Chung’s Global Enterprise

14,780,500

MK Haniff Construction Service

12,806,000

Pooran Manman General 19,949,310 19,949,310 Contracting Services

Barden Construction Services

13,801,720

Sky Construction

14,013,680

XL Engineering

12,196,520

Engineer’s Estimate

14,998,500

Construction of Long Creek Maternal Waiting Home, Long Creek, Linden Soesdyke Highway

Bidder

Amount ($)

Noel Joe’s Construction Services

14,460,252

CAJ Construction Firm

11,847,080

M. Ally Contracting & Engineering Services

14,242,943

JPM General Construction & Engineering Services

21,343,700 21,343,700

LGS Barnes General 18,639,160 17,607,320 Building Construction & Civil Engineering B&J Civil Works

18,246,365 18,246,3 65

Industrial Fabrications Incorporated

31,811,330 31,300,280

Courtney Benn Contracting Services

24,293,465 24,293,465

Golden Arrow Developers 19,520,500 19,720,500 Incorporated Caribbean Construction Consultancy & International Supplies

26,463,252

-

Ivor Allen

27,593,540 27,593,540

15,850,032

C&L Construction Incorporated

21,997,220 21,997,220

Simcon Engineering Company

15,890,228

4A Engineering Enterprise 20,831,700 20,030,300

Randolph Taylor Construction

46,827,512

ACL Construction Guyana

46,728,596

CAJ Construction Firm

42,533,790

Memorex Enterprise

50,811,076

Simcon Engineering Company

47,531,700

Compustruct Engineering Incorporated

55,747,618

Aoud Kumar Construction

15,522,243

Chung’s Global Enterprise 17,523,040 17,523.040

18,091,296

Engineer’s Estimate

R. Kissoon Contracting Services

58,799,370

RW Electrical Company & Building Contractors

Royal Contracting Services

48,025,710

Royal Contracting Service

14,785,296

Randolph Taylor Construction

16,224,216 18,728,655

Ayeni Hatton Construction Company 48,657,050

Alvin Chowramootoo Construction & Block Making

RW Electrical Company & Building 54,803,560 Contractors

K&V Designs Construction & Supplies

Engineer’s Estimate

Engineer’s Estimate

M&P Investment Alvin Chowramootoo

51,999,890

56,798,117

18,761,929

24,912,100 24,912,100

<<< continued on page 25 >>>

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

New Health Centre for Supply, EBD

Ministry of Social Protection Procurement of Capital Land Transport, Lots 1-3

Construction of Two (2) Metal Fire Escapes (Stairway) - Block A&B, Palms

PAGE 25

Mechanical Cleaning of Facade on the right bank, Lower Pomeroon, Region 2, Lots 1&2

Procurement of Capital Furniture and Equipment, Lots 1-3

Rehabilitation of Alliance Sluice, Timehri, Region 4

Construction of Probation Office at Palms, Brickdam

Erosion Control and Excavation Works at Coomacka, Region 10

Empoldering of Farmlands in Kaibouri Creek, Upper Pomeroon, Region 2

Ministry of Agriculture - NDIA Repairs of Sluice and Pump Station at Greenfield, ECD, Region 4

Construction of Revetment at Tourani Canal, Region 6

Empoldering of Farmlands in Lower Pomeroon, Region 2

(Continued on next Edition)

PAGE 26

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

Former MMZ players give back to club

Former players of the Meten-Meer-Zorg (MMZ) Cricket Club, Abdool Shakur and Richard Naidu, on Saturday last, presented a quantity of cricket gears and a Lawnmower to the West Coast Demerara club.

Club Captain Jermain Maxwell expressed gratitude to the overseas based duo, adding that the donation is a big boost for the club and it came at time when much cricket is being played in the area.

He stated that maintaining the playing facility has always been a challenge and with the lawnmower which came at a cost of G$460,000 now in place, preparing the venue will now be done in a timely manner.

Maxwell said the playing equipment will be of tremendous benefit to members of the club who are all excited about the venture.

Members of the Meten-Meer-Zorg CC with the Lawnmower.

West Indies Championship...

Thursday March 28, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You might find it difficult to connect with others today, Aries. Your brain may seem like it's in some other dimension.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Things may be coming to a dramatic climax for you, Taurus. It may seem like everything is working against you.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Dig out the paints and get your creative energy flowing, Gemini. Keep in mind that you might not have the discipline or commitment to finish any project you start today, but you most certainly won't lack creative energy.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Today is a terrific day for you, Cancer. You finally seem to have a grasp on your thought processes and inner emotions.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) There may be some rough spots today that could be difficult to iron out, Leo. No matter what you do, you land just a bit short of the mark. Perhaps your indecisiveness is making it too difficult for you to be effective.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Nurture your artistic, romantic side today, Virgo.

Your feet may be a little cold, but that's what you get for splashing around in the rain.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today may be one of those days when you feel all dressed up with nowhere to go. Don't worry about the details, Libra. Follow your heart to a fantasyland and join the outlandish and bizarre.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) This is a fantastic day, Scorpio. Elements of your life seem to be falling into place.

You're in a period when you're beginning new cycles of love and mental activity. These beginning points are highlighted.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) This is one of those days in which you can't figure out what to order for dinner.

You're the official owner of the cloudy head today, Sagittarius.

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

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) It might seem like your brain and heart are working against you today, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your moods are always fluctuating. Today looks like you're on an up note, Pisces, so enjoy the caring, sensitive mood of the day. You should find that you can clearly express your emotions on a more intellectual level

From page 29 behind the stumps. Jonathan Carter of Barbados Pride gave further evidence that he has

one of the safest pairs of hands in the Championship, as he pocketed US$1,500 and the Clive Lloyd Award for

holding onto 21 catches in the outfield for the second straight year.The other individual award, chosen by the Selection Panel, saw Anderson Phillip, an emerging pacer from Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, receiving a US$1,000 cheque and the Andy Roberts Award for being the Most Promising Fast Bowler. He bagged 28 wickets at 24.57 each in eight matches.

In addition to the Championship prizes, each franchise gained US$3,000 for winning a match.As a result, champions Guyana Jaguars pocketed US$36,000, comprising the US$15,000 grand prize for winning the Championship and US$21,000 for winning seven matches this season, and runners-up Barbados Pride earned US$26,000, consisting of US $8,000 for finishing second and US$18,000 for winning six matches.

Third-placed Hurricanes earned US$18,000 for six wins this season, fourth-placed Red Force carried away US$12,000 for four wins, and fifth-placed Jamaica Scorpions and bottom-placed Volcanoes bagged US$9,000 each for three wins apiece.

MOST DISMISSALS 1. Anthony Bramble (Jaguars) 43 dismissals; 42 catches, 1 stumping 2. Tevyn Walcott (Pride) 31 dismissals; 29 catches, 2 stumpings 3. Denis Smith (Volcanoes) 21 dismissals; 19 catches, 2 stumpings MOST CATCHES OTHER THAN A WICKETKEEPER 1. Jonathan Carter (Pride) 21 catches 2. Devon Thomas (Hurricanes) 17 catches 3. Devon Smith (Volcanoes) 17 catches

PAGE 28

Kaieteur News

Thursday March 28, 2019

Tucville, Annandale Secondary triumph in Janet Jagan Windball tourney

Julius David presenting the winning trophy to Annandale Secondary.

T

ucville Secondary and Annandale Secondary won the female and male categories respectively when the National

Sports Commission Department of Social Cohesion MOTP Sponsored Janet Jagan Memorial Windball Cricket clash of the champions’

schools competition was contested recently at the National Gymnasium.

Tucville Secondary overcame Zeeburg by 10 wickets

Skerritt: “Rebuilding Cricket West Indies is a joint effort” KINGSTON, Jamaica — Newly elected Cricket West Indies (CWI) President Ricky Skerritt has summoned all stakeholders to assist with the rebuild of the regional game.

Skerritt defeated Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron 8 votes-4 at the CWI Annual General Meeting held in Kingston on Sunday last. ”I want to thank the regional cricket family for the faith, trust and belief they have placed in me by making this choice,” Skerritt said. ”The President of Cricket West Indies not only has to lead a organisation in an ever changing global sports industry that calls for innovative, fresh thought processes but I also have to be a steward for the game.

I have committed myself to serve you and this game in a transparent, open and respectful manner. Cricket West Indies is owned by all of the people of the Caribbean and as such I am here to serve and uphold your interest.”

Skerritt’s running mate Dr. Kishore Shallow was also elected Vice President of CWI, defeating Emm a n u e l Nanthan by the same margin 8-4.

On his victory, Dr. Shallow, an information technology professional, placed emphasis on their campaign message of putting ‘Cricket F i r s t . ’ ”From tomorrow Mr. Skerritt and I will continue to build on our Cricket First campaign

Marlyn Hope hands over the winning trophy to A. Alleyne of Tucville Secondary in the presence of her team mates and organisers. in the female final. Batting first, Zeeburg Secondary managed 96-1 with V. Pitamber scoring 56 and Aviana Buckan 34. Kezian London had 1-22.

Tucville Secondary replied with 100 without loss with MVP of the programme Alleia Alleyne scoring 59 (9x6s) and K. London 28.

In the third place match, Queenstown Secondary made

95-1, taking first strike. Kesha Jones stroked 54 and Alana Mentore 32. Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary scored 92 without loss in response. Shelline Persaud got 37.

Annandale Secondary beat Zeeburg Secondary by nine wickets in the male final.

Batting first, Zeeburg Secondary scored 94-3. John Roopnarine had 2-8.

Annandale Secondary responded with 98-1, with MVP of the programme Evald Hendricks scoring 40 (6x6s) and Mohindra Singh 27.

In the third place game, Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary made 71-3; Saif Ali scored 30.

La Bonne Intention Secondary got to 72 without loss in reply. Ryan Wong struck 42 and Narindra Narine 26.

Andre Jaganandan wins Sasha Cells 2019 Junior Nationals

P

Dr Kishore Shallow

Ricky Skerritt

promise. Our plan is to focus on not just the professional development of our senior players, but to use the game of cricket and the tremendous platform of Cricket West Indies in improving the development of young cricketers across the region in our grassroots programmes.

In order to fulfill on his promises Skerritt made a passionate plea to all stakeholders of the game to recommit to the cause of Cricket West Indies as the rebuilding programme needs all the support it can get. ”West Indies cricket needs a variety of stakeholders, we need past cricketers, sponsors, governments who are involved in youth development to work with us to bring better grassroots programmes, that is where

our emphasis is going to be.”

During the campaign Skerritt and Shallow received support in the media from the stakeholders, seemingly energized by the impending change in leadership from the often times controversial Cameron.

Legends, former players, Prime Ministers and the everyday Windies Cricket fan overwhelmingly supported the Skerritt and Shallow plans and approach to leadership. ”To the people of the region, your support and pressure brought to bear to your territorial board heads, calling for change was successful.

I am accountable to you; and my team will provide the direction, listen to your ideas and chart a path forward for all of us to join on. Rebuilding West Indies cricket is a joint effort.”

laying in his last year as an official junior Chess player, University of Guyana student Andre Jaganandan captured his first major tournament convincingly. On the final day of the 2019 Junior National Chess tournament, with three rounds to spare Jaganandan and Ghansham Allijohn shared the lead on 3.4 points each from 4 games.

However, on board 1 Marian Academy star Ethan Lee, outplayed Allijohn to give him his first loss of the tournament, while on board 2 Queens College’ Rajiv Lee held Jaganandan to a comfortable draw with the white pieces.

Junior female sensation Chelsea Juma went down to the more experienced defending Junior Chess Champion Joshua Gopaul. Jaden Taylor also swept aside schoolmate Jarell Troyer. Round 6 was a bit more entertaining as Rajiv Lee was able to secure another draw against the solid and positional Allijohn.

However, Jaganandan secured a convincing lead when he defeated Chelsea Juma with the arbiters’ discretion and player’s agreement on default time. Board 1 saw the tactical and aggressive players Ethan Lee and Jaden Taylor going at each other to finish strongly.

Ghansham Allijohn retains 2nd place ahead of Rajiv Lee One minor tactical inaccuracy was enough for Taylor to press home for the win. In the last round of the event, there were less chances taken and risky moves.

The only loss of this round was Rajiv Lee against Ethan Lee. Pushing a little too hard for the win in the last round, Rajiv allowed Ethan to gain active counter play which suited his style and was enough for him to win. On the other boards, Juma played to an unfortunate draw with Allijohn in a game she should have won which allowed Jaganandan to secure the title with a quiet draw against Jarell Troyer.

This aided Juma to finish 6th which is another great

achievement for her in 2019.

Defending champion Joshua Gopaul dropped out of the last 2-3 rounds due to some medical complications.

After seven rounds the final standings are: Andre Jagandan - 5.5; Ghansham Allijohn - 4.5; Rajiv Lee - 4.5; Ethan Lee – 4; Jaden Taylor – 4; Chelsea Juma – 2; Joshua Gopaul – 2; Jarell Troyer 1.5.

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is extending gratitude to Sasha Cells and the Director of Sports, Christopher Jones for sponsoring the tournament. Meanwhile, next up for the GCF would be its National Open Qualifiers set for April 7, 13 and 14 at eh National Resource Center, Woolford Avenue.

Rafman Ally 15-over softball to commence on Sunday Rafman Ally 15-over softball competition is set to commence on Sunday at Enterprise and Success ground on the East Coast of Demerara.

The competition will be played in the open category and is expected to feature some of the top teams in the area.

For information teams can contact Ally on 622-1672.

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Street football, circle tennis close Region 2’s Mash celebration Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikaran speaking to the crowd at the Circle Tennis competition.

A section of the youths in attendance at the Circle Tennis Competition.

DPI, Guyana - Promoting Social Cohesion in a diverse society with young people is paramount to the development of our country and recognising this the Regional Administration of Pomeroon-Supenaam hosted two sporting activities which specifically targeted young people as they brought the curtains down on their Mashramani 2019 celebrations.

At the Anna Regina car park in the evening hours of March 22, a street football match was held, while on March 23, the secondary schools’ inter-dormitory circle tennis competition was held at the Pomona Community Centre Ground.Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI) the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikaran noted that the activities are in keeping with the government’s agenda of promoting social cohesion through sports.

“If we are to achieve the

mission of having all our people peacefully coexisting then we must begin by bringing them together and I believe the best way to start is through sports. Sports allow the participants to interact with each other in different ways and it promotes discipline. These activities that we are hosting as a region is in keeping with the government’s agenda of enhancing social cohesion through sports,” REO Jaikaran noted.The games attracted large crowds of spectators that cheered for their respective teams. At the football competition, Queenstown youths won, while their rivals Henrietta secured the second spot.At the secondary schools’ interdormitory circle tennis competition Charity Secondary School Dormitory walked away with the first place, while Aurora Secondary copped the second place.As a form of encouragement, all the winners were recipients of

A game of circle tennis at the Pomona Community Centre Ground. (Ganesh Mahipaul)

large trophies and other valuable prizes.REO Jaikaran indicated that, “Activities of this nature will continue in our region. We have to engage our young people in meaningful activities. Sports allow them to channel their energies properly and it builds their self-esteem and promotes discipline. Sports will build our society stronger and we will achieve social cohesion through sports.”

West Indies Championship - Smith, Cornwall lead incentive ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Windward Islands Volcanoes veteran left-handed opener Devon Smith and Leeward Islands Hurricanes champion off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall were the top individual performers and led the incentive award winners in the recently-concluded 201819 West Indies Championship.Smith, who holds the record for the most runs in a single season, gathered 745 runs in nine matches at an average of 43.82 to top the batting aggregates for the season straight season.

He and fellow veteran opener Montcin Hodge of the

Hurricanes were the only two batsmen that cracked the 700run club for the season.

Smith again earned the Vivian Richards Award for the most runs in the season and a US $1,500 cheque. Cornwall collected exactly 54 wickets at 17.68 apiece in nine matches to finish with the most wickets in a season for the first time. He earns the Courtney Walsh Award and a US $1,500 prize.Cornwall was the only bowler to finish with 50 wickets or more in the season, as he snared five wickets three times and had a single 10wicket match haul.Anthony Bramble of reigning five-time

champions Guyana Jaguars was the leading wicketkeeper for the second straight season, effecting 43 dismissals, comprising 42 catches and one stumping, and takes the Deryck Murray Award and a US$1,500 cheque.Bramble also earned an additional US$1,500 and the Malcolm Marshall Award for the Best All-Round Performance, as chosen by the Selection Panel of Cricket West Indies.The Jaguars wicketkeeper/batsman gathered 580 runs at an average of 52.72 from 14 innings in 10 matches in addition to his productive work (Continued on page 27)

ECCC/Neville Ramotar Memorial T/20 and SPR Enterprise 40 overs continues The SPR Enterprise/East Coast Cricket Committee 40 overs and the inaugural Neville Ramotar T/20 cricket competitions continued last Sunday with several matches.

In the SPR Enterprise tournament, Enmore CCCC defeated host Enterprise BSC by 85 runs. Enmore CCCC took first strike and were restricted to 208 for 8 from 40 overs.

Enterprise BSC made early inroads to restrict ECCCC to 142 for 9 before a last wicket partnership of 72 between Satash Jainarine (42*) and RanjeetHiralall (36*) contributed to what turned out to be a daunting target for EBSC. Amir Khan and Yuvraj Dayal supported with 30 and 24 respectively. Chatterpaul Singh took 4 for 26 for EBSC who were bundled out for 123 in 30 overs. Vishal Persaud led the way with 29, while Yuvraj Dayal took 4 for 23 (6.2 overs) and Amir Khan 3 for 24 (8 overs).

At Buxton ground, Buxton SC defeated LBI SC by 15 runs. Buxton SC scored 214

all out in 32 overs with M. Kato scoring 55 and P. McPharley 27. Y. Bishun took 4 for 37 for LBI SC. LBI SC then fell short of their target by 15 runs after being dismissed in the 33rd over for 199 with Rawle Merell taking three wickets.

Better Hope A defeated Strathavon SC (A) by 73 runs at Strathavon ground. Better Hope A managed 249 for 7. S. Budhu scored 80 not out and A. Khan 30. N. Samaroo took 2 for 17 for Strathavon who were bowled out for 176 in 27 overs. G. Hemraj and Ramnarine scoring 45 and 30 respectively. S. Budhu, F. Clarke and R. Mohamed took 2 wickets apiece for Better Hope A. Meanwhile three matches were played in the ECCC/ Neville Ramotar Memorial T/ 20 knockout competition at two venues.

In game one at Fairfield, Golden achievers SC defeated Cane Grove A (scores unavailable) whilst Fairfield SC defeated Beehive SC by 104

runs. Fairfield SC rattled up 201 for 9 from their allotted 20 overs. Richard Chaturia struck 53 and S. Ramotar 40.

L. Rooplall captured 4 for 17 while H. Samlall and D. Rooplall took 2 wickets apiece. Beehive SC were dismissed for 97 from 15 overs.

T. Charles snared 3-9, Walter Byrne 3 for 15 and D. Lovell 2 for 17.

Lusignan East defeated Mahaica SC by 70 runs at Ogle. Lusignan East posted 191 for 8 taking first strike. K. Amsterdam and P. Appana hit 43 and 37 respectively.

Darshan Persaud took 3 for 35 for Mahaica SC, who were then bowled out for 121 in 18 overs. S. Sahadeo, P. Appana, K. Jailall and N. Balram took 2 wickets apiece.

Ogle CC advanced to the next round by virtue of a walk over from Cane Grove B. Both competitions continue this weekend with matches at Fairfield, Enmore, Ogle, Lusignan, Buxton, Cane Grove, Better Hope and Enterprise grounds.

PAGE 30

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

GSSF’s successfully hosts 2019 Annual General Meeting The 5thAnnual General Meeting of the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation, was held at the Grand Costal Inn on Thursday 28th February, 2019.

Members were given the opportunity to discuss the activities and plans at the AGM which was chaired by Director Dr. Pravesh Harry. President of the GSSF delivered opening Remarks to the Meeting and reflected on 2018 as being another good year and congratulated GSSF and thanked all members for the continued support in promoting sport shooting and ex-

President of the GSSF Mr. Ryan McKinnon addressing the Meeting while at the Head table some of the Directors pressed hope to continue to build the sport.

The Secretary of the Foundation, Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon delivered a comprehensive Report on

the 2018 activities including affiliation to local and international bodies. She also touched on key topics such as general firearm safety, increased membership growth,

Newly elected AMBC Vice President Ninvalle honoured by Briso Promotions

By Zaheer Mohamed At a simple ceremony held last night at Wind Jammer Hotel, Kitty, newly elected Vice President of the 43-Nation Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) Guyanese Steve Ninvalle was honoured for his latest accomplishment

by Briso Promotions.

Ninvalle was presented with a plaque by Seon Bristol of Briso Promotions. Speaking at the ceremony, Bristol acknowledged Ninvalle’s commitment and dedication which resulted in him being elected to serve in this position.

“Quite too often our sports persons are not being recognised for their achievement and as we strive in what we specialise in, it is important for us to recognise these individuals.”

He added that Ninvalle’s hard work is being recognised throughout the boxing world and expressed gratitude to Wind Jammer for their support to the sport.

On Friday last, Ninvalle became the first person from

Caricom to be elected to the post. In his remarks, Ninvalle expressed gratitude to Bristol and said he is elated to be honoured.

“This is heartwarming; it is not many times you find that in your own country that you are being honoured for what you do.

I hope that this signals a change that our sportsmen and women are actually being given the type of recognition they deserve,” he added.

“Too many times we find that with those who excel, we tend to paint it with just a cavalier brush and we tend not to see the hard work that actually goes in to making these athletes excel.”

Ninvalle stated that he intend to serve Guyana, the Caribbean and the Americas with the best of his ability. “We need to have the support if we are going to do any better,” he said, adding that Guyana is one of the best countries in the Caribbean and Latin America when it comes to boxing.

DCC to hold AGM tomorrow Demerara Cricket Club will hold its Annual General Meeting tomorrow at the club pavilion. In keeping with a vote taken last year at the AGM, there will be no elections this time around. The executive has been given a mandate for two years.

Reports by the Secretary, the Treasurer and the President will form the high points of the meeting along with any other business as the body look to improve on the excellent standard it has already set.

“Currently we have a team that is being prepared, one of the best prepared teams we have had in decades to represent Guyana at the PanAm qualifiers in Nicaragua. At this point in time we are still ambivalent of weather the team will be going and how large that team would be because we do not have the resources. I plan to use this new position that I have to ensure that, not only boxers in Guyana but throughout the Caribbean and Latin America are not undecided at the last hour,”…alluding, that because of this we put a psychologically burden on these athletes when they are unsure, after doing all the hard training, whether or not they will be going.

Ninvalle said that Bristol has been a mentor to him and has provided guidance. He added that Bristol has always been a great supporter of amateur boxing over the years and he is looking forward to his continued support.

In 2014, Ninvalle became the first person from the English speaking Caribbean to be elected on the executive committee of AIBA and in 2017 he was the first from this hemisphere to be elected to the five-member AIBA Executive Bureau.

In January 2019, he was elected Chairman of the Caribbean Steering Committee and one month later he was appointed Chairman of the AIBA Youth Commission where he will oversee youth boxing in 203 countries.

continuous monthly training courses, the various sport shooting disciplines currently encompassed, donations made, general outreach to supporting agencies, shooting range access, support programmes and the ongoing development of the sport of shooting in Guyana.

The Report of the External Auditors along with the Financial Statement was presented by the Foundation’sTreasurer, Mr. Ray Beharry to the membership and this was duly adopted at the AGM. The External Audit of the Financial Statement was duly conducted and issued by Auditor Mr. Harryram Parmesar from the Parmesar Audit Firm. Another significant aspect of the AGM was the motions, which totaled five, which were unanimously carried.

Thanks were expressed to the following persons who assisted in one way or the other for 2018: The Honourable Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security, Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, Minister George Norton, Minister of Social Cohesion, Director of Sport, Mr. Christopher Jones, National Sports Commission, Chief of Staff, Brig. Patrick West, Guyana Defence Force, Mr. Ryan McKinnon, Infotrans Guyana Inc, Neutrino Inc., Mr. Julius Simon, Commissioner General Mr. Godfrey Statia, the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr. Hakeem Mohamed, Mr. Mohamed Qualander and Ms.

Saudia Qualander of Queensway, Asst. Commissioner of Police as he then was Mr. David Ramnarine, Commissioner of Police Mr. Leslie James, Dr. Bhiro Harry, GPF OC TSU Mr. Guy Nurse, Queensway Security Service Inc., Mr. Tamesh Jagmohan, El Dorado Trading, Mr. Bish Panday and Mr. Vikash Panday, Directors of P&P Insurance and Consultants Ltd., Mr. Harryram Parmesar, Parmesar Accounting Firm, Mr. Kevin Daby, the Management and staff of Grand Coastal Inn Inc., Mr. Colin

Changur, Mr. Mark Singh, Mr. Andrew Phang, International Technical Supplies (Guyana) Limited, Mr. Rajiv Latchana, Managing Director of NVR Security Services Inc., Management of Clear Waters, Drs. Pravesh Harry and Kevin Jodah, Board of Directors of DIG Inc. Dental Imports Guyana Inc., Mr. Brian Backer, Board of Directors of Orinduik Development Inc., Mr. Nicholas Boyer, National Hardware, Aleemul Ali Fabrication Company, Match Committees, The Media, The Members and the Board of the G.S.S.F.

Wilburg blasts ‘B’ Division to...

From page 32 top order in a losing effort as he helped reduce PG to 8-4 after removing Zane London (0), Amir Singh (3) and Keston Hardcourt (1), while Mark Nazeeir (2-14) had Paul Tyndell stumped for one.

Reddy and Naughton,

Ventura who swept Hutson for a stunning four to reduce the target to 3 from 14 balls, saw his team home.

FATC were led by an unbeaten 32 from Reon Venture and 19 from Siddiq Mohammed who added 54 for fifth wicket, but only Skipper Hutson who hit two fours and a six in a cameo 18 before he seemed unlucky to be given From page 29 for the contribution. The West Indies batting star hailed the caught behind off Naughton, outstanding work of the Berbice Cricket Board over the last offered fight as Reddy (3-1) year and stated that the girls were proud to be sporting am- and Imzam Nizamudin (2-13) bassadors of the legacy of Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and were the main wicket takers.

The competition continRoy Fredericks. She encouraged the Berbice Cricket Board to continue its outstanding work and praised Dr. Singh for his ues today with two matches at Eve Leary. kindness to the county of his birth. who dumped the expensive Rocky Hutson for consecutive sixes to post the 50 in 11 overs, revived the position by taking the score to 87 before Reddy was caught behind.

Naughton was bowled by Denton Lyght at 9-6, but while two more wickets fell, Owen

Female Cricketers benefit...

Thursday March 28, 2019

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

Cheefoon Racing Stables proud of Triple Crown 2nd leg Triumph Lucky Star of the Cheefoon Racing Stables ran a magnificent race on Sunday to win the feature event at the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee Triple Crown’s second leg at the Rising Sun Turf Club in West Coast Berbice.

The Glendon Sooklall trained horse from Trinidad & Tobago (T&T), which was won via a raffle by James Albert Cheefoon, dethroned the then undefeated Vera’s Finally that had not previously lost a race at the Rising Sun Turf Club in three starts after running an impressive time of 1 minute and 26 seconds to capture the $1million first place cash prize.

The win was Jockey Ronaldo Appadu’s third of the day after piloting Miss Olympic (I Class and J Class) to two wins.

A release from the Cheefoon Racing Stables noted that, “All credit is due to Mr. James Albert Cheefoon who noticed Lucky Star when he was previously owned by Bacchus Stables where he competed only in the lowest classes of foreign races. Since then in 2017 he (Cheefoon) said that a horse like Lucky Star can win the big races in Guyana and the credit is due to that vision when he

James Albert Cheefoon.

(Cheefoon) first saw the animal.”The correspondence further went on to explain that, “It was a well deserved victory beating Vera’s Finally and getting past Storm Bird for the second time was no fluke.

Lucky Star ran a good race and we believe that people should not be overlooking the underdogs anymore from now.

Thank you to Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Committee for such a well organised event and to the fans that came out to support, we are looking forward

to the final leg which will be hosted on Easter Sunday in Port Mourant.”

In an invited comment, organiser of the event; Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr., posited to Kaieteur Sport his gratitude to everyone that competed and fans. A special thank you was extended to corporate sponsor Banks DIH Limited, without whose support, none of Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Committee’s horse racing promotions wouldn’t have been possible.

Female Cricketers benefit from BCB/Dr Puran Singh Financial Scheme “The main objective of my administration is to make sure that we develop Berbice Cricket to its highest level, while making sure that every boy and girl is given the opportunity to fulfill his/her true potential on the cricket field.

Females in Berbice would receive equal treatment in Berbice as the male counterparts as we in Guyana need to place more emphasis on Female Cricket,” said Berbice Cricket Board President Hilbert Foster as he handed over $80,000 to Guyana Female Captain Shemaine Campbelle under the Board’s Dr. Puran Singh National Players Financial Scheme.

The Scheme, a brainchild of the BCB President, is funded solely by Barbados based Guyanese Medical Doctor, Dr. Puran Singh at the cost of $300,000. Under the Scheme, all Berbice Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and Female Players who gain national selection would receive a financial stipend of US$50.

Foster stated that the main objectives of the Scheme is to let Berbice Players know that the Berbice Cricket Board is proud of them, to inspire them to greater heights and to encourage them to be good

ambassadors of the Ancient County.

The Berbice Cricket Board, he stated was hopeful that the amount would be increased in the future. The Berbice Cricket Board President assured Campbelle that his administration would always put the welfare of its players first and would work hard every day to make a positive difference.

The Berbice Cricket Board in 2019 would not only host over thirty tournaments at the junior, female and senior levels but would also be hosting numerous developmental programmes including

countywide coaching, cricket academy among others. He urged all female cricketers in Berbice to remain committed to the game and to develop a culture of hard work, discipline and committment to the game.

The players who benefitted were Campbelle, Tremayne Smartt, Lafona Gilegous, Sheneta Grimmond, Erva Giddings, Shabika Gajnabi, Melanie Henry and Plaffiana Millington.

Campbelle on behalf of the players expressed gratitude to Foster, the Berbice Cricket Board and Dr. Singh (Continued on page 30)

Set Right of Wakenaam claim Cheddi Jagan Memorial dominoes title Set Right of Wakenaam emerged champions of the Cheddi Jagan Memorial dominoes competition which was contested on Sunday last on the Essequibo Coast.

Set right chalked 55 games with Alex Chung marking 12 and Tom Singh 10. Rise Up placed second on 44 games while Coalition was third on 39 games. Keron Evans made 12 for the runner up side while Devendra Bachan got nine for Coalition.

Alex Chung was named man-of-the-match. The competition which was played for over rounds was organised by Alec Yhan and Fizul Mohamed.

The handlers of the Lucky Star receive the championship trophy from Banks DIH’s Mortimer Stewart (center right).

Phil Simmons accepts apology from President Skerritt Windies Cricket - St John’s, Antigua - Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Mr. Phil Simmons are pleased to announce that both parties have come to an amicable resolution in the claim from Simmons’ dismissal as head coach in 2016.

This is the first action by President Ricky Skerritt and Vice President Dr. Kishore Shallow to fulfill their campaign promise from the 10 point “Cricket First” plan, to repair stakeholder relationships, particularly with former players.

At a meeting yesterday between the two parties at Sandals Grande, Antigua, the new President Ricky Skerritt on behalf of CWI told Phil Simmons: “We would like to apologise to you for referring to your appointment as a “mis-

take”. Cricket West Indies did not make a mistake when we selected you as our Head Coach.”

President Skerritt added, “In my previous role as CWI Independent Director, I was involved in the interview panel that recruited Phil Simmons from a long list of competitors and he was the best candidate.

Subsequently based on the results he produced on the field, he proved himself to be a very competent coach in his time with West Indies, winning the World T20 in 2016, and now currently with Afghanistan.”

In accepting this apology Mr. Phil Simmons said: “My family and I are relieved that we have been able to finally close this matter, and I am

pleased that it has been done so amicably. Following the election on the weekend I am more confident than I have ever been that the future of West Indies cricket is in good hands. I am a very proud West Indian and I hope that in the future I get the opportunity to try and help move our cricket forward again and I would like to add my personal congratulations to the President and Vice President.”

After the court hearing formalities in the Antigua Industrial Court on Tuesday, it was agreed that the settlement amount will remain confidential.

Cricket West Indies wishes Mr. Simmons continued success in his current Afghanistan Cricket role and all future endeavours.

G Square Cavaliers triumph as Mike’s Pharmacy/Trophy Stall U19 bowls off

G

Square Cavaliers defeated Noitgedacht Sports Club by nine wickets when play in the Wakenaam Cricket Committee/Mike’s Pharmacy/Trophy Stall 40-over U19 tournament commenced on Saturday last.Noitgedacht Sports Club batted first and managed 91 all out in 15.3 overs at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in Good Success.

Terrence Softley made 18 and Stephon Madramootoo 14. Romario Stephen claimed 3-19 and Diquan Clarke 2-22. G Square Cavaliers of Belle Plaine responded with 92-1 in 13.2 overs.

Mahendra Dindyal struck an unbeaten 27 while Stephen made 18 not out. Softley had 1-10.

The other fixture between Zeelandia/ Maria’s Pleasure and Good Success/Sans Souci/Jaguars was rescheduled due to the unavailability of Zeelandia ground.

The competition continues on Saturday.

Mahendra Dindyal

PAGE 32

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

Police Commissioner B/Day Inter-Division T20 cricket

Wilburg blasts ‘B’ Division to 3rd consecutive win Naughton plays match winning knock for defending Champs PG

Anthony Adams top scored with 49 for ‘G’ Division in a losing cause against ‘B’ Division.

By Sean Devers The Berbicians showed why they are favoured to dethrone President’s Guards (PG) when ‘B’ Division unit

romped to their third consecutive win on day seven of the Commissioner of Police Birth Anniversary Inter-Division and Branches T20 cricket

PG’s Keefa Naughton plays a rare defensive shot against Rocky Hutson during his 49 yesterday.

Tournament at the Eve Leary ground yesterday, while PG recovered from 8-4 to beat Felix Austin Training College (FATC).

Lloyd “deliriously happy” with Skerritt’s capture of CWI top spot BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Legendary former West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, says he is “deliriously happy” with the election of Ricky Skerritt as the new president of Cricket West Indies.

The 74-year-old, who had public endorsed Skerritt for the top spot, said the regional governing body needed someone with the former St Kitts and Nevis government minister’s qualities in order to protect cricket’s precious heritage in the Caribbean and to also oversee the Windies resurgence internationally.

“I know Ricky quite well. I think we need a change,” said Lloyd, credited for moulding the great West Indies side of the 1970s and 80s.

“The point is the presidency is something ... you have to believe in. You have to believe … our cricket is very important. Two of our most important institutions in the West Indies are our cricket and the University of the West Indies. Those two things have worked well in the past and can continue to work well in the future.

“We need to have people with clear thinking and who will want to improve our sports, and I’m talking about sports in general. Cricket is probably just one of the main things but we have a lot of talented people in the West

Legendary former Windies skipper, Clive Lloyd.

Indies.

“We need to have people who will lead and who are not looking at any monetary gains, who will look to promote sports and promote something that we have excelled at for a long time. We have a lot to be proud of … and I’m sure that Ricky and Dr Shallow will try and maintain [that heritage] and try and get us back to the top.”

Skerritt stunned threeterm incumbent president Dave Cameron 8-4 at CWI elections during the annual general meeting last Sunday in Jamaica.

Dr Kishore Shallow, president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association, also beat incumbent vicepresident Emmanuel Nanthan by a similar margin.

During the campaign,

Skerritt and Shallow elicited support from legends such as Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Andy Roberts, and also gained the backing of twotime T20 World Cup-winning skipper, Darren Sammy.

Lloyd said he now hoped to see cricket development which incorporated the use of the academy and the universities throughout the region.

“Let’s use them to get our players up to speed, not only with sport but thinking about the game. When they get in front of a camera they don’t freeze and are able to express themselves,” Lloyd explained on the Mason and Guest cricket radio show here.

“So there are a lot of things we need to do but the most important thing is to get our coaches singing from the same hymn book.”

In the afternoon encounter, ‘B’ Division destroyed ‘G’ Division by five wickets with 28 balls to spare after waltzing to 121-5 in reply ‘G’ Division’s 118-8 from 20 overs.

Watched by another good crowd in steaming heat Philbert Wilburg hit five fours and four sixes in an explosive 54 as he brought out the heavy artillery and got support from fellow opener Kedar Amsterdam who played a few good shots on a fast and rough outfield in his 17 as he added 56 with Wilburg in five overs.

Batting on a flat track, the openers, especially Wilburg, went after the bowlers with murderous intent and lifted off-spinner Garfield Moore, who operated with a suspect action, over his head for six to post the 50 in 4.5 overs.

But Amsterdam was dismissed by Moore, who took the first of three hat-tricks in the tournament, when a blistering on-drive was taken at short mid-wicket.

But Wilburg pulled leg spinner Lawrence Sears for four before cutting delightfully to the point boundary and powering Rhamraj Chand for three consecutive sixes in an over which cost 24 runs.

After Wilburg had deposited Moore for a massive six to reach his 50, he and Kaveem Mentour pushed the total to 78 before he hit a short ball from Nicholas Persaud to deep cover to bring to an end his brutal exhibition of power hitting.

Persaud also removed Mentore (9) at 96-3 and although the team from the Ancient County lost two more wickets the result was never in doubt as they remained

’G’ Division’s Nicholas Persaud has his stumps scattered at Eve yesterday as ‘B’ Division won their third game. unbeaten and have qualified for the quarter finals with two more preliminary games to play.

Earlier, off-spinner Kerwin Mitchell and Skipper Micheal Newland reduced ‘G’ Division to 17-3 after Newland scattered the stumps of the left handed Persaud (7) at 10-1 and trapped Jermaine Tucker (6) LBW at 17-2, while Sears (1) was removed by Mitchell without addition to the score.

Adams joined Moore and together they carried the score to 64 with a 45-run stand before Moore, who used his feet to hit Newland back over his head for six, was run out after reaching the boundary thrice and clearing it once in his entertaining 28.

Adams counterpunched against an attack which included First-Class fast bowler Ruen Johnson who bowled with plenty of pace, before

Chand (10) was brilliantly run out at 85-5 by a direct hit to the non-strikers’ end from Johnson from short midwicket.

Adams missed a big swing in the dying stages of the innings and was bowled by Darrel Thompson at 113-6 after making a fighting 47 before two quick wickets fell as Thompson, Newland and Mitchell had two wickets each.In the morning game, three-time finalist and last year’s Champions PG beat FATC by two wickets thanks to a match winning innings from Kefa Naughton who hit four sixes and three fours in 49, but only Nicholas Reddy (23) offered support as PG reached 111-8 in 18.1 overs responding to FATC’s 110-9 in 17 overs as Placie Edwards did not bat.Hemraj Persaud (38) ripped the heart of the (Continued on page 28)

Thursday March 28, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 33

Esau unbeaten half century hands Herstelling A ISG/Sterling Products T20 title

The runner up Nandy Park side.

By Zaheer Mohamed afraz Esau struck an unbeaten half century to guide Herstelling A to an eightwicket victory over Nandy Park when the final of the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association (EBDCA) ISG/Sterling Products Ltd T20 tournament was contested on Sunday last at Laluni.

Nandy Park opted to bat in front of a fair size crowd and openers Tevin Imlach and Romain Muniram added 36 before Muniram was run out for 10. Nandy Park lost their second wicket, six runs later when Navindra Persaud was run out for eight before Imlach and Sagar Hatharamani put on 19 for the third wicket; Imlach was taken off Delroy Williams for 27 with one four and two sixes. Hatharamani struck two fours and a similar number of sixes before he fell to Richie Looknauth for a top score of 39. Narine Dhanraj was the only other batsman to reach double figures with 10 as Nandy Park managed 124-9.

Looknauth claimed 2-17.

Pacer Keon Morris made early inroads, removing openers Rickey Sergeant for one and Quazim Yusuf for 10 as Herstelling A were reduced to 27-2 in reply. But Looknauth and Esau capitalised on a few let offs

by Nandy Park and steadied the chase nicely as they took their team home in the 15th over with an unbroken third wicket partnership of 102.

Esau started off slowly, but blossomed well, smashing seven fours and five sixes in an unbeaten 67, while Looknauth hit two sweetly timed fours and one six in scoring 30 not out as Herstelling A finished on 129-2. Morris took 2-13;

S

Esau was named man-ofthe-match.

The most valuable player from each team that participated in the tournament received a prize, while the winning and runner up teams pocketed cash prizes and trophies.

The MVPs were; Bernard Bailey of Eccles, Colin Benn of Providence, Christopher Ragnauth of Silver Bullet, Lennox Andrews of Rome Athletic, Elton John of Uprising, Delroy Williams of Herstelling A, Tevin Imlach of Nandy Park, Hemraj Garbarran of North Soesdyke and Dwayne Dillon of Sand Pipers.

The competition was cosponsored by New Nigel Super Market of Robb Street, Swiss House Cambio, Truck Masters, Randy Persaud Auto Sale of Eccles, Brass Supermarket of Eccles and Jai Signs.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, C h a i r m a n o f Eccles/Ramsburg NDC Hafeez Mohamed lauded the EBDCA and congratulated the teams. He added that plans are the making to upgrade the facilities on the East Bank so that more tournaments can be staged in a timely manner. Hafeez, a former cricketer, urged the youths to remain committed to the game and touched on the importance of discipline in sport.

EBDCA Competition Committee Chairman Mr. Kenrick Barker expressed gratitude to the Laluni Sports Club for playing host to the final, while EBDCA Secretary Mohamed Baksh thanked the sponsors.

EBDCA Vice President Rohan Sarjoo in a brief remark urged the teams to ensure that players are

Members of the victorious Herstelling A with their prizes.

Captain of the Nandy Park side Rohan Sarjoo collects the runner up trophy from Lynette Sarjoo. registered with the Association and said more emphasis will be placed on the youths.

Meanwhile, the presentation of prizes of the L. Mahabeer Cambio and Persaud Lumber Yard 50-

Herstelling A skipper Anand Bharat accepts the winning prizes from Eccles/Ramsburg NDC Chairman Hafeez Mohamed. over tournament was done following the final.

Ruimveldt and Farm were the winning and runner up

teams respectively, while Danny Narayan of Ruimveldt was the Most Valuable Player.

rt o p S

Phil Simmons accepts apology from President Skerritt P.31

CWI President Ricky Skerritt shakes hands with Mr. Phil Simmons.

Police Commissioner B/Day Inter-Division T20 cricket

Wilburg blasts â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Division to 3rd consecutive win P.32 Naughton plays match winning knock for defending Champs PG

Philbert Wilburg was destructive in his 54 at Eve Leary yesterday. (Sean Devers photos)

Andre Jaganandan wins Sasha Newly elected AMBC Vice Cells 2019 Junior Nationals P.28 President Ninvalle honoured

by Briso Promotions

P.30

Ghansham Allijohn retains 2nd place ahead of Rajiv Lee

Guyana Chess Federation Sasha Cells 2019 Junior National Champion, Andre Jaganandan.

Newly elected AMBC Vice President Steve Ninvalle (left) accepts the plaque from Seon Bristol.

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