As economy deteriorates, teachers should not expect pay hike anytime soon DEAR EDITOR, Teachers are entrusted with sculpting the Human Resource Capital of a Nation and should not only be afforded the best tools available in preparing a country’s human capital, they should also be remunerated in direct proportion with their contribution to a country’s economic capital, growth, and wellbeing. Mr. Granger, a teacher cannot go to the market and make a purchase with his or her “heart in the right place.” (See Demerara Waves report dated May 1). May Day 2018 will forever be remembered as the day the APNU+AFC Government put its contempt on display for the Guyanese teachers, when in one breath the Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams trumpeted his Government’s move to give teachers dutyfree concessions for vehicles, and minutes later the president essentially told teachers that his heart is in the right place but dey ain’t got nothing fuh get. President Granger told teachers that salary increases will be decided by recommendations made to him and submitted to the Minister of Finance. According to the President, the Ministry, after crunching the numbers, will supposedly make an announcement. The Ministry of Education’s wages bill for this year is already $5.1B and with the current economic climate, it is clear to see there is no money left in the ‘kitty’ to give
teachers an increase in salary, much less the much deserved 40 per cent being asked for. We can never forget this government gave themselves a 50% pay raise weeks into taking government. The president should have been upfront with the teachers—persons no doubt competent enough to read between the lines that his Government has not only depleted the National Reserves and increased the debt, but has also decimated productive income sectors. “My heart is in the right place” is perhaps a confession from the president, had he only continued with ‘but the treasury is empty.’ Teachers should not look forward to any announcement to be made by the Ministry of Finance anytime soon. Mr Granger, ever wanting to look like the knight-in-shining-armor, would have been happy to announce to teachers on Labour Day, an increase—however meagre— but the numbers don’t lie, and based on the statistics, Finance Minister Winston Jordan would be hard pressed, at this point, to sustainably provide any, as there is no revenue stream or productive sector poised to provide any enhanced returns. Perhaps President Granger is waiting for oil and gas before being able to tell teachers anything about a pay increase. He will be waiting long. Finance Minister Winston Jordan in his Budget 2018
speech pontificated, “there is clear need for reform and innovation across all levels of education delivery – nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary. In recognition of this, Government established a Commission of Inquiry, whose report is expected to make searching recommendations to guide the innovation and reform initiatives. Our children must no longer be subjected to frequent teacher absenteeism, poor curriculum delivery, shortages of text books and materials, and nonsubmission of grades at tertiary levels.” Mr. Jordan’s platitudes are now being seen for what it was—a bluff—since he knew there was nothing in the treasury to make a decent offer to teachers. Public Servants were all across the board, ignored by His Excellency. An examination of the figures demonstrates there was no real commitment on the part of the APNU+AFC administration to pay teachers an increase, and they have found themselves hiding under the pretext of collective bargaining. Minister Jordan himself said this year, we expect that 450 graduates will join the trained teacher workforce and 37 untrained teachers will complete the teacher upgrading programme, to prepare for the trained teachers‘certificate programme. “In 2018, we expect an (Continued on page 6)
Granger should respect pensioners DEAR EDITOR, The APNU/AFC coalition government continues to create more hardship for pensioners. By already cutting subsidies for electricity and water from pensioners, this government decided to turn to GuySuCo pensioners, by instituting that these pensioners (the most vulnerable group of citizens) go to the commercial banks to receive their pension. Most pensioners receive less than a thousand dollars per week and have to now go to the commercial banks to receive this small amount of
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
money. The management of GuySuCo should be ashamed to implement this decision. Several months ago, the pensioners from Rose Hall Estate joined PPP in the picket line to register their dissatisfaction at the actions of GuySuCo, but the coalition government doesn’t care, so I am elated to see that the other pensioners are protesting against this decision. What is even more hypocritical is that Granger, Nagamootoo and 90% of the Cabinet are pensioners, and as such, they should have some amount of compassion
for these poor workers and let the Chairman of the GuySuCo board, who is also a pensioner, ensure that this decision is changed immediately. GuySuCo should do the math and know that transportation and bank charges alone might not be economical for the pensioners to receive their pension. As pensioners, President Granger and Prime Minister Nagamootoo should ensure that pensioners are treated with dignity and respect, and honour there contribution. Remember what goes around comes around. Zamal Hussain
IMPROVE POLICE RELATIONS IN MINORITY COMMUNITIES DEAR EDITOR, For a very long time, Guyanese, West Indians, Latinos, Sikhs and other minorities in Richmond Hill, Queens, Brooklyn and elsewhere, have accused New York police of racism and abuse of their powers, including at a groundbreaking Town Hall meeting in Richmond Hill. Indeed, Richmond Hill and Flatbush are mere microcosms of this greater institutional problem in minority communities all across America, where many continue to be murdered and discriminated against senselessly. Years ago, the Stabroek News of February 1, 2007, carried an article by Dr. Vishnu Bisram, “Guyanese in Richmond Hill charge police with profiling, abuse.” He reported that, “Person after person came forward to relate experi-
ences of racism and police abuse in an exchange with the Police Chief of Queens and the Captain of the 106th Police Precinct (Pct) which is responsible for most of the Richmond Hill Ozone area. Allegations were also levelled against the 102nd Pct but the bulk of the complaints were against officers of the 106th Pct.” At that meeting, organized by Rotarians and concerned businessmen Joe Iaboni, Jack Rassbeharry, TV host Roy Ramsarran, Trevor Rupnarain, Colin Moore and myself, “the Guyanese victims complained about racial profiling accusing the police of capricious and arbitrary targeting of their community to meet ticketing quotas and to make unjustified arrests in order to obtain overtime pay, charging that the police tend to make arrests towards the end of their shift in order to
earn overtime pay, and that there has been a de facto increase in arrests in the precinct of some 22% since 1995.” Many speakers applauded the work of the police in bringing down crime, noting that the district had seen crime decrease by 73% in the 106th Pct and 77% in the 102 Pct, contending that the community is not against the police enforcing the law but the community should not be targeted. They complained that “other ethnic communities are not targeted for aggressive enforcement of the law, and that police officers do not enforce double parking in White neighborhoods such as Howard Beach but they have zero tolerance in Richmond Hill, and complained that they would appreciate answers, explanations and (Continued on page 6)
One of the greatest political ploys used by this govt. in its short history DEAR EDITOR, I am utterly surprised at the comments made by His Excellency President Granger when he visited the GTU headquarters on Labour Day. President Granger is reported to have said, when questioned about the teachers’ remuneration package, that ‘the recommendations are with the Ministry of Finance’. This is ludicrous and absolutely unacceptable from the head of state. When the task force was set up in November 2017, Dr. Hector Butts who is the finance secretary within the Ministry of Finance was named as a member. The finance ministry had a representative on the task force. Why does the proposal have to go back to the Ministry of Finance? Just in case: the Ministry of the Presidency had a representative (Mr. McWilfred),
the Ministry of Communities had a representative (Mr. Mc Garrell); also the Department of Public Service had a representative. As such, His Excellency should not use these ministries and departments to delay the signing of the agreement. He needs to use some other ministries and departments. I would suggest the Ministries of Public Security or Public Health. What is worse is that President Granger bluntly refused, when asked, to give a date when the agreement will be signed by the government. This is disrespectful to the very task force which His Excellency put into place. Editor, the implication of the task-force initiative which was put in place by President Granger is that both parties (GTU and the Government of Guyana (through the Ministry of Education) are bound
by the recommendations, because the recommendations were made by these very people. Minister of State, Mr. Harmon, when asked about the agreement, said that the document is with cabinet. President Granger said that the document is with the Ministry of Finance. Where is the document really? Cabinet? Ministry of Finance? Ministry of Education? Ministry of Communities? This is one of the greatest political ploys used by this government in its short history of governance. GTU must act now. Yours faithfully, Mohammed S. Hussain
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How can anyone come to the conclusion that a dictatorship is in the making? DEAR EDITOR, I am compelled to comment on a letter published this week under the name Aryan Ghosh. Though it appears to be one made up for letter writing purposes, it was nevertheless carried and needs a response. It is clear that the writer is a PPP supporter. The individual referred to a slew of ills he thinks and says have been and are being committed by the Coalition government, including the appointments of ex-senior military officers to high state positions or to conduct commissions of inquiry among other tasks assigned to them from time to time. Let me say this now. Government is right to do so. As many will know, the state has spent millions on these officers from around age 18 when
they enlist on the cadet course and similar amounts in training and exposure opportunities over the decades until they retire at the ripe young age of 55. Having said this, what should the state do with these patriots who were trained by the state at high expense once they retire? Allow them to roam, leave the country, serve other nations or engage in idleness? I prefer that they be gainfully employed at home to pay back a nation which has invested so much in them. Many are still able-bodied. We must not forget the fact that the PPP had itself appointed many ex-military officers to high positions during its time in office. The writer also suggests that Guyana as a country is
heading to dictatorship similar to the situation in Venezuela. He must be losing it big time. That person must know that this is an unfair assessment of what is taking place in Guyana today. During the time of the PPP, there were no local government elections from the mid ‘90s until after governments had changed in 2015. And I hear that another round is scheduled for November and general elections are in 2020 as we all know. Also, GECOM is preparing for house to house registration to ensure that the voters’ list is clean. How on earth then can anyone come to the conclusion that a dictatorship is in the making? This is so unreasonable. Regards, Earl Hamilton
IMPROVE POLICE RELATIONS IN ... From page 5 solutions to our complaints and an end to profiling.” The report further said, “One Guyanese taxi driver related how he triple parks every day on Cross Bay, an Italian neighborhood, and he never received a ticket. But on Liberty Avenue he gets tickets and is harassed for double parking even when sitting in his car. Mike Persaud, a teacher, who was subjected to an unjustified summons that was thrown out by a judge said, ‘What the police is doing to this community is tantamount to harassment. We must put an end to it.’”There were also several complaints about motorists getting tickets for dropping off relatives at bus stops (when there is nowhere else to stop) or for double parking letting off passengers. In one case, the police issued a ticket to a motorist who was dropping off an 81year-old at the bus stop. An-
other motorist was issued a summons for dropping off a pregnant woman at the bus stop. It was alleged that the police don’t issue summons for putting off passengers at bus stops in White neighborhoods. And in White neighborhoods, the police gently ask drivers who are double parked to move on rather than issue summons. But in Indian neighborhoods, they are issued a summons for $105. The report continues, “Lawyer Albert Baldeo suggested that the police show more sensitivity when issuing summons. Drivers should not be issued summons for dropping off.” The police chief agreed with Baldeo and promised to re-examine the issue with his officers. Guyanese also complained that the police would question them about their luxury cars such as BMWs, Rolls Royce, and Mercedes Benz. “If you drive a luxury car, they will stop and ques-
tion you. The oft repeated complaint was the police would ask “Is this your car or how did you afford this car?” One real estate owner charged, “They can’t believe we could afford such expensive cars. We work very hard and want to enjoy our earnings.” Chuck Mohan, a labor union leader, charged that “the police treat us as foreigners who don’t belong here. They think Guyanese are animals. The police should be held accountable.” Chief Dale urged the community to file complaints against abusive police with the Community Civilian Review Board (CCRB). But Guyanese say the CCRB pays lip service and almost never takes action against abusive police. Other community leaders and many other residents vociferously highlighted the constant harassment experienced by police officers on Liberty and Flatbush Avenues, like getting tickets when parked safe distances from bus stops, being stopped and threatened for no reason, ordered out of one’s car because of “driving while brown,” profiled for driving a modern car, and for various other unlawful, biased related reasons. Moreover, immigrants are justifiably afraid that the police will turn them over to immigration authorities for deportation, despite the City’s sanctuary policies denouncing this type of action. Have relations improved or deteriorated since then? Has law enforcement methods improved, or gotten worse? Now, it is time to take another look at this situation. Albert Baldeo
Thursday May 03, 2018
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure is transforming Guyana’s landscape DEAR EDITOR, No nation develops without investing in infrastructure, it is an enabling aspect which is important, since infrastructure is supposed to facilitate and spur economic growth by providing better connectivity and enhance productivity and efficiency. Moreover, investments in infrastructure work as a force multiplier, wherein the monies invested in building highways, ports and airports not only create the “hardware” for a nation’s development but also result in more growth, because of the huge amounts of money spent on construction materials, wages, and production of other raw materials which help those industries to grow faster. While Guyana is still developing, infrastructural development stands as a beacon. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure -formerly the Ministry of Public Works and Communication - is a testimony to this fact. Since its
formation in 2015, when the coalition government ascended to office, there has been monumental investment that has been evident in the infrastructural landscape of the country. There has been the transformation of roads, bridges in the city and regions, to the street lights in areas that have never been lit in decades and where robberies, rape and other heinous crimes have been committed on citizens. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has been the beacon of hope in this regard.Already we have seen the inherited Cheddi Jagan International Airport project revised and adjusted to become a world class facility to accommodate the large influx of air traffic on a daily basis. Guyana now has a golden opportunity to tap into its marketing tool and capitalize on its mission to be the gateway to South America. Drainage in the city and coastlands has always been
a major concern for most residents, particularly when it rains, Georgetown was known as the flood city for a long period of time, even when there were just drizzles. But now, thanks to the intervention of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the situation has been significantly improved, with water draining quickly off the land even after heavy rainfall.Over the years, the nation has had its share of roads of despair or in popular Guyanese parlance, ‘abortion roads’, but the Ministry has ensured that there is a constant and militant process of renovation of the road network on the coastland and hinterland - throughout the country. I therefore want to salute the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for taking this seminal role towards ensuring infrastructural development remains high on Guyana’s agenda. Best Regards, Dillon Goring
As economy deteriorates, teachers ... From page 5 additional 335 trained teachers to join the workforce,” he boldly announced. Education as a percentage of the national budget last year was said to be 17.2 per cent at $21.2B, but that figure went down by over a billion dollars to $19.9B for this year—a year in which there was the biggest budget ever.One must however bear in mind that a large percentage of the education Ministry’s total allocation for the year is expended on recurring expenses. Capital Expenditure such as the construction of new schools and repairs to existing structures also erode a
significant chunk of the budget. What then is left for a teacher’s package? Employment Costs is budgeted at $5.1B for the Ministry of Education in 2018. Teachers are demanding a 50 % increase in wages and salaries having been left out of annual increases—a result of negotiations between the Guyana Teachers’ Union and government; negotiations started under the PPP, inherited and seemingly parked by Granger. The APNU+AFC government having depleted the country’s gold and cash reserves; increased public debt and decimating producing
sectors will be hard pressed to find another $2B annually to pay the increases demanded. This does not even take into account putting a price to other promised concessions such as Duty Free concessions. The Guyanese teacher should not wait with bated breath for a positive announcement from the Granger administration. The kitty is now empty; there will be no pay increases for teachers anytime soon. The numbers don’t lie. Peter R. Ramsaroop, MBA, PH.D Economic Advisor to the Political Opposition
AFC, the Cummingsburg ... From page 4 who are enjoying the ‘good life’ may be in oblivion, but the stark reality would suggest that the ‘good life’ has been an orchestrated mirage to fool the masses. That mirage has now
disappeared and the ‘good life’ prior to May 2015 has been eroded with great alacrity. The 2.1 % economic growth in 2017 and the precipitous decline in 2018 is strong evidence to suggest that the AFC made a
Seeking explanations... From page 4 (in Guyana) even while outside of Guyana? If I am charged and refuse to return to face the Courts could I be extradited or can Interpol list me as WANTED? (G) Is this proposed legislation in violation of any United Nations Conventions or even its Charter? These are some of the clarifications I need before commenting beyond the fact that “in this age of Trump” and the APNU/AFC and PPP with this proposed legislation “any call for civility is a call for servility”. I got the last quote from a piece in The Economist, lest I be convicted of plagiarism. Regards, Wesley Kirton
monumental and unforgivable blunder to coalesce with APNU.In conclusion, the AFC is again clutching at imaginary straws when it gives a two-week ultimatum to discuss LGE. The CA does not provide for that and APNU is not interested whether they go solo or as a Coalition. The AFC has been for a long time been ‘singing and dancing’ to its own tune. The prophetic words of the then Leader Mr Khemraj Ramjattan have come to pass. The AFC is now ‘dead meat’ and no Mosaic rituals can bring it back to life! Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councilor-Region 6
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
AFC will not support sedition clause in Cybercrime Bill - Trotman
Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman said the party’s Parliamentarians are prepared to vote against the sedition clause if it remains part of the Cybercrime Bill when it is returned to Parliament for passage. Clause 18.1 has been subjected to growing public criticisms following the release of a report from the bi-partisan Parliamentary Special Select Committee which reviewed the Bill. It was tabled by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams. “I can say that as presently constructed, I, as Leader of the AFC, cannot support Clause 18.1 in the Bill and will therefore be urging for an amendment, and if none is forthcoming, I will vote against it,” Trotman informed Kaieteur News. According to Trotman, the issues surrounding the
Bill were not formally discussed at the AFC National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday. However, Trotman said that he took the opportunity to canvass the views of several members. He expressed confidence that his views are held by most, if not all, of the party’s executive members. The overall thrust of the Bill is to make illegal, certain activities undertaken using a computer and the internet, such as child pornography, cyber bullying, theft of data, and revenge porn among others. However, there are concerns about aspects of the Bill, which was tabled by Attorney General, Basil Williams. The most contentious is Section 18 (1) (a) of the Bill which indicates that a person commits the offence of sedition if he brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts
to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in Guyana. According to Section 18 (1), a person can commit the offence whether in or out of Guyana by intentionally publishing, transmitting or circulating by use of a computer system or any other means, a statement or words, either spoken or written, a text, video, image, sign, visible representation, or other thing. The penalty ranges from four months in prison to a life sentence where death occurs. It is widely believed that any sitting Government could use the clause to curtail freedom of expression and silence critics. Trotman explained that he has been the subject of intense criticism and attacks over the past months, and by extension, so too the Government. “I have chosen not to lash out, but to take my blows and
to continue working, knowing that the truth will make its way into the public domain eventually and the Government’s positions will be better understood and accepted,” Trotman noted. He added, “This is 2018 and so we must recognise that this is the age of enlightenment and expression. Even though we do not always agree with many of the views and opinions against us, yet we ought to respect the freedom to make them and be very circumspect when we come to stifling it. “ According to Trotman, Clause 18.1 is not what modern and open government and democracy are all about. However, he believes there should always be the crimes of treason and sedition, but the burden of proof for these should be a high and heavy one and not be based on a few social media or op-ed comments that are
brutally critical. Local transparency watchdog, Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), and social activist Ruel Johnson, have called for the scrapping of the clause in the Bill. Williams had indicated that nothing is wrong with the Bill. However, the Government has indicated that the Bill will be returned to Cabinet for further discussions. A report from the committee was tabled in Parliament last Thursday. It showed that while several amendments were proposed, the sedition clause was untouched. Government Members on the committee included Basil Williams, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, who tabled the Bill; Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security; Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education; Michael Carrington and Audwin Rutherford.
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AFC Leader, Raphael Trotman The opposition members on the committee were Gail Teixeira, Chief Whip; Clement Rohee; Anil Nandlall and Gillian Persaud. Nandlall has stated that the sedition clause has no place in modern Guyana. Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo stated on Monday that the People’s Progressive party (PPP) members dropped the ball in highlighting the sedition clause in the bill.
High Court commences hearing application to block charges against Singh, Brassington
T
he High Court has commenced hear ing an application to stay the Magistrates’ Court proceedings filed against former Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited, (NICIL), Winston Brassington. Last month, the Special Organised Crime Unit, (SOCU), of the Guyana Police Force completed its Pradoville Two investigation and moved to institute charges against the former public officials. The two were jointly slapped with three charges for misconduct in public office as it relates to the sale of three plots of state land while employed by the previous government. However, Attorney-atlaw and Former Attorney General attached to the previous administration, Anil Nandlall, moved to the High Court to block the proceedings. Nandlall and his team approached the High Court to challenge the validity of the charges and for an interim stay of the proceedings. The application came up before Justice Franklyn Holder at the Georgetown Supreme Court yesterday. During a private hearing of the application, the battery of lawyers representing both Singh and Brassington along with lawyers from the Attorney General’s Chambers who
Ex-Finance Minister Ashni Singh. represented SOCU, presented their initial arguments before Justice Holder. Nandlall noted that the Court has granted time for attorneys from both sides to submit arguments as these relate to the application. “We had filed proceedings in the court challenging the legality and validity of the charges but that would take some time to determine. But while we await the outcome of that substantive matter; in the meanwhile, we want an interim order to stay the hands of the Magistrate from going forward.” The former Attorney General noted nonetheless that the Court is in the process of hearing the application for the interim order to stay proceedings. “Time is of the essence…The matter has been adjourned to May 16 for us to address the Court on the law as to whether the interim
Winston Brassington should be granted.” Solicitor General, Kim Kyte, noted that since the Court has denied the application for the interim stay of the proceedings in Magistrate’s Court at this stage of the proceedings, “the Magistrate can proceed to hear the matter.”After months of investigations, SOCU moved to institute charges against the former officials. According to the first charge, Singh, was charged
for being and performing duties of Minister of Finance, and Brassington was charged for being and performing duties as the Chief Executive of NICIL on May 14, 2011 at Lot 126 Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown, sold a tract of land, being a portion 10.002 acres of Plantation Turkeyen, East Coast of Demerara, property of the State of Guyana for the sum of $185,037,000, without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer. It is further alleged that Dr. Ashni Singh, and Winston Brassington on December 30, 2008 at Lot 126 Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown, by way of Agreement of Sale and Purchase without due diligence, sold to Scady Business Corporation, a 4.7 acres tract portion of Plantation Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, for $150M knowing that the said property was valued at $340M by Rodrigues Architects Associate, a competent
valuation officer. The last allegation against the two stated that Dr. Ashni Singh, and Brassington on December 28, 2009 at 126 Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown, by way of Agreement of Sale and Purchase, acted recklessly when they sold to National Hardware Guyana Limited, a tract of land at Plantation Liliendaal, Pattenson and
Turkeyen, situated on the East Coast of Demerara, being 103 acres, being property of the State of Guyana for the sum of $598,659,398 (VAT exclusive) without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer. The matter was called before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
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Thursday May 03, 2018
Attack on fishermen in Suriname looks like retaliation between fishermen By Ivan Cairo in Suriname PARAMARIBO – Authorities in Suriname confirmed that a corpse was discovered yesterday on a mud bank offshore, presumably one of the victims of the attack last Friday on four fishing boats in Surinamese waters near the maritime border with FrenchGuiana. The corpse was discovered by pilots of a private airline that had undertaken a search on its own initiative. The Coast Guard was directed to the area to recover the body. “It is almost certain that it is one of the missing because the body was discovered near the place where the boats were attacked,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Slijngard, Director of the National Coordination Centre for Disaster Management (NCCR) on local radio. Meanwhile, information circulated late afternoon Wednesday that two more bodies were discovered. According to several sources, the armed raid on the four fishing vessels last Friday, that left 16 men missing, is the result of an old feud, a turf war, between Guyanese fishermen. Numerous individuals in the fisheries sector are aware of
it, but fishermen are reluctant to speak about this in public. This incident has to do with “rights” that fishermen claim on certain areas of the fishing grounds. On 28 February, Captain Mark Skeete became the first fatality of the dispute, according to insiders. He was shot and killed point blank by attackers. The four crew members of Skeete’s boat were also physically attacked. Eventually, they were taken to the shoreline where they were rescued by another fishing boat several days later. Various sources indicate to local journalists that associates of Skeete vowed to retaliate in revenge. And a prize was placed on the head of the individuals who allegedly had ordered his killing. In early April, the police reported a ‘drive by shooting’ took place on 30th March, in which the 40-yearold businessman Somnath Manohar was killed. He was gunned down while sitting in front of his home with friends and family in the Munder residential area in Paramaribo. An employee who was also hit survived. Afterward, it became clear that Manohar was a fisherman and according to insiders, he would be the brain behind the murder of Skeete, along with the killing of another man who was murdered in Guyana.
Worried fishermen in meeting with Suriname authorities this week The suspects in the driveby shooting escaped and the investigation into this killing is ongoing. Authorities believe that the perpetrators have fled to Guyana. According to Lieutenant Colonel Slijngard, the attacks on Friday have all the marks of a contract killing. He noticed that the attackers didn’t come to rob the fishermen of their catch or other valuables. “If you just came to steal why would you tie a victim’s hands behind his back, tie a battery to his legs and throw him overboard?”, he argued. The authorities now have
certain information that is being pursued to find out exactly what has happened and to prevent further attacks. So far, there is credible intelligence he said that a gang led by two Guyanese brothers is responsible for the recent attacks on fishermen in Surinamese waters. The NCCR-official said that one of the suspects is
based in Guyana while the other one is residing in Suriname. Slijngard further noticed that international cooperation, especially with Guyana mainly in the field of sharing intelligence, is vital to bring the criminals to justice. In the meantime, for fear of the lives of their employees, the boat owners are keeping their vessels
ashore. Since Monday, the price of fish on the local market has risen sharply and it is feared that scarcity will occur within a short period of time if they don’t venture out to sea. In a meeting with representatives of the government, the Fishermen Collective Association called for measures by the Surinamese Government to guarantee safety at sea.
‘Big Foot’ gets 33 years for killing South Central Hotel owner Bryan Leitch, called “Big Foot’, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was yesterday sentenced to 33 years for manslaughter. He was convicted for killing hotel owner, Joseph Jagdeo. The sentence was handed down by Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High court following the presentation of a probation report. The report outlined that the accused came from a single parent home; his mother being the sole bread winner. Leitch is said to have gravitated to crime at the early stage of his life, this resulted in him entering the criminal justice system. As a result, he was sentenced to serve time at the New Opportunity Corps, (NOC) in Essequibo. According to the report, after his release from the NOC, Leitch tried his hands at several skilled jobs but soon returned his wrongdoings. Before the sentence could be handed down, Attorney at -law Lawrence Harris in a plea of mitigation asked the Court to consider his client’s “hard upbringing” as well as the fact that he is quite a young person. “He is only 24 years old; he has his whole life ahead of him…I am asking the court
Murdered : Hotel owner Joseph Jagdeo to consider the time spent in prison prior to trial and in handing down the sentence to temper justice with mercy.” In calculating the sentence, Justice Kissoon started with a base of 30 years. He deducted five years for the time the man would have spent on remand. However, three years was added because of Leitch’s criminal record and five years was added for cruelty used in the commission of crime; the victim is said to have died as result of strangulation. The Court therefore ruled that Leitch will serve 33 years in prison for killing the proprietor of South Central Hotel.
Last month Leitch, also called ‘Big Foot’, was convicted of manslaughter. He had been originally indicted for murder. He was found not guilty of murder. Leitch had originally denied the charges stating, “I don’t know anything about any murder. I did not kill anyone.” The indictment against Leitch was that between November 13 and November 14, 2013, at the South Central Hotel, he murdered Jagdeo, called ‘Joey’. Leitch had retained Attorneys-at-law Hewley Griffith and Harris to represent him. State Prosecutors Mandel Moore and Lisa Cave presented the case against him. According to the information provided by the Court on November 13, 2013 Leitch and a female companion had rented a room at the hotel. During that time, Jagdeo misplaced his cellular phone and confronted Leitch. After Jagdeo’s employees did not see him the following day, they became concerned about his whereabouts and forced their way into his room where they were greeted by his motionless body. Police ranks were later summoned to the scene and Leitch was later arrested and charged for the killing.
Thursday May 03, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
Man charged for robbery under arms of over $200,000
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Apartment to rent at 138 Garnett Street, Kitty. Tel#2262421 Prime Office on Camp Street, next to Shell gas station #6447724/639-4499/622-9560. Space to rent, display rack, computers and office furniture for sale. Contact: 624-6783/664-1070
Antiques, single beds, centre tables, divider, 3 pc suite, plants etc. Tel# 662-9832
Office space to rent at 43 Croal St, Stabroek. #225-3269/6728599
Used metal lathe, drill press, shaper & Re-surface machine. Tel# 642-7898.
Furnished apartments 318 East Street, between Middle and New Market Streets. Phone: 226-3199, 653-0490, 641-4614
Yamaha Outboard 200 with power steering and 250 crankshaft $750k, all foreign use. Call: 672-5830 Centrally located land at 10 Good Success, Wakenaam. Call Lena: 442-1680 or 862-2247680.
Freezing Point Refrigeration & Electrical Service- regasing fridge, freezer, repair dryer & washer AC.Lot 114 Friendship EBD. Tel#2740755/613-1711
PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 15 Public road #2 Village. West Coast Berbice. 49ft by 10,314ft. $18M. Contact:6487109/686-4818 Two Family house located at 8th street, Tuschen, East Bank E s s e q u i b o . Price:$13,000,000(Thirteen Million) Call: 675-1430
Hire car owners to work at GR taxi (lots of work available). Contact Ganesh: 614-6202 Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm Dishwasher. Apply Shanta’s 225 Camp St.
@
Mangal Vulcanizing Est & Tyre Mart, 68 Herstelling Public road EBD. Tel#6918430/265-4016. Tyre Shop workers. Plantation Friendship CDC is hiring residents in Friendship Village EBD to clean drains. Contact: 662-5133 (1)Electrician apprentice #6177493/682-2971 Wanted urgently1 experienced Industrial electrician must have knowledge of motor rewinding.Please call: 6449084 or 664-9635 Wanted land to buy: Parfaite Harmonie or anywhere on the West Coast/Providence. Tel#642-1252/681-8746
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CSEC 2018 special offer, Diploma in computers, 9 courses $40,000 computerized accounting $40,000. MicroGraphics Vreed-en-hoop #264-3057 Study in Canada/US 100% acceptance limited space, MicroGraphics #264-3057 Register your child for after school classes for slow learners in Mathematics, Reading, Phonics, Spelling, etc. Call: 675-4379 Jos-el Educational Institute Solicits: Day care, Nursery, Primary G1/G5 Business teachers. Call: 226-7794/6780652
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)
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LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807
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WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table Tel#277-0578
Parfaite Harmonie- $1M, $1.2M & 1.6M Farm (East Bank)-$3.6M Herstelling-$2M Schnoord $2.8M Uivlugt$2.6M Tel#656-0701 Zeelugt-$2M Parfaite Harmonie $1.5M Neg. Tel#697-6311 TO LET Furnished House in AA Eccles. Tel# 629-0636/6237731
Desk staff, Room attendant, temporary washer, ages 25-45 years old. 233 South road #225-0198 Articulated dump truck & excavator operators,cook & cleaner for interior location. Call: 618-2020 Experienced male sales attendant, stocktaking knowledge, computer literate, excellent service attitude, able bodied. Key Food McDoom Village. Experienced Handyman/ Porter ablebody all-rounder, apply with written application/ recommendation @ Keyfood McDoom Village.(Age 20-30) Office clerk Senior/Junior CXC English/Mathematics, Computer knowledge an asset, Call: 223-7500 If you need a job or training, we can help www.jobfairworldwide.com Call: 233-6997, 622-1957 Labourer/Porter to work in Georgetown. Call: 618-2020
Philbert McPherson appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, yesterday, to answer to the charge of robbery under arms, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. It was alleged that on April 20, last, at the Criminal Investigation Department, McPherson, was accused of having in his possession a pistol without owning a firearm licence. It was further alleged that on April 25, the 22-year-old robbed Jagdeo Ramnauth of one Samsung Galaxy cell phone valued $160,000, one black leather wallet valued $15,000, US$150 and $50,000 in local currency. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. According to McPherson’s attorney, the man resides at 707 Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, with his mother and has one child. He is said to be an electrician and bus driver. Police Prosecutor, Simone Payne, objected to bail being granted on the grounds that the nature of the matter is serious and because he was using a firearm. McPherson’s attorney stated that the gun wasn’t in her client’s possession on
Accused of Armed Robbery, Philbert McPherson the day in question. She also noted that a video of the robbery was shown to her client. Subsequently in the video, the guys that were seen running from the scene did not match the physical description of her client. Her client is a Rasta guy, while the guys who ran from the scene were bald. The accused was remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on May 30.
Three bodies sighted.. From page 3 effort and take urgent steps to ensure that fishermen are found. “In addition, our party urges the government to ensure that the families are kept informed of the efforts being made. We hope for a swift resolution of the situation and that the families can be comforted during their time of distress.” The names of the missing Guyanese fisherman are were given as Bharrat Heralall, VACANCY (1) Supervisor for farm. KuruKuru Linden, Soesdyke Highway, must have experience, literate & physically fit. Age 30 & over. Tel#219-0468 Sales clerk at Dollar Stretch store, Lot 16 Robb Street Tel# 651-1960 Outdoor salesman at Dollar Stretch store, Lot 16 Robb street. Tel# 651-1960 Sales clerk at Akash People’s Variety store. Lot 7-9 Avenue of the Republic. Tel#227-5068 Chef and Assistant cookPreferably Carnegie tranied. Call 225-7933, or visit 173 Sheriff street.
Bobby Ibrahim, Ralph 'Burnham' Couchman, Ganesh 'Vicky' P e r s a u d , J o s h u a Glenroy Jones, Randy Burnette, Ramnarine Singh and Ramesh Sanichar. On Friday evening, the pirates attacked the 'Romina', a Guyaneseowned boat, chopping workers and throwing them overboard. A number of the crewmen had batteries attached to their legs to sink them. The attack was swift with the intent clear- the pirates came to kill. Men were seen being beaten with pieces of wood while treading water in the Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and French Guiana. Four men, badly wounded, among them the captain of the Romina, made it to shore. The Suriname police only received reports of the incident on Saturday night. The difficulty in alerting Guyana was compounded by the fact that Guyanese fishermen in Suriname are not closely regulated. Of the four boats, the Romina remains missing. One was sunk by the pirates. The incident would be one of the worse cases of pirate attacks in recent years.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
Pregnant Guyanese teacher was found dead ‘with blood on walls’
Bahamas (Tribune242) A POLICE officer yesterday described the bloody scene inside pregnant teacher, Marisha Bowen’s, apartment the morning he and other officers discovered her lifeless, naked body lying in a pool of blood in a bedroom almost two years ago. Detective Corporal Javod Frazer testified how he observed blood on walls, the floor and miscellaneous items in the Guyanese woman’s Red Sea Road apartment before ultimately finding her “lifeless” and “nude” body lying in a “large accumulation” of blood in her bed on September 9, 2016. And that discovery came days before he said he personally observed an embryo while attending the autopsy of the former schoolteacher being conducted by pathologist Dr Caryn Sands. The revelations came during Alister Williams’s trial before Justice Carolita Bethel over Bowen’s murder. Police said Bowen, who taught at CW Saunders Baptist School, was found shortly after 8am on the Friday in question in her apartment by other tenants of a complex on Read Sea Road, off Sumner Street. She was pronounced dead at the scene. She had injuries to her neck and upper body. Williams is charged with murder, robbery and receiving in connection with the incident. Concerning the robbery charge, it is alleged Williams also robbed Bowen of two cell phones and an iPod.
According to Det Cpl Frazer, around 9:15am, he arrived at Red Sea Road along with Detective Sergeant Gardell Rolle based on information they had received. Det Cpl Frazer said he eventually arrived at the apartment complex and made his way to apartment three, which was located on the first floor. Upon entering the apartment, Det Cpl Frazer said he observed what he thought were blood stains on a shower cap and a brown stocking cap on the floor of the kitchen. He also said he noticed two separate patterns of stains and a purple and white towel with blood stains on the floor of the apartment’s southeastern bedroom. He said he then discovered the lifeless, nude body of a woman lying on her back on the bed in the bedroom, with her head pointed east and her feet pointed north. He said she was lying in a pool of blood on a white and purple fitted sheet on the bed. Two pillows with white and purple pillowcases, as well as a white and purple sheet were also seen to have blood on them, the officer said. Det Cpl Frazer said the woman had what appeared to be a yellow dress with suspected blood covering her face, as well as a black cloth belt wrapped around her neck. He said he noticed visible injuries to the woman’s neck and chin and also a grey towel with blood stains in the area of her right arm. He said the body was
Killed: Marisha Bowen examined by Det Sgt Rolle, after which he placed two brown evidence paper bags on each of her hands. She was subsequently placed in a body bag. Another officer then directed him to the eastern part of the backyard where he was shown a green towel hanging on a fence bordering the eastern part of the yard. Det Cpl Frazer said the towel was photographed by Det Sgt Rolle and subsequently collected for evidential purposes. Det Cpl Frazer said he was then directed to western sidewalk in front of the apartment complex and shown a pattern of suspected blood before being given certain instructions. He said the blood patterns were taken before swabs were taken and packaged. Around 10:45am on September 14, 2016, Det Cpl
Accused: Alister Williams
Frazer said he visited the Rand Lab at the Princess Margaret Hospital where he spoke with Dr Sands who gave him certain information and showed him Bowen’s body. At the time, Det Cpl Frazer said he noticed the black, cloth belt was still tied around her neck, and that she had sustained multiple injuries to her neck and chin, both eyelids, the insides of both her upper and lower lips, as well as injuries to the right side of her upper back and rear of her upper right arm. As a result of the information he received from Dr Sands, Det Cpl Frazer said he took facial pictures of the deceased which also captured her injuries. The officer said Dr Sands then proceeded to conduct the autopsy in his presence. He said she pointed out injuries to the left and right
Mahaica man wanted for Crane taxi driver murder A Mahaica, East Coast Demerara man is wanted by police for the 2015 murder of a 55-year-old taxi driver from Crane, West Demerara. According to police, yesterday, they want to question Sheldon Colin Abrams, 47, of Lot 6 Supply, Mahaica. This is in relation to the murder of Colin Clarke which occurred between November 25, and December 3, 2015 at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara. “Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Sheldon Colin Abrams is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 226-2870, 229-2655, 229-2289, 227-1149, 226-7065, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence,” the police said. It was reported that
Murdered taxi driver: Colin Clarke
Wanted: Sheldon Colin Abrams
Clarke’s partially decomposed body was found in the vicinity of Uitvlugt on December 3, 2015.
Clarke, popularly known as “Ole Boy” of Crane Housing Scheme, WCD, and a missing hire car driver, was
last seen a few days before. Both the 55-year-old man and a silver-grey Toyota Allion motorcar, HC 4993, which he operated, disappeared. His sister, Maureen Clarke, said he would never go anywhere without informing his family members. The dead man’s cousin, Michael Johnson, had told Kaieteur News that relatives were contacted and they went to identify his body. The man explained that his cousin was found with a brake cable around his neck. ”It look like he get strangle with the cable, cause part of he neck cut.” The man’s sister explained that the car is owned by her niece’s mother. Clarke would usually pick it up every morning from Sisters Village to carry out his daily work.
sides of Ms Bowen’s skull, and also pointed out an embryo, which he also photographed. Det Cpl Frazer said Dr
Sands also collected several exhibits and upon completion gave him one postmortem kit, a sexual assault evidence kit bearing the name Marisha Bowen. Those items were ultimately turned over to the relevant officials for analysis, Det Cpl Frazer said. He said the pictures he took on September 14 were downloaded and placed on a compact disc, and were later enlarged at a local photography studio in his presence. Det Sgt Rolle, taking the stand shortly after his colleague, gave testimony that supplemented that of Det Cpl Frazer. Yesterday also saw brief testimony from Bowen’s sister, Michelena Broomes, who said the last time she spoke with her sister was on September 7, 2016, two days before Ms Bowen’s death. The trial continues.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
Stand Up, oppose those who seek to restrict freedom of expression - GPA urges on World Press Freedom Day The Guyana Press Association (GPA) has joined with journalists across the globe in observing today as World Press Freedom Day today under the theme “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of Law”. According to the GPA, the theme transcends all influential actors in government, business and civil society, although when one speaks of “power” one readily thinks about political actors. “The GPA is cognisant that in our society, lines of power, authority and decision-making in the media are blurred by shared interests, goals and objectives. In this regard, the Association is of the firm position that editors and other media managers need to stand up to those in authority and influence who seek to impose restrictions on freedom of expression because of their dislike of the opinions of others.” Over the months, the GPA pointed to reports of Govern-
ment officials calling media houses to demand sources from reporters, to demand that media outlets refrain from providing coverage to other public officials and threatening to call the police to remove reporters from public meetings. “These actions are not much different from the days when journalists were banned from the Office of the President or State House and media houses found their economic viability threatened over the withdrawals of state advertisement,” the GPA noted. Further, the GPA highlighted the decision by the state-owned and government controlled Guyana Chronicle to discontinue the contributions by columnists Professor David Hinds and trade unionist, Lincoln Lewis. Similarly, the GPA said it has observed the increasing frequency among certain media houses of deliberately slanting their stories to fit certain political frames of refer-
GPA President, Nazima Raghubir ence more often in keeping with their owners’ political preference. “None of this does the public we serve any good because, instead of keeping power in check, the public is provided information that amounts to half-baked truths that in the final analysis make
them less informed and educated to arrive at rational conclusions or decisions,” the GPA noted. The Association urged the Government and the Opposition to discuss and arrive at a consensus to delete from the proposed Cybercrime legislation provisions that will
amount to institutionalisation of criminal defamation. Those provisions, the GPA contended, must be removed because they are not in accordance with the global shift towards the removal of criminal defamation from the law books of several countries including a number of them in the Caribbean. “Guyana will be retrogressing instead of progressing by entrenching the criminalisation of freedom of expression if certain sections in the Cybercrime Bill are enacted into law,” the GPA stated. High Representative, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the European Union noted that World Press Freedom Day is being celebrated in a difficult context for journalism. According to the EU, Freedom of expression and Freedom of the Press are threatened around the world. The EU said it will continue funding targeted projects in third countries
enhancing quality of journalism, access to public information and freedom of expression. “We will consistently condemn violence against journalists and oppose – in bilateral contacts with third countries as well as in multilateral and regional fora – any legislation, regulation or political pressure that limits freedom of expression and will take concrete steps to prevent and respond to attacks against journalists and bloggers, including emergency assistance to protect human rights defenders at high risk, sometimes by means of relocation,” Mogherini noted. He stated that the EU’s determination to keep protecting and promoting freedom of opinion and of expression as rights to be exercised by everyone everywhere, based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and universality, through any media, within the EU and beyond.
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
Security guard freed of fisherman’s murder
I
t was a mix of emo tions, yesterday, as former Pritipaul security guard, Marlon Callender, was found not guilty of killing 45-year-old fisherman Envil Pollard called “Elvis” or “Rastaman”. Callender was freed of the murder before Justice Sandil Kissoon, at the High Court. An obviously relieved Callender thanked the court for setting him free and expressed sympathy to the relatives of the deceased before reuniting with his relatives outside the courtroom. He was acquitted following more than one hour of deliberations by a mixed 12member jury. However, relatives of the deceased were not so accepting of the court’s decision. The aggrieved relatives of the deceased expressed a desire to have the decision appealed. “We cannot accept this decision. This man (Pollard) has eight children who were left behind to suffer because of this. Where is their justice?” the dead man’s relatives cried. Callender , 27, a former security guard attached to Pritipaul Singh’s Investments Inc. (PSI), was indicted for the murder of Pollard. The fisherman fatally shot by Callender, during a confrontation at PSI Wharf, McDoom, East Bank Demerara. Pollard was reportedly shot to the neck and
Freed: Marlon Callender groin with a shotgun. The incident occurred on January 9, 2015. At the commencement of his trial in the High Court, Callender pleaded not guilty to the charge. In his unsworn testimony, Callender told the judge and jury that on the day of the shooting, he did not intend to harm anyone. The accused told the court that when he reported for duty at Pritipaul Wharf, he received a radio message from another security officer that Pollard, called “Rastaman”, was behaving disorderly. He said he felt threatened and he fired a warning shot but the man did not back down. He said he therefore fired another shot; this time it hit Pollard and stopped him
in his tracks. Callender told the court that he was only trying to protect himself while performing his duties. He expressed regret that it cost a life. During his closing address to the jury, Attorney-atlaw, Everston Lammy-Singh, essentially stated that his client (Callender) was acting in the execution of his duty when he fired the shot, which unfortunately led to Pollard’s death. The lawyer told the court that based on the evidence” it is clear” that his client did not intend to kill or cause any grievous bodily harm to the fisherman. State Prosecutors Lisa Cave, who is presenting the case in association with Attorney Mandel Moore, dismissed the defence as rubbish. The Prosecutor therefore noted that the defence account of what happened on the day that the fisherman was shot, “just does not add u p . ” Cave noted that the fisherman was a significant distance away from the accused, when he shot him. Cave therefore contended that the “trigger happy accused” would have intended to shoot and cause grievous bodily harm to Pollard. The Prosecutor had asked the jury to take all the fact o r s i n t o c o n s i d eration when determining the fate of the acc sed.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
Thursday May 03, 2018
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Kaieteur News
FIFA proposes staging a new... Former El Salvador coach Maradiaga From page 30 of FIFA’s decision-making Council which still has to approve them. The new competition would run parallel to existing international tournaments such as the European Championship, Copa America, and African Nations Cup, plus the World Cup qualifying stages. It could lead to criticism that FIFA is over-complicating international football and devaluing its flagship World Cup. FIFA could not immediately be reached for comment. SIMILAR COMPETITIONS European soccer body UEFA and its counterpart for North and Central America and the Caribbean, CONCACAF, have already set up Nations League
contests in their own continents. In both cases, the competitions involve all the national teams in their respective regions who are divided into divisions based on their rankings. There is promotion and relegation between the divisions, as in conventional domestic club leagues. UEFA’s inaugural competition will begin in September this year. Other continents would have to set up similar competitions for the tournament to be viable. Infantino suggested that similar intercontinental mini-tournaments to the Final 8 could also be organized for the top teams in the lower divisions. Infantino’s letter said that all revenue from the competition would be re-
distributed. “This means that FIFA as an organization would not benefit financially from this competition,” he said. “We believe this offer is an excellent opportunity for the confederations and member associations as well as for football in general.” In a separate proposal for Europe, the letter suggested that member associations could receive up to $50 million for taking part in a single UEFA Nations League campaign although this amount would only be for the top-five ranking federations. The next biggest five European countries would receive $15 million to $20 million while the 33 lowestranked associations would receive a more modest $7 million.
Thursday May 03, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) This is your day to shine, Aries. Just make sure you don't do so at someone else's expense. You're feeling more self-confident than usual, which may be hard for you to believe. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You may feel like you're being left out of the equation, Taurus. Perhaps you feel like the oddball, the fifth wheel who simply doesn't have a place. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Take your creativity to a new level, Gemini. There are many ways to express yourself creatively, so pick one and follow through. You may have a desire to be on stage CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your feelings may deceive you, Cancer, so be careful of getting too wrapped up in your own drama. Perhaps you feel you're getting pushed and pulled in uncomfortable directions. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) In some ways, you may feel like a lost soul who isn't quite in touch with your dreams, Leo. Although you feel energetic and boisterous, you might also get the sense that your energy is misdirected VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) The best way to create harmony among others is to first establish harmony in yourself, Virgo. Don't expect others to take care of you and attend to all your desires.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You might feel as if your powerful emotions are getting in the way of your dreams, Libra. Or perhaps you're finding that you're so wrapped up in a particular vision of the future SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Perhaps you're stuck in a mindset you can't seem to escape, Be careful about taking action based on ideas rooted more in past fantasy than present reality. Your emotions could be playing tricks on you. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) When you talk, you want other people to listen, Sagittarius. More than likely, your thoughts will drift toward humanitarian ideas and philosophies. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) When you talk, you want other people to listen, Sagittarius. More than likely, your thoughts will drift toward humanitarian ideas and philosophies. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You're apt to speak and act with a great deal of power, Aquarius, but be careful that you don't get swept away by emotion. There's a surrealistic quality to the day. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your concept of reality could be based more on your emotions than facts, Pisces. This is one of those days when this could get you into trouble. Whatever comes up, you're likely to feel very passionate about it
banned over match-fixing case ZURICH (Reuters) Former El Salvador coach Ramon Maradiaga has been banned by FIFA for two years for allegedly failing to report a match-fixing attempt before their World Cup qualifier against Canada in 2016, the global soccer body said yesterday. FIFA said Maradiaga, a Honduran who played for his own country in the 1982 World Cup, had “allowed and failed to report” a meeting in which a third party offered the players “financial compensation” in exchange for fixing the result. It said the offer was rejected and reported by the players in a news conference on Sept. 5, 2016. The incident was widely reported at the time. Maradiaga could not immediately be reached for comment. El Salvador were bottom of their four-team group with two points from five games and had already been eliminated from the competition for places at this year’s finals in Russia. However, a heavy defeat for El Salvador could have potentially allowed Canada to finish above Honduras and progress to the next stage of the competition on goal difference. In the event, Canada won 3-1 but were eliminated after Honduras drew 0-0 away to Mexico. Maradiaga, 63, was found guilty of violating FIFA ethics rules on bribery and corruption and duty of disclosure, FIFA said in a statement. He was also fined 20,000 Swiss francs (14,738 pounds). He is widely known in Central America, having also coached the national
Walsh... From page 33 consistent.”West Indies secured their berth in the 10team World Cup from May 30 to July 14, after finishing in the top two of the Qualifiers in Zimbabwe last March. However, though they lost just twice, they were far from convincing, and were forced to pull out the stops in order to book their place in the final.The Windies have also struggled in the longest format where they are now ranked ninth – an all-time low – following another difficult campaign last year.Walsh said, however, that while some structures were in place to facilitate the development of the Test side, the lack of players on the County circuit would inhibit the progress.
El Salvador’s coach Ramon Maradiaga teams of Honduras and Guatemala as well a number of clubs including Marathon, Motagua, Real Espana and Aguila. Central America is seen as especially vulnerable to match-fixing as many clubs struggle financially, playing
conditions are poor and players often do not get paid on time. In 2013, El Salvador banned 14 international players for life for matchfixing, including some of their best-known and most experienced names.
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Thursday May 03, 2018
Kaieteur News
In-form Gayle eyeing ODI Stephen Curry, back like he success with Windies never left, puts on a show in Game 2 win over Pelicans
MUMBAI, India, CMC – Veteran West Indies opener Chris Gayle has listed winning next year’s World Cup in England among his remaining high priorities, as his stellar international career winds towards an end. The 38-year-old returned to West Indies one-day colours following a near 2-1/ 2 year break last September, and will now spearhead the Caribbean’s batting at the May 30 to July 14 World Cup. “Just two things,” Gayle said in reference to his remaining career targets. “Winning the IPL this year and the World Cup for West Indies next year. I believe West Indies have a big chance of winning the World Cup in 2019. “I know we struggled in the qualifiers but now that we’ve made it, our next aim is to win it. But right now it’s definitely the IPL. [Kings XI Punjab] have never won it.” Gayle is the Windies leading one-day player, scoring 9 585 runs from 281 One-Day Internationals, and notching 23 centuries. The upcoming showpiece in England is expected to be his last World Cup, which remains the only title missing from his achievements. Gayle has been in excellent form in the Indian Premier League, already having scored 252 runs from four innings at an average of 126 and a strike rate of
Veteran West Indies opener Chris Gayle. 161. Ironically, Gayle almost missed out on this year’s campaign after being released by Royal Challengers Bangalore with whom he spent several seasons, and then only being picked up by Kings XI late in the draft for his base price. With speculation rife that his powers were on the wane, Gayle said his heavy scoring for Kings XI had not been an attempt to prove anything to detractors. “I don’t know if I’ve actually proved them wrong. There are always going to be doubters but at the same time I didn’t have anything to prove,” the Jamaican ex-
plained. “My records speak for themselves. Even though I was selected in the very last round of the auction, I wasn’t really worried about it. Even if it was the end of it, there is life … a life beyond cricket, beyond the IPL. “At some stage, you are going to walk away from the IPL and other forms of cricket, so I was never too intrigued. This is how I’ve always been – living in the present.” He added: “But given the sense that I was picked up and playing for a new franchise, it was very pleasing. And the way I have played in the first three games, I think it has been fantastic. I’m very happy with where I’m at.”
USA TODAY Sports OAKLAND — There is no official evidence that Steph Curry’s pregame performance has any correlation to what he does in the actual game. But when the Golden State Warriors star needed just two attempts to hit his famous Oracle Arena tunnel shot before Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against New Orleans on Tuesday, it was as good a sign as any that he was ready to roll. “It doesn’t get no better than that,” Curtis Jones, the longtime Warriors security guard who has been Curry’s set-up man on the tunnel shot for so many years now, told a young boy after the shot fell through. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Curry, who suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee on March 23 and came off the bench in his return, had 28 points and seven rebounds in the Warriors’ 121116 win. He entered the game for the first time with 4:20 left in the first quarter, the roaring cheers around him and the booming piano intro of Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” providing a fitting musical backdrop. Still Steph, was more like it. Eleven seconds in, the two-time MVP curled off a Kevon Looney screen and
Stephen Curry celebrates making a three-point basket against New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2 of their NBA series. (Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports) found a familiar spot on the deep left wing as Jrue Holiday scrambled to catch up. Smooth release from 29 feet out. Swish. It was like he had never left. “It was funny,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry’s first bucket. “We call a play we like to run just to get some movement, just to get the ball moving, and the ball swung to him and he just launched. Didn’t surprise me. That’s who he is. That was a fun moment.” Curry didn’t stop there, following with a floater in the paint and another three with his right foot planted near the ‘A’ in the “Oracle Arena” logo near the right sideline – 32 feet out, and good again. By the time the second quarter arrived with the Warriors down 29-27, Curry had buried three of his four shots and both of his three-pointers while scoring eight points. The Warriors led 58-55 at halftime, with Curry’s plus-15 rating a team-high by a large margin (Shaun Livingston’s plus-7 was second). He also had a team-high 12 points after making five of his first seven shots. There was plenty more to come in the second half. Ever the showman, Curry buried another deep three with 48 seconds left in the third quarter and struck one of his statue-style poses afterward as the Warriors led 86-80. He kept the pressure on from there, making up for the struggles of fellow All-Stars Klay Th-
ompson and Kevin Durant (10 of 34 combined shooting early in the fourth before Durant, who finished with 29 points, heated up). The Pelicans showed far more fight than they had in Game 1, with Anthony Davis (25 points, 15 rebounds) leading the way and all five starters scoring at least 14 points this time around. Curry provided the unofficial final blow with 1:47 left, losing E’Twaun Moore on a Draymond Green screen on the right wing and burying a three that put Golden State up 119-106. He had 16 points on three of five shooting in the second half, and finished with a gamehigh plus-26 rating in 27 minutes. At this rate, he might be a starter someday. Curry had only been a sixth man once before in 76 playoff games, back on May 9, 2016 when he was taking on a challenge that has now become so familiar. He suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee in the first round of that failed title run, then had 40 points. nine rebounds and eight assists in an overtime win against Portland in Game 4 of the second round. The question going forward, of course, is whether the left knee is truly healthy enough to withstand another six weeks of high stakes hoops this time around.
Thursday May 03, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Mercy Wings claim NSC Special Schools Windball title
The victorious Mercy Wings male team with their accolades. Mercy Wings won the National Sports Commission/AL Sport and Tour Promotions Sponsored Inaugural Special Schools Windball Cricket Competition played recently at the Jubilee Park; they defeated Saint Barnabas in the finals. Playing the girls final, Mercy Wings
won the toss in invited Saint Barnabas to take first strike, they made 38-1 off their allotted five overs with Faithie King scoring 16. Mercy Wings replied with 41 without loss; Tramaine Trotz got 23. In the boys’ final, Sophia Special
The Mercy Wings female team.
School after been sent in to bat made 403; Z. Barry got 16. Mercy Wings replied with 42-1 with Denelison Sealey scoring 20. Earlier, Mercy Wings posted 96-3 against Sophia Special School. Shannon Joseph 33, Daren Cadogon 21and Amari
Kendall 15 were the principal scorers. Sophia Special School replied with 75-6; Timothy Higgins got 27; Amari Kendall had 3-8. Saint Barnabas Special School managed 46-2, Delroy Smith made 31. Sophia Special School replied with 47-2; Zorie Barry got 21.
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Thursday May 03, 2018
Kaieteur News
Liverpool hold off brave Roma to Guinness ‘Greatest of the Street’ Linden Zone Dave and Celina’s to clash with reach Champions League final Silver Bullets in Saturday’s final
Action between defending champions Dave a Celina’s (right) and Swag Entertainment on Monday night.
Mane settled the nerves of the Liverpool players by putting them four goals ahead on aggregate with the early strike. (AP) ROME (Reuters) Liverpool reached the Champions League final after riding their luck to contain a firedup AS Roma in a 4-2 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico yesterday that sent them through 7-6 on aggregate. The five-time European champions, who will face holders Real Madrid in the May 26 final, suffered a nerveshredding second half as the Italians pinned them back and scored twice late on through Radja Nainggolan. Nainggolan’s second, which came from a stoppagetime penalty, moved Roma to within one goal of forcing extra time, but Liverpool, who clinched the last of their titles in 2005, held on to reach their 10th European Cup final. They were far from their devastating attacking best, however, and a nervy defensive display saw them lose their first match in this season’s competition, despite cruising in the first half having twice taken the lead. Liverpool’s Sadio Mane was their most potent attacking threat and put them ahead after nine minutes, but a bizarre own goal by James Milner levelled for Roma. A Georginio Wijnaldum header put Liverpool back in front but Roma, who overturned a three-goal deficit to beat Barcelona in the last round, were given renewed belief when Edin Dzeko fired past Loris Karius early in the second half.
Nainggolan drilled in from distance after 86 minutes to make it 3-2 and smashed home from the spot but it was too late for the Italian side who lost the first leg of the semifinal 5-2 in Liverpool. “We are deserved finalists 100 percent,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp. “You don’t come without luck. We needed it only one time tonight. “The boys deserve it, the character they showed, the football they showed — it was just crazy. I forgot the score. It was 7-6 right? Unbelievable.” Liverpool’s task was seemingly straightforward — avoid suffering a three-goal defeat and a place in the final in Kiev was theirs. Their 5-2 first-leg victory at Anfield was a scoreline that had never been overturned in the competition’s history, but Barcelona’s shock defeat in the same stadium had served as a warning against complacency. The crowd certainly seemed to believe a repeat result was possible and the noise levels increased as Liverpool were pushed back in the opening moments. CLINICAL COUNTER Yet Roma’s spirits were dampened when Liverpool took the lead, capitalising on a catastrophic mistake with a typically clinical counter. Roma midfielder Nainggolan played a suicidal square ball that was pounced on by Roberto Firmino, who
drove forward and played it through to Mane who buried his left-footed finish past Roma’s Brazilian keeper Alisson. That was the first goal Roma had conceded at home in the competition this season, but they were only behind for six minutes thanks to a calamitous own goal. Dejan Lovren tried to clear a ball into the area but smashed his effort straight into the face of Milner and it ricocheted past Karius. The home fans rediscovered their voice, but their renewed spirits lasted only another 10 minutes before Liverpool retook the lead. The hosts failed to clear a corner and the ball was headed back by Dzeko into the path of Wijnaldum who nodded past Alisson. Roma levelled for the second time seven minutes after the break as Stephan El Shaarawy’s shot was pushed tamely into the path of Dzeko by Karius and the Bosnian rifled his finish past the German keeper. It was then backs to the wall for the Premier League side as Roma chances came and went before Nainggolan took aim from the edge of the area and rifled a shot in off the post. He slammed home a penalty after substitute Ragnar Klavan was adjudged to have handled, but it was not enough to prevent Liverpool reaching the final for the first time since 2007.
After losing their first game of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ football competition; Linden zone, defending champions Dave and Celina’s All-stars have managed to bounce back strongly after booking their place in the final of the 2018 edition of the tournament, following a narrow win over Swag Entertainment in Tuesday’s first semi-final at the Mackenzie Market tarmac. The all-stars snuck past Swag 2-0 via penalty kicks after a 2-2 full-time deadlock which came courtesy of a double from Mortimer Giddings for the defending champions, while Royston Fraser and Shane Luckie netted one each for the losers. Earlier in the night, Dave and Celina’s safely negotiated Quiet Storm with a 3-0 triumph in their quarter-final fixture. Alonzo Thurman’s Guinness Goal (any goal in the last five minutes of play counts as two) in the 18th and
Rudy Halley eighth minute strike was good enough for the win. In the second semi-final, Silver Bullets made light work of High Rollers as they shot past four unanswered goals, inclusive of a Guinness Goal, all of which came off the heels of Jermaine Samuels in the seventh, 27th and 38th minutes. In Silver Bullets’ quarterfinal matchup, they needled NK Ballers 1-0 thanks to Robin Adams 10th minute strike. This Saturday, Dave and Celina’s All-stars will fancy themselves to defend their title and cash in on the $400,000 grand prize at the Mackenzie Market tarmac. Meanwhile, the runners up will pocket $150,000, third $100,000 and fourth $75,000. Complete Results Guinness Goal-(GG)-2 Goals Semi-finals Game-1 Dave and Celina’s-2 vs Swag Entertainment-2 Dave and Celina’s won 2-
0 on penalty kicks Dave and Celina’s Scorers Mortimer Giddings-9th and 12th Swag Scorers Royston Fraser-23rd Shane Luckie-35th Game-2 Silver Bullets-4 versus High Rollers-0 Jermaine Samuels-7th, 27th and (GG)-38th Quarter-finals Game-1 Dave and Celina’s-3 vs Quiet Storm-0 Alonzo Thorman-(GG)18th Rudy Halley-8th Game-2 NK Ballers-0 vs Silver Bullets-1 Robin Adams-10th Game-3 Assassa Ballers-0 vs High Rollers-2 Qualon Andries-14th Kendolph Lewis-16th Game-4 Amelia’s Ward Russians-0 vs Swag Entertainment-2 Royston Fraser-15th Shane Luckie-17th
FIFA proposes staging a new mini-World Cup every two years (Reuters) - FIFA president Gianni Infantino has proposed staging what would effectively be a mini-World Cup, featuring eight international teams, every two years in addition to the traditional event. The tournament, known as the “Final 8”, would be the climax of a proposed global Nations League competition, part of an ambitious plan to reform international football which FIFA believes could be
worth $25 billion in a 12-year cycle. In a letter seen by Reuters, Infantino, who has already overseen the enlargement of the existing World Cup from 32 to 48 teams starting in 2026, suggested that the new tournament would take place every October and/or November of every odd year starting from 2021. He said that a “solid and serious” group of investors were willing to spend $25 bil-
lion on the competition and a revamped version of the Club World Cup, which would also start in 2021 with 24 teams. The Confederations Cup, currently staged every four years in a year before the World Cup, would be abolished. The letter did not clearly indicate how many slots would be allocated to each region.The plans were sent by Infantino to the members (Continued on page 27)
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
Entries pour in for Unity Cup National T10 championships Over 61 softball cricket teams have so far indicated their participation with the bulk coming from the East Coast area in all categories as teams line up to be involved in the Unity Cup Softball Cricket tournament organised by the Guyana Softball League. The action starts this weekend in all regions and most of the entries are for the male Open segment of the event. Encouraging interest has also been had in the Under-15 level with 10 of the teams entered hailing f r o m We s t C o a s t o f Demerara. Play with the held in the Male Open; Female Open; U-15 and Masters Over-40 categories along with the 1 ball contest for fans. The tournament will have incentives as well as appropriate trophies and medals for winners. A new format will be introduced for sport fans as well in the one ball which will have incentives as well. Each day of cricket will have its fair share of one ball and each day’s winner will move onto the next round after clashing with the other winners. Each region will produce their winner and those winners will pay off against each other at various stages of the
tournament. The overall winner will be known as the KING or Queen of the One Ball. The other games will see the four categories of the regions coming off against each other to claim the title of National Champion. The organizers noted that even though the tournament is not the richest, it is the prestige that is at stake as each region will want to produce the best team in the country. The Under-15 will be contested between schools and the representatives of each area are eager to get started. There are a number of schools who have already indicated their willingness to participate and efforts by the reps to get the grounds in order to have the best games are commendable. The liaison officer of GSL Mr. Mortimer Denny has been tirelessly working to get all the representatives together in order to have the best tournament in a while. The female and the male Open will be contested in the 10/10 format and the Masters in the 20/20 format. Any individual male or female can enter. Any team can register in any zone. Te a m s c a n c o n t a c t representatives for more
details on playing condition and other concerns. In case reps are unavailable teams are advised to call Mortimer Denny on tel numbers -6873326; 442-1562 who can address all concerns in the reps absence. Players are urged to respect each decision of the umpires at all times and there will be no recourse for this. Discipline must be maintained and each umpire will be graded during the tournament as teams are urged to give feedback to the reps on all games to dispel any doubts. The representatives of the various areas are as follows. West Demerara – Ravendra Ramgobin – 2681372; Premnauth Bimchan (Pampalam)– 670-9982; Rawle Higgins – 667-6374; East Bank Demerara/ Georgetown – Nadir Baksh (Gas)– 672-0378; Lower East Coast Demerara – up to Enmore – Rafman Ally – 654-2233/ Darmin Ramnarine – 6423165;Upper East Coast Herman Persaud – 6433033;Linden – Mortimer Denny – 687-3326/4421562; Berbice- Corentyne – Rajin Moonsammy – 6507647; Canje – David Lukenauth/Pinkey Arthur615-2493/ Revi Ramkumar – 642-1206.
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33rd Pan-American Road Cycling Championships
Guyana represented by Hamza Eastman and Romello Crawford GCF President Horace Burrowes is flanked by Hamza Eastman (right) and Romello Crawford.
Guyana’s quest for medals at the 33rd edition of the Pan-American Road Cycling Championships taking place in San Juan, Argentina from today would be led by the Under-23 duo of Hamza Eastman and Romello Crawford. Eastman, of Team Coco’s and Crawford who rides for the Berbice based Trojan Cycle Club are under the management and guidance of Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) President Horace Burrowes who will also serve as Coach. Burrowes will be attending the Pan
American Cycling Confederation (COPACI) Congress tomorrow which would also see in attendance, President of the International Cycling Union (UCI), David Lappartient. The U-23 road race a duration of 120 miles is set for Saturday. Eastman had represented Guyana last year at the same event and placed 20th out of 70 starters. Jamal John had placed 36th, while Andrew Hicks ended 69th due to cramping. Paul DeNobrega and Junior Niles had competed in the Elite segment of the race last year.
England cement white-ball rise with No.1 ODI ranking ESPNcricinfo England’s burgeoning status as a white-ball team has been confirmed by their ascent to the top of the latest ICC oneday rankings, with India slipping to No.2 on the list. England’s ascent to the top spot was cemented by two impressive away victories this winter - they beat Australia 4-1 in January before seeing off New Zealand 3-2 in March. However, they owe much of their rise to the removal from the permutations of their dismal run of form in 2014-15, when they won just seven out of 25 ODIs and bombed out of the World Cup at the group stages following an infamous defeat against Bangladesh at Adelaide. That 2014-15 season, which also featured the removal of Alastair Cook as ODI captain in the wake of a losing tour of Sri Lanka, is now widely recognised as a watershed moment for English cricket.
Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes struck rapid fifties. (Getty Images)
Eoin Morgan’s appointment as captain was unable to salvage their World Cup campaign, but England’s form in the
subsequent home summer was revelatory. Against New Zealand at Edgbaston, in their first completed fixture of the
p o s t - Wo r l d C u p e r a , England posted their first 400-plus total in ODIs, and have made 300 or more in 27 of their 60 completed
innings. England, who last topped the ODI rankings in January 2013, have gained eight points and moved to 125 points. India, who were at the top before the update, have lost a solitary point and are in second place with a total of 122 points. South Africa, who were second, have dropped down to third place after losing four points, from 117 to 113, leaving them nine points adrift of India and only one point ahead of fourth- placed New Zealand. The remaining places remain unchanged, confirming that the current top 10 ranked sides are the ones who will be playing at next year’s World Cup in England. However, there have been some significant changes in points. Wo r l d c h a m p i o n s Australia have lost eight points to go down to 104 in fifth position and are only two points ahead Pakistan, last year ’s Champions
Trophy winners, who have gained six points. In other changes, Bangladesh (93 points) have gained three points, Sri Lanka (77) have lost seven points, the Windies (69) have lost five points, Afghanistan (63) have gained five points, Zimbabwe (55) have gained four points and 12th-placed Ireland (38) have lost three points. In the T20I rankings, led by Pakistan, there is no change in the top seven places but Afghanistan are now ahead of Sri Lanka in eighth slot. Latest ODI rankings 1. England 125 (+8) 2. India 122 (-1) 3. South Africa 113 (-4) 4. New Zealand 112 (-2) 5. Australia 104 (-8) 6. Pakistan 102 (+6) 7. Bangladesh 93 (+3) 8. Sri Lanka 77 (-7) 9. Windies 69 (-5) 10. Afghanistan 63 (+5) 11. Zimbabwe 55 (+4) 12. Ireland 38 (-3)
Kaieteur News
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Thursday May 03, 2018
Twenty two Cricket Clubs benefit from RHTY&SC and BCB Development Project
Representatives of 22 clubs pose with director of sports Christopher Jones after receiving gears. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS and the Berbice Cricket Board with support from Food-for-the-Poor (Guy) Ltd, MC Samaroo Grocery & Wholesale, Odyssey Transportation and the National Sports Commission last Sunday donated over $1M worth of cricket balls, gears and score books to a total of twenty two cricket clubs drawn from both Regions 5 and 6. The presentation was held during the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club 2 8 t h A n n u a l Aw a r d Ceremony at the St. Francis Conference Hall.
Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board, stated that 2018 would always be remembered as the year that Berbice Cricket was returned to its rightful place. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, he stated was working on a project to raise over $1M worth of cricket balls to assist every cricket club in Berbice, 2018 he stated would see the Berbice Cricket Board hosting close to twenty tournaments at the Under-15, Under-17, Under19, Under-21, Female,
Intermediate, Inter Zone, Second Division, Inter Secondary School and First Division levels and predicted that most clubs would struggled to me the cost of balls, transportation, gears and meals among others. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would work hard to assist every cricket club to fulfill its mandate and the first donation of $300,000 worth of white/red balls was made possible through the compliments of the National Sports Commission and MC Samaroo. Among the 22 Clubs benefiting from the project
were Young Warriors, Skeldon, Upper Corentyne, No. 73, Whim, Port Mourant, Hampshire, Rose Hall Canje, Toopoo, Fyrish, Guymine, Mental Hospital, Kildonan, Blairmont, Bush L o t R i s i n g a n d We s t Berbice. The First Division teams received white balls, while Second Division teams received red balls. Eighteen cricket clubs also received a collection of gears that included stumps, bats, wicket keeping gloves, wicket keeping pads, batting pads and gloves while each also a score book. Foster, speaking in his capacity as President of the Berbice
Cricket Board noted that all Clubs in Berbice would be treated equally and would receive assistance from the Board over the period of his Presidency. The Berbice Cricket Board, he stated was quite passionate about its work and urged the Clubs to place special emphasis on youth development. Special gratitude was extended to Mr. Paul ChanS-Sue and Jimeel David of Food-for-the-Poor and Troy Khan of Odyssey Transportation for their cooperation in making the donation possible to the Clubs.
Words of gratitude were also extended to Director of Sports Christopher Jones and Mr. Samaroo of MC Samaroo Wholesale, distributor of Dan’s Milk Powder. Jones at the launching of the Programme had stated that the National Sports Commission was pleased to be associated with the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS to assist Berbice Cricket Clubs. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS next presentation of cricket balls would be done in two months and another twenty clubs are expected to benefit.
School girls shine at Labour Day Pools competition fixed for Pennsylvania relay festival Saturday at Grand Central Sports Bar A six member all female team from the New Campbellville Secondary School in Georgetown has just returned from the Pennsylvania relay festival where the Guyanese team placed first in the 4x400 relay event.The team of Princess Browne, Binka Joseph, Thenica Thompson and Malika Abrams won from a field that included teams from the United States of America, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago among others.The girls competed in the Secondary/High school category and according to overseas based Guyanese Mark Webster of Transparency
Envision, a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) that made the initiative possible, the young ladies performance augurs well for athletics in Guyana. There was also participation from a team that was chosen from the Technical Institutes across Guyana and they placed third in the 4x400 relay event. There was also participation from the Fort Wellington Secondary.The Pennsylvania relay festival is an annual event that attracts teams from countries across the globe. Many athletes use this platform to catapult their athletics career.
T
he Guyana Pool and Billiard Club will stage a Labour Day Pools competition on Saturday at the Grand Central Sports Bar in Grove on the East Bank of Demerara. The nine ball tournament is sponsored by the Grand Central Sports Bar and will see attractive cash prizes on offer for the top four
finishers. The prizes are $40,000 for the winner, $20,000 for the second placed finisher, $10,000 third and $5,000 fourth prize. Entrance fee is $2,000 and the competition is a race to three where the winner advances. Among the leading players down to compete are Kamil Husain, Sunil Mangru, Shemroy, Lenny,
Ramsingh, Shem Haripersaud, Dave Rupnarain, Brian Prasad, S e a n D e S o u z a , Vi j a i Sankar, Anthony Xavier, Chrisdl Singh, Dave Singh, Anthony Harricharran, Jonathan Parbhu, Nick Persaud, Shalline I’vanilla, Luthi Ti m a l , N a n d k i s h o r e , Richie Narine, Salim and Ricky Singh among others.
Kaieteur News
Thursday May 03, 2018
PAGE 33
“Mecca V was a huge GCB/DMLAS/NSC/NSSCL…. success” – Nigel Hinds Parika Salem snatch victory - Anthony Moe confirms participation for Guyana in FIBA Americas qualifiers Eleven teams were unsuccessful in dethroning the Georgetown based Bounty Colts as the national champions; one club from Berbice, four from Linden and six from the capital city, as Colts played undefeated to win a historic third consecutive National Club Basketball Championship when Road to Mecca V concluded at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) last Saturday. During an interview yesterday with Kaieteur Sport, head of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Nigel Hinds; whose administration was responsible for hosting the event, posited that in its fifth year, Mecca was a huge success being the tournament with the highest total prize money in the Caribbean. The competition had 34 games, competed over 11 playing days, and capped off with the grand finale that included an entertaining prefinal performance by Guyana’s own recording artiste Timeka Marshall, who engaged and had the entire Sports Hall on their feet. In addition, performances by Tiffani Bonner and Euphoria Dance Group along with the GABF cheerleaders did a splendid job, which Hinds believes could be a stepping stone for sports-entertainment in Guyana; with Basketball the
Head of the GABF, Nigel Hinds. focus in this instance. “We were pleased with the fan attendance throughout the tournament and especially in the final night which had a decent turnout that was significantly affected by the inclement weather which included thunderstorms and parts of the city being flooded. Despite that, on the final we saw a turnout more than triple the average amount during the roundrobin phase,” Hinds noted. The National Club Championships is usually held in the latter part of the year but due to Guyana’s upcoming participation in the FIBA Americas qualifying tournament in Suriname next month, the GABF’s executive decided to host the tournament early so that it can be a good platform for the players in the lead up to the event which will see both a male and female team on court for
the GABF. Hinds shared some good news for the male squad; Anthony Moe, who plays semi-professional b’ball in El Salvador, has already confirmed his availability to represent Guyana, only days after being the top performer in the Mecca V, Colts versus Ravens finals in which he was the top scorer in a losing effort for Ravens. In addition, the basketball boss explained that NBA Pro-athlete, Darren Collision, who was a key player in the Indiana Pacers hard 4-3 loss to 2016 Champions Cleveland Cavaliers during the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, is an exciting potential target for the national men’s team. However, efforts to contact him are proving difficult but the GABF have vowed to keep trying. The national squad will be called into training from May 15th and will include overseas players Delroy and Gordon James. The female team will comprise of mainly players that would’ve been discovered through the successful Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) school programme. Hinds noted that the team will be young and their participation will be a learning process with Lugard Mohan and Troy Greene being looked at as potential coach and manager for that unit. (Calvin Chapman)
from the brink of defeat
T
he 2017/2018 Guyana Cricket Board/Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited/National S p o r t s Commission/National Secondary School Cricket L e a g u e (GCB/DMLAS/NSC/NSSC L) continued with competitive action in the Essequibo Zone recently. Parika Salem defeated Leguan Secondary by 10 runs. Parika Salem won the toss and elected to bat. However, they found scoring against the Leguan Secondary bowlers a difficult task, and eventually folded for meagre 46. Bowling for Leguan Secondary, Kamal Shaw grabbed 5 for 23 and Javal Sahoye 4 for 22. With Leguan Secondary needing just 47 runs for victory, bowlers Wazim M o h a m e d a n d Tr a v i s Christian set out to defy the odds, by making early inroads into the Leguan
Travis Christian batting. Mohamed and Christian were well supported by their fielders who effected three run outs, eventually resulting in Parika Salem clinching victory as Leguan Secondary were bowled out for a paltry 36. Opening Batsman, Naresh Ragabeer (11), was the only batsman to score double figures. For Parika Salem, Wazim Mohamed grabbed four wickets, while Travis Christian had two and Sandave Singh one. Parika Salem won by 10 runs. To m o r r o w B a r t i c a Secondary will visit the
Wazim Mohamed Wa k e n a a m I s l a n d t o compete with Essequibo Islands Secondary School, at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in Good Success from 10:00 hours in the Inter Zone Phase of the Tournament. The winner of this match will face Parika Salem on May, 9 at the said venue. A d d i t i o n a l l y, N e w Diamond Secondary will oppose Covent Garden at the YMCA ground in Thomas Lands in the East Bank Demerara Inter School Zone Phase of the league today.
GCB Summon Extraordinary Meeting It now appears as though the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has decided that the Guyana Cricket Administration Act #14 of 2014 should be implemented in full. The Cricket Board has, in the past, indicated that while it would adhere to the Act a challenge was instituted in the high court questioning the legality of many aspects of the piece of legislation.Citing Article 10 of the Act, the GCB has summoned an Extraordinary Meeting to appoint a Cricket Ombudsman. Article 10 of the Act states: 1. There shall be an authority known as the Cricket Ombudsman who shall hold office for a period of three years after the Ombudsman has been elected by a two third majority of the members present and voting at an extraordinary meeting of the Guyana Cricket Board. 2. Where there are two or more candidates vying for the post of cricket ombudsman and no candidate receives a two
third majority, there shall be a run off between the two candidates with the highest number of votes in which the Ombudsman shall be chosen by a majority vote. 3. The primary task of the Cricket Ombudsman for the duration of his appointment shall be the responsibility for the verification of the Register of Clubs and for performing the functions of Returning Officer for the elections of the membership of the Guyana Cricket Board. 4. The other functions of the Ombudsman and the rules of office shall be prescribed by regulations. The GCB consists of three members namely, the Essequibo Cricket Board, Demerara Cricket Board and the Berbice Cricket Board. Each member is entitled to nine votes at any general meeting. The meeting of members is scheduled to take place today at 17:00hrs the GCB Boardroom.
Walsh says regional side needs to improve competitiveness, consistency
Anthony Moe (with ball) on the go during his game-leading performance of 27 points for Dynas Ravens in a losing cause against Bounty Colts in Mecca V final. He’s confirmed his participation for Guyana next month.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Fast bowling legend Courtney Walsh believes West Indies still need enhancement in key areas, if they are to become serious contenders with next year’s Cricket World Cup in England on the horizon. The Jamaican, currently the interim head coach of Bangladesh, identified
competitiveness and consistency as the issues with the side, noting they needed “some fine-tuning” if they were to improve. “I think consistency is the key. When I followed the games in the World Cup Qualifiers, I think we were up and down and a little bit inconsistent,” Walsh told Observer Radio’s Good
Morning Jojo Sports Show. “And I am not sure as to the structure they have or what they are looking to work towards but there [are things] when I look at [them] from the outside that definitely could do with some fine-tuning to sort of make them more competitive and a little bit more (Continued on page 27)
rt o p S Guinness ‘Greatest of the Street’ Linden Zone
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Dave and Celina’s to clash with Silver Bullets in Saturday’s final
Play between Silver Bullets (left) and High Rollers during the former’s 4-0 semi-final victory on Monday night.
33rd Pan-American Road Cycling Championships
Guyana represented by Hamza Eastman and Romello Crawford P. 31
School girls shine at . 32 Pennsylvania relay festival P
The young ladies of the New Campbellville Secondary School, who tasted success in their USA outing, pose for a photo with their prize.
Team Guyana from right, Romello Crawford, Hamza Eastman and GCF President Horace Burrowes. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.