Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
The almighty USA
A
lmighty God and the mighty USA. In many corners, not necessarily restricted to inside the US alone, the thinking is that the order of God and the US are in the wrong order, and that the enhancing adjectives fit better when switched. What have been the experiences and realties, as lived by many parts of the world? What is the story of Guyana in this context? What is very real and weighs very heavily today in Guyana? Mexico has a tiger on its back and a weight on the head. Skip some decades, World Wars, and Cuba and come down to the heart of the American Century and there is this incontestable litter of national self-determination wreckages that span significant parts of the globe. From communist containment to human rights indices to the war on drugs (and money laundering) to the global war on terrorism, nations have struggled. Now even little, inconsequential Guyana has found itself identified on radars of heat. Iran and Venezuela and the DPRK are bone spurs in the heel and have crossed the path of the US. Sanctions and hurts have been remorselessly applied. They bring reeling. Iran made the fatal error of humiliating the Americans in 1979 with its long-delayed turn to theocratic government and what is fashionably termed, ensuing radicalism. Venezuela did marginally lesser evils through violations in the sacrosanct commercial realm. Those were the extreme and unpardonable steps of nationalization first and then creeping socialism later. Guyanese do not have to look very far: it is right next door and should be a reminder of what went before right here. It should be a warning whenever Venezuelan neighbours are observed or shoulders rubbed in the remote regions of Georgetown. Now enough of the quick foreign sketches. Time to come home; come home and examine right here and detect the fingerprints, footprints and biometrics of the al (mighty) United States right in the face. Well, at least, those who can see and do see. Cheddi Jagan brought his well-meaning ideology to the fore, and he was felled. Distant shades of what continues to spiral in Venezuela that older Guyanese should remember well. Gone with the force of the American wind into the political wilderness for almost as long as Moses, Jagan learned enough to manage his rhetoric, public inclinations and pursuits better the second time around. Forbes Burnham, a powerhouse by himself and in his time, followed a reverse chronology to that of Cheddi Jagan. The former started out with the Americans as friends and partners. And then, true to himself, he got ideas: fancy ideas, menacing ideas, powerful ideas that revolved around commanding heights of the local economy and control of those heights. That was the beginning of his end. Too late he may have understood the risks taken and the graveyard traveled. Guyanese should look at those tensions, shortages, conflicts, flights, and hardships in Venezuela and remember Burnham and Jagan, and next to those super patriots juxtapose Chavez and Maduro. The parallels of violence and decimations ought to be not only arresting, but eerily so. A bit frighteningly so, too. One of the younger successors of the departed Cheddi Jagan was hubristic enough to dismiss the Norteamericanos when they tried to show him some light, the way that things really work. He refused to listen or to learn. He went. Unwillingly. And today, the current crop of leaders on both sides of the political divide struggle to be in the good graces. Not of God, but of his self-identified chosen ones here on earth. Jagan did not listen; Burnham did not listen. The last man did not listen in 2015. The present man and people better learn: terrorism and nationalism and all.
Sunday May 05, 2019
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
Our oil wealth will never better the lot of the poor unless we have a moral renaissance in our high society Dear Editor History has taught us that wherever human civilization existed, there were laws by which the subjects (people) of these civilizations adhered to. These laws were promulgated and instituted by men possessed by high morals; whether by conscientious aspirations or by divinity, is a topic for debate. These laws always had two general purposes. To provide an environment of peace, security and prosperity for the subjects and to provide checks and balances of power from those who are entrusted to administer them. The concept of right over wrong, good over evil is the basis on which human civilization made progress through the ages. Even wars, with all its cruelty and human sufferings were
fought by combatants who adhere to certain moral principles. Morals in men brought about order, justice, peace, security, prosperity and ultimately civilization, long before money became a mega medium for commerce. While money became the instrument for the advancement of the production of goods and services around the World to create the present day euphoria, it was, and continues to be, morals more than money that silently held the fabric of human existence together to be part of this euphoria. A functional society is dependent on morals ingrained in its minutest unit- the individual, then the family, the community and the nation. The degree of h a r m o n y, p e a c e a n d goodwill a nation enjoys will
always be reflective of the morals of its citizenry and not the volume of money at its disposal. There will always be wealthy people and a larger number of poor people-it is the ways of the Wo r l d s i n c e t i m e immemorial. Morals remain the contributory factor for contentment and struggle for personal upliftment and happiness by the poor in a scenario where money is placed in it most logical perspective- as a medium of exchange for labor, goods and services. Somewhere in the scripture it is written that Jesus said, “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul”. Profit here, speaks of money but “lose his own soul” does not speak of dying because death is inevitable. Even the wealthy
know that they will someday die and no one has control over anything in the afterlife. Losing of soul speaks of selfrespect and respect for others, compassion, charitythe building blocks of m o r a l s . Ta k e t h e s e characteristics of morals away and human to human communication, civilization as we know it, the present perceived euphoria will all revert to the dark ages of caved existence! A society devoid of morals is doomed to fail. Historians are convinced that greed, graft and lasciviousness leading to moral decay amongst people in high society in Rome was responsible for the demise of the Roman Empire. Transfer this concept to our present day Guyana and one gets a general outlook as to why, (Continued on page 6)
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GENUINE INTENTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT BY MINISTER TROTMAN DERAILED BY POOR CHOICE OF CONVENER FOR GFC RESTRUCTURING DEAR EDITOR, There has been so much written in the public domain over the last month on the planned GFC restructuring that I hesitated for some time before writing this letter. With everything that has unfolded over the last few days, I feel compelled to pen these thoughts. I hope that after reading this letter, that persons would be a bit more convinced that embracing change is necessary but at the same time, the way that change is instituted needs to be fair, transparent, and respectful of workers and done without prejudices to race, gender or political conviction. I have long since admired the genuine and sincere lead-
ership of Minister Trotman. He is a Minister who has all qualities that one would expect and need in some with such authority – he is fair, he is conscious of the reality around him and adjusts to what is needed, and he genuinely sees the best in whatever situation he is faced with. In a nutshell, he wants to do what is in the best interest of the sector that he serves, and the Guyana Forestry Commission is no exception. On hearing the announcement of the GFC reorganizing process, I welcomed this move. I see this as less of a ‘restructuring’ and more of making adjustments and filling gaps where these exist and building on the strengths of
Is the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) a microcosm of governance in Guyana? DEAR EDITOR, If not prove me wrong by peacefully picketing daily in front the office. Moreover, never let the story die...there is more coverage of Trump in the local papers than malfeasance at SOCU. We could all say fox guarding hen house, but hens make lots of noise when they sense danger. For this reason, there needs to be outrage from everyone regardless of political affiliations. This vigilant oversight by the citizens should be for all other investigative units. Again defrock the wolves in sheep’s clothing! Technology and social media are effective ways of exposing those that prey on decent law abiding citizens. There will be no democracy unless justice is blind. Keith Bernard
the Commission. However, an initial misstep I believe in the approach to the start of the process was to call it a “restructuring” and to reach this conclusion that this was necessary without first reviewing whether the GFC currently fulfills the new requirements within its current structure. In Guyana, we are all too familiar with what ‘restructuring’ is in the Guyanese experience. We automatically go to the Guyana Sugar Corporation experience whereby all workers were assured that government will ‘take care’ of the workers and the industry but that meant that persons had to be let go, and the industry was downsized. Efficiencies were created yes, but at the cost of thousands that are now jobless. Fast forward to the GFC – when the announcement was made to restructure, every employee of the GFC became worried for their job security. Embracing change is important, especially as the new Forest Policy 2018, coordinated under the innovative foresight of Minister Trotman, brought new thinking to forest sector development in
Guyana. Preparing the GFC to be ready to implement this new Policy required a diplomatic approach, and one that shows the true spirit of the effort, as one that is well intended and typifies Minister’s Trotman’s usual exemplary approach of transparency and fairness. Unfortunately, the second misstep was the hiring of Mr. Clayton Hall as Convener of the process responsible for overseeing and coordinating the restructuring. Mr. Hall is a well know individual – he was the former Commissioner of Forests of the GFC who was restructured out of the GFC as a result of the DFID funded restructuring process. He was the Returning Officer of the AFC internal elections and the former campaign manager for the AFC Elections Campaign; and he is currently a full time employee of the Ministry. It does not take much analysis to conclude that Mr. Hall is not the right person for this job. Frankly, he is the most unfit person that could have been chosen for this job – his political affiliations, his vested interest
to take a step back in time, and his current role in other full time work. As the process rallies on, it is evident that staff are still hoping for some silver lining to the approach taken. There is hope that this process will help to improve staff payments, lead to improvement in remuneration and other conditions of employment, and expanded training opportunities. This hope though, was short lived as the third major misstep took place on Friday 26th April, 2019 when Convener Hall, met with GFC’s staff for the first time to introduce the restructuring process. This was a remarkable disaster to say the least, and a total embarrassment for the entire Committee. Unfortunately, Minister Trotman’s hesitation in reigning Mr. Hall in, and undoing the harm that he is inflicting on the entire process, threatens to derail
the entire effort. Over the next three months, everyone is looking on – staff of the GFC, sector operators, and the international community. It is clear that this kind of approach, this rancor that Mr. Hall has imbued in this process, is not Minister Trotman’s way of doing things. Minister Trotman is someone who values fairness, and by his own example, brings out the best in GFC, inspires staff and empowers them. Mr. Hall is working counter to this and threatens to derail all the headway that our esteemed Minister has made in the forest sector and for the entire natural resources sector. The GFC reorganizing must go on and could lead to a stronger Commission, but Mr. Hall is not the right person to take this forward. Sincerely, Vivian Li
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Sunday May 05, 2019
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Grant tax exempt status to the Doobay Medical Centre for the importation of supplies DEAR EDITOR, I was moved to write after reading a touching letter from Ms Romayne Atkinson, “a 37year-old mother of two boys (ages seven and three)” and “Kidney Failure patient on haemodialysis” (Open Letter to the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Kaieteur News, Apr 26, 2019). Ms Atkinson states she receives a meagre salary and has been receiving dialysis treatment at the Doobay Medical & Research Centre due the fact that it is the least costly service available. At the
time she commenced treatment, alternative providers charged between a minimum of GY$15,000.00 and a maximum of GY $38,000.00 per session. She notes “over the years, costs per session at the centre have been fluctuating between GY $9,000.00 – GY $12,000.00 and the current cost per session is currently at GY $9,000.00. Unfortunately, beginning May 1, 2019, the cost will once again increase to GY $12,000.00, and patients will no longer benefit from free and or reduced costs per session.” Although she refers to
President Granger’s treatment in Cuba for cancer, her letter is without rancour or envy. She writes “I admire the courage and strength that you have displayed throughout this time, that I am sure, is difficult not just for you but for your immediate family, so I say continue the good fight on the road to a complete recovery. Unfortunately for me and many of the kidney failure patients, we are not privileged to afford the luxury of seeking oversees treatment as you are. As it is, many of us cannot afford the haemodialysis treat-
ment that is necessary for our survival... this letter is an appeal to you to be afforded an equal and/or similar opportunity to survive a little longer so that I can see my boys become productive citizens of this dear land of ours.” In her letter, she offers high praise to the Centre noting “Doobay Medical Centre has been providing an exceptional service to its patients. This Centre has helped many kidney failure patients in many ways... Unfortunately, beginning May 1, 2019, the cost will once again increase
to GY $12,000.00, and patients will no longer benefit from free and or reduced costs per sessions...Patients including myself have been informed that due to the high taxes and duties that the centre have to pay to import the materials/ products necessary to carry out the dialysis treatment, and the non-existence of tax exemptions, they are facing difficulties to cover these high costs and so we the patients are forced with the ripple effects of same.” Before concluding her lengthy letter, Ms Atkinson offers a number of excellent suggestions. In a letter (More dialysis centres will be a blessing to patients, Kaieteur News, Apr 30, 2019) founder of the Centre, Dr. Budhendra Doobay expresses his thanks to Ms Atkinson for her letter, and supports many of her suggestions. He acknowledges “The Ministry of Health is considering opening up Centres in New Amsterdam, Essequibo and Linden in the near future. This will be a great blessing for the residents in those areas”. Dr. Doobay also appealed for help for the Centre from the Guyanese community and states “Mr. Sattaur Gafoor heard about the patients’ plight and he decided he will cover the shortfall which is $2M Guyana dollars per month from May to December. It is only because of his generous support; patients will continue to pay $9,000 over this period. Mrs. Ameena Gafoor contributes to the work of the Centre so patients can be dialysed in a timely manner”. He notes also “ To facilitate our patients further, we will start Dialysis in Georgetown soon so that patients can access Dialysis without incurring further transportation cost.” Eusi Kwayana, in recalling his visit to Guyana and the
Centre in 2014, wrote “ this centre was (is) a standing and full-time, full-blown accomplishment contributing in a special way to the right to life” (Examples of the new society develop in the old, Stabroek News, October 7, 20124). As for me, I grew up in Annandale and I am aware of the excellent work of the Centre. I believe that not only should Dr. Doobay and the Gafoors be lauded for their work to help dialysis patients but Government should take immediate steps to provide assistance. On April 27, 2019, Stabroek News (Order laid for oil firms’ tax exemptions) reported that an Order to exempt Tullow Guyana BV and Eco (Atlantic) Guyana Inc. from various taxes was laid in the National Assembly on February 14th, 2019" The article states “ the PSA with Tullow Guyana BV et al specifies that the company shall pay no tax, no value-added tax, duty, fee, charge or other impost on income derived from petroleum operations or in respect of any property held, transactions undertaken or activities performed for any purpose authorised under the PSA. The exemptions include import duties on items listed in the PSA...” With such tax exemptions granted to a multi-million dollar company, I believe the least Government could do for the unfortunate dialysis patients at the Doobay Medical and Research Centre is to move immediately to grant tax exempt status to the Centre for the importation of material/supplies, and or to make a substantial annual grant to the Centre to help alleviate the financial hardship of the suffering patients. I hope President Granger heed the plea of Ms Atkinson on behalf of herself and fellow dialysis patients and take prompt action. Harry Hergash.
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The pressures brought on the ex-slaves drove many away from the land and into low level urban employment DEAR EDITOR, In Kaieteur News of Thursday 2 May there is a letter from Oscar Ramjeet on the contributions of Indians to Guyana. While I agree with Mr. Ramjeet that Indians have made a significant contribution to Guyana, there are some statements which are historically inaccurate, and the Oscar Ramjeet that I know should know better. For example, there is the statement that “ Indentured labourers were brought to the then British Guiana after the abolition of slavery because the ex-slaves and their offspring hated the land maybe because of their forced labour and moved into the towns and cities where most of them were employed as government employees.......” Oscar, dear Oscar, as long ago as 1954, Rawle Farley, a distinguished Guyanese aca-
demic, published in the journal of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the UWI (then the University College of the West Indies) an article “The Rise of the Peasantry in British Guiana”, in which Professor Farley discussed the conditions in the post-Emancipation period. The “Peasantry” that he wrote about were not Indian peasants, but ex-slave African peasants. Those ex-slaves saved money they earned under the so-called “Apprenticeship System”, and proceeded to buy abandoned estates in order to establish villages. The first such Village, bought by 83 ex-slaves from 5 estates, was named Victoria (the exslaves were told, and believed, that Queen Victoria freed the slaves. She did, in the sense that she had to sign the Emancipation legislation; but by the Victorian era the monarch
Our oil wealth will never ... From page 4 despite our abundant resources, we have made so little progress relative to Suriname and French Guiana- our neighbours on the Guiana shield. A review of the stories carried by the media over the last twenty years offers a telltale revelation of corruption, greed, skullduggery, judgements mired in controversy and highly varying sentences for similar crimes – reminiscent of the moral decay that plagued the Roman empire into oblivion. Like the Roman Empire! These are transgressions committed by people in the high echelons of our society. They have now moved to honoring criminals in our high places (parliament) and have the audacity to attempt to justify their action. Rome never did that! It is perceived that Rome fell from glorious heights because of moral decay. We as a nation had never attained those heights and we shall never get there with even monies from our oil and gas resources – compliments of the moral decay that has pervaded our high society since independence. Our oil wealth will never better the lot of the poor unless we have a moral renaissance or makeover amongst our high society. Who will ‘bell the cat’ for this? This was the quintessential undoing of the Roman Empire. Getting our leaders to adopt moral principles is a daunting task, even for contemplation! Rudolph Singh
“reigned, but did not rule”. In other words, it was the British Parliament on the instigation of a number of dedicated supporters of the Emancipation movement, who freed the slaves. And borrowed money from banks - a loan that was not finally repaid until the late 20th century - in order to compensate the owners for the loss of their “property”). 140 slaves from Pln. Annandale purchased that estate for $50,000, and named it Buxton in honour of one of the foremost supporters of Emancipation. Have you any idea how much $50,000 in 1839 would be worth in today’s Guyanese currency? Now explain to me, why a people who hated the land would have bought that very land with the hard earned money which they saved from their measly pay during their apprenticeship and from the selling of provisions in the
markets. All along the sugar producing areas ex-slaves combined their earnings to buy abandoned estates, or estates whose owners faced growing financial difficulties due to competition from cheaper sugar, especially beet sugar. You’re telling me that they hated the land, so they bought land? Clearly there has to be some other explanation for the migration of former slaves and their descendants to the towns. And if you read any of the writings on the post-Emancipation period, you will see that it was because of the actions of many of the estate owners and/or their managers, who could influence the old Court of Policy (the Dutch legislative body retained until a constitutional change in 1928, when Crown Colony Government was established in B.G.) First they tried destroying the fruit and vegetable farms of the ex- slaves, in order to force
them back to the estates. Then they flooded villages, again to destroy the livelihood of the new villagers. Then they taxed them. Indentured servants were entitled to a free passage back home at the end of their indenture. Taxes were levied on villages to raise the funds which were then used to pay for those return passages. It was the pressures brought to bear on the exslaves that drove so many of them into various avenues of usually low level urban employment (e.g., stevedores, garbage collectors, police constables, if they met the qualifications for the police service; but not the higher ranks, which were occupied by lighter skinned mixed race individuals from the former category of “free coloured”. The highest posts were occupied by British officers). Some, it is true, became teachers - in primary schools; most of the teachers, and certainly
the Principals of schools like QC and BHS were imports from the UK. Lilian Dewar was the first local Headmistress of Bishops’, and she was appointed to the post AFTER I left in 1958. But even in the primary schools for an African descendant of slaves to become a Principal was a major step in the 19th century. I know. Among my ancestors is a great grandfather who achieved that status and he didn’t think saltfish about himself. He had a “suitable” wife - a descendant of the more valuable artisan slaves who were freed before the General Emancipation, and given land in the Die Winkel ward of New Amsterdam. For every funeral he attended he ensured that his name was published in the newspapers among the list of attendees, demonstrating I suspect, that he was a Very Important Person! Pat Robinson Commissiong
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$100M EBD overpass elevators to be operational before May 26 - Minister Patterson More than a week after of trying to get a response, this publication finally received word, yesterday, from Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, that the elevators at the overpasses along the East Bank Demerara public road will be commissioned and become operational before the May 26 Independence celebrations. On April 24, last, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure reported several cases of vandalism on the overpasses at Diamond, and Providence, East Bank Demerara. Vandals had stolen electrical and solar panel lights, signs, and corrugated electrical wire covers. They removed earthing connection, and protective covers. Camera wires were
also disconnected at the Diamond overpass, the ministry reported. Kaieteur News then asked when the overpass elevators would become operational. They had been installed since June 2018. The newspaper was first told by Senior Engineer, Jermaine Braithwaite, that he could not comment on such matters, and would have to consult with another engineer who is authorised to comment. H was contacted again on April 24 when he failed to return a call as promised. He reported that he had made contact with the other engineer, whom had indicated that he would prefer to have their PR Representative comment on the issue, but promised to facilitate a
Kaieteur News
response before nightfall. Several attempts after by this newspaper went unanswered as his phone rang out repeatedly. The following day he said that he was unable to come up with any information of significance. Contact was then made with the ministry’s PRO, Krest Cummings, who claimed she was not in a position to comment on an operational start time or commissioning of the elevators. Several efforts to meet Minister Patterson at private and office numbers proved futile as his secretary just kept reporting that he could not be reached for a comment. At one point the secretary indicated that questions be sent to the minister’s personal email, but that did not afford a response either. It was after the reporter frustrated at the ‘apparent push around’ indicated to
Sunday May 05, 2019 Overpass facilities erected at locations on the East Bank of Demerara
Krest yesterday, that he is left with no alternative but to carry the article, including the experience endured to get a comment on the issue. That prompted a response from the minister (made through his PR Representative) that commissioning of the elevators will be done before May 26, 2019, and that all elevators will become operational. Commenting on a reason for the prolonged delay in making elevators operational, Krest said that the ministry has not been able to train personnel in the use and operations of the elevators, because they are highly computerized and would require persons of a certain caliber to be trained in their operations. She reported, also that broken glass doors on the elevator have been replaced, (Contiued on page 14 )
Overpass elevators will become operational before May 26 according to Infrastructure Ministry
Sunday May 05, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Fly Jamaica to pay off tickets debts by July 1
Fly Jamaica has committed to pay off some 46 complainants by July 1. The cash-strapped airline, which sent home staffers earlier this year, committed to work with the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission in ensuring consumers are refunded. On Thursday, at the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission’s (CCAC) Office at Sophia, representatives of the commission and Fly Jamaica met to discuss refunds to consumers following an accident the company experienced on November 9, 2018 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The accident resulted in the subsequent nonoperation of flights in and out of Guyana. Attending the meeting were CCAC representatives, the Director, Dawn Cush; the Consumer Affairs officer, Feyona Austin-Paul; and Senior Investigator, David Kaladin of the Consumer Affairs Unit; and Fly Jamaica’s representatives,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ronald Reece and Operations Manager, Carl Bowen. According to the commission, discussed in the meeting were the issues of complaints filed by consumers requesting refunds from Fly Jamaica and the company’s status of repayment. “To date the CCAC is in receipt of 46 complaints with an estimated value of $8,316,504. Resulting from the discussions, Fly Jamaica has committed to work with the Commission to process refunds for consumers by July 1, 2019. Captain Ronald Reece expressed his regret at the situation and looks forward to bringing closure to the matter, stating that, “refunds to consumers is at the top of the company’s agenda”. The CCAC said it remains committed to ensuring the consumers are kept abreast with the developments as it relates to their refunds. “Consumers requesting further information can
contact the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission on 219-4410-13.” Six passengers suffered non-life threatening injuries when a Canada-bound plane crashed shortly after take-off outside of Guyana’s capital. The Fly Jamaica flight made an emergency landing at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, at about 02:00 local time. It had taken off not long before heading for Toronto. The Boeing 757, carrying 126 people, including two infants, returned after experiencing hydraulic problems. A spokesman for the airline said it “suffered an accident on landing”, but all 118 passengers and eight crew were safe. The airplane ran off the northern end of the runway, into the sand, suffering severe damage. The airline, based in Jamaica, is jointly owned by Guyanese and Jamaicans. It had been providing critical connections to Jamaica, Canada and New York.
Dem boys seh ...
Ram Jattan got nuff ambition Everybody got ambition. When you small and all you want to do is pitch marble you parents does tell you how you don’t have ambition. When dem boys use to go to school everybody think dem had ambition. That is how dem parents use to tell people how dem children gun be doctor or lawyer. From small Ram Jattan mother use to seh that she son got ambition. Everybody he meet she use to tell dem how she son bright and how when he get big he gun be a lawyer. De boy live up to he mother prediction. At one stage people use to believe that she can cut card because
she coulda see so far into de future. Now de man showing how much ambition he got. Thursday de man announce how he want to be Prime Minister and how he gun fight Moses fuh de wuk. This man and Moses is good friend. At least up to last week dem boys was sure de two men was friends. Both of dem tun lawyer and both of dem tek on Jagdeo when dem claim how he lie. Now dem boys sure de two of dem don’t talk. Moses was doing a good job. When Soulja Bai was in Cuba and Moses had to tek charge, de man was a president. De man had outriders but he never use
de siren. He was simple. Now dem boys want to know how a man can be Prime Minister today and tun an ordinary Minister de next day. That is wha Ram Jattan planning fuh Moses. People sure that he want to put de man out de party because he know Moses wouldn’t step down from Prime Minister Something gun happen. Soulja Bai already seh beef nah got bone dog nah got business. Trotty quiet because he don’t want to get caught up in any murder. Somebody gun poison somebody and all because of de Prime Minister wuk. Talk half and watch you ambition.
The scene after the plane crash at Timehri last November.
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
Guyanese man who hammered wife, dumps body, denied parole again Mississauga, Canada (www.thespec.com)- On a June evening 18 years ago, Mohan Ramkissoon surely felt confident he was home free, moments before boarding a flight to South America at Pearson Airport along with his two young children. He had told his travel agent when he booked three one-way tickets to Guyana the day before, that he needed to return to his home country due to a “death in the family.” And so there had been, by his own hand: In the fall of 2000, Ramkissoon bludgeoned his spouse, Yvette Budram, to death with a hammer, strangled her, and left her body in a field in Flamborough near African Lion Safari. He never made the flight, accosted in the terminal and ultimately arrested by Hamilton police, who pursued him in a forensic investigation worthy of TV’s “CSI” and de-
tailed in a Spectator series and book titled “Post-Mortem: Justice at Last for Yvette Budram.” And now, 17 years after his arrest, Ramkissoon is still trying in vain to get out of the country. Two weeks ago, Ramkissoon, who was convicted for second-degree murder in 2004, was denied in his second attempt at parole that the Parole Board of Canada said would have resulted in his deportation. (He is not a Canadian citizen.) In its ruling, the parole board said Ramkissoon — who is in a minimum security prison — has made positive strides in his rehabilitation, including finally admitting his guilt after years of denial, and is considered at low risk of reoffending. On the other hand, the board’s ruling said he still presents “an undue risk to soci-
Denied parole again: Mohan Ramkissoon ety” because he would be released in Guyana “without any special conditions or formal supervision to monitor your risk,” and that supports awaiting him there — “collateral parties” — may be unaware that he killed his spouse. Also, while the board said Ramkissoon has shown increased self-awareness of his violent actions in the context of an intimate relationship, “your gains ... remain untested as you have been in-
Killed: Wife, Ivette Budram carcerated ... You have not had any relationships since murdering your wife.” Yvette Budram’s body was not found for six months after she was killed in her Mississauga home. A jogger discovered her decomposed body along a country road.
Ironically, her body was identified using fingerprints that were on a police database because Ramkissoon himself had charged her with assault one month before he killed her. Meanwhile, the parole board decision shows that the shadow of a cold case homicide in New York City in December 1987 continues to hang over Ramkissoon. The board noted that it is aware Ramkissoon has been identified in the past as a prime suspect in the murder of Rampati Chattergoon in the Bronx. She was the mother of a young woman he had wanted to date back then. Chattergoon was beaten and stabbed to death. But Ramkissoon has not been charged for
Chattergoon’s murder, and the board ruled that since it is “not an investigative body,” it “places no weight on these allegations” in the decision to deny parole. Still, that homicide 31 years ago is referenced several times in the board’s ruling.Attending his parole board hearing, Ramkissoon was made only too aware that there are those for whom Rampati Chattergoon’s death and his alleged involvement remains top of mind. Two women travelled north from New York to attend the hearing: Radhica Rudolph and Edith Rodriguez. Rudolph is one of Chattergoon’s daughters. And Rodriguez is a detective with the Bronx Homicide Task Force.
CCJ denies GECOM’s application in no-confidence motion case
The Caribbean Court of Justice, in an order on Friday, denied an urgent application of the Guyana Elections Commissioner to submit oral evidence in the no-confidence matter involving Christopher Ram and the Attorney General of Guyana. GECOM applied by way of affidavit of its Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson to present evidence in rebuttal to Ram’s affidavit previously submitted to the Court. Ram, in his application, is
accusing GECOM of doing very little to deal with matters of elections. The CCJ, in its order in response, denied GECOM’s application and instead allowed the elections body to submit written submissions. The court noted that in the Pretrial Hearing, GECOM’s attorneys Excellence Dazzell and Stanley Marcus S.C., had indicated that GECOM would not be making written or oral submissions in the proceedings and would abide by the or-
der of the court. As such it refused the application. Ram, through his attorneys Devindra Kissoon and Kamal Ramkarran had applied at the CCJ to add GECOM as a necessary party. The court granted the application. Ram is asking the CCJ for a number of coercive orders against GECOM, including requesting that the court order that elections immediately hold elections. On May 9, 2019 and May 10, 2019, the court is set to hear a number of important cases that will have implications on Guyana and could see early elections. On December 21, a government parliamentarian, Charrandass Persaud, joined with the Opposition in voting yes to a no-confidence motion. His lone vote gave the Opposition one-seat passage of the motion. Under the Constitution of Guyana, it should have toppled the Government. However, the Coalition Government, just three years into its office, insisted that the vote was not carried as it (Contiued on page 63)
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Judges need specialized training to handle contracts oils – Former CFAFT Executive
OWING to the complexity of oil contracts, judicial officers particularly judges will need to undergo training spe-
cifically to understand the terms and conditions governing such arrangements. Addressing media opera-
tives at a training session at Cara Lodge, yesterday, Former Executive Director of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force,
(CFATF) Calvin Wilson noted that language of oil contracts are not necessarily the same as other contracts. During a PowerPoint presentation, Wilson noted, “For these contracts, the country or jurisdiction must have a sound legal system. “If the legal system is not strong then when contracts need to be resolved in court and the court isn’t prepared to deal with these issues then there will be problems. So, it would be useful for the judges to become familiar with the complexities of oil contracts.” In anticipation of new matters which will arise from the emerging Oil and Gas sector, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, was among those who acknowledged that local judges will require capacity-building exercises so that they can be able to effectively handle the legal issues that may arise from a com-
plex oil and gas industry which Guyana is currently preparing to be a part of. Harmon had asserted that “our judges are trained in the law, but there are some specific issues which would arise from this area of development and clearly our judges, I am sure, would adjust to it.” Harmon added, “The judicial officers are also benefitting from training locally and abroad…And more of this is taking place.” Last year, members of the local judiciary embarked on a capacity building workshop that focused on the regulatory framework of the industry in the Caribbean. The initiative was spearheaded by acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, who noted that the workshop is intended to build Guyana’s judicial preparedness to deal with matters related to the Oil and Gas sector.
Justice Cummings-Edwards disclosed that under this year’s theme “the Role of Guyanese Judiciary in the Evolving Juridical Landscape,” Judges were enlightened on the fundamental legal concepts in the Oil and Gas industry. The Conference also encompassed presentations on the evolution of petroleum laws in the Region, and issues to be dealt with such as review of concessions agreement, and the increasing equity and revenue of governments; new tax regulations under the Oil and Gas Sector; the sovereignty independence, socialism and nationalism of the Oil Industry as well as expropriation and Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC). The Chancellor noted that systems are already in place to handle expeditiously matters of the emerging sector.
Mining companies refuse to come clean - but bash ‘inaccurate’ GYEITI Report During the preparation of Guyana’s first report for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), 19 mining companies refused to come clean about the names of persons who benefit from their profits. The entities which refused to communicate the names of beneficial owners are: Innovative Mining, R Mining Inc., Azeem Baksh, Gold Target Export, Milburn Mahadeo, Grey Wolf Resources, Tesouro Resources, J&D Mining, New East International, Higgins Winslow Theophilus, Wal Jays Mining, Harpy Investment, Bauxite Company of Guyana (Rusal), BOSAI Minerals Group (Guyana) Inc, El Dorado Trading, SSS Mineral Trading Ent, and Adamantium Holdings. But the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association
(GGDMA), which feels the report is largely inaccurate, is defending the move by the companies. It stated in a missive yesterday that such disclosures would expose the said firms to criminal targets. The Association said, “By demanding disclosures of ownership, valuations and profits in a manner outside of the law, it will expose local miners to additional criminal targeting and security risks while also creating an easy ledger for bandits to carve up local operators. The GGDMA maintains that all the necessary local agencies (Guyana Geology and Mines CommissionGGMC, Guyana Gold Board (GGB) and the Guyana Revenue Authority-GRA) are already in possession of this information and cannot see why an additional disclosure
should be made that only places miners in additional danger of being targeted by criminals.” In addition to security concerns regarding local criminals, GGDMA argued that Guyana is located next to the most destabilized country in South America, being Venezuela, where gangs rule the land. The Association said, “Over the last few years there have been continuous incursions by these types of individuals over our porous borders with reports of robberies taking place in the interior after which these criminals slip back over to Venezuela undeterred and no doubt emboldened. “We cannot idly stand by and have information publicized that will further whet the appetite of these (continued on page 13)
Govt. not playing musical chairs …dual citizenship issues prompted shake-up – Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security, has responded to the accusation of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo that the government is engaged in musical chairs while the Guyanese people are suffering. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary had said that the government is failing to acknowledge that there are real issues facing the nation, while noting that the state of affairs will only continue to deteriorate. During a press conference held Friday at the Alliance for Change (AFC)’s Railway Embankment, Kitty Office, Ramjattan said that is not fair to call the ministerial shake-
up musical chairs. “The first time that Ministers have been moved around is this time, after four years (since this government) assumed office,” he said. There have been other shifts of ministers, but it had not involved so many ministers. “The first change in government Ministers has been May 2019. He said that there is no ‘musical chairs’ – “unless, for the next year, we move them around 6-7 more times. Then, [Jagdeo] would be competent to make that assertion. But right now, one can’t say that,” added Ramjattan. Ministers were moved around because of the issue
of dual citizenship, Ramjattan noted. Four ministers of government were forced to respond after months of long debate and two court rulings over the right of dual citizens to serve as elected officials. Joseph Harmon, after resigning from his post as Minister of State, was appointed Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency. Ramjattan defended that appointment. “We need these ministers because they have a capacity in their administrative work.” Ramjattan said that the President’s decision to move around ministers was in the interest of the public.
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Kaieteur News
Mining companies refuse to come clean From page 12 criminals to target specific miners’ operations and put them and their staff in the way of serious harm and death.” While GGDMA says such disclosures would open the 19 firms to criminal targets, there were other companies
which had no qualms about being transparent. These companies are Excel Minerals Inc., Dinar Trading, Pure Diamond Inc., and Mohamed’s Enterprise. In addition to this, it has been reported on nu-
merous occasions that the EITI process is one that calls for a reconciliation of the payments between government agencies and companies. As such, an independent check would have to be made on the payment records of the companies.
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Closing arguments made in fisherman’s attempt murder charge - Accused gives unsworn statement Both the prosecution and defence closed their case and submitted closing arguments when the trial of Ian Saraswati, who is accused of attempting to kill his wife, continued in the Berbice High Court. Saraswati, 34, a fisherman of Lot 91 Bush Lot Village, Corentyne, Berbice, is on trial before Justice Jo Ann Barlow and a mixed jury. He is accused of attempted murder committed on his then teenage wife, Serojini Isaacs, now 23. The alleged incident occurred on December 11, 2014 at Whim Village following a dispute between the two. The state’s case is being prosecuted by Attorney-atlaw Mandel Moore. The accused is being represented by Attorney-at-law Murselene Bacchus in association with Saria Sabsook. When the matter continued, the Prosecution attempted to lead new evidence which was objected to by the defence. Defence
Ian Sarswati attorney Bacchus objected on the grounds that the evidence was not led in the Preliminary Inquiry and no proper reason was given. As such it ought not to be led in the High Court on the basis of the case law. Justice Barlow agreed with the defence and disallowed the evidence. The accused in an unsworn statement from the dock professed his innocence. He told the court that he did not chop his wife. He did not go to the residence with a cutlass, he said. He and his wife spoke in the kitchen about ‘making up’
and she agreed to return home with him. He said that he and his wife were holding hands when her aunt, Kamlawattie Binda, told her not to go back with him. It was her uncle, Django, who was drinking nearby that picked up a cutlass and fired chops at him. He and his wife were chopped, the accused said. “I ran into the yard and was arrested by the police. I asked to be taken for medical attention but was denied. I was remanded to jail and was treated by the prison doctor.” The defence called Dr. Illian Haywood of the New Amsterdam Prison who testified to treating the accused for trauma when he was admitted. The defence also called Sergeant Randy Hamilton of the Whim Police Station. The man is accused of chopping Isaacs about 07:30 hrs on the day in question after she left her Bush Lot Village home which she shared with him following a dispute and went to live at
her mother’s home. She received wounds to her head and thighs. She was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital and then to the New Amsterdam
Hospital and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she received emergency treatment. Testifying during the trial were Isaacs, Detective
Corporal Ronald Beharry, The Aunt, Kamlawattie Binda, Canter truck driver, Totaram Munilall, ex-policeman Glenford Blair, and policeman Mendonca.
$100M EBD overpass elevators to... From page 8 along with solar panels. Fixtures were created to ensure the cameras cannot be vandalized. She said a better surveillance system will be implemented, and will be connected to the existing one at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, to ensure ‘round the clock viewing’ of what goes on around the overpasses. Questions to be asked The questions to ask here are how many months does it take actually to locate and train persons in the use of an elevator? If there is indeed really any need for ‘personnel of a certain calibre/criteria (and we seemingly have none here locally), could the ministry not have solicited the services of maybe foreign specialists to have the locals
trained? That would certainly have been a better move than to leave the elevators and overpasses at the very mercy of vagrants. (Taking into consideration the amounts invested to have the overpasses erected and elevators installed) The overhead walkways at Providence and Diamond villages were each said to be built at a cost of $77M. The cost for supply and installation of each elevator is tabled at USD$61 000. Contracts Awarded The contracts were awarded for works on the projects at Diamond and Providence to S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services. The general scope of works included a super structure of
steel that is fully enclosed to prevent persons from falling or jumping from it. That aside, there are steps from both the western and eastern sides, and elevators for persons who are physically challenged. Contracts for the other three walkways (Houston, Eccles and Peter’s Hall) were awarded to B & A Civil Works. A Trinidad Company, RBP Lifts Limited, had installed elevators with RM Engineering overseeing the process. The elevators are said to have a one-year warranty and a quarterly maintenance system in place. The elevators also have a screw drive system which is a more simplified and more robust system, so there is no cable as in the case of normal elevators.
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Convict now charged for shooting Prisoner who picks handcuffs to escape police custody jailed at police A convicted Melvor Jeffrey on Friday returned to the courtroom because he was slapped with four charges, one for shooting at two police officers and for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The first two charges alleged that on July 11, 2017 at Cooper Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara, the defendant discharged a loaded firearm at police officers Romel Cato and David Bobb with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm to the said victims. Also, it was alleged that on the same date and at the same location, he had in his possession one 12-gauge shotgun while he was not the owner of a firearm license. Finally, it was alleged that on July 26, 2017 at McDoom, East Bank Demerara, Jeffrey had in his possession five live rounds of 12-gauge ammunition
Melvor Jeffrey without being the holder of a firearm licence. Jeffrey pleaded not guilty to all of the charges after they were read to him by the Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Jeffrey’s attorney said that his client is 19 years old and resides at Lot 120 Brutus Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara. He also mentioned that Jeffrey is currently serving a sentence. Senior Magistrate Leron Daly then remanded the defendant to prison and adjourned the matter until May 31, 2019.
According to information, the police ranks acting on information went to the location where they were confronted by the defendant. Jeffrey allegedly began to discharge several rounds in their direction. He was later apprehended. An investigation was conducted and legal advice was sought. Based on the advice received the charges were instituted against the defendant. In 2017, Jeffrey was sentenced to prison for escaping lawful custody. After the alleged shootout between the police and the defendant, Jeffrey was shot and as a result he was admitted to the Georgetown Public hospital as a patient. While under arrest, around 02:00hrs that day the defendant escaped from the hospital ditching a dress, bra and wig someone had taken for him as a disguise. A few days after he escaped Jeffrey was recaptured and three persons including his girlfriend were charged for hiding him from
An unemployed man on Friday found himself in a prison cell after he admitted to picking a handcuff to escape police custody where he was under arrest for simple larceny. Roy Abrams, 48, was arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly where he was handed down the prison sentence. It was alleged that on April 24, 2019 at Alberttown Georgetown, Abrams while in custody at the Alberttown Police Station for the offence of simple larceny, escaped from that lawful custody. Facts presented by police prosecutor Sanj Singh indicated that on the day in question around 11:30hrs, the defendant was arrested and taken into custody at the
Alberttown Police Station where he was waiting to be processed for court. He was handcuffed and placed to sit on a bench in the inquiries office. H o w e v e r, A b r a m s managed to pick the cuffs and jump over the inquiries counter to make good his escape. A search was launched by the police ranks however; they were unable to locate the defendant. On May 1, 2019, Abrams was apprehended by the police and was charged for the present offence. Magistrate Daly then sentenced the defendant to serve nine months in prison for the offence of escaping lawful custody. On Wednesday he will return to court where he will be made to answer the simple larceny charge.
Jailed Roy Abrams
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Renal failure/diabetic patient re-admitted after abandoned by relatives Medical staff at the West Demerara Regional Hospital is searching for the relatives of a woman was recently returned to the institution after she was discharged. Relatives never returned to receive her. The woman was recently returned to the hospital when members of the NGO, ‘Think Reform and Make a Difference” found her in the street living from one location to another. Reports from credible sources are that the woman referred to as Aunt Nadira was brought to the hospital by relatives a few weeks ago. They
never returned to check on her. When she was discharged a few days ago, she was left to wander the streets as no one came to collect her. As a result Think Reform and Make a Difference’ founders Neermala Ramsaywack and Naomi Balram, when they found the woman, were forced to return her to the institution when they could not locate her relatives. While sources at the institution could not furnish information on the persons who took the woman to the hospital, they however informed that the woman was not mentally ill and that she was being treated for kidney ailments at the facility. She reportedly suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure as well.
Hospital sources said they have reports of the woman being dropped off at the hospital in a taxi, and the taxi disappeared after. The woman is said to have serious injury on her feet also, which became infected as a result of her diabetic condition. ‘Aunty Nadira’, as the woman is called, shared her side of the story with her good Samaritans. She said that her condition is really bad as she normally has no control of her bladder. She would use diapers since she has no control over defecating. She added that family members had in anger burned up her mattress and mistreated her on a daily basis. She said she lived with close relatives but could not explain the exact location where she was
residing. She however indicated that she has a daughter who lives in Venezuela. Persons who found her in the streets told this publication that when they posted the incident and the woman’s photo on their Facebook page, they were contacted by the woman’s daughter, by way of text messages. They said however several attempts since to reach her after proved futile. Members of the ‘Think Reform and Make a Difference” organisation are working closely with the hospital administration to get the woman all the help she needs. They have already started to make arrangements to have the woman accommodated. The woman will be kept in the hospital for a week before being discharged. They are calling persons who want to contribute to call phone numbers +592 612 9488 or +592 613 6030 since the woman will need pampers, towels, clothing, food and personal items.
‘Aunt Nadira’ at the West Demerara Regional Hospital
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---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
Our Guyana, Our Caribbean and Our Forbes Burnham I was recently berated by an old comrade for what he referred to as my sanitizing of Forbes Burnham. I sought to explain that over time, I have come to realize that there is no line between our critique of leaders and our demonization of them, We often treat leaders we disagree with as the “other.” Yet, closer examination would reveal that these leaders come from the very bowels of our society—they are our own. In many respects they reflect much about our Caribbean complexity. As someone who didn’t know Burnham personally or did not grow up in a Burnhamloving household, and who spent the early part of his activism as part of the antiBurnham movement, I have never been hit by the “Burnham fever.” Yet, as I have moved through the African Guyanese communities, I have become aware that Mr. Burnham meant a great deal to the earlier generations of African Guyanese. And as I have come to know PNC activists and members of my
generation more closely, I have gained an appreciation of the enormous impact he has had in shaping the worldview of those whom he directly and indirectly mentored. In the final analysis, Burnham is as complex as the Guyanese and Caribbean society from which he emerged. Our islands (and here I include Guyana in the political and cultural family of islands) are a peculiar formation, a peculiar space with a peculiar history that defies settled theories of politics and society. And they have to be. Here are nation-states whose histories have been shaped by bondage, the violence and authoritarianism that flow from that condition, the ethnic rivalry, suspicion and competition spawned by that experience and the anxieties which are a natural outgrowth of such experiences. The Caribbean has been central to the growth of European wealth, yet our islands are economically poor and seem resigned to that condition. Resistance has been our
birthright—from Haiti and Berbice to Cuba and Grenada, we have given birth to revolutions. Yet we are among the societies that are most impatient with critique, protest and resistance. From the Middle Passage to Independence, our resistance-leaders have been assassinated by the powersthat-be, yet our post-independence State and leaderships have not been able to disentangle themselves from that sordid praxis of persecution. In our fifty three years of independence, the freedomspirit has been persistently assaulted by our State and the governments that manage them—and they do so in the name of law and order and nationalism. The political party has replaced the plantation as the sole giver of life. The poverty of the plantation has remained as widespread as in colonial times. Back then, all manna came from Mother-Europe and her local plantations, and today all manna cometh from the maximum leader and his party. We cry out for ethnic unity, yet
The Baccoo Speaks Fires are now becoming commonplace. There is going to be a fire in a small cottage caused by an unattended stove. The pot would overheat and start the fire that would be fuelled by some inflammable material in the vicinity. Help would arrive but a bit too late. ** The city has traffic controls, but there are always people who ignore them. That would explain the collision at a junction in the
heart of the city. The excuse would be that one driver would claim that he swerved to avoid a pedestrian.
** Some Guyanese are going to demonstrate an intolerance of refugees. A group would be at a roadside nightspot when words would be uttered by the intolerant Guyanese. The hassle would intensify until the people leave, but not without a parting word. Tempers would flare, but there are always Guyanese who detest bad treatment. That is going to save the moment.
our very political acts are driven by an impulse of ethnic domination. We celebrate Emancipation and Indian Arrival and Amerindian Heritage with gusto, yet we want to banish African and Indian from our identity. But we soldier on, always trying to do better. We have never given up the resistance spirit—we don’t reward resistance, but we own it when our backs are against the wall. APNU+AFC valued resistance when they wanted to replace PPP, but now they are in power, they see that same resistance as wanting to bring back the PPP. The PPP assaulted every democratic norm when they held office, but today stand as the great defenders of democracy. Call us crazy or contradictory, but that’s the Guyana we have nurtured. So, to understand Burnham, one must understand that complex Guyana. There are three narratives about Burnham, each of which is valid. First, there is the narrative of Burnham the visionary who used government to empower Guyanese, especially the poor, and who lifted the image of Guyana globally through a most progressive foreign policy. As a product of the anticolonial struggle, progressive thinking was almost inevitable. One could not come out of that moment and not move in a progressive direction as far as the condition of the suf-
ferers were concerned. The anti-colonial ideologies were pregnant with progressive and reformist tendencies, and Burnham was a product of them. To argue against that narrative is to be dishonest, but to advance that as the sum-total of Burnham’s praxis is to be equally dishonest. And I daresay, many of Burnham’s admirers, particularly African Guyanese, do exactly that. The second narrative about Burnham is that of the dictator who was impatient with internal democracy and critics of his stewardship, and who used the power of the institutions at his disposal to ruthlessly snuff out such dissent. This narrative, while correct, silences Burnham’s attempt at progressive policies and heaps every political sin at his doorstep. The narrative of the dictator is spot-on. Burnham’s rule reflected a deep authoritarian instinct in our political culture which was shaped on the very plantation we fought to overthrow. And, because he, Burnham, was not armed with enough of the democratic instinct in our culture which developed on that very plantation, he easily succumbed to the authoritarian instinct. Burnham and many leaders of his generation never learned to resist the urge to use the enormous power at their disposal in personal and partisan ways. They became the party and the party be-
Dr David Hinds came the State and they eventually became supreme. To ignore that about Burnham is to be dishonest, but to think that that was all that defined him is to be equally dishonest. And many in our midst, especially our Indian Guyanese brethren and sistren, are of that mindset. The third narrative about Burnham, which is the least popular, is the one that seeks to take a critical stance by locating him within the problematics and complexity of Guyanese society. Unfortunately, our society is not hospitable to critical analysis. We function in a state of binaries—good vs. evil. And our highly charged zero-sum ethno-politics encourages such a tendency. Burnham, like the Jagans, Rodney, Kwayana and the other major political leaders, deserves more critical treatment. More of Dr. Hinds’ writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com
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The hairdresser, the husband and the ‘hit-man’ By Michael Jordan Joseph Cummings awoke to a woman’s screams of ‘rape’ and ‘murder’ at around one o’clock on Sunday, May 9, 2010. The screams and a tumbling sound were coming from the apartment of his neighbours, 23-year-old Bibi Rafeena Saymar, a hairdresser, and her 55-year-old reputed husband, Dennis Persaud. Nothing unusual there, Cummings thought; just one of the couple’s usual fights. But when he peered outside and failed to see the husband’s vehicle, he realised that Saymar’s spouse was not at home. An intruder was attacking the hairdresser. The screams eventually subsided, and Cummings then saw a man coming down the steps. It definitely wasn’t Saymar’s husband. This man was dreadlocked, slim, and, in Cummings’ estimation, about five feet seven inches tall. The stranger headed east before disappearing from view. After the man had left, and convinced that something was terribly wrong, Joseph Cummings emerged from his home and told his neighbours that “something happen to the girl upstairs.” One of the neighbours was Shereena Madramootoo, who lived in the flat below Bibi Saymar’s. She called the police. Saymar’s husband arrived about fifteen minutes later in his pickup. Cummings would later state that he stopped Dennis Persaud and told him: “something happen to your wife.” Persaud reportedly said: “What? What?” and Cummings again said: “Something happen to your wife!” Persaud reportedly then parked, locked the vehicle and put on the alarm, before heading to the couple’s apartment. But shortly after, he ran back downstairs and shouted: “Y’all come, she on the floor.” Cummings and other neighbours accompanied Persaud back to the flat. There they saw Bibi Rafeena Saymar lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She was still alive and was groaning and pleading for help. Despite her injuries, she managed to describe her attacker by ancestry. The neighbours then took the badly injured woman outside. By then, the police had arrived, but their vehicle got stuck in a ditch. Neighbours helped to put Saymar in her reputed husband’s pickup and he took her to the Leonora Cottage Hospital. The police eventually returned with the reputed husband in their vehicle and told the neighbours that the woman had succumbed. A post mortem would later show that she had sustained at least eleven stab wounds. From that point, things became decidedly strange. Almost from the onset, police
Bibi Saymar was butchered in this house.
Freed: The husband, Dennis Persaud
Murdered: Bibi Saymar
suspected that this was more than just a violent home invasion. They believed that Saymar’s reputed husband, a Canada-based Guyanese businessman, had plotted her death. Investigators received reports that the victim had endured an abusive relationship. They immediately placed the husband in custody. Their theory was that Dennis Persaud had provided himself with an alibi by hiring someone to kill his wife. And it appeared that the investigators were on the right track. The following day, detectives detained a young Charlestown resident in the vicinity of the Demerara Harbour Bridge. They alleged that the 22-year-old man, identified as Troy Green, had gone there under the impression that he would have met Dennis Persaud, and would have collected a sum of money from Persaud for killing the man’s wife. Police later claimed that Green gave a statement, in which he confessed to killing Bibi Rafeena Saymar. A few days later, the husband and his alleged hit-man were charged. Dennis Persaud smiled that day as he entered the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court. He smirked, even as they accused him of murdering his wife. I watched him, still smiling, as they ordered
him remanded, while Troy Green, the man they said he had paid to do the job, sat nearby looking lost and dejected. I thought that it was all bravado, a show for us onlookers, and I thought that Dennis Persaud’s smile would vanish the minute he stepped through the gates at Camp Street Prison and rubbed shoulders with his newfound companions within its confines. Now I think I know why Dennis Persaud smiled that day. Maybe he’d known, even then, how this case would play out. By January 28, 2013, I had quite forgotten about the murdered hairdresser. Then I got a call that shocked me: Dennis Persaud had been released from prison. It didn’t seem possible. I couldn’t call Persaud’s attorney, Vicramadictya ‘Vic’ Puran. He had died in a quite bizarre accident. I decided to check with the lawyer’s daughter, Mishka Puran, who had represented Troy Green. She confirmed that Persaud was no longer in prison. What had happened was that after Persaud and Green were committed to stand trial in the High Court, Persaud’s attorney, ‘Vic’ Puran, filed a motion with Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang to have the case quashed on the grounds that the court lacked sufficient evidence to charge his client.
Dennis Persaud’s attorney, the late Vic Puran. The Chief Justice ruled in favour of Puran and the accused husband was released. Persaud immediately hightailed it back to Canada. But what of the accused hit-man, Troy Green? Mishka Puran, who was his attorney during the preliminary hearing, was no longer representing him. The alleged hit-man was left to face the music. And he couldn’t afford an attorney. He had one, slim life-line: Chief Justice Chang had also ordered that Green be subjected to a new preliminary inquiry. This was held at the Vreed-enHoop Magistrate’s Court, and the magistrate hearing the matter eventually ruled that the State had a case. That meant that Green’s case would be heard before a judge and jury in the High Court. Green still couldn’t afford to hire a lawyer. The state appointed Attorney-at-Law Peter Hugh to represent him. In his testimony, Joseph Cummings, who had lived next door to the couple, told the court that on hearing loud screams coming from the apartment, he peered through a window and saw someone leaving the residence. Cummings said that he subsequently learnt the suspect’s name was Troy Green.Under cross-examination by defence attorney Peter Hugh, Cummings said that he could not recall exactly what the suspect was wear-
Freed: Troy Green ing, since the incident had left him traumatized. Cummings nonetheless maintained that he saw the man coming down the stairs which led to Bibi Saymar’s apartment, since there was nothing to block his line of vision. He also said that lights affixed to various parts of the building gave him a clear view of the suspect. Cummings said that he was certain that Green, the accused, was the person whom he had seen leaving the murdered woman’s apartment. The witness recounted that Saymar’s husband, Dennis Persaud, arrived sometime after the police, but “took his time to park his vehicle and go upstairs.” Another witness, Shereena Madramootoo, said that when Saymar’s reputed husband arrived, she related to him what had happened, but the man took a long time before he ventured upstairs to check on his wife. Madramootoo said that when she went upstairs, she found her neighbour lying in a pool of blood. She said that the woman was still conscious and had responded to her, but her husband hardly seemed concerned about his wife’s condition. “He was just shaking his head and walking up and down the house and telling the police that the house get rob and he lost a lot of stuff.” One of the main state witnesses was Detective Sergeant Paul Wintz, who was stationed at the Leonora Police Station at the time of the murder. He recalled that he obtained a statement from Troy Green after cautioning him in accordance with the law.Wintz said that no form of inducement or force was used against the accused while obtaining the statement. Reading the statement in court, Wintz said that Green had told police investigators that he was paid US$1,500 to kill the hairdresser. In his caution statement, Green identified the victim’s husband, whom he said he had known for five months,
and another man, as also being a part of the plan. The other man implicated in the crime was identified as Shane Simon, whom the accused said transported him to and from Bibi Saymar’s home. Green said that Simon had picked him up from the East La Penitence area and transported him to Hague, West Coast Demerara. According to the statement, Dennis Persaud called Green on his cell phone and offered him US$1,500 to go to his home with Shane Simon. Simon allegedly picked Green up in a white car and took him to Persaud’s home, where Green “stab up Persaud’s wife several times.” According to the detective, Green said that after committing the act, he placed a knife and sheet in the trunk of the vehicle, which brought him back to Georgetown. The witness said that he subsequently held a confrontation with the accused and the two men. According to Wintz, during the confrontation the victim’s husband admitted to paying Green some money, but said that he did not tell the accused to kill his wife. Simon, however, denied transporting the accused to the home of the murdered businesswoman. Green’s state-appointed attorney, Peter Hugh, had tried to have the statement disallowed, on the grounds that his client was beaten to sign the confession. Despite that confession, and an eyewitness placing him at the scene, on Friday, January 23, 2015, the jury unanimously found Troy Green not guilty of the murder of Bibi Rafeena Saymar. Justice Navindra Singh informed Green that he was free to go. Green uttered a quiet ‘thank you, Sir’ and hastily left the courtroom. In the end, without the alleged mastermind, and with just a confession statement, there wasn’t enough to make the murder accusation stick. Writing this story now, sure in my heart that I know who carried out and orchestrated that foul deed, I can’t help but hope that Bibi Rafeena Saymar’s screams haunt her killers till judgment time… If you have information about an unusual case, you can contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 225-8458, 2258465, 225-8473 or 225-8491. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : kamarangnight@gmail.com
Sunday May 05, 2019
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
Whitney Houston’s female lover and the MI5 files on the PPP
T
here were seven of us. I was the last for my parents, so there was a gaping age gap between the second child, Harold (Lightweight) and me. Of the seven siblings, none of us went beyond primary school. I grew up without being close to my siblings. Food was scarce in the home, so I went in search of it and found and invented niches that kept me away from home. Then as a teenager I branched off into political activism and became interested in education. I hardly knew Lightweight. He got married when I was five and left the home. I grew up not knowing him at all. He acquired prominence as a national football organizer and City Councillor, while I became an academic, social activist and media operative. One day Lightweight took furious objection to what I wrote about my dad. He complained to the other siblings. They spoke to my wife. My wife told me they said that I should not write those things about our family. I didn’t remonstrate with them. They were not educated in the subject of history to know how priceless the recording of
history is. In addition, I had an obligation to my readers who wanted to know about my past and my life. I described how our dad neglected us, particularly me. I was the last sibling, and when I came, the resources of the Kissoon parents were almost bare. I went hungry almost every day, and was mostly without proper clothes, while Lightweight was happily married and gone. But I understood my siblings’ objection. They were ordinary folks who thought such things should never be published. The shocking thing about Guyana is people don’t want to read those things . And that is because they do not know how priceless these informational outputs are to future generations. Guyanese place no premium on the recording of history. They hate it when biographies reveal things about fellow Guyanese that they were friends with and whom they admire. I can recall when I wrote about Vic Puran’s inherent corruptibility, his daughter wrote a vicious condemnation of me in a letter to the Kaieteur News. I knew Vic since we were teenagers. I knew about his
character aspects which his relatives never knew. Guyanese do not want the brutal facts of life to be recorded. This is how Guyanese view history. I would say on the top of the list of people who hate me and would never forgive me for recording history in my columns would be Mr. Anand Persaud, the editor of the Stabroek News. Mr. Persaud hates me with a vengeance and manifests hostilities that I don’t think matches any dislike from any leader in the past PPP government. My unforgivable sin is that I documented anti-working class and anti-dark skin bias in David de Caires and Miles Fitzpatrick. Persaud would never see me in any positive light once I live on Planet Earth. I have never and will never let how that Puran family member, Persaud, and others of their ilk, deter me from recording history, because I was trained as a historian. I owe Puran’s daughter, Persaud, and others like them, no obligation. I know what my role in life is. I know other humans would resent the recording of history if it doesn’t gel with
what they want to hide or what they don’t want the world to know. I am currently examining the released MI5 files from British intelligence on Guyana in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I know what is in store for me when I write about their contents. I will try to contextualize the political meanings of what British intelligence discovered about Janet Jagan and her romantic flings, because they had bearing on Guyana’s subsequent history. I will assess how the files treated Miles Fitzpatrick. I admire Moses Bhagwan tremendously, but the archives in the
Czech Republic revealed that when as the youth leader of the PPP in the sixties, he went to Czechoslovakia, he requested arms. I did ask him about that, but he denied it in an email. I need not have done a column on this arms issue about Moses, but I wrote about it in the context of writing history. I will never do anything to smear Moses Bhagwan, whom I like tremendously, but I have to document history. In this context, the world will undoubtedly welcome the memoir of Robyn Crawford, who was the lesbian lover of
Frederick Kissoon Whitney Houston. When it was first revealed, there was no mad rush to condemn. The reason is that the Europeans and Americans know how priceless the recording of history is. Guyanese don’t.
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Kaieteur News
Towards more Professional Policing (Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, spoke in mid-January this year at the Guyana Police Force’s Annual Officers Conference at Eve Leary. Below is an abridgement of his charge to the participants)
“
We live in a geopo litical space that is ex traordinarily violent. I would like to quote from an IDB Technical Document titled: “Crime and Violence: Obstacles to Development in Latin America and Caribbean Cities”. It says that this (Latin America and the Caribbean) hemisphere is “the most violent geographic area on planet earth”. There are some startling statistics in this document. Brazil registers the world’s highest absolute number of homicides, more than 56,000 a year. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, every fifteen minutes a young citizen, usu-
ally an adolescent male, is murdered. There are roughly 400 killings a day, or 140,000 a year. Similarly, when external causes of death (homicide, suicide and traffic accidents) are compared, Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region where homicide is the main cause of death (52%). Our region is home to only 8% of the global population, but our people commit 33% of homicides in the world. Even the world’s hardest hit war zones don’t compete. Between 2001 and 2014, roughly 26,000 civilians died as a result of fighting in Afghanistan. Over the same period, 67,000 Hondurans were murdered, and Honduras (in
Central America) has just onethird of the population of Afghanistan. The IDB’s Technical Document talks about the prevalence of guns, of harsh socio-economic circumstances, and also high levels of interpersonal violence. The 2 questions to be asked are: what specifically happens in Guyana, and what is to be done. These questions are necessary because with what is going on around us - so much gun violence, trafficking in persons, and trafficking in drugs which help to foster this kind of violence - we have to ensure that the right things are done. So allow me to say something about our local geographic space. The Homicide Monitor of the IDB states that Guyana’s 2017 homicide figures indicate
(the 2018 figures are not out yet), that although our numbers are not perfect, we are doing far superior to some of our Caribbean sister countries. The homicide rate is generally calculated against 100,000 of the population. In Jamaica which had 2.8 million people in 2017, there were 1,616 murders - a rate of 56 per 100,000. In Trinidad and Tobago for 2017, they had 36 homicides per 100,000. In St. Lucia it was 34 with the lowest in Barbados at 11 per 100,000. Guyana ranked among the lowest with 15 per 100,000 in 2017. That is the statistic that we are working with to make a proper assessment of where we are. It is above the world average of 12 per 100,000 so we still have a lot of work to improve it. Similarly, the statistics that we have for robberies and other serious offences reveal they are on the decline. But that is no reason to celebrate. We must strive for Zero, as difficult as it is. Our citizen security reform process started a while ago with 2 main elements - the Citizens Security Strengthening program funded by the IDB, and the UK Security Sector Reform programme that has to be accelerated. These programmes encompass all sectors of law enforcement: · Police Maritime programme is an important
aspect considering the high number of rivers and creeks in this land of many waters · Aviation Security Review · Police Training Review to enable us to measure up to international best practice All of this leads to a more professional police force. None of the reform programme is going to be easy, especially considering the fact that organizational dynamics create a certain level of conservatism, i.e. people like things to remain as they are; people do not like change. I am happy to say, however, that the majority of the Officers whom I have interacted with have agreed that there is need for change. We have to change our thinking that encourages us to respond to the Law, not to political interference, but to protect human rights, citizens’ rights. You have to limit the use of force and prioritize citizens’ protection. Where there is a will, there is a way. That will and that way must come from individual effort. Since this is our society, and we have to serve and protect it, then we as individuals must ensure that we have the will to make the way to ensure that the society is served and protected at every level. At this the highest levels of the Police Force, we have to do more to ensure that that professionalism becomes
dominant in our personal everyday activities as Officers. During Citizen Security Week in late November 2018, a very major Latin American Conference was held in Chile, and exactly what we are doing in our reform process, is what the Conference has recommended for all countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. We have all come to realize (as main resolutions out of that conference) that academic training and professionalization of the police at the basic level is a must; promotion and gender equality are important; the removal of officers who have been compromised by crime and corruption - a must; improvement of the academic (reinforcement) infrastructure within the police force - a must; professionalization of criminal investigation - a must; Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems - a must; and, coordination with other entities of law enforcement like the GRA, CANU and other enforcement units, a very necessary component of law enforcement. A more qualified, smarter Officer is the best option for the security and intelligence in any country. We have to have smart, trained people, and of course better quality recruits. But best of all, we have to strengthen our relationships with the communities that we serve and protect.”
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Kaieteur News
My column
Life is not easy for those in power
T
he year began with a furore about hold ing elections. Of course, there was the no confidence vote in the National Assembly. The vote sent many rushing to the constitution, where they found that elections should be held within three months of the vote, unless the National Assembly voted for an extension. There was the move to the courts and the ruling by the Chief Justice which was challenged. The appeal court reversed that initial decision, but by then there were the protests organized by the political opposition. People in the protest began to refer to President Granger as former president, although the very constitution said that the president will remain in office until a new one is sworn in. As it turned out, those protests were revealing. People in the line spoke of being promised money and some complained about not being provided with lunch. Protesting had become a job. But that aside, there was the role of the Guyana Elections Commission. The constitution said that the elections commission must declare its readiness. That sparked a race against time, because the life of the voters’ list was coming to an end. Somewhere in all this, the commission had
voted for house to house registration as part of the process to sanitise the list. The claim was that there were dead people on the list, as well as the names of people who had migrated. Of course the fact that one had migrated was not enough ground to have his/her name removed from the list. The constitution stipulates that a voter must be resident in the country for at least nine months before the elections. But the very people who voted for house to house registration before the no confidence vote were now opposed to it. There was a claim that people would be disenfranchised. That was significant because the message was that there were people living overseas on the list, and that these people would come home to vote before they return to their place of abode. In recent weeks, however, the latest happenings seem to be designed to thwart the work of the elections commission. Meetings are being aborted with amazing irregularity. The members identified by the political opposition keep walking out. One can understand the strategy. If the commission takes a decision in the absence of the commissioners, then there would be talk about stacking the deck against the
opposition. And these delays would impact the elections date. The commission would take longer to get ready. There is the move for house to house registration, but there is a court challenge. I am not familiar with all the grounds. However, unless the court rules to halt it, then it will go on. Of course, there is then the move to the Caribbean Court of Justice. All this would impact the holding of elections. The real issue is who will govern the country when first oil arrives. Oil spells money and money spells uninhibited spending. The money would make any government look good. Therein lies all the fight for elections. I see the various chats; I hear that the government has done nothing. Then I see certain developments that cause me to wonder. For example, the people in the riverine communities were at a serious disadvantage. There was no ready transportation for goods from the coast. At the same time, the people could not easily transport their produce. Air travel is expensive and there were no boats. In three years this situation has changed drastically. Boats that were ignored have been reconditioned to the point that they now make travel time so much less. On Thursday, the sixth vessel came out of the docks
almost as good as new. I see drastically improved city streets. Where there were potholes are now good surfaces. In fact this development passed unnoticed, although thousands of people use these streets. I did write about the availability of jobs. Of course, talk about no jobs was just that; talk. Public spending has increased. What is at stake is job training. Many young people want jobs for which they are not qualified. One development is the public service training centre. There has been the expansion of electricity. Communities that had no light over the years now have electricity. And many have water. Sadly, the government does not sing its praises. Recently, there was the provision of a reliable electricity supply on the Essequibo Coast. This was an area that was plagued with darkness almost every day. These things happened
although there was talk about no money in the treasury. They also happened when some traditional foreign exchange earners became nonexistent. Yet I keep hearing about nothing being done. There is talk about crime. The police say that crime is down, but the recent spate has done everything to refute such claims. Most of them have occurred in Berbice, a stronghold for the opposition. If people are going to talk race, then I would suggest that the people are doing it to themselves. The police response has not always been prompt, and that too proved to be grounds for criticism. But no one is talking about the rate at which the crimes have been solved. The recent outreaches have exposed a lot. Where they attracted opposition protests, people decided to talk to the Ministers. And many say that the outreaches have delivered. My observation is
Adam Harris why these were not done all along. Some say that the government has been in office for just over three years, and that the developments have been more than they say for the corresponding period of the last government. I expect even more criticisms. People are talking about corruption without providing any proof. However, there is the saying that where there is smoke there is fire. Perhaps the administration should take a close look at the people in the system.
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
Citizens’ access to information is a democratic right (Excerpts from an address by HE David Granger to the Guyana Press Association – April 29, 2016) It is my considered opinion that the State is obliged to preserve, protect and promote citizens’ right to freedom of expression. The State protects this freedom by enforcing constitutional and legal guarantees, and by providing that citizens must have access to information. The communications media are vehicles though which citizens receive and transmit information. Independently controlled and professionally constituted media are essential to freedom of expression. Information is a public good, it is a ‘non-rivalrous’ and ‘non-exclusive’ service, it is free for all. Free access to information is an inalienable right of every citizen. It is an indispensable condition of democratic society. Citizens’ access to information is a democratic right and information is necessary
for citizens’ informed participation in society. Restrictions in the flow of information deny citizens the opportunity to participate fully in decisionmaking and, thereby impair democracy. Article 146 of our Constitution states; “Except with his consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas without interference, freedom to communicate ideas and information without interference, and freedom from interference with his communication” That is our supreme law and nothing is more supreme than our supreme law. Article 146 is an unambiguous and unclouded statement of our supreme law as a nation. It is an assurance of every citizen’s right to freedom of expression. There are, inevitably, exceptions and the same Article continues to provide those exceptions and I quote; “…in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, pub-
lic morality or public health or for the purposes of protecting the reputation, rights and freedoms of other persons….” So, freedom of expression is not without restrictions, it doesn’t not give you the right to damage the reputation and freedom of other persons…. The State has an obligation, not an option, to ensure that it provides information to the public and the State exercises this duty through Stateowned media. State media are those which are controlled financially and editorially by the Government. My Government accepts that the State-media have a duty to report accurately and without bias on all three arms of the State and they’re obliged to report the views of all parties in the National Assembly in the course of public business. My Government accepts that the State-media have a duty to ensure that the opinions of those persons on the margins of society are heard and that the media should serve the interests of all of the people of Guyana and not just of the Government.
The State will continue to have a presence in the media. This is necessary because private media are located largely on the coastland, look at where the Stabroek News is located; look at where the Kaieteur News is located; look at where the Guyana Times is located; look at where the Guyana Chronicle is located. They’re not located in rural and hinterland areas. They’re all located in the city of Georgetown. They do not possess sufficient resources to provide public information to all of our citizens, especially those in the hinterland and rural areas. State-media therefore have a duty to provide information to all of the citizens of this country. They are not intended to compete for or to dominate the information space. The State is committed to protect citizen’s constitutional right to communicate ideas and to receive information. State-media will continue to provide this service in a dispassionate and a professional manner. State-media have a duty to report our national development, and since such information is not often sensational enough to be given attention by the private media, that responsibility will continue. State-media have an obli-
gation to inform the people about community development projects. The people are entitled to know the details of these projects. State-media can also play an important role in disseminating economic, environmental, public health and climate advisories and providing information about public services, and as I said, there are so many areas of this country which the private-media cannot penetrate and the State-media have an obligation to provide these services. My administration policy therefore, is to develop ten strong regions administered by ten ‘capital towns’, It is our expectation that in the not too distant future each ‘capital town’ could contribute to closing the communication gap with its own citizens by establishing its own media, its own newspapers, the Lethem News, the Linden News, Mabaruma Daily, Bartica Express, why not? Its own radio, its own television, along with its ability to facilitate the prevalent social media. Journalism is a noble profession. Journalism like any other profession is based on a sense of social responsibility. It is not for the reckless, it is based on education. It’s not for the uneducated. It’s based on ethics; it’s based on experience. The Guyana Press Asso-
ciation has a duty to enforce these high standards of performance among the media. The GPA has an obligation to protect the ideals of this profession, from abuse. The Government of Guyana is committed to the promotion of a high degree of media professionalism. My administration will not undermine the professionalism of State-media workers by subjecting them to political direction or interference with their work. My administration is committed also to non-interference in the independent media. Independent media act as watchdogs of the Government. They promote transparency by ensuring that information is provided to the public on the work of the Government. They’re a source of valuable feedback on the effectiveness of the efforts of the Government. There’s no good reason for the State to interfere in the work of the private-media. The relationship between the State and the private-media must be seen as a partnership in providing a public good, that is, public information for the citizens of this country. Independence of thought must be preserved; professionalism must be promoted and the Constitution of Guyana must be upheld.
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Low Blood Sugar: Know what to do or you can die By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Low blood sugar, medically known as hypoglycemia, occurs when levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood are too low. It is common in people with diabetes who take insulin and some oral diabetes medications. Most of the time it is preventable. It often occurs due to misuse of diabetic medications. Today we will discuss this condition so that you may prevent yourself or someone else from dying with low blood sugar. HOW DO I GET LOW BLOOD SUGAR? Low blood sugar happens when a person with diabetes does one or more of the following: * Takes too much insulin (or an oral blood sugar medication that causes your body to secrete insulin) * Does not eat enough food * Exercises vigorously without eating a snack or decreasing the dose of insulin beforehand * Waits too long between meals *Drinks excessive alcohol, although even moderate alcohol use can increase the risk of low blood sugar in people
with type 1 diabetes WHATARE THE SYMPTOMS OF LOW BLOOD SUGAR? The symptoms of low blood sugar vary from person to person and can change over time. During the early stages of low blood sugar, you may: * Sweat * Tremble * Feel hungry * Feel anxious * Getting headaches If untreated, your symptoms can become more severe, and can include: *Difficulty walking * Weakness * Difficulty seeing clearly * Bizarre behaviour or personality changes *Confusion * Unconsciousness or seizure *If left untreated, death will occur When possible, you should confirm that you have low blood sugar by measuring your blood sugar level. Low blood sugar is generally defined as a blood sugar of 60 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L) or less. Some people with diabetes develop symptoms of low blood sugar at slightly higher levels. If your blood sugar levels are high for long periods of time, you may have symptoms
and feel poorly when your blood sugar is closer to 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L). Getting your blood sugar under better control can help to lower the blood sugar level when you begin to feel symptoms. HOW SHOULD I TREAT LOW BLOOD SUGAR? The best way to treat low blood sugar is to apply the 1515 rule. It means that you should have 15 grams of carbohydrate to raise your blood sugar and check it after 15 minutes. If it’s still below 70 mg/dL, have another serving of 15 grams. Repeat these steps until your blood sugar is at least 70 mg/dL. Once your blood sugar is back to normal, eat a meal or snack to make sure it doesn’t lower again. This may be: • Glucose tablets • Banana or another sweet fruit • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of juice or a beverage • 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey • 8 ounces of nonfat or 1% milk • Hard candy (check label for amount that equals 15 grams) • Have a carbohydrate based meal or snack You should still visit your doctor and let him/her know what happened. He/she can
suggest ways to avoid low blood glucose in the future. Also, if you are on diabetic medications, your risk of having another episode of low blood sugar in the next 24 hours is high. Your doctor may want to keep you in for observation.If you find someone unresponsive with low blood sugar, do not try to give them anything in their mouth. You may make this worse as they can easily choke or the food can go into their airway which can lead to infections. The best thing to do is to rush them to the nearest medical facility. CAN LOW BLOOD SUGAR BE PREVENTED? The best way to prevent
low blood sugar is to monitor your blood sugar levels frequently and be prepared to treat it promptly at all times. You and a close friend or relative need to learn the symptoms and should always carry glucose tablets, hard candy, or other sources of fast-acting carbohydrate. Glucose tablets are recommended since they have a pleasant taste, but you are not likely to eat them unless your blood sugar is low. Low blood sugar can be frightening and unpleasant, and it is common to be fearful of future episodes. This may lead you to keep your blood sugar level high, which can lead to long-term
Dr Zulfikar Bux complications.It may be helpful to discuss fears of low blood sugar with a doctor. In addition, ask about blood sugar awareness education. Blood sugar awareness training can improve your ability to recognize low blood sugar earlier and prevent the loss of a life.
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SUNDAY GUYANA’S FIRST REPORT REVEALS… SLOTH OF LEGAL REFORM STIFLING PROGRESS IN OIL SECTOR The absence of modern legislation to guide the oil and gas sector does not augur well for the nation’s future. In fact, it is stifling progress in the sector. This point was noted in the first report on Guyana since it became part of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) fold. The document notes that Guyana’s upstream oil and gas sector is governed by the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act (1986), and the Petroleum and Exploration Regulations (1986). It states that the Government of Guyana is currently undertaking several reforms in the preparation for the emerging oil and gas sector such as the Petroleum Exploration and Production Bill, which will repeal and replace the current Act and Petroleum Environmental Production Pollution Control Regulations as well as the Petroleum Health and Safety Regulations, which are currently being reviewed. The report noted, “The oil and gas sector in Guyana is currently in the production phase, which is expected to start in the beginning of 2020. However, to date, the reform of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act is still in progress. This situation does not allow a favourable investment environment for petroleum companies to carry out intensive exploration and production activities.” In order to promote a favourable legal environment for investment and in a bid to
Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
boost the confidence of private operators in the country, the report strongly recommended that the Multi-Stakeholder Group of the local EITI Chapter follow up with the Department of Energy at the Ministry of the Presidency in a bid to accelerate the reform of the petroleum legislation and to address any technical barriers delaying the process. E’BO COAST HAS NEW BACKUP POWER AS $1.8B PLANT COMMISSIONED Residents on the Essequibo may finally see an end to the blackout woes, now that the brand new Anna Regina 5.4 MW Power Plant was commissioned last week S a t u r d a y . This publication understands that the demand for power on the Essequibo Coast had greatly increased some eight to ten months ago, when the two Wartsila engines that powered the entire Essequibo Coast finally retired, after more than 20 years of service. It is believed that the newly commissioned power plant will satisfy the new peak demand for power on the Essequibo Coast, with enough reserves to spare. Present at the commissioning Saturday was the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, who said, “I was reliably informed that the electricity supply has vastly improved. The peak demand for generated power is 5.1 megawatts and we’re producing 5.4 megawatts, so there is a res e r v e . ”Also, we have on standby, three caterpillar sets, which will give an additional five megawatts. So in all Essequibo has about 100% redundancy, which is even
better than Demerara.” Minister Patterson also pointed out that the three generator sets are a permanent solution to solving the blackout woes. He also stressed the need for proper maintenance so that the engines can see their 20 years life span. Whilst giving an overview of the project, project engineer, Mr. Hugh Peru said that a new control building was erected in the compound for control staff. The project cost of some $1.81 billion, he said, was financed by the company’s own financial resources, to meet the growing demands for power. The three-diesel and turbo engines, which is believe to be amongst the top three classes, were supplied and installed by Turkish company, iLTEKNO. During the past years, many concerns were raised on the manner in which the power company disposed of its waste products. Divisional Director of GPL projects, Ryan Ross revealed Saturday that the facility now has an incinerator, which will enable its operations to be more environmental friendly. MONDAY REPORT REVEALS… ABUSE OF GGMC’S ALLOCATION OF LICENCES AND PERMITS COSTS GUYANA MILLIONS$$$$ Guyana’s first report to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has exposed the rampant abuse of systems at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) which govern the allocation of licenses and permits.
The report notes that in a number of instances, an operator is able to acquire several medium scale mining permits. But a closer look at the location of the permits revealed that they were granted in the same area and run one after the other. If they were added, the plots would have exceeded the 1,200-acre threshold and would therefore be required to be categorized as being “large scale tenures.” The report notes that large scale tenures involve paying higher rental fees. Such a licence award also has a different procedure that requires further approvals from other Government A g e n c i e s . By cheating the system, the report notes that the nation is losing significant revenue since the annual rental fees due by large scale operators is USD$3 per acre as opposed
to USD$1 per acre for medium scale mining operators. In light of this, the report recommended that GGMC considers taking into account the combined acreage of the permits when awarding them to the same applicant and when the plots are continuous. A call was also made for GGMC to conduct a review and an update of the list of current active mining permits in order to comply with the definition of the large scale mining licence given that several of them cover neighbouring plots for the same extractive entity and exceed 1,200 acre when combined. Furthermore, the report notes that the Mining Act (1989) allows GGMC to conclude agreements with applicants through direct negotiation without any requirement to follow any tendering procedures.
GUYANAGOLD FIELDS (AGM), TROY RESOURCES GUYANA INC. AMONG 19 COMPANIES WHICH REFUSE TO DISCLOSE PERSONS WHO BENEFIT FROM THEIR PROFITS Guyana Goldfields (AGM) and Troy Resources Guyana are among the 19 mining companies which refused to disclose the names of persons who benefit from its profits, which would have been subsequently revealed in the nation’s first report to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The document has a special section which is dedicated to “beneficial ownership”. This is in keeping with the reporting requirements of EITI. In fact, one of the EITI Standards stipulates that implementing countries must maintain a publicly available register of the beneficial owners of the corporate entity(ies) that bid for, operate or invest in extractive assets, including the identity(ies) of their beneficial owner(s), the level of ownership and details of how ownership or control is exe r t e d . Guyana does not have such a register. And efforts by the Independent Administrator, Rached Maalej to obtain this information for Guyana’s first report were not entirely fruitful. The companies which refused to communicate the names of beneficial owners are: Innovative Mining, R Mining Inc., Azeem Baksh, Gold Target Export, Milburn Mahadeo, Grey Wolf Resources, Tesouro Resources, J&D Mining, New East International, Higgins Winslow Theophilus, Wal Jays Mining, Harpy Investment, Bauxite Company of Guyana (Rusal), BOSAI Minerals Group (Guyana) Inc, El Dorado Trading, SSS Mineral Trading Ent, and Adamantium Holdings. The only companies which displayed no resistance to naming its beneficial owners are Excel Minerals Inc., Dinar Trading, Pure Diamond Inc., and Mohamed’s Enterprise. Speaking with Kaieteur News Thursday, Head of GY-EITI, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat explained that the companies were asked to submit the information regarding beneficial ownership but many of them opted not to. He said, “And I don’t want to speculate or get into what are the reasons for the companies refusing to do so.” U.S DEPT. OF JUSTICE SLAMS GUYANA’S JUDICIARY FORALLEGED CORRUPTION Occasional allegations of bribery, shortages of trained (Continued on page 33)
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From page 32 court personnel, postponements at the request of the defence or prosecution, poor tracking of cases, and police tardiness in preparing cases for trial, highlights a recent report by the U.S. Department of State on Guyana’s humans rights practices. According to the report, “The law provides for an independent and impartial judiciary in civil matters, and the government generally respected this provision. Individuals can access the court system to initiate lawsuits seeking damages for, or cessation of, human rights violations. The magistrates’ courts deal with both criminal and civil matt e r s . ” The report noted, “Delays, inefficiencies, and alleged corruption in the magistrates’ court system affected citizens’ ability to seek timely remedies in civil matters, and there was a large backlog of civil cases. Citizens have the right to appeal adverse domestic decisions to the Caribbean Court of Justice.” The judiciary is a powerful weapon against corruption and the delivering of justice. Under the constitution of Guyana every citizen is guaranteed fairness in the judicial system. But within the justice system there are a number of organizations that could be involved in corrupt practices before a case reaches the courts. These include the police force, lawyers and prosecutors. TUESDAY LIZA PHASE TWO TO PRODUCE 6.6M BARRELS PER MONTH -GETS GREEN LIGHT FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), has received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop the second phase of the Stabroek Block Liza discovery. It is expected to produce over 6 million barrels of crude oil per m o n t h . According to EPA documents, oil production from the Liza Phase Two Development is expected to last at least 20 years. EEPGL will drill approximately 35-40 wells offshore to support extraction of the oil from below the sea floor. Each well will be drilled to a depth which is over 5,000 metres (m) below the sea floor. EEPGL will then install some of the oil production facilities on the sea floor at approximately 1500-1900 m (4900-6200 ft) water depth. These subsea facilities include various
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types of pipes and hardware. The subsea facilities allow the oil from the wells to be gathered and moved t o the surface of the ocean for further p r o c e s s i n g . Kaieteur News understands that EEPGL will install other oil production facilities on a vessel, which floats on the surface of the ocean. The vessel is called a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO). The FPSO will be moored on location in approximately 1,600 m (5250 ft) of water depth and will remain on location throughout the life of the facility. Further to this, oil production facilities on the FPSO will further process the oil extracted from below the sea floor. The FPSO will have the capacity to produce approximately 190,000 to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. During the early stage of production operations, the FPSO is anticipated to produce an average of approximately 5,700,000 to 6,600,000 barrels of crude oil per month. At peak, EPA documents note that EEPGL will utilize approximately 1,200 personnel offshore during the stage where the wells are being drilled and the offshore oil production facilities are being installed. Kaieteur News understands that this number will decrease to less than 200 personnel during the production operations phase. A smaller number of personnel will then be utilized at the onshore support facilities. U.S. EMBASSY REBUKES NATIONALASSEMBLY FOR HONOURING “CONVICTED TERRORIST” ABDUL KADIR - GOVT. SAYS IT’S ALLA MISINTERPRETATION… IT IS A TRADITION The US Embassy in Georgetown Monday issued a stinging rebuke of the National Assembly’s motion last Friday, which paid tribute to the late Member of Parliament (MP) Abdul Kadir’s service to the Parliament of Guyana. In its statement, the embassy said that the resolution was insensitive and thoughtless, and would leave a stain on the legacy of the country’s law-makers. However, the Government of
Guyana, in a statement hours later, said it is all a big misunderstanding…that is a tradition in the National Assembly to honour Members of Parliament who have passed a w a y . The motion was presented by former Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie P a t t e r s o n - Ye a r w o o d . The statement from the US Embassy said it is condemning the resolution by the National Assembly,reportedlyhonouringthelifeand work of convicted terrorist Kadir. Kadir,whowas66whenhediedina US prison last year, was sentenced to life by a court after being found guilty of plotting a 2007 terrorist attack at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. “Members of the National Assembly, therefore, chose to honor a man who conspired to kill innocent people from across the United States and around the world. This resolution is an insensitive and thoughtless act, which demonstrates the National Assembly’s disregard for the gravity of Kadir’s actions,” the US Embassy said. The embassy pointed out that while speaking at an International Peace Conference recently, U.S. Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch held up Guyana as “a model to the world on religious tolerance and understanding.” The National Assembly’s resolution of April 26 would draw into question that reputation, said the embassy. ”It also comes on the heels of Guyana’s historic cooperation with the United States on the extradition of an alleged murderer. CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE SHOULD ONLY GO WHERE IT IS NEEDED AND SUSTAINABLE- IMF HEAD While China’s Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI) has the potential to stimulate infrastructural development, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde says it should only go where it is needed and where countries can “sustainably” handle the debt that will follow. Lagarde made these and other remarks to nearly 40 world leaders and other high-ranking officials at China’s second Belt and Road summit in Beijing. The three-day event ended on Saturday. The summit sought to encourage discussions on opportunities for growth that are possible for nations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. There were also talks on ways to further promote trade, foster greater financial inclusion, and facilitate more people-to-people connections through BRI. Lagarde’s presentation however, was focused on exposing that BRI is only successful in countries that need it and can subsequently service the debt that will be incurred. The Managing Director said, “To borrow from a Chinese proverb, ‘It is easy to start a venture — the more difficult challenge is what comes next.’ That is where we find ourselves today, at the more difficult challenge. The BRI is clearly having an impact. From stimulating infrastructure investment to developing new global supply chains, some of the promises of BRI are being rea l i z e d . ” Lagarde added, “Consider Kazakhstan, where a new manufacturing zone is beginning to unleash previously untapped economic potential. Or look at Senegal, where robust economic growth of over six percent in each of the last four years was supported partly by BRI-linked investment projects, including the
construction of a new highway linking the airport to three large cities.” At the same time, the IMF Managing Director alluded to the fact that other nations have not been so lucky. She said, “History has taught us that, if not managed carefully, infrastructure investments can lead to a problematic increase in debt. I have said before that, to be fully successful, the Belt and Road should only go where it is needed. I would add today that it should only go where it is sustainable, in all asp e c t s … ” But this is not the first time Lagarde has warned about the debt risks that come with the BRI. Last year April, the Financial Times reported that the IMF Head cautioned Chinese policymakers about taking “unneeded and unsustainable” BRI projects in countries, which already heavy debt burdens. WEDNESDAY DEMTOCO’S UK PARENT COMPANYACCUSED OF HIDING PROFITS FROM GUYANA British American Tobacco (BAT), the parent company of the Demerara Tobacco Company, has been accused of depriving developing countries of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax by using “financial manoeuvring” to shift profits to a UK subsidiary. The Tax Justice Network estimated that London-based
BAT, the world’s largest tobacco company, would avoid paying $700m (£540m) between now and 2030 in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Guyana, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago, according to the http:// www.theindependentbd.com. It said that in 2016 alone BAT managed to shift $941m, roughly 12% of its group pretax profit that year, from overseas companies into its British subsidiary, BAT Holdi n g s . This, it said, reduced the company’s tax bill, partly because UK corporation tax is charged at 19% – lower than many of the countries in which BAT sells cigarettes. There is no suggestion that any of the methods allegedly used are illegal and BAT said it complied in full with tax legislation in the countries where (Continued on page 41)
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From page 33 it operates. But in a detailed report entitled Ashes to Ashes, the Tax Justice Network said BAT’s practices “fly in the face of tobacco companies’ claims to be essential tax providers to low and middle income countries where 80% of the 1.1bn smokers worldwide live”. The campaign group’s chief executive, Alex Cobham, said, “Cigarettes not only impose massive human costs, those who profit from them are actively depriving lowerincome countries of the public funding they need to provide people with health services. ”At a minimum, Governments must require tobacco companies to publish country by country reporting to make sure profits are taxed in the communities where they were raised, not in the tax havens they were siphoned off to.” The organisation said BAT had managed to shift profits from developing countries to its UK subsidiary, which pays relatively little corporation tax using a variety of methods. $100M SPENT TO “UPGRADE” NATIONALPRINTERS YET…EDUCATION MINISTRY BYPASSES LOCAL PRINTERIES TO SOLE-SOURCE FROM T&T In November 2016, President David Granger visited the La Penitence facilities of the state-owned Guyana National Printers Limited (GNPL). Over the years, it had been critical in producing exercise and text books for distribution in schools; birth, death and marriage certificates, Official Gazettes and other parliamentary documents includ-
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ing the budget estimates, calendars, labels, other forms and cardboard boxes. However, despite celebrating 80 years in operations, a lack in investments and mismanagement has been bleeding the operations. In late 2016, during the visit, the President promised that he will assist in facilitating a cash injection to help reverse the losses. Reportedly, $100M was plugged into the operations to upgrade and modernize the printery. A used printing press was acquired from overseas and installed early last year but it has failed to deliver. Since last year, GNPL has been engaging suppliers in Trinidad and Tobago to produce exercise books and text books. There is little evidence that the tenders were even advertised so that local printers could bid. What has made the matter even more troubling is the fact that local printers are saying they have the capacity to print for way cheaper than what is being produced and shipped from Trinidad to Guyana. They have been bypassed. ”Let me make it clear for you. The purchase of books for the Ministry of Education is big business. It involved hundreds of millions of dollars. ”We have capacity in Guyana to produce cheaper despite we have to pay the taxes on every raw material brought here. The fact is, based on our information, GNPL is paying way more than what we could get it done for,” one printer insisted. The situation is one of a growing number of cases of sole sourcing by government
ping company. Information had previously surfaced that King had leased the riverfront property -reportedly not the property of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) – to the company. THURSDAY
entities, which have sidelined legitimate companies, in favour of friends, and for kickbacks. CITY COUNCIL TO PROBE LANDS LEASED BY KING, OTHERS The Georgetown City Council is taking stock of lands leased by the previous administration of the city. The decision to probe comes after former Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Town Clerk; Royston King, found himself under investigation for leasing land not owned by the Council to a shipping company. The matter was the subject of the recent Commission of Inquiry into the operations of City Hall. The inquiry revealed that on April 5, 2016, King affixed his signature to an Industrial Wharf Lease Agreement granting the company permission to lease the location at Lot 1 Mudflat, Lombard Street, Georgetown. The premises was later discovered to be owned by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) According to a missive sent out by Public Relations
Department of the municipality persons who have leases are urged to visit the office of the Town Clerk; to examine the current status of lands leased by the Georgetown City Council. The council had noted that that several lands that were leased by the Georgetown Municipality, are either unutilized or the agreements have expired. In order to advance the process of ‘Transparency and Accountability’, it is important that the Council address this matter with urgency. The statement added that several lands that were formerly owned by the Council is currently under the stewardship of Guyana Lands and Survey Authority. ”It is important that the Council engages citizens on this matter. Mayor and Councillors of Georgetown and the Guyana Lands and Survey Authority will be meeting in the very near future to discuss the status of reserves and other public spaces within the city,” the statement added. The CoI, revealed that King leased a Sussex Street property to Quick Shipping Incorporated, a private ship-
THREE YEARS LATER…GOVT. NOW SEARCHES FOR CONSULTANT TO MODERNISE LAWS FOR OIL SECTOR With first oil just around the corner, the APNU+AFC Administration is now looking for a consultant to modernise laws needed for the efficient governance of the oil and gas sector. With funding provided by the World Bank, the government via an advertisement said i t needs a consultant to provide advisory services and technical support on legal and regulatory frameworks for the oil and gas sector to the Government, through the Department of Energy (DoE), under the Ministry of the Presidency. According to the present Terms of Reference, the Consultant will be required to prepare draft revised legislation and regulations required to support the update of Guyana’s legal and institutional frameworks for the governance, management and oversight of the oil and gas sector, including but not limited to petroleum laws and regulations pertaining to operations, occupational health and safety, environmental management, maritime operations, etc. This would be done on the basis of existing institutional, legislative and regulatory gap analysis and revision documentation. The Consultant is also expected to provide general advice on legal and contractual matters arising from the administration/management of existing Petroleum Agreement(s), including matters concerning assignments, terminations, events of default, force majeure, disputes, dispute resolution and cost recovery audits, etc. The official will be expected to support the Attorney General’s Chambers in the review, assessment and re-drafting necessary to ensure the draft legislation is in good order for presentation to the National Assembly for passage into law. The Consultant will be required to prove legal advice on the marketing of crude oil to ensure that the marketing will be transparent, efficiently organized and that marketing agreements are in place prior to first oil; advise on and provide a framework detailing the
legislation and regulations required for the comprehensive development of a petroleum downstream sector and support the drafting of such legislation and regulations initially focusing on the use of associated gas; and provide ad hoc legal advice on and recommendations concerning matters arising from DoE’s governance and management of the petroleum sector. SHOPKEEPER SHOT DEAD BY SUSPECTED BANDITS A 46-year-old shopkeeper was shot dead in his Parika Backdam, Essequibo home on Tuesday night, allegedly after handing over a small quantity of cash to two men who had asked to see him. Somdat Ramgobin, called ‘Rakesh’ was reportedly shot in the stomach by one of the intruders, who had ordered him and a 17-year-old friend to lie on his bed. The bandits reportedly fled in a white Toyota Premio without taking any money from Ramgobin’s shop, even though he had allegedly told them that there was cash inside. An eight-year-old boy and the 17-year-old friend were the only other individuals who were at Ramgobin’s residence at the time. They were not harmed. A relative of the slain shopkeeper said the circumstances under which Ramgobin was shot suggest that robbery was not the men’s primary aim. ”To me, they deliberately go there to kill him,” the relative said. Kaieteur News understands that Ramgobin and the 17-year-old were cooking in the kitchen when the killers arrived. At the time, an eightyear-old boy was outside the shop. It is alleged that the men asked the child, “where the boss man deh.” After being told that Ramgobin was inside, the men reportedly entered via the open door. The 17-year-old told Kaieteur News that one of the men pointed a gun at them and ordered them into Ramgobin’s bedroom. They were told to lie on the bed. The men then demanded money and jewellery and struck Ramgobin with a bottle when he didn’t comply. The shopkeeper reportedly then gave the robbers a small sum of cash from one of his pockets. However, rather than going to the shop, the men shot Ramgobin in the stomach. They reportedly then escaped in a white car. The teen said that he then ran outside and shouted for assistance. Ramgobin was (Continued on page 42)
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Fom page 41 pronounced dead on arrival at the Leonora Cottage Hospital. The relative who spoke with Kaieteur News said Ramgobin had no dispute with anyone. He suggested that the killers may have been in collusion with individuals who are familiar with the community. WORKERS PRESENT UNITED FRONT AS 100 YEARS OF TRADE UNIONISM OBSERVED Every year, Guyanese public servants parade through the Garden City in celebration of the achievements of trade unions and friends of workers, in defence of workers’ rights. Notably, the first trade union in the Caribbean, the British Guiana Labour Union, was formed by Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow in 1919. According to Trade Unionist, Lincoln Lewis, “the trade union was the forerunner mass-based organisation in society; it came before the political parties were birthed.” This year, Guyana celebrates 100 years of trade unionism, and the formation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). A united front was presented by those in attendance at Wednesday’s May Day rally. Under the theme, “A long journey for social justice — Together we can achieve,” the Labour Day parade was constituted by 17 unions, marching from Parade Ground to the National Park. Leading the procession were the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC). Some of the other trade unions, which were represented included the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’Union (GAWU), Guyana Local Government Officers’ Union (GLGOU), Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU), Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Guyana Teachers’Union (GTU), General Workers’Union (GWU) and the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’Union (GB&GWU). Workers braved the intermittent showers to march the streets of Georgetown. The march was accompanied by music and laughter, from a sea of workers, all dressed in red, and carrying banners of their respective of the various unions. Some workers carried plaques with messages of encouragement to fight against corruption. Some signs read “Up the tempo – Jail for the corrupt ones”; Cohesion makes victory sure” and “Oil Reserves are good, but oil spills can be bad”.
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FRIDAY BELT AND ROAD PROJECTS MUST BE SUBJECTED TO TRANSPARENCY, ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT – OPPOSITION LEADER Any project Guyana pursues via China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) must be subjected to a transparent process and a rigid economic assessment says Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. Jagdeo, who is also the PPP General Secretary, made this declaration during a press conference at his Church Street Office Thursday. There, Kaieteur News asked the Opposition Leader if he agrees with recent statements by the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde on BRI. The official noted that BRI should only go where it is needed and where it is sustainable. Jagdeo told this publication that he agrees with Lagarde. Asked to say if he believes BRI is needed in Guyana, the PPP General Secretary said, “It depends on what you use the resources for… You have to use resources to either increase welfare so that the social return is greater than capital or use it in a manner that it can give you an economic return. ”So definitely, a careful examination of the Public Sector InvestmentProgramme(PSIP)(isneeded), looking at all the investment needs, mapping this out…” He added, “We are supposed to have a rolling PSIP that is supposed to be four years ahead. And it should be underpinned by a vision of where you want to go and unfortunately, this government has had an ad hoc approach to the PSIP.” The Opposition Leader said he is in favour of any initiative that is designed to help develop investment capital but how the country develops those resources is important. He emphasized however that it must be done transparently and an economic assessment must be conducted. SUSTAINABILITY While China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has the potential to stimulate infrastructural development, Lagarde says it should only go where it is needed and where countries can “sustainably” handle the debt that will follow. SOLE-SOURCING OF EXERCISE, TEXTBOOKS… EDUCATION MINISTRY BLAMES NATIONAL PRINTERS FOR IRREGULARITIES BUT FAIL TO ADDRESS PAYING HIGH PRICES The Ministry of Education (MoE) has distanced it-
self from the multi-million-dollar purchasing of exercise and other books from overseas for government schools. The statement came after disclosures this week that local printers were complaining bitterly about being bypassed as the Guyana National Printers Limited (GNPL) doled out hundreds of millions of dollars to producers and printeries overseas. There were little or no advertisements. Local suppliers said that they were not told of the orders. The exercise and textbooks are given out to students of the government-run schools. According to the ministry in its statement, Thursday, it has taken note of an article published in the Wednesday, May 1, 2019 edition of Kaieteur News with the headline “$100M spent to ‘upgrade’ National Printers yet… Education Min. bypasses local printeries to sole-source from T&T”. The MoE said it wishes to advise that the printing of exercise books and textbooks produced locally is contracted to the GNPL which is a state-owned entity, located at 1 Public Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, Guyana. ”The Education Ministry has no arrangement for printing of local text and exercise books with any other company as is inferred in the article,” the statement said. However, glaringly absent from the statement is the price that the ministry paid GNPL for the books. It appears, too, that MoE did not determine what price GNPL was paying for each book or worse yet, did not care how taxpayers dollars are being spent. It would be pertinent in determining if the country got value for its money. In any case, from all indications, GNPL appeared to have breached all the protocols when it came to procurement. Thursday, GNPL’s General Manager, Trevor Bassoo, when contacted, said he was not prepared to speak. Rather, he said, a statement would be forthcoming. He did not say when. DETAILS ON LOCAL CONTENTABSENT FROM GUYANA’S FIRST EITI REPORT - MINISTER TROTMAN PROMISES IMPROVEMENTS Guyana’s inaugural report that was submitted to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) does not contain details on the extent to which companies here utilize local goods and services for their operations. Speaking at a press conference Thursday at the GY-
Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde EITI’s Main Street Office, Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, sought to remind that this is the nation’s first report and improvements will be made going forward. He said, “I think there was an expectation that everything under the sun would have been captured in the first report and that was just not possible given the time we had. The Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) took a decision as to what it would include as quickly as possible and what it could get. ”So it is not that local content is not important to Guyana but …in our second, third and fourth reports, they will be more illustrative of what is happening in every area including local content.” Trotman added, “We treat it seriously and I am sure that this is something that will occupy the attention of the MSG.” Turning his attention to Guyana’s EITI history, the Minister noted that on May 12, 2012, the Government of Guyana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative signaling its intention to pursue membership in the body.
On December 22, 2015, following Cabinet’s approval, Minister Trotman reminded that he had publicly announced the coalition government’s intention to continue Guyana’s commitment to EITI implementation and in February 2017, the GYEITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) was officially launched with representation from civil society, extractive entities and government agencies. Trotman said, “I am proud to say that this Multi-Stakeholder Group has equal representation, in true Article 13 fashion, as the government chose not to seek to exercise dominance on and of the group.” SATURDAY SEPARATEAGREEMENT ALMOST COMPLETE TO ENSUREACCOUNTABLE MEASURING OF GUYANA’S OIL - Govt. Advisor says document will be made public Guyana’s contracts with some of the world’s major oil operators are utterly silent on how the extracted oil will be measured to ensure accuracy. It appears, however, that all hope is not lost. According to Petroleum Advisor to Gov-
ernment, Matthew Wilks, a separate agreement is being worked on to ensure the accountable measuring of Guyana’s crude. Wilks made this revelation during a press conference that was held Friday at the Ministry of the Presidency. There, Kaieteur News pointed out this major weakness that is present in all of Guyana’s contracts and challenged the Advisor to say if this will be addressed in the nation’s model Production Sharing Agreement. Wilks said, “Procedurally, yes.” He said, too, that a Crude Lifting Agreement is being worked to ensure the precise metering of the oil. Wilks said, “...That agreement contains all the metering checks and that document is in an advanced stage of preparation and it is almost complete. What we are going through now is a process of getting various agencies within Guyana ready for crude lifting because one of the things going out to tender right now is for a Crude Lifting Advisor ...to assist us in arranging a marketing arrangement for the government’s share (of its oil).” The Petroleum Advisor added, “But in terms of the accuracy of metering, how you meter, who checks...that is all contained in the Crude Lifting Agreement. And that will be signed by all parties.” Asked to say if the document will be made public, Wilks said, “There is not an issue to making it public. We are quite happy to make it public.” EXXON’S LIZA PHASE 2 TO COST US$6B Te x a s - h e a d q u a r t e r e d ExxonMobil on Friday said that it is steaming ahead with its Guyana operations, pumping US$6B into the second phase of the Liza development. The decision followed recent Government and (Continued on page 43)
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From page 42 regulatory approvals of the second phase development. Guyana is expected its first commercial oil early next year with the floating platform, Liza Destiny, to be here in the third quarter of this year. “Liza Phase 2 will produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day and further capitalize on the significant development potential of the Stabroek Block, where ExxonMobil estimates producing more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025,” ExxonMobil disclosed in a statement. The oil giant, which announced a major oil find early 2015, shortly after the Coalition Government took office, said Liza Phase 2 received government and regulatory approvals, and remains on track for mid-2022, producing up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day. RAMJATTAN TO CHALLENGE NAGAMOOTOO FOR PM POST Moses Nagamootoo, Guyana’s current Prime Minister, was nominated to serve in that post by the Alliance for Change, after an agreement laid out in the Cummingsburg Accord saw to it that the AFC would have the right to name the ruling coalition’s prime ministerial candidate. In 2015, when the coalition won the General and Regional Elections, Nagamootoo assumed the position, and has been serving for four years. He has also temporarily assumed the duties of the President when President David Granger left the jurisdiction. But the AFC’s chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan, has signaled his intention to challenge Nagamootoo for the post. The two ministers are both former members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) who, dissatisfied with its leadership, left to work on nurturing a credible, political
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third-force. During an AFC press conference Friday at the Centre for Change, Ramjattan said “I have already indicated my interest.” He is prepared, however, to vie against other members of the AFC for the post, as well. “There are others, I’m certain, who have indicated their interest,” noted the party’s chairman “And so, it is going to be interesting, and it is good to have – inside of political parties – the regular rivalries between leaders.” TERMINATIONS, TRANSFERS TO FOLLOW SOCU AUDIT REPORT There will be disciplinary action taken to remedy the issues laid out in the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) audit report, according to Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan. That will include terminations for some, and transfers for others. An audit of the financial records of the SOCU had uncovered serious irregularities, including the falsification of records. That audit was ordered by Police Commissioner Leslie James in February, following claims of grave mismanagement. It has recommended immediate transfers and a fraud investigation of several of the discrepancies. The PPP had demanded not just that the unit be investigated with intent to prosecute, but that Ramjattan resign immediately. In a release, the party had stated that it has been publicly complaining about SOCU for some time now, that the unit of the Guyana Police Force is removed from its mandate of combatting organised crimes and money laundering, and that it has been reduced to a rogue unit “carrying out political directions to witch hunt PPP lead-
ers and shake down the business community under the pretext of crime fighting.” According to Ramjattan, “Action will be taken by the commissioner. I have seen the report. It is not a very nice report, and the commissioner has told me that he is going to take action.” However, Ramjattan said that he is not well informed on the details of that action. “A minister must not indulge in [operational matters]. He ordered an audit after coming by information. That audit has been completed, and [the commissioner] will take action.” Ramjattan added: “Institutions can get rotten. What a government does is, through its leadership at the various units, ask for audits, get the things right and move on. And put the correct
people in places, [who] could remedy the defects that were occurring. That is what you do in any institution. That is the self-redeeming feature of institutional democracy.” CGX, FRONTERA ENERGY GET GOVT.’S APPROVAL FOR STRATEGIC JOINT VENTURE Head of the Energy Department, Dr. Mark Bynoe, announced yesterday that the Government has granted approval for the Strategic Joint Venture between CGX Energy Inc. and Frontera Energy Corporation. The agreement covers two shallow water offshore Petroleum Prospecting Licenses in Guyana for the Corentyne and
Demerara Blocks. The Corentyne Block contains 1,125,000 net acres offshore Guyana in shallow water, adjacent to the ExxonMobil Stabroek Block, which has encountered 13 discoveries since May 2015. CGX’s Utakwaaka well must be drilled by November 27, 2019 in this block, with an additional exploration well to be drilled by November 27, 2022. The Demerara Block contains 750,000 net acres in shallow water and is also adjacent to the ExxonMobil Stabroek Block. An exploration well is required to be drilled on the block by February 12, 2021 with a further exploration well by February 12, 2023.
Under the terms of the farm-in joint venture agreement between Frontera and a wholly owned subsidiary of CGX, CGX Resources Inc., Frontera will acquire a 33.333% working interest in the two blocks in exchanged for a US$33.3 million signing bonus, paid by way of offset of $24.6 million of debt payable to Frontera by CGX plus a cash payment of US$8.7 million paid by Frontera to CGX. Frontera has agreed to pay one-third of the applicable costs under the joint ventures plus an additional 8.333% of CGX’s direct drilling costs for the initial exploratory commitment wells in the two blocks. CGX is the operator assigned to the blocks.
Kaieteur News
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be?" she asked. "It shall be on the middle step of the stile by the corn-field." So, when the moon rose, I went out to see. He wore a red jacket and his cap with the feather in it. Round her head there was a wreath of buttercups; it was not much like a crown. On one side of the wreath there were some daisies, and on the other was a little bunch of blackberryblossom.
T
he children were very much puzzled what to do, for it was Midsummer-night, and they knew that there was a dream belonging to it; but how to come across it they could not tell. They knew that the dream had something to do with fairies, a queen, and all manner of lovely things; but that was all. At first, they thought they would sit up with the doors and windows open, and the dog on the steps ready to bark if he saw anything unusual. Then they felt sure that they could not dream while they were wideawake, so three of them went to bed, and one dozed in a corner of the porch, with her clothes on. Presently the dog barked, and two children in their night-gowns ran out to see, and one took off her night-cap and looked out of window; but it was only old Nurse coming back from a long gossip with the village blacksmith's wife and mother-in-law. So, the dog looked foolish, and Nurse was angry, and put them all to bed without any more ado. "Oh," they cried, "but the fairies, and the queen, and the flowers! What shall we do to see them? “Go to sleep," said Nurse,” and the dream may come to
you; you can't go to a dream," she added, for you see she was just a peasant woman, and had never travelled far, or
into any land but her own. The Moon So the children shut their eyes tightly and went to sleep, and I think that they saw something, for their eyes were very bright next morning, and one of them whispered to me, softly, “The queen wore a wreath of flowers last night, dear mother, and, oh, she was very beautiful."HE picked a buttercup and held it up to her chin. "Do you like butter?” he asked. “Butter!" she exclaimed. "They are not made into butter. They are made into crowns for the Queen; she has a new one every morning." "I'll make you a crown," he said. “You shall wear it tonight." " But where will my throne
Helping Out It makes me feel so good When I make people happy, That I always try to do something To help someone daily. I help my Mommy clean the house, And even wash the dishes, I help my brother with his homework, And brush my father's shoes. I sometimes help the old folks next door To shop and clean their place, I share my lunch with one of my friends, It puts such a smile on her face. So try this out and you will find People will see you as a treasure, But most of all the feeling you get Will make you want to help forever.
Sunday May 05, 2019
Junior page Easy Paper Plate Turtle Craft
INSTRUCTIONS: To make the large parent turtle, use a regular, full size paper plate. To make a smaller turtle, cut the center out of a regular size paper plate. Use the center, smaller “Come and dance in the circle for your child turtle. moonlight," he said.So, she climbed up and over the stile, Decorate the turtle shell with and stood in the corn-field marker, no need to stick to holding out her two hands to one color only here. him. He took them in his, and Cut out a head, four legs and a then they danced round and tail with scissors and green round all down the pathway, construction paper. Glue while the wheat nodded them onto the underside of wisely on either side, and the the shell. p o p p i e s a w o k e a n d Add googly eyes to the head. wondered. TEEN TIME M ake Arrival Day an On they went, on and on occasion when we celebrate through the corn-field our diverse culture towards the broad green Today we mark 181 years meadows stretching far into the distance. On and on, he is since the forefathers of our shouting for joy, and she is East Indian citizens first laughing out so merrily that arrived in these shores. They the sound travelled to the were brought here by the edge of the wood, and the British colonists who needed thrushes heard, and dreamed labourers on the sugar of Spring. On they went, on estates, as most of the freed and on, and round and round, slaves and people of other he in his red jacket, and she races who had been brought with the wild flowers before had left these to dropping one by one from her v e n t u r e o u t i n o t h e r wreath. On and on in the occupations. It is true that our moonlight, on and on till they inhabitants then comprised of had danced all down the people of many different corn-field, till they had colours, cultures and even crossed the green meadows, till they were hidden in the religions. Along the way in which our people tried to deal mist beyond. with these differences, we That is all I know; but I think know that there were a few that in the far off somewhere, periods when some resorted where the moon is shining, he and she still dance along a corn-field, he in his red jacket, and she with the wild flowers dropping from her hair.
FUN WITH POETRY by Uncle Roy
to violence when they felt that their rights were being ignored. It is a fact that we still see instances when people show signs of prejudice and act selfishly, but when we look at the overall picture, we can see that we Guyanese have done so much better than people of other nations who were sometimes of the same colour and culture. This is something that we must remember every time that racism and other prejudices cause some disturbance in our otherwise smooth progress towards intermingling and becoming as our motto says: One People, One Nation, One Destiny. Therefore I ask all our readers to join together and celebrate their diversity today by making special efforts to meet others of another race
PATHS
and religion, and show some sign of brotherhood that would serve to cement our relationships in this dear land of ours. Our poem today mentions the various ways in which East Indians have contributed to the Guyanese culture, which for the most part have been adopted by others. As we celebrate these, let us remember the contributions of our other people and determine to do the same when we commemorate their arrival to our dear land. What you need:
opaper
plates oscissors omarkers ogreen paper ogoogly eyes oglue
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 05, 2019
Make Arrival Day an occasion when we celebrate our diverse culture
T
oday we mark 181 years since the forefathers of our East Indian citizens first arrived in these shores. They were brought here by the British colonists who needed labourers on the sugar estates, as most of the freed slaves and people of other races who had been brought before had left these to venture out in other occupations. It is true that our inhabitants then comprised of people of many different colours, cultures and even religions. Along the way in which our people tried to deal with these differences, we know that there were a few periods when some resorted to violence when they felt that their rights were being ignored. It is a fact that we still see instances when people show signs of prejudice and act selfishly, but when we look at the overall picture, we can see that we Guyanese have done so much better than people of other nations who were
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Footprints on the Pages of Time Arrival Day – Part 1 (by HarriramKhusial) A new page in our history was written, In the memorable year of 1838, When our fore-parents first came from India To labour on Guyana's sugar estates. They bade farewell to their motherland, And sought a better future in Guyana; They came with their dhoti and kurta, And brought with them their rich culture. They brought, too, their sacred books, And lived as families in long-range logies; They had many special things they cooked, Like pholouri, jilabi, choka and dhollpouri.
sometimes of the same colour and culture. This is something that we must remember every time that racism and other prejudices cause some disturbance in our otherwise smooth progress towards intermingling and becoming as our motto says: One People, One Nation, One Destiny. Therefore I ask all our readers to join together and celebrate their diversity today by making special efforts to meet others of another race and
religion, and show some sign of brotherhood that would serve to cement our relationships in this dear land of ours. Our poem today mentions the various ways in which East Indians have contributed to the Guyanese culture, which for the most part have been adopted by others. As we celebrate these, let us remember the contributions of our other people and determine to do the same when we commemorate their arrival to our dear land.
ROSETTA
They brought with them their Muslim and Hindu religions, Some remained in these, while some became Christians; But they all laboured shoulder to shoulder, To build this nation by working harder and harder. Today they serve as doctors, lawyers and farmers, Presidents, priests and government ministers, Always fulfilling their sacred duty with sacrifice, While content to eat simple meals of dholl and rice. Their varied cultures celebrate diverse festivals, Which all share in breaking down prejudiced walls; In this land they are now found in all places, As they mingle and live at peace with all other races.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Our ancestors all arrived from someplace far away, so this must be God's will for us to join together and build a united people.
A Rosetta is made up of a centre coloured hexagon encircled by 6 white hexagons. To complete the puzzle, fill in all 7 Rosettas with each between 1 and 7 in no particular order while also ensuring 1.No number is repeated in a horizontal row 2. Each number from 1 to 7 are represented in the 7 grey coloured hexagon cells.
Solutions to last week’s Utility Software
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1. A plateau is the highest form of flattery. 2. It's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they always take things literally. 3. Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. 4. A soldier survived mustard gas in battle, and then pepper spray by the police. He's now a seasoned veteran. 5. I hate Russian dolls...so full of themselves. 6. A Buddhist walks up to a hotdog stand and says, "Make me one with everything." 7. I'm addicted to brake fluid, but I can stop whenever I want. 8. What's the difference between my ex and the titanic? The titanic only went down on 1,000 people. 9. Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 is a registered 6 offender. 10. Two fish are sitting in a tank. One looks over at the other and says: "Hey, do you know how to drive this thing?" 11. "This is your captain speaking, AND THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SHOUTING." 12. I told my doctor that I broke my arm in two places. He told me to stop going to those places. 13. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. 14. What do you call it when Batman skips church? Christian Bale. 15. What's orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot. 16. How do you keep an idiot in suspense? 17. Two whales walk into a bar. The first one says, "Weeeeeooooouuuhhhh." The next whale says, "Shut up, Steve. You're drunk." 19. What's E.T. short for? Because he's only got little legs. 20. What do you call a magic dog? A labracadabrador. 21. Wanna hear a joke about Potassium? Whether they say 'yes' or 'no': K. 22. What's the difference between a golfer and a skydiver? A golfer goes *whack* "damn" and a skydiver goes "damn" *whack*. 23. A baby seal walks into a club. 24. My granddad has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban from the San Diego Zoo. 25. I went on a once in a lifetime holiday. Never again. 26. Rick Astley will let you borrow any movie from his Pixar collection, except one. He's never gonna give you up. 27. It takes a lot of balls to golf like me. 28. I asked my North Korean friend how it was there, he said he couldn't complain. 29. There's no "I" in Denial. 30. Last night me and my girlfriend watched three DVDs back to back. Luckily I was the one facing the telly. 31. Exaggerations went up by a million percent last year. 32. They all laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian. Well, they're not laughing now. 33. I used to be addicted to soap, but I'm clean now. 34. Two penguins walk into a bar... which is stupid because the second one should have seen it. 35. I was wondering, why does a frisbee appear larger the closer it gets... then it hit me. 36. Have I told you this deja vu joke before? 37. Where do you find a cow with no legs? Right where you left it. 38. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be... 39. I didn't know my dad was a construction site thief, but when I got home all the signs were there. 40. What's the best thing about Switzerland? I don't know, but their flag is a huge plus. 41. "I stand corrected," said the man in the orthopedic shoes.
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 05, 2019
Sunday May 05, 2019
Make a Homemade Aloe Vera Facial Mask to Treat Acne
A
loe vera is one of the many herbs or plants that offer multiple benefits.
It can help improve blood circulation and digestion, and it's great for detoxification. Among other things, this plant is renowned for its excellent skin-soothing and healing properties. It's especially useful for burns, sunburns, irritation, allergies and even acne. This humble plant that's found in many people's backyards or flower pots can be easily processed to create a simple yet effective facial mask to treat acne and soothe inflammation that causes redness." Aloe and Lemon Mask This aloe mask features lemon juice which works as a natural skin brightener. It also helps fade dark spots and acne scars, so your skin will look much clearer after a few uses. If you don't have lemons, try limes or grapefruit. 1. Take your Aloe Vera plant and choose a thicker stem .These typically have the most juice. 2. Wash the leaf under running water 3 Squeeze out as much aloe juice as possible into a bowl 4. Place the leaf on a chopping board and remove the cactuslike edges using a knife. 5. Slice through the center of the aloe between the skin to separate it into two parts .6. Use a spoon to scrape out the aloe gel from each piece and put it in the bowl. 7. Mash the Aloe Vera gel with 1/8 teaspoon of lemon juice 8. Apply the Aloe Vera mask on the face and neck and massage lightly, avoiding the eyes. 9. Let it sit on your skin for 15-20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. 10. Pat your skin dry with a towel and apply moisturizer. 11. The remaining facial mask may be stored in the refrigerator for use the following day. 12.Keep up this regimen at least three times a week to clear away and breakouts, even out the skin tone and prevent new acne from forming.
SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S WORD SEARCH
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
The Barefoot Wine Pink Moscato is a fruit-laden, mouth-watering concoction Barefoot wines have a reputation for delivering dependable, crisp, partyfriendly wines where flavour, and fun, is to the fore. And they’ve not meddled with their winning formula. The Barefoot Wine Pink Moscato which is distributed by Ansa McAL is a fruit-laden, mouth-watering concoction,
ideal for summer’s afternoons, barbeques with friends, Asian curries or seafood salads. This wine is made from the Muscat grape - one of the oldest varieties in the world. Plenty of time to get things right, then. And, with this wine, you get cherry, raspberry and pomegranate, you get a light and refreshing
blend of sweet and citrus, and that delicious sherbet creaminess that brings the party to your palette! Serve chilled, with ice if you fancy, and add a touch of sun, and this rose-pink wonder will add a zip and a zing to any occasion. Below is more information on this product.
Grape Variety Moscato Tasting Notes Aromas of Mandarin orange and sweet jasmine crash into each other to create a deliciously sweet sea of pink goodness. Subtle flavours of cherry, raspberry, and pomegranate wash ashore in the flavourful experience.
Serving Suggestions Serve Chilled! Enjoy Barefoot Pink Moscato with spicy Asian cuisine, fresh fruit and strawberry shortcake. Producer Barefoot Cellars Winemaker Jen Wall History Barefoot Wine & Bubbly got started in California in the 1960s. Its founders believed that wine should be more fun and less serious; and created a wine that could be enjoyed by everyone from first-time wine drinkers to hard-core aficionados. Barefoot Wine & Bubbly is the most awarded and #1 wine brand in the US and was introduced to the UK in 2007. Staying true to its grassroots beginnings Barefoot Wine & Bubbly gives back to local non-profit groups through charitable wine donations. Regional Information A warm and dry spring and summer lead to an early harvest. The grape canopies were managed to allow just the right amount of sunlight on the fruit. The warm days resulted in ripe tropical floral aromas and tastes. Vinification Details The winemaker hand chose the yeast and used a cool fermentation process. The fermentation was stopped allowing the sugars from the grape to remain in the
wine. This provides the fresh flavours and fruit characters to develop in the wine glass. The use of cool storage in the tank preserved the fresh floral and tropical aromas and tastes. These techniques and just the right amount of care and handling resulted in a delicious wine. Preparation and Usage Enjoy with spicy Asian cuisine, fresh fruit and strawberry shortcake. Superb!
Tower Poolside to host ‘Soak In Hennessy’ Party
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ower Poolside will be transformed into a Soca paradise on Thursday May 16 with the party of the year called ‘Soak In Hennessy’ It will be music, vibes, and a unique experience that goes beyond liquor which will combine sweet soca, dance hall, hip hop, and reggae music, the essence of a wet atmosphere. Soak in Hennessy is
quickly becoming a Soca/ Dancehall filled event that many Guyanese are clawing to be apart of. Regardless of your love for Hennessy, water and music, everyone’s desire will meet a new taste at the end of the night. The event is not only for drinkers or lovers of Hennessy as there will be a (Continued on page 49)
Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
A Nation’s Struggle for ... (From page 38) human interest story, at times delicate, sentimental and reverent. uman interest story, at times delicate, sentimental and reverent. A voracious reader, Bodden was glued to the seminal writings of the region’s best minds. He recalls his many literary influences: Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” Frantz Fanon’s “Wretched of the Earth” and “Black Skin White Mask” and Albert Memmi’s “The Colonizer and the Colonized.” He emerged, confronting the political zeitgeist of postcolonial societies, determined to overhaul the system. He excelled at Mico College, Jamaica, and returned home to serve as an educator. By 1970, the Caymans, not unlike other Caribbean nations, was struggling for selfdetermination, but was undermined by the political power brokers. The people, Bodden argues, were shut out and “development control passed from the old merchant elite to the more recent oligarchy.” This was the period when Bodden was honing his academic and political skills. The thrust of Bodden’s work centres on the abrasive, no-holds-barred, Orwellian character of Caymanian politics. He details his disastrous 1980 political debut when his Dignity Team was trounced in the national elections. Four years later, another bid ended in failure. His campaign against government corruption and malfeasance proved experiential, steeling his political resolve. His determination proved
impregnable and providence nodded the third time around. Bodden does not fail to recall his political missteps as a member of the Legislative Assembly, including resurrecting a political rival to join his team. He was knee-deep in politics’ murky waters, while addressing the demands of a divisive society saddled by a ‘revolution of high expectations.’ We peer into the culture of Caymanian politics: the dissolution of parties, unholy alliances, the Machiavellian ploys of political actors, the dubious affinity to the British Crown, ‘the lack of an accepted national identity,’ and the ongoing fight for equitable labour laws. ‘From Guard House to Glass House’ is arrantly personal and authentic, a mustread in the field of governance and nation-building. Written with uncompromising drive, Bodden’s patriotism bleeds through. “No amount of pressure and no lure of greener pastures would seduce me from my committed goals,” he pens. Even Bodden’s fiercest opponents would agree that his footprint in Caymanian history is ineffaceable. Book: From Guard House to the Glass House - One Man’s Journey through the Maze of Caymanian Politics by J.A. Roy Bodden F e e d b a c k : glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston www.ianrandlepublishers.com ISBN: 978-976-637-969-8 Available at Amazon Ratings: Essential
Tower Poolside to host ... From page 48 variety of other beverages. This highly anticipated event is being done by 6Vibes which is an entertainment, Visual production, Management and Marketing and Live Streaming company operated by Jermine ‘Adept’ Hodge & Kareem ‘King’ Thomas. The promoters have done events both in the United States and Guyana and some of the events in Guyana Included silent headphone party, Boss Lady Fri at club Privilege which was a weekly event, Colors Ignite which is a annual event that started last year at District and a few others that were done as collaborations. For U.S the team held its annual Spring Fest which fea-
tured love and hip Star Safaree in 2018, All Black Eclipse, N.Y.E Gala, All white and Glow party among several others. Some of the Featured Entertainers are Guyana’s top Deejays including DJ Energy, Gully Ras, Diamond, Mix Master Tony, Seen Up and Akemo. The event is sponsored by, Gt Shop, Fireside Grill and Chill, Latoya House of Fashion, Luxe Walk in Closet, District Ultra Lounge, Star Party Rental and Cloud 9 stage and l i g h t i n g Early bird Tickets $2000, available at: Gtshop (71 Winter Place Between Croal and Brickdam), Latoya house of fashion (51 Albert and Rob Street Bourda) and Fireside Grill n Chill (139 Garnette Street Newtown Kitty).
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Sunday May 05, 2019
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Kaieteur News
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
BUY YOUR CHANNA, PEAS AND RICE IN GRAMS AND KILOGRAMS The Metric System, which is the legal system of measurement in Guyana, conforms to the Standard International (SI) units, including the kilogram that is used to measure mass. Channa, peas and rice are solid food products and should be weighed, not measured. Therefore, consumers are encouraged not to request these products in pints and gallons. They are not liquids. For too long, purchasers and buyers have not been getting this measuring practice right. Retail trade of these products in imperial measurements (pints and gallons) is still very prevalent in the marketplace; even though retailers buy these items in 45 kg bags (by weight). It is believe that only in Guyana this occurs. Ve n d o r s and shopkeepers who engage in the practice of selling solid commodities by volume (liquid measure) need to follow in the steps of most of our supermarkets and sell such products by weight (grams and kilograms). Consumers on the other hand, need to demand that such goods be sold to them in the
correct manner. To ensure that both consumers and retailers understand how to use the international system of units, let us look at the unit used for measuring mass commonly referred to as weight. The SI base unit for measuring mass is the Kilogram. When the Kilogram is divided by 1000, the result is 1 gram and when the Kilogram is multiplied by 1000, the result is 1 metric tonne. The units of Mass (Weight) For everyday transactions especially in the conduct of commerce, there are four commonly used units namely, the milligram, gram, kilogram and tonne. Milligram (mg) - This unit is used for measuring very small amounts of substances for example, ingredients in medicines or drugs and some ingredients in recipes. It is the equivalent of 1 gram divided by 1000. Gram (g) - The gram is used for measuring intermediate amounts. For example, 100 grams of butter, 250 grams of cheese, 500
grams of peas, sugar, flour, etc. Kilogram (kg) - The Kilogram is used for measuring larger amounts. For example, 1 kilogram of potatoes, 10 kilogram of bananas, 25 kilogram of rice, etc. One kilogram is equivalent to two pounds, three ounces. Tonne (t) - This unit is used for measuring very large amounts, for example, truckloads of sand or stone, bulk sugar or rice. Remember! 1000 milligrams (mg) equal 1 gram (g) 1000 grams (g) equal 1 kilogram (kg) 1000 kilograms (kg) equal one tonne (t) Consumers, you are urged to start requesting solid goods such as rice, peas, onions and potatoes in grams and kilograms. The Kilogram should also be used to weigh solid hardware items such as nails, putty and glues that are sold by weight.
These goods can be easily and accurately weighed on verified metric scales used in the market place. Wholesalers and retailers have a significant role to play
by packaging and selling their solid goods in metric quantities. Advertise your goods and prepare and display pricelists in SI quantities.
For further information, please contact the GNBS on Tel: 219-0062, 219-0065, 219-0066, 219-0069 or visit the GNBS Website: www.gnbsgy.org
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Enmore Village:
FOCUS By Alex Wayne
I
they competed verbally to cart off their items to shoppers. Traffic brought the bus to a slow crawl in this area, and calls of “Come get yuh fresh celery, and tomatoes, cheap and sweet..” filled the air. In some areas old ladies sat on beverage cases, shouting, “Come get yuh fresh pick mangoes, cherry and guava”, their apron pockets billowing with dollar bills from their morning sales. It was a smooth ride after then and I took in my fill of children prancing mirthfully on the road parapets, or young men lounging along the streets, in the villages of Melanie Damishana, Paradise, and Buxton. The bus conductor was kind enough to enquire of my destination, and with a smile directed me to a taxi service when I told him of my reason for travelling.
a picturesque alcove where the races unite in merriment
will take you wherever you want to go…” He particularly engaged me in conversation about the livelihood of villagers, and even explained the new jobs villagers had embarked on now that the Enmore Sugar Estate has been closed. He took me to the very centre of the village and after wishing me success on my exploits, again assured me that my visit would be an intriguing one. With my plan well mapped out as in whom I was going to speak to, I approached the beaming and very merry Rohani Gobin, a 62-year-old
approached the East Coast Bus Park with mixed feelings as I did not have much of an insight into the making of the village which I was visiting. Naturally I did a little sleuthing of my own at the bus park trying to at least assess the inhabitants there, to be able to formulate my interview strategies, for maximum success. I was heading for Enmore Village, East Coast Demerara. Enmore is a village in the Demerara-Mahaica region along the coastal belt of Guyana. It is about two square miles (5.1 km2) in size and has a multi-ethnic population of about 8,000. There are large concentrations of IndoGuyanese. Enmore is known for the Enmore Martyrs, who were slain during a 1948 labour dispute in the village. Touching union Well, when I was done of the races talking to a few mature Any fears of the people at the bus parks, I felt a little discouraged with the reception I would receive in stories I heard. But my Enmore were quelled the philosophy has always been minute I encountered the to never judge a book by its first villager. He was the c o v e r . A n d m y pleasant and smiling Mohan grandmother's favourite Ragnauth, a taxi driver who quote kept ringing in my put me at ease, quietly enquiring where I was ears. “Alex, never listen to the headed. We had a brief tales of others; they are often c o n v e r s a t i o n a n d h e overrated. Go and see fuh mouthed, “Hop in partnah, I yuhself if yuh want tuh know de truth about Vegetable and ground provision vendor anything.” Goordat Bhagwandin proudly displays So I boarded a minibus headed to Victoria Village some of the largest eddoes my eyes had seen. (a few miles past Enmore) and lay back in the seat musing on what angle my interviews will take with villagers. The bus ride this time was smooth and comfy and I enjoyed the almost harsh feel of the crisp Atlantic breeze as the bus sped along the breezy East Coast Demerara Highway. I was particularly pleased at the sight of extensive works being done on the public road in some areas. The sight of roadside vendors trading their items at the roadside Mon Repos Market brought a smile to my lips. I chuckled softly at their Creole style wailings as
The historical Enmore Martyrs Monument
Vegetable vendor Rohani Gobin operates a very thriving business by the roadside
vegetables vendor who was very eager to engage me in a buddy-like chit chat. There was a man hovering attentively over her shoulders, so naturally I enquired if he was her husband. She threw back her head and replied amidst giggles, “Me?... He nah meh husband. He is just a good friend who does keep me company when meh come tuh sell. Me nah able wid ah man stress right now. Me had meh time of that and it send up me blood pressure. I good just how me deh…and me happy and comfortable just suh” As our conversation continued she revealed that
most of the villagers were employed at the Enmore Sugar Estate, while some did farming and shop keeping. She did mention however that some villagers were employed in administrative offices at other locations. “In years gone by, Enmore was a very busy and e x c i t i n g p l ac e , w h e r e everybody could ah find a job. When the estate close down last year, it was bare confusion. I feel sorry fuh all them workers who used tuh depend on work at the estate fuh earn ah living. It was very sad because people had plenty mouth fuh feed, and the li'l money workers receive as pay off done out in no time. “That's why some people had to start back farming, and many people start fuh buy and sell ground provision and greens (vegetables) just like me. Of course dem farmers start mek money from them crops and suh on, but this estate really use to help we out a lot. “People from this village nah really like work in de city, but in many cases dem ain't get a choice and had to settle fuh other jobs elsewhere.” Rohani has been trading items from her roadside stall for over twenty years and her little joint looked quite attractive with an array of peppers, bora, ochroes, (continued on page 59)
Sunday May 05, 2019 From page 58 tomatoes, and many other vegetables. Her plants were rather large, and she jokingly referred to them as 'country specials'. She purchases her items from the Stabroek and Bourda Market on wholesale basis and then retail them in the village. When asked if her efforts were profitable, she threw back her head and laughed loudly before replying, “If it nah bein ah pay me, yuh think me would ah sit down here every day? Yes me does mek money.” The 'ethnic mix' in this village was quite electrifying…I saw people of all races chatting cheerily in the grocery stores. The same was the case with the elderly longing in the rum shops. It was quite surprising to find popular countryside comedian, John “Johnny' Fowler, getting high over a small bottle of High Wine at a roadside rum shop at such an early hour in the morning. He was surrounded by a few other elderly men having either brown rum or vodka. Their eyes lit up with interest when he bellowed that I was an old friend from the media. There was just one table where four men were seated and from the look of things there were not favorites amongst the people in the village. They began in slurring voices to say foul things about the media, and almost immediately the female shopkeeper and most of the drinkers there turned on them like hot potatoes. I did not wait to see the outcome, but instead crossed the street to talk to food vendor Ashton Clarke. And my, oh my, he was vain indeed. He kept fretting for a long time about forgetting his chef cap at home. He particularly instructed that I wait till the customers eased off so he can wash his face and comb his hair before sitting before the cameras. I thought to myself that these country people were certainly not easy to deal with. All around his customers were licking their fingers, and making exclamations of satisfaction as they dug into his home styled Creole dishes. Ashton has been selling in the village for over twelve years, and everyone seems to gather at his stall at lunchtime.. “I have been selling here for over twelve years. And business just keeps getting better and better. Everyone live as one in this village. There is no separation of the races, and they have been coming here like a swarm of bees every day to enjoy my cooking. “The young boys love my mauby and fruit juices, and they just can't resist my
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Kaieteur News roti and curry, or my fried rice and chowmein.” As he chatted, the customers supported his claims with nods, and thumps up signs. Others said, “This food real good, this good just proppah”. As I walked around it was an appealing sight to see school children walking down the streets, in excited conversations. Housewives shied away from the camera with peals of laughter, while a few saucy ones stood their ground dictating, “Girl like aluh stupid or what? Is only one time yuh does get the opportunity fuh
village takes its name from the sugar estate which was made famous by the Enmore Martyrs, the five sugar workers who were shot dead by the colonial police in 1948 during the struggle to improve their working and living conditions. He said that after the establishment of the Labour Welfare Fund, 800 sugar workers living on the estate at that time were granted a loan of $500 which they used to start building homes. Villagers of the new area started
Roadside food vendor Ashton Clarke, provides tasty Creole dishes to villagers
Manisha Baksh (left) and Renika Kumkarran were more than ready for the cameras when I visited the Narine's Health Care Pharmacy.
become a star. You ain't know if the man gon ever come back here. Fix yuhself and tek out de photo yeah…” Ve g e t a b l e v e n d o r Goordat Bhagwandin was extremely pleasant to me, rushing about to make room for me to sit at his stall which was close to the Police Outpost there. We had hardly started talking when the skies darkened and heavy rains came down. He practically surprised me, but grabbing an umbrella and sheltering me, took me to his minibus parked a few rods away so that I could have placed my camera and cell phone inside his vehicle to protect them from the rain. And he for sure was selling some of the biggest eddoes and cassava my eyes have ever seen. This man certainly knew his onions. He said that he was the best history student during his school days. He provided deep insight with regards to the makings of the village, which coincided almost accurately which compared with information in Google.com. History of the Village Bhagwandin's tale of Enmore informed that Enmore was known during the 19th Century as Plantation Enmore. He said that there were sugarcane fields to the south of the village and that the
as African and Chinese populated the village, a slight variety was added. The villages soon became a rich fusion of varying ethnicities. While in times gone by the traditional dialect w ould have seen persons using slangs like “maa”, “pita”, “chacha”, “chachee”, “didi”, and “bhai”, but not much of that remains today. Enmore is a very civilized and very sophisticated village now, with the villagers being able to obtain their needs from shops and other businesses within the settlement.
Bicycle is still a popular form of transport around the village.
cultivating fruit and vegetables as a main source of livelihood. “Enmore, in the 19th Century, was primarily a cotton and sugar plantation, owned by Henry Porter. The estate became a community some time in the late 1940s or early 1950s when villagers were granted plots of land. These plots of land were an upgrade from the primitive logies (mud huts) of the old village, which bunched together. The village is wellknown for the Enmore martyrs incident, which marked the turning point in industrial relations within the sugar industry and heralded the improvement of working conditions”. “In the 1950s, Enmore
conti nued to develop significantly and its population almost doubled. In 1964, political s trife between the races emerged, and Government and economy almost came to a standstill. This of course had resulted in some segregation, but over the years this has been significantly repaired, and the bond between the races in present day is very touching”. In 1970, a community centre was added under the control of Bookers' Sugar Estate and soon after, community leaders were permitted control of the centre. As stated by Bhagwandin in the early years of evolvement the culture of Enmore resembled very much that of India, but
Life on the plantations was very crucial in the older days. Logies (small huts made of wood, with mud floors and zinc roof) were popular features. The logies were divided into rooms and each room was given to a family many of who could not afford beds and had to sleep on the floor. In those days, villagers used the pit latrines and there were no bathrooms for bathing. Cooking was done on fir e s i d e s; water for household use was fetched f r o m n e a r b y t re n c h e s through which sugar cane punts were channeled. Today things have changed greatly and Enmore can certainly hold its own against any other rapidly developing village in Guyana. Today Enmore has a
polyclinic, estate dispensary and two pharmacies. There are also quite a few mosques mandirs and churches. There are at least three nursery schools, two primary, and two private schools as well in the village. Villagers enjoy bakeries, hardware stores, restaurants and beverage distribution outlets. The only thing missing is the sugar estate which was closed in early 2018. Historical Features (Enmore Martyrs Monument) As history would have it, the Enmore Martyrs Monument was designed by Dennis Williams, which was erected by Zenith Industrial and Construction Co-operative Society at a cost of $10,000. It was unveiled by the then Prime Minister, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham on June 16, 1977 on the occasion of the 29th Anniversary of the death of the five martyrs. Just after sunrise on the morning of June 16, 1948, five sugar workers were brutally shot to death at Enmore Estate in Guyana as they were demonstrating for better working conditions, fair wages, and for the recognition of a Trade Union of their choice. The monument stands raised on a concrete base six feet high with five repetitive verticals each adorned with brass symbols reminiscent of cutlasses and inscribed with the names of the five martyrs. There is also a plaque designed by Guyanese artist Stanley Greaves, cast by BACIF (Brass Aluminium and Cast Iron Foundry). The five Enmore Martyrs, Ram b a r r a n , L a l l a / k a Pooran, Lallabagie Kissoon, Surujballi a/ka Dookie and Harry – lost their lives fighting for their rights and the rights of others. Join us next week readers when we take a ride to wide open pastures and sand dunes of Belladrum village, West Coast of Berbice.
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
LAND FOR SALE
SERVICES
FOR SALE
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
House lot for sale.27 Hill St Albouystown.Contact#2258916.
Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisement, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. I N S TA L L AT I O N S , REPAIRS AND PARTS FOR AC, FRIDGE, WASHING MACHINE, STOVE ETC. CALL NICK 627-3206, 630-1600
Porcelain tiles. Huge reduction. 12x12, 12x24, 10x14, 24x24, 716 & 3/8 thickness.Tel 695-4785/643-1000/265-3541. HOWO TRUCKS & ALL H E A V Y D U T Y MACHINERIES, BOTH NEW &USEDFOR SALE. CONTACT 669-9295, 5023408. 7300 john Deeree combine (2000 hrs), Fiatagri L413 combine (2000hrs), Lavarda 132 combine, Massey 399, Massey 290, Fiat 110-90, 20 dish harrow.Tel#695-2220. 1 Pure breed German Shepherd pup black and tan.11 weeks old.Tel#626-0953 or 650-9998.
Eagle’s re-gas AC, Fridge, Washing machine & computer repairs, Gas stove, Plasma flatscreen,Electrical installation & more. Call: 6972969/646-0966
Re-Opened Mrs.Brock Loam Pit. Mixed & Raw Loam available in any amount. Contact Ann 672-0243/ Chucky 617-6260.
Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158
Enclosed Canter Hino Dutro 2006.EngineN04C (Turbo).Price$3.1M (negotiable). Contact: 6013963.
Seegobin construction from rough to finish. Specialize in house construction, swimming pools, fences and concrete textures. Tel# 6939327 Design a Website for your Business that can be viewed on any device.Contact Computing Core@600-1096. TO LET 1 Bedroom apt for working couple/single person $35,000 monthly. Light & water included. Lodge. Call 623-0076
FOR RENT
VACANCY
WANTED
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Industrial Sales Representative, 5 Subject CXC Age 25+ Experience in Sales, must own vehicle, email r e s u m e : vacancy@josarltd.com
1 room available for a working class female/ Student. Tel#227-2321.
New one bedroom Apartment for rent.Meadowbrook Gardens.Rent $45K.Contact Lennox at 233-2306.
Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, age 2545, Car/Van licence.Call 6429823.
Furnished two bedroom bottom flat for overseas visitors.619-2575.
Vacancy for Experienced lorry/ tractor driver.Apply at Alabama Trading.65 Robb street Bourda.
4 used BF Goodrich mud terrain LT 265/70R17 tyres. Plus 1 spare tyre free: $80,000 neg.639-9345/630-3750.
Vacancy for porters. Apply at Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street Bourda.
1 Bedroom apartment furnished, Secured in Lyng Str Charlestown.Call 8AM to 8PM. 625-0266/225-1418/6011585. One Apartment to rent in Charity.Contact#654-7162/ 687-5814. Two bedroom top flat, parking & overhead water tank $45,000.Contact#612-8380. One apartment for rent. At Mon Repos First street E.C.D Tel: 220-7330, 602-4105 Apartment for Rent E.C.D.Tel #675-1510/613-7964. 2 Bedroom and one bedroom Apt Better hope E.C.D. Contact#627-9685. Upper flat 2 story building perfect for business, Barr St Kitty. Contact Ray’s Realty # 627-9685
Toyota Avensis in Excellent Condition.Well maintained. Call#645-0240/685-0942. Two freezer in working order.(1) Size 78"x25" double door.(2) Size 61"x27" single door.Call 683-9677/676-5844. PROPERTY FOR SALE House for sale, Eccles Housing Scheme. 7 bedrooms, 3 toilets and bathrooms enclosed. $28.5M. Call 642-0391/ 001447587233657. yashardabhola4@gmail.com
Lot 89 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown. Next Office space to let.74 Brickdam door to Mike’s Pharmacy.Land opposite GT&T, 2 Floors fully size- 3431.25 Sq.ft. Phone: 617Air conditioned, Generator, 5323, 666-8052. parking available.Call:226Well kept 3 bedroom home, 6771/226-4537. Melanie ECD. Contact Ray’s Ground and upper Realty #627-9685 floor.Camp St for commercial purpose, Enmore Mall 2 storey building, Broad St E . C . D . C o m m e r c i a l (Business area) Georgetown. spaces.Richard #609-7675/ Contact Ray’s Realty #627674-1705/233-2614. 9685 2 storey concrete property 11 (classey) self contained rooms,BroadSt, Georgetown.Contact Ray’s Realty #627-9685
CAR RENTAL A I D A N ’ S C A R RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAY M E N T, C H E A P RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’sPER DAY- CALL: 656-0087 / 6435122,EMAIL:PRO_ A U T O R E N T A L @YAHOO.COM DOLLYS AUTO RENTAL CALL: 225-7126 & 226-3693 - DOLLYS AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM
Qualified and Competent Auto-Electricians.Call or Whatsapp +1 758-720-9835 for more Information. Labourers for wood concession - $5000 per day, men to burn Charcoals. Call: 618-0487
daily.Labourers semi skilled $4000 daily Vreed-En-Hoop 682-5230/615-4414. LAND FOR SALE
Transported land 11.6 acres. DemBake @ Land of Canaan Lot 15 public road. #2 Village is seeking distributors & W.C.B. Price $18M. Contact experienced drivers & sales 686-4818, 648-7109 agents. Email CV: $5.5M, admin@demerarabakery.com / Herstelling 266-5848 Farm$4.5M, $5.5M, $4.8M Province, Parfaite Harmony Experienced male sales $3.5M, Tuschen Corn lot attendant, stocktaking $1.5M, $3.5M.Call 666-2326. knowledge, computer literate, excellent service attitude, able Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M, bodied.Key Food McDoom Schoonard $3.6M, Dairy Village. $1.8M, Farm $3.5M.Tel#6560701/651-1959. Cleaner (part time).Call:625Uitvlugt-$2.3M neg, Parfaite 0007. Harmony-$2M, Parfaite General Domestic with harmony-$1.7M. Tel#697cooking experience for East 6311. Bank.Call#614-4358. Female cleaner office & home. Age 25-50.Call#642-9823. WANTED Supervisor to work at Xenon Hotel Charity.Contact 2235273/74. Boys & girls to work @ Bonny’s.Apply in person with written application@302 Church street G/ town,Charlestown. Wanted Land to Buy: Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Province, Diamond, Uitvulgt, Tuschen, Farm.Call 666-2326. 1 Couple to work and live in a farm house in Mahaicony River.1 part time domestic.6731131. 2 Waitress.Phone 685-5024/ 327-5923.
Land for sale in canal 1 Polder.3 Rods wide.Price $10,000,000 Negotiable. Contact 661-6000. House lots at Middle Rd, La Penitence G/town and Enterprise. Contact Ray’s Realty #6279685
Food & Beverages handler. House keeping. Tel#2252780/226-4001/623-0611.Call for an Interview.Kanuku Suites Hotel.
Men to work in the interior Nirva Superstore 49 Sherrif & on crusher (Gold Craig str for Cashiers & Mining)Call#223-7165 Supermarket helpers.Apply in person with written 1 Welder, gas welding & arc.Age 18-25.Apply@ 21 application.Tel#227-5771. Broad street, Fat Man Welding 1 Live in Domestic. Salary: shop.223-5595/643-9125. $70,000 per month.Call:678Land Dredge workers to work 0691. in Interior.1 Male cook to work Driver.Must have a sound i n I n t e r i o r . $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 secondary education.For monthly.Tel:629-8280. more information please Female Domestic wanted for call:223-0090. light housekeeping $3000 One Manager to work @ Hotel PurpleHeart.Send Applications/CV’s to email: innovationsamericamng @gmail.com
Eccles $2.5M, Providence $2.8M, Herstelling(2nd bridge) 110ft x 60ft $2.2M, Parfaite Harmonie $800,000, Uitvlugt $1.5M.Tel#6481635. 35 Acre Land, Port Kaituma.Tel#619-5173.
VEHICLE FOR SALE Car King Auto Sales.Nissan Sylphy(Bluebird)2015, 1800CC, low mileage $3.8M.Contact#614-6948. TM 4X4 Truck, Case 680H BackhoeExcellent condition.Call Richard#6097675/674-1705/233-2614. One Honda Wave Motor Cycle.Only 1668 Miles.Price: $225,000 Negotiable.Please Call 661-6000. One Toyota Camry.Price $400,000 Negotiable.Please Call 661-6000. Pick up Truck from Canada extra cab, 2005 Tacoma $1.8M, Ford F150 Sport $1.3M, Ford Ranger sport $1.1M, 682-5230/615-4414. Tractor Massey Ferguson (foreign used) MF165$1.5M, MF135 $1.1M, MF265 $1.8M, MF165 Loader tractor $2.2M Vreed-en-hoop.Call:6825230/615-4414. Car King Auto Sales.Toyota Allion 2012 backup camera, low mileage $3.4M.Contact #:614-6948.
Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS BENEFITS SOCIETY By PAT DIAL In primitive societies, animals of any kind were regarded by human beings as enemies that must be killed or must be made to supplement the food supply. The earliest religious texts all have references of animals being eaten or sacrificed. And even when Pastoral Cultures developed and gradually replaced “Man the Hunter”, the sheep, goats, cows and camels and even cats and dogs were domesticated to be used as food. It was only when the East Asian religions and philosophies developed the understanding that all life was one and an animal’s life and a human life were the same that animals came to be treated in a kindly way. Among the most important of these ancient religions was Buddhism. In Buddhism, the actual physical relationship of Man and animals, and indeed all living beings, was recognized. Vegetarianism came to be promoted as an ideal and in the kingdoms of various Buddhist rulers, hospitals for sick birds and other animals were common. In the West, the concern for animals is a comparatively recent development and this was especially so in the 19th century when having pets, especially dogs, became common. Western Man developed the science of Ecology where the interdependence of all life was recognized. It was recognized that if an animal species were diminished or became extinct, human life would be negatively affected. Putting aside all the theories of Ecology and the Balance of Nature, it is now widely recognized that caring for animals and protecting them is a great civilizing force. When animals are beaten, mistreated or maimed, an insensitivity to suffering develops. It becomes a norm for
weaker human beings, especially women and children, to be abused and mistreated. When children are encouraged to keep pets, they learn how to take care of animals and to have an insight of how all living things are to be treated. Such experiences help children, when they grow into adults, to be more caring for old, sick or neglected persons. Today, there are regular reports of women being mistreated and even killed in domestic abuse incidents or children being abandoned or no care given to them. The perpetrators of such crimes and cruelties are believed never to have kept pets and learnt to have respected and loved other living beings. Guyana has had a long history of slavery and indentureship where harsh punishments and cruelties were institutionalized and people were socialized within that semi-barbarous culture. It is therefore not surprising that even after slavery and indentureship were abolished from Guyanese society, violence to each other still continued. Most of all, little concern was shown to animals. Cart men who owned horses, donkeys and mules and used them as draught animals sadistically beat them with thick ropes; dogs, cats and other smaller domestic animals were fed on table scraps and often went hungry. If such animals fell sick, no veterinary help was given to them. In the early 20th century, some British people who were resident in the colony, extended the culture of care and concern for animals, a culture which existed in England. A branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals (RSPCA) was established and laws against cruelties to animals were legislated. Soon, prosecutions were brought against those who mistreated their draught animals as well as those who mis-
treated their dogs, cats and other domestic animals. This deterrent of the Law together with the gradual change in cultural attitudes, especially among the middle classes, helped to bring Guyana into the modern world in respect of the more humane treatment of animals. The RSPCA, later the GSPCA (Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), offered free veterinary services to animal lovers with pets, provided a home for unwanted or abandoned animals and offered facilities for adoption. For decades the GSPCA has been doing this good work but their activities have been curtailed by lack of funds and the slowing up of the stream of devoted volunteers. To supplement the GSPCA’s work, several private persons, at much sacrifice of their time and resources have been offering free of charge, services of rescuing animals. providing basic veterinary services and even arranging for adoptions. Among the most prominent and long-serving of such persons is Ms Syedah Manbodh whose name and work has become legendary, It was therefore welcome and refreshing news which came out at the beginning of April of the launch of a new organization, “Paws for a Cause”. This is focused on rescuing abandoned or abused animals, arranging veterinary assistance, doing educational work in the schools, providing temporary homes and arranging adoptions. The founders and main driving force behind the new organization are three charming young ladies - Steffi DeNobrega, Marcia Tucker and Shari Da Silva. They need support of volunteers and donations to keep their good work going and expanding. This column will carry a fuller report on “Paws for a Cause”.
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Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 05, 2019
HAPPY ARRIVAL DAY Today, Kaieteur News joins the nation to celebrate another Arrival Day. Here are messages from other organizations to mark this notable day.
PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY PEOPLE’S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM T h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend greetings to all Guyanese, home and abroad, on the occasion of Arrival Day. May 5th, the designated day, is of much significance in commemorating the arrival of our ancestors who came to these shores from various parts of the world. They braved the dark seas during their grueling journey here, at different points of our history, and laboured to make this land their home. Despite the hardships faced, they were resolute in their endeavours to preserve their cultural traditions and values which have shaped
our lives. Their selfless sacrifices in that regard led to the creation of the rich and colourful mosaic which encompasses our multifaceted nation. This diversity has become our strength as we share and participate in the various festivals that have come to identify us as a people. May 5th also marks the arrival of our Indo-Guyanese ancestors beginning in 1838. Across our country there will be many activities to commemorate this event and others that have come to signify Arrival Day. Our Party also takes this opportunity to commend all
those who have worked steadfastly over the years and who continue to do so in the promotion of activities designed to foster and preserve our history, values and cultural traditions which have become shared; demonstrative of the strength in our diversity. As we participate, our Party urges reflection on the valiant efforts of all of our fore-parents so that we can continue to be inspired and to better contextualize the value of our gains. This will ensure that we remain determined to build upon our gains and that our country remains a place for all of its sons and daughters. Happy Arrival Day to all!
INDIAN ACTION COMMITTEE The Indian Action Committee (IAC) wishes all Guyanese a Happy Arrival Day, and, especially, calls upon all citizens to remember the 181st Anniversary of the Arrival of East Indians to Guyana. The IAC, an organization which promotes and preserves Indian culture and deals with the issues and concerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin, over the years has provided Guyanese with historical information regarding the arrival of just over 239,000 Indian immigrants who came to this country aboard 245 Coolie Ships which made a total of 534 voyages across the Kaalaa Paanii between 1838 and 1917. The IAC also has clarified and corrected statistical errors pertaining to the arrival of the first two Coolie Ships, the WHITBY and the HESPERUS which, between them landed a total of 423 persons including 382indentured males, 14indentured females, 21 children and 6 Christian Anglo- Indian interpreter/ superintendents. The IAC, as the organization has done over the years continues to recognize the endeavours by these Indian immigrants and their descendants, the persons of IndoGuyanese origin, to develop this country. The IAC, which has recognized important contributions by giving awards to persons from Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo, is aware that tens of thousands of East Indians have made valuable efforts in all fields of human activity in this country including business and commerce; banking and finance; the sugar and rice industries; coconuts and other crops; fishery and livestock; mining and quarrying; forestry and sawmilling; education and academia; medicine and law; journalism and communications; accounting and insurance; private and national security; the hospitality and aviation sectors; the alcohol and beverage industries; sport and entertainment; culture and religion; and politics and governance. As all Guyanese share in this commemoration, the IAC is cognizant of the sharp downturn in Guyana’s economy over the past few years, evidence being the
steadily declining economic growth rate and the worrying fact that the country’s Foreign Currency reserves have dropped about US$400 Million since 2009; and in combination with global economic events, hardships have fallen upon the poor class of Guyanese especially those dislocated in the sugar industry and those in the rice industry that are currently threatened by a major paddy bug infestation. The IAC is saddened by the surge in criminal activities in recent years and is shocked and horrified, at the almost daily attacks on persons of Indo-Guyanese origin who are being brutalized, traumatized, robbed, and murdered even though the Minister of Public Security a few days ago stated that the country is safe. The IAC is extremely concerned that, following the No Confidence Motion of December 2018, the country has become dangerously polarized both politically and ethnically resulting in a tremendous rise in anxiety among the Indo-Guyanese population which historically has been continually victimized. The IAC is of the opinion that the concept of social cohesion as espoused by the Coalition Government is not working in Guyana even though large amounts of tax payer monies have been wasted behind this failed policy. The IAC is appalled that the Indian Immigration Monument, which was originally conceptualized by the organization in 2003 and approved by the previous administration with valuable inputs from the IAC, had its initial design and concomitant symbolism unilaterally disposed of; and hijacked by elements which do not have the wellbeing of the Indo-Guyanese at heart. The IAC wishes to remind all Guyanese that the Indian immigrants arrived in this country almost empty handed, essentially poverty stricken and with a high degree of illiteracy, have bequeathed to this country, descendants who did not remain in that original state but became literate, educated, industrious, wealthy and patriotic. A Happy Arrival Day to all.
On the occasion of the 181st Anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana, the PNCR salutes all Guyanese of East Indian descent and those in the Diaspora who are celebrating this milestone in the nation’s historical calendar. The Party recognizes the valuable contribution that our East Indian brothers and sisters have made to the development of our country and the shaping of the cultural tapestry of this nation. The PNCR,
therefore, salutes all our East Indian brothers and sisters on this special commemorative day. When the PNCR in the 1980’s inaugurated the concept of celebrating the arrival of the respective ethnic groups of this nation the intention was to deepen an understanding of the culture of these groups and so promote greater understanding and racial harmony as tools for nation building. The Party held at all times that such a course of
action was absolutely necessary for welding the nation into a single whole out of the various groups which emigrated here from the various continents of the world. As we reflect on this historical milestone it is the wish of the PNCR that the occasion would be used to indulge ourselves in activities designed at forging and moulding a destiny of racial and cultural cohesion so necessary for building an economically strong and vibrant nation.
GUYANA AGRICULTURAL AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) joins to express to all Guyanese best wishes on the occasion of Arrival Day 2019. The day’s observances are yet another reminder of our rich diversity and the unique multi-cultural composition of our nation. Indeed, it adds to the vibrant tapestry of Guyana where people of different backgrounds can co-exist in harmony and unity as they all seek to improve their lives a goal linked to building our country which will surely augur well for the future generations. The day is generally associated with the arrival of East Indian indentured servants to our country. At this time too, we also recall those other nationalities who toiled to develop our nation and advance its progress under the indentureship scheme as well. History has recorded that over 240,000 East Indians arrived on our shores and nearly 31,000 Portuguese, mainly from the island of Madeira, came to our then colony as well. We also recognize that some 13,000 Chinese made the long journey to then British Guiana as well and we are aware too that the colonialists brought labourers from Malta, Ireland, Germany and England. Arrival Day also reminds us of the reasons for the indentureship system. The then immigrants who replaced the emancipated slaves were made to toil in the fields of the sugar
plantations to enrich the foreign owners of the plantations. Indentured labourers and their families were forced to exist in inhumane and atrocious conditions. And, like their compatriots, they were forced to engage in several struggles, which gave us several martyrs, in order to bring about small improvements and meagre benefits in their lives and work conditions. Today as we celebrate Arrival Day, the GAWU cannot fail to observe that the industry that occasioned our diversity is finding itself in difficult times. We are disheartened to note that the sugar industry, a large source of sustenance for thousands of Guyanese has been significantly minimised. For the workers and their families, the cane farmers, the shop owners, the market vendors, the bus drivers and others, their days are filled with hardship, misery and difficulty. Even worse, is that they have been left to fend for themselves as the powers-that-be have largely ignored their plight. It is disturbing that, at this time, when our nation celebrates a day set aside to
recognize the contributions of the indentured immigrants to our nation, that their heirs along with other fellow workers are forced to contend with harrowing circumstances arising from closure and the intended miniaturization of the sugar industry. It is especially disturbing for the Union that such thoughts were entertained especially when they were unnecessary. Sugar, we reiterate, has all possibilities of success but, among other things, requires the active and material support and confidence of the powers-that-be. As we celebrate Arrival Day, the GAWU urges all Guyanese to spare a moment to reflect on how far as a people we have come, the challenges we overcame, and the successes we have recorded. At this time, when we ought to be looking to reach new and higher plateaus we see concerted efforts that will very likely reverse much of the progress we have made and rightly can take pride in. Let us resist such efforts and get back on the development track. GAWU joins with all Guyana to celebrate Arrival Day.
ETHNIC RELATIONS COMMISSION The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) extends best wishes to all Guyanese on the observance of Arrival Day. This Day, May 5, commemorates the profound historical period of indentureship which began in 1838. We celebrate the enrichment of diversity that
Arrival Day embodies in the shaping of modern Guyana. Arrival Day is most significant for what it represents in the context of the multi-faceted mosaic it created and for which our country is known. Our hodgepodge of (Continued on page 63)
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AT VENEZUELAN PROTEST, OPPOSITION’S FRUSTRATION SHOWS CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — When a protester handed over a written appeal for the military’s support yesterday, a Venezuelan policeman burned the document and let the ashes fall to the ground. The armed forces “won’t be blackmailed or bought,” said a second officer standing nearby. The scene highlights the uphill battle now facing opponents of President Nicolás Maduro who have failed to persuade the country’s security forces to join efforts to oust the leader. The critical role of the Venezuelan military in the country’s crisis was on display yesterday as Maduro tried to portray strength by ensuring that a group of powerful generals maintained their loyalty, while opposition leader Juan Guaidó attempted to woo the armed forces to his side by urging supporters to the streets. National television showed Maduro wearing a camouflage hat as he shook hands and exchanged fist bumps with security forces during a visit to a military base before watching troops engage in a shooting exercise. “Loyal forever,” Maduro bellowed to a crowd of cadets in green uniforms.
Guaidó, meanwhile, told backers to go to military garrisons to persuade forces to turn against Maduro, whose years in office have been marked by escalating hardship for most people in a country that was once one of the wealthiest in Latin America. “The aim is to deliver our message without falling into confrontation or provocation,” Guaidó tweeted. Others broke the line and went forward to hand over printed documents, saying the military’s role in helping Venezuela emerge from an “unsustainable” situation is vital. Their appeals were printed on presidential letterhead, reflecting Guaidó’s claim to be the country’s rightful leader. Divisions among the protesters were evident as some young men from poor neighbourhoods scoffed at a speaker who insisted that the gathering must be peaceful. Pix – Bumps Caption – In this handout photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro fist bumps with a cadet at the G/J José Laurencio Silva military training centre in the state of Cojedes, Venezuela, yesterday. (Jhonn Zerpa/Miraflores Press Office via AP)
Health Minister warns get vaccinated or no entry to school
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government says it will not allow students who have not been vaccinated against measles to attend school from the new semester begging in September. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said some students who have not been vaccinated were being allowed into the education system due to insufficient checks made by schools.The government said that the ban is in accordance with the Public Health (Nursery Schools and Primary Schools Immunisation) Act Section 3 (1) which states “no person may be admitted into any nursery school or primary school unless he produces to the principal thereof a certificate
of immunisation with respect to every communicable disease.”Deyalsingh said he was putting parents, guardians and school officials on notice that it is the Ministry’s intention to “rigidly apply the law” as it relates to measles, mumps and rubella vaccines (MMRI and II).The Health Minister said while Trinidad and Tobago does not currently have a measles outbreak, the Ministry will embark on a vaccination drive to keep the virus out, as there have been concerns of measles entering Venezuela, Brazil and St Lucia.There is an outbreak of measles in the United States where at least 704 people have been sickened this year by the highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease.
ETHNIC RELATIONS COMMISSION From page 62 multiculturalism was as a result of the untold sacrifices, desires and steadfastness of our ancestors, to practice and preserve their rich and colourful cultural traditions, having come to this land from different parts of the world at different times in our history. In doing so individually through the various ethnic groups, sharing and participation in each other’s, forged our dear nation to become multiethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural. Over time, this rich, beautiful and vibrant diversity has become our strength and the common bond in the process of becoming one people in this our nation working towards a common destiny. While there have been challenges along the way, our Guyanese brothers and sisters have always found ways to foster togetherness through tolerance and respect. This is evident as all participate meaningfully in each other’s festivities which have transcended religious and ethnic boundaries to become truly national in observances. Herein lies the desire of all of our people for harmony and unity to be
strengthened and for it to continue to prevail across this land that is home to all. The ERC therefore wishes to take the opportunity on this occasion to reiterate the need for all to build together upon our gains and to continue robustly the process of fostering unity and harmony. This is imperative in the interest of our nation and all of its people so that our diversity must never be made a tool for division but one that will continue to reflect our strength and bonds of togetherness. May 5 also marks the anniversary of the arrival of our East Indian ancestors who reached these shores on that day in
1838 while two days ago on May 3, Portuguese Arrival Day was observed. The colourful commemorative events across the country will once again serve to bring our people together, allowing opportunities to not only participate, but for the continuation of that important process of educating for a better understanding and appreciation of our cultural traditions. This builds tolerance which is the bedrock of harmony and unity as we strive for one people out of many cultures. Once again happy Arrival Day to all Guyanese here and in the Diaspora.
CCJ denies GECOM’s ...
From page 10 required an absolute majority. Government also argued that the parliamentarian was illegal as he had dual citizenship with Canada.The High Court deemed the vote carried but that Persaud was illegally sitting.The ruling had implications on sitting government and opposition members of parliament (MPs).The Government went to the Court of Appeal where two out of three judges ruled that the vote was not carried. The Court of Appeal agreed that Persaud was illegally sitting, as the Constitution does not allow him to do so while holding on to two passports. The CCJ cases are the appeals and will have widespread implications for the government of the day, no-confidence votes in the National Assembly and the Constitution. The May 9 and May 10 hearings are being closely watched.
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Worst fears confirmed as toddler’s body found The body of a two-yearold girl who went missing last Thursday, was recovered late yesterday afternoon. The body was spotted in the Lower Pomeroon River, Region Two. The girl is believed to have drowned, after she fell from a landing a mere 20 feet from her Charity Squatting area home, Essequibo Coast. Based on reports, the body of two-year-old Zaverha France, was seen floating in the Lower Pomeroon around 16:30 hrs by a passersby. This publication was informed that the body was discovered six miles from where the toddler fell overboard. The badly decomposed body of the child was fished out of the Pomeroon River, and transported to Charity via
Body found: Little Zaverha France boat. The body was then taken to the Suddie Mortuary where it awaits a postmortem examination. This publication was told last Thursday morning, that
the toddler was last seen by her mother Samantha Lane, shortly before she disappeared in a nearby canal around 09:00 hrs. Family members told Kaieteur News last Thursday afternoon that the mother had just taken off the child’s clothes, and was about to give her a bath. Based on additional information, a young boy within the community saw when the two-year-old fell into the canal. Just ten minutes following to her disappearance, a search party comprising community members went in search of the missing child. Community members reportedly dived through the canal, which leads to the Pomeroon River, in hope of recovering the child’s body.
Govt. engages ‘corrupt’ Petrobras to help... (From page 20) 2014. The name was chosen because the alleged masterminds of the scheme used a currency exchange and money transfer service at the Posto da Torre (Tower Gas Station) and lava jato (car wash) in Brasília to move illicit payments. At least eleven other countries, mostly in Latin America, were involved, and the Brazilian company, Odebrecht, was deeply implicated. Initially a money laundering investigation, Operation Car Wash expanded to cover allegations of corruption at Petrobras where executives allegedly accepted bribes in return for awarding contracts to construction firms at inflated prices.
Petrobras delayed reporting its annual financial results for 2014, but in April 2015, it released “audited financial statements” showing US$2.1 billion in bribes and a total of almost US$17 billion in writedowns due to overvalued assets.The corruption scandal grew in part because it challenged the impunity of politicians and business leaders that had prevailed until then. Structural corruption in the political and economic system, no longer tolerated or accepted, was being investigated and resulted in some criminal charges. In fact, ?93 officials were convicted including seemingly untouchable politicians like former presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. According to BBC,
Petrobras has since agreed to pay more than US$853M to the US and Brazil ending the long-running corruption investigation into the matter. (See link for more details: https://www.nytimes.com/ 2018/01/03/business/ dealbook/brazil-petrobrascorruption-scandal.html)
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Cops probe property dispute, several leads in murder of former NIS official The home of the pensioner.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Godfrey Branch, 73, the re-migrant Guyanese whose body was found face up in his house wearing pants and rain boots with five stab wounds, have left relatives baffled. But investigators tasked with cracking the case are exploring several theories that may have led to the grisly killing of the old man who lived alone. This publication understands that Branch had an ongoing land dispute with a neighbour who was claiming ownership of his piece of land. It is unclear whether that matter is connected to his death but the Divisional Commander, Paul Langevine, has confirmed that they are also in receipt of that information and is exploring it expeditiously. The police are also investigating the man’s death as murder that occurred during the course of a robbery since cash was stolen from his home. Langevine, however, stated that he is not aware of the amount that was stolen. Branch’s home was strapped with surveillance cameras and a sign on the house that said no-trespassing. The DVR with the CCTV footage was also removed. He recently had his attorney draft a lawyer’s letter for someone who trespassed on his property. Meanwhile, the three persons that were arrested on Friday, remain in police custody as police continue to investigate. Reports suggest that the man was discovered dead by his caretaker (a female family friend) around 9:00 am yesterday. Persons said he was found face up with his rain boots still
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Kaieteur News
Murdered: Godfrey Branch attached to his feet. His feet were tied together at the ankle and Kaieteur News was told the home was ransacked. The female caretaker identified as a detective’s wife has told investigators that she left the pensioner alive at home around 9.15 pm on Thursday and when she returned the following day around 09:15 am the man was already dead inside his house. She said, after she saw the house door was still opened, she jumped the fence and entered the house where she saw the deceased on the floor with stab wounds. Branch was said to be a former senior official of the Berbice branch of the National Insurance Scheme.
PPP hires US lobbying firm for Russia-style... (From page 18) Cambridge Analytica directors, Facebook executives and dozens of expert witnesses were conducted, to compile a report which found that information was used “to profile and target them with political messages and misinformation, without their knowledge or consent.” That investigation was prompted by reports made by Cadwalladr in The Observer, from the account of a whistleblower who worked as a research director at Cambridge Analytica, Christopher Wylie. Wylie leaked information about the firm’s use of the personal data of millions of people. Damian Collins, the MP who led a British parliamentary investigation into online disinformation, told CNN last year that a British investigation found evidence that the data had been accessed from Russia and other countries. It is alleged that the information was used to target US voters during Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign, while a whistleblower has claimed the firm had links to pro-Brexit campaigners. Cadwalladr wrote and did a TED talk last month, called “Social media is a threat to democracy”. She has written about how the data that was harvested was used during the US election campaign and BREXIT election season to spread misinformation and fearmongering to the electorate. Mercury has been implicated in a scheme to hide that alleged foreign influence peddling in the American 2016 elections. Mercury has also been described in the US me-
dia as being the “go-to lobbying shop for clients looking to get in the administration’s good graces.” During his press conference, Kaieteur News had challenged Jagdeo to say how his party could express the desire to have “free and fair elections” but still hire a firm that was part of a plot to do the opposite in America. Jagdeo had disclosed that he is aware of the negative reports on the firm, but his main concern is that it is bipartisan and that it is effective in getting the party’s message to the leaders of the US Government. The PPP has paid the company US$150,000 thus far for its services in this regard, he said. He said that the contract will be reviewed before it is renewed. According to two news sites, the Associated Press (AP) and The Hill, prosecutors with the US Justice Department have been interviewing witnesses about the Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs, the AP reported. The probe stems from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election. The Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs came under scrutiny for their work to benefit a pro-Russia party in Ukraine. They were accused in the grand jury indictment of being paid millions of dollars through offshore bank accounts set up by Manafort and Gates. The firms didn’t register the lobbyists doing work for Ukraine as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Reg-
istration Act while doing that lobbying. The firms have since registered lobbyists under the act, according to the AP, and said they relied on outside counsel in making their decisions. Mercury spokesman, Michael McKeon, told the AP that the firm has “always welcomed any inquiry since we acted appropriately at every step of the process, including hiring a top lawyer in Washington and following his advice.” “We’ll continue to cooperate as we have previously,” he added. Ramjattan said that the alleged issues of interference by such firms in elections indicate bad news for Guyana’s democracy. He said that misinformation will be spread on social media, similar to misinformation that Cadwalladr wrote about. In her TED talk, she had talked about British voters being deceived by the “lie that Turkey was going to join the EU, accompanied by the suggestion that its population of 76 million people would promptly emigrate to current member states.” “We would not see the advertisements on Facebook,” said Ramjattan. He said he worries that similar racially charged campaigns may be used by the PPP during the next election season.”So he is going to get that sliver of voters whom he feels are persuadables, and direct personalised ads to them that we will not see so we can’t counter. And these ads are going to be brutally racial ads and all manner of things he plans to do. That is what Mercury is a boss for.”
Sunday May 05, 2019
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UG Celebrates 10 years of online service
O
n April 19, the Uni versity of Guyana (UG) celebrated 10 years of offering online services through the Student Records Management System (SRMS) which opened for online applications in 2009. Vice Chancellor and Principal of the university, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, has described this accomplishment as a “notable milestone.” Professor Griffith said, “Anniversaries are always opportunities to reflect and give appreciation, and a tenth anniversary is an even more notable milestone, especially for something as institutionally significant and impactful as the SRMS. “Thus, allow me to take this opportunity to record my enormous thanks to the Software Services team, both for creating this enterprise mechanism and for maintaining and enhancing it over the years. I trust that our efforts to move to an industry enterprise soon will begin to bear fruit, and that we shall be celebrating the launch of Ellucian Banner before too long.” Dr. Theodosius Velloza, Deputy Registrar, said that without SRMS a student had to visit his office to air their concern. He said that he would listen and ask the student to return because he wants to peruse his/her academic records. Thereafter, he would ask the student to return to conclude the matter. He pointed out that, “A passage of time no less than 24 hours has elapsed.” However, with SRMS, he said, “I go online, and retrieve the student’s record electronically, while the student is in my office. I peruse the record and deal with the matter im-
mediately. A passage of time no more than 15 minutes has elapsed!” The Deputy Registrar further said that this transformational relationship between the university and its clientele was only possible with the advent of the SRMS. He added that online applications are available for admission and transcripts can be done from the comfort of the home or office. Students are notified via email when grades are available, financial standing can be viewed and monitored by administrative Heads and clients online, and alumni can track the progress of their transcript applications, Velloza added. “Internal transfer of physical files has been minimized. Staff in the Faculty and the Registry can view the same record simultaneously. Indeed, we have progressed greatly with the SRMS, and we will continue to offer better service to our students as the SRMS improves.” Meanwhile, the Staff, Department of Software Services
at the University had this to say, “SRMS has been designed and developed using Free and Open Source Software by the staff from Department of Software Services. Our team is conscious of the fact that SRMS has to be more student-friendly, easy to use and there is so much scope for improvements. It’s a work in progress. We are happy to be of service to you.” Prior to the launch of SRMS, prospective students, current students and alumni had to make their applications on paper for various student services. After the launch of SRMS, many features like Registration for courses, Leave of Absence, Change of Registration, Exemptions, Transfers, Programme Withdrawals, Transcript Applications, Payment Options, etc. were added in a phased manner. ‘The University of Guyana was established in April 1963. It began its operations in October of the same year with a batch of 164 students in temporary premises loaned from
Queen’s College in Georgetown. It now has campuses at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown and Tain, Berbice. It offers certificate, diploma, associate degree, undergraduate degree, graduate (post-graduate) degree, and professional degree programmes. These programmes are delivered through seven Faculties and one School, each of which is
headed by a Dean. These include the faculty Agriculture and Forestry; Earth and Environmental Studies; Education and Humanities; Engineering and Technology; Health Sciences; Natural Sciences; and Social Sciences, and the school of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation. The institution also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating, sports, and cultural, religious
and professional activities. In 2017, the university recorded an enrollment of some 8,000 students. More than 20,000 students have graduated and have gone on to successful careers locally, regionally and internationally in all professional fields of endeavour. The university is a major contributor to the public and private sectors and to the national economy.
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Sunday May 05, 2019
Corruption XI, Friends XI record victories in Rafman Ali softball Corruption XI and Friends XI recorded victories when play in the Rafman Ali 15-over softball competition continued recently at Success, East Coast Demerara. Corruption took first strike and posted 277-2 against Accomplishment. D. Ramroop scored 132 not out, while B. Boodhram made 97. Accomplishment were bowled out for 73 in 10 overs in reply. S. Scott made 34 as N. Ramdial bagged 5-16 and Kelvin Olford 3-15. U p To p B o s s b a t t e d first and got to 186-5 with Nick (only name given) and
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Pooran (only name given) made 74 and 50 in that o r d e r. B . B o o d h r a m captured 2-10. Corruption XI responded with 187-5 in 13.3 overs. D. Ramroop scored 66 and S. Budhan 39. Friends XI posted 2176, taking first knock. S. Zambia led with 66, while D. Deosarran made 57. Up To p B o s s w e r e s e n t packing for 82 in 10 overs in response. G. Baljit snared 3-3 and S. Felix 2-18. Friends XI rattled up 234-5, taking first strike. L. Chinapen struck 93 while D. Deosarran made 77. Accomplishment were
bowled out for 62 in eight overs. G. Singh bagged 519. Line Top gained walk over from Mon Repos. The competition continues today. Cliff XI will face Line Top, Corrupt XI will play Mon Repos, Accomplishment will take on Cliff XI and Corrupt XI will play Friends XI. The competition is being sponsored by Harriram Furniture Shop, Shatter Max, Tony of Archie bar, Boy Mechanic Shop, Adi Electrical, Rameez Electrical, Rajesh Mechanic S h o p , Durban Quarry and Regal Stationery and Computer Centre.
Sunday May 05, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A current or potential romantic partner might seem like the most perfect, wonderful person in the world to you. Your romantic nature could get the better of you today.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) - Have you been exercising too rigorously lately, Libra? If so, you might feel some little aches and pains. Stay off your feet for most of the day. When you exercise, concentrate on stretching.
TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) You might not be able to concentrate on your work today, Taurus. Your head may be in the clouds and your eye for detail could fail you somewhat.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The feeling that someone is coming to visit you might be with you throughout the day, Scorpio. Your intuition is probably right.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Are you an artist, writer, or musician, Gemini? If so, your work may take on a more symbolic or impressionistic tone. Today you're probably more interested in conveying feelings and impressions than details. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Innovative art forms might seem especially appealing today, Cancer. Stay out of gallery shops unless you're prepared to take home a carload of merchandise. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Do you believe in ghosts? Some strange phone calls, emails, or other communications may come your way today VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) An unexpected sum of money could come your way today. It probably won't be large, but it will be welcome nonetheless. Perhaps someone has owed you money for a long time and finally repays it.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Are all of your friends into astrology, divine science, or spiritual matters, Sagittarius? It might seem like most of them are today, anyway. You may have many new friends in those fields. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) A love partner may host a social event or meeting of some kind. It might be interesting to get acquainted with friends of your mate you haven't yet met. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Are you contemplating a trip, perhaps to a place you've always dreamed of visiting? If you're in doubt as to whether or not you can do it, work out your budget and you might be surprised. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Material values may pale beside spiritual ones today You might consider giving up the rat race and retreating to the wilderness. This would perhaps make a good vacation
GTI, Marian Academy... From page 69 45-24. Leading the victory charge was Veron Edwards with 15 points and 8 rebounds, Yhuton Bobb backed up with 12, while Omario Ganeshdin pulled down the day’s high 21 rebounds. For St Roses, Hasani Hazelwood had 8 points and 6 rebounds. NSBF, Georgetown and East Coast Regionals will continue Friday at the same venue with four more matches bouncing off at 15:30hrs.
Good Success, SS Jaguars... From page 69 Lewis took 2-20. Maria’s Pleasure responded with 162-7. Kennard Lewis scored 68 which contained two fours and eight sixes, while Vinod Persaud made 32 not out, Marsh Singh and Kevin Hemraj 23 each Pooran Singh 21. Beesham Moses captured 4-27. The final is set for today.
Who will be $300,000... From page 71 Resources trophy. Among the sponsors so far are Techno mills, Ready mix, Sataur Gafoor, E.C Veira, BEV Enterprises, BK International, IPA, New Thriving, Ricks and Sari, E-Networks, Star Computers, NAMILCO, Cummings Electrical, National Sports Commission, Star Entertainment, Alfro Alphonso, the Guyana Police Force, GuyOil, Minister of State, Prime Minister and Ministry of Legal Affairs. All teams are being asked to be at the venue by 15:00hrs to ensure that there is a prompt start to the day’s proceedings.
Roberts, Persaud leave Essequibo in control... From page 70 Demerara in the first round at Bourda, made the breakthrough in the 21st over with the score on 42-1. Algoo made 22 from 50 balls from 74 minutes and reached the boundary once, while Roberts had Jeetendra Outar (2) caught and bowled at 49-2. Persaud, who bowled with good control but little flight, got one to bounce and Sinclair was taken at short-leg after hitting four fours and two sixes and batting for 109 minutes and facing 104 in his even fifty. The left-handed Seon Glasgow joined Kevlon Anderson at 79-3 but Persaud soon produced a beauty which did not turn and induced Kevlon Anderson, arguably the best teenage bats-
man in the Caribbean, to edge a catch to slip after making five at 80-4. Persaud bowled a few loose deliveries which were dispatched for boundaries before Glasgow (3) threw his wicket away; drilling a catch to cover, while Shamar Angel was LBW for a duck as Roberts, who bowled in tandem with Persaud, struck twice at 87 as Berbice slipped 87-6. Garfield Benjamin (13) and Nigel Deodat (10) added a quick 20-run unbroken stand as Essequibo released the pressure with some loose bowling in the last few overs in fading light. The pair will be at the crease when play is scheduled to start at 09:30hrs today weather permitting. (Sean Devers)
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GFF/KFC U-20 Independence KO Cup –EBFA Leg
Timehri Panthers and Grove Hi Tech advance to semis; Diamond United into round 2 Timehri Panthers behind doubles each from Tyrone Burnette and Ishmael Pulsuram eased to a solid 6-0 win over Herstelling Raiders to ease into the semi finals of the inaugural GFF/KFC U20 Independence Cup, East Bank Football Association leg which continued yesterday at the GFF National Training Facility yesterday. Also easing into the semi finals was Grove Hi Tech which did so without breaking a sweat as their opponent, Diamond Upsetters did not show up for the match. Yesterday’s other match which was a first round clash between Diamond United and Samatta Point/ Kaneville saw the former hammering the latter 10-4 in a goal feast. Diamond with the win has earned a second round date with Soesdyke Falcons tomorrow from 14:00hrs at the same venue. This match would be the feature of a double header as the East
Timehri Panthers FC U-20 Team Bank Football Association Senior League will kick off with one match between Grove Hi Tech and Kuru Kururu Warriors. The EBFA Senior League is being sponsored by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) fulfilling a commitment made by President Wayne
Forde. The official march past of the 11 contesting clubs would also take place with the best dressed team set to be rewarded with a trophy. Yesterday’s U-20 KFC action saw a total of 20 goals being scored in the two matches played as the teams battle for the lone available
spot in the national playoffs. Timehri Panthers got their goals from Burnette who scored in the 4th and 49th minutes; Pulsuram was on target in the 17th and 73rd minutes, while there was one apiece for Shawn Stelle in the 24th and Tyrone David in the 37th minute. Diamond United ran away 3-0 leaders by the 17th minute in their clash against Samatta Point/ Kaneville which saw two
helmet-tricks and one hat-trick being recorded. Tariq Pryce blasted the first of his four goals for Diamond in the 5th minute and followed up with strikes in the 73rd, 84th and 89th minutes. Runaldo Grant in the 10th and Corvin Griffith in the 17th had put Diamond 3-0 up after which Tyreece came into the mix with his four goals, the first coming in the 27th minute. He followed up with
similarly in the 39th, 67th and 79th minutes. Samatta Point/ Kaneville’s Jadon Forthe battled the best he could have for his team by netting a hat-trick but it was never going to be enough to save them against the rampaging lads from Diamond United. Forthe rocked the back of the nets in the 20th, 78th and 87th minutes. The other goal came off the boot of Kenyan Moe in the 82nd minute.
Sunday May 05, 2019
1E will continue to support Guyanese athletes - Karayi Best known across the tech industry for helping some of the biggest organisations in the world manage extremely complex IT estates, British Digital Software Company 1E continues to extend its corporate responsibility arm way beyond the shores of Great Britain. Across its twenty-year history, however, the Company has consistently maintained a strong and outstanding commitment to what is now referred to as ‘corporate social responsibility’ –but what was once simply called ‘goodness’. According to Founder and CEO Sumir Karayi, “We are committed to providing those tools to people in need,” adding that during its history, the
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Company has supported many charities, such as the Fair Chance Foundation- an organisation dedicated to improving the future livelihoods of disadvantaged children and young adults through education- including an orphanage in New Delhi, India. The Company has also teamed up with the University of Warwick to conduct a research project to discover what is limiting girls’ chances of taking advantage of educational opportunities in Haryana, India. The entity has been offering its support to sports entities and athletes in Guyana over the years through employee and former middle distance track star Waveney Been, who makes the annual sojourn to give
back to her country of birth. Recently, Benn returned and donated a quantity of balls, bags, boots and other items to organisations such as Three Peat Promotions, Demerara Cricket Club among others. Karayi promised that 1E will continue to support Benn in her quest to equip and empower Guyanese athletes and sports organisations. Benn in her remarks thanked all those employees, who after hearing about her endeavour, offered their respective support to the cause. She identified staffers such as Nichola Williams. Both Three Peat Promotions and the DCC thanked her for the goodwill, promising to ensure that the items are properly utilized to the benefit of the athletes.
AAG National Youth and Junior Championship off to a good start Athletes which were part of Guyana’s recording breaking haul at the recently concluded Carifta games that were held in the Grand Cayman Islands, dominated the first day of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Youth and Junior Championships, which sprinted off yesterday at the National Track and Field Centre (NTFC) and will conclude today. Shaquka Tyrell, Princess Browne, Adriel Austin and Keliza Smith, all of who participated in the 48th edition of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (Carifta) games this year, had standout performances. Tyrell, who won a bronze at Carifta, won the girls’ U-17 1500m in five minutes three seconds ahead of Kissanna Glen (5minutes
10 seconds) and Naomi Paddy (5minutes 40second). Another bronze medalist in the Cayman Islands, Browne, leaped 11.57m to win the Girls U-17 triple jump event yesterday at the Leonora, West Coast Demerara facility. Carifta middle distance bronze medalist, Austin, did well in the quarter mile sprint to finish second to Smith who won the event in 57.27s. Also in the winners’ row yesterday w Daniel Williams- U20 100m (10.68s), Daniel Melville- U-20 400m (49.81s), Kenisha PhillipsU20 100 (11.83s) and Deshanna Skeete- U-20 100m (11.84s). Anisha Gibbons (U-17 javelin) and Matthew Gordon (U-17 3000m) who both won gold at the Carifta games along with Austin (U-17 800m), will be a part of the today’s final action.
Hetmyer assault leads Bangalore to victory BENGALURU, India, CMC – Shimron Hetmyer slammed a quickfire halfcentury to help Royal Challengers Bangalore to a four-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here yesterday. Hetmyer, who had been dropped after scoring just 15 runs in his first four matches, had a timely return to form scoring 75 runs from 47 balls. His effort helped Bangalore overtake Hyderabad’s total of 175 for seven in their 20 overs, as they ended on 178 for six with four balls remaining. The 22-year-old Hetmyer who was recently named to the West Indies 15man squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup, shared a 144-run partnership with Gurkeerat
Singh to help rescue Bangalore from a tricky situation. Having lost the key wickets of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers cheaply to find themselves 20 for three in the third over, Hetmyer and Singh went to work rebuilding the innings. Hetmyer was his usual aggressive self hitting six sixes and four boundaries, while Singh scored 65 from 48 balls to carry the score to 164 for three. When they were both dismissed within three runs of each other, it took the efforts of Umesh Yadav who struck two quick boundaries in his unbeaten nine from four
balls to take them over the line. Earlier, Kane Williamson had scored an unbeaten 70 from 43 to help Hyderabad post a challenging total. The loss means Hyderabad will now have to hope the Mumbai Indians defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders today for them to make the playoffs. Scores: Royal C h a l l e n g e r s Bangalore 178 for 6 (Hetmyer 75, Gurkeerat 65) b e a t S u n r i s e r s Hyderabad 175 for 7 (Williamson 70*, Washington 3-24) by four wickets.
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Nand Persaud, PM Region 6 office one day 10/10 softball Cricket competition on today The Nand Persaud Group of Companies and the Prime Minister Region 6 Office have teamed up with a few other agencies to organise a 10/10 Softball Cricket competition set for today at the No. 56 School ball field (next to the water treatment plant). According to organiser, Prime Minister’s Regional Representative, Gobin Harbhajan, the idea is not just to play a cricket match, but to support youth enhancement in the community. Giving a back ground of the initiative, he said that moving around he has heard of a number of young people committing suicide and encounter a number of them who has idle time to waste and get involved in alcohol and drugs. He felt by making a start and taking the lead will help the youths to use their spare time to do something constructive. After looking at a number of ways to help out he came across an abandon Community Playfield at No 56 Village on the Corentyne.
Sunday May 05, 2019
Kaieteur News
He subsequently approached a number of persons in the community to assist him in clearing the ball field to make it useable. At the completion of that project he decided to have a six team softball competition, comprising of 6 different communities on the Corentyne. The Nand Persaud Group of Companies through the Nand Persaud Foundation was quick to get on board. According to Mohendra Persaud they felt it was a good initiative which is in keeping with their initiative of giving back to the Community. The Company has so far contributed the first and second prize trophy and some cash prizes towards the initiative. Global Access has donated the Man of the Match trophy. The teams down to participate are No55, No 57, No 59 No 60 villages and two combined teams. The organisers are calling on other community leaders to following the initiative and undertake similar feats in their respective communities. (Samuel Whyte)
Ramraj, Nandu rout Demerara after Williams’ half century Left arm spinner Chanderpaul Ramraj and Matthew Nandu shared eight wickets between them as Demerara were bowled out for 169 in 63 overs, following a half century from Robin Williams at the top of the order, when the second round of the Hand-in-Hand Inter County U19 three-day tournament commenced yesterday. After Demerara were asked to bat in hazy conditions at Bourda, Sachin Singh and Williams rotated the strike nicely, with Williams being the aggressor striking two consecutive fours early on, as they added 42 for the opening stand before Singh was bowled by Ramraj for 23. Williams and Alphius Bookie then put on a further 43 for the second wicket before Nandu removed them both in quick succession; he trapped
Chanderpaul Ramraj Bookie lbw for 12 and had Williams caught for 54, while Niran Bissu struck Yeudistir Persaud in-front for three to leave Demerara at 96-4. Williams struck four fours and one six. Joel Spooner and Ashmead Nedd added 26 for the fifth wicket, but their resistance was ended when Nedd was removed by Andre Seepersaud for 17 which contained two fours and one six. The right-handed Spooner put on a further 28
with Pradesh Balkishun before Spooner who smashed two sixes was caught and bowled by Ramraj for 27. The U17 bowlers continued to maintain a steady line and Nandu removed Balkishun for 21 before Ramraj polished off the lower order; he sent back Daniel Mootoo (00), Satish Bisram (00) and Qumar Torrington (03), to finish with 5-34 from 15 overs. Nandu had 3-39 from 19 overs, while there was one each for Seepersaud and Bissu. The U17 side lost opener Rampertab Ramnauth, caught off Dequan Bamfield for one, before Nandu and Zeynul Ramsammy saw them to the close without further hiccups as they finished on 28-1, on a rain affected day. Nandu is on six, while Ramsammy, who struck one four, has 10. (Zaheer Mohamed)
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Eureka & Roy 1st in exciting May Day Better Ball golf tournament - Joaan & Aleem also aiming for 1st in Barbados Rookie Eureka Giddings reached top spot with partner Roy Cummings in an exciting Better Ball tournament run off by the Lusignan Golf Club on Wednesday May 1. As golfers determined to take the Labour Day holiday for workers in a relaxing way, many of them turned up throughout the day at the LGC. At 8:40am those competing in the 9-Hole Better Ball tournament eagerly teed off. (The Better Ball format is a variation in Golf where two persons play as a team. Each player is given an opportunity to play a ball at each legitimate time of play, and the ball which was played better is accepted as the ball of play, the worse played ball being ignored.) In the May 1st tournament, Teams were
formed by grouping low handicap golfers (much better players) with high handicap golfers (learners or regular or older players). In addition, the handicap of the team was determined by first taking half of the high h a n d i c a p p e r ’s r a t i n g because of 9 holes of play (which is half of the course of 18 holes) and then dividing it again by 2 so as to consider it shared between the two players. A team with two players of individual handicaps 10 and 28 for instance, would now be given a team handicap of 7. Prizes were awarded for 1st to 3rd places in the net performances. At the end of play, winners were: Eureka Giddings & Roy Cummings (net 28/hcap 7) – 1st; Maxim Mangra & Roland Buell
(29/12) – 2nd; and E. Bispat & David Harry (31/6) – 3rd. Very close competition came from a tie at 4th place between teams Rigo Serventi & Aleem Hussain and Maurice Solomon & Mike Mangal, both returning a 32/5 performance. In another golfing event, outside of Guyana, the annual Sir Garry Sobers Festival of Golf International Tournament is being held over this weekend, Friday May 3rd to Sunday May 5th. This 54hole Stroke Play (for Championship Flight players) and Stableford (for 1st to 5th Flights) competition, is open to amateurs and professionals from all around the world. This particular event is unique in that it is annually played over several days on
NSBF/Georgetown and East Coast Regionals
GTI, Marian Academy, President’s College and Saints in winners row The Government Technical Institute (GTI), Marian Academy, President’s College and Saint Stanislaus College have all recorded victories when the National School Basketball Festival (NSBF), Georgetown and East Coast Regionals at the Under-18 level bounced off on Friday last at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The NSBF/Regionals is sponsored by Edward Beharry Company Ltd, the National Sports Commission and Banks DIH Ltd. Government Technical Institute bounced past Queens College 47-35 thanks to the game high 17 points and a huge 19 rebounds from the hands of I s r a e l Ya w w h o w a s supported by Darren Thomas
who contributed 8 points and 13 rebounds. Queens College was led by Lugard Mohan (Jnr.) with 12 points and Diarra Thomas who had 9 and 6 rebounds. Marian Academy romped to a 34-23 triumph over Chase Academy; Tyrese James leading the winners with 12 points and 9 rebounds, his schoolmate Jether Harris tipped in a similar amount of points as well as 4 rebounds. Jamol Nicholas was the leading scorer for Chase Academy with 8 points and 9 rebounds. In an a battle that had to be decided in overtime, President’s College, led by Rankin McDonald’s 16 point performance backed up by 12 rebounds, defeated Bishops High 52-37. Mc Donald received valuable
support from Gabriel Lim who tipped in 13 points and Jushawn Bayley who had 12. No Bishops player was able to get into double figures in the scoring column, the best performance came from Royden Glasgow with 8 points. However, Daniel Benjamin had the game high performance in terms of rebounds, with 16. And Saint Stanislaus College were too good for St Roses High, trouncing them, (Continued on page 67)
The winners pose with Club President. From left: President Aleem Hussain, Roland Buell, Maxim Mangra, Roy Cummings, Eureka Giddings, and golfers Solomon Bannister and supporters of the day’s tournament. several of the island’s leading golf courses. This year, the tournament hosted by Denis ‘Denny’ Foster, is being played over 3 days at 3 clubs – Sandy Lane and Royal Westmoreland in St James, and at the Barbados Golf Club, Durants, Christ Church. LGC President Aleem
Hussain, playing in the Seniors Championship Flight (age 50 – 59, and handicap 0 – 11) with a gross 90 has placed 9th out of 16 after the first day’s play. Meanwhile, Dr Joaan Deo playing in the Ladies Championship Flight (handicap 0 – 14) with a gross 98 has placed 7th out of
9 at end of the first day’s play. Aleem is the LGC’s Club Champion and has won several individual tournaments at the LGC over the past year. Joaan is a former Guyana International Open Ladies champion and the current (2018) Suriname International Open Ladies Champion.
Good Success, SS Jaguars surge into Birbal Constructing Establishment T20 final Good Success and Sans Souci Jaguars have cemented their places in the final of the Wakenaam Cricket Committee Birbal Constructing Establishment T20 tournament, following victories in their respective semi final matches played on Sunday last at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground. Good Success defeated Sans Souci by seven wickets in their semi final encounter. Batting first, Sans Souci managed 131-8. Heera Sukram top scored with 31 not out including two fours and one six while Kamal Khan made 18, Reon Venture 17 and Jaggernauth Manbodh 13. Off-spinner Nazeer Mohamed picked up 4-18 from four overs, while Vickram Ramnarine took 2-14.
Good Success responded with 132-3 in 14.2 overs. Mahase Ramnarine stroked three fours and three sixes in an even half century, while Bhumeshwar Ramkissoon made 21, Mohamed 18 not out, Imran Khan 19 and Tulsieram Ramadeen 15 not out. Sukram claimed 3-14. In the second semi final, Sans Souci Jaguars beat Maria’s Pleasure by 31 runs. Sans Souci Jaguars took first strike and posted 193-6. Nokta Moses slammed six fours and two sixes in a top score of 60 while Satrohan Shiwnandan made 31 with three fours; Sanjay Jairam 19, Dellon Osborne 18 and Derwin Daniels 18 not out. Kennard (Continued on page 67)
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 05, 2019
Bounty Paper Towel hockey league
Saints dominate men’s and women’s divisions
T
Hikers’ Captain Devin Munroe, who scored the winning goal yesterday against GCC The Sequel, bursts through for a counter attack at Saints ground.
he Bounty Paper Towel -Quicker Picker Uppermen’s and women’s outdoor, second division, development hockey league concluded yesterday afternoon at the Saint Stanislaus College (SSC) ground with the completion of the league’s first round. Saints women defeated Bingo Georgetown Cricket
Club (GCC) Spartans 2-0 to maintain their 100% record after winning each of their three games played. In the win, goals came in both halves with Skipper Tekeisha DeLeon opening the scoring in the 12th minute before an assist by Charia Webb allowed Clayza Bobb to find the back of GCC’s net for the second field goal (FG). On the men’s side, a hat-trick from Captain Hilton Chester spurred Saints Savages to a 4-3 win over Old Fort Rusty; a result that ultimately saw them going top in the men’s second division. Scoring the fourth for Saints was Naresh Mahadeo, while Daniel Woolford notched a second half hattrick in a losing cause for Old Fort. Meanwhile, GCC The Sequel lost their grip at the top of the men’s second division after losing 2-1 to Hikers Cadets. Colonel
“Scooby” Heywood notched the first goal for the winners before the league’s top scorer, Phillip Fernandes took his tally to 10 with the equaliser in the second half. A draw would have seen GCC top saints on goal difference but Hikers’ skipper Devin Munroe ensured that wasn’t going to be the case after he scored the winning field goal, two minutes before full time. The tournament will now take a two-month break with the rainy season anticipated to begin shortly. However, according to the Dominique De Groot, Technical Director of the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) that organises all hockey played locally, there is an indoor tournament scheduled to hit off next month, while there is work in the pipeline for an interschool tournament in July. (Calvin Chapman story and photos)
Hand-in-Hand 3-day U-19 Inter-County cricket
Roberts, Persaud leave Essequibo in control despite Sinclair’s 50
Junior Sinclair drives during his half-century to yesterday at Lusignan. On a day when two sessions were lost to rain, offspinners Lance Roberts (314) and Amit Persaud (3-53) left Essequibo in the ascendency despite Junior Sinclair’s 50 when the truncated opening day of the Hand-in-Hand Inter-County U-19 three-day second round game ended yesterday at Lusignan with defending Champions Berbice on 1076, after the opening session was not played in sunny conditions and a dry ground because overnight rain had seeped through the covers. Just when the pitch was dry enough to facilitate play,
a hard shower just after lunch delayed the action further. When the downpour ceased and the covers were removed, the pitch was in a good condition but bowler’s run-up, which was left uncovered, was wet. Play eventually commenced after Tea and Essequibo asked Berbice to bat on a slow track and heavy outfield and the inform Alex Algoo and Sinclair provided a solid foundation. But Algoo played a carless drive and was taken at cover as Persaud, who had seven wickets against (Continued on page 67)
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 05, 2019
Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter Ward Cup
Who will be $300,000 richer today?
Delon Lanferman
Trayon Bobb
Despite keeping an eye on the inclement weather, Organisers of this year’s Hamilton Green Cup Inter Wa r d / Vi l l a g e 9 - a - s i d e Knockout Football Tournament have confirmed that today’s final showdown in the competition will go ahead as planned. This is according to Coordinator Lennox Arthur, who said they are busy preparing to ensure that spectators have a great time throughout the day with action set to kick off at 16:00hrs with round of 16 play, before the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final are played. The opening salvo of round of 16 action will see Timehri with players such as Seon David, Colwyn Cort and Sheldon Holder in their line-up tackle Mahaicony, who will be spearheaded by Delbert Wilson, Sheldon Toney and Bertie Shepherd. Tyrone Khan’s Soesdyke then take on Lilliendaal in what is anticipated to be an exciting affair. Khan will be supported by the likes of Delon Smith and Alvin Adams, while Lilliendaal’s quest for victory will led by Anthony Sancho, Otto Jones and Akeem Saul. The Mocha versus Charlestown encounter is a virtual final with the Stewart brothers Orville and Dorville and Kevin Gordon expected to lead the former’s pursuit of a win, while Keiron Solomon, Jamal Cozier, Jermin Junor and Devon Charles are the key players for the latter. K e v i n H u m p h r e y, Michael Thomas and Keron Boyce will lead Pouderoyen in their clash against Bagotsville, who will depend on the services of C o r w i n Wr i g h t , M a r k Chester and Brian Fredericks to orchestrate a win. Anthony and Ashley
Harding and Maxwell Trapp will be the lynchpin for Goed Fortuin in their skirmish against De Kinderen, who will have in their line-up C o l i n H e n r y, S t e ff o n Coleman and Romel Medas. What more could be said of the Sophia vs. Bourda Blues game which has players the caliber of Peter and Ernie Smith and Jermaine Nedd starring for Sophia, while Lenox Cort, Tevin Curry and Joshua Braithwaite donning colours for the Blues. Delon Lanferman, K e v y n M u r r a y, K o b e Kingston and Dwayne Wilson will lead host Den Amstel Back Street attempt to advance, while opponents Zeelugt have Avery Fraser, Dillon Schultz and Jason Peters to rely on for victory. National player Trayon Bobb, Jamaal Harvey and Seon Bobb will represent Uitvlugt in their encounter against Vreed-en-Hoop, who will be spearheaded by Curtis Garraway, Trevon Abrams and Jamal Mounter. Teams will be battling for a chance to claim the John Fernandes $300,000 first prize and Prime Minister trophy along with hampers from Ricks and Sari. The second placed team will take away the Courtney Benn sponsored $100,000, third $60,000 put up by Techno mills and fourth $40,000 donated by Ready Mix along with the respective trophies. All the trophies have been sponsored by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. Also at stake are the individual rewards for the Most Goals, who will take home a Dinette Chair from China Trading, while runnerup will be presented with a Lazy Boy chair from AH&L Kissoon, along with the Best Goalkeeper who will claim the Minister of Natural (Continued on page 67)
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t r o Sp Akeem Stuart wins ahead of Rupert Perry and Leslain Baird in the men’s open 100m invitational yesterday.
Hetmyer assault leads Bangalore to victory
Shimron Hetmyer smokes one into the leg side© BCCI
AAG National Youth and Junior Championship off to a good start Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter Ward Cup
Hand-in-Hand 3-day U-19 Inter-County cricket
Who will be Roberts, Persaud leave Essequibo in control $300,000 despite Sinclair’s 50 richer today?
1E will continue to support Guyanese athletes - Karayi
Assistant to the CEO Nichola Williams (3rd left) hands over some of the items to Waveney Benn in the presence of fellow staffers recently. 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.