Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday May 16, 2017

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

EDITORIAL Embarrassment and civility It used to be that one of the most powerful forces moulding our behaviour was the feeling of embarrassment. We were taught what “proper” behaviour was and if we swerved from the standard in front of others, we became embarrassed. Not wanting to repeat that uncomfortable experience, we did the right thing. Today, however, we are exhorted to “do your own thing” and do not become “one of the herd”. As a result, we should not be surprised that anything goes. It ranges from the transgressions of small social conventions to major faux pas Quite a few people actually see the decline of embarrassment as positive. If upbraided over a particularly outrageous act some are quick to accuse the offended person of being “stuck in the past” and “not with it” – in a word, suffering from that widespread disease, not being “modern”. Some will invoke the colonial era when “proper” behaviour was defined as whatever the expatriates decided was right – never mind local sensibilities. In Jamaica not too many years ago, there was an elaborate academic disquisition of the phenomena of the “rude bwoy” and dancehall variations of “passa passa” and “dutty wine” etc. These innovations were seen as necessary correctives to the British-influenced pretensions of the coloured middle-class. There is also the “bare all” free-for-all that has become the literal and figurative norm on the “reality shows” that now dominate the airwaves. Assured that “real people” act without inhibitions, we blithely follow suit. The motley denizens of reality television regularly put themselves into questionable and embarrassing situations so that they can later discuss, for our viewing enjoyment, how questionable and embarrassing their conduct was. If we are less easily embarrassed, it must be in part from vicariously experiencing so much manufactured embarrassment on the screen. But they miss the essential point of our own critique: what has happened to our local sensibilities? Have we none? Or have we thrown out the baby with the bathwater? As the boundary between public and private has dissolved, so too has our ability to distinguish between embarrassing and appropriate public behaviour. The result is a society often bewildered by attempts to impose any standards at all. Our leaders are perfect examples of this abdication of standards. It is we the ordinary citizen that will have to stop the slide into barbarism. Unlike many other emotions, embarrassment must be learned. Because it is a learned behaviour grounded in social relations, embarrassment is a kind of barometer for a society’s notions of civility. Infants know nothing of this emotion, and parents often use the threat of embarrassment to teach young children correct and incorrect behaviour. Embarrassment is also a social emotion; its occurrence requires the real or imagined presence of others. Belch at a dinner party and you will likely feel embarrassed; do it while home alone and you’re unlikely to feel abashed. . In “Behaviour in Public Spaces”, published in 1963, sociologist Erving Goffman described our public actions, from greeting friends on the street to answering questions posed by strangers, as signals of the strength of our commitment to our social communities. When we ignore these social niceties we risk not only embarrassing ourselves, but also sowing doubt in others about our social standing. No one enjoys being embarrassed. But it brings us all together as a community by reinforcing norms and policing the boundaries of propriety. A capacity for embarrassment is a marker of normal humanity, or at least it should be. At the very least, embarrassment serves as a reminder that no matter our circumstances, we are more alike than not. It is the beginning of civility that assures a functional society.

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.

Act now or the violent youth culture will grow Dear Editor, A lot of people have discussed what to do about idle youth in Guyana. I contend that idle youths are a symptom and not the cause of Guyana’s social ills. From the late 1970’s, Guyana started to show social upheaval and the underlying problems were never addressed. The economic and governmental systems in Guyana thus far have produce poverty and crime. Less than 30 percent of Guyanese enjoy

a prosperous quality of life. The system Guyana has offered has very little support for the disadvantaged. Logically, a parallel economy was created because human beings are designed to survive. The reason Guyana has not gone into civil war is partly because people can survive using the informal economy. This economy produces crime and indiscipline. If a more inclusive economic and

social system is not implemented in the near future, a more destructive youth culture will expand. The statistics on violent crime and poverty suggest that there are some correlations. Make sure every citizen have a living wage and social problems will be mitigated. It seems utopian but it is pragmatic. The data is there to support this. You reap what you sow, Brian Ellis Plummer

APNU+AFC could be a one-term government Dear Editor, Let me start by saying, I am a 22 year old female (university graduate) of African descent who voted for APNU/AFC. May 11th, 2017 marked two years since the Granger administration has been in power. In this regard, I wish to speak as a representative of the youth of Guyana and say we feel betrayed and disappointed. It is becoming quite clear that the APNU/AFC government has a political vendetta against the previous administration. The government is so busy trying to get back at and get even with the PPP/C that it does not care who or how many get affected as collateral damage. We see it play out each day which only leaves the poor and working class Guyanese disenfranchised. A P N U / A F C campaigned on jobs for youths yet all the

government appears to be doing is re-employing retirees they feel were strong PNC supporters. Just about every position is filled by an ancient person with antiquated ideas while young, talented, creative, innovative, intelligent minds sit at home sending countless application letters to no avail. Since we are on the issue of unemployment, I wonder if the Granger administration really wants to go down in history as the government that put thousands of hardworking Guyanese out of a job by closing down Guysuco. The Guyana Sugar Corporation is the largest employer in Guyana and the Caribbean. It has in its employ approximately seventeen thousand Guyanese and is one of the few companies in Guyana that offers more than a monthly salary.

Staff can benefit from free health care for themselves, spouses and children, a pension plan that allows for free health care even after one has retired and survivors benefits for spouses and dependents after employees passing. All this and more the government seems eager to take away, by pulling the plug on Guysuco. This leaves me to wonder again; is it because of our new found oil potential? This cannot be since less than two years ago crude oil was plunging to less than $30 per barrel. Or is the real motive to hurt the PPP since it is a well-known fact that most cane cutters are PPPinclined Another such move is the 14% vat on private education tuition. How does adding VAT to the tuition cause delinquent tax payers to stop evading taxes? It does not. In fact, that is even more

money they will not be paying towards taxes because schools that are not registered will still increase their tuition. It is the general view that mostly middle class urban people of a certain moneyed type connected to the PPP can afford to send their children to private schools. Hence the increase - in an effort to get at them; but what about the many black families that struggle to send their children to these same schools just so that they can have similar opportunities. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying this is the only reason why this is wrong but let’s face it, PPP middle class supporters are rich and can still afford the 14% increase so who is really affected here. This government needs to do better or this will surely be their first and only term. P. Younge

The arch tells the story of the wrong priorities of Guyana Dear Editor, It has become increasingly frustrating and difficult to deny the fruitlessness of the over-politicization of every visible development in our nation. The $20M arch, in my opinion, is arguably one such development. I venture to guess that the most objective among Guyanese have grown progressively tired of the partisan discourse that seems to surround marginally impactful events. On the spectrum of addressable issues for concerned Guyanese, I humbly submit my opinion that the construction of this arch is hardly worth top prioritization in civic engagement. The response to such things has usually been driven by deeply divisive and partisan rhetoric, and undeniably by the disruptive politics of yesteryear; not to say that these factors are not

at all relevant in today’s political climate, but the prosperous future of the nation is dependent on their increasing irrelevance. This criticism can be leveled equally at both sides of the Guyanese political debate. On the one hand, the construction of the arch has been described by the current administration as everything from a depiction of Caribbean engineering talent, a reflection of the vibrancy of the Caribbean e c o n o m y, a v i s i b l e illustration of the relationship between Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, the symbolism of our destiny as a people, a reflection of Guyana’s “green” agenda, a metaphoric representation of the uniqueness of Guyana, a signpost to define the boundaries of Georgetown, and of course also as a gesture of goodwill from

AnsaMcal. Although symbols mean many things to different people, it is hardly likely that the inspiration came before the gesture; the disparate and opportunistic symbolism being promoted for association with this arch aspires to clever optics, although the argument can be made that it has had the opposite impact. On the other hand, the strong criticism against the temporary inconveniences created by the arch’s construction is extremely transparently one-sided, and waste valuable time and effort. More importantly, the supposition of a connection between the gifted arch and preferential treatment towards AnsaMcal is simply an ineffective misuse of political voice; objectively, there are arguably much more effective ways to buy f a v o r, i n c l u d i n g s o l e

sourcing, than an arch. Taken from this vantage point, the optics are indeed admittedly terrible. Focusing on connecting these dots in this instance, however, does nothing for the good of Guyanese people. At the end of it all, the debate serves as a fervent, but pointless distraction from the consequential issues to Guyanese people. In fact, the arch does little more than remind the poorer people of the nation that even in times of dire need, scarce resources are seldom effectively utilized in consequential ways. It would be hard to imagine an argument that distorts the simple truths: the political discourse needs to be better, the Guyanese people deserve better. Rene Azeez, Senior Healthcare Strategist, Toronto, Canada.

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Our beloved sister has gone home to the ancestors DEAR EDITOR, Our friend, mother, sister and comrade, Tchaiko Kwayana was called home to the ancestors on Saturday May 6 after an almost yearlong battle with cancer. I have known Tchaiko Kwayana for close to five decades, first as a little boy in Buxton and later as a colleague and friend. She is known in Guyana as the wife of Eusi Kwayana. Tchaiko Kwayana was born in Georgia, USA in 1935 as Ann F. Cook. She was a graduate of Paine College, Augusta, Georgia and of Teachers College, Columbia University and a doctoral student in African Studies at the Union Institute. She taught English at the high school and college levels in three continents: Nigeria, Africa; Guyana, South America; and on both the east and west coasts of the USA. Sister Tchaiko first visited Guyana in 1968 as part of her interest in studying the African diaspora. As an internationalist and Pan-Africanist, she had already lived in Africa, where she taught English in Nigeria. She was part of a larger group of African Americans who answered the call of Africa and migrated to the continent to help the newly independent countries regroup after the long period of colonization. Many went to Ghana, the home of the legendary Kwame Nkrumah, but some, like Sister Tchaiko, opted for other countries on the continent. By the time she visited Guyana, her future husband, Eusi, had cemented his place as a pioneer of the modern Black Nationalist and Pan Africanist Caribbean movement. He had co-founded the African Society for Racial Equality (ASRE) in 1961 and the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA) in 1964 and was the spearhead of what became known as the “Cultural Revolution” among African Guyanese. It was inevitable, then, that any visitor to Guyana with an interest in the African diaspora would encounter Eusi. Sister Tchaiko met him when she visited in 1968 and the rest is history. They got married in 1971 and she moved to Guyana. The couple bore four children and the marriage lasted until her death. While in Guyana, Sister Tchaiko continued her career as a teacher. She took

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up duty at her husband’s school in Buxton—the famous County High School, which later became the Republic Cooperative High School. While Eusi’s name remains inextricably linked to the school, Sister Tchaiko stamped her own personality there, independent of Eusi. She taught English and was outstanding at it. But it was as a disciplinarian, one who paid close attention to standards and as a practitionerof a holistic education that combined academics with culture that she is best remembered for by her students. I remember well how my sister, Denise, who was one of her students, became a transformed person after attending County for her first term. She still to this day speaks of the impact of Tchaiko on changing her attitude. I also remember how Sister Tchaiko quickly blended into the Buxton community. She became a Buxtonion soon after settling there. She made friends independent of Eusi, especially with the women of Buxton backdamside, where the family lived. I remember as a little boy seeing this new resident taking her cow to “graze” and wondering whether she had lived in our village before. She went about her business, not as the wife of a famous man, but as an ordinary resident doing ordinary things just like the other women of the village. It is the utmost respect that one could give to a village. That respect for our village stayed with Sister Tchaiko for the rest of her life. When in 1979, the world honored the children of the universe by designating that year International Year of the Child, Sister Tchaiko was one of the local coordinators. She organ i z e d t h e y o u n g people in the village into a youth brigade that spent the year doing cultural and social projects which enriched our village and also opened our eyes to the cause of social justice. On a personal note, it was at one of our “public meet-

ings” that I first mounted a public platform as a speaker. When, I sought to get out of it because of nervousness, Sister Tchaiko, in her usual decisive manner, said “you are down to s p e a k a n d i t ’s t h i s evening.” S i s t e r Tc h a i k o a l s o found time to pursue writing. She co-authored with Eusi the book Scars of Bondage: A First Look at the Slave Colonial Experience of the Africans in Guyana. She also wrote “Black Pride? Some Contradictions” At the national level, Sister Tchaiko participated in the activities of ASCRIA a n d l a t e r t h e Wo r k i n g People’s Alliance (WPA). She was a founding member of the Women Against Terror (WAT), a group of women who organized t h e m s e lves to aid the struggle against the authoritarian government of the day. Like other WPA members, she suffered at the hands of the State and Para-State forces— she was harassed and physically assaulted. As the WPA observed in its tribute to her: “From the time of her arrival in Guyana Sister Tchaiko became immersed in the struggles of the African community and the Guyanese nation. Her commitment to our people and country was a lifelong endeavor. From the moment she answered the call to serve to the time of her death, she remained unwavering in her support of the Guyanese struggle, for liberation, racial pride, political and racial reconciliation and the empowerment of women and children and the elderly. “ (end of quote) In 1982, as the regime became more aggressive she left Guyana with her children. Like other WPA members, neither she nor Eusi could find work. Her children were growing up and needed to be fed. She returned to the USA and instantly became the sole breadwinner of the family. They visited Guyana regularly and Eusi visited the USA, but it was Tchaiko who shouldered the burden of the day to day af-

fairs of the children, freeing Eusi to continue his service to Guyana and the world.She also continued her advocacy on behalf of Guyana. In Atlanta, she co-founded Helping Uplift Guyanese (HUG) a group formed to support the struggle in Guyana. Sister Tchaiko resumed her teaching career, first in Georgia and later in San Diego, California where she spent her last years. Eusi joined her in 2002 and together they soldiered on as activists and educators while still mothering and fathering their now grown children. Sister Tchaiko would take another step—she embarked on studies toward a PhD in African Studies. Unfortunately, she passed on before its completion. In San Diego, she not only taught high school, but also at the tertiary level. She taught English as a Second Language at Southwestern College and History and English from a Black Perspective at both the Honors and the Regular levels at Mesa College. As testimony of her teaching skills, in 1994/1995, along with eighty-nine other teachers of English nationwide, after a year of rigorous requirements including twodays of written examinations, Tchaiko Kwayana made history by becoming the first African American teacher in California to become a Nationally Board Certified Teacher of English. We remember our sister as a fighter for justice, a mother, a wife and above all a humanist who rose above narrow sectarianism and embraced our common humanity. Perhaps the words of Guyana’s national poet, Martin Carter, as always, capture the essence of my short tribute. “Dear Comrade if it must be you speak no more with me nor smile no more with me then let me take a patience and a calm for even now the greener leaf explodes sun brightens stone and all the river burns. Now from the mourning vanguard moving on dear Comrade I salute you and I say Death will not find us thinking that we die.” David Hinds

Bharrat Jagdeo must be challenged when he lies DEAR EDITOR, For many of us in the diaspora, the political parties in Guyana can do with some modern and visionary leadership. However there is one politician, whose behaviur is particularly troubling and that is Bharrat Jagdeo. This man’s willingness to lie or distort the truth needs to be challenged. In America we call it “fact check”. Earlier this year the PPP attacked SARU and several of its staff. First they attacked Prof. Clive Thomas, then Mr. Eric Phillips, they attacked Tacoma Ogunsye and only very recently they attacked Major (retd) Retemyer. While I do not know the others, I do know Mr. Retemyer. I served with him in the GDF and I have remained close to him over the years. Mr. Retemyer never worked as a security guard in the USA. If Jagdeo could provide proof of this I am prepared to hand over (GYD) 1 million to any charitable organization in Guyana. If he cannot provide proof Jagdeo

should promise himself to stop telling lies and to work on refining his character. Secondly he claimed Retemyer is a geriatric. From what I know of Retemyer, if given a 10 km run/walk he would outperform Jagdeo and a majority in the PPP’s last cabinet. Finally, Jagdeo talks of Retemyer’s qualification; so far as I know Jagdeo obtained his highest academic degree from a university in the then USSR. Retemyer studied for his master’s degree in the USA. Ask any student to compare the Patrice Lumumba University in the then USSR and NYU in United States. Jagdeo attended the one in the USSR; Retemyer attended NYU in the USA. Just ask the average Guyanese student which they would prefer to attend, and how are they ranked for academic rigor. As old soldiers, we refuse to allow an unpatriotic liar to attack one of our own. It is high time to challenge politicians when they lie. This behavior must not be tolerated. George Archer

Glad that neighbours are reporting child abuse DEAR EDITOR, I am so pleased to learn that at last neighbours are playing a part in trying to protect children from parental abuse, by reporting incidents to the appropriate agencies. Years ago, the thinking was that it was difficult to come between a child and its parents, particularly the mother. In this w a y, c h i l d r e n s u ff e r e d grave injustices and abuse, while neighbours whispered among themselves but kept their distance. Sometimes, spiteful neighbours tried to ‘frighten’ children into doing their bidding by threatening to “tell your mother”, knowing what may happen. I personally saw a happy, normal pre-school age boy change to become a stuttering, nervous wreck when his mother started beating him practically every day for reasons, as a younger child, I could not

understand. He was my playmate, and we eventually drifted apart. No neighbour thought it his/ her ‘place to interfere’. He never overcame his stammering, and grew into an angry violent man, presumably partly through “speech frustration”. One hopes that witnesses to frequent child abuse would report such to the relevant agencies, and so try to help all defenceless children. About the reading of books, I agree this is a very desirable practice and habit to cultivate. As schoolchildren, we often chanted that “books are lighthouses erected in the sea of time”. I never knew where that quote originated. No doubt some readers do. Geralda Dennison

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After two years, APNU+AFC’s balance sheet is a poor one DEAREDITOR, Guyana belongs to all Guyanese; it is time the government understands this. With a thud and without any fanfare, the 2nd anniversary of the relatively new administration passed unceremoniously. No doubt at the halfway mark of its tenure, the Government would have liked to be more boisterous about their accomplishments. But aside from a few painted buildings and some refurbished roads, there is not much to shout about. Even the Le Repentir Cemetery has become overrun with bush, again. They are trying to tout their tax exemptions and the reduced VAT but the cat was let out of the bag when Moses Nagamootoo stated publically that the addition of VAT to the price for education is one of the ways the Government is seeking to take back what they had given to the Guyanese citizens. The lowering of the domestic electricity was squashed when they added VAT on the electricity and water of business owners and operators. That additional VAT has caused the prices

of goods and services to be increase. In classic give-and-take style, they increased the old age pension from 12,000 to 19,000 and then removed the subvention on electricity and they have installed water meters, even on the homes of the elderly. So that any gains that were expected from the increase in pension, was nullified by the fact that the seniors now have to pay for their water and light. The promised collective bargaining was never realized as the government still insists that they will determine the rate at which salaries and benefits should be increased for public servants. They are still refusing to give in to the demands of the GTU and the PSU. The rice farmers, many of whom came over from the PPP/C and voted for the Coalition, are vowing to jump ship again because of failed promises made to them prior to the elections in 2016. The housing sector has virtually stagnated, with a stubborn list of over 25,000 applicants awaiting land distribution. Additionally, the promise of a reduction

on the cost for house lots was only realized for a brief period during the Jubilee anniversary celebrations. Aside from that, the price for a piece of land for the ordinary man remains at the exorbitant cost that was arbitrarily arrived at during the vicious PPP era. The government touts that they have restored billions from phantom accounts; that gold excavation is significantly up; that they have stopped massive corruption and the stealing of billions of dollars, yet they continue to find new ways to tax the life out of the Guyanese citizens, while they claim the treasury is broke. Where are all the billions going?! The parallel cry of the government is that the Guyana economy seems to be doing badly because under the PPP, the country was moving along because it was propped up by the drug trade and drug lords who were pumping their loot into the local market. However, under this new administration, not a single drug lord has been arrested and charged with acquiring property or lands by illegal

WHEN 14000 SIGNATURES ARE NOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE A CHANGE OF HEART DEAR EDITOR, Someone once said that “Education molds a nation”. If there is any truth in this statement, the imposition of VAT on private education makes a mockery of any effort to improve, sustain or edify Guyana’s most precious resource - its young people. When 14000 signatures is not enough to convince the coalition government that they are acting contrary to the wishes of the masses and in so doing they are abusing the goodwill given to them by the electorate in 2015, then one has to wonder about their state of mind. Maybe it really is a geriatric thing! I remember my father as he aged, whenever he cited a piece of wood and pronounced it to be stone. I could never convince him that his assessment was wrong. It seems an egotistical inclination of the aged to think they always know better. I have no problem with that as long as it stays in the family arena and does not extend into public spaces I support Ramjattan for

his intent in repossessing the firearms of the aged whom he claims has “trembling fingers”. What do we do about those patriarchs who seem to have cognitive impediments (trembling in the head)? Their die hard stance does not augur well for the people of this country. Historically human civilization made great strides with improvement in knowledge (education). Any attempt to limit, curtail or impede education by taxing it is a fatal blow to any semblance of any “good life” for the future generation. Considering that the public schools are currently overcrowded and cannot comfortably accommodate all the children that attend private schools it would have been prudent to cut infrastructural spending from somewhere and try to reimburse the parents of these children rather than exacting VAT from them because they are saving the state from building more schools and expenditures for operating same. Moreover, the private schools serve as a beacon and a source of competition a challenge for the public

school system to improve and produce comparable results. The argument from the geriatric club is that these parents are rich and can afford to pay VAT. They cannot picture the parents who are struggling to make ends meet yet in the name of love and sacrifice spend their last dollar on tuition fees because they realize that the single most important thing they can do for their children is to give them a good education. Had the consumer index been kept on the so called “basket of goods” it would have revealed that workers had a significant decline in “real wages” after the draconian 2017 budget even if the VAT on private tuition fees is called off because many goods and services that were previously VAT free were added to the VAT list. The coalition is patting itself on the back for reducing VAT by 2% in accordance with their election campaign promises but this is mired in ludicrousness. The masses have to understand that any party that comes to power under the present constitution will be free to bite the hand that feeds them until the constitution is changed to allow the people to elect their MP’s from on constituency basis. Rudolph Singh

means. Also, the promise to charge the PPP leaders with fraud and embezzlement fell flat, with the charges turning out to be mere accusations of fraudulently acquiring law library books and obtaining house lots below market prices. There has been no constitutional reform; no significant reduction in crime; no sustained involvement of the Diaspora; no code of ethics for the ministers and public figures; no public disclosure of the assets of ministers; no resolution to the GT&T shares, no reduction to the constant brain drain; no plans for displaced sugar workers; no strategic plan for agriculture; etc. The United Republican Party (URP) has noted these and several

other broken promises that this Coalition has made to the people. As the government heads into their last lap, all their hopes seem centered on the possibility of the oil wealth. It is believed that even if the oil does not begin to flow before the next elections, the government will take a huge loan from the oil companies, to help them buy the election. That would not be an advisable move, as it will saddle generations to come with an enormous debt. What are needed now are investments in our local capital. Remove the red tape and allow businesses to move into the country more freely. Invest heavily in agriculture and market Guyana as the bread basket of

the Caribbean. Take a proactive stance on crime. Penalize heavily the violators of traffic laws, especially speeding and dangerous driving. To reduce the brain drain, offer incentives like duty free concessions, or reduced duties, or attractive salaries to our tertiary educated graduates. There is a lot of reinventing of the wheel. It is time the government understands that Guyana belongs to all Guyanese and they must begin to involve other persons who might not necessarily share their political ideology but who are none the less patriotic. If the next two years find us at a similar place as the last two years, Guyanese will be the worse for it. Dr. Vishnu Bandhu

The integrity of the elections in the Public Service Union was compromised DEAR EDITOR, I state without fear of contradiction that the recently held Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Elections was compromised from the inception. Several rules were breached and the tabulation exercise lacked a basic system of verification. The first noticeable breach was Rule 30 (d) (i) which states “The Elections Officer shall fix the date for the closing of nominations, and shall notify all Branches by circular and the general membership by way of public notices in one or all the daily newspapers.” Branches were notified via a correspondence on February 27, 2017 signed by the General Secretary (ag), Kempton Alexander and not the Elections Officer. There was no notice to the general membership in any of the daily newspapers. Another breach was of Rule 30 (e) (ii) & (e) (iii) which

state that after the publication of the list of nominees, a nominee may withdraw his/her candidacy within 7 days and that “the election of the Executive Council shall be held at least two weeks after publication of the final list of nominees.” Elections were held but the Final Nominees’ list was published on Sunday April 16, 2017 edition of the Guyana Chronicle; eight days before the scheduled elections. Mr. Editor, since the membership was not given the critical information necessary to make informed choices and given the blatant flouting of the rules, it is not surprising that the elections were plagued with irregularities and disruptions. The odds were stacked against any courageous one contesting for the presidency. In an article published in the May 5, 2017 titled “Elections Officer defends GPSU polling process – says disgruntled

candidates can seek redress”, the Elections Officer would like the public to believe that the rules of the GPSU were adhered to. This is laughable and an insult to those of us who were following the process closely. Rule # 30 (e) (iv) allows for Returning Officers to be responsible for the counting of the ballots within their districts. However, most of the Returning Officers were not present for the counting of the ballots in boxes 12, 14, 16, 17, 18 & 19. In any election, the most important part of the process is the voting, security of the votes cast and the counting and verification of those votes. Therefore, due to lack of transparency and adequate systems to ensure the validation and integrity of the results, no flimsy declaration should be accepted by the membership of GPSU. S. D. S. Torrington GPSU Member

PPP Parliamentarian, Harry Gill is out to score cheap political points DEAR EDITOR, MP Harry Gill has beguiled the media houses and Nurse Sheriyn Marks to score political points for himself and the PPP/C and used both to his advantage in the Carol Joseph medical issue. His manipulation is baseless because the medical history of the patient Carol Joseph and the various surgeries of Carol Joseph are strictly confidential from the various private hospitals. Her medical procedures also remain confidential. Also psychological treatment from Government Institutions for her physical illness over the years remains confidential. Harry Gill’s letters to the media is filled with venom about the patient’s physical

illness which contains no factual medical assessment to prove otherwise about the patient’s conditions from the private hospitals and Government-employed doctors and that they have prescribed any overdose. And also if the patient is addicted to the prescribed drugs she is using for her illness. These also include other type of pain killers. To date I can safely say as I write this letter the patient is still very sick but is improving and is being treated for her medical illness. As for nurse Sheriyn Marks; is she qualified to question prescriptions from doctors, not knowing all the patient’s medical records? If all the nurses should take this

direction then all our doctors are now questionable. I find Harry Gill’s Machiavellian style very devious and without any mercy to use Carol Joseph’s condition or anyone’s poor health and infirmity to gain political points. I truly believe that the PPP/C leadership is at an all time low and Harry Gill should have asked his other comrade Dr. Behri Ramsaran for guidance in ascertaining if the usage of 100mg of Pethidine constitutes and overdose per day? And I am seeking a reply from a medical doctor not from a Computer Graphic Designer. Isn’t Harry Gill qualified in that field? Pradeep Bachan AFC Region 5

Tuesday May 16, 2017

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Jagdeo’s defence of PetroCaribe fund use contradicts public record - Claims US$115M transferred without loan agreement was a grant; records show it was a loan At a press conference he hosted at his Church Street Office yesterday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government did nothing wrong when it transferred US$115 from the PetroCaribe to the Guyana Power and Light. In fact, he said that his government had the prerogative to spend, “all US$600M.” Jagdeo said that the money was not loaned to GPL, but was given to offset major projects that Guyanese continue to benefit from. However, the Public Debt Report that Minister of Finance Winston Jordan released last year indicated otherwise. That document stated that GPL was the only stateowned agency that benefitted from an on-lent loan. It stated that the loan was sourced from the PetroCaribe fund. It also noted that as of the end of

2015, GPL repaid less than one percent of that loan. The content of that document was never before debated by the PPP. And while Jagdeo said that the money given to GPL was reflected in estimates, he took no proof of that to the press conference. However, Jagdeo was well equipped with material to quote verbatim several Kaieteur News (KN) articles that offended him. “Bold” but “factually untrue” is how he described KN’s article that was published about the loan given to GPL. He said that KN was incorrect to say that the money in the PetroCaribe fund was to be used for paying rice farmers. However, after a long, and some may want to say drawn out explanation, Jagdeo said that it was the PPP that decided that the “bulk” of the money would

“go for the payment of rice. He began his speech about the matter with, “We have explained many times that PetroCaribe resources has nothing to do with paying rice farmers.” Jagdeo said that the agreement was a Caricomwide initiative and countries that do not even have a rice industry, like Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were beneficiaries as well. The opposition leader said that the agreement saw countries paying part of the value of the oil and the rest coming to the country as a loan to be used for whatever purpose that country determined best. He even noted that Jamaica used it to fund the budget while other countries used it to fund several initiatives. Jagdeo said, “In Guyana we decided that the bulk of the resources that we were getting for the oil credit facil-

Major UK-funded projects closer to realisation Since early last year, there was excitement about the £52M ($16B) grant that Guyana has secured from the United Kingdom. The Government proposed two major projects, but there is yet to be actual construction a year later. It turns out that the UK is being very thorough. The process that is to be used will ensure that the money is spent for the purposes allocated. The two projects chosen by this government are the Linden to Lethem Road and Stabroek Market waterfront and Vreed-en-Hoop stellings. The money is coming from the United Kingdom Government through its UK Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF). Kaieteur News recently had an interview with British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn who said that the process is still in motion. He said that it is unlikely that the projects will begin before 2018. Quinn said that technical design contracts for both projects are to be approved within the next few days. He said that the technical designs themselves will take a few months to be completed. Once those have been completed, there will then be a stage of final approval before the projects actually start. Quinn indicated that the technical design will lead to a final decision on what the projects will look like. It will only be after that stage that full details of costs and what will be needed will be clear. “But in principle, approval has been given to use infrastructure funds to support

British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn those two areas.” The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has indicated that the first phase of the Linden-Lethem Road Project is expected to include the upgrade of approximately 122.5 km of road between Linden and Mabura Hill (including drainage) and construction of a new single or dual lane fixed bridge across the Essequibo River at the Kurupukari ferry crossing (approximately 600m long). As part of the collaboration with the UK Government, the Government of Guyana is seeking to engage a multi-discipline and transport sectorexperienced consulting firm to assist in the preparation of a two-component capital project. While the proposed road upgrade applies only to one section of the Linden-Lethem road, the capital works on the

remaining 331.5km of the laterite road will be undertaken through funding from other sources. The remaining capital works would fall under additional phases and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has already engaged the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) on possible funding for the stretch of road between Mabura Hill and Lethem.

ity would go into a system where we are not going to take the loan but allow those processes to go for the payment of rice.” He continued, “In exchange, we negotiated a favourable agreement with the Venezuelan government that they will buy rice from us at nearly twice the price of the world market if we do not take the loan for the country.” Jagdeo said that the agreement was for Venezuela to cancel the promissory note each time there was a shipment of rice. “It had nothing to do with rice, but in our case we decided to use it in that regard.

We made it clear that we spent some of the resources for other purposes for GPL to buy the new power plant at Vreed-en-Hoop and some other power plants.” Jagdeo again quoted KN’s article that said that there was no formal agreement. While he did not state that there was indeed a formal agreement and where it can be sourced, Jagdeo said that KN lied and that “the estimates for those years showed the transfer”. He continued, “even if there is no formal agreement, it was to buy the plant. There is no dispute that the money is lost; there is a dispute that we ripped the farmers off.”

Despite Jagdeo’s statement in this regard, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo was quoted in several sections of the media saying, at Enmore, that the money was misused. He had said, “We had billions of dollars in what is called the PetroCaribe Fund and we were never told that the previous government transferred US$115M to the Guyana Power and Light from the rice fund”. He said that with the news of the bankrupt PetroCaribe fund, his administration is working assiduously to find money to pay rice farmers for their crop. This was mid-2015.

Mason slapped with 11 armed robbery charges Quincy Clarke, a 29-yearold mason of West La Penitence, was yesterday remanded to prison after he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to 11 counts of armed robbery. It is alleged that on May 12 at North East La Penitence, Georgetown, while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, he robbed 11 persons of a quantity of cellular phones, bags, makeup sets, umbrellas, water bottles, watches, jewellery and cash, all totalling $478,100. Clarke denied all the charges after they were read to him by the magistrate, claiming that he had no knowledge of the incident. Clarke was represented by Attorney-at-Law Paul Funga-Fat who told the court that his client is a mason and sometimes would make blocks to provide for his fam-

Remanded: Quincy Clarke ily. Fung-a-Fat further told the court that his client had never been charged before and is not a flight risk.

However Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves objected to bail being granted to the defendant citing the serious nature of the offence, the prevalence of the offence and the penalty the charge attracts, as well as the fact that a firearm was used to commit the offence. The prosecutor told the court that the defendant was charged last year for a similar offence. The court heard that more charges are likely to be laid against him. According to information, on the day in question, the defendant, while being in the company of others, intercepted a Qualfon bus which was transporting workers home, when the bus was stopped and the occupants were told to lie on the ground. The defendant then collected their valuables. Bail was refused and Clarke was remanded to prison. He will make his next court appearance on June 12.

Porter dies after allegedly falling from truck The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 26year-old man who allegedly fell from a truck around 17:30 hrs on Sunday at Kumu Shortcut Trail, Lethem. The dead man has been identified as Dinesh Ramcharran, a porter of Tabatinga Village, Lethem. The driver of the vehicle,

which bears the registration number GTT 8398, informed investigators that he was preceding north along the trail at a fast rate with Ramcharran and two occupants in the vehicle’s cab. The driver indicated that Ramcharran was at the time resting on the roof of the cab and after driving a mile ahead, when he stopped—he discov-

ered that the 26-year-old was not on the vehicle. Ramcharran was later found lying motionless on the trail and was rushed to the Lethem hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The 23-year-old driver of the vehicle is in police custody. His blood alcohol was reportedly found to be above the legal limit.

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Tuesday May 16, 2017

Kaieteur News

Cops arrest businessman over Kaieteur News responds to TIGI $550M cocaine in timber - more lumber, DVR seized, as biker and other suspect remain on the run Police ranks yesterday arrested West Coast Demerara businessman, Tazim Gafoor in connection with G$550M worth in cocaine that was discovered in timber on Friday at Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo. Gafoor was held while coming off a boat at the Parika, East Bank Essequibo stelling around 18:30 hrs. In a release yesterday the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) stated that Commander Leslie James of the Force’s ‘D’ Division and his ranks “ably arrested and handed over Tazim Gafoor to ranks of CANU.” CANU secured extensions of time to further keep in custody Nazim Gafoor and Hakim Mohamed pending further investigations. Tazim is the son of race car driver, Nazim Gafoor, who, along with Hakim Mohamed, was detained last Friday in connection with the massive bust. CANU has since secured extensions of time to further detain Nazim Gafoor and Hakim Mohamed, pending further investigations. “Both Tazim Gafoor and his son Nazim Gafoor have retained Counsel and are not assisting in investigations,” the CANU release stated. “Five of the individuals initially kept in custody since Friday 12th May 2017, which includes the driver and the porters of the truck in question, are to be released this (yesterday) evening on the expiration of 72 hours since their initial detention”. In addition, the release stated that CANU also seized another batch of lumber, as well as a Digital Video Recording Device (DVR) which may hold crucial evidence. “CANU has a Digital Video Recording device, retrieved from Nazim Gafoor at

Wanted: Stephen Vieira Vreed-en-Hoop, WBD, and hope to find material of evidential value after due analysis. “There was a batch of related dress wood from the very shipper that had already made it onto the wharf, same was retrieved by CANU and each board is currently being drilled by ranks in the compound, thus far no further narcotics were found on the ones examined.” CANU is preparing to issue a wanted bulletin for bike racer, Steven Vieira and saw mill owner, Naraine Lall. Vieira and Lall have not yet been contacted. CANU is hereby asking that anyone knowing their whereabouts to make contact with the nearest police station and or CANU Headquarters on 2260431. CANU’s investigators are hoping to question the men in relation to the 84.986 kilograms (187.4lbs) of cocaine which were being prepared to be shipped to the United States of America. Kaieteur News was told that the bust was made after CANU official received a tip off. When they acted, the boards were being packed into the truck.

Wanted: Naraine Lall

Tazim Gafoor The truck driver and porters were arrested but were subsequently released after it was discovered that the vehicle and its workers were hired to transport the timber. Reports are that Vieira is listed on the shipping documents as the representative of Naraine Lall, the shipper. Lall, based on investigation, is allegedly out of the jurisdiction. The drug agency in a release said that ranks conducted a search at the parapet in front of the premises of Akeem Mohamed of Lot 227 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, and searched a truck laden with several pallets of 1×6 dressed lumber boards prepared for export. Several pieces of boards were drilled randomly by the ranks and revealed a whitish (Continued on page 23)

On May 12, Kaieteur News conducted an interview with head of TIGI, Dr. Troy Thomas. The lecturer at the University of Guyana was informed that given the fact that May 11, marked two years since the government would have been in office, some sections of society seemed to be in a mode of reflection. He was reminded that prior to the May 11, General and Regional Elections, Guyana has often been described by the government, TIGI officials in the past, among others, as being under a “poisonous shadow of corruption”. He was then asked to say if given where Guyana is today under the new Government, if he believes that the nation is on to a “new era of anticorruption” or if there is still room for improvement. To this, Dr. Thomas said, “Yes. As it relates to anticorruption I believe that we have seen some important steps taken by the Government. If you really think about it. Let me just identify some. For instance, the setting up of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) and trying to get the Bill passed. But I am going to hasten to say that some commentators have identified some issues with the Bill and even TIGI commented on it some time ago, so I don’t necessarily think that the bill is perfect, but the initiative is excellent.” The TIGI head noted in his letter and in a recent conversation with this newspaper that while he would have agreed with, and provided comments to the question posed, the words or phrases, “poisonous shadow of corruption” and “new era of anti-corruption” were not his, but the direct words of the reporter. Dr. Thomas also stated that while he would have spoken about some of the important steps regarding

anti-corruption, he provided counterexamples to show that there are areas which still have to be looked at. Dr. Thomas said that this was captured by KN and the newspaper included his allusion to the legal issues raised about the SARA Bill. He said that his approach was meant to convey the fact that the government has allowed the bond deal to stand is a counterexample (and there are others) to the generalisation. With this in mind, he felt that the content of the article was inconsistent with the headline used. Dr. Thomas also alleged that even when KN paraphrased what he said, it managed to insert ideas. “For example, whereas my focus was on the government and not any political party, KN has attributed direct comparisons between the PPP (PPP era) and the current government to me. However, to assess the APNU-AFC government, I consider what the APNUAFC government has done against what is required.” Kaieteur News does not agree with the aforementioned allegation. Throughout the conversation, KN specifically asked questions regarding certain constitutional entities and their status in the context of how the former government treated with same while taking a look at the behaviour of the APNU+AFC party. An example of this was the issue of the release of contracts and information as requested by the media and other sections of the public. This newspaper reminded Dr. Thomas of same yesterday and he acquiesced. The TIGI head went on to state that his interview with KN touched on the Integrity Commission and the Ombudsman as avenues for recourse for citizens. He stated that the latter was raised by the reporter as a question. Dr. Thomas noted that the absence of these

entities limit the options available and therefore closes some possibilities for addressing corruption. He said that these references were omitted from the KN article which was published on May 13. However, it was later explained to Dr. Thomas that those points regarding the Integrity Commission, the Ombudsman along with others, were set aside to be dealt with as separate stories: case in point is the article which was published on Sunday, “TIGI wants penalties in place for Office of Commissioner of Information.” Dr. Thomas acknowledged same. Dr. Thomas also went on to state that the said article provides readers with an important point which he believes was overshadowed by the incorrect headline. Dr. Thomas in this regard said, “There have been initiatives that are commendable but there are other issues with implications for corruption that have emerged. The government needs to deal with the corruption issues that have emerged decisively. Furthermore, some initiatives that can address corruption have only been partially implemented whereas others have been stalled. An overarching consideration is that we are yet to see if the changes with anti-corruption implications will be effective. I urge the government to take the necessary steps to address corruption and to capitalise on the expertise of the citizenry to strengthen such initiatives.” The University of Guyana Lecturer noted too that “TIGI remains a non-partisan organisation that does not seek to create or negate favour towards political entities. It is imperative that the press understands the seriousness of the purpose of TIGI and it must represent the views of the organisation correctly.”

Right of way issues!

This corner at Smyth and Hadfield Streets, behind the Brickdam Police Station, has always posed a problem for drivers. The driver of this Toyota Allion (l) reportedly failed to stop while heading west on Hadfield Street yesterday and was struck by the other Toyota that was heading south along Smyth Street.

Tuesday May 16, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Children need role models I did promise you that from time to time I will be dedicating this space to aspects of science which I feel will be of interest to the general public, a task that is all the more necessary, considering the decline in the teaching of science in our classrooms. Improving the teaching of science within our schools will also encourage greater interest in science within our schools. I have always felt, however, that interest in science needs to be cultivated from an early age within our homes. We should not wait until children enter the formal school system before we fire their thirst and hunger for scientific knowledge. We should begin this initiation from an early age, and this should happen firstly at home.

Children are naturally inquisitive about things around them. Just recently I was speaking with my own grandchild who, after looking at the West Indies fast bowlers, asked me how by jumping a bowler gains more speed. Now, that is a scientific question that will require inputs supported by facts about bio-mechanics, momentum and motion, all of which are fascinating subject areas in science. The question shows how much our children are keen on understanding the world around them. Thus, the right age to cultivate an active interest in science is when our children are very young. When children are young, they have questioning minds and their constant questioning can be at times irritable, but only

because we adults to whom the questions are posed do not always have the answers. They expose through their constant probing questions, the inadequacies of their parents, and sometime we react by telling them how they ask too many questions, which is the worst thing that can be done, since this will only discourage the development of an active mind. Even if we do not know the answer to a question, we need to encourage this thought process of our children, because it is only by asking questions that they grow in knowledge. We also need to expose them to role models. I recall when I was a teenager how fascinated I was by the work of scientists and how they came upon the discoveries that changed the face of human history. One day, I was

Dem boys seh ...

De DEA come and de fun done De boys come out to play. Dem playing so hard that by de time dem slow down nuff people gun lose dem money. Ever since he was president dem Americans ask Jagdeo if he want de DEA and de man seh yes. De Americans then ask him to provide accommodation but when Jagdeo look around de only place he could find was in Castellani compound. It mean that anybody could attack de DEA from Vlissengen Road. De Americans tell Jagdeo that he want DEA but he don’t want to protect dem. It tek couple years before de DEA did come and that was when Soulja Bai was president. Since then is nuff people getting ketch, no matter how dem try to hide de thing. If

dem try molasses de people finding de cocaine; if dem try awara, is same find de people finding it. Dem did find lumber when Jagdeo was president and de people find de cocaine. Now dem try de same trick wid Soulja Bai as president. This time de cocaine did seal up in de lumber. Dem boys know that somebody had to talk. That does happen when people see money and people who does talk fancy and does smoke a spliff. Dem boys hear that somebody actually tip off de cocaine people because some of dem run away. De Americans trying to cut off all de dribblings that coming in certain people hands. Nuff of this money was floating about pun de road. People was taking it and building big house just to

launder de money. Now some of dem same big house ain’t complete because de money ease up coming in. Is de same thing mek people complaining how business bad. That is why some people want back Jagdeo as President. He is de Champion of Free For All. Dem boys think there should be a law which seh that when CANU seize cocaine a lot must depend on whether de owner is a taxpayer and does pay VAT. To begin wid, is a case of credit; that mean that somebody gun end up in debt. Since de government care for its people it should help dem wid de debt so it should pay de people fuh some of de cocaine. Talk half and watch how de tide swing.

in the library and came across this biography of one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century, Marie Curie. I borrowed the book and could not put it down. That was a long time ago, but I still recall how engrossed I was in the story of this amazing woman. I have searched long and hard ever since to try to find a biography of Marie Curie, so that I could share the story of this woman with my grandchildren. I have not been successful so far, but I am sure there are many such works available. I urge any parents or guardians who wish to harness their children’s natural propensity for science; who wish to satiate their offspring’s appetite for answers to the puzzles of science, to introduce your children to the story of Marie Curie. This was a simple woman, born in Poland, whose love for science forced her to break with tradition and immigrate to France. There she pursued

her studies eventually becoming a doctor of science. In Paris also, she met her husband who was a renowned scientist. They married and continued their work in science. They were neither rich nor comfortable. In fact they were not fortunate to have some of the modern equipment, laboratories and resources which today’s scientists have at their disposal. Their facilities were primitive, and yet this amazing couple was able to isolate two important chemical elements, one of which was radium, and to pioneer the study and understanding of radioactivity. Their story is fascinating. One of the things that really struck me about this poor woman was her deep love for scientific knowledge. Despite the hardships she endured before being awarded the Nobel Prize, she was obsessed with her work and dedicated her entire life to the study of science. She made

science her life’s vocation and, with her husband, would work from sunrise to sunset in trying to improve mankind’s knowledge of whatever she was studying. Such dedication is inspirational. She is the perfect role model for our young children who have an interest in science and who may wish to continue into higher studies. I urge any parent to introduce their children to the life-story of this great woman whose brilliance and painstaking efforts helped to transform the scientific community and whose findings was later to lead to so many innovations that have benefited mankind.

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Tuesday May 16, 2017

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Dear Benschop; read this 2016 letter by Nandlall Mark Benschop accused Anil Nandlall of political interference to bring about a conviction in his treason charge. Nandlall was the special prosecutor in the case, a position one wonders why Nandlall took in the first place; maybe to please the then-President Jagdeo. Nandlall fired back. His reaction was known even to babies confined to their cradles – “I did nothing wrong.” This explanation of Nandlall comes from the theory of Guyanese politics that Nandlall adumbrated in a very important letter in the Kaieteur News. I would suggest to Mark Benschop and others who missed it to consult that missive. It offers a genetic theory of politics in Guyana that only Nandlall to date from the PPP has elongated on. Whether you hate or like Nandlall, he has formulated a theory of PPP politics. The date is Monday, December 19, 2016. The title is, “PPP Government in the 50s and after 1992 developed Guyana.” In his analysis, Nandlall posits that for each period the PPP ruled Guyana, there was progression and development. He listed the periods 1957

to 1964 and 1992 to 2015. Then he juxtaposed the PNC periods; 1964 to 1992 and from 2015 onwards. Here is a small extract from that letter; “Whenever the PPP is in Government there is economic progress and freedom in this country; and whenever the PNC is in Government there is economic decline and authoritarianism.” I did a response. See my column of December 23, 2016 with the caption; “Anil Nandlall sent Kaieteur News a coin with one of its two faces rubbed off.” Your first reaction to Nandlall’s theorizing is to dismiss it as asininity. But Nandlall wasn’t being facetious. His thinking reflects a Freudian embrace of the caste system and he has analysed the politics of the PPP based on the Hindu caste system. There is an inherent genetic superiority in the polemical submission of Nandlall. If an Indian-based party always brings progress when it is in power and an Africanbased party always generates backwardness when it is its turn to rule, then we are either talking about the caste system or genetic su-

periority. Leave PPP leaders out of the scenario for just a moment and examine the works of those who write on Indians in Guyana and the problematic of Indians in political power like Ravi Dev, Ryhaan Shah, Aksharananda, Baytoram Ramharack, Lomarsh Roopnarine, Dolly Hassan among others. Their narrative does not include Desmond Hoyte. Aksharananda is pellucid in his approach to Guyanese historiography. In a recent letter where he describes my adumbrations as miasmic, he posits that the current government is taking Guyana back to the authoritarian days when the PNC was in power. Aksharananda was referring to 1964 to 1992. There was no concession to Hoyte; there was no acknowledgement that Jagdeo was far more a depraved president than Hoyte. Aksharananda, the holy man who is a school teacher was also trained in sociology, but his sociology sees no positive role for the Hoyte presidency. These people will not include the Hoyte era in their

polemics because it will pose conceptual problems for the kind of theories they espouse, like the one Nandlall offers. With a track record of trying to depoliticize power, bringing back meritocracy in the public bureaucracy and confronting race legacies, Hoyte was more innovative and transformative than Cheddi Jagan. The Indian polemicists will not recognize the seminal role in modern Guyanese governance of Desmond Hoyte. Benschop can produce whatever evidence to show that he was framed by the Jagdeo regime and Nandlall was a player in the Jagdeoite conspiracy to jail him, but it would be to no avail Armed with his theory of the genetic differences between Indians who exercised

state power and Africans who had state authority in the Guyanese environment, Nandlall will not accept any wrongdoing on his part, not only in the Benschop treason case, but in any situation when he was Attorney-General. Years will pass on; Donald Ramotar, Clement Rohee, Leslie Ramsammy, Roger Luncheon, Gail Teixeira, Charles Ramson, Indra Chandarpal and company will get old and move off the scene, but even if they do leave a memoir, it will in the most definitive way avoid the acknowledgement or any wrongdoing. I sat a mere eight feet away from Gail Teixeira when she demanded of Vice Chancellor, Lawrence Carrington,

Frederick Kissoon that my UG contract be terminated. Ask Ms. Teixeira about that and amnesia or denial will step in. The Leslie Ramsammy case is the most egregious of the lot. There is actual evidence that he bought the spy equipment that Roger Khan used. And we all know the numbers Khan killed.

Actor walks free on causing death charge …after Magistrate upholds no case submission Actor and playwright Godfrey Henry was yesterday freed on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving when his trial concluded before Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Henry, 66, was accused of driving motorcar car HC 419, in a manner dangerous to the public on April 28, 2016 thereby causing the death of Fitzroy Damon. The Magistrate upheld a no case submission by Henry’ s A t t o r n e y, Savannah Barnwell, and in her decision pointed out that there was no evidence led by the prosecution as to the manner in which Henry was driving. Magistrate Daly underscored that the elements of the offence were not proven; there was no evidence as to speed, careless or reckless driving

on the part of Henry. It was for those reasons that the Magistrate upheld the no case submission and dismissed the matter. In the no case submission, Attorney Barnwell stated that there were no eyewitnesses to the accident; the p r o s e c u t i o n ’s main witnesses, Constable Otto and Constable Fowler admitted under cross examination that the only evidence police have as to how the accident occurred is what Henry told them. In the no case submission, it was pointed out that both police officers admitted under cross examination that Henry told them that his car did not hit Damon, and that he was travelling in the southern lane of H o m e s t r e t c h Av e n u e , Georgetown, when another

vehicle hit the deceased (Damon) which resulted in him being tossed into the air and then onto his windscreen. “There is not a shred of evidence before this honourable court that the defendant (Henry) drove the motor vehicle in question in a dangerous manner resulting in the death of Fitzroy Damon. There is no causal link between the death of Fitzroy Damon and the driving of the defendant. The prosecution has failed to prove that the defendant’s standard of driving fell below the standard of driving that would be expected of a competent and careful driver,” Attorney Barnwell argued in the no case submission. Henry had been out on $300,000 bail pending trial.

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Kaieteur News

AFC does not have an independent voice – Jagdeo The picture that the Alliance for Change (AFC) wants to paint that it has an independent voice in the coalition government, is far from reality. This notion was expressed by Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference hosted at his office on Church Street, Georgetown yesterday. Jagdeo told media operatives that AFC does not have an independent voice but seemingly, wants the public to think otherwise. “I don’t see them as separate (entities), they contested the (May 2015 General) Elections on the same slate; and they subscribe to the same programmes. The AFC is trying to play a clever game, agreeing to all the policy measures that the government passes – many of them unpopular. They agreed to these measures and then come and say to people outside, well we (AFC) didn’t agree to it” Jagdeo posited. He spoke about the imposition of the 14 percent Valued Added Tax (VAT) on private tuition in the 2017 National Budget. After an outcry from several sections of the populace, a decision was taken by the AFC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) held on April 29 in Linden, to have government set up a body ahead of next year’s National Budget to discuss the issue. The AFC in a release had stated: “The status of private educational institutions requires review and updating where appropriate, and calls on the G o v e r n m e n t o f Guyana to set up a task force to engage this matter in advance of the presentation of the Budget 2018 estimates”. Jagdeo is asking why the call was made by the AFC after the VAT measure

was set in motion and not before. “Why not say VAT on education is wrong. We don’t subscribe to this; you have to find another way.” Jagdeo said. He made reference also to the AFC’s call for the scrapping of the controversial parking meter project which has been paused for a threemonth period to facilitate renegotiations and additional consultations. The AFC earlier this year said it wanted the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to suspend the implementation of the initiative after a series of protests in the Capital. The AFC voiced its concerns over the handling of the project as it related to the lack of sufficient prior public consultation; the absence of transparency and of a competitive bidding process; the seeming lack of proper planning with regard to exemptions and the pricing and penalty structures. “The AFC is of the view that the current arrangements do not appear to be in the best interest of the people of the city,” the AFC had stated. The party raised its concerns through the then Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan, an AFC member. Jagdeo again said that the AFC should have intervened prior to the rollout of the programme. “Why did you not when the policy was being discussed say: “I’m opposed to parking meters and we’re a member of this coalition and this had to be done transparently? Why not do that there? They want to enjoy the sweet of the coalition...and then also seem to the public that they have an independent voice in the coalition. They do not have an independent voice in the coalition,” Jagdeo argued.

Memorial service for Mrs Carmen Jarvis The family and relatives of the late Carmen Jarvis, will be holding a Memorial Service for Mrs. Jarvis at Smith Memorial Congregational Church, 55 Brickdam, on Friday. The memorial service would begin at 10:00 hrs. Mrs Jarvis died in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on March 29, last. She was cremated after a funeral service on April 9, last. Born Carmen Enid Peterkin Jarvis on November 12, 1924 in Georgetown, Guyana, she was an accomplished woman and a tower of love and strength to her family. She enjoyed a sixty-three year professional career in

Guyana and internationally and has left an inimitable legacy of achievement in education, international development, Girl Guiding, civic and charitable involvement. The recipient of many accolades, she also authored two books. Mrs. Jarvis is survived by daughters Jennifer King and Alison Knight; grandchildren, Alex and Justin King, Karen and Tracy Knight, and other relatives and friends. Her daughters are arriving in Guyana tomorrow with Mrs Jarvis’s earthly remains for the memorial service. Interment at Le Repentir Cemetery will take place immediately following the service.

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Bail for gold miner accused of bribing cop with raw gold A gold miner was yesterday released on $150,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, accused of bribing a police officer. Ernest Trotman, 39, of 594 Zeelugt, East Bank Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on May 9, at Issano Police Station, Mazaruni, he corruptly gave Alex Vaughn, a police officer, one ounce of raw gold as inducement to forb e a r t o c h a rg e Wa y n e Stuart for trafficking narcotics. The defendant was represented by Attorney-atlaw Latchmie Rahamat, who told the court that a raid was conducted and the narcotics were found in a shop which her client operates. The attorney said that her client was arrested and questioned in relation to the drug. She said that af-

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Kaieteur News

Ernest Trotman ter being arrested, her client was searched, and he had in h i s p o s s e s s i o n one ounce of raw gold and a quantity of cash, which was lodged with the police. Rahamat said that her client denied the allegation, and that she would contend that her client was

kept in custody from May 9 to May 15, which is a breach to his constitutional rights. Rahamat asked that her client be released on reasonable bail citing that he is not a flight risk. However Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore told the court that the defendant operates a shop in Issano. The Prosecutor further said that a search was conducted in the shop by police during which a quantity of narcotics was found. The prosecutor stated that an investigation was carried out and the file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice. The court heard that it was during that period that Trotman offered the bribe to the police rank. Trotman was released on bail and he will make his next court appearance on May 25 at the Bartica Magistrates Court.

Cops hunt gunman who robbed, raped North R/veldt woman Investigators in ‘A’ Division are hunting for a lone gunman who raped a woman during a robbery at her home in North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, on Sunday morning. The woman had just returned home from a party at Albouystown when she was attacked as she was about to enter her home. According to information received, the young woman and her partner had just ar-

rived home in a taxi when the driver indicated that he had no change for their $5000 note. The woman allegedly got out of the car and went into her home while her partner went with the driver to look for change. Kaieteur News was told that just as the woman entered the yard, the gunman confronted her and took her into her home where he raped her. The bandit forced his vic-

tim to perform oral sex on him before raping her. As he was about to leave, he collected the woman’s cash, phone and jewellery. Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported that for the first two months of the year, there has been a 13 percent decrease in the number of reported cases. There were 48 reported cases as of the end of February, last, as compared to 55 for the same period last year.

2014 Alberttown murder…

Victim was shot following robbery on beverage stall – accused tells court Murder accused Lawrence Wayne stood in the prisoner ’s dock at the Georgetown High Court yesterday and declared that he will rely on a statement which he had given to the police in relation to the shooting death of Dexter Lindo. Lindo, 26, of Shell Road, Kitty, was shot on August 23, 2014, at Alberttown, Georgetown. He was allegedly shot three times and succumbed days later, at the Balwant Singh Hospital. Wayne, a beverage outlet proprietor, was subsequently arrested and charged for the murder. He is currently on trial before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a mixed 12-member jury. Yesterday, the accused was called upon to lead his defence after the State closed its case. But Wayne only stood in the dock and told the court that he will rely on the statement which he gave to the police. In the statement, Wayne told the cops that he shot Lindo pursuant to a robbery which occurred at his beverage stall. In the ordinary statement, which was tendered to the court through a police witness last week, Wayne de-

Accused: Lawrence Wayne tailed to the police investigators that on the day of the incident, he shot Dexter Lindo during a confrontation; he claimed that Lindo was one of the suspects involved in the robbery of his beverage bar. Wayne told the police that he received a telephone call that armed men had entered his Beverage Paradise stall at Merriman’s Mall, Bourda. The accused, a licensed firearm holder at the time, told the

cops that he arrived in time to see the men, who escaped in a vehicle, after exiting the store. The accused recounted to the police that he followed the men in his vehicle and eventually caught up with them at Light and Fifth Streets, Alberttown. Wayne is said to have confronted one of the men (Lindo) and told him to “freeze.” He recalled that Lindo had already exited the car and entered a shop in the area, when he (Lindo) turned and pulled a gun from his waist. The businessman said that he in turn, opened fire on the man and injured him in the process. The accused had vehemently denied the allegations of murder before the court. He was previously discharged of the murder but the charges were reinstituted shortly afterwards. At present, the matter is being presented by State Attorneys Tamieka Clarke and Mandel Moore. The accused is represented by Attorneysat-law Max McKay and Stanley Moore. Both sides are expected to present closing addresses to the jury today.

Tuesday May 16, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Body of Haitian migrant found Former Bermuda on beach in The Bahamas Premier dies aged 77

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC. – The police are investigating circumstances surrounding the death of a Haitian man, whose body was found on a beach on the island of Eleuthera on the weekend. The police report that the man was believed to be part of a group of approximately 50 Haitian migrants who landed in the South Eleuthera early Saturday.

According to the police, shortly after 3 a.m (local time) on Saturday, they received a report that several Haitian migrants landed on the island. The officers, on checking the immediate area, found the lifeless body of a male on the shoreline, suspected to be a part of the group of migrants. The officers also detained the Haitian migrants and handed them over to immigration officials

This incident follows the apprehension of 23 Haitian migrants who landed in the Yamacraw area on the island of New Providence, last week. The police say they were notified about migrant sightings and subsequently apprehended the Haitians. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force says over 60 suspected Haitian migrants were apprehended in Bahaman waters last month.

Prime Minister cancels plan to construct a gun factory ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – A plan to give investors permission to build a gun assembling plant in the proposed Economic Zone, has been cancelled by Prime Minister Gaston Browne. The announcement of a cancellation was made on Saturday, just hours after the Prime Minister called Observer Radio confirming that the plan was going ahead and that all of the guns manufactured would be for export. But following mounting criticism from the public, the Prime Minister called the radio station later in the day saying that the Cabinet had not made a formal decision to establish a gun factory. “However, an informal undertaking was given to an Italian handgun manufacturer to establish a hand gun factory in the special economic zone. This occurred on an occasion while I was off island. I subsequently heard about it and indicated to the agent of the investor that it was a bad idea,” Browne revealed in a statement on Saturday.

David Saul HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Tributes have poured in for former Bermuda Premier David Saul, after he died at home yesterday following two recent strokes. Saul who was 77, served as Premier from 1995 to 1997. Earlier as Finance Minister under the former United Bermuda Party (UBP) government, he suffered a stroke in March and then a second stroke which, his family said “cruelly set him back and prompted a move of typical conviction, determination and finality in his mind”. Premier Michael Dunkley said Saul will be remembered for his “kindness, adventurous spirit and lust for life”. Opposition Leader David Burt described Saul as a man of “tremendous energy” who

had a determination to “do things well”. Saul’s son, Jonathan, said: “It wasn’t that he lost the will to live at all. We could see him in there working hard to communicate, trying to walk, but unable to talk or see properly. It was more that he understood his situation and made a conscious effort to move forward with dignity and embrace his final days.” Dunkley said that as the Minister of Finance and later as the Premier of Bermuda “Dr Saul represented our country with passion, pride and vision, advancing key policies aimed at progressing Bermuda forward.In his later years, as the public is keenly aware, he devoted all of his energy and attention to his philanthropic endeavours.”

“Working with various charitable organisations Dr Saul made it his mission to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and preserving our marine environment.”I was proud to call Dr Saul a friend. I will remember him for his kindness, his generosity, his adventurous spirit and for embracing all that life had to offer,” Dunkley said. Saul’s family described him as an “athlete, artist and statesman” whose achievements and awards were too numerous to list. “David led a life for the history books,” the family said in a release. “After suffering his initial stroke in March which took his speech and some mobility, he knuckled down and applied himself with his legendary optimism and endurance to regain his independence and ability to communicate through some aggressive therapy.” There are plans to place the former politician in a premade reef box so he can be buried at sea, as he wished. Saul told the Royal Gazette newspaper in 2006 about his plan to create an artificial coral reef after his death. Saul succeeded Sir John Swan as Premier. The UBP went on to lose the 1998 general election to the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) after running the country for 30 years and later folded. Saul leaves behind his widow Christine, a son, daughter and four grandchildren.

Haiti announces increase in fuel price to help public finances Gaston Browne “I was told at the time that the guns would have been manufactured based on international standards and for exportation only. And that they would have not been eligible for sale in the domestic market. At the time, I maintained for various reasons that we should not proceed with the proposed investment.” “I thought it was a dead issue until (Friday),” the Prime Minister said. “It was brought to my attention, that a letter was sent to a Minister to expedite the passage of the nec-

essary laws and regulations to expedite the investment. This request was made despite the fact that the matter never came before the Cabinet for ratification.” The Prime Minister said that having heard the public sentiments, which were in keeping with his concerns – “I directed the Attorney General to cease any further negotiations or discussions on this proposed investment.” He said a firm policy decision will be taken at the next Cabinet meeting and communicated to the public.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Haitians are paying up to 20 per cent more for fuel starting yesterday following a government announcement on the weekend. The increase, geared towards boosting the nation’s coffers, comes after weeks of negotiations with transportation unions. Haiti, like several other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, has benefited from the Petro Car i b e a g r e e m e n t w i t h Venezuela under which that South American country provides petroleum products at a reduced rate, with the bills payable over 25 years at an interest rate of one per cent.

Since 2008, Haiti has in effect received US$2 billion in loans from Venezuela. But it has failed to invest that money in economic development policies that would raise living standards and put the govern-

ment in a position to pay back the debt. Previous Haitian governments have shied from keeping fuel prices in sync with world market prices, fearing inflation that would anger the population.

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SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana p assport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535.

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 6471773/660-5257 Hair station for rent in prime location in Georgetown, preferably a braider. Call: 6807813

INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Floor sanding & Lacquering, house plans, estimate & painting, boat for Santa Mission. Call: 650-4362 Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Kaieteur News

WANTED

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

VACANCY

Articulated/Dump truck driver for interior location, must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 for further details.

LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Office Clerk (senior/junior) with CXC English/ Mathematics, computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500

One land in Tuschen Phase 2 – Call: 642-1252

3 Bedrooms upper flat, fully grilled with toilet, bath, kitchen, parking @ Block ‘8’ Mon Repos, E.C.D -$70,000 monthly. Call: 687-1050

Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic –Call: 223-7500. Monday-Saturday 8:15-4:15pm

Two Dynamic Individual with communications & sales techniques, computer skill @ Sparkle, Meeten-Meer-Zorg & KeyFood Mc Doom location. Contract Cars and Drivers, Nigel’s Taxi Service @ Sheriff Street, C/Ville. Call: 219-5002/ 699-6152 Straight stitch/over edge machine operators/bond warehouse worker. Call: 2222541 8:00am-4:00pm (MonFri) Dried and in large quantities: Corilla bush, lemon grass, sour sap leaves. Call: 665-1397

PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Recently-built 2-Storey concrete building (1,245 ft2) Parfaite Harmonie $7.9M neg. Contact 231-9690 For details. Recently-constructed 2Storey concrete building (2,030 ft2) Tuschen $7.5M neg. Contact 231-9690 for details.

Buying Wamara, TATABU, Koraroballi, Itikiborabali, fresh logs. Call: 664-5150 Investors needed for gold trading business in the Interior, weekly turnover. Call: 658-7553 Experienced bus and taxi drivers at Princess Ramada Hotel, Providence. Call: 6165419/ 265-7076 One domestic worker to work in Trinidad. between ages of 25-35. Call: 1868- 683-1528 Experienced sand truck driver. Call: 227-8529

1 Transported property for sale at Covent Garden, music equipment for sale. Call: 2653586 Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, video games & repairs – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231 1 Complete Sawmill at Yarrowkabra Linden Soesdyke Highway and 1 F66 – Clarke, Ranger Skidder. Call: 609-8041/ 644-1190 Office furniture, used computers, display racks & stands for store use. Call:2258066/624-6783 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999 Yamaha 15HP, outboard Engine and boat – 2 months old. Call: 660-4104/ 691-9283 1 White Passo, PSS, 1 -2 door sankey cooler, 1 -280 Sthil slasher, 1 Door upright coole, all brand new. Call: 602-3000/ 690-1038

1 Canter Driver. Call: 629-2912

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS) TOURS Suriname City Tour: Independence weekend, dolphins, malls, casino, shopping May 25th -28th. Call: 665-5171/639-2663/6583758/223-7589

LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages). FOR SALE/FOR RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

Experienced shop workers, handyman & domestic to work in the Interior, age 1840yrs. Call: 231-0363 (9am4:30pm). (TIN, ID & NIS)

CAR RENTAL

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

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

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

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

Two bedrooms, upper & lower flat @ Mc Doom Public Road, Married Couple/ Students - $50,000 each. Call: 643-8281 Prime Business Place to rent on Sheriff Street, for offices only. Call: 627-6740/227-8644 4 Bedrooms top flat, semifurnished @ Ogle. Call: 222-4630 Three storey 75X30 feet building/bond, open floor, 2 offices, 2 washrooms, driveways @ 25B Princes St., Charlestown. Call: 223-0654/ 225-0605 1 Two bedrooms apartment for rent in Diamond New Scheme. Call: 216-2339/ 676-6313

Workers and 1 cleaner to work at ice factory Meadowbank. Call: 642-9191 between 8am-1pm MondayFriday 1 Female bartender, cook, waitress, (live in or live out), free meal, in GT. Immediately call: 648-4810

1 Full time housekeeper. Call: 602-1447 1 Male to look after layer birds in the Interior. Call: 6652514 1 Female shop assistant to work in the Interior. Call: 6652514 Uitvlugt, Tuschen, Zeelugt and La Parfaite Harmonie Harmonie. Call: 642-1252

Receptionist, male security guard, 30-40yrs @ 233 South Road Lacytown. Call: 225-0198 Welder/Fabricator for interior location. Applicants must be experienced with verifiable references. Call: 618-2020 Accounts Clerk for office in Eccles Industrial Site, knowledge of NIS, PAYE, VAT, Quickbooks call 614-4358. 1 Nanny/Tutor to tech & care for 18 months boy. Apply to Alabama Trading, 65 Robb Street, Bourda Experienced sales clerk. Apply in person to Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street, Bourda

Spacious one bedroom upper flat at 239 Herstelling E.B.D. Call: 265-0204/ 601-0223/6459921

One experienced cook and salesgirl for café on Sheriff Street, Mon-Friday 8hrs, salary $60,000 monthly. Call: 611-1981/ 647-2349

1 Bedroom apartment @ Uitvlugt Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara $20,000 monthly. Call: 6982802/277-3033

One general domestic must be able to prepare vegetarian meal. Apply: Alabama trading, 65 Robb Street Bourda. 1 Experienced Bar-B-Q/Cook, day security guard, mini bus driver. Call:638-5303/227-7380

Responsible person to work on Farm, live in, attractive salary. Call: 687-3538

Person to wash & paint buildings. Call: 225-3269/ 6728599 CAR RENTAL

Toyota Red Rav4 (1994) old Model, reliable and strong $1.3M. Call: 600-0036/2231273

One newly built studio apartment @ Diamond 15X12. Call: 621-1485/ 663-2746

Boys for store/bond, warehouse work. Call: 2237500 between MondaySaturday, 8:15-4:15pm.

1 Strong able body security guard. Call: 226-1877/624-7436 TO LET VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pitbull – Call: 650-7501 Nissan Pathfinder Jeep $1.5M, Toyota Ipsum 7 seater, fully loaded -$2M. Great deals! Must be sold! Call: 609-7766 One Toyota Camry 5030 ,AC working, $625,000. Call: 6737991 1 Mercedes Benz c 200 Kompresso, PNN 6967. Call: 277-3033/698-2802/254-1801

Business Space on Middleton St. C/Ville. Call: 650-0716/667-1896 Newly constructed 2 bedrooms apt in a safe & healthy environment. Call: 622-6512/698-6496 1-3 Bedroom house @ Prashad Nagar -$600US monthly. 1-2 bedroom house @ Lamaha Gardens- $1,000 US monthly. Call: 231-4681/ 652-6565 1 Complete liquor bar & restaurant, must buy all equipment or partnership @ Soesdyke, Soesdyke Highway. Call: 600-0036/2231273 EDUCATIONAL Lessons Grades 1-6: Reading, Composition writing, Grammar, Maths, Science & Social Studies @ Queenstown, G/ Town. Call: 695-9625

LAND FOR SALE 12 House lots 80X60 at Plantation Schoonard: water, light and roads, 1 min from Harbour Bridge. Call: 6152346/627-3443 1 House lot in #1 Canal 175X100 – price $3.5M. Call: 684-6048/694-4372

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Two charged after shooting and chopping incident Two men yesterday appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where they both denied the charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on each other. Magistrate Judy Latchman read the charge in which it is alleged that on May 8 at La Penitence, Georgetown, Colin Daly, 23, of Lot 23 East La Penitence unlawfully and maliciously inflicted grievous bodily harm to Ryan Jonas. Daly was represented by Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade who asked that his client be released on reasonable bail since his client has never been convicted before. Wade told the court that his client has a bullet lodged in his right hand, since he has been in police custody since May 9 and has not received medical treatment to extract the bullet. Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves had no objection to bail being granted. The defendant was released on $60,000 bail. It was further alleged that Ryan Jones on May 8 at La Penitence, Georgetown, discharged a loaded firearm at Colin Daly with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable or

Union accuses GTT of preferring contract workers – Court orders company to engage in discussions relating to 120 workers’ positions

Colin Daly

Ryan Jones

cause him grievous bodily harm. The nineteen-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge after it was read to him by the magistrate. Jones was represented by Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat who, in his application to secure bail for his client, told the court that his client was beaten by Daly last year and was dealt a chop to his back. The attorney told the court that his client’s hand is severely chopped in several different places and it’s unlikely that he will ever be able to use the hand again.

Facts presented by the prosecutor stated that on the day in question around 20:20hrs, Daly was standing at a shop in East La Penitence drinking a Guinness when he was approached by Jones who fired several shots at him and one hit him in his right hand. The court heard that Daly went by his cousin and armed himself with a cutlass and dealt Jones several chops about his hand. Bail was refused and Jones was remanded to prison. Both men will make their next court appearance on June 12.

Voir Dire underway in trial for murder of Pike St. businessman Justice Navindra Singh is expected to make a ruling on the admissibility of a statement obtained by the police during investigations into the murder of Pike Street Businessman, Ashok Raghoo. A voir dire is currently underway in the murder trial ongoing at the Georgetown High Court. The businessman was shot and killed following a robbery which occurred at Vlissengen Road in the vicinity of the Botanical Gardens on August 18, 2014. Raghoo of Pike Street, Campbellville, was shot in the chest, while his wife, Shyrazadi Raghoo, was shot in the thigh by two gunmen on a motorcycle, who cornered them at the Vlissengen and Regent Roads. The robbers escaped with a bag containing an undisclosed sum of cash a n d t h e s l a i n m a n ’s l i censed firearm. Travis

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Accused: Travis Mc Dougall McDougall of East La Penitence, Georgetown was charged with the murder. Justice Singh is presiding over his trial at the High Court. The accused is being represented by Attorney Nigel Hughes while State Prosecutors, Tuanna Hardy and Siand Dhurjon,

are presenting the case. On Thursday, State witness Dirk Bess testified that the couple’s car had stopped parallel to his vehicle when the occupants were attacked. A scuffle had ensued between a gunman and the driver and then there was an explosion. The witness recounted that there was a second explosion before the gunman escaped with something in his hand. Bess told the court that the man with the gun was “thin built and he ran and jumped on to the back of a motorcycle with another male who had a little more s i z e . ” The witness said that he waited until the men rode off before he could get out of his car and render assistance to the injured persons. He said however that he could not adequately identify the shooters.

Cops arrest businessman over... From page 8 substance suspected to be cocaine. The truck, its driver and porters were escorted to CANU headquarters where a detailed search of the cargo was completed. According to the release, the search revealed cocaine stored in random boards scat-

tered among genuine boards in each pallet. CANU said that each of the compromised boards had a dug out cavity with vacuumsealed plastic packets containing cocaine. When investigators visited Lall’s home, they were informed that he was out of the country. Vieira could not be located.

The Guyana Postal and Telecommunications Workers’ Union (GPTWU) has told this publication that the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) hired seventeen contract workers over the period of the last two months. This comes at a time when the said company has decided to restructure its operations. In February last GTT’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd made the announcement. He noted that 120 positions would be made redundant over the following year. GTT has laid off several workers since, including long-serving employees. General Secretary of the union Eslyn Harris stated that it is “reasonable to assume that the positions GTT wants to make redundant are all permanent positions”. Harris related that the seventeen contract workers are employed within the same departments the company is “posing redundancy issues.” When contacted for a comment on the hiring of seventeen contract workers, the company said “We will continue to provide employment for several hundred staff to best serve our customers.” The union filed an injunction back in March 2017 against GTT, seeking to restrain the company from moving ahead with a restructur-

ing of its operations, which would result in 120 positions becoming redundant. During a press conference at the Union’s office on East Street it was revealed that the consent order was granted on April 12, 2017 by Justice Rishi Persaud for the management of GTT to abide by the law in its redundancy and restructuring actions. The company has to have meaningful engagements with the union in keeping with the labour agreement between the two. The court order reads as follows: “…that the respondent company do engage in a process of notification and consultation with the Applicant Union under the terms of the Collective Labour Agreement between the Union and the Respondent Company, and in compliance with the provision of section 12(3) of the Termination and Severance Pay Act Cap. 96:01, before implementing its termination of employment of unionized employees by reason of a Redundancy programme and it is further ordered that the Respondent Company continue to engage in a process of notification and consultation with the Chief Labour Officer under terms of Section 12(3) of the Termination and Severance Pay Act Cap. 96:01 before implementing its Redundancy program.”

President of the Union Harold Shepherd said that the union does not resist the Company’s right to restructure to be more efficient, however the union will “hold the feet of management to the fire to ensure that the law of the land is faithfully observed.” GPTWU sent a letter to the entity recently, requesting the organizational structure of the company; the structure in each department in terms of employees, the number of contract employees within the various departments, the number of temporary employees in the various department, a list of all the employees within the sector and their designation, and years of service of the employees. “We would also like to have information as to the company’s objectives,” Shepherd stated. Last week the company and union had a meeting. Shepherd said, “It would appear to us that GTT is not willing to give us all the facts on this issue.” The union says it is ready to resolve the redundancy issue “peacefully”. Shepherd explained that once the company complies and provides the necessary documents, the union will make a fitting decision. He emphasised that “anything less than that we will not accept.”

More to be spent on controversial... From page 13 grand farmer’s market, cottage industry and small business exhibition. This event will be held at the D’Urban Park and will commence from 08:00hrs. The Farmer’s Market is to provide information to citizens about the importance of agriculture, and how they can go about starting an agro business. Fresh and processed agricultural products and livestock will also be on display. Celwin Anthony, representative from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) noted that it is the first time in years that a farmer’s market is being part of such activities. He encour-

aged youths to come out and see what the agriculture fields have to offer. The framers market is linked directly to the youth week initiative. 29 May, 2017: There will be another guided school tour. This tour will venture to the Housing expo at Perseverance. The objection is to impart the relevance of housing and importance of preparing for the future to youths. SECURITY Security is at top of the agenda Lieutenant Colonel Bess stated. Commander of ‘C’ Division Calvin Brutus said that over 250 ranks will be present at Guyana’s 51st Independence activities. Police officers from the Traffic divi-

sion, the Criminal Investigations Department (C.I.D), and special ranks will be deployed at various routes around D’Urban Park. Commander Brutus explained that no parking will be allowed on Homestretch Avenue; this is to facilitate the free flow of VIPs and emergency vehicles. Parking for spectators will be on Vlissengen Road on the eastern part between Homestretch Avenue and Hadfield Street. There will also be parking on the Northern side of Hadfield Street. Wortmanville and Lodge areas will have more security presence, Commander Brutus noted.

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Anti-Maduro protests persist Award-winning Mexican with sit-ins and roadblocks reporter Javier Valdez killed (BBC) Award-winning Mexican journalist Javier Valdez has been shot dead in the north-western state of Sinaloa. He was killed when unidentified attackers opened fire on his car in the city of Culiacan where Valdez was working, the RioDoce website reports. Valdez, 50, received the International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2011 for his coverage of drug trafficking. He is the fifth journalist to be killed in Mexico this year. After his colleague Miroslava Breach was shot dead in March, Valdez was quoted as saying “No to silence” and “Let them kill us (Reuters) Opponents of President Nicolas Maduro staged sit-ins and roadblocks across Venezuela on Monday to press for elections, sparking new unrest. A local governor of the ruling Socialist Party who earlier said that a sniper had killed a policeman, later said that was not true and that the policeman was in critical condition. Demonstrators have been on the streets daily since early April to demand elections, freedom for jailed activists, foreign humanitarian aid to offset an economic crisis, and autonomy for the opposition-controlled legislature. Maduro accuses them of seeking a violent coup. Trying to vary tactics and keep momentum, protesters rode horses through Caracas on Saturday and took letters and flowers to police and military posts on Mother ’s Day on Sunday. On Monday, thousands massed from 7 a.m on highways in Caracas and elsewhere, chanting slogans, waving banners, playing cards in deck chairs, enjoying impromptu sports games and sharing food. “I’m here for the full 12

hours. And I’ll be back every day there’s a protest, for as long as is nece s s a r y, ” s a i d A n e l i n Rojas, a 30-year-old human resources worker, sitting cross-legged with a novel and earphones in the middle of Caracas’ main highway. “Unfortunately, we are up against a dictatorship. Nothing is going to change unless we force them,” Rojas added, surrounded by placards saying “Resistance!” and “Maduro, Your Time Is Up!” Using branches, rocks and garbage, demonstrators blocked the main Francisco Fajardo thoroughfare in Caracas from after dawn. I n w e s t e r n Ta c h i r a state, some farmers were striking in solidarity with the protesters. They gave away milk and cheese so it would not go to waste, witnesses said. On Margarita island, opposition lawmaker Yanet Fermin was detained while mediating between security forces and protesters, her party said. The opposition,

which commands majority support after years in the shadow of the ruling socialists, is more united than during the last wave of anti-Maduro protests in 2014. But the opposition has been unable to stop violence in its ranks, with youths hurling stones and petrol bombs, vandalizing property and starting fires when security forces block marches with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons. CLAIMS OF MEDIA BIAS At least 38 people have died, including protesters, government sympathizers, bystanders and security forces, during six weeks of protests. Hundreds have been hurt and arrested. The current wave of protests, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of demonstrators on some days, has drawn greater support from the p o o r, w h o b a c k e d l a t e leader Hugo Chavez massively but have soured on Maduro, his successor, and suffered the most from four years of recession. But the main protests have still been in middleclass areas. Maduro, 54, who narrowly won election in 2013 after Chavez’s death, says he is the victim of an international right-wing conspiracy that has already brought down leftist governments in Brazil, Argentina and Peru in recent years. Government supporters say international media coverage of Venezuela has been biased, emphasizing government repression and minimizing opposition violence.

Javier Valdez had reported extensively on drug trafficking and organised crime in Mexico all”. Like Valdez, Breach had reported on organised crime, drug-trafficking and corrup-

tion. At the time, the CPJ said 38 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992.

U.S. nears $100 billion arms deal for Saudi Arabia: White House official

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., (Reuters) The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals for Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Riyadh. The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than $300 billion over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining U.S. ally Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbours. “We are in the final stages of a series of deals,” the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom on May 19, the first stop on his maiden interna-

tional trip. Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Trump’s visit. The United States has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the U.S. economy by boosting manufacturing jobs. The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defense and maritime security, the official said. “We’ll see a very substantial commitment ... In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face.”

The official added: “It’s good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge.” While in Riyadh, the official said Trump would attend three major events: A series of meetings with Saudi officials, a separate session with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and a lunch with Arab and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been invited, to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing. Trump will discuss how to counter the threat from Islamic State militants, the war in Yemen and threats of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the official said.

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Kaieteur News

On the frontline of ISIS’ last stand in Iraq Mosul, Iraq (CNN) Flies buzz around the drying rivulets of blood seeping from the heads of two corpses draped over the hood of a Humvee. One of the bodies, partially charred, lies face down; by his chest is webbing where he had kept magazines for an automatic rifle. The other, with long matted hair, faces the Humvee’s bulletpocked windshield. His ragged pants are pulled down around his knees, a piece of green and yellow electric wire loosely wound around his ankles. Two Iraqi soldiers step in front of the Humvee. Raising his phone, one takes a selfie of the two in front of their trophy. For a moment, they flash a smile. “They had pills in their pockets,” one of the soldiers tells me. “That’s how they keep fighting.” His comrades killed the ISIS fighters earlier in the af-

ternoon when they tried to sneak from the ISIS-held 17 Tammouz, or 17th July neighborhood, into the adjacent Mushairfa district in Mosul. We are just about one hundred meters from the most forward line of the Iraqi Army’s Ninth Armoured division. In the background, there is the steady thud of mortar and artillery fire. Helicopters circle overhead, occasionally flying further into the city, noses down. A line of black smoke shooting out in front signals a rocket has been fired. Since Mosul’s capture by ISIS fighters in June 2014, Mosul has been a vital stronghold for ISIS. The largest city under ISIS control in Iraq and Syria, it was the city from which the group first declared the establishment of its so-called caliphate. Since then, ISIS has gradually lost its other Iraqi

cities — Ramadi, Tikrit and Falluja — to government forces. As many as 750,000 people are estimated to remain in Mosul, once a cosmopolitan trade hub of two million residents. Iraqi officials say ISIS now only controls one tenth of the city. But they anticipate that the final, most difficult phase is yet to come. Iraqi forces are preparing to push into the 17th Tammouz neighborhood, named after the 1968 coup d’état that brought the Ba’ath Party to power. On June 6, 2014, ISIS fighters entered Mosul through this neighborhood, and within hours were in full control of the city. This was the start of an offensive that saw ISIS take control of the cities of Baiji and Tikrit, and eventually took them to the outskirts of Baghdad.

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Tuesday May 16, 2017

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T&T-based Venezuelans Appeal for Help in their Homeland PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,– Concerned Venezuelans living in Trinidad and Tobago warn that the lives of their countrymen are in peril. They are pleading with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to urgently intervene in their troubled homeland. The group presented a petition to a special meeting of the local UNHCR office in Port of Spain. “We respectfully reiterate our petition and we require your official statement according this situation,” the group said. Spokesman Heidi Diquez expressed fears that democracy was under threat under the Nicholas Maduro administration, claiming that the Constitution could very well be abolished within the next few weeks. She added that the time had come for international organizations to impose sanctions against the government.

Diquez stressed that an intervention from the international community was even more critical since Venezuela’s decision to sever its ties with the Organization of American States (OAS). “It is imperative that international actors raise their voices towards these emerging issues that hinder the democracy in Venezuela and in the whole region,” she said. Since April, demonstrators have been on the streets daily demanding fresh elections, freedom for jailed activists, and foreign humanitarian aid. In tears, Diquez especially lamented recent deaths during the ongoing protests, saying that most of the 40

people killed were students between the ages of 14 and 32. She further raised concern that a growing number of Venezuelans have been forced to flee the country because of a shortage of food and medicine. “Venezuelans are being killed and there is a scarcity of food and medicine there,” Diquez said. Venezuela’s Ambassador to Trinidad, Coromoto Godoy Calderon, has maintained that Opposition forces are using economic sabotage to make the people hungry so that they will turn to violence and then blame the Maduro government. (Caribbean 360)

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Law fined for dissent over Dowrich Pepsi renews U-19, Intermediate... decision ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – West Indies head coach Stuart Law has been slapped with a fine by ICC match referee Chris Broad, for showing dissent during the tense final day of the decisive third Test against Pakistan which ended here Sunday. Upset over the dismissal of wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich in the second session, the Australian went to the umpire’s room and proceeded to question the third umpire over his ruling to confirm the on-field umpire’s initial decision to give Dowrich out. According to the ICC, Law then left the room “while making an inappropriate comment.” He pleaded guilty to the charge of “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during

West Indies head coach Stuart Law. an international match” and was subsequently fined 25 per cent of his match fee. “In addition to the fine, one demerit point has been added to Law’s disciplinary record,” the ICC said. Dowrich was sixth out for two with the score on 93, adjudged caught at short leg off

leg-spinner Yasir Shah. The batsman immediately reviewed the decision but replays proved inconclusive, and the decision was upheld. West Indies went on to lose the contest by 101 runs in the day’s penultimate over, to concede the three-match series 2-1.

Tuesday May 16, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't make promises. Travel should be on your agenda. Go to the top if you're being harassed or held back.

grams to keep in shape. Your ambitious mood may not go over well with loved ones. You may have to explain your actions to your family.

TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) Get involved in the activities of children. They will teach you far more than you expect. Short trips may be tiring but rewarding. Sentimental feelings may make it difficult to get much done at work.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You can put in some overtime and make extra cash. You may have personal problems, but professional duties might be pressing. Sudden changes of heart may cause disruptions in your domestic scene.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Try to slow down, and take another look. You could be misinterpreted if you're not careful. Try to curb your bad habits, and compromise if your partner gives you an ultimatum. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may be able to impart knowledge that's innovative to those searching for a new angle. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Be innovative. Don't hold back. You will attract potential lovers, but be sure that they're unattached. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Take your time. A new relationship can be yours if you get out with friends. You may find yourself in the midst of a pretty good deal. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Take a long look at your present direction and consider your professional options. Get into fitness pro-

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Expect to experience a sudden reversal of fortune. You always seem to spend more than you make. You can pick up valuable information if you listen to those with more experience. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You need to make changes that will raise your self esteem, such as a new hairstyle or a new image. You may have problems with those you live with. You will enjoy lavish forms of entertainment and should consider making arrangements early. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Later in the week your boss will pat you on the back for a job well done. Trips should be your choice. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You will meet new romantic partners through the company you keep. Think about taking the time to complete unfinished domestic chores. Your confidence is growing and advancement is apparent.

(From page 30) Homraj, Clinton Pestano, Dominic Rikhi, Loydel Lewis, Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Brandon Prashad, Naresh Mahadeo, Keith Simpson, Sylus Tyndall, Parmanand Narine, Shailendra Shameer, Brandon Corlette, Marian Samaroo, Sheneta Grimmond, Plaffina Millington and Deborah Vanderstoop among others who have either played for Berbice of Guyana. The team from Berbice also won the lone Intermediate tournament for Berbice team when they won the Neal and Massy title in 2010. Foster also disclosed that under the name of the spon-

sorship, the Pepsi teams have undertaken hundreds of personal development projects under the sub-headings of sports, culture, charity, proeducation, awards/honour, religious, youth development, job creation, social community development among others. Kevin Sinclair would be in-charge of the Under 19 team with Kevlon Anderson as his deputy, while Major James Fraser and Delbert Hicks would be in-charge of the Intermediate Team. Among the players of the Pepsi teams would be Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Shemaine Campbelle, Sylus Tyndall, Keith Simpson, Bran-

don Corlette, Mark Papannah, Troy Mathieson, Brandon Prashad, Erva Giddings and Chanderpaul Govindan. Marketing Manager of DDL, Larry Wills hailed the relationship between the two organisations as successful and noted that the teams have represented the Pepsi’s brand with pride and success on and off the cricket field. DDL, he stated invests heavily in sports, culture, education and youth development as part of its corporate duties and is proud to be associated with the RHTY&SC, M.S. The Sponsorship for 2017 is worth $240,000.

Sharapova on course for Wimbledon... (From page 26) committee, which meets on June 20, would have to decide whether to fast-track her into the main draw or let her take her chances in qualifying. The qualifying tournament is held the week before in the quaint surroundings of Roehampton — potentially creating a security headache

ABSAA, Banks... (From page 31) Forrester @669-1547, Eric Collymore @601-0789 or Mia Ritchie-Camacho @667 6183. Admission: Free Drinks and food will be on sale. The Organisers extend thanks to main sponsors Banks DIH, GFF, ABSAA, Star Party Rentals, Leading Edge and Fruta Conquerors FC.

if Sharapova plays. At a recent news conference All England Club officials said this year’s qualifying tournament, previously free for the public, would be ticketed and restricted to 1,000 fans. There will also be video coverage and an improved players’ lounge, although All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis said the upgrades had nothing to do with

Sharapova’s possible participation. “I know it does seem very convenient timing, but it is actually unrelated, genuinely unrelated, and we know that qualifying needs to continue to be improved, just like we improve facilities here at the Championships,” he said. Sharapova will find out today whether she has been handed a wildcard to this month’s French Open.

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Tuesday May 16, 2017

Holder hails “outstanding” Gabriel despite batting error ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Captain Jason Holder has sprung to the defence of Shannon Gabriel, whose late rush of blood resulted in a series defeat to Pakistan on the final day of the decisive third Test here Sunday. With West Indies battling to save the match late in the evening, number 11 Gabriel survived just over half hour at the crease in a last wicket stand with century-maker Roston Chase, to frustrate the Pakistanis. But with just one ball left to negotiate in the penultimate over of the day, Gabriel suffered a rush of blood, missed a swipe at legspinner Yasir Shah and was bowled for four, to hand the hosts a 101-run loss and a 21 defeat in the three-Test series. “We’ve just got to give him encouragement. Up until then, he was doing an outstanding job, he’s done an outstanding job for us in this

West Indies captain Jason Holder … has thrown his support behind Shannon Gabriel. entire series,” Holder told reporters. “He’s bowled his heart out. He’s gotten a matchwinning haul for us in Barbados (second Test), he bowled his heart out in Jamaica (first Test), he bowled his heart out here in Dominica.”

He continued: “A lot of people don’t know where Shannon came from. Shannon started cricket quite late and to see the progress he’s made. I’ve been able to be with him in the HPC (High Performance Centre) and coming into international cricket,

Shannon has made tremendous strides. “So I am still very, very proud of him and that’s something that I will let him know in the dressing room. We make mistakes and hopefully he can learn from it and move forward.” P r i o r t o G a b r i e l ’s indiscretion, Man-of-theMatch Roston Chase seemed poised to get again pull off a remarkable draw for West Indies with a superb unbeaten 101. He arrived at the crease inside the first hour of the day and proceeded to defy Pakistan in a knock lasting 239 balls and a shade over six hours. He counted 12 fours and a six. The knock was his second hundred of the series and third in the series, and earned him Man-of-theMatch honours. Holder said neither Gabriel’s mistake nor the defeat should be allowed to o v e r s h a d o w C h a s e ’s

magnificent effort. “I have full confidence in Shannon. Shannon has a pretty good defence. I guess at that stage a lot of things come in your mind and at the end of the day it got the better of him I guess,” the allrounder noted. “Credit must go to Roston Chase though, I thought the way he played was outstanding, not only in this Test match but in the Test series. He’s led from the front, showed character, showed a lot of guts, showed class – something I have not seen in West Indies cricket for a little while.” The victory for Pakistan saw them clinch their maiden series win in the Caribbean since the two teams first met 59 years ago. For West Indies it was their second series loss to Pakistan in seven months and their sixth straight series defeat overall. They have now lost 13 of their last 20

Tests. Holder said in spite of the latest defeat, however, the side had continued to show signs of improvement. “It’s a tough pill to swallow obviously coming so close and at the end just faltering but I’m still proud at the way the guys played the series,” he said. “The guys showed a lot of promise and a lot of fight, we got hundreds, we got five-wicket hauls, we got Man-of-the-Match performances as well so there’s s t i l l a l o t o f positives to take away from this series. I just urge the guys to keep going in this same direction. “One thing that sticks out for me is the fact is the fight – we’ve showed tremendous fight throughout this entire series. I guess in the first Test match we were probably outplayed but definitely in Barbados and here in Dominica we showed a lot of fight.”

Regal Sports Softball tourney Sharapova on course for Wimbledon after Farm, Regal All Stars and Savage record victories opening win in Rome (Reuters) Maria Sharapova guaranteed herself a spot in the Wi m b l e d o n q u a l i f y i n g tournament with a firstround victory against American Christina McHale at the Italian Open yesterday. The Russian former world number one, given a wildcard to compete in

Maria Sharapova celebrates after winning the match against Christina McHale of U.S. (REUTERS/Tony Gentile)

Rome after returning from a 15-month doping ban, dropped serve three times in a scrappy opening set, but won 6-4 6-2 to reach round two. Sharapova faces a battle to raise her ranking enough to qualify for the grasscourt grand slam by right and spare organizers the dilemma of

whether to award her a wildcard into the main draw of the tournament she won in 2004. Should the 30-year-old three-times Rome champion, ranked 211 in the world, reach the semi-finals, she would almost certainly earn an automatic Wimbledon main draw slot ahead of the May 22 rankings cut-off date. Her second-round opponent will be Croatian veteran Mirjana Luci-Baroni who she beat in the Madrid tournament last week before losing a grudge match against Eugenie Bouchard. Canadian Bouchard had called for five-times grand slam champion Sharapova to be banned for life after testing positive for heart drug meldonium at last year’s Australian Open, referring to the Russian as a “cheater”. Several other players have criticized the decision of tournament organizers to welcome Sharapova back so readily. If Sharapova fails to reach the semi-finals in Rome, the Wimbledon Championships wildcard (Continued on page 25)

Rawl Reid Farm, Savage and Regal All Stars registered victories when the Regal Sports softball tournament continued on Sunday at the Everest Cricket Club. Playing in the open category Farm defeated Regal All Stars by two wickets. Regal All Stars batted first and made 109 all out off their allocation of 12 overs. Safraz Esau scored 31, while Mohamed Rafiek got 28. Kishan Ramkumar claimed 3-18, Rawl Reid 218, Amir Khan 2-20 and Ajay Kishan 2-30. Farm responded with 115-8 in 11.2 overs. Sachin Ramsarran got 29; Ralph Layne made 27 and Patrick

Rudy Rodrigues Khan 16. Mohamed Ayube snared 3-6 and Delroy Pereira 2-25. A five-wicket haul by Ayube propelled Regal All Stars to a three-wicket victory over Success. Ayube bagged 5-8 as Success were sent packing for 61 in 10 overs, batting first. Dindyal Lakram made 26. Regal All Stars replied with 64-7 in 9.3 overs with Ayube scoring 23. In the Masters category, Savage beat Ariel by 10 runs. Savage took first turn in the middle and scored 108-7 off their allocation of 15 overs. Ramo Malone stroked three fours and a similar number of sixes in a top score of 52, while Navindra Pooran

Ramo Malone made 17. Rudy Rodrigues picked up 3-14, Ron Ramnauth 2-20 and Dennis Mangru 2-21. Ariel were restricted to 98-9 in reply. Rodrigues led with 52 which contained four fours and four sixes while Mangru got 19. Pooran Singh captured 2-18. P r e v i o u s l y, F a r m defeated Speed Boat by two wickets. Speed Boat were bowled out for 115 batting first. Anand Bharat made an even half century, while Rawl Reid grabbed 4-13 and Amir Khan 3-17. Farm got to 115-8 in 12 overs in reply. Quazim Yusuf made 23; Greg Singh had two wickets. (Zaheer Mohamed)

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Tuesday May 16, 2017

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RHTY&SC honour Namilco’s Bert Sukhai with Dolphin Award of Excellence “You are one of the main reasons for the success of the RHTY&SC over the years, you have been an inspiration to every member of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation and as such we take the greatest pleasure to honour you with our highest Award.” Those were the passionate words of Secre t a r y / C E O o f t h e Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club Hilbert Foster to Managing Director of the National Milling Company, Bert Sukhai on Friday last at the Company’s head Office in Agricola. Sukhai, the long serving Managing Director, was being honoured for his support of the RHTY&SC for over fifteen years and became the twenty-third awardee of the prestigious D o l p h i n Aw a r d o f Excellence. Foster disclosed that the Dolphin Award is specially reserved for 30 outstanding Guyanese and friends of the RHTY&SC, who the Club views as positive role models and a strong supporter of its programmes. The RHTY&SC, Namilco

RHTY&SC Vice President Mark Papannah presents Dolphin Award of Excellence to Bert Sukhai. and Sukhai have over the years enjoyed a highly successful relationship which Foster stated is one of the main reasons why the Club is widely regarded as Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation and the only one to ever receive a National Award from the

Government of Guyana. Namilco over the Years has supported the Club’s Annual Youth Review Magazine, Annual Cricket Academy, Mother of the Year Programme, Annual Summer Camp, Annual Award Ceremony, Annual Christmas Charity Programme and even

RHTY&SC, M.S Asst Organising Secretary Robbie Kissoonlall presents the Sponsors Certificate of Excellence to Namilco Finance Manager Fitzroy McLeod. sponsored a Berbice-wide range of cricket tournaments among numerous others. Awardees of the Dolphin Award of Excellence are chosen by a special Committee co-headed by the experienced Foster and Vice President Mark Papannah. Once a nomination is

recommended, the Executive Committee of the Club then has to give its approval. Among persons receiving the Award are President David Granger, Prime Minster Moses Nagamootoo, Minster of P u b l i c H e a l t h Vo l d a Lawerence, Minster is Social Protection Amna

Ally, Region Six Chairman David Armogan, Managing Director of Ansa Mcal Troy Cadogan, Former Patron Beverly Harper, Bakewell General Manager Ragin Ganga, Robert Selman of Guyana Beverage Company Ltd, Larry Wills of DDL, Director of Sports Christopher Jones, Mohindra Persaud CEO of Nand Persaud Co Ltd, Jimeel Davis and Kent Vincent of Food for the Poor, International Fashion Designer Sonia Noel, along with journalists Gregory Rambarran , Franklyn Wilson, Claude David, Avenash Ramzan and Sean Devers. The Club also honoured Namilco for its support over the years by handing over a specially framed Certificate of Appreciation. A humbled Sukhai in accepting the Award expressed gratitude to the RHTY&SC for its recognition of him but stated that the company was pleased to be associated with the Club. He encouraged the Club to uphold its high standard and noted that Namilco would continue to support in the future.

Ex-NFL star gave no hint of suicide plan, fiancée tells TV interviewer (Reuters) Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez gave no indication that he planned to kill himself in his prison cell in his final phone call with his fiancée, she said in a television interview broadcast yesterday. “I spoke to him the night before they said this incident happened ... there was no indication at all of such events,” Shayanna JenkinsHernandez said in an interview with CBS television’s “Dr. Phil” show. The former National Football League athlete hanged himself last month in a Massachusetts prison cell where he was serving a life sentence for murder. His death shocked his family as it came just days after a jury had cleared him of a separate double-murder charge. Jenkins-Hernandez said she talked with him on the phone hours before his death

FILE PHOTO: Shayanna Jenkins, fiancee of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, listens during the murder trial for Hernandez at the Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River, Massachusetts, April 15, 2015. (REUTERS/Dominick Reuter) and that their conversation was upbeat, with Hernandez talking of some day coming

home. “I remember him saying, ‘Babe, I’ve got to go, they’re

shutting the doors.’ I honestly don’t’ think we said ‘I love you to each other.’ That was it,” JenkinsHernandez told longtime talk show host Phil McGraw, in a clip of the interview released online. “It was a normal conversation.” The interview will be broadcast over two days, with the second half shown today, CBS Corp said. Hernandez had a $41 million contract with one of the NFL’s top franchises when he was arrested in June 2013 and charged with murdering acquaintance Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was convicted of that murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison. A Massachusetts judge last week overturned that conviction, citing a state legal principle that allows a verdict to be vacated if the defendant dies before he has

exhausted the appeals process. Prosecutors plan to appeal that decision. Attorneys for the Hernandez family are conducting their own investigation into his death at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Jenkins-Hernandez said she was suspicious of the state’s conclusion that Hernandez killed himself. A Department of Corrections report found

that Hernandez had hanged himself with a bed sheet, had spread shampoo all over the floor of his cell and jammed the door with cardboard. “I believe there is some uncounted time. I don’t think that things were done p r o p e r l y, ” J e n k i n s Hernandez said. “I feel like he could have been saved or something could have been done or whatever the case may have been, I feel like someone was in the wrong somewhere.”

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3rd edition Caribbean Youth, School Boys and Junior championships

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County Cricket

Guyana’s ‘Simon Pures’ clinch Strong Demerara team accolades to cart off the honours named for title defence Seventeen-year-old West Indies U-19 selectee Bhaskar Yadram is the only FirstClass player in a strong 19man Demerara squad that will defend their Under-19 title in this year’s GCB’s Hand-in-Hand Three-Day and 50-Over cricket tournament which is expected to commence shortly. Yadram made 25 and 13 on debut against the Leewards at Providence last month in the final round of this season’s Regional First-Class tournament and will Captain the team. He will have National U19 player Ronaldo Ali

T&T’s Denzel Massay has Bajan Tevin Brewster on the ropes to win Gold by a split decision. (Sean Devers photo) By Michael Benjamin They had a disappointing start after losing both of their bouts on the inaugural night, but Guyanese boxers recovered remarkably and eventually scooped in 6 Gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals and were duly declared champions when the 3rd edition of the Caribbean Youth, School Boys and Junior boxing championships concluded at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue on Sunday night. G u y a n a ’s s t r o n g e s t rivals, Trinidad and Tobago, turned in a special performance and finished second with 4 gold and 4 bronze medals. Trinidad and Tobago also retained some pride when their 73kgs representative, Nickel Joseph, was adjudged best (Youth) boxer. Joseph had a good tournament and had defeated Akeel Mounter by TKO on the inaugural night before replicating the feat with a similar victory over Jamaican Jerone Innis on Sunday evening. Guyanese, Leon Moore fought in the Youth category and won his bout against Trinidadian, Tyrique Hosein in the semi-final to be adjudged Best Boxer in his category. Shaquile Wright stopped Blessing Waldropt (T&T) in 2nd round of their 57kgs (Junior) bout and the Guyanese was eventually adjudged the best boxer in

his category. Travis Invery fought his countryman, Jakeel Cadogan, in an all local bout on the inaugural night and earned a points decision. He was duly declared the Most Disciplined boxer for his efforts. Meanwhile, in final night action, Shaquille Wright utilized just 1:49secs to dispose of Blessing Waldropt of Trinidad and Tobago and cart off the gold medal in the 57kgs (junior) division. Wright rushed out at the first bell and pushed his opponent back with a volley of punches which forced the referee to institute the mandatory 8 count. Wright then pursued his man while attempting to finish him off but Waldropt valiantly fought back with crisp right crosses. Not to be undone, the Guyanese upped the ante in the second frame and had the Trinidadian blocking up from a sustained assault. The referee allowed it for a while before effecting the count on Waldropt. Upon resumption, Wright scored with another combination that rocked his man before the referee once again tolled away the count and then waved the contest off. Guyanese, Brian Harris also benefitted from a decision by the referee to halt his 75kgs (Junior) contest against Barbadian, Dario Cheeseman. Intent on

inflicting as much pain as possible, both boxers served up wild swings in an effort to establish control. Harris adapted a more controlled offensive in the second round and forced the referee to count his opponent early in that round. He then bullied the Barbadian into one of the neutral corners before pummeling him into submission; the referee’s mandatory 8 count was merely an academic gesture and the bell sounded simultaneously with the stoppage. Jamaica started the night on a successful note when their 63kgs (Junior) representative, Rushwan M c K i n n e y, p u m m e l e d Barbadian, Donte Powlette, into submission for the referee to terminate the action at 1:30secs of the second round. Denzell Massey (T&T) and Tevin Brewster (Bar) were constantly warned by the referee after both failed in ‘get it on’ in their 63kgs (Junior) affair. In the end the Trinidadian drummed up enough courage to stitch in a few decisive blows that earned him the verdict. St Lucian, Nathan Ferarri, did his country proud when he pounded out a unanimous points verdict over Jamaican, Danil Hylton in a keenly contested affair in the 64kgs (Youth) affair that brought the curtains down on three nights of fistic entertainment.

Bhaskar Yadram Mohamed as his ViceCaptain of a squad which also includes West Indies Under-19 selectee Joshua Persaud.

The full team read: Bhaskar Yadram (Captain ), Ronaldo Ali Mohamed (Vice Captain), Joshua Persaud, Raymond Perez, Navendra Persaud, Ramnarine Chetura, Richie Looknauth, Keshram Seyhodan, Stephon Wilson, Sagar Hatheramani, Dwayne Dick, Gavin Boodwah, Krishna Singh, D a m b u k a N q g a n d o , Ta m e s h w a r Motieram, Mark Jeffers, Kennard Moonsammy, Mark Ramsammy and Himanauth Dindyal. Omar Hussain is the Manager, with former West Indies pacer Reon King as Head Coach and Dhanpaul as his Assistant.

Djokovic searches for lost ‘mojo’ ahead of Rome Masters

Djokovic returns the ball during the ATP 1000 Masters - Madrid Open - Men’s Singles Semifinal. ( R E U T E R S / S u s a n a Ve r a ) (Reuters) World number two Novak Djokovic said he lost motivation after winning the French Open to complete a career grand slam last year, but now feels he is on the right path to rediscover his “mojo”. The Serb, who split with his coaching team earlier this month, reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open last week, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. “If I could describe my tennis in one word, I feel like I’m in transition,” Djokovic said in an interview posted on t h e AT P w e b s i t e . (www.atpworldtour.com) “After winning Roland Garros, I didn’t know how I was going to feel. I never had that issue after winning a big trophy, of bouncing back and finding new ways to motivate and inspire myself.

“But last year I found some emptiness for the first time in my life in terms of motivation. I needed a few months to think about things and get that mojo back on the court.” Djokovic’s victory in France was followed by a shock third-round defeat by Sam Querrey at Wimbledon. He reached the U.S. Open final later that year, but lost to S w i t z e r l a n d ’s S t a n Wawrinka. At this year’s Australian Open, six-times champion Djokovic was knocked out in the second round by 117th-ranked Denis Istomin. But that loss has not shaken his confidence that he is on the right path to success. “I felt that the start of the season went really well for me this year, winning in Doha. I unfortunately lost in Australia, but mentally I felt

better and better as time went by,” Djokovic said. “My game just hasn’t been there. I’m happy I reached the semi-finals in Madrid, which has been my best result this year. It shows me I’m on the right path.” One thing that remains undiminished is Djokovic’s desire to win. The 29-yearold will play in the Rome Masters this week before attempting to defend his title at Roland Garros. “If I don’t want to win every match I play, win Grand Slams and be No. 1 in the world, then I wouldn’t be p l a y i n g t e n n i s professionally,” he said. “It’s of course because I want to win... but what people didn’t comprehend is that I needed to dig deep inside of me to find the new inspiration and motivation to get the new beginning and a new chapter.”

Kaieteur News

Tuesday May 16, 2017

Stag Elite League

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Fruta Conquerors beat GDF to end on a high; Victoria Kings end 3rd, Buxton 4th

Victoria Kings and Monedderlust during the clash on Sunday afternoon last at the GDF ground. By Franklin Wilson Season 2 of the Stag Elite League ended on a high for Fruta Conquerors who were finally able to defeat league winners the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on a soggy GDF field on Sunday night last. The Tucville boys were not going to lose their fourth straight match to the Soldiers and they contrived to spoil the home team’s quest of ending unbeaten by triumphing, 2-1 in a keen tussle despite the wet nature of the pitch which had puddles of water due to early morning and evening rain. . Despite the win, Conquerors ended in second place to the GDF. In the main supporting match, Buxton United were

held to a 3-3 draw by Topp XX which meant they had to settle for the fourth p l a c e w i t h To p p X X ending in the penultimate position. The day commenced with Victoria Kings notching up their fourth win of the league, a 2-1 win over Monedderlust, which saw them cantering to the third position, a single point ahead of Buxton. Conquerors and the GDF’s ongoing friendly feud saw both sides going after each other in free flowing exchanges which was at times hampered by water trapping the ball and players not being able to exert full control. The water hampered the GDF from equalising in the second half with the opposition defence and goalkeeper already beaten. It

was the Fruta boys which would take the lead through a well executed shot from the leading marksman, Eon Alleyne in the 27th minute; it was Alleyne’s 7th goal of the league. The GDF’s and SEL’s most prolific scorer, Sherwin Caesar who has ended the season with 10 goals, an average of one goal per match, brought his team level in the 44th minute to settle the nerves of many, while brining parity to the score line. Alleyne and Caesar were clearly the main weapons on either side of the field throughout the match. But it was the Conquerors who were to come out smiling by the end of the 90 minutes battle. Like he did in their previous match against Buxton, which they won 2-0,

GFF President Wayne Forde congratulates GDF’s Chief Tactician, Head Coach Bilall Nantambu, for winning the SEL. elder statesman Anthony ‘ A w o ’ A b r a m s vindicated his Coaches faith in him coming on as a substitute and

David Warner: Australia vice-captain has concerns over contract dispute BBC Sport - Australia’s Ashes series against England in November could be in doubt because of a players’ contract dispute, says vice-captain David Warner. In March, Cricket Australia proposed salary increases for men and women, but this would mean players no longer receive a percentage of CA’s revenue. The offer was rejected and CA said it would not pay players after 30 June. Warner told the Age newspaper: “If it gets to the extreme, they might not have a team for the Ashes.”

David Warner (Getty Images) A stand-off has developed between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which represents the players.

Ex-Australia captain Mark Taylor said the players were “prepared to strike” over the proposals. If the dispute is not resolved, there would be uncertainty over what team Australia could field after 30 June, with a two-Test series scheduled in August in Bangladesh before a home Ashes showdown which runs from 23 November 2017 to 8 January 2018. In a letter sent by CA to the ACA, chief executive James Sutherland said “players with contracts expiring in 2016-17 will not have contracts for 2017-18” unless the Australian

Cricketers’ Association (ACA) negotiates a new MoU (Memorandum of Understanding)”. “We want a fair share, and the revenue-sharing model is what we want, so we are going to stick together until we get that,” added Warner, currently playing in the Indian Premier League. “We are not going to shy away; we are just going to stick together.” “We want to keep participating for our country as much as we can, but if we don’t have a job, we have to go and find some cricket elsewhere.”

delivering the goods. It was Abrams, who after being introduced in the 65th minute who fashioned the winning goal three minutes after coming on, he did the same four minutes after coming on against Buxton. Try as they did, the GDF dug deep in their quest to even the score but they never did as Conquerors bagged full points, exacting revenge on the Army. Buxton United wasted at least half a dozen chances to nail Topp XX in the first half, and as often happens, their missed opportunities came back to haunt them as the Linden side grew in confidence with every passing minute. With four minutes to game time and the score in favour of Buxton 3-2, Topp were awarded a penalty which many felt should not have been, the ensuing shot was buried by Monty Simon in the process it earned Topp XX

its second draw of the season. The now relegated Monedderlust suffered their ninth loss in ten matches when they went down to Victoria Kings 1-2. Tichard Joseph and Akeem Holder converted in the 41st and 45th minute respectively for the Kings. Monedderlust’ consolation goal at the end of a miserable season for them was converted by Nicholas Rodney two minutes into the second half. Ahead of Season 3 of the SEL, the four teams, GDF, Conquerors, Victoria Kings and Buxton United will face off in the Big Four Tournament; no confirmed dates have been fixed.

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Tuesday May 16, 2017

RHTY&SC, M.S pays courtesy visit to Prime Minster and Army Chief of Staff In its continuing effort to fulfil its targeted goal of 500 programmes/activities for 2017, the Management of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S on Friday last paid courtesy calls on Prime Minster Moses Nagamootoo and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Brigadier Patrick West. Club Vi c e P r e s i d e n t M a r k Papannah and Asst Organising Secretary Robbie Kissoonlall joined Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster in promoting the Club’s plans for the rest of 2017, while discussing possible areas of cooperation in the Say NO/Say YES

Campaign, Stay in School Programme, Christmas Village Project and the Club’s highly successful Cricket Development Programme. The long standing Club Secretary described both meetings as highly fruitful and also stated that during a hectic visit to the city on Friday, the delegation also held discussions with top executives of major sponsors including Demerara Mutual Life Assurance, the National Milling Company and the Trinidad Cements Ltd. The RHTY&SC has successfully completed a t o t a l o f 2 3 1 programmes/activities out of the proposed 500 for 2017

The RHTY&SC delegation with Prime Minster Moses Nagamootoo. and Foster stated that the Club was confident of surpassing this year’s target b y l a t e O c t o b e r. T h e programmes would be held under a wide range of sub-

Karate Sensei Lavern Jones has died She will be missed says Max Massiah Host of popular TV programme ‘Maximum Sports Combat & Strength’ Max Massiah said yesterday that Guyana Karate College’s founding member, 5th Dan Sensei Lavern Jones will be missed. Sensei Jones passed away on Friday May 12 at Georgetown Public Hospital. She was an original founding member of GKC since its inception in 2005. Jones began training in the early 1970s under 7th Dan Shihan Keith DaCosta and as she progressed, specialized in teaching the children’s class. ”She suffered a stroke and the last time I was in Guyana last February and I visited her in Hospital before was discharged,” said Max Massiah, who disclosed that Lavern was one of his most trusted students. “I will miss her terribly. Ironically, after I returned from my Caribbean tour her Christmas card arrived by mail, three months late. In that card she ordered three custom made Black Belts for her students. Maureen and I as well as the IKD send her daughter and loved ones our most sincere condolences. She is now at peace with the Lord,” Massiah concluded. Massiah said Sensei Jones was once a guest a guest on his programme on

headings including sports, culture, education, coaching, anti-drugs, anti-crime, antisuicide, anti-alcohol, youth employment, charity, awards among others. Among the upcoming major activities of the RHTY&SC for the next few month are the Annual Cricket Academy, Annual Republic Bank Summer Camp, Annual Review M a g a z i n e , Yo u t h Information Booklet, Youth Inspiration Forums, Region 6 Sports Award, Ansa Mcal

Award of Excellence, Rose H a l l Vi l l a g e 1 7 5 t h Anniversary Celebration, Walter Nero Memorial Fathers Programme, Patron’s 20/20 Cricket To u r n a m e n t , B u s t a Champion of Champions, distribution of schoolbags, the distribution of over $1M worth of exercise books to less fortunate students and the hosting of several cricket tournaments for schools. A n e x c i t e d Secretary/CEO also disclosed that the Club and

its eight Cricket teams would be unveiling some major projects over the next two months that would specially target its young cricketers, less fortunate school children and senior citizens. The Club would also be hosting several new potential sponsors to the Club as numerous companies and organisations have indicated an interest of working with the Club under its Say NO/Say YES campaign.

RHTY&SC, M.S Cricket Development Programme

Pepsi renews U-19, Intermediate Cricket Sponsorship for 14th Consecutive year

Sensei Lavern Jones

NCN and offered sincerest condolences to the GKC, Master Frank Woon-A-Tai, her relatives & friends. Jones’ passing follows shortly on the heels of the passing of 10th Dan Shin Kai do Grandmaster Stephen Monasingh, another Guyanese who has given Guyana yeoman serving in Martial Arts, teaching many

students over the years the discipline of the art. Both Jones and Monasingh were dedicated Martial practitioners and excellent teachers. Kaieteur Sports Department extends sincere condolences to the family, friends and students of Sensei Lavern Jones as they cope with her loss.

The highly successful relationship between the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS and the international soft drinks brand Pepsi and Demerara Distillers Ltd has been renewed for the 14th consecutive year. On Friday, Demerara Distillers Ltd under the Pepsi Brand has renewed its cricket sponsorship of the RHTY&SC Under 19 and Intermediate Cricket teams. Pepsi has been sponsoring the teams since 2004 when they had replaced former official sponsor Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company. Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the long standing relationship between the Club and the Official sponsor who stated that DDL and Pepsi are two of the main reasons why the RHTY&SC, M.S is widely considered Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation with an

DDL Marketing Manager Larry Wills presents sponsorship to RHTY&SC Asst Organising Secretary Ravindranauth Kissoonlall. unmatched list of activities and achievements. The Club, Foster stated has won the Guyana Cricket Club of the Year Award five times since DDL and Pepsi came on board – 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016. The teams have also won Berbice Championships and have produced Berbice and

Guyana junior Cricketers, while Shemaine Campbelle and Assad Fudadin have gone on to represent the West Indies. The Pepsi Under 19 team since 2004 has produced players of the calibre Assad Fudadin, Abdel Fudadin, Shemaine Campbelle, Askay (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday May 16, 2017

PAGE 35

ABSAA, Banks DIH, GFF host Veterans Tournament The Alex Bunbury Sports & Academic Association (ABSAA) in collaboration with Banks DIH and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has organised the ‘Clash of Ve t e r a n s ’ C o m p e t i t i o n which will be played, at the Tucville ground. According to a release from the Organisers, a number of former national players and several former outstanding players have been identified to participate in the competition which

commenced on May 15. Veteran players from Georgetown, East Coast Demerara and West Bank Demerara have been earmarked to represent their respective clubs and the format will run on a round robin and knockout basis. The clubs invited to participate are: Pele FC, Beacon FC, Santos FC, Wales FC, Western Tigers FC, Rastas FC, Thomas United FC, Plaisance FC, Park Rangers FC and Newtown Masters and

The action promises to be keen among the veteran players. (Franklin Wilson file photo) among the former stars on show will be the Barnwell brothers Dion and Chris, Anthony Stanton, Gordon Braithwaite, Mortimer

Stewart, Floyd Cadogan, Rawle Jones, Terrence Lewis, Nigel Massiah and many others. Matches were scheduled

to be played yesterday, at the Tucville Ground Trophies and cash prizes are at stake and any person or entity desirous of becoming

a sponsor couild contact the following telephone numbers: Simone Bazil-Lyte @688-1927, Junior (Continued on page 25)

Fitness Express support for Gold Rush Futsal showdown Yannick Grimes in bid to kicks off next weekend The Futsal rivalries will These details were to,” and Cambridge noted compete at Sportsworld Classic continue next weekend revealed yesterday when that the group has been

Manager of Fitness Express Jamie McDonald hands over the cheque to Yannick Grimes at their Sheriff Street location. Fitness Express, located at the corners of John and Sheriff Streets, Campbellville has continued its rich tradition of assisting local athletes in their quest for stardom. The latest to benefit is bodybuilder Yannick Grimes who is on course to compete for the second year at the Sportsworld Classic Invitational on Saturday June 24th at the NAPA in Frederick Street, POS, T&T. Grimes, who last week made a plea for financial support to offset expenses associated with the trip received support from Manager Jamie McDonald yesterday as he aims to better last year’s second place finish. In handing over a cheque to Grimes, McDonald said Fitness Express was more

than proud to come to Grimes’ aid as he seeks to keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high in the Caribbean. A consistent supporter of athletes financially and by contributing supplements to them, McDonald noted that he, as an athlete too appreciates the challenges athletes are faced with in procuring sponsorship. ”We at Fitness Express are well aware of what athletes have to go through and we are happy to lend support to make their dreams come through. They train hard and follow a disciplined routine and it is only fair for them to be afforded the chance to be able to compete locally and overseas.” McDonald, who just returned from the 4th annual Barbados IslandFit Games

2017 where he placed 19th following a shoulder injury; Guyanese Dillon Mahadeo placing second, wished Grimes every success in his bid to win outright this year. Grimes, a member of Buddy’s Gym expressed thanks to McDonald and Fitness Express for their continued support informing that the entity has also been assisting him with supplements, consistently. Two Sunday’s ago, Grimes copped the Overall crown in the Intermediate Classic category at the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation / Fitness Express Intermediate/Masters Championships. Persons wishing to assist Grimes can do so by contacting him on cell# 685 0704.

when Xtreme Clean and Maintenance Company host their inaugural Gold Rush Futsal tournament inside the National Gymnasium, beginning on Independence night with six games scheduled. Some of the country’s top Futsal teams will descend at the venue for the event, which is set to kick off at 5pm each night. The tournament will continue June 27, 28 and 30; the following weekend will host the quarterfinal and semifinals with Finals set for June 10. Twenty four teams will be invited to participate in the tournament. The winning team will win a whopping $500,000 (2 ½ ounces of gold), while second place takes home $200,000 (1 ounce of gold), third place $100,000 (½ ounce of gold) and fourth place $50,000; trophies will accompany all of the cash prizes. The MVP will also receive gold jewellery.

one of the architects of the event, Roger Cambridge, spoke with Kaieteur Sport. The competition, he said, had originated from youths of the Hadfield Street area to promote entrepreneurship. He said the activity is to get youths involved in positive activity while promoting sport and launching the cleaning company. The proprietor of the Xtreme Clean and Maintenance Company informed that they have engaged all major stakeholders to make the event a possibility, including the Guyana Police Force, which will be providing security each night for the Futsal showdown. Cambridge informed that the event has the blessings of the President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), Clifton Hicken, who has sanctioned the competition. The cleaning company has a motto that says “We work hard so you don’t have

putting in a lot of hard work to make the event a success. “Mr. Hicken is giving us a lot of support and we really appreciate that. We believe that this will be a very good competition for the community and we encourage everyone to support a positive venture for our youths,” Cambridge told Kaieteur Sport. In addition to the hefty cash prizes for the teams, there will be giveaways each night for patrons, who will have the opportunity to win pennyweights of gold through novelty activities such as the penalty kick and freestyle skill challenge. Some of the confirmed sponsors include Trophy Stall, Fasgrafix and Jefford’s Distribution and Sales; Giftland Distribution Store and FA R M S U P M i n i n g Investments Inc. The organisers said that the tournament will be held annually.

Flashback! Part of the action between Tiger Bay and Sparta Boss during a recent Futsal Tournament at the National Gymnasium.

t r o Sp 3rd edition Caribbean Youth, School Boys and Junior championships

Guyana’s ‘Simon Pures’ clinch accolades to cart off the honours Guyana’s Shaquile Wright rocks back the head of T&T’s Blessing Waldropt with a vicious right hand to take the Gold Medal. (Sean Devers photo)

Jamaican Jerone Enniss is about to be walloped by a right hand from T&T’s Nickel Joseph. (Sean Devers photo)

Stag Elite League

Fruta Conquerors beat GDF to end on a high; Victoria Kings end 3rd, Buxton 4th

GDF Captain Delwin Fraser receives the SEL winner’s trophy from GFF President Wayne Forde in the presence of his teammates and Management team at the GDF ground on Sunday night last. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210