Kaieteur News

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AIETEUR

Corpse in shallow grave… Thursday Edition

Husband lodged gun at police station after shooting wife in head

May 16, 2019 - Vol. 12 No. 20

NEWS

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

Price $80

Online readership yesterday 131,258

Govt. seeks $3.4B to prepare for elections Overpass elevators to be manned 'round the clock'

One of the eight elevators that will be manned 24/7

Govt. passes six Bills in opposition's absence … Tullow granted property tax exemption

Republic Bank confirms customers affected in Visa debit card fraud

New CJIA fees We only contracted embedded in National Printers - Education Minister stands by press statement ticket cost Guyana's overdependence on oil revenues in medium term - Finance Minister says diversifying unavoidable economy will take time Questionable procurement of exercise, text books…

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Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

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Procurement Amendment gives small businesses preferential treatment for certain projects … NPTAB to keep register of bidders

The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board

M

inister of F i n a n c e Wi n s t o n Jordan, while presenting the second reading of the Procurement (Amendment) Bill, has advocated for

preferential treatment to be given to small businesses (as defined in the Small Business Act) for certain procurements.

That is a provision of clause 2 of the amendment,

which inserts a new section (3A) into part II of the Procurement Act, entitled “General Provisions”. The clause states “Procuring entities shall only procure from small businesses

Mahdia man faces murder charge

Y

esterday, 55year old Phillip Bacchus was remanded to prison for the murder of 44-year-old Lavern Daniels.

Bacchus, known as “Tattoo Nose” appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts where the charge was read to him.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that between May 9 and 10, 2019, at Princeville Village, Mahdia, he murdered Lavern Daniels.

The defendant, who is a security guard, hails from Mahdia. The matter was adjourned until May 16, for the continuation of the hearing.

According to reports, on

the day in question, Daniels and some of his friends were imbibing alcohol at a shop in the village.

Bacchus later entered the shop and allegedly approached Daniels at his friends' table.

He then asked to join them in their drinking.

However, his request was turned down. Bacchus reportedly became annoyed and threatened to harm Daniels, before storming out of the shop.

Shortly after that incident, about 23:45hrs, Daniels left the shop and was on his way to a camp. He was allegedly approached by Bacchus, who launched an

Phillip Bacchus called “Tattoo Nose” attack on him, stabbing him in the abdomen.

Daniels was later found and rushed to the Mahdia Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

approved under the Small Business Act, goods, works and services, as specified by regulations made by the Minister with the advice of the Public Procurement Commission or the National Board”.

Additionally, the new amendment added a new section (4A) to provide for a register of bidders. The clause gives the Finance Minister the power to make regulations with respect to, among other things, the duties and functions of the Registry.

The clause states that the registry is “appropriate to enable a procuring entity to identify suppliers and contractors that are suitable to participate in any of that procuring entity's procurement proceedings”.

In that regard, all suppliers or contractors will now have to apply to be part of that register at least seven days before it intends to participate in procurement proceedings.

Further, the amendment has inserted a new section (11A) into the Principal Act, which now mandates every procuring entity to submit its procurement plans to the Public Procurement Commission for the fiscal year covered in the National budget, in accordance with its allotment.

Lastly, in section 26 of the act, “or” is inserted at the end of paragraph (a) in subsection 2. It is meant to provide clarity about the two terms required conduct restrictive tendering.

The first term would

apply if the highly complex or specialized nature of the goods, construction or services, are available only from a limited list of suppliers.

The second one would apply if the estimated cost of the contract is below the threshold set forth in the regulations.

The insertion of “or” provides for the legislation to dictate that a procuring entity may engage in restrictive tendering under just one of those two conditions; that both are not necessary to conduct restrictive tendering.

After Jordan explained the implications of the amendment, as per his request, the Bill was read a third time and passed by the National Assembly.

Govt. seeks $3.4B to prepare for elections

G

uyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has estimated that it needs $3,496,496,155 to prepare for elections, and Finance Minister Winston Jordan, y e s t e r d a y, a s k e d t h e National Assembly to a p p r o v e j u s t $3,482,344,000.

I t i n c l u d e s appropriations for House to House Registration and Claims and Objections.

The National Assembly is expected to debate and vote on the supplementary request in the coming week.

The Commission is

moving ahead to prepare for the consequences of the ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice on the No Confidence Cases.

No Matter the ruling, GECOM will have a lot of work to get done. If Guyana heads to early elections, elections could happen in November, as GECOM told President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Adrian Saunders, that early elections could be held at that date. If not, GECOM will likely have to move to execute House to House Registration in preparation for elections in 2020, in

accordance with the constitutional deadline under normal circumstances.

On Tuesday last, GECOM's legal officer, Excellence Dazzell, advised the commission to revise the list which expired on April 30, after she opined that a new voter's list is not required.

G o v e r n m e n t commissioners remain adamant that House to House Registration must happen before elections, while opposition commissioners have been advocating for early elections instead.

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Information gathering, sharing and critiquing The Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI) has brewed a storm in a basket. From the GYEITI perspective, as fleshed out in some detail in its recent first report, it has been a basket of the type familiar to Guyanese: made of straw and leaky. This has attracted responses ranging from silence to the defensive to the attacking. Some sound valid; others give the appearance of targeting the messenger. It revolves around the small matter of information.

It should be private; hence, protected. It should be free and public, and made available first to the state through its coercive power, and then disseminated to all and sundry.

This is the sum of the story: bare and dry; collated and categorized; and unscreened and untainted. That is all well and good; at least, under normal circumstances. Therein resides the first issue: there is nothing normal about most matters in Guyana. Take this business of information.

Everybody is all in favour of information gathering; but not when it applies to them. The walls go up; hackles are raised; fears and tempers follow suit; and finally, the dukes are upraised for both defensive and offensive purposes.

Everybody suddenly discovers they have a grave problem, a chronic problem, an irremediable problem with information sharing to any substantial degree. It might be in the working of the GYEITI; or as has been the experience, for most other things. As should be obvious, where there is no information sharing, there can be no information gathering. Not of quality or quantity. And not of any meaningful substance.

This variety of mentality saturates across the length and breadth of this territory. All the cheerleaders for information gathering transform into information preservers. Methodology. Purpose. Scope. Frequency.

All of these come under severe scrutiny. From the smallest to the hugest in this place, there develops tightening the stomach muscles, baring the teeth, and drawing the lines of cooperating (limited) and opening (more limited) and releasing (still more limited).

The ordinary citizen has a problem with admitting, locating, and delivering something as basic as an identification card. He or she is either living a double life, or has something to hide, or is inexplicably and groundlessly secretive and cynical. He is comfortable being faceless, nameless, homeless, and clueless. Call it the anonymity of the crowd; being under the radar and away from the probe of scrutiny. It is usually a tooth and nail struggle for something so mundane. Abuse can be a part of the response.In more genteel elevations, it is called constructive criticism or the constitutional right against certain unjustified invasions. Sounds like shades of the type dished out, rightly or improperly, against the GYEITI. For up the ladder, intents are (lawyers and motions and objections) stonewalling indefinitely or, better yet, denying permanently. The determined resisters are a mixed bag, with some surprising ones: on an intragovernmental agency basis, with sloth or failure (or both) to deliver requested information on either timely or sufficiency bases; it is the same old story, admittedly more pronounced in some situations when the requirements are placed before the private sector; and, as is to be expected, it is just as unchanging when individuals find themselves on the receiving end of document lists and having to part with records.Every citizen seeks transparency and accountability, and rightly so, from the state. This can only be achieved through full disclosure and unredacted disclosure. Yet when the shoe is on the other foot, and government, of necessity, demands some similar standard from partners, stakeholders, and wide-ranging constituents (along with sister government agencies themselves), there is reluctance and outright rejection. In a primitive paper world, attempts to migrate to electronic platforms are received with hostility and sabotage.

In an age of corruption and unfettered commercialism and the most grievious elements of capitalism, there is no interest in information sharing. Not when such could lead to uncharted territory.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION SHOULD BE IN ORDER DEAR EDITOR, Two recent developments caught my attention which I found interesting from a governance standpoint. The first is the refusal of the Mayor of Georgetown to proceed with a statutory meeting of the Council after he failed to get the meeting agenda in advance. The Town Clerk (ag) reportedly blamed the failure to provide the documents on administrative delays which seems unacceptable especially since, according to the Mayor, it was not the first such incident. It is difficult to blame the Mayor for the action he took given the circumstances which could be seen as disrespectful to his office.

The second and perhaps more significant from a governance perspective was the refusal of the Region Two Regional Executive Officer and his staff to participate in the proceed-

ings of a RDC meeting. The reason given, according to media reports, was that the REO cannot get along with the acting Chairman.

Such actions run counter to the norms and protocols governing the public service. The Regional Executive Officer and staff are subordinate to the Council of which the Chairman is the political head.

As such, he is not in a position to decide his participation and that of others in Council meetings.

Such actions cannot and should not be tolerated and warrants some form of disciplinary action on the part of the relevant authorities. However, this is unlikely to happen given the adversarial and fractured nature of our political system.

Hydar Ally

Are there more dual citizen Members of Parliament?

DEAR EDITOR, Now that seven (7) Members of Parliament—three (3) PPP/ C and four (4) APNU+AFC Coalition (excluding Charandass Persaud) —- have voluntarily resigned due to the High Court and the Court of Appeal ruling on dual citizens being prohibited from sitting as parliamentarians, one wonders if there are others.

There appears to be reliable information that there is definitely one (and probably another one) on the government side who is holding a foreign passport who has not declared their dual citizenship. That Minister/parliamentarian has been silently sitting in the National Assembly watching his/her

colleagues resigning and being replaced. One further understands that this person is quietly processing his/her renunciation with a foreign state and trying to obtain instead a residency status.

Were this information to be true, it would be a slap in the face of all seven MPs who have voluntarily resigned. Furthermore, the person would be in contempt of the Court of Appeal ruling. This person is devoid of any integrity and honesty and not worthy of being a Member of the National Assembly or holding an elected position in any capacity of the Cabinet.

Sincerely Gail Teixeira

WE SHOULD NOT BE MADE TO SUFFER ANY FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT OF NIS DEAR EDITOR, I would like to endorse the comments by Mr. Archie W. Cordis in his letter (This increase should have been applicable to all of us) to you printed in your edition of Wednesday 15 May as it relates to the increase for N.I.S. pensioners.

The NIS has been instituting this discriminatory measure of only granting an increase in pension to those

pensioners who are at the minimum of the scale. This practice has been going on for years and should not be continued.

Why should we, the pensioners who have been contributing to the scheme since 1969 and on whose backs the scheme was borne, be subjected to such treatment when we are looking forward to benefitting from our years of contributions? We cannot

and should not be made to suffer any financial mismanagement of the scheme since it is known that the minimum of pension is tied to the minimum of the public service scale with a percentage across the board for those workers.

The same should at least be applied to pensions rather than just applying the increase to the minimum only.

Remember that those of us

who are far above the minimum level had to make more sacrifices by contributing more than those now at the minimum. While I feel that fellow pensioners at lowest level deserve the increase, it should be applicable to all levels. I wonder if NIS would like to explain this travesty that they have perpetuated on pensioners above the minimum level.

Michael Edghilo

SOCIAL PROGRAMMES WILL AID IN THE STRENGTHENING OF THE EDUCATION SECTOR DEAR EDITOR, As a father of three, with two attending school, I feel it is my duty to express how I feel about issues surrounding education and to express some of my observations.

Editor, I noticed that the Education Ministry is placing greater emphasis on programmes that were not adequately captured in the past; and at the same time continuing with its traditional programmes.

It is encouraging to see that the Education Ministry is strengthening its psychosocial Unit to cater to the needs of children, especially those who are facing challenges, which may impede their learning. Such a service will ensure that there are no obstacles to learning.

Mr. Editor, there is now a policy in place to facilitate the reintegration of teenage mothers back into formal education. This will ensure these young women have another opportunity to make amends.

Interventions such as these

will benefit any nation as it presses ahead with its developmental agenda.

The expansion of the school feeding programme should ensure that every child is adequately fed to function effectively in the classroom.

While some might advance the argument that these interventions are mere top surface issues, as a father

and a person that values education, I know that they are essential links to completing an effective education chain that will yield results.

In closing, imagine if all the children of this country can have a healthy meal before they start school. Imagine a society that encourages its teenage mothers to become productive citizens by creating avenues for them to

do so and not to berate them.

Imagine a society where our children can easily access professional assistance and support with issues affecting them.

These social programmes will aid in the strengthening of the education sector and the development of Guyana.

Yours truly, Leon Persaud Parent

I TOO WILL NOT CRY FOR CARIBBEAN AIRLINES

DEAR EDITOR, I agree with this writer of this letter captioned ‘Don’t Cry for Caribbean Airlines’ (KN 13/05/2019) as he knows what Guyanese go through while travelling with Caribbean Airlines, formerly BWIA. The last time I travelled to Guyana, it was BWIA. I vowed, never again to use them but, my visits to my country of birth have been curtailed by choice. Now, I

go to other places instead.

Crime has been the other reason.

CAL depended on Guyanese to make up the shortfall in their budget, if there is one. Simply put, it is price gouging.

Some Guyanese will pay through their noses, especially near holidays to visit their homeland only to be robbed between the airport and their final destination or afterwards.

That is not an incentive. I can

list a dozen of other places to visit than Guyana, for a holiday. I have done so many, more than fifty years since I migrated.

And with the “oil” expected within a year, CAL will find it more convenient to gouge Guyanese, since they think that ALL people Guyanese will share that oil money which will in fact be limited to just a few.

Habeeb Bacchus

Thursday May 16, 2019

Something is clearly wrong at the Blairmont Estate

DEAR EDITOR, I saw in the May 10 (2019) Stabroek News that GuySuCo is saying that it is on its way to achieve its first crop target.

That sounds like good news. But at Blairmont Estate, it is a completely different story.

The article I see says, “Blairmont has produced 8,879 tonnes of sugar though it should have produced 7,955 tonnes”. But this is far from Blairmont’s capacity and capability.

In the 2018 first crop, Blairmont produced 9,121 tonnes of sugar; in 2017, we produced 9,065 tonnes. In the 2016 production, it was 11,878 tonnes sugar, and in 2015, it was 13,861 tonnes sugar. We have fallen a far way from where we were just a few years ago and many workers are worried.

As a worker of Blairmont for many years now, this crop is among the worst I can recall.

On some weeks, we are achieving about 50 percent to 60 percent of our weekly target.

The poor performance of Blairmont is due to the lack of canes in the fields. Some canes

seem to be stunted and are very short. This has resulted in a poor cane yield. In fact, I heard that the estate is getting around 52 tonnes cane per the hectare. This is very poor and says something is clearly wrong at Blairmont.

Editor, this is not the Blairmont that I know.

The estate for many years was the best performing estate in the company and was deemed the champion estate. Now it is a far way from what it once was. I wonder what is really taking place.

I see in the Stabroek News article that Uitvlugt workers have gotten four (4) days pay as incentives.

I am happy for them as their estate, which used to be poorly performing, has improved while at Blairmont, it has gone the other way.

I hope that my letter would be published and something be done to improve the situation at Blairmont.

Yours faithfully, Andrew Parmanand Concerned worker

GFC’S RESTRUCTURING COMMITTEE HIGHLY IMBALANCE DEAR EDITOR, A few weeks ago (April 26th, 2019), following repeated requested from the staff, the GFC restructuring committee finally met with staff and introduced the members of the committee.

Various articles have reported on the chaos that erupted following the meeting.

However, as was suspected and the reason for withholding the information on the committee makeup to the general public was that it was clearly an imbalance committee.

The staff has noted this and consistently during the engagement, questions were asked why there were no HR or management specialist on the committee.

For general information, the members introduce or announced that the staff comprise of at least four political figures from the

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Government APNU/AFC membership and three other members.

To be specific, the convenor is an advisor to Minister Trotman and an employee of the Ministry and an AFC Executive Member.

There is also another advisor (female) working out of the Ministry who is also an AFC member, a third AFC member from the lower East Coast Demerara comes as a private sector representative who has vested interest in forestry (this can be a conflict of interest) and is also a senior member of the AFC. All three of these persons were on the AFC list of candidates for the 2015 elections and possibility the 2018 LGE. Another member introduced is a senior political advisor of the MOP and a member of the APNU. So here you have four out of seven

are really political appointees.

The fifth member, a former director of CI is perhaps the only specialist in environment and management.

The sixth member is GFC lawyer and in private practice and the seventh and perhaps most junior is a middle division management staff of GFC. This imbalance did not escape the attention of staff and questions emerged as to the glaring absence of any HR and other specialist trained in these types of activities as part of the panel.

No satisfactory answer was provided. The Minister soon after in a sign of desperation tried to justify the members of this committee.

However, this is a modern era and these missteps by the Minister will not go unnoticed.

Sincerely, Concerned Staff

FREDERICK KISSOON REPLIES TO WESLEY KIRTON DEAR EDITOR, I would not dignify the cobwebs in Wesley Kirton’s mind by enumerating for him my contribution to my homeland.

Those things are best left for healthy debates and Kirton’s letter on behalf of the current Vice Chancellor of UG is not a healthy debate but incestuous implorations on behalf of friendship.

He enumerated all the things he has done for Guyana. I hope he is not foolish enough to think I believe him. When you read Kirton’s eulogy of the Vice Chancellor of UG, it is easy to detect a con artist at work. Now, about police random stops.

This is my problem with Diaspora fools like Kirton.

They don’t live in Guyana.

They don’t want to live in Guyana, so they don’t know what is taking place here and they put their ignorance on display.

If Kirton took an interest in Guyanese affairs as equal as he does in American affairs, he would know for five consecutive years, the high command of the police force has issued a traffic guideline.

It stipulates that a police rank has the legal authority to stop any citizen in Guyana but the requirements must be observed for that stop to be legal.

One is that the rank must have reasonable suspicion.

Two - the rank has to tell the driver what the suspicion is about.

The police force has issued instructions to the traffic ranks that they must not engage in random stop but request a driver to stop only under two circumstances.

They observe the committal of a violation and they have reasonable suspicion.

If Kirton used to live in Guyana, he would know there was a big flare up between a Berbice attorney and a traffic rank involving those two requirements.

The confrontation was given nationwide coverage.

For the education of Kirton who does not live in Guyana, I repeat, the traffic ranks cannot put out his hand, stop a car and request to see documents.

They do that in Kirton’s country, the US. We don’t do that in Guyana. I repeat my advice to driver; do not submit to a random stop. It is not proper police procedure.

Former lieutenant colonel, in the GDF, Frankie Bispham,

who is currently security consultant to GWI, did the right thing outside of the Sparendaam Police Station.

He refused to submit to a random stop and demanded to know what the reason was for the instruction to pull over.

The rank had none and so waved Bispham on his way.

Finally, all these business contacts that Kirton initiated, I do not see the fruits of them.

Maybe he has to keep trying.

I leave him with some advice.

Read the letter section of the newspapers and you will see descriptions of the shocking lack of sources at UG composed not by Freddie Kissoon or anyone associated with Freddie Kissoon but honest students and lecturers who want a proper tertiary education like the one Kirton’s kids got when he proceeded to leave Gyana and adopt the US as his home.

Just one question, Wesley, why did you forsake your country of birth?

Did someone force you out? If so, why like me and countless others, you didn’t stay and fight?

Freddie Kissoon

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Why was this church subjected to desecration?

DEAR EDITOR, Approximately one month ago, I made public the desecration of my church by a group of persons who remain at large, even though every house in the street is outfitted with Close Circuit Television (CCTV) systems. (Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held to be sacred or holy by a group or individual).

My church is a Sabbath keeping church located directly to the south of the Cummings Lodge Secondary School, just behind the metal work establishment across Sixth Street in Cummings Lodge. This incident occurred on our Sabbath, which starts at sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, so the incident took place sometime between eleven and the early hours of Saturday morning, based on the condition of the remains.

Upon our arrival at church that morning, we were greeted by the sheer stench of blood and animal faeces all over the northern portion of our estate. There remained the heads of five cows and we later found out from the owners that one of the animals was pregnant. During my conversation with a church member who is domiciled overseas, she told me that a similar incident occurred while I was away from the jurisdiction for an extended period many years ago. On that occasion, several sheep were slaughtered on our premises.

While the desecration of places of worship is an ancient practice carried out to obtain various objectives, one cannot immediately classify this particular incident as being synonymous with any form of religious intolerance,

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

persecution or vendetta as the church has been located in that vicinity for over twelve years, and enjoyed relative peace, even with minimum security. We often felt, and are still of the view, that had the church been located in most other places, especially in Georgetown, it would have been seriously vandalised like so many others a long time ago.

I therefore consider it my civic responsibility to provide the necessary awareness to the reading public in an attempt to prevent any entity whether religious or political from being blamed for fomenting unrest at a time when Guyana is preparing for its most crucial elections ever. As an investigator and intelligence operative, it would be remiss of me not to provide the readership with a historical background for clarity of view (and this is my personal position, which is subject to professional bias).

When we bought the land to erect the church, I took

particular note of several pieces of misinformation provided us by the previous owner. After a series of misinformation and we settled down into our new church, I was fed on several occasions the strangest piece of information in my church going life: that my pastor has been told repeatedly by the previous owner of the estate that if the church ever wants to sell back the estate, he should be considered as first preference.

I lived with that bit of information in my mind for the last five or six years and often wondered why it was said, and where it might lead.

While I am in no way implying that this gentleman is responsible, I could not help resisting the temptation to relocate the church and use that plot of land to erect a four storied residential complex to house students enlisted in the institutions of higher learning in the immediate vicinity; after all it’s ours to keep.

Clairmont Featherstone

Is Guyana Ready to Embrace its Future?

DEAR EDITOR, As Guyana awaits the decision of the Caribbean Court of Justice on the No-Confidence motion, it is prudent to consider the potential outcomes.

Based on common sense alone, and in the face of the comprehensive assessment and ruling of the Chief Justice on the matter, we can expect the CCJ to confirm the No Confidence motion as valid. Granting the remote possibility of a decision in favour of the coalition, we can safely say we have another 12 months until the next general elections.

Given that elections can be called before the end of the year as a consequence of the CCJ’s decision upholding the no-confidence motion, as Guyana considers its future for the next 20 years, are we satisfied with what we can expect from government under the PPP with Mr. Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali at the helm, or the Coalition Administration?

Factoring Granger’s

APPALLING CONDITIONS AT UG’S TURKEYEN CAMPUS Dear EDITOR, I have been following the situation surrounding the Vice Chancellor at the University of Guyana. Currently, there are some appalling conditions at Turkeyen. On Friday last at 17:00 hrs, I was taking an exam in the CBJ LR1. The exam was11/2 hrs long however, at approximately 18:00 hrs the lecturer was forced to collect the students paper because there was no electricity in the room. This building is not on the backup power grid apparently.

I had sent you pictures of students doing their presentation in darkness over a year

ago in the same building but it hasn’t been fixed as yet.

Secondly, there hasn’t been running water in the washrooms outside GWLT and CBJLR1 for weeks. Further, there is only one washroom open in CBJLR1 where both males and females have to share.

I’m afraid of the likely implications of this.

Additionally, if you’re in CBJLR 2 and 3, the washroom has been locked for months now. So if you wish to use the washroom, you have to disturb the class in CBJLR1 to do so.

These are some of the

gross conditions at UG that include garbage all over the campus and insufficient furniture.

Today (yesterday) is English finals and the horror of finding a seat will continue as usual. Last semester I sat at the window in CBJLR1 for English exam, and I saw a classmate pass 5 times unsuccessfully looking for a seat in one of the buildings to write the exam. In all of this Ms Campbell, the programme head, stood in front of the class talking about integrity while students could not find a seat.

Concerned student

health into the analysis, and this is something, which we must consider, what can we expect from any potential leader within the coalition?

(Who will assume leadership of the PNC? What can we expect from him/her?) Is there anyone within the Coalition in whom we can place confidence as a national leader?

Who within the Coalition has demonstrated a national vision to which all Guyanese can appeal? Seriously, what does the Coalition have to offer Guyanese as a president after Granger?

Even if some of us consider that administration under Mr. Jagdeo and his team has no real attraction, can we seriously expect a victory from the Coalition?

Additionally, given that it is seen by some that the PNC considers itself the ‘protec-

tor’ of African Guyanese against what was previously experienced under the PPP, and in light of its own penchant for unfairness at national elections, have we seriously considered such an outcome? What would be our response?

These are some serious questions, which we need to consider and actively respond to.

Where are the soldiers among us who are willing to stand up for other Guyanese against the bad government we are sure to expect from either the PPP under Mr. Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali, or the Coalition? It is easier to offer an alternative to their bad policies now rather than after national elections.

Yours faithfully, Craig Sylvester, Democratic National Congress

Live in peace or choose war with God DEAR EDITOR, Everyone seems to be awaiting the ‘Second Coming’ of Jesus Christ. And, they seem to believe that Jesus Christ would appear and start preaching peace and goodwill on earth without understanding what the Christian Bible teaches.

Jesus Christ has already shown us the way to live in peace and harmony with each other. It is up to us to understand his teachings and change our lifestyle.

HE has given us a choice of living in peace or going to war with God. It seems as if society (the whole world that is) has chosen the latter (that is, going to war with God). I say this because we have built ourselves umpteen nuclear weapons and refuse

to live in peace with each other.

What the Christian Bible actually teaches about the ‘Second Coming’ of Jesus Christ is that there will be trials and tribulations on an unprecedented scale. Many believe that Jesus Christ will come and resolve our problems, which are not what the Christian Bible actually teaches.

Today, we still have a choice.

Live in peace or choose war with God. The choice is ours.

For those of us who have sinned: admit that you have done something wrong (confession), open your heart, mind and soul to God in the name of Jesus Christ and HE will heal us.

It goes without saying that accepting that Jesus Christ is The Son of God is also required.

For those of us who do not believe in God, then I say HE is calling you as well. You just have to listen.

But do many children actually listen to their parents (whom they can see)...? So it is with those who do not believe in God. Yours faithfully Sean Ori

Thursday May 16, 2019

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Questionable procurement of exercise, text books…

We only contracted National Printers - Education Minister stands by press statement Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, has declined to make any further comments on issues surrounding the sole sourcing of text and exercise books from Guyana National Printers Limited (GNPL).

The Minister, during a sitting of the National Assembly yesterday, was questioned by reporters on the issue which has prompted state auditors to announce that they have started a probe.

The procurement of exercise and text books is in the vicinity of hundreds of millions of dollars annually, but there have been increasing complaints by not only local printers, but by officials at the governmentrun schools of being shortchanged, with accusations of widespread fraud in the procurement.

The issue has been creating unease at the ministry, at GNPL, and with government. Officials in the ministry and GNPL told Kaieteur News yesterday that they have been specifically ordered not to talk to press or else they will be slapped with sanctions. The ministry in its statement recently had made it clear that the printing of exercise books and textbooks produced locally is contracted to GNPL, which is a state-owned entity, located at 1 Public Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, Guyana. ”The Education Ministry has no arrangement for printing of local text and exercise books

Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry

GNPLs CEO, Trevor Bassoo

with any other company as is inferred in the article,” the statement had said.

However, glaringly absent from the statement was the price that the ministry paid GNPL for the books.

Local printers had bitterly complained of not being consulted or seeing any advertisements for bids for exercise and text books.

There is a lot of money involved - almost $600M this year - for the procurement of books. A number of printers met recently to find ways to raise their issues with government.

They said they have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in equipment and properties, with loans owed to the banks, but they are given very little in government printing jobs.

In fact, since 2017, GNPL

has not been advertising for locals to supply the books.

The local printers opined that there is a clear plan by Government to kill their business.

In addition to no tenders, there is evidence that even the exercise books coming are not the right number of pages.

Recently, photos surfaced showing chequered line exercise books as 56 pages instead of the required 80 p a g e s .

Over the years, the Ministry has been ordering 80-page exercise books, including double lines and chequeredlined books.

Following a number of stories about the book procurement contracts, which have been handled by GNPL, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Kaieteur News, was given a number of

photographs which indicated that the people of Guyana did not get what the Ministry ordered and thus lost tens of millions of dollars over time.

Representatives of the local printers said that there is more than enough capacity and competitive pricing in Guyana to comfortably handle any orders for books that the Government of Guyana needs. The biggest printers in the country - A1 Printery, Kimoke Printery, Kaieteur Books Inc. and F&H Printing Establishment - are the ones crying foul.

There are at least four other large printers who are angry over the situation and are planning to ask President David Granger for a meeting.

They say that GNPL, as a state company, is unfairly competing with them.

“The government has been talking about building capacity. We have capacity.

We are inviting them to visit us to see what we have,” a spokesman for the printers said last week.

Under the arrangements, GNPL was supposed to produce local textbooks and exercise books.

It was granted a $100M loan for a printery in 2017, but that printery has not been operating. In any case, the

entity on its own is unable to meet the demands of the Ministry. There were questions raised also about

the secrecy of the orders by the Ministry.

No one can say what was delivered and at what cost.

PAGE 8

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Guyana’s overdependence on oil revenues in medium term unavoidable - Finance Minister says diversifying economy will take time

By Kiana Wilburg Local Financial Analysts such as Anand Goolsarran and Christopher Ram have often called for the economy to be sufficiently diversified and become more export-oriented in order to avoid overdependence on oil revenues.

But Finance Minister Winston Jordan firmly asserts that this is easier said than done.

During a recent interview with Kaieteur News, the economist

alluded to the fact that overdependence on oil revenues is virtually unavoidable in 2020, and even 10 years after, since the diversification of the economy will not happen overnight.

“Sometimes we behave as if getting more revenues is going to be a curse. But let me say this, you cannot diversify the economy overnight. It is not as simple as that. To even stay in sugar, it requires millions of dollars, and to make it competitive

requires billions more. So we can’t be running around hollering that we have to diversify. We know we have to do that.

But it will not happen in one or 10 years. We have to fix several things before that can happen.”

In this regard, Minister Jordan reminded that Guyana does not have the infrastructure that is needed to support investment outside of the extractive sector.

“We don’t have proper ports, road networks, bridges or

cheap electricity. All these things have to be in place.”

In the absence of this, the Minister emphasized that the government cannot run to diversify the economy, as it would not be able to be competitive. Further to this, Jordan said that even the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was initially heavily dependent on oil revenues and, eventually, it was able to put in the required infrastructure and diversify.

Jordan said that the UAE still depends on oil revenues, but

not as much as it did to begin with.

“For a long time, petroleum revenues will trump other areas in Guyana, and we will try to put in the infrastructure to attract investment beyond the extractive sector,” the Minister concluded.

BECOMING VENEZUELA Just a few weeks ago, PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, registered his dissatisfaction with the efforts Government says it is making to ensure the nation is not overly dependent on the oil revenues to come. He also bemoaned the fact that the gov-

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan ernment is yet to put forward its plans to diversify the economy.

“That is the biggest cause of worry and this is not as Opposition Leader; this is as a Guyanese I am speaking here.

They (government) are peddling these rumours that we will do well with oil money, we will get rich and solve all our problems, but that is not so,” Jagdeo said.

He added, “Even if we get a lot of money, which we won’t in initial years, if we don’t focus on diversification, then we are going to become like Venezuela and others who produce oil and the people don’t have food.

This is the problem with this government...”

The politician insisted that these matters need to be addressed urgently.

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

The criminals are on top Not even the schoolchildren are safe anymore.

A recent video, which has gone viral on Facebook, shows footage of a schoolboy being set upon by criminals and robbed of his cellular phone while on his way home from school.

Imagine how that young child must have felt.

Imagine how he will feel if he has to continue to walk to get to and from school.

He is not going to feel safe anymore using the streets.

He will see the streets as dangerous and unsafe. He will be terrified.

The nightmare that he endured will haunt him forever. He may have lost more than his cellular phone that day. He would have lost his innocent outlook on life.

He has been robbed of a precious part of his childhood.

Crime has always been out of control in Guyana.

Crime was always a major aspect of life in Guyana.

Crime has impoverished persons and it has made the criminals rich. It has been one of the main means of the transfer of wealth.

The police force is overwhelmed by the task of fighting crime.

It is too much for them.

It is too much for any police force, much less one that is so corrupt and inept.

Guyanese society is criminalized. Stealing is pervasive. Robberies are taking place every day.

A few weeks ago, there was a video of a woman pushing her hands into the bag of a woman in a store and taking out her money.

Shoplifters are caught almost every day stealing from businesses.

When Giftland Office Max was located in Water Street, there was a wall on

which would be pasted printed images of persons caught stealing from that store. Every week, there was a new image.

Even the risk of being caught and shamed was not enough.

Patients in the hospital wake up each morning to find that overnight, someone has pilfered some of their personal items. Even toilet paper is being stolen from the sick.

Children have complained that food is stolen from their lunch kits while they are in school. Pencils and other items are found missing from their school bags.

Government workers steal time - large amounts of time - by going to work late, taking long snack breaks, having extended lunch hours and using government time to do their personal businesses.

Dem boys seh ...

Rat and he tail part at GECOM Old people get a saying that rat and he tail does part.

It look like GECOM and its legal officer parting company. De opposition commissioners ask fuh a legal opinion. De legal officer wukking wid de whole commission. But this commission got three sides.

It got de opposition side, de government side and de commissioner. De legal officer give de view to de opposition. Normally that should not be a bad thing but from de noise it cause one believe is a bad thing.

De legal lady tell de opposition that house-tohouse registration is not necessary. All de commission got to do is tek off wha name got to tek off and put on new

names. That is wha de legal lady tell de opposition and she provide de law to support she.

Now de government side calling she Jezebel. Trotty, that is one of de commissioners, seh she deceitful.

He want dem investigate she because she share she opinion wid one person and not wid de whole commission.

Dem boys waiting to see de outcome. Of course, wha mek some of dem commissioners get vex is because de opposition commissioners gone to court to challenge house to house registration.

Of course, dem did vote for it but now dem busy changing de tune.

De thing that got dem

boys shaking dem head is how many of de commissioners is lawyers. Bibi is a lawyer, de chairman is a judge and then dem have de legal officer. De legal officer got she view.

Dem boys seh everything is a problem these days and every other thing is about ‘we and dem’. One thing is Jagdeo outsmarting all of dem. He tell he people don’t waste time going to parliament.

Of course dem still getting pay. Dem boys know people who would like to stay home and still get pay.

Dem willing to bet all dem offices; in fact, all dem wuk place gun empty.

Talk half and wait fuh more elections confusion.

There are some workers who go to work early, simply to use the phones to make out-of-area calls to their relatives.

There are persons who are stealing electricity and water and the authorities cannot do anything about it, because when they try to take action th e y a r e greeted with a riotous mob.

The bandits are becoming brazen.

One group launched a robbery right next door to a police station. And they fired upon the police after they were pursued. The police have become a laughing stock for the criminals.

Farmers have it difficult. They plant and others reap.

People are being def r a u d e d e v e r y d a y. R e cently a couple was defrauded by a con artist.

When the family thought they were acquiring land, they ended up being fleeced instead.

The list can go on.

Guyanese society is being deadened because of

the amount of thieving that is taking place. And this is part of the problem which foreign security experts cannot identify. None of their strategies to reform the security sector will work.

The society first needs to be reformed before the police can be effective. The police are limited in what they can do in a criminalized society. They police are overwhelmed.

How can you fight crime in a society in which not even schoolchildren are safe?

The police are in quandary. They are confused. So confused, that it is being reported that the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team is being deployed to Berbice to fight the upsurge in crime.

That has to be the joke of the year, because the SWAT team is trained to fight certain types of crime, including hostage-taking, bank robberies and terrorist attacks. Not the banditry which is sweeping Berbice at the moment.

The police are under pressure. They are afraid to use lethal force against criminals, because they are afraid that they may be accused of shooting to kill and end up before the courts.

And the criminals know about the instructions not to use lethal force unless absolutely necessary.

They know that the police are afraid of being accused of using excessive force. This has made the bandits become bolder and more brazen.

This is Guyana and the criminals are in control. All Guyana should say a prayer to protect our schoolchildren from the demons who are out to rob them.

The police cannot protect them; they are at the mercy of the bandits.

PAGE 10

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Trump and APNU+AFC: Will they accept electoral defeat?

In the United States, many leaders in the Democratic Party, commentators, and other prominent people - the latest being Burt Bacharach are of the opinion that if Trump loses the next presidential election, he will invent reasons to say it was not a fair election.

I have written more than once on this page that I believe the upcoming poll in Guyana will be tampered with

by APNU+AFC. I am repeating this fear here. This is how I see the result of a free election; one of the two major parties will win a plurality but

not a majority. The other scenario I envisage is a process where the West gets involved to bring about an APNU+AFC majority or APNU+AFC by itself rigs the poll.

Here is what I predict, and I will remind readers that I wrote this on May 16, 2019. If there is an improper general election, the AFC will travel throughout Guyana with more intensity than APNU to denounce accusations of rigging. This is because the AFC feels its voice will be more credible because Indians, Amerindians and mixed-race citizens will

more believe AFC leaders than the PNC. They think so, of course, but no one will accept their propaganda.

Here is another prediction, the remnants of the WPA will voice support for the fictional results, because they feel their voices carry weight among certain sections of the Afro-Guyanese community.

Like the AFC, the WPA knows it is deluding itself. Both parties have no biological functionalism, but their role is to piggyback on the PNC to have a modicum of power.

If the election is rigged, the eyes of every Guyanese will be on David Hinds. Will he support election result tampering? I have known David Hinds for eons. I think he has remained faithful to the essential mental, ideological threads of Walter Rodney. He will not support the violation of people’s right to have their votes counted.

My mother said it so many times that I grew up with it sticking out of my ears – you don’t need a

lighted candle to see what daylight can show you.

From day one, after new politicians moved into power as a result of the 2015 election, I saw the monstrosity emblazoned on the shirtsleeve of a formation named APNU+AFC. The signs were there that Guyana had elected people that were no different in moral debasement, ethical corrugation, dehumanized culture, philistine deportment, corruptibility, power intoxication than their PPP predecessors. On the contrary, much to my colossal bewilderment, some PPP leaders, proved to be far more decent, modest and accommodating, than these monsters that came after 2015.

One person at UG, a senior lecturer, was the first woman in this country to discern the ugliness of power after 2015.

She expressed disgust on her Facebook page at a particular character that moved into the Cabinet, and she wondered what the future under such personalities would be like.

All the signs were there; you didn’t need a candle to look for them.

On the day that the AFC met in their head office to select their Cabinet ministers, three of the bigwigs in the room called one of their middle class friends and offered her the post of Minister of the Environment. We love to criticize the PPP, but that was unthinkable in the PPP. It was the first indication that the AFC was up to no good.

Look what the AFC has become. Anyone who thinks the AFC is a better party than the PPP is utterly naïve. They surreptitiously gave themselves a prodigious salary increase and made it retroactive.

And one perversity from May 2015 followed another then another. Today, four years after achieving power, the sordid alliance named APNU+AFC is a very ugly affair that Guyana does not need to repeat. But it will be repeated…not through the ballot box.

We await the judgement of the CCJ. My take is that it

Frederick Kissoon will rule against the APNU+AFC-led government; more on that in a forthcoming column. But what came from the mouths of all five judges reduced this country to a global shame. The lawyers for the Guyana Government cannot be that hardheaded not to know some of the questions were intensely embarrassing. Two need mentioning.

One judge said that from the time the no-confidence vote was passed, GECOM should have been in preparation mode. GECOM acted as if nothing had happened. Secondly, another judge embarrassed Neil Boston. He asked if you cannot vote against your party, why then have a constitutional provision for a no-confidence vote.

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Govt. passes six Bills in opposition’s absence … Tullow granted property tax exemption The National Assembly yesterday passed one motion and six bills in the absence of the parliamentary opposition.

The Opposition has refused to return to Parliament until the ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the No Confidence Cases, gives them direction on the way forward.

The motion passed is the Petroleum (Exploration and Production)(Tax Laws) Order 2019 - No. 2 of 2019, while the bills passed are the Interception of Communications (Amendment) Bill 2019, the

Procurement (Amendment) Bill 2019, Customs and Trade Single Window System Bill 2019, the Customs (Amendment of Schedules) Bill (2019), the National Accreditation Council (Amendment) Bill 2019, and the National Accreditation Council Act 2004 (Validation) Bill.

The Assembly also adopted several reports, namely the Fourth Period Report of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources, the Fifth Periodic Report of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on

The Parliamentary Opposition did not attend yesterday’ssitting of the National Assembly Natural Resources, the Sixth Periodic Report of the Parlia-

mentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources, and the Report of the Special Select Committee on the Food Safety Bill 2016.

TULLOW GRANTED PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION The motion passed is the Petroleum (Exploration and

40

Production) (Tax Laws) Order 2019 - No. 2 of 2019, which affirms the tax waiver afforded to Tullow Guyana B.V., under the Production Sharing Agreement for the Orinduik Block. The tax exemption is based on a provision in section 51 of the Petroleum (Exploration and

Production) Act, which allows for any and all of the four tax acts listed in subsection 2 of section 51 to be waived, if so mandated by an agreement. In this case, Tullow was granted a waiver of the Property Tax Act, as the Minister agreed to in the PSA for the Orinduik Block.

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 13

NAMILCO celebrates 50 T

he National Milling Company of Guyana Inc. (NAMILCO), yesterday announced that it will today be celebrating its 50th year of operation NAMILCO, a subsidiary of Seaboard Corporation, based in Kansas, United States, officially opened its doors here, in Agricola, on May 17, 1969.

“Seizing on the opportunity to turn Guyana into a flour producer and

s u p p l i e r, r a t h e r t h a n importing flour from various suppliers as it was back then, the flour mill was established with a capacity to produce 3,300 one hundred-pound sacks per 24four-hour period and 45 workers were hired.”

According to the company, as demand for the product increased, employment opportunity for Guyanese expanded and NAMILCO became the first manufacturing enterprise in

Guyana to operate three 8hour shifts per day.

Verdict looms for accused in cricket bat murder

S

tate Prosecutors and defence counsel presented closing arguments yesterday in the trial of 22-year-old Jonathan Budhan who is accused of the October 25, 2016 murder of Ramesh Manbodh.

Budhan, of Vreed-enHoop, West Coast Demerara, has pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is on trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown.

According to reports, Budhan fatally beat Manbodh, 40, of Lot 655 Best Village, West Coast Demerara on October 20, 2016 with a cricket bat. After being admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, Manbodh died five days later. It was reported that Budhan was on the run and later turned himself over to police.

Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs, Teriq Mohamed and Tuanna Hardy are presenting the State's case, while Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes is appearing for the murder accused.

Murder accused: Jonathan Budhan During a lengthy s u b m i s s i o n y e s t e r d a y, Hughes went at length to persuade the jury on why his client should be found not guilty of the crime.

First off, Hughes pointed out what he viewed as several weaknesses in the prosecution's case and asked the jury to consider the defence of one's self (selfdefence) when retiring to deliberate on a verdict.

According to the lawyer, Manbodh was in the habit of taunting Budhan. Hughes said that the evidence shows

that on the day in question, Manbodh called his client an “anti-man” and thereafter attempted to attack him.

The lawyer added that the law provides that one can use reasonable force to defend themselves. He said Manbodh attempted to pull out something from his waist, when his client lashed him to the head with the cricket bat.

However, Prosecutor Hardy said that this case is not one of self-defence. She said that it was clear that Budhan wanted to kill Manbodh who was unarmed.

According to the prosecutor, Budhan had to have lashed the now dead man with great force, as the post mortem report showed he died from blunt trauma to the head. She said that Budhan used “too much force, excessive force.” She, nevertheless, urged the jury to return a verdict in accordance with the evidence.

Justice Singh will sum up the evidence tomorrow, and direct the jury on the law before sending them to deliberate.

CARICOM foreign ministers reiterate region's position on Venezuela ST.GEORGE'S, Grenada (CMC) – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) foreign ministers have reiterated the region's noninterference in the internal affairs of Venezuela where opposition forces backed by the United States are seeking to overthrow the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The foreign ministers, who ended a two-day

m e e t i n g o n T u e s d a y, “expressed deep concern over the ongoing events in that country”.

The Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) meeting which was chaired by Grenada's Foreign Minister Peter David, said after receiving an “update” on the situation in the South American country “reaffirmed its guiding principles of non-

interference and nonintervention in the affairs of states, prohibition of the threat or use of force, respect for sovereignty, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for the constitutional framework and democracy.

“The Council reiterated CARICOM's position that the people of Venezuela must be allowed to determine their own future through a (continued on page 19)

“Striving to produce a consistent quality product, over the years, NAMILCO has re-tooled the mill, installing state of the art Buhler Packaging machines, scales, roller mills and storage silos.” On the 40th Anniversary of the company, it achieved ISO 9001 certification, and through this, it has committed to developing, maintaining and continually improving its Quality Management System.

According to the company, it produced flour and specialty flour products,

including Thunderbolt All Purpose Flour, Maid Marian Self Rising Flour and Maid Marian Pholourie QuickMix. The company now has 136 employees and a production rate of 240 metric tons of wheat per day.

NAMILCO exports its flour and specialty flour products to St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbados, Canada, Suriname and Brazil.

Managing Director of NAMILCO, Mr. Bert Sukhai stated, “We are proud of our history. The company has grown significantly over the

years, not by chance, but through hard work, dedication, vision and tenacity through difficult times.”

He added: “Being aware of the needs of our c o n s u m e r s a n d endeavouring our very best to fill those needs, is key to our past success and to our future success.”

Among those expected to be in attendance at today's 50th anniversary celebration are officials from NAMILCO's US-based parent company, Seaboard Corporation.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Thursday May 16, 2019

Trotman's position on GECOM's readiness for elections in conflict with law - PPP

T

he People's Progressive Party (PPP) has raised grave concerns following publicized positions attributed to Governmentnominated Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner, Desmond Tr o t m a n , r e l a t i v e t o GECOM's ability to conduct General and Regional Elections.

Commissioner Trotman was quoted in the local media as saying “we sought the advice of the Finance Secretary, and the Finance Secretary said to us that the money given for a specific item has got to be used for that item, and if it is you require money for elections, you have to go back to Parliament.”

However the Party noted that these comments are in contradiction with the quintessential message conveyed by the Finance Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, via letter, which was presented to the full Commission, during its weekly statutory meeting on

Tuesday last.

The Oppositionnominated GECOM Commissioners have communicated to the Party that the Finance Secretary, who was approached on the issue of funding, advised that the matter was outside of the remit of the Ministry of Finance.

The Party reiterates that the issue of funding is the latest hurdle thrown-up by the government-influenced parties at GECOM. “This is despite the fact that the laws of Guyana are clear on funding for constitutional agencies like GECOM. In August 2015, President David Granger signed off Act 4 of 2015 – the Fiscal Management and Accountability (FMAA) (Amendment) Act 2015.

Section 80 B (8) – makes it clear that the appropriation of a Constitutional Agency approved by the National Assembly shall be disbursed as a lump sum by the end of the month, following the month in which the

appropriation was approved.

Section 80B (7) of the same act states that the annual budget of a Constitutional Agency approved by the National Assembly shall not be altered without prior approval of the National Assembly.”

According to the PPP, the section clearly prohibits the Minister of Finance from altering the appropriation to GECOM, as he is empowered to do with the appropriations of nonconstitutional agencies, but does not prevent GECOM from utilizing the “lump sum” as it sees fit to carry out its functions.

In line with the FMAA amendment, Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, on November 19, 2019, during the consideration of the 2019 budget of GECOM, a constitutional agency, in the National Assembly said “Mr. Chairman, the sum of $5,371,061,000 is given as a lump sum to GECOM to use as it sees fit and as it prioritizes.”

GECOM Commissioner, Desmond Trotman Moreover, the Party noted that Article 222A of the Constitution says: “In order to assure the independence of the entities listed in the Third Schedule – (a) the expenditure of each of the entities shall be financed as a direct charge on the Consolidated Fund, determined by a lump sum by way of an annual subvention approved by the national Assembly…(b) each entity shall manage its subvention as such manner

as it deems fit for the efficient discharge of its functions, subject only to conformity with the financial practices and procedures approved by the National Assembly to ensure accountability.” The issue of funding has clearly become the last 'hold-on' by elements within GECOM working to effectively set the stage for a delay of General and Regional Elections when they become due.

In accordance with the Constitution and the FMAA, GECOM's full 2019 budgetary allocation should have been transferred in a lump sum to the Commission by February 2019 latest.

M o r e o v e r, t h e P P P believes that Commissioner Tr o t m a n e x p o s e d t h i s mindset when he made it clear that regardless of the decision made by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), on the cases related to the challenge to the vote on the No-Confidence Motion, funding is a 'plausible' reason to effect a delay in

Guyanese heading to the polls.

“This must be condemned. HOUSE-TOHOUSE… on the issue of GECOM's continued push towards a new national house-to-house registration – a process that GECOM insists can be completed by November – the PPP wishes to stress that such a process cannot be credibly, nor accurately completed within six months.”

Further, the PPP has grave reservations about the planned move to de-register thousands of Guyanese voters who will be subject to a registration requirement that is unconstitutional and illegal.

M o r e o v e r t h e unnecessary nature of a new national house-to-house registration, at this point, was underscored by none other than GECOM's Legal Officer, Excellence Dazzell.

Dazzell, in her opinion dated May 13, 2019, stated that: “The use of the work 'revise' [in the Election Laws (continued on page 19)

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 15

Corpse in shallow grave…

Husband lodged gun at police station after shooting wife in head T

hirty-eight yearold Ryan Sugrim killed his wife, buried her corpse, then asked the police to keep the murder weapon.

That's the bizarre story that emerged yesterday as police continue to build their case.

What has come out is that as detectives were frantically searching for Zaila Sugrim's corpse last Tuesday, they had no clue that the alleged killer had literally presented them with evidence of his gruesome deed.

That evidence was Mr. Sugrim's licensed .32 revolver, which he had lodged on Monday at the Tactical Services Unit Headquarters, Eve Leary, shortly before detectives took him into custody, and a day before they found his wife's decomposing remains.

A post mortem, c o n d u c t e d y e s t e r d a y, revealed that the 36-year-old mother of five had died from a gunshot injury to the head.

Kaieteur News understands that a .32 warhead was extracted from the victim.

It is unclear whether ballistic tests have established a match between t h e w a r h e a d a n d M r.

Sugrim's firearm.

Police have also impounded one of the businessman's vehicles.

Zaila Sugrim “This is still an active investigation. We got a break, but we still have work to do,” a senior official told Kaieteur News. ”We want to have an air tight case,” the official added, while expressing optimism that the suspect may appear in court this week.

A police release stated that the suspect “has admitted to having committed the gruesome act and is cooperating with investigators”.

Yesterday, a relative of the slain woman expressed gratitude to the many individuals who have come out in support of the family.

A battered Zaila Sugrim in December 2018 “I am happy for the outpouring of sympathy, and I am hoping that we will get justice,” the relative said.

The body is still to be handed over to the family On Tuesday, detectives dug up Mrs. Sugrim's bound, wrapped, and decomposing remains from a shallow grave behind a Crane, West Coast Demerara gas station that her husband operates.

The victim, who was wearing a flowered dress, was bound at the hands and feet with strips of cloth.

Kaieteur News understands that Mr. Sugrim was taken into custody on Monday after police received reports that his

estranged wife, a mother of five, was missing.

She was said to have been last seen alive on Saturday, when she entered her husband's vehicle.

According to reports, Mrs. Sugrim visited one of her sons on Saturday. She reportedly later left with her estranged spouse.

When she failed to return home, relatives reportedly tried to contact her. After several futile attempts they reported her missing.

The official who spoke to Kaieteur News said that investigators received information about a shallow grave near the gas station at Crane that the missing

Ryan Sugrim woman's spouse works at.

In late December, Zaila

Sugrim was hospitalized for five days after she was allegedly beaten by her spouse, from whom she had separated last August.

She had left him, allegedly over his abusive behaviour.

She had claimed that her spouse had also bound her with duct tape.

The assault allegedly occurred in his car.

She alleged that while choking her, he said, “I will kill you and leave you in a shallow grave.”

Sugrim was later charged for unlawful restraint and causing grievous bodily harm.

However, Zaila Sugrim later told Kaieteur News that she had dropped the matter after being compensated.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 16

Thursday May 16, 2019

Pres. Granger swears in new Suriname Ambassador to Guyana

F

or almost 45 years, Suriname and Guyana have established formal diplomatic ties, and yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency, Ebu Rohno Jones was accredited as the new Ambassador of the Republic of Suriname to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

The accreditation was done by His Excellency President David Granger after the Head of State accepted his Letters of Credence. President Granger related that this new appointment would further merge relations between the two countries.

The President, while expressing his pleasure at accepting Ambassador Jones' credentials, reminded those in attendance that Guyana and Suriname are two countries bound by geography, history and mutual interests. He said that the countries' ties are based

on mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity, s o v e r e i g n t y, t r e a t i e s , i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a w, maintenance of regional peace and security.

Granger noted that Guyana and Suriname have collaborated in many fields such as agriculture, culture, the environment, forestry, health, mining, health, and many others, and that he “looks forward to working with Suriname”.

During his remarks, the President said that, “The preservation of regional space and security is vital to protecting our common interests. Guyana is committed to ensuring that the Caribbean and the South America continent remains a zone of peace. Peace in our region could be endangered by transitional threats.”

These threats, he said, can range from trafficking of illegal weapons, narcotics, people, illegal migration, money laundering,

President Granger greets Ambassador Jones prior to accepting his credentials environmental hazard and territorial controversies.

“Environmental cooperation between Guyana and Suriname could become a model for the protection and sustainable management of our forests and biodiversity,” said the President, because Guyana

is already moving towards the establishment of becoming a “green” state, and one that will place emphasis on protecting the environment.

Ambassador Jones shared similar sentiments.

He related that the ties and cooperation of Suriname and

Guyana add strategic importance to the sustainable development of the two countries. He also believes that the main focus of the Government of Suriname should be on “achieving sustainability in the pursuit of development for both countries and peoples.”

“It is therefore important and necessary that the atmosphere of peace, togetherness and friendship is sustained. Strategic emphasis should be placed on what binds us, rather than what divides us. This should be the driving force to

further intensify our relationship based on mutual respect, understanding, cooperation, good neighbourliness and mutual benefit.

In addition, Suriname also looks towards deepening the cultural relationship and intensifying economic trading activities.

With reference to the cultural integration, there is a large group of Guyanese Diaspora living for decades in Suriname and it is contributing to the economic development,” Ambassador Jones said.

City Constable charged for shooting bus driver walks free

M

ark Murray, the 24-yearold City Constabulary rank who was charged last month for allegedly shooting a bus driver in the leg, walked out of the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts a free man yesterday, after the c h a rg e w a s d i s m i s s e d against him. This was after the virtual complainant turned up in court and indicated that he did not wish to proceed with the matter.

Murray had denied that charge which stated that on September 26, 2018, at Water Street, Georgetown, he discharged a firearm at John Paul, with intent to maim, disfigure and cause actual bodily harm.

Following his arraignment before a City Magistrate, Murray was granted bail in the sum of $75,000.

Asked why he wanted to discontinue the matter, Paul told the Magistrate that the court process is too time consuming.

According to reports, on

Mark Murray the day in question there was a confrontation between Murray and the bus driver over where he had parked his minibus.

Reports state that after Murray told the bus driver that he could not park in that manner, a fight ensued between them.

During that time, the bus driver was shot to the leg after he attempted to walk away from the rank.

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 17

New CJIA fees now embedded in ticket cost Passengers travelling through the CJIA at Timehri will now pay about $4,000 more on every ticket at the time of purchase.

W

eeks after facing long lines and numerous complaints, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC) will now instead see new fees being charged at the time of tickets being purchased.

The fees are supposed to help the airport recover some of the US$150M spent to renovate the airport.

According to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, all airportrelated charges are included in the passenger tickets effective May 11th, 2019.

“The airlines confirmed that the International Air Tr a n s p o r t A s s o c i a t i o n (IATA) had incorporated the fees into the price of the ticket and therefore passengers purchasing a ticket after May 11th 2019 will no longer be required to pay this charge separately.”

The airport had come under severe criticisms for

the fees by government officials, stakeholders and travelers, as it ultimately a ff e c t e d t i c k e t p r i c e s negatively.

Because there was no system for tickets to include the almost $4,000 increase, passengers were reportedly asked to join separate lines at the airport to pay the fees.

There was anger, as CJIAC went ahead with introducing the higher fees from May 1st amid questions over the multibillion-dollar project which should have seen a brand new terminal a n d l o n g e r r u n w a y.

However, instead, the old terminal was gutted and renovated.

IATA, the Ministry of Business and the Department of Tourism, all criticized the implementations of the fees.

However, CJIAC had made it clear that IATA has little legal standing to make such demands.

The strong statement by CJIAC noted that the

association has one member it is aware of – Caribbean Airlines Limited.

IATA had noted last month that: “It is completely unacceptable that passengers are being inconvenienced in such a manner. This is a direct result of the airport's management refusal to engage with IATA on a process which is standard practice across the globe. As a consequence, our member airlines have unfortunately no choice other than to manually collect the additional fees and charges.”

CJIAC said that as a public corporation, its officers and employees are prohibited to, under the penalty of law from among other things, providing information to entities for the purposes of certifying the basis on which the corporation determined the fees it would charge.

“CJIAC would like to assure the travelling public that there is no legal

requirement for it to make an application to IATA for the introduction or increase in airport fees. Further, there is no legal requirement that CJIAC provide the information requested by IATA,” CJIAC had said in a recent statement.

CJIAC had argued that the larger terminal with passenger boarding bridges

has seen a significant increase in operational cost, inclusive of power consumption.

CJIAC said that this is not the first time that there has been an increase in airport fees and charges. “On the last occasion in 2017, IATA was able to implement the new fees in as little as 6-8 weeks.

Notably, there was no demand from the airport to provide its internal documents. The letters and correspondence informing the airlines were sufficient for IATA to act on in the case of airport fees, whilst a copy of the legislation was requested in respect of the increased government taxes.”

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Thursday May 16, 2019

Overpass elevators to be manned 'round the clock' W The overpass at Houston, East Bank Demerara

hile works are said to be in progress to have the overpass elevators along East Bank Demerara operational before May 26, next, the Infrastructure Ministry on Monday informed that the operators will be manned by trained individuals, around the clock, as soon as they become operational.

Public Relations Officer (PRO), Krest Cummings, said that following consultation with Minister David Patterson, she was informed that once operational, the elevators will be manned by employees selected by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation management.

A c c o r d i n g t o Cummings, locals will be trained shortly by engineers from the ministry who have already been trained at an international level overseas.

While she had promised in a prior interview that surveillance systems around the elevators would be hooked up to that of the Harbour Bridge, on Monday she admitted that works in

that regard were not yet orchestrated.

She had said a better surveillance system will be implemented, and will be connected to the existing one at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, to ensure 'round the clock viewing' of what goes on around the bypasses.

The elevators at the Eccles, Houston, Diamond and Providence have been installed since June 2018.

They were expected to be operational one week later.

That has not happened.

The ministry last month reported cases of vandalism on the Diamond and Providence overpasses in which electrical and solar panel lights, 'no cycle' and 'disabled' signs, corrugated electrical wire covers, earthing connection, and protective covers were stolen. Camera wires were disconnected at the Diamond bypass as well.

The cost for supply and installation of each elevator is tabled at US$61,000. They were bought from Cibes Lifts Group AG, of Sweden.

They were supplied and installed by their authorized dealer RBP Lifts,

Trinidad.

A few weeks ago Kaieteur News had attempted to get a comment on actual date for commencement of operations, and was first told b y S e n i o r E n g i n e e r, Jermaine Braithwaite, that he could not comment on such matters, and would have to consult with another engineer who is authorised to comment.

He was contacted

sometime later (on April 24).

He then reported that he had made contact with the other engineer, who indicated that he preferred to have their PR Representative comment on the issue.

Several subsequent attempts by this newspaper had gone unanswered as his phone rang out repeatedly.

The following day he said that he was unable to come up with any information of significance.

Contact was then made with the ministry's PRO, who at that time had indicated that she was not in a position to comment on an operational start time or commissioning of the elevators.

The overhead walkways at Providence and Diamond were each said to be built at a cost of $77M. Contracts for the other three walkways (Houston, Eccles and Peter's Hall) were awarded to B & A Civil

Works. Trinidad Company, RBP Lifts Limited, installed the elevators, with RM Engineering overseeing the process.

The elevators are said to have a one-year warranty and a quarterly maintenance system in place.

The elevators also have a screw drive system, which is a more simplified and more robust system, so there is no cable, as in the case of normal elevators.

Regional rum producers urged to capitalise on tourism to build brands - DDL's Samaroo re-elected chairman (WIRSPA Secretariat, Bridgetown, Barbados) – Caribbean rum producers have been challenged to fully exploit the potential of the regional tourism industry to build their brands.

St. Lucia's Minister of Tourism and Chairman of

the Caribbean Tourism O rg a n i s a t i o n ( CTO), Minister Dominic Fedee, said there is tremendous opportunity for the region's two preeminent brands – tourism and rum.

Rum producers from the Caribbean Community and

the Dominican Republic, members of the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA), met in St. Lucia on 6th and 7th May, for their biannual directors' and annual general meetings.

During the meetings, head of the Guyana

conglomerate Demerara Distillers, M r. K o m a l Samaroo, was re-elected Chairman of the grouping.

Issuing his clarion call at a tasting of Authentic Caribbean Rums, Minister Fedee lamented the low profile given the iconic rum brands being produced in the region, “as a people we need to be prouder of our indigenous world class brands.”

Instead, he said, “many persons aspire to foreign brands, while consumers in those self-same countries crave our products”.

“With some 40 million visitors coming to our countries each year”, he said, “we have a unique opportunity for them to sample and purchase our products, whether it be on board ship, in our resorts,or in our community tourism initiatives”.

Responding to the call, WIRSPA Chairman, Komal Samaroo said, “the potential to improve the visitor package and to increase exposure of our high-quality premium brands through leveraging

Re-elected as Chairman of WIRSPA: Komal Samaroo our 300 plus years of rum history and heritage are well appreciated, and an opportunity our producers are actively addressing”.

However, according to Samaroo, “the availability of imported duty-free spirits to both visitors and locals alike, whether through legitimate sale or through lax controls, is a real threat to our domestic markets. We have recently

placed this as an active issue before CARICOM ministers of trade and we will work with governments to address these challenges which impact so negatively on our international competitiveness.”

Margaret Monplaisir, Managing Director of St. L u c i a D i s t i l le r s s a i d , “visitors are an increasingly important part of our business model. We are currently planning a major investment in a new visitor facility that will expose the best of St. Lucia and of course the best of our rums.”

The investment, she explained, “is a substantial one and when completed, will be among St. Lucia's premier visitor attractions”.

WIRSPA is one of the oldest private sector trade a s s o c i a t i on s i n t h e Caribbean. It represents rum producers in Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Haiti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago.

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 19

Brazil education Guyana to participate in oil freeze spurs biggest and gas conference in UK protests yet against Bolsonaro govt.

B

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Brazil yesterday to rally against education spending freezes in the biggest demonstrations yet against President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers “useful idiots and imbeciles.”

Brazil's National Student Union called for protests against what it called spending cuts, after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government's precarious fiscal situation.

The marches in over 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV

network, mark the first national protests against the administration of the farright Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet.

Speaking in Dallas, Texas, where he traveled to attend a gala dinner, Bolsonaro denied his government had cut education budgets and cast the protests as a partisan spectacle.

“They are useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the maneuvering mass of a clever little minority who make up the (continued on page 20)

ritish High Commissioner Greg Quinn says Guyana's participation at the Offshore Europe oil and gas conference to be held in the United Kingdom in September, would provide an opportunity for the country to interact meaningfully with various stakeholders in the sector.

“I am hopeful that there is a contingent from South America's newest oil and gas hotspot,” Quinn said in a vlog (video blog) following his return here from attending the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas last week.

The September 3-6 event to be held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in Bridge of Don, United Kingdom, will focus on maintenance and repair, oil, chemical, engineering, technology among others.

Quinn said that Guyana, which is expected to begin commercial oil exploration next year, would benefit from discussions at the conference, as it prepares for 'first oil.'

Quinn said the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and

CARICOM foreign ministers reiterate region's position on Venezuela From page 13 meaningful and internal dialogue between the contending parties,” according to the communiqué issued after the meeting.

“This dialogue must determine how best the crisis can be resolved within the confines of the constitution and the rule of law, whether by referendum, elections or any other agreed mechanism.

To this end, CARICOM will intensify its efforts to engage in dialogue with all parties,” the communiqué noted.

Several people have been killed and others injured since the Opposition Leader, Juan Guaidó, called on the military to support the move to remove Maduro from power. But the army appears to be remaining loyal to Maduro.

In January, Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's interim leader, and he has been recognised by more

than 50 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and most of Latin America. But Maduro, who won re-election last year, is being backed by Russia, China and Cuba.

During the two-day meeting, the foreign ministers reviewed the CARICOM-US relationship and underscored the need for the region to strategically consider its long-term engagement with Washington.

“The COFCOR stressed the need for intensifying contacts with representatives of both Houses of the US Congress.

Ministers also discussed the need for designing a policy to mobilise the CARICOM diaspora in the US in support of the Community's interest,” the communiqué noted.

It said the meeting also reviewed CARICOM-Cuba relations and the preparations for the Sixth

CARICOM-Cuba Ministerial Meeting to be held in Guyana on June 14. “ T h e C o u n c i l underscored the importance of the longstanding relationship with Cuba which is characterised by technical cooperation, trade and political relations, and mutual support for each other in multilateral fora.

“In light of the recent measures announced by the United States…they reiterated the Community's firm support for the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the US against Cuba.”

The foreign ministers also noted the interest of Colombia to renew relations with the Community and agreed to participate in the inaugural CARICOMColombia Ministerial Meeting to be held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on June 29.

Trotman's position on GECOM's readiness for elections in conflict with law - PPP From page 14 (Amendment) Act 15 of 2000] suggest that the process is not one where a 'new' List is generated, but one where the most recent list is updated or amended….”

“I therefore advise that procedures be put in place to ensure the revision of the list, otherwise the Commission would be acting in defiance of the law and may prejudice any byelection that may become necessary.”

It must be noted that the November 2018 Local Government Elections was held with the very list without complaints from any of the contesting political parties.

As such, the Party said that GECOM cannot be allowed to perpetrate any delay of General and Regional Elections, once they become due – more so, if they are ordered by the Caribbean Court of Justice.

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn Industry (GCCI) and the businesses from Guyana that participated in the US conference are to be commended for the work they did to promote Guyana and to

ensure that Guyanese companies and the Guyanese people benefit from the oil.

“At OTC, there was a real and welldeserved buzz about Guyana and businesses and government here in Guyana are keen to make the most of that buzz,” he said, adding the 'power sessions' to discuss Guyana were packed.

“I also have large amounts of interest from British companies and trade groups such as the Energy Industries Council and Scottish Development International, all of whom are keen to work with Guyanese partners.

I look forward to making these linkages going forward between Guyanese companies and British companies,” he said.

The British diplomat said that this would also include links between Aberdeen and Georgetown councils, all designed to share experiences and lessons learnt, as was made clear during the visit of Lord Provost of Aberdeen with the subsequent signing of the twinning agreement earlier this year.

Quinn said he was looking forward to helping Guyanese participate in the Aberdeen conference. (CMC)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Thursday May 16, 2019

U.S. orders suspension of flights between the U.S. and Venezuela Aircraft are seen at a runway on the Simon Bolivar airport in Caracas July 17, 2015.

REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo

WASHINGTON/CARA CAS (Reuters) - The U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f Transportation yesterday ordered the suspension of all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela, citing reports of unrest and violence around airports in the South American country.

Many international airlines had stopped flying to Venezuela anyway because of security concerns and disputes over money they say the government owes them. But domestic airlines, including Laser Airlines and Avior Airlines, had been offering services to Miami.

Some Venezuelans also expressed concern about the impact of the ban on people receiving food and other provisions via cargo planes from relatives abroad to help them weather a humanitarian crisis.

In a letter to the Transportation Department requesting the halt, the Department of Homeland

Security said “conditions in Venezuela threaten the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew traveling to or from that country.”

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Laser Airlines said it would maintain service to the United States through a layover in the Dominican Republic.

In a tweet, Laser said it would continue offering two flights between Miami and Caracas each day with layovers in Santo Domingo.

An Avior representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Copa Airlines, which operates flights between Caracas and its international hub in Panama City that allow passengers to continue on to the United States, said in an email that its operations would not be affected by the measure.

But many of the millions

of Venezuelans who have fled the crisis in recent years use U.S.-based companies to ship goods to relatives in the country via cargo planes, and the measure prohibiting direct flights could raise costs, said Marcos Gomez, Amnesty International's Venezuela director.

“It was a small bit of hope,” Gomez said in a t e l e p h o n e i n t e r v i e w, likening the U.S. measure to a form of “collective blockade.”

American Airlines Group Inc, previously the largest carrier providing service between the United States and Venezuela, in March said it was indefinitely suspending its flights to Venezuela.

In April, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. air operators from flying below 26,000 feet in Venezuela's airspace.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump last week expanded its Venezuela sanctions to

the defense and security services sectors to pressure President Nicolas Maduro.

The moves are part of a four-month-old campaign against Maduro as the

United States ramps up its support for opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Brazil education freeze spurs...

A riot-police clashes university students during a protest against cuts to federal spending on higher education planned by Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro's right-wing government in Brasilia, May 15, 2019.

REUTERS/Adriano Machado From page 19 nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil,” he said.

A peaceful rally of thousands in central Rio de Janeiro turned violent as the protest was ending, with unknown assailants setting a bus ablaze and shooting fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas to break a crowd up.

There was no word on any injuries.

In the capital Brasilia some 7,000 students and university professors marched to Congress, carrying signs against the cuts. One said: “Education is not an expense, it is an investment.” Another read: “Without investment there is no knowledge.”

“Our message to Bolsonaro is that society will not accept these cuts of 30 percent,” said marcher Luis Antonio Pasquetti, head of the National University of Brasilia's teacher union.

There was no official nationwide crowd estimate available, but the protests

were likely the largest such gatherings since the 2016 impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff.

“The importance is to show that civil society is organized against these cuts,” said Rodrigo Tonieto, 22, in Sao Paulo. “Together, we are going to say 'no' to the Bolsonaro government ... To say 'no' to the mess that this government is.”

Called to explain the cuts to lawmakers in Congress, Education Minister Abraham We i n t r a u b b l a m e d t h e situation on the legacy of the previous government, while defending a shift away from spending on universities to favor elementary schools.

“The priority is preschool, elementary school and technical school,” he said.

“A scientific, technical, number-based, efficient and managerial approach is vital to save this country from the economic stagnation of the last 20 years that we are living.”

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Republic Bank confirms customers affected in Visa debit card fraud Trinidad-owned Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited yesterday admitted that several customers who had Visa International Debit Cards have been affected by fraudsters.

The admission would come after several complaints in recent days.

In a number of cases, persons visiting the ATMs said they found money missing from their account. In other cases, customers took to social media to vent frustration at being stonewalled by the bank when they complained.

A number of customers said their Visa accounts were used to pay Netflix and even to make online purchases, including clothing.

According to Republic Bank yesterday, “some of its customers have been impacted by recent fraudulent activity on its Visa International Debit Cards”.

It is not often in Guyana that a bank has admitted publicly that it had suffered a fraud attack. From all indications, this one seems to have the hallmarks of a cyber attack, a banking official explained yesterday.

According to Republic Bank, through its robust monitoring systems, it was able to quickly identify cases where customers’ cards were compromised, and to effectively

minimise the risk to other customers.

“The Bank is taking the necessary steps to regularise all affected accounts using a well-defined, standard process, focused on reducing customer inconvenience. The Bank regrets the inconvenience to its customers and advises that impacted customers will be asked to confirm and validate their transactions to assist with this process.”

Republic Bank said it is advising that in the interim, additional security measures have been put in place to reduce further impact, and as a result, some customers may experience interruptions in service levels.

“The Bank will continue to ensure that the most upto-date security is available through all of its channels toward the financial safety of the banking public. The Bank also takes this opportunity to remind customers of the need to be vigilant when using their debit cards and monitoring their account activity.”

Central Bank officials yesterday said that the issue had come to their attention, and that from initial indications, a merchant of Visa appeared to have been compromised. As a result, cyber attackers targeted customers who have

Several customers with Visa debit cards issued by Republic Bank have been affected because of cyber attacks, the bank admitted yesterday.

Visa Debit Cards, including a number of them from Guyana.

One Diamond, East Bank Demerara resident disclosed that over the weekend that she went to the Diamond branch and found that she had only $2,000 remaining in her account. She was unable to, of course, withdraw any money. She visited Republic Bank on Monday where she was told she had withdrawn the money.

“About $25,000 was withdrawn, and I had no idea how

that happened. I have my receipt from the last time I used the card. I showed it to the bank people and they said they will investigate. They did not say when I would hear from them.”

Reporters and others, and even a former bank staffer,

took to Facebook to complain of losing money from their accounts. According to banking officials, customers are not supposed to be penalized if it is found that their cards have been used without their knowledge.

In fact, the norm is that

customers must have access to their money as soon as possible.

In cases where something goes wrong, the bank should place a hold on the card in question, and issue the customer another, pending the investigations.

PAGE 22

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1 (250) Gen set power by NT55.Cummings.Contact#2690603/609-2350/644-1190.

Supercustom and local minibus seats, shortbase RZ minibus for parts, Household items #664-0802 Plants for Bookland Gardens on sale: Foxtail, Manilla Palms 1 to 4 ft tall, plus ornamental plants. Call: 680-7354 Small Bus/Van- Ideal for small business/vendor $380,000 neg, Left hand drive, Toyota Corolla $360,000 neg #6803863

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Vacancy for experienced Carpenter, Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb St Bourda

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Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Assistant cook preferably Carnegie trained & Cashier/ waitress.225-7933 or visit 172 Sheriff Street.

Theatre and Performing Arts are to be added to the curriculum of schools in Region Three and the person behind this new addition, Ms. Candacy Amsterdam, hopes this will be done by September this year.

During an interview with this publication, Ms. Amsterdam, who is currently a teacher at Uitvlugt Secondary, said that, “Theatre and Performing Arts is a passion of mine and I think that the current curricula lack physical activity. It is too routine to come to school, look at the blackboard, and write. All students do is regurgitate what is being taught.”

She said that she approached the Regional Education Officer about the issue, and she volunteered to teach the subject as well. It was approved,

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Driver must be able to assist in workshop at Eccles, age 25-45, Car/Van license. Call #642-9823

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WANTED Wanted experienced hire car drivers at Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel. Contact 6165419, 265-7075

1 welder, gas welding on exhaust and arc, Broad St, Charlestown #223-5595/6439125 Ages 25-35 Auto body/spray paint technician. To apply call #2271717

with even Director of Culture Tamika Boatswain coming on board with the initiative.

Ms. Amsterdam believes that this subject area will aid in the development of students intellectually, as well as aid them in being creative thinkers.

“Going to school with the current curriculum and having so little physical activity may become a habit to some.

Dance and drama help you to think outside of the box, as dances can be made up on the spot,” she said.

So far four schools Vergenoegen, Uitvlugt, Leonora and Stewartville Secondary have been selected to be a part of the programme. However, Ms. Amsterdam is hoping that a fifth school will be added so that she could visit one school per day.

GPF receives Workplace Safety and Health Awards

Sales Person, 5 subjects, must be computer literate, sales clerk experience. Apply @ Trophy Stall, Bourda Market

Driver and Porter for Water Delivery Truck #680-3863

Immediate Vacancy exist for one cashier. Must have Maths+English & workers @ Del Ice Co.Call 231-1408/ 642-9191.

Theatre and Performing Arts to be added to curriculum of Region Three schools

Annabel Bistro located @ La Grange WBD seeks experienced cooks with exceptional baking skills.

Apply in person / Call #6413400

Experienced Cashier, Pastry maker, Apply @ Hack’s Halaal with H/written Application, 5 Commerce St Bus driver wanted. #604-1492/ 267-1446

Social Protection, yesterday hosted an award ceremony at Herdmanston Lodge, with the Guyana Police Force receiving two accolades a Workplace Award and Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee Award.

The workplace award was given to McKenzie Police Station, who stood out with their contributions to health and safety over the years, while the Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee Award was awarded to the Force, in recognition of continuous work being done by its committee to improve occupational health and safety within the organisation.

A trophy was also awarded to the Force, for being the largest contingent and having the largest banner at the Occupational Health and Safety Walk held in April.

The awards and trophy were received on the Forces behalf by Deputy Superintendent Dexter Brown, who also received an individual award for his outstanding contributions towards the implementation of occupational safety and health procedures within the Force, as he was also the Forces Safety and Health Officer.

M i n i s t e r o f S o c ial Protection Amna Ally delivered the feature address.

She stressed to those gathered that they needed to commit themselves to making their workplaces safe, because “every life matters”. She concluded by congratulating the awardees and calling on other employers to emulate their exemplary efforts.

Thursday May 16, 2019

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Kaieteur News

Four years in jail for man, 61, Additional arrests made as police continue clean-up campaign who sexually assaulted child A 61-year-old fruit vendor, was yesterday sent to prison for four years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 13year-old girl who has a disability.

Octavius Williams was given the sentence by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he was on trial.

The court heard that on January 13, 2019, at G e o rg e t o w n , Wi l l i a m s engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16.

As the matter concluded, Magistrate McLennan ruled that the

prosecutor, Neville Jeffers, had presented sufficient evidence against the defendant for him to be convicted.

Wi l l i a m s w h o w a s charged with a similar offence in 2016, was represented by attorneyat-law Tiffany Jeffrey.

According to information, on the day in question Williams went to the victim’s home, where he then took her to the back of the yard where he raped her.

However, after committing the act, the victim’s father came home and caught Williams putting his pants back on.

A police report was then made, and Williams was subsequently charged.

Jailed: Octavius Williams

China’s pork shortage could hurt the world Hebei, China (CNN) Sun Dawu’s pigs started dying from a mysterious virus last December. Four months later, all 20,000 in one farm were dead.

Of those, 15,000 were killed by the virus. The other 5,000 were destroyed as a precaution.

“It began with a few pigs a day, then it was hundreds,” said Sun, a pig farmer and agricultural entrepreneur from Hebei province, China. “In the end, 800 pigs would die in a single day.”

African swine fever (ASF) is decimating China’s pork industry, by

far the biggest in the world.

Dutch bank, Rabobank, which lends to the global agricultural sector, estimates the country’s pig population could shrink by a third in 2019 — up to 200 million animals — through a combination of the disease and culling.

To put it in context, that’s almost as many pigs as in the US and Europe combined.

The virus is harmless to humans but deadly to pigs — and, so far, there is no cure or vaccine.

Originating in Africa, outbreaks were recorded in eastern Europe and Russia

before it first appeared in China last August.

It has since spread to other Asian countries, including Vietnam and Cambodia.

In March, the Chinese government said it had a “good control” of the epidemic. At a press conference last month, Beijing said ASF was not spreading as quickly as before.

According t o t h e United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organiz a t i o n ( FA O ) , C h i n a ’s central authorities have taken the right steps to bring the virus under control.

Ranks of the Guyana Police Force on Monday made 13 additional arrests of touts on the various parks and 16 on Tuesday during routine checks in keeping with the ongoing clean-up campaign.

In March of this year, the Force launched a campaign to rid the parks of touts who were seen as a public nuisance. Those arrested on Monday, were placed before the courts and charged, those who pleaded guilty were fined and those who pleaded not guilty were released on bail. The arrests were made at the route 40, 41,42,44,45 and 47 bus parks.

In the last two weeks, 33 arrests were made.

Traffic Chief Linden Isles said that through the ongoing campaign and determination of the traffic ranks, notable progress has been made to address issues being faced by commuters.

The campaign is headed

by Sergeant Michael Ramdass and a team from the Traffic Headquarters.

On Tuesday, Inspector Shawn Massy, Sergeant Sheldon Wickham and other ranks of the Brickdam Police Station carried out an exercise at all minibus parks throughout the city. Those arrested were all charged with soliciting of passengers.

During their stay at the station, the individuals were educated by the team at

Brickdam about the recently released Code of Conduct for Minibus Operators and other personnel. They were also briefed on the breaches of the Traffic and Road Safety Regulations, such as obligation to carry passengers, speeding, loud music, and failure to observe traffic lights, as well as the various road markings and signs.

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 25

Kaieteur News

Zion Williamson has been described as ‘a once-in-a-generation athlete’ by Kevin Durant Mailonline - Zion Williamson. Two words eagerly anticipated in the NBA next season.

The 18-year-old is expected to take the NBA by storm to the extent that LeBron James did when he was drafted No 1 in 2003.

Sportsmail takes a look at the highly-rated talent and why the basketball world is excited to see him ball professionally.

Why is he so highly rated?

At 6ft 6in and 20st 3lbs, Williamson is a physical freak.

Watching him play for Duke University in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) this season it’s been a case of men against boys at time - with the teenager very much the former. His stats prove that where he averaged

22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists - while 68 per cent from the floor.

Last summer Williamson posted a staggering 40-inch max vertical in Duke’s combine test. Ally that to his ballhandling skills and spectacular dunks then he is a highlight reel in the making and a generational talent indeed.

Who is he expected to join?

Following Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery standings he is expected to go to the New Orleans Pelicans. It seemed set that he would end up in New York with the Knicks but that proved otherwise as the Pelicans somehow ended up with the No 1 draft pick despite entering the lottery with a six per cent chance of doing so.

Zion Williamson is expected to take the NBA by storm next season after shining at college level.

Speaking after the draft lottery was completed, new Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said: ‘I don’t believe the universe makes mistakes.

Thursday May 16, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may feel like walking barefoot, comforting your friends, or playing with children. There's a tenderness and openness in the air that affects everyone.

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) The current planetary aspects are heightening your natural compassion for other people.

Your relationships will be at the front of your mind today, Taurus. You feel good about yourself and other people can tell!

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You were born with a certain grace and beauty, Gemini.

Today you will be able to cultivate your love for beautiful things. You may feel like trying on designer clothes or expressing your innate aesthetic sense by painting.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You have some very urgent desires, but they remain a secret to everyone else. In solitude, you cultivate your interest in philosophy and mysticism.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You're usually the life of the party, but today you may want to pull into your cocoon, far away from the world and all its noise.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Your judgment about people relies too much on general opinion, Virgo. As soon as you meet someone, you accept what others think about him or her without trying to find out more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Do you have a tendency to give more weight to popular opinion than your own feelings, Libra? Maybe you only want to see movies that everyone talks about, listen to the popular music, or read best sellers.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your thoughts are leaning toward the past, Scorpio.

You aren't moving backward, but you may want to get in touch with your roots in order to move into the future.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) People can read you like a book today, Sagittarius. Because of the current planetary positions, you're a bit touchier than usual.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your excellent analytical skills may not be up to par over the next few days. You seem overwhelmed by your emotions.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The planetary aspects invite you to explore strong expressions of feeling, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) This is an excellent time to share your feelings with the person you love, Pisces. It might seem a little scary to you. You're usually a reserved person, but you may surprise yourself with the passionate declarations that reflect your happiness now.

I just think we have something special going on.’

When will his move be officially confirmed?

The NBA draft takes place on June 20 so expect the

forward’s name to be called out first - unless New Orleans are offered some amazing trade offer between now and t h e n .

What have current NBA stars said about him?

Three-time champion James is a clear fan stating in February: ‘What strikes me?

His agility and his quickness.

For his size, how strong he is, to be able to move like the way he moves, he’s very impressive. I mean, everybody can see the athleticism.

That’s obviously, that’s ridiculous. But the speed and the quickness that he moves [with] at that size is very impressive’.

Two-time winner Kevin Durant is another admirer.

‘He’s a once-in-a-generation athlete, I’ve never seen somebody like that before,’ he said in December.

‘Zion

Williamson, I’ve never seen anybody that’s lefty that can dunk with his right hand like that, and cock the ball back so far and jump so high off two feet.

I’ve seen people jump high, but not that way, you know what I’m saying?’

UCF center Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-6 draft hopeful, played against Williamson in the second round of the NCAA tournament - a 7776 Duke victory that went down to the very last moment, a game where Williamson scored 32 points.

Fall was asked on Tuesday who he would take with the No. 1 pick in this draft, and he did not hesitate for even a second before answering. ’Zion,’ Fall said.

‘He’s a once-in-a-generation player. I’d seen him on TV a lot, but when you play against this kid, you just see it.

He’s different.’

Who does he compare to?

Such is the forward’s skillset he has been compared to many greats of the modern game. Charles Barkley, Blake Griffin and Shawn Kemp are names that have been bandied about.

But such is Williamson’s uniqueness that it’s nigh-on impossible to compare to him anyone. As Durant said he is a ‘once-in-a-generation athlete’ and it’s more likely to be that in 10-20 years’ time we’ll be comparing the latest NBA hopefuls to him.

Market appeal - Williamson has been tipped to join the rarefied air of becoming a $1billion dollar athlete - a club that includes the likes of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather. An exciting player on the court and a charismatic figure off it, the 18-year-old already has built a mass following already - boasting 3.2million followers on Instagram, for example.

It is unclear who he will join in terms of a shoe deal but it is likely that Williamson could command a $100m-deal straight out of the gate. Nike, despite their shoe exploding on him, and adidas are seen as the two frontrunners but Under Armour, Puma, New Balance and Anta have all registered an interest.

Who have previously been chosen as No 1 picks?

The last 10 No 1 picks have produced modern-day greats of the game but also some players who have not lived up to the hype. For every Kyrie Irving (2016 champion), and Anthony Davis (six-time All-Star) there have been severe disappointments - think Anthony Bennett (currently in the NBA G League) and Markelle Fultz (looking to rebuild at Orlando Magic).

PAGE 26

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Sir Curtly says Bravo’s form Potaro Strikers and Rivers View advance worrying ahead of World Cup

GFF/KFC U20 Independence KO Cup – Bartica FA

Mark Richards Jr. - Rivers View FC

Keron Spencer - Potaro Strikers FC

On a rain-damped pitch at the Bartica Secondary School Ground, Mil Ballers FC’s hopes of going forward in the Bartica leg of the GFF/ KFC Under-20 knockout Tournament were dashed by a resilient Rivers View FC. Mark Richards Jnr., with a depleted team behind him, continuously raided the Mil Ballers’ goal area and eventually notched four goals to his name before the final whistle. Coach Kenneth Edwards team’s attack strategy helped them to overcome their opponent, 4-1, with Colin May burying one at the other end for Mil Ballers.

Rivers View will now await the winner of today’s fixture between Lazio FC and Agatash United FC in the second semi-final on Saturday. The first semi-final will be contested to-

morrow between Potaro Strikers FC and Rising Stars FC. Meanwhile, 15 year-old Keron Spencer rose to the occasion in the 55th minute to head home the lone goal of Tuesday’s match between Potaro Strikers FC which downed Beacon FC. Midfielder Spencer broke the deadlock in a match that went back and forth, inspiring near misses and hair-raising moments for both teams. Even with National Under-17 defender behind them, the Potaro boys sustained numerous raids from their worthy counterparts and carried out a number of their own at the opponents’ goal.

But at the final whistle, it was Coach Curtis Joseph’s boys who warmed down with a win and a place in the semi-finals to their name.

Brilliant Ajax end season with Dutch double

Bridgetown, Barbados, CMC – Great former fast bowler, Sir Curtly Ambrose, says Darren Bravo’s current poor form is a cause of concern, especially with West Indies needing the left-hander to be at his best for the ICC World Cup starting at month end.

Bravo has scraped a mere 33 runs from four innings in the ongoing Tri-Nations Series involving hosts Ireland and Bangladesh in Dublin, and will have just one more chance in Friday’s final to find his touch, before the Caribbean side head into camp to finalise preparations for the May 30 to July 14 World Cup in England. ”We must really be concerned about his form because we need him to really come to the party and produce the runs that we know he is capable of doing,” Sir Curtly told the Mason and Guest cricket radio show here. ”Because as we go deep into this World Cup and in order to get out of the group stages, we can’t rely on one, two or three players. We need a whole team to click or most of the team to click, for us to get out of the group stages. ”So I am concerned about Darren Bravo’s form but I feel that he’s good enough to get out of that slump and produce the runs for us.”

Bravo only returned to competitive cricket last October following a two-year break as a result of a row with former Cricket West Indies president, Dave Cameron. Since his re-

Sir Curtly Ambrose

turn, however, he has averaged 24 from 11 outings with a single half-century – against England in Grenada last February.

Overall, the 30-year-old averages 31 from 106 ODIs and apart from veteran opener Chris Gayle, is the only other player in the World Cup squad with in excess of 100 matches. However, Sir Curtly pointed that batsmen like Gayle and the in-form Shai Hope would be crucial in getting West Indies to competitive totals. ”I’ve always liked Shai Hope for the very first time I saw him. He’s in prime form – the form of his life – and we’re hoping he can continue that rich form into the World Cup,” Sir Curly said of the 25-yearold who has nearly 400 runs from four innings at an average of 99 with two hundreds. ”I believe with the way he’s batting, he will do very well

but on the other hand we can’t depend on him alone, we need somebody like a Chris Gayle at the top of the order. “Obviously this will be Chris Gayle’s last World Cup and I’m quite sure he will want to go out with a bang so we expect him at the top of the order to fire us into a strong position especially in the first power-play, and then the other guys can take it on.”

Following tomorrow’s final against Bangladesh, West Indies will head to Southampton for a week-long preparation camp where they will be joined by the rest of the squad who were campaigning in the Indian Premier League.

The Windies play their two official warm-up matches in Bristol against South Africa on May 26 and New Zealand two days later, before facing Pakistan at Trent Bridge in their opening World Cup fixture on May 31.

Sharapova (shoulder) withdraws from French Open

Ajax are the first Dutch team to win 43 competitive games in a season.

BBCsport - Ajax capped a memorable season with their first league title since 2014 as a 4-1 final-day win at De Graafschap secured a domestic double. Erik ten Hag’s side - who came so close to a place in the Champions League final - needed just a point to win their 34th title.

First-half goals from Lasse Schone and Nicolas Tagliafico ensured that the title was added to their Dutch Cup win. Dusan Tadic then scored twice - goals in an 11th consecutive league game.Youssef el Jebli had briefly equalised for the hosts, whose season is not over yet - they go into the relegation play-offs to try and stay in the Eredivisie.

Ajax were again outstanding for long periods in the final appearance for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who agreed to sign for Barcelona for £65m in January, while captain Matthijs de Ligt is one of several other brilliant young stars

who are also expected to leave this summer.

Ajax only missed out on a place in the Champions League final thanks to a stunning lastminute goal from Tottenham’s Lucas Moura and Ten Hag may now have a reluctant, if lucrative, rebuilding job on his hands.

Tadic and De Jong both went close early on at the end of typically fluent moves before Schone opened the scoring with a brilliant freekick from 22 yards. The hosts responded when El Jebli got the wrong side of De Ligt and fired in at the near post.

But Hakim Ziyech then danced into the area and put a goal on a plate for left-back Tagliafico to regain the lead, and when De Jong won a second-half penalty with a brilliant driving run, former Southampton man Tadic fired in his 37th goal of an unforgettable campaign.

The best was yet to come - Tadic lashing in from a tight angle with a thumping late shot.

Two-time champion Maria Sharapova announced her withdrawal from the French Open yesterday, as she continues to recover from a right shoulder injury. ”Sometimes the right decisions aren’t the easiest ones,” Sharapova posted on Instagram. “In better news, I have returned to the practice court, and slowly building the strength back in my shoulder.”

The 32-year-old from Russia — who won at Roland Garros in 2012 and 2014, the most recent of her five major titles — hasn’t played since retiring due to shoulder pain in the second round of the St. Petersburg Open on Jan. 30.

Sharapova said in February she had a “small procedure” on the shoulder.

Currently ranked 35th in the world, Sharapova reached the Round of 16 at the Aus-

Maria Sharapova tralian Open in January. She was a quarterfinalist at the French Open in 2018, her best result since reaching three

straight finals at Roland Garros from 2012-14. The French Open starts May 26 in Paris.

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

Unstoppable Combined win Nand Persaud/Prime Minister Region 6 Softball competition Kaieteur News major contributor

T

he softball cricket competition organised by the Prime Minister Region Six Representative, Gobin Harbajan in collaboration with the Nand Persaud Group of Companies and Kaieteur News was successfully held recently at the No. 56 Field, Corentyne, Berbice.

Six teams participated in the competition namely Union (No 53 Village), No. 55, 57, 59, 60, 71 Villages and the Unstoppable Combined Team. After a day of exciting cricket, Unstoppable and No. 57 made it to the final which was a six over contest due to time constraints.

Unstoppable was unstoppable as they skittle No. 57 for 26 runs. In reply they raced to 27 in 3.1 overs. Man-of-theMatch in the final was Ravi Lootawan of the Unstoppable team which carted off the Nand Persaud Foundation Trophy and cash which was presented by General Manager of

Nand Persaud, Mr. Mohindra Persaud.

No. 57 collected the runner-up trophy from Global Access and cash, compliments of the Nand Persaud Foundation.

Kaieteur News Senior Staffer Leonard Gildharie who witnessed the competition, contributed to the cash incen-

tives on behalf of the Newspapers. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Mr. Persaud had words of encouragement and appreciation for the initiative.

He said that Mr. Harbhajan has done something good to organise such an activity, which he envisage will have a positive impact on the com-

Oakland, Calif. (Reuters) The Golden State Warriors are so used to playing in the Western Conference finals, they were in no hurry to do it for a fifth consecutive year Tuesday night. Then once they took the floor, they put that rest to good use against a weary opponent in Game 1.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dominated their highly anticipated matchup with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, combining for 12 3-pointers and 62 points in the Warriors’ 116-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in the opener of the Western finals.

Game 2 in the best-ofseven series is scheduled for Tonight, also on top-seeded Golden State’s home court.

Curry finished with a gamehigh 36 points and Thompson added 26 for the Warriors, who won a second consecutive game without star forward Kevin Durant, out due to a bruised right calf.

Curry shot 9-for-15 on 3-point attempts and Thompson 3for-9. Even backup Quinn Cook got into the long-range act, mixing in two timely treys to quell the Trail Blazers’ last threat, pushing Golden State a game up on an opponent it dominated 4-1 and 4-0 in the 2016 and 2017 playoffs, respectively. ”That was very poor (defensive) execution,” Lillard

said. “They were setting solid screens and coming off shooting practice shots. That’s the last thing we need if we want to have any chance to beat this team.”Lillard, an Oakland native who arrived at the arena wearing an Athletics “0” jersey with his name on the back, shot just 4-for-12 en route to a team-high 19 points.

McCollum added 17 points for the Trail Blazers, who were facing a fresh team that had enjoyed three days off after eliminating the Houston Rockets in Game 6 on the road Friday night.

The Warriors used a 13-5 burst to open the second half to extend a nine-point halftime advantage to 67-50. Curry had three 3-pointers in the run.

But Portland, which flew straight to Oakland after its Sunday win, refused to quit.

Rodney Hood and Seth Curry drilled 3-pointers in an 11-4 run that ended the period and gave the Trail Blazers hope at 77-71 entering the fourth.

The Warriors’ lead was just 79-73 before Cook hit his two 3-pointers, helping Golden State go back up by 14 with 7:31 to go, and the 3-point discrepancy proved too much for the Trail Blazers to overcome.

Draymond Green complemented Curry and Thompson with a team-high 10 rebounds to go with 12 points for the Warriors, who shot 50 percent from the field and 51.5 percent

(17-for-33) on 3-pointers. The Warriors outscored the Trail Blazers 51-21 on 3-pointers.

Hood and Maurice Harkless had 17 points apiece, and Enes Kanter a game-high 16 rebounds with 10 points for the Trail Blazers, who were limited to 36.1 percent shooting overall and 25 percent (7-for-28) on treys. The Trail Blazers also hurt themselves with 21 turnovers.After having split the season series 2-2, the teams played on mostly even terms for the first 16 minutes, after which the Warriors managed just a two-point lead.

Consecutive hoops by reserve Jonas Jerebko, one a 3-pointer, finally got the Warriors rolling before Curry took over. He poured in 11 points in the final 5:29 of the half, helping Golden State take a 54-45 lead into the intermission. Curry had 19 of his 36 points in the half.

Leonard Gildharie of Kaieteur News makes a presentation.

Unstoppable Combine Team receiving their incentives from GM of The Nand Persaud Group of Companies and Foundation, Mohendra Persaud. munities. He said that the company is always happy to give back and be a part of anything that will make a positive impact on the c o m m u n i t y, e s p e c i a l l y y o u t h s .

Gildharie, stated that Kaieteur News was more than happy to join in the venture which they see as a

good one. Mr. Harbhajan praised the Nand Persaud Foundation and Mr. Persaud for their support. Harbhajan noted that the idea is not just to play cricket but to support youth enhancement in the community.

He said that from moving around he would have seen and heard of a number of

young people committing suicide, domestic violence and imbibing alcohol/drugs and felt the need to organize something positive that would help the youths to use their spare time constructively.

He also had words of commendation for Kaieteur News and Globe Access. (Samuel Whyte)

Warriors bury Blazers with treys, win opener

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the first quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports.

No Guyanese included as emerging players named for ...

From page 29 preparing them to be future West Indies stars.”

West said a group of 12 out of the 15 will also use the training camp to undergo preparations for entering this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) linked to a new agreement between CWI and the organisers of the region’s leading Twenty20

tournament.”This is the first time that the CWI selection panel has provided a pool of emerging players to CPL,” said West. “The 12 players that have been identified by the selection panel are guaranteed contracts with the six franchises and will be entered into the CPL Draft taking place later this month in London, where the franchises will make

their squad selections.”

CPL franchises have now agreed to include at least one of the two players drafted in their final line-up for matches.Among the talented Guyanese cricketers that didn’t make the cut are West Indies U19 all-rounder Ronaldo Alimohamed, Kevin Sinclair and Bhaskar Yadram.

Squad; (Players with asterisks next to their names have been

identified for entry into the CPL Draft). Joshua Bishop, *Leniko Boucher, Keacy Carty, *Roland Cato, *Dominic Drakes, Keon Harding, *Chemar Holder, *Amir Jangoo, *Ramaal Lewis, *Jeremiah Louis, *Anderson Phillips, *Jeavor Royal, *Keagan Simmons, *Odean Smith and *Shamar Springer.

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Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Corona Futsal Festival

Big wins for Leopold Street and Back Circle on Tuesday night

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets Linden Championship Final

Scenes from the earlier quarterfinal action in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Linden Zone between Capital Storm and Quiet Storm at the Mackenzie Market Tarmac.

Play between West Front Road (defence) and Future Stars in the ongoing 4th Corona Futsal tournament.

T

he Fourth annual Corona Futsal tour nament, sponsored by Top Brandz and Rose Ramdehol continued on Tuesday with the second night of group round-robin action at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue and Princes Street.

The evening’s play saw Beacons Football Club (BFC) losing their second consecutive match after they were pounded 7-2 by Back Circle.

Selwyn Williams netted a hattrick for the winners while he was supported with one goal each from Stephan McLean, Trayon Babb, Dellon Kelly and Quason McAulay. Kimba Braithwaithe and Joshua Nicholas scored one-a-piece for Beacons.

Leopold Street registered the biggest margin of victory with

a 6-0 thumping of Mocha.

Leopold had six different players inking their names on the score sheet in Okenny Fraser, Eon Alleyne, Darren Benjamin, Cecil Jackman, Carl Tudor and Rishwan Sandiford.

Hubert Pedro was the hero for West Front Road that needled North East while the first hattrick of the night, which was registered by Anthony Abrams, propelled Tiger Bay to a 4-1 win over Tucville.

Deon Alfred scored the other goal for Tiger Bay and Nicholas McArthur scored the consolation for the losers.

Two of the six games contested on Tuesday finished as draws.

First, the highly anticipated clash between Bent Street and Future Stars petered out to a 2-2 finish with Sheldon Holder and Daniel

Wilson finding the back of the net for Bent Street while Jamal Cozier and William Europe were on target for Future Stars.

The other clash between crowd favourite Sparta Boss and California Square saw Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson scoring the opener for Sparta but Mishack Buretta found the equalizer one minute before stoppage time for California Square.

The teams that come out on top in the group stages will be awarded as follows: 1st $40,000; 2nd $30,000; 3rd $15,000, and 4th $10,000. The winner of the tournament will pocket $500,000 while the losing finalist will receive $250,000. Third place is $125,000 while 4th will have to settle for $75,000. Play in the group stage will continue on Saturday, see fixtures below.

Wiltshire trounce Carpenter 3-0...

From page 31 development, and the remaining four days should see more of the young talent being showcased.

Play continues for the rest of the week from 18:00hrs while the finals will be held on Saturday in two sessions from 11:00hrs and 18:00hrs.

Results: Girls U11 Christiana Fernandes defeated Tianna Gomes 11/2, 11/

5, 11/4; Shriyah Persaud defeated Maya Dean 11/5, 11/6, 11/3.

Boys U13 - Mohryan Baksh defeated Dhirren Persaud 11/1, 11/0, 11/0; Louis DaSilva defeated Shiloh Asregado 11/4, 11/3, 11/2; Chad DeAbreu defeated Matthew Spooner 11/2, 11/2, 11/ 4; Mohryan Baksh defeated Joshua Verwey 11/0, 11/0, 11/ 3.

Boys U15 - Nicholas Verwey defeated DemetriusDeAbreu 11/5, 11/ 3, 11/4.

Boys U17 & 19 - Shomari Wiltshire defeated Gianni Carpenter 11/1, 11/3, 11/1; Samuel Ince-Carvalhal defeated Michael Alphonso 8/ 11, 11/4, 12/10, 11/3; Gianni Carpenter defeated Demetrius DeAbreu 11/6, 12/ 10, 11/1.

In less than three days, a new champion will be crowned in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets Linden Championship, when first time finalists High Rollers and Amazings face-off at the Mackenzie Market Tarmac.

High Rollers earned their place to the championship match, after dethroning defending champion Silver Bullets in the semi-final round via penalty kicks.

This occurred after High Rollers secured another unlikely 2-1 victory against Swag Entertainment in the earlier quarterfinal round.

On the other hand, the dogged Amazings outfit clinched a semi-final win against Capital compliments of a 2-1 penalty shoot-out vic-

tory. In their earlier quarterfinal match, Amazings once again required penalty kicks to survive a dangerous Coomacka outfit.According to an official release from the tournament coordinators, “The anticipation is in the air for what promises to be a great final between two teams that are desperate to secure the coveted championship and the bragging rights for the region and right to represent the zone at the National Championship.”

The release further said, “The fact that we have two first time finalists is an indication of the overall improvement in quality of the tournament. Neither of the teams was expected to challenge or formed part of the group of

possible contenders when the tournament commenced so it is refreshing that a first time champion will be crowned.

Even the third place match features a first time semi-finalist.” ”It also highlights that teams have been preparing better and want to etch their name on the trophy and put their respective communities on the map by securing the title. This occurrence will serve as an inspiration for the other teams and only bodes well for the continued improvement in quality of the tournament”, the release concluded.

Meanwhile the third place playoff will pit former two time champion Silver Bullets against Capital Storm.

retain and/or acquire a maximum of six players, although there is no obligation to do so.

The players they can potentially retain are as follows: Minimum of three (3) West Indian players, a maximum of

Hero CPL social media channels from 2pm GMT on 22 May. Speaking about the player response to this year’s draft, Michael Hall, Hero CPL Tournament Operations Director, said: “

four (4), Maximum of one (1) overseas player, reduced to none if four (4) West Indians retained, A Marquee Player whether retained or acquired, An ICC Americas Player, whether retained or acquired.

All retentions will be announced during the live broadcast of the player draft which will be broadcast on the

The fact that so many players have registered for our draft is a testament to the stature of our league. Playing cricket in the Caribbean is something that all players look forward to, and the CPL combines that allure with a high standard of cricket. We expect that this year’s tournament will be no different.”

Record number of players enter CPL 2019 Draft The final list of players who have made themselves available for the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League has been sent to teams ahead of the draft which will take place in London on 22 May 2019.

The number of players that have put their names forward for the draft has increased yet again in 2019, as has the number of countries from which the overseas players are from.

A record 536 players from 20 overseas countries and the West Indies are available to be picked by the six Hero CPL teams. Included in the list are some of the best T20 players in the world with the likes of Alex Hales, Rashid Khan, Shakib al Hasan, Jofra Archer and JP Duminy putting their names forward along with Caribbean stars such as Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.

Prior to the draft, each franchise will have the option to

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Squash trio conclude successful training NAMILCO’s 50th Anniversary sports programme kicks off in Berbice on May 26 in USA ahead of Pan Am Games in Peru The have been serving

By Sean Devers David Fernandes. Guyana there it means you have no every household in Guyana Athletics, Volleyball and of winning. joins host Peru, USA, Mexico, chance Guyana’s Squash trio of Mary Columbia, Canada and Chile ”We are scheduled to depart with healthy products for the Fung-a-Fat, Ashley Khalil and as the Women’s teams at the on May 22 and we don’t play past 50 years and can only get Softball Cricket to be played Taylor Fernandes have quali- Pan Am Games. our first match until May 26. better, so says Managing Dified for the 2019 Pan American Games and are the only Caribbean Women’s team to do so.

They join Bermuda and Jamaica; whose Men’s team are the other Caribbean nations to qualify for the Games.

The 2019 Pan-Am Games will be held in Lima, Peru from July 26 to August 11, 2019, with preliminary rounds in certain events beginning on July 24.

These Pan-American Games will be held at venues in and around Lima, and will be the largest sporting event ever hosted by that country.

The trio, who qualified in the Cayman Islands, spent one week from May 5, in the USA at Cornell University under the watchful eyes of 4 2 - y e a r- o l d A u s t r a l i a n Squash Coach David P a l m e r .

The Guyana team will be Coached by US based Ramon Chan-a-Sue and Managed by President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA),

Taylor Fernandes explained that Palmer, who still plays in the Masters, is a very experienced Coach who combined the things he did when he played as Junior with the modern style that is used now. ”Coach Palmer focused on fitness, court movements and the tactical aspects and the training at Cornell University was very beneficial for me,” said Taylor who turns 21 on July 11. Team Manager David Fernandes noted that this will a tough challenge for his charges since teams like the USA, Mexico, Canada and Columbia are among the top ranked countries in Women’s Squash in the World. ”It will be a fantastic opportunity for them to compete against the best in this Hemisphere,” David Fernandes noted. The Manager feels that when you get the chance to compete at this level you should be afforded every chance since you could be successful; if you are not

Lima is at Sea level and the conditions there should not much different from here,” Fernandes explained.

The Squash will be played from May 26 to June 11 and GOA official Garfield Wiltshire confirmed that in addition to the Women’s Squash team, Guyana has already qualified in Boxing with Keevin Allicock, t h e s k i l f u l 1 9 -year-old Caribbean Junior Gold Medallist and South American Bantamweight Silver Medallist representing in Boxing.

Badminton has also qualified with the brother and sister pair of the Ramadhan’s, representing. Guyana’s 7s Ruby Team has also qualified.

Wiltshire informed that Taekwondo has been given a wild card and Swimming has gotten wild cards for a male and a female adding that Athletics, Table Tennis and Cycling will participate in their qualifiers shortly.

No Guyanese included as emerging players named for training camp in Antigua Surprisingly no Guyanese have been named in a squad of 15 players chosen to attend a Cricket West Indies (CWI) emerging players training camp which is slated to be held in Antigua. Four members of the 2016 West Indies Under19 World Cup-winning squad have been shortlisted to attend the camp which is aimed at enhancing their skills in the white-ball formats of the game.

Leeward Islands Hurricanes batsman Keacy Carty, the Player-of-the-Match in the Final of that Under-19 World Cup, heads the list of players attending the training camp set for May 27 to June 13 at the West Indies High Performance Centre (WIHPC), Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua.

The other Under-19 World Cup winners taking part in the camp are Jamaica-born, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force pacer Odean Smith, and Barbados Pride duo of fast bowler Chemar Holder and allrounder Shamar Springer.

This new initiative is part of a thrust by CWI to further its investment in player development which is a key aspect of the existing strategic plan and new policies outlined by recently-elected president Ricky Skerritt and vice president Kishore Shallow.

Programme Manager of the

rector of the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO), Mr. Bert Sukhai.

Through Coordinator, Mr. Affeeze Khan, it has been revealed that in commemoration of the company’s 50th Anniversary, they would be embarking on a huge sports programme aimed at giving back to the communities.

The first such programme is set for Sunday May 26th next at the Albion Community Center Ground which is expected to be packed to capacity in the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club organized activity where athletics (track and field), volleyball, softball cricket and cycling would be contested.

Known for their excep-

tional organizing abilities especially in cricket, the club, under the astute guidance of Hilbert Foster MS is promising a day of unforgettable action with 17 Berbice Secondary and 40 Primary Schools set to battle each other in various events.

Among the aims of this event are to promote athletics as an alternative to a life on the road for youths in the ancient county; promotion of social cohesion among the youths; promotion of the importance of physical fitness at a young age; identifying promising athletes for further training and possible sponsorship from the private sector and to promote positive rivalry

among the schools at both levels in Region 6.

Some of the events include 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, 3000m, 4x100m relay along with 1500m and 5000m cycling will all be served up. Trophies, medals and cash incentives would be at stake in the various events. The Guyana Teachers Union Volleyball, organized by the most active association in Guyana, Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA), would be played at the Albion Hard Court. First, second and third place teams would be rewarded while the softball cricket would see the top two teams being rewarded as will the man-of-the-match.

YBG/NSBF Georgetown/East Coast Regionals

Bishops’ and St. Rose’s High trounce opponents last weekend Play between St. Stanislaus College (offence) and The Bishops’ High School last Friday at CASH in the YBG-NSBF Georgetown-ECD Regionals

Ramaal Lewis

WIHPC, Graeme West said the training camp was aimed at increasing the depth chart of the West Indies white-ball squads over time. ”The camp will be delivered by the CWI high-performance team with a focus on developing the players’ white-ball skills and building on the potential the players have shown coming through the CWI pathway of youth and senior regional tournaments,” said West. ”The development of players is key to the West Indies’ future success and we have to begin to build the depth of

talent in the white-ball formats, especially 50 overs.”

West said: “We have seen the emergence of a number of our talented Under-23s, like Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Oshane Thomas, Sherfane Rutherford and Obed McCoy, into the West Indies white-ball squads in recent matches and all have performed creditably. ”We have a strong group of emerging players and this initiative is a good opportunity at harnessing that talent, raising the profiles of some of our outstanding young talent, and (Cotinued on page 27)

Four games were played last Saturday in Youth Basketball Guyana’s (YBG) National Schools’ Basketball Festival, in the Georgetown/East Coast Demerara Regionals’ phase.

Bouncing at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Homestretch Avenue, three games were played in the Under-14 age group while the feature fixture was an Under18 encounter.

St. Rose’s High handed Bladen Hall Multilateral a sound 42-5 beating to get the day’s play off to an emphatic start.

Carmelo Mai-Son-Hing swooshed a game-high 13

points in his team’s win while Wayne Williams assisted the effort with 8 points. Shakeel Edwards scored all five of Bladen Hall’s points grabbing four rebounds in the process.

The second fixture was always a very one-sided contest with Bishops’ High beating YBG Cluster 48-7. In the 41-point win for the Carmichael Street based school, Matthais Arrindell hooped a game-high 19 points while collecting 7 rebounds and six steals.

Jaden Howard finished with a double-double (13 points and 13 rebounds) while Justin Thomas had 10 rebounds. St.

Stanislaus College’s losing streak continued after going down to defending Zone champions, Marian Academy 16-14.

Meanwhile, in the lone Under-18 fixture, St. Rose’s edged Tutorial High26-23 despite a double-double from Jaden Moses (12 points and 10 rebounds) for Tutorial. The Tournament which is sponsored by Edward B. Beharry & Company Ltd, the National Sports Commission, Banks DIH and ExxonMobil continues on May 24th and 25th at the same venue with play in the U-14 and Girls’ Development Divisions.

PAGE 30

Thursday May 16, 2019

Kaieteur News

Hand-in-Hand Inter-County U-19 50-overs

Nandu’s 5-20 spin U-17s to 42-run win over E’bo

By Sean Devers A man-of-the- match performance from Matthew Nandu spearheaded the National U-17s to 42-run win over Essequibo at Bourda yesterday in the second round of the Hand-in-Hand Inter-County 50-overs U-19 Cricket tournament.

Andre Seepersaud hit two fours and a six from 68 balls in his unbeaten 38 while the elegant Movindra Dindyal reached the boundary thrice and cleared it once in his 77ball 32. But only Nandu of the other batsmen reached double figures with 18 (3x4) from 41 balls as the U-17s slipped from 77-1 to 135-9 off 47 overs.

Amit Persaud had 3-27 from 10 overs, Mahesh Ramnarine took 3-19 from 9 overs while Lance Roberts was excellent with 1-6 from 10 frugal overs for Essequibo in a game reduced to 47 overs due to midmorning showers.

When Essequibo began their hunt of a revised target of 138

Movindra Dindyal drives elegantly during his 32 at Bourda yesterday.

on the Duckworth/Lewis/ Stern system, they slumped from 72 -2 and were eventually dismissed for 96 in 30.5 overs.

Jerimiah Scott hit an entertaining 26-ball 33 (2x4 1x6) but only opener Leon Christian (23) and Roberts (14) of the

MSC to host special general members meeting today head of AGM on June 30 As the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) gear up for its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the end of June this year, there will be a special general members meeting today at the MSC Lounge from 17:00hrs.

Steps towards holding the AGM and Elections and up update on the recent meeting between the Management Committee and Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms. Valarie Yearwood would be discussed among other matters.

Today’s meeting will also look at the new MSC Constitution which is to be ratified.

others reached double figures as Nandu captured 5-20 from 10 overs while Chanderpaul Ramraj supported with 2-16 from 10, handing Essequibo their second consecutive defeat.In overcast conditions,

the U-17s opted to bat and lost Zynul Ramsammy (5) when he was bowled by Scott at 24-1. Nandu and Dindyal carried their team 77 but offspinners Persaud and Roberts, bowling in tandem, had

the batsmen in shackles as they struggled to get the ball off the square.Persaud removed Nandu and the burly Azizi Christian, who looked out of place at this level, for a duck with the score on 77 before Roberts induced Dindyal, whose stroke-play brought back memories of Ramnaresh Sarwan, to hit the ball to deep mid-wicket after he got himself bugged down by the spin on a track which provided slow turn and kept low at times.From 79-4 the U-17s, beaten by Demerara in the first round at Everest on Monday, lost wickets at regular intervals with only Seepersaud looking willing to counter attack towards the end. After Chetram Balgobin (2) was run out at 97-7 he good support from Ramraj (6) and Ajay Gainda (2) took the score to 135 before Ramnarine removed both.When Essequibo replied, the consistent Orlando Jailall (1) tugged

a ball from Jagesh Dowlatram to wide mid-wicket, an area he been caught at far too frequently and his demise left the score on 19-1.

Leon Christian tucked Dowlatram for a couple before cutting him effortlessly to the point boundary while Scott looked aggressive from his first ball.

The right-hander who plays his club cricket for city side Malteenoes, lofted Dowlatram over extra cover for six before driving him all along the ground on the slow outfield for an imperious boundary off the next ball.

The pair added 40 for the second wicket before the ‘Matthew Nandu show’ began when Scott was bowled at 602. When Christian was bowled

by Ramraj who also sent back Amir Singh (9) Essequibo were 79-4 and never recovered despite Roberts’ brief resistance as the last six batsmen just managed a run between them.

Berbice overcome Demerara by 31 runs at Everest Berbice defeated Demerara by 31 runs when the Hand-in-Hand Inter County U19 50-over tournament continued yesterday. Berbice successfully defended 185 in a game which was reduced to 49 overs due to a rain interruption shortly after the first drinks interval at the Everest Cricket Club.

Opting to bat, Berbice lost opener Alex Algoo, lbw to pacer Qumar Torrington in the first over for two, before Junior Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson added 59 for the

second wicket to repair the early damage.

However, after striking two fours, the right-handed Anderson was bowled by medium pacer Sachin Singh for 28 while off-spinner Joel Spooner trapped Deonauth Persaud (00) lbw to leave Berbice at 64-3.

Left arm orthodox spinner Ashmead Nedd, then picked up two quick wickets to further peg back the scoring; he had Garfield Benjamin caught for 17 and bowled Sinclair for a top score of 44 which in-

Kevlon Anderson accepts his prize from Hand-inHand representative Mark Ramdayal cluded five fours and came off 92 balls.

Carl Gilgous (04) pulled a short ball from Torrington and was taken by at mid-on before Nigel Deodat (07) was run out, leaving the score at 127-7.

However, Seon Glasgow and Leon Swamy propped up the total with a stand of 38; Glasgow smashed Nedd for a six and punched Singh for four before he was taken off Alphius Bookie for 31 with four fours and one six.

Swamy hit Nedd over long-on for six before driving him down the ground for four, but was run out in the penultimate over for a run-a-ball 29. Bookie had 2-13, Nedd 2-36 and Torrington 2-39.

Demerara found themselves in early trouble as they were reduced to 10-2; Robin Williams was lbw to Swamy for one while Singh, who was put down at the wicket off Anderson, hung his bat outside the off-stump and was caught behind in the same over for three.

But Adrian Hinds and Bookie

kept their team in the hunt as they posted the 50 in 23 overs before Hinds was stumped off Deodat for 31; the steady Deodat then removed Spooner (09). Bookie and Nedd put on 37 for the fifth wicket before Nedd pulled a short ball from Anderson and was caught for 19.

Swamy was brought back and uprooted the stumps of Bookie for 30 which came off 96 balls and included one four and one six. Andrew Samaroo and Pradesh Balkishun rotated the strike fairly, but with Demerara needing 46 from five overs, Samaroo was caught off Anderson for 19 (2x4) while Torrington was lbw to Sinclair for one.

Thirty-nine was needed from three overs, but the task proved more than a handful for Balkishun (14*) and Zachary Jodah (03*) as Demerara ended on 154-8.

Anderson claimed 3-38 to take the man-of-the-match award while Deodat had 2-11 and Swamy 2-32.

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 16, 2019

PAGE 31

Woodpecker Products Junior Wiltshire trounce Carpenter 3-0; National Squash Tournament Ince-Carvalhal beat Alphonso 3-1

By Sean Devers Number one seed Shomari Wiltshire, showed why he is regarded as best U17 player in the Caribbean with a clinical three-game demolition job over Gianni Carpenter when night two of the Woodpecker Products Junior National Squash Tournament was played at the Georgetown Club on Tu e s d a y n i g h t .

In the U-17 & 19 Boys category, the slimly built Wiltshire hardly broke a sweat despite a couple of long rallies, as he registered a dismissive 3-0 win over the fast improving Carpenter.

S u c h w a s Wi l t s h i r e ’s dominance that Carpenter only managed five points in the three games with three of them being scored in the second game which included the longest rallies of the match.Wiltshire demonstrated his familiar brilliance on Court with calm, precision play that left Carpenter unable to return many of his shots. Carpenter

put up a spirited showing but in the end, was no match for Wiltshire who romped to an emphatic 11/1, 11/3, 11/1 victory.

The much anticipated battle between training partners Samuel InceCarvalhal and Michael Alphonso showed the dynamics of these youngsters who left their friendship at the door of the court and played some riveting squash.

Alphonso’s use of deception and speed edged him ahead in the first game for an 11/8 victory, but Ince-Carvalhal’s retrieval and racket speed got better as the contest progressed as he forged ahead in the second game which won 11-4.

The third game was a nail biter as Alphonso stormed back from 10/6 to level at 10 all with four unanswered points. However, InceCarvalhal, the grandson of National Squash Coach Carl Inch, held on to close off the third at 12/10.

Samuel Ince-Carvalhal plays off the wall as he defeated Michael Alphonso.

Shomari Wilshire beat Ginni Carpenter at the GT Club on Tuesday night.

Ince-Carvalhal found his range and waltzed through the fourth game with excellent court movement and well timed winners to a triumphant 3/1 victory.

Mohryan Baksh maintained his winning streak against Dhirren Persaud and Joshua Verwey in the Boys Under13 category, while Louis DaSilva registered his second win and Chad

DeAbreu his first.

Nicholas Verwey moved easily around the court against Demetrius DeAbreu to secure a clean sweep 11/5, 11/3, 11/4. DeAbreu was first off the mark in all three games and traded shots with Verwey in the first game up until five all.Verwey moved changed gear and took six straight points for the first win. Despite long rallies and

some superb shots from D e A b r e u , Ve r w e y dominated throughout. The girls played for the first time on Tuesday night and competed in the Under 11 Category.

Eight-year-old Tiana Gomes, the youngest player in the competition, demonstrated lots of fight in her games against category favourite, Christiana Fernandes. Gomes earned

some good points with solid drive retrievals against the talented and athletic Fernandes. In the 3/0 match, Fernandes displayed developing shot execution for the 11/2, 11/5. 21/4 win.

The level of squash displayed was testament to the dedicated hours of training many of the junior players are putting in to their (Continued on page 28)

rt o p S

Hand-in-Hand Inter-County U-19 50-overs

P. 30

Berbice overcome Demerara by 31 runs at Everest

Berbice celebrates at the fall of yet another Demerara wicket.

Squash trio conclude successful training in USA ahead of Pan Am Games in Peru P. 29

Junior Sinclair - Junior Sinclair top scoredfor Berbice with 44.

NAMILCO’s 50th Anniversary sports programme kicks off in Berbice on May 26 P. 29

Athletics, Volleyball and Softball Cricket to be played

Mr. Bert Sukhai - Managing Director of NAMILCO

From left, Mary Fun-a-Fat, Ashley Kahalil, Coach David Pamler and Taylor Fernandes at the Cornell University in the USA. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.