Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Why is Motie Dookie being targeted?
Holistic approach required to deal with mentally ill persons
DEAR EDITOR, After reading the Editorial’s article published in the Stabroek News dated Tuesday May 15, 2018 relating to “The case of Deputy Superintendent Motie Dookie” …one would want to ponder what is meant by “a definitive position can be reached on Mr. Dookie’s fitness to continue to serve and protect”. Did Mr. Dookie at any point of time compromised Guyana’s security and the welfare of its people so that a decision needs to be taken about his fitness to continue to serve and protect the nation? What transpired was a case of “tax evasion”. Tax evasion according to Google is “the illegal non-payment or underpayment of tax”. Almost 50% of the taxpayers of Guyana are tax evaders, including minibus drivers and conductors, taxi drivers, sole traders of established businesses, carpenters, labourers, smugglers etc… A minibus/taxi driver would take home approximately $10,000 daily; six days a week, totalling to $60,000. That totals about $240,000 monthly or about $2,880,000 annually. Please note my father, now deceased, was a driver, hence the knowledge of what a driver daily income looks
like. A carpenter maximum daily salary is $8,000. Mr. Editor, the point I am trying to make is that none of these categories of workers declare their true and correct earnings to the Guyana Revenue Authority. They are all tax evaders! How should we solve this problem? Ask them to close their businesses? Stop their trade? Should Mr. Dookie be sent home from the Guyana Police Force? Should he not be entitled to continue to serve and protect? We look back at the former Commander of SWAT, prior to Mr. Dookie, Deputy Superintendent Lonsdale Withrite who was robbed at gun point of his service revolver and vehicle- the revolver contained 16 live rounds. This officer was at the Industry seawall in the company of a female at around 21:00hrs. “He was on his own, doing his own thing, doing whatever he was doing”. Did it occur to anyone that Mr. Withrite placed the nation at a great risk? The revolver which was stolen is currently being used for the numerous robberies that are currently taking place. What is worse? Robberies/deaths of innocent or tax evasion? Why aren’t concerns being raised about Mr. Withrite’s matter and the urgency of the Police Service Commission to
look at his case? Deputy Superintendent of Police, Motie Dookie was alleged to be fingered in the smuggling of 30 cases of Johnny Walker on December 30, 2017. Mr. Ramjattan stated that “he will be dealt with departmentally; he did not rob or murder anyone. The criminal aspect of the probe will come from the Guyana Revenue Authority”. Mr. Dookie did not commit any criminal activity under the Police’s Act. On March 6, 2018 Stabroek News stated in its article that the driver of the minibus has taken fully responsibility of the act and the matter is being dealt with by the GRA. I would want to assume the GRA’s aspect of this case has been dealt with. In Tuesday May 15, 2018, the Editorial asked “Is he (MotieDookie) seriously asking us to believe that he had no clue as to the vehicle’s cargo?” Please be advice that the media did not report whether the minibus Mr. Dookie was travelling in was categorized as “B” meaning Hire or “G” (Continued on page 7)
DEAR EDITOR, Mentally ill persons are still roaming the streets freely, and disrupting life in Guyana, in spite of repeated announcements of plans to solve this problem. No matter who is the President of the country, no matter which political party is in power, this problem just goes on and on and seems to be growing, year in, year out. Mentally ill people, some barely clothed, wander our streets on busy business days, interfering with or scaring persons conducting business in Georgetown and other parts of Guyana. In some cases, they attack persons or are themselves attacked, abused, and sometimes even killed. Our police are not trained or equipped to handle mentally ill people. They do not have suitable detention facilities for them, nor do they have the legal authority to remove them from the streets willy-nilly. In this scenario, it is unfair to expect our police officers to deal effectively with the mentally ill.
Many of the mentally-ill resort to shelters for food and rest, but most of these shelters were not specifically established to accommodate and care for the mentally ill. They are also not equipped to deal with them. For instance, take the Hugo Chavez Centre that recently had to deal with allegations involving mentally challenged inmates. In this case, I will not rush to judge the administrators because I have been somewhat involved in several shelters for homeless people, drug addicts and mentally ill cases and I know what the administrators have to go through. It is no piece of cake. Persons who have not visited these centres and observed their daily operations have no idea what the administrators, support staff and counselors have to go through when dealing with mentally challenged and damaged people. Furthermore, in these institutions, strict rules and regulations are necessary because there must be order and discipline for inmates to
get beds and three meals a day plus access to medical facilities, therapists and so forth. But many mentally challenged inmates reject the rules and fight the staff because they want to continue doing what they want when they want as if they are still on the street. Many refuse to bathe and create a horrific odour in the institutions. When the Hugo Chavez Centre was constructed, it was not for mentally ill people, drug addicts or street people, but for those with skills who needed a ‘lend-ahand’ support system. The centre was set up to be a supportive institution for persons with marketable skills like tailors, agriculturalists, seamstresses, teachers and cooks. Mentally ill people should really be in the Berbice Rehabilitation Centre. Most Guyanese are quite humane, kind, caring and helpful people. When we come across mentally ill and homeless persons, most of us (Continued on page 6)
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Reforms need new concepts, miserable indictments in the Left’s language unemployment, working conditions, and arsenal, but Forbes was
Holistic approach required to ...
DEAR EDITOR, Some 200 years after Karl Marx’s birth, many elites have taken unabashed pride in capitalism, a term that originally had negative connotations. To make our economy more just, we must reclaim Marx’s understanding of capitalism’s contradictions. Even 200 years after his birth, Karl Marx cannot rest easily in his grave. His fundamental theoretical achievement has been appropriated by his sworn enemies to defend the very institutions he despised. The term “capitalism” that was popularized by Marx’s followers has been redefined to persuade people that even modest reforms of our economic arrangements will inevitably damage the economy’s main engines and do more harm than good. Conservatives have taken Marx’s ideas and turned them upside down. Marx himself did not actually use the word “capitalism”—he typically referred to “bourgeois society” or “the reign of capital”—but his followers in the mass socialist parties of the late 19 Century and early 20 Century popularized it to great effect. Capitalism, they argued, was to blame for poverty,
periodic economic crises. After the Bolshevik Revolution, Soviet propagandists tirelessly linked every problem of the West to the evils of capitalism. After World War II, defenders of the American economic system almost always used the term “free enterprise” as a way to highlight the lack of political freedom in the Soviet Bloc countries. Even in the mid-1960’s, the word capitalism was still used primarily by those sympathetic to the Soviet Union and Communist China. The situation changed when thinkers on the Right realized the power of taking a negative term and giving it a positive spin. This was what the Black Power movement had done; the word “black” previously had negative associations, but the movement empowered people to say: “We are black and we are proud.” One of the innovators who pioneered this rhetorical move with “capitalism” was Malcolm Forbes, the publisher of Forbes Magazine who adopted the advertising slogan: “Forbes—a capitalist tool.” Denouncing a politician as a capitalist tool had been one of the most stinging
telling his readers they should be proud to be capitalists. However, the most influential work along these lines was done by Irving Kristol, an advisor to Ronald Reagan who is credited with founding neoconservativism, the movement of liberals who abandoned the social, economic, and foreign policies of the Democratic Party in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In the late 1970’s, Kristol published a book called ‘Two Cheers for Capitalism’. Kristol knew Marx very well; decades earlier he had been part of a Left-wing faction at New York’s City College that was famous for its sophistication in wielding Marxist theory. Kristol recognized that appropriating the idea of a “capitalist system” from the Left could have extraordinary benefits for conservative thinkers. Both in the 1930’s and in the 1960’s, the Left in the U.S. had progressed not by fundamentally challenging the existing order, but by creating new social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and by extending the structure of economic regulation to include labor relations, consumer (Continued on page 7)
From page 5 instinctively try to help them, usually by giving them food, clothes and sometimes small donations of cash. But there is a vicious breed of people among us who like to take full advantage of any challenged and vulnerable person. This breed does not have basic human kindness; they will trick or bully the mentally ill or homeless, take away their pittances and abuse them verbally, physically or even sexually. There have been horrible cases of street dwellers and mentally challenged people being murdered in Guyana. There have also been many cases in which the deaths of such persons were suspected to be due to some kind of abuse, but this could not be proved due to lack of evidence.When the current government was in opposition, they pledged to end the problem of pavement dwellers when they got into power. When I saw those pronouncements, I immediately suspected it was just campaign talk. It seems that I was right. The fact is for some undisclosed reason, the current administration did not keep its promise. They have not yet erected even one shelter for street-dwellers and mentally ill persons. The
existing shelters being managed by the current government were erected by previous governments. I and my family, like so many other Guyanese, frequently visit various shelters and homes for the old, disabled and other challenged persons, to give them gifts of food and basic personal items. I often talk with street people, particularly those by Guyana Stores, Bourda Market and St Rose’s High School. As a humanitarian, I listen to their tales and I know the causes of their misfortunes. Some tell me why they turned to drugs; some describe how they were abandoned because they got old and sick and could not contribute anymore; others were rejected for being bad husbands or fathers. Their list of woes is quite lengthy. One of the most prevalent and bitter complaints is that many destitute persons’ National Insurance Scheme contributions were stolen by their employers.It is my personal perception that no government has the capacity to end homelessness in Guyana or any part of the world. Many of these people choose to be on the streets because they do not like to be housed in any shelter with rules and order. This is why it is a sad sight
for Guyana to see drug addicts and other homeless persons loitering on the busy carriageway near Bourda Cemetery. It sends a disturbing message about our country and will obviously not inspire investors and tourists, even though homelessness exists in every part of the world. I know that the Guyana Islamic forum for education, peace and religious solidarity, with our partner the Masjid Al Muna Waar (Mosque of Enlightenment) at 50 Louisa Row has been providing meals at least three times weekly in the form of a delicious and nutritious lunch.The committee for this is headed by our General Secretary and Imam Mohammed Rasheed. This has been ongoing since 1992 when Dr. Jagan took power as president and had called on organizations to provide meals for those poor people and street dwellers. To date, we have never approached the Government for any financial support and we have never asked anyone for any assistance. All this is being done by the grace of God, the members of the organisation, the Guyana Islamic Forum and some volunteers have been providing some resources. There are a few other institutions involved in similar activities. I believe dealing with this is too humongous a task for government alone. The government needs to launch a multi-dimensional approach involving various sectors of business, government, NonGovernmental Organisations etc. to address this matter. This issue must be addressed in a holistic manner that does not to make it appear that there is some political aim to be achieved other than service to our people. Haji Roshan Khan Snr, National Chairman Universal Peace Federation (Guyana)
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur M@ilbox Reforms need new concepts... From page 6 protection, and environmental protection. The Right tried to resist these initiatives, but it lost out because liberals and progressives could argue that these measures did not challenge the market but just made it work in a way that was better and fairer. But Kristol insisted that capitalism was a unified and completely coherent system, so that changing any aspect of it would produce an equal and opposite reaction. Ever since, conservatives have been arguing that the reason that the economy is performing badly is that all of the well-intentioned
measures pushed by the Left have impaired the capitalist system’s functioning. Thus, we must roll back spending programs and regulation to realize the system’s full potential. It is not coincidental that the Right has been winning the battle of ideas ever since Irving Kristol turned Karl Marx on his head. Left scholars and activists continue to denounce the evils of capitalism, but when they do so, they actually reinforce the Right’s claim that capitalism is an unchanging and unchangeable system whose fundamental logic must be obeyed.While Marx urged his
followers to overturn capitalism rather than reform it, he insisted that capitalism was actually incoherent, irrational, flexible and constantly changing. It is Kristol’s definition of capitalism as unchanging, unchangeable, and unified that is an illusion. The reality is that making our society more egalitarian, more just, more democratic and more environmentally sustainable would also make our economy stronger.To win urgently needed reforms, we need new concepts and new language. This would not fit Marx’s revolutionary vision, but it is what our times demand. Rooplall Dudhnath
Competition legislation does not ... From page 4 competition in the market and safeguarding consumer welfare and interests. Anti-dumping measures, including anti-dumping legislation, however, is often chiefly concerned with protecting domestic industry. To say that anti-dumping legislation is part of competition legislation is inaccurate as the two have some conflicting objectives and different investigation methodologies. Additionally, because of its international dimension, anti-dumping legislation or policies are best dealt with by the Government agency responsible for international trade or another duly authorized agency. The distinction between dumping and competition policy (in the context of competition legislation) is reflected in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) as the two are addressed under separate areas and dealt with differently. In the RTC, dumping is
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Kaieteur News
addressed under Chapter Five – which deals with Trade Policy (the whole of Part Five, Chapter 5 in the RTC is devoted to dumping and it outlines how member states are to address the issue of dumping). Competition policy is addressed under Chapter Eight of the RTC (Part One of Chapter Eight is entirely devoted to the “Rules of Competition”). It is in this section that one would find the obligation of member states to establish and maintain competition authorities to enforce the Rules of Competition. Guyana's competition law does not address the issue of dumping nor is it intended to do so, neither is dumping reflected under the Rules of Competition in the RTC. Dumping can be best addressed under international trade policy and the avenues/ institutions that it provides for. The subjects of dumping and competition policy en-
forcement are complex in nature and this letter represents my humble attempt at simplifying the rather complex topics, discussions and debates in this area. There is much more that can be addressed on the issue but I will put my pen to rest here. Should further information, insight or clarification be required on the relationship between dumping and competition enforcement, Guyana's competition legislation and the role of the CCAC in relation to competition law enforcement, I would be happy to assist. Lusiean Chapman Competition Policy Officer Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission
Kaieteur M@ilbox Why is Motie Dookie being targeted... From page 5 meaning Goods. The media also did not state who is the owner of the mini-bus. Mr. Dookie could’ve very well had no clue with regards to the vehicle’s cargo if it was a “G” series minibus. These buses have three seats in front and the side of the vehicle is completely sealed with metal and not glass; no seats are fitted in the rear of the vehicle. The Editorial article is stating “that having an officer directly involved in an investigation into the alleged smuggling of alcohol serving in what is, in effect, a management position in the Force, does the image of the Force sorry little good”. I am sorry to disappoint you but it is the media that gives the Guyana Police Force a poor image. Firstly, Journalist Leroy Smith reported that the SWAT Commander escaped from police custody after being detained. This false declaration took a toll on the GPF displaying how incompetent it was. Secondly, Smith posted another article via an online news on January 4, 2018 “SWAT Boss: More than just a Whiskey scandal”. This particular article is what infuriated the public. He stated that: “Dookie was demoted from the rank of Cadet Officer after it was discovered that he faked the certificates which he submitted to the Police Force to be sent on the cadet course”. The GPF stood mum on this article. The GPF did not
choose to defend their image that the force and its administration do not encourage misgivings of officers. They did not represent one of their senior officers whose character was deteriorating at the moment. Smith did not, however, indicate that Mr. Motie Dookie along with Mr. Karl Wilson (who is currently also a Deputy Superintendent in the GPF), who were both Cadet Officers at the time, were demoted to the ranks of Sergeants. Now did both officers faked their certificates? In August 15, 2010 the Kaieteur News published an article that the “Police Service Commission orders reinstatement of Cadet Officers”. Both Officers Dookie and Wilson were reinstated effect from October 2008 since they claimed that their demotion was without reason. “That matter did not die off” as indicated by Smith in his article nor were they demoted for faking their certificates. This proves that the media is very scandalous and can tarnish a man’s character. Leroy Smith needs to write factual article(s). Thirdly, the intervention of former President Ramotar to return Dookie’s firearm after his case was dismissed regarding the “accidental shooting”. The GPF should/must have a grievance policy. Dookie reports to his Commander/Police Commissioner/Minister of Home Affairs-Minister of
Security/President of Guyana. If Mr. Dookie made several requests following the chain of command and no favorable response; by rights one should address their issue to the higher personnel providing proof that they did follow the chain of command. I am sure Mr. Ramotar would not just order to return Mr. Dookie’s firearm without further investigation into circumstances of the event and seek recommendations to verify whether he was worthy of this responsibility once again. The bigger question is, why is Motie Dookie being targeted? Isn’t this victimization? There are dozens of senior officers who have severe allegations/charges against them that needs to be addressed by the Police Service Commission. Is Mr. Dookie special or is his case that important that it needs to be addressed urgently? Uree Varswyck, a former member of the GPF turned into a criminal. Is this what the public and the GPF wants? Mr. Dookie to become into a criminal after the GPF shuns him as they are presently doing? What good will reassigning him from the No. 2 sub-division do? Please the public? Is the GPF and the government so adamant on pleasing the public or should they be making decisions for the public’s best interest? Priya Persaud
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
Crashed plane with Cubans was barred from Guyana last year BY MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN and BERT WILKINSON HAVANA (AP) — The Mexican charter company whose plane crashed in Havana, killing 110 people, has been the subject of two serious complaints about its crews’ performance over the last decade, according to authorities in Guyana and a retired pilot for Cuba’s national airline.The plane was barred from Guyanese airspace last year after authorities discovered that its crew had been allowing dangerous overloading of luggage on flights to Cuba, Guyanese Civil Aviation Director Capt. Egbert Field told The Associated Press on Saturday. The plane and crew were being rented from Mexico City-based Damojh airlines by EasySky, a Honduras-based low-cost airline. Cuba’s national carrier, Cubana de Aviacion, was also renting the Boeing 737 and crew in a similar arrangement known as a “wet lease” before the aircraft veered on takeoff to the eastern Cuban city of Holguin and crashed into a field just after noon Friday, according to Mexican aviation authorities. A Damojh employee in Mexico City declined to comment, saying the company would be communicating only through written statements. Mexican authorities said Damojh had permits
Scenes from the plane crash on Friday.
needed to lease its aircraft and had passed a November 2017 verification of its maintenance program. Cuban Transportation Minister, Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez, told reporters Saturday afternoon that Cubana had been renting the plane for less than a month under an arrangement in which the Mexican company was entirely responsible for maintenance of the aircraft. Armando Daniel Lopez, president of Cuba’s Institute of Civil Aviation, told the AP that Cuban authorities had not received any complaints about the plane in that month. He declined to comment further. Yzquierdo said it was routine for Cuba to rent planes under a variety of arrangements because of what he
described as the country’s inability to purchase its own aircraft due to the U.S. trade embargo on the island. Cuba has been able to buy planes produced in other countries, including France and Ukraine, but has pulled many from service due to maintenance problems and other issues. “It’s normal for us to rent planes,” he said. “Why? Because it’s convenient and because of the problem of the blockade that we have. Sometimes we can’t buy the planes that we need, and we need to rent them.” He said that with Damojh, “the formula here is that they take care of the maintenance of the aircraft. That’s their responsibility.” He said Cuba didn’t have pilots certified to fly the
Boeing, so it had hired the Mexican crew with the expectation that they were fully trained and certified by the proper authorities. Yzquierdo also said the jet’s “black box” voice recorder had been recovered and that Cuban officials had granted a U.S. request for investigators from Boeing to travel to the island. Eyewitness and private salon owner Rocio Martinez said she heard a strange noise and looked up to see the plane with a turbine on fire. “It had an engine on fire, in flames, it was falling toward the ground,” Martinez said, adding that the plane veered into the field where it crashed, avoiding potential fatalities in a nearby residential area. Field told AP that the Boeing 737 with tail number
XA-UHZ had been flying four routes a week between Georgetown, Guyana, and Havana starting in October 2016. Cubans do not need visas to travel to Guyana, and the route was popular with Cubans working as “mules” to bring suitcases crammed with goods back home to the island, where virtually all consumer products are scarce and more expensive than in most other countries. After Easy Sky canceled a series of flights in spring 2017, leaving hundreds of Cubans stranded at Guyana’s main airport, authorities began inspecting the plane and discovered that crews were loading excessive amounts of baggage, leading to concerns the aircraft could be dangerously overburdened and unbalanced. In one instance, Guyanese authorities discovered suitcases stored in the plane’s toilet. “This is the same plane and tail number,” Guyanese Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said. He and other Guyanese authorities said they did not immediately know if the crew suspended last May was the same one that died in Friday’s crash. Damojh operates three Boeing 737s, two 737-300s and the 737-201 that crashed Friday, according to Mexican officials. Ovidio Martinez Lopez, a pilot for Cubana for over 40 years until he retired six years ago, wrote in a post on Facebook that a plane rented
from the Mexican company by Cubana briefly dropped off radar while over the city of Santa Clara in 2010 or 2011, triggering an immediate response by Cuban aviation security officials. As a result, Cuban officials suspended a captain and co-pilot for “serious technical knowledge issues,” and Cuba’s Aviation Security authority issued a formal recommendation that Cubana stop renting planes and crews from Damojh, Martinez wrote. “They are many flight attendants and security personnel who refused to fly with this airline,” Martinez wrote. “On this occasion, the recommendation was overlooked and they rented from them again.” Contacted by AP in Havana, Martinez confirmed his Facebook account but declined to comment further. Mexican officials said the Boeing 737-201 was built in 1979. In November 2010 a Global Air flight originating in Mexico City made an emergency landing in Puerto Vallarta because its front landing gear did not deploy. The fire was quickly extinguished, and none of the 104 people aboard were injured. That plane was a 737 first put into service in 1975. Mexican aviation authorities said a team of experts would fly to Cuba on Saturday to take part in the investigation.
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Norway’s Auditor General rips into rainforest billions
O
ver the past ten years, Norway has handed out almost US$3 billion (NOK 23.5 billion) on stopping tropical deforestation. In November 2009, the administration of Bharrat Jagdeo signed a historic forest deal with the European country that saw the Scandinavian country invest US$250m (£150m) to preserve the rainforests in this South American country. It was hailed as one of the biggest forest conservation deals ever signed. Both sides signaled their intention to “provide the world with a working example of how partnerships between developed and developing countries can save the world’s tropical forests.” Under the terms of the agreement with Norway, Guyana was to accelerate its efforts to limit forest-based greenhouse gas emissions and protect its rainforest as an asset for the world. The accelerating destruction of the rainforests that form a cooling band around the earth’s equator is recognised as one the main causes of climate change. Five years later, the deal was supposed to have expired. However, Guyana was granted an extension to complete its obligations. About US$80M is sitting in an account after it was earmarked for the Amaila Falls project. Guyana has collected a significant portion but lost at least US$18M because of penalties. On May 15, Norway’s Office of the Auditor General completed its investigation into Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI). The report is critical
- risk of fraud not well managed, payment were delayed
Norway did little to prevent fraud with its climate funds, the country’s audit office said last week. of the arrangements with the countries that Norway signed the deal with. According to the findings, “The Office of the Auditor General’s investigation shows that progress and results are delayed, that current measures have uncertain feasibility and effect, and that the risk of fraud is not well-managed.” Per-Kristian Foss, National Auditor, was clear that “there is a need to ensure better control of the use and results of these funds.” “International efforts to preserve tropical forest have not found solutions to address these global challenges. There is therefore uncertainty about further implementation and whether the measures give lasting effect.” According to Norway’s Audit Office, there were cases where the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and Environment have not prevented and followed up the risk of financial fraud. “This includes inadequate partner assessments prior to entering into an agreement and a lack of response when collaborative partners have been investigated for possible financial fraud. The administration has not complied with its own guidelines and has taken unnecessary risk of loss and abuse of Norwegian funds.” According to the Audit Office, the report is an important report, not just for Norway, but internationally. “Norway is by far the largest REDD donor, and the findings are relevant for the international attempt to implement REDD.” REDD is the acronym for reducing emissions from de-
Dem boys seh... Some people silent and de politicians better listen You ever examine de words LISTEN and SILENT? Some of us does listen and some of us like to remain silent. Dem got a reason fuh that. De two words spell wid de same letters. De politicians like talk all de time and don’t listen, while de people does listen to dem and remain silent. But not dem boys. From de time dem boys listen to something dem don’t know how to remain silent. Dem mouth tear and de whole country know that. Dem boys was at Nigg Village, Corentyne, just yesterday fuh put down a Kentucky Roast Pig outlet. When dem arrive at de location wid de Waterfalls Boss Man dem get a shock.Dem find de place under water. People house under water, too. For a moment dem boys thought de sea defence collapse. When dem find out, it wasn’t so, was water from li’l rain. De villagers seh dem have to wait until GuySuCo pump out de water. Suh if is weekend you betta swim till GuySuCo pump. One resident seh dem been suffering this thing over a year now. De man seh de PPP use to pump a lot. Since de govt change de pumping stop. Soulja Bai, Moses, JoeShan and Willie
controlling all de pumping. Dem boys want tell de villagers don’t depend pun dem old folks who running things. Everybody know if dem try pumping at this age no water will be coming or going anywhere.De Waterfalls Boss Man who trying to put down de Kentucky Roast Pig Outlet ask dem villagers why dem suh SILENT fuh so long. Another villager seh when de PPP had GuySuCo going, things was better. Everybody was pumping like mad. Even de villagers use to pump. Now dem old folks close down de factory and all pumping stop. Dem boys did ask dem why dem don’t open dem mouth and mek de politicians LISTEN. Dem seh we are SILENT people and we will make dem listen wid our votes come 2020. Soulja Bai could end up singing ‘Too late shall be de cry.’ After all, “life’s biggest tragedy is that we get old too soon, and wise too late.” Is not dem boys seh suh. Is a man name Benjamin Franklyn. Talk half and put a proper system to fix dem people flood problem.
forestation and degradation of forests.The results of REDD+, which is the fund that was created for the forest deal, so far are delayed and uncertain, the report of Norway’s Audit Office said. The office found conflicts of interest and alternating political priorities in the partner countries prevented and delayed measures and results. In five out of eight of the bilateral cooperation cases, payment for emission reductions has been delayed. “The weak implementation of REDD+ at the national level and in central tropical forest countries means that stopping logging in one place can still be replaced by logging elsewhere.” It was found, also, that
Norway bore the strain with its contribution to REDD+, the fund that was established, which has not triggered enough funding from other donors. “Norway is the largest donor of funds for REDD +. Compared with other major donors, Britain and Germany, Norway accounted for 51 percent of the contributions in the period 2008-2016.” The report was highly critical of the findings that the control of the implementation and results of REDD + did not work well enough. “There is not good enough follow-up of social and environmental safeguard mechanisms, such as indigenous peoples’ rights, poverty alleviation and conservation of natural forests. The recipient countries have little reporting. The Ministry of Climate and Environment does not compensate sufficiently for this.” The report said that measurement, reporting and verification of reductions in emissions due to REDD+ are only partially in place. “Progress on this work has been low in Brazil, and elsewhere. The Ministry of Climate and Environment is not systematic enough in the collection and use of information about the results of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative.”
The Ministry of Climate and Environment has developed a framework for measuring progress towards milestones and targets, the Audit Office noted. However, a small system of data retrieval and analysis weakens the ministry’s foundation for management and learning from REDD+ testing. The survey shows cases where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and Environment have not prevented, followed up and handled the risk of fraud against Norwegian recipients of Norwegian funds. The report recommended that the Ministry of the Environment further develop measures to address the need for lasting results in REDD+ through work towards the UN Climate Change Convention and in bilateral cooperation. “It also called for a strengthening of the Ministry’s information base on the safeguarding of social and environmental security mechanisms in payments for results.” The findings and recommendations would worry Guyana and the Coalition Government which has signaled an intention for another deal. Factions of Norwegian politicians have been objecting to the climate deals that were entered by that country.
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
“You will see results”- Lindo Creek CoI Chairman tells Kwakwani residents
Chairman of the Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry, retired Justice Donald Trotman, has assured residents of Kwakwani, Upper Demerara- Upper Berbice that their calls for justice will not go unanswered. The Chairman made the promise recently, during a public conversation held at the Kwakwani Workers’ Club. The public conversation was part of a four-day outreach to the region. According to Justice Trotman, the commission should have been established at the very moment the incident occurred. “This commission should have been set up ten years ago, or an inquest to investigate the same things we are investigating ten years after. An inquest should have been held ten years ago, but it wasn’t,” he said. According to him, many of the persons who have
- criticizes former government for failing to hold earlier inquest
Some residents of Kwakwani at the public conversation been condemning the commission’s work, had it in their power before, to con-
duct a thorough investigation into the deaths. He said the “right president” has appointed the “right man to do the right job” and “We will see the right results because the right has been done even though it is ten years ago.” The commission chairman said the truth is oftentimes elusive, in many cases for
years. He said, however, “One day the truth will be out. It will come to light,” he assured the residents. On June 21, 2008, the burnt bodies of DaxArokium, Cedric Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Nigel Torres, Bonny Harry, Clifton Wong and Lancelot Lee, were discovered at Lindo Creek, by
Commission chairman retired Justice Donald Trotman trekking along the trail to LindoCreek mining camp owner Leonard Arokium. The fingers were pointed in the direction of the joint services that were patrolling the area at the time. Part of the commission’s visit to the region included a visit to the Lindo Creek campsite, where the men’s bodies were found. The journey was
arduous but the chairman said the commission needed to make the journey to clarify questions that lingered during the investigation. While the public hearing of the Inquiry came to an end last Tuesday, the chairman and his team are still working privately to reach a conclusion.
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Govt. keeps hopes of Amaila Falls Hydropower Project alive Although mired in controversy from its inception, the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project is still alive. Before being elected to government in 2015, Government members
soundly criticized plans for the project which were being pursued by the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration. Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, told the Parliamentary
Committee on Natural Resources on Friday that the project is still on the table. “The Government of Guyana, while it has voiced its concern and disappointment in the Amila Falls project, it has never
taken it off the table even now that there are hydrologist studies there to determine whether there is adequate supply of water to generate what is needed to produce electricity,” Trotman stated.
A photo showing a completely dry waterway at Amaila Falls. It will be recalled that in August 2013, the preparations for implementation of Amaila Falls Hydropower Project came to a standstill, as the Parliament of Guyana did not vote unanimously in favour of certain features of the project presented by its main sponsor, Sithe Global, a USbased investor in the international energy market. At that time, the National Assembly was controlled by a one-seat Opposition majority of A Partnership For National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU/ AFC). Sithe Global withdrew from its position as the main sponsor throwing the project’s future into jeopardy. The Government of Guyana, represented by the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Natural Resources and the Government of Norway, represented by the Minister of Climate and Environment decided at a meeting in Paris in December 2015 to perform “an objective and factsbased” assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project. The project was heavily pushed by the last two administrations of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) but ran into trouble early, specifically problems with the access roads to the Amaila Falls dam site in Region Eight. The roads collapsed in many parts and the contractor was fired. Costs ran from US$15M to US$40M.
The US$900M-plus tagged for the 165 megawatts project was seen as too costly, with criticisms over the technical readiness of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. to take the power. There were also questions over whether the dam would actually be able to sustain the promised power, with one photo even showing the waterways dry. FUNDING CONSIDERATIONS Trotman told the committee that the two-year study currently in progress is the first to be undertaken at Amaila Falls. The studies, according to the Minister, are expected to be completed by the end of this year. PPP Member of Parliament, Odinga Lumumba, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee, said the Government has been sending mixed signals about the project. Lumumba raised questions about funding. Trotman disclosed that the World Bank indicated that it will no longer lend money for hydro projects. “That should tell you something. New technologies are pointing towards wind and solar. The technology for solar is cheaper,” Trotman stated. He declared the days of plowing through thousands of acres of land, displace communities and special species are over. In Guyana’s case, Trotman stated there will be a mix of hydro, solar and natural gas for power generation.
Sunday May 20, 2018
Guyanese need legislative protection for local content, as foreign companies get preference - Ramson Former Member of Parliament and Oil and Gas Consultant, Charles Ramson, is of the opinion that if the Government proceeds on its current trajectory, Guyanese will benefit the least from the oil offshore Guyana, and foreigners will be the ones smiling. He said this during a recent interview with Kaieteur News. The politician was adamant that he is not talking off the top of his head, “I consulted with several businessmen; they are hardly benefitting.” Ramson said, “What’s happening is a national scandal. As it stands, two Trinidadian-owned companies have been awarded big catering contracts, customs brokerage contracts, freight forwarding contracts and even ‘meet and greet’ contracts. These are some of the most basic goods and services that are required for the oil industry and companies owned by Guyanese people bid for those contracts and were not awarded.” The companies that were given the contracts are hiring Guyanese to do the work.”
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Kaieteur News
Ramson said that some of the contracts are multi-million US dollar contracts awarded for three-year periods to these non-Guyanese owned companies. “What’s worse is that the supply vessel moves from Trinidad to the drilling ships offshore so a lot of the goods and services are not even sourced locally in Guyana.” The politician said that no one is expecting Guyanese to be given contracts to provide services that they are incapable of, “but everyone knows Guyanese can cook. We have brokerage companies and are more than capable of handling a few meet and greet exercises. But guess what is lacking? Guyana lacks a government that is serious about local content.” Ramson said that any government that wants to represent the interests of its nationals, will find it its duty to advance a serious way forward to ensure that there is local content. “But, the recently published second draft of the local content policy has the concluding paragraph by Minister Trotman: “The Local Content Policy (LCP) will be implemented
Former Member of Parliament, Charles Ramson over time and in tandem with the growth of the industry. At present, regulations will not be promulgated, but may become necessary as the industry unfolds and expands, and impetus is needed to steer the process or to solidify gains.” Ramson said that while Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, is not keen on legislation, “it seems as if legislation is the only way to compel local content in Guyana.” The former MP was adamant that Guyana needs more than just “a policy.” He said that otherwise foreign companies and foreign
employees will continue to dominate the oil and gas scene for Guyana “This government is failing its people. The high paying jobs are already going to foreigners; most of the money will be spent in their home country and not Guyana. The goods and services needed by oil companies are already being awarded to companies not owned by Guyanese people,” said Ramson. Ramson said that several oil producing companies around the world have made it a legal requirement to have nationals own a certain percentage of all companies incorporated. “Other countries have even gone as far as making it a legal requirement for the country to have a percentage of the oil companies actually extracting oil from their jurisdiction.” Even if there are concerns about the lack of specialists, the legal requirement can be phased; starting small and gearing over time as the industry develops properly. But the fact that fully owned Guyanese companies cannot be contracted for simple catering services is a total shame.
SECURITY GUARD CHARGED FOR MISPLACING AMMO, MAGAZINE A security guard attached to Bank of Guyana was on Friday charged and granted $50,000 bail for misplacing two 9mm magazines and 20 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Fifty-two-year-old Randolph Dawson appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The allegation against Dawson stated that on May 13 at Avenue of Republic, being solely entrusted by Bank of Guyana with two 9mm magazine and 20 rounds of 9mm ammunition valued $64,000, in order that he may use same to perform duties, he failed to retain the articles in safe custody, property of Bank of Guyana. Attorney-at-Law Keoma Griffith in an application to secure bail for his client told the court that his client has been a security guard for the past 13 years at Bank of Guyana and has never been in trouble with the law. The lawyer added that on May 13 his client was at work when he left the ammunition and magazine unattended.
CHARGED: Randolph Dawson Upon his return, the items were discovered missing and he reported the matter to his superior. The matter was then reported and the defendant was arrested and taken into custody. Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh had no objection to bail being granted to the defendant; hence he was released on $50,000 bail. The father of three was instructed to make his next court appearance on June 1.
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
After three years, we are back to square one
N
ot unexpectedly, there has been some hype in the media about the performance of the current government as it marked its third anniversary in office. The government itself set the tone with the publication of its long list of achievements since taking the reins of government in May 2015. No government has come under such intense pressure to perform as this one—not the first post-independence administration or the one that succeeded it after 28 years in charge. By the time this Grangerled administration took office, Guyana had become a tired, dysfunctional country. No amount of hero-worshipping of our founding fathers could hide the fact that at the level of governance, Guyana has been a colossal failure. There is nothing that we can hold up as an example to the rest of the world in that regard. Our country has been kept alive by the creativity and survival instincts of our people—the salt of our piece of earth. And even that near miracle by ordinary Guyanese has been compromised and tarnished by our dreadful and dreaded politics. Yes, there have been moments of light along the way, but those have been quickly blown out and away by the dreaded hand of power. The Burnham government started the rut and the Jagdeo government performed the rites. So, when the APNU+AFC government took office, many of us could have been excused for expecting too much from it. After all, we had slid so far down the valley of failure, many thought we couldn’t go further down the slippery slope. By 2015, the world had moved on—the Cold War had ended, and the charismatic leadership of the early postindependence era no longer held sway. More and more, the so-called Third World countries were being forced to fend for themselves in a hostile world which, according to David Rudder, “don’t need
islands no more.” One of the small manifestations of light ironically occurred in our ethnic politics. While ethnic politics remained Guyana’s major challenge, sections of the two major groups had from 2006 showed a willingness to rebel against their ethnic parties. A small section of Indian Guyanese took that plunge in 2011 and 2015 and together with a fired-up African Guyanese electorate, they produced results that denied the PPP of their “assured majority.” In other words, a small majority of the electorate caused an electoral revolution by voting for a coalition of parties. They voted for something new—not for the PNC or AFC or WPA, but for a Partnership of Parties. Unlike the 1964 PNC-UF coalition, which was a post-election arrangement, this one was a pre-election pact. To my mind, this notion of a partnership government made the difference in 2011 and 2015. It is against that background that I have argued that the current government has a historic duty to break with the old politics and repay the electorate with something fresh and hopeful. Those who voted for the Coalition could not have voted for a resumption of the old politics. Half of the electorate had used their vote to give Guyana a chance to redeem itself after six decades of failure. One could feel it in the air and see it in the joyful faces that took to the streets in mass thanksgiving in the weeks following the election. David Granger, by no means a charismatic leader, was elevated into a political rockstar. Now, just three short years later, our country has lost hope again. The government that came to power with such mammoth goodwill has turned out to be the most unimaginative since independence. It has given Guyana nothing big and transformative to hold on to. It governs
as if it has no sense of its own place in history. Its laudable vision outlined in its election manifesto has not been translated into policy. It stumbles from one political error to another. It is a coalition government that governs like a single-party government Its start in office will be remembered for the massive pay-raise it gave to its members and its three-year anniversary will be remembered for its senseless attempt to muzzle two lowly newspaper columnists, followed by the invocation of an old sedition law aimed at stopping people from criticizing the government on the internet. In between these, the economic insecurity and other challenges facing ordinary Guyanese have continued. This is not to say that there have not been some positive signs and acts these past three years. But these have been routine things which all governments do. And in any case, they have been overshadowed by the host of negatives which I have discussed in other columns. The big question is why has a government from which so much was expected, delivered so little. The answer to my mind lies in the government’s management of power. This is Guyana’s most politically inexperienced cabinet and the cabinet is the only decision-making body in government. So, you have an inexperienced cabinet making decisions for a government that is expected to be transformative. Through no fault of their own, most cabinet members have not had a history of political struggle. In other words, the worst performance of the government has been the lack of consultation within its ranks. There has been no consultation within APNU, and between APNU and the AFC. APNU hardly meets, and there is no forum for APNU and AFC meetings outside of Cabinet. The coalition parties do not participate in delibera-
The Baccoo Speaks We knew about the quick police response following a robbery attempt. The results were made known. This will drastically reduce the attacks in the city, but the criminal-minded would seek easier targets outside the city. There will be the case of another attack, but community pressure can sometimes be fatal. ** Motor accidents are always present, but not
only cars will be involved. These days there are speeding motorcyclists who pay no heed to proper road use. The result will be another
motorcyclist going to the Great Beyond after clipping a moving vehicle that he was trying to overtake. ** There will be smiles after vigilant neighbours avert a fire east of the city. A cooking exercise would be in progress, but sometimes women forget the cooking to chat. This would be the case and a fire would start. Neighbours would rush to the woman’s aid and save the home.
tions on government action. The lack of involvement of the parties outside of the cabinet has severely hurt the government. Had there been meaningful consultations, many of the mistakes could have been avoided. Most of the political experience and brains of the PNC and WPA is not in Cabinet. A vivid example of this problem lies in the management of the oil sector. For example, one party member who has studied and written more about oil and who is available to the government has never been consulted in all the ne-
gotiations that have taken place. It took the Minister almost a year to meet with the WPA, a coalition partner, to discuss the contract with Exxon Mobil. It is, therefore, difficult not to conclude that after three years of this government, we are back to square one. I get the sense that those in power are expecting the coming of the oil economy to be a sort of magic wand which would mask the failures of the last three years. I respectfully beg to differ. More of Dr. Hinds’ writings and commentaries can
Dr David Hinds be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
By Michael Jordan
T
he slim, East Indian man on the mortu ary slab had the words ‘Rebecca’ and ‘Love’ tattooed on his left arm, a cross and ‘Jesus’ printed on his right arm, and someone had used a shotgun to blow away most of his face. He was barefoot, brown-complexioned, about five feet nine inches tall, and he was wearing a black vest and black three-quarter pants. Two boys had seen the body floating at around 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 19, 2013, at the foreshore near Ruby, East Bank Essequibo. The body had not yet started to decompose, and detectives estimated that the victim had been killed about two days prior to the discovery. For me, the most interesting thing about this John Doe was that tattoo with the name ‘Rebecca’. You don’t tattoo a woman’s name on your body unless that woman is of some significance to you. Surely, I thought, she would know who this dead man was, and maybe, even know his killers. I took photographs of the tattoos. I was certain that by the following day, someone
The victim’s tattooed arm with the name ‘Rebecca’ — maybe even the mysterious Rebecca —would see the photographs of those tattoos in the Kaieteur News and identify the victim. Meanwhile, in Drysdale Street, Charlestown, a woman named Chandroutie Sammy was in a state of panic. Her reputed husband had gone missing. His name was Rafeek Mohamed, and Chandroutie Sammy claims that at around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 17, 2013, her 39-yearold spouse told her that he was “going on the West Coast” to look for a 16-yearold daughter that he had fathered from another relationship. Her name was Rebecca. She said that Mohamed had tattooed Rebecca’s name
on his arm and often spoke about her, though he apparently hadn’t seen her for some time. Sammy and Mohamed also had three small sons. Mohamed reportedly told Chandroutie Sammy and the sons that he was bringing Rebecca home for the holidays. According to Ms. Sammy, Mohamed had US$100 and some $30,000 in local currency in his possession when he left home. He was also wearing a silver ring and a watch with a green canvas band. She recalled that he “was happy,” and had promised to buy a table set for her. About half-an-hour after he had left home,
Chandroutie contacted Mohamed on his cell phone. He informed her that he was in a bus heading along the West Coast of Demerara. But when she called again, she only received a voicemail, and she failed to reach him for the rest of the day. Chandroutie became even more worried when Mohamed failed to turn up the following day. What she was really concerned about was whether Mohamed had returned to Rebecca’s mother. The woman said that she contacted a relative who advised her to report her spouse missing. But on Wednesday, December 18, 2013, Ms. Sammy’s sister told her that a body had been found and that the victim had the name ‘Rebecca’ tattooed on one arm. She immediately knew that the victim was her reputed husband, and posi-
tively identified him at the Ezekiel Funeral Home. No money was found on him and the ring and watch that he was wearing were also missing. His phone was also gone. But who had killed Rafeek Mohamed? When a Kaieteur News reporter visited the Charlestown area where the victim had resided, few residents had anything complimentary to say about him. Some alleged that ‘Ravi’ (a name many people knew him as) had lots of enemies and many people wanted him dead. Others described him as “an old crook” who was known to the police for break-and-enter incidents. But Chandroutie Moonsammy and other relatives angrily insisted that Mohamed was no criminal. Ms. Moonsammy said that her spouse sometimes offloaded fishing vessels at the Meadowbank wharf, and the couple would also “walk and sell” clothing. “He was not that type of person; he was not a thief… He worked hard to earn a dollar,” she said. But information later obtained suggested that while Mohamed had indeed sold clothing, he also had an unsavory side.
According to this information, Rafeek Mohamed was a member of a gang that was involved in robberies and burglaries, including safe-cracking. It is alleged that this gang would often dispose of their loot at the Meadowbank area. Sources who knew Mohamed suggested that shortly before his demise, the gang had done a job ‘over the river’, and that Mohamed and his accomplices had a falling out over the sharing of their spoils. That information indicated that the irate gangmembers themselves executed Moha m e d a n d dumped his body overboard. Seeking clues to his demise, police and relatives returned to the area where the body was found in the hope of finding the elusive ‘Rebecca’. They failed to locate her. If you have any information about other unusual cases, please contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or 225-8473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : mjdragon@hotmail.com
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
White fans didn’t know he was an East Indian boy
I
f I was a travel writer, working and living in Guyana, given the nature of the human being that is called Guyanese, the accusations of embellishment and fictionalization would have been endless. People would not believe some of the factual encounters and happenings. It is for this reason I try my utmost to strengthen the integrity of my commentary with identification of people once the circumstances are not jeopardizing or harmful to them. One day when I was babysitting my daughter when I lived on Hadfield Street, Wortmanville, I had the “Best of Queen” on the stereo set. I knew the bicycle song because I was and am a fan of Freddie Mercury. But for some reason when that song was playing and the bells were ringing in the song, I ran to the window to see who was ringing their cycle bell in front of my home.
My daughter grew up, got to like Freddie Mercury, and still finds the bicycle bell incident amusing. Mercury is the news now, because his biopic is out in cinemas. I was reading the Guardian (British) about the biopic, and I instantly remembered the bell drama in my home so long ago. Mercury is not someone the present generation in Guyana would know about. I doubt the movie, when it comes to Guyana, will have a long run. But Mercury will remain one of the most fascinating performers in the history of pop music. I would put him second to Michael Jackson for sheer performance on stage. But that is not all – Mercury is a race phenomenon. Freddie Mercury in a BBC poll was rated among the top 100 British personalities of all time. He was the frontman for one of the most successful and admired pop bands – Queen. When you look at the
extraordinary rise of Mercury worldwide, but especially in his adopted homeland – the UK – you get confused about why race poison so haunts human civilization. Mercury, of course, was his stage name. The original name was Farrokh Bulsara. He was born to East Indian parents in Tanzania, then moved on to live in India and settled as a 17-year-old boy in England. There are ethnicities like the Kurds, Syrians, Turks, certain race types in India and Pakistan and the Persian people who have very light complexion almost resembling the colour of the Caucasian race. If at a young age, someone from that type of ethnic background settles in a cold climate and becomes integrated, he/she can easily pass as Caucasian. I wonder if the present generation in Guyana knows that many families we classified in the sixties as Portuguese were in fact Syrians. In Guyana at that time, Syrians
were grouped together with Portuguese and other Caucasians. I remember when I was small there was a shoe store at Camp and Regent Streets named Shu-All. The owners passed as Portuguese, but they were Syrians. One night on my way home from Trinidad, the plane was grounded. So BWIA put us up at a nearby hotel. From my room window, I saw a party going on, and every attendant was white. I said to a fellow Guyanese that I didn’t know Trinidad had so many white people. He said most of those I was looking at were Syrians. Google the image of the wife of the founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, and you will think she is a Northern Euro-
pean. But she is a pure Arab Palestinian woman. As a teenager, Mercury hung out with white boys, had a white girlfriend, and they started a band. Later as the band grew, Mercury and the band, Queen, became an international sensation. Young, white British teenagers went crazy for Mercury. It is doubtful they knew he was essentially of East Indian extraction, because his race was never discussed in the media. His fame was too great for his ethnicity to be featured. The story of how civilization deals with race categories is as old as civilization itself. When Hitler was persecuting the Jews, they were unwelcomed in most countries, including the US. Today the Jews are accepted world-
Frederick Kissoon wide and have formidable clout in American society. So why do people judge others based on ethnic genes? Is there any racial group that is not mixed? On a recent television programme on channel 9, UG lecturer Charlene Wilkinson told me and Vincent Alexander that all races are mixed up and that Vincent and I have white blood in us. Is that really true, Charlene?
PAGE 28
Supporters of the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) are expected to do a lot more complaining in coming weeks/months as the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) and the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) continue to collect evidence on the alleged unprecedented pillaging of our national assets between 1992 and 2015. Many of the now Opposition party’s faithful have taken to social media and other outlets in recent days to complain that the Government, through SOCU and SARA, was systematically targeting the PPP’s leadership with “trumped up” criminal charges. They’ve called it a witch hunt and characteristically, managed to add a racist tint to SOCU’s investigations into their alleged wrongdoing. But none of this is new. This most recent round of complaints was spawned by
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
front page newspaper images of the former Finance Minister and NICIL boss being escorted into and out of the Victoria Law Courts. The pair have been indicted and charged with misconduct in public office, for allegedly disposing of prime seaside state lands well below market value to chosen buyers. The charges suggest that Millions in taxpayers’ funds have been forfeited or misappropriated. Party leaders and members turned up to cry ‘racial and political victimization’ while the accused, as they made their way to the ground floor of the courthouse to post bail, voiced their denials to reporters, supporters and curious members of the public. But in the middle of the next week, two very senior officials at SARA, Aubrey Heath-Retemyer and Eric Phillips, as guests on a radio show, said that the agency is doing everything within its
power to recover several billions of dollars in unaccounted-for cash, vehicles, properties, state lands and other assets apparently misappropriated during the 23 years the PPP spent in office. The man in the street was afraid long before 2015 that the day would never come when the PPP cabal would lose their grip on power and the machinery of state. By 2017, the search for the missing funds and assets was still moving too slowly to give John Q. Public much satisfaction, and s/he began to show signs of anticipation fatigue. S/he was beginning to lose hope that even some of their allegedly stolen patrimony would have been found and returned. But today the fire of hope is burning again. We are now witnessing a high quality of forensic analysis and investigation into the activities of a former government that’s
never before been seen in Guyana. Many had doubted that it could be done, and some people gave up hoping, but SOCU and SARA’s Forensic Accountants and ICT specialists kept at it, quietly unearthing billions of carefully hidden dollars and properties in foreign countries. Both Heath-Retemyer and Phillips told the nation that SARA is working with international police and financial investigators to ferret out the hiding places and return those billions to Guyana’s treasury. To date, SARA has shortlisted more than 100 cases of ‘lost and found’ cash, property, bonds and other types of securities, and their domestic and international sleuths are building legal cases based on these finds. By year’s end, the public will be apprised of the progress made with the first 10 of the most solvable cases. SARA said that they are more interested in recovering Guyana’s assets than putting the crooks behind bars. The task of jailing the guilty is a role for SOCU.
SARA believes that procurement fraud alone, preand post 2015 amounts to G$28 Billion annually. Smuggled gold across our borders is still pegged at about 15,000 ounces per week which is greater than the total amount of gold declared by large and small scale miners. So when the former President denies that corruption was indeed endemic in his government, he leaves reasonable people wondering about his motives for denying the undeniable and his attempting to defend the indefensible. The PPP’s supporters must be very confused. The best part is that many of the investigators involved in SOCU and SARA’s operations have no affiliation to Guyana’s past or its present. They are conducting their searches with objectivity. It is apt to note that SARA was formally established in mid 2015 by this Government, but it was the PPP that had set up SOCU while in power. Reportedly, the main motive was to offer some assurance
v
to the western world that it was going to ‘deal’ with corruption. It is ironic that this same agency is righteously going after those who would have transgressed the law. And basically, the very same people who were hired by the PPP are still in charge of SOCU. Going forward, investigators have made it clear that there are about 30 additional cases involving the two gentlemen aforementioned. We will not forget any of the atrocities committed against citizens between 1997 and 2015. No one will forget the images of Mark Benschop in hand and foot shackles, or of former GDF major Bruce Munroe and wife, Carol Ann, along with businessman Junior Wharton who were all imprisoned, shackled and repeatedly brutalized on trumped up treason charges in 2010. And these were only a few of the dozens of cases of rank political discrimination. But now that the shoe is on the other foot, the nation hears cries of political victimization and racism.
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
My column
There need not be active gunmen
B
eing a Guyanese is a matter of pride. We have so much to be thankful for, but many of us simply keep griping about something or the other. Even when things are going our way we gripe. I remember the story of a man who always kept a jolly exterior. When someone confronted him about something that went wrong he would say, “It could have been worse.” One day a friend called him to say that another friend was killed in a man’s home and he named the killer. This supreme optimist merely said, “It could have been worse.” The friend turned to him and asked, “What could have been worse?” The optimist said I could have been in that man’s home if my wife did not accompany me to work this morning.” Friday was a day that could have been worse had the police not responded to a report of a robbery on D’Urban Street. Two gunmen chose the middle of the morning to attack a business place just as the proprietor was setting up shop. The proprietor appears to be known for the jewellery he wears, so the two gunmen decided that the man’s jewellery was theirs. They decided to rob him. For the businessman it could have been worse. He could have been shot. There was a quick police
response that caused one of the gunmen to flee, but the other was obsessed with the man’s jewellery, so he fought with the businessman. He went for his gun and as they used to say in the West, fast draw does not always win. The businessman reached for his weapon and killed the gunman. What followed was what leaves many communities shocked. Innocent people also get killed under such conditions. The police pursued the fleeing gunman who knew the Bent Street area and disappeared. However, he did not bargain for the perseverance of the police. They scoured the area. Meanwhile, the gunman managed to enter a home and take the residents hostage. He had some time to treat a gunshot wound he sustained while fleeing. However, he did not bargain for people directing the police. He will not live to rob again. What I found rather disturbing is the trend of people who seem bent on robbing. They get money but they do not use that money for security. For them life is one big party. Easy come, easy go. Then they rob again. A report stated that the now dead gunman who was killed in Bent Street had executed another robbery on
East Coast Demerara, in the process relieving a security guard of his weapon. That was the weapon he used in the D’Urban Street robbery. When the Chinese Government donated a fleet of vehicles to the Guyana Police Force, Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan spoke of heightened patrols in the city which far outranked any other area where crime was concerned. Those patrols are paying off. But even as the police have stepped up their patrols, the United States has placed Guyana’s crime rate at a critical level. This would suggest that crime has got out of hand. Such a report would prevent people in the diaspora from coming home for some much needed rest and relaxation. They believe the worse about their country. Yet as I sit in Guyana I see murders galore in the very United States. Just Friday another gunman killed nearly a dozen children attending school. This type of killing seems to be very common. Already for this year I have known of another even more deadly. I cannot say that crime is at a critical level in that country. Unlike Trinidad and Tobago where jobs are not at a premium, or better, where people want special jobs and rather than take what is on
offer they choose to remain idle or to go with the gun, Guyana is offering many jobs to young people. I chatted with a company that has been in Guyana for the past five years but which remained below the radar. That company reached into the University of Guyana, the Government Technical Institute and the Carnegie School of Home Economics for young people. All told more than one hundred young people have joined the labour force. There are some other young people who have joined the labour force, but this is not known, because in Guyana there is no survey that keeps tabs on unemployment. I am certain that the unemployment rate has dropped significantly. The result is that there are fewer young people who would need to turn to crime. There is also more money in the system, so business should not be as bad as some
would like to make out. But people should move away from walking around with loads of cash. That is a magnet for criminals. For one, the business place would not have a lot of cash around, so there is going to be no attraction for gunmen. The credit card is becoming increasingly pervasive so there should be fewer robberies. Before long, there would be no place for the gunmen. But what do parents tell their growing children. On Friday after one of the gunmen was killed in the business place, his sisters and relatives turned up weeping. Again I must wonder how it was that they knew so quickly that their relative was killed, even when the police on the ground had no name to go with. It has to be that someone knew the gunman and called the relatives. This tells me that whenever there is a robbery there are people who know the per-
Adam Harris petrators. One aunt was heard screaming, “Ow Buddha.” Did she ever advise him against a life of crime? There is the belief that whenever a big event looms the gunmen would come out. It is said that they w a n t money to participate in the events. Last year and even the year before, there were not too many crimes. I think the trend would continue this year. At the same time, I wish people would recognize that they have only one life and that they should do nothing to put that life on the line.
PAGE 30
G
uyana achieved Independence on 26th May 1966, under the inspirational national motto – One People, One Nation, One Destiny. The Nation, this month, celebrates its 52nd anniversary of Independence. The Guyanese people today have a duty to actualise the vision of our nation’s founders by continuing their work to make Guyana ‘One Nation.’ We cannot become One Nation if we are divided. Our national motto remained as relevant as ever as the people voted in the general and regional elections on 11th May 2015. The people were determined to make national unity a reality. A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) coalition won a majority of the popular vote and renewed its commitment to
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
making Guyana ‘One Nation.’ The results of both the 2011 and 2015 general and regional elections have made it clear that the majority of the Guyanese people want an ‘inclusionary democracy’ in order to promote national unity. The people want greater inclusion, not exclusion. The current dispensation in the National Assembly in the 11th Parliament requires consultation and cooperation between the legislative and executive branches of government. The APNU+AFC Coalition is convinced that greater national unity will bring greater national benefits. These include the elimination of one-party domination of the government; enhancement of local, municipal and parliamentary democracy; enlargement of multi-ethnic space and the elimination of ethnic insecurity; expansion of economic enterprise and development and the enrich-
ment of cultural life, national consciousness and pride. Guyana, today, is an unequal society. The former PPP administration’s 23-year record ensured that Guyana became and remained an unequal and poor society in which a few people enjoyed an extremely high income and most people endured an extremely small income. The former PPP administration’s attitudes and policies harmed social cohesion, undermined our sense of solidarity, impoverished a large section of the population, alienated the hinterland regions and gradually created ‘two countries’(coast and hinterland), instead of cementing One Nation. The Coalition will continue to execute a truly integrated hinterland development plan devised in partnership with indigenous peoples, one which is based on secure property and land rights and
environmental protection; as well as the continued empowerment of hinterland communities with requisite capital resources and capacities for agriculture, housing, road construction, manufacturing and other services. The Coalition will continue to battle against poverty, to establish working people’s economic independence and to improve their livelihood. The Coalition will continue to promote policies and programmes that are geared to finding ways to increase wealth, not to perpetuate poverty. The Coalition will continue to ensure that Municipal and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils are democratically elected, and that local government elections are held when constitutionally due. The Coalition will fortify grass-roots democracy by ensuring that the people are allowed to play a greater role in local government countrywide by finding solutions to rural and agrarian problems. The Coalition will continue to be totally committed to ensuring equality for all
and to protect citizens’ fundamental rights. We will build more Information Communication Technology (ICT) Hubs so as to improve information, communication and education infrastructure in hinterland and coastal areas – a weakness which continues to hinder the development of many citizens. The Coalition will continue its assault on inequality of opportunity and remove impediments to equal access to public services. The Coalition, most of all, remains committed to achieving national unity and to building bridges to all communities and groups which are interested in the well-being of our citizens and the progress of our country. The Coalition will continue to work towards achieving social cohesion and inclusionary democracy. The Coalition’s ‘One Nation’ approach provides the framework for combining the talents of a wider constituency and creating the conditions for social cooperation and economic progress. The purpose of such a project would be to reach a
broad consensus on the goals of national development, to establish a sustainable institutional architecture and to create effective policy instruments for the achievement of our common objectives. As we observe our third year in office we continue to engage all segments of society, including the political opposition; trade unions; private sector and civil society – to come together to seek agreement on a broad national programme to move our country forward. Our focus remains the creation of a Guyana in which all Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity and geography, can feel fully motivated and afforded the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the society, while successfully and safely caring for themselves and their families. A Guyana in which all citizens live productive lives, free from the ravages of poverty, secure in their homes and in their communities and enjoy the benefits of political, social economic and cultural development.
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Abnormal bleeding in women: It is getting too common By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine e are becoming unhealthier in our eating and lifestyle. Of course, there are numerous consequences that arise from being unhealthy. For women, abnormal uterine bleeding is one such consequence. Abnormal uterine bleeding is any heavy or unusual bleeding from the uterus (womb) through your vagina. It can occur at any time during your monthly cycle, including during your normal menstrual period. It is on the increase, and studies are showing that up to 25% of women of reproductive age are affected by this condition. It is becoming a plague on the lives of women. Today we will discuss what really happens when women have abnormal uterine bleeding. WHAT CAUSES ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING? A variety of things can cause abnormal uterine bleeding. Pregnancy is a common cause. Polyps or fibroids (small and large growths) in the uterus can also cause bleeding. Rarely, a thyroid
W
problem, infection of the cervix, cancer of the uterus or bleeding disorders can cause abnormal uterine bleeding. In most women, abnormal uterine bleeding is caused by a hormone imbalance. When hormones are the problem, doctors call the problem dysfunctional uterine bleeding, or DUB. Abnormal bleeding caused by hormone imbalance is more common in teenagers or in women who are approaching menopause. These are just a few of the problems that can cause abnormal uterine bleeding. These problems can occur at any age, but the likely cause of abnormal uterine bleeding usually depends on your age. HOW IS ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING DIAGNOSED? The tests your doctor orders may depend on your age. If you could be pregnant, your doctor may order a pregnancy test. If your bleeding is heavy, in addition to other tests, your doctor may want to check your blood count to make sure you don’t have a low blood count from the blood loss. This could lead to iron deficiency and anemia. An ultrasound exam of your pelvic area shows both
the uterus and the ovaries. It may also show the cause of your bleeding. Your doctor may check your hormone levels or look for cancer. Testing will be determined by what your doctor suspect as the cause of your bleeding. CAN ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING BE PREVENTED? If your abnormal uterine bleeding is caused by hormonal changes, you will not be able to prevent it. But if your hormonal changes are caused by being overweight, losing weight and eating healthy could help. Your weight affects your hormone production. Maintaining a healthy weight and diet can help prevent abnormal uterine bleeding. WHATARE TREATMENT OPTIONS? There are several treatment options for abnormal bleeding. Your treatment will depend on the cause of your bleeding, your age, and whether you want to get pregnant in the future. Your doctor will help you decide which treatment is right for you. Or, if your doctor decides that a hormone imbalance is causing your abnormal bleeding, you and your doctor may decide to wait and see if the bleeding improves on its own.
Some treatment options include the following: Intrauterine device (IUD) - your doctor may suggest an IUD. An IUD is a small, plastic device that your doctor inserts into your uterus through your vagina to prevent pregnancy. One type of IUD releases hormones, and this type can significantly reduce abnormal bleeding. Like birth control pills, sometimes IUDs can actually cause abnormal bleeding. Tell your doctor if this happens to you. Birth control pills- birth control pills contain hormones that can stop the lining of your uterus from getting too thick. They also can help keep your menstrual cycle regular and reduce cramping. A D&C, or dilatation and curettage – a D&C (locally known as “clean out”) is a
procedure in which a doctor “scrapes away” the lining of your uterus. If you’re having heavy bleeding, your doctor may perform a D&C both to find out the problem and to treat the bleeding. The D&C itself often makes heavy bleeding stop. Your doctor will decide if this procedure is necessary. Hysterectomy-this type of surgery removes the uterus. If you have a hysterectomy, you won’t have any more periods and you won’t be able to get pregnant. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of a hysterectomy and if it’s right for you. Endometrial ablation – this is a surgical procedure that destroys the lining of the uterus. Unlike a hysterectomy, it does not remove the uterus. Endometrial ablation may stop all menstrual bleed-
Dr. Zulfikar Bux ing in some women. However, some women still have light menstrual bleeding or spotting after endometrial ablation. In most cases, pregnancy is not likely after the procedure. As you can see, there is no easy way to treat abnormal uterine bleeding. Like many other conditions, your best chance lies in trying to prevent it by eating healthy and keeping your weight under control.
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SUNDAY GDF approved to spend $484M on purchase of 1970s aircraft…Harmon defends decision, says they are like Rolls Royce The Government has secured Parliamentary approval for an additional $484M representing final payment towards the purchase of four fixed-wing aircraft – two Islanders and two Skyvans – for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). Faced with numerous questions about the purchase from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Friday, in the National Assembly, Minister of State Joseph Harmon disclosed that the Islanders were first manufactured in 1976 while Skyvans were first manufactured in 1977. Both models are no longer being manufactured. The Minister disclosed that the Skyvans, which were being used for troop transport and parachuting are being brought from Belgium through Liberty Aviation, an American company that operates from North Carolina. The Islanders, according to Harmon, are being purchased from Brazil who utilized the planes for passenger and cargo services. ”The Sky vans and Islanders are aircraft; people, who have them don’t sell them. It’s like having a Rolls-Royce,” Harmon stated to justify the purchase of the aircraft. PPP Parliamentarian, Clement Rohee, pressed Harmon on the availability of spare parts for the aircraft given that they are out of production. Harmon pointed out that while they are not being produced; there are many countries around the world that operate these aircraft and therefore spares are not an issue; training is not an issue. ”They are sought after aircraft because of the capability. They allow for short take off and landing. They al-
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Kaieteur News
low for the use of the type of airstrips, which we have in Guyana; 90% of which are short type of airstrips. Therefore, these two types of aircraft are specifically suited for those circumstances,” Harmon explained. The Minister stated that there are seven fully trained and certified engineers for the aircraft. Some of the senior engineers have about 25 years of service while the junior one has 12 years. Training, according to Harmon, was done by the original aircraft and engine manufacturers. He explained that while the aircraft will be assigned to the GDF, other joint services agencies will have access specifically on matters of aerial surveillance. According to Harmon, the decision for the purchase was made at the level of the Defence Board ”They are being purchased with a national plan in mind and not just the GDF so most of our aerial surveillance are done jointly by the police and the army as well as other elements of the state, but certainly these aircraft were purchased with a national character,” Harmon pointed out. He assured that the aircraft will not be used for commercial purposes and will not compete with private service providers. The troubles of oil rich nations… In five years, former Nigerian Pres. stole US$6.7B from Treasury …Ramson says Guyana’s fate may be similar Over a five-year period— 1993 to 1998—former Nigerian President, the late Sani Abacha reportedly stole over US$6.7B (£5B) from the Nigerian Treasury. In 2004, Abacha was listed as the fourth most corrupt leader in history. The money he stole was mainly proceeds from the country’s oil. Abacha’s corrupt practices were highlighted last week Saturday by former
Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall
A GDF Skyvan
People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP), Charles Ramson. The lawyer brought that issue to the fore as he noted that Guyana is making little moves to prevent similar occurrences. Ramson said that Abacha was able to steal that amount of money simply because Nigeria has weak institutions and the proper structural systems needed to safeguard the country’s wealth were not in place to prevent this theft. Ramson said that Guyana’s fate can be similar to that of Nigeria. The Oil and Gas consultant noted that Guyana is less than two years away from first oil and the necessary institutions are still to be strengthened. ”Weak institutions fuel corruption. Guyana remains a haven for corrupt practices.” The lawyer said that Guyanese need to be more aware of how corruption affects their future. “The individual action of a corrupt official may seem innocuous or harmless but the collective action of corrupt officials destroys countries.” Ramson continued, “Every dollar not available for life saving drugs and medical treatment or citizen safety and security, because it has been taken by corrupt officials, represents a collective setback for a country.” The politician said that there are countless certified stories of billions of dollars leaving oil producing countries and making their way into secret offshore accounts or filtered into other countries. ”Look at Sani Abacha. The money he stole was stored in other countries. When money is shipped out of your country it is then used to develop the foreign country.” Ramson said that the APNU+AFC came to power mainly on an anti-corruption platform. “But other than seminars and conferences, there has been no credible
systemic measure introduced that will tackle the plague of government corruption.” The politician said that there are several examples of corruption continuing with the APNU+AFC Government. Ramson said that there are several techniques available to government to aid in the minimization of corruption, but the government is choosing to ignore these. ”We can start with simple things even in the procurement system. The awarding of all Government contracts need to be open, fair and transparent. It can be streamed live online for all to see. MONDAY GTT demands spectrum as part of liberalization deal Last Friday, May 11, marked three years since the coalition Government was elected on campaign promises that included the liberalization of the telecommunications sector. But talks continue to drag on between the Government and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), the US-owned entity that has a monopoly on landlines and international calls. According to persons familiar with the ongoing negotiations, the company and Government have been able to move past tax-related matters in recent months. Kaieteur News was informed that GTT wants to secure a spectrum deal before the talks conclude. Government is awaiting an official proposal from the telephone company for consideration. Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes said that the ‘talks are progressing’ and will be concluded before 2020, the year when the next general election is constitutionally due. Guyana is desperately trying to open up the market to allow new competitors into the industry. In July 2016,
Guyana managed to pass key legislation, the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 15/ 2016. Negotiations with GTT started in December 2016. In January, last, the Telecommunications Minister indicated that Government will not be rushed. With anger at the seeming sloth of investments, like the unrolling of landlines in unserved areas by GTT, the delays in concluding the negotiations have been causing unease. GTT and its parent company, US-owned Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN), have had a monopoly situation in the more than 20 years when it came to the telecoms industry. With talks ongoing to break that monopoly, Hughes said, it is understandable that stakeholders will want to ensure that in coming to the table, the best deal is madethat is going to be good for Guyana. With tax breaks and other issues with GRA, the telephone company had been holding out for a number of concessions. Government was mindful of the implications that would result from giving special treatment to GTT. In fact, Hughes had indicated that any concession granted to GTT will be offered to all operators in the sector. Cyber Crime Bill creates criminal offence for emails that cause harm …This is an even greater onslaught on freedom of speech – Nandlall “Anything negative or critical about a person will naturally cause them harm; by causing harm alone, Section 17 provides for the creation of an offence,” noted Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall as he spoke about the ills of the Cyber Crime Bill. Nandlall said that while the conversation on the Cyber Crime Bill is centered on clause 18, which makes
sedation on the internet a crime, “clause 17 might be even more egregious. This clause constitutes an even greater onslaught on free speech and freedom of the press.” Clause 17 says, “A person commits an offence if the person- Intentionally initiates the transmission of multiple electronic mail messages from or through a computer system: or, with intent to deceive or mislead a recipient or service provider as to the origin of the message, uses a computer system to transmit or retransmit multiple electronic mail messages, that causes harm to a person or damage to a computer system.” Nandlall attached context to the provisions of clause 17. He said, “You are aware that many of the press outfits operating in Guyana disseminate their news by the transmission of multiple emails and various intervals. If any of those emails contain a news story or a statement which harms another person, then the person who intentionally sent those emails out is guilty of an offence.” The former AG noted that the clause does not define what constitutes harm; neither does it say that the statement that can be justified nor can the truth be defended. Nandlall said this means that if a media house publishes the facts about a government official being engaged in corruption, “you would have committed an offence and evidence cannot be used as defence to that offence.” Nandlall said that clause 17 is worse than the sedation clause. However, he still expressed his opinion that sedation should be removed from the bill and also removed from the books in general. Nandlall noted that sedation as an offence was imposed by the British. He said, “Sedition is an archaic and anachronistic law, a product of colonialism historically introduced in the colonies of Great Britain to (Continued on page 33)
Sunday May 20, 2018
From page 32 quell free speech and resistance. But while most countries seek to get rid of it, APNU+AFC reintroduces it. This is a retrograde step.” TUESDAY ExxonMobil’s claims $2.1B in administrative costs in 2016 alone …fails to provide any breakdown- Ram notes Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, has recorded administrative costs of just over $2.1B for 2016 alone. This was reflected in EEPGL’s 2016 financial statement. Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-law, Christopher Ram, is in possession of the company’s financial statements. He noted that while EEPGL registered that it spent over $2.1B for administration purposes, there has been no breakdown of how this money was spent except for the company saying that $168M was spent on legal and professional fees. Ram pointed this out in recent writings. He noted that the total debt of Esso in 2016 was $76.8B of which approximately US$60B was incurred in 2016. All the money that EEPGL used was secured via loans from ExxonMobil, which is EEPGL’s parent company. The loans carry an interest, which Guyana has agreed to pay. While the contract states clearly that Guyana will pay interest on all loans secured by the company, Ram said, “We do not and cannot know (about the interest on these sums) because of the sparse information offered in the financial statements. ”Here is what those state-
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ments say about intercompany debt: This amount represents amount due to Home Office as well as intercompany loan utilized to fund petroleum operations.” Ram said that Guyanese are left to only speculate whether the interest cost is included in the sums presented in the financial statement or if it will be added later. He said, “There is no breakdown of this huge amount. One will have to speculate whether or not any interest cost is included in this amount.” Many cases have been pointed out around the world where oil companies pad their expenses to reflect higher borrowings from their parent company. The higher the sum borrowed the more accumulated interest would have to be repaid to the parent company through cost recovery. Guyana has agreed to pay all interest secured as long as the rate is “internationally competitive.” However, the country has not put any restrictions on the amount of money that can be borrowed. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in 2017, did a review of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Guyana and EEPGL share. IMF then prepared a report, which it submitted to the Government of Guyana. The report, in this newspaper’s possession, is titled, “A Reform Agenda for Petroleum Taxation and Revenue Management.” Telecoms liberalisation talks… Govt. under pressure to auction frequencies Disclosures that US-controlled Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) is using spectrum as a bargaining chip in the ongoing
Government had tagged a mid-year deadline in 2017 to end that monopoly. That deadline has been pushed back time and again. It appears that liberalization now would not happen until 2020. WEDNESDAY ExxonMobil charging Guyana nine times more than its partner CNOOC for admin
Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram telecoms liberalization talks is creating unease. A senior Government official is urging serious considerations now for the auctioning of spectrum for the industry. He said that it will be a perfect opportunity for Government to show that it is serious about getting the best deal for Guyana. Currently, the two licensed players are GTT and Digicel. With internet and host of other services rapidly growing in demand, there has been growing urgency at the same time for other companies to enter the market. The problem is that GTT has since the early 90s, on paper, the monopoly on landlines and international calls. Government has to engage that company before other investors are allowed in. With landlines the cheapest and most stable way for internet connectivity, the industry has been virtually stalled while awaiting the telecoms liberalization talks. In fact, Digicel has made it clear that it wants to land CAT Excavator
its own submarine cable, which would bring down bandwidth prices and improve quality. Currently, GTT is facing pressure to improve its internet quality. It moved from dial-up to DSL, branding the latter as ‘Emagine’. However, that service seemed to have been giving trouble with ‘Blaze’ now being introduced. Thousands of persons are still paying almost the same price for slower ‘Emagine’ as the new kid on the block, the faster ‘Blaze’. In September last year, GTT was ordered by the regulator, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), to roll out 350 new landlines every quarter after a seeming slowdown in investments in this area by the company. Several new housing schemes have been complaining bitterly of being without landlines despite waiting for years. Guyana, in July 2016, passed critical new telecoms legislation, paving the way for the Coalition Government to end the GTT monopoly.
There are several disparities highlighted in the way Esso Exploration and Petroleum Guyana Limited (EEPGL) handles its financials when compared to its partner, CNOOC/NEXEN. For one, both subsidiaries have borrowed monies from their parent companies to fund their operations. However, in its financial statement, CNOOC was keen to point out that no interest is being charged on the sum. CNOOC said, “The Branch owes the company, for advances to fund the Branch’s exploration activity. The amount due to the company is unsecured, non-interest bearing, and has no fixed terms of repayment.” However, EEPGL, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, failed to be that explicit. All that company said was that it received a loan. No mention was made of whether or not interest has to be paid. In any case, Guyana will have to stand the bill of any interest accumulated. The disparities go further. The total debt of EEPGL in 2016 was $76.8B of which approximately $60B was incurred in 2016. This was pointed out by Christopher Ram in recent writings. Ram noted that general and administrative costs for EEPGL were stated at $2.1B. Now, it is interesting to
note that the $2.1B represents administrative costs only. Expenses falling under administrative costs would include payments of accounting staff, rental of buildings, consulting expenses, corporate management (the salaries of EEPGL’s executives), legal payments, office supplies and utility payments. Administrative cost would not include anything directly related to exploration or drilling operations. Ram was concerned about the fact that EEPGL gave no breakdown of how it spent over $2.1B on administrative costs. He noted, “Except for legal and professional fees of $168M, there is no breakdown of this huge amount and one will have to speculate whether or not any interest cost is included in this amount.” Interest could account for why the amount is so high. On the other hand, CNOOC incurred far less in administrative costs. Ram noted that CNOOC only incurred $230M in general and administrative expenses and its overall cost is $52B. Ram said, “This huge gap cannot be explained by the relative scale of the operations of the two companies. In other words, the two companies’ operations are not large enough to reflect the gaps in costs. The Chartered Accountant said that having witnessed the “recklessness” with which the Government and Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman “blindly accepted” a whopping US$460 million as precontract costs, and, how tolerant they have been of the refusal of one of the Contractors to meet its statutory obligations with respect to the annual filing of returns and (Continued on page 34) 740B Caterpillar Truck
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A list of concessions granted Guyana Gold Fields for 2017
From page 33 accounts, it would be wishful thinking to believe that the Government will get serious with the three contractors. Thousands of gallons of illegal fuel found during raid on fishing complex As the crackdown on the illegal fuel trade continues, authorities have sealed two boats at a fishing complex over the weekend. According to officials of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), a team of Customs and other officials descended on the McDoom facilities of Pritipaul Singh Investments (PSI) over the weekend. During the inspections, two vessels were said to be sealed after large quantities of fuel were found on them. One of the vessels is the Captain Lloyd.In all, officials found “hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel” that was not supposed to be there. Under concession agreements with Government, fishing companies in Guyana can purchase quantities of fuel overseas for use in their operations. However, there are conditions with regards to how much fuel can be kept at any one time. In the case of PSI, the complex was not supposed to have more than 10,000 gallons on site. GRA has announced a
major clampdown to ensure that illegal fuel is reduced on the market. The smuggled fuel is not only making its way to the gas stations but the hinterland gold fields and logging camps, where monitoring is harder.GRA has increased monitoring in border areas, with hundreds of millions in taxes said to be lost in revenues annually. The illegal trade is said to be a huge one. It was only recently that GRA along with the Guyana Energy Agency detained a fuel boat, Jubilee, with over 200,000 gallons. The taxes amounted to $36M. It had to be paid before the vessel was allowed to leave. GRA has signaled its intentions to go after a number of other players in the industry.With concessions seeing those with licences paying as little as 10 percent, the profits from fuel smuggling can be enormous, with the current taxes at 50 percent now.Probe launched into price-fixing racket at GuySuCoOver the years, the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), numbering seven estates as at 2015, has been facing a steady downward spiral. Despite the use of different directors, and the rotating of managers, the dismal figures painted an all-too-
clear picture of an industry on the decline. Evidence is now emerging that the problems of GuySuCo was not all about strikes, weather, poor agriculture, aging equipment and factories. Rather, there appears to have been deep-rooted rackets with procurement, dumping and stealing of fertilizers, and kick-backs from prices and allocations of quotas. With regard to price fixing, sources from within GuySuCo said that the matter has been raised this year. There are recommendations that because of what was found, some major changes be made in the remaining three estates under GuySuCo – Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion. It was explained that GuySuCo has a system that was supposed to be transparent in the overseas markets. Using a variety of tools, including future prices for sugar, officials were supposed to have come up with the price that was agreeable to both sides. Once the price was determined, it would be discussed and decided upon, and the customer would be contacted. The system was supposed to reduce corruption. It was disclosed that during the negotiations, major customers would be invited to Guyana. They would in-
clude Tate and Lyle, from Europe; Gopaul Company from Trinidad; Combe Market of Suriname; the Demerara Distillers Limited and West Indies Rum Distillery of Barbados. To strengthen the system, GuySuCo’s sugar brokers, Czarnikow, was supposed to visit Guyana annually and brief local sugar officials in Guyana on the forecast for the global situation. According to GuySuCo’s internal correspondence, calling for action, recent transactions have caused alarm and have the potential for significant harm to the industry. Officials at GuySuCo are very clear about how prices are supposed to be set. THURSDAY CONCESSIONS GALORE!!!! Guyana loses $42B in tax breaks to foreign gold company, gets $5B in royalties For the last five years, local authorities have been sleeping at the wheel while the country bleeds billions of dollars worth in tax concessions. In fact, Canadian miner, Guyana Goldfields Inc. is one of the large entities which received concessions galore. Since the first gold bar in 2014, Guyana Goldfields Inc.
(GGI) has benefitted from $42.2B in concessions. The company received $17.8B in concessions on fuel, lube oil and other lubricants and chemicals. The company was granted $14B in tax breaks on machinery and equipment. These include excavators, bulldozers, motor graders, caterpillar trucks, generators, front-end loaders, etc. It also received a whopping $10.6B in tax concessions on spare parts. Up to November 2017, the State only received $5.4B in royalties from this foreign mining company. Tip of the iceberg… Distribution of sugar was manipulated to favour GuySuCo friends – report The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), in addition to not doing the best job to ensure it received top price from its overseas customers, was also not doing enough to protect the local market. Recent reports have pointed to a manipulation of the local quota system by top staffers. There is evidence, supported by audit findings that individuals posing as legitimate businesses, managed to acquire quotas, though not meeting the criteria.
According to recent internal correspondence acquired by Kaieteur News, the findings would point to rackets being run at almost all levels of the state-owned companies. The other includes procurement fraud, theft of fertilizers, poor supervision and a bloated payroll. In the case of the local distribution of sugar to the market, there appears to have been help from top GuySuCo officials to ensure close friends get into the action. Two men, one from De Willem, West Coast Demerara, and another from Canal Polder, West Bank Demerara, who benefitted, are estimated to have made more than $50M in profits, in a six-year period, just for getting more bags of sugar to supply the market. Local shops have been complaining of the supply being controlled to the point of sugar running out at times. According to the internal report, it was explained that the cash-strapped GuySuCo, being the sole producer, would have had in place a robust local sales procedure. Prior to 2016, the procedure was unwritten but practised and enforced unwaveringly.The maximum quota allowed was 200 bags (Continued on page 35)
Sunday May 20, 2018
From page 34 per week for businesses.However, various audit checks uncovered that the quota system was manipulated and ignored by the senior management on several occasions. In short, the procedures were breached, the report said. Under the conditions to be granted a quota, the business must submit ID, business registration, business licence, shop licence, and TIN and VAT certificates copies. The applicant must also submit authorizations, permits from the Food and Drugs Department with an automatic investigation by the Marketing Department of GuySuCo before the award of the quota. It was found that two instances, in 2011, a De Willem resident and Canal Polder shop owner applied for quotas. They were each granted 100 bags weekly. By 2015, when a top executive who had been off the job, was rehired, the two persons were granted an increase to their quotas. Auditors flagged the quotas to the two in their 2011, 2013, 2016 reports. BP uses taxation tricks on T&T, must pay back $1B The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has been able to get British Petroleum (BP), the largest natural gas operator within its shores, to pay TT$1 billion (US$150M) it owes the state in outstanding claims. An agreement to this effect was signed on April 30, last, between TT’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley and BP’s senior Executives. The pact clearly states
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that the energy giant will repay the CARICOM member state “upwards of $1 billion” as a means of compensation for the accounting techniques it used to keep rightful revenue away from TT’s national purse. The company also agreed to pay premium royalties from 2018 to 2020, even though it is not legally obligated to for that period. Rowley said, “Once you are extracting our heritage, you have to pay the royalty.” This would mark the second time that BP was caught using taxation tricks against T&T. In 2011, former Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar was able to get BP to pay the Government over TT$1 billion in back taxes. BP was praised for “exercising its good conscience” as the Persad-Bissessar-led government had noted that “other oil companies would not have been as cooperative and just.” She had also praised BP for “honouring its commitment to return to the table whenever corporate tax issues” were detected. Considering the aforementioned, concerned Guyanese have wondered if the Government of Guyana would be able to defend the State in a similar fashion, should ExxonMobil be caught in a similar position. FRIDAY Concessions galore… Another foreign gold company given $2.5 billion in concessions, Guyana only receives $17 million in royalties Guyana Goldfields Inc. is not the only foreign company
Part of Troy Resources operation
within these shores, benefitting from tax concessions fit for a king. Australian conglomerate, Troy Resources also enjoys tax concessions galore. Figures released by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) show that the company received generous concessions from 2016 to now. For that period, it received $2.5B in tax breaks. Based on the company’s financial statements, the royalties received by the State thus far is $17M. The $2.5B in taxes given up by the State to the Australian entity does not take into account, the billions of dol-
Part of Troy Resources operation
lars in concessions it received on fuel, lube oil and other chemicals and spare parts. Some of the machinery Troy Resources received tax breaks on include: caterpillar trucks, bulldozers, excavators, front end loaders etc. Of significance is the fact that Troy Resources and Guyana Goldfields Inc. are the only companies in the gold mining sector which enjoy such lavish concessions. Concerned citizens and even those in charge of the respective regulatory bodies have complained about the fact that the concessions granted to these foreign min-
ing companies are not extended to local miners. Fisherman’s throat slashed during row with co-worker- Suspect held after fleeing scene A heated argument Thursday afternoon between two fishermen at the Number 65 Sluice/Port, reportedly over some illicit drugs, ended with one being killed and the other being detained. Dead is Devanand Jailall called ‘Shetty’, 38, of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. B’ Division cops later in the day arrested a 45-year-old
suspect of Whim Village, Corentyne, Berbice, who is said to be the perpetrator. And it was later confirmed that three persons are in custody. According to information, Jailall and the suspect, who are fishermen working on the SK-545 Master Roberto fishing vessel, were arguing on the boat which was docked at the Number 65 sluice/port, when the suspect grabbed a knife on the vessel and slashed the throat of Jailall. The incident reportedly occurred around 13:00h (1pm) in the presence of the boat (Continued on page 36)
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From page 35 owner and two others – the three persons in custody. Jailall’s attacker, after committing the act, fled the scene. The police were immediately summoned and a hunt for the suspect was launched. He was subsequently apprehended. Meanwhile, at the Number 51 Police Station, the dead man’s relatives had gathered. His sister, Anita ‘Mamo’ Lall, 40, of Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice was falling in and out of consciousness as she spoke about her brother and the last time she heard from him. Her daughter, Yashmanie Rampersaud, 20, related that she last saw her uncle on Wednesday when he visited their home and requested to see his 14-year-old son who lives alone at Albion, and his sister. The young woman, as she bowed her head, expressed her regret in not taking her uncle to see his son and her mother as he requested, “I’m so sorry that me didn’t get to take him you know”. Kaieteur News understands that the vessel was docked on Tuesday at the Number 65 sluice/port to offload and was expected to head out today for Suriname waters. Police are investigating. SARA sends 25 intelligence reports to SOCU The State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) is said to be ramping up operations in conjunction with the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and other state agencies. SARA’s Deputy Director, Aubrey Heath-Retemyer has indicated that 25 intelligence reports have been complied and delivered to SOCU for action, a sign that the agency is making progress on several cases where State assets have allegedly been stolen and exist in Guyana and abroad. The agency is preparing to take the first batch of cases to the courts in a month’s time. SARA is in the process of reviewing “well over 50 to 60” cases for the recovery of State assets. The agency is hoping to focus on about 10 cases for immediate court action.Heath-Retemyer stated that work continues to convert the information received and then advance it to court. The Deputy Director explained that it must be anticipated that persons charged with misappropriation and theft of State assets usually advance arguments based on the procedural aspect of the acquisition. He highlighted the need for SARA to gather evidence in a prescribed manner to ensure solid cases, with the need to be careful with the type of
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
information divulged to the public, since this may compromise the cases. “If I should say something in public that can be construed as though we are going after people because of political or other reasons, all these things are taken into consideration when the judge listens to the case,” HeathRetemyer pointed out. In terms of statistics, SARA is working with other agencies to determine how many financial crimes were actually committed. It is also working along with the United Nations country representative to craft an Anti-Corruption Policy based on the international body’s list of recommendations. SARA has the power to recover illegally acquired State assets from public officers past and present through legal proceedings, and in consonance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The agency has intensified efforts aimed at educating other State agencies and the wider population about its role. SATURDAY Bandits killed after botched robbery Two gunmen were shot dead Friday, one by the proprietor of Les Variety Store, the other by police when he attempted to escape from the botched robbery. Trevor Barrow called ‘Buddha’, 26, an unemployed male of lot 10-10 Norton Street and Cemetery Road was shot and killed while attempting to commit a robbery. His accomplice, Calvin Dover, 31, was also mortally wounded in a shootout with police some three hours later. He had escaped from the scene of the robbery with a gunshot wound to his leg. The two men attempted to rob Roy Myers, the 52-yearold proprietor of Les Variety Store, located at lot 22 D’Urban and Hardina Streets, Wortmanville. According to Myers, he opened for business at 08:00 am and at about 10:30 am, when he was packing goods to send to his other business at Port Kaituma, he felt a cold metal object rest against the right side of his head. He then heard a male voice demand that he hand over his property. At the time, he was wearing a 60 pennyweight gold chain around his neck, two gold and diamond finger rings, and a gold and diamond band on his right hand. He also had his firearm on his person. Myers stated that he saw two men in the store. His customers were made to lie on the floor. While the men were try-
Undertakers preparing to remove the body
ing to relieve him of his jewellery, he heard a loud explosion outside the store. He said that Dover, who was holding a black firearm to his head ran out of the store, but Barrow continued to attempt to relieve him of his jewellery. A scuffle ensued between himself and Barrow. The police later reported that during the scuffle, Barrow pulled out a silver revolver from his pants waist and pointed it at Myers. One report is that Barrow squeezed the trigger but the gun did not fire. Myers then reached for his firearm in fear of his life and discharged several rounds, hitting Barrow, who fell to the ground. He immediately closed his business. Meanwhile, a party of policemen had taken off behind Dover shooting at him as he sprinted north along Hardina Street then east into Bent Street. A witness stated that she was sheltering from the rain under the Les Variety Store with her mother; when she saw the two perpetrators enter the store and pointed a gun at the victim. She saw a police patrol in the area and she informed them. She then ran to her aunt’s residence a short distance away. The ranks went to the store just as Dover was running out. Dover reportedly discharged several rounds at the ranks who returned fire. Dover continued running and went out of sight; but the police observed a blood trail along his path. That trail soon disappeared, but the police never gave up their search. Shortly after 13:00 hours they were directed to lot PP 6 Bent Street, Wortmanville, where Dover had managed to take the occupants hostage. Inside that house were Ryan
Dowding, his 13-year-old daughter and his babysitter. His wife was at work. Dowding said that the now dead Dover pointed a gun at him while ordering him to remain silent. During the ordeal Dover demanded hot water and salt for his injured foot which was now heavily bandaged. The hostage situation continued with Dover demanding that Dowding keep watch for the police who were scouring every yard along the way. It was not long before the police reached the house and saw the blood trail leading upstairs. The ranks entered the home through a back window. Not long after neighbours heard rapid gunfire. Dover was fatally shot and a black Glock 17 pistol number BBPN 976 and ten live rounds were removed from his person. Barrow was pronounced dead at scene by EMT Cleveland King and escorted to Lyken Funeral Home. While Dover was taken to the GPHC and pronounced dead by Dr. Rose, his body is also lying at Lyken. The police have since confirmed that the gun found on Dover was stolen from Odinga Wills, a 24 year-old security guard attached to KGM Security Services. He was relieved of one 9mm pistol number BBPN 976 with 14 matching rounds, property of the said security services about 01:30 hours Friday. Tw o C h i n e s e N a t i o n a l s were also robbed in the process. Barrow was found with a .38 Rossi revolver and two live matching rounds. A number of family members had gathered at the scene of the crime and where seen crying for the now dead bandits.
ExxonMobil did not force our hands -Trotman tells Parliamentary Committee Persons, who were convinced that ExxonMobil took advantage of Guyana and forced an oppressive contract upon the country, were proven wrong on Friday when Minister Raphael Trotman, appeared before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources. Trotman told the Committee chaired by People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP), Odinga Lumumba that the new sweetheart clauses which feature the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with the Oil giant were all introduced by Guyana. Trotman even admitted that some provisions, like the dreaded Stability Clause, can be attributed to the handy cut and paste skills of the Government. Lumumba specifically asked Trotman, “who initiated the changes to the 2016 agreement.” Trotman responded, “the Government of Guyana did Sir.” Lumumba asked why. Trotman responded, “We did it because of the threat of Venezuela.” Trotman recalled that days after ExxonMobil announced the oil find offshore Guyana, Venezuela issued a decree claiming almost two thirds of Guyana. Trotman claimed that all of government’s decisions since were predicated on the fact that Venezuela was out to cause trouble. The Natural Resources Minister claimed that Guyana wanted a company with the might of ExxonMobil and so it decided to do whatever was needed to be done to keep the company.
“We wanted to anchor Exxon into our waters and let them know that we are a serious government and we are serious about the development of our oil resources. As the sectoral meeting continued, Trotman’s colleague, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan shot a question that allowed Trotman to speak more on the contract. He asked Trotman to clear up some of the “misconceptions” being peddled in the media. Trotman said that the list is long but he would not go through it. Nevertheless, Trotman noted that the Stability Clause which he said is often “under attack” was not crafted by ExxonMobil. Trotman said that that clause was plucked from the 2012 contract secured by Anadarko. The Minister said that with the threat of Venezuela hanging over Guyana’s waters, companies need assurances. “Because of the threat from Venezuela, companies want to know that the government will not cave in or try to renegotiate.” It is not clear how such a clause can protect companies from Venezuela. Nevertheless, Trotman was clear, “The contract was not one given to Guyana or fed to us by Exxon. It was our contract which we chose to update.” The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the terms of the contract are generous to ExxonMobil. Locals think that the contract is lopsided. Trotman has now made it clear that Guyana willingly decided to put Guyana in the position the country only found out about in December last, over a year after the contract was signed.
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8 Small Changes for a Slimmer You in 2018 It’s that time of year again. People are rushing to buy gym memberships and cleaning out kitchen cabinets, swearing that this year will be the year they follow through on their resolution to lose weight.But reaching that goal doesn’t require a complete lifestyle overhaul. Small steps can make a big difference in your body and health. Here are eight ways to get started:· Break it down. No matter how much you have to lose, changing your lifestyle to lose weight can seem overwhelming. So, don’t look at it all at once, advises nutritionist Samantha Heller, from NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. “Look at it one plate at a time, or even one choice at a time, but start right now, and by this time next month, you’ll see good changes,” she said. Instead of thinking about how you need to lose 40 pounds, figure out what 5 percent of your body weight is. For a 180-pound person, it’s 9 pounds.“If you lose 5 percent of your body weight, you can significantly decrease your risk of many diseases, like prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease. You lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and A1C [a long-term measurement of blood sugar levels], and it’s so much less overwhelming to think about,” Heller noted. · Strive for a negative calorie balance. For years, you’ve probably heard that to lose a pound, you need to eat 3,500 fewer calories (the number of calories in a pound), but research has shown that it’s not necessarily that simple.
Nutritionist Maudene Nelson, from Columbia University Health in New York City, said, “It works mathematically, but it doesn’t work physiologically. The body defends its weight,” she explained. But you do need a negative calorie balance to lose weight — that means you need to take in fewer calories than you use in activity and exercise to lose weight. Both Nelson and Heller said very low-calorie diets don’t work in the long term because the body goes into starvation mode. “You don’t want to lose weight too quickly, because it scares the body into thinking there’s no food available,” Heller said. · Plate it.Nelson loves the simplicity of the plate method. Half of your plate should be vegetables, one quarter is protein and one quarter is starch. If you finish your plate, and you’re still hungry, she said be sure to refill your plate in the same way. “Don’t just refill on the mac n’ cheese,” she advised. In the morning, you can substitute fruit for the veggies. · Identify trouble times. Nelson asks her clients to think about the time of day they have the most trouble with food. Is it the time just before dinner when the kids are clamoring for food and you’re starving and so tired
you don’t feel like cooking, so you stop at the fast-food drive-thru. Or is it at night when the house has quieted down and you can finally sit down, maybe with a glass of wine and late-night snack? “In these times of day, it’s hard to think about how many calories you’re eating. These are times you don’t want to stop and think about self-denial. So plan for these times. Have healthy snacks ready. Make sure you have ingredients for a quick meal in the fridge so you don’t have to rely on fast-food,” Nelson suggested. · Add protein to every meal. Protein helps keep your blood sugar levels from spiking and then crashing. Without at least a little protein in your meal, you’ll be hungry soon after eating because of a fast rise and fall in your blood sugar.Nelson said to set yourself up for success by planning rewards. Whether it’s for walking a mile, or for tracking your meals for a week, give yourself more than a pat on the back. It doesn’t have to be a big treat — maybe you could buy that magazine you enjoy but usually don’t purchase, or a special body lotion because it’s pricier than what you normally spend. https:// medlineplus.gov/news/ fullstory_170678.html.
Even levels of air pollution deemed “safe” by U.S. government standards may shorten the life spans of seniors, new research suggests. In fact, hundreds of older Americans may die prematurely each year due to the effects of dirty air, the study found. The finding stems from a computer prediction analysis that correlated fine particle and ozone pollution levels between 2000 and 2012 with death rates on roughly 93 percent of all Americans who were covered by Medicare at the time. “This is the most comprehensive study of short-term exposure to pollution and mortality to date,” said senior study author Francesca Do-
minici, co-director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative in Boston.“We found that the mortality rate increases almost linearly as air pollution increases. Any level of air pollution, no matter how low, is harmful to human health,” Dominici said in a Harvard news release. During the study period, 22 million people covered by the investigation died. While the study only found an association, the investigators found that for every tiny incremental increase in either particulate pollution or ozone levels, the daily death rate bumped up between roughly 0.5 and 1 percent. Though the figures may seem small, Dominici and her
colleagues pointed out that it adds up when multiplied across the entire population of American seniors, amounting to more than 7,100 premature deaths over the study period. What’s more, the research team noted that some groups of seniors are even more vulnerable to such exposure, with low-income seniors facing a three times higher risk than more well-off seniors. In a similar vein, women were found to face a 25 percent greater premature death risk following pollution and ozone exposure compared with men. The same was true of nonwhite Americans, relative to their white peers. https://medlineplus.gov/ news/fullstory_170680.html.
Air Pollution Can Be Deadly for Seniors
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
Deadpool 2 proves the first movie was no fluke When the original Deadpool arrived in theaters, it was a breath of fresh air. Comics fans may have already been familiar with the smartassed “merc with a mouth,” but in the context of modern superhero movies, both the character and the self-referential style of the 2016 film were a subversive delight. Deadpool’s creators clearly knew how silly superhero movies had become, recognized that audiences also knew it, and mixed it all up into an R-rated romp that brought in more than $780 million worldwide, while costing just a fraction of the price tag on an average DC or Marvel tentpole. But studios and filmmakers learned the lessons of Deadpool quickly, with James Mangold’s Logan embracing the visceral intensity an Rrating can allow, and Marvel practically lampooning itself with Taika Waititi’s hilarious Thor: Ragnarok. We now live in a post-Deadpool world, and with the element of surprise no longer part of its arsenal, the inevitable Deadpool 2 has to go about the more traditional business of crafting a sequel that delivers on fan expectations, while also giving them just enough of a fresh twist that the entire thing doesn’t feel completely cynical. The result isn’t as novel as the original, or as effortlessly kinetic, but it is nevertheless a joke-packed action film that continues to deliver on the character’s potential, while opening up the door to an even bigger series of sarcastic superhero adventures. Even though the film is about a character who’s all swagger and almost no smarts, Deadpool 2 heads in an unexpected direction early on: it makes Deadpool — also known as Wade Wilson — doubt himself. After a personal setback, Wade (Ryan Reynolds) begins to question the point of the superhero business, and it’s only after Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) bring him in as an X-Men trainee that he begins to come around. Deadpool is Deadpool, however, and his arrogant bravado is able to turn even the simplest mission into a complete and utter disaster. Soon, Wade is rendered powerless and thrown into prison alongside a young pyrokinetic mutant named Russell (Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison). With his healing abilities gone, Wade would
prefer to wallow in his angst and simply fade away, but when a time-traveling cybernetic soldier named Cable (a grim Josh Brolin) arrives from the future with murder on his mind, Wade is drawn into donning the Deadpool mask once again. This time, however, he decides to recruit some allies to fight alongside him in his own superhero group: XForce. Some members of X-Force have already been highlighted in the film’s trailers, but those quick two-minute clips don’t reveal that the X-Force shenanigans make up some of the film’s strongest moments. (Atlanta’s Zazie Beetz, as Domino, is particularly memorable.) Where the original movie was able to upend all expectations about what a superhero film should be, Deadpool 2 upends expectations about superhero teamups. And coming off the heels of Avengers: Infinity War, the satire couldn’t be more perfectly timed. It’s no spoiler to say that the X-Force sequences are hilarious, unexpected, and utterly outrageous at times, displaying a freewheeling willingness to cross every line imaginable, in ways that provoke as many cringes as laughs. The meta jokes the first film delighted in are all there and accounted for — Deadpool calls out DC movies, The Goonies, Batman, and Ryan Reynolds’ own lessstunning career performances, among countless others. But they don’t pack quite the same punch this time around. They’re expected at this point, table stakes for the Deadpool character, and many of them have already been spoiled in the movie’s many trailers. Instead, Deadpool 2 feels most confident when it gleefully does the exact opposite of what the audience expects — or, in many cases, what the audience wants — while snarking and smirking the entire way. It’s a mission statement that the film delivers early, in a James Bond-esque credit sequence that literally incorporates the imagined reactions of an outraged audience into
the visuals themselves. It plays almost as a dare for the audience to play along, and whenever the film is able to zig when the audience expects a zag, it simmers with palpable energy. What detracts from the proceedings is that sometimes Deadpool 2 does exactly what viewers should expect, resulting in a movie that feels decidedly uneven at times. One moment the character, and the film, are actively surprising the audience, squeezing out laughs at a rapid clip. Other times, it’s like watching yet another Deadpool commercial or TV spot, with his bro-humor schtick growing less interesting with every passing quip. Deadpool, it seems, is hilarious in doses, and the constant marketing barrage has the side effect of making the actual film feel a little less special. But Ryan Reynolds certainly delivers in the title role. Deadpool continues to feel like the character Reynolds was destined to take on, and he’s able to deftly combine a self-effacing sense of humor with his now-familiar nasal delivery to create as character that’s nearly impossible not to like, no matter what horrible things he says or does (and there are a lot of those). Reynolds is even able to generate real audience sympathy for Wade in some surprisingly touching moments. Josh Brolin as Cable pulls off a similar trick; he’s a menacing half-cyborg most of the time, but by the end he’s actually summoned some vulnerability as well. That trick of combining ironic humor with a touch of authentic human emotion was key to the first film, and the same holds true in Deadpool 2. Rounding out the lead trio in the film is Beetz’ Domino, who is able to give Deadpool a run for his money from nearly the moment she shows up on screen — and it likely won’t be long before audiences start clamoring for a Domino spin-off film. (https:// www.theverge.com/2018/5/ 14/17353740/deadpool-2-review-ryan-reynolds-joshbrolin-marvel)
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The establishment and development of the Institute of Internal Auditors – GUYANA CHAPTER The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Global has declared the month of May, Internal Audit Awareness month, as has been the
practice over the years. The Guyana Chapter of the IIA commenced in April 2000 and is now in its eighteenth year of existence.
Lal Balkaran of the Toronto Chapter of the IIA had played a meaningful role in the establishment of this Chapter. What is the IIA?
The IIA Global was established in 1941 in New York City by a small group of dedicated internal auditors who wanted a professional
organization that would represent their profession, and provide educational activities and standards for the professional practice of internal auditing. Since then, the IIA has become a dynamic international organization that meets the needs of a worldwide body of internal auditors. The IIA’s Mission is to be the primary international professional association, organized on a worldwide basis, and dedicated to the promotion and development of the practice of internal auditing. With over 180,000 members in approximately 180 Chapters, globally, the IIA is proud to be the world leader in certification, education, research, and technological guidance for the profession worldwide. In North America and in the Caribbean, of which the Guyana Chapter is an affiliate, there are approximately 72,000 members. Headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Florida, the IIA is obligated to meeting the needs and development of Internal Auditors worldwide. The Global Institute is committed to: · Providing on an international scale, comprehensive professional development activities, standards for the practice of internal auditing, a code of ethics, and certification of its examinations. · Researching, disseminating, and promoting to its members and to the public throughout the world, knowledge and information concerning, among others, governance, risk management and controls. · Having international conferences worldwide in order to educate members and others about the current practice of internal auditing as it exists in various countries throughout the world. · Bringing together internal auditors from all countries to share information and experiences in internal auditing and promoting education in the field of auditing through local (Guyana), regional (Caribbean) and international meetings. · Providing a Code of Ethics in order to promote an ethical culture in the profession of internal auditing. The Guyana Chapter The Guyana Chapter is part of the Caribbean Eastern District of the IIA. Other countries in this group are Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago. There is also the Caribbean Western District which comprises The Bahamas,
Cayman Islands, Curacao, Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos. The Chapters around the world are the building block of the IIA. This Chapter aims to serve the IIA membership as well as commercial, industrial and governmental organizations. Auditors from both the private and public sectors make up the membership of this Chapter. Representatives from public accounting organizations, educators from the University of Guyana and students interested in the internal auditing field are welcomed to be members. This member diversification provides a real forum for a rich interchange of ideas and information. This Chapter offers an opportunity to share in the latest techniques and approaches to internal auditing through contact with people in similar positions of responsibility. It also provides in-depth research reports, a dynamic education programme, seminars and conferences, and a steady flow of current auditing publications. The major publications are the International Professional Practice Framework and the bimonthly journal the Internal Auditor, featuring articles on the practices and development of internal auditing. There is also a monthly Newsletter and a Tone At The Top, the latter of which focuses on governance issues. Hence these various publications are available to enhance the knowledge and skills of auditors. It also provides both the Private and Public Sectors’ organizations, information on Conferences and Seminars being held internationally, and encourages attendance. This information is normally provided a year in advance. Membership In 2000, the Guyana Chapter started with fifteen members. As of May 2018 it has grown and still growing to eighty. It has encouraged group membership, which requires at least six members. The Ministry of Finance and the Guyana Revenue Authority Internal Audit Units have group membership. Seminars/ On- the- Job Training Over its eighteenth years’ experience, the Guyana Chapter has been actively involved in having Seminars/ Workshops and doing OnThe-Job training of internal auditors under its professional development program. Its first Seminar was held Continued on page 68
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STANDARDS IN FOCUS
Today is World Metrology Day – Focus is on the revision of the SI Units Today May 20, Metrology (Measurement) Institutions around the world join in celebrating World Metrology Day under the theme: Constant evolution of the International System of Units. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards as the National Metrology Institute is proud to be a part of this celebration, as it offers a wide range of measurement services to the industry and commerce in Guyana. The Bureau has also been at the forefront of promoting the use of the SI units (Metric System) in Guyana so as to bring our National measurement system on par with the Global measurement system. The following extract was provided by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIMP) The International System of Units1, the SI, which is based on the second, the metre, the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin, the mole and the candela (the base units), is being revised to update the definitions of four of these units. In November 2018 revised definitions of the kilogram, ampere, kelvin and mole are expected to be approved by the General
Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), the international body responsible for the global comparability of measurements. The revised definitions are expected to come into force on 20 May 2019. The revised definitions will be based on seven physical constants (for example the speed of light, the Planck constant and the Avogadro constant) and are therefore inherently stable. The quantities have been chosen so that the revised definitions will not need to be modified to accommodate future improvements in the technologies used to realize them. The revision of the SI in this way was foreseen in Resolutions of the CGPM adopted in 2011 and 2014. Additional requirements contained in these Resolutions will ensure a smooth transition to the four revised definitions. Most users will not notice the change. Guidance on the practical realization of the units will be available. Users will be able to obtain traceability to the SI from the same sources used at present (the BIPM, national metrology institutes and accredited laboratories). International
comparisons will ensure their consistency. The value of the Planck constant will be chosen to ensure that there will be no change in the SI kilogram at the time of redefinition. The uncertainties offered by NMIs to their calibration customers will also be broadly
unaffected. The ampere and other electrical units, as practically realized at the highest metrological level, will become fully consistent with the definitions of these units. The transition from Continued on page 68
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
Tobacco Act should be enforced without delay By PAT DIAL Smoking and the use of tobacco products have been long controlled in almost all countries and especially in the most developed and intelligent. It is an accepted commonplace that the use of tobacco and tobacco products could cause the deterioration of the user’s health, cause familial tensions and problems in that the smoker has to deploy some of his income to tobacco when food, clothes, education and medical help are badly required by his family. The smoker ’s health deteriorates and he becomes unable to contribute to the economic life of the country or to contribute in a much diminished way. The large numbers who have contracted smoke-related diseases become a burden on the country’s health services. Smokers could infect persons who have absolutely no connection with tobacco by secondary or secondhand smoking when smoking is done in closed or illventilated areas and non-
smokers are forced to inhale the fumes. Second-hand smoking is just as dangerous to health as to the original smoker’s. The tobacco industry in Guyana and tobacco industries all over the world seem to have moved away from their defense of the negative health effects of tobacco. Their strategy seems to have changed - merely to ignore the negative health effects of tobacco and to try to continue business as usual. At the last Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Demtoco nothing was said about consumer interests or concerns. In the past, the Ministry of Public Health appeared to be far more committed to passing legislation and effectuating it and that enthusiasm was communicated to the public. Our take is that the Ministry must be more proactive in educating the public and putting the legislation at work. What remains to have this long-delayed tobacco legislation functional is to have a final meeting between the Ministry and Demtoco to
resolve their concerns. From the media reports, DEMTOCO is primarily interested in the Ministry publishing the Regulations to the Act, but the Ministry’s public relations officer claimed that the Regulations are now being drafted. The drafting of such Regulations should not be a lengthy process since the Regulations used in all Caribbean jurisdictions are much the same. DEMTOCO says it has six main concerns with the Tobacco Control Act. These concerns seem to mainly relate to Part VI of the Act: The Act prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship since such is likely to promote the tobacco industry, directly and indirectly. Advertising a product is usually designed to attract new customers. Non-advertising in no way prevents those who wish to buy the product from so doing. And various promotions, such as sports promotions tend to glamorize the product. The PAHO/WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco gives the same idea
Wife, brother of murdered poultry farm employee testify The wife and brother of murdered Edun Poultry Farm employee Aga Khan, were among the witnesses called to testify earlier this week, when the trial of Mahendra Bishundial continued at the High in Georgetown. Bishundial is charged with the 2012 killing. He is on trial before Justice James Bovell-Drakes and a 12-member mixed jury for the murder which occurred during the course or furtherance of a robbery on November 6, 2012 at Busby Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara. A police release stated that Khan was attacked by four men, one of whom was armed with a handgun and others with knives. Khan was driving motor lorry GJJ 2806 owned by Edun Poultry Farms, east along Busby Dam, when the men walked into the path of the vehicle causing the driver to stop. One of the men then approached Khan and demanded cash. He was shot to his neck in the process. Investigations were carried out and Bishundial was arrested and charged. The murdered man’s wife Sunita Jaigobin told the court that on the day of the killing her husband left home at around 07:00 am for work at Edun Poultry Farm. She said that around 17:00hrs that evening she received a called and as a result went to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre
more succinctly:”The tobacco epidemic is not one that is spread by infection but by promotion and advertisement. Tobacco Advertising, Sponsorship and Promotion glamorize the use of tobacco products with positive personal and social images.” The Legislation also tries to control and eliminate
secondary smoking. Secondary or second-hand smoking is as dangerous to the victim as to the smoker himself. The victim inhales the smoke or fumes expelled by the smoker and is subject to contracting the same diseases and ailments. Accordingly, the Act provides for a smoking ban on indoor public places,
indoor work places, public transportation and also in specified outdoor places including premises of schools and health facilities, and places for commercial service of food and drink. The Regulations to the Act will guide sales and packaging which will be different from what obtains Continued on page 69
Today is World Metrology Day – Focus... From page 67 the 1990 convention to the revised SI will result in small changes to all disseminated electrical units. For the vast majority of measurement users, no action need be taken as the volt will change by about 0.1 parts per million and the ohm will change by even less. Practitioners working at the highest level of accuracy may need to adjust the values of their standards and review their measurement uncertainty budgets. The kelvin will be redefined with no immediate effect on temperature measurement practice or on the traceability of temperature measurements, and for most users, it will pass unnoticed. The redefinition lays the foundation for future improvements. A definition free of material and technological constraints enables the development of new and more accurate techniques for making temperature measurements traceable to the SI, especially at extremes of temperature. After the redefinition, the guidance on the practical realization of the kelvin will support its worldwide dissemination by describing primary methods for measurement of thermodynamic temperature and equally through the defined scales ITS-90 and PLTS-2000. The mole will be redefined with respect to a specified number of entities (typically atoms or molecules) and will no longer depend on the unit of mass, the kilogram. Traceability to the mole can still be established via all previously employed approaches including, but not limited to, the use of mass
measurements along with tables of atomic weights and the molar mass constant. This uncertainty will be so small that the revised definition of the mole will not require any change to common practice. The metre in the revised SI will continue to be defined in terms of the speed of light, one of the fundamental constants of physics. Dimensional metrology practice will not need to be modified in any way and will benefit from the improved long-term stability of the system. The candela will continue to be defined in terms of Kcd, a technical constant for photometry and will therefore continue to be linked to the watt. Traceability to the candela will still be established with the same measurement uncertainty via radiometric methods using absolutely-calibrated detectors. The SI has been revised several times since its formal adoption by the CGPM in 1960. However, redefining four base units at one time is unprecedented, requiring simultaneous world-wide collaborations in diverse fields of metrology. As in the past, care has been taken to ensure that there will be no perceptible impact on daily life and that measurements made with previous definitions of the units remain valid within their measurement uncertainties. Few users outside national metrology laboratories will notice the changes. Reaching the experimental accuracies and fulfilling the conditions requested in the CGPM resolutions has been a remarkable accomplishment, which will ensure that the SI continues to meet the needs of even the most demanding users.
The establishment and development...
MURDERED: Aga Khan
Mahendra Bishundial
where she saw her husband lying motionless on a stretcher. According to Jaigobin, the dead man was clad in a white T-Shirt with what appeared to be blood on it. For his part, the dead man’s brother, Sharif Khan, testified to identifying the remains of his brother to Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh on November 9, 2012 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Mortuary Also testifying was Saeed Edun, who told the court that Aga Khan was one of his employees. According to the poultry farmer, on that tragic day, Aga Khan collected the keys to Canter truck GJJ 2806, while another employee uplifted the bill books and a cellular phone. Edun said that around 17:00hrs that said day, he
received a phone call from his wife which caused him to leave their home at Busby Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara. The witness said that the Canter truck was parked along the Dam and he saw Aga Khan and another employee lying inside in a crouching position. The poultry farmer recalled that he transported the injured men to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, after which, he left for the Grove Police Station to inquired about what had transpired. He disclosed that a total of $48,000 was missing from the Canter truck. The murder accused is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes. Leading the case for the state is prosecutor Mandel Moore. This trial is continuing.
From page 66 on 9 June 2000. It is the standard practice to have at least three Seminars a year. The topics at these Seminars are carefully determined and relate to current day operations. The Chapter’s Seminars are always well attended by participants of both the public and private sectors, and also cooperative entities. The Presenters/ Facilitators for these Seminars are required to meet the IIA Global Standards. Hence if a Presenter is not available locally, then the Chapter goes overseas. Some of our core Overseas Presenters over the years who are worthy of mention are Claire Gomez and Larry Kowlessar of Trinidad and Tobago, the late Barry Robinson of Jamaica, and Lal Balkaran of Canada. This Chapter has also being doing on-thejob training at the Ministry of Finance, the Guyana Revenue Authority, and Guyana Forestry Commission which entities will advise on the topics to cover for their auditors’ training. Certification The IIA Global provides certification for the examinations it offers. There are, among others, the Certified Internal Auditors (CIA), the Certified Government Auditor Professional (CGAP), the Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA), and Certified Risk Management Assurance (CRMA). Lindsay Bascom was the first Guyanese to do this examination locally and be designated a CIA in 2005. That same year he was recognised and honoured by IIA Global. Others have followed subsequently such as Deodat Indar, Ramesh Seebarran and
Chateram Ramdial, only to mention a few. Practicing internal auditors are being encouraged by this Chapter to do the exams offered by the IIA Global and indeed there is a good response by both members and nonmembers. The Leadership of the Guyana Chapter Over the years the leadership of this Chapter has been- John Seeram from 2000 – 2011, Deodat Indar, 2011 -14, Jaigopaul Ram 2015-16, Jaishree Lam 2016-17, and Devi Kaladeen 2017-18. All the Presidents of this Chapter were/ are well qualified to perform in this position. The Way Forward After eighteenth years, the IIA Guyana Chapter is now well established and having a meaningful role in the development of the internal auditing profession in Guyana under the guidance of its global body. It continues to disseminate auditing information through IIA publications, Seminars and On-The-Job Training. Auditors are encouraged to seek membership and certification by doing the Institute’s examinations. For the internal auditing profession to be developed in Guyana, it has to and is maintaining a good working relationship with its stakeholders in both the private and public sectors. This Chapter continues to follow the Global Institute’s motto which is “Progress through sharing.” John Seeram IIA Guyana Chapter
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Tobacco Act should be... WANT
FOR RENT
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6004212: We create A/works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 USA Graduate. Hair, Waxing, Eyebrow threading & Colour. 39 Greenwich park, Public road EBE. Tel: 661-0019 Customized Salon Furniture, Kitchen cupboards, Drawface, Cabinets, Doors etc. 39 Greenwich Park Public road EBE. #661-0019
SALON Make-up Courses with Mac, B a r e M i n e r a l s , etc.Cosmetology Courses: $90,000 Nail Technician Course: $35,000. Call: 647-1773/688-0009
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS) TOLET (1) bedroom apartment, living room and bathroom 294 Fourth field, Cummings Lodge. Call:222-0401, preferably UG students Grilled 2 bedroom A/c Bottom flat, Back up electricity, DSL, Optional alarm- South Riumveldt Gardens. #618-8436
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. (1) One Bobcat miniexcavator model#322. Contact: 5005923/676-8764 One enclosed canter 3 ton wide base, Good condition $2.6M #604-0204/264-0041 (2) 1993 Toyota Hilux single cab pickup, 2 generator, 1 compressor #682-8424 Prime residential house lot, brand new lobby set, 32" flat screen TV & AC unit $3M Tel#656-1345 Apartment buliding includes (1) 3 bedroom, (1) 2 bedroom 1 studio location Lamaha Park, Georgetown, $60,000,000 Neg. Call: 681-2500
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Prime Office on Camp Street, next to Shell gas station #6447724/639-4499/622-9560. Prime Business Place 1680 Sq Ft located at 36 Grove Public Road EBD. Contact No: 2662605/672-8017 (1) 3 bedroom house in Herstelling EBD furnish or unfurnished. Call Farah: 6848223 Newly built & painted. Two(2) bedroom apartment for rent Lot 6 Houston Back Street, EBD. Contact: #6216427 Apartment in Better Hope, Bottom flat. $40,000/month Contact: 672-0922/672-1077
(1) Pitbull Minibus 19 seater, Price negotiable, owner leaving country. Contact: 6099365 Unregistered Mazda Axela 2011, New shape, dark interior, fully loaded. #617-5536 $2.4 Mil. Tractor (foreign used) Massey Ferguson excellent condition 165 $1.6M MF 135 $1.1M MF 265 $2.2M 165 loader, tractor $2.4M @ Vreeden-hoop. Call: 682-5230/6154414 Pickup truck from Canada,double cab 2005 Tacoma $2.1 M, Ford F150 sport $1.5M, Ford ranger sport $1.2M. Call: 682-5230, 6154414. EDUCATION IAE- Register for CXC, full time evening & adult classes. Mathematics, English, Business & Science subjects #683-5742/621-7365 First Aid/CPR course Available at St John Ambulance Brigade on Saturdays- Morning sessions. Call: 225-9082
VACANCY Experienced salesgirls with CXC qualifications & 5 yrs experience. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529
Looking to buy a house or empty land, Preferences-EBD Public road. Buyer #1917-6225810/694-3331
Field supervisor to work in Georgetown, must have a motorcycle licence. Contact: 613-1946 or 227-1717
One General domestic, must know to cook. Apply @ Keyfood, next door to Post Office, McDoom. Security personnel to work with a private security firm. Previous experience required. Contact: 500-5923/227-7528
Inventory clerk to work in Georgetown, experience in a work shop environment. Contact: 623-2274 or 227-1717
1 ablebodied male clerk. Call: 231-2029/616-5954
PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/ 6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIAL OFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494
Minibus driver living in G/ town to work with company #646-8748
Male Office clerk 30-55 years old, East Bank Preferable. Call: 226-1100 Male Security supervisor 3055 years old, must have driver’s license. Call: 629-9450
Experienced male sales attendant, stocktaking knowledge, computer literate, excellent service attitude, able bodied. Key Food McDoom Village.
One ½ day domestic #2256571 One driver, must be able to drive manual & automatic. Call: 621-1220, 683-7870. Grill King. Mandela Ave. 1 Pastry Maker. Apply to Pastry Maker Position P.O Box 101821, Georgetown Wanted experience hire car drivers at Princess Ramada Hotel. Contact: 616-5419/2657076 Wanted land anywhere on th West Coast or West Bank. Tel# 642-1252 Experienced land dredge workers. Call: 672-3359 between 08:00hrs-17:00hrs Busy restaurant looking for delivery riders, serious enquiries only. Call: 692-0432, ask for Tonya.
EDUCATION Electronic course, Practical beginning 1st June. Learn to fix flat screen TV’s etc. Abdul Electronics. 225-0391/2266551 Jean offers courses in Dressmaking, curtains, floral, cake decoration, 153 Barr St Kitty Tel#670-2653/638-844 Care for the elderly, Care for children, First aid and CPR G/town 227-4881 Berbice 232-38789 Live and work in Canada in home caregiver programme. Contact: 227-4881
Cashier (Shift work 7am-3pm & 3pm-11pm) submit application to: Shell Service Station Providence EBD/ Shellramsburg@gmail.com
Cook, Pastry maker. Apply @ Shanta’s 225 Camp St.
One Live-in domestic or a couple to work in Mahaicony river. #655-9419 CAR RENTAL
VEHICLE FOR SALE (1) 2006 Toyota Premio, Excellent condition, very low mileage. Call: 698-1134 One 212 car, New Model PWW1790 #665-9967/6824467
WANTED Experienced Drivers,Cashiers, Roti/Puri cooks, Handyboys. Apply Hack’s Halaal with H/ written application 5 Commerce St.
Live in small family, husband duties: driving. Wife: Domestic, Georgetown area. Tel# 227-1830 Layout birds to buy. Tel# 2259304 A&B Wash Bay (Amelia’s Ward) Washbay attendant needed, Linden resident (Adult) Contact: 683-2523 One male/female to make plantain chips, metthai, fudge etc. Call: 650-6420 Domestic help wanted female, Vreed-en-hoop, light house keeping $3000 daily. Call: 6825230/615-4414
Vacancy @ Natural Beauty Salon & Spa for a experienced Nail Technician, if interested please call: 652-5800
From page 68 to-day. Pictorial representations of the effects of tobacco- related diseases will be carried on each box or package and such pictures should be chosen by the Ministry and not the company or tobacco interests. The Ministry has to immediately carry out a comprehensive programme to educate the public of the operations of the Act so that there could be no confusion. For example, the rumour that the Act totally bans smoking should be exorcised. DEMTOCO claims that 23% of the cigarettes imported into the country is contraband and that if the Act is enforced in its present form, the smuggling rate would grow exponentially causing itself to lose profits and Government to lose revenue. The Company has never provided convincing evidence to support these claims. In any case, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has taken the initiative of stamping every individual product imported by DEMTOCO so that these could be easily differentiated from smuggled products, thus greatly controlling smuggling. The Ministry must put the Act in operation without further delay.
Cashiers & Salesgirls apply to Nirva Supermarket; Persons who previously applied are asked to re-apply #227-5771
LAND FOR SALE Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, International Job Opprtunities New Thriving, Massy, HJ for qualified teachers and water world $13M neg- Call: nurses. Contact: 670-9207, 669-8397 227-4881 (2) Prime land (50x100ft) in Duncan street. Contact Pete’s Boat Captain- Certificate of Real Estate, Lot 2 George Competence as Master of a street. #223-6218/623-7805 power driven vessel. Call: 226Herstelling (110ft x 60ft) 2nd 1100,226-5380 Bridge main road $6M Farm Assistant repackaging (East Bank) $2.8M Parfaite machine operators, previous Harmonie $1.5M Tel# 656experience working with 0701 packaging machine. Apply @ Uivlugt (100ft x 50ft) with Alabama Trading, 65 Robb St, Reserve $2.4M Schnoord Bourda. (100ftx50ft) with reserve $2.6M 1 male Internet Cafe attendant Herstelling $2M Tel#651-1969 R&A Mobile Tech Cafe, 2 acres of title land situated President College Road, ECD @ 1st St Garden of Eden EBD Call: 627-2020/696-6849 $6.5M Neg. Call Terrence #638-7836. email: PROPERTY FOR SALE Latchmanrich@gmail.com Parfaite Harmonie $1.7M/2M Uitvlugt $2.5M Tel#697-6311 Large Developed fenced lot, bearing fruit trees, all utilities located @ Zeeburg WCD. Unfinished property for sale Tel# 277-0024/659-1206 @ Eccles. Contact: 682-8236 Prime residential house lot, New building with two brand new lobby set, 32" flat apartment downstairs for screen TV & AC unit $3M sale.10 minutes from Tel#656-1345 Georgetown .Call:675-1510/ PROPERTY FOR SALE 613-7964 3 story commercial Two storeyed 4 bedroom building,120ftX60ft Building house with two large lots, all 62ftX30ft Location- Lot 1486, amenitites, located @ Plot B Herstelling, EBD, Zeeburg WCD. Tel# 277-0024/ reduced price Contact: 609659-1206 3777/696-0522 Lot 15 Public road #2 Village. West Coast Berbice. 49ft by 10,314ft. $18M. Contact:6487109/686-4818
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Minister Harmon conducts community outreaches in three West Coast communities
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) DREO, Ms. Jennifer Ferreira-Dougal, Pandit Somnauth Sharma, devotees and other well-wishers at the Akshar Dhaam Ashram.
M
inister of State, Joseph Harmon, on Friday, committed to working with residents of De Kinderen Village and the Boerasirie Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC). His visit was intended to address the dilapidated roads
and irregular maintenance of drainage channels in those communities. The Minister pledged during the community visits to use the information he gained from having a firsthand look at the challenges, to work with stakeholders to mitigate the risk of flooding during the impending rainy season and ensure that the conditions of the roads are addressed in the affected ar-
eas. Residents accused the Tuschen/Uitvlugt Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) of depriving them of services that residents are benefiting from in other communities. NDC Vice Chairman, Mr. Colbert Leander said that De Kinderen Village is being stifled. “Other roads in other communities [are] fixed. [It is] $200 per mile [from the high-
Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) DREO, Ms. Jennifer Ferreira-Dougal, members of the Tushcen/ Uitvlugt NDC and residents walk about one of the potholed roads in De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara.
way] into the community,” he said. Resident, Mr. Michael Sanders, expressed similar concerns. “The NDC neglecting De Kinderen drainage canals. It is discrimination,” he said. At Orderline Road, De Kinderen, residents raised similar concerns about the single lane dilapidated road. NDC Councillor Andrew Haynes said that he was particularly concerned about the
fact that a potable water pipeline that serves the community runs alongside the road in the drain. Minister Harmon said that he would look into the matter to determine how the concerns can be addressed. Meanwhile, during a visit to the Akshar Dhaam Ashram at Onderneeming, La Parfaite Harmonie, Minister Harmon lauded Pandit Somnauth Sharma’s ambitious plan to
develop the lot adjacent to the mandir to serve as a humanitarian and vocational community training centre. The Minister said that he is very impressed with the plans and will give his full support to the project which aims to renew the spiritual and moral values of the people. It will also provide training. “Whatever we can do to improve the quality of life of (Continued on page 72)
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
Guyana Police Force boosted by 150 new ranks
2018 graduating Officiers
S
ome 150 new con stables were added to the Guyana Police Force after successfully com-
pleting a rigorous six months of training, at the Felix Austin Police College, which began on November 20, 2017.
Minister Harmon... From page 71 people in this community, I think we have to do it; it is important. Too many of our young people are actually falling through the cracks in society. We have to build some additional social safety nets to actually catch them and bring them back up into society as useful citizens… “I see that this facility will play an important part in building the social, moral values and creating and teaching people skills for life,” Minister Harmon said. Pandit Sharma said that plans had been advancing, since 2015, to establish the
centre to provide counselling, literacy and vocational training to all the youths of the housing scheme. “We have done a lot of surveys to prove that in this housing development, we have people who really need this kind of help, whether in education, in agriculture and in every form of training to make lives better,” he said. Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara (Region Three) Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO), Ms. Jennifer Ferreira-Dougal and officers attached to her department also attended the community outreach exercises.
The graduation ceremony or “Passing Out” parade was held in the Tactical Services Unit Square, Eve Leary, Georgetown on Friday. The new ranks, from courses ‘367’, ‘368’, ‘369’, 36 ‘B’ (one & two) and 14 ‘G’, were congratulated for their discipline and zeal and encouraged to perform their services in accordance with their ‘high calibre’ training. Senior Superintendent, Fazil Karimbaksh, noted that over 100 civilians from differ-
ent backgrounds entered the course and were transformed into Law Enforcement Officers.The graduating recruits were given domestic violence training along with other skills that encompassed the various areas of work they will be involved in. These include practices and procedures of physical training, self-defence and martial arts, first aid, stress and anger management, communication skills, operational readiness, English Language,
and human rights. The ranks were also taught about traffic, crime, information technology and other essential aspects of policing. “These skills will help them in building their capacity... [these skills will] fully equip them for a life of service to our country,” Karimbaksh noted. The Senior Superintendent further charged the ranks to be outstanding and to demonstrate great integrity in the execution of their duties.
The ranks were also thanked for their service and sacrifice. Trophies were presented to the ‘best student’ and ‘runner-up’ of each course as well as the best English student, and most improved students. An impressive drilling display also featured during the ceremony. This year’s training theme was “Forging ahead with professionalism and intelligence-led policing in collaboration with stakeholders.”
Convicted prisoner admits to threatening to kill president
F
ive months after a convicted prisoner was charged for calling the emergency number 911 on several occasions and threatening to kill President David Granger, he appeared in court yesterday and was jailed after changing his
plead. It is alleged that Alim Ally, on November 19 at the Lusignan Prison, via the emergency number 911, he threatened to kill the President, and on the same day, he called the emergency number 911 and threatened to shoot-up the Brickdam Police Station. It was further alleged that on November 10, at the Lusignan Prison in the Essequibo Magisterial District, via the emergency number 911, he threatened to kill President David Granger and on the same day, called the emergency number 911 and threatened to shoot at the Brickdam Police Station to cause public terror. The calls were made at three different times of the day and he spoke with three different operators. Ally is currently serving a five- ye a r p r i s o n
Jailed Alim Ally
sentence, for assault causing actual bodily harm at the Lusignan Prison. He pleaded guilty and w a s s e n t e n c e d to one month imprisonment on each of the three threatening language charges and six months imprisonment on the
charge of causing public terror. The sentences were imposed by Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Vigilance Magistrates’ Courts. The sentences will run concurrently with the fiveyear he is currently serving.
Repossessed BiShanLin forest ... From page 16 grown to be one of the biggest holders of State forests in Guyana. There was evidence that little was done to curtail its activities here, many of them illegal.Just recently, BaiShanLin again hit the news, after it was discovered that despite its forestry concessions being taken away by GFC, the company was ille-
gally working its trucks and equipment in Berbice. GFC seized a truck of logs reportedly illegally harvested from a Berbice concession once under the control of BaiShanLin. That matter is under investigation. Authorities like GFC and the Guyana Revenue Authority have been attempting to collect millions of dollars from the company in taxes and roy-
alties. However, there are few assets that can be found. It appears that some of the equipment, including excavators and trucks, was shifted to gold mining concessions now controlled by principals of the company. BaiShanLin owes some $80M to the commission, but also has a larger debt to settle with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Sunday May 20, 2018
Seaton, Raekwon, Mahaica, Persaud Gonsalves, Lewis... From page 76 girls 9-10 100m backstroke in 1:43.42 while Jason Allen of Dorado Speed Club took the boys title in the said division. Patrice Mahaica of Dolphin SCC bagged the girls 11-12 100m backstroke in a time of 1:18.78 ahead of Aleka Persaud of Orca SSC in 1:19.31 and Monique Watson of Dorado SSC in 1:22.38. Noel Raekwon claimed the boys 11-12 100m backstroke in 1:18.20; Donna Carter won the girls 13-14 100m backstroke in 1:20.26. Seaton fine form continued in the boys 1314 100m backstroke which he won in 1:13.06, while
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Antonio Rodrigues took the boys 15-17100m backstroke in 1:12.97. Xiomara Getrouw of Orca claimed the girls 18 and 100m backstroke in 1:15.25, while Monique Watson captured the girls 11-12 200m breaststroke in 3:13.01. The boys 11-12 200m breaststroke was taken by Ethan Gonsalves in 3:13.23; Latisha Blair claimed the girls 13-13 200m breaststroke in 3:53.15. Seaton grabbed the boys 13-14 200m breaststroke in 3:25.29 while Rayvon Pires claimed the boys 15-17 200m breaststroke in 3:0919. Latisha Blair won the girls 13-14 800m freestyle in 12:33.42 while Joseph
Mathew claimed the boys 13-14 800m freestyle in 12:20.67. Monique Watson captured the girls 11-12 200m backstroke 3:00.02 while Vladimir Woodroffe claimed the boys 11-12 200m backstroke in 2:57.62; Donna Carter took the girls 13-14 200m backstroke in 2:57.90 and Sekhel Tzedeq the boys 13-14 200m backstroke in 2:39.97. Daniel Claxton took the top podium spot in the boys 13-14 200m backstroke in 3:28.79, while Fitzroy Thom took gold in the boys 15-17 200m backstroke in 2:39.79. The competition concludes today.
Sunday May 20, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) It might be hard to find the exact direction you're looking for today, Aries. It could be that there's a strong force urging you to slow down and be more practical with your energy. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Just when you're feeling good and solid in your plan, Taurus, something or someone may step in to rain on your parade. GEMINI(May 21–June 20) Restriction might weigh heavily on you today, Gemini. Perhaps you're being reminded that there are some important details that you need to take care of. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Try not to worry too much today. Take care of details and work to get things accomplished. Check things off your list and you'll feel much better about yourself
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You will find that disciplined actions are the best way to go about your day today, Libra. Stay focused on your path. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Decisions will be even more difficult to make than usual today, Scorpio. On the one hand, you may feel a need to stabilize, while on the other hand find that your energy is raging SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) There's a solid grounding to the day that might have you feeling less than energetic about getting the ball rolling, Sagittarius. CAPRI (Dec.22–Jan.19) Things will go more and more in your favor over the next four weeks, Capricorn, although today you might find that they're slow to get moving. It could be that there is a bit of stress on your body
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Aspects of your life that you've neglected lately might haunt you on a day like today, Leo. Make sure you're keeping up with all your responsibilities.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Discipline and a sense of duty have been major themes for you lately, Aquarius. It might seem like someone has put the brakes on a current plan of yours. Try not to see this as negative.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You might find it easier to connect with others at this time, Virgo. It would behoove you to reconnect with friends or family members you may have lost touch with.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your ego and physical vitality should experience a boost today. Try to hone in on the solid, grounding energy that's encouraging you to come to terms with your emotions.
Success Village... From page 81 tournament will also have programmes beyond the boundaries and fans are urged to take advantage of these opportunities. Teams still have a chance to register and can do so with the following reps: Berbice- Pinky Arhtur – 615-2493; Ravi Ramnarine – 642-1206/ Celeb Morris - ; Upper East Coast – Herman Persaud – 643-3033; Rafman Ally – East Bank/Linden/ Lower East Coast/ Georgetown – 654-2233; West Demerara615-2874 – Premnauth Bimchan – 6709982’ Ravendra Ramgobin276-1381;Rawle Higgins667-6374; In case teams are unable to contact reps they can call Mortimer Denny on 687-3326; 442-1562.
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Sunday May 20, 2018
Kaieteur News
GASA Independence Swim Meet
Seaton, Raekwon, Mahaica, Persaud Gonsalves, Lewis shine on day two By Zaheer Mohamed Leon Seaton, Noel Raekwon, Patrice Mahaica, Aleka Persaud Ethan Gonsalves, Shareefah Lewis swam brilliantly as they give the fans much to cheer about when the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Independence Swim meet continued yesterday at the National Aquatic Centre, Lilliendaal. Ethan Gonsalves of Dorado Speed Swim Club won the boys 11-12 200m butterfly in a time of 2 minutes 52.55 seconds ahead of his club mates Vladimir Woodroffe (3:16.35) and Elliott Gonsalves (3:29.89). Latisha Blair of Silver Sharks Aquatic Club claimed the girls 13-14 200m butterfly in 3:36.16. Leon Seaton of Silver
Sharks Aquatic Club blazed the pool in the boys 13-14 200m butterfly, winning the event in a time of 2:46.66 ahead of his team mate Daniel Claxton who clocked 3:20.35. Shareefah Lewis of Swim Academy Sea Otters captured the girls 8 and under 13-14 400m breaststroke in 52.09 seconds, while Jasmin Allen of Dorado Speed Swim Club placed second in 55.87 and Megan Scott of Dolphin Speed Swim Club was third in 58.81. Joseph Matthew won the boys 13-14 400m IM in 7:08.59. The girls 9-10 50m breaststroke was taken by Kayla Hardy of Sea Otters in 45.95, while Zara Crane of Dorado Speed Swim Club finished second in 46.09 seconds and her club mate Kyra Soares third in 48.74. Micah Chichester of Dolphin Speed Swim Club copped the boys 9-10 50m breast-
Leon Seaton
Noel Raekwon
stroke in 44.47 ahead of his club mate Jeron Sookram in 47.39 and Jeremy Sookram 49.01 respectively. Ethan Rodrigues of Dorado Speed Swim Club claimed the boys 9-10 50m breaststroke in 59.96, while Monique Watson of Dorado Swim Speed Club won the girls 11-12 50m breaststroke in 41.28.
Noel Raekwon of Sea Otters grabbed the boys 11-12 50m breaststroke in 39.22 seconds, while Ethan Gonsalves of Dorado Speed Swim Club took the runner up spot in 39.23 and Jaleel Anderson of Sea Otters third in 42.23. Sifia Pinol of Sea Otters took the top podium spot in the girls 13-14 50m breaststroke in 43.75 while Leon
Patrice Mahaica and Alika Persaud Seaton won the boys equivalent in 36.81. The boys 15-17 50m breaststroke was taken by Antonio Rodrigues of Orca Speed Swim Club in 34.98
while Phillip De Nobrega of Sea Otters took the boys 18 50m breaststroke in 35.42. Ariel Rodrigues of Orca Speed Swim Club claimed the (Continued on page 75)
Sunday May 20, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Curtis Dey wins Powerade Cycle race Under a steaming midday sun in strong breeze, Berbician Curtis Dey yesterday won the 35-lap Powerade School Boys and Invitational Cycle race in the National Park. Jamal John finished second, while Andrew Hicks was third. Christopher Griffith, Briton John and Silvio Innis reached the finish line in that order for a bunch time of 1:14:56.09. Speaking after the presentation, Dey said the race was an easy one for him despite the strong breeze. “There is not a lot of cycling in Berbice so the riders are forced to come to Georgetown for races if they wanted to improve,” Dey stated. Dey said he is ready for today’s race around the outer circuit of the National Park and while he says today’s race should be a tougher
event, he informed the prize money is a big motivating factor for him. Results: Boys and Girls 12- 14 three laps - 1st Steve Bhimsen, 2nd David Hicks, 3rd Jonathan Ramsuchit. Ve t e r a n s U-45: 1stJunior Niles, 2nd Steve Ramsuchit, 3rd Clement Doris. Over 50: Shameer Baksh, 2nd Linden Blackman, 3rd Kevin Jeffery. Juveniles: 1st Briton John, 2nd Adealie Hodge, 3rd Hameswar Dhanai Mountain bikes: 1st Sean Budhan. B M X 6 - 9 y r s: 1st Jahvin Henry, 2nd Jared Barrington, 3rd Dhanesh Bhimsen. BMX 9-12: 1st Jaheme Henry, 2nd Jared Barrington BMX 12-14: 1st Taran Garbarran, 2nd Jaheme Henry, 3rd Marvin Knights.
Berbician Curtis Dey (middle) won the Schoolboys & Invitation 35-lap race from Jamal John & Andrew Hicks yesterday.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday May 20, 2018
Troy Doris to Visit Guyana The National Sports Commission (NSC) has extended an invitation to 2018 Commonwealth gold medalist, Mr. Troy Doris, to visit Guyana during the week of Guyana’s 52nd Independence anniversary celebrations to which he has accepted. Mr. Doris, will arrive in country on Monday 21, May, a release from the NSC has informed. Inclusive of a number of scheduled meetings and courtesy calls, Mr. Doris will be a special guest at the NSC’s sports award and dinner which will be held on Tuesday May 22 at the Savannah Suite Pegasus Hotel. This will see over 57 individuals including Sportsmen and Sportswomen as well as Sport Administrators and Journalists being awarded for their outstanding performance in 2017, be it Locally, Regionally or Internationally, the release stated. Mr. Doris, during his stay, is scheduled to visit students of the mining town of Linden, Region 10; call on Her Worship the Mayor of Georgetown and councilors, Hon. Minister of
Troy Doris Social Coheson, Dr. George Norton and His. Excellency President David Granger; and will attend the 52nd Flag Raising Ceremony at D’urban Park among other engagements. Corporate Guyana and Government agencies lending support to this include: Airline of choice Fly Jamaica, Princess Ramada Hotel, Kings Jewelry, Ministry of Public Health, Guyana Carnaval and others, it was disclosed.
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 20, 2018
PAGE 79
Chase Academy romp to 3rd consecutive GT title
Three times defending GT champs Chase Academy beat North GT secondary yesterday at Everest in the GT final.
C
hase Academy continued their dominance in local school cricket defeating North Georgetown Secondary by 37 runs in a truncated Georgetown Zone f i n a l o f t h e GCB/DMLAS/NSC National Secondary School’s 30-over Cricket League yesterday at the Everest ground to capture their third
consecutive GT Zone title. On the back of 23 from National U-17 all-rounder Dwain Dick, Chase who elected to bat on slow tack on a sluggish outfield after play finally commenced at Noon in bright sunshine due to heavy overnight rain in a contest reduced to a 20 over affair, reached 117-7. Orlando Giddings (19), Thameshwar Permaul (18)
and West Indies U-16 Captain Sachin Singh (17) all wasted good starts before Tairhys Payne with an unbeaten 15 and Maxiflik Halley (6) ensured they batted out the 20 overs with an unbroken stand of 23. Spinners Shivanand Gosain (3-11) and Wayne Bollers (2-26) bowled well for the Woolford Avenue School who were restricted to 89-3 when their 20 overs expired. Bollers, a pint size right hander from Malteenoes, displayed excellent technique to finish unbeaten on 41 decorated with three elegantly timed boundaries. Chase quickly lost
Garrick Persaud (7) as Afeilie Henry struck at 15-1. Singh joined opener Thameshwar Permaul to take the score to 40 before Marvan Permaul bowled Singh for 17. Bollers then got rid of Permaul at 59-3 before Giddings departed at 77-4 off Bollers. Dick was just beginning to look threatening when was removed by Gosain who picked two quick wickets before Halley and Bollers batted to the end. Chase now face-off with the East Coast Demerara zone winners in their next match. (Sean Devers)
Wayne Bollers cuts guides one past point in his unbeaten 41 in a losing effort for NGS at Everest yesterday.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday May 20, 2018
WIFBSC 2018 Championships – Barbados
Team Guyana arrive, confident of defending titles – Captain Dylan Fields By Franklin Wilson in Barbados in association with Industrial Safety Supplies Inc. and Fitness Express
D
ebutant Captain of the Guyana National Rifle A s s o c i a t i o n (GuyanaNRA) Fullbore Team in Barbados, Dylan Fields says he is confident that the rulers of the fullbore range in the Caribbean will be retaining the Short, Long Range and Individual titles when this year’s action fires off at the Paragon Ranges here. The team arrived in the Land of the ‘Flying Fish’ yesterday afternoon and will be making their way to the range for a practice session today ahead of what is
anticipated to be fierce action from tomorrow when the Individual competition gets underway. Fields, who is at the helm of the team for the first time in his 32-year shooting career as a result of regular Captain Mahendra Persaud not being around due to illness, said the selection of the team for the Team matches would be done after the Individual competition on Wednesday. “We’re going to shoot this competition and pick a team at the end of the individual competition . That’s the plan, to see and select the best team going forward rather than pre selecting and that’s the reason we haven’t selected a team to date and just a touring party.”
be the coaches. We more or less have a framework which we would have been using and we will fine tune it as we go along.” Captain Fields posited that the frame of mind amongst the team is a positive one but admitted that he is still getting a field in his new role. Practice will be held today from 10:00hrs where shooters will get a chance to zero their rifles at the 300 and 900 yards ranges as they Debutant Captain, Dylan Fields He further noted that they will have a good look at the conditions: “We’ll see how the conditions are and determine who is going to be where, which target and who would
prepare for competition proper from tomorrow to Wednesday. Thursday will be a rest day following the individuals, the reigning champion is Guyanese Mahendra Persaud who is not able to defend his title due the fact that he is still recovering from illness. Friday the Long Range Match (Milex and Crown Mining Cup) would be contested followed by the Short Range Match (WIFBSC Cup) on Saturday.
Kaieteur News
Sunday May 20, 2018
Boxing coach Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers pushing his hinterland programme
Boxers in Mahdia Region 8 after one of Coach Rogers’ training sessions.
F
ormer boxer and seasoned Boxing coach, Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers has been traversing the hinterland of Guyana unearthing talent for the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Boxing Association. In less than six months Rogers has made an impact in Regions Nine, One and Seven, while opening gyms in Regions Nine and One.
During the last week the roving coach has turned his attention to Region Eight and his efforts has been applauded by both the Minister with responsibility for sport Dr. George Norton and GBA president Steve Ninvalle. A decent number of young boxers have come to the fore and are showing promise and with time the pool of top flight local fighters will increase.
Success Village makes it three wins in Unity Cup - West Coast, NA, Canje to start this weekend The Unity Cup organized by the Guyana Softball League saw the village of Success staying on top by having three teams going on to the next round by defeating their neighbouring village in Better Hope. The weather only allowed two matches to be completed as another downpour left the ground unplayable. Success Young Guns displaying an abundance of talent in defeating Strikers by 63 runs. They firstly chalked up 110 for nine in their 10 overs with Amit Ramnarine 20 (2x6) and Asif Mohamed 19 (3x4) taking them to their eventual score. Omedat Khemraj was the pick of the bowlers with 2-7 in 2 overs. When Strikers batted the wicket seemed to be different as the Young Guns bowlers were almost unplayable. Extras top scored thus saving the embarrassment to the Strikers team. All the bowlers contributed. In the other match to be played, Enterprise Youths got the better of Better Hope by 41 runs. Enterprise batted first and made 110-3 in 10 overs with Rohan Beepat top scoring with 31 (3x6; 2x4) followed by Gary Andrews with 26 (2x6; 1x4). Better Hope in their turn could only muster 69 all out in 8.4 overs with only Raj Rooplall getting into double figures with 16 (2x4). Rohan
Beepat was the pick of the bowlers claiming 2-5 in 2 overs, supported by Clive Roberts with 2-14 from his two overs. Meanwhile, more areas are beginning to get some play in: West Coast: At Leonora Primary School Ground Omesh XI, Speedboat XI, Diesel XI and Superbet
will highlight the day proceedings. N/A Canjie at Scott School Ground: 11.00 am West Canje Sports Club versus N/A Rising Stars. 1.00PM P. Y. A . R . G . U n i t e d versus Angoy’s Avenue Achievers 3.00 PM
Flying Stars versus Rotterdam XI A d d i t i o n a l l y, m o r e incentives have been added to the tournament. Prizes will be given for highest score in the tournament and the best bowling figures, in case of more than one person achieves this all will be given prizes. The (Continued on page 75)
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Curtis Dey wins Powerade Cycle race P. 77
The winners show off their hardware yesterday after the presentation.
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WIFBSC 2018 Championships – Barbados
The Guyana National Rifle Association Team after arriving in Barbados last evening.
Team Guyana arrive, confident of defending titles – Captain Dylan Fields Troy Doris to Visit Guyana P. 78
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