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Kaieteur News
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL HYPOCRISY In Guyana, there is an urgent need for honesty and integrity from our politicians on both sides of the aisle. That is needed to rebuild trust and confidence in the people and to end the divisiveness that pervades the country. It is rather unfortunate that the leader of the opposition continues to distort the facts and spread lies, propaganda and hatred. A wise person once said that the truth shall set you free. This happened to be the case when former president Bharrat Jagdeo admitted that his government was guilty of interfering with the freedom of the press especially this publication. However, he should also come clean on several other criminal and illegal acts that were committed under his presidency. They include the assassinations of the former Minister of Agriculture Sash Shaw and his siblings in 2002, Superintendent Leon Fraser in 2005, journalist Ron Waddell in 2006, the murder of more than 450 youths between 2002 and 2006 through extra-judicial killings and the trump-up treason charges against Mark Benschop and Bruce and Carol Munroe. The opposition leader who traverses the country calling for an inquiry for almost every incident did not order any inquiry in the aforementioned assassinations and murders. In fact, under his presidency, crime increased four-fold. Guyana became the second most corrupt country in the Caribbean after Haiti. His vindictive actions against Kaieteur News and those who disagree with him was a blatant disregard for freedom of the press and human rights. The hypocrisy he displays today is scornful, distasteful and offensive. His recent ghetto style cuss-down of the CEO of the State Asset Recovery Agency, Mr. Aubrey Retemyer, is a staunch reminder of many things. It is a distraction for his refusal to take a polygraph test which will expose his deceitfulness, lies and corrupt practices. His attack on Mr. Retemyer is false, malicious and baseless. While it reveals his infantile behavior, his distortion of the truth is comical. As president,he has not only misled the nation about his marital status, but he also awarded 90 percent of the contract to purchase drugs tohis good friend, gave away the airwaves to relatives, his party, and friends, and parceled out the country’s best ocean front land at Sparendaam to himself and his cronies. This administration is not without faults either. It has falsely prided itself on honesty, transparency and accountability and has not learnt from the mistakes of its predecessor. It continues to borrow and spend recklessly as if there is no tomorrow. It has reneged on its promise to impose disciplinary measures relating to the controversial trip to China, the drug bond scandal, the death of the two boys who perished in a fire at the State-run center for children on Hadfield Street. Many believe that David Granger’s reluctance to discipline the Attorney General for allegedly threatening Justice Holder, or the Minister of Health for sole sourcing $605 million to purchase drugs stems from the positions they hold in the PNC. The truth may be something else but this is the perception. The government also has two sets of standards; one for the rich and powerful and the other for the poor and the powerless. It supported the dismissal of Lear Goring from the Guyana Water Inc. for failing to disclose that he was a convicted felon in the United States, but turned a blind eye to an Ambassador who also failed to disclose to the government that he was convicted and fined by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. This type of hypocrisy must be discarded if Guyana is to be developed.
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
Clerk of the National Assembly responds to Gail Teixeira Dear Editor, I wish to refer to a letter titled, “The Speaker has no authority to remove a motion from the Order Paper”, from Ms Gail Teixeira in the Friday, 19th May, 2017 issue of your newspaper. From the onset, I wish to point out that t h e c a p t i o n m a y, n o t intentionally, mislead the public since the Honourable Speaker did not direct that the motion be removed from the Order Paper. I was directed to inform Ms Manickchand that the motion would not be proceeded with in the National Assembly, that is, the motion would remain on the Order Paper with a note stating, “not to be proceeded with”. The Honourable Speaker, in my view, was in order when he directed that the motion should not be proceeded with in the National Assembly since it would have contravened Standing Order No. 26 (e). Standing Order No. 26 (e) states that in order for a motion to be admissible, “it shall not revive discussion of a matter which has been discussed in the same Session”. I am of the view that Ms Manickchand’s motion would have revived discussion of a matter which was discussed in Ms Teixeira’s motion which was debated and defeated in the National Assembly at its Sitting on 30th January, 2017.
Further, please note that a “Session of Parliament” is defined as the period which commences with the First Sitting of the National Assembly after General Elections are held or after a prorogation of Parliament, and which concludes when the Parliament is prorogued or dissolved. I will now quote the Resolved Clauses of Ms Teixeira’s motion and that of Ms Manickchand’s motion. Ms Teixeira’s Resolved Clauses: “BE IT RESOLVED: That this National Assembly calls on the Government to repeal the Value-Added Tax (Amendment of Schedules) Order 2016, Order No. 18 of 2016 made under the Value Added Tax Act which comes into effect on February 1, 2017; B E I T F U RT H E R RESOLVED: That this National Assembly calls on the Minister responsible to reinstate and bring back into force the Schedules I and II existing prior to Order No. 18 of 2016, Value Added Tax (Amendment of Schedules) Order 2016.” M s M a n i c k c h a n d ’s Resolved Clauses: “BE IT RESOLVED: That this National Assembly calls on the Government to direct the Minister of Finance to take immediate steps to revoke Order No. 18 of 2016 imposing VAT on educational goods and services;
B E I T F U RT H E R RESOLV ED: That the Government reinstates Schedules I and II existing prior to Order No. 18 of 2016, Value Added Tax (Amendment of Schedules) Order 2016 on educational goods and services.” In my opinion, the Resolved Clauses of both motions are calling for the repeal of the Value-Added Ta x ( A m e n d m e n t o f Schedules) Order 2016 — No. 18 of 2016 and the reinstatement of Schedules I and II which existed prior to the making of Order No. 18 of 2016. It must be noted that the Speaker has the power, under Standing Order No. 27, to alter motions. Standing Order No. 27 (2) states: “If the Speaker is of the opinion that any Notice of Motion which has been received by the Clerk of the Assembly infringes the provisions of any Standing Order or is in any other way out of order, he or she may direct:(a) that the Member concerned be informed that the Notice of Motion is out of order, or (b) that the Notice of Motion be entered in the Order Book with such alternation he or she may direct.” The Honourable Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order No. 27 (2), altered both motions because
of their length. Ms Teixeira, a legislator of long standing, is fully aware that inclusion of facts or supporting matter in a Notice of Motion is limited to essentials. The proper place to argue the case for the motion is in the subsequent debate, not the motion itself. His Honour, the Speaker was of the view that both Ms Teixeira and Ms Manickchand were arguing their cases in the motions, which made them lengthy. It is unfortunate that Ms Teixeira did not discuss or seek clarification from me with respect to the interpretation of the Standing Orders under reference. As Clerk of the National Assembly, I have always acted professionally and will continue to do so during my tenure in office. I will end by quoting Sir Michael Davies, Commonwealth Senior Parliamentary Staff Advisor to the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana, in his Report dated 18th February, 2005 on the Needs Assessment of the National Assembly of Guyana which states, among other things, “Standing Orders are for Clerks, not for Members. One reason Clerks are employed is to provide advice to Members on the Standing Orders and on the procedure of an Assembly.” S.E. ISAACS, A. A., Clerk of the National Assembly
Two political titans and their impact on today’s conversation Dear Editor, Whatever your political leanings, there is little doubt that arguably the most prolific and technical orator in Guyana’s political history, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham O.E., S.C. has had a noticeable and lasting impact on the cadence of political communication and commentary in Guyana. Burnham’s mastery of the English language lent itself to an aspirational nation seeking to establish independent sophistication in the separation from British rule. A supremely impressive scholastic career that included Queen’s College, the London University, and admission to the Bar of the Honorable Society of Gray’s Inn saw Burnham hone the skills of brilliant communication. It can of course be successfully
argued that he stands as only one of many key influencers on the landscape of political communication today; however, it can never be argued that he has had no i m p a c t . B u r n h a m ’s captivating and relentless use of language famously led Errol Barrow of Barbados to remark on his ability to “tire the sun with talking” on political subjects. Burnham was however, both astute and versatile enough to have a strong appreciation for the resonance of the common language of the country. As founder of the People’s National Congress and Leader of the Opposition within the Legislature, Burnham questioned the Financial Secretary with the remark, “if houri tell you trench bottom got plimpla, you must believe um.” As a sage of messaging, he was in
a class of his own. However, possibly connected to this era, is the fact that the incorrectly assumed correlation of cultured language and societal superiority is especially noticeable in the printed political dictum today. B u r n h a m ’s c h i e f political rival through much of his career was stylistically different but no less gifted at effective communication. Also, like Burnham, the ripple effects of Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s dialogue reverberate through the political landscape today. The “father of the nation” also attended Q u e e n ’s C o l l e g e , a n d pursued dentistry at Howard and Northwestern Universities in the United States. Dr. Jagan’s early political career faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles that had been shaped by the forces of
colonization, rising racial and politically fueled a n i m o s i t y, a n d t h e maneuverings of external forces. Dr. Jagan’s natural charisma and leadership acumen saw him effectively shepherd a base, and like Burnham, his use of speech was a significant contributor to his political prowess. Where he may have lacked in eloquence, he excelled at unfiltered, sharp, poignant, and honest speech; the unmistakable influence of his intonations and expressionism can still be heard in parliamentary d e b a t e t o d a y. I n a particularly telling and characteristic quote, Dr. Jagan, in 1992, remarked, “I am the son of sugar workers who hasn’t forgotten his roots. Many politicians like me have forgotten where they came from but Jagan (Continued on page 5)
Tuesday May 23, 2017
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Kaieteur News
An alternative to the parking meter project Jagdeo left the rice and sugar industries in a mess DEAR EDITOR, I would be grateful if you publish this letter on the abandonment of Parking Meters in Georgetown. The revenue generation under this proposal can be garnered easily without additional costs of staff, equipment, materials, and administration. A small increase on fuel at source can provide the revenue for subvention, equal to the accurate net estimate of the revenue from the proposed parking meter project. The additional revenue can be collected by the relevant government agency at source from distributors up front. Parking Meter Negotiating Committee, let good common sense prevail; take the right course of action in the interest of all, and negotiate the abandonment of the project. The following extract
from my earlier letter earlier in February 2017, states in part: “A Smarter Alternative to Parking Meters The City Council of Georgetown should consider a smarter alternative to collect more revenue, than by what is considered by many, as an ill-conceived, burdensome and expensive parking meter venture for a small return, even if all the meters are fully used. The negotiating brains in the City Council should have explored the best possible options for revenue generation, and after careful study, canvassed views of the consuming public, residents and businesses in the city. This should have been the decision of a duly constituted full Council meeting, although not the best options Here is an option: the City Council should negotiate with
Central Government for a subvention to cover the estimated net income from the parking meters. Government can institute a small increase in the price for each gallon of fuel, collected up front from the few distributors for this venture. This small increase in the price for fuel can be extended to the entire country as vehicles use and park in other cities and along public roadways. This can contribute to the subventions for other Municipalities and Regional Councils. This is a more equitable solution. The parking meters should therefore be abandoned along with Smart City Solutions. The same negotiators of the Council should negotiate the scrapping of this venture”. Samuel J. Goolsarran
Some of these accomplishments were misleading DEAR EDITOR, They say that, “one eye man is king in blind man’s country.” That fact was recently emboldened when the Coalition spent their millions to send out their list of accomplishments. Their list was in all the daily newspapers and online. The dearth of foresight and leadership in the PR department of this government was also very visible in this latest saga. Imagine the government is touting the fact that they cleaned drains and hosted a Caricom Summit as some of the things that they did over the last two years and for which they should be praised. This petty behaviour of the Granger administration is not new. The PPP was noted for engaging in the same level of governmental ignorance. Guyana has dwindled down to such a politically-anemic laughing stock, that our politicians say and do anything and get away with it. Since when can a government list the work that they are paid to
do and hold them up as trophies for which they want to be applauded for? Since this government took over and indeed before, the unemployment rate among the young people stands at a staggering 40%. Businesses are rapidly closing their doors. The exodus of our best and brightest minds has not abated. In addition, our population continues to be depleted, with the constant exodus of our human capital. There have been zero new factories and companies moving to set up shop in Guyana. Additionally, sugar factories are being shut down. Rice millers and producers are going out of business. The maiden income of the Guyanese workers has decreased, while taxes on their every-day, household supplies have gone up. Education is now being taxed and the illegal parking meter project has not been scrapped, rather, it is being renegotiated. If the government wants things to be
praiseworthy of, they should show the Guyanese people what Guyana is doing on the world stage. Are more people coming to the country as tourists and vacationers? If so, in what amount? Is Guyana competing with the fruits and vegetable producers of the world? If so, how is that positively affecting our GDP? For those wishing to set up businesses here, has the Government reduced the red-tape that allows for corruption and bribery? If not, why? Has the Government jailed or fired any of the corrupt Ministers and employees in their rank? (This would show unequivocally that the new administration is different from the old ‘corrupt’ one). How has the government allowed for an expansion in the activities of the private sector? If the government really wants to look good, it must show what it did to facilitate the growth and development of the country. Is the private sector happy (Continued on page 6)
Two political titans and their impact on... From page 4 will never forget and you can be sure of that.” This can be interpreted as direct repudiation of political gymnastics; Dr. Jagan strived to be seen as a man for all people, and used language to illustrate himself as such. However, it is not always the case that unfiltered expression has a positive impact. In fact, unfiltered expression can in some cases, be detrimental to the social fabric. Our collective admiration of both leaders, at least in part, and the complex influence of their unique personal use of language on our society’s contemporary conversation leaves us to won-
der, what has been the outcome? Has their influence meant that we are now reaping the fruits of effective speech? Conversely, have we so far gone into the idolization of elevated speech in our political dictum that we have lost content and meaning in our effort to appear sophisticated? Have we created such a communication separation between the common citizen and the political commentators that we have a corrosive separation of interests? We can take for granted that at a minimum, it is surely not the case that every voice is heard. These are not simple questions and I do not possess definitive answers. How-
ever, my humble intention is to ask of those in power and those with public platforms to ensure that in their attempts to establish personal branding and emulate the powerful lessons of the past, they remember that they serve, and must cater to, the voices of today. Simplify the message so that every listener, across the nation, can digest your intention. Lace your speech with honesty and integrity and denounce the use of language to encourage social stratification. Language has evolved, and so too must we. Rene Azeez, Senior Healthcare Strategist
DEAR EDITOR, It is shameful to hear former President and PPP leader, Mr. B. Jagdeo, stating at a news conference recently that the Petro Caribe Fund was not about rice. This is misleading since monies owed by Guyana and under his Administration for the purchase of oil from Venezuela were paid into the Fund and in turn were disbursed through GRDB to pay farmers.The rice for oil deal saw some $32 billion being paid to rice farmers by 2015, and monies was even lent to rice millers who owed farmers. There is still a question mark as to whether these milers repaid their loans. Mr. Jagdeo is hiding the truth that his
Administration had raided the Petro Caribe Fund and had left it empty by the time the PPP was voted out of office in 2015. The new Coalition Government had to fork out US$15 million in 2015 to pay rice farmers who were owed and had budgeted $23 billion in its first Budget (2015) for some 7,000 rice farmers. The Jagdeo Administration had diverted over US$140 million to the GRDB, which was controlled by party cronies, and to the Ministry of Housing. Then under the control of Jagdeo’s friend, Irfan Ali, some monies also went to the Hope Canal project. The PPP (Jagdeo) regime left the rice industry in a mess, as it did with the sugar industry. Earl Hamilton
Lands commission will ensure equitable distribution of habitable lands DEAR EDITOR, With the establishment of the lands commission of enquiry the President has made the first step towards the equitable distribution of the remaining habitable lands to deprived citizens of this country. It must not be forgotten that under the previous administration lands were given away or sold to the wealthy or friends of government officials while the poor and voiceless looked on. This resulted in only the rich and favoured along with Amerindian communities owning a considerable percentage of the land in Guyana. With regard to Amerindian lands this enquiry will not only address land issues but will also reveal the injustices done to thousands of Amerindians residing out of Amerindian communities who cannot benefit from lands reserved for them or other incentives provided by the government and other sources because they are considered as “outsiders’ by village councils who reject their applica-
tion for land. Any Amerindian should be able to acquire land in any Amerindian community as long as land is available and basic requirements are met regardless of their tribe, religious beliefs or gender. It is unreasonable for Amerindians living in hinterland communities to be seeking priority in acquiring more land because they already own 13.8% of the land in Guyana, they are presently lobbying for a further 14%, they can be granted extension to their lands and they can legally acquire land in non Amerindian communities. Most glaringly is the fact that Amerindian communities do not have the resources to develop the land they already own and wanting more is laughable. There can never be a fair distribution of land to all citizens when Amerindians can legally acquire land in non Amerindian communities but non Amerindians cannot acquire land in Amerindian territory. I think that the NTC has its priority mixed up because
the problem is not the lands commission but the government’s disregard for the Amerindian Act in the governance of the Amerindian people. Provisions are presented in the Act to deal with land issues. The NTC is an illegal body because almost all provisions in the Act with respect to the holding of village leaders’ elections were disregarded in the last Toshaos and councillors elections. With this in mind emphasis should be placed on the strict adherence to the provisions in the Act by the government and also the Amerindian people. Finally statements made by the vice chairman of the NTC to the effect that Amerindians would not support the present government in the 2020 elections if the commission is not withdrawn should not be taken as a threat by the government because the coalition won the 2015 elections without the support of almost all Amerindian communities. Patrick Fitzpatrick.
What is the true situation with our foreign exchange holdings? DEAR EDITOR, In the wake of reports from the Bank of Guyana that there is excess foreign currency in the system, the question arises: Who are we to believe? Minister of Finance - Winston Jordan, Bank of Guyana Governor – Dr. Gobind Ganga, top bank officials or the many concerned and frustrated businessmen who are not getting their requests for foreign currency fulfilled based on the exchange rates being touted by the central bank? Intensified calls from several of the very concerned businessmen have been increasing as their frustrations grow, after not being satisfied with the responses they have been receiving from their respective banks regarding their demands for foreign currency. The question is: who is lying…who is being
deceptive…Bank of Guyana, the Minister of Finance, the banks in Georgetown or the concerned and frustrated businessmen? It was reported in the media that, “After several media reports of a shortage, Central Bank has been able to successfully stabilize the foreign currency system.” According to Kaieteur News, officials at the Bank had told the newspaper that there was “even an increase of US dollars in the system”! The officials said that the excess was between US$10M and $20M.The selling rate on that day was between $208 and $210 for US$1 at most financial institutions. The senior officers said, “While there were reports that there was a shortage in the system, we have always maintained that this was not the case. We have said on several occasions, that there was
money in the system but various tactics were being employed by a few….” Based on several investigations carried out by the media at selected banks and cambios, all indicated that some banks were reporting to customers that the US dollar was not in abundance. And it is because of this “discrepancy in reports”, that some very concerned businessmen who depend on (Continued on page 6)
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Kaieteur News
The NIS may be involved in a conspiracy with Every company must pay their fair share of taxes DEAR EDITOR, ducted from their salaries by evant taxes to the agency will by three names. affidavit to NIS which stated that this company I am4.known I would like to commend their employers and remitted be uncovered. It is my perManagement is of the I am Hubert Joseph Montgomery DEAR EDITOR, Please publish this complaint which is in reply to a letter published on the 11th May 2017 captioned ‘NIS responds to claim by pensioner’. This letter was written by the Public Relations Officer of NIS. Mr. Editor you a n d e v e r y G u y a n ese including government officials are aware of the contention between me (Cramer) and the administration of NIS. The PRO’s letter stated the following: 1. NIS has substantial evidence to support their claims that I worked with Willems Timbers Ltd. 2. No evidence to show that I worked with Toolsie Persaud Ltd as I (Cramer) claimed. 3. Investigation revealed that
opinion that there is an urgent need for dialogue with me and has written to me inviting me to visit their NIS head office. NIS administration is being deceptive with the facts. I now reply to their letter as follows. 1. I never worked with Willems Timber Ltd, from 1969 onwards. 2. I submitted official correspondence to NIS from the human resources consultant, of a certain family owned timber company verifying I was employed with that company from 1969-1974, 1978-1990, and 2002-2004 (19 years/988 contributions). Along with pay slips for my latter years of employment showing NIS and PAYE deductions were made on behalf of the company. 3. I submitted a copy of an
Cramer known as Montgomery Seon same referred to my NIS card. 4. I specifically informed NIS that there is no postal or telephone service for Kaburi Village 72 Miles Potaro Road. I named a contact person with telephone number and email address as my representative. NIS has evidence that I was employed by the timber company but unwisely is publishing “alternative facts,” perhaps for their own interest that involves conspiracy. Mr. Editor I will be visiting NIS shortly on their request hoping the letter is real and not fictitious like the one the PRO mentioned in her statement on March 22nd 2017. Also, I expect NIS to honour my travelling expenses, etc. Hubert Cramer
What is the true situation with our foreign... From page 5 regular foreign currency acquisition to conduct business internationally, are refuting the Central Bank claims. One large importer of heavy-duty mining and agricultural machinery declared, “How can we do business? Who is being exploited?” This is after he had personally experienced the frustration of attempting to purchase foreign exchange at the publicized rates of G$208 for US$1. “When I check with the banks, they all had exchange
rates of G$216.50 to G$218 for US$1.” On February 2, 2017, Bank of Guyana issued a Cabinet-certified directive to licensed currency dealers, which include commercial banks and non-bank cambios, to limit the spread between the buying and selling rate for the US dollar to no more than $3 while instructing commercial banks to restrict credit card purchases in foreign currency to non-business purchases. The report said, “The inflow of US dollars declined in 2016 due to drops in non-gold
export sectors, lower remittances, and less FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) compared to previous years, while demand for dollars has remained steady or possibly grown, resulting in a shortage.” The Central Bank head said that he has the figures to prove that reserves at the Bank of Guyana have improved from approximately US$598M at the end of 2015 to about US$625M at the end of 2016, representing an increase of US$28M. Ras Leon Saul
this Granger led administration on their quest to ensure equality and fairness in society which wasn’t really the norm with the previous administration. Efforts to ensure all are held accountable in their profession or way of life is moving slowly, but in time and with the government’s intentions to ensure everything is done according to specific rules and regulations, I am confident that our country will be transformed. However my letter touches on a matter of concern to me and it should be to every citizen especially those that ensure their fair share of taxes are remitted to the Guyana Revenue Authority. The GRA is working assiduously to ensure all the relevant persons are caught in their tax net and pay their respective amount of tax. Employees are the people who pay their taxes as they should since it is de-
to the tax agency. However, not all employers are honest enough to pay over what they would have deducted and this leads to the state losing a lot of money and some people paying taxes whilst others get a free pass. This brings me to the question of what is the situation with the eleven (11) companies that the GRA had obtained judgement against in 2013. These companies were said to have owed over 6 billion in tax mainly from VAT and P.A.Y.E. It is unfair for these companies and individuals to be able to cheat the system whilst others are made to pay every last dollar. I am certain if the GRA is to conduct investigations on some of these companies who are still operating and are still able to carry on regular business with the GRA like accessing compliances, evidence of the same non-payment of rel-
sonal opinion that once a company or an individual has broken the law and robbed the state of its revenue constant checks should be made to ensure that they comply. Once again the GRA is doing the job it was established to do and over the past two years there have been many positive improvements in the way this agency operates but let us be fair and let each person and company pay their fair share of taxes. This way targets will be set and met and prevent only a section of society to feel the burden. Taxes are used to help improve our country and if it is stolen or not recovered despite a court ruling then all that is being put in place is being defeated. Great job GRA and I am sure the public will be anxious to know what the situation with these companies is; I know I am. Concerned citizen
This PPP Parliamentarian and his party are cause it was the cuss down style the right Bank. This is at the vindictive of PPP/C Government that has moment is being processed. DEAR EDITOR, I find the MP, Harry Gill’s letters filled with falsehoods as he continues his campaign against the poor health of Carol Joseph. Most of Harry Gill’s letters are filled with personal abuse and misguided information. He is a terrible MP in Region 5 as one can judge by his letters that he been writing, which have nothing constructive. These letters continue to send a message regarding the status of the PPP/C that he represents, which is at an all time low - a drowning political party seeking to capture cheap political points. The PPP cannot win any election. I refused to personally attack anyone’s personality be-
them sitting on the other side of the House. The abuse of women, threats to strip and beat them and the cussing down of the USA Ambassador at his residence by an ex PPP Minister and Harry Gill’s boss, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo in court for crossing the line in racial remarks while cussing down - all reasons why the PPP is out of power . MP Harry Gill has written about my activism in relation to the Rosignol Stelling in with I represented the business community as the PRO of the Region 5 Chamber of Commerce. I had the Minister of Business and Minister of Public Works visit and meet the shop owners and the shops on the left Bank were granted permission to occupy
However, MP Harry Gill being as deceitful once again lied about the facts of the matter. It was MP Harry Gill and the PPP/C NDCs that were sabotaging the shop owners at the Rosignol Stelling because of the wiliness of the business community to regularize their business and their willing to pay their TAXES to GRA under this new administration. The NDCs could have simply process the applications but the vindictiveness of the Region 5 MP, Mr. Harry Gill and PPP itself runs very deep. I end my letter by saying that MP Harry Gill is not qualified in the medical field and his letters are baseless and not factual. Pradeep Bachan AFC Region 5
Mayor Chase-Green knows that the City Police are corrupt DEAR EDITOR, On NCN News of April 27, 2017, the Mayor of Georgetown said that she received complaints from vendors that City Constables were extorting moneys from them; something that she is totally against. What hypocrisy! She is well aware that this criminal activity has been a fixture of the City Constabulary during her entire tenure as a City Councilor. What she also knows and is not saying, is that, it is a criminal network that includes many Senior Constabulary personnel.
A certain notorious senior officer who is on pre-retirement leave and who now works as a taxi driver comes by the fire service (Old Co-op Bank area every Friday night) and collects money from those vendors. This activity is facilitated by two ranks from Stabroek Outpost. One has to take what this Mayor say with a pinch of salt. Her belated attack on City Constables is simply a poor attempt to salvage her tarnished, un-impressive and disastrous ‘Mayorship’. Joel Alexander
Some of these accomplishments were misleading From page 5 with the performance of the Government? If not, why? The government cannot simply highlight what it did as part of its established governmental mandate and flaunt it as progress. But I am not the least surprised at this latest move. Our politicians have failed us
badly. Their work is so poorly executed that they honestly think that highlighting work that they are paid and expected to do, is worthy of our praise. Next we will hear of their accomplishments in the Sussex St. Bond that they are renting. Or the casino they are adding on to the cost of the crumbling Marriott. Or the bil-
lions in drugs they bought (that were expired). Or the pay raise they gave themselves. Or the billions they settled in unfounded lawsuits. Editor, I was looking for them to mention the Trump-like fence they are building around the Office of the Presidency. …Maybe next year. Dr. Vishnu Bandhu
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Sacked REO sent on admin leave Days after his appointment was revoked by the Ministry of Finance, the Region Eight Executive Officer (REO), Rafel Downes, has instead been sent on administration leave. According to the Ministry of Communities yesterday, by way of letter dated May 14, 2017, Rafel Downes’s appointment as REO of the Potaro/Siparuni region, was revoked by the Ministry of Finance. “The revocation of this appointment was on the basis of grave charges leveled against the Regional Executive Officer (REO) for breaching internal controls and using his authority to misappropriate the region’s resources,” the ministry explained. “Currently, the report of the internal audit division is being assessed. As a consequence, Mr Downes has been sent on administrative leave pending a determination of the charges.” More than a month ago, Downes had appeared before a Parliamentary oversight committee, angering
REO of Region Eight, Rafel Downes them after he was not forthcoming on a number of questions. Last month, he appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer questions about spending in the Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight) area. PAC officials told him
that he should recognize that his performance was cause for serious concern. Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Irfaan Ali, had reminded the REO about several commitments made to the PAC last year. He reminded Downes that he had also given an undertaking to have several records and actions taken. However, one year later nothing was done, thus fueling the frustration of several members. Juan Edghill, another Opposition parliamentarian who is part of the PAC, called for stronger action to be taken against persons who come before PAC and lie or deliberately mislead. Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, urged the REO to desist from his ‘gaff’. She told him that it is serious business and as the accounting officer he has a responsibility to properly account for taxpayers’ monies. Downes had to be cautioned several times by members of the PAC to answer the direct questions
that were being put to him. Several of the issues surrounded the overpayment of salaries and deductions. There was also overpayment to several contractors. When asked why five of the defaulting contractors who owe the region millions of dollars were once again awarded contracts in 2016, the REO could not answer, muttering that he has received oral commitments of an impending settlement. This irked Edghill, who questioned his competency to serve the region as its Regional Executive Officer. Another Region Eight official, Daniel Fraser, had accused Downes of hijacking the procurement system in Region Eight. This year, almost $1.6B had been budgeted for the region. In one case, although Mahdia, the capital of Region Eight, has several mechanic shops, someone was hired to come and do work on heavy duty equipment. One bulldozer was left unrepaired because of a dispute over monies.
$550M worth of cocaine in wood...
Magistrate discharges Stephen Vieira - as CANU withdraws arrest warrant Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan has withdrawn a warrant issued for the arrest of racing bike champion, Stephen Vieira, in connection with a $550M cocaine bust, after he made an appearance before her yesterday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Vieira was accompanied by his Attorney-at-Law Latchmie Rahamat. Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford, made an application before the Chief Magistrate to have the warrant discharged. The application was granted and Vieira, who was seated in the prisoner’s dock, was told that he was free to leave the courtroom. Vieira was wanted for questioning by CANU following the discovery of some 84.986 kilogrammes of cocaine worth $550M in lumber at the Lot 227 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo premises of Akeem Mohamed. Thus far, no one has been charged over the cocaine find as investigations continue. Vieira was arrested last w e e k T h u r s d a y a t t he Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) after disembarking a flight from Jamaica, where he had gone to part take in a race event. Kaieteur News understands that the bust was made
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after CANU officials received a tip off. When they acted, the boards were being packed onto a truck. The truck driver and porters were arrested but were subsequently released after it was discovered that the vehicle and its workers were hired to transport the timber. The drug agency in a release said that ranks conducted a search at the parapet in front of the premises of Mohamed and searched a truck laden with several pallets of 1×6 dressed lumber boards prepared for export. Several pieces of boards were drilled randomly by the ranks and revealed a whitish substance. The lumber was packed at a sawmill located at Lookout, East Bank Essequibo belonging to Narine Lall to be transported to a wharf in Georgetown and then shipped to the United States of America, CANU stated. Lall, who is said to be out of the jurisdiction, is wanted by the counter narcotics agency. Canu in a statement said that Vieira is listed on the shipping documents as a representative of the shipper, Narine Lall. Tazim Gafoor and his son, Nazim along with Hakim Mohamed were also arrested and were subse-
Stephen Vieira makes his way into the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts accompanied by his Attorney-at-Law Latchmie Rahamat quently released. CANU also seized a Digital Video Recording Device retrieved from Nazim Gafoor. It is hoped that material of evidential value is found after analysis. According to CANU, Tazim Gafoor was placed before the court charged for his
role in another cocaine matter. The 43-year-old man of Lot 39 Menzies Street, Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, last year September following the discovery of over nine kilogrammes of cocaine.
Guyana’s oil may worth US$160B by 2020- Surveys By Abena RockcliffeCampbell If Guyana were to begin oil production now, the oil found so far would be worth anywhere between US$100B and US$108B. That calculation is based on the recent range of oil prices which bounce between US$50 and US$54 per barrel with consideration of the fact that ExxonMobil estimated Guyana’s oil found so far to be about two billion barrels. However, with the figures being projected by experts, it seems as if the productions in the year 2020 augers well for Guyana. According to a new survey done by Wood Mackenzie, oil will bounce to within the US$60-80 per barrel range by 2020. Wood Mackenzie is a global energy, chemicals, renewable, metals and mining, research and consultancy group with an international reputation for supplying comprehensive data, written analysis and consultancy advice. It is based in the United Kingdom. The survey being quoted analyzed the responses of 170 industry professionals. Further to that survey, in its latest World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) central scenario for oil prices forecast that the oil market would rebalance at $80 a barrel in 2020, “with further increases in price thereafter.”
The IEA is a Paris-based a u t o n o m o u s intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD. ExxonMobil has found an estimated two billion barrels of high quality crude in Guyana. At the projected price of $80 per barrel, this would give the crude discovered so far a value of US$160B. IEA concluded that if oil investment remains stagnant over the next few years, by 2020 the world will see a significant increase in the price of oil as global demand continues to climb. Oil prices are set for a slow recovery, according to the latest report which cautioned against the deep investment cutbacks in the industry. The IEA forecasts that demand would pick up slowly to 2020, adding an average of 900,000 barrels a day per year, gradually rising to a demand for 103.5 million barrels per day by in 2040. That compares with 94.5 million barrels per day in 2015. If oil prices were to stay in a rut for longer, a scenario which the IEA said could not be ruled out, the oil price in this scenario in this case would remain close to $50/bbl until the end of 2020 before rising gradually back to $85/ bbl in 2040.
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
Education Commission of Inquiry...
Recommendations already being implemented - Chairman ...final report to be completed shortly “Right now as I sit here I am working on it,” said Mr. Ed Caesar of the final report of the Commission of Inquiry [COI] into public education system. Caesar, the Chairman of the COI, handed over a preliminary report into the inquiry last month to Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, with a promise that the final report will be completed within two to three weeks. But according to Caesar yesterday, the Commission, as at yesterday, was still working on the final report. “It will be completed shortly.” This does not mean that the Education Ministry has not started to implement some of the recommendations that were proposed in the preliminary report of the COI, he said. According to Caesar, all of the Regional Education Officers [REDOs] were furnished with a copy of the preliminary report and were asked to start working on the areas that concerned them and to do so immediately. “I am aware that they have started...The REDOs and their team have started to work on issues related to the COI because the Deputy Chief Executive Officer [DCEO] Administration has ensured that each REDO was given a report,” Caesar related. He disclosed that some of the regions have started to improve its orientation process with Region Six having had one thus far which has seen the reappointment of persons. Similar activities have already occurred in Regions Four and Five. Georgetown and Region Two will shortly take action in this regard. “Many things have started to happen,” said Cae-
sar without sharing too much more. When asked if he was aware of the progress of an investigation into the payment of ‘ghost teachers’ in the Berbice River area, Caesar would only say that these are matters that the regional officials will have to speak to. Meanwhile, he disclosed that the final report is expected to entail recommendations on issues such as technical education, special needs education and information technology. Addressing the importance of Technical Vocational Education and Training [TVET], Caesar said, “We really have to do some work to get TVET the way that it is supposed to be./ Let it not be regarded as an area for students who are not capable, academically. We must see this as a very important area.” He also stressed the need for focus on Information Communication Technology [ICT]. This is in light of his belief that this is an important medium through which many things should be done. “If we are going to push our education sector forward, ICT has to play a major, major role and we can’t just speak about ICT in schools,” said Caesar. He continued, “We have to find a way to involve parents and community members. So one of the things that they have been suggesting is that in communities, cluster groups must be formed and training must be done with parents to use ICTs in their regular life.” Commenting on the issue of special needs education, Caesar said, “We have not, to my mind, been allowing our brothers and sisters to develop in spite of their several deficiencies. The Commission would like to see places
COI Chairman, Mr. Ed Caesar [left], and Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine. like David Rose School for the Handicapped, the special schools in Linden, New Amsterdam and so on, that all of them be given a new lease of life, but we have got to identify areas where they can be appropriately trained.” Caesar in his deliberations on special needs education, said that based on the recently completed inquiry, the Guyana Society for the Blind needs to be especially addressed. “For example there are students who are going there who are attending the University of Guyana and we must find a way to provide facilities for them, provide equipment for them, like computers and so on,” said Caesar. He added, “They must not be left out because if we do not work with our special needs people it is going to be a cost to the government and the country because we will have to maintain them when
we could have made them employable.” “There will be a lot of things coming out in the final report that will be of interest to the public,” said Caesar, even as he asserted that there have not been all
bad things happening in the education system. He disclosed that all past Ministers of Education have made significant contributions to the development of the public education system. “It must never be said that the
sector was at a point where nothing was happening...I am presumptuous enough to say the administration of former Minister [Shaik] Baksh and Sister Priya Manickchand did contribute to the development of education in several ways. We must recognise things like that,” said Caesar. He nevertheless noted that there have long been some aspects of education that had long required some measure of intervention in order to improve the sector. He moreover noted that current Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, will go down in history as being “the Minister who wanted to understand the status of education in the sector from the good things that have been happening to the bad things to get a sense of how to move forward so that whatever is done in education is informed by evidential data.” “That really was the remit of the COI to ascertain what has been happening; to ascertain where we are and wherever possible make recommendations for the improvement in the sector,” Caesar underscored.
Angry prisoner chucks, tosses trash can at Police Inspector
The prisoner that assaulted the Inspector Police Inspector Ram, who is attached to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, stood helplessly as murder accused Donnel Trapp drenched him with a bottle of water. The incident occurred around 14:15hrs, when Trapp, who is committed to stand trial at the High Court burst out of the prisoner’s holding cell and pushed Inspector Ram several times to the chest before throwing a trash can on him emptying all the food particles on him. Inspector Ram was then verbally attacked by the Trapp who threatened to kill the Inspector. Police ranks with
Some of the police officers that were called in the control the prisoner high powered weapons and shields were summoned to the scene. A visibly shaken Inspector Ram was escorted out of
the court compound by his colleagues. Trapps’s mother tried to calm him down but her efforts (Continued on page 23)
Tuesday May 23, 2017
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Kaieteur News
The purge and the plunge Guyana’s public service has long suffered from a lack of skills. There was always a shortage of skills necessary for developing, implementing and monitoring projects of the government. The shortage was attributed both to the fact that these skills were never nurtured within the public service, as well as because of migration. In British Guiana, the best brains quickly migrated, since there was not much development taking place in the country. The colonial government was not much interested in national development. Colonialism had conditioned the citizens of the colonies into believing that there was a better world in the metropolis, and therefore those who could, left. That trend has continued. It matters not
how improved is the economy of Guyana, there will be a large stream of Guyanese who do not want to live and work in Guyana. Cooperative socialism scared a lot of Guyanese, and they left in droves. They took with them the skills they had and they took their money. The country became poorer because of that wave of migration. The brain drain has continued unabated ever since, with more and more Guyanese leaving. One of the areas badly affected by the brain drain has been the public service. But the private sector has also been affected. Young and old are complaining about not having jobs. But both the private sector and the government are equally complaining about not being able to attract the skills which they
need. The shortage of skills within developing countries has created a large industry of consultants who go around the world selling their skills for a high price. The Government of Guyana has had to source critical skills from this pool. Recently, foreigners were contracted to develop an energy strategy for Guyana. The development of the strategy was outsourced to an international organization who recruited skilled personnel to develop the strategy. A basic document such as a renewable energy strategy could not have been developed in Guyana, because the country simply does not have the skills to produce such a document. The government has produced a White Paper for the sugar industry. The Paper has been criticized as being a
Dem boys seh ...
Trini kan man teach Guyanese a lesson Jagdeo change de laws of Guyana and Soulja Bai now trying to reverse it. That is why Guyana law different from anywhere in de world. Jagdeo law is only fuh de rich and not fuh de poor; is not fuh de dankey cart but fuh de four by four. If de dankey cart man mek one mistake de driver going to jail without bail. But when Jagdeo friends mek dem mistakes dem does tell de magistrate fuh haul you tail. Dankey cart does have number just like how four by four does have number plate. De operator fuh de horse cart got to satisfy de police and Customs that he got de right number when-
ever he get stop pun de road. He got to prove that de horse plus de cart come in legally and all duties paid. If not, de horse and de man going to jail and de cart going to Statia and Jordan front yard. But dem boys seh four by four wid fake number plate, if you is Jagdeo friend, Statia and Jordan got to and stand up in front Jagdeo yard. Under Jagdeo was a free for all. Nuff vehicle come in de country without paying any taxes. De amount that come in Jordan and Statia can’t produce enough number plate fuh dem. That is how a kantractah kan ee way through Customs wid a bullet proof vehicle. A Trini kan man come here
on vacation, see how things going, and how dem Guyana kan man operating. He tell dem boys ee think ee could do better than dem Guyanese jokers. He in jail now and only because he is a Trini and not Jagdeo friend. He rent four by four, use de dankey cart driver fuh sell dem; he go to people and kan dem on dem money. Bee Kay is one of dem. Dem boys seh he kan Bee Kay fuh money but not he armoured plate four by four. He tell dem he woulda get Jagdeo mansion but he seh that bigger scamp and thief never deh round. Talk half and hope de magistrate send him to weed Soulja Bai yard.
More rice farmers challenge President’s revocation of leases A group of rice farmers has moved to the High Court seeking orders to reverse the cancellation of a lease to State lands used for Agricultural purposes in Berbice. According to the action filed in the High Court, the applicants are contending that the cancellation of a 50year lease by the Mahaica/ Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority(MMA/ADA) is contrary to and in violation of Article 142 of the Constitution of Guyana, and should be rendered unlawful, null, void and of no effect. In two separate lawsuits, Joylyn Nicholson, Gratien Oswald Nicholson, Vaughn Aaron Herman,
Yulotto Nicholson, Brian George and Tiffanie Hubbard (a group of farmers) are seeking damages in excess of $5 million for breach of their fundamental rights and freedoms as guaranteed by Articles 142 and 153 of the Constitution of Guyana. The action was filed against the MMA/ADA and the Attorney General. According to the statement of claim, the applicants stated that on November 3, 2014, they were duly issued with a Lease of State Land for Agriculture Purposes issued under Section 3(b) of the State Lands Act, Chapter 62:01, and in accordance with the MMA/ADA Authority Act No. 27 of 1977, to occupy a
portion of State Land situated South of the MMA Main Canal in the rear of No. 40 Village, West Coast Berbice, for a period of 50 years. Shortly after obtaining the lease, the applicants said that they occupied the said land and started to expend huge sums of money preparing for cultivation of rice. Some time afterwards they attempted to pay their rent to the MMA/ADA but the authority refused to accept the payment. A few weeks later, the claimants stated that they saw advertisements in the newspapers that their lease has been cancelled. The notice read, “It is (Continued on page 12)
‘statement of the problem’. It was not a proper White Paper. It lacked a basis of support for its recommendations. Reading it, one felt that the government had decided on a strategy, and then wrote the paper to fit that strategy. This was not in doubt, because of the shortage of skills needed to develop such a document. The Caribbean faces similar problems. When the Caribbean was negotiating the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the countries which constituted the region which the EU had designed as CARIFORUM, the Caribbean was at a disadvantage in those negotiations because of the superior skills and data sets of the European negotiators. Guyana is therefore not alone when it comes to the brain drain. Guyana is now facing a crisis in project implementation. The government is worried about the low rate of implementa-
tion of the Public Sector Investment Programme. Unfortunately, the government has to take some blame for this and the other skills shortages which it now faces. The government was hasty when it came into office in replacing persons within the various government departments. It assumed wrongly that the newcomers, many of whom turned out to be retired persons, were all good substitutes for those whom they replaced. There has been a major change of guard within the public service. The opposition refers to it as a purge. Persons with the knowledge of how things worked and how to get things moving were replaced by newcomers, many of whom simply cannot get things moving. The result has been that there has been a slowdown in public administration. The ‘purge’ has led to a plunge. The people who got the job done were removed and replaced, in many, not all instances, with persons who
are simply unable to get the job done. There is a lot hot air within the government system. There is a lot of movement, but no momentum. The problem is not just the shortage of skills. The bigger problem is that the limited experience which was available within the system was gotten rid of, and those that have replaced that experience are still learning on the job. In the meantime, projects are stalled and things are taking longer than usual to be completed. The government will try to employ more persons to solve the problem. But it will fail there again, because numbers cannot compensate for quality.
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
The unbelievable country in 21st century world What went through the mind of every decent citizen in this country when he/ she heard the announcement from the Mayor that the parking meter contract will be given to each council member. Let’s digress. The City Council is the parliament for the municipality of Georgetown. Its work corresponds on the lower level to what Parliament does. To comprehend the functions of the City Council one needs to understand how the upper tier of power operates, that is central government.
The national administration cannot operate in a vacuum; it needs to coexist with Parliament. To undertake a major project, the government takes it to parliament. It is hardly likely that the central government would sign a contract with EXXON and not take the agreement to Parliament. Even in the worst times of terrible government under Bharrat Jagdeo, central government sought parliamentary approval for many ventures. The City Council makes policies for Georgetown.
Once approved, the respective city officials implement policies. By what logic can the city servants who correspond to the public servants in central government sign a contract with a foreign investor to have parking meters and the Councillors did not approve of the final document? What is bizarre in modern government is that the contract was not shown to the councilors for approval before it was signed. Simply unbelievable! A r n o l d Schwarzenegger was made governor of California because under the laws of that state, if there are sufficient signatures for a recall election, then the incumbent governor has to face another poll which is termed a recall election. This is what happened in California to Governor Gray Davis in 2003. We don’t have such liberal constitutionalism in Guyana. The current City Council can legally be removed by law by the central government and an Interim management committee installed. It is inconceivable that Cabinet would go in that direction. It would seem that 2019 offers the best opportunity to
vote out the present Mayor and APNU+AFC Council. It is my opinion that this country has reached the limit of the bizarre in politics in the modern world when the Mayor who has non-executive power can announce to the entire country that the contract that was signed by herself, the Town Clerk and two other councilors will now be given to each councilor. What each councilor was empowered to see and pronounce on in the first place, will be given to them as an act of generosity by the Mayor and not as a right they are entitled to. Surely, municipal government cannot get more atrocious than that anywhere in the world. President Granger has twice rebuked the elected councilors in our local government system for noncooperation. He even went so far as to accuse PPP councilors as waging political civil war. I responded to that pronouncement (see my February 14, 2017 column, “President Granger’s civil war theory.” by saying that the President is hardly in a position to lecture PPP actors in the national
local government system when the nerve centre of municipal operation, the Georgetown government is far from democratic. How should a country react to the parking meter contract announcement as the one we have in Guyana? But more importantly, should these people who signed the contract in the first place be allowed to administer the affairs of the capital city. If the answer is no, what can the Georgetown citizenry do? We do not have the kind of political culture that would see the taming of power in the Georgetown municipality. One thing is certain; the boast about the return of local democracy has not worked. Mr. Granger can lecture PPP municipal authorities for their recalcitrant behavior as much as he likes, but the general view all over this country is that the ouster of the PPP controlled Georgetown Mayor and City Council has not brought a superior form of municipal democracy. On the contrary, the PPP dominated council had fewer authoritarian traits. How does one explain this? Because the PPP Govern-
Frederick Kissoon ment had to live with a PNC controlled City Council. What happened then was that the Ministry of Local Government treaded carefully and Sooba as Town Clerk knew she was disliked so she too treaded carefully. It was a give and take situation. There wasn’t a dominant hegemon. After the local government elections, a dominant hegemon was born – the combination of the new town clerk and the new mayor. In the new dispensation an irony was created. The new dispensation was supposed to usher in local government democracy. Instead Georgetowners got imposed on them the worst investment contract ever written in history – the parking meter paper.
Tuesday May 23, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Driver charged, licence suspended for crash that injured several children
Charged: Alpha Felix The wrecked minibuses
Bus driver Alpha Felix was yesterday charged with dangerous driving following the May 4 two - v e h i c l e crash on the West Coast Berbice, in which several children were injured. A police release stated that Felix’s driver’s licence was suspended pending the outcome of the case. The release gave his address as Lot 22 Weldaad
Vi l l a g e , We s t C o a s t Berbice. Several passengers, including at least 14 children were injured after the minibus, allegedly driven by the accused, slammed into a school bus which was parked along the Rising Sun, West Coast Berbice Public Road. Felix was allegedly attempting to overtake another vehicle.
At least six of the more seriously injured were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC). The injured included three-year-old Fastasia Saul, Adn Joseph, Lornel Marks, Ronayah Glasgow and Malacai Duncan – all five years old, along with Enrique Lewis, nine.
Marcel Hutson confirmed as Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson has been confirmed as Chief Education Officer (CEO) of the Ministry of Education. Hutson has been acting in the position since August 2016, following the decision of the government not to renew the contract of former CEO, Olato Sam. Hutson told the Government Information Agency (GINA) yesterday that he assumed duties as confirmed CEO on May 10. “I received a letter from the Public Service Commission giving approval for my appointment as Chief Education Officer,” Hutson explained. He described his confirmation as bringing legitimacy to his undertaking. “As a CEO, the confirmation brings legitimacy to the office,” Hutson said. “Sometimes when you have an office, but you are not confirmed; sometimes you tend to be wavering because you do not want to pretend to be what you are not. The fact of the matter is confirmation brings legitimacy to the office, and therefore, I could be more confident and certain with what I am doing as Chief Education Officer,” he further explained. Hutson said that at the end of his tenure he hopes to leave a legacy of literate and numerate Guyanese children.
Confirmed as Chief Education Officer: Marcel Hutson “I wish that my legacy can be that our children can read at grade level and our children are able to matriculate, that is, pass English and Mathematics and go on to higher levels of studies.” He added, “Without a literate and numerate society, we cannot be productive and prosperous, and so I will be moving in that direction, and I hope that many of my colleagues and stakeholders would come alongside me and the ministry as we move education forward.” Hutson has a Trained Class 1 Grade 1 Teacher’s Certificate, a Bachelor of Social Science Degree in Sociology, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology, a Post-
Graduate Diploma in Education Administration and a Master’s in Education Management, Planning and Supervision. Additionally, he holds a certificate in the Management and Delivery of Education in Guyana via the Ministry of Education’s first Teacher Cadet Scheme, a Certificate in Reforming School Supervision for Quality Improvement (IIEP) through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and a Certificate of Training in Project Management through the Government of Guyana and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
Auditor General examines M&CC books Officials from the Office of the Audit General are currently conducting an audit into the affairs of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC). The information was made public at the Council’s statutory meeting held at City Hall, yesterday. During the meeting, members of the Council agreed that the audit is geared towards helping to improve City Hall’s system of accountability. The efforts are also in keeping with the Municipal and District Council Act 28:01 which stipulates that all books of the Council shall be audited, yearly. Among the departments within the municipality slated to undergo investigations is City Treasurer’s Department. The City Treasurer’s Department is responsible for man-
aging the financial resources of the Georgetown Municipality; general rates and market rentals are its main sources of income. The City Constabulary Department, City Engineers’ Department and the Personnel Section are also on the cards to be audited. During the statutory meeting, Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green, asked that members of the council indicate their willingness to cooperate with and make the necessary accommodations to facilitate the audits. “It is a requirement of the law that our books be audited and we are doing that.” Earlier this year, PPP/C C o u n c i l l o r, Bishram Kuppen, called for a forensic audit to be conducted, on what he says are the billions of dollars that are being spent by City Hall without
any credible financial reports. Kuppen had thrice attempted to move a motion for a forensic audit by submitting a written request to the Town Clerk to have the motion included on the agenda of the statutory meeting, but this never materialized. “One each occasion,” Kuppen said, “the Town Clerk responded that he found fault with the motion but did not advise what the deficiencies were.” However the council has since taken measures to improve the capacity of the internal audit department, by providing the appropriate software to manage the systems of property rates and other aspects of its responsibility. Additionally, the Council welcomes the audit of the office by the Auditor General. (Rehanna Ramsay)
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
New Registry Board prepares to take office Nominees for the governing board of the Deeds and Commercial Registry Authority have been identified. The names have been submitted to Cabinet for its approval of their appointments. The last board expired in May 2016 and the delay in constituting a new board was solely as a result of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority (Amendment) Bill 2017 being laid before parliament. The board will be fully constituted after the Bill is passed in the National Assembly on June 15, 2017. Those nominated include Ms. Christine Mc Gowan as Chairman; Ms Zana Frank, Deputy Registrar of Deeds; Ms Nicole Prince, Registrar of the Commercial Registry; Ms Gillian Pollard from the Min-
istry of Finance; Ms. Aretha Henry from the Ministry of Communities; Ms Sharon Small, a nominee from the Guyana Bar Association; Mr Kumar Dorasami from the Guyana Association of Legal Practitioners; and Major General (Rtd) Norman McLean, the Private Sector’s nominee. The other three representatives await the passage of the Bill. They include the representatives from the Ministry of Business, the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Chief Valuation officer. The Board is an independent body established to promote the proper and efficient performance of the functions of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority. The Board is expected to operate for a period of two years.
More rice farmers... From page 9 hereby given that his Excellency, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, has cancelled all State land leases as described in the Schedules hereunder…” Among the Leases of State Land listed in the schedules was the lease issued to the Applicants.” According to the complainants letters were also issued that the President had revoked the lease. “Indeed, (we were) unaware of the reason why our lease was cancelled and to date, no one has furnished us with any reason whatsoever in relation to same. “At no time, were we afforded a hearing by any person or body or authority offering us an opportunity to show cause why our Lease should or should not be cancelled,” the legal documents
outlined. As such, the group of farmers is seeking a Conservatory Order prohibiting servants and/or agents of the Mahaica/Mahaicony AbaryAgricultural Development Authority, a public statutory authority or any other Officer of the State from entering upon, remaining, occupying or in any manner whatsoever interfering with the Applicants’ quiet and peaceful possession, occupation and enjoyment of the lease to lands situated South of the MMA Main Canal in the rear of No. 40 Village West Coast of Berbice Additionally, the applicants want costs and such orders or directions as the Court may consider appropriate for the purpose of enforcing or securing the enforcement of Article 142 of the Constitution of Guyana.
Tuesday May 23, 2017
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Kaieteur News
‘I won’t resign. Oust me if you Venezuela prosecutor decries Maduro’s want’ - Brazilian President new congress plan, deepening rift
Brazil’s President Michel Temer (REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino) (Reuters) Brazilian President Michel Temer, facing growing calls for his resignation amid a corruption scandal, will not step down even if he is formally indicted by the Supreme Court, he said in an interview in Folha de S. Paulo, Brazil’s largest newspaper, yesterday. Brazilians who have become inured to the massive, three-year corruption investigation were shocked last week by the disclosure of a recording that appeared to show Temer condoning the payment of hush money to a jailed lawmaker. The Supreme Court has opened an investigation into
the revelations that were part of plea bargain testimony by the billionaire owners of meatpacking giant JBS SA. The court is expected to decide tomorrow whether to suspend the investigation at Temer’s request until it can be determined if the recording was manipulated to implicate him. “I will not resign. Oust me if you want, but if I stepped down, I would be admitting guilt,” said Temer, who has said the recording of his meeting with JBS chairman Joesley Batista was doctored. The scandal has threatened to tear apart Temer’s coalition in Congress and leave Latin America’s
largest economy adrift as the president fights for his political survival, just a year after the impeachment of his predecessor. The Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Temer’s biggest ally in the governing coalition, put off a meeting on Sunday to decide whether to continue supporting the beleaguered president. Party officials said yesterday the PSDB will wait until the Supreme Court rules this week on whether to continue an investigation of Temer. The president is maintaining a confident outlook, telling Folha he is “absolutely” sure he is capable of finishing his term through the end of 2018 without giving up on his legislative agenda, which includes an ambitious overhaul of the country’s labour and social security regulations. His coalition had already been struggling to muster the votes for the unpopular social security reform. Financial markets, which had largely anticipated approval of the reforms, slumped last week when the scandal broke. The Brazilian real extended losses yesterday morning, weakening more than 1 percent. Yields on interest rate futures were up, indicating a deep rate cut by the central bank at the end of this month has become less likely as uncertainty grows.
Pilots’ union accuses LIAT of not honouring agreement ST. JOHN’s, Antigua (CMC) – The Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) says the management of the regional carrier, LIAT, has failed to honour an agreement concerning a new salary structure and as a result the Association yesterday described its relations with the airline as “strained and deteriorated to an all-time low.” In a release, LIALPA noted that since late 2012, LIAT has been engaged in negotiations for a new salary structure for its ATR-72 aircraft (not covered under the current MOA) and general salary increases. The pilots contend that after years of stalling and legal maneuvering by LIAT, including the Company filing legal action in both the High and Industrial Courts, the Association in the spirit of fostering and maintaining a
good relationship with LIAT accepted the Company’s salary package offer in January 2017. “We accepted this deal on the premise that the pilots would make this a one-off concession to ensure the survival of the Company. To date LIAT has not honoured this agreement with LIALPA and has even gone so far as to reject our Attorney’s suggestion, that a Consent Order be obtained in the Industrial Court to formalize the salary agreement (which covers the years 2012-2017) thus paving the way for its implementation,” the statement noted. The LIALPA said that in light of this situation it is their view that LIAT continues to act in bad faith. “This is also evident by the Company’s insistence to unilaterally impose, yet another salary deferral program on the pilots even though the
Association has publicly objected and rejected this programme. “We also made our position very pellucid to the Board of Directors and Shareholders at a widely-publicized meeting held in Barbados on April 4th 2017. Management also continues to ignore the fact that the Association has placed this matter before the Industrial Court for determination.” The statement added that as a result of LIAT’s actions and the volatility of this situation, “LIALPA would like to once again make a final appeal to LIAT to honour its agreement with the pilots by June 1st, 2017, in order to avoid any further escalation of this matter.” The Pilots’ union says that failure to do so would leave the Association with no other choice but to act, so as to protect the interest and rights of its membership.
(Reuters) Venezuela’s state prosecutor has panned unpopular President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to create a grassroots congress, deepening a rare public split among the ruling Socialists as two months of massive protests show no sign of abating. Chief State Prosecutor Luisa Ortega had stunned the crisis-hit nation in March when she lambasted the Supreme Court for annulling the powers of the oppositionled National Assembly. Since then, she has been a wild card within the publicly homogenous Venezuelan government, the foes of which accuse it of seeking to dodge elections by creating a parallel assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution. Socialist Party official Elias Jaua, in charge of the “constituent assembly” project, confirmed yesterday that Ortega had written him to express her discontent in a letter that was previously leaked on social media. “It is my imperative to explain the reasons for which I have decided not to participate in this activity,” Ortega’s two-page missive reads. “Instead of bringing stability or generating a climate of peace, I think this will accelerate the crisis,” she said, mentioning it would heighten uncertainty and alter the “unbeatable” constitution launched under late leader Hugo Chavez. Jaua acknowledged receipt of Ortega’s letter, but quickly said she was merely expressing a “political opinion,” without any power to change the situation. “We consider that the only organ the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s constitution empowers to interpret the constitution is the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber,” he said at a news conference, in reference to the progovernment top court. Venezuelans are scrutinizing Maduro’s government and the armed forces for any cracks as protesters take to the streets daily to demand early elections, humanitarian aid to alleviate food and medicine shortages, and freedom for jailed activists. While there are no outward signs of major fissures that would destabilize 18-years of ‘Chavista’ rule, demonstrators have been cheered by Ortega’s public dissent and by some public denunciations of officials by
Venezuela’s chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz (REUTERS/Marco Bello) their relatives. UNREST DEEPENS While anti-government protests have brought hundreds of thousands to the streets, Venezuelans are increasingly concerned about spates of nighttime looting and barricades popping up in many neighborhoods. Masked youths man roadblocks and turn back traffic at the main entrances of certain neighborhoods, or ask motorists for a monetary “collaboration” to be allowed through. Those scenes have largely been concentrated outside the capital Caracas, however, with the jungle and savannah state of Bolivar hard-hit overnight. Some 51 buses were burned after a group attacked a transport company in the city of Puerto Ordaz, the prosecutor ’s office said yesterday. Barricades and clashes with the National Guard were also rippling through the city yesterday, according to a Reuters witness. Several opposition leaders have condemned the violence, but the episodes highlight the risks of protests spinning out of their control amid widespread anger at Maduro, hunger, and easy access to weapons in one of the world’s most violence countries. Maduro accuses his opponents of an “armed
insurrection,” backed by the United States, his ideological foe. His government blames “fascist” protesters for lootings and deaths in unrest since early April. The death toll increased to 48 people after a policeman, Jorge Escandon, died after being injured in the state of Carabobo during a protest earlier this month, the prosecutor’s office also said yesterday. Hundreds of people have been injured, and over 2,600 arrested, with around 1,000 still behind bars, according to rights groups. The opposition was holding health-focused marches yesterday, demanding access to proper treatment amid major shortages of medicines ranging from painkillers to chemotherapy drugs. “Today, I’m not here as a lawmaker, I’m here marching for my sister who has a cerebral tumor, a tumor that is growing again and producing paralysis, a tumor for which Venezuela used to receive medicine and the injections for this not to happen,” said opposition lawmaker Miguel Pizarro. “Today I walk for my brother, who is diabetic, and who, like my mom, can’t find medicine,” added Pizarro, part of a new generation of opposition leaders who have been at the forefront of protests and often been teargassed.
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WANTED One bartender, 1 room maid- Call or text- 621-9759 Sheik Samsair or Donald 664-7412 SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Floor sanding & Lacquering, house plans, estimate & painting, boat for Santa Mission. Call: 650-4362 Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
Experienced hairdressers & nail technicians needed to work in salon at prime location in Georgetown. Call: 628-4388/225-9423 One experienced cook to work in restaurant also knowledge of baking, preferably from West Bank. Call: 678-3400 Handy boy, apply at Shanta’s, Lot 225 Camp Street. One live in female housekeeper for Georgetown. Call: 223-0654/ 225-0605 GT Express wanted contract cars, Dispatcher. Tel: 2310316/ 231-0002 Two Dynamic Individual with communications & sales techniques, computer skill @ KeyFood, Mc Doom location. 1 Nanny/Tutor to teach & care for 22 months boy. Apply to Alabama Trading, 65 Robb Street Bourda.
LAND FOR SALE 12 House lots 80X60 at Plantation Schoonard: water, light and roads, 1 min from Harbour Bridge. Call: 6152346/627-3443 1 House lot in #1 Canal 175X100 – price $3.5M. Call: 684-6048/694-4372 Transported land at Well Street Ogle, E.C.D -$12M (twelve million dollars). Call: 650-5462
LAND FOR SALE Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, New Thriving, Massy , HJ Water World. $13M neg. Call: 669-8397. DATING SERVICE You deserve a relationship filled with love and excitement. Call Harmony Singles: 626-2629/ 676-6312 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578 Sawmill – Call: 673-9401
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 1- 90"x90" Bed. Call: 657-6179 1 Complete Sawmill at Yarrowkabra Linden Soesdyke Highway and 1 F66 – Clarke, Ranger Skidder. Call: 609-8041/ 644-1190 Office furniture, used computers, display racks & stands for store use. Call:225-8066/624-6783 Lawn grass organic potting soil, supari Palm, foxtail, palm @ $1,000, Crotoon, Ashoka, Ficus, Exora. Call: 626-1044 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999 Solar Panel 300 watts, size 39X77. Call: 657-2304 A set of Benz GL series stock Rims with Tyres. Call: 2252189.
VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pitbull – Call: 650-7501 2 Hilux off Road pickups, GVV #1 5L Diesel #2 3RZ Gasoline, both 4X4 with differential lock plus O.H.D – Call: 673-7876/ 233-6218
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Tractors Foreign Used: Massey Ferguson MF165 $1.7M, MF135-$1.2M & MF265 -$2.2M, MF 165 loader tractor -$2.4M. Call: 682-5230/628-9596
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ACCOUNTANT (Parttime): 2nd/3rd Level ACCA; QuickBooks POS & Accounts. 4hrs on Saturday, every fortnight. Email: spers@msn.com Lorry Drivers and Salesmen, preferably from East Bank Demerara. Salary Negotiable. 266 5569
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Muslim scholar’s sexual assault case DPP sends matter back to Magistrate, cites issue with missing documents The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has announced that the matter for which Muslim scholar, Nezaam Ali, is charged with the offence of Sexual Activity with a child by Abusing a Position of Trust, has been remitted to the Magistrate’s Court to be reopened. According to the information contained in a statement which was released from the DPP Chambers yesterday, Director of Public Prosecutions Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack, in letter dated February 13, 2017, remitted the matter to Magistrate Alex Moore to reopen the paper committals. The statement further outlined that on February 13, 2017, the DPP issued a directive to the Guyana Police Force to obtain certified copies of the original documents before the reopening of the paper committals. According to the statement subsequent to the first preliminary inquiry held before Magistrate Moore, it was discovered that the original documents which were tendered during the PI, had gone missing from the depositions. “The DPP has since forwarded a report to Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Amna Ali, on the position of this matter.” Neezaam Ali, also known as ‘Mufti’, an Imam
of Lot 268 Section ‘C 5’ South, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown was committed to stand High Court trial since 2013 on nine counts of engaging in sexual intercourse with boys under the age of 12. According to reports, the 33-year-old Imam was alleged to have sexually assaulted the nine boys where they usually go to take Quran and Arabic lessons from him, between December 2011 and January 2012. The virtual complainants allege that Ali had penetrative anal intercourse with them while they were minors. The Muslim Scholar was charged with several counts of sexual activity with a child by abusing a position of trust. He was accused of assaulting nine boys while they attended classes at an East Coast Demerara Masjid. The Imam underwent a preliminary inquiry into the allegations before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Sparendaam Court. In 2013 after perusing the evidence brought before him during the preliminary inquiries, Magistrate Moore found that there was sufficient reason to send Ali for High Court trial. But Ali, through his lawyer Nigel Hughes, applied to the High Court to quash the committal. His application was made on
Accused: Muslim scholar Nezaam Ali several grounds, including that the Magistrate acted in excess of his jurisdiction when he failed to consider the expert opinion of Dr. Walter Ramsahoye, who testified that it was impossible for the accused to commit the act, since he is impotent. According to court documents, Dr. Ramsahoye testified that “the individual whose psychological systems are severely compromised, cannot have sex with boy, girl, man or woman as he cannot have an erection.” This statement was the essence of Ali’s defence, one which the defence claimed was ignored by the
prosecution and the Magistrate. He contended that there was no statement provided to the court to rebut the expert’s evidence, neither did the prosecution indicate or represent to the court that they intended to call any expert witness to give a rebuttal. Ali’s legal team therefore applied to the High Court for an order or Rule of Certiorari directing Magistrate Moore to show cause why his decision to commit him based on the evidence should not be quashed. In his reply Magistrate Moore, noted that police witness, Inspector Hatty David, testified that the
statement laid over by the medical practitioner exceeded the specified period prescribed in paragraph (2) under the Sexual Offences Act. The officer claimed that Dr. Ramsahoye’s opinion was formed from information provided by Ali, and was not one which came as result of doctors treating and attending to a medical condition, which the accused suffered, over a period of time. The officer therefore deposed that no expert evidence was adduced by the prosecution. He denied that there was a defence, since the statement of Dr. Ramsahoye was laid over outside the statutory time limit, (some seven months after the prescribed
period for doing so). In this regard, the respondent outlined, that although the Magistrate did not consider the statement of Dr. Ramsahoye, it was for the jury (to consider), whether his expertise, in the matter was sufficient and if so, whether they would be prepared to accept and rely on his statement.” Additionally then Chief Justice (CJ) Ian Chang in his decision dated July 31, 2015, said that, the court does not see it fit to quash the order of committal of the Magistrate by Certiorari. Chang, for that reason ordered that Magistrate Moore be awarded $25,000 in court cost.
Driver found guilty of killing cop in accident
KILLED: Nkosi La Fleur
Three to stand trial for killing Soesdyke remigrant
GUILTY: Ron Cole After months of trial and several adjournments, Ron Cole has been found guilty of killing Police Constable Nkosi La Fleur, in an accident at Eccles, East Bank Demerara. However, sentencing for the convict has been deferred
until June 1, when a probation report will be presented to Magistrate Leron Daly. On April 11, 2016 at Eccles Public Road, East Bank Demerara, Cole of Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden, drove motor pick-up GRR9355 in a manner dangerous to the public and caused the death of La Fleur. According to reports, La Fleur who was stationed at the Providence Police Station was directing traffic at Eccles when he stepped back to allow a vehicle to pass in front of him. That was when the pick-up hit him from behind. The 25-year-old policeman died three days after the accident at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). He was initially treated and sent away but was rushed back to the hospital after complaining of severe pain.
Angry prisoner chucks...
MURDERED: Anthony Breedy
MURDER ACCUSED: Paul Goriah
Magistrate Leron Daly, yesterday, committed three men to stand trial at the High Court in Georgetown for the murder of re-migrant Agriculturist, Anthony Breedy, whose lifeless body was found in his Hill Foot, Soesdyke residence. The men, ex-convict Paul Goriah, 28, of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara; Donnel Trapp a/k Short man, 21, and Keimo Corbin a/k Trini, 18, both of Timehri are currently on remand for this murder.
At the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Magistrate Leron Daly ruled that there was sufficient evidence against the trio for them go on trial before a judge and jury at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes. It is alleged that the men committed the gruesome crime between March 12 and March 14, 2016 at the Lot 67 Hill Foot, Soesdyke home of Breedy during the course of a robbery.
MURDER ACCUSED: Keimo Corbin and Donnel Trapp Based on reports, the body of 60-year-old Breedy was found in the lower flat of his two-storey house, with multiple injuries to his head. His hands and feet were bound. It was reported that after Breedy was killed, his killers
made off with his Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and other belongings including an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card. Goriah had served jail time for break and enter and larceny and trafficking narcotics.
From page 8 were to no avail. The woman collapsed to the ground after complaining of chest pains. The woman soon lapsed into unconsciousness. She lay motionless on the ground until her son and two other prisoners fanned her. When she revived they gave her a bottle of water. But the woman was still unable to get back on her feet. Trapp continued his tirade and began pelting all sorts of objects around the court compound without taking into account that there were
people, including children standing on the court steps. Persons ran for cover and the courtyard was kept on lock down. No one was allowed to enter or exit the public place. Other prisoners intervened and talked to an outraged Trapp, who eventually calm down and walked calmly into the prisoners’ van to be taken to the Camp Street Prison. And up to then there was no clear understanding of what caused the prisoner to behave so erratically, today.
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At least 19 dead in blast at Ariana Grande concert in British arena (Reuters) A blast last night at a concert in the English city of Manchester where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing left at least 19 people dead and about 50 injured in what British police said was being treated as a terrorist incident. Police said they were responding to reports of an explosion and that there were a number of confirmed fatalities and others injured at the arena, which has a capacity for 21,000 people. A witness who attended the concert said she felt a
huge blast as she was leaving the arena, followed by screaming and a rush as thousands of people trying to escape. “We were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming,” concertgoer Catherine Macfarlane told Reuters. “It was a huge explosion you could feel it in your chest. It was chaotic. Everybody was running and screaming and just trying to get out.” Witnesses reported that
many children were at the concert. Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue. A spokesman for Ariana Grande, 23, said the singer was “okay”. A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, screaming and running from the venue. Britain is on its secondhighest alert level of “severe” meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.
Trump says concerns about Iran driving Israel, Arab states closer
U.S. President Donald Trump places a note in the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City yesterday. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that shared concern about Iran was driving Israel and many Arab states closer and demanded that Tehran immediately cease military and financial backing of “terrorists and militias”. In stressing threats from Iran, Trump echoed a theme laid out during weekend meetings in Saudi Arabia with Muslim leaders from around the world, many wary of the Islamic Republic’s growing regional influence and financial muscle. Trump has vowed to do whatever necessary to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians, dubbing a peace accord “the ultimate deal”. But ahead of his Holy Land visit, he gave little indication of how he could revive talks that collapsed in 2014. Trump received a warm welcome in Riyadh from Arab leaders, especially over his tough line on Tehran, which
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
many Sunni Muslim Arab states regard as seeking regional control. In Jerusalem, in public remarks after talks with Israeli leaders on the first day of his two-day visit, he again focused on Iran, pledging he would never let Tehran acquire nuclear arms. “What’s happened with Iran has brought many of the parts of the Middle East toward Israel,” Trump said at a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin. In his comments to Netanyahu, Trump mentioned a growing Iranian influence in conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, where it either backs Shi’ite fighters or has sent its own forces. Trump said there were opportunities for cooperation across the Middle East: “That includes advancing prosperity, defeating the evils of terrorism and facing the threat of an Iranian regime that is
threatening the region and causing so much violence and suffering.” He also welcomed what he said was Netanyahu’s commitment to pursuing peace and renewed his pledge to achieve a deal. Netanyahu, in his remarks, did not mention the word “Palestinians”, but spoke of advancing “peace in our region” with Arab partners helping to deliver it. Israel shares the antipathy many Arab states have towards Iran, seeing the Islamic Republic as a threat to its existence. “I want you to know how much we appreciate the change in American policy on Iran which you enunciated so clearly,” Netanyahu, who had an acrimonious relationship with former U.S. President Barack Obama, told Trump at his official residence. Trump, who is on his maiden foreign trip since taking office in January, urged Iran to cease “its deadly funding, training and equipping of terrorists and militias”. REGIONAL STABILITY Iran’s newly re-elected, pragmatist president, Hassan Rouhani, said regional stability could not be achieved without Iranian help, and accused Washington of supporting terrorism with its backing for rebels in Syria. He said the summit in Saudi Arabia “had no political value, and will bear no results”. “Who can say the region will experience total stability without Iran? Who fought against the terrorists? It was Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Syria. But who funded the terrorists?” Rouhani noted the contrast between young Iranians dancing in the streets to mark the re-election of a leader seeking detente with the West, and images of Trump meeting with a galaxy of Arab autocrats, some of whose countries have spawned the Sunni militants hostile to Washington and Tehran alike.
Rouhani says regional stability impossible without Iran (Reuters) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday stability could not be achieved in the Middle East without Tehran’s help, responding to criticism of the Islamic Republic from U.S. President Donald Trump who is visiting the region. Trump called for a U.S. alliance with Muslim countries on Sunday aimed at fighting terrorism, singling out Iran as a major source of funding and support for militants in the Arab world. Rouhani, a pragmatist who won last week’s presidential election, hit back hard by dismissing the summit as a “ceremonial (event) that had no political value and will bear no results”. “Who can say regional stability can be restored without Iran? Who can say the region will experience total stability without Iran?” he said at a news conference. At a weekend summit in Riyadh, Trump accused Iran of funding and arming “terrorists, militias and other extremist groups” in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and backing President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war. Rouhani, who fronted Tehran’s deal with six major powers in 2015 to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, said the U.S. administration lacked knowledge about the Middle East. “Americans resorted to many different methods against Iran but failed in all ... We are waiting for the new U.S. administration to find stability and continuity in its policies,” Rouhani said. “The problem is that the Americans do not know our region and those who advise
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani gestures during a news conference in Tehran, Iran. (TIMA via REUTERS) U.S. officials are misleading them.” Rouhani said Iran was the vital force behind the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and repeated Iran’s official stance that the United States and Saudi Arabia are funding “terrorism” in the Middle East. “Who fought against the terrorists? It was Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Russia. But who funded the terrorists? Those who fund terrorists cannot claim they are fighting against them,” he said. Tehran and Riyadh are involved in proxy wars across the region, backing opposite sides in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon. FRAGILE DIPLOMACY Already fragile diplomatic and trade ties between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi’itedominated Iran were severed last year, after Saudi Arabia executed a Shi’ite cleric and as a result protesters ransacked the Saudi embassy in
Iran. “Buying arms or building weapons won’t make a country powerful. Military power is only a part of strength and we are fully aware of that. But the foundation of power is national strength and this only happens through elections,” Rouhani said. “Maybe it will help if Saudi leaders let their people to decide over their country’s fate by casting their vote ... It will make them (rulers) stronger.” He said Iran welcomed better relations with its regional neighbors and pledged to fulfill his campaign promises of opening Iran to the world and delivering freedoms to the Iranian people. “The Iranian people voted for moderation as they know a prosperous economy and jobs can o n l y h a p p e n through investment, and investment through freedom and interaction with the world,” he said.
Irregularities exposed in 2015 govt... From page 16 which are left over from the budgetary allocations to state agencies are to be returned to the consolidated fund at the end of each fiscal year. Mr Butts advised that in such a situation where money needs to be rolled over, an application should have been made to the Ministry of Finance. Presidency Ministry Moore was quizzed about the purchasing of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems at the National Intelligence Centre. The items totalled $19.108M. The money used for this purchase was taken from the Contingency Fund. This transaction was also done while Mr Shariff was PS for the Ministry. Chairman of the PAC, Irfaan Ali, asked Moore to
explain under what conditions are purchases made from the contingency fund. Moore informed the committee that such purchases are only made in emergency situations. It was later clarified that purchases from the Contingency Fund are only made for unforeseen, urgent and unavoidable situations. Ali said that the items were paid for in 2015 and as of September 2016 they were not received. Based on this he said, the purchase of the items does not satisfy the criteria of the Contingency Fund. He then asked whether the equipment has since been installed. Moore then informed the committee that the items have still not arrived. The PS explained to Ali that the Ministry had an es-
tablished relationship for the past six years with the company from which the equipment was purchased. She said that through correspondences with the company, assurances were given that the equipment would have been supplied on time; however this did not materialise since the company is reportedly now bankrupt. Ali questioned whether there was a bond or bid security that the government could cash-in on to get back some of the money. However, Moore informed that there is no bond. She said that contact is being made with one of the partners in the contract to arrive at a solution. Moore added that since the company is based in the United States of America, the American Embassy in Guyana is being engaged.
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
North Korea says missile ready for mass-production, U.S. questions progress (Reuters) North Korea said yesterday it successfully tested what it called an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which met all technical requirements and could now be mass-produced, although U.S. officials and experts questioned the extent of its progress. The United States, which has condemned repeated North Korean missile launches, said Sunday’s launch of what North Korea dubbed the Pukguksong-2 was of a “medium-range” missile, and U.S.-based experts doubted the reliability of the relatively new solid-fuel type after so few tests. U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the test did not demonstrate a new capability, or one that could threaten the United States directly. But the test was North Korea’s second in a week and South Korea’s new liberal government said it dashed its hopes for peace. U.S. officials have been far less sanguine about the test of a long-range KN-17, or Hwasong-12, missile just over a week ago, which U.S. officials believe survived reentry to some degree. North Korea said that launch tested the capability to carry a “large-size heavy nuclear warhead” and put the U.S. mainland within “sighting range.” Western experts say that test did appear to have advanced North Korea’s aim of developing an intercontinen-
tal ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, even if it is still some way off from achieving that capability. The U.N. Security Council is due to meet on Tuesday behind closed doors to discuss the latest test, which defies Security Council resolutions and sanctions. The meeting was called at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea. Washington has been trying to persuade China to agree to new sanctions on North Korea, which has conducted dozens of missile firings and tested two nuclear bombs since the start of last year. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although U.S. officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option. North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, said the latest missile test was supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and verified the reliability of Pukguksong-2’s solid-fuel engine, stage separation and late-stage guidance for a nuclear warhead. It said data was recorded by a device mounted on the warhead. ‘PRIDE’ “Saying with pride that the missile’s rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he (Kim) approved the deployment of
this weapon system for action,” KCNA said. “Now that its tactical and technical data met the requirements of the Party, this type of missile should be rapidly mass-produced in a serial way ... he said.” KCNA said Kim was able to view the Earth from a camera mounted on the missile. “Supreme leader Kim Jong Un said it feels grand to look at the Earth from the rocket we launched and the entire world looks so beautiful,” KCNA said. South Korea’s military said the missile flew about 500 km (310 miles), reaching an altitude of 560 km (350 miles). The South’s military said the test would have provided more “meaningful data” for North Korea’s missile program, but further analysis was needed to determine whether Pyongyang had mastered the technology needed to stop the warhead burning up on re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. U.S.-based experts said it would have a maximum range of about 1,500 km (930 miles) and questioned North Korea’s assertion that the reliability of the solid-fuel missile had been proven, given limited testing. “Entering mass production this early in the development phase is risky, but perhaps a risk North Korea feels comfortable managing,” said Michael Elleman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
Network of labs seek to strengthen diagnosis of mosquitoborne diseases in the C’bean PANAMA (CMC) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says the Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory Network (RELDA), which it coordinates, is working to strengthen the diagnosis of mosquito-borne diseases in the Americas, including the Caribbean, to ensure a timely response to outbreaks and epidemics caused by these viruses. PAHO said it has brought together members of the 32 laboratories, technical advisers and collaborating centers of the 27 countries in the region that make up RELDA. It was the first meeting of the new network, which started with dengue and has expanded its range of action to address new challenges posed by the Zika virus, chikungunya, yellow fever and other arboviruses that could emerge in the future, PAHO said. “The transition from the dengue network to an arbovirus network will allow PAHO and the countries of the region to respond in a coordinated and comprehensive manner to the increased threat posed by simultaneous circulation of different mosquito-borne viruses,” said Sylvain Aldighieri, deputy director of the Public Health Emergencies at PAHO. PAHO said the surveillance and rapid identification of viruses circulating in the Americas is a priority of the
network, adding that standardized laboratory algorithms are being established and expanded. “Having unified diagnostic protocols will allow us to reliably and quickly identify a case of arbovirosis in any country in the region, especially at the beginning of an outbreak,” said Jairo Méndez, regional advisor on Viral Diseases at PAHO. “This will help health authorities take the necessary steps to contain the outbreaks quickly,” he added. Currently, PAHO said at least nine arboviruses circulate in the region, including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile virus, Mayaro and Oropuche. As has happened in several cases, these viruses can generate emergency situations for which laboratories in the region must be prepared, PAHO said. With funding from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PAHO said it will provide material to ensure the continuity of molecular and serological diagnosis of different arboviruses. In addition, PAHO said it will train laboratory personnel in about 20 countries and carry out technical visits to strengthen the capacities of RELDA members. This will also include standardizing the laboratory protocols for the diagnosis of arboviral diseases in the region, the labo-
ratories that make up the network have agreed to exchange information, support each other in diagnosis, establish a repository of reagents and mechanisms for their exchange among countries, strengthen surveillance, and participate in quality control programs promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The strengthening of the Network of Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratories in the Americas is one of four lines of action agreed in PAHO’s regional strategy for the prevention and control of arboviral diseases in 2016. The others are: prevention and control, differential diagnosis and clinical management, and surveillance and integrated vector management. RELDA was created in 2008 as the Dengue Laboratory Network of the Americas, but in 2016, RELDA became the Arbovirus Diagnosis Laboratory Network, expanding its range of action. It is made up of 32 laboratories from 27 countries and territories in the region. PAHO said runs RELDA’s Technical Secretariat and supports the coordination led by Dr. María Guadalupe Guzmán of the Pedro Kouri Institute of Cuba. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Mexico’s Diagnostic and Epidemiological Reference Institute (InDRE), and the CDC
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Kaieteur News
South Korea’s ex-leader Park to make first court appearance in corruption trial (Reuters) South Korea’s former leader Park Geun-hye makes her first public appearance today since her arrest in March, standing trial on bribery charges over a corruption scandal that brought down her presidency. Park faces more than 10 years in jail if found guilty of taking bribes from business leaders, one of the key accusations that led to her impeachment, making her the country’s first democratically elected leader to be removed from office. Park has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to plead not guilty at the trial. The first day of arguments on Tuesday comes two weeks after the election of President Moon Jae-in, who has promised to get tough on chaebol bosses who commit crimes, and has named a respected investigator to head the office prosecuting the former leader. Park is expected to appear at the Seoul Central District Court at 0100 GMT with the friend she is accused of colluding with to solicit money, Choi Soon-sil. Choi
has also rejected the bribery charges. At the court hearing Park and Choi are likely to be reunited for the first time since the scandal erupted in public in late October, seated near each other as defendants. It is Park’s first appearance since being arrested on March 31, three weeks after she was removed from office by a Constitutional Court ruling and after a warrant judge decided she posed a flight risk and was likely to tamper with evidence. The controversy surrounding her secretive lifestyle and eccentric personality did not end with her departure from the presidential Blue House. An animal rights group has filed a complaint with the police against her for abandoning nine dogs she left behind in the presidential compound. Media reports have said she spent her time in her prison cell reading the English dictionary and keeping away from the news available for inmates. She is believed to have been kept away from the head
of the Samsung conglomerates, Jay Y. Lee, one of the business leaders accused of paying into the funds set up to back Park’s policies. Park’s lawyer did not respond to telephone calls and text messages seeking comment, and the Seoul Detention Center declined to comment citing the inmate’s privacy. The Seoul Central District Court held a lottery last week for the 68 seats available for the public, drawing more than 500 people, most of them young people in their 20s and 30s. Heo Go-eun, a 22-yearold university music major said she had cut her classes that day to enter the lottery. “This will remain a page in history and I wanted to see for myself Park on trial,” said Heo, adding she had participated in the candlelight rallies last year that drew millions of South Koreans to the street in peaceful protests. “So many people are just happy Park has been impeached, that she has already paid the price for her crimes but this is just the beginning.”
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Tuesday May 23, 2017
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GCB/ECB dodge Raphael’s questions... Turkish NBA star calls Erdogan... (From page 27) the whole tale of a failed cricket administration. Why was there no photograph of those in attendance to support their misleading claim? Once again the press was locked out from this purported AGM and therefore could not report on the facts but only what the GCB released to the media. Here are the critical questions I asked of Drubahadur and which have not being answered by the GCB, the ECB and Drubahadur himself: 1. How, where, when and who voted for his election to the Presidency of the GCB. 2. Definitively when he resigned from the GCB and the real reason for so doing, especially since he seem so vague on this issue approximately two (2) months after
it was supposed to have occurred. 3. In clear terms what were his major contributions (lows and highs) during his term of office. 4. What legal mechanism was utilized to transfer all the assets (conservatively valued at $2.5 billion dollars) to the privately-owned group named Cricket Guyana Inc. No 6850 formerly-named D.E.B Essentials Organisation Inc. Also, Drubahadur must explain who is holding the Berbice Cricket Board’s shares in the Cricket Guyana Inc. since the incorporation document shows that share s f o r t h e Essequibo Cricket Board are held in the name of Fizul Bacchus and for the Demerara Board in the name of Raj Singh. 5. By what legal authority
were Mr. Chetram Singh and Mr. Lionel Jaikarran empowered to effect such a transfer of the GCB assets to a private body. The transferring of our state assets to the private company Cricket Guyana Inc. has been reported to the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) by Cricket Stakeholders across Guyana. It is only natural that actions will be taken by SARA and the Special Organized Crime Unit to recover and return these assets to the people of Guyana. Free and transparent elections of the GCB and its membership must occur immediately. The nation deserves no less. Claude Raphael Former Executive of the GCB Former Director of the WICB
Tuesday May 23, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Enlist coworkers in order to get the job done on time. Travel will be in your best interest. Get involved in a competitive sport that will bring the challenges you thrive on.
born.
TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) Hassles with in-laws could put a damper on your day. Your mate will enjoy helping out. Try to avoid functions that will bring you in contact with those you find difficult to get along with.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Luck is with you, regardless of the financial venture. Elders may get you going today. Lovers may prove unworthy of your affection.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your greatest gains will come through your creative ideas. Your magnetic, outgoing personality will capture hearts. Friends and relatives can give you good advice. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You should visit a friend or relative who hasn't been well. Do not borrow or lend money or belongings to friends or relatives if you wish to avoid any hassles. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Children will keep you busy. You can make changes to your home that will be pleasing to all concerned. Get out and get active. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Your diplomacy will be of utmost importance today. Be prepared to lose friends or alienate other people if you insist on being stub-
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) However, be careful with luggage; it may be rerouted. A quiet restful day just staying in bed or catching up on reading will be your best bet.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Romance is quite possible if you are willing to approach someone who interests you. Unexpected romantic connections can be made if you go out with friends or take a pleasure trip. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Try to curb your habits, or you could find yourself in an awkward financial position. This might not be a day for hasty decisions. A long, quiet walk alone may help you sort out your thoughts. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Unexpected romantic connections can be made if you go out with friends or take a pleasure trip. Your passionate nature may make you jealous if your mate has been too busy to take care of your needs. Don't shy away from potential mates they want to introduce you to. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Don't allow your personal problems to interfere with your professionalism. Trips will be exciting.
(From page 26) allegiance to Gulen after Turkish media published a letter signed by Kanter’s father, disowning his son. In an April referendum, Turks narrowly backed constitutional changes creating an executive presidency that gave sweeping new powers to Erdogan, including control over the Islamist AKP Party. The move, viewed by domestic and international critics as an authoritative power grab by Erdogan, comes amid mounting foreign policy challenges and tensions with NATO allies. During the coup attempt, rogue soldiers in warplanes and tanks tried to seize power
in Turkey in a plot that killed more than 240 people. Gulen has denied involvement. At the news briefing, Kanter accused the Turkish president of quelling opposition at any price, including murder and rape. “Erdogan, he’s a terrible man. He’s the Hitler of our century,” Kanter said. “I hope the world is going to do something about it.” Kanter, who returned to the United States via London after his release by Romanian authorities, said his worst fear was to be sent against his will to Turkey. “It was, of course, scary. If they sent me back to Turkey, probably you guys
wouldn’t hear a word from me the second day,” Kanter said. Kanter, who holds a U.S. green card allowing him to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis, said he hoped to become an American citizen because he is currently “country-less.” Kanter said he had received a great deal of support online from fans and personal messages from teammates wishing him well following the incident in Romania, including a text message from teammate, Russell Westbrook. “I’m not even from America, and I see all these people and I get all this support. I feel like this is my home now,” Kanter said.
Russia risk Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic... (From page 28) non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s standards. “Although we are pleased with the progress to date, a number of key criteria still need to be met,” International Olympic Committee President Philip Craven told a news conference. “At the moment there are a lot of good plans with timelines on paper, but we now need to see plans in action and delivering concrete results. With 291 days to go until...Pyeongchang, there is not a moment to waste.” He said the IPC would receive an update by its task force on Russia in September. “If the obligations have not been fully met by then, it will be very difficult for the RPC to have its suspension lifted in time to enter its ath-
letes into the Paralympic Winter Games.” Craven said Russia would need to restore confidence, while RPC and Russian authorities needed to put measures in place to avoid what was revealed as systematic, state-backed doping in the WADA-commissioned report by Richard McLaren. He said part of Russia’s obligation was also to offer an official response that would specifically address the findings of the McLaren report.
“The RPC and Russian authorities need to build trust in their actions and prove to us all that from now on sport really is about morals over medals and not the other way round. “As IPC President I want to get this situation resolved as quickly as possible,” Craven said. “Russia is a great sporting nation and the Paralympic Movement would like to see Russia back competing as soon as it can prove it has met the reinstatement criteria in full.”
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Ball in Bravo’s court, says chief selector BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – With the critical tour of England looming, chief selector Courtney Browne has said there is still no timetable for Darren Bravo’s return to the West Indies side. In fact, Browne told the Massy United Insurance Line and Length TV show that the responsibility was now on the 28-year Trinidadian to indicate his availability, with a solution to the impasse already on the table. “I’m not sure [when he will be available for selection again], as I have said many times,” Browne said. “There was some agreement between both parties (the West Indies Cricket Board and Bravo) but I think the ball really is in Darren’s court now to d e t e r m i n e t h a t (availability).” Bravo and the WICB have been locked in an impasse ever since the player was sent home ahead of the Tri-Nations Series in Zimbabwe last November for a controversial tweet in which he labelled WICB president Dave Cameron “a big idiot.” Last month, newlyappointed WICB chief executive Johnny Grave said a deal had been struck with Bravo’s representatives but that move stalled because of legal action the player initiated against the board. “I thought everything was agreed with his legal advisors,” the Englishman said recently.
Letter to the Sports Editor
Samaroo responds to Claude Raphael Dear Sports Editor, Mr. Editor, Please allow me some space in your letter column to respond to a letter carried in a few print media houses purportedly written by a Claude Raphael. Firstly, I would like to make it clear that Mr. Raphael does not speak for the Berbice Cricket Board and cannot represent our position as it relates to anything regarding our parent body, the Guyana Cricket Board. In fact, I am not aware that Mr. Claude Raphael holds any elected or appointed position in the current cricket structure and must admit the he refers to himself as former this or that
Uncertainty surrounds the return of premier Test batsman, Darren Bravo. “We didn’t want this to play out publicly but yes, it is true, his attorney is asking for damages and West Indies supporters deserve an explanation as to why he is not in the [West Indies] squad.” However, a week later, Bravo’s lawyers refuted G r a v e ’s a s s e r t i o n , contending no agreement had been reached, while stressing that the player remained committed to playing for West Indies but “in an environment of mutual trust, confidence and respect.” The left-handed Bravo, the region’s premier Test batsman with an average of 40 from 49 Tests, was sorely missed during the recent three-Test series against Pakistan which West Indies lost 2-1, to hand the visitors their first-ever win on
Caribbean soil in nearly six decades. Only last October, he made a superb hundred and a half-century in the opening Test against Pakistan in Dubai, nearly helping West Indies to avoid defeat. His replacement in the recent Test series – 20-yearold Shimron Hetmyer – proved inadequate managing a paltry 96 runs from six innings. West Indies are set to play three Tests away to England starting in August and Browne said his panel would continue to focus on players who were available. “We can just work with the people that we have now as a selection panel and if and when Darren decides to come back, we will look at that,” the former Test wicketkeeper said.
Turkish NBA star calls Erdogan ‘Hitler of our century’ NEW YORK (Reuters) Enes Kanter, the NBA star w h o s e h o m e c o u n t r y, Turkey, revoked his passport over the weekend, lashed out at President Tayyip Erdogan at a news conference yesterday, calling him “the Hitler of our century” and describing himself as the victim of political retaliation. Kanter, an outspoken Erdogan critic who plays for the National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder, returned to the United States on Sunday after being detained in Romania when authorities
Tuesday May 23, 2017
learned his passport had been revoked. T h e 6 - f o o t - 11 - i n c h center, whose team was eliminated from the NBA playoffs, was traveling on a charity and promotional tour. “The reason behind it was, whoever is going to try to go against the president, he’s going to try to shut him down,” Kanter said at the press conference in New York. The Turkish embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kanter, who attended the
University of Kentucky, said he has received daily death threats, mostly over social media, including two yesterday. He contends that Turkey revoked his travel document in retaliation for his longtime support of Fethullah Gulen, a dissident cleric who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999. Erdogan is seeking Gulen’s extradition for his alleged role in a failed coup last July. Kanter said last year he had severed ties with his family and pledged (Continued on page 25)
on a constant basis. Secondly, the Berbice Cricket Board recognizes the GCB as its parent body and fully supports the current Executives. We have attended the last two General Meetings and have made great strides to correct the mistakes of our misguided former Executives, who sought to resolve their issues in the court. T h i r d l y, a n d m o r e importantly, the Cricket Administration Act carries an archaic BCB constitution that failed to enshrine many amendments over the years which has created chaos in Berbice cricket. The purported representatives
apparently failed to ensure that their own clubs were accounted for in the membership. Maybe Raphael can explain why this happened as he appears to be quite knowledgeable on the drafting and passing of the controversial piece of legislation which the BCB currently oppose. Finally, I must let Claude Raphael know that like him we all played some level of Club cricket. His achievement as an administrator is cloudy at best. Yours Sincerely, Dhieranidranauth Samaroo. President (ag) Berbice Cricket Board.
Hayden dies after cycling accident: Italian media
Honda MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden (L) of the U.S. talks with a team member in his garage during a free practice session at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, north of Tokyo, Japan, October 9, 2015. (REUTERS/Issei Kato FILE PHOTO) (Reuters) American former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden has died of severe brain damage five days after he was hit by a car while cycling in eastern Italy, Italian media reported yesterday. There was no immediate confirmation from his Red Bull Honda team or the hospital treating him. A spokeswoman for Cesena’s Maurizio Bufalini hospital said a statement was expected later. Hayden, 35, was struck by a car while training on his bicycle along Italy’s Adriatic Coast, the force of the impact shattering the car
windscreen. The last medical bulletin from the hospital, dated May 20, said Hayden remained in a critical condition. The hospital had previously said he had suffered serious brain damage in the accident. Doctors had placed the 2006 MotoGP champion, known as “The Kentucky Kid”, into a medically induced coma. Hayden’s fiancee Jackie was joined at his bedside by his brother Tommy and mother Rose who flew in from the United States. Hayden last raced in the MotoGP championship in
Spain in September 2016 as a stand-in for injured Australian Jack Miller at the privately-run Marc VDS Honda team. He started 216 races between 2003 and 2015, winning three. Italian newspapers reported on Monday that investigators had found video of the accident from a camera on a house overlooking the road. They said the images suggested Hayden had failed to stop at an intersection and was hit full on by the passing car. There was no immediate confirmation of the report from the investigators.
Kaieteur News
Tuesday May 23, 2017
Bolt weeps as friend Mason laid to rest
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Letter to the Sports Editor
GCB/ECB dodge Raphael’s questions on Drubahadur’s registration 2.5 Billion dollars GCB assets transferred to private company Dear Sports Editor,
Usain Bolt (right) helps carry the coffin of friend and Olympian Germaine Mason. KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Sprint icon Usain Bolt was among high profile members of the sports fraternity paying their last respects as Jamaica-born British high jumper Germaine Mason was laid to rest here Sunday. Bolt, the multiple-time Olympic champion, was joined by the likes of Olympians Michael Frater and Nesta Carter, as well as former Reggae Boyz stars Ricardo Gardner and Ian Goodison at the funeral held at Hagley Park Road Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Jason Pryce, the husband
of former Olympic and reigning World 100 metres champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, was also present. Bolt, a close friend of Mason’s, served as one of the pallbearers and wept openly during the service as friends and family recalled memories of the late athlete. “I have never and will never forget the special times we shared together growing up … we shared so much joy together even though we had our separate journey,” Gardner, who racked over 300 appearances in a 14-year stint at former English Premiership club
Bolton Wanderers, wrote in a tribute. “Ger, I want to thank God for allowing you in my life, for being a part of the journey and for all the inspiration that you gave me.” Mason died last month at age 34 when he crashed while riding his motorcycle along the Palisadoes main road that leads to the Norman Manley International Airport in the country’s capital here. He won silver in the high jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after switching allegiance to Great Britain two years prior.
Xtreme Clean & Maintenance Co. ‘Gold Rush’ Futsal Tournament
All systems in place for Friday’s start - Organisers All systems are in place for Friday’s start of the Xtreme Clean & Maintenance Company ‘Gold Rush’ Futsal Tournament scheduled to kick-off, at the National Gymnasium. According to the Organisers, all the teams confirmed to participate in the tournament have commenced preparations and are rearing to put on a good show for the fans. Word in the street is that Sparta Boss, the most successful team in the shorter format, will not have things easy since opponents are hard at training and are determined to unseat them from their throne. The tournament has prize monies and trophies totaling in excess of $1million and will be played over eight days on a ‘win or go home’ (knockout) format on the first two days, before the survivors enter a round robin phase with the top two automatically advancing, in addition to the best two third
placed teams to the quarterfinals. The winners are set to receive $500,000 and trophy, while second, third and fourth placed teams will take home $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. The other playing dates are May 28, June 6, 8, 13, 15 and 17. Meanwhile, every night two lucky fans will have the opportunity to kick to win one pennyweight of gold each or its equivalent, while several other novelty events will allow patrons to win prizes. The teams invited are: Sparta Boss, Bent Street, Sophia, West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’, Broad Street Bullies, Tiger Bay, North East La Penitence, West Back Road, Back Circle, Campbellville , Dave & Celena All Stars (Linden), Melanie ‘B’ (East Coast), S h o w S t o p p e r s ( We s t Demerara), Agricola Champion Boys, Kitty, Tucville, North Ruimveldt, Festival City, Albouystown ‘B’, Alexander Village,
Plaisance ‘A’, Globe Yard, Future Stars and BV ‘A’. Meanwhile, the fixtures for the first two days of competition are seen below. Friday-May 26th Agricola vs BV-A19:00rs Festival City vs Albouystown-19:30hrs Sophia vs Dave and Celina All-Stars-20:00hrs Showstoppers vs Tiger Bay-20:30hrs Broad Street vs Kitty21:00hrs Sparta Boss vs West Back Road-21:30hrs Saturday-Saturday May 27th Tucville vs Melanie19:00hrs Plaisance vs Alexander Village-19:30hrs Bent Street vs Campbellville-20:00hrs North East La Penitence vs Future Stars-20:30hrs West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ vs North Ruimveldt21:00hrs Back Circle vs Globe Yard-21:30hrs The reserve team is Buxton Diamond.
My recent request for Drubahadur to publicly account for his stewardship of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has elicited a scathing attack on my reputation by the virtual oneman GCB and the impotent Essequibo Cricket Board. Instead of answering my questions asked of Drubahadur, they unleashed a spate of nonsensical vitriol of no verifiable substance. The personal attack against me is a ruse deliberately employed to evade answering my questions. Drubahadur for his part appears to be too scared and incapable of defending himself. Since I have no intention of engaging is any form of mud-slinging I will only deal briefly with the following pertinent issues. 1 . T h e 2 0 1 1 AGM/Election was illegal since there was no quorum as was clearly stated by Chief Justice (Ag) Ian Chang in his ruling on the matter of Angela Haniff vs Ramsey Ali / GCB). It is important to note that the press, for the very first time, was deliberately prevented from attending the meeting while only a privately-hired videographer covered the proceedings. 2. The Cricket Administration Act 2014 (CAA) evolved from the very ruling by Chief Justice Ian Chang (Ag) that G u y a n a ’s c r i c k e t w a s administered by legal nonentities that lacked persona and therefore needed to be made legal entities. In consequence he recommended that Government sets up an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee the short-term resolution of the current cricket crisis and legislature as the long term remedy. The IMC held c o u n t r y - w i d e meetings/consultations with all and sundry in Berbice, Essequibo and Demerara including Linden. The information gathered was collated and presented to Parliament for consideration and consolidation into the proposed Bill before being passed into law. 3. Parliament in its wisdom sent the proposed
Bill to a Select Committee which also held nation-wide interviews and received submissions from all Boards, Associations, Clubs, and individuals including the Guyana Cricket Board and both factions of the DCB before presenting their final document for passing into law. This Parliamentary Select Committee c o m p r i s e d D r. F r a n k Anthony, Mr. Anil Nandlall, Mr. Neil Kumar, Mr. Odinga Lumumba, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, Mr. Basil Wi l l i a m s , M r. J o s e p h Harmon, Mr. Khemraj R a m j a t t a n a n d M r. Christopher Jones. All are eminent and capable gentlemen who are still Members of Parliament but now functioning on reverse sides of the floor and still responsible for taking our country forward. They sat for twenty-two meetings, held countless interviews and did an excellent job to produce the Cricket Administration Act. 4. It is quite preposterous of the GCB and their cohorts to keep misleading the nation in almost every letter to the press that Claude Raphael and the entire Cricket Stakeholders of Guyana were in some conspiracy with Jagdeo/Nandlall to take over Guyana’s cricket. This is clearly being peddled to gain sympathy from the current Government. Contrary to the misleading headline of the GCB’s response, it is absolutely clear that the President of GCB is the automatic choice for representing Guyana on the WICB; see article #17 (a) of the CAA. They seem to prefer continuing the current lawlessness instead of enforcing the Cricket Law. 5. Referring to the Jadgeo/Nandall meeting with the GCB, the Stakeholders and the Raj Singh faction of the DCB, it must be noted that every proposal made by Mr. Jadgeo was in favour of the GCB. I will list some: a) He suggested that we all come together with four from our group and eight from the GCB to form the new GCB. This suggestion actually meant handing over the Board to the GCB. We rejected that offer.
b) Our group had recommended that the code of ethics of the Cricket Law should include a clause that precludes any person charged with treason, murder etc or living out of Guyana from being a member of the GCB and from representing this country on the WICB. This suggestion was disappointingly rejected by the then government since its omission could not be of benefit to anyone on our team. c) Mr. Neil Kumar then Director of Sport is on record as publicly stating that his Government is giving unflinching support to the GCB. We are well aware that the GCB has an array of fence-straddlers who claim that they recognise the CAA as the law of the land yet conveniently violate its tenets. Upper Demerara is still to be allowed to participate as a bona fide association within the GCB framework with hundreds of talented cricketers, both male and female, being deliberately sidelined. Berbice, East Coast and Georgetown are being subjected to regular and strategic subversive actions including the denial of subventions for cricket development. Players are being taken from these areas and projected as the products of the GCB. Meanwhile, the areas of East Bank, West Bank and Essequibo have had diminishing returns with regards to cricket organization, development and production but hold all the senior administration positions. I refer to Sean Devers Kaieteur News article dated S a t 1 3 M a y, 2 0 1 7 , lamenting the state of Guyana’s cricket in general and women’s cricket in particular. What a shame! Of course while Raphael is not the author of this article it is the same sorry tale for years but nobody seems to care. Our young cricketers are now left “out in the cold”. Also the photograph of the so called AGM of January 2017 shows a photo of six purported GCB Executives. Where are the other seven to make up the GCB executive of thirteen? That photo tells (Continued on page 25) t h
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
Independence 5-K Run & Fitness Walk
Missenger, Scott takes top honors Isurdeen cops inaugural Wheel Chair category
Rising Star Track Club’ Leslie Black (left) with the medalists after the Event.
Winston Misssenger was victorious in wet conditions. Despite the pouring rain a large turn-out saw National Distance runner Winston Missenger finish ahead of fellow National athlete Cleveland Thomas when the second annual Independence 5K Run, Health and Fitness Walk organised by the Rising Star Track Club in
collaboration with the Office of the President and Guyana Community of Service was held in wet and windy conditions last Sunday. Nathaniel Giddings from Linden, took the third spot in the Event which commenced from Square of the Revolution, proceeded up
Hadfield Street, round Mandela Avenue, into Homestretch Avenue and back to the starting point. Missenger was pleased with his performance and said that this 5K race was as an excellent warm-up for Sunday’s Independence 10k which will be contested on
Moyes resigns as Sunderland manager after relegation
the South American route. GDF’s Ashanti Scott won the female category, Ricky Williams finished first in the junior category, West Demerara’s Gary Fagundes won the Master’s 40-55 race, Masters runner Llewellyn Gardener copped the Over60 category and Uttamkumar Isurdeen took the first ever Wheel Chair category by finishing ahead of Vlssys Edwards in a time of 13 minutes 35 seconds. Wheel Chair winner Isurdeen lauded the organizers for adding an Event for the differently abled athletes adding that he
hopes this can be an annual Category which will attract more such participants. He disclosed that he was proud to be the first winner and was happy that his hard training in the National Park paid off. Chairman of the Guyana Committee of Services, Eugene Noel, said he was satisfied with the Event despite the rain and the economic downturn of the nation affecting it to some extent. He thanked the sponsors for coming on board. Office of the President, Payless Varity Store, BK Inc, Banks DIH, E-networks, A n s a M c A l , To u c a n
Industries, Trans Guyana A i r w a y s , S & L ELICTRICAL, Kevin Jeffrey, Star Party Rentals, Brant’s Security, Key Shop, Mohamed Construction and M o h a n ’s C o n t r a c t i n g Company all offered Sponsorship to the Event be successful. Rising Star Track Club’s Leslie Black praised the hard work of everyone involved including his wife Avril Black and the sponsors for their time, funding and commitment. Medals and Tshirts were presented to the athletes. (Sean Devers)
Russia risk Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic ban over doping - IPC
Sunderland manager David Moyes. (Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs Livepic) (Reuters) Sunderland manager David Moyes has resigned following their relegation from the Premier League this season, the north-east club said in a statement yesterday. Moyes, who arrived at the Stadium of Light at the start of the campaign, had said earlier this month he
would stay in charge next term but the Scot has decided to leave after a meeting with the board in London yesterday. “I would like to thank (chairman) Ellis Short and the board for giving me the opportunity to manage Sunderland and the fans for always being so passionately supportive of their club,”
Moyes, 54, said in a statement. “I wish the players and my successor well in their efforts towards promotion back to the Premier League”. Sunderland finished bottom of the standings with 24 points after only six victories in 38 games, scoring 29 goals.
A woman walks into the head office of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada November 9, 2015. (REUTERS/Christinne Muschi/File Photo) (Reuters) Russia risk missing out on the 2018 winter Paralympics if the c o u n t r y ’s s u s p e n d e d Paralympic Committee (RPC) does not meet obligations for reinstatement after last year’s ban over
doping, the International Paralympic Committee said yesterday. Russia did not compete in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics with the entire team suspended over the country’s doping scandal that
also saw dozens of Russians banned from competing in the Rio Olympics. R u s s i a ’s a t h l e t i c s federation is also still banned while the country’s antidoping agency remains (Continued on page 25)
Kaieteur News
Tuesday May 23, 2017
PAGE 33
Caribbean Club Championship
Cibao FC top San Juan Jabloteh in final; Portmore United earn 3rd place on PKs
Cibao FC players and staff celebrates after defeating San Juan Jabloteh in the Caribbean Club Championship final on May 21, 2017, in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. (Photo: CA-Images) Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago – Cibao FC (Dominican Republic) captured its first-ever Caribbean Club Championship title with a 10 victory over San Juan J a b l o t e h ( Tr i n i d a d & Tobago) in the 2017 final on Sunday night at Hasely Crawford Stadium. CONCACAF.com takes
a look at the action: 2017 CARIBBEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP – F I N A L S T r i n i d a d & To b a g o May 14-21, 2017 F i n a l May 21, 2017: Hasely Crawford Stadium – Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago San Juan Jabloteh-Cibao F C 0 - 1 ( 0 - 1 )
Richard Dabas 30’ - Richard Dabas scored the only goal in the 30th minute, helping Cibao FC become the first team from the Dominican Republic to win an international title and qualify for the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. - As a result of finishing as runner-up, San Juan
Jabloteh will play in the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League. - Cibao FC completed play in the 2017 Caribbean Club Championship with an overall record of 4W-2D-0L. - San Juan Jabloteh won the 2003 Caribbean Club Championship title. STARTING LINE-UPS San Juan Jabloteh: Javon
On your marks: competition for Tokyo Olympics mascot starts in August ( R e u t e r s ) To k y o Olympic organizers announced yesterday a competition to design the mascots for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and said elementary school students would vote for the winners. “We are praying for the birth of a mascot that will be loved and praised by the world,” Ryohei Miyata, a member of the organizing committee, said at a news conference. Japanese residents can submit their designs on the Tokyo 2020 official website during a two-week period starting on August 1. A selection panel will draw up a shortlist for the school children to vote on. The prizes include tickets to some Olympic events and up to 1 million yen ($8,975) in cash. The mascot has been a
Toshiro Muto (R), CEO of Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee of Olympic and Paralympic games, and Akira Shimazu, CEO of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organizing Committee, attend their signing ceremony on their collaboration agreement in Tokyo, Japan April 26, 2017. (REUTERS/Issei Kato) Games tradition dating back to the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France. More recently, Vinicius, an amalgamation of
Brazilian fauna, was the mascot for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Quatchi the sasquatch represented the 2010 Vancouver Winter
Games, and Olly the kookaburra was created for the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. ($1 = 111.4200 yen)
Sample; Akeem Benjamin, Elijah Manners, Keithy Simpson, Damion Williams, Kion Joseph, Jairo Lombardo Escobar, Vurlon Mills, Jevon Morris, Adrian Reid, Nathan Lewis. Head Coach: Keith Jeffrey. Cibao FC: Juan Pablo Dominguez; Cesar GarciaDanco, Richard Dabas, Jose Tafarel Ferreira, Woodensky Cherenfant, Paulson Pierre, Charles Herold Jr., Domingo Peralta, Rafael Flores, Patrick Soko, Ernesto Trinidad. Head Coach: Albert Benaiges Sala. Officials: R: Mario Escobar (Guatemala); AR1: Jairo Morales (Puerto Rico); AR2: Dane Ritchie (Turks & Caicos Islands); 4th: Sherwin Moore (Guyana). Portmore United (Jamaica) outlasted Central FC (Trinidad & Tobago), 5-3 on penalty kicks, to capture the match for third place in the 2017 Caribbean Club Champ i o n s h i p ( C C C ) following a 2-2 draw after extra time on Sunday at Hasely Crawford Stadium.. Match for Third Place Central FC-Portmore United 2-2 (1-1) Jason Marcano 5’; Keston George 90’+2 / Damion Binns 32’; Cleon Pryce 77’ Portmore United finishes in third place, 5-3 on penalty k i c k s - Maalique Foster completed Portmore United’s run of five perfect penalty kicks to give his
side third place. Sean de Silva’s miss on Central FC’s first attempt proved to be the difference. - Central FC scored the match’s first (Jason Marcano 5’) and last (Keston George 90’+2) goals, but it also conceded once in each half. - Damion Binns (32’) and Cleon Pryce (77’) netted for Portmore United. - Both Central FC and Portmore United will play in the 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League. - Central FC entered this year’s CCC as the two-time defending champion. - Portmore United won the 2005 Caribbean Club Championship title. STARTING LINE-UPS Central FC: Akel Clarke; Keston George, Carlos Edwards, Jason Marcano, Sean de Silva, Keron Cummings, Johan Peltier, Taryk Sampson, Fresnel Simil, Michael Kedman, Kaydion Gabriel. Head Coach: Dale Saunders. Portmore United: Kemar Foster; Andre Dyce, Ryan Wellington, Ricardo Morris, Sue-Lae McCalla, Javon East, Roberto J ohns on, Ewan Grandison, Cleon P ryce, M ichael Binns , D amion Binns . Head Coach: Linval D ixon. Officials: R: Gianni Ascani (Turks & Caicos Islands); AR1: Kuan Budd (Grenada); AR2: Jade Garcia Salamatin (Aruba); 4th: Ricangel de Leca (Aruba).
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday May 23, 2017
GSCL Inc Independence Cup set for this weekend
Regal All Stars and Masters teams will look to add to their collection of prizes this weekend. The annual Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc (GSCL Inc.) Independence Cup T20 competition is set to commence on Friday at the Everest Cricket Club.
The competition will be played in the Open and Masters categories and entrance fee is $15,000. At stake are trophies and medals. According to Organising
Secretary of the GSCL Inc Samuel Kingston, the first four teams that enters in both divisions will be accepted and the big white balls will be used. He added that the
competition will get underway at 09:00hrs and teams will be given a rest day on Saturday, while the finals in both segments will be played on Sunday at the said
venue. For registration teams can contact GSCL Inc Secretary Russell Jadbeer on 225 4802 or 226 4205, Mahendra Hardyal on 610
7902 or Kingston on 619 5103. Regal All Stars and Regal Masters are the defending champions in both categories.
Gritty Celtics stun Cavaliers to reduce series deficit (The Sports Xchange) Avery Bradley’s threepointer in the last second of Game Three touched every part of the rim before bouncing in, giving the Celtics an improbable 111108 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday. The surprise loss means Cleveland leads the best-ofseven series 2-1 ahead of Game Four in Quicken Loans Arena today. “ T h a n k G o d i t ’s bouncing on the rim because that’s taking time,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. “If it goes in or doesn’t go in, they have a timeout left. So when it bounced around, I was actually hoping it went in, obviously, but not completely disappointed that it was bouncing up there.” The Celtics came into the contest missing star player Isaiah Thomas, who is out for the remainder of the post-
season because of a hip injury, and aware that the Cavaliers had lost just one home game to an Eastern team in the playoffs since 2015. H o w e v e r, T h o m a s ’ replacement, Marcus Smart, scored a career-high 27 points and handed out seven assists, and Bradley had 20 points. Al Horford added 16 points, Jae Crowder amassed 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kelly Olynyk contributed 15 off the bench for the Celtics, who were beaten by an average of 28.5 points in the first two games. When the two teams left Boston after Game Two, the Cavs had beaten the Celtics by 44 points for the most lopsided win in Eastern finals history, a defeat that both stung and inspired Stevens’ side. “We’ve got guys that have chips on their shoulders,” Stevens added.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) fights for possession with Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) and guard Marcus Smart (36) during the first half in game three of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports) “A lot of these guys have been overlooked, and this is their first opportunity to really play a meaningful role. “We knew that while Friday was a 44-point disaster, it was worth one (game). It wasn’t worth
four.” FINAL-SHOT FATE The Cavs led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter on Sunday but they shot 2-for-17 from threepoint range in the second half. The Celtics made 18 three-pointers for the game.
Cleveland also committed 16 turnovers that Boston turned into 14 points. The Celtics gave the ball away nine times, leading to five Cavaliers points. “You let a team grab momentum like that, you almost know that last shot is
going in,” James said. “It was like, you already knew. As soon as the ball went out of his hands, you kind of knew that shot was going to go in because of how the game was just played throughout the second half.” James was ineffective, scoring just 11 points on 4of-13 shooting with six turnovers. He was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and was limited to three points in the second half. “I didn’t have it,” James said. Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 29 points, and Kevin Love added 28 points and 10 rebounds. Tristan Thompson scored 18 points to go with 13 boards. Cleveland blew a chance to set a playoff record for consecutive wins (14) dating to Game Five of last year’s NBA Finals and become the fourth team in history to start the playoffs 11-0.
Kaieteur News
Tuesday May 23, 2017
PAGE 35
RHTY&SC to host Patron’s 20/20 Cricket to mark President Granger’s 72nd Birthday Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S would be hosting a special 20/20 cricket tournament in honour of its Patron, H.E President David Granger ’s 72nd B i r t h d a y A n n i v e r s a r y. President Granger would celebrate his birthday on the 15th of July and has given his consent to the RHTY&SC to host the tournament under the name “Patron’s Cup – Guyana’s Green Economy”. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Management of the Club decided to host the tournament in honour of its outstanding Patron and also in support of his efforts to transform Guyana into a Green Economy. A total of eight teams – two from Demerara and six from
Berbice would clash in the tournament which would be played on a knockout basis leading up to the Grand Finals on the 15th of July at the Albion Community Centre under lights. A prize package of $1M would be given to the top four teams and outstanding performers including a winner’s prize of $500,000 and a Trophy. Foster stated that the tournament would be well organised and all funds raised from the tournament would be used to purchase school bags and bicycles to assist less fortunate students to stay in school. The RHTY&SC, he stated has already requested the Berbice and Guyana Cricket Board to give them their blessings for the tournament and is awaiting a response.
President David Granger The long serving Secretary/CEO stated that the Georgetown Cricket Club and the Demerara Cricket Club of Georgetown would officially be invited to be part of the tournament. The six teams from Berbice would be selected shortly
b u t R o s e H a l l To w n Gizmos and Gadgets, Blairmont, Young Warriors a n d Tu c k e r P a r k a r e expected to be part of this historic tournament. The organisers would be in charge of covering the cost of umpiring, balls, costs of the Demerara teams’
RHTY&SC Secretary /CEO Hilbert Foster transportation, providing meals for the finals and coloured T/Shirts for the four semi-finalists. The RHTY&SC, M.S has established a working committee headed by Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster and Vice President Mark Papannah to organise
the tournament. Other members include Asst Secretary Simon Naidu, Treasurer Shemaine Campbelle, Cricket Coach Delbert Hicks, Club Captain Shawn Perriera, Public Relations Officer Anil Ramnarine and Asst Organising Secretary Rabindranauth Kissoonlall to organise the tournament. The committee would a l s o b e i n c h a rg e o f publishing a youth information booklet on Climate change and the Green Economy which would be distributed free of cost to youths across Berbice. The RHTY&SC and its eight cricket teams hope to raise about $1M this year to assist youths with school bags an bicycles as part of its Say Yes to Education Campaign.
GAPF GS Andrea Smith aiming to dominate at Pan Am/SA Powerlifting C/ships It is not often that you find an active athlete also performing duties at the administrative level and being effective in both. This is the case with Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) General Secretary, Ms. Andrea Smith. Guyana’s reigning 63kg Open Women’s Champion is set to improve on her bronze medals which were captured at the NAPF/Caribbean and N A P F / F E S U P O P o w e r l i f t i n g Championships held in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil in 2015 and in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands last year when she steps on the platform at this year’s competition to be held from July 3-8 next in Orlando Florida. Smith, one the 21 athletes selected by the GAPF, is exuding confidence and is of the view that this year is another positive step towards strengthening Guyana’s distinct presence on the international Powerlifting scene. The positive Smith, like the other selectees are all aiming to keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high. Additionally, Smith will also attend these Championships in the capacity of Team Manager, a tall order for this noticeably petite yet dynamic
individual. Touching base with Andrea on her preparation for the upcoming championships, she explained that her training regime is steadily progressing, describing this as “very encouraging.” Smith further explained that she is being regimental with a number of training protocols that will assure her being fully healthy to participate optimally this time around. When quizzed about support for her venture, Smith disclosed that corporate Guyana continues to offer support amidst the prevailing challenging financial climate, explaining that to date, the process of canvassing and securing sponsorship for herself remains on-going; at which point she underscored, in a distinct tone of gratitude, a number of sponsors that have to date willingly and generously donated to her venture including GUYOIL, Hand in Hand Trust Inc., Car Care Enterprise, Azad, Reminiscence Gy and other Private donors. Smith reaffirmed that the support of government and corporate sponsors is critical to the success of national athletes like her vying to do their best in the sport they love on the international stage.
Andrea Smith
t r o Sp
Independence 5-K Run & Fitness Walk
Missenger, Scott takes top honors Isurdeen cops inaugural Wheel Chair category
The start of the 5K race last Sunday
Xtreme Clean & Maintenance Co. ‘Gold Rush’ Futsal Tournament
All systems in place for Friday’s start - Organisers
Part of the excitement that was witnessed in a previous tournament.
RHTY&SC to host Patron’s 20/20 Cricket to mark President Granger’s 72nd Birthday Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210