Monday May 28, 2018
This deplorable road needs urgent repairs DEAR EDITOR, I wrote several letters about the deplorable state of Agriculture Road last year but it seemed to be going on deaf ears and this road continues to deteriorate daily. Last year, Project Engineer Anthony A. Haynes, started some road works from the beginning of Agriculture Road. He graded the road from the beginning to the end of NAREI but he claimed to repair this road up to Block CC, Mon Repos. According to his letter published in reply to my letter dated August 4, 2017, he said the following, ‘’For the benefit of the Reverend and the general public, please be informed that the rehabilitation of Agriculture Road, Mon Repos/Triumph, is being undertaken by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure under its Miscellaneous Roads Programme 2017. “The Contractor is K.P. Thomas and Sons Incorporated, the Project Engineer is Anthony A. Haynes, the contract sum is $59,031,149 and the site extends a distance of approximately 1230m. Carriageway works include the upgrading of the road structure with mixed loam and/or crusher run and sealing using asphaltic concrete. The contract is scheduled to end in September 2017.’’ As I mentioned before, the work executed for about 800 meters he claimed was 1,230M, cannot cost $59,031,149 or even if his 1.230 M was correct to just dig out bad broken concrete and fill it with ‘crusher- run’ and roll it over with asphalt cannot cost that sum. I believe and many others do, that it cannot even cost $10 million. My concern was this engineer graded from the beginning of Agriculture Road to NAREI. That’s approximately two miles or 3000 meters but only completed 1230M from his own words: Why did he refuse to complete the remaining 1770 Meters of deplorable road full of pot holes he was paid to complete? He even went away with his machinery after he dug up the road and left it. It was when I wrote a second letter, he returned to complete the work of 1230M he claimed that is still incomplete. I am calling on the Auditor’s General Office to carry out an audit of
$59,031,149 that was spent of one third of the job on Agriculture Road that is still incomplete. Not long ago, I was sitting by a friend who lives near the road way in Agriculture Road when I heard a sudden sound like a bomb my friend and I rushed to the scene. A young lady was driving her RAVA vehicle; her tyre was punctured into a very deep pothole her vehicle skidded around and hit a parked truck and it was severely damaged. The young lady fainted as we dragged her out her vehicle. Her vehicle was damaged; the cost to repair was over one million dollars in damage all because of a pothole that nearly cost her- her life. Potholes are all over this road just after Block CC going to NAREI if you are not familiar with these potholes while driving, you can crash easily into another vehicle or land yourself into the trenc; I saw two such incidents already. This is a road that has The Guyana School of Agriculture and NAREI but it’s an eye sore to this area and nation as a whole. It’s only when the Minister of Agriculture or the President is coming to the School, the administrators will get the students to patch the holes with sand. I believe they all should be fired because they can’t even use their machinery to even throw in some brick to patch these holes that can drown a child when it rains. I am calling on the Hon. Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder and The Hon. Minister David Patterson of Public Works to come into Agriculture Road to see the deplorable state of this road. This road needs urgent repairs and many of these business structures that occupy the road way to do business on the Government reserves should be removed. The trench on the right hand side needs urgent digging but many of these illegal businesses on the government reserves hinder the excavators to execute these works. Something ought to be done urgently on this road; it’s a destination of accidents. Regards, Rev.Gideon Cecil
Squalor in New Amsterdam DEAR EDITOR, I would like to comment on the unhealthy state of affairs as it relates to solid waste management in the town of New Amsterdam. The current solid waste dump site which is in the northern end of the town next to the Forbes Burnham Playground can now be considered an environmental disaster of colossal proportion. It is now filled with mountains of refuse standing over six feet in height. The heavy rainfall has resulted in a large patch of swamp water which has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The stench emanating from this location along with
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the large volume of flies creates lots of discomfort for citizens traversing this area. It is also a national travesty that a play park named after a former president of this country is surrounded by mountains of trash and suffering from infrastructural neglect. I urge the Local Government Minister, The Minister of Health and senior personnel from the EPA to visit this site and experience the modern-day squalor that has become part of the landscape of the town. I would suggest that the above-mentioned state and regulatory agencies meet urgently with the Region Six RDC and the Municipal
Council and identify a new site after which the construction of a modern landfill facility will commence. The EPA will be the lead agency in providing the technical specification that matches international best practice for such facilities. I plead with the relevant stakeholders to act quickly and avert a potential health crisis in the town of New Amsterdam. Yours Respectfully Michael Baird Jr.
On the question of the Guyana Prize for Literature DEAR EDITOR, I have read Gideon Cecil’s letter on May 18, 2018 in the Guyana Chronicle, and I think it requires some clarifications on what the issue should be. The letter is a good biography of the Guyana Prize, but misses the point. The very title ‘Guyana prize’ was not a true definition from its inception of the perception that the ‘Guyana Prize’ created. The GP was never a testimony of the best literature done in Guyana in any year, or in all areas of literary presentations created in any of the years at any time from its dawn. It was in true sense a competition that was construed as the definite account of the written art in this country. First on Al Creighton. Cecil’s remark of Al not being Guyanese is off the mark, frivolous and out of context. I have had differences with Al Creighton, but he has
carried the torch of the Arts in the media and no other columnist can find him wanting in the area of consistency and relevance to Guyanese, Caribbean and related art influences. The initial intention according to Dr. Denis Williams whom I shared a discussion with on the Guyana Prize back then, was that it was intended to attract Guyanese talent from overseas to stimulate local talent; it was honest and filled with good intentions, but that concept with its details of workshops etc. did not happen. I never entered as well as many of the talents who have self published in this country. That it morphed into a ‘cliquism’is not the exclusive fault of Creighton, a parallel observation can be made with the ill-fated Caribbean Press that Frank Anthony presided over a few years ago, some of the same culprits appeared there also and that was also
poorly managed. The problem lies with the absence of any policy, or the need for it through recognising the creative arts and culture of which national literature is inclusive as having the economic and national development importance and not just as a tolerated annoyance. Any venture left on its own, that has economic benefits and some prestige will summon the creature of cliquism, if not seriously managed as an embryo towards further development. The concept should continue to exist as ‘The National literary competition’. It will take a break away from the sterile to evolve the cognitive spark to fully comprehend what can be harnessed from a wellmanaged Guyana Prize. Don’t make Al Creighton the Scapegoat for far more complicated sins. Barrington Braithwaite
Minister Ramjattan should recall Dookie-anything less-makes him part of the conspiracy DEAR EDITOR, The decision by acting Minister of Public Security (Winston Felix) to send beleaguered former SWAT head, Motie Dookie, home is ominous, not only for the GPF but for Guyana as a whole. Slowly, but surely, we seem to be meandering down to the dark pathways of the past. Is the Coalition taking us back to the Burnham era where the victimization of Indian people was rampant? I could remember a police sergeant, one Roy Shamlall, was dismissed by Commissioner of Police, Lloyd Barker, because it made Barker as Commissioner happy. Yes! He was dismissed “at the Commissioner’s pleasure”. Unbelievable! Are we going back there? The Police Service Commission was instituted to stop Government from directly interfering in the dispensation of justice in the
Police Force, to avoid us from becoming a police state. Surely! Felix, being a former Commissioner of Police would be aware of that. Nevertheless, being seated in the Chair of the Minister of Public Security for a few days, he felt empowered to order the sending home of Motie Dookie, a Deputy Superintendent of police of Indian descent for his transgression while two other notable officers, Lonsdale Withrite and Wayne Dehearte, officers of African descent who also have transgressions in conduct, waiting on the PSC to be resolved are not being sent home. While the cases of the three men are not comparable, the fact that a transgression is a transgression remains, and there was an established constitutional body to deal with these circumstances. Felix knows that!
This is not the first sign that the coalition seemed intent on taking us back to the dark pathways of the past. President Granger opened the door when he stopped the PSC from promoting senior ranks last year. The life of that commission having expired, the Government has not initiated any steps to have a new commission. The President, is insisting that the acting positions of the CJ and Chancellor of the Judiciary, which has been in that mode for years, be made substantive; as if it is part of his life support system. He completely ignores the need for a new Police service Commission. This does not auger well for the future- it seems we are on the road to a police state where the Government will direct the DPP on whom to prosecute, through its manipulation of the GPF. It is Continued on page 6
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Cultural intolerance is unacceptable and The fairness in ads distribution is evident counterproductive to social cohesion DEAR EDITOR, In his speech to the nation to commemorate Guyana’s 52nd Anniversary of Independence, President Granger urged greater protection of the nation’s children and said, “We need to bequeath to them, much more than we inherited from our own parents”. I am sure the historian in him was not only referring to property and wealth, but also to moral values: ethics; integrity; and tolerance for someone else’s religion, ethnicity and culture. Guyana is a country blessed with rich diversity, but all too often some in authority use their position to discriminate against others. On Independence Day, an article in the Stabroek News confirmed a story of a student of Mae’s School that gained wide coverage in the social media the day before. In the words of the student’s mother, Karen Small, “A letter came home from my son’s school requesting that he dress in an ethnic wear today. I decided to dress him like an Amerindian and he was so happy when he left the house as he was taught mostly by his father to be proud of his appearance and culture. “Once he got to school, he was greeted by the security guard who told him he had to put on a top because he was
inappropriately dressed. This was also supported by some of the teachers, who said it was inappropriate to bring him to school like that. “All this is unfolding in front of him, which of course brought him to tears and later on went on to say he hated the way he looks. So it’s okay to dress like the other race but inappropriate to dress like Amerindian?” According to the Stabroek News article, the mother put a shirt on her son and left him at school for the day. However, despite this, he was mocked and laughed at. Editor, on October 18, 2013, Stabroek News published a photograph of students celebrating Culture Day at Stella Maris Primary School. A cute little boy in that photo was shirtless and dressed like his African ancestors. On August 1, 2017, the Guyana Chronicle carried an article captioned “Rich Guyanese culture celebrated on Emancipation Day”. The article was accompanied by a photograph of youths dancing shirtless in celebration of the 179th Anniversary of the abolition of slavery. There are many similar photographs online with similar themes. The persons in these photographs were all appropriately dressed for they represented the cultural diversity that defines us as
A supporter for this... From page 4 and went to New York to celebrate with the APNUAFC after the last election. A big celebration. A carnival atmosphere. Now I am disappointed. Very disappointed in the AFC leadership. Many are. It is time we move away from this race based voting. It’s been destroying our country. Vote on issues. What this party can do for you should be the question. Not who leads the party. Definitely not on stories of uncle Cheddi. Ridiculous. Not on stories of that dictator Burnham. He was instrumental in destroying Guyana. Mass games I will never forget. Those youth marches in the hot sun I will never forget. Those rice flour buns I will never forget. Riding on a horse dressed in purple like a king I will never forget. Those long lines for basic commodities I will never forget. Let’s banish PNC, PPP and AFC. WPA is on its way out. On political life support. Establish that electoral contract with the party that will best serve you.
Craig, I have great admiration for you. I know you are a humble man. You would have preferred if I had just left out all your great attributes and your leadership skills. My apologies. I know you would not have done it. Someone had to. I believe people like Freddie Kissoon, Lincoln Lewis and David Hinds should come on board. Scrutinise the DNC. Critically scrutinise. Craig, we need young leaders. Canvas our professionals. Avoid James Bond. In my opinion, he is too egotistic and indiscipline. Avoid Sherod Duncan. In my opinion, he is opportunistic. The others should be ok. I would be glad to extend my support in what any small way. Guyana needs new blood. Young leaders. We have had enough of those demented old men and women. Best of luck my friend. Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP(UK) Consultant Acute Medicine Nottingham University Hospital UK
Guyanese. What was done to the little boy from Mae’s School is a violation of at least two Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. These are: Article 3 (Best interests of the child): “The best interests of children must be the primary concern in making decisions that may affect them. All adults should do what is best for children. When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children.” and Article 30 (Children of minorities/indigenous groups): Minority or indigenous children have the right to learn about and practice their own culture, language and religion. The right to practise one’s own culture, language and religion applies to everyone; the Convention here highlights this right in instances where the practices are not shared by the majority of people in the country. Despite the school’s explanation, the child was appropriately dressed in traditional indigenous attire in cerebration of his culture, an event that the school participated in. Had he turned up for school dressed like that on a regular school day, which would have been inappropriate and unacceptable. Mae’s cannot apply the school’s dress code on Culture Day or even Halloween (if participation is encouraged by the school) now that Guyanese have adopted yet another American culture.
Cultural intolerance is unacceptable, and counterproductive to social cohesion. If the Ministry of Education fails to address this unfortunate incident, it may well affect future participation of our children to cultural events. This incident should never have happened, but it once again demonstrates the lack of respect that is given to our First People, the Indigenous People of Guyana. Clearly, this would not have happened if the child were of African descent sporting a similar attire. I have no doubt that the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) would have turned up at Mae’s with placards, urging its members to pull their children from the school. Karen Small and her son have been traumatised by the cynical actions of these teachers. She finds it hypocritical. “This is just wrong. You might as well tell them to wear culture wear except for those from the Amerindians.” Who knows what devastating effect this will have on this child’s performance in school, and his relationship with his classmates? The head teacher and the staff of Mae’s School owe Karen Small and her nineyear old son a public apology. In addition, in the interest of social cohesion, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs should demand that this be done. Harry Gill PPP/C Member of Parliament
Minister Ramjattan should... From page 5 believed the seeds for that have already been sown in the Singh and Brassington case. Felix said that acting Commissioner of Police, Ramnarine should have dealt with the matter instead of “IT” reaching this stage and landing on the lap of Minister Ramjattan. IT, speaks of one. It should be noted that Felix never suggested that Ramnarine should have dealt with all the pending officers’ matters. He just wanted him to deal with Dookie. Incidentally, it seems that Dookie’s matter was the only correspondence on Ramjattan’s desk that could not wait for Ramjattan’s to return. If this is not victimization with racial overtures then what is? Ramjattan’s response was akin to a double edge sword. While he felt that Dookie should still be on the job, he also felt that Felix, by ordering Dookie to be sent home, did his duty.
Ramjattan created his own entrapment by commenting that Ramnarine as acting commissioner had promoted police ranks and when Seelall returned he had rescinded those promotions. If he felt that Dookie should be on the job and the minister acting in his capacity sent him home. Now that he is back, he should recall Dookie- it’s the same procedure he supported-just at a higher level. Anything less from Ramjattan will implicate him as part of the conspiracy to send Dookie home. Citizen EDITOR’S NOTE: Minister Ramjattan said that when the substantive commissioner attempted to reverse he decisions by Ramnarine, he intervened and the promotions stood. He maintained that the acting Commissioner was not a rubber stamp.
DEAR EDITOR, I thought I would look at the Internet editions of daily newspapers in Guyana to get an idea as to where their advertising support comes from. The Guyana Times, owned by Dr. Bobby Ramroop, a close friend of former President Jagdeo, gets about 70 per cent of its advertising support (in terms of space. I can’t speak about revenue) from Government Ministries including Ministries of the Presidency, Public Health, Agriculture, Education and Public
Infrastructure and agencies such as NICIL, GECOM, etc. Sunday’s edition of Guyana Times has full page private sector ads from Caribbean Airlines, GT&T, Beharry’s and Banks DIH. The bulk of the advertising is from the State. This is encouraging and a positive sign that there is no discrimination on the part of the State in placing ads to ensure it gets value (exposure) for its money. This is the kind of fairness that Guyana needs across the board. Regards Wesley Kirton
DISAPPOINTED DEAR EDITOR, I am a resident of Lusignan who is very dissatisfied with the decision of the CCJ in the Lusignan Massacre. I am the first and maybe, the only resident of this community who will write on this nationwide issue. I will like my letter to be published in your newspaper. I am thankful that you would voice the concerns of citizens of Guyana. Thank you very much. Ramesh Girdhire
Corruption became... From page 4 may have been persuaded by conscience to mention that the owners – given the present conundrum GuySuCo finds’ itself in- wouldn’t mind a little misinformation being peddled in the media, if management of the corporation can prove same, in their search for the truth about GuySuCo’s demise. In the real business world, management owes the owners a good explanation for their failure, that has not been a hallmark of GuySuCo. I had the luxury of asking three redundant workers what they thought was responsible for GuySuCo’s “down fall’. All said management. I had asked for an explanation. One said, management did not listen to the concerns, problems or ideas of workers at the production level. Another said, the managers steal too much. The third, in his own words explain that when the junior managers and foremen conceived that the senior managers were stealing, they started to steal too, then the worker followed suit. He opined that corruption became infectious. He told me of workers stealing fertilizer and workers dumping fertilizer into canals that they were supposed to apply on cane, just to get paid for the job. He told me that he had walked on Ragonite {a rocky, hard to dissolve substance used on cane} that was dumped by workers, many places while cleaning trenches on the estate he had worked.
I spoke to an elderly man who was a cane cutter before nationalization of the industry. He said, “the managers used to keep a meeting at 4am every morning to plan the day’s work. Can you get the present managers to wake up at 4am every morning?” The CCM wrote, “The Corporation has absolutely no difficulty with the publishing of its information; however, it is concerned as to the source and intention of the source of the information, as well as, the fact that the Kaieteur News seems not to be interested in seeking clarity from the Corporation before publication.”” Absolutely no difficulty”, are a mundane choice of words by the CCM. About KN not interested in “seeking clarity” from GuySuCo. The CCM should know that Public Corporations, even the service oriented ones, are sworn to secrecy for ages now. Apart from that, whatever information Public Corporations feel obliged to disseminate, the media have to practically go to espionage to get anything that may tarnish their integrity. GuySuCo’s present management team has a lot of soul searching to do in their attempt to wriggle whatever is left of it to a better place. They should not be too concerned by these revelations. They should be happy to use these revelations as pointers to the issues that need to be addressed. Rudolph Singh
Monday May 28, 2018
Despite struggles at Local Govt. level, no major fracture in Coalition - AFC The Alliance For Change (AFC) believes that parties forming the current Coalition Government should be given credit for making the union work thus far. At an AFC Press Conference on Friday, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin acknowledged that the Coalition has struggled at the Local Government level. “In many countries, coalition don’t last that long. I think it’s to our credit that we have been able to make this thing work. I don’t see any major fractures within the Coalition. I think it is no secret that at certain levels, especially at the Local Government level, the Coalition is not functioning as well as the central level. Apart from that, I think we have a fairly good working relationship with our coalition partners,” Gaskin pointed out. Shortly before the May 11, 2015 General Elections, the AFC cemented a coalition with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) under the Cummingsburg Accord. The Coalition went on to defeat the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which held power for 23 years. Gaskin stated that the Coalition is not unraveling as suggested by the PPP/C. He noted that while there is the Cummingsburg Accord that governs how the parties would function at the national level, there is no such agreement to govern operations within the local government
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Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin structure. “That is something that will have to be agreed upon before we contest the elections as a coalition,” Gaskin stated. The most glaring disputes between the APNU and AFC at the Local Government level have emerged at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) where the AFC lost the bid to secure the seat of Deputy Mayor. The APNU-controlled Council elected Councillor Akeem Peters, as Deputy Mayor of Georgetown in March, replacing the AFC‘s Lionel Jaikaran. During nominations, Former Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan of the AFC failed in his attempt to nominate Jaikaran for re-election. The AFC leadership is holding talks with the APNU in response to concerns from its members.
Earlier this month, AFC Leader, Raphael Trotman wrote to APNU Leader, David Granger to propose meetings of the two parties, and also provided details of some AFC positions for negotiation of the LGE Accord. The AFC has named its team for the discussions which include Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson; Member of Parliament, Michael Carrington; the party’s General Secretary, Marlon Williams and Dr. Vincent Adams, who was named to review the Cummingsburg Accord between the two parties at the national level. Government believes that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has received sufficient funding and should be ready to hold Local Government Elections (LGE) by mid-November. Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, recently told Kaieteur News that GECOM has received direct funding from Government to the tune of $3.4B, which includes $500M from last year. There have been three local government elections since Guyana gained independence in 1966. The first was held in 1970, then 1994 and 2016. Bulkan explained that when elections are held later this year, it will be the first time in post-colonial history that successive Local Government Elections are held as constitutionally due.
Parika to become a gateway town Parika is poised to become a gateway town and residents can be assured that greater things are to come through the Coalition Government’s continued investments said Minister of State Joseph Harmon. Minister Harmon was speaking at a flag raising ceremony hosted by the Parika/Mora Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) on Thursday evening, May 24 at the Parika Playground. Highlighting the many achievements thus far, the Minister pointed to the recent announcement that a road will be constructed from Parika to Goshen. This will allow for easier access from farms to markets. In addition, residents can look forward to a modernised ferry stelling. This project was recently announced by Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson. “The intention is to make this Parika Stelling a modern facility so that the little holes you have to go through trying to get to the speedboats will be a thing of the past,” Minister Harmon assured. These achievements, the State Minister noted, will be augmented with oil revenues. These proceeds, he explained, will help to improve the farmers livelihoods by giving their produce, easier access to international markets. The Minister encouraged residents to “stay focused on what is necessary for the development of Guyana.” The Coalition Administration, he promised, will make Parika/Mora a model area, where people from all parts of the world will aspire to
- Minister Harmon
Minister Joseph Harmon visit. Those gathered were urged to remember the country’s motto: ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’ and continue to work together for the further upliftment of the region. The State Minister reminded that patriotism and singleness of vision between Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, the architects of Guyana’s Independence, outweighed any differences that existed between them at that time.
Oil Money can choke Guyana’s democracy …Brazil’s leading Political Analyst makes appeal for immediate reform By Kiana Wilburg In any democratic state, the citizenry elects a political unit to serve, protect and represent its interest/rights. But if the systems which allow this very ‘political unit’ to carry out its elected function are weak, then it opens the floodgates for rampant corruption. It is with this understanding in mind that Thiago de Aragao, Director of the Latin American Political Risk Analysis, has called on the Government of Guyana to strengthen systems governing the electoral process, taxation and regulation. Aragao made the point that if these instruments for equality are not up to standard, then Guyana’s democracy can end up being “choked by oil and gas money”. In a recent interview with Kaieteur News in California, Aragao explained that Guyanese should understand that the goal of the petroleum investor is to drill, extract, and burn all the oil and gas resources it can acquire. “The business plan is to burn it all”. To ensure that it can carry out its objective uninterrupted, Aragao said that oil and gas investors will seek to exert influence in every place it can. In this regard, he pointed out that campaign financing loopholes are always a target. In the USA’s 2016 election cycle alone, the oil and gas industry contributed over US$103 million. In funneling billions of dollars into the election, Aragao said that the companies are able to exert influence over policy that it is
Thiago de Aragao, Director of the Latin American Political Risk Analysis against. “Policies in short, end up serving the interest of the petroleum investors.” In a report called The Chilling Effects on Oil & Gas Money on Democracy, Clean Water Action, it was outlined how large polluters influence environmental policy and oversight. The report focused on the broad, historic formula for acquiring power and influencing policymakers, which relied on campaign finance and lobbying. The report also exposed how oil and gas companies continue to have a major advantage over the rights of the American people when it comes to regulatory policy. Given the secrecy that has surrounded campaign financing in Guyana, the Brazilian Director said that authorities here would be wise to amend its archaic laws before the next election to ensure transparency. He commented too, that it would be up to the policy leaders to decide whether there
will be laws to cap the moneys they can receive from oil companies during the election campaign or make a decision to not receive any at all. The Political Analyst said, “Personally, I am against oil companies funding campaigns because implicitly there is an expectation. Even if it is legal, the candidate is expected to return something to the company. In my experience, I don’t think that a country should be driven in that direction. But it comes back to the overarching principle of transparency. This is a key issue here.” Aragao said that Guyana’s democracy can also be caught in a stranglehold if the systems for environmental regulation and taxation are left in a weak and disorganized manner. The leading Political Analyst said, “If the country is to thrive then there must be a clear set of rules for taxation in the oil and gas industry as well as environmental regulation. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for abuse and for oil money to rule and lead the way. Leaders must seek to remove loopholes for exploitation. If you have an environment of clear tax systems for oil and gas, then this will be one of the major things that will attract other investors, the kind that would also be willing to engage in conscionable negotiations.” Aragao added, “Oil companies look at your tax system, regulatory framework and your electoral system. If those things are not in check, then you are giving away parts of your democracy…”
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GuySuCo metal ends up Youth given opportunity to expand business in hands of scrap dealers - plans to employ single parents Somehow, scrap metal dealers across the country have been able to get their hands on metal belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). Some of the metal represents pieces of equipment that have been condemned as not working; others are obsolete spare parts that were never used. Kaieteur News saw a memorandum that states, “GoG is concerned that local ‘scrap dealers’ may have metal that has been stolen and has thus prohibited the export of the product.” It continues, “The National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited/ Special Purpose Unit/ GuySuCo (“the estates”) will be allowed to sell scrap metal provided there can be assurance that it is exported and that the existing inventory of local dealers does not get exported. GoG thus favours the mechanism of selling all of the metal to an overseas dealer who will take it all out of the country in an efficient manner.” This newspaper understands that several companies submitted bids to be authorized exporters for the time being. However, three local and two foreign companies were shortlisted based on their bid. The three local companies are Ally Metals and Lumber Yard; Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal Inc; Omai Transportation Equipment Services Inc; and Altruistic Services Ltd out of Singapore. While the preference was for a foreign company, in order to prevent the export of metals, a local company turned up with the highest bid. This newspaper understands that due diligence will be done on the companies. Further, the authorities have developed a mechanism to prevent the export of stolen metal if a local company is given the work. The memo stated, “The perfect objective would be to ensure that only the quantity and quality of metal taken from the estates is the quantity and quality for which export licences are issued. As far as quantities are concerned, it would seem unnecessary for any physical mechanisms to be in place to track the metal from point of purchase to the ship as if the dealers overstated the amount taken from the estates they would be obliged to pay for metal they did not get as SPU would have to certify the quantity taken. So long as the quantity shipped under the licence (as measured at the port by a competent authority) did not exceed the quantity for which payment was made to SPU, local dealer inventory quantities now banned from export would be unchanged.” This newspaper had reported that GuySuCo bought billions of dollars in Fiat spare parts despite the fact that it stopped using Fiat tractors over a decade ago.
Youth Business, Some of the youths who participated in the Youth Business Summit. Zanzi Atkins-Dey, owner of Amaze, was one of the eleven persons to be awarded the opportunity to expand her business last week Thursday at the Ministry of Social Cohesion’s inaugural Youth Business Summit. Atkins told this publication that winning is a dream come through. “This grant means a lot for me and my husband because we’ve dreamt about owning our own business for a long time,” Atkins said. The business has been in existence for over two years. Amaze started out of Atkin’s kitchen, but later grew to the point where she was forced to rent a bigger place and employed two persons.
Due to the lack of enough equipment, Atkins could only create part-time employment. She said both her current employees are single parents, but explained that it has been difficult to keep employees for long because of the lack of work. Atkins said that it has always been her passion to render assistance to single parents. “We see there is a need that is often time missed by persons who are offering social support in various communities. There are single parents everywhere…so we have this thing where we hire single parents,” she said. With the victory, Atkins will now be able to rent a bigger space and purchase the necessary material needed for the expansion. With the new equipment and space, Atkins said she will now be able to create full-time employment thus creating a better opportunity for them. Amaze is located in North Ruimveldt; the company sells fresh packaged chopped vegetable. Last Thursday, scores of youth from all walks of life across the Ten Administrative Regions of Guyana presented
their business ideas to a panel of judges at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, at the inaugural Youth Business Summit. The Youth Business Summit was a two-day event held by the Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion. Twenty-seven youths were given seven minutes each to pitch their business ideas to a tough but knowledgeable panel of judges. Pepper sauce, poultry farming, clothing, honey, Chopped vegetables and care for the elderly, were just some of the ideas presented yesterday. The event catered for 100 youths but 40 were shortlisted to pitch to the judges. Of the 40, 27 were selected to present their ideas. The reason for this Kaieteur News was told is because some of the business plans were not well thought out. Nevertheless, the judges all agreed that the ideas were all great. Persons from all the regions submitted business plans to the Ministry of Social Cohesion and 100 were selected to participate. The Ministry provided transportation and accommo-
dation for the hinterland youths who came to Georgetown to pitch their ideas last Thursday. Ronald Austin, Director of Education and Training at the Ministry of the Presidency and Chairperson of the Guyana Youth Business Summit Committee said that persons who won the opportunity to develop their business or create a new business will have to present the Ministry with Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TIN), business registration and Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) registration in order to get the grants. He said that the winners will also have to provide the Ministry with quotations for whatever materials they may need for their business. “When they present us with their quotation, we will write the cheques directly to the proprietor,” Austin said. Apart from a well thought out plan, the judges looked for ideas that benefitted their community and ideas that incorporated Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). The Grants will range from $500,000 to $1M.
Zanzi Atkins, right collects the winning certificate while her business partner, left looks on
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Kaieteur News
THIS IS ‘EYE PASS’ Let us suppose that there is foreign logging company in Guyana. The company requires trucking services to haul lumber. It hires a local company to do the work. For every trip, it pays the trucking company $20,000. The company in turn pays its truck driver, $2000. This leaves the trucking service with $18,000 and therefore this $18,000 represents nonemployee local content since the money is retained by the local company. Suppose the foreign company then decides to buy its own truck. It means that the local truckers lose $18,000, assuming of course that a local driver will be
employed to drive the foreignowned truck. Now extrapolate this to a foreign gold mining company. The company hires local aviation services and pays them, $100,000 per flight. The local aviation company pays it pilots $20,000 per flight which means that nonemployee local content is $80,000 per flight. Suppose now that the foreign gold mining company instead of hiring a local aviation service decided to buy or lease its own aircraft. It still may have to employ a local pilot, but the fact remains that the nonemployee local content is now lost to local companies. That money is now held by
DEM BOYS SEH
Some people trapping demself There is no fool like an old fool and Guyana got to be an old fool. At least some people think so. Companies does come and agree to a lot of things. Dem does even sign a contract and promise dat dem gon do everything to mek Guyana get value for money. Contracts got a thing called local content. It mean dat de foreign company got to use whatever Guyana can produce once he cost is what de company expect. If Guyana too dear then de company got a right to bring in dem own thing. De last couple days, dem boys been talking how a foreign company refusing to honour de local content. Dem boys see local companies keeping dem end of de bargain because dem price is more than reasonable yet de foreign company dumping them. A strange thing happen when dem boys start to talk. A lot of letters start to come to de Waterfalls paper. Dat is wheh people think dat dem boys is old fool. The letters criticizing de article dat pointing out wha de foreign company doing but when dem boys look at some of de things de letters talking bout is only de company can know dat. No worker can know how
much money a company spend on a project. Dat is a management thing. But de letters got all de things dat only de management can know. So dem boys conclude dat is de management writing de letter and signing people name. A letter come in to dem boys complaining about a letter dat somebody write in de paper. Dat is only part of de whole story. In de same letter, de writer start to talk about an article. Dem boys check all dem paper, including de one dat de letter writer talk about and couldn’t find de letter. De whole thing open more than dem boys did know but people got to wait fuh de exposure. Talk half and watch how dem boys trapping de crooks.
the foreign gold mining company. The excuse therefore being made by a mouthpiece of Aurora Gold Mines is that the company’s purchase of a Twin Otter DHC6-300 aircraft and that the craft will require the services not just of six Canadian but also eight Guyanese. We need not enquire as to from which of two groups, the pilots or the porters will be drawn. What is obvious is that both employee local content and non-employee local content are going to suffer? The other benefits which the mouthpiece claims will be accrued as a result of the use of the company’s newly acquired aircraft are not additional benefits to the aviation sector. The local operators would have been generating these businesses. In other words, the Aurora Gold Mines by acquiring its own plane is taking bread out of the mouths of Guyanese. The acquisition of its own plane takes business away from locals, plain and simple. Foreign companies have a right to decide what is most
economical for them. If it enhances their bottom line, then the company makes a rational decision. However, the story is not that simple. You see Aurora Gold Mines is contractually obligated to utilize local content in its operations and this was intended not just to cover employment, but also the use of local services. By bringing in its own aircraft, the company is shortchanging local operators in the aviation sector by denying them business which they otherwise would have obtained. The contract signed between the Government of Guyana (GOG) and Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) obligates the mining company to: “use all reasonable efforts to give preference, to the maximum extent compatible with efficient operations and good mining practices using standards applicable in the international mining industry, to products and services produced and offered in Guyana, provided these are offered at competitive terms and conditions.” The company is required
to give preference to Guyanese subcontractors in respect of transportation. Aviation is part of the transportation sector. The company is required to ask its contractors and their subcontractors to follow these policies.” The company is also required to submit a report to the Government setting forth (i) the relative percentages of foreign-sourced and Guyanese-sourced goods and services used by the Company, (ii) measures taken to enhance the role of Guyanese-sourced goods and services in the Project and (iii), measures to be implemented so as to improve such performance.” The Ministry of Natural Resources, which has oversight over the mining sector, must now announce whether the company has
been in compliance with its local content obligations, and whether in any form or manner the ministry granted approval to the company to go ahead and purchase its own aircraft, knowing fully well the implications for local content. Guyanese are huffing and puffing over a mistake that a local company made in one of its advertisements, which sought to disarrange the map of Guyana. But only Kaieteur News seems to be huffing and puffing over that ‘eye pass’ of an explanation which is coming from a mouthpiece of the Aurora Gold Mines in relation to its downscaling of the use of local aviation services. The ‘eye pass’ must end.
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Despondent GTU awaits word on multi-year salary package for teachers Without Cabinet’s approval of a multi-year remuneration package which was negotiated by a specially established Task Force and the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), a number of teachers up for retirement will continue to lose out. This was the observation made by GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, during an interview with this publication. “We are anxious to find out when they will be able to complete their deliberations,” Lyte said. The negotiation process, he recalled, spanned the period November 2017 through April 2018, following which a report detailing the recommendations arrived at was handed over to Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry. Minister Henry in turn was tasked with sharing the document with Cabinet. But according to Lyte, the Union “has not gotten any official word as yet when our teachers will be able to reap the benefits.” The only talk about the issue was on Labour Day when President David Granger while addressing teachers said, “the numbers were being looked at by Finance.” Lyte is of the belief that the Finance Ministry’s consideration of the numbers at this point has in fact defeated the purpose of the establishment of the Task Force. The Task Force, which was implemented to fast track
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Kaieteur News
GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte the salary negotiations, he noted, consisted of a number of government representatives including officials from the Ministry of Finance. “The Union would have thought that since it was a high level Task Force consisting of representatives of the government, government would have been more informed and ready to act since their people had hands-on involvement in the process. There were all these people from all these Ministries, Communities, Education, Finance and even the Ministry of the Presidency; we expected the recommendations that were made at the level of the Task Force would have carried more weight,” Lyte shared. He therefore expressed concern that as the process continues to drag-on, many teachers continue to resign and will not be able to benefit
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
from some of the things that the package would have addressed. “That in my opinion is not fair,” Lyte stated. According to Lyte, the Union has been trying as far as possible to appease its membership’s frustration and has even upheld its promise to not share with them what the results of the negotiations are. “We are trying to keep our part by giving them [government] a fair chance; we are keeping our end of the bargain and we haven’t even shared what was recommended with our members, but we need to hear something and we need to hear something soon,” said an assertive Lyte. He, however, stopped short of sharing whether the union has any plans to retaliate against the prolonged wait for a multi-year salary package. The establishment of the Task Force is one that followed on the heels of threats of strike action from the GTU in retaliation to the slow pace of addressing a pay increase for teachers. A previous multiyear package inked between the Union and the previous Government had expired at the end of 2015. Although the union had since then presented a proposal to Government, negotiations between the Ministry and the union were stalled causing the union to threaten countrywide strike action. Strike action by the union’s 6,000 odd membership could have essentially crippled the operation of the public school system. In recognition of the perceived dilemma, President Granger himself instructed that a Task Force be established to fast-track the teachers’ salary negotiations. The initial proposal presented by the GTU was for a 40 percent across the board increase for teachers for 2016; 45 percent increase for last year and 50 percent for this year and the following two years (2019-2020) for all categories of teachers. This publication has not been able to ascertain whether the proposed percentage has been retained following the negotiation process. There were reports, however, that suggested that the union, during the negotiation, was required to justify the percentage outlined in its proposal.
Legal Affairs Ministry to help tackle overcrowded prisons
2nd from right, Attorney General, Basil Williams along with consultants John McKendrick and Keith Peterson and another member of the team Attorney General, Basil Williams on Wednesday met with consultants contracted under the Support for the Criminal Justice System Programme, (SCJSP) John McKendrick and Keith Peterson, to discuss issues relating to overcrowding at local prisons. Arising from their discussions, a pilot project is slated to provide legal assistance to persons accused of minor, non-violent offenses in pretrial detention. The project entails train-
ing activities, which seeks to strengthen legal representation skills among Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other aid providers. According to the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the project may use supervised paralegals to provide support to legal aid in the prisons and police stations. Seeking dismissal of charges or arguing for bail and generally avoiding procedural delays are some areas in which legal aid agents can garner
support. The implementation of a more pro-active use of alternative sentencing by the criminal justice system is also an area for consideration. It was recommended that the Government may consider having prisoners deferred to a rehabilitation facility for specified treatment. To this end, a study is being carried out on the appropriate treatments of prisoners prone to subs t ance abuse and mental health issues.
School of the Nations to host Innovative Exhibition With solutions to the 17 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], the School of the Nations will from June 1, 2018 host an Innovative Exhibition. The main objective of the exhibition is to strengthen the ability of our students to exercise critical thinking and take initiative and action to fix problems in their environment, using Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics [STEAM]. It will also provide hands on experience for each student to gear his or her mind to deal with the reality of the world of work; build students’ capacity to acquire resources and target areas in which the resources need to be used. It will enable students to be able to suggest solutions and solve some of the problems they face in their school and home environment such as littering, traffic congestion and removing vagrants from the streets of Guyana to name a few; build students’ selfconfidence and leadership
skills. It is going to help them to truly be able to live the School’s motto: “Making a difference today and tomorrow”. According to information released by the school, students are constantly given information about a wide variety of topics daily in various subjects and sometimes they question the relevance of the information given to them. Moreover, the exhibition will seek to compel them to use the information given in all the subjects to help find solutions to the SDGs. “The problems and challenges these goals represent allow our students the opportunity to trouble shoot ideas and advance arguments for viable solutions to the world’s major problems,” a statement from the school said. “This assignment challenged students to present their solutions to the class and feedback was given by their classmates as to the practicality of their suggested solu-
tions and presentations. Students were organised into groups and through a democratic process the best presentations were voted to represent their group,” the statement added. Slated to commence with a cultural show starting from 13:00 to 15:00 hours, the event will see students displaying the UN SDGs as listed on the organisation’s website: h t t p s : / / w w w. g o o g l e . g y / search?q = united+nation+sustainable+ development+goals+pdf&rlz =1C1LOQA_enGY747GY749&oq = United+nation+susta&aqs =chrome.3.0j69i57j0l4.12575j0j7&sourceid = chrome&ie = UTF-8. The exhibition, which will be opened at no cost to the public, will allow them an opportunity to see how the School of the Nations is able to provide a well-balanced educational experience for students. In this way, it saw students being challenged to come up with innovative ideas to help in solving the world’s problems using STEAM.
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Abhorrent activities of Guyanese Steve Connelley former Govt. officials cannot launches second book in Linden go unpunished – Ramjattan ....plans to use part proceeds Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan has deemed prosecution of corrupt former Government officials an important step for Guyana’s development. Several members of the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) administration have been questioned by state investigators as part of corruption investigations. Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington are currently before the court on three charges of misconduct in public office in relation to the sale of three plots of state land. Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is pursuing several other cases and has questioned former Government members, an indication that more charges are likely to follow. “Our nation cannot move forward in any meaningful way without coming to terms legally and morally with the abhorrent activities that were authorized and even given a false character of legality committed by the men and women in the highest level of the PPP/C Government,” Ramjattan stated. “I am aware that the prosecution of a predecessor who belongs to a competing political party is likely to be perceived as politically motivated no matter how justified or how warranted the prosecution is, but political expediency should never and will never guide us as a Government,” Ramjattan explained. The Minister assured that once there is evidence, it will be acted upon. He explained that there is a danger in not prosecuting. Ramjattan said that it will send a bad message and every other government will feel that it can sell property to friends and family at cheap prices without following procedures.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan “We cannot allow that. That is why we started doing the forensic audits and after the forensic audits brought out information. When the information was so bad, we then sent it to the police. There were some that were not that bad,” Ramjattan stated. The Public Security Minister also claimed that the Government has nothing to do with the charges laid against the former PPP/C officials. Ramjattan stated that Government has supported the hiring of the UK’s Dr. Sam Sittlington as advisor to SOCU. “If we as a country after 52 years cannot come to terms with unauthorized activities from leading members, we are not going to move forward. What they did really was that they contorted the law to produce dubious decisions to do these wrong things. They contorted the law,” Ramjattan stated.
By Enid Joaquin Guyanese Canadian Steve Connelley, whose first book ‘Children of Watooka’, was released in 2016 during Guyana’s 50th anniversary celebrations and the bauxite centennial, has now written and published the sequel, titled ‘Journey Back to Watooka’. Like its predecessor, the new book captures the unique way of life in the expatriate village and by extension Mackenzie, as Linden was known in the early days. Connolly was born in 1943 in Mackenzie to Canadian parents. The first ten years of his life were spent in the former expatriate community of Watooka, which provided rich fodder for both of his books. Apart from his childhood experiences and adventures growing up in Watooka, Connelly also captures the history surrounding that period when the Demerara Bauxite Company (Demba) was the economic mainstay of Mackenzie, and by extension Guyana. Connelly said that he returned to Guyana in 2016, the first time in 63 years, when his first book Children of Watooka was published. He has returned four times since. With the present book launch, Connelley said that he plans to use some of the
to assist children in the Town Guyanese born Steve Connelley with his new book, Journey Back to Watooka
proceeds from the sale of the new book to assist children in Linden, even though he does not make a profit on the books. “My wife and I, we are not rich, but we choose to do this rather than say getting a new car, because of the great feeling it gives us to give pleasure through the sharing of memories. These books cost me way more than I make
out of their sale, but I derive tremendous satisfaction and fun writing them,” Connelly stated. Connelly describes the response to his first book as “absolutely incredible”, noting that it has been sold in England, the United States, Canada and of course Guyana. Pointing out that there are Continued on page 22
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US congratulates Guyana on Independence Anniversary WANT
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The Donald Trump Administration in the United States has sent a congratulatory message to Guyana on its 52nd anniversary of political independence from Great Britain. “On behalf of President Trump and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana on 52 years of independence on May 26,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement. “Today, we celebrate our strong connections,” he added. “We look forward to advancing prosperity by helping Guyana develop its emerging oil sector in partnership with US business. We underscore our commitment to partnership via the Caribbean 2020 strategy. “We wish the people of Guyana, from the Corentyne to the Pakaraimas, from the Takutu to the Amakura, and across the entire ‘Land of Many Waters,’ a happy Independence Day celebration, with peace and prosperity throughout the year to come,” Pompeo continued. In New York, the Guyana Independence Anniversary Celebration Committee said the Mayor of Georgetown, Guyana, Patricia Chase-Green will be grand marshal of the annual Guyanese Independence Parade in Brooklyn on June 3. The Committee said the parade is part of Guyana’s Independence celebration in New York, which will be held from June 3 – 10. Committee Chairman, Rickford Burke, told the Caribbean Media Corporation that along with executive members, he has been meeting with New York officials and members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) in finalizing plans for the celebrations. “Guyanese pride will be on full display when the New York Diaspora unites for one celebration.” He said the celebration will be held under the theme, “Celebrate Guyana to the World.” Nevlon Duguid, Director of Communications for the organizing group, said the annual event is the second largest West Indian celebration in New York, after the Labor Day Carnival Parade. He said the historic 2016 jubilee celebration attracted over 20 000 Guyanese, while over 10 000 attended in 2017. “Interest has peaked astronomically this year. We expect to mobilize a greater number of Guyanese in 2018,” Duguid said. On Saturday, Guyana marked Independence Day celebrations with President David Granger reminding nationals of the importance of providing greater protection to children.
Guyanese Steve Connelley... From page 21 far more Guyanese “outside than inside”, he said that many have “greatly” enjoyed the book to relive memories while acquiring new knowledge and experiences. Connelly confessed that in order to write the two books, he had to read about two hundred books to further enrich his knowledge, which he said was not hard research as he thoroughly enjoyed doing that. “I’m grateful to my parents that I was born in this country; my father who was a senior Bauxite engineer built the St. Joseph the Worker Church. His friend Gordon built the Christ the King Anglican Church,” he explained. He details the contributions bauxite mining made to the war through the supply of aluminum, used to build aircraft used in the Second World War. Connelly highlighted instances where the ships used to transport the precious ore were torpedoed by VACANCY Experienced salesgirls with CXC qualifications & 5 yrs experience. Apply @ Christine’s Variety, Lombard St. Contact: 227-8529 Vacancy exist for (1) pastry maker, interested persons can send application to Beacon Cafe. Call: 227-9409 for info.
German submarines, which lay in wait for them. He said that his father and other bauxite employees worked overtime to meet the demand for aluminum, but that many of the ships were sunk by the submarines and many lives were lost. “One out of every three ship would have sunk in 1942; there were submarines out there like sharks, then the United States went after them in 1943 and about a year later things improved greatly”. GUYANATODAY Connelly in reflecting on Guyana today said that the country lost much of its human resources due to the massive exodus of the middle class during the sixties, seventies and eighties, which badly hurt the ability of the country to move forward. “No matter who the leaders were, when you lose your middle class, you can’t move forward,” he stated. Connelly said that this massive brain drain was due to the fact that the country was not being properly governed and thus people lost hope and migrated. “So the middle class was effectively destroyed....they thought ,well we have no hope (here)and so they left the country....that and racial discrimination is responsible for this country not being as developed as it should be,” the author noted.
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Spot-fixing claims made against England, Australia Tests; boards say no evidence ESPNcricinfo - Cricket Australia and the ECB have said there was no “credible evidence” linking Australian and English Test players to spot-fixing, as alleged by TV channel Al Jazeera in its documentary, which focuses on various forms of corruption in the sport. The Tests in question are the England-India Test in Chennai in December 2016, and the Australia-India Test in Ranchi in March 2017. Al Jazeera’s allegations are that during certain periods of the game some England and Australian batsmen scored at a rate specified by fixers for the purposes of betting. Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, said the “limited information” the board had was discussed with “all the England players” and they “emphatically deny the allegations, have stated categorically that the claims are false and they have our full support.” CA requested Al Jazeera for raw footage and un-edited material to assess the allegations and determine whether an investigation was necessary. The BCCI said they were working closely with the ICC. In the documentary, a person Al Jazeera identified as Aneel Munawar, an Indian national who is said to work for crime syndicate D Company, is seen naming three England players and
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Kaieteur News
two Australian players to the undercover reporter as being part of the fix. The names of the cricketers were edited out in the documentary but Al Jazeera said it would pass on information to the relevant authorities. The channel said the two Australians named by Munawar had not responded to the allegations; while the three England players “categorically denied the allegations” through their lawyers, stating that they were “made by a source who is a known criminal,” and that the likelihood of a batting team fixing scores “to within such degree of precision as alleged is highly improbable, if not practically impossible.” Al Jazeera, however, claimed that the information passed by Munawar to the undercover reporter about run-scoring in a certain passage of play was accurate in both Tests. The instruction, the channel claimed, was for the batsmen to score slowly so that the actual runs scored would be lower than what the illegal betting market was placing bets on. The channel said there was no evidence to indicate any other England or Australia players had been involved or aware of the alleged plot. CA said it had not yet had the opportunity to view the raw footage containing the allegations, and requested Al
Daniel Ricciardo fends off... From page 29 Horner said: “You have done an amazing job today. That is right up there with what Schumacher did... and it is payback for 2016.” Horner was referring to Michael Schumacher’s drive in the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix, when the German finished second for Benetton with only fifth gear. Vettel, knowing overtaking was all but impossible, followed in his former Red Bull team-mate’s wheel tracks until dropping back in the final five laps or so when his tyres ran out of grip. Hamilton, who for a time was wrongly concerned the ultra-soft tyres fitted at his pit stop would not make the end, will probably look at the race as relatively successful damage limitation on a weekend Mercedes always expected to be difficult. The second Ferrari and Mercedes of Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas took fourth and fifth.
Jazeera for the same. “Together with the ICC, we are aware of the investigation by Al Jazeera into alleged corruption in cricket,” CA chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement. “Although not having been provided an opportunity to view the documentary or any raw footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims will be treated very seriously and fully investigated. “Neither the ICC or Cricket Australia is aware of any credible evidence linking Australian players to corruption in the game. We urge Al Jazeera to provide all un-edited materials and any other evidence to the ICC investigation team, so, if appropriate, a full and thorough investigation can be conducted.” A similar message emerged from the ECB. “There is nothing we have seen that would make us doubt any of our players in any way whatsoever,” Harrison said. “Neither ECB nor the ICC is aware of any credible evidence connecting any England players to any form of corruption. ECB had been aware of the planned Al Jazeera documentary for some time but have not been given the full content. There have been repeated requests for any evidence and unedited materials to be shared with the ICC so they can fully investigate. “We, like other member Boards, are disappointed that Al Jazeera have not been more cooperative and responsible when making such serious allegations.” A BCCI statement said: “The BCCI has a zerotolerance approach to any activity or act that brings the game of cricket to disrepute or mars the integrity of the game. The BCCI anticorruption unit is working closely with the ICC anticorruption on the alleged claims by a television channel.”
Bravo hails CSK againstthe-odds triumph
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo says Chennai Super Kings’ Indian Premier League triumph was made all the more special because of the many recent challenges encountered by the franchise. CSK were banned from the IPL for the last two season but completed a fairytale turnaround when they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in Sunday’s final
at the Wankhede Stadium, and lift their third title. “It’s been good, a special moment because the team hadn’t played together for two years,” said the former Windies one-day captain. “For most of the guys, this was the first time with the franchise. Then we had to move from Chennai. Lot of things were going wrong, but we kept focus. There’s nothing better than winning
titles. That’s why I’m very happy for the team.” Sent in, Sunrisers piled up 178 for six off their 20 overs but then watched as CSK easily chased down the target to win with nine balls to spare. They were spearheaded by an imperious unbeaten 117 from Australian opener Shane Watson, who anchored a crucial 117-run, second wicket stand with Suresh Raina (32) to put the team in a winning position. Bravo said the seasoned campaigners in the unit had always backed their experience to shine through in difficult situations. “We always said experience will get the better of youth. The amount of games all of us have put together are for moments like these,” the Trinidadian explained. “Shane Watson batted on one leg, struggling with a hamstring injury, but his experience got him through. He’s a world-class player and I’m very happy for the entire team.” Bravo finished with 141 runs at an average of 35 and grabbed 14 wickets with his medium pace at an economy rate of nearly 10.
Eugene Diamond League: Caster Semenya sets 800m world best time
Semenya won the 1500m at the Diamond League in Doha earlier this month. (AFP) BBC Sport - South Africa’s Caster Semenya set the year’s best time in the 800m at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene as American sprinter Christian Coleman suffered a surprise defeat in the 100m. Semenya claimed victory in a time of one minute 55.91 seconds. World indoor 60m record holder Coleman, making his 2018 outdoor debut, finished second to compatriot Ronnie
Baker, who won in a windassisted 9.78. Britain’s Reece Prescod finished third in 9.88 and CJ Ujah came sixth. If Prescod’s time had been legal it would have been within 0.01 seconds of Linford Christie’s long-standing British record. Marie-Josee Ta Lou won a high-class women’s 100m, coming from behind to beat fellow Ivorian Murielle Ahoure in a wind-legal 10.88.
Olympic champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica took third with 10.98 while British record holder Dina AsherSmith posted her best 100m time since 2015 to finish sixth in 11:06. Britain’s Laura Muir, who completed her veterinary degree this week, was second in the women’s 1500m behind surprise winner Shelby Houlihan from the USA, while team-mate Laura Weightman came 12th. British world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi battled food poisoning to finish seventh in the 110m hurdles and compatriot Holly Bradshaw came eighth in the pole vault. There were impressive wins for American pair Noah Lyles (200m) and Shaunae Miller-Uibo (400m). Lyles stormed away to win in 19.69 and equal South African Clarence Munyai’s world-best time for 2018, with Britain’s Nethaneel MitchellBlake clocking 20.51 for fifth. Miller-Uibo, the Olympic champion, clocked 49.52 for a comprehensive victory over world champion Phyllis Francis (50.81).
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Merseyside Police look into death Hasan Raza caught on camera threats to Liverpool goalkeeper in alleged spot-fixing sting
Loris Karius made two mistakes in the Champions League final. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Merseyside Police says it is aware of death threats made to Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius after the Champions League final. Officers said any threatening behaviour on social media would be investigated. The 24-year-old and his family were the subject of threats after his two mistakes helped Real Madrid to a 3-1 win. “We take social media posts of this nature extremely seriously. Offences will be investigated,” police said. “Officers are aware of a number of comments and threats made via social media. “Merseyside Police would like to remind social media users than any offences including malicious communications and threatening behaviour will be investigated.” The German gifted Real striker Karim Benzema an easy goal for the opener in Kiev on Saturday night. Karius later allowed a Gareth Bale shot to squirm in for Real’s third as the Spanish
club won their third consecutive Champions League trophy. He was in tears at the final whistle and apologised to fans. “I’m infinitely sorry to my team-mates, for you fans, and for all the staff,” he tweeted. Liverpool have tools to help Karius - Mignolet Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has backed Karius to bounce back from his Champions League nightmare. “If he wants to talk then of course I will be there,” said the Belgian, who was on the bench for the game in Kiev. “Every goalkeeper can relate to him. “I’ve been in this situation before myself and those kind of things you deal with yourself. “The only thing I told him is that there is a reason we got to this final, and why we played in this final, so think about that. “But of course it is very difficult to say anything to him and to let him grasp it. “Liverpool stands for
unity, Liverpool stands for ‘all together’. I think that will not only be the right ideal for Liverpool, it has always been their history and will always be their future.” Liverpool’s goalkeeping coach John Achterberg tried to console Karius after the match. “Obviously it is not good what happened. It was unlucky for him it happened in this game,” said the Dutchman. “I just tried to pick his head up and show him you have to carry on with it. It is hard to take but that is life in football.” Defender Dejan Lovren said it would be counterproductive to focus blame on Karius. “It’s easy to blame someone, but we are in the same ship together and everyone gave him the best words that they can. He will come back strong,” Lovren said. “Don’t make massive stories about that. Of course it’s big because it’s a final, but everyone makes mistakes.”
PM Rowley meets with Cricket... From page 29 Australia and its focus on promoting the game to the benefit of the people of Australia. The parties also discussed the role of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the need to return the West Indies Cricket team to a dominant position in
international cricket. The Australian participants confirmed that West Indies cricket played an important role in Australia’s cricket history and that West Indies players were always well respected and loved from the days of Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Gary Sobers, Clive Lloyd,
Sir Vivian Richards and Brian Lara. It was agreed that Cricket Australia would provide whatever support it could to assist West Indies cricket going forward. Rowley sits on the CARICOM Heads of Cricket Committee which is chaired by Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves. The committee is due to meet with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in November to discuss the state of West Indies Cricket. The Prime Minister and his delegation also toured the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is recognised as one of the great cricket grounds in the world. Rowley and the rest of the delegation will return to T&T tomorrow.
ESPNcricinfo - Former Pakistan batsman Hasan Raza has been filmed on camera by news channel Al Jazeera in the same room while another former cricketer - Robin Morris from Mumbai - talks about facilitating spot-fixing in T20 tournaments. Raza does not participate in the conversation between Morris and the undercover reporter, but is seated in the chair adjacent to Morris. Raza and Morris both played for Mumbai Champs, a team in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League between 2007-08. Al Jazeera said Raza did not respond to its allegations, while Morris “denies any wrongdoing” and said the channel invited him “to audition for, and act in, a commercial movie ‘for public entertainment’.” Raza made his debut for Pakistan as a 14-year old in 1996, becoming the youngest man to play Test cricket. He was part of seven Tests and 16 ODIs but has not played any international cricket since 2005. Raza had greater success in the domestic circuit, with 232 first-class matches to his name, alongside 197 one-day games and 36 T20s and even took an active part in the most recent season when he played for Pakistan Television. The Pakistan Cricket Board issued a statement on the matter on Sunday saying, “PCB and its Anti Corruption Unit is in the process of reviewing reports regarding the alleged involvement of cricketer Hasan Raza in Corrupt Conduct. Appropriate action, if any, will be taken after collecting and reviewing all relevant evidence. Till such time no further comments are made.” In the video, part of a broader investigative documentary the channel will air from Sunday, Morris talks about setting up a T20 tournament for the purposes of spot-fixing and betting. He says that no A-grade players will be involved, but that he can bring in B, C, and D grade players. He talks of taking such tournaments from Dubai, to Hong Kong, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. In another location, poolside at a hotel, a person identified by Al Jazeera as Gaurav Rajkumar is seen and heard talking about organising a four-team T20 tournament in the UAE. Morris is also present during this conversation and later details how much money a corrupt player stands to make
Hasan Raza, the HBL captain, poses with the winner’s trophy, HBL v PIA, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One Final, fifth day, Karachi, January 17, 2011 ©Shakir Khilji by facilitating spot-fixing in such tournaments. Al Jazeera said Rajkumar also claimed the channel invited him to act in a movie for public entertainment. The videos were released on the same day that Al Jazeera also alleged that a person involved in the preparation of pitches in
Galle, Sri Lanka, for the Tests against India in 2017 and Australia in 2016 had tailored the surfaces according to instructions from a person involved in betting. The report also alleged that the Galle pitch for the Test against England later this year would also be made to order for betting.
Robin Morris of the Mumbai Champs bowls during an ICL training camp, Mumbai, November 19, 2007 © ICL
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WARRIORS FORCE GAME 7 WITH Flustered Champion Ostapenko falls at first 115-86 ROUT OF ROCKETS Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for seven 3-pointers in the third quarter Saturday night, rallying the Golden State Warriors from a 10-point halftime deficit to a 115-86 run-away in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in Oakland, Calif. The teams got a travel day yesterday before meeting one final time in Houston tonight, with the Game 7 winner advancing to the NBA Finals to face either the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers, who played their Game 7 in Boston yesterday. Riding a two-game winning streak but without injured point guard Chris Paul, the Rockets shocked the defending champs with an early burst of four consecutive 3-pointers to help produce a 39-22 lead after one quarter. But the Warriors crept within 61-51 at halftime, then used powerful 3-point shooting of their own to pass Houston before the end of the third quarter and pull away early in the fourth. “We did a better job moving the ball tonight, for sure,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “The pace was really fast, and I thought the one positive of Houston getting off to that start that they did was the pace was high. I didn’t like the poor defense we were playing, but I like the pace. So I think once we settled down and we got the defense in a better position, then we started moving the ball, and the game felt more like a Warriors game.” After combining for 3-for13 shooting on threes in the first half, Thompson (4-for-5) and Curry (3-for-4) bombed in seven of nine from beyond the arc in the third quarter, during which the Warriors outscored the Rockets 33-16 to take a lead they never relinquished. Golden State outscored Houston 31-9 in the final 12 minutes. Thompson saved 21 of his game-high 35 points for the second half and Curry chipped in with 16 of his 29, helping Golden State go up by as many as 30 en route to the series-tying win. “We like our formula,” Kerr said. “We like our defense against these guys, and we feel confident that we can carry this through to Game 7 on the road and continue to make things as difficult as possible on Houston without fouling. I thought that was a real key tonight.” James Harden had a team-
French Open hurdle
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) battles for the ball with Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) in game six of the Western conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports) high 32 points for the Rockets, including 15 in the first quarter, during which Houston connected on eight of 12 from 3-point range to account for a majority of its 39-point total. The Rockets shot 11-for22 on threes in the first half, but then just 4-for-17 the rest of the way. The Warriors, meanwhile, rebounded from a 4-for-18 first half from long distance with a 12-for-20 finish. Kevin Durant contributed 23 points for the Warriors, who haven’t been in a Game
7 since the 2016 NBA Finals against Cleveland, a game the Cavaliers won to deny Golden State back-to-back titles. Draymond Green had a team-high 10 rebounds and nine assists for Golden State, which shot 49.4 percent overall from the field. Harden, who shot 4-for-12 on threes, finished with seven rebounds and a team-high nine assists for the Rockets, who committed 21 turnovers. “Little carelessness, little tiredness, whatever,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said
after the loss. “Bottom line, we can’t turn it over, and we need to do a better job. But we knew this was hard. They’re champs. They’re going to come back fighting, and they did. They did their part. You know, I saw a lot of things. I like where we are.” Eric Gordon, starting in place of Paul, had 19 points, Trevor Ariza 14 and Gerald Green 11 for the Rockets, who shot 40.3 percent from the field. Houston’s Clint Capela led all rebounders in the game with 15. (Field Level Media)
PARIS (Reuters) - A flustered Jelena Ostapenko became only the sixth female Grand Slam champion to fall at the first hurdle of her title defence yesterday when she lost to Kateryna Kozlova at the French Open. Never at ease on the Roland Garros main show court, the world number five slumped to a 7-5 6-3 defeat to a Ukrainian opponent who had won both the pair’s previous meetings. Not since Anastasia Myskina went down in the opening round of the 2005 tournament has the French Open lost its women’s champion so early, and the 20year-old slipped off court, her head bowed, ruing what she called a “terrible day”. By losing, Ostapenko joins a ignominious group including, as well as Myskina, Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Angelique Kerber who all lost as Grand Slam champions on the first run of their defences. Kozlova, competing with a large, weeping blister on her heel which caused her to take a medical break at the end of the first set, was well worth the victory, playing with power and composure, in contrast to the flustered champion. “Obviously, it feels great... I didn’t expect anything from the match. I just went to enjoy every moment on the court because, before, I was not sure if I will be able to play in [the] French Open,” Kozlova said, citing a knee injury which had sidelined her. “So I was just happy to be on court, back on court, and compete. So it was very important for me. And, in the end, the result comes up and
it’s just amazing.” Amazing for Kozlova, dismal for Ostapenko, whose eyes searched the coach’s box at every opportunity. Last year, she had lit up Paris by lifting the title with an exciting, powerful style and smiling, jaunty demeanor. Where in 2017 she made a habit of coming back from the dead to win seemingly lost matches, this year she showed little grit. She seemed unable to find any answers to the questions Kozlova was posing, and checked out early with barely a whimper. “It was terrible day,” she told reporters afterwards, her pink cap pulled low over her eyes. “Honestly today began not in a nice way and I knew something like that could happen, so I tried to stay positive. But... “I just woke up here and my mood was not amazing. [A] few things go wrong and you are pissed off, but you try to stay positive. Then you lose a match, and it is no longer possible to be positive.” Ostapenko said she might have had a better chance had she been scheduled on Monday or Tuesday but that it had simply not been her day on Sunday. “When I went on court today I had this unbelievable pressure, and felt I was not myself on court.” “I will just try to forget this as soon as I can.” It might appear lowerranked players are becoming something of an Achilles’ heel to the Latvian - already this year she had lost to two players outside the world’s top 50. Kozlova, ranked 66, makes it an unhappy hat-trick for the 20-year-old.
Venus Williams ousted...
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) during the first half in game six of the Western conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. (John G. Mabanglo/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports)
From page 27 on her game. Williams has the air of someone who has seen it all, done it all, which, in tennis terms, is pretty much the case. She eased her way into a 3-0 lead in the second set, but the smoke and mirrors couldn’t mask the holes in her game with Wang taking the ball earlier and striking it with more purpose. The Chinese was soon level and when Williams doublefaulted again — for the fourth time — in the 11th game of the second set, it opened the door for Wang to record a notable win. She did not need asking twice and sealed it, rather fittingly, when Williams clubbed her 35th unforced error into the net. Beaming with joy, Wang waved to the crowd and skipped up and down as Williams stalked to the changing rooms. Next up for Williams is Wimbledon, a tournament she has won five times, but not since 2008. A runners-up finish there last year will give her cause for hope, though. “I have five weeks, so...” she smiled.
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Pakistan crush sorry England at Lord’s New IDB report says C’bean LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan wrapped up a crushing nine-wicket victory over England yesterday to inflict the hosts’ first defeat in a May test match at Lord’s. England’s last four wickets tumbled in 27 minutes and Pakistan knocked off the 64 runs they needed in less than an hour on the fourth day to put the touring side 1-0 up in the two-match series. “We were not good enough if I’m being brutally honest, we have been outplayed in all three departments,” England captain Joe Root said at the presentation ceremony. “Pakistan’s bowlers exploited the conditions well but we played some poor shots and you can’t afford to do that.” England resumed on 235 for six after Jos Buttler and debutant Dom Bess had shared an unbroken partnership of 125 in the final session on Saturday to save their team from a humiliating innings defeat. Buttler fell in the second over, trapped lbw by man-of-the-match Mohammad Abbas for 67 and failing to get the decision overturned on review. Mark Wood hit one four before he nicked Mohammad Amir, bowling with the second new ball, to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed. Stuart Broad edged Abbas to Sarfraz without scoring and Amir comprehensively bowled the 20year-old Bess for 57 to dismiss the hosts for 242 as England lost their
lags in sports spending
Haris Sohail and Imam-ul-Haq celebrate Pakistan’s victory in the first Test. (Getty Images) last four wickets for the addition of six runs. James Anderson bowled Azhar Ali for four with a fine delivery that knocked out his off stump before Imam-ul-Haq (18 not out) and Haris Sohail (39 not out) shared an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 54 to see Pakistan to their target. “I am very proud of my team,” Pakistan captain Sarfraz said.
“We have a very inexperienced team but we are very confident in our players. Our bowlers did a great job for us.” The second test at Headingley starts on Friday. Scores: Pakistan 363 (Babar 68*) and 66 for 1 (Haris 39*, Imam 18*) beat England 184 (Cook 70) and 242 (Root 68, Buttler 66, Bess 57, Abbas 4-41, Amir 4-37) by nine wickets.
Venus Williams ousted in first round at French Open PARIS (Reuters) - What Venus Williams would have given for a dash of deja-vu in Paris yesterday. The same Grand Slam tournament, the same opening round, the same opponent as last year, but at Roland Garros this year the American slumped out 6-4 7-5 to China’s Wang Qiang. The loss marked the first time 2002 runner-up Williams has lost her opening match here since 2001, and the only time in her career she has lost consecutive Grand Slam opening round matches. “There really are no perfect days in tennis, so...” the 37-year-old mused enigmatically. “At this point I have just got to look forward. “I just want to be my best, that is all... nobody plans on this.” If yesterday’s result marked a low point for Venus, it represented the best win of Wang’s career, and one for which she was good value. Her comments post-match attempted to play it down, though, Wang saying only that the win had been “one of” the best of her career. Wang might have been forgiven for rolling her eyes when the draw was made on Thursday, having been beaten by Williams both here and at Wimbledon in their only previous meetings. But the 26-year-old set about her task with enthusiasm on a sun-
bathed Court Suzanne Lenglen, never allowing her rangy opponent to settle. Compact and busy, Wang looked to be putting more effort in every ball than Williams with her long fluid shots and languid movement. And on a hot day which had both players glistening with sweat by the end of the opening game such differences can count double. So too can free points and short ones, and both Wang and Williams looked to shorten rallies with heavily thumped groundstrokes aimed for the lines. When faced with a wingspan like that of Williams, margin for error is miniscule, and Wang fired shot after shot onto the lines, killing off Williams’s scooped, looped backhands with dead flat varieties of her own. There was barely a wisp of wind to offer the overheating players any respite, but Wang, dressed all in black, never took a backward step, sealing the opening in the 10th game after a flurry of points including a drive-volley which left the increasingly frustrated Williams wrong-footed. The double-fault that Williams hit to lose the first set may have been more indicative of her fortunes, as she struggled to get a good grasp Continued on page 26
Venus Williams of the U.S. reacts during her first round match against China’s Qiang Wang. (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)
WASHINGTON, CMC – A new report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says Latin American and the Caribbean lag in sports spending, stating that the region could get a development boost from sports activities that improve the region’s social and health benefits. But the report warns that the programmes must be “properly designed and monitored.” The report says Latin America and the Caribbean government spending on sports is “modest,” pointing to preliminary analysis of fiscal budgets from 17 countries that shows that spending on sports averages around 0.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). The region’s spending on sports is about one-third of the percentage spent by European nations, without considering special programs for elite athletes or Olympic financing, the report says. “World Cup soccer season is a good time to celebrate the benefits of sports,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno on Friday. “This report shows our region needs to spend more on sports, not just to produce better athletes but also to foster happier, less violent and healthier societies. “To gain the social benefits, we also need to design better sports programs and rigorously evaluate those that already exist,” he added. The report says while the region produces first-rate athletes in numerous professional sports, exercise is a marginal activity. Based on self-reported data, one out of three adults in the region qualifies as physically inactive, compared to the global average of one in four, defined as participating in less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. The report says the lack of activity is pervasive in all demographic segments, “but it is even more worrisome among schoolgoing adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17, with almost 9 out of 10 adolescents not achieving the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.” According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, the prevalence of physical inactivity is 35 per cent higher in women than in men worldwide, and 41 per cent higher in Latin America and the Caribbean. Almost one in four adults in Latin America and the Caribbean qualify as obese (a body mass index of 30 percent fat or higher) and more than half are overweight, the report says. The report notes that sports can build human capital and enhance productivity by improving physical and mental health, discouraging
substance abuse, and inspiring athletic as well as academic achievement. Sports can encourage capital accumulation, facilitate the workings of markets, and strengthen institutions through their effect on social capital, trust and culture, and crime, the report says. Data from the United States show that expanding girls’ access to athletic participation translated into a 10-percentage point jump in state-level female sports participation, according to the report. This, in turn, the report says, generated a 1-percentage point increase in female college attendance and a 1 to 2-percentage point rise in female labor force participation. Research using data from the German Socioeconomic panel has found that active participation in sports boosts earnings by about
1,200 euros annually over a 16-year period, compared to no or very little sports activity, according to the report. These results, it says, translate into a rate of return on sports activities in the range of 5 percent to 10 percent, on a par with an additional year of schooling. Similar results have been found for the United States, the report says. In Brazil, the report says salaries of physically active individuals are between 15 percent and 31 percent higher than those of sedentary counterparts. But the report warns that authorities need to be cautious when opting for policies based on these studies. “It may be that people who choose to play sports have certain unobservable skills and characteristics that also make them more successful later in life,” said Carlos Scartascini, a lead researcher at the IDB and a study coordinator. The report says evidence is mounting that even the programs with the best intentions could have unintended negative results. It says some programmes increase the prevalence of the behaviors that they try to curve, such as substance abuse and violence. Researchers using a Swedish sample found that participation in activities with low structure – such as a lightly supervised youth recreation center – was associated with high levels of antisocial behavior, the report says.
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Watson’s unbeaten hundred Regal Masters, Parika Defenders, R and R Sports Triumph hands Chennai third IPL crown
Carlos Brathwaite’s cameo contributed to Sunrisers’ 178 for 6 after being put in ©BCCI MUMBAI (Reuters) Australian Shane Watson overcame a slow start on his way to an unbeaten 117 to guide the Chennai Super Kings to their third Indian Premier League title with a eight-wicket win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad yesterday. Chasing 179 for victory at the Wankhede Stadium, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai eased to the target with nine deliveries to spare to complete a fairytale comeback to the popular Twenty20 tournament. Chennai, easily the most consistent team in the tournament with four runner-up trophies, returned to the 11th edition having served a two-year ban along with the Rajasthan Royals following a spot-fixing and illegal betting scandal in 2013. Former India captain Dhoni won the toss and opted to field first and his bowlers never allowed the Hyderabad batsmen to score too freely. Hyderabad captain K a n e Wi l l i a m s o n t o p scored for his side with a 47 off 36 balls while Yusuf Pathan scored a brisk unbeaten 45 off 25 deliveries to take Hyderabad to 178-6 in their 20 overs. The total appeared big enough when Chennai started their chase with retired Australian international Watson unable to score off the first 10 balls he faced. Chennai were 20 for one
after five overs and looking down the barrel when the burly opening batsman decided to open his arms. The 36-year-old peppered
all corners of the stadium overlooking the Arabian Sea with powerfully-hit boundaries and ended up with 11 fours and eight sixes in his 57-ball knock. Watson added 117 for the second wicket with Suresh Raina, who scored 32, and picked up a single off teenaged Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan to complete his hundred, his second of the season. Rashid, 19, was the biggest threat to Chennai’s chase having singlehandedly dismantled the Kolkata Knight Riders in Friday’s playoffs with an allround show. But Chennai kept him wicketless in his four overs while scoring 25. Chennai had finished behind table toppers Hyderabad in the group stage but defeated them in the playoffs at the same venue on Tuesday. They picked up their third IPL trophy after a gap of seven years. Scores: Chennai Super Kings 181 for 2 in 18.3 overs (Watson 117*) b e a t S u n r i s e r s Hyderabad 178 for 6 (Williamson 47) by eight wickets.
Shane Watson made up for the slow start by taking on Sunrisers’ bowlers ©BCCI
Regal Masters, Parika Defenders and R and R Sports registered victories when the Regal Sports/Ink Plus/ Elegance Jewellery and Pawn Shop and Crown Mining 20-over softball tournament continued yesterday at Everest Cricket Club. Regal Masters defeated Mike’s Wellman by 38 runs in difficult conditions. Regal Masters batted first and managed 150-7 off their allocated overs. Rudolph Baker slammed four fours and a similar number of sixes in a top score of 55 while Fazleem Mohamed made 35 with one four and three sixes, Eon Abel hit 32 (2x4) and Mahase Chunilall 18. Latchman Kallicharan claimed 4-31. Mike’s Wellman responded with 112-6. Nandram Samlall struck 36, while Basil Persaud made 25 and Wayne Jones 12. Troy Kippins claimed 314 while Mahendra Hardyal, Saheed Mohamed and David Harper had one each. Parika Defenders overcame Fisherman XI
by 43 runs. Parika Defenders batted first and posted 141-7. Dubraj Singh scored 34 while Anthony Arjune got 22 and Amit Kumar 19. Fisherman XI replied with 98 all out in 19 overs. Dennis Mangru made 35 with two sixes while Danny Thomas got 12 as Kabesh Persaud grabbed 4-11, Devanan Kannan 3-7 and Dubraj Singh 2-26. R and R Sports got the better of Sunrisers of Essequibo Coast by three wickets. Sunrisers took first turn in the middle and got to 113 all out in 19.1 overs. Omeshwar Lall stroked 40 while Mahendra Persaud contributed 14 as Raymond Harper, Peter Persaud, Ryan Singh and Rudolph Myers picked up two wickets each. R and R Sports responded with 116-7 in 18.3 overs. Ejaz Mohamed made 25, Myers 21, Persaud 17 and D. Mohabir 16. Motie Lall took three wickets. The competition continues on Sunday. (Zaheer Mohamed)
Froome joins elite club with historic Giro triumph
(Reuters) - Chris Froome wrote his name into the history books as he became the first Briton to win the Giro d’Italia title after coming through unscathed in yesterday’s final processional stage in Rome. Riding in the gruelling race for the first time since 2010, Froome added the one Grand Tour missing from his collection. The 33-year-old joined an exclusive club that includes cycling greats Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault as one of only three riders to capture all three Grands Tours in succession. “For any cyclist this is the dream to have all three leaders’ jerseys in the 10 months,” Froome, who finished 46 seconds ahead of last year ’s winner Tom Dumoulin in the overall standings, told Eurosport. “Pinching myself! There were times over the last three weeks when I thought this wouldn’t be possible. This is a dream come true,” Froome later said on his Twitter account. Froome, who crossed the finish line with his hands on the shoulders of Sky team mates, won the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana last year and his success at the Giro was built on a remarkable performance in Friday’s 19th stage which put him in full control to win the Maglia Rosa. Froome turned the race on its head in that stage and saw off several late attacks by Dumoulin to come into contention after being off the pace in the opening week. He had even crashed ahead of the first stage in Israel. The Team Sky rider is still under investigation over an adverse doping test result
Britain’s Chris Froome smiles on the podium after completing the last stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race, in Rome to win the Giro d’Italia for his third consecutive Grand Tour victory. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) following a urine sample at last year ’s Vuelta which showed excessive use of an asthma inhaler. The four-times Tour de France winner has denied any wrongdoing and has said he is confident the probe will clear him. Sunday’s 21st stage was largely a formality and Froome’s task became all the simpler when it was decided to neutralise the stage after
three laps because of dangerous spots on the cobble-stoned streets of Rome. Riders needed only to complete the 115km, 10-lap loop of the city centre to maintain their overall places. Ireland’s Sam Bennett claimed his third stage win ahead of Italy’s Elia Viviani and Jean-Pierre Druker from Luxembourg.
Sports should be used... From page 30 Contracting and Constructions Services, SKI Contracting Services, XL Constructions, Ayeuni Hatton Contracting Services, Rudyard White of W & R Electrical Company, Ivor Allen, National Sports Commission, Lloyd Britton, Mario and Marlon Andrews 2J’s Construction, the Regional Chairman Ms Genevieve Allen, Department of Education Region Four, REO Lucas, Rawle’s Communication Agency, Keish Stationary and Health Depot, and with assistance of water from Banks DIH Limited. The third place play off is slated for Tuesday between Hope and Friendship Secondary with the finals being played the following day between East Coast’s Annandale and East Bank’s Diamond Secondary for the REO Trophy.