Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Parents need to teach children not to use race language DEAR EDITOR, Having just read the letter about disrespect in referring to people of a race not our own, I think more should be done by parents when their offsprings are still young to let them know that this practice is unacceptable, and follow up by letting them know what is acceptable. In the late-1960s, when I heard my child, at the time living with his father’s parents, use the ‘C-word’ to define Indians, I was so shocked and I corrected him sharply, telling him if he ever said that again in my presence, to expect a slap. The family seemed shocked, upset. Later on, I explained at length to him that his “other grandfather”, my father, was Indian and through his sacrifice to give me the education I had, I was able to help my husband, his father, in his studies, so that he, in turn, could have an easier life. Years later, in London, he
pestered me to see a photograph of my father, mainly because one of his high school class teachers, himself from India, had suspected him of having Indian ancestors, and said so! Respect for all has to be instilled in children while still young. In the early 1960s, when we lived in Campbellville, an Indian brother and sister would pass through the street in the afternoon selling herbs from a tray. The black children of a ‘nice’ family would taunt them, by following, stamping and muttering. The poor herb sellers could only respond by shouting “black man, black man”, the parents of both groups no doubt unaware of their children’s behaviour. The world over may forever be beset by race problems, through skin colour, texture of hair, etc. I am waiting with bated breath to see how my favourite royal prince’s romance will turn out, his lady friend’s mother
being a black woman. Will he ‘return to his roots’? In August 1993, when I visited Buckingham Palace during the first week, maybe the first day, (as I recall) of its opening, in the picture gallery, there was a portrait of George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, whose facial features were definitely negroid. Broad nose, ‘generous’ mouth, frizzy hair - the lot. Queen Victoria, to me, was the white image of her. I read later that there was much controversy about Charlotte and her marriage to the British monarch. Perhaps history is about to repeat itself. A Guyana contact told me that in an album held by her family in the Caribbean there is a group of the family, including Charlotte. Interestingly, Prince William’s children bear the names of “George” and “Charlotte”. A diversion from doom and gloom - an inspiration in universal race relations. Geralda Dennison
Social Worker responds to Mr. Clayton Halley on Minister Henry DEAR EDITOR, I write in response to the letter penned by Mr. Clayton F. Halley in which he is calling for the removal of Minister Nicolette Henry from office by President David Granger. I would like to inform Mr. Halley that youth empowerment is moving forward at a steady pace, under the astute leadership of the Honorable Minister Nicolette Henry. The Department of Youth has delivered in communities all across Guyana, working in schools and clubs through the programs run by social workers, Youth Officers, Volunteer Support Programs, and the President Youth Award, Guyana. (PYARG) Over the last seven months, since I became a staff of the Youth Department of the Ministry of Education. I was really encouraged to work after having my first encounter with the Honorable Minister Nicolette Henry; here was a professional with a vision for the development of Youth, a mother and friend to all. She does not micro manage, she is confident that her team at the Youth Department can function as a body that is all
set to bring opportunities to youth nationwide through education and training. We have gone to secondary schools and youth clubs promoting the Art of Public Speaking, agriculture development, technical and vocational training, sports, poetry, s t e e l p a n music, drama, songs and dance, youth leadership and adventure. These programs are in almost all the administrative regions of Guyana. What the young people need is cooperation amongst its leaders, and positive guidance from the elders. Mr Halley you are welcome to join us at the youth department to share ideas with the aim of engineering youth and community development. I ask myself from where I stand why would someone who doesn’t know Minister Nicolette Henry pen such a vindictive letter? What ulterior motive is behind this? The Honorable
Minister must continue to do her work unhindered, with support from her directors and advisers. This is a team that can only win with her support and cooperation from all members of her staff. At this point the Department of Youth is all geared to stage Youth Week activities from the 21st May 2017. These are activities that were last held over two decades ago, but with the development of the youth in mind she has taken the bold step to reintroduce Youth Week activities to the nation with support from the members of staff of the Department of Youth. I am passionate about Youth and Development and would like to call on all youth and youth leaders to stand resolutely in support of our Honorable Minister Nicolette Henry who holds responsibility for the Department of Culture Youth and Sport. RAS Aaron Blackman
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‘Downsizing’ not the right option for sugar DEAR EDITOR, Our Union – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) – has taken note of the editorial of May 03, 2017 titled “Downsizing will save GuySuCo”. Our Union acknowledges that the media plays an important role in society and while being respectful of Freedom of the Press we also believe that it is incumbent upon us to offer some clarity bearing in mind that the editorial is reflective of the newspaper’s position. While the paper, has quoted President David Granger who said ”we want to save the sugar workers’ jobs”. The fact is that as a result of the Administration’s policy to sugar, 9,000 workers stand to be affected and thousands more will also be caught up by the short-sighted plans being advocated. The editorial also charged that the sugar industry cannot be saved unless some estates are closed or sold out. We, however, share a differing view. Our long association with sugar has taught us that the industry can overcome its difficulties; it has demonstrated this time and again. In the past, sugar faced worse challenges and rebounded and we hold such feats are attainable once more. Moreover, the industry, for whatever reason, continues to be seen only as a raw bulk sugar producer, therefore, causing incorrect conclusions to be drawn. The fact is the industry needs to move to become a sugar cane industry harnessing the full potential of the versatile plant. We envisage the industry moving into the production of white refined sugar, direct consumption brown sugar, possibly ethanol, alcohol, and electricity. Such an expanded diversification will serve to engender the industry’s viability and as the editorial puts it ”…make it more competitive, financially independent and sustainable, and will create more good-paying jobs as well as contribute to economic prosperity of the country.” We hold that that the industry’s cutting down as envisaged by the Administration will bring to bear greater hardship and difficulties for the peoples and communities connected to sugar. The proof is in the pudding. We see at Wales once vibrant and bustling communities have, seemingly, had their lives sucked out. Gloom is now the order of the day. For us it is disheartening that given the known consequences, we see plans advocated which will certainly exacerbate rather than alleviate the problems. The editorial calls to attention the level of support given to the industry by the current and past Government. We hasten to point out that between the two (2) Governments, some $48B was provided to GuySuCo. Moreover, isn’t it perplexing that the APNU/AFC Government provided significant sums to the
industry yet in 2016 production fell to its lowest since 1990. Something is clearly wrong in the industry’s leadership. On the industry’s indebtedness, we urge that a breakdown be sought; it will be revealing and an enlightening expose. The industry’s financial predicament is largely due to the poor production levels being recorded. For an industry in which a significant proportion of costs are fixed, lower production levels will push up the cost-ofproduction. This is elementary accounting and seems to be lost in the discussions. Thus higher production lends to lower costs. Also, for an industry which is now nearly four (4) centuries old and one which the science of cane cultivation is well-established, the production levels being recorded ought to be raising eyebrows. We ask how it is the closure and sell-out of estates are right for the country and the sugar workers, especially when there is seemingly no real plan to address the large unemployment that would emerge. Even the IMF recently warned the Administration to take into account such factors in addressing sugar’s future. The talk about non-sugar diversification remains just that – mere talk. So far, Wales which should have been the launching pad for this initiative remains a blank canvas and the people there are confronted by misery and hardship. While the editorial has chosen to label the Skeldon investment as “doomed”. We ask how is it that investors are lining up to take over this “doomed” estate. Doesn’t it defy business logic? Recently, we read in a letter appearing in the Kaieteur News about the windfall that awaits the investors in Skeldon. Certainly, this windfall should be GuySuCo’s and Guyana’s and we strongly feel that it should be so. We also wish to advise that contrary to what the editorial says sugar is still being produced in Jamaica and Barbados. Only recently, a conference was held in Jamaica to devise ways to secure that country’s industry along the lines our Union has suggested for GuySuCo. If the Jamaicans are doing right, why is there the view that we are wrong? While the editorial argues that GuySuCo is bleeding the treasury, we hasten to ask what about those several years when the treasury bled GuySuCo through the sugar levy for instance. Moreover, the miniaturization, if pursued, will cause the treasury to fork out large sums, perhaps larger, to deal with the social consequences that would emerge. We remain steadfast in our view that ‘downsizing’ is not the right option for sugar. It is an option that will serve to worsen the country’s social conditions, increase poverty and harm Guyana for years to come. Seepaul Narine, GAWU
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Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Quoting Karl Marx in the Tragic loss of lives almost occurred on the Essequibo River condemnation of rape DEAR EDITOR, I am writing this article on behalf of the young, voiceless victims of rape/ sexual assault, who were never believed when they told their story, were further punished by the adult, threatened with harm by the perpetrator(s), and who continue to be sidelined even during the month set aside for evoking public and governmental awareness. Sexual Assault Awareness month recently concluded in Guyana. Throughout the entire 30 days there is a heightened focus on awareness of sexual assault, domestic violence, along with governmental agencies making determined and concerted efforts to inform the public about sexual offences and domestic violence, and to help eliminate this scourge that is currently ravaging the land. According to Akilah Dorris, Manager of the Sexual and Domestic Violence Unit, the Ministry of Social Protection, is currently reviewing the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Acts, with the aim of better handling of domestic violence cases and sexual offences. While I am aware of the activities, deeply appreciative of the nation’s efforts to raise awareness, and the continuous promotion of prevention; nevertheless it is becoming glaringly apparent over the years that the message has become somewhat misdirected. There is a lack of focus on the child. This is not to downplay the havoc being wreaked by domestic violence, but the children also need to be focused on. Case in point being the recent sentencing of pastor Josiah Baptiste for the raping of a six year old female. Quite clearly he was not only preaching but reaching. Preying on the voiceless vulnerable. Sadly there are not enough conversations about what that child should do, to whom should that child turn, and where does that child rest those worries, fears and anxieties. The villages remain
steeped in silence and choking on its own complicity. Child sexual abuse is a pandemic with its own staggering statistics. Most villages have a history of being silent about the abuses that wreak havoc on the young, of being protective of the family or family member(s) for several reasons—fear and shame being two of the most prevalent. In addition we dwell in a society that send signals and teaches the females to be careful not to get raped, instead of teaching men not to rape. Casting all humour aside, in a 1999 film Bigger and Blacker, comedian Chris Rock tells a joke about every black family having that one molester uncle. In the comedic routine he further pokes fun at the practice that many Black folks have experienced, in which an older family member cautions about leaving children around a particular family member on account of that relative’s predacious tendencies. Rock also jokes about the child being blamed once the uncle molests him because the child was warned to stay away from that uncle, and the child being told by a parent to “walk it off.” Sexual abuse is one of the few crimes that bring more shame to the victim than the offender. I do inwardly shudder to think of the number of people who could directly relate to that scenario. Let us not forget the age old maxim” Many a true word is spoken in jest”, or to coin a familiar Guyanese adage “True word does pass as joke”. When the victim speaks we must listen, or be
cued in even when nothing is said. Undoubtedly, there is an ongoing problem in the Guyanese community that enough of us are not talking about, and one which usually rests below the radar during Sexual Violence Awareness Month. Sexual Awareness as well as Domestic Violence Awareness does not stop on April 30. I strongly beseech folks in the community, this month and next month, and every month thereafter and at every available opportunity not just to pay attention to numbers but to start conversations. It is clear that revision/ reviewing of the Act are long overdue. Better late than never is not an acceptable panacea. According to Karl Marx, social progress can be measured by the social position of the female sex. Over the years the increase in frequency, and mortality due to domestic violence should have spurred the government into action a long time ago. Wives have paid with their lives. Do not get me wrong, but regardless of their gender every day a child is sexually tested and molested. This must cease forthwith. It is imperative that the Government, parents, the community, community leaders, religious leaders, educators and by extension the public make an intelligent investment in a better national future by sounding the alarm for the young females, until they can do so for themselves. The voiceless must be spoken for. Childhood simplicity is not tantamount to sexual complicity. Yvonne Sam
Ridvan is the most joyous of Baha’i holy days DEAR EDITOR, For 12 days at the end of April and beginning of May, Baha’i communities around the world celebrated their most holy festival- Ridvan. This annual festival marks the anniversary of the days Baha’u’llah spent along the River Tigris in Baghdad. In 1863, Baha’u’llah stayed in a garden on the banks of the Tigris River for 12 days, during which His many admirers in the city came to bid Him farewell. Baha’u’llah announced to the friends gathered with Him during those days that He was God’s Messenger for a new age, foretold in the world’s scriptures. He called the garden they were gathered in “Ridvan,” meaning “paradise.” The Ridvan period was also a time when Baha’u’llah proclaimed the foundational spiritual principles that lie at the heart of His teachings—signalling the arrival of a new stage in the evolution of the life of humanity, characterized by peace and an end to violence. Today, the festival of Ridvan is the most joyous of Baha’i holy days. In villages, towns, and cities around the world, Baha’i communities celebrate these special days with gatherings open to all. Rooplall Dudnauth
DEAR EDITOR, In wake of the recent nearmiss tragedy on the Essequibo River recently, I feel compelled to speak out about another near-miss disaster, one that could have been much, much worse and that occurred on December 12, 2016 several miles from Bartica, up the Essequibo River. A boatload of us was returning from a day trip to the Essequibo Islands (Fort Island, Sloth Island, etc etc), a package that was offered by Dagron Tours based in Georgetown. We left the last location (Kyk Over Al) after 4:30 pm and started to make our way back to Parika when just about fifteen minutes into the trip, it was discovered that the boat started to tilt on the rear as it was taking in water. The passengers became so afraid, terrified was the word. There we were in open seas, it was practically getting dark, river traffic was coming to a halt for the day and the boat (a fibre glass boat) was taking in water rapidly and it was beginning to show signs that it would sink as it was leaning backwards. The captain signalled other nearby passing boats who either did not understand our plight or they were just selfish to not show concern as to what was going on. I became terrified. I saw death before me as the water started to fill the boat from the back. It was in a very peculiar position now in the water, we slowed down. Passengers
started to panic as those who were seated in the rear started to use receptacles to bail water out the boat. The pump that was also supposed to help pump the excess water out the flooding boat was not working properly. It was of little help. Finally, a passing Parikabound speedboat pulled up alongside us but a lady and her baby were the only ones they could have carried across. They eventually made off to Parika with the hope they would get help for us. I was so scared. It was now getting near six o’ clock, the place was getting dark and there we were, stranded in the middle of nowhere. Where was the army patrol when you need one, I asked myself. The captain made the boat drift slowly to the bushy shore but we needed a landing. We were not seeing any. Meantime, more boats were passing and did not seem to care a bit as to what was happening to us (maybe they were oblivious to our plight). The boat was nearly filled with water in the back when we found a landing and got out. Some people there were very kind to us as we waited for the trip planner to leave with their (the people’s) boat to go get help a few landings away. It was pitch dark now as we waited, and waited and waited. I was supposed to have been on my way home to Berbice by now. The planner was not returning with help. The phone signal
was poor to non- existent. The people whose landing we pulled up on were serving coffee and drinks but all I could think about was getting out of there and safely back to land. Oh, we were hearing that boat owners back at Parika had expressed reluctance to come down the river so late for us. Can you imagine this selfishness? We were in danger! Stranded and that was their attitude! Finally, more than an hour and a half later, help came and we were ferried to Parika, we arrived after 9pm in the moonlight. It was a near- death experience I would never like to experience again and having not spoken out until now, I no longer can hold my peace since something needs to be done to improve the standards of this operation along this river. The company refunded some cash to many passengers after this horrible incident. One of these days some group might not be so lucky. The government must intervene to ensure safety of passengers who travel along this river on a daily basis. Patrols need to be done by the army. Help points should be established along this lonely stretch of river from Parika to Bartica. That could have been a disaster whereby over 15 persons would have died. I am thankful I came out alive. How many more incidents like this happen on these rivers but are never heard of? Leon Suseran
The Govt. must be praised when it does good things DEAR EDITOR, While I am apolitical and never voted, I have two eyes and I can see. People often criticize this government and rightly so because they can do better. But when anyone compares this government with the last administration, they must admit that Guyanese are receiving a much better service for their money. We should not forget that the government is our employer, hired to provide the service of running our country. While this crop of Ministers is not the best in the world, they are performing far better than the previous administration. They are doing better in many departments and they are much more accessible to the common Guyanese citizen. Housing, Infrastructure, Natural Resources, Security
and Presidency are a few departments where every Guyanese can clearly see that we are receiving a better service. We hear of the challenges in healthcare, agriculture and education which seem insurmountable, but we cannot in good conscience blame this Government for that. The evening newscasts and daily newspapers barely inform us of their successes while highlighting their failures. However when I think back to a few years ago, I have to say ‘good job guys.’ I am sure they could do better, there is still serious intra nsigence among the leaders of many government departments and many civil servants are yet to embrace the change that the Guyanese electorate voted for in 2015.
It is fair to keep their feet to the fire, but we must encourage them, lest they become discouraged or wary or disillusioned and we end up with a similar Government as before, or even worst. My thought was provoked by two recent articles where one writer commended Minister Harmon while another writer condemned her (the writer) for doing so; it shows how politics guides our perception of reality. So while I do not wish to choose sides in that debate, might I encourage my fellow citizens to a d m o n ish our public servants and Ministers to do better, but while we highlight their shortcomings, let us not forget to encourage them when they do a good or better job. Clarence Jones
Monday May 08, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Ramson should work for his $1.2M pay check By: Kiana Wilburg If there’s one thing that the Coalition Government and Opposition PPP/C both agree on, it’s that Commissioner of Information, Charles Ramson Snr. should submit reports regarding his work as this is outlined in the Access to Information Act. However, the Opposition is very keen on stressing that Ramson is not the “bad John” he is being made out to be or even the only person delinquent when it comes to implementing all aspects of the Act. The Party firmly believes that any discussion on the Act should take into account the functions of all parties responsible for the effective implementation of the Act and how their roles are interlinked towards achieving this goal. In a recent interview with Kaieteur News, Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira acknowledged that the law provides for Ramson to make reports regarding requests for information received. She noted however, “If he has not received requests, then I don’t know how he can provide reports...” The Opposition Chief Whip was then informed that Ramson is on record stating that he has received over 15
- Gail Teixeira
Commissioner of Information, Charles Ramson Snr.
Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira
requests for information. Even the PPP requested information on government officials from the Commissioner of Information and the request was denied. Teixeira was then asked if she agrees that the lack of reports by Ramson makes it harder for one to assess the effectiveness of his office. In this regard, she proffered the opinion that there are a number of ways in which that can be measured while adding, “But I am not in government.” She said that one needs to ascertain whether the requests for information by members of the public are within the law. Teixeira said that the Access to Information Act makes it clear what one
can and cannot ask for. As for the issue of performance, the Opposition Member said that Ramson is not in a proactive position but in a “reactive” position. “So if there are few or no requests then how do you measure the effectiveness of this office…” Bearing in mind that Ramson is on record as having said he received reports, Teixeira acknowledged that reports should be delivered as these are stipulated by the law. She stressed continuously, nonetheless, that the issue of reports cannot be considered in isolation. Teixeira noted that Ministries have a role to play when it comes to informing
the Commissioner of Information of a list of their office holdings and staffing. The Opposition Chief Whip said that this process started under her Party’s rule, but it has virtually come to a halt. She noted that Ramson even complained about the slow pace at which he received this information from Ministries under the PPP and now the situation has gone from bad to worse. With this in mind, Teixeira emphasized that one has to consider the roles and functions of everyone involved in the process of making the Access to Information Act effective. “The Act is a good one and needs to be abided by all ministries and government agencies doing what they have to in ensuring information is accessible, as well as the Commissioner running a facility that is able to respond to requests from the public…It is unfortunate that it (the Act) seems to be honoured in the breach but I do not agree with anyone focusing on the Commissioner of Information being the most delinquent and the one who is the cause of the Act not being
implemented.” As for Ramson’s performance under the PPP, Teixeira explained that there was no expectation to have a major report in 2014 because they were setting up an office for him, hiring new staff , and getting relevant agencies acquainted with what they are expected to do in relation to this new office. “After 2015, I understand his office was changed and he was working without staff and I don’t know how he can work without an office assistant, typing clerk, etc. I am not sure how it can work that way and so I believe government has downgraded the importance of the office and the Act has been breached by everyone who is involved in it…” “The problem with Ramson is that they don’t like him. That’s it. They see him as a PPP man who was Attorney General under the PPP on two occasions and they don’t want him around…He may not be the easiest character but that’s not the point... He is not going to be bullied by anyone and I think he is right.” Teixeira nonetheless concluded that the law states that one of Ramson’s roles is
submitting reports and she acquiesced that this should be done From 2013 to now, Guyana has nothing to show for approximately $70M in salary costs alone, which was used to sustain Commissioner of Information, Charles Ramson Snr. $70M is actually more than enough to cover needed repairs at the East Ruimveldt Secondary School, the Cyril Potter College of Education and Cummings Lodge Secondary School with a few millions left to comfortably pay for much needed road upgrades in the Essequibo Islands. Ramson still refuses to answer any questions from this newspaper, stating that he has “closed the door” on the media outlet’s Editor-InChief, Adam Harris, Publisher Glenn Lall and First Vice President and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo. The First Vice President and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo who has responsibility for Information has since made it clear his hands are tied on the matter. He said that President David Granger is looking into it. According to Nagamootoo, the matter was sent to the Chambers of the Attorney General, Basil Williams for advice.
GNIC makes proposal to pay outstanding - admits to collecting cash rent monies owed to NICIL from TCL on sublease The Guyana National Industrial Company, (GNIC) has denied verbatim the allegations outlined in the statement of claim by the National Commercial Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL) in the ongoing court case over rent monies owed to the Government Holding Company. The Government Holding Company,(NICIL) had taken GNIC to court over rent monies owed for a Lombard Street, Georgetown property. The case stems from issues which date back to 1995. According to the facts of the case, GNIC, a company owned by Laparkan and the Guyana National Industrial Company (employees), purchased the assets of the former Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC) and leased Lots 1-12 Lombard Street as part of the privatisation of GNEC. NICIL reduced the rent due from GNIC by 50 percent in 2000 and the sale price of equipment in 1995 by 30 percent. Despite these concessions, GNIC failed to
honour its obligations to pay under the lease. The matter was forwarded to arbitration in July 2009. The award of $148,860,870 was made by the Court following the arbitration proceedings between NICIL and GNIC for unpaid rent in 2013. But GNIC had failed to comply with the award. The Company eventually paid $108 million to the coffers as part of the settlement. The monies were paid in parts, $60 million and then $48 million. It was reported that the two entities were unable to settle the dispute, and therefore the Court was set to take the matter to trial. In a detailed affidavit, the GNIC denied that it failed to fulfill its obligation. In the legal document filed Company secretary, Gobin Persaud outlined a request by NICIL to the court to have the company wound up, (sell all the assets and pay off its creditors). He said the only basis of this request is the claim that the company was unable to pay in full its debt. The legal document
The Lombard Street property which is the subject of a court matter between NICIL and GNIC
outlined that in December 2015, the company paid $35 Million and $47 million in November 2006 to NICIL. Additionally, in November 2016, the GNIC representative said that a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) was entered with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to provide infrastructural facility to accommodate the housing container X-ray machines and ancillary equipment for scanning of containers with respect to the
importation and exportation of cargo from Guyana. The respondent, (GNIC) claimed that it is therefore entitled to set off the said sum totalling $82 M from the amount of $148 million claimed by NICIL. “The respondent was not given credit for the said sum of $82 M, which was before Arbitration.” The respondent (GNIC) said therefore as a result of the MOU with GRA, it will be provided with a reliable source of income for
approximately GYD $ 16.6 M per month. “The respondent receives and will continue to receive under the sublease with Trinidad Cement Limited, (TCL); the sum of $ 4.2 million a month.” At the time of deposing affidavit, GNIC representative noted that the company employs 250 workers which include management, technical, clerical and other craftsmen. “In the circumstances, the respondent asked that the company liquidate the
balance of $66, 860,870 by paying NICIL immediately $60 M leaving the balance of $6, 860 870 at the rate of $1 million per month.” The respondent asked that the court takes into consideration, the number of employees who will be affected by the order paid for by NICIL. The company also asked that the court exercise discretion and approve their proposal to satisfy the judgment award and refuse the request of NICIL.
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Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Oil companies need to be vetted on employment of Guyanese
There are just a few operators in Guyana’s emerging oil industry. But are we keeping a close enough watch on these companies? Do we know if they are fulfilling their obligations of their contracts? Are they hiring Guyanese? Are they using local goods and services? These are just some of the burning questions some concerned citizens are asking. They opine that it is commendable that the administration is taking steps to protect the sector and the billions expected to flow in revenue, through the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund and fast tracking Guyana’s application to be a member of an international watchdog organization of the natural resources sector. But in the meantime, local financial minds believe that there are a few simple things
- use of local goods and services must also be on the cards, says Christopher Ram
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman which could be done to hold oil operators accountable. Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram suggested in his recent writings that the Government, in particular the Ministry of Natural Resources, can ensure the review of all applications and licences to determine the extent to which operators are complying with the local content prescription in
respect to employment of Guyanese citizens and the procurement of goods and services locally. Ram said that oil companies are required to incorporate local content in their operations. He emphasized that it is the duty of the Government to enforce the requirement from day one. The Chartered Accountant explained that the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Regulations 1986 contains a requirement that the application for a petroleum prospecting licence and for a petroleum production licence must contain a statement giving particulars of the applicant’s proposals. The proposals must speak to the employment and training of citizens of Guyana,
while in the case of the production licence, there is the additional requirement that the application shall include a report of the goods and services required for the production and processing operations which can be obtained within Guyana and the applicant’s intention in relation thereto. In the case of the prospecting licence, Ram said that the Minister may attach such conditions as he determines. In the case of the production licence, the law is clear: it prohibits the Minister from granting a petroleum production licence, unless the applicant’s proposals for the employment and training of citizens of Guyana, and for the procurement of goods
and services obtainable within Guyana, are satisfactory. “In other words, the licence must include satisfactory proposals regarding the employment and training of citizens of Guyana and the purchase of goods and services locally.” Additionally, Ram said that local content requirement is a feature of every oilproducing country and Guyana’s neighbours such as Trinidad and Tobago are very good at it. “Everyone in Guyana is excited about the attractive concept of the Sovereign Wealth Fund which deals with the future. But the case for dealing with the present must by definition be stronger, since it deals with immediate imperatives. The
Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram word is that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman is working feverishly on such legislation. In that regard, we are already late, perhaps understandably so.’ Be that as it may, Ram insists that any delay in the introduction of formal legislation cannot constitute a waiver of the local content obligations of prospecting and production licences.
‘Help Guyana to achieve its goal of becoming a ‘green’ state’ - First Lady, urges at Regional Women’s Conference
A section of the gathering at the Conference First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, on Friday urged women to recognise the importance of their role in the growth and sustainable development of their family, community and country, even as Guyana continues along the path towards becoming a ‘green’ state. The
First Lady made these remarks while attending the National Congress of Women’s (NCW) Regional Women’s Conference held at the Good Hope Transformation Centre in Pomeroon/Supenaam (Region Two). The First Lady noted that it is important for women to
play a greater role in the decision making process. “We must proudly take our places in our families, our neighbourhoods, our villages and at the regional and national levels so that our voices are heard, our needs are recognised and met and we help to change the environment and the circumstances in which we and our families live… Help Guyana to achieve its goal of becoming a ‘green’ state resting on four pillars: energy, environmental security, ecological services, enterprise and employment,” the First Lady said. Mrs. Granger remarked that women make up over half of the country’s population
First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger and she encouraged them to tap into opportunities to advance their education, improve their skills and to raise their standard of living. “Learn from the skills and experience of your sisters and those who truly have your interests at heart… We have the power of numbers. What we say must be recognised as something important in our neighbourhood, our regions and our nation,” she said. Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who serves as Chairperson of the NCW, in her remarks, shared that the theme of the conference “PNC/R Women Supporting a ‘Green’ Economy” is one which is
Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence
ever important at this time and that women must, therefore, see their value in playing an important role in the country’s ‘green’ agenda. “Our President, cognisant of the measures that must be put in place to mitigate the effects of climate change, has asked Guyana to go green, challenging us to become masters of our destiny and the destiny of future generations. We have to move out of our comfort zone. We have to mobilise ourselves to support this ‘green’ initiative because Guyana is a country blessed with available natural resources some of which remains untouched to this day. And so I am convinced
that we as a nation have no reason to undergo suffering given the vast resources at our disposal,” she said. The conference featured discussions regarding Guyana’s ‘green’ agenda and steps that can be taken by the NCW to contribute to this thrust. The National Congress of Women is the women’s arm of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and was formed in 1957 as the People’s National Congress Women’s Auxiliary. First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, said that women make up more than half the population and can, therefore, make a worthwhile contribution to Guyana
Monday May 08, 2017
Study on Indigenous women, children launched in Moruca
CONTROLLED ACCESS World Press Freedom Day which was celebrated last week in Guyana, provided an example of how the media in a small society can assume a false sense of selfimportance. It also demonstrated the historical tension which exists between the government and the media as to who needs who the most. The local media used the opportunity of World Freedom Day to complain about lack of access to the government. It bemoaned the fact that the President is not holding regular press conferences. It was concerned about fake news. The local media also was aggrieved by what it perceived as government interference in the media. Governments all over the world dominate the news. In the developed world there is no state media. It is only in small societies like Guyana where the private media is forced to compete with the state media. The private media, in countries like Guyana, is therefore in a far more disadvantageous position that their colleagues in the developed world. The local media is not going to overcome this disadvantage if it continues to delude itself into believing that it is important to the political elites. The private media in Guyana has always felt that without it the politicians would not enjoy reach and credibility with the public. The private media should avoid internalizing the debate as to who needs each other more – the government or the media. It
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is not helpful to them. The media in Guyana lives in a bubble of selfimportance. The Granger administration has punctured that bubble. The government has refused to genuflect to the media. The government is on a path to ensure that it is media who needs the government more than the government needs the media. There is, therefore, a tension which exists between the local media and the government. The local media feels that the government should be more engaged with it. The government, on the other hand, has a different approach, one in which it is directing the plot. This conflict is what is causing the media to demand that the President of Guyana hold a press conference. The media is not really interested in the President holding a press conference. The media, in making the demand, is essentially asserting it has a right to interview the President. It has no such right. This is about the media wanting to feel important. The media wants to feel needed by the government. The President of Guyana is being shielded and screened from the local media. Those concerned with the President’s image are taking no chances. They are protecting him from adverse publicity. They are shielding him from hostile questions. They are screening access to him. This is similar to the media strategy of the government - controlled access. The President has only held a few press conferences since he assumed office,
opting instead to communicate his positions through a tightly-controlled programme called The Public Interest, where, according to the local press corps, the questions have to be vetted and which allows only limited participation of journalists outside of the state media. The local media, without saying so in words, essentially sees the programme as being stage managed. Yet, the members of the private media allow themselves to be wooed into participation, for the chance of asking a few questions. Who really needs who? If the local media would only deflate their ego, they would realize that they are being used. Through their participation in the The Public Interest, the very local media which is complaining about lack of access is being thrown crumbs and groveling for these crumbs. The local media fraternity is disrespecting itself by accepting an invitation to be part of such a tightlycontrolled programme. The local media should not allow itself to be used in this way. If it is opposed in principle to the lack of access to the government, it should not accept conditional access to the government. At the same time, the media must not continue to believe that the government needs them. The government is clearly sending another message, one that says that it is the media which needs the government more.
Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock
UNICEF’S country representative, Sylvie Fouet
A study on Indigenous women and children in Guyana was launched in the Moruca Sub-Region, Region One on Friday by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The launch of the study is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and Latin America. The study is expected to map the issues indigenous women and children face in the hinterland, and provide solutions that will have a positive impact on their lives.
Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe
Vice President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, said he was honoured to be launching a study which is aimed at the development of vulnerable groups of women and children. The Minister told residents that the study will provide the government with the information needed for better planning, management and stronger economic development. “We have talent, we have the capacity, Continued on page 11
Monday May 08, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Growth declines in major sectors except gold in first quarter Guyana’s economic growth continues to be dependent on the success of the mining industry, as the performance of some major sectors has declined while the mining and quarrying sectors continue to hold strong. Within the Economic Bulletin for March, 2017, produced by the Ministry of Finance, it was stated that economic growth for 2017 remains targeted at 3.8 percent. The report said that this is expected to be driven by growth in the mining, quarrying and service sectors, including construction, electricity, water and other services. The Ministry said that based on activities for the first two months of the year, the 3.8 percent rate appears
Gold continues to bolster Guyana’s economic growth feasible. However, it was noted that challenges in the sugar industry may result in its downward revision. The report said that in
February 2017, 3,669 tonnes of sugar was produced, compared with 5,151 tonnes in February 2016. In that month, sugar was produced
Study on Indigenous women...
Some of the Moruca, Region One residents who were present at the launch of the study on Indigenous women and children in Guyana. From page 9 what we need is the opportunity and here is a good time to begin that process,” the Minister stated. Minister Allicock pointed out that the study will be an example to follow that will make headway in each and every indigenous community and even coastal communities. “We cannot wait until development is upon us, and that is why the information here is so important to get us into readiness for what is coming,” Minister Allicock explained. The study will provide the Ministry with the opportunity to “have the facts so that the communities could be stronger, and the village council could be stronger,” he posited. Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido – Lowe also speaking at the launch of the study, noted that it will help Ministries and international agencies when designing programmes for the indigenous people. Minister Garrido-Lowe
pointed out that the experiences of the indigenous women and children are unique when compared to those living on the coast. “You cannot paint us with one Guyanese brush because we are a unique people, we have our culture that we have maintained and we have a way of thinking that people have to respect and understand when they come to work with us on projects and programmes,” the Minister explained. Once the study is completed, it will help to empower indigenous women and children so that there is equity all across the country, she stated. “When the findings are documented and given to the government and other agencies, they will see that although we are getting opportunities, the problem that is there most of the time is the problem of equity,” Minister Garrido-Lowe stressed. UNICEF’S Country representative, Sylvie Fouet, said that the study will provide critical data that will serve as a guide as to what
needs to be done to assist the indigenous people. However, Fouet told the residents that the study is not expected to “give you the fish, but rather to teach you how to fish” pointing out that it is “really helping you on seeing what else we can do differently to really improve the lives of our children, women and parents.” According to Fouet, UNICEF will continue to work with the government to provide programmes and policies for the development of indigenous communities. The study will be done in several communities across Guyana and is expected to be completed in June 2017. Also present at the launch of the study were Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Alfred King, Regional Vice-Chairperson, Region One. Sarah Browne, International Researcher from UNICEF Marcio Carvalho, and representative from the Steering Committee on the study on women and children Donna KeillerMckinnon.
mainly at the Blairmont and Uitvlugt estates. “Production was affected by rainfall, strike actions which resulted in some workers being off the job and suspended production at Skeldon. The latter occurred due to the unsafe nature of the cogeneration plant.” In the Mining and Quarrying sector, the Ministry recorded a decline in the production of bauxite. According to the data presented, bauxite production for February 2017 was 103,606 tonnes, compared to 136,377 tonnes in February 2016. Moreover, the report said that year-to-date production is 229,441 tonnes, compared to 280,901 tonnes produced in 2016. This represents a decline of 18.3 per cent. The report attributed the low production in the first two months of the year to low demand. However, the Ministry is optimistic that the industry will expand in 2017 as demand and prices are expected to rise. Gold production continues to surpass records, since for February 2017, production of the precious metal totalled 63,089 ounces, compared to 58,485 ounces in February 2016. “This brings the year-todate total to 108,048 ounces,
compared to 94,432 in 2016. The main driver of growth for 2017 is the small and medium sized producers whose declarations rose significantly, compared to a fall in declarations for the two foreign companies.” These foreign entities referred to are Guyana Gold Fields Inc. and Troy Resources. The report also highlighted the performance of the forestry sector whereby production for February 2017 totalled 21,900 cubic metres compared to 25,319 cubic metres the same time last year. As a result, the year-to-date production stands at 37,074 cubic metres compared to 51,052 cubic metres for the same period in 2016. This decline in production was attributed to the nonrenewal of Barama’s forest concessions as well as
government’s repossession of Bai Shan Lin’s concessions. According to the Ministry, these steps were taken as government aims to attract investors that will provide more value added forest productions. It was also noted that the demand in China for Wamara logs had reduced significantly. According to the Finance Ministry, fiscal policy is one of the main tools for stimulating growth in the country. As such, the government has injected $1.3B in capital expenditure for January and February 2017 compared to 2016. The Ministry said that this stimulus, which also includes expenditure on several multiyear capital projects, is expected to catalyse the process for robust economic growth this year.
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Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Man drowns after boat Ex-cop among gang nabbed with capsizes in Cuyuni River unlicensed gun, wig and crowbar By Malisa Playter Harry The lifeless body of a Linden man was on Saturday fished out of the CuyuniMazaruni River at Kaburi, after the boat in which he and three others were travelling in capsized. Dead is thirty-five-yearold Orson Gishard of Waterlilly Road, Wismar Linden. Commander of ‘F’ Division Ravindradat Budhram confirmed that Gishard’s body was fished out of the Cuyuni-Mazaruni River sometime around 18:30hrs on Saturday. According to information received from the dead man’s sister, LaToya Gishard, her brother only started working as a serviceman for the Ingrid and Brian Chase Mining Company and trucking service about two months ago. The woman said that she was at home around 11:00hrs on Saturday, when someone from the Mining Company informed her by phone that her brother was involved in a boat accident.
“When the woman called my father answered the phone. I don’t know what she told him, but he handed the phone to me and the woman said that my brother was involved in a boat accident and that she cannot disclose much information over the phone.” The woman instructed the family to visit one of the company branches, which is located in Craig, East Bank Demerara. The sister said that she, along with her uncle, visited the branch at Craig, East Bank Demerara and they were informed that the boat in which her brother was travelling, capsized. They were informed that her bother and others were making their way back to camp when the boat they were in encountered difficulties and capsized. The other occupants of the boat managed to swim to safety but Gishard, a father of four, could not be located. There were reports that he
The deceased Orson Gishard may have hit his head when the boat capsized. The other passengers searched for her sibling, but were unable to locate him due to the rough water. The woman said that someone eventually called the family around 18:00hrs and informed them that the body was retrieved. She said the body is at the Memorial Gardens funeral home awaiting post mortem.
Nagamootoo wants revamped Cummingsburg Accord When it comes to politics, most things never remain the same. And since “circumstances” have changed from the time the coalition party has assumed office, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is of the belief that the time has come for the Cummingsburg Accord to be renegotiated. Specifically making this statement was First Vice President and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo. The seasoned attorney-at-law also holds the post of Elder Statesman/Political Advisor to his party. In an interview with this newspaper, Nagamootoo was asked if the AFC has any intention of moving to have the Cummingsburg Accord updated. He made it clear that such a political question should be put to the AFC Leader or General Secretary. He nevertheless offered his opinion on the matter. Nagamootoo made it clear that he is of the conviction that the Cummingsburg Accord ought to be renegotiated. The Prime Minister said that the document was for a limited
Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo duration and it was not intended that it should last indefinitely. “As new situations develop, you may wish to reexamine the Accord and see whether there are some things you want to renegotiate or prioritize...” The First Vice President was then asked if the AFC already has its eyes set on certain areas that it would want to renegotiate with the APNU. To this he said, “Politics is a dynamic process. Nothing remains constant. And I would be the first to
admit that being in government for two years now; you would find it convenient to revisit platforms of the programme which is the Accord. You have to. Circumstances have changed.” The Prime Minister continued, “You have two years of experience in government. And you now know that though we have tread cautiously in the first two years, that you may now wish to move forward boldly on some matters, rather than pursuing everything at the same time. “So the Accord is a working document that defines the relationship among the coalition partners, while its manifesto determines the plan of action that ought to be pursued so those are two different things.” The political advisor to the AFC said that it is recommended that if Government is in midterm, one would want to reevaluate and prioritize. The Elder statesman said that it is a reasonable expectation. (KIANA WILBURG)
An ex-policeman who was interdicted in an alleged cocaine deal was among the four men who were intercepted last week in a car with an unlicensed firearm, 13 live rounds, a wig, a rope, a crowbar along with other items. Divisional Commander Ian Amsterdam has confirmed that the ex-cop is Trevon Mckenzie of Princeton, Berbice. Mckenzie was interdicted from the Guyana Police Force a few years ago, after he reportedly let a known drug dealer pass free with his vehicle loaded with cocaine. The accused and three other ranks were charged with corruptly obtaining $6M from the drug dealer.
- suspects to be charged According to Amsterdam, “because of the multiple occupants we have to do more detailed interviews, hence them being charged later on in the week”. He disclosed that the men were reportedly en route to execute a robbery; investigators were told that the men were seen circling the perimeter at a particular part in Glasgow Village in vehicle PNN 7770. A source close to the investigation revealed that the ex-cop Trevon Mckenzie, who was a Constable in the force was the driver of PNN 7770 when the car was intercepted. The source also stated that two of the
suspects upon seeing the ranks on the mobile patrol escaped on foot but were apprehended. A release issued on Saturday stated that the men were intercepted at Glasgow Village and after a search of the vehicle they were in, the illegal items were discovered. The men aged 33, 29, 27, 26 and 22 hail from Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, Angoys Avenue, New Amsterdam, Pilot Street, Fort Ordinance, East Canje and Dazzle Housing Scheme respectively. The items found in the search were lodged along with the vehicle at the Central Police Station.
Taxation continues to drive increased Govt. revenue The expansion of tax collection in Guyana continues to maintain its position as one of the major contributors to revenue for central government. According to the Ministry of Finance, central government revenues amounted to $8.3B in February, 2017, a 3.8 percent increase compared to February, 2016. This growth, according to the Ministry, was principally driven by an expansion in tax revenues due to increased arrears collection and greater compliance. This is according to data provided by the Ministry of Finance in its March, 2017 Economic Bulletin. According to the bulletin, the revenue collection to date for central government stands at $21.4B compared to $17.4B which was collected during the same period in 2016. Further, the report stated that tax revenue collections amounted to $8.5B in February of this year, compared to $7.3B collected in February, 2016. With this increase, the report disclosed that the total tax revenues at the end of February 2017 reached $20.5B compared to $15.9B, which was collected during January and February of last year. This represents a 29 per cent increase. According to the Ministry, this growth was as a consequence of increased taxes for companies, withholding and international trade, which grew by 108.5 per cent, 39.3 percent and 21 percent respectively. Additionally, there was growth in personal income tax
which increased by 19.1 percent. These improvements, the Ministry said, were attributed to rising arrears collections for company taxes; increased compliance for personal income taxes; growth in the real value of imports for trade taxes and increased gold declarations for withholding taxes. There was also an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) which totalled $2.4B in February 2017. This brings collections to date to $6.1B, which is a 5.5 per cent growth in the value of imports. An increase of 67 percent was recorded in excise tax collections, when compared to 2016. According to the report, $2.2B was collected in February 2017, bringing the total collection for the year so far to $4.5B. The Ministry said that the expansion in excise revenues was as a result of higher petroleum revenues. Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, had said in his 2017 budget speech that Central Government revenue is expected to increase by 6.4 per cent to $186B. He added that Tax revenue is expected to increase by 8.9 percent to $162.6B. Jordan said that this would reflect a considerable increase in collections of VAT, due to the measures to be implemented in 2017. He added that VAT collections are projected to increase by 1.7 percent to $36B and excise tax collections holistically will decrease by 10.4 percent to $29.9B. Meanwhile, as it relates to
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan Government’s expenditure for 2017, the Finance Ministry said that this amounted to $14B as of Fe b r u a r y compared to $10.9B which was spent in the same month last year. This increase, according to the Ministry was primarily as a result of growth in noninterest and capital expenditure due to the early passage of Budget 2017. The report stated that the year-todate total expenditure stands at $29B, a $10.9B increase when compared to the same period in 2016. Non-interest expenditure totalled $11.4B in February 2017, compared to $9.6B in February 2016. As a result, the total non-interest expenditure for the year so far has reached $24B compared to $16.7B spent in January and February 2016. This growth has been attributed to expansion in the areas of employment, other goods and services and transfers which increased by 16.2 per cent, 58.7 per cent and 62.3 per cent respectively.
Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Bernard Lodge lands to boost Red Stripe’s cassava production
Managing Director or Red Stripe, Ricardo Nuncio (left) signs a 25-year lease agreement with the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda and Board of Directors Chairman of SCJ Holdings Ltd. Jamaica Observer - The Government of Jamaica has signed off on a 25-year lease agreement with local brewery Red Stripe for approximately 610 acres of land in St Catherine. The signing ceremony, which took place at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries in New Kingston on Friday, saw the handing over of lands located in the Windsor Park and Worcester areas of St Catherine, formerly sugar cane fields of the Bernard Lodge estate. The land will be used by Red Stripe to expand its cassava cultivation. It brings to over 1,040 acres that will be placed under cultivation by the brewery for input in its Red Stripe production. Red Stripe also plans to use the local raw material in the production of its Dragon, Malta and Guinness products. Minister of Industry Karl Samuda in signing the agreement, said through the wholly owned Land Management Company, SCJ Holdings Limited, the Government of Jamaica has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable economic growth. He reckons that Jamaica could export cassava malt syrup if Red Stripe increases its cassava acreage to 10,000; allowing for excess supply of the local
raw material. The minister also declared his commitment to ensure adequate irrigation water source for the fields by extending another 25-year lease agreement for the Windsor Park Well to Red Stripe, thereby relieving the brewery of financially burdensome water woes that cripple many agricultural products. Red Stripe has identified and adopted a sustainable agricultural strategy “Project Grow” to increase the use of locally sourced raw materials, specifically cassava in its brewed products by up to 40 per cent by 2020. The company aims to convert cassava into starch and into cassava malt syrup to replace the imported high maltose syrup. The project reflects the overall business strategy of its parent company Heineken. Red Stripe hopes to expand its cassava cultivation to a total 4,000 acres of the crop by 2020. The company also plans to contract 400 mostly small farmers to grow the cassava. The local brewery currently has 27 farmers and one farmers’ group is being contracted to supply Red Stripe with tubers for the Project, which represents approximately 430 acres of land.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The Caribbean Chapter of the International Network In Defense of Humanity has called on leaders within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to send a fact finding mission to “make and informed analysis” about the state of affairs in the “sister Caribbean nation”. In a statement yesterday, Coordinator of the Caribbean chapter of the International Network in Defense of Humanity, David A Commissiong said it is important that the Governments and people of CARICOM acquire “an accurate understanding of precisely what is going on in Venezuela – a nation that the power United States of America has perversely designated as a “national security threat” to the USA.” “We will never achieve any such accurate understanding id we depend on Western media institutions for our information about Venezuela,” he added. Commissiong also urged media houses in the English speaking Caribbean to send an investigative team to the South American nation to “see for themselves and to deliver our people an independent and objective Caribbean assessment of the situation in Venezuela.” He said the calls are being made following his visits to Venezuela and “finding the reality that I witnessed with my own eyes
significantly at odds with the impressions and images presented by the powerful western media corporations.” According to Commissiong, the US Government has determined that the current administration in Venezuela is their enemy. “And they are therefore currently engaged in a multi-faceted campaign to bring down the administration of President Nicolas Maduro by any means necessary and central to this campaign is a strategy of psychological warfare, in which the media are assigned a critical role.” He said the leaders of the Caribbean should “dig through the mass of lies and misinformation that the biased western news media routinely puts out about the situation in Venezuela and that we offer them our principled support and solidarity.” For most governments in the region, the situation in Venezuela is one of concern, as the South American nation has had a long standing relationship with CARICOM member states. In recent weeks anti-government protests have escalated as the opposition has called for early elections, the release of jailed activists and autonomy for the opposition led Congress. The protests are also fueled by the crippling economic crisis in the oil rich nation of 30-million people.
C’bean govts urged to send fact finding mission to Venezuela
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Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
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Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Sanders defends Trump’s praise of Australian healthcare system Reuters - U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said Saturday that President Donald Trump was right to call Australia’s universal healthcare system better than the U.S. system. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, also said the Senate should use the Australian system as a model while crafting an alternative to Republican healthcare legislation that Trump endorses. “President Trump is right. The Australian healthcare system provides healthcare to all of its people at a fraction of the cost than we do,” Sanders commented on Twitter. The tweet was accompanied by a short video that set out the virtues of Australia’s universal healthcare system, saying it
Bernie Sanders guarantees better service to all Australians at about half the cost of U.S. healthcare. The video also noted that Australians can expect to live longer than Americans, on average. Sanders’ tweet came two days after Trump told Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull in New York: “You have better healthcare than we do.” The president’s comment raised eyebrows, coming just after the U.S. House of Representatives had approved a Trump-backed bill that would overturn much of former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law and move the U.S. system further away from universal coverage. The White House later said Trump was simply being nice to an ally and does not think the United States should adopt Australia’s healthcare approach. The healthcare legislation that Trump endorses would pare back insurance protections for the sick, and, according to nonpartisan congressional researchers, would lead to 24 million more Americans being without health coverage by 2026.
‘Welcome our dear girls’, Nigeria’s Buhari tells freed Chibok girls
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, centre, sitting among the 82 rescued Chibok girls during a reception ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday. (SUNDAY AGHAEZE / AFP/GETTY IMAGES) Reuters - A group of 82 girls held captive for three years by Islamist militants met Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital Abuja on Sunday a day after they were released in exchange for several militant commanders, officials said. “I cannot express in a few words how happy I am to welcome our dear girls back to freedom,” Buhari told the girls surrounding him in his residency, a presidency
statement said. “On behalf of all Nigerians, I will like to share my joy with you,” he told the girls, who were seen clapping, according to an official picture of the meeting. The girls were among a group of 270 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 2014 by the militant group Boko Haram, which has waged an eight-year-old insurgency to create an Islamist caliphate, killing thousands and forcing
more than two million from their homes. The government secured the release with mediation by the International Committee of the Red Cross. A military source said three Boko Haram commanders had been freed in an exchange, but declined to give further details. Photographs released by the ICRC showed a line of girls wearing vests emblazoned with the charity’s logo waiting to board a military helicopter.
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State saves $10 billion ...as ministries, state enterprises cut back Trinidad Guardian - Belttightening has helped the State spend $10 billion less than expected in 2016, the Auditor’s General report for the fiscal year, which ended on September 30, 2016, has shown. In addition to that, this is also the first time in five years that the country has received more revenue than it has spent, the report states. According to the report laid in the Parliament on Friday entitled “Public Accounts of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for the Financial Year 2016” the total approved expenditure for the year was $66.967 billion. However, the actual expenditure for the period was $56.57 billion. This represented a difference of $10.39 billion less than the approved amount. According to the Treasury’s documents, the actual revenue for the country for the year was $60.31 billion. Of the $60.31 billion, $28.99 billion (48 per cent of the total) came from tax revenue and some $11.40 billion, or 19 per cent came from non-tax revenue. The Government collected $3.81 billion, or 6.32 per cent, in capital revenue and borrowed $13.60 billion and it borrowed or received as extraordinary receipts $16.1 billion (26.7 per cent). The extraordinary receipts refer to the
Government’s drawdown from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) of $2.49 billion. As $40.39 billion of the Government’s total revenue for 2016 came from tax revenues, the Government accessed $16.18 billion from the sale of assets, dividends and from the HSF. Because the State’s total revenue for 2016 was $60.31 billion, that it only spent $56.57 billion represented a surplus of $3.74 billion. It is the first time the country has experienced a surplus in five years, the document stated. While the revenue of $60.313 billion is the lowest the country has experienced in the last three years, the country’s actual expenditure of $56.574 billion was the lowest in this country for the last four years. Of the 78 heads of expenditure listed, none spent more than their approved estimates for the year. The Ministry of Finance led from the front by recording the greatest variance between their total approved estimates for the year and their actual expenditure for the period. The Finance Ministry’s total approved estimates for the financial year was $7.4 billion. The Ministry of Finance actually spent $2.35 billion less than that approved figure. Their actual expenditure
Colm Imbert was $5 billion. The first Head of Expenditure detailed in the report was the Office of the President. Official entertainment for the Office of the President for the year was just under $800,000 less than what was approved. The Office of the President was approved $1.85 million for official entertainment for the year but only $1.05 million was actually spent. The explanation for the difference was that “expenditure incurred for functions was less than anticipated”. The overseas travel approved for the Office of the President for the year was $1.7 million. Finance Minister Colm Imbert is expected to have a mid-year budget review on Wednesday.
IMF Call: Barbados told it’s time to seek urgent help BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Former Governor of the Central Bank Dr Delisle Worrell has advised the Barbados Government to seek immediate help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to steer the economy out of its current rut. In an economic letter published last week, three months after he was fired as the Government’s chief economic adviser, Worrell insisted this was virtually the only alternative for the Freundel Stuart administration which has been struggling to contain spiraling debt, dwindling foreign reserves, high public spending and falling revenues, against the backdrop of major downgrades by international credit rating agencies. Stressing that the island had to act now to safeguard
Dr. Delisle Worrell its 2-1 peg to the United States dollar, Worrell further warned that job cuts in the
public service must be a plank of any restructuring exercise. He noted that the IMF “can assist in designing the reform process to increase efficiency through the employment of higher levels of skill and the appropriate use of new technology, with no permanent diminution in the quality of public services”. The economist chided the Government for failing to take corrective action to halt the slide in foreign reserves, again raising concern about continued financing from the Central Bank, unchecked spending and the slow pace of public sector reform. (Caribbean360)
Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it
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Monday May 08, 2017
Monday May 08, 2017
Kaieteur News
Macron wins French presidency, to sighs of relief in Europe
French presidential election candidate Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement En Marche !, or Onwards !, casts his ballot to vote in the second round of 2017 French presidential election, at a polling station in Le Touquet, France, yesterday. REUTERS/Christophe Ena/Pool Reuters - Emmanuel Macron was elected French president yesterday with a businessfriendly vision of European integration, defeating Marine Le Pen, a farright nationalist who threatened to take France out of the European Union. The centrist’s emphatic victory, which also smashed the dominance of France’s mainstream parties, will bring huge relief to European allies who had feared another populist upheaval to follow Britain’s vote to quit the EU and Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president. With the vast bulk of votes counted, Macron had around 65.5 percent to Le Pen’s 34.5 - a gap wider than the 20 or so percentage points that pre-election surveys had suggested. Even so, it was a record performance for the National Front, a party whose anti-immigrant policies once made it a pariah, and underlined the scale of the divisions that Macron must now try to heal. After winning the first round two weeks ago, Macron had been accused of behaving as if he was already president; last night, with victory finally sealed, he was much more solemn. “I know the divisions in our nation, which have led some to vote for the extremes. I respect them,” Macron said in an address at his campaign headquarters, shown live on television. “I know the anger, the anxiety, the doubts that very many of you have also expressed. It’s my responsibility to hear them,” he said. “I will work to recreate the
link between Europe and its peoples, between Europe and citizens.” His immediate challenge will be to secure a majority in next month’s parliamentary election for a political movement that is barely a year old, rebranded as La Republique En Marche (“Onward the Republic”), in order to implement his programme. Outgoing president Francois Hollande, who brought Macron into politics, said the result “confirms that a very large majority of our fellow citizens wanted to unite around the values of the Republic and show their attachment to the European Union”. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, told Macron: “I am delighted that the ideas you defended of a strong and progressive Europe, which protects all its citizens, will be those that you will carry into your presidency”. Macron spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom he hopes to revitalise the Franco-German axis at the heart of the EU, saying he planned to visit Berlin shortly. Trump also tweeted his congratulations on Macron’s “big win”, saying he looked forward to working with him. The euro currency, which had been rising for two weeks as the prospect receded that France would elect an anti-EU president, topped $1.10 in early Asian trading for the first time since the U.S. elections.
Iran minister warns Saudi Arabia after ‘battle’ comments – Tasnim Reuters - Iran will hit back at most of Saudi Arabia with the exception of Islam’s holiest places if the kingdom does anything “ignorant”, Tehran’s defence minister was quoted as saying yesterday after a Saudi prince threatened to move the “battle” to Iran. “If the Saudis do anything ignorant, we will leave no area untouched except Mecca and Medina,” Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying. “They think they can do something because they have an air force,” he added in an apparent reference to Yemen, where Saudi warplanes regularly attack Iran-aligned Houthi forces in control of the capital Sanaa. Dehghan, speaking to Arabic-language Al-Manar TV,
Hossein Dehghan was commenting on remarks by Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said on Tuesday any contest for influence between the Sunni Muslim kingdom and the revolutionary Shi’ite theocracy ought to take place “inside Iran,
not in Saudi Arabia”. Saudi Arabia and Iran compete for influence in the Middle East and support rival groups in Syria’s civil war. Iran denies Saudi accusations that it sends financial and sometimes armed support to groups hostile to Riyadh around the Arab world. In unusually blunt comments in a nationallytelevised interview on Tuesday, Prince Mohammed ruled out any dialogue with Iran and pledged to protect his conservative kingdom from what he called Tehran’s efforts to dominate the Muslim world. “We know that we are a main goal for the Iranian regime,” he said. “We will not wait until the battle becomes in Saudi Arabia but we will work to have the battle in Iran rather than in Saudi Arabia.”
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May maintains strong election Netanyahu tosses Hamas policy lead in weekend opinion polls paper on Israel into waste bin Reuters - Prime Minister Theresa May maintained her strong lead in opinion polls ahead of next month’s national election, with one analyst saying she was on course for the kind of huge success Margaret Thatcher enjoyed over 30 years ago. May is asking voters to strengthen her hand as she seeks a mandate for her plan to implement the result of last year’s Brexit referendum by quitting the European Union’s single market. Her Conservative Party made big gains in local
Theresa May elections last Thursday at the expense of the main opposition Labour party and polls published at the weekend, conducted beforehand, showed her with a commanding lead of up to 19 percentage points. May has a working majority of less than 20 seats in the 650-seat parliament but polling analysts have predicted she could increase that number by as many as
100 at the June 8 election. “... as the local elections showed, they are ... are on course for the type of victory last seen by (Labour’s) Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher when they were at their peaks,” said Adrian Drummond of pollsters Opinium. Opinium had the Conservatives 16 percentage points ahead of Labour on 46 to 30 percent of those surveyed but another poll by YouGov for the Sunday Times newspaper put them 19 points clear, a six-point increase over last week. An ORB poll had the Conservatives extending their lead over Labour by four points to 15 percent. Thatcher, Britain’s first woman prime minister, was one of the Conservatives’ most dominant leaders of the post-war years between 1979 and 1990. Blair, Britain’s longestserving Labour prime minister, was in office between 1997 and 2007.
Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday symbolically tossed into a bin a Hamas policy paper published last week that set out an apparent softening of the Palestinian Islamist group’s stance towards Israel. In a document issued last Monday, Hamas said it was dropping its longstanding call for Israel’s destruction, but said it still rejected the Jewish state’s right to exist and continued to back “armed struggle” against it. The Israeli government has said the document aimed to deceive the world that Hamas was becoming more moderate. Netanyahu, in a 97second video clip aired on social media yesterday, said that news outlets had been taken in by “fake news”. Sitting behind his desk with tense music playing in the background, he said that in its “hateful document”, Hamas “lies to the world”. He then pulled up a waste paper bin,
Benjamin Netanyahu crumpled the document into a ball and tossed it away. “The new Hamas document says that Israel has no right to exist, it says every inch of our land belongs to the Palestinians, it says there is no acceptable solution other than to remove Israel... they want to use their state to destroy our state,” Netanyahu said. Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim
Brotherhood, the banned Egyptian Islamist movement, Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and in Israeli-occupied territories. Many Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group over its failure to renounce violence, recognise Israel’s right to exist and accept existing interim IsraeliPalestinian peace agreements. Outgoing Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said Hamas’s fight was not against Judaism as a religion but against what he called “aggressor Zionists”. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s leader in the Gaza Strip, was named on Saturday to succeed Meshaal. Netanyahu concluded his clip by saying that “Hamas murders women and children, it’s launched tens of thousands of missiles at our homes, it brainwashes Palestinian kids in suicide kindergarten camps,” before binning the document.
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Kaieteur News
Uncertainty ends, India confirmed to play Qatar Airways signs
World Cup sponsorship deal with FIFA
India had won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy, in June 2013 © AFP ESPNCRICINFO - The Champions Trophy will feature its defending champions, after the BCCI unanimously decided on Sunday that India will play in England. The squad for the tournament, which India won in 2013 also in England, will be named today, May 8. The board’s announcement, after a Special General Meeting (SGM) in Delhi ended the uncertainty over whether it would go ahead with the one threat that has often skulked unsaid around the game - that of India pulling out of a major ICC event. In this instance, the Indian board was unhappy with the outcomes of the ICC Board meetings in April, where the ICC had approved a new constitution, new governance structure, and a new finance model, with the other Full Members outvoting the BCCI. The Indian board was the only Full Member to vote against the new financial model - in which the BCCI’s share of ICC revenues was heavily reduced - and was one of two Full Members to vote against the new governance changes. The BCCI said it would continue to negotiate with the ICC over these issues. “The Board unanimously authorised the acting Hon. Secretary of the BCCI [Amitabh Choudhary] to continue negotiations with the ICC in the best interest of the BCCI while keeping its legal options open,” the board’s statement said. “The BCCI SGM unanimously decided that the Indian cricket team will participate in
the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.” The outcome of Sunday’s SGM was likely to have been influenced by discussions the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which is supervising the BCCI on the direction of the Supreme Court, had with the state cricket associations on Saturday. “I told them, whenever you take an action think three steps ahead,” CoA chairman Vinod Rai told ESPNcricinfo. “What if the ICC had not bothered about the BCCI notice, what would you have done? Withdraw your team? You think the nation would permit you to withdraw your team? “I told them India would be in danger of not playing any international cricket for eight years.” The discussions with the CoA culminated in the BCCI opting for a less confrontational and more conciliatory approach towards its negotiations with the ICC. “We decided to do this without creating any prejudice to their legal rights,” Abhay Apte, a part of the BCCI’s legal cell and the president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, said. “Ultimately you also need to have a relationship with other boards. We did not want to have this impression that we ae stopping cricket or we are against cricket. Anyway that was not on the cards.” Apte said the issues were discussed elaborately at the SGM but nothing was put to vote. “Pull-out would happen if the notice is given [to the ICC]. The notice gives 30-day curing time. If the curing time
does not happen during the Champions Trophy then you are playing.” The notice Apte was referring to was one that a segment of the BCCI wanted to send to the ICC, containing a warning about revoking the Members Participation Agreement (MPA). Revoking the MPA would mean that India would not play - or host - any ICC tournaments until 2023. ESPNcricinfo learned that former BCCI president N Srinivasan, who joined the SGM via a video call, was in favour of sending the notice, though he was against India pulling out of the Champions Trophy. BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry was also reportedly in favour of the notice being sent. However, Niranjan Shah of the Saurashtra Cricket Association, Rajeev Shukla of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, and Apte were opposed to the move. They said the BCCI could not negotiate after sending the notice. One of the members at the SGM said Srinivasan said the BCCI was not using its clout at the ICC. However, Amitabh Choudhary, who was in Dubai last month, said he felt the BCCI did not enjoy the same clout it once did. In the days leading up to the SGM, there was a conference call between some state associations where an attempt was made to authorise Choudhary to send the notice to the ICC. The CoA, however, stepped in and said that such a decision could only be taken at the SGM, and it had to have unanimous support. Not all state associations were in
favour of such a drastic measure though. The prime reason for the BCCI’s unhappiness is the ICC’s new financial model, according to which the Indian board receives only $293 million from the ICC’s revenues. The ICC chairman Shashank Manohar put an additional $100 million on the negotiating table - an offer that still stands - but Choudhury refused it. The BCCI wants $570 million, the share it was getting under the previous Big Three model.
(Reuters) Qatar Airways said yesterday it has signed a deal with global soccer body FIFA to be one of the official sponsors and the official airline of the next two World Cups, in Russia and Qatar. The state-owned carrier did not disclose the value of the deal, which it said would cover the Confederations Cup 2017, the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Club World Cup and the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The airline joins CocaCola, Gazprom, Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group, Adidas, Visa and Hyundai as official partners of FIFA, the highest of the three tiers of FIFA sponsorship. Rival Middle East carrier Emirates was a FIFA sponsor until 2014 when it said it would not renew its contract following months of calls for sponsors to respond robustly to allegations of bribery to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar. Dubai-based Emirates said in 2015 it could be interested in renewing a deal to sponsor the World Cup in the future. FIFA said in a statement that the deal “represents one of the biggest sporting sponsorships in the world and the largest in the history of Qatar Airways.” Qatar Airways is a major sponsor of Spanish football team Barcelona, and sponsors
other sporting teams and events. Swiss-based FIFA, whose reputation has been tarnished by the worst corruption scandal in its history, still has a large number of vacant slots for its second tier World Cup sponsors and third tier regional supporters. Several dozen soccer officials, including several occupying senior FIFA positions, were indicted in the United States in 2015 on corruption-related chances, while disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who was not among them, was banned in 2015 for six years by FIFA’s own ethics committee for ethics violations at the height of the scandal. FIFA needs sponsorship to help reach its target of a $100 million surplus for the four-yearly cycle ending at the 2018 World Cup. It is also under pressure to increase its revenue after president Gianni Infantino, elected last year, promised to increase payouts to its 211 member federations to develop the sport. FIFA made a loss of $391 million in 2016, which it blamed partly on increased legal costs following the scandal, and has forecast a $489 million loss in 2017 but then expects to turn a $1.07 billion profit in 2018 when the World Cup is held in Russia.
weeks ago we had to win every match and unfortunately we didn’t do that against Tottenham (in a 2-0 loss last weekend). But we will see.” For all of United manager Jose Mourinho’s pre-match bluster about fielding a weakened team, his only concession to youth in eight changes from his midweek Europa League team was 19year-old defender Axel Tuanzebe, who made his Premier League debut. Everything else was familiar, with United under orders to produce the sort of bodies behind the ball performance that makes them so hard to beat. However frustrating the tactics, there is no doubting their effectiveness and the first half finished with Arsenal having spurned a series of chances and the Emirates again jittery. Twice United defenders
had denied Welbeck on the six-yard area while darting runs from the ever impressive Ramsey almost saw him get on the end of pinpoint balls from Aaron Sanchez. United also had their chances before the break, with Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech saving from Anthony Martial. But after a battling firsthalf display, the visitors were undone after the interval with Xhaka’s 25-metre shot looping up off Ander Herrera to catch out United keeper David De Gea after 54 minutes and then Welbeck adding a second against his former side with a header from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross. There was no way back for United and, for once in a troubled season, the Arsenal fans could relax and forget the will he-won’t he concerns about whether manager Arsene Wenger will renew his contract. The win could not have been better timed and was Wenger’s first over Jose Mourinho in a league game.
Slick Arsenal end United’s long unbeaten run LONDON (Reuters) Arsenal scored twice in three minutes through a deflected Granit Xhaka strike and Danny Welbeck’s header to claim a deserved 2-0 win over Manchester United yesterday and inflict a first Premier League defeat on the visitors in 26 games. The victory at the Emirates Stadium keeps sixthplaced Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish alive, but they are six points adrift of Manchester City, who currently occupy the final Champions League qualifying slot, albeit with a game in hand. The win also takes Arsenal within two points of fifth-placed United, who stay four points behind City having played the same number of games as their local rivals. “Hopefully this result will give us confidence,” said man-of-the-match Aaron Ramsey. “I said a couple of
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Specter of Doping accompanies a flashier form of Cricket Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan© Peter Della Penna
(New York Times) LONDON — For two decades, cricket has been familiar with the specter of match-fixing, which brought scandals and suspensions to a sport that considered itself a gentlemen’s pastime. Now, though, as cricket embraces the faster, flashier version of the game known as Twenty20, which rewards explosive power, the sport is grappling with a new threat to its integrity: doping. In January, Andre Russell of Jamaica, one of the world’s leading Twenty20 players, was barred for a year for failing to file his whereabouts with doping officials three times in a year, resulting in a series of missed tests. Then on April 13, the International Cricket Council announced that Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan, ranked the world’s seventh-best T20 batsman, had tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol in an out-ofcompetition test. He was provisionally suspended. While doping suspensions in cricket remain rare, antidoping officials and the sport’s governing body have expressed concern that these two incidents reflect how the rise of T20, and the explosion of cash it has brought to the sport, has made cricket more vulnerable to doping than ever before. “Cricket is a high-risk sport for performanceenhancing drug use,” said Richard Ings, the former head
of the Australian Sports AntiDoping Authority, who described the game’s testing protocols as “porous and inconsistent.” “I would rate the risk of doping in cricket as high,” Ings added, “and the quality of the sport’s coordinated global antidoping efforts as poor.” The I.C.C., which governs the game worldwide, said it conducted 547 drug tests in 2016 — suggesting that a reasonable proportion of top male international cricketers were tested, although testing is less common at lower levels and in the women’s game. The council has announced plans to introduce blood testing starting in June, largely to monitor the potential use of human growth hormone, which does not show up in urine samples. “I don’t think you can possibly say drug free, but we are doing all that we can to police cricket,” said Sally Clark, the senior legal counsel for the I.C.C. The fear inside the game is that while cricket has had spasmodic concerns with drugs before, it now faces a much more sustained threat, perhaps similar to what baseball encountered two decades ago. “The I.C.C. and the World Anti-Doping Agency view that the power-based skill set required in T20 makes it a sport that fits a similar profile to baseball,” said Tony Irish,
the executive chairman of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. Test cricket, the most traditional and slowest form of the game, rewards scoring runs while taking minimal risk; matches last five days. But in T20 cricket, the goal is different. With matches completed in only a few hours, teams try to score as quickly as possible, with shots that are hit over the boundary for six runs being particularly important. The emphasis on the power those big hits require — over more careful shot-making — means that performance-enhancing drugs have the potential to make a big difference for batsmen. Performance-enhancing drugs also could be appealing to bowlers, just as they were to some baseball pitchers seeking to match the increasing strength of batters. Bowlers have an especially high risk of injury, so drugs that increase endurance could help them bowl more, and therefore play a fuller part in T20 leagues. But for cricketers of all types, the use of performanceenhancing drugs has become more attractive because of the sheer amount of money available in T20 leagues. Contracts in the region of $1 million are common in the Indian Premier League, a sixweek tournament. The popularity of T20 cricket has led to the formation of other leagues, too, and all of them compete for the services of the world’s best players. So where once leading cricketers might have expected to have almost half a year off, now they can play virtually nonstop, moving from one T20 league, and one rich contract, to the next.
Andre Russell of Jamaica©Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Russell, for example, played for seven T20 teams in 2016, winning five titles. “Risk is a function of motive and opportunity,” Ings said. “Motive in cricket exists because selections are highly competitive, contracts involve massive sums of money and injuries are common.” A player who gets injured, he said, risks losing his contract, and affecting his next one. Effective antidoping education has been made trickier by the diffusion of top T20 leagues, which sprawl from India, Australia and Hong Kong to England and the Caribbean. Since many players are based in their home countries less frequently, that “makes educating players consistently harder,” Irish said while acknowledging “more could be done from a global educational perspective to prevent issues arising and avoid the need for punitive punishment.” Enforcement also remains
an issue. Despite missing three tests in 2015, Russell played on for 11 months — a period in which he helped the West Indies win the World Twenty20 tournament — before he was suspended. With the number of domestic T20 leagues growing, it may be impossible for the I.C.C. to monitor antidop i n g e f f o r t s i n cricket. The I.C.C. conducts out-of-competition testing on cricketers who have played international matches in the previous two years. But players who have not played international cricket in this period, or have retired from the international game, are not subject to I.C.C. testing. For such cricketers, drug testing depends on national governing bodies and antidoping authorities. Although all 10 full-member countries in the I.C.C. have antidoping codes in place, there are inconsistent standards of testing across the different
leagues. So players in lessheralded competitions could have particular reason to be tempted, knowing how good performances could increase their chances of being picked up by a more lucrative league. Write A Comment Even in England, which considers itself more vigilant against drug use than other leading cricket nations, only 193 drug tests were conducted on professional male or female cricketers in the 12-month period that ended in March, meaning that around two-thirds of players were not tested. In England, no tests were conducted in domestic women’s competitions last year (although there were tests in international matches). “It seems a low number and not much of a deterrence,” said Paul Dimeo, an expert on doping in sport from the University of Stirling. “It also makes it to hard to ascertain if there is a risk of doping behaviors occurring.”
Kipchoge runs fastest marathon, fails to break 2hrs MONZA, ITALY (Reuters) Eliud Kipchoge ran the quickest recorded marathon yesterday, crossing the line at the Monza Formula One track in two hours and 25 seconds but missing out on an ambitious attempt to break the two-hour barrier. The 32-year-old’s time smashed the official mark of 2:02:57 set by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014 but will not enter the record books largely due to a non-compliant system of pacemaking. “The is not the end of the attempt of runners on two hours,” the Olympic champion said after the race, likening the challenge to climbing a tree. “When you step on the branches... immediately you go to the next one.” Kipchoge rated it as the finest performance in a career that includes a gold medal at the Rio Games last year and a personal best official time of 2:03:05, the third-fastest in history. “This journey has been good, it has been hard, it has been seven months hard preparation. It has been history in the world of sport,” he added. Kipchoge and the only other competitors, Eritrean Zersenay Tadese and Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa, ran behind an arrow-head formation of pacemakers, to reduce drag, and a car beaming a green line on the road behind it to show the required speed for the sub-two hour target. Amid deep scepticism, Nike pitched the attempt as sport’s “moon shot”, with a keen eye on sales of its running shoes. It
designed a lightweight shoe, Zoom Vaporfly Elite, with a carbon-fibre insole as part of the meticulous preparations. Nike’s arch rival, German firm adidas, also has its own ‘Sub2’ project, also with a new shoe. 30 PACEMAKERS In 2014, “Runners World” magazine predicted a sub-two under normal race conditions would not happen until 2075, based on analysis of more than 10,000 top marathon performances. The race began in pre-dawn gloom at a brutal speed behind pacemakers, who were world class runners in their own right, including former world champion middle distance runner Bernard Lagat of the United States. A total of 30 pacemakers split into groups of six, taking turns to set a tempo in a race run 63 years to the day after Briton Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes. The Monza track was chosen for its wide, sweeping curves, lack of undulation and cool, lowwind environment. The runners were also delivered essential fluids on the move by moped in order to prevent them slowing down at feeding stations. The sub-two hour mark required a pace below four minutes and 35 seconds per mile, which the determined Kipchoge managed to match until falling behind the pace car in the last two laps of the 2.4 km circuit.
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Pedrosa leads from start to finish in Jerez (Reuters) Honda’s Dani Pedrosa led from start to finish to win his home Spanish Grand Prix yesterday while Italian great Valentino Rossi clung on to the overall MotoGP lead after finishing a distant 10th for Yamaha. The victory, a one-two for the works Honda team who had reigning champion Marc Marquez finish 6.136 seconds behind, was Pedrosa’s first on Spanish soil since the 31year-old won at Jerez in 2013. It was also his first in MotoGP since San Marino last September and continued his streak of winning a race in every season he has been in the top flight since 2006. Jorge Lorenzo took third place, the triple MotoGP champion’s first podium for Ducati since his move from Yamaha, completing a Spanish sweep of the podium places in motorcycling’s 3,000th world championship grand prix. Rossi’s lead was cut to two points over Spanish team mate Maverick Vinales, who finished sixth in the race, with the 38-year-old Italian now on 62 after four races. Vinales has 60, Marquez 58 and Pedrosa 52. Pedrosa, the third different winner in four races, had started on pole for the first time since 2015 and pulled away at the start but it was not a comfortable afternoon for the little
Catalan. “It was an extremely hard race to be calm,” he said after his 30th MotoGP win. “I wanted to go faster but maybe the track conditions were not there and the feeling in some corners I was about to crash. “I wasn’t really riding very comfortably so I had to be very focused every turn,” he added. “At the middle of the race Marc started to be fast and put some pressure but I was able to control my pace and manage my lap times and my riding.” Britain’s Cal Crutchlow had started third but fell back before crashing out while French rookie Johann Zarco took up the challenge behind Marquez on the non-works Yamaha Tech3, eventually finishing fourth. Marquez said he had pushed hard to match Pedrosa but had felt from the start that the front tire was too soft for the conditions. “With three laps remaining I had a big moment and said OK. I saw that second position was really good here...I always struggle at Jerez and here we were strong so I have a lot of confidence.” Lorenzo said third was unexpected and like a victory for him after pre-season struggles to adapt to his new bike.
Honda MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa of Spain races during the third free practice ahead of the Valencia Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Cheste, near Valencia, Spain, November 7, 2015. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis Picture Supplied by Action Images)
Calvin Ming turns in another impressive performance to win latest race
Calvin Ming celebrates on top of the podium after Saturday’s victory. Gritty young Guyanese driving star Calvin Ming was forced to start from the back of the grid since he did not complete qualifying at the Formula 4 Championships in Monterrey, Mexico on Saturday. Driving, as the saying goes ‘like a bat out of hell’, young Ming proceeded to charge through the field and by about midway through the 21 laps race around the 3.2 kms length ‘Autodromo de Monterrey’ circuit, he took over the lead position and went on to win the race by over 7 seconds from his teammate Manuel Suliaman who finished in 2nd position and Alexis Carreno third. The race lasted for 30 minutes. Calvin Ming and his Ram Racing teammate Manuel Suliaman were both quick in the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning, with Ming setting the fastest times. However, on the last lap of Saturday’s practice
session, Ming’s car developed an electrical problem causing the engine to shut down. He was unable to drive in the qualifying session, since the technicians had to replace the entire wire loom and some solenoids which took several hours, and was only completed just before the start of race #1. Meanwhile, Ming was quickest in practice yesterday morning. The grid positions for starting race #2 are determined by reversing the first 5 positions from race #1, which placed Calvin in P5. He got off to a good start and managed to move up to P2 by the end of the first lap. He encountered some difficulty with gear changing, but managed to hold on to finish the race in P2 (2nd) several tenths of a second behind winner Facu Garese. The starting positions for race #3 are determined by the second fastest qualifying times. Because Calvin could not
participate in the qualifying session he again had to start from the back of the grid. Immediately after the race started the gear selection issue became a major problem causing him to return to the paddock at the end of lap #2. However, it could not be rectified, so the technician manually put it into fifth gear and sent him back out so that he could complete the race and get the points for finishing rather than a zero score for a DNF. He drove the remainder of the race in fifth gear only. He stuck to his motto ‘never give up.’ Ming and Team Ram Racing returns to Miami today, before heading out on Wednesday to Indianapolis for the next round of the USF2000 series. Calvin is the son of veteran local motor racing legend and businessman Stanly Ming, who has been present with his son at most of his overseas races including this past weekend’s event in Mexico.
Cilic downs Raonic in battle of big servers to win Istanbul title (Reuters) Marin Cilic warmed up for this month’s French Open by capturing his first claycourt title in five years with a 7-6(3) 6-3 win over Canadian top seed Milos Raonic in the Istanbul Open final yesterday. The Croatian second seed fired down nine aces and saved all seven break points he faced to emerge triumphant in the battle of the big servers. The 28-year-old claimed only his second claycourt title, and 17th overall, after not dropping a set all week. “I’m on a good track
and feeling very well,” Cilic, whose only previous claycourt title came on home soil in Umag in 2012, told reporters. “In these last three or four weeks on clay, it’s never easy, but I’m trying to get better with every match. This week was a big one for me and a good sign for the rest of the claycourt season. I hope I can improve in these upcoming three tournaments - two Masters 1000 events and the French Open.” After frustrating Raonic by bagging the closely-fought first set,
Cilic capitalized on two double faults to break for a 3-1 lead in the second set. The 2014 U.S. Open champion wriggled out of trouble in the next game despite being 0-40 down and completed victory with an ace on his second championship point. “The critical points came in the tiebreak. I managed to play a really good tiebreak and hit a few great backhands down the line,” added Cilic. “Then in the second set, getting that break and holding for 3-1 was definitely the deciding moment.”
Martin Cilic of Croatia plays a shot to Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)
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Belligerent Narine, Smith give KKR, Lions strong victories NEW DELHI, India, CMC – Brutal half-centuries from Sunil Narine and Dwayne Smith set up Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Lions respectively, for memorable wins in the Indian Premier League yesterday. Narine demolished Royal Challengers Bangalore to equal the record for the fastest 50 in the IPL, reaching the landmark in 15 balls, to propel KKR to a six-wicket victory, the same margin for the Lions after Smith brutalised the Kings XI Punjab bowling to top Hashim Amla’s second hundred of the tournament. For KKR, the result meant that they are now second in the standings on 16 points from 12 matches – two behind Mumbai Indians, who have a game in hand – leaving the once glamourous RCB firmly rooted on the bottom on five points with one more match
to play and no chance of a playoff berth. For the Lions, they are sixth on eight points – two behind the fifth-placed Kings XI – with both teams out of contention for a place in the playoffs. The left-handed Narine, again opening the batting, smashed six fours and four sixes in the top score of 54 from just 17 balls and Australian Chris Lynn, on his return from injury, added an even 50 from only 22 balls, as KKR made light work of a target of 159 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The KKR opening pair were primarily responsible for a World record highest score in the Power Play of 105 from 36 balls, as the visitors crossed the finish line with 29 balls remaining. Narine reserved special treatment for his Trinidad &
Tobago and West Indies teammate Samuel Badree, after starting with an outside edge that cleared short third man off the same bowler. He belted the leg-spinner for three consecutive sixes and then a four in his second over that cost 25 and followed up more off left-arm mediumfast bowler Sreenath Aravind’s first over which included four fours and a six over long-on that put him alongside Yusuf Pathan for the fastest IPL 50. Earlier, the struggling RCB outfit had to depend on an unbeaten 75 from Travis Head and 52 from opener Mandeep Singh to give them a respectable total of 158 for six from their 20 overs, after they were put in to bat. Batting stars Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and A.B. de Villiers between them could only muster 15 runs – the second time they had
recorded their lowest aggregate in a match in two weeks – and once more against the Knight Riders. Gayle fell for a golden duck in his 100th IPL match, caught at short cover off Umesh Yadav from the firstball of the match, Kohli slogged across the line to a leg-cutter from the same bowler in the third over and De Villiers was bowled sweeping at a knuckle ball from Narine in the fifth over. RCB were 34 for three, but Head and Singh put together a fourth-wicket stand of 71 from 63 balls that revitalised the innings, so that the home team could scour 43 from the last three overs to make a fight of it. Smith smashed 74 from 39 balls, his first 50 of the tournament, to lead the Lions’ chase of 190 and dent the playoff hopes of the Kings XI at the I.S. Bindra
Canelo Alvarez to meet Gennady Golovkin after embarrassing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. LAS VEGAS – The fight the boxing world has been waiting for is finally at hand. Canelo Alvarez turned in yet another masterful performance, outclassing his countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to set up a September bout with IBFWBA-WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin before a T-Mobile Arenarecord crowd of 20,510. “Triple-G, you are next my friend,” Alvarez said. “The fight is done. I’ve never feared anyone since I was 16, fighting as a professional. When I was born, fear was gone.” The deal was announced while Alvarez was being interviewed in the ring on Saturday. They will fight on Sept. 16. Alvarez won a unanimous decision from Chavez, battering him around the ring with hard, clean shots from start to finish. All three judges, as did Yahoo Sports, scored it 120-108 for Alvarez, giving him every round. Every now and then, as if to entertain himself, Alvarez would lay back on the ropes and let his rival throw punches. When he decided he’d had enough of that, he blasted Chavez with something, often a jab, and regained control. He mixed his punches, going to the body and the head and using both his left and his right. It was a masterful performance, but
Canelo Alvarez (R) punches Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. during fight on Saturday. (Getty) whether it was because he was that good or because Chavez offered little is in the eye of the beholder. “Tonight I showed I could move and box,” Alvarez. “I showed as a fighter I could do all things.” The truth is, it was probably a little of both. For all his pre-fight talk, Chavez did little to cause Alvarez any concern. He never established his jab, fought off a slight crouch that negated his height advantage and did little more than be a punching bag. Alvarez, though, had the determined look of a killer. He battered Chavez’s ribs, stealing the playbook from Chavez’s father, Julio Sr., who was animatedly watching the fight at ringside. Chavez Sr. was a terror to the body, and Alvarez, who
as a child idolized him, followed suit on Saturday. “Canelo beat me,” Chavez said. “He beat me at a distance.” Alvarez was better than a 7-1 favorite at onepoint, but the money on fight day was all on Chavez, pushing the closing odds to 4-1. Chavez had the size, a good jab and a hard right, and that made some think at least he could give Alvarez problems. That never materialized, as he never got started and absorbed a horrific beating for 36 minutes. The only fight for Alvarez after Chavez had to be the one against the unbeaten Golovkin, which Alvarez promoter Oscar De La Hoya had been promising for more than a year. Last May, after Alvarez knocked Amir Khan out, Alvarez invited Golovkin
into the same ring, but the fight wasn’t made. Golovkin did his part in March to make the bout by defeating Daniel Jacobs, setting up a mega-match which almost certainly would be the year’s richest event. “I feel very excited,” Golovkin said. “Right now is a different story. In September, it will be a different style — a big drama show. I’m ready. First, congrats to Canelo and his team. Right now, I think everyone is excited for September. Canelo looked very good tonight, and 100 percent he is the biggest challenge of my career. Good luck to Canelo in September.” While Golovkin will likely be favored, if and when the fight is officially made, Alvarez will give him the hardest test of his career. It was not much of a test Saturday for Alvarez, who according to CompuBox outlanded Chavez 228-71. Chavez only landed 15 jabs in a stunningly poor performance. The Golovkin-Alvarez fight will be the talk of the boxing world and will match fighters who have a combined record of 85-1-1 with 67 knockouts. It figures to be a tense, action-packed affair between two of the most offensiveminded fighters in the sport, as well as two of the hardest hitters.
Dwayne Smith dented Kings XI Punjab’s playoff hopes with a belligerent 74. Stadium in Mohali. He shared an opening stand of 91 with Ishan Kishan and gave the Lions’ innings such a rapid start that when he was dismissed in the 12th over, they only needed 70 from 52 balls. Skipper Suresh Raina made 39 and Dinesh Karthik was not out on 35 to keep them on track for a moraleboosting win which came in a nervy final over and condemned the Kings XI to their sixth defeat in 11 matches. KXP’s total of 189 for three from 20 overs, after they were put in to bat, was built upon Amla’s 104 from 60 balls which included eight fours and five sixes.
The bearded South African batting wonder became only the third batsman to score two hundreds in an IPL season and shared 125 for the second wicket with Australian Shaun Marsh, whose 58 off 43 balls included six fours. Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 158 for 4 (Narine 54, Lynn 50) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 158 for 6 (Head 75*, Mandeep 52, Umesh 2-36) by six wickets. Scores: Gujarat Lions 192 for 4 (Smith 74, Raina 39, Sandeep 2-29) beat Kings XI Punjab 189 for 3 (Amla 104, Marsh 58, Kulkarni 1-24) by six wickets.
Sunil Narine was just showing off on Sunday © BCCI