Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Saturday November 12, 2016

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

REMEMBERING FALLEN HEROES Tomorrow, Guyana will officially honour and pay tribute to the men and women who died during the two World Wars and other conflicts. Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day, is commemorated on November 11th each year by most countries, to mark the end of World War I in 1918. According to the Guyana Legion, which comprises exmilitary officers and present day military retirees, Remembrance Day is observed in Guyana annually on the Sunday closest to November 11. Prior to the end of World War II, the day was known as Armistice Day, but was renamed Remembrance Day in 1945. Remembrance Day was established to observe the truce signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente (Anglo-French Alliance between France and the United Kingdom) at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, to officially signal the end of World War I. Red Poppies are worn on Remembrance Day in most countries, including Guyana, as a symbol of sacrifice and as an emblem of remembrance of the men and women who served and made the ultimate sacrifice in the different wars. Poppy is a white flower, but this symbolic red flower represents the blood that stained the flowers on the battlefield during the First World War. As a tradition, Poppy Day originated from a poem titled “In Flanders Field” by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a doctor in the Royal Canadian Medical Corps. Colonel McCrae’s’ poem was inspired by the fact that despite the massive devastation caused by the war on several towns, villages, farms and forests, thousands of small red poppies sprang up everywhere in the Spring. Wearing a poppy is a sign of respect for fallen heroes. The nation should be reminded that our brave men and women fought in wars in such far-off places as Egypt, France, Belgium and East Africa. In Guyana, the day is marked by parades of the country’s uniformed ranks in Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Linden and several other towns. However, the biggest activity is normally held in the nation’s capital at the Cenotaph. The Cenotaph is a national war memorial monument in Georgetown, located in front of the Bank of Guyana building, at the junction of Church and Main Streets. It was unveiled on August 14, 1923, by the then Governor Graeme Thompson and the first Armistice Day observance took place at the Monument that same year. The impressive bronze sculpture, designed by Mr. Ivor Thom, was erected in honour of Damon, an enslaved domestic labourer who was executed for protesting against the system of apprenticeship. The four words: Devotion, Humanity, Fortitude, and Sacrifice are inscribed on the four faces of the Cenotaph. Remembrance Day is filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory which upheld the barrier of civilization against the aggressions of armed forces. Persons who customarily attend in an official capacity (inclusive of wreath-laying) are the President, the Prime Minister, the Chief of Staff, the Commissioner of Police, leader of the Opposition, President of the Guyana Legion, the Mayor of Georgetown, the Heads of Missions, and Representatives of the Guyana Ex-Soldiers’ Benevolent Association and Ex-GDF Association of Guyana. Other Persons/Organisations wishing to lay wreaths on that day, may do so after the end of the Service. Scores of Guyanese are also expected to turn out to remember the contributions of the fallen heroes. In most cases, the ceremony will begin with a two-minute silence followed by speeches by the Head of State, who is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries. It is essential that we all continue to remember our fallen heroes.

Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.

23 Young Medex and 79 doctors yet to find employment Dear Editor; I wonder if anyone including Mr Anil Nandlall, is aware that there are 23 trained Medex who were supposed to have completed their four (4) years training (2011-2015) and graduated from the University of Guyana with an Associate Degree in 2015, but had their programme extended to early 2016, are yet to find employment too. They too have signed a contract with the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Public Health Service and were told that they would be assigned to the various health centres across the 10

regions. This year is almost over and the University of Guyana graduation is days away, apart from one meeting with the Junior Minister of Health and other Health officers, nothing much was said and no one has called to inform them if they would be graduating or be out of a job for yet another year. Most of these persons are at home or trying desperately to apply for any job elsewhere. It is not as if these persons are not calling up these offices, but you cannot get through to these officials because they are always in a meeting and their

secretaries would tell you that you cannot have an audience with them without little or no explanation. Had they gone to Cuba, they would’ve been returning next year as doctors. But they decided to stay in their native land to further their studies. These youngsters also have the commendable academic qualifications, all of them having over five (5) or ten (10) C.X.C’s and even a couple with UG first degree. They heeded the ‘vote like boss’ call and voted for the new government and are now disappointed since they told that cannot be hired

without their certificates as they were told ‘they don’t want them to kill anyone’. I wonder how many of the persons who died at G.P.H C and other Health facilities were killed by the batch of Medex prior to the 2011 batch and who have not graduated either but are working throughout the country. It is my hope that those in authority will help these young people, as they have claimed time and again that “they are for the youth”. Also it will be 23 more fully trained young health professionals in our health care system. Frustrated Graduate

Clive Thomas clarifies on the missing US$5 million Dear Editor; From SARU’s standpoint, I would wish to put the issue of the “US$5M outstanding share issue” to rest. I have now read NICIL’s press release (nil.).The NICIL Audit Report (Forensic Audit Report) referred to in its Press Release advises that that Report

be referred “to the State Assets Recovery Unit, with a view to recovering any State assets/properties that might have been improperly and illegally transferred to third parties”. This advisement has never been communicated to SARU. SARU has therefore not been tasked by any

Authority, in any way whatsoever, with this advisement. There is therefore no active linkage, and has never been, between SARU and the “US$5M outstanding share payment issue”. Clive Y. Thomas (Prof.) Presidential Advisor Director, SARU

In Guyana, alcohol consumption is a serious dilemma Dear Editor; In Guyanese society, excessive alcohol consumption is a major social problem. It affects all aspects of an individual’s life, including the body, family and relationships. In the following article, we address some of the harmful effects of alcohol on the human body. Alcohol has many effects on people, including hangovers, family problems, and high risks of some diseases. Consuming alcohol has both negative short and long-term effects. Some of the short-term effects include hangovers, which are caused by, on occasion, over-indulgence instead of a casual social drink. Whether intentionally or not, sometimes people imbibe too much alcohol and then get what is most commonly known as a h a n g o v e r, o r f l u - l i k e symptoms that are experienced the day after a heavy bout of drinking. The physical symptoms of a hangover may be temporary, but the consequences may be severely detrimental and an episode can significantly disrupt a person’s life in a multiplicity of ways; for instance, the impairment of faculties due to feeling

unwell; an inability to meet professional deadlines and honour commitments. Irrational and unhealthy behaviours, such as displays of excessive emotion, poor eating patterns and lethargic feelings leading to a demotivation to exercise and/or undertake work programmes or family responsibilities, such as helping with chores, are also side effects of hangovers. Having experienced the effects of overindulgence of alcoholic beverages and the consequences of hangover, I can speak with conviction when I advise against the abuse of alcoholic substances, because such episodes have severely impacted my life in negative ways. There is no positive outcome from excessive drinking, either physically, emotionally or socially. Ways that alcohol affects the mental faculties and the physical body include detectable memory lapses and impairments in social conduct. Oftentimes, after only a few drinks, one tends to lose the ability to determine and control their levels of consumption and, as the amount of alcohol intake increases, so does the degree of impairment to ones’ mental and physical

responses. Large quantities of alcohol, especially when consumed quickly and on an empty stomach, can produce a blackout, or an interval of time for which the intoxicated person cannot recall key details of events; or even entire sequences of events. Drinkers who experience blackouts typically drink too much and too quickly, which causes their blood alcohol levels to rise very rapidly. Many people are unaware of the fact; or either do not care, that alcohol acts as a depressant to one’s central nervous system as well, which means that when you consume it your brain cells communicate at a slower rate than normal. The limbic system of your brain, which controls emotions, such as anxiety and fear, is also affected. Alcohol causes one to neglect important duties of daily life. It impairs one’s functions and physical capabilities, as well as comprehensive responses to stimuli and, at some point, will likely result in neglect of responsibilities associated with work, home life, and/or school; not to mention taking time off school, work and/or family responsibilities to

nurse hangovers and to get better. Excessive drinking can i n c r e a s e a p e r s o n ’s likelihood of getting into fights, displaying disorderly conduct in public, driving under the influence, and becoming involved in domestic disputes or incidences of violence episodes and actions most often forgotten after a return to sobriety. This can result in getting into trouble with the law and ensue in a lot of consequential problems – financially through probably having to pay for lawyers and fees for damage to property if there had been physical encounters or verbal altercations. There can be disruptions in family life if there has been a display of aggressive behaviour toward family members. And even criminal charges, if drunk, one drives and gets involved in an accident. All in all, overindulgence in alcohol consumption is not worth it. From the foregoing it can therefore be deduced that it makes better sense for someone not to indulge in a legal drug that damages the body and impairs the mind so horribly and inexorably as alcohol (Continued on page 5)

Saturday November 12, 2016

We cite the example of Opposition Leader David Granger, picketing OP DEAR EDITOR: First let me thank President David Granger for accepting the Guyana Trades Union Congress’ invitation and delivering the feature address to our 4th Triennial Conference (10th- 11th November). In building on the President’s call for the trade union to adopt a new model in seeking representation, this has not been lost on the trade union community. Changing times require changing actions, albeit not requiring changing the principles and the foundational reason for one’s existence. The trade union is a creature of conflict, having emerged in the international landscape as a result of the industrial revolution that saw the exploitation of the new concentrated workforce. In Guyana when we began in 1905, under the leadership of Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow, it was in response to exploitation of dockworkers, which later grew into an organisation of national character, organising workers in various sectors and looking out for their welfare in and out of the workplace. It was the trade union that started the fight for internal self-government (1926) which we view as critical to the workers’ empowerment, and knew this necessitated having universal adult suffrage (one man, one vote). Self-government brings with it the responsibility to advance, ensure and protect citizens’ rights to political, social, cultural and economic self-determination. This continues to be a work in progress. The re-modelling of Guyana’s post-independent economy where the state was the leading economic force, most of trade union representation was in the state-owned

entities. When the government re-modelled the state’s economy, and state-owned institutions were scaled back, such action impacted our membership, but it did not find a trade union community not adapting to the change. Evidence of our adaptation can be seen in the private sector, and including what was then considered unconventional, in the gold mining industry where gold miners (e.g. OMAI) were organised. Three years ago the minibus operators became organised and this year the vendors have organised themselves into a trade union. The GTUC is also setting its sight on having the police force become organised as seen in the United States and Suriname. Comparatively these forces have better conditions of employment than what exists in Guyana. For instance in the U.S, there exists healthcare plans which cover the police and their families, and insurance in the event of death which include dying in the line of duty. We look forward to working with the Government to make this a reality for our hardworking and underserved policemen and women. The trade union, depending on perspective, confrontational approach can be viewed negatively or as empowering. The world had shown the masses never achieve progress without struggle. The history of our country that brought an end to slavery and indentureship, to securing independence, came about using struggle as the major tool for empowerment. With struggle there will be disagreement, given that it is from the failure to resolve disagreement across the table that have necessitated the act of struggling to be heard and

In Guyana, alcohol... From page 4 does.The human body is healthier and mental faculties more acute without the toxicity that alcohol abuse imposes upon the frail human system, because it has been proven that overindulgence of alcohol is extremely detrimental to the overall wellbeing of human beings. I have come to the conclusion that alcohol is a deterrent to the wellbeing of anyone; and the determina-

tion to avoid it altogether. Because of this choice I look forward to a long and healthy lifestyle, and I have no regrets about this choice that I have made to live a much happier and healthier life. Latchman Narine

PAGE 5

Kaieteur News

achieve justice. Similar method has been employed and continues to be employed by political parties. Society will recall the struggle led by then Opposition Leader Granger in front the Office of President every Friday. The opposition was confronting the Donald Ramotar administration to bring about the changes they wanted, given Ramotar’s failure to have them addressed across the table. The trade union operates no differently. The trade union is determined to play its role to bring about an environment where each human being is treated equally and ensured his/her dignity and respect, which are enshrined in international conventions, charters and laws. The Guyana Constitution so protects our right to existence (Article 147); specifies our role in helping to shape the economy, ensuring production and productivity (Article 38); and our involvement in national management and decision-making on issues that impact the welfare of our constituents-past, present and potential (Article 149C). We have reached out to the President to ensure this given the role of Government in safeguarding and ensuring the Laws of Guyana for workers/citizens and country. By letter dated 22nd September a request was sent to President Granger seeking engaging him. The trade union is encouraged by the President’s response on 4th October indicating that he is awaiting advice from the Ministry of Social Protection, after which he will engage us. The unions look forward to such engagement and fruitful deliberations, more particularly in light of the new economic model (green economy) being pursued and our prescribed role to make it happen. Lincoln Lewis

Ministry of Communities accuses Berbice Councillor of politicking DEAR EDITOR, I refer to a letter written by Chairperson of the Kilcoy/ Hampshire NDC, Mr. Haseef Yusuf, captioned, ‘The mantra of local government empowerment is to deceive,’ (KN, Nov 04). In his letter Mr. Yusuf makes erroneous and misleading statements not the least of which calls into question the administration’s commitment to local democracy, local government autonomy and the necessary empowerment of Guyana’s local democratic organs. Please permit me, Editor, to address the matters raised by Mr. Yusuf. It is my sincere belief that there can be no doubt in the mind of any fair-minded, rightthinking citizen that the government is determined to give effect to the laws which mandate a robust local democratic system. The administration’s actions demonstrate this fact. The previous regime had denied the people of Guyana their constitutional right to choose their local leaders for some two decades; this government, on the other hand, has held local government elections within months of being elected to office. This, in spite of the opposition PPP’s unrelenting efforts to prevent it from happening. As relates to this point, I can only conclude, therefore, that Mr.

Yusuf is either blinded by political bias or is being deliberately disingenuous. Mr. Yusuf’s other primary area of contention relates to the following: The NDC had requested and received from central government a $4 million subvention for the construction of roads. The Regional Tender Board awarded the ensuing contract to a contractor. Mr. Yusuf states that the District Tender Board should have made the decision, not the Regional Tender Board. He claims too, that he had communicated the preference and desire of the council for the works to be done by the NDC using their equipment to the Regional Democratic Council. The facts are as follows: 1)TheKilcoy/Hampshire NDC does not have the capacity to conduct even minor road works much less build roads to the tune of millions of dollars. It follows that a contractor with the requisite capacity had to have been engaged. 2)A District Tender Board was not in place therefore, the task of awarding the contract fell to the Regional Tender Board. 3)Contrary to Mr. Yusuf’s insinuations, the preference of the council for the works to be done by the NDC (for

which the NDC had no capacity) was communicated to the Regional Executive Officer (Ag), Mr. Claude Henry, after the contract had already been awarded. Finally, Mr. Yusuf states, “What is even more worrying is the fact that we do not know what projects will be done and by whom and at what cost.” Editor, the Ministry rejects this statement unequivocally. When proposals are submitted to the Ministry by an NDC they are either analysed and approved as is, or they are returned to the NDC for clarification or alteration. The Ministry is not in the business of altering proposals nor of generating proposals for NDCs. As the Minister has said repeatedly, the Ministry and the administration as a whole is committed to respecting the authority of local democratic organs. And the Ministry of Communities has implemented policy in line with that philosophy. I trust that Mr. Yusuf would desist hereafter, from attempting to mislead the public by publishing material which he, as a councillor, certainly knows are less than factual. Mark DaCosta Research Officer to the Minister Ministry of Communities

City Hall must end this costly, conspiratorial contract DEAR EDITOR; Today I witnessed the main reason why the Georgetown City Council is always broke and bankrupt. Whilst standing outside a popular hotel after having a meeting with a foreign delegation on Main Street, I observed the arrival of two gangs from the Mayor and City Council comprising of weeders and sanitation workers. Soon after, I overheard the men retorting in loud and animated tones that the work

that they had been brought to do was already done by a contractor commonly known by a certain nickname. The major accusation by the Council’s workers was that they were left to stand there without work and to idle all day, while this contractor ‘Brother’ was being given all the work that they were employed to do; which they doing for all the years. And more

egregiously, he was being paid hundreds of millions of dollars whilst they were receiving their paltry salaries weeks late each month due to the bankrupt state of the Council. Surely, the Council must know that they can’t ‘eat their cake and have it’. If they are going to continue to pay their special contractor hundreds (Continued on page 6)

PAGE 6

Kaieteur News

Are there similarities between what is taking place in the US and Guyana? DEAR EDITOR; The U.S elections are now over. Donald Trump and the Republican Party, (notwithstanding the fact that Hilary Clinton secured a larger slice of the popular vote) have won an unexpectedly, overwhelming majority of the very important Electoral College votes, thereby securing for Trump the Presidency of the United States of America and in the process of the victory march entrenched the Republican party’s control, not only of the Executive, but also of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The massive margin of victory for Trump has left Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party devastated and in shambles. They are now asking and trying to work out what could have gone wrong in a campaign, which from all appearances they seemed, just prior to the opening of polling stations on elections day, to have locked down. These historic election results have sent shock waves throughout America and the world. Millions of people are asking the question - what does Trump’s victory mean for America and the rest of the World? I will submit here that the political reality is that the world has to live with President elect Donald Trump, and the US President elect will, after his inauguration on January 20th, 2017, have to find a way to live with the world. Winning for him, will prove to be much easier than governing. President Elect Trump will very quickly discover that in a changing dynamic world, leaders will not readily succumb to US leadership threats and bullyism. At this juncture one of the issues that are engaging my attention is what are the political lessons that Guyana can learn from the U.S elections? And in what ways would these elections affect our national interests? Before trying to answer these questions, let me say that no two countries are the same. Each has its own peculiarities. However, human societies also have many things in common. Added to

this we live in a globalized world where ideas and influences know no national borders. This point becomes even more important when it is applied to third world countries with inconsequential and insignificant technical/military defenses. This is a list of some factors which I believe dominated the political landscape in the run up to the US elections: (1) the hatred of large sections of the masses for the political elite and their financial allies, their domination, and greed; (2) the popular perception that there is need for change; (3) the state of the economy and availability of jobs; (4) internal security and the emergence of ISIS and other radical/extremist forces around the world; (5) race relations; (6) class contradictions; (7) immigration issues; and (8) the fear factor inherent in the exaggeration of likely violent Muslim threats/ actions against US citizens/ properties in the US and around the world. Where does Guyana stand/compare in relation to the above? (A) We have growing alienation of the masses with the “system”. For decades the masses have been questioning the political and economic infrastructure and its negative effects on the country. The majority of the people in Guyana are the poor and the powerless; (b)in so far as the issue of the economy and job creation is concerned Guyana still counts a burgeoning unemployment youth brigade who are frustrated by unfolding developments and who see no light at the end of the tunnel; (c)the deepening internal security challenges/the escalating crime situation and the public perception on the matter; (d) race/ethnic insecurity; (e)class contradictions; (f) the continuing popular demand for “real change” that had resulted in the defeat of the

PPPC in the 2015 elections. Looking at these factors there are many similarities with the US. This is not to say that they will play out in the same way in all respects in Guyanese elections as they did in the just concluded US elections. There are a number of inferences that can be drawn from the above. The US now joins a number of European countries where the masses are rebelling against the old order in the ballot boxes. This is due to the failure of the system to deliver on economic and social benefits. Guyana is not immune to this global political development. We have to be careful since we have been struggling with the challenges of our colonial structured economy and an inadequate political system for more than half a century. We have long reached the point where the contradictions in the economic and political system have become counterproductive to the advancement of the nation. President Obama came to power 8years ago on the banner of “change”. Many of his supporters at home and abroad interpreted change to mean “profound change”. This was not to be. Instead his Presidency, rather than pulling down the “old order” gave a new lease of life and legitimacy to the system at a point when the contradictions demanded decisive action. However, credit must be given to the fact that Obama and his Rainbow Coalition created history by (`1) becoming the first black man to be elected President of the United States; and (2) against all odds he became a two term President and ended his term with one of the highest approval ratings of a departing US President. Tacuma Ogunseye Editor’s note; Mr. Ogunseye’s letter will conclude in tomorrow’s edition

Saturday November 12, 2016

Guysuco’s would like to remind the nation; it is a business DEAR EDITOR; The Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GuySuCo) would like to respond to Mr. Hydar Ally’s letter that was published in the both the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News in which he opined that Government should reconsider its position re; the sugar industry Mr. Ally’s letter was lacking in terms of bringing a scientific perspective and positing an approach that would enable GuySuCo to become a resilient and sustainable business. In his letter, he urged the Government not to downsize the sugar industry in the interest of the workers, the economy as a whole and for historical/sentimental reasons. His solution for the sugar industry was for the Government to continue to invest in the sugar industry to increase production and productivity thereby reducing its unit cost and returning to profitability. He further stated that it was the Government’s responsibility to rescue the sugar industry. While Mr. Ally’s letter mainly addressed the Government, we wish to provide the following points of clarification. First of all, the Corporation wishes to remind Mr. Ally that GuySuCo is a business, therefore any analysis, strategic thinking/planning or conversation on the entity, going forward, has to be around how to make it resilient, sustainable and profitable. Many persons, who are a part of the conversation on GuySuCo, are still very much at the emotional level and are

more engrossed with the sentiments of the sugar industry. However, the challenges of GuySuCo cannot be addressed with emotions and sentiments only. The following are real facts about GuSuCo and areas that must be considered in reorganising the Corporation. GuySuCo’s current cost of production is around US 37 cents per pound while sugar prices are approximately US 20 cents per pound; this is an 85% disparity. Employment cost alone, is in the region of US 21cents per pound. Further, with the abolition of the European Union (EU) sugar quota on 30 September, 2017, there may be a further decline in sugar prices widening this disparity. In order to overcome this, not only would significant investment be required in the industry to increase productivity and production, but a radical re-organization of its current structure. The Corporation cannot expect to continue to carry on business as usual and expect better results. With the abolition of the EU sugar quota, Guyana would have to dispose significant tonnages of sugar on the enlarged world market. The prices are uncertain and as such, the returns are uncertain. This in turn will affect the planning for and development of the country as a whole. This brings us back to the same point that Mr. Ally indirectly made of the time when sugar was profitable while the other sectors were not, Guyana therefore should not have all of its eggs in one

basket. GuySuCo being a single crop entity has placed the business and its stakeholders in an extremely vulnerable position. Thus, the diversification concept is an approach being implemented in the business strategy of the Corporation to ensure its resilience and to move towards a position of profitability. The Corporation in its short, medium and long term strategic planning, has to build more predictability and a greater degree of certainty into the business. – both the business of sugar and the business which includes diversification. Sugar production is a very labour intensive process and therefore requires a large workforce, specifically for planting, crop husbandry, harvesting, and factory operations. Over the years, however, the Corporation has been struggling with consistency in the workforce in these areas, particularly in agriculture operations. If a full complement of planters and crop husbandry workers do not turn out, this will affect the number of hectares being cultivated and maintained. On the other hand, if the harvesters do not turn out, this result in canes over maturing, staling if already burnt, carrying over to the next crop and ultimately, affecting sugar production. Table 1 below represents the turnout of Planters at five Estates for the First and Second Crop in 2016 while Table 2 represents the turnout of Harvesters at six Estates for the First and Second Crop in 2016.

Table 1 Planters’ percentages for attendance for First and Second Crop 2016

City Hall must end... From page 5 of millions of dollars to clean and maintain the city, then they should terminate the services of their own sanitation workers. Of course the only logical reason for pursuing such a course of action would be to fill the pockets of the favoured person and as a consequence line the pockets of the well known incompetents at City Hall through kickbacks from this highly favoured contractor. This would be a heartless and brutish act, but it is not beyond the capacity of the greedy and merciless

administrators at the Council. Of course what needs to be done is to get rid of this contractor. He is bleeding the Council dry Get rid of him now that the clean-up for the Jubilee is over, and let the Council’s workers do the maintenance seeing that the municipality is obligated to pay their workers anyway. And meeting their wages bill would no longer be an issue seeing that they would save hundreds of millions of dollars with the dismissal of this favoured contractor Mark Roopan

Table 2 Harvesters’ percentages for attendance for First and Second Crop 2016

The Corporation has also found that during periods when there is a boom in the forestry or mining sectors, the attendance in the planting and

harvesting areas decline significantly. Audreyanna Thomas Senior Communications Officer

Communications Unit Editor’s note; Guysuco’s response is a long one. It will be continued in tomorrow’s edition

Saturday November 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

PAGE 7

PAGE 8

Kaieteur News

GTT makes case for landline rate hike After appealing a recent rejection of its application for a rate hike for certain services, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) is pleading with the regulatory body, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), to expedite the process, since the situation is only getting worse. This was the assertion of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justin Nedd, at a hearing that was held at PUC Headquarters in Queenstown, Georgetown. The CEO, who was accompanied by other company representatives, related that GTT’s rates for local landline services have not changed in over 15 years. He added that even 15 years ago, the rates were below cost. Nedd stated that the Commission is ‘well aware’, that since 1991, local landline services have been subsidised by high margin long distance revenue. “In order to illustrate the trends of our business, GTT commissioned two studies, and it showed that the cost module that we provided, shows that GTT’s domestic

services are below cost...The model clearly shows that current tariffs do not allow for GTT to earn any returns – let alone an adequate return to maintain the landline services,” Nedd said. He cautioned that the situation will only worsen, with other revenue sources being substantially diminished by competition; legal or otherwise. Nedd continued that since 2001, inflation alone has almost doubled the company’s domestic cost, increasing the cost of goods by 90 percent. During that period also, the Guyana dollar depreciated by nine percent and currency devaluation has resulted in an increased in cost for goods and services purchase d o u t s i d e o f Guyana, particularly network and capital costs, he added. “GTT’s history of below cost services has been supported by margins associated with GTT’s exclusive lines of business, particularly international inbound bypass. However, our international long distance rev-

enue has declined substantially due to illegal bypass and technological substitutes such as Skype and Whatsapp voice. These activities have, and continue to substantially reduce building international usage.” Nedd expounded that international long distance can no longer be relied upon as a major profit centre for GTT, and as such, international long distance service is no longer supporting the belowcost domestic wire dial tone service. The CEO said that the rental rates for dial tone service requested in the company’s filing will begin the process of moving the rates to a level where sufficient revenue is accrued to make the local network selfsustainable since “it is not self-sustainable in its current dispensation.” “Average minutes of landline use have dropped by 55 percent. Fewer customers on the landline network means that the cost associated with maintaining the network are spread across a diminishing base because we have a high fixed cost to maintaining the network.’ Nedd said. The matter was adjourned to a later date to facilitate the submission of additional documentation to aid the process.

Saturday November 12, 2016

Pensioners to receive allowances with ease through electronic system Pensioners will now be able to access their allowances with ease through the Social Protection Ministry’s automated system. Assistant Chief Probation and Social Services Officer, Ricardo Banwarie told the Government Information Agency that through the automated system, checks and balances will be carried out to ensure the pensioners are receiving their pensions faster. Banwarie explained that it is a system where pensioners will sign on the coupon booklet and access their cash. The pensioners’ information will be entered into the database for the Guyana Post Offic e Corporation (GPOC) to keep a record of pensioners in the system. “Added to that, we will be having the agents, for persons who are shut-ins, persons who are not capable of going to the Post Office to uplift their pensions. We will be able to have the names of the persons who are going to be authorised to uplift t h e pension on behalf of the pensioner in our database,” Banwarie explained. This new system will not take away the coupon booklet system, but

Social Services Officer, Ricardo Banwarie will run parallel with it. Banwarie explained that the system will be more transparent. He added that if a pensioner has to relocate, he or she must inform the Post Office. “They would not be able to uplift the coupon booklet where they relocate to if they don’t inform us, so it is important that when they move, they let us know so we can document it.” The Assistant Chief Probation and Social Services Officer noted that the schedule for the new system will be in the print media this weekend. Pensioners can also check with the distribution centres in their region for more information. Banwarie pointed out that

there are offices in all 10 administrative regions and there are officers to serve them, especially in the hinterland communities. “Th ose areas are serviced by probation social officers and we can access information through the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) because officers will be liaising with the Toshaos and the councillors and other volunteers in these communities to get the message out,” Banwarie explained. The Ministry will distribute the updated pension booklet on Monday. Banwarie pointed out that pensioners must uplift their nine-digit Identification cards or they would not be allowed to uplift their pensions.

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

A legal issue not a private spat There is no spat over the reversal of the ‘promotion’ of ranks of the Guyana Police Force. The government is wickedly attempting to present this matter as a case of a difference between the Commissioner of Police and the person who performed the duties of Commissioner while the substantive Commissioner was on leave. This is not a personality issue. It is not an internal problem within the Force. It is a legal problem which has arisen because the government has allowed the title of Acting Commissioner to be used for the person who was merely performing the duties of Commissioner while the Commissioner was on leave. There is a difference between an Acting Commissioner and someone who performs the functions of Commissioner of Police when the Commissioner of Police is on leave. That person should not be called an Acting Commissioner. They should be designated by their substantive title and be said to be performing the functions of Commissioner, something that is per-

missible by law. What is not permissible is for someone performing the functions of Commissioner to make promotions within the Guyana Police Force. The Constitution of Guyana is explicit on this point. It reserves for the Commissioner and the Commissioner alone, the power to make promotions of junior ranks. It does not grant to any person performing the duties of Commissioner any such powers. This is why under the PPPC, for a very long time, when there was no substantive Commissioner of Police, there could be no promotion of junior ranks. The Constitution of Guyana says that an acting Commissioner can be appointed if the office of Commissioner becomes vacant. When the Commissioner of Police goes on leave, annual or sick, this does not make his office vacant. The Commissioner is still the Commissioner. The only thing is that he is not performing the duties of Commissioner because of his absence from the job due to entitled leave. Someone has to perform

the duties of Commissioner. The person performing those duties when the Commissioner of Police is on leave is often referred to as the acting Commissioner. This is a misnomer, because the Constitution of Guyana is very clear that an acting Commissioner is sworn in when the office of Commissioner is vacant. The office of Commissioner becomes vacant in three situations - when the incumbent retires, when he is discharged for misconduct or if he dies. Absence from work due to leave does not constitute a vacancy in the office of the Commissioner. An acting Commissioner of Police therefore cannot be sworn in whenever a Commissioner of Police proceeds on leave. An acting Commissioner can only be sworn in when there is a vacancy in the office of Commissioner. But if the substantive Commissioner proceeds on leave, someone can be appointed (not sworn in) to perform the duties of Commissioner. That person has no power to make any promotions. If this were allowed, it would mean that if

Dem boys seh... Trump and De Pope give people thing to talk People still vex because Trump win de elections but wha got people more worried is the racism. In Guyana dem boys know that de two major races got problem wid each other. Since you miss is we and dem. De only time dem does agree is when dem deh in some sports ground or when dem beating likka. Dem is friend under those conditions but nobody ain’t inviting de other to dem home unless dem is more than friend like Uncle Glenn and Uncle Adam. Well when Soulja Bai come to power he promise to mek Guyana just like America. He gun mek people wuk hard and enjoy vacation. De Hambassador fuh de States even support him because almost all dem Guyanese who apply fuh

visa get through. Dem was going to pick up de accent and practice how to walk like Americans. Trump come to power and de Americans start to behave like Guyanese. De fuss day after he win de elections dem protest de results. In fact, according to dem boys, de people still protesting just like how Guyanese use to protest when Janet and Jagdeo win de elections. Then Trump get dem to do wha Guyanese use to do, call one another hurtful names. Now Guyanese saying that dem don’t want to go back to de States because is just like living in Guyana. Dem boys also trying to get people to understand that everybody can’t be like de Pope Philbert. People don’t know de man like how dem

boys know him. This was a man who was an obeah man. He mek money, but not as fast as when he form de church. De man set up de church, rent a hotel and then move in to he own place. De thing that dem boys notice is that most of de congregation is woman. De Pope behave like De Rooster. He tek all dem Mother Hen and dem was glad to go and seh prayers wid him in bed. De Pope like to watch he self in action so he tek out photos and video. Now that people put dem hand pun de video and de photos he shame to go back in de church. Dem boys want to know if he obeah couldn’t warn him bout de action he woulda create. Talk half and watch how de Pope dangling in more ways than one.

a substantive Commissioner gets sick then the person who holds the fort for him while he is recovering, even if it is for three days, can make promotions. The Constitutional power which is vested in the Commissioner of Police and him alone, cannot be exercised in such a flippant manner. The incumbent Commissioner of Police is therefore absolutely right in his determination that the promotions made while he was on leave are ultra vires of the law. The person performing the duties of Commissioner have no such power. This is not an internal power squabble. This

is a question of law. The Commissioner is duty bound, as he has done, to reverse any actions which are not in compliance with the law of the land. It is worrying that the government is trying to present this matter as a case of the police force washing its dirty linen in public. The matter only became public because the press got wind of the reversal of the promotions. It was not a case whereby the Commissioner went public to attempt to humiliate his second in command. The government must recognize that this is a legal matter which has to be settled

legally. The government, before it came to office, had also questioned the legality of the appointment of the Commissioner of Police. It refused to go to the Courts to have this appointment annulled and therefore, until such is challenged, it is the incumbent Commissioner, and him alone, who makes promotion for junior ranks.

Brother steals from sibling to ‘get his attention’ A 20-year-old man yesterday told the court that he stole from his brother to get his attention, when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to a charge of simple larceny. It is alleged that Joseph Smith, between October 8 and October 9, at Mocha, East Bank Demerara, broke and entered the storage bond of h i s b r o t h e r, A n d r e w Dublin, and stole one generator valued $90,000 and one pressure washer valued $90,000, both belonging to Dublin. Smith pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him by the Chief Magistrate. Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers told the court that on

October 8, at about 18:30hrs, Andrew Dublin secured his storage bond at 50 Nelson Street, Mocha, and retired to bed. On the following morning around 05:30 hrs, he observed the lock from the storage room broken and the articles mention e d i n t h e charge were missing. Based on his observation he made a report to the Providence Police Station where an investigation was carried out and contact was made with the accused, who then took the police to where the articles were hidden. The accused, when given a chance to address the court, told the magistrate that he stole the articles from his brother to get his attention. “It’s not for business; it’s just

to prove a point. I asked him for a work and he ain’t pay me no mind, so I teach him a lesson.’’ Dublin told the court that his brother never asked him for any job. “He’s not focused.” The Chief Magistrate told the accused that he needs to “sit down and think things through” because he is a young man, and cannot be going around stealing persons stuff to gain attention. “Now you have gained the w h o l e c o u n t r y ’s a t t e n tion.” Smith will spend the next eight weeks doing community service, Monday to Friday, three hours per day or in default, spend six months in prison.

PAGE 10

Kaieteur News

Saturday November 12, 2016

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Trump and the commonsense in electoral power As I devour the news all over the world about what Donald Trump will do when he settles into the White House, a consensus is emerging that he will mellow as the years wear on and that the things we fear he will do, that he promised on the campaign trail, will never see the light of day. I disagree. The pattern of electoral politics since elections began hundreds of years ago is that there has never been a leader who was able to implement all of the promises made. Some didn’t even get in a majority of them. That is the reality of life and it will be with life forever. No politician will ever get all his campaign desires translated into policy. But some of the promises are worked on early in the months of power because the leader, aware of time constraints, wants to make sure there is early satisfaction among his/her constituencies. The issues that brought

you to power must be given early green lights. This is commonsense in electoral power. A hypothetical example should suffice. If a government passes a law that bans all vehicles on the roads on Sundays and you defeated that government in an election in which you promised to repeal that law, you have to. Commonsense is at work here. You came to power on the strength of that promise to cancel the law, then, you cannot survive if you do not do that. We’ve come know to Trump. It is wild thinking to believe that Trump will get through with all the desires he enunciated during the campaign. But he will implement many of them. His repertoire is full of unworkable, unpalatable things. We will be happy to see the stillbirth of many of them, but many others America will have to live with. Several items in his arsenal will become policy. Trump will renegotiate trade

deals that previous US administrations signed. Even if conclusions run beyond 2020 when the next election is due, he will start the process. It is not just an election promise to rural America where jobs have disappeared; it is the ideology in Trump that will drive him in that direction. He believes America has lost out in these trade arrangements. Deep in his mind, Trump believes that if you scrap these trade deals, then American companies will have to restart operations in the US itself and employ American labour. Driving this particular ideology is the Freudian underpinning of race. Trump thinks that these trade arrangements have benefitted non-white people in Mexico, China, and other Third World states. So what we are talking about is a double whammy – he believes the trade patterns take away jobs from the US and provide jobs to non-white foreign countries.

Trump knows that he does not need the Latino vote, and he didn’t get the Latino vote, so he will order Homeland Security to start deporting illegal migrants. He will be uncompromising on that issue. It is selfdeception for anyone to think he will put this issue on the backburner. The obsession with illegal migration is a spinoff from his trade ideology meaning that he accepts the mirage that illegal Mexicans are taking jobs away from rural white folks. I will not dwell on the early extirpation of the Affordable Care Act, because I dealt with that in my column yesterday In the area of foreign policy, Trump is going to create serious problems for the world. He is not an intellectual. He cannot bring deep, analytical thought to international relations. So what he is going to do is to react emotionally to controversial foreign situations. This is where Trump is going to have to juggle his campaign promises. He told his supporters that Japan, South Korea and other countries have to pay more for the security America provides them with, and if they don’t, then America will not guarantee their safety. But this feeling lies in deep contradiction with his desire to see America rule the world. So what will face him is a contradiction that will carry a hard choice. Since he will

show the world the power of the US, and since he knows he cannot do it without those very allies whose security the US bankrolls, he will drop one campaign promise so another one can be successful. He will avoid irritating American allies in exchange for their support for American military action around the world. Ignoring the consequences because of his intellectual limitations, Trump is going to flex American

Frederick Kissoon muscles around the world. The world should be prepared for this from 2017 onwards.

Cops seek bank fraud accused Police are trying to locate Vishaul Moonilal in connection with an alleged fraud in July 2016, at Scotiabank, Carmichael Street, Georgetown. A release gave his date of birth as October 10, 1983 and his last known addresses as 44 Bel Air Park, Georgetown and 44 Houston, East Bank Demerara. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Vishaul Moonilal, is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 227-2128, 226-1389, 226-7065, 226-1389, 226-7476, 227-2610, 227-7065, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Vishaul Moonilal

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 11

Kaieteur News

MPs sharpen skills to fight corruption via engaging forum

House Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland Members of Parliament (MPs) were recently granted another opportunity to sharpen their skills when it comes to stymieing corruption in all of its forms, particularly at the legislative level. This platform was made possible through collaborative efforts between Guyana’s Parliament and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) of the United Kingdom. Attending the opening ceremony on Thursday at the Marriott Hotel were several members of the Diplomatic Corps, Chartered Accountant and Anti-corruption advocate, Anand Goolsarran, and representatives from the CPA. The seminar sought to provide technical assistance and expertise to the subcommittees on a draft code of conduct; explore in depth, the principles behind the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and its relevance to parliamentarians, as well as examine and build an understanding of the role of parliamentarians in scrutiny, oversight and

A section of the audience at the forum legislation in relation to corruption. The three-day forum, which started on Wednesday and concluded yesterday, also sought to promote knowledge exchange and discussion between the UK and Guyana on issues of corruption, standards in public office and parliamentary codes of conduct. Delivering remarks during the opening ceremony were Sir Kevin Barron, Member of Parliament in the UK and House Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland. Dr. Scotland told the audience that the forum is a timely intervention in the fight against corruption. He stressed, however, that the fight must be a joint endeavour. He noted in the same breath that the fight is an ongoing process and the forum will take Guyana one step further along the anti-corruption road. The House Speaker noted

that Parliamentarians stand to benefit significantly from information on accountability and transparency which was discussed at the seminar. “There is still a great deal of work to be done to strengthen what is already here…It is therefore a good thing for this forum to be held, to further enable the Parliamentarians, and no doubt, the wider public to be aware of corruption, to recognize the signs of corruption and to feel bold enough to take steps to combat it,” Scotland said. The Speaker said that on the road to anti-corruption, Guyana has chalked up a few noteworthy achievements. In this regard, he reminded that Guyana became a signatory to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption in March 2001. He said that a committee has been formed which has been tasked with overseeing the mechanism on the implementation of the Convention.

Dr. Scotland pointed out that the National Assembly has taken several measures to comply with this convention. He said that in 2003, the National Assembly passed Resolution Number 19 which saw the creation of four sectoral committees: Economic Services, Social Services,

Natural Resources and Foreign Relations. “These sectoral committees are tasked with the responsibility for the scrutiny of all areas of government’s policy and administration,” Dr. Scotland noted. He noted too that the Public Accounts Committee and the Integrity

Commission Act are other measures that Guyana has implemented to address corruption in public office. The anti-corruption seminar stemmed from a sevenmonth capacity building programme earlier this year between the United Kingdom Parliament and National Assembly of Guyana.

PAGE 12

Saturday November 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Emergency measure...

Joint Services deployed to patrol ‘hot spots’ Amidst a worrying spate of armed robberies and credible information that suggests there is a potential threat to domestic security, Government has announced that starting today, there will be joint patrols by the army and police. The Joint Services operations will target areas that are considered hot spots for criminal activities, the Ministry of the Presidency said yesterday. The statement from the ministry disclosed that the decision to bring out the Joint Services was necessitated after the Government of Guyana received “credible information related to a potential domestic security threat”. “That coupled with increased criminal activity has resulted in the decision by the administration to institute security measures in targeted areas, starting tomorrow (today). These operations will be conducted by the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).” While the statement did not disclose what the domestic security threat was, top security and Government officials disclosed that intelli-

gence reports are suggesting some of the recent crimes being committed are politically motivated. The crime issue was reportedly raised with President David Granger this week during the taping of his weekly televised programme, ‘Public Interest’. He said that it is Government’s belief that the pattern of crime suggests a campaign. He reportedly referred to the recent Eccles home invasion of former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, in which two employees were tied up and the place robbed, as well as another incident, in which the city home of son of accountant, Christopher Ram, was burglarised. According to the President, he has the impression that the acts are deliberate ones to embarrass the police and Government, and would make good headlines. Over the last few weeks, there have been several home invasions, in Berbice especially, and another at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, which grabbed headlines, in which the home owner shot one of the bandits dead. There

...given potential threat to domestic security, existing criminal activity

The Ministry of the Presidency says that citizens should expect helicopter patrols and the presence of security forces in hot spots, starting today. have been a number of gas station and supermarket robberies, with indications that the bandits prefer the faster getaway - CG motorcycles. Still, a number of the robberies are pointing to inside jobs, with the police making significant headway in crack-

ing the cases. According to the Ministry of the Presidency, starting today, citizens can expect to see helicopters providing aerial coverage and an increased number of police officers, along with members of the GDF on the ground in certain areas. “Citizens are asked not be alarmed but to cooperate with security forces where necessary. The safety of all residents and visitors to Guyana remains a top priority for the administration.” The deployment of the Joint Services ranks would come as both President Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, are set to depart Guyana on a number of overseas engagements. The police have been downplaying the robberies which has annoyed citizens – by indicating that the statistics are pointing to a drop in serious crime as compared to last year. However, citizens have not been buying that, expressing deep worry on social media and even in the newspapers. Earlier this month, Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, when acting as the force’s Commissioner, had used crime

statistics from 2002 to 2007 to lash out at critics who said that crime is currently at its worst throughout the country. Ramnarine said that the country has experienced a 17 percent decrease in serious crime as compared to the same period last year. “For robbery under arms, 638 cases were reported for this year while 670 were made last year. For robbery with violence, there were 79 cases this year against 115 for the same period last year with a 19 percent clear up,” Ramnarine said. Kaieteur News was told that it would be incorrect to say that crime is at its worst, since comparisons which were done between 2002 and 2008 indicate differently. According to Ramnarine, in 2002 there were 142 reports of murder; in 2003, 206 cases were recorded; in 2004, 131 cases of murders were reported; in 2005, there were 142 murder cases; 153 cases were made the following year; 133 persons lost their lives in 2007 and in 2008, 158 murder cases were reported. “When we weren’t solving crimes, there was a hue and cry. Now that we are solving crimes and preventing crimes, there is still a hue and

cry. How do you prevent murder? How do we get into the mind of a potential murderer?” Ramnarine asked. This newspaper was told that for eight of the instances of serious crime that occurred last month, rounds were discharged, of which five persons were shot. Two persons also lost their lives. “The crimes that occur with violence at the barrel of the gun is the issue and not that statistically crime has increased. It is the nature of the crime, in terms of its occurrence, where violence is meted out to victims,” Ramnarine pointed out. Meanwhile, as it relates to misconduct in the force, six policemen were dismissed last month for criminal activities and unprofessional conduct. Ramnarine said that those dismissed included one subordinate officer and five constables. Three of the ranks were sacked for criminal activities. Additionally, he pointed out that five ranks were transferred, pending investigation. In one of those cases, a female rank could not account for a.32 firearm which a civilian took to the Brickdam Police Station.

Law student accused of stealing bank card, withdrawing cash A 26-year-old law student yesterday appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of simple larceny. The court heard that Kevon Henry, on November 3, at Camp Street, Georgetown, stole one Republic Bank card belonging to Marlon Arthur and withdrew $90,000 from the owner’s account. Henry pleaded not guilty to the charge. Facts presented by Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers indicated that on the day in

question, Arthur left his bank card along with his pin number with a female friend, who happens to be Henry’s girlfriend. Henry allegedly stole the card from his girlfriend and went to Republic Bank on the day in question and withdrew the money. The Prosecutor stated that there is a video footage showing the defendant withdrawing the money. Henry was placed on $50,000 bail and will make his next court appearance on November 28.

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 21

Kaieteur News

Education Ministry launches CARICOM looks to South Africa investigation into sex video for support in row over involving school children ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The Ministry of Education has launched an investigation into the circulation of a video allegedly showing two secondary school children engaged in sexual activities. “We are extremely concerned, we are dealing with school children and they need to know that they are governed by the Education Act, “said Education Minister Anthony Boatswain. “It seems as though that there are two levels of investigations that have to be done; one it’s a criminal act by violating the Electronic Crimes Act and transmitting certain images electronically over the

internet. Then we will have a police investigation,” Boatswain told reporters. “From the Ministry’s point of view we have to determine what transpired in terms of children not in compliance with the rules and regulation of the school,” he said, while confirming that in addition to the investigation, the Ministry has already sent additional counsellors to the school. The video of the students which clearly shows the female student in her school uniform, has been posted on the social website, Facebook, and other social media platforms despite several request to have it re-

moved as an infringement of the Nudity and Sex act. Grenada’s Electronic Crimes Act makes it illegal for anyone to engage in child pornography. “A person shall not knowingly and without lawful justification or excuse publish or transmit or cause to be published or transmitted material in an electronic form which depicts a child engaged in sexually explicit act or conduct; create text or digital images, collect, seek, browse, download, advertise, promote, exchange or distribute material in an electronic form depicting a child in obscene or indecent or sexually explicit manner.”

Union gearing for industrial action BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) was meeting with Customs and Immigration officials, yesterday, as it strategies ahead of planned industrial action, if the authorities refuse to reverse a decision involving the union’s president, Akanni McDowall. NUPW general secretary, Roslyn Smith, speaking on the BARBADOS TODAY television programme, said that “during that session we will be updating them on the issue with the president”. The on-line publication, quoting sources, said that it is likely that the planned industrial action could coincide with the visit here of Britain’s Prince Harry on November 29, to participate in the island’s 50th anniversary of political independence from Britain. But while Smith would not disclose the outcome of talks involving sister trade unions on Thursday, she said she was still hopeful that the National Service Commission would respond to the union’s letter regarding the president. “They have to meet on Monday and …so we would expect an early response from them by Tuesday,” she said, noting that the letter had been sent almost two weeks now. “But in the meantime we are sensitising our membership as to the issue so that if the response is not what we are looking for…we have a strategic plan in place,” she said, adding “as usual I am not going to leak any activity”. But the Personnel Administration Division (PAD) Chief Personnel Officer, Gail

NUPW general secretary Roslyn Smith Atkins, is dismissing accusations of victimization in the decision to remove McDowall from the post of Health Planning Officer, in which he recently acted. She said the PAD did not have an “ulterior motive” for removing McDowall. There have been media reports that McDowall was demoted from the acting post of Health Promotions Officer, but the Chief Personnel Officer said the PAD has no record of McDowall ever having held such a post. She said that one post of Health Promotions Officer was created in 2009, and the officer who filled that position was subsequently promoted and another person, not McDowall, took up the position. “I do not know of any other post of Health Promotions Officer in that Ministry. Therefore, the Personnel Administration Division cannot substantiate Mr. McDowall’s claim based on the data we

have. Our assignment record shows that he was, and is an Environmental Health Assistant,” she said.

CARICOM’s Colin Granderson (left), South African diplomat Xoliswa Ngwevela, and CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Rocque CMC – The 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping is urging South Africa to articulate its concerns on the withdrawal of correspondent banking services, a practice the region says threatens to undermine its robust efforts to ensure economic stability and growth. “The de-risking activities of certain transnational banks that are resulting in their withdrawal of correspondent banking services, have the potential to delink our economies from the international trading system and global economy,” CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said as he accepted the letters of credential of South Africa’s High Commissioner Xoliswa Ngwevela to the grouping. “Similarly, the practice by certain countries of unjustifiably blacklisting CARICOM member states as non-coop-

erative tax jurisdictions makes a mockery of our efforts and documented success in complying with onerous international regulations in this respect,” he added. Correspondent banks, which are mainly large, international banks domiciled in the United States of America, Europe and Canada, provide Caribbean states with vital access to the international financial system, by offering services to smaller, domestic banks and financial institutions to complete international payments and settlements. However, many banks, which provide correspondent banking services have been seeking to manage their risks by severing ties with institutions in the region. The issue of corresponding banking was a major item at the annual summit of CARICOM leaders in Guyana in July.

LaRocque told the South African diplomat that CARICOM is also concerned about “the troubling tendency” by many partners to graduate countries from access to concessionary financing based on the fundamentally flawed categorisation of some member states’ economies as middle income. “Such categorisation, based solely on GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, pays no regard to other factors such as our vulnerabilities as small-island and lowlying coastal developing states, SIDS (Small Island Developing States). In her remarks, Ngwevela noted that South African Development Community and CARICOM were striving for similar goals of harmonising economic development. They both have developed milestone Strategic Plans to guide them and she felt they can work together in this regard.

Jamaica shows improved economic performances -Byles KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Co-chair of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), Richard Byles, is predicting the Jamaica will easily pass the next test under the multi-million-dollar Extend Fund Facility (EFF) it has with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In May 2013, Jamaica entered into a four-year US$948.1 million EFF agreement with the IMF. Byles said that the island has exceeded all macroeconomic targets for the 14th and final quarterly test. “This is not just a pass, but a very big pass for Jamaica for this 14th quarterly test,” Byles told reporters, noting that for the quarter

ending September, the Net International Reserves (NIR) stood at US$2.47 billion, exceeding the target by more than US$600 million. Jamaica also surpassed the primary surplus target by some J$21 billion (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents), to achieve a primary balance of J$53.6 billion. Byles said Jamaica also outperformed targets for taxes and grants to record approximately J$235 billion for the first six months of the fiscal year. This exceeded the target by some J$13 billion or 11.6 per cent above the figures for the similar period last year. General Consumption Tax (GCT) accounts for 34 per cent of total taxes; Pay-As-

Richard Byles You-Earn (PAYE), 16 per cent; Special Consumption Tax (SCT), 15 per cent; and Customs Duty, eight per cent. All taxes, except Travel Tax, either met or surpassed targets.

The figures released here showed that Jamaica spent J$6.4 billion less than the target, to record an expenditure of J$253 billion for the April to September period. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has reported that inflation for September stood at 0.5 per cent, a slight increase on the 0.4 per cent recorded in August. For the calendar year to date, inflation was 0.8 per cent and 1.9 per cent for the trailing 12 months. “This is below two per cent for the last 12 months, which is a really extraordinary experience for us in Jamaica where we are accustomed to have, if not double-digit, high single-digit inflation,” Byles said.

PAGE 22

PROPERTY FOR SALE Campbellville- $45M, $32M. Festival City (2 Families) $19M, $9M. Aubrey Barker $30M. Diamond $12M- GME Realty- 231-2199, 618-7483 SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 6471773/660-5257

Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves – Contact Nick: 6831312, 627-3206 Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen & more. Call: 697-2969/6460966 Need a building contractor, house plan to be drawn or just an estimate. Call: 2160671/ 692-8464/ 622-0267 Hello the doctor is back! Have your gas stove service and repairs. Call: 601-0595; 220-4073; 220-5785 Couple looking for house to care take or rent in locations of: Tain, Bloomfield, #48 Village, Berbice. Call: 3371225/ 660-0561

House for sale: storey concrete building, block 8 Mon-Repos, E.C.D- Call: 592611-3548 2 Storey house, 4 bedrooms, all amenities, 2 lots near GuyAmerica, Zeeburg W.C.D, price negotiable. Call: 277-0024/659-1206 Two flat, three bedroom wood and concrete building Nurseville(Tucber ) New Amsterdam, Berbice -$15M. Call 333-2915 or 687-1837

VACANCY Cashier (shift work 6am3pm & 3pm-12pm). Submit application to Shell Station Providence EBD, shellramsburg@gmail.com Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 One salesman to work in parts store contact 2235273/4 One cashier contact 2235273/4 Male local labourer, ages 1845 @ Timerhi, must be honest and in good health, good salary. Call: 261-2280 Work in Trinidad, 5yrs experienced welder/mason. E m a i l : clinttrintent@gmail.com (great salary) Experience shop workers, domestic and handyman for the interior tel 231-0363 Experience domestic worker must know to cook and handyman for G/Town Tel 231-0363 DRESSMAKING Dressmaking Course: learn to master your skills in dressmaking. Contact us on: 601-5077

HEALTH

Two bedroom two flat wooden building on large plot at Adelphi, East Canje, Berbice $6M. Call 3332915 or 687-1837 Tuschen property from $2M$10M, La Parfaite Harmonie: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, newly built home -$22M. Call: 6880087 2 Storey house, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths @ 87 Daisy Street, South Ruimveldt Park -$18M. Call: 232-3244/ 697-5018 Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461

FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table. Call: 277-0578

WANTED Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellvile (Best Buy Food Supplies) (1) Live in caretaker. Call: 233-2427/233-2923 no private or unknown caller. Cashier sales boys/girls to work at a new hardware store, Innovations America. Call: 226-9768 Dishwashers, apply at Shanta’s, 225 Camp Street. Bodywork men. Call: 660-3004 Live in waitress with secondary education, boarding & lodging free $70,000-$80,000 monthly. Call: 610-3974 Cashier & salesgirls to work on East Coast. Call: 220-2128/ 601-4888 Looking for an investor for a mining block in the Mazaruni area. Call: 672-8844 Live in waitress. Call: 6439007 One experienced general domestic to work in G/Town, must know to cook all Indian dishes. Pleasant & trustworthy. Call: 656-6388

TO LET

One waitress to work at bar on the E.C.D – Call: 613-2650 or 627-5607

1-2 Bedrooms apartment fully furnished; 1-2 Bedrooms apartment unfurnished at Eccles. Call: 667-2536

Female bartender, live in/out, attractive waitresses, cooks needed at Eden’s Bar (East Bank). Call: 678-3616

2 Bedrooms apartment unfurnished @ Werk-enRust, Georgetown. Call:2315750/ 609-6392 LEARN TO DRIVE

Receptionist, apply with application at Millenium Manor Hotel, 43 Hadfield Street, W/Rust.

C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

Experienced dispatcher to do shift work @ Gem’s Taxi. Call: 225-5075/ 622-6413/667-9013 One domestic, age 45 & older, preferably from West Bank/ Coast. Call: 691-1161 Live in maid wanted between ages 45 and older @ Robb Street home. Call: 226-0450/ 627-3205

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: PICKUP, 9-11 SEAT MIN BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPOTR & FAMILY OUTING, CHEAPESTRATE . Call: 698-7807

VEHICLE FOR SALE

FOR RENT

1 RD5 Honda CRV, immaculate condition, TV, reverse camera, CD, mags, alarm, etc, price -$2.850M. Call: 626-2884

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Space for rent at Ashmin’s BuildingIdeal for commercial and office useCall: 683-7954

1 Landcruiser Prado, excellent condition. Call: 625-4196 or 656-0565 1 New & unregistered Toyota Allion $2.4M, 1 Allion PVV series $2.150M negotiable, low mileage, TV, camera, etc. Call: 649-0956 Oswin J’s Auto Imports: New Arrivals: Premio, Allion, Fielder, Axio, Rush, X-Trail. Free full coverage insurance. Call: 609-2815 One To y o t a AE100 Sprinter, Stick shift. Price negotiable. Call:613-6666/ 222-4579

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT,CHEAPREATES, SPECIALOFFER.CALL:690-6494

2 Bedrooms apartment for rent @ Nandy Park -$70,000. Call: 227-5194 Upper flat for rent 3 bedrooms in Atlantic Gardens- Call: 2274377/227-0613/624-6013 Business bottom flat for rent in New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop. Call: 227-4377/ 227-0613/ 6246013 Apartment self contained in Tuschen. Call: 669-1448

Bus BKK series, working condition -$600,000 negotiable. Call: 668-1004/ 682-9127

Two bedrooms house, parking, overhead tank. Call Joy: 649-9059/ 621-1088

Not working Vehicles: 1 Surf, 2 Pathfinders, 1 Bobcat, 3 Toyota Cars, 1 Canter, 1 Fiber glass boat. Call: 227-4377/ 6246013

Suitable space for Storage Bonds or Office Space in Charlotte Street, Georgetown. Please Call: 638 – 5303 One bedroom self contained in Grove, E.B.D, preferably working couple. Call: 6933738

Experienced cashier, curry cooks, cleaners. Apply at Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce Street.

Herbal Nectar Treatment for diabetics, hypertension and most internal sickness, sexual enhancers for men. Call: 651-8351 Learn how you can benefit from iridology Mon, Dec 5th - Contact Hazel’s Herbal Store: 226-9136

Saturday November 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

One bedroom self contained apartment @ 122 Section D Turkeyen Sophia -$32,000. Call: 641-3598 WANTED Live in/Live out domestic/ babysitter. Call: 223-7500 Mon-Fri 8:15-4:15pm One cleaner must know to cook, ages 20-40 to work in snackette & bar. Call: 6477432/ 223-5798 Live in domestic must know to cook & bake, salary $80,000-$90,000 monthly 3050yrs, boarding & lodging free. Call: 222-4890 3 Experienced saw men to work in interior pay $50-$60 per BM. Call: 220-2878 One female sales representative -$25,000 weekly. Call: 220-2878

LAND FOR SALE Uitvlugt-$2.5M, Zeelugt $1.6M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.4M, $1.2M, all prices negotiable. Call: 642-1252 Diamond 21st Street, can transfer $3.5M. Schoonard, WBD $25M, Land Of Canaan $5M per acre- Contact Shawn 231-2199, 618-7483 Large houselot (fenced) bearing fruit trees, near GuyAmerica , Zeeburg W.C.D, price negotiable. Call: 277-0024/659-1206

Interior workers needed, salary $80,000. Call: 674-1767/ 659-2708

Gold & Diamond mining blocks in Puruni, Providence prime house lots. Call: 6158810 or 668-3100

Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate-Tel: 6225518

House lot in Uitvlugt -$3M. Call: 676-4051

Jet & Marack Men to work in Interior. Call: 694-2310 between 8:30-5:00 One domestic -$25,000 weekly. Call: 220-2878

EDUCATIONAL CXC Classes: day & evening classes, personal tutor, Grade 4 to 6, Form 1-5 Maths. Call Sir Jarvis: 690-5008/ 693-4588/ 638-2359

Continue on page 23

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 23

Kaieteur News

One year later...

Gender Studies Institute still in “setting-up” phase - but has ambitious plans to advance pertinent issues Although it was launched just over one year ago, the Institute of Gender Studies at the University of Guyana (UG) is still in a ‘setting up’ phase. This state of affairs has been acknowledged by current Chairperson of the Institute’s Board of Directors, Ms. Vanda Radzik. However, Radzik noted that although ‘setting up’ of the Institute is progressing slowly, senior functionaries of the university have pledged their support. “We have the ‘buy-in’ of the new Vice Chancellor (Professor Ivelaw Griffith) and the Chancellor (Professor Nigel Harris) himself, who is very keen to see gender take root the way it has in terms of study and research at the three campuses of the University of the West Indies,” Radzik informed. Radzik, who also serves as a Commissioner on the Women and Gender Equality Commission, has the support of two of the Commission’s members - Ms Sandra Hooper

and Ms. Nicole Cole - who also serve on the Board of the Gender Institute. “We have a very good team of university professionals as well as civil society members and we are doing our best to move it forward,” said Radzik, of the Gender Studies Institute. But Radzik, speaking at a recent press conference, revealed that plans are apace to advertise shortly for a Director of Gender Studies as well as for a Post Graduate Senior Researcher. “Our Women and Gender Equality Commission actually gave us a big push a few years ago when we initiated and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the then Vice Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, and then we had the launch, and quite a lot of what we have in mind is in that memo,” the Gender Studies Institute Chairperson related. According to her, the Board of the Institute is soon to meet with current Vice

Chairperson of the Institute of Gender Studies, Vanda Radzik Chancellor, Professor Griffith, in order to update and renew the existing agreement, and give it a further push forward. Radzik said that the Institute is also poised to benefit

via some crucial support from “good partners – the University of York in Canada, the University of the West Indies and the Commonwealth University of Learning...” The partnering entities have all developed modules that the Gender Studies Institute hopes to take advantage of. But Radzik disclosed that the Institute this year was able to “review all of its learning modules and courses that relate to gender studies from the Women’s Leadership Institute through to the Ministry (of Social Protection) through to courses at UG that are currently being carried in other faculties at UG”. Radzik revealed that the Institute has found that a lot of those modules and courses when reviewed by stakeholders were found to be very relevant. “So we actually have a body of courses that are sort of ready, although they could be updated, but ready to be delivered.” Added to this, Radzik disclosed that “we are actually thinking of having a special course at the Institute of Gen-

der Studies for the media and for media practitioners, so media practitioners can not only get certificates, but also be able to extend the learning and knowledge-building in our own society on what is gender and why it is so critical to development in every single field”. As such, she noted that the Institute is embracing the idea that between 2017 and 2018 it will actually be able to launch the proposed programme. According to the Chairperson, the Vice Chancellor has committed to ensuring that a foundation course for every single UG student will be delivered through the Gender Institute, so that across faculties, everyone attending the university will be sensitised in gender and development. The Gender Studies Institute was introduced to help influence policy and serve as a hub for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary teaching, research, dialogue, and action on local and transnational issues on women and gender.

CI plugging $640M to reduce deforestation, improve efficiency in gold mining C o n s e r v a t i o n International Guyana (CIGuyana) and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) have joined forces to launch a US$3.2M ($640M) project to improve the economic and environmental performance of the gold mining sector as part of the country’s green economy efforts. According to CI-Guyana, this collaboration will aim to particularly support small and medium-scale gold miners in adopting more efficient production technologies and practices at all stages of their operations and inform the development of public and private policies in the sector. “Overall, the initiative seeks to reduce forest loss driven by mining by 25% below the level measured in 2013. The project will be guided by a Project Steering Committee comprising representation from CIGuyana, the GGDMA, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and the National Toshaos Council (NTC).” CI-Guyana said that the GGDMA and the NTC will also be supported to enhance their capacity to properly represent their constituents and assist them in implementing improved natural resource management measures. “These efforts build on

Vice-President of CI-Guyana, Dr David Singh already established commitments and efforts by the GGDMA to reduce deforestation associated with mining operations. Progress along these lines will assist Guyana in meeting its obligations under the Minamata Convention which is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.” The project will use a lesson-learning approach to inform and promote the adoption of natural resource management policies that reflect green growth principles. “Working through a multi-stakeholder process, partners will facilitate

evidence-based and collaborative decisionmaking to produce robust practical solutions and policy recommendations for the sector. Specifically, work will include testing combinations of environmentally-friendly high-productivity, low-cost technologies; and developing workable business models that enhance production efficiency, improve livelihoods, and reduce the area of forest cleared for operations and harmful emissions from production processes. Miners and communities will be supported through outreach, capacity-building and the provision of technical services.” According to CI-Guyana, “…stakeholders have publicly recognized the ongoing significant contribution of mining to Guyana’s economic development; while proud of this recognition, the industry understands that it has to embrace new technologies and improved practices as it strives to further define its role within the newly emerging Green Economy model.” The collaboration of industry, government, indigenous communities with Conservation International is one avenue for demonstrating how the sector can drive sustainable socioeconomic growth while also meeting key environmental

and social safeguards, says Hilbert Shields, representative of the GGDMA. Vice-President of CIGuyana, Dr David Singh, said that, “Greening the gold mining supply chain requires that we consider how we maximize the value of this non-renewable natural resource, how we minimize negative and maximise positive social impacts, whilst at the same time reduce the loss or degradation of our ecosystems. This project brings together the insights, expertise and resources of the private sector, public sector and local communities throughout the entire supply chain and policy spectrum. Together we will develop solutions that will help Guyana’s gold to be internationally respected for its very low impact on natural capital and its strong positive social impacts on communities.” Gold mining is a significant sector of Guyana’s economy. It accounted for an average of 15% of Guyana’s GDP over the five-year period from 2009 to 2014 and reportedly benefits an average of 18,000 households directly or indirectly. Based on the results of the national Monitoring Reporting and Verification System, the sector also accounted for roughly 90% of forest lost over the same period, including 13,516

hectares of forest loss in 2013. The sector has also recently come under greater scrutiny for health, safety and social issues. This initiative is part of a five-year project, Addressing Drivers of Deforestation in Guyana and Peru, funded under the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation’s (Norad) Climate and Forest Initiative. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 30 countries on six continents and with 1,000+ partners for a healthy planet.

From page 22

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Dredge mining operation: excavator, dredge, camp, truck, ATV bike, welding set with gas bottle. Call: 676-7943 One (1) RZ bus, WTI engine. Call Lawrence : 615-7506 Mitsubishi Galant 1996 Model. Body in good condition. Sold as parts. Price negotiable. Tel: 216 1079 /616 8027 One 45feet complete, cabin cruiser, trout seines, excellent condition. Call: 657-0044/ 648-6815 Cargo Trawler. Call: 682-8724; 616-5954 1- 225 Yamaha Outboard Engine; Salt Walter series 6,000 running hour, price negotiable. Call: 662-6151; 669-5400 Trinidad: Columbia 16 Block plant, fully automated, production 12,000 blocks per day-$600,000USD. Email: clinttrintent@gmail.com DAF Truck with 2x Dump tray, Massey Ferguson, bobcat loader. Call:689-1250/ 678-8698/516-312-9525 Design & Make Aluminum windows, doors, stainless rails, showcases, rolling shutters, make & install automatic doors. Call: 2336818/677-5599/659-9999 75 Yamaha outboard engine, in good condition. Call: 2590302 1 Big music set, owner leaving country. Call: 6905225 1-30 feet aluminum jet boat with spares. Call: 642-7898

PAGE 24

Kaieteur News

Iraqi special forces push into Mosul

Iraqi special forces say they pushed deeper into Mosul yesterday despite heavy resistance from Islamic State militants using civilians as cover, and were holding half a dozen city neighborhoods seized in the last 10 days. The elite Counter Terrorism Service troops broke through Islamic State defence lines to enter the city early last week and have since been embroiled in a brutal, closequarter combat with waves of suicide bombers and snipers. The special forces are the spearhead of a wider coalition of 100,000 fighters seeking to crush a few thousand Islamic State jihadists who have ruled Mosul, the biggest city of their crossborder “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, for the last two years. The campaign, nearly four weeks old, is the most complex military operation in Iraq in the 13 years of turmoil since the U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Racist attacks break out in the US after Donald Trump’s victory In his acceptance speech on Wednesday, US president-elect Donald J. Trump made a pledge of unity, promising to be a leader for “all Americans.” But some of his supporters have not heard that message. Even as Trump was speaking, one person in the audience yelled “Hang Obama,” and online commentators spewed a steady stream of racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic messages on a YouTube livestream, directed to “Anti-whites,” “Killery,” and “Jews in Congress.” Things have got worse since then. Trump’s victory, which he achieved with 279

Iraqi soldiers drive into to Shahrezad village east of Mosul

Security forces and army infantry divisions, backed by a U.S.-led air force, are preparing to move on southern and northern districts of Mosul in coming days, to step up pressure on the militants. Kurdish peshmerga and Shi’ite paramilitary forces are holding territory to the northeast and to the west. On the eastern front, special forces pushed into the Qadisiya al-Thaniya district, on the northern edge of the small pocket of neighborhoods they control so far, Sabah al-Numani, spokesman for the Counter Terrorism Service, told Reuters. “We have encountered heavy resistance from the enemy,” he said, with what he called “obstructive patrols” of militant forces trying to hold up the advance. “We are facing the most difficult form of urban warfare, fighting with the presence of civilians, but our forces are trained for this sort of combat.” Military officers have told

Reuters that the fighting is some of the most lethal they have seen, with small groups of militants using a vast network of tunnels and narrow streets to launch an apparently endless sequence of attacks against troops. Islamic State’s two-year reign of fear in northern and western Iraq threatened the country with disintegration, and Prime Minister Haider alAbadi says it has cost Iraq $35 billion in economic damage. Inside Mosul, a city which is still home to up to 1.5 million people, residents said this week that the militants had killed at least 20 people and displayed their bodies - five of them crucified - as a warning against acting as informants for Iraqi forces. The U.N. human rights office said a total of 40 people were reportedly shot on Tuesday for “treason and collaboration” with Iraqi security forces, and a 27-year-old man was shot for using a mobile phone.

Saturday November 12, 2016

electoral college votes but without taking the popular vote, appears to have emboldened some of the white supremacists who support him offline too. Self-identified Trump supporters are harassing minorities, and calling for more organized white supremacy. Near Boston, at Wellesley College, where Clinton went to school, two men from a neighboring college drove around the campus flying a Trump flag from their pickup truck, according to students who posted videos on Facebook. One wrote: They laughed, screamed and sped around campus. Then, they

parked in front of the house for students of African descent, and jeered at them, screaming Trump and Make America Great Again. When one student asked them to leave, they spit in her direction.Utah high schools have several reports of Latino students being bullied, according to a local Fox News channel. One student whose parents are Mexican immigrants said she was told, “You wetbacks need to go back to Mexico.” Racist slurs and proTru m p s l o g a n s w e r e scrawled at high school in Minnesota:

Space junk lands in

Trump wants make it hard to get green card World leaders are seeking clarity from president-elect Donald Trump on a number of pressing issues, including trade and relations with NATO. While there’s a lot of guesswork about Trump’s policies, there’s one thing the rest of world should prepare for: a titanic shift in immigration. Trump’s hard-line position on immigration doesn’t just affect undocumented immigrants; he wants to severely restrict legal migration too. Trump has vowed to “keep immigration levels, measured by population share, within historical norms.” Since 1970, the US’s foreign-born population has nearly tripled in percentage terms, to 13.3%, and it’s projected to reach 18% by 2065,

according to the Pew Research Centre. Trump wants to make it much harder to get a green card (permanent resident status), but has yet to define what he means by “historical norms.” When the US began collecting data on the immigrant share of the total population in 1850, it stood at around 10%. It fluctuated before peaking at around 15% in 1890—due in large part to high levels of European immigration. In 1921, the Emergency Quota Act began limiting immigration from a country to per cent per year of the number of people from that country who already lived in the US in 1910. The 1924 National Origins Act cut this quota to two per cent and also ex-

cluded immigrants from Asia. Between the 1930s and 1970 the immigrant share dropped sharply, reaching a historic low of around 5% in 1970. So if Trump’s “historical norm” is from 1921 to 1965, the number of green cards issued each year would halve, according to the New York Times (paywall). If the norm runs from 1966 to 1976, when Trump was in his twenties, it would fall by 41%. Whatever the target figure, Trump has announced a number of plans to make it harder to obtain a green card in the next four years. One of his most radical ideas is to stop issuing green cards altogether for a period of time, thus freezing the ability of existing US residents to bring family members to join them.

A large metal object has fallen from the sky into a jade mining area in north Myanmar (Burma), state media say. The cylindrical object, found on Thursday in Kachin state, is 4.5m (15ft) long and 1.2m wide. Another piece of metal with Chinese writing on it tore through the roof of a nearby house at about the same time, but no injuries were reported. It is thought that the incident might be related to the launch of a Chinese satellite. A Chinese Long March 11 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Wednesday night, car-

rying an experimental satellite. ‘Houses shook’ Local residents reported hearing a loud bang before the object landed. Officials from the local Defence Service said it bounced 150ft (50m) and landed in a muddy area of the mine, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. “We were all afraid of that explosion,” villager Ko Maung Myo told the Myanmar Times. “Initially, we thought it was a battle. The explosion made our houses shake. We saw the

smoke from our village.” He said that the air near the object smelled acrid. “The metal objects are assumed to be part of a satellite or the engine parts of a plane or missile,” Global New Light reported. The object appeared to be same shape and size as a part of the rocket known as a stage, says BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos. Rocket stages are supposed to fall away into bodies of water or uninhabited areas. The Kachin state government said it was unable to immediately identify the object.

Saturday November 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Trump appoints new transition leader

Republican U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has removed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as leader of his transition team, handing the reins over to Vice PresidentElect Mike Pence, a former

U.S. lawmaker with deep Washington ties, the New York Times reported on Friday. The Times, citing several sources close to the transition team, said Trump told advisers he wanted to use

Pence’s contacts to move the transition process along. NBC News also reported the handover, which came one week after two former Christie associates were found guilty in the New Jersey “Bridgegate” scandal.

PAGE 25

PAGE 26

Kaieteur News

Saturday November 12, 2016

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 27

Kaieteur News

Minister admits social cohesion measures yet to be taken to Parliament Even though President David Granger has constantly appealed for there to be a greater sense of national unity within the Parliament, there has been no move by his Social Cohesion Ministry to effect any change in this regard. This was confirmed recently by Social Cohesion Minister, Amna Ally. At the most recent post cabinet press briefing, Kaieteur News asked the Minister to say what social cohesive measures she has taken to the level of the Parliament and what were the results of those efforts. To this, Ally responded, “As you would agree with me, Social Cohesion is a new ministry and it has only come into being from 2015. What we are doing in the ministry now is lot of sensitization in the regions and getting people to have a buy-in on what social cohesion is. We have been doing a lot of consultations to come up with a five-year strategic plan, but in terms of taking those measures to parliament we have not done that yet.” The Social Cohesion Minister said that in the meantime, efforts have been geared towards elucidating to the National Assembly, the programmes and national agenda of the Ministry. “But as time goes by we will see this unfold,” Ally added. Last year, the Head of State had said that he would work along with the Minister of Social Cohesion in bringing unifying mechanisms to the parliamentary level, in an effort to change the acidic nature of Guyana’s politics. While this is yet to be seen, many local critics believe that it is something to be aggressively pursued. Specifically, Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds maintains that the Social Cohesion Ministry must aggressively address the “divide and conquer” culture championed by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). Dr. Hinds emphasized that the lack of cohesion within ethnic and social groups has to be a focus. And with this in mind, he stressed that “the fracturing of village cohesion brought about by the culture of divide and con-

quer by the PPP has to be confronted.” The University professor stated that the glaring divide between men and women in Guyana is systemic and the consequences are far-reaching. On this note, he said that the Ministry is, therefore, more than relevant. The University professor also made the point that the Ministry of Social Cohesion is still a relatively new ministry and is still feeling its way in terms of its mandate. Taking this into account, Dr. Hinds said that he would not agree with some sections of society, which have said that the Social Cohesion Ministry has failed or has not done enough to heal the ethnic divide. He insists that it is in charge of a very sensitive area of national life, and as such, has to be very careful. But Dr. Hinds does not believe that the Ministry can bring about ethnic unity. He said that the most it could do is facilitate that unity and improve the conditions for that unity to blossom. “I sense that the Ministry has been engaging the socalled ‘stakeholders’ in the country. While this is a good first step, it has to move beyond that approach and engage the communities directly.” He continued, “We have to have a bottom-up approach to social cohesion, a community-oriented approach that engages the communities separately and together. In the final analysis, social cohesion can’t be about stakeholders, it has to be about addressing the barriers to national cohesion.” “I would urge a community education approach, using the arts and sports as mediums for promoting social cohesion.” The political activist said that the major justification for the Social Cohesion Ministry is that Guyana has a historical problem of polarization between its major ethnic groups. And inside of those groups, Dr. Hinds said, that needs to be addressed by all stakeholders, including the government. He said that there is also the issue of class polarization that is often masked by ethnicity. “We have spent a lot of time wishing that our ethnic diversity goes away, and that

Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally in the process we become Guyanese bereft of ethnic identities. But the more we wish, the stronger our individual ethnic identities have become.” He continued, “Obviously there is something fundamental about identity that some of our commentators and politicians do not grasp or care to grasp. Our challenge, then, should not be the eradication of our ethnic identities. “Rather, it should be about constructing a national ethos that accommodates our diversity. In the end education, both formal and informal, and the enactment of government policies, are the most potent tools.” Dr. Hinds said too, that the biggest barrier to a Guyanese national ethos is the fear by all ethnic groups of domination by the other. He said that often, it is the fear of domination that leads to the practice of domination and vice versa. “For me, then, the Ministry of Social Cohesion’s major task should be tackling the problem of ethnic domination. If we are able to contain the instinct and fear of domination, then we would go a long way towards creating more space for a shared ethos. “A lot of that work has to be done through formal and informal education. The Ministry of Social Cohesion (MSC) has to partner with the Ministry of Education to create in our larger curriculum, a Social Cohesion curriculum.” The University professor also stated that there is a need for a Community Social Cohesion Initiative that aims to reduce the tension between ethnic identity and national

WPA Executive Member, Dr. David Hinds

President , David Granger

belonging. In this regard, he opined that it is necessary for the MSC to acknowledge the nation’s diversity and highlight both the intersections of those identities and the

uniqueness of the individual ones. “We are very good at pointing to the intersections, but we silence the uniqueness, for fear that it is interpreted as bigotry. In this re-

gard, education and frank discussions about race are inevitable. The dream of a non-ethnic society must not be substituted for an inter-ethnic socio-political, cultural and political space,” the WPA member expressed. Additionally, Dr. Hinds said that the MSC should focus on developing policies aimed at socio-ethnic equality and suggest these to the government. He posits that there can be no social cohesion without social equality. This, he said, has to be a priority for the Ministry. The WPA Executive Member commented, too, that the unevenness that exists between social and ethnic groups is an impediment to a national ethos. Dr. Hinds said that the poor know that they are dominated by the rich and that government policies generally favour the rich.

Infrastructure, taxation on list of PSC recommendations for 2017 budget Private Sector Commission (PSC) member Ramesh Dookhoo has said that some of the recommendations which the body made to Finance Minister Winston Jordan for the 2017 budget, focus primarily on infrastructure, taxation and incentivising various sectors. During a recent interview, Dookhoo explained that “as you know a number of crucial sectors in the country have performed at a reduced level than they did in 2015. So we did make recommendations on how to stimulate those affected sectors”. Dookhoo said that the PSC meets with the Finance Minister every quarter of the year and he has received the Commission’s recommendations. He said that it is expected that deliberations will follow in the coming days to discuss the suggestions made. He said that the PSC is also considering making public the complete document

outlining all the recommendations which were made to the Minister. Involvement of the Private Sector in the 2017 budget was mentioned by President David Granger during his address to Parliament, where he informed the House that fiscal, environmental and institutional sustainability will be the pillars of the 2017 budget. He had said that incentives would be offered to the private sector to follow the government’s lead in developing the renewable energy sector. “We will graduate our economy increasingly towards greater renewable energy use across all sectors of Guyana. Government buildings will be powered, eventually, by renewable energy sources and will utilize energy-efficient technologies. Incentives will be offered to the private sector to follow government’s lead,” the Head of State asserted. The 2017 budget is expected to be presented in

several weeks. According to the President, the budget will reflect the harmonization of the Sustainable Development Goals with government’s national development plans, particularly in the social sector. Granger said that preparations for the 2017 budget began several months ago and has been characterised by an inclusive and consultative process. The budget is also expected to stimulate the agricultural sector in developing a more diversified and climateresilient sector. Some of the projects which are to be financed include mega farms in the Immediate and Rupununi savannahs, promoting the expansion of non-traditional agricultural production such as coconuts, fruits and spices; and promoting the increase of aromatic rice production, which will add to crop production in the rice sector at a higher end of the value chain.

PAGE 28

Kaieteur News

Saturday November 12, 2016

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Police launch investigation into Neymar and Brazil run wild, suspected soccer corruption thrash Messi and Argentina

(Reuters) British police said on Friday they had opened an inquiry into an allegation of bribery following a review of a newspaper’s investigation into suspected soccer corruption. City of London Police said detectives from its Economic Crime Directorate had assessed information gathered during an investigation by the Daily Telegraph newspaper in September. “This review of the m a t e r i a l h a s concluded and the decision has been taken to begin a criminal investigation into a single suspected offence

of bribery,” the police said in a statement. No further details were given. The Telegraph investigation led to the English Football Association (FA) sacking Sam Allardyce as the national team manager after just one match in charge, ruling he had behaved “inappropriately” when discussing an offer of a lucrative sideline role put to him by undercover reporters. Police said Allardyce was not part of their investigation, news which he welcomed in a statement. “I was always confident that this would be the case as there was no evidence

against me,” Allardyce said. “I now ask that the Football Association deals with this matter as quickly as possible.” The Telegraph also reported that eight current and former Premier League managers were accused of receiving unofficial payments, known as ‘bungs’, for player transfers. The paper said it had agreed to hand over its findings to the FA and the police after undercover reporters discovered “widespread evidence of corruption in the English game” by filming soccer agents boasting about how many managers they had paid off.

Saturday November 12, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Take the time today to consider your health, Aries. Living a long, healthy life is something we all want. Start now to take care of your body.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your mother may be on your mind today, Libra. Your mother probably affects how you think, act, and feel, both in the past and now.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today you may emphasize organizing things and managing your life, Taurus. Take a look at your time management.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Focus on yourself today, Scorpio. Take note of your health. You probably know that this is something you must take care of always, not just sometimes.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) One day, I want to be…. When you were little, how did you finish that sentence, Gemini? See what your memory and imagination come up with. CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you feel cautious today, Cancer, don't be alarmed. This can be a good thing, Cancer, as you can be too trusting at times or forget to take care when going into something new. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Leo, personal dignity may be important to you today. This may come about when things go wrong or if you're accused of something you didn't do. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Don't be surprised if someone describes you as conservative. It may be true. It could indicate that it's important for you to maintain control over most things - these are all things that conservative people tend to closely monitor.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) No dream is too big or too late to fulfill. You may be thinking about your special dreams today, perhaps you aspire to do something really great, be a pioneer in some field, or be a prominent figure. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Chances are good that you will receive a helping hand or comfort from someone many years your senior who cares about you, Capricorn. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Today, Aquarius, you may think about competition and possible future goals. Take time to think such things through and, if need be, get back on the right track. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may think about your finances today, Pisces. It's never too late to learn about saving and investing, especially if there's something you really want to do, like travel.

CBS Sport - Brazil entered Thursday’s World Cup Qualifying contest with Argentina having never lost at home in the competition. That perfect record still stands. Brazil had no problem with their neighbors, as Neymar, Paulinho and Coutinho all scored in a stunningly dominant 3-0 victory. Coutinho opened the scoring just 25 minutes in with a wonderful strike, and Neymar scored just before the end of the first half to double the lead as Brazil departed the field to an emotional ovation from the home fans in Belo Horizonte. Looking for answers, Edgardo Bauza took off Enzo Perez in favor of another forward, Sergio Aguero, but that brought nothing to Argentina in the second half as the reigning World Cup finalist looked more like a mid-table South American team, which is where they are in the standings. Paulinho then got Brazil’s third just before the hour mark to cement the scoreline, and it was the knockout punch as the visitors created next to nothing in attack for 90 minutes. The win sees Brazil remain atop of the qualifying table in South America with 24 points, while Argentina remains outside of the qualification zone in sixth place at 16 points.

FIFA chamber recommends lifetime soccer ban for ex-VP Hawit (Reuters) The FIFA Ethics Committee’s investigatory chamber yesterday called for former Honduran soccer head Alfredo Hawit Banegas to be banned from soccer for life for allegedly taking illegal payments from sports marketing firms. Hawit, a former FIFA vice president and general secretary of the Honduran Football Association, in April pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in New York to bribery schemes uncovered in a U.S. investigation of corruption within the world soccer body. In a statement yesterday, the investigatory chamber said Hawit deserved a lifetime ban for allegedly violating FIFA’s general rules of conduct as well as prohibitions on bribery and corruption. The case now goes to the Ethics Committee’s adjudicatory chamber.

Neymar (centre) and company propelled Brazil to a comfortable win.

NBS cricket on this weekend The Georgetown Cricket Association New Building Society second division 40-over tournament is set to continue this weekend with several matches. Today, Muslim Youth Organisation will host Malteenoes SC (Hortence Isaacs and Andre Horry are the umpires), Guyana Defence Force will entertain Diplomats (Moses Ramnarine and Cyril

Goberdhan) and Third Class will play Sophia at MSC (Daniel Richmond and Cyril Garnath). Tomorrow, MYO will be at home to GNIC SC (Isaacs and Zaheer Mohamed), Third Class will journey to GDF (Javed Persaud and Deon Feassal) and Sophia will travel to Everest (Delvin Austin and Ramnarine).

Kaieteur News

PAGE 30

Saturday November 12, 2016

PCL Four-Day cricket

Shiv (91), Chandrika (86) rally Jaguars to 279-7 in battle of attrition at Providence Shiv Chanderpaul proved that there is no substitute for experience as he fell nine runs short of his 72nd First-Class ton, while Rajendra Chandrika stroked an entertaining 86 as Guyana Jaguars reached 279-7 at the end of the opening day of the first round Digicel four-day PCL First-Class game against Jamaica Scorpions yesterday at Providence. On a day on which age was just a number, 42-yearold left-hander Chanderpaul stroked 10 fours on a difficult Providence track with variable bounce to hit a 140-ball 91 and shared a partnership of 68 with Bajan Raymond Reifer (40) for the fifth wicket and 40 for the fourth with Vishual Singh (16). After West Indies ‘A’ team opener, teenager Shemron Hetymer (5) played a loose drive in the fourth over with the score on 13, and was bowled by M a r q u i n o M i n d l e y, Chandrika dominated a 98run second wicket stand with

Rajendra Chandrika flicks during his 86 at Providence. (Sean Devers photo)

Skipper Leon Johnson (19) who played the role of silent partner. In hazy sunshine, the Jaguars, who left out Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Chris Barnwell, opted to bat on one of the two pitches that were not resurfaced and quickly lost Hetymer. The 27-year-old Chandrika pulled Jason Dawes when he bowled

short and whipped him off his legs for boundaries on an outfield with several sandy patches. The flamboyant right-hander from Enterprise elegantly pushed Mindely down the ground before cutting him magnificently for successive boundaries. After the first hour the Jaguars were 33-1 with Chandrika on 23 and Johnson yet to score from 28

Six member team for Barbados invitational weightlifting championship Two days after staging a lift off at the Michael Parris Fitness Centre in the National Park, Georgetown, the executives of the Guyana Amateur Weightlifting Association (G.A.W.A) have selected six lifters to represent Guyana at the Barbados invitational weightlifting championship, on that Island from November 24-28. The team comprises Jonathan Ford and Dillon Mahadeo, both of the Cross Fit 592 Gym and Sean Bristol of the Michael Parris Fitness Centre, in the open category. Sean Cozier, will assume coaching duties, while General Secretary (GAWA), Seon Erskine, will accompany the lifters as the Masseur/Physio; Bertram Austin will manage the team. Meanwhile, the tournament will also facilitate a Masters segment and Colin McKoy and Deion

Deion Nurse (L) and Seon Erskine will relive their active days in the Masters category. Nurse are scheduled to represent Guyana in this category; Nurse will compete in the 54-59 age group while Cozier will flex his muscles in the 40-44 years category. The event is dubbed as the first of its kind in the region in over forty years and will attract teams from Trinidad, Aruba, Puerto Rico, Curacao and Guyana. The lifters are all in pristine shape following the

receipt of a quantity of weightlifting gears and equipment on donated to the GAWA from its parent body, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). Mr. Erskine had received the gift and had said then that it would aid in the preparations for the imminent tournament in Barbados. “These gears will be used to further the GAWA’s developmental agenda,” he had assured.

balls as Mindley in particular, bowled with immaculate control on a track on which the first ball of the day was taken by the Keeper at ankle height. Johnson got off the mark with a disdainful pull of debutant pacer Jerval Green who ran in and bowled with plenty of heart and at Lunch the hosts were 89-1 with Chandrika, who reached his 12th fifty, on 62 and Johnson on a watchful 12. After the interval Johnson got one that cut back and kept a bit low and was bowled to give Green his first wicket at this level. Johnson batted for 135 minutes in his 95-ball 19 to leave the Jaguars on 111-2. Chandrika punched left-arm spinner and Captain Nikita Miller for four before he cut at one too close to him and edged a catch to the Keeper to leave the score on 125-3 Chanderpaul, in his 15th match against Jamaica, a team he has made the highest score in Regional four-day cricket (303*) against and averages 74.37, Chanderpaul got going with a fabulous cover driven boundary before edging Dawes, the quickest of the Scorpion’s trio of pacers, between the Keeper and first slip for four. The former West Indies Captain, with 30 Test tons from a record 164 matches and only second to Brian Lara on the runs aggregate by a West Indian, was

beaten a few times outside off-stump before tucking Dawes off his body for a delightful boundary. Singh, just back from a successful ‘A’ team trip to Sri Lanka, danced into legspinner Damion Jacobs and dumped him over mid-on for four. But in trying to repeat the shot next ball, skied an outside edge to cover as he threw his wicket away at 165-4. A crowd of close to 100 fans watched as Reifer, in the 25th First-Class match at Providence, clobbered John Campbell for consecutive boundaries before he was LBW to Green after facing 69 balls and striking five fours and a six at 233-5. One run later, Anthony Bramble (0) was bowled by a beauty from Miller who induced Chanderpaul to edge to Jermaine Blackwood at slip to orchestrate his demise when nine short of his 18th Regional First-Class ton.

Miller (3-64) bowled 34 overs but Green was the best Jamaica bowler on show yesterday and took 2-61 from 17 overs. All the others contributed with the ball as the first day ended with Veerasammy Permaul (8) and debutant Eon Hooper, who replaced Devendra Bishoo in the team, yet to score. To d a y ’s a c t i o n commences at 09:30 hrs and will be carried live on NCN’s VOG. Meanwhile, in BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, – Scores at the close on the opening day of the first round of matches in the Regional Four-Day Championship yesterday show: At Warner Park: LEEWARD ISLANDS HURRICANES 210 for five (Nkrumah Bonner 71 not out, Jahmar Hamilton 65, Chesney Hughes 31, Kieran Powell 26; Kevin Stoute 3-24) vs BARBADOS PRIDE. (CMC)

Kaieteur News

Saturday November 12, 2016

NSC completes cricket coaching workshop on EBD

Participants with Coach Latchman Yadram after the clinic.

The National Sports Commission held a cricket coaching workshop for teachers on the East Bank of Demerara. The clinic was

facilitated by Coach Latchman Yadram and teachers were given lectures on the basics of the cricket at the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC.

Yadram thanked the teachers for the interest shown and urged them to work with the students while the teachers welcomed the initiative.

RHTY&SC, MS extends congrats to Eon Hooper on his senior Guyana call up T h e P a t r o n , Management and Members of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS is extending heartfelt congratulations to our member Eon Hooper on his call up to the Guyana’s Senior Cricket team. He earned a late selection to replace West Indies player Devendra Bishoo for the first match of the West Insides Cricket Board four day first class season, a release from the club stated. The entire Club would like to salute Eon Hooper on his well-earned selection and wish him well in the upcoming tournament. The twenty five years old all-round e r j o i n e d t h e RHTY&SC, MS in 2003 at the tender age of 12 years and

o v e r t h e y e a r s has represented the Club at all levels. Eon started his cricketing career as an opening batsman and parttime off-spinner. Over the years he successfully led the RHTY&SC Under 17, under 19 and Under 23 to Championship honours. In 2015, he was named as one of the top twenty five cricketers produced by the Club when it celebrated its Silver Jubilee celebration and has also won numerous awards at our annual awards ceremony. Hooper is the fifth fully produced RHTY&SC cricketer and the seventh overall to be selected to play for the National Senior team. The others are Esuan Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Delbert Hicks, Rajiv Ivan and Andre Percival.

We at the Club are very proud of the unbelievable success we have made in our short history and with upcoming cricketing stars like Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair, Keith Simpson, Sylus Ty n d a l l a n d B r a n d o n Corlette we are confident that our cricketing legacy would continue in the future. The Management of the Club would like to remind Eon that our success over the years has been due to a simple but proven formula of sheer hard work, personal discipline, faith in the God we serve and dedication. It is our hope that he would continue to follow the formula and make us proud when given the opportunity to play. Congrats and we are very proud of you, the release informed.

Independence SC, Belle West triumph Independence SC and B e l l e We s t r e c o r d e d victories when the West Demerara Cricket Association T20 tournament continued recently. At Joe Vieira Park, Independence SC beat Players SC by eight wickets. Batting first, Players SC

scored 168 all out in 19.1 overs. Yogendra Ramanan made 38; John Paton took 320 and Reaz Esau 3-29. Independence SC responded with 171-2 in 16.1 overs. Safraz Esau struck 96 with six fours and 10 sixes, while Ashkaya Persaud made 53. At Meten-Meer- Zorg,

Belle West overcame the host by 55 runs. Belle West took first strike and posted 138-9. Mahendra Pratabji got 29 and Rodman Da Silva 23. The home team were skittled for 73 in 12.3 overs in reply. Safraz Shakur grabbed 5-16 and Ravindra Thakur 2-5.

PAGE 31

Darren Bravo’s poor performances did not merit higher contract - Cameron ESPNCRICINFO WICB chairman Dave Cameron has said Darren Bravo was offered a GradeC contract because his “poor” recent performances did not merit a higher pay grade. Cameron also revealed that of the 15 players who were recently offered WICB contracts till September 2017, only Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels had received contracts higher than the C category. Along with Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite and Samuels, who was given a Grade-B contract, had declined the board’s offer. This is the first time that the WICB offered an explanation of the contract Bravo was offered. “It is explicit that if your averages are not above a certain level it tells you what contracts you get. It is very, very explicit,” Cameron told SportsMax TV, a Caribbean television network. “His averages in the last two years have been declining, so what do you do? Reward poor performance or do you encourage him to get better?”

Bravo is one of the most experienced players in the West Indies Test squad and when Cameron asked if it was demotivating for the batsman to be offered a low contract, he said: “If you continue to keep giving him an A contract then what is the motivation to get better? He has been on an A contract and he hasn’t done well.” Bravo responded with a tweet saying he had never been offered a Grade-A contract. “You hav been failing 4 d last 4yrs. Y don’t u resign and FYI I’ve neva been given an A contract. Big idiot @davec51,” he said on Twitter. Bravo, 27, was West Indies’ second-highest run getter in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. Before that, he had a poor Test series against India at home, scoring only 139 runs in seven innings. Since November 2014, Bravo scored 1089 runs in 17 Tests for West Indies, a tally that is second to Kraigg Brathwaite’s 1258 runs in 20 matches. Bravo scored two

centuries and seven fifties in this period, and was also the second-highest run getter for the side in away Tests in this period, with 391 runs at an average of 43.44. Bravo’s overall batting average in overseas Tests is 51.18. The WICB retainers comprise five categories A+, A, B+, B and C - and the eventual grades are based on a points system used for players. These points are calculated by an appraisal formula that compares the player’s performance over the last 12 months to his overall career figures. In 2015, Bravo scored 644 runs in nine Tests at an average of 35.77, with his best performances coming overseas. In Sri Lanka, he scored two half-centuries from four innings before racking up 247 runs in five innings at 49.4 in Australia. In, Bravo aggregated 300 runs in five matches at an average of 37.50. Cameron did not provide the specifics of how many points Bravo had scored. “Every single player got C contract except Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels,” he said.

Women’s Development League continues with Round of Eight this weekend Georgetown: The Women’s Development League, under the aegis of the Guyana Football Federation Inc. (GFF) and the National Association of Women’s Football ( N AW F ) w i l l recommence this weekend with a “Round of Eight”, knock-out round. This weekend will see four matches at varying venues on the following days: Today, Saturday: District Two first-place finisher will go against the second-place finisher of District One – Kwakwani Strikers vs Fruta Conquerors FC – at the Kwakwani Community C e n t r e G r o u n d from15:00hrs. Tomorrow, Sunday: District Two third-place finisher will play District three first-place finisher – NA United vs Paiwomak FC – at St. Ignatius Ground, Lethem at 15:00hrs. District Three secondplace finisher will play District One third-place

finisher – St. Ignatius vs Foxy Ladies at St. Ignatius Ground, Lethem at 16:00hrs. To date, among the top goal-scorers are Jolade Trim of Kwakwani Strikers with thirteen goals followed by Abioce Heywood and Sasha James of the Guyana Defence Force with six and five goals respectively. The game between District One first-place finisher – GDF – against District Two second-place finisher – Demerara Queens – will be played in Linden on Thursday, 17th November, 2016. The three-month league will realize the participation of thirteen (13) clubs drawn from three geographically

designated districts: a. District One – North East District comprising G e o r g e t o w n , We s t Demerara, Essequibo and Bartica Regional Football Associations. b. District Two – North West District comprising Berbice, East Demerara, East Bank and the Upper Demerara Football Associations and c. District Three – Rupununi Regional Football Association T h e Wo m e n ’s Development League is designed to facilitate c o m p e t i t i v e w o m e n ’s football participation, create public awareness of the sport and to expand the players’ pool.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 32

Shewjattan aiming for success against rivals Not one to be afraid of mixing it up with the established competitors in the Group 4 category, local speedster Rupie Shewjattan speaking with Kaieteur Sport on Thursday said he is relishing the opportunity to go up against the best in the Caribbean. The occasion is the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship at the South Dakota Circuit. The experienced racer, who pilots a Mitsubishi Evolution VI said the past year has taught him a valuable lesson and that is that sometimes it takes time to get all the issues with the car rectified. Following a period of consistent performances, Shewjattan speaking at his business location said he is back. “I want to send out a challenge to everyone that takes to the grid in the Group 4 division that I’m back and doing well in the category is the goal I’ve set myself,” he said. Shewjattan, who is no stranger to success, having dominated the Group 1 and 2

categories for some time, before taking a hiatus from the sport, has returned with his Mitsubishi Evolution machine purchased from former Caribbean speed king Jamaican Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore. A c c o r d i n g t o Shewjattan, after experiencing problems with the handling of the car he decided to take some time off to get the problem corrected and was happy to report that all the issues that previously plagued the car are in the past and fans could expect a good performance from him tomorrow. He stated that he is relishing the opportunity to race against drivers such as current Caribbean champion Kristian Jeffrey and his father Kevin as well as the other drivers such as Danny Persaud and Jamaicans Gore and Peter Rae. Shewjattan paid respect to the skills of those drivers, but reminded that he will not be entering the race to be counted as ‘also ran’, but rather to rumble with the best there is.

He was happy to report that the machine is in top condition, adding that the current recorded speed of the car is on par with any other in the group. Shewjattan is no new kid on the block, having entered competitive racing in 1996 when he chewed up the opposition in the Group 1 category with his EP 71 Toyota Starlet, before graduating to the Group 2 division, when he drove a EP82 Starlet with similar success. His exploits reached its peak when he raced in the Caribbean against some of the best drivers in the region at that time and according to him, his focus is to return to those days when his hunger for racing success was at an all time high. Fans are warned not to miss the exciting Shewjattan as he turns up the boost tomorrow against the best there is regionally. He extended thanks to the following sponsors, Auto Fashion, Stag Beer, Palm Court, Buddy’s, Auto Color, Agri Parts.

Redeemer, North Gtown, St. Pius triumph Redeemer, North Georgetown and St. Pius won their respective zones of the Georgetown leg of the Guyana Cricket Board Scotiabank Kiddy Progression one tournament which was played recently at the National Resource Centre. Redeemer beat Bel Air Primary in the East Georgetown final. Batting first, Redeemer made 180-2 with Kevin George scoring 148, while Linden Ogle got 52. Shivanie Small took two wickets. Bel Air were bowled out for 58 in reply. Kai James made 15; Shurlon Millington, Ogle and Wayne Vansertima took two wickets

each. North Georgetown overcame St. Agnes by 63 runs in the North final. North Georgetown managed 1064, batting first. Shiloh Adams stroked 42, while Shaquille Jones made 24. St. Agnes were sent packing for 43 in response. Nigel Lowe, Kellon King and Yannick Norton picked up two wickets each. In the South final, St. Pius defeated Enterprise Primary. Enterprise took first knock and were bowled out for 89 in 10 overs. Jonathan Duesbury made 12 and Julius Ross 11. St. Pius replied with 90-4 in 10 overs. Akeem Pereira made 37 and Deshan Dummet 17.

players that will be on show are Anthony Stanton, Deon Barnwell, Dane Kendall, Shawn O’ Neil, Olea Pedro and Dirk Exeter. The winner will take home the Frank Alphonso Junior trophy. Following the

Fix It Electronics Service Centre supports Flying Ace Track Attack meet Set for tomorrow, the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) of New Amsterdam holds their fourth annual 2016 Track Attack cycling event and more businesses are coming on board with sponsorship help for the activity slated for the Rose Hall Community Center Ground, East Canje, Berbice. Former club cyclist and now businessman of the Fix It Electronics Establishment of Trinity Street New Amsterdam, Leone Cipirani, on Thursday made a presentation to the Club to help to offset expenses for the event. Speaking at the simple ceremony Cipirani stated that he remembered his days as a cyclist and expressed pleasure in being able to assist his former club and be a part of the activity. He is also happy to be associated with the FACC again because the club has a good track record and has been a pacesetter over the years. Roberts for his part thanked Cipirani and the Fix It Establishment for coming on board and wished him all the best in the future. According to Roberts there will be a number of cycling and athletics events for all categories. There will be events for open riders,

Former cyclist and businessman Leone Cipirani (right) makes the presentation. juniors, juveniles, BMX, veterans, school boys, starters, females and school girls including the 5000, 3000 and 1500meters events and the devil take the hindmost. All the top cyclists and athletes from the club and Berbice area are expected to take part in the day’s action. Roberts said that he expects a large turnout of participants, especially among the juniors and school children. Particularly among those selected from the three districts in Berbice namely New Amsterdam/Canje, West Berbice and Corentyne to represent their area in the upcoming National School Athletics, cycling and swimming championships

slated for later this month at the National Stadium. They are also expected to be football, softball cricket and volleyball. A number of novelty events are expected to be staged while there will also be trampoline and bouncy castle. The day’s event is expected to begin at 10:00 hrs. Among other sponsors on board so far is First Impression Hotel, Hampshire Corentyne Berbice, Ming’s Optical, Hand in Hand, A. Ally and Sons, Mara And Sons Business establishment, Payless Variety Store, Lewis and Sons and Water Chris Hotel. (Samuel Whyte)

GSCL Inc premier tournament to commence on November 25 Satyanand Persaud At West Demerara, La Grange beat Malgre Tout. La Grange took first strike and posted 173-3. Satyanand Persaud struck 81 and Shaquan Adams 27. Malgre Tout were skittled for 53 in reply. (Zaheer Mohamed)

Masters football tourney concludes tomorrow North Georgetown will take on South Georgetown in the final game of the best of three Masters football series from 10:00hrs at the GFC tomorrow. The first encounter ended 1-1, while South won the second 2-1. Among the

Saturday November 12, 2016

conclusion of this competition an inter association masters tournament will commence on November 26 involving teams from Berbice, Linden, G e o r g e t o w n , We s t Demerara and East Coast Demerara.

The inaugural Georgetown Softball Cricket League (GSCL) Premier Competition will commence on November 25 at several venues in Georgetown. The competition which will be played in the Open and Masters categories will conclude on November 27. The Masters division (Over 45-year old) will see the champions taking home $500,000, while in the Open category the winning team will pocket $600,000. Interested teams are required to pay an entrance fee of $40,000 while on match days they are also responsible for their own balls, meals and water. According to Organising Secretary of the GSCL, Samuel Kingston matches will be played at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Everest Cricket

Samuel Kingston Club, Carifesta Sports Complex, Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO), and GNIC grounds from 9:30hrs. Kingston stated that all teams registering for the Over-45 category must submit photo identification preferably valid passports on or before November 18

for every member of their 15-man squad. Registration will be done by contacting the GSCL Inc at 69 Seafort Street Campbellville or telephone 619-5103. The tournament is receiving vast support from Panama with HL Latino, Beifa Zona Libre, Quick and Mayo Zona Libre already on board. On the local scene, Elegance Jewellery and Pawn Shop, Ink Plus – The Computer Store and Crown Mining have all thrown their corporate support for the three-day event. So far for 2016, the Georgetown Softball Cricket League has successfully run off the Digimax Softball Cup and the Regal Sports Competition, while another Regal Sports tournament is approaching the quarterfinals stage.

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 33

Kaieteur News

Hamilton fastest in Brazilian practice SAO PAULO (Reuters) Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton reminded Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg that he will not hand over his Formula One title without a fight after dominating Friday practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Briton, 19 points behind the German with two races remaining, was fastest in both sessions at a sunny Interlagos with his best lap of one minute 11.895 seconds set on soft compound tyres in the morning. Rosberg was third, and 0.230 off the pace in that session, but ended the day second on the afternoon timesheets and just 0.030 slower. R e d B u l l ’s D u t c h teenager Max Verstappen was second in the morning but sixth after lunch, when the Williams pair of Valtteri Bottas and home favorite Felipe Massa were Mercedes’ closest rivals. Rosberg, who is unlikely to lose too much sleep over the Friday times, can clinch his first championship title if h e w i n s o n S u n d a y,

wherever Hamilton finishes. On paper he has a good chance, having won the last two Brazilian Grands Prix from pole position, but Hamilton - wearing an Ay r t o n S e n n a t h e m e d helmet this weekend - has the momentum after victories in Texas and Mexico. The weather at Interlagos can change from sunshine to torrential rain in a matter of minutes and the race has a history of surprises and drama, meaning there is still everything to play for. Australian Daniel Ri c c i a r d o w a s f o u r t h and fifth fastest for Red B u l l w h o h a v e improved steadily this season and are the only team other than Mercedes to have won races. F e r r a r i ’s S e b a s t i a n Vettel was ninth in the morning, on the slower medium tyres, after spinning off in the closing minutes his comments over the radio swiftly bleeped out on the television feed. The German, seventh in the second session, was warned after an expletive-

Mercedes’ Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain in action during the first practice session. (REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker)

laden outburst at the previous race in Mexico. Russian reserve Sergey Sirotkin took Kevin M agnus s en’s place at Renault for the morning stint while Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was

given a practice run in Mexican Esteban Gutierrez’s Haas. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso provided some laughs when his McLaren suffered an energy recovery problem and stopped

trackside. The Spaniard also broke down in practice at Interlagos last year, when he triggered a social media flurry by sitting on a marshal’s folding chair and sunning himself with

his feet resting on his helmet. This time he again cast around for something to sit on, and found a television operator who offered him his place at the controls of the camera.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 34

Saturday November 12, 2016

Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition

St. Angela’s vs. St. Pius clash a colossal encounter A colossal encounter is envisaged when reigning champion St.Angela’s face former champs St. Pius in one of the semi-finals in this year’s Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition which resumes today, at the Banks DIH ground, Thirst Park. In the other semi-final, St. Agnes tackle West Ruimveldt in what is also predicted to be another bruising clash. The holders are undisputedly the event’s best team and will start as the favourite because of their better numbers on both ends of the field. In attack, the North Georgetown side have recorded a tournament leading 18 goals in five matches which translates to 3.6 goals per match. Seon Cato is the event’s top scorer with nine goals, while utility men Antwoine Vincent, Antonio McAthur and Omarie Nelson has scored four, two and two goals apiece. Defensively, the champs

are equally formidable as they are yet to be breached, anchored by the complementary twosome of McArthur and Vincent. For 2013 champ St. Pius, the statistics make for a positive reading. They are joint second in the attacking section with 13 goals thus far at a rate of 2.6 goals per game. Unlike the champions, St. Pius’s attacking threat is shared amongst seven players, with Dwayne Baptiste and Kaden Wellington the main scorers with three goals each. On the defensive side, the South Georgetownbased unit has conceded twice in the campaign. The second semi-final affair, West Ruimveldt is favoured to seal their second berth to the final. O f f e n s i v e l y, We s t Ruimveldt has scored 13 times with Kevin Mentus, Tafrel McAllister, Tyrese Jeffrey and Kenneth Gordon scoring three, two, two and two goals respectively. On the defensive end, the

2013 losing finalist is yet to be breached. Although not a traditional heavyweight, St. Agnes is expected to provide a stern test for their opponent due to an impressive defensive record. Presently, the newcomers to this stage of the tournament have only conceded once, which happened in the group stage. From the attacking standpoint, the Church Road outfit has scored eight goals, with David Xavier and Nikhail Carter netting three and two apiece. Winners of the tourney will receive the c h a m p i o n s h i p t r o p h y, medals, a set of team uniforms and certificates, while the runners-up will collect the second place trophy, medals, six footballs and certificates. The third placed side will receive the respective trophy, four balls and certificates while fourth placed will be presented with a trophy and certificates. The most

Part of the action in this year’s competition.

discipline team will also be presented with a trophy. On the individual side, the most valuable player,

highest goal scorer and best goalkeeper will each receive a trophy and football cleats. The other major sponsor of

the event is Banks DIH Limited through their Smalta and Rainforest Water Brands.

Kaieteur News

Saturday November 12, 2016

PAGE 35

GFF officially launch Stag Elite League Albeit the doubt that four top teams might be absent in this edition of the Stag Elite League, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) went ahead and officially launched the second season of the competition on Thursday, at the Federation’s Head Office in Section ‘K’ Campbellville. The event to be played over two rounds will begin on November 20th at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground. In the absence of Alpha United, Slingerz FC, Pele and Georgetown Football Club (GFC), all of who have officially withdrawn from the League, six clubs will now battle for top honours. The clubs that will compete are: Buxton United, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Fruta Conquerors, Monedderlust FC, Topp XX and Victoria Kings and fixtures are expected to be drawn shortly, with the closure of the registration period pushed back to yesterday to accommodate any of the four protesting teams’ change of heart. Total prize monies for the championship is GY$18,000,000, an increase from the first season’s entire w i n n i n g s o f GY$15,000,000. At the briefing it was

-new date set for kickoff

Sponsors including Marics Honda, Camex Restaurant (under the Church’s Chicken brand), E.C. Vieira Investments, Impressions, Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) and the National Communications Network (NCN) pose for a photo op on Thursday on the GFF lawns. announced that a few new sponsors have come on board and they are Marics Guyana Incorporated (Inc.), Camex Restaurants Inc. u n d e r t h e i r C h u r c h ’s Chicken brand, the National Communications Network ( N C N ) , E C Vi e i r a Investments Limited, the Pan American Health Organization and Impressions Branding. President of the GFF Wayne Forde speaking at the occasion showered praise on Platinum sponsor Ansa McAl for its resoluteness in

staying the course despite the recent imbroglio surrounding the withdrawal of the four teams, adding that the relationship between the two parties remain strong since they share a common vision for the tournament. Forde further thanked the latest addition of sponsors for coming onboard to help raise the championship to unparalleled heights, noting “the main objective of the event is player development”. According to the GFF

Boss, high quality coaching alongside financial remuneration will also have a “positive impact on player ’s development”, asserting “We need all hands on deck to push the sport forward” from all the relevant stakeholders. Stag Beer Brand Representative Linden Henry in his remarks underlined the importance of the event, adding that the players will be the focus of the impending season as the inaugural year was fixated on the actual event.

Marketing and Sales Manager of Marics Guyana Incorporated Romel Richmond said, “It’s a privilege to be a part of the event. We see this as an opportunity for youth development in country”. He stated, “Football and sport is the driving force of the economy in any country”, stating by partnering with the federation, the company will be able to contribute in this regard. He further revealed that the company has donated a Honda XR 150cc

motorcycle for the most valuable player (MVP) of the event. Chief Executive Officer of NCN Lennox Cornette said, “NCN is really proud to be a part of the event. Elite suggest what we are aiming for and what is the long term objective, goal and vision”. He added that football is rivaling cricket as the leading sport in the country since it is loved by many locals, announcing “I want to ensure that NCN partners fully with the league and we are looking to highlight players in many ways”. According to him, footballers have a life off the field and that he is pleased they will be compensated for their services, adding the event will provide a platform for Guyana to develop and that the company is grateful for the opportunity provided by the GFF. Director of Trading at Camex Restaurants Dawn Braithwaite in her presentation said, “We are pleased to be a part of the event and we assure you that we will continue in whatever way we can”. She further urged the GFF to focus on the academic aspect of player development, revealing, “We don’t believe in only feeding hungry bellies but hungry minds”.

Flacco throws three touchdown passes, Ravens beat Browns (The Sports Xchange) Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes and the Baltimore Ravens kept the Cleveland Browns winless with a 28-7 victory on Thursday night. Cleveland is 0-10 for the first time in its 66-year history. Baltimore (5-4), meanwhile, has won two straight and extended its lead atop the AFC North. Flacco completed 30 of 41 passes for 296 yards. He was also picked off twice on potential scoring drives. Terrance West had 65 of the Ravens’ 119 yards on the ground. Baltimore took a 13-7 lead when Flacco found Darren Waller on a 4-yard pass with 9:36 left in the third quarter. The Ravens had gone 17 consecutive drives without a touchdown before that score. It was also the first career touchdown for Waller, a second-year player from Georgia Tech. Cleveland quarterback

Josh McCown took over for rookie Cody Kessler on the next possession and threw an interception to Baltimore cornerback Jerraud Powers. Flacco could not take advantage as Joe Haden got his second interception of the game in the end zone. Flacco, however, redeemed himself with a 11yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith. A two-point conversion on a slant to Kyle Juszczyk boosted the margin to 21-78 with 2:05 left in the third quarter. On the Ravens’ next possession, Breshad Perriman caught his first career touchdown pass on a 27-yard lob from Flacco that was upheld after a review. Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is playing with a torn biceps, forced a fumble on the Cleveland 30 to continue the misery for the Browns. Cleveland has been outscored 157-51 in the

second half this season, including an overtime loss to Miami. The Ravens now lead the all-time series 27-9. Baltimore, which relocated from Cleveland in 1996, has also won five of the past six games, including a 25-20 victory on Sept. 18. The Ravens threatened near the end of the first quarter, but Flacco was intercepted by rookie cornerback Briean BoddyCalhoun. Baltimore then drove to the Browns’ 7-yard line with 10:29 left in the half, but could only manage a 25-yard field goal by Justin Tucker. Cleveland took advantage and grabbed a 7-3 lead on the next possession with a 25-yard pass from Kessler to Seth DeValve, a rookie tight end from Princeton. Baltimore cut the margin to 7-6 at the half on a 40-yard field goal by Tucker as time expired.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) throws as Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Demario Davis (56) applies pressure during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

t r o Sp PCL Four-Day cricket

Shiv (91), Chandrika (86) rally Jaguars to 279-7 in battle of attrition at Providence

Shiv Chanderpaul fell nine short of his 72nd First-Class ton at Providence yesterday. (Sean Devers photo)

Darren Bravo’s poor performances did not merit higher contract - Cameron

Darren Bravo was critical of the WICB chairman Dave Cameron on Twitter Š AFP

Shewjattan aiming for success against rivals

Group 4 racer Rupie Shewjattan Stag Beer sponsored Mitsubishi Evolution VI seen outside his business location.

Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210