Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday November 13, 2018

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

CHARTING A NEW COURSE

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t is certain that former President Bharrat Jagdeo will not be the presidential candidate for his party in 2020 and President David Granger may choose not to lead the APNU + AFC coalition either, given recent health concerns. As reported in this publication, President Granger went to Cuba for a thorough medical examination. This is not the first time Mr. Granger has sought medical opinions overseas. There is no question that his health is very important to us and everyone should pray for him and wish him good health so that he can continue the arduous task as the Head of State. The health of private citizens should be kept secret. It is against medical ethics for doctors or nurses to disclose to the public the health issues of private persons. But should the same rules apply to our leaders who are public officials? Some believe that the health of our president should be kept private and should only be raised when there is a factual basis to do so. Others feel that the public has a right to know about the health of our leaders. As a result, rumours, conjecture, uncertainty and/or anxiety persist. In the past, our leaders have kept their ailments secret. The majority of citizens did not know of the gravity of their illness. Very few knew that the country’s first Executive President, Forbes Burnham was seriously ill until his sudden death at the Georgetown Public Hospital. The same was true for Dr. Cheddi Jagan, who died twelve years later at the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC. Their deaths not only shocked the nation and the Caribbean, but caught most Guyanese by surprise. The sudden deaths of those iconic leaders should be the reasons why the public should know about the health conditions of the current leaders. It will help them cope both physically and mentally, should the worse happen. Guyana is at a crossroads in terms of its ailing economy, crime, corruption, high unemployment, poverty and poor health and education services, and therefore a president who is healthy and would devote all his energy to solve the nation’s problems is required to be at the helm. Since independence, our political leaders from both sides of the aisle have in many ways betrayed and deceived us. In every election, they have made promises but they have not delivered. They did it in order to obtain our votes, because their ultimate goal has been to gain power at all cost. We have been fooled and bamboozled too many times by our political leaders who have put their interests ahead of those of the people and the country. Throughout our post-independence period, we have been governed by leaders who have failed us. Many citizens are opining that it is time for a change in the way the country is being governed, especially given what has transpired during the last five decades. Some say this can be done by embracing new and younger leaders with integrity to harness the human and natural resources needed to transform and develop the country and move it forward. It is an absolute truth that we need visionary and transformational leaders to end poverty, corruption, crime, and the lawlessness in society. There is an obvious need for leaders with compassion and a commitment to solve the nation’s problems and improve the well-being of the masses. It is time to look to far and wide for honest and moral leaders who will end the partisan bickering and unite and govern the country in the interest of all. It is time to chart a new course.

The UN perplexing decision on France’s law disproportionately ‘burqa ban’ French harmed the petitioners’ right DEAR EDITOR, I recently read about the United Nations’ decision on France’s ‘burqa ban’ and felt that it was not justified; it did not fully take into account the security concerns, social integration, secularism and female empowerment issues that surround the burqa and niqab. In September 2010, France through an act of Parliament banned the wearing of facecovering headgear, including masks, helmets, balaclavas, niqabs, face-concealing burqas and other veils covering the face in public places, except under specified circumstances. During the preparation of the Bill the grand mufti of the Paris Mosque stated in Parliament that the niqab was not prescribed in Islam. The law was then challenged in the European Human Rights Court; it was upheld in July 2014. In October 2018, the United Nations decided that the ‘burqa ban’ ‘violated’ the human rights of two women who were fined for fully concealing their faces in public. The committee declared: ‘The

to manifest their religious beliefs’. The UN has requested that France reviews its law although their decision is non-binding. Apparently, the UN believes that the ‘religious rights’ of a very small minority of niqab wearing women should trump the security concerns of millions of people, national secularity and the empowerment of females. The burqa and niqab fully conceal the identity of the wearer, only the eyes can be seen and sometimes even these are hidden behind a mesh. One cannot even tell if a man or woman is beneath. Can the sex of a person be determined by just casually observing the eyes? In recent times, the world bore witness to horrific crimes in France; Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan and Nice’s Bastille Day massacres among others. There was no familiarity or grievance between the victims and murderers; people left their homes without a care in the world, for work, fun and celebration. Could they have predicted that monsters in hu-

man covering pumped with irrational hate and rage would have viciously taken their lives? For what? France continues to suffer from attacks such as these where random people are murdered who had absolutely no personal grievance with the attackers. France is home to pockets of extremists and fanatics of all type, as is the rest of Europe which is very easily accessible via bus, train or plane. Many French citizens fought with ISIS in Syria and for ISIS in Europe and many returned radicalized and damaged. Cunning people have used the burqa as concealment to carry out crimes, including suicide bombings, robberies, sexual assault and murder. In August, burqa clad suicide bombers killed at least 29 people in Afghanistan. In another incident in 2017 a NATO patrol was targeted, then there were the suicide bombings in Chad and Pakistan among other countries where the bombers concealed their identities using the burqa. Due to security concerns, several countries have fully or partially banned the wearing of face concealing gar-

ments in the public sphere. The ban had more to do with the fact that the identities of wearers are concealed rather than an attack on religious freedom. Presently in Egypt, a Muslim majority country, lawmakers are considering a ban on the burqa in public spaces due to security concerns. If this law takes effect I wonder if the UN would consider it a violation of human rights and restrictions being placed on the manifestation of religious beliefs. In France and other countries where the niqab was banned people are still free to manifest their religious beliefs. The Hijab which identifies millions of women worldwide as belonging to the Muslim faith was not banned. Other religious groups are also free to wear their garments; saris, turbans, kippah etc; even the very conservative nun’s habit does not hide the wearer’s identity like the rest. The UN committee further stated, ‘rather than protecting fully veiled women, could have the opposite effect of ‘’confining them to their homes’’...’ In the first (Continued on page 6)

NOT ABOUT POLITICAL GLORY HUNTING DEAR EDITOR, Finally, opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo has attacked the government’s decision to take control of the operations of the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI), albeit temporarily, in light of the latter’s publicly announced decision to raise its tolls by an astronomical and unconscionable level in excess of 300%. Editor, at last he has played his hand; but I wonder what took him so long? Let me first examine Jagdeo’s belated, but expected view. This is his usual playing to the gallery, this time to the business and commercial or big money class, better described as the private sector; as well as for political mileage. Except, that he has attempted to justify his position, by concluding that the government’s position was a political gimmick, given the imminent Local Government Elections. This is to deliberately overlook the fact, that the government not only exercised its right in accordance with the Berbice River Bridge Act, but also in light of a matter that had portents for a national crisis. This is ‘jumbie’ economics and contradictory politics by an opposition leader, who has developed the template for always attempting to be a knight in shining armour in

indefensible circumstances, in which he would have laid the troubled foundations during his presidency. And the examples have been numerous, well documented, and in the public domain, with no need to recite here. It is evident that his sole pre-occupation was with his buddy pal who it turns out is the major shareholder. Thus, for all of his publicly stated incantations of “objections” to the BBCI increases, and “let them produce the evidence to justify such”, he never came across as genuine in his objections, which were really expressions of great pretence. Especially for a government, which has its administrative agenda filled with the challenge of repairing a broken state, in addition to the gargantuan task of preparing the national framework and otherwise, for the coming of oil, such a situation, as toll increases would have been the last thing that it would have wanted on its daily agenda, much less engineered, for political purposes, as Jagdeo is positing. And I say this, given what could have been the socio-political implications of the unconscionable increases on citizens of both sides of the Berbice River divide, had such a decision of

temporary acquisition not been taken. Mr. Editor, it is instructive to note the proposed date of commencement of these BBCI toll increases, clearly intended to incite civil protests with the view of embarrassing the government. But here is the great contradiction in Jagdeo’s two basic positions and line of reasoning: How does he balance the view of vehement objections to the toll increases, as against

government’s most appropriate counter and decision to protect the travelling public et al, from what was clearly an intended unconscionable burden that would have been imposed by the BBCI? Jagdeo must be reminded that government’s decision is not about political glory hunting. It is about protecting the welfare of the people, and in the process, the national interest. Regards Dillon Goring

Another opinion of the takeover of the Berbice Bridge DEAR EDITOR, The unlawful control of the Berbice Bridge by the Granger Government is dead wrong. It is shortsighted to think that it is not. Such an authoritarian takeover violates the constitution of Guyana and it stands to discourage investors. This can never be the right approach to reject a proposed fare hike. Government should never abuse its power in such a manner to arrive at decisions when it has options to negotiate. Negotiating with investors of the bridge would have been the right approach to take. This saga highlights the fact that the PNC/APNU/AFC Government does not know how to lead. And who will pay the price for all this insanity? It is the people of this country because investors will not come here. This will in turn contribute to income inequality and poverty, among other problems. Therefore, Government did not help Guyanese in any way by abusing its power to trample investors in an undemocratic takeover of the bridge. In fact, its decision hurts Guyanese and it can only be explained as political and stupid. Sincerely, Dereck Singh

Tuesday November 13, 2018

THOSE THIEVING FIREMEN DEAR EDITOR, I watched and waited with bated breath for additional news on the fate of the passengers on that Boeing 757 jet that crash landed at The Cheddi Jagan International Airport Timehri. I was anxious to know what had become of the more than one hundred passengers and crew members; if they were alright, or if there were any injuries and of course fearing the worse if there were any major casualties. Thankfully the worst case scenario had been averted and no major harm had come to those on board. We sighed in relief that the danger has passed, and all were safe from any major harm. We now await the investigation into the requisite cause for the crash landing, as well as other matters such as the mechanical report that would soon come in due course of time. Now, when we thought the danger had passed and things would return to normalcy, we then woke up to the most degrading and shameful news that the firefighters were engaged in wholesale theft of passengers as well as crew members’ belongings. This is the most despicable news to have hit international headlines in recent times. Our Firefighters, persons who are supposed to be men and women of valour who are expected to show heroic and exemplary behaviour were the ones carrying out these dastardly acts of barefaced “thiefing.” It is appalling to say the least the way Guyana and

Guyanese would be viewed from now on. The Kaieteur News Cartoon carries the caricature of a hyena scavenging through the lot of the passengers. However, I would like to use the Guyanese terminology of “these Carrion Crows” for firefighters who could not wait to get their claws on the people’s goods, makes us believe that this is not the first of its kind. Shame on you!I would go on to use another Guyanese proverb “dag a custom to suck egg can’t leff off.” These shameless firefighters chose this an opportune time to practise their nefarious trade now to the open world. What a shame! What a disgrace!Last Saturday, there was a “march for Jesus” held in Georgetown, which was largely made up of members of the ruling elite PNC Cabal. It begs the question whether this march was really a religious event or a political gimmick coming largely on the eve of Local Government Elections. What I would suggest to The PNC is to hold another march and highlight as its slogan God protect us from the thieves and violent people and pray for the return of our country to true godliness and morality. This I believe would have a more lasting appeal to The Higher Powers in heaven to somehow bring us relief from the stranglehold of lawlessness that prevails. Respectfully Submitted Neil Adams

Signs of Economic mismanagement DEAR EDITOR, Since taking up office in 2015, the government has failed miserably in managing the nation’s key traditional sector of rice, sugar, bauxite and timber. At the end of 2017, just over two years, the state of our economy under the new government was as follow: From 2014 to 2017, total non-performing loans increased by $10.6 billion, with business enterprises a n d h o u s e h ol d b y $ 7 . 1 billion and $3.1 billion, respectively. Overall, non-performing loans increased from 7% in 2014 to 14.1% in 2017. (more businesses are failing). 1. Return on equity of our major commercial banks in Guyana fell from an average of 22.3% in 2014, to 3% in 2017, which is a sign of acute economic hardship. 2. Gold reserve fell from $25 billion in 2014 to $3 billion, as of September 2018. 3. Government deposits

THE HYPOCRISY OF THE AFC DEAR EDITOR It is no secret that the AFC continues to suffer political losses across the country, especially in the Berbice area. The Whim fiasco was just the tip of the iceberg which demonstrated the Party’s desperation to unearth any semblance of relevance. During the 2015 elections campaign, the AFC boasted of its support in Berbice and which it probably had to an extent. Capitalizing on that, it used those opportunities to make numerous promises, particularly to sugar workers and rice farmers. They were relentless in their efforts to convince of tripling the price for paddy and denied that it would

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collude with the PNC (disguised as APNU) to close some sugar estates there. They made it appear that they possessed all the answers to what many Berbicians might have been facing. Some fell for the trap and voted for the AFC with the expectation of the promises made being fulfilled. Three and a half years after, not one of those promises has been fulfilled and the AFC itself is fast slipping into oblivion. The reality is that rice farmers never got any of the increases promised and sugar estates were closed putting thousands out of jobs making it extremely difficult for them to provide for their families.

As a matter of fact, many sugar workers are still to receive their entitled severance despite numerous protest actions. It is only because of those actions, which brought shame, that the government was forced a few days ago to allocate money for the payments which, by the way, are still to be made. The fact is, the AFC is largely responsible for the economic hards h i p s a n d sufferings that were inflicted on Berbicians since May 2015. The AFC, without shame and any regard to the falsehoods it peddled especially in Berbice during 2015, came back to campaign for the 2018 Lo-

cal Government Elections (LGE). That is not only blatant hypocrisy on the part of the AFC, but complete disregard and wanton disrespect for Berbicians. All of their meetings suffered from extremely poor turnouts as people show that they will not be taken for granted by the AFC that not only failed to deliver any of its promises, but one which has no semblance of authority within the government and whic h h a s now become irrelevant. That is why they resorted to actions like they did in Whim having realized that they have been rejected. All for your consideration Baldeo Mathura

at the Bank of Guyana fell from $21.4 billion in 2014, to an overdraft of $61 billion as of September 2018 (sign of overspending). 4 . I n t e r n a ti o n a l r e serve at Bank of G u y a n a fell from US$652 million in 2014 to US$447, as of August 2018. In 2018 thus far, the government used up in excess of US$137 million (lack of foreign exchange due to ailing rice and sugar industries). 5. Forestry and bauxite sector loss in excess of US$37.8 million and US$86.6 million in foreign exchange, during the period 2014 to 2017, which is GYD$25.8 billion. 6. Bank of Guyana profit fell by 26.3% by the end of 2017, when compared to 2014, or $1.3 billion. 7. To finance the government budget deficit, the government borrowed locally, $22.7 billion between 2014 and 2017, an increase of 201% (funds that could have otherwise be used by our local investors to expand their businesses and create jobs).

8. Private Enterprises moved from producing a surplus of $8B in 2015, to a deficit of $12.8B at the end of 2017. In 2018, the deficit is anticipated to further increase by another $10 billion, to 22.8 billion. 9. Deficit in Central Government increased from $9.3B in 2015 to $34B or 277% by end 2017 and is expected to increase by another $9B by end 2018, to $43 billion. 10. In 2017 lending to the manufacturing sector contracted by $4.2 billion or 14.6%. Moreover, in mid-2018 manufacturing sector contracted by 5.7% to $26.0 billion; credit to the beverages, food and tobacco industry, and construction and engineering, decreased by $2.6 billion (39 percent) and $1.8 billion (15 percent), respectively. These are the facts as to the state of our economy. Can the Government outline what measures and policies would be implemented to correct this downturn? Regards Mohamed Irfaan Ali MP

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PNC OFFICIALS NOW ACCUSING EACH OTHER OF CORRUPTION DEAR EDITOR The fight within the PNC to succeed Mr. Granger as Party Leader has begun even as he is receiving medical treatment overseas. From what is ongoing, the fight is nasty to say the least. Since coming to government in May 2015 many allegations of corruption were leveled at various government officials from sections of society. The many financial improprieties as reveled through the Auditor General reports are shocking. The Sussex Street bond fiasco, the Durban Park project and the sole sourcing of hundreds of millions of dollars in drugs from both a leading private sector establishment and a shell company from overseas, are a mere few instances of wanton corruption. All were publicly denied

by government officials. As the President takes ill, the opportunists within are now pointing fingers at each other with accusations of corruption. Suddenly, it is a fight to show who is more corrupt. The infighting and the jostle for the position in the hierarchy of the leadership, has reached a point where it places the PNC on the path of breaking up and many stalwarts are worried. The battle to expose who has accumulated and sucked the most wealth from taxpayers since May 2015 has reached boiling point and it now explains why they refused to submit their declarations to the Integrity Commission. The situation is such that the few who have the Party at heart and who have expressed their concerns over the ongo-

ing and unbridled corruption by Party officials bleeding the country in the process, are being quickly pushed aside. What was always known by many regarding corruption by the PNC and which was denied, is coming to light from their own mouths as they trample on each other for the ultimately leadership position. If SOCU and SARA are really concerned about curbing corruption, it can easily gather confessions from those who are now fighting openly within the PNC. As they fight and the stories of corruption unfold, the impact could not only lead to the breakup of the PNC, but would bring further economic hardships to the country as a whole. Sincerely Alvin Hamilton

A NEW FOUND FAN DEAR EDITOR, I am a pessimist.I have kept abreast of the new government over the past two years because I voted for change. Even though in my opinion, there has not been enough progress with the retrieval of Guyana’s stolen money and the appropriate corrupt individuals being revealed and prosecuted.I wonder why that is.What I am very impressed with are the changes and progress at the Ministry of Education.Recently, a mobile clinic was launched to deal with a spectrum of problems our children have that prevent them from taking full advantage of their schooling. Some have been struggling in school, either because of problems at home, learning difficulties, e.g. undiagnosed dyslexia, general lack of support from family and their community. I have not failed to notice that this one step is significant and demonstrates the Minister of Education’s modern and grassroots

strategy. We have to start identifying our educational problems and this initiative goes a long way in solving one of them on an individual level with counsellors. I wasn’t a fan of this lady but through her continued actions that I have seen on the news and these include programmes that get teenage mothers back into educational institutes such as Carnegie School of Home Economics. The fact that children all over Guyana have benefited directly from her policies and interventions has caused me to retract my negative rhetoric.She even leads by example when it comes to life-long learning as I hear that she has just attained a doctorate (PhD). Where does she find the time? I have to concede, I am now an optimist and a fan of Dr. the Hon. Nicolette Henry. Keep up the good work. Yours sincerely, Elizabeth Williams

Crucial advice from Kamla Bissessar DEAR EDITOR, I had the opportunity of listening to a very insightful and forward- looking lecture by former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The event was hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) at the Pegasus Hotel. The lecture was most instructive and pointed to some serious mistakes that could be made if we put all our eggs, as it were, in the petroleum basket. She drew reference to the Trinidad and Tobago experience where the traditional sectors were de-emphasized in favour of the oil and gas sector. This resulted in skewed and distorted economic development. It also led to the underdevelopment of the agricultural sector and a consequential high dependence on imported food. The situation has now reached crisis proportions with the closure of Petrotrin.

Guyana has a good opportunity to learn from the Trinidad and Tobago experience and avoid the pitfalls of overdependence on oil. The projected revenues from oil are enormous given our relatively small population and unless the sector is properly and wisely managed, we could end up like some of the oil rich countries where there are high levels of poverty despite being blessed with plenty of oil. Our neighbor to the west, Venezuela, is a good example. The former Prime Minister urged Guyanese to come up with a policy framework on oil and gas which should draw on the inputs and experiences of all stakeholders including the political opposition. The challenges facing the sector are enormous such as price volatility and output shocks, hence the importance to plan ‘seven generations ahead’ in the words of Ms. Bissessar. For reasons best known to policymakers, there was a

noticeable absence of senior government officials at the event. I respectfully suggest that a copy of the presentation be solicited and careful consideration given to the recommendations contained therein. Hydar Ally

A 95-year-old votes and is elated DEAR EDITOR, I am 95 years old and I always read the letters in the newspapers to get the point of view of my countrymen and women. At this late stage in my life, I have put pen to paper to see if my voice will be heard too. I have returned from casting my vote in the local elections today. It took a long time as I had to walk to the school and back, but I did it, and I must say that I am elated by the experience and so proud; proud of the fact that this government with this one action has given us the people our democratic right back on a local level. I have to confess that I did not vote for this government in the general election, as I am old enough to remember the great Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham who together created the PPP party. To this day, I do not understand why this historic partnership dissolved. And if we are honest with ourselves and our country’s history, we

would realise that the fall out of that break up still haunts our country to this day. It would be good for a Guyanese historian to look back at those great men and reveal the real truth to free our country from the colonial “Divide & Rule” strategy that impedes Guyana’s development.My apologies, I digress, getting back to my original train of thought. The local elections, yes, the restoration of local democracy! I wanted to thank President David Granger and the Coalition government for gifting us the people of Guyana our rights back. As time goes on, this government through their action (not just words) have proven that they are on the path of fixing our country. It is evident that they realise the importance of true democracy because true democracy can only be exercised by all the citizens of our beautiful country, Guyana. This government has given us, the people, back our constitutional right and entitle-

ment to participate on a local level on how our communities are run. Only a strong and confident government would do this. In my old age, it seems like everything that I do would be for the last time. I thank God for giving me this day to cast my vote. I won’t be around for much longer but today I am full of hope and pride for my beloved Guyana. I have hope that under this government, Guyana will emerge as a united force that will take its place in the 21st-century global story and pride for the country I know Guyana is destined to be. People around the world will look at Guyana for guidance and how to do things right. Guyana’s story is just beginning, I won’t be here to see all of the benefits but my grandchildren will. Going out to vote in the local elections today is enough for me. Thank-you President Granger. Best Regards, Mark Thomas

The UN perplexing decision on... From page 4 place many women who wear full Islamic face covering often face severe social restrictions imposed upon them by their families and communities, just look at the lives these women lead in a few countries where the niqab and burqa are common. France is not a historically speaking niqab wearing nation. How does the niqab help its wearers to socially integrate and feel a sense of belonging especially in new environments when others cannot determine whether the person under the niqab is male or female; young or old. When you cannot discern a smile or grimace; observe body language or facial expression. All of these are part of the communication process. What great personal loss does a niqab wearing woman suffers if she shows her face

and instead wears a hijab in public? Is the loss so great that it should supersede security concerns and state secularism (Law of 1905 which separated Church from State)? In reality, what full concealment does is to ban women from full participation and interaction in diverse situations and with people from various backgrounds. Worldwide, the human rights of millions of women continue to be violated. They are restricted from making decisions for themselves, independent travelling, choosing their own clothing and even not being able to have a say in who they marry among other human rights violations. Recently, Saudi Arabia ‘allowed’ women to drive but what followed was the arrest of several women’s rights activists; in many places barbaric ‘honour killings’ are not taken seriously for example,

A PPPC without Bharrat Jagdeo for the next general election DEAR EDITOR The alternative is for Bharrat Jagdeo to While I support the PPP/C, I do not support Bharrat Jagdeo. This is because he is viewed as the cause of the PPP problems in that people distrust the PPP because of his policies while he was President of Guyana. Yes, the PNCR played a part in causing people to distrust Bharrat Jagdeo but the end result is that people just do not trust him enough to vote for the PPP/C. So there is no need for Bharrat Jagdeo to “bat” for anyone. What he (and Donald Ramotar) needs to do is to bow out gracefully from the PPP so that it can be given the opportunity to regenerate so that we can win the next General Elections due in 2020. I am sure that the PPP, and Guyana, will survive without Bharrat Jagdeo.

change his way of doing things. The very first thing that he needs to do is to give back some of his benefits from his “generous” pension package. Then, he needs to downsize his lifestyle as the ordinary Guyanese view his lavish lifestyle with mirth. Real change in people require commitment to change (not sticking an “R” behind your name to say that you have Reformed). He also needs to understand/remember WHY he is in politics. That is, to help the ordinary Guyanese.Bharrat Jagdeo is not the solution to Guyana’s problems. He is viewed as the cause of Guyana’ s modern problems. Yours faithfully Supporter

only last year in Jordan did lawmakers correct a legal loophole which allowed light sentences (as little as six months) for men who killed female relatives in the name of ‘family honour’; then there are child marriages and trafficking.How many women have been forced to wear the niqab and other garments? Clothing has been used as a weapon to oppress women for centuries. In Syria, ISIS forced women to wear the niqab, many Iranian women were arrested and some received prison sentences for removing their hijabs and all over the world women are blamed for sexual assaults committed on them, they are told that they dress ‘provocatively’ and to cover up. Long before the burqa and niqab issue France cemented it secularism which addressed all religious beliefs encroaching on public spaces and places such as the school. Given the very real issue of crime and living in a world with fanatics, extremists and others bent on criminality I do not find it so unreasonable that countries would want to be able to identify people in public. Women and girls in all countries of the world need to be empowered to realize their full potential, to not see themselves as the inferior sex, to not be ashamed of their gender and sexuality, to not be oppressed by archaic and harmful religious and social norms, to let their voices be heard and their opinions resonate and to be the change makers of today. Yours faithfully, Narissa Deokarran

Tuesday November 13, 2018

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Ruling imminent in $550M cocaine-in-lumber trial Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool is expected to rule this afternoon on no-case submissions made by the lawyers of four men who are jointly charged with aiding the trafficking over $550M worth in cocaine discovered

Cummingsburg, Georgetown and former Customs Officer Sherwayne De Abreu of 262 Eighth Street Section ‘A’ Liliendaal, Greater

Georgetown The four defendants are being represented by Attorneys-at-Law Everston Lammy-Singh, Glenn Hanoman, Latchmie Rahamat and Nigel Hughes respectively. The case for the Prosecution is being presented by Attorney-atLaw Konyo Sandiford. It is alleged that between March 1 and May 2, 2017 at a sawmill belonging to Narine Lall located at Lookout, East Bank Essequibo, the four accused aided Hakim Mohamed to traffick 84.986 kilograms of cocaine. They denied the charge and were each released on $5M bail by the High Court. Kaieteur News

Sherwin De Abreu

Stephen Vieira

in lumber. On trial are Nazim Gafoor and his father Tazim Gafoor, both of Menzies Street, Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara; motorbike racer, Stephen Vieira of 37 M iddle Street, South

Nazim Gafoor and Tazim Gafoor

Inquest ordered into death of Sophia mason beaten by mob The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has ordered an inquest to determine if anyone should be held criminally liable for the death of 40-year-old Nigel Lowe, who died after he was allegedly beaten by a mob of about 20 men who had accused him of stealing from residents in the community. According to reports, Lowe, called ‘Harry’, a mason of Joe Singh Drive, Sophia, Greater,

Georgetown, was stripped naked and tied to a utility pole, where he was beaten mercilessly on May 8, 2013. Reports suggest that the man was attacked by a group of men after a man in the area saw him in his yard and began hollering for thief. Police in a press release had said that investigations were being conducted into the circumstances surrounding the death of the man “whose nude body was found tied (Continued on page 22)

understands that the cocaine bust was made after CANU officials received a tip-off on May 12, 2017. When the ranks acted, lumber with cocaine concealed within was being packed onto a truck. CANU in a release indicated

that ranks conducted a search at the parapet in front of the premises of Mohamed and searched a truck laden with several pallets of 1×6 dressed lumber boards prepared for export. Several pieces of boards were drilled randomly

by the ranks and cocaine was unearthed. The lumber was packed at a sawmill located at Lookout, East Bank Essequibo, belonging to Lall, to be transported to a wharf in Georgetown and then

shipped to the United States of America, CANU had stated. CANU in its statement also said that Vieira was listed on the shipping documents as a representative of the shipper, Lall.

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Kaieteur News

National Veterans’ Trust to be established Minister of State Joseph Harmon has indicated that the government intends to establish a National Veterans’ Trust. He made the declaration during an address on Sunday at the annual Remembrance Day observance held at the Guyana Veterans Legion, Coghlan House, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown. The Minister delivered the remarks on behalf of President David Granger, who is a patron of the Guyana Veterans Legion. “ R e m e m b r a n c e D a y, which has been set aside to recall the end of hostilities and to honour the memories of those who perished during the world wars, is a continuous reminder that World War I was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history,” Harmon reflected. He also said that while the end of World War I in November 1918 did not bring about an end to wars, Remembrance Day should be a moment of reflection on the ravages and futility of wars along with the colossal waste of human resources and material and the socioeconomic consequences that followed. “It is also a day when we reaffirm our commitment to a world free of conflict, a world where differences are settled peacefully and without resort to threat or use of force. This is also a day for us to be reminded of our duty and obligation as a grateful nation, to show meaningful support and a life of

dignity for military veterans,” he said. The Minister then called on the Guyana Veterans Legion to be resolute in ensuring that the welfare of veterans receives its “justified and maximum attention”. He further asserted support for the veterans by reminding them that they are not alone in the quest for a dignified life, pointing to the P r e s i d e n t ’s r e s o l u t i o n , called a National Veterans Commission, which was piloted in November 2013 through the National Assembly. The Commission, tasked with examining the conditions and circumstances facing veterans and the Defence Forces aims to make recommendations to ensure their health and welfare. “ … Wi t h i n a s h o r t space of time, we would be advised as to the government’s position on these recommendations,” Minister Harmon said. Meanwhile, President of the Guyana Veterans’ Legion, retired Lieutenant Colonel George Gomes spoke of the history of Rem e m b r a n c e D a y, e v e n while appealing to government and overseas missions to “please help us do better for our veterans”. He said that there are 15 survivors of World War I as he pointed to Mr. Benjamin Durant who will be celebrating his 100th birthday on Thursday, November 15, 2018 and Mr. Gerald Stewart who recently turned 97

years old. Referencing the Commission of Inquiry, Lieutenant Colonel (rtd) Gomes expressed gratitude to the President for establishing it, as veterans across the country stand to benefit from recommendations. “Remembrance observances continue to be a significant time in Guyana.” Meanwhile, in his address, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Greg Quinn said, “In being here we do not honour war or death, but rather, we commemorate those who have given their lives in the service of our respective countries…their bravery was key in securing the allied victory. These men fought thousands of miles from their homelands for a country they have never been to, but for a purpose they believed in.” The British envoy said that the Government of the United Kingdom, through the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League would be providing additional assistance to 7,000 veterans and their widows in 30 commonwealth countries, including Guyana. “Our servicemen and women continue to protect us in difficult and dangerous situations. Many of us here have lost friends, colleagues and family members in service and it is important that we honour their memories. They have not died in vain,” the High Commissioner said.

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Guyana team in Qatar for World Health Innovation Summit A four-member ministerial delegation of health officials is in Doha, Qatar for the 2018 World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH). An invitation to the summit was extended to Guyana’s Public Health Ministry by Minister of Public Health of the State of Qatar, Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari. The summit is being supported by the Qatar Foundation and was founded by Her Highness of Qatar, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, to improve global health by developing an evidence base for innova-

tive healthcare policy. It is also meant to serve as a platform for leaders impatient about the current pace of change in healthcare. The event will feature keynote speakers, plenary sessions, a ministerial roundtable discussion, and the WISH hub, which will showcase some of the world’s most exciting healthcare innovations. The topics in focus, this year, include Anxiety and Depression, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Design in Health, Eye Health,

Healthcare in Conflict Settings, Islamic Ethics and Palliative Care, Nursing and Universal Health Coverage, Role of the Private Sector in Healthcare, and Viral Hepatitis. The summit will commence today, and will last two days. Guyana’s Delegation includes Junior Minister of Health, Dr. Karen Cummings; Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Campbell; General Medical Officer, Dr. Ryan Campbell; and Chief Nursing Officer, Linda Johnson.

UK delegation to spearhead talks on abolition of death penalty The abolition of capital punishment is being brought to the fore for discussion with the aim of moving towards abolition. The discussion in this regard is being spearheaded by a delegation of international experts currently here in Guyana until Friday. The delegation was organised through the support of the European Union and the British High Commission in Guyana. Saul Lehrfreund, Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project of UK is being joined by Randy Susskind; Deputy Director of Equal Justice Initiative of the US and Surinamese parliamentarians the Hon. Ms. Krishnakoemarie Mathoera and the Hon. Mr. Patrick Ciciel Kensenhuis. The international delegates will be supported by prominent Guyanese lawyer Nigel Hughes, who will provide expertise on the death penalty in Guyana. Although Guyana has not carried out any executions since 1997, death sentences continue to be imposed, and there are currently 17 people on death row. Guyana’s continued retention of capital punishment marks it as an outlier not only within the region, as it is the only South American country that still has the death penalty, but also on the global stage, where a majority of the world’s nations have now abolished capital punishment. The death penalty was

Mr. Saul Lehrfreund, Co-Executive Director of The UK Death Penalty Project. imposed on Guyana through British colonial rule. Since then the UK has rejected capital punishment and today is vocal in advocating for global abolition. A combination of factors were behind the UK’s decision to abolish the death penalty in 1965, including a recognition that the punishment disproportionately affects the most marginalised and vulnerable members of soc i e t y a n d , i m p o r t a n t l y, could not be imposed without error, arbitrariness and cruelty. This was made clear by several high-profile executions which raised concerns that the innocent, mentally disabled and vulnerable were being executed. Wrongful convictions remain a distressing reality

wherever the death penalty is imposed, it has been noted. In 2016, at least 60 death row prisoners were exonerated around the world. The inevitability of error in capital sentencing will be a recurring theme throughout the delegation’s presentations. In particular, attention will be drawn to the experience of the US, where for every nine people executed, one death row prisoner has been exonerated. Meetings will be held with policymakers and key stakeholders including senior government ministers, members of parliament, the Bar Association of Guyana, criminal law practitioners and human rights advocates. A public lecture will also be held today at the National Library in Georgetown to promote debate and increase understanding of key human rights issues relating to the use of the death penalty in Guyana. The Death Penalty Project is an independent legal action charity housed and supported by London legal firm Simons Muirhead and Burton LLP. For more than 30 years, The Death Penalty Project has worked to promote and protect the human rights of those facing the death penalty. The Equal Justice Initiative [EJI] is a non-profit organization based in Alabama, United States. EJI is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. It is expected that these initiatives will help to bring Guyana on board the abolition of the death penalty movement too.

Tuesday November 13, 2018

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Kaieteur News

The Caribbean Court of Justice has lost credibility The decision of the people of Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada not to accede to the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice represents a major blow to the credibility of the regional court. It now means that only four of the fifteen members of the Caribbean Community – Guyana, Barbados, Belize and Dominica – recognize the right of the court to hear appeals from domestic courts. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), however, has been endorsed by all member states in its original jurisdiction. Thus, it provides an avenue of recourse and remedies for member states and their constituents where there are disputes over the interpretation of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the guiding charter of the regional integration movement. Ironically, it is because of its rulings in the exercise of its original jurisdiction that the Court continues to lose the confidence of the people of the Caribbean. The court made a highly controversial ruling in the Shanique Myrie case. This ruling now imposes an obligation on CARICOM states to grant an automatic stay of six months to persons arriving from within the region, including Haiti.Anumber of governments are not

comfortable with this decision and its implications for immigration. The sovereign right of member states to take action to protect their environment, and by extension the health of the citizens, is now limited because of a decision of the CCJ. Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) took the Guyana government to the CCJ over a dispute concerning the waiver of the Common External Tariff on regional cement. TCL received a favourable judgment in that case. Guyana was forced to reinstitute the tariff which provides a form of protection for regional producers. A Suriname company also was awarded a judgment against Guyana in relation to the imposition of an environmental tax on regional imports. Even though the World Trade Organization does allow states to impose domestic measures to protect human and plant health, the CCJ ruled that Guyana’s environmental tax constituted a tariff on regional exports something that is forbidden by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. The CCJ is a regional court, established by the Caribbean Community, but which in its original jurisdiction does not enjoy

Dem boys seh ...

Voter refuse to scratch up Patsy face GECOM spend a whole lot of money pun Local Govt Elections. Before that, everybody keep meeting and rally telling people to vote fuh dem. Yesterday when dem boys go to de polling station to see wha happening dem realise nobody didn’t tun up to vote. One man tell dem boys when he go in de polling and he see Chase Green face pun de ballot paper de man just fold up de paper and refuse to vote. He tell dem if GECOM wouldn’t a count when he dig up she face as a valid vote he woulda dig up she two eye and scratch up she face pun de ballot paper. Dem boys see dem neighbour lef early to go and vote. Not long after, dem see she come back wid a lang face. Suh dem boys ask she wha happen. She tun and tell dem de people had de nerve to put Patsy hard face pun de ballot. She seh she just suck she teeth and walk out. Everybody know is 500,000 been pun de voters list. Results ain’t come out yet but dem boys want throw a bet. No more than 50,000 people cast vote throughout de country. Dem boys want to tell you de reason fuh this is because of de wholesale thiefing from tap to battam. One letter writer put de whole thing in perspective. He talk bout de firefighters who went to render assistance to de passengers in case of fire on de crash plane. Instead dem help people, dem help demself. Dem start thiefing from de front of de plane and walk through cleaning up every seat and every overhead locker. De man wha write de letter seh dem firefighters only follow the example of all our leaders in government past and present. De man seh wid firefighters like dem when you house on fire the best thing to do is lock the door and let everything burn. People does bring out articles and put dem at a safe distance for safety. Then dem does go back for more. By de time dem come back wid de second set, de first batch gone. This bring shame to de whole country. CNN and BBC and many international news agencies report on de plane crash and de thiefing. De CNN report how de firefighters should be de first responders. Instead, dem tun out to be de first removers. As fuh de BBC report de firefighters enter de plane as firefighters and come out as vacuum cleaners. Talk half and know that one more hour and de plane woulda tun a shell.

the confidence of almost three-quarters of the membership. And to add insult to injury, the host country of the Court has not acceded to its appellate jurisdiction. The reason for this crazy state of affairs is that the Caribbean public, having seen some of the decisions emerging from these courts, prefer to stay with the Privy Council rather than transfer over to the CCJ.

While many regional governments may be willing to accede to the Court, their constitutions demand that a referendum be held to do so, and when these are held, their people have rejected the CCJ. If a referendum were held in Guyana tomorrow, the Guyanese people would reject the CCJ. The CCJ, therefore, is still only supported by four member states of the region. It is most

likely that had the United National Congress of Trinidad won the last elections in their country, it would have come under pressure to justify the costs of hosting the CCJ. And if the former Prime Minister of Barbados, Freundel Stuart, had not lost the elections this year, he would have pulled Barbados out of the CCJ. That would have reduced the CCJ to three members in its

appellate jurisdiction. The Caribbean people are clearly not ready for a regional court. They may not even be ready for regional integration.

PAGE 10

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

6,420 false claims in 649 days: Which ‘De Donald’ did that? The Washington Post published a dimension of the Trump presidency that has been repeated across the global media scene. The American De Donald is accused of making 6,420 erroneous statements in a period of 649 days. If the American press can research this type of negative output of the De Donald of the US, why can’t the media in Guyana do the same for the Guyanese De Donald? The Guyanese De Donald of course is the former president, Donald Ramotar. Since leaving office, De Donald has published a newspaper letter once a month. There are times when it is once a week. A fortnight ago, there were two letters in the same week. Let us stick with once a month. That

would be about forty letters since May 2015. There is only one answer to why the Guyanese media cannot substantiate the amount of times the Guyanese De Donald was deliberately not factual. The Guyanese media do not have the resources that a paper like the Washington Post has (owned by Amazon tycoon, billionaire Jeff Bezos). But I contend that our De Donald was just as careless with objective facts as his American counterpart. The Guyanese De Donald was in the news recently. He appeared on the witness stand to be questioned by the Attorney General in the court case involving the lease of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (Red House). The case is

finished, with the Chief Justice to hand down her decision on December 17. During cross examination, De Donald acted exactly the way we would expect his American counterpart to perform. The Guyanese De Donald told the court that he did not sign the lease as president when he approved of Red House being leased to the research centre. After agreeing with the AG that the lease of state property would require presidential permission, De Donald asserted that approval can be given orally. One wonders what the legal luminaries will make of this. Isn’t one of the fulcrums of the legal rights of citizens since time immemorial the “signed document”? Isn’t one entering a legal minefield

when one can go to court and claim a property by citing oral permission was given? I am not a lawyer, so I will leave it there, but I have the funny feeling that the Guyanese De Donald expects for the PPP to win the case because an oral approval is as good as the written signature. Before we leave this aspect of De Donald’s deportment, one other aspect of the just concluded Red House case needs to be touched on, because it shows the way De Donald thinks. The AG showed documents to De Donald where on three occasions in the research centre’s application for the lease, President Jagdeo in 2006, 2010 and 2011 did not sign the documents. After perusing the papers shown to him in

the witness box, De Donald agreed that the president did not sign. But then De Donald answered back in a way that was extremely curious. He told the AG that even though Jagdeo did not add his signature, it did not mean that Jagdeo did not approve of the lease. Interesting semantics from the Guyanese De Donald. One would like to think this is the kind of response the American De Donald would offer. So how many times did the Guyanese De Donald not tell the truth or was blatantly misleading? I guess we will never know, but we should not leave readers in suspense. We can at least cite one or two examples. The clue to how many times De Donald strayed from the truth is contained in a few lines he used in a letter published on October 13, 2018. Gloating over the democratic rights his party brought to Guyana when it governed, De Donald observed; “However, one of the greatest achievements was the freedom which all our people enjoyed. No one was ever afraid to speak their minds. People criticized without looking over their shoulders to see who

Frederick Kissoon was listening.” So let’s conclude with just one example. I will not dwell on my contract termination at UG, six weeks after De Donald became president. Attorney Gino Persaud (now High Court judge) was chosen to be the CEO of the European firm, Credit Bureau. He was sent to Slovakia for training. When Credit Bureau was ready to set up shop here, the company was told that Persaud was an anti-government activist and the state cannot grant a license with such a person as the CEO. The only crime Persaud ever committed was to hold the position of president of the local branch of Transparency International. De Donald denied that he denied Persaud the job.

Tuesday November 13, 2018

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Kaieteur News

State mulls legal action against contractor for unfinished doctors’ quarters The State is considering taking legal action against a contractor in a bid to recover a large sum of money paid for the construction of doctors’ quarters at Port Kaituma Hospital, which remains incomplete. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Collette Adams told Kaieteur News yesterday that the defaulting contractor has since been issued a letter of termination. The contractor was hired to construct buildings for the Ministry of Public Health in Region One, as far back as 2016. However, according to the 2017 Auditor General Report, the contractor failed to complete the project, despite being advanced more than 50% of the contract sums. According to the information contained in the report, based on the ministry’s capital expenditure, the doctors’ quarters at the Port Kaituma Hospital Complex were not only incomplete, but the works done were valued at far less than the money paid over to the contractor. The AG had therefore recommended that the contract be terminated and efforts taken to recover the monies already disbursed. Adams therefore noted that based on the recommendations, the matter was sent to the office of the Attorney

General, the State’s legal representative, for legal action to be taken against the contractor. In addition to the contractor being fired for non-performance, Adams noted that a consultant hired as a third party in the bidding process was also let go. “At present, we are advertising for a new contractor to finish the project “the Permanent Secretary added. The Auditor General’s report had noted that the contractor received payments totalling $45M or 72% of the contract sum as at 31 December 2016. Physical verification of the works on 30 August 2017 revealed that actual works measured only $14.768M or 24% of the contract sum,” the report said. According to the report, approval was granted by the National Procurement Tender Administration Board, (NPTAB) for the award of a contract in the sum of $58.341M for the construction of doctors’ accommodation at the Port Kaituma Hospital Complex. The Engineer’s Estimate was for $62.291M. The contract was signed on July 19, 2016. The contract stipulated the commencement date of the project as 14 days after the signing, with a duration of 18 weeks and defects liability period of six months.

The incomplete Doctors’ Quarters at Port Kaituma However, the works were not completed and there was no evidence that extension time was granted to the contractor. As such, the Audit Office has recommended that the head of the budget agency present a letter of termination to the contractor to recover any amounts overpaid on the contract. Back in 2016, contracts were awarded to R. Bassoo and Sons Construction Company for works to the main building of the hospital.

Khashoggi corpse went down the drains: Turkish report Ankara (AFP) - The killers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi poured his remains down the drain after dissolving him in acid, a Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. Samples taken from the drains at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul showed traces of acid, pro-government daily Sabah said, without quoting sources. This led investigators to believe the dead body of the insider-turned-critic of the Riyadh regime was disposed of through the drains as liquid, the paper said. Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage. His body has never been found. After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in a “rogue” operation. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the “highest levels” of the Saudi government of ordering the hit, while some officials have pointed the finger at the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Yasin Aktay, an advisor to

Jamal Khashoggi Erdogan, suggested last week the body may have been dissolved in acid. And yesterday, a Turkish official said Saudi Arabia sent two experts to Istanbul with the specific aim of covering up evidence after the murder. Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz took to Twitter on Thursday writing, “I’m unable to express my sorrow to hear about dissolving your body Jamal!” “They killed you and chopped up your body, depriving me and your family of conducting your funeral

prayer and burying you in Madinah as wished.” A Turkish official this week confirmed a Sabah report that chemicals expert Ahmad Abdulaziz al-Janobi and toxicology expert Khaled Yahya al-Zahrani were among a team sent from Saudi amid investigations into the murder. The paper said they visited the consulate every day from their arrival on October 11 until October 17. Saudi Arabia only allowed Turkish police to search the building on October 15.

However other contractors responsible for other aspects of the project are Alvin Chowritmootoo, N and A Constructions, Cummings Electrical, Satar Mohamed and Son Construction and Hardware Supplies, J. R. Edmondson Building Works

and Integrated Works. The Supervisory Consultancy firm for the project is Kalitech Inc. While Chowritmootoo is tasked with completing the mortuary and administration building, N and A Constructions are responsible for the

Infectious Diseases building. Cummings Electrical is tasked with the electrical works, Satar Mohamed has responsibility for construction of the nurses’ quarters and J. R. Edmondson has been contracted to construct the doctors’ quarters.

China calls for open world economy but work remains on landmark trade pact SINGAPORE/MANILA (Reuters) - China will further open its economy in the face of rising protectionism, Premier Li Keqiang said as he arrived in Singapore yesterday for meetings with Asia-Pacific leaders that will focus on speeding up work on a major new trade pact. Li’s remarks in an article in Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper came as Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called for more regional integration, saying multilateralism was under threat from political pressures. “China has opened its door to the world; we will never close it but open it even wider,” Li said in the article, in which he called for an “open world economy” in the face of “rising protectionism and unilateralism”. He did not directly refer to China’s bruising trade war with the United States. Notably absent from this week’s meetings is U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said several existing multilateral trade deals are unfair, and has railed against China over intellectual property theft, entry barriers to U.S. businesses and a gaping trade deficit. Vice President Mike Pence will attend instead of Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are among those also expected to join Li and the ten-member Association

of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It was not clear if Li and Pence will hold separate talks on the sidelines of the meetings, which would be a prelude to a summit scheduled between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of the month in Buenos Aires. The encounter, if it happens, would come on the heels of high-level talks in Washington where the two sides aired their main differences but appeared to attempt controlling the damage to relations that has worsened with tit-for-tat tariffs in recent months. Li said China would “work with all relevant parties to expedite” negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), showcased to be a free trade deal that will encompass more than a third of the world’s GDP. The pact includes 16 countries, including ASEAN nations, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, but not the United States. Regional diplomats said substantial work had been done on the trade deal, but it was not likely to be fully concluded until next year. “During the summit, the leaders would express their commitment to conclude the negotiations, because this is very important for the region especially in view of rising trade tensions,” Junever Mahilum-West, a senior official in the Philippines foreign

ministry, told reporters last week. The draft of a communique to be issued by RCEP nations later in the week, which was reviewed by Reuters, said the group would instruct “ministers and negotiators to work toward the full conclusion of the RCEP negotiations in 2019”. Earlier, in remarks at a business summit on Monday ahead of this week’s meetings, Singapore’s Lee said: “ASEAN has great potential, but fully realizing it depends on whether we choose to become more integrated, and work resolutely toward this goal in a world where multilateralism is fraying under political pressures”. Lee has previously warned that the U.S.-China trade war could have a “big, negative impact” on Singapore, and the citystate’s central bank has warned it could soon drag on the economy. Also on Monday, the tenmember ASEAN group reached its first ever deal on e-commerce aimed at helping boost crossborder transactions in the region.

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Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

America St. money-changer murder PI The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of America Street moneychanger Shawn Nurse continued yesterday before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Yesterday an eyewitness, Sabash Moonsammy, went into the witness box where he gave evidence in the matter. Moonsammy spoke about the role he played in the investigation and he was thereafter cross examined by one of the defendants’ lawyers. Shawn Nurse, called

Prosecution to call final witness ‘Fabulous’ was shot and killed while plying his trade on America Street. Kerwin Dos Santos, George Hope, both 24, of Freeman Street, La Penitence, Georgetown, and K a c e y H e y l i g e r, 2 3 , o f Kitty, are jointly charged with the offence and are currently on remand for Nurse’s murder. It is alleged that on February 4, last, at America Street, Georgetown, they murdered Nurse, during the course or furtherance of a

robbery. Police Prosecutor Shellon Daniels, who is representing the state, is expected to call the final witness, Kimberly Jupiter, to testify in the PI. The matter was adjourned until November 15 for continuation. According to reports, Nurse, of Apartment 33 Shopping Plaza, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was shot during a struggle with a gunman, who was attempting to relieve him of

a large sum of foreign and local currency. The father of three died at the scene, while his killer fled with an undisclosed sum of cash and a quantity of gold jewellery. According to the police, Nurse was shot to the left cheek just below the eye by an identifiable male dressed in a red hoodie and brown three-quarter pants, who then escaped on foot

via Avenue of the Republic and Charlotte Street. A 9mm spent shell was recovered at the scene. In October of 2017, Hope was arrested by police after he was suspected to be involved in the murder of 58-year-old Fazal Shaheed, who was shot and killed during an invasion at his family home in East La Penitence on September 24, 2017.

A few weeks after that killing, Hope was arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he was remanded for allegedly being in possession of 736 grams of marijuana for trafficking. According to reports, a party of policemen descended on the East La Penitence home, where Hope was allegedly seen standing next to a barrel, which when searched, contained a haversack with leaves and seeds of a marijuana plant.

$22M road and bridge for Zeelugt New Housing Scheme The new road in Zeelugt Housing Scheme

The heavy-duty bridge

Zeelugt New Housing Scheme is benefitting from the construction of a second egress and an ingress at a cost of $22M by the Government, through the Regional Administration of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three). The construction includes a heavy-duty bridge with reinforced concrete abutments, steel beams and decking, timber revetment and asphaltic concrete approaches which cost $14M. The remaining $8M covered a road which involved heavy

land clearing, landfilling to shoulders, white sand and white sand/sand-clay sub bases, crusher run and an asphaltic concrete surface. Also included in the work is a heavy duty polyethylene culvert and reinforced concrete (RC) headwall. Speaking to the Department of Public Information, Shonrick Zephyr, a driver living in Phase 1 Zeelugt, New Scheme said, “This is tremendous progress for the people of Zeelugt. Anyone that complains about this

infrastructural improvement is a pessimist to development. I have lived in this scheme for just over six years and never thought this would happen and here now I can drive on asphalt road and cross a big trench easily and reach my home comfortably.” Randolph Lee Bhanpersaud, another resident from Phase 2 said that it is easier now to get in and out of the community since the new development. “No longer do we have to have congestion at the (Continued on page 23)

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

Shop owner remains on remand for possession of narcotics, bribing officer FOR RENT

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Wanted experienced hire car taxi drivers at Princess Ramada Hotel. Contact #265-7075/6165419

1 (3) bedroom top flat located in Kaneville EBD. Preferably small family. #613-1847

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM

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PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Imported furniture. Owner leaving. Sofa sets, side & centre tables, rugs, lamps, TVstands, Ceiling fans. Earl #6553070

Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, A/C units, washing machines. Call Lindon: 6411086/ 694-2202

WANTED

Herbal Remedies: Diabetes, Hypertension, Infertility, Menstrual disorders, Enlarged prostate, Kidney,Gall stones & Arthritis etc. Call Sparman #676-5924

DemBake at Land of Canaan is seeking experienced Drivers and Sales agents. Tel#2665848 Cashiers/Supermarket helpers. Apply in person with application @ Nirva Superstore 49 Sheriff & Craig St #227-5771 EDUCATION Study in Canada/US 100% acceptance MicroGraphics #264-3057 2019 Processing now.

Pump attendant (Shift 6am3pm & 3pm-11pm) Submit Application: Shell Service Station Providence EBD. E m a i l : Shellramsburg@gmail.com

Pre X-mas computer classes packages, 9 course diploma $40,000 4 course accounting $40,000. MicroGraphics, Vreed-en-hoop #264-3057

Minibus driver living in G/ town to work with company. #646-8748

TO LET TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)

VACANCY

Fully/Partly furnished apartments in Nandy Park/ Republic Park. Texila students welcomed! Tel#619-4824 for more details.

Chainsaw operators, Drivers for CAT 740 articulated truck to work in interior, also Crusher men wanted. Call: 2237165 Minibus driver for route 42. Call: 664-0802

A shopkeeper is to remain on remand after he was charged for possession of narcotics and attempting to obstruct the course of justice by bribing a police officer. Christopher Gonsalves, 27, of 291 Independence Boulevard, who appeared for the third time at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday, was charged on October 9, last. Gonsalves had pleaded not guilty to the two charges which alleged that on October 3, last, at Punt Trench, Albouystown, he had in his possession 530 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. It was also alleged that on the said date at Brickdam Police Station, Gonsalves wilfully attempted to obstruct or pervert the course of justice by offering $150,000 to police Sergeant George in order to prevent the institution of charges against him. Gonsalves was represented by attorney-at-law Paul Fung-a-fat, who in his application for bail yesterday, informed the court that Gonsalves suffers from Tuberculosis. The attorney pleaded that it is difficult to speak to his client, because

for the month he has been on remand, Gonsalves is not getting proper medical attention. Police prosecution yesterday lacked the analyst report to proceed with the matter, which resulted in Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman once again refusing bail and instructing that Gonsalves return to court on November 26. The Court had learnt that on the day in question, acting on information, an undercover police rank approached Gonsalves and inquired about purchasing marijuana. Gonsalves allegedly then rode away and came back with a black bag containing leaves and stems of the marijuana plant. The rank then identified himself, alerted other ranks, and Gonsalves was arrested. At the police station, Gonsalves requested to see the sergeant. Upon meeting Sergeant George, he then offered $150,000 to the sergeant with the request that no charges be instituted against him. Sergeant George collected the money before telling Gonsalves of the charge. The money was lodged and Gonsalves remained in police custody.

Inquest ordered into death of Sophia mason... From page 7 to a utility pole. The body, according to the release, bore marks of violence “that appear to be chop wounds.” There have been no reports of anyone being charged in relation to the death of Lowe. However, last week a notice was published in the daily newspapers by the Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court requesting that 13 witnesses, including three policemen attend the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts on Friday to testify in the inquest proceedings. VACANCY Labourers and maintenance workers, preferably from East Bank area. #265-3586 Vacancy for fish processing plant workers. Preferably on the East Coast Demerara. Contact #628-6183

They include Corporal Sohan Ramdat of the Sparendaam Police Station; Detective Corporal Patrick Benjamin of Cove and John Divisional Head Quarters, Detective Corporal Kester Moriah of the Turkeyen Police Station; J e n n i f e r L o w e ; Vi o l a Chrisholm; Benette Hall; Sherry Punch; Lindo James; Clarence Layne; Michael Layne; Rohee James; Trayon Garnette; and Tondica Tucker. The proceedings will be heard before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul.

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Govt. awards grants to 11 young entrepreneurs The Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Youth, on November 9, last, awarded the eleven winners of the ‘Jaguar’s Den Competition.’ The competition was part of the Youth Business Summit which was held from May 23 – 24, 2018 at the Pegasus Hotel. Hosting of the summit was guided by the National Youth Policy of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Policy Priority 2, Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship. During the summit, young entrepreneurs from across the ten Administrative Regions were given an opportunity to engage in discussions on starting and developing their businesses, and to garner support from the Department of Youth to execute their respective ventures. The recipients of the grants, during the handing over ceremony, lauded the administration’s drive to develop and “sustain an environment which fosters initiatives to target youth development in various sectors.” Among those awarded grants were Ishabeth and Michael Sinclair, who are both entrepreneurs under the age of 30, and reside in region 6. The Sinclairs who are the founders and owners of M and I Business Enterprise did not only express appreciation for the grant that will aid in them in further developing their businesses, but also for the Leadership Training which they received through the Department of Youth. M and I Enterprise is an agro-processing business which produces cake-mix, pepper sauce and a variety of spices which are already on the shelves of leading supermarkets. “The company is growing - right now, we are looking to expand. We plan to add another piece of equipment to the current operation and complete the construction of the facility which houses the operation with this grant,” Ishabeth Sinclair said. “This company is not

Mr and Mrs. Sinclair receiving their cheque from Assistant Director of Youth, Ms. Leslyn Boyce. only for us, it is for the development of our community as well. As the company grows, we will be able to employ more persons. We are currently only able to employ two persons,” Ms. Sinclair added. Additionally, there was Jewel Collier-Swan, along with three colleagues who are currently operating at Hubu in Parika. She also discussed their venture and the benefits the grant will bring to its development. “This business is basically a start-up; although we were all involved in some aspect of farming prior to this. The focus right now is cassava and adding-value to the product through the manufacturing process. We have started producing cassava flour under the brand “Guyana’s Own”; and we have prospects of diversifying our product line. Cassava is a product which can be converted to so many end products, and this grant will assist in the process” Ms. Collier-Swan

explained. Another recipient was Vanita Savory. She also expressed gratitude and disclosed that the grant will assist in the construction of a facility to house her venture. She said that through her project, she has hopes of introducing fresh mushrooms to the Guyanese market. Speaking on behalf of the Department of Youth was Ms. Leslyn Boyce, Assistant Director of Youth who is currently acting in the capacity of Director of Youth. In her closing remarks, she pledged continued support to the development and empowerment of youth on behalf of the Government of Guyana, through the Department of Youth. “This Department will continue to provide you with the skills and resources to develop yourselves as individuals and empower you to make meaningful contributions to your communities,” Boyce said.

$22M road and bridge for Zeelugt... From page 12 one main entrance and exit. We have two now and that is development indeed in our community. This bridge and road not only benefit us directly by making egress and ingress easier but it also c r e a t e s a n e n vironment for greater economic development in our

community simply because there will be an increase of traffic flow at this end of the scheme, allowing people the opportunity to open more businesses and the likes. I must thank the region for this v i s i onary thinking,” Bhanpersaud said. Regional Executive

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Kaieteur News

Officer Denis Jaikaran noted the project was necessary and came at the request of the residents following a community outreach with Minister of State Joseph Harmon and residents of the community. Jaikaran further stated that secondary roads in the area will soon see muchneeded improvements.

CCJ dismisses discrimination claims against Regional law schools The legal challenge brought by Trinidadian Jason Jones alleging that the admissions process adopted at regional law schools discriminates against holders of nonUniversity of the West Indies (UWI) law degrees has been dismissed by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). In July 2018, Mr. Jones filed an application for special leave against the Council of Legal Education (CLE), the Council for Social and Human Development (COHSOD), and the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). The Council of Legal Education was established in 1971 by the Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education and operates three law schools in the region, the Norman Manley Law School, the Hugh Wooding Law School and the Eugene Dupuch Law School. These law schools award a Legal Education Certificate (LEC) and the Agreement provides that no person can be admitted in the signatory countries to practice as an Attorney-at-Law who does not hold the LEC. Jones, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London, a Master of Laws in Oil and Gas Law, and a Graduate Diploma in Law. In 2015 and 2016, Jones sat the law schools’ entrance examinations, but was unsuccessful on both attempts. He paid the requisite fees for the examination in 2017 but did not sit the exam, as he stated that he was “too disenchanted and discouraged with the entire process”. Mr. Jones contended that the proposed defendants have infringed, and continue to infringe, his rights and benefits under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which speaks to the free

Jason Jones movement of skilled nationals and acceptance of qualification among member states, because, without a Legal Education Certificate, he is not entitled to practice law in the region. His application alleged that the automatic acceptance of persons graduating with law degrees from The University of the West Indies into the law schools, and the requirement for the holders of “non-UWI” law degrees to sit an entrance exam to gain entrance, was a breach of the Treaty as holders of degrees from other universities must vie for a very limited number of places which become available only after the automatic admission of UWI graduates. However, the CCJ found favour with the objection raised by attorneys representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the CLE, that the court had no jurisdiction over the CLE. It noted that the Revised Treaty

of Chaguaramas, which was made in 2001, after the agreement establishing the council, makes no mention of the CLE or the agreement. Mr. Emir Crowne, counsel for Mr. Jones, accepted that the Council could not be a party to the application, because they had no legal identity and sought to have them substituted by the Community. The CCJ considered whether to allow the application to continue against the Community. However, the Court concluded that “none of the Treaty provisions that Mr. Jones has referred to show even a glimmer of such a violation. Moreover, the one form of discrimination that is prohibited and targeted by the Treaty is discrimination on grounds of nationality.” In view of these considerations, the Court dismissed the application, but left it open for the applicant to decide whether, and how, to seek the redress he claims.

Region eyes “vigorous” tropical wave as 2018 Hurricane season near the end BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Caribbean countries were keeping a close eye on a “vigorous” tropical wave east of the Leeward Islands, yesterday, as the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season ends later this month. The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that the wave, located about 200 miles east of the Leeward Islands – Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis,

Anguilla –is producing a large area of disturbed weather over most of the western tropical Atlantic Ocean. It said shower and thunderstorm activity have increased Monday and that the forecast is for the disturbed weather pattern to pass westward to west-northwestward passing near the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the southeastern Bahamas during the next few days. “Interests in these areas

should closely monitor the progress of this system,’ the NHC said, noting that there’s a 90 per cent chance of the system developing over the next five days. If it further intensifies into a named storm, it would be called Patty. While Caribbean countries have been spared for most of the 2018 hurricane season, heavy rains in several countries have led to floods, landslides and millions of dollars in damage.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Tuesday November 13, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Long serving Volleyball player\official Levi Nedd elected President of the GVF Former national Volleyball captain and present head Coach Levi Lawrence Nedd was on Saturday elected unopposed as President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF). Nedd was elected when the GVF held its Annual General Meeting and election of Officer Bearers at the Office of the Maritime Consultancy at Cowan Street Georgetown. Nedd who has been associated with the game of volleyball for over four decades (42 years) was the vice president of the GVF. He is also the president of the vibrant Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA), the head selector of the GVF. Nedd, who wears many hats, is also the Students Affairs official at

the Guysuco Training Center and is the Founder and Coach of the two top volley clubs in Guyana, the Port Mourant Training Center and Guysuco Training Centre Volleyball Volley Clubs. Nedd takes over the reins of the Federation from another long serving volleyball official John Flores who did not seek reelection. Only the BVA and some factions of the Demerara Volleyball Association (DVA) were present. The Essequibo Volleyball Association (EVA) was absent. Each association was allowed nine votes. Elected to fill the other positions were- Vice President Rodney Fredericks of the Ministry of Education

From left are President Levi Nedd, Secretary Denis Miller, Vice President Rodney Federicks and former President John Flores after the AGM. and President and Coach of the Castrol Volleyball Club; Secretary Denise Miller of the Office of the President and the Classic Ball Beaters (CBB)

TuesdayNovember 13, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) There's a lot of tension in the air today, Aries. Perhaps you feel like no one is listening to you, and that people are draining your energy TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) As a Taurus, you have an innate gift for healing and calming other people in crisis situations. If this isn't what you do for a living, you should think about doing something with this natural talent.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you could put a stop to your activities for a little while, Libra. You may take a good, hard look at things and realize that the climate of trust you need in order to be productive and creative is missing at the moment. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) What are you after in life, Scorpio? Deep down, does the kind of work you do satisfy your most intimate desires?

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You seem to be a specialist at relationships, and you're very sensitive to the ups and downs in your own. But today you may wonder if people love you less than they did before.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) It's possible that you're trying to do too much, Sagittarius. If look at the days you spend working, you may realize that too much of your energy goes to some very meager results.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) You're usually full of energy, Cancer, but today you may not feel so vivacious. There's nothing to worry about.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It's possible that you could be in conflict with people of the opposite sex today, Capricorn. You may feel as if they put obstacles in front of you and slow you down.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may have had a hard time lately reaching your objectives. Unfortunately for you, Leo, today will be no different. You may begin to feel a bit dissatisfied with the way your life is going at the moment. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Your sense of responsibility is probably the catalyst for most of your motivation, Virgo. But what happens when events are beyond your control and you're powerless to do anything about them?

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You have a very dynamic day ahead of you, Aquarius. You may feel the need to put all your energy into a group project. You will want to roll up your sleeves and get to work. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Have you ever thought of yourself as a CEO or any other kind of leader, Pisces? Today is a great day to begin a project involving other people - with you in charge!

Volleyball club. They were elected unopposed. No one was elected to the position of Assistant Secretary. A decision was taken that the

position would be filled by the Executive body and ratified at the next Ordinary General Meeting (AGM). Daniel Harricharran with 13 votes’ defeated Ashley Bailey’s five votes for the position of Treasurer, both men were absent. Bailey was elected as the Assistant Treasurer. Well known Sports Personality Mr. Deon Nurse was the Returning Officer. Mr. Flores thanked the GFV for their support throughout the years and pledged his continued support. Mr. Nedd in his acceptance speech thanked everyone for showing the faith in him and pledged to do all in his powers to make the GVF successful. He has taken over the Federation with the coffers empty and has embarked on a Million dollars drive, by the end of the year. He had vowed to take the GFV to the same level as he has reached in terms of achievements and proficiency. Nedd’s was the Valedictorian at the Semmiel Weist University in Hungary where he graduated with a Diploma for Sports Sciences and Technology among students from some 38 countries. He has so far travelled to some 29 countries. Nedd was the recipient of the Golden Jubilee Award by the GVF for his Contribution to The Development of Volleyball in Guyana (1966 - 2016). He also played football professionally and is a certified football and athletics coach. A former national athlete and still competes and medals in the teacher’s category. He also represented Berbice at table tennis and also plays cricket as an allrounder. His Mission statement is “a non-profitable organisation committed to developing the sociocultural life style of any Guyanese: By way of participation in all forms of volleyball, through the support of any one person/ persons or entity/ entities, With a strict dependence on the Government of our dear land of Guyana.” The bus that was t r a n s p o r t i n g t h e B VA delegation to the meeting was involved in an accident on the Abary Public Road, due to heavy Smoke in the area. However, no one was seriously injured and the delegation took another bus and continued the journey. (Samuel Whyte)

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Zaman, Osborne, Wolfe lead V Net to victory

V Net skipper Mohamed Sheriffudeen (left) accepts the winning prize from Nazeer Mohamed.

K

halid Zaman, Andrew Osborne and Jermain Wolfe tuned in outstanding performances to lead V Net to victory in the V Net Communications dominoes competition which was contested on Sunday last at Carlosh Sport Bar in Good Success, Wakenaam.

Khalid Zaman receives the MVP prize from Mohamed Sheriffudeen. Zaman made the maximum 18 games, while Osborne chalked 17 and Wolfe 15 as V Net marked 81 games to beat All Star on 77 and Underdogs with 68. Heera Sukram, Mohamed Kalam and Khemraj Surujpaul made 15 each for the runner up team. Salim Chan got 14, while

Underdog skipper James Ramnarine (right) accepts the third place trophy from Mohamed Sheriffudeen. James Ramnarine and Mohamed Zafrul scored 12 apiece for Underdogs. Nazeer Mohamed of All Star expressed gratitude to the sponsors and said he is looking forward to their continued support.

Mc Gill, Independence ‘A’ secure semi final berths; Persaud, Looknauth star in C I win Akshaya Persaud

M

c Gill and Inde pendence ‘A’ have secured their places in the semi finals of the West Demerara Cricket Association 50-over tournament after recording victories

in their respective quarterfinal games last Sunday. At Canal Number Two, Mc Gill Super Stars defeated Christ Ambassador by 34 runs. Mc Gill Super Stars batted first and scored 180 all out

Travis Persaud launches into a big shot during a recent game at Eve Leary.

in 38.5 overs. Shafiek Deen made 36, Sudesh Persaud and Prahalad Singh got 28 each and Abdool Razack 24. Kenton Boyce picked up 325, Immanuel Martin 3-30 and Joel Thomas 2-35. Christ Am-

Dover backing GFF to build on... From page 31 with what we had. We're not a people that want to be a complaining people, we tried to work as much as we could with what we had and see what best we can make something happen out of it.” The main ingredient in the mix, the players came in for high praise from Coach Dover: “I want to congratulate the players for their huge efforts. Many persons were critical of them on social media, they took a lot of blows from the coaches because we knew that they could have done better and we saw them delivering in the final game

which was a big plus and I want to say to the GFF, keep this group and build as we go forward.” The fans also came in for high praise from Dover for their committed support: “Some of them came from as much as four hours driving in some instances for every game regardless of the game times and they were very energetic in their support despite their small numbers. So we want to recognise their efforts. They also contributed to the team in many other ways including food and equipment. So it was good for them to enjoy that win against El Salvador.

bassador scored 146 all out in 32.1 overs in response. C. Sam made 70 including eight fours while D. Ross got 15 and M. Alert 13. Travis Persaud captured 4-25 while there were two each for Razack, Diquan Murray and Sudesh Persaud. A t Wa l e s , I n d e p e n dence ‘A’ beat the host by six wickets. The home team took first turn at the crease and were sent packing for 110 in 24 overs. Ryan Shun made 31 while Yogendra Singh got 21 as Ceenauth Bisessar took 2-24. In reply Independence ‘A’ reached 111-4 in 20 overs. Jevon Hector made 43 not out with three fours and four sixes while Anand Bharat contributed 24; Randy Yankhana took 3-24.

At Joe Vieira Park, Cornelia Ida defeated Met-enMeer Zorg by 64 runs in their las t p r e l i m i n a r y r o u n d game. Batting first after winning the toss Cornelia Ida managed 156 all out in 23.2 overs. Akshaya Persaud struck 81 with six fours and five sixes while Richie Looknauth made 33. Kevin Coleman bagged 6-17 and Levi Miggins 4-23. Met-En- Meer Zorg were bowled out for 92 in 22.5 overs in reply. Coleman made 33 and Miggins 18; Looknauth grabbed 5-46 while Harinarine Bissondyal had 3-14 and Persaud 2-11. The competition continues on Sunday with more

Richie Looknauth quarterfinal action. Rising Stars will play Cornelia Ida at Wales (M. Ernest and I. Etwaroo) and Independence ‘B’ will take on Zeeburg at Joe Vieira Park (Andrew Singh and Nandkumar Shivsankar).

Tuesday November 13, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers Football League

Charlestown fire 8 past seven-man St. Rose’s High Annandale breeze past Marian

Play between Annandale Secondary (on the ball) and Marian Academy. The historic Guyoil/ Tradewind Tankers School Football League that is seeing 12 school teams drawn from Linden, Georgetown, East Coast and West Demerara going head to head in this format for the first time continued yesterday at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground with two matches.In the feature match, Charlestown Secondary had easy work against an indiscipline St. Rose’s High school team, dishing out on them a hefty 8-0 pummeling. Carlos Agard (13th, 44th and 48th minutes) and Raymond Bandhu (7th, 9th and 24th

minutes) both netted hattricks for the victors, while Isaiah Moore and Tariq Pryce scored one goal each in the big win for the Georgetown team.Meanwhile, in the opening games, Marian Academy, who is based opposite the Carifesta Avenue venue, had the support from their boisterous female classmates which allowed them to hold off the potent attacking threat ofAnnandale until the second half. However, Jamar Harrington broke the deadlock for the East Coast boys seven minutes into the second half of the 60-minute game with a simple tap in into

an open goal before Sean Haywood scored in similar fashion two-minutes later to submit their opponents to a 2-0 defeat.Please see full scores of the day’s play below. Match #41 Annandale 20 Marian Academy 0 Goal scorers Annandale Jamar Harrigton 37 Sean Haywood 39 Match #42 Charlestown 8 -0 St. Rose’s High Goal scorers Charlestown Raymond Bandhu 7,9,24 Carlos Agard 13,44,48 Isaiah Moore 15 Tariq Pryce 21

Play in the final third between Charlestown (on the ball) who put 8 past the seven-man St. Roses team yesterday. Annandale’s goal scorers from left, Seon Haywood and Jemar Harrigan.

GMRSC Ignite honorable mentions are Rupie Shewjattan and Motielall Deodass Former five-time group 2 champion, Rupie Shewjattan (Guyana), during an interview with Kaieteur Sport following the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRSC) Ignite two-day race meet, has noted great satisfaction with himself and his team’s (Auto fashion) performance during group four action at the South Dakota Circuit over the weekend. Shewjattan has been racing group four for three years after purchasing his Mitsubishi Evolution motor car from Jamaican racer Doug Gore but he has admitted that after much work which included changing the engine, the car was finally getting to move the way that he would like it. And, his second place finish behind the raging Andrew King in race one of the group 4 class last weekend was indication of his control of the Evolution car. In race two, Team Auto Fashion finished fourth behind seasoned CMRC champion Andrew King, Mark Maloney (Barbados) and Kevin Jeffrey (Guyana) but he returned to

the podium in race three after a fantastic third place finish behind Maloney, and King. “We had an accident free day. Car worked well and Team Auto fashion led by head mechanic Garnett Johnson from Spoon Racing in Jamaica did an excellent job in preparing the car. I started my day confidently and ended very satisfied with my performance. I look forward to joining the 2019 Guyana Team in the CMRC Championship. I would like to thank all my sponsors for the confidence they have placed in me over the years and looked forward to continued partnership,” Shewjattan shared with Kaieteur. Team Auto Fashion sponsors includes Auto Fashion, Palm Court, The Wine Vault, D. Rampersaud, Prem’s Electrical, Laparkan Shipping and Stag beer.Meanwhile, due to a late start on Saturday, only two of the three scheduled races in the Starlet Cup were ran off and points leader Anand Ramchad’s win and second place crossing in the two races was enough to

deny Motielall ‘Kevin’ Deodass a third consecutive win in the Choke Gas station sponsored event.Deodass who missed out twice to Ramchand in March during the first leg of the National Championships expressed explicitly to Kaieteur Sport that had he been able to get that third race, he would’ve beat Team Wreckers’ Ramchand and eventually retain his Starlet Cup title. However, Deodass confidently posited that in 2019, he will be pulling out all the stops to reclaim his crown which will make for a heated battle.Deodass paid special tribute to his sponsors, Rohan Auto Spares, Miracle Optical, R. Kissoon Contracting Services and Motor Trend. Meanwhile, the official points standing for all the races competed at the GMRSC’s two day 27-race programme which also serves as the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) was announced at the event’s award ceremony last night at the Ramada Princess hotel

Groups set for the 2018 Concacaf Under-20 Championship Qualification Stage Miami – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) will kick today the Qualification Stage of the 2018 Concacaf Under20 Championship. The second round of the men’s youth World Cup qualifying competition will take place November 13-19, at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. After an initial Group Stage that included a record number of 34 teams, the six group winners have been divided into two groups. The three team groups will be composed as follows: Group G - Winner Group A – United States, Winner Group C – Honduras, Winner Group E – Costa Rica. Group H - Winner Group B – Mexico, Winner Group D – Panama, Winner Group F – El Salvador. After round robin play,

the two group winners plus the second-place finishers will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Additionally, the two group winners will advance to the tournament’s final to determine the regional champion. The final is scheduled to be played Wednesday, November 21, 2018. In line with the competition regulations, teams have been

permitted to make up to 6 non-injury related player changes. Fans will be able to follow all the action through the Confederation’s partner networks, including Univision Deportes (United States), Fox Sports Latin America (Mexico & Central America), Flow Sports (Caribbean) and other local partners. For other territories, the tournament will be available on Concacaf GO (subject to territory restrictions). Today, Panama will oppose El Salvador from 17:15hrs with the main match between Honduras and Costa Rica from 19:30hrs. On Friday, Mexico will play El Salvador from 18:15hrs followed by USA and Costa Rica at 20:30hrs. On Monday next, Panama battle Mexico from 18:30hrs with Honduras clashing with the USA from 21:00hrs.

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ICC to persevere with fixtures in rain-weary St Lucia GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – St Lucia will continue to host matches in the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, organisers the International Cricket Council have confirmed. Heavy rain over the last week had put the matches in doubt, especially after the opening fixture between England and Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball bowled last Saturday. And with more bad weather forecast, the ICC had considered moving the games to Antigua but said Sunday the schedule would remain in place at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium. “Our absolute priority is

to do everything we can to play cricket and as such in light of the forecast in St Lucia, we explored alternative options for group A games,” said the ICC head of events, Chris Tetley. “After considering a range of factors including a detailed analysis of weather forecasts in both St Lucia and Antigua and an inspection of the square and outfield in Antigua, we have taken the decision to continue as s c h e d u l e d . ”Whilst the pitch in Antigua is in good condition there is no guarantee that moving away from St Lucia will put us in a better position to play cricket. The rain currently

forecast in Antigua would impact on our ability to prepare the playing surfaces for any relocated fixtures as well as the playing of any subsequent matches. “The weather is forecast to improve, and we will continue to support the local ground staff in their preparation of playing surfaces at all venues.” Two matches were scheduled for the stadium yesterday with England facing Bangladesh at 4 pm and Sri Lanka taking on South Africa at 8 pm.Antigua is set to host the semi-finals of the tournament on November 22 and the championship match two days later.

Cilic errors gift Zverev victory in ATP Finals opener LONDON (AP) — Of all the errors Marin Cilic made in another ATP Finals defeat, the most costly one may not have come off his racket. Cilic made 46 unforced errors as he gave up a break advantage in both sets in losing to Alexander Zverev 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1) yesterday, dropping the Croat’s record at the season-ending tournament to 1-9 across four appearances. However, the outcome could have been different if Cilic had chosen to challenge when his forehand was called long with Zverev serving at 5-6, 30-30 in the opening set. Umpire Ali Nili said the call was “close” but Cilic misheard him and video replays showed the ball was in. Having marginally escaped facing a set point, Zverev held serve and took what turned out to be a pivotal tiebreaker. “I asked him if it was out and he showed me that it was out, clearly, so I didn’t (challenge),” Cilic said. “Even when I hit the shot I felt it was going to be close.”In the late match, top-ranked Novak Djokovic will begin his campaign for a sixth ATP Finals title against American debutant John Isner.In a repeat of their opening match

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

UDFA/ GTT 2017/18 Senior Football League

Topp XX’S Noel’s second half hat-trick blanks Shattas 3-0 Topp XX by virtue of three second half goals from Ryan Noel whipped Silver Shattas 3-0 but both teams headed out of the Upper Demerara Football Association’s GTT 2017-18 GTT Senior Football Championship which continued last Sunday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground; while Amelia’s Ward Panthers and Winners Connection played to a 0-0 stalemate. It was an important win by Topp XX who ended on similar points with the Shattas, mirroring similar records of two wins one drawn game and five losses, for their seven points. Noel found the back of the nets first in the 55th minute after play resumed from a nil all first half. He capitalized on the accurate delivery by Keon Hall into the centre area on top of the 18 yards box where he planted a shot that zoomed through to hit the net in the far right side corner. That

Panthers and Winners play to score-less draw

Topp XX’s Ryan Noel would be followed by one that was sent by Rudy Halley which was received by Noel inside the six yard box for him to nudge it past the Shattas goalkeeper as it was 2-0 in the 83rd minute. By now the Shattas were

hanging in with the hope of first reducing the deficit but that would be placed beyond the reach of a Shattas side which could not resist the offensive play of the Topp XX unit. It was capped when Rudy Halley claimed a pass from the left wing and as he headed into the 18 yard zone he was fouled in the process which was punished by the referee. This facilitated Noel the chance for a hat-trick on the night. He took the spot kick and it sent Topp XX into a 30 advantage their never relinquished in the 87th minute as they ran out to an emphatic win.The other game of the night petered out to a score-less between the Amelia’s Ward Panthers and Winners Connection, despite some near misses on both sides of the field.

No use quibbling over what could have been: Brathwaite

Alexander Zverev in action during his group stage match against Croatia’s Marin Cilic. (Action Images via Reuters/Tony O’Brien) last year, Zverev produced the slightly steadier tennis to extend his record against Cilic to 2-0 at the O2 Arena and 61 overall.The fifth-seeded Cilic broke at the first opportunity for 2-0 but then wasted break points in the German’s next two service games, before dropping his own serve when attempting to close out the set at 5-3.“I felt that first part of the match I was much better and he was not into his rhythm,” Cilic said. “I could

England beat Bangladesh by seven wickets (DLS) GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – England defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets under the Duckworth-LewisStern method in their Group B match of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium here yesterday. A slight rain interruption resulted in the DL method coming into play. Scores: BANGLADESH 76 for nine off 20 overs (Ayasha Rahman 39; Kirstie Gordon 3-16). ENGLAND 64 for three off 9.3 overs (Amy Jones 28 not out, Natalie Sciver 23; Salma Khatun 2-17)

have won that set comfortably.”After forcing a tiebreaker with a helping hand from Cilic, Zverev produced one of the points of the match to seal the set as he drew Cilic to the net with a drop shot, then hit a backhand pass up the line.Zverev’s mood — and tennis — was much improved in the second, but this time he was the one punished for wasting break points.Cilic staved off openings at 0-1 and 2-3 before breaking with his first opportunity of the set to take a 4-3 lead, but then made three consecutive wild forehand errors to allow Zverev to break straight back.The 2014 U.S. Open champion saved a match point at 4-5 with a big serve, but wilted once more as Zverev eased to victory in the second tiebreaker.“The win, that’s the most important thing,” said Zverev, who failed to advance from the round-robin stage on his debut last year.

CHENNAI, India, CMC – Captain Carlos Brathwaite on Sunday refused to be drawn into speculation over what could have been, after West Indies lost the third Twenty20 International in a dramatic last-ball finish. With scores tied on 181 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Manish Pandey (four not out) and Dinesh Karthik (nought not out) scrambled a single off the final delivery of the contest, to seal a six-wicket win for India and a 3-0 series clean sweep. “You can’t look back at it [and think] if one of the fours had gone for one, we would have won by three runs,” Brathwaite said afterwards.“So you can’t look at every single ball and think ‘this one decision or that one decision’ cost us the game. I think you have to give credit to Shikhar (Dhawan) and Rishabh (Pant) who played very, very well and also give credit to my group of guys who started well with the ball. “[With] the partnership [between Dhawan and Pant] it seemed as if the game was kind of taken away from us and we stuck in, we kept our belief and we played valiantly to the end. “It was a good game of cricket and we don’t want to ruin the spectacle and entertainment … by niggling at a one call here and a one call there.” West Indies gathered 181 for three off their 20 overs behind Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 53 and Darren Bravo’s 43 not out – the pair adding 87 in an unbroken fourth wicket stand. In reply, India were stumbling at 45 for two in the sixth before Dhawan punched a careerbest 92 and Pant, 58, in a 130-run partnership for the third wicket, which laid the foundation for victory.However, the game was still close with five required from the final over bowled by left-arm spinner Fabian Allen, but West Indies just found themselves outplayed in the end.Brathwaite said although the team had been unable to deliver a win for the Caribbean

West Indies captain CarlosBrathwaite speaks at a press conference following his side’s defeat. fans, he felt as though the fight displayed in the performance counted for something. “We said we wanted to leave them with a smile on their faces,” said the all-rounder. “Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted but the effort and the fight and the dedication and the belief that we showed down to the last ball, after the position that the partnership with Shikhar and Rishabh, put [India] in, I think will put a smile on their faces. “Eventually we want to be turning those into the wins but for now we’re happy with the effort and the belief.”He continued: “We had good, solid performances with the bat. Obviously Nicholas will get the plaudits because he raised his bat but I think credit must go to the opening pair (Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer) as well who set us up with 50 in the first six overs, so we had a lot of positives today with the bat and it is about replicating it game in, game out.”

Tuesday November 13, 2018

PAGE 29

Kaieteur News

Tiger Martial Arts Academy hosts final Taekwondo Examination for the year

W

hite Tiger Mar tial Arts Acad emy hosted its final Taekwondo Examination for 2018, which was held on 28th October 2018 at the New Amsterdam Town Hall. Sixteen students participated in this examination, with scores averaging between 69 and 84 percent. Students who participated in the examination were, Andrew Layne, Aiden Kirton, Justin Grant, Jeremiah Fraser, Chris Hope, Ethan Abdulla and Alyssa Abdulla for Tiger Warriors, and for Young Tigers and Tigers Sayyid Rajbali, Ryan Burgess, Jordan Andrews, Mariella and Megan Inshan, Jelani Lambert, Hemchand Palaniandi and Neron Bourne, Mr. Daniel Rigby for adults, all participants were successful at the testing. The White Tiger programme teaches its students of their real identity, that we are a spirit in a body with a mind, the challenge is between flesh and the spirit and understands that every situation regardless of how small is spiritual and the only solution to overcome is through prayer.

Participants who took the Examination on October 28th. Fighting to overcome by ourselves we will be defeated, taking the problem to the true source, the creator only then we will overcome. This is taught repeatedly so it can become second nature, like the techniques of Taekwondo, while every attack whether training or tournaments can be blocked or evaded, every other problem outside of training must be viewed as spiritual and to conquer is to pray and put it before the Creator.

The White Tiger Martials Arts Academy is not about Martial Arts only, but they are very much interested in our students academic performance as well and as such will be hosting our first Annual Spelling Bee Competition on the 24TH November. Other activities for 2018 are, our inhouse Tournament on December 16th and our Christmas party on the 19th after which the Academy will be closed for the Christmas Holidays and will be reopened

Windies slip further after India series loss

LONDON, England, CMC – Reigning World champions West Indies have taken a hit in the latest ICC Twenty20 rankings, following their 3-0 whitewash at the hands of powerhouses India. While the Caribbean side remain seventh in the 17-team standings, they have lost four ratings points to slip to 102 points, further narrowing the gap between themselves and eighth-place Afghanistan on 92 points. Of the major Test-playing nations, West Indies are now only above Sri Lanka who languish in ninth on 87 points. Pakistan top the standings on 138 points with India second on 127 after picking up three points from their comprehensive series win. Australia are third on 118 points while England lie fourth on the same number, with New Zealand fifth on 112 and South Africa sixth on 111. West Indies won the T20 World Cup two years ago in India when they stunned England in a dramatic final at Eden Gardens. Since then, however, their decline has been steady, los-

in January, 2019. Founder and Chief Instructor of White Tiger Martial Arts Academy, Marcello

Small said he’s well pleased with his students’ performance and is happy with the accomplishments of his stu-

dents and the growth of the Academy and look forward for greater things in the coming months and years.

Liverpool’s Sturridge charged by FA for alleged betting breaches

West Indies suffered a 3-0 clean sweep at the hands of India. ing six of their eight series and 16 of 26 T20 Internationals since. Their latest series defeat to India was their fourth straight, leaving them with much rebuilding to do especially with the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia fast approaching. West Indies lost the opening match in Kolkata by five wickets, went down in the

second by 71 runs in Lucknow before suffering a heart-breaking six-wicket defeat off the last ball on Sunday in Chennai. The Carlos Brathwaite-led side will have a chance to improve their standing when they tour Bangladesh next month for a three-match series.West Indies sit eighth in the Test rankings and ninth in the one-day rankings.

(Reuters) - Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has been charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of its betting rules, the English Football Association said yesterday. The charge relates to the period of January 2018 and the 29-year-old England international has until 1800 GMT on Nov. 20 to respond, the FA said in a statement. A Liverpool spokesperson said in an emailed statement that Sturridge was cooperating with the authorities. “Daniel has given his full and unequivocal cooperation throughout this process and has assured the club he will continue to do so,” the email said. “Daniel has also stated categorically that he has never gambled on football. As with any issue of this nature, we will allow the process to be concluded in its entirety before making any further comment.” FA rules prohibit players and coaches from betting on any football activity or providing non-public information to any other person that is then used for betting.

Sturridge has made 12 appearances for Premier League side Liverpool in all competitions this season, scoring four goals. Sturridge has made 12 appearances for Premier League side Liverpool in all competitions this season, scoring four goals.

PAGE 30

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

ECCB’s Elizabeth Styles 40-over final

Buxton $375,000 richer after dethroning Better Hope in final By Sean Devers A large and vocal bipartisan crowd watched in steaming heat despite the close proximity of the Atlantic Ocean to the Northern Sightscreen, as Buxton ‘Carl Hopper’ CC and defending Champions Better Hope CC engaged in a riveting battle in last Sunday’s Final of the East Coast Cricket Board’s (ECCB) Elizabeth Styles 40-over cricket tournament at the Buxton Community Centre ground. Batting on one of the best tracks on the East Coast, the top order of both teams were shown up by the lower order but when the dust had settled, Marlon Thomas with a Manof-the-Match 42, and fourwicket hauls from Clive Andries and David Glen had conspired to spearhead Buxton to a nail-biting eightrun victory. Thomas arrived at the crease with Buxton precariously placed on 40-6 in the 13th over and his 58-ball 42 decorated with three fours and two sixes, along with 28 from Andre McFarlane, who hit three fours and a six, shared in a match winning 61run stand as Buxton recovered to reach 148 in 33.4 overs. Lively left-arm pacer Azad Mohammed, who at times operated with a suspect action, tested the top order with several short balls to take 4-26. Sachin Singh (2-32) and Skipper Ravi Singh (2-23) supported well for Better Hope

who slumped to 73-7 before being bowled out for 140 in 27.3 overs. Bharrat Samaroo, (16*) and Rasheed Rohaman (16) added 34 for the last wicket to keep hopes alive before Rohaman, with 16.3 overs to get eight runs for a tie, give his wicket away when he needlessly hit the ball in the air to be caught at cover as Andre McFarlane ended the match to spark wild celebrations. Former National U-19 offspinner Andries captured 4-22 and got support from pacer Glenn, who finished with 4-37 in what turned out to be an epic battle. Buxton elected to bat and Anthony McFarlane (11) and Skipper Marvin Cato put on 20 before Mohamed, who plays for Everest, had McFarlane caught behind before removing Rawle Fredericks (1) and Cato (6) with the score on 26. Andries, who also played Football for Guyana, with disdain, hit Mohamed for glorious off-side boundaries before edging a big drive off his third ball to the keeper off Mohamed to leave Buxton tottering on 34-4. With Andries gone, the home lost Devon Benjamin for a duck and Glenn (2) as Sachin Singh struck twice and at 40-6 the Better Hope supporters were already taunting the home fans of an early finish and about using a $100,000 of their expected $375,000 winner’s purse as stakes in a

Buxton Captain Marvin Cato collects the Trophy and $375,000 from ECCB President Bissoon Singh on Sunday.

proposed 10/10 match. Thomas greeted left-arm spinner Ravi Singh with a boundary before depositing Jayden Manna, who bowled with a very suspect action, for a massive six before clobbering Ravi Singh out of the ground as he batted sensibly and picked his balls to hit. Kwasi Douglas (11) stroked Sachin Singh for four but was bowled by Ravi Singh but Thomas kept going and smashed Daniel Khowlasar for six and added 61 with Andre McFarlane who began shakily. But as the ball got older, the bowlers began to tire and the track got better to bat on, the pair frustrated the Better Hope team. When eight short of 50

Thomas inexplicably played no shot and was LBW but by then he had made a match out of what seemed like a onesided contest. Set 149 for consecutive titles, Better Hope were still favoured to win and when the 43-year-old Roy Persaud, who played division one cricket in Jamaica in the 1990s, hit the first ball from Benjamin over his head for six and clipped him for four, the odds of a win had gotten higher. But with the score on 21 Persaud (14) threw his wicket away for Glenn to began his

Glenn struck again when he removed Rajendra Singh (10) at 51-4 and when Andries seemed lucky to have Mohamed (0) LBW off the inside at 52-5, Mohamed undid his good work with the ball by pelting his bat away and remaining on the ground after the Umpires’ verdict in a shocking display of descent. Khowlasar looked good and hit Andries for six, the fielder on the mid-wicket boundary misjudged a catch which went for four before he finished the over with a square driven boundary. But the bats-

fours and three sixes he was LBW at 86-8 to Andries who had Clive Rampersaud (6) at 106-9 and despite the last wicket resistance Better Hope had to settle for the runnersup spot and $75,000. ECCB President Bissoon Singh thanked everyone who made the tournament a success and told the gathering Elizabeth Styles is a marketing and Pharmaceutical company based in the USA which sponsors tournaments in Berbice and East Coast and encouraged them to buy their products.

Farfan & Mendes Junior Skill level Squash tournament starts today Farfan and Mendes are the sponsors of the final local Junior Skill Level Squash tournament of the 2018 Calendar, which begins today at The Georgetown Club, Camp Street and 43 participants will compete in categories A to H throughout the week. Top seed Shomari Wiltshire heads up a small group of four including Gianni Carpenter, Samuel Ince-Carvalhal and Michael Alphonso, while in category B; Abosaide Cadogan and Kirsten Gomes will vie with the Jonas brothers, Lucas and Ethan, Demetrius DeAbreu, Mohryan Baksh and Nicholas Verwey. In the lower categories, the emerging stars will no doubt be fighting for the top spot in their respective groups and gaining some valuable experience from playing and watching a packed week of squash. Play begins at 6:00pm today and continues each weekday from the same time, before morning matches at the weekend. The Squash Association’s signature BBQ fundraiser will be held during final matches on Sunday 18th November.

MOM Marlon Thomas steers Azad Mohamed who captured 4-26 for during his match winning 42 for Buxton on Sunday.

Shomari Wiltshire, Abosaide Cadogan

demolition of the top order. Ravi Singh (1) pulled Glenn high to deep square-leg where Douglas held an astonishing catch before he trapped Rajendra Dhanraj (0) next ball, at 27-3.

men at the other end were giving their wickets away with brainless shots. After Khowlasar reached his second score of 50 (the first was converted into a century) from 30 balls with seven

“The more you buy the easier it is for me to negotiate for more prize money. Last year the runners-up did not get any money and I can tell you that Elizabeth Styles will do this again next year.”

Tuesday November 13, 2018

Kaieteur News

PAGE 31

Dover backing GFF to build on potential of players with Project 100 & WC 2026 on the horizon Concacaf U-20 championship USA 2018

By Franklin Wilson ollowing Guyana's group stage exit from the Concacaf Under20 championship USA 2018 at the IMG Academy, Beadenton, Florida on Saturday night last, Head Coach Wayne Dover is optimistic that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will build on the positives garnered from the tournament. Guyana did not start on too much of a high note having lost to Guatemala 0-4 but the defeat was not frowned upon in a negative way given the fact that the team was short of quality practice games prior to travelling to the USA. Another challenge was that the overseas based players and those based here did not have much time to gel as a unit, so the Technical Team had their work cut out to fast track cohesiveness in order to bring the desired results. Yet another test the team had to work around was the

F

Team talk at half time of the Curacao match.

Head Coach Wayne Dover (left) and one of his Assistants, Gregory Richardson. final match against El Salvador looming, Dover said that they {Technical staff} continued to work on correcting areas of weakness; offensive and midfield play, in the main. “We spent a lot of time practicing our offensive and midfield play with a view to

time of the start, that cool atmosphere is what we are accustomed to play in. I think the earlier games in the 10 and 12 o'clock sun took its toll. This was our game time, if we had gotten at least two to three international friendly matches to work on

along with some who are within the age range for the U-20 Olympic Qualifiers and have multiple friendly matches throughout the preparations so we be better prepared as well as see some of these players making it into the senior team.” This strategy Dover believes would see Guyana football

attaining the heights that we are capable of realizing. The experienced tactician also shared that the outcome was as a result of a total effort from all the relevant departments stating that his assistant coaches worked tirelessly giving strong views and holding firm to these views, which he

admired .“Because as you know, ever so often we are always pulling in different directions; when the coach makes the final decision the staff was united behind the coach. The GFF made its contribution based on the constraints and we worked (Continued on page 26)

The King’s University OPEN DOUBLES Badminton Tournament

Narayan Ramdhani wins Silver in Men Doubles action Guyanese fans showing support for their team at the Curacao match.

scheduling of matches in the mid morning and mid day sun; the conditions were humid and taxing on the players but they stood up a d m i r a b l y . Following the Guatemala loss, the Technical staff immediately sought to correct the weaknesses that were observed. The second match against Cayman Islands saw a improved show from the Guyanese even though they lost narrowly, 2-3. The next encounter against Curacao saw additional improvement despite Guyana going down 3-4. Up to that point and with the

create chances and win matches. ”The final group clash against El Salvador (the #1 seeded team and group winners) which was the only one for Guyana played under lights saw a renewed dynamism from the team which went on to outclass their opponents, 2-0 on the back of goals from Kelsey Benjamin and Captain, Jeremy Garrett. Dover offered the view that the coolness of the Florida night was one of the positives that led to the h i s t o r i c w i n . “I think one factor played out here in our favour was the

strategies and see all the players, we could have at least done better and maybe qualify out of the group.” Looking ahead, Dover said that a consorted effort is needed to build on what was seen in the championship especially with Project 100 and the FIFA 2020 World Cup being the focus of the f e d e r a t i o n . “We have to spend time preparing this group of players given what we just saw what they can do and the caliber of players in this team. I would say to the GFF that we can work with this group closely going forward and use this group of players

Narayan Ramdhani won Silver in the Men Doubles and reached the Semi-Finals (3rd Place) in the Mixed Doubles when he played in his first tournament in Edmonton Alberta Canada representing The Kings U n i v e r s i t y. T h e O p e n Doubles & Mixed Doubles tournament attracted players from around Alberta and was played off last weekend at the Kings University Badminton Courts. In the Open Men Doubles in a Draw of 64, Narayan Ramdhani and his Partner Joel Simrose was seeded No. 2 and got a Bye in the First Rounds. Second Round they defeated Jacky Chung & Stewart Tieu: 21-10, 21-16 Third Round they defeated Anshuma Sharma & Rohan Sharma: 21-18, 21-18 Quarter Finals they defeated Sony Augustine & Jiju Kiliyankand: 21-19, 21-10 Semi-Finals they defeated Kartil Gohil & Harpeet

Men Doubles with Narayan Ramdhani & Joel Simrose

Singh: 21-11, 21-16 In the Finals they lost to No.1 seeded pair of Kevin Chow & Alex Fung: 21-17, 21-18 In the Open Mixed Doubles in a draw of 32 Narayan Ramdhani and his Partner Angelica Alberto was seeded No.2 and got a bye in the First Rounds.

Second Round they defeated Se Jun Sunwoo & Nicole Ramos: 21-12, 21-9 Quarter-Finals they defeated Wenlong Huang & Zixin Jiao: 21-17, 21-15 Semi-Finals they lost to the No.3 seeded pair of Kevin Chow & Tina Wasilik: 2117, 21-15.

rt o p S

GMRSC Ignite honorable mentions are Rupie Shewjattan and Motielall Deodass P. 27

Rupie Shewjattan (center) and team Auto Fashion pose with his Mitsubishi Evolution race car.

Motielall ‘Kevin’ Deodass in action during last weekend’s GMRSC’s Ignite.

Buxton $375,000 richer after dethroning Better Hope in final ECCB’s Elizabeth Styles 40-over final

P.30

Buxton beat defending Champs Better Hope on home turf in the Elizabeth Styles ECCB cricket final on Sunday.

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