Kaieteur News

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Deaths not reported to Thursday Edition NEWS GECOM likely to number in the thousands - Commissioner AIETEUR

November 14, 2019 - Vol. 12 No. 46

Online: www.kaieteurnews.com

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ExxonMobil negotiates with Govt & opposition to secure go-ahead for third oil field …Hess CEO tells Miami conference Drag Race leaves two dead

Chaos on East, West Banks as police suspend three-lane traffic Dead: Kim Cato (Sister Kim)

Dead: Lennox Jones (Ratty)

Minimum wage boosted to $70,000 Legal battle ensues as Harbour Bridge arrests runaway barge

The scene of the head-on collision at Port Kaituma/Matthew's Ridge Trail North West District (NWD)

NICIL refutes claims of Skeldon Sugar factory sell out

Home invader caught hiding in toilet looking for airfare

Man threatens mom for cutting off his dreadlocks … Court hears

Kaieteur News

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Thursday November 14, 2019

Public servants' minimum wage boosted to $70,000 M

inister of Finance, Wi n s t o n Jordan, yesterday announced that public servants will see the minimum wage boosted from $64,200 to $70,000.

Along with their salary boost, public servants will also receive increases ranging from three percent to nine percent. In addition, all of the increases will be retroactive to January 2019, and it will free from tax.

Workers in the public sector who work for between the minimum wage and $99,999 per month will have the benefit of a nine percent salary increase.

Those earning $100,000 to $999,999 every month will enjoy an increase of 8.5 percent, while those making over $1 million per month will get a three percent

increase.

The increase represents an overall 75 percent climb since the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) + Alliance For Change (AFC) Coalition Government took office in 2015, Jordan said.

The current minimum wage for public servants is $64, 200 while it stands at $44,200 for those in the private sector.

Minister Jordan, who was at the time a guest on the National Communications Networks' (NCN) radio programme, Insight, disclosed, “In three and a half years, the minimum wage has gone up over 75 percent.

I think by any stroke of circumstance, that is a significant development and I know that the workers are going to be happy.

“I know that they are

going to be happier still because 2018, I first brought in tax-free back pay and I asked the Cabinet, the members agreed and I continue this year.”

In the years 2017 and 2018, no end of year bonuses were granted to public servants. But since coming into office in 2015, the Coalition Government has boasted about providing retroactive salary increases.

Jordan noted that on Tuesday, Cabinet deliberated and consulted on his proposals, after which it was accepted.

According to the Finance Minister, the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, will provide more details on the salary increase for public servants during a “PostCabinet Media Briefing” on

Thursday.

President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), Patrick Yarde has consistently criticised the Government for imposing increases rather than renegotiating the wages and salaries.

In addition to this issue, on Friday last, the Public Service Union voiced its objection to the government's “arbitrary imposition” of salary increases on public servants, despite the existence of a binding collective bargaining agreement.

The GSPU President called the Finance Minister's announcement an “arbitrary” one since the High Level Committee, he adds, was never consulted on the Minister's decision.

“This is most disturbing to us. We would wish to state that we will respond to any arbitrary increase in a most vigorous manner. We are fed up with arbitrary impositions…

Now the impression is

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan during his appearance on NCN's radio programme given that the committee is scrapped, the collective agreement would be not respected. And the public servants will be exposed to another imposition. Clearly this is in conflict with what was promised with us and we resent it,” he explained.

The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), whose affiliates have among its membership employees in the public sector, concurs with the GPSU sentiments.

In a press statement released yesterday, the FITUG said that the Government is “assaulting” the collective bargaining agreement.

It added that the actions by the administration are not setting a “positive example” and it does not help in furthering collective bargaining.

“It is s imply disheartening that the administration continues to (continued on page 13)

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

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ExxonMobil negotiates with Govt, Opposition to secure go-ahead for third oil field …Hess CEO tells Miami conference E

xxonMobil and its partners are confident that they will secure the necessary 'go ahead' for development of a third Oil Field in the Stabroek Block—Payara—from whichever government is elected at the upcoming General Elections.

This is certain, since they are already talking with both sides of the political aisle, to ensure the outcome.

The disclosure was made, yesterday, by Hess Corporation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), John Hess, during 'remarks and dialogue' at the 2019 Global Energy Conference, in Florida. There he provided investors with an update on its Guyana operations.

Hess Corporation's CEO, John Hess Hess holds a 40 percent interest in the Stabroek Block which is majority controlled by ExxonMobil; CNOOC-Nexen are the

minority partners in the Joint Venture (JV).

Speaking at the Energy Conference in Miami, Florida, the Hess 'Boss' dismissed the likelihood of any adverse effect on its operations and project timelines, despite the fact that the Guyana Department of Energy (DoE) has put on hold, its Field Development Plan (FDP) for the planned third oil field in the Stabroek Block –Payara.

According to Hess, however, “Exxon (Mobil) is working very closely with the current government and also the opposition government, to make sure that we are all aligned, so that when either the current president gets re-elected in Guyana on March 2 or a new

president is elected, ah you know, the technical work will be done so that we can move forward rather expeditiously with getting official approval with the investment for the Payara.”

He dismissed the notion that the company was running ahead of itself in terms of investment and productions schedules with the award of an Engineering and Design Contract to SBM Offshore for a third Floating, Production Storage and Offloading Vessel, in the absence of a Field Investment Decision (FID).

The FID is pending the necessary approval by the DoE. Hess said that the joint venture partners have essentially adopted a 'design

Mocha residents' actions attracts - Police to increase Commander's presence patrols, ranks at Outpost

By Shikema Dey

F

ollowing a string of complaints coming from residents of Mocha on East Bank Demerara, the R e g i o n a l C o m m a n d e r, Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon, on Monday held a community meeting with the aim of addressing the concerns.

Among the major issues highlighted by the residents was the slow or sometimes no response by ranks at the Mocha Outpost.

Kaieteur News understands that this happens as a result of a shortage of ranks at the Outpost.

Commander Simon in response to this complaint

pledged to ensure that such a problem does not reoccur.

It was revealed that crimes were committed in the area yet no police ranks visit the scenes, and in some cases, sometimes weeks after the acts were carried out.

According to the Commander, “The outstanding reports were dealt with on spot, those included statements that were not taken from complainants and crime scenes that were not visited”.

Another major complaint coming out of the meeting was the allegation that most of these crimes are committed by juveniles.

To this, a suggestion was made by the Commander to develop a register of

unemployed youths with the aim of helping them find employment or skills training.

The residents put forward that a partnership be developed with the parents, school welfare and police to address the issue of truancy.

Commander Kurleigh Simon further added that more ranks will soon be stationed at the Mocha Police Outpost to address the short staff issue.

The Commander also met with the Neighbourhood Democratic Council at their monthly statutory meeting.

There, it was agreed that a representative from the NDC be present at both the monthly and quarterly meetings with the Station Sergeant and Deputy Commander with the aim of building a partnership approach to address the issues affecting the residents.

one, build many' approach to its operation and that the first ship informs the second.

He explained that, “the Payara ship which we have already started to spend money on and the government, once a national elections gets in business after March 2, we are pretty confident that Payara will be authorised.”

According to the Hess 'Boss', “We already have three ships on the way,” and that the Hammerhead

discovery has already been found to be commercially viable.

In downplaying the move by the Guyanese authorities on the third field, Hess disclosed further that plans for a fourth vessel to be used at the Hammerhead discovery are already at an advanced stage.

In fact, Hess has projected as many as seven FPSO's operating offshore Guyana in the Stabroek Block.

Man threatens mother after she cuts off his “dreadlocks” - Court hears “Watch! Watch! Watch!

All me nice, nice hair she cut out,” a man told the court after pleading guilty to using threatening behaviour towards his mother.

Twenty-nine-year-old Calvin Carol was yesterday arraigned before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts.

The charge alleged that on November 7, 2019, at Barr Street, Kitty, Georgetown, he used threatening behaviour towards Jean Carol. In the defendant's explanation he gave to the court he said, “She cutting out me hair when I sleeping. Magistrate my hair was long, long, nice dreadlocks you know.”

“Watch how her hair long and she vex with me for my hair; like she jealous,” the defendant added.

When asked by the Magistrate what exactly did he do, the defendant stated that he never threatened his mother but he was angry that she continued cutting his hair

so he told her, “We 'gon' go up the road. My hair ain't cutting off nowhere else but in this house.”

Based on the defendant's explanation, a not guilty plea was entered by the Magistrate.

The defendant's mother then highlighted that her son was one of Dr. Bhairo Harry's patients and he has been in the habit of beating up the other patients. Calvin then said, “I used to play mad and beat them up but when I see Dr. Harry with that long needle that does make you walk funny, I does stop play mad.”

The matter was then adjourned to December 11, 2019, and the defendant was ordered to undergo another evaluation and he was remanded to prison.

Before the defendant left the courtroom he said, “I don't want to go by he…He does juk you with a needle.”

Principal Magistrate McGusty then told him, “No he's not going to bore you, he's going to give you hair oil.”

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Kaieteur News

Thursday November 14, 2019

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 The scourge of the homeless The homeless are very close to us, daily. They are present in just about every place that is visited, traveled to and from, stopped at, and even avoided. With all the instinctive familiarity with and knowledge of the ways of the street, they direct their energies and presence to get there, be there and, sometimes, menace there.

These would be growing individual and clustered presences of the homeless roaming the streets and alarming citizens, including fellow streetwalkers.

Many citizens are fearful, especially the womenfolk, since they have to be watchful, on high alert. This is not the healthiest state of existence, when the routine affairs of life become so tormenting.

The apprehensions over being victims of violent crime that could lurk anywhere are further intensified by the wretched brethren, who make the naked street their home.

They could be menacing presences sometimes, where ‘no’ or silence or simply ignoring or going along one’s way may not be the safest of situations.

For anyone of those hurried responses offered in the mildest of tones could trigger a range of trouble, which includes the abusive, the vulgar, the intimidating, and ultimately unnerving.

These fallen fellow citizens have nothing to lose. Some have already lost to the demands of life, whether it was lived here or overseas. In terms of the latter, more than a few are involuntary returnees, who have missed out the grand chance that many crave for, are doomed to-or have settled for-an existence on the street that hurtles ever downward.

It is the paltriest of living, with eating and clothing and sheltering rising to daily existential traumas. Further, too many live in the hazes and throes of various conditions-alcohol, narcotics, and other psychological and physical pains-that make them still more reckless.

They have abandoned the responsibilities of life, abandoned family, abandoned the anchors that hold in place and set right for tomorrow and continuity. Their continuity is the next moment, the rare charitable hand, the other kindnesses that may come, or which can be so far apart on many an empty, grueling day.

It is the skimpiest of manners in which to go from now to then, from morning to midday. The beacons are those passersby, who pause and extend a little something, the pittance that carries to somewhere for access to something.

Refusing them that ‘little something’ could be perilous.

They say it is for bread and coffee and medicine, and always the good and positive things needed, and for which there could be only responsive kindness, save from the heartless or the similarly penniless. The street savviness and personal craftiness are never so well disguised nor so overwhelmingly convincing that the help sought is not for the destructive ingredients that did lay low, which proliferate in many places in this country, and which have made many good men mad.

It is that madness, which must be tensed against and steeled against through ongoing vigilance, for if it is otherwise, then that one moment of ease can lead to the unsuspecting or trusting being blindsided.

Being blindsided can take several forms and be of different degrees. It could be through slight or serious damage to property, which may prove difficult to replace or restore. It could be through actual bodily assault, from which other nonphysical ills may arise, as victims remember the moment and ordeal. Regardless of the manner or level at which circumstances unfold and impact, some damage is done, which is never less than costly, no matter how minimal.

The hurt walk around with the baggage on either body or mind, and this interferes with their quality of life, and the peace that is their rightful due.

Retaliation is pointless, as that only subjects the selfprotecting to more insult in the form of likely confrontation with authority, unnecessary expense, and loss of time.

Punishment for the homeless uncontrolled solves nothing, since they just don’t care, and have nothing to give, go to, or lose.

The world moves forward, Guyana keeps stagnating DEAR EDITOR, I regret to share that by the time we get around to appreciating what we have, and how best to manage ourselves and those endowments, that it may be too late by then. I say this, because while we keep arguing and squabbling, the real world is progressing and may leave us with little to nothing, when we do come to our senses. That is, if we ever summon the courage and honesty to do so.

As excerpted from the Wall Street Journal article titled and dated November 12, “IEA sees US shale squeezing OPEC influence,” the authoritative International Energy Agency had this to say, “unceasing U.S shale oil production will shape global energy markets for years to come….” That is far-reaching in its implications.

A little more may assist to clear any cobwebs hanging in the domestic rafters. For even as current shale oil production is lower, the word from that same influential IEA source speaks of forecasts, which report that the U.S.

shale-related developments will “account for 85% increase in global oil production to 2030.”

I think it might not be unreasonable to assert that Guyana may succeed in getting its electoral act, its governance mechanism act, and constitutional architectural act somewhat together by then. The problem is that it may be too little too late.

Because for the next 10 years, according to the IEA’s Executive Director, Dr. Faith Birol, “U.S will limit the ability of traditional exporters to manage exports.” Though directed primarily at OPEC’s leading lights, it means rearranging of supply to impact price is now under pressure, as in being diluted.

How can potential exporter Guyana not be affected by, what I will term, a form of managed pricing that restrains the profit maximisation characteristic of prior oil capitalism, remains to be seen. But this much I am prepared to offer now: if the U.S. shale projections prove to be on the money, then

Guyana can end up being out of the money. Or, at best, in derivative language, at the money.

To be clear, that means close to something way less than $100 a barrel; something in the vicinity of plus 10-15 dollars from where prices perch currently, and something that resembles breakeven. Who cares? Just give us the chance to continue to disembowel each other politically.

In addition, there is still more sobering news from the same Wall Street Journal for lost Guyanese leaders and a populace locked in a less than an ideal state of mind, as to what our oil wealth signifies and how best to extract the most from it.

By 2040, “annual electric vehicle sales could rise to more than 30 million.” That would be a 1500% increase from the meager 2 million unit sold yearly today. With total global automotive sales estimated to be around 100 million in 2020, existing electric vehicles impact may be regarded as a negligible drop in the bigger considerations, but the

increase could be a player and difference-maker a decade or two hence. Thirty million non-fossil fueled vehicles is something to sneeze about.

Editor, the point is this: when we should be acting coherently and cogently so that we peak earlier and capitalize, we are too busy with drilling holes in each other, and getting somewhere, but only in pieces and inestimably weaker. The oil opportunity could just pass us by. While we rage about votes and engage in the craftiest of power projections, the big oil cats prowl and position themselves to gain an even bigger upper hand.

We are always languishing in the distant realm of also-rans and struggling vainly to catch up.

In other words, cats eating our dinner again and again.

I observe, and read of, the slicker and savvier political operators standing their ground in defiance of the required political sense that makes for commonsense oil sense. More failure and fallout to come, I sense. I (Continued on page 6)

FALLACY OF LESSER OF TWO EVILS DEAR EDITOR, In conversations with Guyanese voters, the ringing refrain by well-intentioned Indo Guyanese and Afro Guyanese who seek to justify supporting the party of their ethnicity is that their party is ‘the lesser of two evils’.

In the Sunday 10th November, 2019 edition of the Kaieteur News under the caption ‘Emptiness and Nothingness’, political commentator David Hinds bemoans the undeniable truth that Guyana has not since independence ‘been able to throw up government leaders with the capacity… to transform the society….’ He correctly blames ‘lack of visionary leadership,’ and complains that he is yet to hear any inspiring vision for change from the PPP, or APNU government (which he calls a Coalition), or the small parties.

But he still somehow manages to conclude that APNU should get his support; after all, they are the ‘lesser of two evils’.

Hinds rationalizes his own conclusion by arguing that the old PNC hardliners are now gone, so that APNU is no longer ‘vicious’, whereas the ‘gangsters’ in the PPP are still much in evidence. He therefore cannot vote PPP because he fears the combination of lack of vision and viciousness. I agree.

But Hinds must be blind to suggest that the PPP is ‘vicious’, but APNU is not.

When Indo Guyanese PPP

loyalists were brought before the Courts on corruption charges, that may have been justified. The justification wore thin in the absence of a single conviction. Certainly, there was no justification for shackling and handcuffing non-violent defendants who had voluntarily submitted to police custody, just so that they could be paraded as a spectacle of humiliation for the enjoyment of the triumphal party loyalists. That was vicious.

The removal of Hinds himself from the Chronicle was vicious. The termination of the employment of the sugar workers with no relief was vicious. Making them wait even for the severance pay which was their lawful entitlement was vicious. To belligerently proclaim that only ‘our people’ can get jobs or contracts is vicious. Removing advertisements from Stabroek News is vicious.

The ethnic cleansing of the public service was vicious.

Victimization is alive and well, and the present regime is equally as harmful as the previous. They are both evil.

But to debate the degrees of evil, to discuss which party is the ‘lesser’ or ‘greater’ evil in order to justify your support of one of the Harmful Two is to hide from your conscience, because if the two large parties are both harmful, vicious, bereft of ideas to properly manage our country, then no voter should support either of them.

This is why a third party is necessary: in our winner take all system, if the Two Parties are the only options on election day, then the winner will also enjoy a majority in Parliament, and Guyana will suffer yet another elected dictatorship.

To use Hinds’ words, whichever of the Harmful Two Parties ‘wins in March, the government will be a runaway train with no checks and balances. The oil and gas wealth will be fuel for that train’.

Our only hope is for the Third Party to win enough support to ensure that the party in Government does not also have a majority in Parliament.

An independent Parliament to rein in whichever of the Harmful Two is in Government is Guyana’s only hope.

A New and United Guyana have stated that if we hold that balance, we will not support any Parliamentary proposal for support that does not include a Shared Governance regime that involves the other large party.

This will mean that the governing party will be forced to work with the other large party in Parliament - the beginning of inclusivity in the management of the country.

A New and United Guyana have also stated that if we hold the balance in Parliament, we will immediately put forward our proposals for Constitutional reform to provide for shared governance.

If Government does not support our proposals for Constitutional reform, we will not support the Government in Parliament. That is the second step for inclusivity in the management of the country.

Finally, A New and United Guyana has stated that it will, with the cooperation of the Opposition in Parliament (whichever party is in opposition) propose and pass amendments to existing legislation which remove sole control of State agencies and corporations from the Government and its Ministers, and place that control under Boards and Commissions comprising members of the Government, the Opposition and the Third Party, so that there is true inclusivity and shared governance in the decision making by those agencies and corporations. This is the third step for inclusivity in the management of the country.

We propose that these steps will leverage the participation of the Government (whichever party is in Government) in a constitutional reform process. Over the coming months until elections are held, we will give specific examples of the changes which can be made by a majority opposition in Parliament, and how those changes can reduce corruption, create inclusivity, and introduce transparency and good governance in Guyana.

A New and United Guyana

Thursday November 14, 2019

THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT THE GUYANESE PEOPLE NOW IS TO LEAVE THE OIL IN THE GROUND DEAR EDITOR, Let us deal with facts not fantasy.

1. Renegotiation is not an option. In the real world oil companies don’t reduce the return to their shareholders unless they are forced to.

They are not going to be swayed by the views of 610 people. Guyana has nothing to renegotiate with. The government has given it all away.

2. The contract says no renegotiation.

3. When you have illegalities in a contract you don’t renegotiate. You strike down what is unlawful. Then you are in a strong position to start again. A country that

does not uphold the rule of law is well on the way to corruption fueled by greed.

4. It is prudent to ask who is pushing the renegotiation line. Who wants to fool the Guyanese people? Who wants to distract the Guyanese people away from demanding that the law is respected? And why? Would these same individuals tell the European or American governments not to strike down illegalities, but to renegotiate?

Let us not be naïve.

5. It’s time to stop flogging a dead horse. Any competent energy analyst will tell you that fossil fuels are on their way out. The change is

happening faster and faster.

There is already US$3 trillion of stranded fossil fuel assets in the global economy.

Guyana is attractive to oil companies precisely because they can get the oil so cheap.

Guyana bears the risk and will be saddled with costs for stranded assets, abandoned wells, well blowout, environmental devastation, social costs of oil, climate change made worse by greenhouse gas emissions from Guyana’s oil etc. etc. Let us deal with facts not fantasy. The only way to protect the Guyanese people now is to leave the oil in the ground.

Melinda Janki

An interesting political/ideological dialectic is playing out DEAR EDITOR, An interesting political/ ideological dialectic is playing out in our hemisphere and the world at large.

On the one hand, the political left has made some significant gains, at varying periods, in terms of the attaining political power in countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and Mexico. A significant number of these countries still have leftist leaders, who along with Venezuela and Cuba have shifted the political tide in favour of socialistoriented governance.

A major setback for the leftist agenda has been the recent ‘resignation’ of the populist leader Evo Morales who was granted political asylum in Mexico following his forced resignation.

In neighbouring Brazil,

former President Inacio Lula da Silva was recently freed from prison after spending some eighteen months in jail.

This is likely to change the power dynamics in that country given his popularity and charisma among the working people.

Elections are due in about two years’ time and if not barred from running there is a strong likelihood that he could once again emerge as President.

For the moment, the situation in Bolivia has stolen the limelight in what appeared to be a rightwing conspiracy aimed at preventing what is referred to as ‘the pink tide’ from gaining momentum not only in Bolivia, but in several other countries in Latin America.

The so-called pink tide gained political traction following the victory of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and has

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Kaieteur News

since spread to several other countries in the hemisphere.

This development has resulted in some measure of political angst by the USA which has long regarded Latin America and the Caribbean as its backyard.

It is interesting to see how the situation will unfold in Bolivia and Brazil in the period ahead, given the volatile situation that has engulfed the region in recent months.

With elections due in a few months, the focus will also be on Guyana, given our newly found status as an oil-producing nation. As in the case of Bolivia, the USA and other western powers will be paying close attention to the integrity and transparency of our electoral processes to ensure that the will of the electorate is upheld in free and fair elections.

Hydar Ally

Should your Driver’s Licence be used as a valid form of identification?

DEAR EDITOR, Should the Driver’s Licence issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority be used as a valid form of identification?

I visited Demerara Bank and New Building Society recently and was told that it was not acceptable. In the case of New Building Society, I queried as to why, since a copy of my driver’s licence was on record at the Society as my second form of identification.

The matter engaged the attention of a manager, after which I was informed that it was a secondary form of identification. I was

allowed to do my transaction, but this was contingent on a notation on the back of the deposit slip.

The notation dictated by the supervisor stated, “The Guyana Driver’s Licence is a secondary form of identification used at New Building Society. The valid forms of identification to conduct transactions are the National Identification Card and the Passport.”

The expectation is that I will not return to conduct a transaction with my driver’s licence.

Yours sincerely, Shanomae Rose

Let us save Guyana DEAR EDITOR, I have been reading about the AFC and the present political situation. My heart goes out to the Executive of the AFC. After listening to the many comments - including those from Freddie Kissoon, describing the AFC as ‘dead meat,’ to the letter in the Stabroek News of November 13, 2019, titled “AFC will become a quarrelling symbolic spectator,” written by Lomarsh Roopnarine - my heart goes out to them and they deserve our understanding, if not, sympathy.

Cathy Hughes seeks to assure us that the AFC remains relevant. My friend’s old motor cycle had a horn and rear lights. These remain relevant.

As an ordinary person, it appears to me that the problem began with the AFC itself.

I have been speaking with some of the old political soldiers such as Basil Hall and Hamilton Green. First, is this fact of life?

Within every institution, be it the church, the temple, University, Sports team or political party, you find excellence, the mediocre, the ordinary and the weak members.

As a fairly new political entity, the AFC possesses only one or maybe two who

can fit their category of excellence and political astuteness.

If I am correct and speaking with those who have been in the business and government for many years, what I now say, is correct.

In 2015, the AFC demanded and obtained a bigger share of the cake than they deserved. The result: more in your mouth than you can chew, swallow and digest.

Forty percent of the Cabinet positions and the Prime Minister’s slot was the big bargain.

This letter must not denigrate any AFC Minister but the majority have been out of their depth and not brought glory to the Coalition.

I don’t know if it is true, but one of the Elders told me that there is some agreement that the AFC Prime Minister and not the President should chair Cabinet Meetings.

If true, our political leaders in Government need to have their heads examined.

With a ‘war-like’ opposition and over a generation of corruption, we needed to

have in charge of the affairs of State, the likes of Cheddi Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Sonny Ramphal. Dr. Ptolemy Reid, Mohammed Shahabuddeen, Hamilton Green, Rashleigh Jackson and Shirley Field-Ridley.

None of those in the AFC and mind you, some in the Coalition, can come near those mentioned above.

I think day by day, ordinary people have come to this realization. Our dilemma, our distress is that we cannot fathom being ruled by the members of the present opposition.

The only answer is for President David Granger to be reminded that he is Commander-in-Chief and must engage fully the WPA, Justice for All and the Indigenous Peoples’ Party.

Further, we must lean on the wisdom and experience of our Editors, (KN, SN, Chronicle and Stabroek News, Sir Ronald Sanders, David Hinds, Freddie Kissoon and Lincoln Lewis).

Let us save Guyana.

Eric Moseley, AA.

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Kaieteur News

We must let our young people know how it was at that time DEAR EDITOR, I have been following the trend of letters relative to our politics which seem to want to focus on the coming elections due on March 2nd, 2020. I have been on the political “front line” for 65 years and have been a candidate of T.U.F for 10 elections; it means that I have been knocking on the door of Parliament for the past 50 years (10 elections - 5 years apart).

Having my name on the T.U.F “candidates’ list” does not mean that I was looking for an ‘identity’ through politics. I already had and have an identity that no parliamentarian has, and that is that I can stop and am stopped on the streets, roads and highways of my country by members of the public from all political persuasions and affiliations, to have “road talks” on subjects and issues that affect this land of mine and yours.

I ride a bike, and that is one of the things that make me approachable because I meet my fellow Guyanese on

their turf.

Let us take a look at a “political comparison” of the past and present. Where are the programmes that we of long ago politics were accustomed to? Today it is all about the personalities. Recently reading in one of the daily papers, someone had referred to the political budget which was implemented by the P.P.P in the early 60’s; it was entitled the “Kaldor Budget” and it was implemented by the P.P.P. This budget was written by a “Hungarian Marxist” named Nicholas Kaldor and the P.P.P being Marxist at the time had this “Hungarian” write a budget for this country, though he never put foot on our country’s soil. At the time, Cheddi Jagan’s political advisor was another “Marxist” Jack Kelshall, a Trinidadian. I was there and was a participant on the streets, taking tear gas to have that communist budget withdrawn; eventually the P.P.P had to withdraw that budget. Why all this is being said is to show you readers how far I have come from. I am not dependent on any

Many of these ICT hubs are non functional

DEAR EDITOR, The APNU/AFC government is boastfully propagating the transformation of information and Communication Technology (ICT), through ICT hubs. Many of these ICT hubs are non functional, since the Ministry of Public Telecommunications is creating these hubs, in various communities that are unable to sustain the various expenses e.g. electricity etc., leading to the closure of many of these ICT hubs. The perception that’s given by the APNU/AFC administration is far from the reality, especially Region Six presently, at Budhan Scheme, Caracas, West Canje, an ICT hub was commissioned in March 2018 and stopped functioning since January 2019 to date. The access to the building is through a mini jungle. The building that’s housing the ICT hub supposed to be the office for the new NDC Wyburg/Caracas that was formed in 2018 by the then Minister of Communities Mr Bulkan, but nothing was done, despite promises made by Mr Bulkan. The tenure of the government has not only failed the residents of this community but many others in Guyana.

Regards Zamal Hussain

technology to give me answers. I am 80 years of age and my “computer” is my mental ability to remember some of the happenings of this land of mine. Sixty years after the “Kaldor Budget”, I think and feel we must move on; there is so much light ahead in the tunnel for our country. We must all be involved as we will all be consumed if we do not have “togetherness” - complete political togetherness - and let “power” become dormant in our activities. The P.P.P in the 60’s thought that the “Kaldor Budget” was the right thing for Guyana. We who fought against the “Kaldor Budget” thought that it would have been harmful for Guyana and our people. We from both sides of the political divide were facing and dealing with issues and not personalities as today’s politics is doing.

Let us make preparations from our gains for the next two generations. Let us give our children something to be proud of 40 years from now, where they can as adults, say that our politicians of 40 years ago bent over backwards and made political sacrifices in 2020, and for that they will be benefitting. I did go into Parliament in the early 90’s heading a T.U.F delegation which included Mansoor Nadir, Malcolm DeFreitas, Dennis Lee and others. The occasion was to gather around Parliament tables and give our party’s view on the political situation of that era. The “jurist” was Sir Paul Scoon, a British M.P who was doing a research on the situation at the time. The P.P.P and the P.N.C (not today’s P.N.C) also had the opportunity to meet with this Jurist. Gail, Donald, we must let our young people know how it was at that time.

Sincerely Murtland “Slugger” Williams

Thursday November 14, 2019

Why is it that this Government can only dig holes without filling any?

DEAR EDITOR, This Government’s economic policy seems to be dismissing and downsizing. I have never heard such dunce ‘economic policies’ in my life.

This Government has defied all known macro and microeconomic theories and yet they are shamelessly hanging on to the reins of power!

Why is it that this Government can only dig holes without filling any?

I know as a boy growing up I heard about ‘digging holes to fill holes’ but this Government has been digging holes without filling any. Just look at Guysuco.

The Government ‘downsized’ it to ‘right size’ it and in the process they dismissed over 7,000 workers and yet Guysuco is suffering trials and tribulations to meet its miniaturized target, thanks to the Government-appointed parasite, the SPU. The holes created at Guysuco are getting deeper and deeper with no filling in the near future.

Thousands have been sent home, yet the remaining ones have not had a dollar increase since 2015, now the Finance Minister realizes that the dismissal was ‘extremely painful’. His stark realisation comes just before the Elections are due. However, according to the Minister’s ‘economic’ awakening the remaining workers should have been given lavish wages and salaries increase.

But I cannot blame him, his ‘economic theories’ are a reflection of an incompetent Government which has been squandering the taxpayers’ dollars since they lied and deceived the voters in 2015.

The Finance Minister since 2015 should know that he prepared at least 4 Budgets which amounted to over 1 tril-

lion dollars. In 2016 it was $230 billion, in 2017 it was $250 billion, in 2018 it was $267 billion and in 2019 it was $300 billion - a total of $1,047 trillion.

I would like the public to ask themselves a most pertinent question: How much of this trillion plus has trickled down into their pockets?

How have their lives improved? Are they spending less or more on the same basket of goods?

It must be recalled that the last Budget prepared by Dr. Ashni Singh was for $221 billion with all the sugar estates operational, workers given 5% wage increase, and all the benefits intact. There was no dismissal of workers and everyone was enjoying a relatively high standard of living.

The Pensioners were receiving their water and electricity subsidies, the school children were given their $10,000 grant per student and water and electricity attracted no VAT. There were no increases in taxes as well as no implementation of any new taxes.

In addition, machinery and equipment were not subjected to VAT. The cost of living was stable and the standard of living was improving.

People were having more monies in their pockets and were living in harmony.

Now in 2019, after spending more than $1.047 trillion, in fact while businesses are contracting and over 30,000 persons have lost their jobs, and the tax collection by the Guyana Revenue Authority is increasing dramatically, our local and foreign debts are on the rise, we import more than we export, placing our balance of payments in shambles, unemployment have risen sharply, crime has spiralled uncontrollably, poverty is on

the rise and more people going to bed hungry.

More of our people are fleeing to the US resulting in families being separated, domestic and other forms of violence are on the increase, our medical care sucks, corruption and cronyism have now become endemic and the Coalition Government has shown complete disregard for the Constitution and the Rule of Law. In addition, we the people of this country have lost all trust and confidence in the ability of this Government to transparently spend and account for our monies. The Auditor General Reports bear testimony to the countless opaque transactions and lack of basic accountability.

It must also be noted that all the public enterprises have been performing poorly and at great losses, but the Finance Minister is mum on ‘downsizing’ these entities. It is no secret that since this Government took over, these entities have been subject to massive political interference which have precipitated this downward spiral.

Yet this caretaker Government has been trying since December 21st 2018 to stifle the voice of the people by using all tricks in the PNC Playbook to postpone the Elections which is now due by proclamation on March 2nd 2020. However, I will only believe this if Granger dissolves Parliament on December 2nd.

I will conclude by reiterating that the Finance Minister and his Government have failed the Guyanese people who have been continuously receiving less and being demanded to pay more and more!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

The world moves forward...

From page 4 watch and listen to the politically new kid(s) in town, whose games are fresh, maybe good. Like the Eagles, everybody loves them (seems so), but my belief is that the lyrical refrain of “don’t let them down” will come to pass. I wish I could state differently, but I can’t.

For the brave new oil world of Guyana, we are saddled with the ancient and limited and pedestrian. Ancient thinking, ancient ways, ancient results.

I close by extending this gem (at least, I thought so) that I came across: it is true, as Lord Acton famously asserted, “power corrupts.” But, the gem is that it is a two-way street. Meaning that powerlessness also corrupts. That would be representative of natives: indifferent to the point of passiveness; prone to every manner of manipulation; and, in reality, a mirror image of the people they put into power to rule over them.

So when I rant and rail about this leader or that other one, I am really looking at myself, pointing at myself, and condemning myself. This is the grandest bargain of all that has existed forever: go forth, proceed along the same lines, represent my interests. And none other. And further I say not.

Sincerely, GHK Lall

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 7

PAGE 8

Kaieteur News

Thursday November 14, 2019

Tullow shares tumble after warning of heavy oil on Guyana projects London (Financial Times)- Shares in Tullow Oil plunged to a two-year low on Wednesday after the London-listed explorer warned that two significant discoveries in waters off Guyana contained heavy oil, prompting warnings that the projects would be difficult to commercialise.

The company’s shares fell 23 per cent to 159.3p — the lowest since September 2017 — by mid-morning after it announced the results of an analysis into the oil quality at the Jethro and Joe discoveries off the coast of the South American country.

Oils recovered from both wells were heavy crudes with a high sulphur content, Tullow said. Such varieties are generally more expensive to extract and transport. Refiners prize light, sweet crudes and the heavy variety also tends to trade at a discount.

The FTSE 250 company

said on Wednesday that it and its partners were assessing “the commercial viability of these discoveries” in light of the analysis.

Its partners include France’s Total, which has a 25 per cent stake in the Guyana discoveries, and Eco Atlantic, whose shares are listed in both the UK and Canada and which owns 15 per cent. The remaining 60 per cent is held

by Tullow.

London-listed shares in Eco Atlantic were down 51 per cent at 65p by mid-morning, even though it sought to strike a more optimistic tone, saying the quality of the oils in Guyana were “not dissimilar” to similar heavy crudes produced commercially in other regions such as the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

It said the partners had sought the advice of thirdparty consultants with expertise in the development

Analysts expect investors to now be ‘increasingly cautious’ on Tullow stock © Reuters of such oil varieties.

“The company remains optimistic in considering the development scenarios and as the project progresses will define further information on plans and timing,” Eco Atlantic added in a statement.

Analysts at JPMorgan Cazenove said in a note that the oil quality “risks the

commerciality of both prospects despite excellent reservoir quality”.

Al Stanton, analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said he expected investors to now be “increasingly cautious” on Tullow stock, which had received a significant boost in August when the first Guyana discovery had been

announced.

Tullow recently suffered another setback when a $900M deal to sell a sizeable stake in an undeveloped project in Uganda fell apart after a tax dispute with the government of the east African country.

The company also on Wednesday revised down for

the third time its forecast for full-year production. It expects production to average out at 87,000 barrels of oil a day, down from previous revised guidance of 89,000-93,000 b/d, due to lower than expected output from Ghana, where it has two key projects, the Jubilee and Ten fields.

Thursday November 14, 2019

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

TEACHERS ARE ROLE MODELS

O

ne of the sad things about liv ing in Guyana is to see persons who only just started working earning more than their teachers.

That is something which should not happen.

Teachers have to understand their true and complete role as educators. But the process does not begin in the teachers’ training school; the process has to begin with teachers being given the recognition that would allow them to be motivated to practise being true and complete educators.

This true role as educators is not something that can be taught in a classroom setting.

It is something that must be instilled within the very young, so that they can look up towards their teachers and

have respect for them.

Helping teachers to understand their true role as educators has to begin with the appropriate recognition for the value of service they provide.

For some time now, the service provided by teachers has been undervalued.

Teachers are being derecognised in this country, by virtue of the importance that is being paid to their wellbeing and the lack of appreciation and respect that is being shown to them by parents and students alike.

It is a depressing situation which began with the decline in the economy in the early eighties. The economic hardships of that time forced some teachers to take items to school to sell in order to make ends meet. It also pressed

them into offering extra lessons so as to supplement their income.But things were not always this way. There was a time when students looked up to teachers to the extent that teachers often set the fashion of the day.

School girls were often sen whispering to one another about some lovely skirt, dress or shoes that a teacher wore, and some male teachers dressed so impeccably that even some of the female students developed crushes on them.

The teacher was a symbol of respect. They were admired. They were role models for the children, sometimes simply by virtue of their appearance.

However, there was a time when the economic crisis took a toll and some teachers be-

Driver caught on a viral video dragging a dog tied to his car-tells police dog was dead There was quite an uproar on one of the major social media platforms (Facebook) when a video surfaced of a hire car driver driving at a considerable rate of speed with a dog tied to the bumper of his car dragging it.

The video was captured by passengers in another car who could be heard expressing shock and pity over what they were seeing. Persons on Facebook were outraged and even called for the driver to be jailed for animal cruelty.

Just hours after the video was posted, Lancelot McKenzie, of Brighton Village was arrested by police Tuesday night. Statements were taken from him and he was released on his own recognizance yesterday morning based on the instructions given by the Inspector in charge, Orin Joseph.

McKenzie said he is the owner of the dog but it was dead when he tied it to the bumper. His reason for dragging the animal? McKenzie told police that the animal seemed weak and was not

gan to wear shoes that were tired at the front and worn at the heels. Their clothes became shoddy and the children therefore had less to admire than before. Being children, the appearance of these teachers soon became the object of ridicule and even of the coining of false names.

Students whose parents were better off began to dress better than the teachers and some were haughty enough to make a point of emphasising this.

The result was that over time, teachers began to be looked down upon rather than being looked up at. Students began to look elsewhere for their role models and this is where the problems with mentoring began.If we wish to restore the true and complete role of teachers within our schools, it has to begin with instilling greater respect for the teachers. And this has to begin not in the training institutes, but in the appearance of teachers within schools.

Any teacher who has worn a new shirt or an eye-

catching blouse or skirt knows about the reaction of students when the teacher steps into the classroom with her new attire.That is real life drama and we should not deny our students that experience of being awed by a teacher impressing with some dashing piece of clothing.

Teachers should be allowed to be flashy once the clothing is not too revealing.

They should be allowed to be fashionable, but again not show too much skin.

The reason for this is that many young ladies admire their female teachers just as how many boys admire their male teachers.

And so the teachers must recognise that they will in some way be imitated and be role models for their students.

They must dress in a way that draws admiration but which is not “common”.Through their appearance, teachers must present themselves as good role models.Not all of them may be able, on their salaries, to dress fancily but they can all ensure that they are dapper, neat and tidy. This

is where the respect begins.

Each day teachers should make an impression by the way they present themselves in front of their students. The first impression for students is not the whip of the teacher but the teacher’s appearance.

It is easy for a student to disrespect a teacher that does not take an interest in his or her appearance, but a teacher who makes a statement by the way he or she dresses is always going to be admired and respected.But teachers cannot be expected to dress well when they are paid poorly, and that is why the best way for the Ministry of Education to begin to instill in teachers their true and complete roles is to take a look at their pay packets.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Jamaica to host major energy conference next February

A screenshot of the car dragging the dog moving much on Tuesday. He said that he left home and returned only to reportedly find it dead. He told police he decided to discard of the dog at a backland location, a distance away from his home and opted to tie the animal and drag it while driving.

He is claiming that the animal was his pet and that he “loves dogs”.

It is unclear if he provided an explanation as to why the

dog could not be buried in his yard.

However, according to a police source, neighbours are claiming that the dog ate his livestock and he retaliated with anger towards his pet, tied him to the car and dragged it while it was alive.

Animal rights NGO’s such as the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are yet to speak out on the video.

Dem boys seh ...

Exxon gat Govt and opposition in dem pocket If you want build a house, would you allow a contractor to design and build dat house, without telling you, then hand you a bill to pay?

When you look at de bill de contractor hand you, you see dat you coulda build four of de same size house.

What would you do wid dat contractor, who in dem right mind gon pay him?

Well, basically is de same thing ExxonMobil did to Guyana when it designed and developed the Liza Phase 1 and Liza Phase 2 Oil Fields.Then it handed Guyana a Bill fuh US$10 billion. Who paying dat bill?

Should Guyana pay it when it had no say?

Dis is wha wake up de Energy Department and dem boys glad. From de time dem

hear bout de third oil field, de Bynoe man seh “Eh eh—no more shaft fuh we. Hold you horses.”

Dem boys watching close, close wha gon be de next move wid dem oil company. Dem already hear de Hess boss talking how dem got de Govt and de opposition politicians under control. Dis was said yesterday at an oil and gas conference in Miami.

De man tell de conference who ever go in power come next March nobody gon stop dem from continuing to shaft Guyana.

When dem boys hear dat coming from de mouth of de oil bosses dem begin to think wha these politicians allow dem oil company to do dem.

Talk half and peep dem politicians pocket.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Jamaica will host the fourth Energy and Climate Partnership (ECPA) Ministerial Meeting next February, Energy Minister Fayval Williams announced yesterday.She said the February 2728 event will be held under the theme “Energy Resilience and Investment Opportunities”.

Williams said that the theme will find resonance in the region where countries are bound by the common pursuit of achieving universal access to safe, clean and affordable energy.“ECPA members must see the Fourth Ministerial as a call to deepen the collaborations, strengthen the networks, lever-

age our resources, scale up actions and sharpen our focus on creating a better tomorrow for this, and future generations,” said Williams.She said that a number of other events will be held locally to start discussions on Jamaica’s energy agenda and built interest in the Ministerial Meeting.

The Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) was announced by former United States President Barack Obama at the Summit of the Americas in April 2009. The ECPA is conceived as a flexible mechanism to accelerate sustainable energy in the Americas.

PAGE 10

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

If true, President Granger and Godfrey Statia are pathetic failures Every citizen in Guyana has to pay and must pay two forms of taxes. One is PAYE which is compulsory once you earn income whether as an employee or self-employed. Only persons exempted are those who fall below the threshold of PAYE. The other is property tax.

Prior to 2014, every citizen whose total assets were over

$7 million had to declare property tax. You don’t need to go to high school (maybe even school at all) to know that if every citizen had to pay property tax on assets over $7M then the revenue people had to collect a colossal amount from the super-rich in Guyana.

Imagine families own vital city wharves in the capital city where import and export

trade brought in hundreds of millions of dollars each month.

Imagine men own thousands of acres in gold fields and whose operations brought in billions of dollars.

The state had to earn a few billions in property tax from just a few families much less if the net is cast nationwide.

Yet for the past 25 years, property tax as a percentage of collected taxes was less than one percent. In 2014, the government, in order to ease the burden on property tax for lower middle class folks upped the ceiling to $44M. This made sense because long-serving policemen, soldiers, public servants, etc had accumulated more than $7M. Why should such small persons be targeted to pay property tax?

Finance Minister Ashni Singh, and President Donald Ramotar resisted persistent efforts by the Private Sector Commission to abolish property tax. They had in mind the super-rich class so the ceiling moved from $7M to $44M. Speaking at his party press conference, Nigel Hinds, of Change Guyana told the nation that in 2017 and 2018, the GRA netted $4

billion in property tax.

If Hinds is right then it is the inflexible opinion of this analyst that Godfrey Statia has not done his job as the country’s tax collector and the President of Guyana whose obligation is to see his administration collect what is owed to the people of Guyana has not done his job too.

It is the opinion of this columnist that if the figure of $4B cited by Hinds is correct, Statia should be relieved of his job and President Granger should not be re-elected.

Do not rely on the contents of this column to accept how pathetic Statia’s collection of property tax for 2017 and 2018 was; just take a calculator and work the figures.

Guyana has a small population. There is no secret in a small society. From illiterate to semi-literate to the educated, Guyanese know who are the super-rich in Guyana. Their assets cannot be concealed.

Many families collectively are worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Here is my contestation.

From just three families, property tax of $4 billion can be secured. How then from the entire country, Statia has netted only $4B? It cannot be. It makes no sense.

There is one gentleman who owns more land in this country except for the state.

If Barbados is 166 square miles then collectively this man’s land possessions all over Guyana are many times the size of Barbados.

The business operations are enormous. This gentleman bought a building from one of Guyana’s prominent churches for half a billion dollars and has left it idle now going on to ten years. I am arguing that property taxes alone from him will be in the billions of dollars.

Godfrey Statia and the President should face this nation and explain how among hundreds of superrich families, the GRA only collected $4B. I am saying with tsunamic insistence that given the spread of wealth among hundreds of rich families, the GRA had to know that in 2017, that $4B figure was horse dung.

President Granger had to know in 2018 that the $4B received in 2017 was a case of the state being owed an enormous amount by people not paying property tax. If in 2018, he didn’t know what took place in 2017, he is unfit to be president.

How do you explain this graphic abandonment in the

Frederick Kissoon constitutional and legal duties by Statia and Granger? I will tread carefully here and resort to my academic training in order to avoid libel.

The term we use in political theory to explain why the state did not move against those who failed to pay their rightful share of taxes is called, “clientelism.” I suggest you research the term but I will leave it at that out of fear that Statia or Granger will sue me.

In the meantime, Statia continues to harass small business people like the vulcanising shops. I say to Statia and Granger, please resign.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

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Kaieteur News

Vacant posts stymie Election Day preparations Commissioner There are four key vacant posts at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that the current Commission had endeavoured to fill, since early last month.

These are Assistant Chief Elections Officer (ACEO); Logistics Officer, Civic and Voter Education Officer; and Research Officer.

Kaieteur News understands that these posts have been empty since last year, but meetings to discuss their filling were hindered by the shadow of doubt placed on the legitimacy of former GECOM Chair James Pattersons appointment, and his resignation following a ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that it was unconstitutional.

GECOMs administrative committee should have been convened last month, Alexander had told Kaieteur News a week before the date selected for its first meeting. Their job is to fill those posts, but more important matters seem to have held the Commissions attention.

Now, Alexander has brought up the matter of the vacant posts hampering GECOMs work, but all Commissioners may not be in one place for maybe a week or two.

“Once again, we were supposed to meet [on Tuesday last]. In the absence of a Commissioner, we couldnt meet to do the interviews, and that Commissioner [Bibi Shadick] has again indicated that she is unavailable for next week.”Because of this, Alexander has suggested that the Commission grant authority to the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, to recruit temporary staff to carry

Thursday November 14, 2019

CARICOM ministers to vote on 40% tax on imported sugar

A

Commissioner Vincent Alexander out the tasks that those vacant posts would have been taking care of, had they been fixed.Some Commissioners are opposed to that suggestion, Alexander said.The Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, reportedly said that she would like to hear from the CEO before she finalises her position on the matter. If those posts arent filled soon, warned Alexander, the work of GECOM will be stymied. “[That will happen], or the officers who are there will be put under tremendous pressure, as those are key positions.”

number of Carib bean ministers are set next week to consider adopting measures that will block tax-free entrance of refined sugar from outside of the region.

According to the Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC), at the forthcoming Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) trade ministers meeting to be held in Guyana on November 18, the ministers have been asked to endorse three outcomes.

Those outcomes came from the COTED Agriculture Ministers meeting, which took place in October concerning sugar.

The ministers would be asked to adopt measures that would see refined sugar become ineligible for Conditional Duty Exemptions when regionally produced white sugar meets the quantity and specifications required by industrial users of sugar.

The ministers would also be asked to adopt monitoring mechanism for all sugars to determine the match of availability and demand requirements to ensure support to regional production of sugar must be urgently implemented and that the CARICOM Secretariat must develop the necessary Terms of Reference and initiate the process before the end of 2019.

More importantly, the ministers will be asked to adopt

measures that will see member states immediately apply the CET regime to all brown sugar entering the CARICOM Single Market.

The CET tax is 40 percent.

SAC represents sugar producers in Jamaica, Guyana, Belize and Barbados.

All told, 400,000 CARICOM citizens rely on the industry, which produces over 450 kmt of sugar a year.

At present, about three quarters of this is exported to the EU for further refining instead of meeting CARICOM’s domestic demand.

At a CARICOM sugar stakeholders’ meeting held in October, CARICOM sugar producers signaled their willingness to invest in production of sugar to the quality and quantity required by industrial users of sugars.

“To underpin that investment, SAC is requesting a declaration that when this

product is available, it will have a home in the CARICOM market and existing treaty protections will apply.

This is a major new opportunity for the region to be able to utilise CARICOM sugar in CARICOM products. It will help ensure regional food security and a sustainable, healthy, valuable and viable CARICOM sugar industry for the future.”

Additionally, SAC is requesting that member states fully enforce the existing CET rules on brown sugar and a proper monitoring mechanism to manage sugar supply and demand flows in the region.

The region has been struggling with its sugar production with Guyana closing four factories and sending home more than 7,000 employees in recent years.

There are studies which find that there is a huge CARICOM market.

Kaieteur News

Thursday November 14, 2019

PAGE 13

Chaos on East Bank, West Bank as police suspend 3-lane traffic

F

or the second day, traffic on East and West Demerara was in chaos as police suspended a three-lane system at peak hours to cater for the volume of traffic from the west side.

Ye s t e r d a y, G e n e r a l Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Rawlston Adams, made it clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the bridge.

He said he was informed that there will be no threelane as of Tuesday.

The three-lane system was introduced years ago to cater for peak traffic in the morning and afternoon period.

In the morning, traffic would head two-lane east on the Harbour Bridge with three lane introduced on the East Bank road leading to the city. In the afternoon, the situation is reversed.

However, on Tuesday, it appeared that orders came down from the police hierarchy in Georgetown for the three-lane arrangements to be scrapped.

Traffic Chief: Linden Isles The backlash was immediate as angry commuters took to social media and even called media houses to voice their frustrations.

From schoolchildren, to workers to business owners…all were affected.

Even reporters were caught in the mix.

Ye s t e r d a y, t h e

frustrations were worse as traffic crawled.

Attorney-at-law Jaya Manickchand was one affected. Her three-year-old daughter left 06:45hrs for school in Georgetown. Her vehicle reached across the bridge at 09:30hrs.

They live in Versailles, West Bank Demerara. The lawyer said that her child woke up at 05:00hrs.

There were calls from a number of other executives.

The situation was compounded by not enough police ranks on the roads to control the traffic.

The minibuses were overtaking on the inside, causing traffic to snarl at several points.

“The police apparently did not think this through as consultations with the stakeholders would have found that to suspend the current system would have been madness.”

However when Kaieteur News tried attempted to make calls to the Traffic Chief, Linden Isles yesterday, they were going

The traffic situation on Saffon Street, Charlestown yesterday, around 17:30 hrs. straight to voice mails.

H o w e v e r, o f f i c i a l s indicated that Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, is expected to lead a team to the East Bank area this morning around 07:00hrs to assess the situation.

With a women's cricket competition scheduled for the National Stadium, Providence, this evening, the fears of enduring another day of the congestion would be unthinkable.

Public servants' minimum...

From page 3 disregard their hard- fought right to bargain,” FITUG stressed. In addition to those increases, Station Allowances will also be increased from $2,800 to $10,000.

Hinterland allowances will be increased by between one hundred percent and six hundred percent from

between $4,000 and $12,000 to $24,000. Risk allowance will be increased by nine hundred percent from $500 to $5,000.

Additionally, clothing allowance for teachers will be increased from $13,000 and $22,135 to $15,000 and $30,000. On-call allowance for doctors is expected to see an increase also.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 14

Thursday November 14, 2019

Deaths not reported to GECOM NICIL refutes claims of Skeldon likely to number in the thousands Sugar factory sell out

C

- Commissioner

T

he Official List of Electors (RLE) could end up being prepared with thousands of dead persons on it, if GECOM doesn't sort out a thorough method of drawing out all of them.

Commissioner Vincent Alexander, after the most recent statutory meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), expressed concern about this matter. It is one of the main reasons why the GECOM Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, opted to publish about 18,000 unverified names for scrutiny.

“Let's see if you're alive,” the Chair had said, at a press conference last Friday. There is a system of cooperation between GECOM and the General Registrar's Office (GRO) to make sure dead people don't end up on the list.

Alexander said that the GRO would send GECOM a list of the registered dead, every three months.

GECOM would, in turn, take that data and adjust their

directory accordingly.

However, “that list is grossly inadequate,” Alexander said.

He posited that it does not at all cater for persons who die overseas.

Locally, an individual may die in a remote area in the Hinterland, and that could pose difficulties – or inconvenience – for the community to report. Even in Georgetown, deaths are sometimes unreported and left unregistered.

The Objection process doesn't make it any easier to process the dead out of the list. Sometimes, scrutineers would object to certain registrants who would turn out to be dead.

In the case of Region Nine, Commissioners had pointed out that an alarming number of objections came from Annai and Lethem.

When asked about this matter, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo told Kaieteur News that most of the objections had come from the People's Progressive Party (PPP).

Commissioner, Vincent Alexander The party decided to withdraw its objections after realising that most of the objections were deaths, according to Jagdeo. It had decided that it was GECOM's job and that of the GRO to sort out the removal of deaths, and not a party.

But what happens if many of those deaths were never actually reported?

“That's a real issue,” Alexander said.

Many of those dead persons will, without a doubt, end up on the supplementary list GECOM has announced will accompany the verified voters on the RLE.

hief Executive Officer of the N a t i o n a l Industrial Commercial Investment Limited, (NICIL), Colvin Heath-London, is refuting claims that Government has taken steps to sell the non-functional Skeldon Sugar Plant to a South African Company.

His response comes days after former Attorney General and PPP legal point man, Anil Nandlall, accused the government of secretly making a deal to sell off boilers and other components of the plant to an overseasbased company.

Additionally, HeathLondon noted that the sale of anything related to the sugar plant will have to go through Cabinet. He said that the proposal would need to be discussed at Cabinet and go through an entire process before anything can be sold.

“This process involves bidding and other things so it's transparent.

So to my knowledge, there are no such plans.”

This is not the first time that NICIL is facing criticism for the management of assets and operations of GUYSUCO

which has considerably downsized due to the closure of key sugar estates.

Last week, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union GAWU said that it had learnt, through newspaper advertisements, that the NICIL-Special Purpose Unit (SPU) is undertaking the sale of sugar assets that were attached to the now-shuttered Skeldon Estate.

GAWU noted that the advertisement is the latest iteration of the sellout of assets belonging to the sugar industry by NICIL-SPU. The advertisement was seeking interested persons and organisations to express interest in what are deemed 'unserviceable' motor vehicles and motorcycles.

According to the Union, p r e v i o u s l y, t h e r e w a s information that NICIL-SPU sold several movable items from the sugar estates placed in its hands.

“We had learnt earlier this year, that tractors, motorcycles and agricultural implements were sold at what could be deemed 'basement prices'. It was opined that the assets disposed could have

NICIL CEO, Colvin Heath-London obtained superior prices.

This view, we should add, as far as we recollect, was never denied or corrected by NICIL-SPU.” Additionally, the Union said there were concerns regarding whether the sale prices resembled the valuation that was carried out.

“We recall, concerns being raised about the sale of so-called scrap iron from the closed estates. That sale, we understand, brought in a large sum and again it was felt that higher prices could have been obtained.

“In fact, our Union was made to understand, that one (continued on page 19)

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 15

Kaieteur News

PAGE 16

Thursday November 14, 2019

Legal battle as Harbour Bridge “arrests” runaway barge and tug

The tug that was “arrested”

T

he Demerara Harbour Bridge is battling the owners of the runaway tug and barge that slammed into its steel structure back in September, causing it to be out of operations for more than a day.

The state-owned bridge company had slapped the owners of the vessels with a $90M-plus bill for repairs and other costs but there appeared to be no headway.

Recently, the bridge company through its lawyer, Everton Singh-Lammy secured orders for the vessels to be “arrested” and not released until the money is paid. Yesterday, the owners through it lawyers, Cameron and Shepherd, asked for the vessels to be released and instead offered to pay less than half of the money, just over $40M. According to SinghLammy, the owners wanted a

A car that was caught in the divide that occurred after the accident limit to their liabilities.

However, the Harbour Bridge, now 40 years old, is rejecting that option.

To d a y, t h e m a t t e r continues before Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George. In early October, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, said that the Panama-registered barge remains impounded in Guyana.

He had indicated that the owners would also be billed for revenue lost when the

bridge was out of operation, and for damage to a woman's car.

It was on Monday, September 2, last, that a tug, Marina Oceanic, and a barge, manned by Cubans, and registered in Panama, rammed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge, badly damaging the 40-year-old structure and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded for several hours.

The bridge had remained inoperable for almost 36 hours, after being twisted out

of line. Initial reports had suggested that the vessels had drifted and slammed into the bridge after the crew experienced mechanical problems while anchoring in the Grove/Diamond area of the river.

But sources close to the investigation said that it appeared that the individuals operating the tug had shut

the engine off, and anchored the vessel “out of the anchorage point” (in an area where vessels are prohibited from anchoring), somewhere around the Craig area, East Bank Demerara.

It is believed that the crew wanted to be among the first to pass when the bridge was opened for vessels to traverse. However, they

apparently didn't reckon with the strong tides.

“They may have wanted to be first when the bridge opens, (but) the current and the force of the water pushed them into the bridge and they lost control of the tug,” a source had said.

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has since recommended several stringent regulations for vessels traversing the nation's rivers.

MARAD officials explained that there are already regulations in place, which require the captains of vessels to notify authorities 72 hours before they come into port. MARAD is also seeking to ensure that all barges are piloted by tugs that are adequate in size.

MARAD is proposing that the owners of vessels notify officials about the size of tugs, which they require to haul vessels. The bridge is the main link between East and West Demerara.

The government was forced to introduce emergency traffic measures with speedboats to ensure workers and schoolchildren cross.

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 17

More than half of women in Guyana experience intimate partner violence - national survey

O

ne in every two women in Guyana has or will experience Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in their lifetime, a comprehensive national survey on gender-based violence in Guyana has revealed. According to the survey, more than half (55%) of all women experienced at least one form of violence in their lifetime.

The survey went on to point out that more than one in ten have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a male partner in the past 12 months.

The Guyana Women's Health and Life Experiences Survey (WHLES) was conducted using the CARICOM model, a measurement adapted from the original WHO (World Health Organization) global model for assessing the prevalence of violence against women in the Caribbean. Importantly, it also captures information on the risk of and consequences of violence for women, their children and families and how and to what extent they seek help.

The scourge of Genderbased Violence (GBV) extends beyond partnerinflicted violence since one in every five (or 20 per cent) women in Guyana has experienced non-partner sexual abuse in their lifetime; 13 per cent reported experiencing this abuse

before the age of 18.

Further, the investigation noted that women between the 15–24 age group reported sexual violence (NPSV), including rape, attempted rape, unwanted sexual touching and sexual harassment statistically higher rates than that of the older generation group (the 55–64 age group).

Representative, UN Women Multi-CountryOffice Caribbean Alison McLean, said “UN Women, along with other UN agencies will be using the data gathered from this survey to support national efforts to prevent intimate partner violence through school-based and community-based initiatives; including working with men and boys through Batterer Prevention programmes; and private sector initiatives that prevent work-related spill overs of family violence to create safe spaces at work.”

With the support of UN Women, UNDP, USAID and the Inter-American Development Bank, in collaboration with the Global Women's Institute of G e o r g e Wa s h i n g t o n University and the University of Guyana, the study was conducted by the Guyana Bureau of Statistics to better understand the magnitude of and women's experiences with GBV in all regions of Guyana.

Global estimates show

Accused found guilty of killing man with paddle at wedding house

R

ajen Dindial, who was on trial f o r t h e September 3, 2017 murder of Ashton Henry, was yesterday found guilty on the lesser count manslaughter by a jury.

Dindial, who was represented by lawyers Nigel Hughes and Sophia Findlay, was on trial before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court in Demerara. He had initially pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

Dindial, formerly of Lot 653 Section 'C' Block Y Golden Grove, unlawfully killed Henry, c/d “Boy”, at Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara. It was reported that Dindial and Henry were at a wedding celebration at a house when

an argument ensued between them after Henry pushed down a portable toilet and refused to pick it up.

The court heard that Dindial became annoyed and armed himself with a paddle and dealt the victim several lashes about his body. The court heard that Henry fell unconscious and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he succumbed some time after. Dindial's lawyer requested a probation report to be prepared on his client.

The convicted killer returns to court on November 28 for sentencing.

During the State's case which was presented by state (continued on page 24)

that one in three women worldwide experiences either physical and/or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. In Guyana, 38 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence, above the global average.

IPV adversely affects all aspects of women's lives.

Women who began their first union at a young age, lack family support or have a

controlling partner have an increased risk of experiencing physical and/or sexual IPV. Women who witnessed violence against their mothers in childhood or have a partner who witnessed such violence are at significantly higher risk, continuing the cycle of exposure and IPV through to their own children.

Half of all women who experienced IPV in Guyana never sought help. Victims,

community members and stakeholders attributed this to lack of knowledge of available help, perceptions of being blamed or stigmatised by their situation becoming known throughout the community and inadequate support structures to ensure victim safety after reporting violence to the police.

Recognising the extensive individual, cultural and economic harms associated with violence

against women and girls and the benefits that women, girls and all of society would realise if it is addressed, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana has made addressing VAWG an ongoing priority issue. Actions to address VAWG are part of the Republic's commitments to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Kaieteur News

PAGE 18

Thursday November 14, 2019

Drag Race leaves two dead T

wo persons lost their lives, tragically, yesterday afternoon after the car in which they were travelling, slammed head on into a motor lorry.

This fatal accident occurred around 14:00hrs a l o n g t h e P o r t Kaituma/Matthew's Ridge Trail North West District (NWD).

According to police, it is alleged that the driver of motorcar PNN 4932 was having a drag race with another car HD245 south

along the trail. While descending a hill, motorcar PNN 4932 was trapped on the western side of road with resulted in the car slamming head on to a motor lorry GRR 9394 which was climbing the hill at the said time.

The driver of the car, identified as Lennox Jones, also known as Ratty, and the passenger 64-year-old Kim Cato were pronounced dead on the spot by a medical personnel who arrived shortly.

Their bodies were

removed from the wreckage by public-spirited citizens and transported to the Port Kaituma Morgue.

The driver of the hire car involved in the drag race and the driver of the lorry were taken into custody by police to assist with investigations.

Both Jones and Cato are residents of Port Kaituma and are very well known.

A grieving friend of Jones claimed that an hour before the accident occurred, he saw Jones in Arakaka.

The friend said, with tears in his eyes, that he recalled them joking and laughing before Jones entered his car with Cato to head for Kaituma.

As Jones was about to take off, the grief stricken friend told him, “Yeah bai mus tek yuh time on the road

Dead: Kim Cato (Sister Kim)

Dead: Lennox Jones (Ratty) deh.”

Jones responded, “Yes bai, I does always tek me time.”

TSU rank linked to Matthew's Ridge gold heist was absent from duty - Crime Chief

T

h e Ta c t i c a l Services Unit rank who is suspected to be one of the gunmen involved in the Matthew's Ridge gold heist, was absent from duty when he allegedly committed the act. This is according to Crime Chief Michael Kingston who confirmed that the detained joint services rank is a policeman.

Asked what the rank might have been doing in the N o r t h We s t D i s t r i c t , Kingston said, “As far as I am concerned, he was absent from duty.”

He also stated that the AK-47 assault rifle that was recovered from the suspects is not a police issue weapon.

The Crime Chief indicated that the suspects are yet to be brought to the city.

The TSU rank and four others were detained a day after a gang of gunmen pulled off a movie-style gold heist on a Brazilian and his

crew at Matthew's Ridge, North West District (NWD).

The attack occurred around 13:00 hrs on Monday. Two of the suspects were apprehended around 09:00 hrs on Tuesday in a vehicle at Arakaka, NWD. Police said that a quantity of raw gold, suspected to be part of the loot, was recovered.

The suspects reportedly led police to a location where the investigators recovered an AK-47 assault rifle with magazines; two 9mm handguns with magazines; a camouflage jacket and a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

Police later apprehended a Joint Services rank and an individual, who is said to be involved in mining.

Divisional Commander Wendell Blanhum told Kaieteur News that the alleged mastermind owns a shop that is located near the area where the (continued on page 20)

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

PAGE 19

RDC delivers to Cancer organisation F

ounder of Women on the Move, Judy Gravesande-Noel, has expressed gratitude to the Region Ten Democratic Council (RDC) for what she described as the continued support and assistance to her organisation.

Gravesande-Noel disclosed that her NGO has been working to increase awareness of cancer in Region Ten. She said that while the group does a lot of work in Linden and more so, Region Ten, the work is not confined to this area. The group continues to do a lot of work within the diaspora.

She disclosed that the group has been in existence for the past 19 years, and has done tremendous work in enhancing the awareness of cancer as they seek to further empower persons. “ We h a v e b e e n i n existence for some 19 years doing this yeoman service.

We more or less target or get the attention of people in

Linden like the Regional Chairman who has been, over the years, supporting us through the donation of trophies,” she said.

She added, “I must say that it's not as though we are awarding these persons with trophies for participating.

While it may be that when we come to them on a oneon-one, we are bringing the awareness to them.”

Gravesande-Noel noted that remaining in touch with the smaller companies and individuals who have supported the organisation from the inception is critically important.

“Instead of going to a mega company like ExxonMobil, we think that if we go to those people, we are actually forgetting the small companies and individuals who were there with us from the start.

“It is important to note that we started very small thus we ask the individual companies to give us trophies so that we can award

persons. We have moved from giving individuals trophies to now giving them to groups just basically for their participation as it seeks to motivate them in a way that others can emulate,” she said.

Speaking about the level of the awareness now in the community, she disclosed that the number of awardees is increasing, thus resulting in more persons getting involved.

She said that it is evident as persons are reaching out to contact the group to get involved rather than seeking to get persons involved.

She said that for this year, GTT donated some jerseys and the group was very thankful and grateful, adding it was the first time that they secured jerseys from the telephone company.

“We were able to present to our stakeholders within the community like RC, managers of various entities [they] also sold some to cover some overhead costs

NICIL refutes claims of Skeldon sellout, these soSugar factory sell out cplanned alled unserviceable From page 14 buyer who purchased the 'scrap iron' at the Wales factory made a hefty profit from the deal.

P r e v i o u s l y, t h e government had committed to ensuring the sale of sugar assets was above reproach and was transparent.

Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, in responding to questions

regarding the sale of the Skeldon factory, had said that such a sale would have to be done in a very transparent process, because this Government prides itself on accountability and transparency.”

However GAWU notes that the reality, it appears, has been divorced from what was committed to.

“In terms of the

vehicles, we gather, were previously operable when they were being used by the Skeldon Estate.

We should add, though, that, we understand some were aged but they were still not unserviceable.

We cannot help but wonder how they became unserviceable and if they really are in such a state,” the Union queried.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian presents the trophies to Judy Gravesande-Noel that they had. “We had some overhead costs as an organisation. We do have overhead costs and that is how we were able to cover some of the costs,” she said.

Gravesande-Noel disclosed that the event is continuing to grow. She said that the organisation started out in front of Jacks then it grew. It then moved to the Linden-Georgetown minibus park.

“We are now based at MSC ground. We want to thank the public; we want to thank God first and

everybody who came on board because with this Regional Chairman's pledge to us despite the event being completed, he has remained committed in delivering,” she stressed.

She said that while the event is finished, the Regional Chairman pledged some trophies to them so that they could award some schools and today he is delivering on that pledge.

The NGO Founder said that while the group only has seven members, there are numerous volunteers.

Regional Chairman, Renis Morian, in congratulating the Women on the Move founder, said that he and his RDC are once again very pleased to be associated with them.

He said that over the years, the council has maintained supporting the organisation because of its very impressive work within the community.

He noted that he intends to increase the support and assistance to the organisation in a greater way for 2020.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 20

Thursday November 14, 2019

Appeal Court affirms Four suspected car conviction and sentence thieves appear in court for wounding convict

T

he Court of Appeal has affirmed a conviction for wounding and the 10 years' prison sentence imposed on Alvin Raghubir.

Police had alleged that on October 3, 2007, Raghubir wounded “Tired Man” (only name given) with intent to maim, disable, disfigure or cause him grievous bodily harm.

Raghubir subsequently went on trial before a judge and jury and was found guilty of the offence.

The convict through his lawyer, Sonia Parag, filed an appeal in which he prayed for his conviction and sentence to be overturned.

The Court of Appeal consisting of Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory, dismissed the appeal yesterday.

Among other things, the Court held that it found nothing unbalanced in the trial judge's summation which was fatal to the jury's guilty verdict. Also, the Court found that given the

nature of the injuries the victim received, the sentence, which was at the trial judge's discretion, was appropriate.

According to short facts related by the Chancellor, during Raghubir's trial an eyewitness testified that she witnessed him chopping “Tired Man” with a cutlass.

The witness testified that after the first chop, “Tired Man” fell to the ground and Raghubir continued chopping at him.

The witness said “Tired Man” used one of his hands to bar some of the chop but that hand was severed during the process.

In the grounds of appeal, Parag argued that the trial judge invited the jury to speculate as to why Raghubir elected to give an unsworn testimony, as opposed to a sworn one. The Court of Appeal, however, held that they found no merit in this argument.

In its judgment delivered by the Chancellor, the Court of Appeal said that it was Raghubir who elected to give a sworn testimony after options were put to him by

the trial judge.

The Court of Appeal said that although the trial judge did not specifically address the issue raised by Parag, she gave other directions to the jury, which could have cured the misdirection advanced.

As such, the Court of Appeal found that this was not fatal and did not lead to a miscarriage of justice, as contended by Parag.

Raghubir's lawyer had also argued that the trial judge omitted to point out to the jury discrepancies as it relates to the evidence of Raghubir and the eyewitness. The Court of Appeal did not agree with this argument. According to the court, it did not find that the judge's summing was fundamentally unbalanced or unfair.

In explaining this, the Chancellor said that from the records of appeal, it was clear that the trial judge highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecution case, as well as Raghubir's defence in which he gave unsworn evidence.

In the circumstances, the appeal was dismissed.

Owner of Kalibur Security wants evidence from Region 10's Chairman for allegations

T

he owner and m a n a g i n g director of Kalibur Security, Col. George Gomes, is demanding evidence from the Regional Chairman of Region Ten to support allegations made against his company.

Earlier this month, Kaieteur News had reported that Regional Chairman Renis Morian had said that “swift” and “serious” actions are threatened by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) against the security force.

The reason for the RDC's threats is because of the alleged disrespect shown by the force towards female guards, according to the Regional Democratic Council.

However, in a letter sent to this publication, Col. Gomes claims that it may be the intention of the Regional

Chairman to tarnish his company's image.

Gomes added that regional chairman had not produced any evidence to support his allegations. In fact, said the managing director, no formal complaints were made to him by the Region Ten RDC. He claimed that he had only learnt of the allegations through the various news articles published recently by media houses.

Gomes explained, Kalibur Security was awarded the security contract for Region Ten through the bidding process conducted by the National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTA).

The owner claimed that eight months into the contract, he was called to meeting by the Chairman and was told that he will have to get rid of his two managers stationed at Linden. If he did

not comply, he was warned that “he would run into problems”.

Gomes said that he latter understood that Morian had a disagreement with one of his managers before becoming Regional Chairman, and disliked the other on racial grounds.

He also said that he contacted the Regional Executive Officer (REO) and was told that no such complaints were made to him.

This indicates, says Gomes, that only the Chairman knows where he got his complaints from.

Gomes said that if his allegations are true, then a formal complaint must be made and evidence must be provided.

If not then it will be ruled as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his company's image and legal action will be taken.

A

n alleged gang of car thieves, comprising three taxi drivers and a mechanic, was yesterday remanded to prison following charges for allegedly stealing three vehicles to sell as spare parts.

The men were hauled before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates' Court where the joint charges were read to them and they denied all.

The defendants are Kurt Shepherd, a 32-year-old taxi driver of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway; Justin DeSantos, an 18-yearold mechanic of 47, Pearl, East Bank Demerara; Joe Singh, a 25-year-old taxi driver of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway; and Miguel Mattadin, a 25year-old taxi driver of Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

It was alleged that on October 12, 2019 at 'C' Field Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, the men while being in company of each other, stole motorcar PHH 3889 valued $700,000 property of Dwayne Simon.

The second charge read that on September 23, 2019 at South Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, while in company of each other, they stole motorcar PFF 7090 valued at $500,000, property of Oswald Bento.

Finally, it was alleged that on September 18, 2019 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, the men while being in the company of each other, stole one Pitbull minibus valued at $4.1M property of Orlando Angus.

Attorney-at-law Dexter Todd represented Singh and Paul Fung-a-fat represented DeSantos. The other two men were unrepresented.

The lawyers made applications for bail to be granted to their clients while indicating that the men are not flight risks and promised that they will return to court for their matters.

Miguel Mattadin

Kurt Shepherd

Joe Singh

Justin DeSantos

However, Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to bail being granted based on the serious nature of the allegation, that investigations are still ongoing and that there are still a number of vehicle parts and cars that need to be identified by the owners.

The prosecutor further noted that more charges will be brought against the men.

He went on to say that Shepherd and Mattadin have similar matters in the Providence Magistrate's Court.

The men were remanded to prison until their next court appearance on November 18, 2019.

According to the facts of

the case, on November 6, 2019 police ranks acting on information, went to Kuru K u r u r u o n t h e Soesdyke/Linden Highway, where they made contact with DeSantos and Shepherd.

A search of the property which is the residence of Shepherd revealed several motorcar parts. As a result, the men were arrested and taken into custody.

Further investigations and a search of another location led to the recovery of several other vehicles.

This subsequently led to the arrest of Mattadin and Singh, who aided police in recovering a number of vehicle parts at an area in Kuru Kururu.

TSU rank linked to Matthew's Ridge...

From page 18 Brazilian gold dealer transacts his business.

It is believed that this businessman had knowledge of the Brazilian's schedule, and mobilised the joint services rank and others for the robbery. Commander Blanhum said that police have set up a “robust intelligence” network, and this led to the swift apprehension of the suspects. Monday's drama

began at around 13:00 hrs at Matthew's Ridge, while the Brazilian and two of his workers were heading to the Matthew's Ridge airstrip.

According to reports, the Brazilian and the two employees were travelling in a pickup, en route to the airstrip, when a gang of masked men, brandishing an assault rifle and handguns, emerged from the roadside and held them up.The gunmen dragged their

victims from the pickup.

While two of the gunmen stood guard over their captors, two others removed a bag containing the gold bars from the pickup.

The gang then escaped into nearby bushes. Ranks from the Matthew's Ridge Police outpost were immediately contacted, and, acting on information, managed to round up the gang.

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

Accused found guilty of killing man with...

From page 17 counsel, Shawnette Austin, and Sarah Martin, an eyewitness, Kemis Harris said that around 11:30hrs, he was walking through a street where the wedding was being held when he Henry push down a portable toilet.He said that the portable toilet was a few feet away from the wedding house at the four-corner of the street.

According to the witness, several persons rushed up to Henry and one of them, a man,

whom he described as a stranger to the community and a friend of Dindial, lashed him to his face with a bottle that broke as a result.

In retaliation, he said Henry picked up and a case of empty beer bottles and threw it at the man's face, but missed. It was then he said Dindial armed himself with a paddle which he used to lash Henry to his neck.

The witness added, “When Boy [Henry] get that

chop lash… Dindial kept on lashing Boy until he can't move…on his face and on his chest.”Harris added that Dindial's brother, who is only known by the call name, “Doggy”, kicked Henry to his face as the injured man lay on the ground. He added that he only reported what he saw to the police after he heard that Henry had died. The witness related that when he visited the police station, he identified Dindial as the 'beat man'.

PAGE 21

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Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

Drunken fisherman dies in canal

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One Part time cooking maid required and a full time cleaning maid. Call: 231-0734/ 653-4537 Office Management. Male/ Female, Excel proficient management, NIS, Paye, Good renumeration. Tel#672-1703

American Pool Tables. Tel #651-9039

CAR RENTAL

Labourers for wood concession - $5000 per day Call: 630-1831

One (2) bedroom, 1 bathroom, upper flat at Friendship, East Bank Demerara. Call: 696-7924 for more information

FOR SALE/RENT

Personal Training/TrainorBodybuilding, body sculpting, weight loss diet plans, one on one. Contact# 612-3525 Installation, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing Machine, Stove etc. Call Nick 630-1600, 627-3206

FOR RENT

VACANCY Sales Representative, 5 subjects CXC, Good communication skills, Experience. Mima Decor, 8 Sheriff Street #226-0176, mi madecor06 @gmail.com Office assistant, Excel Proficient, 2 years experience, knowledge of NIS/PAYE/ Payroll. Mima Decor #2260176, mima decor06@gmail.com

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Male shift supervisor, must Wanted (1) One Handyman have license or own car. Please for Auto Sales. Call #645-5760 call: 616-6988 for details between 8-5 Mon Office assistant. Contact# 223to Friday 5273/223-5274 1 live-in maid. Call: 625-4080. Experienced Sales girl. Apply Send photo & info via at Alabama Trading 65 Robb whatsapp Street Bourda Need one house to rent. Three bedroom, Georgetown.

Preferably in South. Call: 6750689 1 Security Guard, Waiter, Waitresses, Servers. Apply at Herdmanston, Anira & Peter Rose Sts, Queenstown Tel#225-0808 Ex-100 1 General Mechanic needed, must be familiar with bikes.

Contact# 645-5760 Mon - Fri 8am-5pm 1 In house broker needed, must have license. Contact# 645-5760 Mon - Fri 8am-5pm

Driver Expediter. Contact# 223-5273/ 223-5274 One Female cleaner. Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda One senior experience accounts clerk. Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda Licensed Broker. Contact# 223-5273 / 223-5274 2 female kitchen assistant with experience in creole foods and meat preparation #675-2550/ 656-9313

Dead is Andy Narine of La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD), the 31-year-old fisherman who met his demise Sunday evening around 19:15hrs, after he reportedly fell into a canal while on his way home.

Kaieteur News understands that last Sunday, Narine reportedly visited a bar in Bagotville, WBD where he was consuming alcohol with his friends.

However after consuming alcohol, Narine left the drinking spot to go home, when he fell into a canal and drowned.

According to Police Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner, Simon

McBean, stated that investigators were told by eyewitnesses that Narine was walking alone from the bar until he approached the second “fine bridge” in the area.

He was in the process of crossing this bridge but lost his footing and fell overboard.

Commander McBean stated that public-spirited persons ran to the area and jumped into the canal into which Narine had fallen in an attempt to save his life but it was too late.

When the man was pulled from the canal by public spirited persons, he was unresponsive. The man was pronounced dead on arrival at the Regional Hospital.

GTT launches +Size Christmas promotion Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) launched its Biggest Christmas Ever, Plus Size Christmas promotion, yesterday, at the companys main office location at Brickdam, Georgetown.

The promotion will be done differently to all other Christmas promotion as it will unite all GTT products and services within one promotion, said GTT Senior Marketing Executive, Tashandra Inniss.

She explained this year the grand finale will be in the form of a game show on December 21, 2019.

“Christmas is a time of giving and we at GTT will be

giving back to our customers.

One lucky customer will enter into a chance to win a +Size prize at the finale” Inniss said.

She noted the promotion will run from November to December and all GTT subscribers will have a chance to gain entry into the competition by using any of the numerous services available at GTT. “Connecting with friends and loved ones over this festive season with GTT; topping up and paying bills on time via MMG and the MyGTT apps, activating roaming plans, and signing up for Blaze are all ways customers can gain entry into the competition.

The more they do these activities, the greater their VACANCY chances are of winning fanOne (1) Clerk for TSI Eccles tastic prizes,” Inniss elaboIndustrial Site Office. English rated.

For the next five weeks, 12 -1, Mathematics-2, persons will be selected from Quickbooks. Call: 615-9132 the different services avail1 maid to cook and clean for able at GTT; from this 12, one East Bank area. Call: 615-9132 lucky winner will be randomly Security to work in the selected and will win in one interior. Age required 30-55. of the Big Size prizes availRequirements- Army,GPF. able; these prizes include a small size fridge, queen sized Contact#223-5180 bed, television, shopping Vacancy- Sales Clerk, please spree, a handset and a motorsend application to G&I cycle.

The first winner will be Sawmill and Logging. Lot 27 Pouderoyen West Bank selected on November 11.

The Senior Marketing ExDemerara ecutive described how the Cook for interior, must be able game show will run. The preto make pastries & 2 labourers vious weeks will produce five for shop. Tel#660-9093/687- winners and one additional 7638/674-1767 person will be chosen from the audience at the grand fiExperience Goldsmith needed nale. “One person will be ranat Jacob’s Jewellery and domly selected from this six.

Pawnshop. Address 16 Pike That person will pick from 12 St, Kitty Georgetown. boxes; of which one will be a Tel#227-8748/622-4970 Nissan Juke,” Inniss said.

In addition to the Nissan Vacancy exist for Experienced Pharmacy assistants to work Juke, other Plus Size prizes to @ reputable pharmacy in G/ be won in the grand finale intown. Interested persons call clude a brand new home en# 696-5098 between 8am-4pm tertainment system, Kingsized bed, a Samsung S10, Female cleaner office & home. and a two-door stainless steel fridge.

Call: 642-9823

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

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Guyana the Caribbean Dubai - Minister Jordan

M

inister of Fi nance, Win ston Jordan, described Guyana as the ‘Caribbean Dubai’ yesterday during his address at the graduation and prize giving ceremony for participants of the Audio- Visual Skills Youth Empowerment Programme.

Guyana’s Oil and Petroleum Sector is a major boost in the economy, since we have numerous ongoing exploration and development operations offshore Guyana, producing at least 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

Minister Jordan said, “This sub project was one of 39 interventions being implemented under the BNTF [Basic Needs Trust Fund] ninth programme being fund by the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

“The certificates received carry the weight of a National Vocational Qualification recognised throughout Guyana.”

He further highlighted that 40 individuals were selected from 75 applicants. Only 31 of them were able to graduate, among them youths and youth leaders of two communities.

Participants of the Audio- Visual Skills Youth Empowerment Programme.

He called on the sponsors to continue their efforts at nation building as these programmes will enrich and empower the lives of citizens thus reducing the rate of unemployment. He saw Guyana as the Dubai of the Caribbean and on the verge of economic growth.

Present at the graduation ceremony were Ms. Margaret Lawrence, Executive Director of Merundoi Inc; Ms. Timolyn Barclay, Project Liaison of the Merundoi Inc; Mr. Dikedemma Utoh, Project Manager of BNTF IA Guyana; Mr. Floyd Scott,

Director and Council for TVET; and Mrs. Vonetta Carter, Community Liaison Officer of BNTF IA Guyana among others.

Audio-Visual Skills Youth Empowerment programme is sponsored by the Government of Guyana, Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) and MERUNDOI. The programme which commenced on July 15, and ended on November 1, 2019 taught participants how to operate audio and video equipment.

NIS managers undergo training

N

IS Managers have commenced training on Internal Auditing for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001.

The training is being conducted by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards on the

NIS Roof Garden, Brickdam and Winter Place, Georgetown.

It will be done over a three-day period.

The instructor for the programme is Ms. Rodlyn Semple, Head of Business Support Services at GNBS.

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Thursday November 14, 2019

Thursday November 14, 2019

Man who “fly in a passion” for food, jailed

A

fter bursting into tears, a man told the court that he didnt receive any food that a woman said she carried to the station for him while he was in the lock-ups for destroying her food items.

The defendant, Edward Rollins, was yesterday sentenced to spend the next six months behind bars for destroying a quantity of food items, and six weeks for behaving disorderly at a police station.

Rollins was arraigned before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates Courts, when he pleaded guilty to both charges.

The first charge stated that on October 8, 2019, at Bent Street and Louisa Row, Georgetown, he maliciously damaged food items valued at $3,800, property of Ronda Semple and Susan Berkley.

And the latter charge stated that on October 11, 2019, at Alberttown Police Station, Georgetown, while in lawful custody, he behaved disorderly.

According to information received, the defendant and the virtual complainants are known to each other, but they werent on speaking terms for some time now.

Rollins told the court, “I fly in a passion that day.

Thats why I destroyed the food items.”

Berkley told the court that she was sitting some distance away from her stall but she left her daughter there, when she

heard Blatam! Blatam! Blatam!

The woman added that when she arrived at her stall, her daughter said, “Mommy watch how Edward damage up the things them.” The woman said that she noticed her vegetables on the ground and the defendant was still standing there.

The court heard that, Semple came to see what was making all the noise and when Berkley told her, she dealt Rollins several lashes.

Rollins then started to cry again in the prisoners dock and said, “I fly in a passion that day thats why I destroyed the food items.”

Police prosecutor

Annalisa Brummell, told the court that after the defendant was arrested for the malicious damaged to property, while he was at the police station, he removed the handcuff and started to bang it on a metal object on the wall at the Alberttown Police Station, and he started hollering.

Principal Magistrate McGusty asked the defendant why he behaved disorderly while he was at the police station, if his passion didnt cool down by then.

Rollins told the Magistrate, “Because I was still hungry so my passion didnt cool down as yet,” Rollins was then sentenced.

Body recovered after boat capsized in Mazaruni River The body of 27-year-old Sherwin Mingo of Lot 4 West La Penitence Housing Scheme, Georgetown, was on Tuesday fished out of the Mazaruni River, in the vicinity of Topoco Falls.

According to reports, he was a passenger in a boat which capsized on November 11, 2019 around 16:30hrs.

Kaieteur News understands that on the day in question, Mingo was on his way to Semang Landing, Middle Mazaruni River, when he asked another miner, 51year-old Fitzroy Reid, a miner, of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, who was going in the same direction, to drop him across the river in his

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Kaieteur News

boat.

However, while they were on their way, a turning tide crashed into the boat causing it to capsize. All four occupants were thrown overboard. While the men were swimming to shore, Sherwin disappeared.

According to reports, Reid and son owned the boat and operated a dredge in the area.

When contacted, Region Seven, Regional Commander, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord, stated that after receiving a report about the tragic accident, a search was set up and the body of the deceased was located the following day.

Home invader caught hiding in toilet looking for airfare

Twenty-eight-year-old Rollux Williams was yesterday sent to prison after he was caught red-handed by the caretaker of a home that he broke into to cart off items for passage to go home.

The defendant was placed before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates Court to have the charge read to him.

He admitted to the charge which stated that on November 8, 2019 at John Street, Georgetown, he broke and entered the building of William Bobb with the intent to commit a felony.

Police Prosecutor Annalisa Brummell said that about 10:00hrs on the day in question, the caretaker of the home saw the defendant walking past the home while he, the caretaker, was standing in front of the yard.

Moments later as Bobb was about to go into the house, he noticed the louvre panes for a window were removed.

He then carefully entered the house and made checks; he found the defendant hiding in the toilet area.

The matter was reported and Williams was handed over to the police. Following

Jailed: Rollux Williams investigations, he was charged.

When given a chance to address the court the labourer, who hails from Eteringbang, stated, “I wanted passage to go home so I went to take something from the house but

the man was inside and he catch me.”

Magistrate McGusty then sentenced the defendant to nine months in prison where he will also spend his birthday next month for the offence.

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Coach Máximo bracing for two tough matches...

Head Coach Máximo with Callum Harriott (right) and Trayon Bobb.

From page 28 be very difficult for us we don’t expect an easy game.

Aruba has a very good technical team. We have to be very smart to beat them, I expect a tough game. What I can say is that our team has been better prepared than before and I think it would be a very good game.”

The experienced Máximo who has been on the job just over three months is calling on the fans to come out and support their ‘Golden Jaguars’ and urge them on to victory.

“I encourage the fans to come to the stadium and support their players who have all proven that they deserve their support; and I hope we pull off a good win which will help us as we seek

Thursday November 07, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You like to recycle in your home and your workplace.

Be a part of the solution instead of the problem by picking up after yourself and making sure that you aren't leaving a mess wherever you go.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This is a good time to make decisions that bring together your need for practicality as well as desire for emotional freedom. It's important for your mental health to have faith in your fantasies

TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) The source of your frustration may be people who seem to be sensitive and honest yet act abrasively and speak aggressively.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You're apt to feel support, though it might be hidden in unexpected places. Don't discount anyone. Even the most caustic remarks have a touch of sensitivity and progressive thought that can help you a great deal.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Have fun with people today.

Talk about the fantasies you dream about coming to fruition in the coming years.

Your emotions are strongly tied to your imagination.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your competitive side may be a strong force in today's activities. Before you get too emotional about any situation, use logic and cold, hard facts to defend your position.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Finding the answers you seek is easier when you take a more adamant position about where you stand now and where you want to be later. If you continue to be uncertain and relaxed about which way to proceed VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You've almost reached an important finish line. Don't give up. This is the time to kick into high gear and get moving even more quickly than before.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) It may be hard for anything to hold your attention today.

Your mind may drift easily, and you may not have the patience to deal with situations that come your way.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You're trying to protect and shelter a certain part of yourself from others. This special spot in your soul that you hide from others is probably the most beautiful.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Although some people may think of you as a space cadet when it comes to decisions and commitments, they may see a different side of you today.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) It may be hard to find your mental and physical home base. Your mind could be wrapped in a cloud or some sort of imaginative time warp, so be careful how you proceed.

to qualify for the next Gold Cup.” Training for the local based players have been ongoing five days per week for the past few months which the Head Coach is confident makes a huge difference in the level of play on the field when they combine with the overseas based players.

Making a return to the team are Defender Terence Vancooten (Stevenage FC), Forward Callum Harriott (Colchester United) along with the experienced Fruta Conquerors duo of Vurlon Mills and Anthony Benfield.

Unfortunately, Neil Danns would not be able to make it for these two matches as he picked up an injury recently which rules him out of

contention.

Coach Máximo posits that his team will bring a lot of speed and dynamism to the pitch for both matches.

“We think that we have a god squad for this game, everybody is optimistic, everybody is focused and determined to win this game.

Concacaf announced in September that the 2019-20 Nations League would serve as a primary qualifying track for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. The group winners and runners up in League A (eight teams), along with the group winners in League B (four teams) will automatically qualify for the next confederation championship.

A further qualifying process will occur to make up

the 16-team field, with the League C winners facing off against the League B runnersup in two-leg, home-andaway playoffs, with the winners going up against the League A third-place teams in a similar two-leg tie. The four victors from those series will fill out the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup field.

Savory gets chance to...

From page 26 cricket and always enjoy the game but my interest grew more after being a part of the Scotiabank kiddy’s cricket,” revealed Savory, who attended the Vreed-en-Hoop Primary and Stewartville Secondary in West Demerara.

For relaxation Savory, who loves beef Cook-up and Soup, enjoys spending time with friends and family and playing cricket in his yard with the kids from his neighbourhood.

My goal is to be able to play my role as the stabiliser in the team and hopefully see us straight to the Cup this year.” said Savory.

Savory was in Primary School when Chanderpaul, on the back of Ramnaresh Sarwan’s three centuries and ton from Sewnarine Chattergoon in the final, led Guyana to its ninth and last Regional 50-overs title in 2005 by beating Barbados at Bourda.

“I am confident we can lift that Trophy after so long because the players are jellying well and we are putting in the extra work.”

Savory concluded.

FIFA President Gianni...

From page 28 congratulations to the Vice Presidents and all Executive Committee members elected and re-elected with you.

I also seize the opportunity to thank you for all your efforts and for your contribution to the development of our sport and the promotion of its values in your country.

I wish you and your team the best of luck for this second mandate and every success for all the challenges that lie ahead. I look forward to continuing to work with you and to witness Guyanese football’s steady growth in the years to come.

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Savory gets chance to share dressing room with his batting idol - Says unbeaten 71 on debut is his most memorable moment

By Sean Devers in Trinidad The last few months have been a wonderful period for the left-handed Police, Essequibo and former 2014 Guyana U-19 player, 24-yearold Wicket-Keeper/Batsman Kemol Savory.

A consistent local season with the bat and gloves for Police Sports Club was followed up by 336 runs in the CGI 50-overs Franchise for Essequibo and culminated with him living his two boyhood dreams at the same time.

“It’s always been my dream to play for Guyana and at the higher level. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is my favorite batsman because I like his batting style the role he plays and that he is dependable for his team,” Savory said from the Hilton Hotel in Port-ofSpain yesterday.

His consistency with the bat resulted in the youngster who was born in 1996 to Joseph Savory and Wendy Callender, to finally break into

the Guyana senior and get the opportunity of sharing a Guyana team dressing room with his batting idol.

The 45-year-old Chanderpaul, who has 30 tons and 11,867 runs from 164 Test matches and 13 List ‘A’ hundreds, 11 of them made in ODIs in his illustrious career, is the Jaguars Assistant Coach and brings a wealth of batting Knowledge to the team.

Savory was not born when Chanderpaul made his Test debut at Bourda in 1994 and Savory informed that he has learnt so much about constructing an innings from the left-handed batting maestro from Unity Village on the East Coast.

“I was anxious for this opportunity because I have worked so hard and finally got there,” said Savory who grow up in West Demerara at Vreed-en-Hoop and Tuschen (East Bank E’bo) but most of his school holidays were spent at his Grandma in

Essequibo.

But Savory was not surprised by his selection in the Super50 Squad.

“I wasn’t surprised because I know as a selector you are looking for consistency so I know I had to put in the work and be consistent which I did,” disclosed Savory who like most left-handers, favours the cut shot.

What did come as a surprise is that he would make his debut as a Keeper replacing regular Keeper Anthony Bramble who could not play due to a growth in his head that had to be surgically removed.

“I didn’t expect to keep but as a keeper I always have that mind set so it was second nature to me. Being behind the stumps before I batted meant most of the nervousness had gone away by the time I had to bat,” informed Savory, who began at youth level as a batsman and medium pacer.

Kemol (4th from left) with the 2014 Guyana U-19 team, to Kemol’s right is Askaya Homraj who is a part of the USA team.

In a tournament in which six batsmen have scored centuries with Guyanese Assad Fudadin (107 & 92) playing for Jamaica Scorpions, being the first batsman to reach 200 runs before yesterday’s matches, Savory is only one of two Jaguars batsmen to score a half-century.

Apart from Chris Barnwell’s 80, Savory’s unbeaten 71 against the West Indies Emerging Players on debut, which he says is his most memorable

moment in cricket, included a Dilscoop off the last ball for a boundary to finish the contest.

The innings was described by Jaguars Coach Esuan Crandon as a match winning knock. But Savory batted 146 balls and faced 102 dot balls in that innings.

“I batted based on the situation around me. I will do it differently by rotating the strike more when I get to bat next time,” he assured.

“Playing for the West Indies is my dream and

staying humble, grounded and dedicated to my cricket as I am today,” said Savory who credited his parents, coaches, mentors and the Vnet management and staff for supporting and helping him to reach where he is today.

More of an accumulator of runs, like his mentor Chanderpaul, Savory says he does not have a preference between facing the fast bowlers or the spinners.

“I grow up watching (Continued on page 25)

Tourism and Hospitality Association, GFF to sign MOU for Sports Tourism and football

Kemol Savory Keeping against the Red Force.

Ryan Crawford Horserace meet set for Sunday November 17 All systems are in place for the Ryan Crawford Memorial Turf Club and Sports Facility RCMTCSF one day horserace meet, which is slated for this Sunday, November 17 and will be held at the Club’s facilities at Alness Village, Corentyne Berbice.

Seven races are listed on the day’s programme with over 2.5M in cash, trophies and other incentives up for grabs.

Over 30 horses have been entered so far.

The feature event is the Alness Classic with a first prize of $500,000 and trophy over 1400 metres.

The ‘I’ and lower race has a winner’s purse of $220,000 and a trophy.

There is a race for 2-YearOld horses which carries winners take of $200,000 and a trophy.

The race for J3 and Lower horses will see the winner taking home $150,000 and a trophy.

The winner for the event for L1 and Lower and horses

3 years old and over will take away $100,000 and a trophy.

There is a race for horses classified L2 and Lower and 3 years old and older for a winner’s prize of $80,000 and trophy.

The unclassified animals will be racing for a winner’s take of $60,000 and trophy.

Among the sponsors are Banks DIH and Poonai’s Pharmacy.

Interested persons can contact Marcel Crawford Jr on 678-5342 or 600-7690 for further information.

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana and the Guyana Football Federation of Guyana will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the promotion of sport tourism and football today at the Roraima Duke Lodge at 10:00hrs.

A release indicated that Tourism and sports are two social phenomena in the 21st century that mobilise millions of people the world over. They are two sectors that complement each other and share common goals such as forging understanding and closer relations between peoples of different cultures and lifestyles; and contributing to the promotion of peace among nations. Together, tourism and sport also represent the most powerful economic driving force of society today with enormous potential to generate a very wide-range of economic spin-offs.

(UNWTO) Sports tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism.

More and more tourists are interested in sport activities during their trips whether sports are the main objective of travel or not.

Sport events of various kinds and sizes attract tourists as participants or spectators and destinations try to add local flavours to them to distinguish themselves and provide authentic local experiences.

Mega sport events such as Olympics and World Cups can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development and other economic and social benefits.

The development of Guyana Football has witnessed rapid growth and enhanced visibility through numerous appearances in regional and international match-ups and successfully hosted the FIFA Development

Conference here in Guyana.

With more visitors to our shores, it is all the more reason that this commitment is well-timed by the local Tourism and Football Associations whose collaboration intends to: ? Promotion and Marketing- To increase visibility of the destination and football to international partners ?

Research and Information Sharing- To improve readiness and promotional efforts of sports tourism events ? Product Development - To develop initiatives that promote the events we mutually develop such as Beach Football and Futsolsmall sided football competitions at locations across the country ? Sustainability of Ventures- To devise strategies that supports the sustainability of the organisations through the hosting of activities.

Thursday November 14, 2019

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GMR&SC Clash of Champions

New sponsors on board Flashback to last year’s radicals’ battle.

A full field of competitors is expected in the superbike championship.

Two days remain before the 2019 edition of the GMR&SC’s International race meet which is being dubbed ‘Clash of Champions’ speeds off at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri, and the corporate community has not failed to support with Premier Auto Sale, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, Hand-In-Hand Insurance, Secure Innovations and Concepts, Bikers’ Bar, Agri Parts, Truck Masters, King’s Jewelry World and Ramada Hotel among the latest sponsors.

In a release to the media, the President of the GMR≻

Rameez Mohamed, expressed thanks to these and all sponsors of this international race meet that will see competitors from at least six countries doing battle in one of the more popular yearly motor sport meets in CARICOM. Mohamed posited that, “Motor racing is very dependent on sponsorship and we at the club are very grateful for the generous contributions from everyone that helps to make these race meets a reality.”

Mohamed, who also competes, explained that apart from the sponsors, fans support is also vital,

Group four will see the likes of two-time CMRC champions Andrew King and Kristian Jeffrey doing battle.

“Nowhere in the Caribbean have I seen such huge support from the fans and that is why we are always working hard in improving the level of competitiveness and fans are in for a real treat this weekend.”

The Clash of Champions will feature a full of field of SR3 radicals lining up at the Circuit this weekend with the competitors in a final push to end the season in the best position possible. The 23-race programme will also feature

an exciting grid in the group 4 which will include two-time CMRC champions, Kristian Jeffrey and Andrew King.

Admission to the venue costs $2000 and fans will be able to access the access the goose neck grand stand for

Titans Table Tennis Club HPC underway

By Zaheer Mohamed The Titans Table Tennis Club has embarked on a 14day High Performance Camp (HPC) which commenced on Saturday last at its headquarters, the Guyana Red Cross Building.

Two sessions are being held each day with the first starting from 06:00hrs and conclude at 08:00hrs and the second running from 16:00hrs to 18:30hrs.

The club has managed to secure the services of world renowned table tennis expert Christian Lillieroos for the camp which is being attended by some 25 athletes.

Speaking at press conference hosted yesterday by the club, Lillieroos said he is delighted to be here and informed that it’s his first trip to Guyana. He is originally from Sweden and now resides in the United States.

Lillieroos informed that his connection with Guyana started all the way back with George Braithwaite, a former Guyana sprinter, who also represented the United States at the World’s Table Tennis Championships and Pan American Games.

Lillieroos started to coach in 1985 in the United States

and also coached Mexico in the late 90s at a time when Guyanese Sydney Christophe was dominating the Caribbean.

He has coached 20 national teams and is currently working with the development programme under the International Table Tennis Federation, most of the time with training camps and coaching education.

He said the players here have lived up to their expectations and it’s a lot of fun working with them.

“The athletes here have not been exposed to this level of hard training before, but I try to do it gradually, they have to survive for 14 days.

At the HPC you basically look for the purpose of getting the opportunity to play full time professionally in the future.”

The club held a tournament on Monday last and Lillieroos said it was very interesting in that it presented him with an opportunity to observe how the players perform in tournaments.

“The tournament gives me a guidance to improve what is most important for these athletes today. Most of the players are between 10-15

an additional cost of $2000.

B.M Soat Auto Sales, Mohamed’s Enterprise, KFC, Tropical Shipping, Valvoline, Ansa McAl, Motul, ExxonMobil, Japarts and Air Services are the major sponsor of the event.

- Good exposure to technique and hard training vital for development - TT expert Lillieroos

Members of the club with Coach Christian Lillieroos (sitting 2nd from right) and athletes. which we called the cadet age, those are the forming age of high level players and if you don’t get to have good exposure to technique and hard training at this age, it’s going to be very difficult later on,” he stated.

“Table Tennis is a may be surprisingly complicated

sport with 18 different spins dealing with 100miles an hour strokes and with the two athletes only nine feet away from each other it’s a lot of reaction, and first you have to learn how to react to the spin and speed that comes to you, and then be able to execute, so it’s a lot of

physical training.”

He pointed out that that training is something that a lot of Caribbean athletes have a natural talent for which is a lot of strength.

“This is a sport with a very high level of science and you must have introduction to very high level technique,”

he posited.

Mohamed Rahaman, Whizz brand manager of the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation, commended the organisers adding that he is looking forward to the development of younger players and wished the athletes well.

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Kaieteur News

Coach Máximo bracing for two tough matches - Aruba tomorrow here and away to Jamaica on Monday Head Coach of Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) popularly known as the ‘Golden Jaguars’ Márcio Máximo released the names of his 21-players who will be locked in battle in Guyana’s final two, all important Concacaf Nations League (B) Group Stage matches.

Guyana will host Aruba in a return fixture tomorrow night here at the Leonora National Track & Field Center from 21:00hrs after which the ‘Golden Jaguars’ will wing out for Jamaica on Saturday for their final Group Stage match in Reggae Land on Monday against the Reggae Boyz at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

When the two nations met on September 6 last in their respective first round matches, Guyana prevailed by the lone goal of that match at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Curacao; Sheldon Holder scoring.

Coach Máximo commenting on the matches ahead said that they would be tough encounters for Guyana but he is optimistic that with the level of work he has been putting in with the local based players and the fact that his overseas based charges have been

active, Guyana will be giving a very good account and

going all out for full points in the two fixtures.

“The Aruba game would (Continued on page 25)

Nations League Squad – November 2019 – vs Aruba & Jamaica Name Position Club 1 Quillan Roberts Goalkeeper Forge FC 2 Akel Clarke Goalkeeper SV WBC 3 Sese Norville Goalkeeper Milerock FC 4 Sam Cox Defender Hampton & Richmond FC 5 Sherwin Skeete Defender Fruta Conquerors FC 6 Kevin Layne Defender Guyana Defence Force FC 7 Raphael Edwards Defender SV WBC 8 Matthew Briggs Defender HB Koge 9 Kadell Daniel Defender Margate FC 10 Terence Vancooten Defender Stevenage FC 11 Anthony Benfield Midfielder Fruta Conquerors FC 12 Clive Nobrega Midfielder Eagles FC 13 Daniel Wilson Midfielder Guyana Police Force FC 14 Delwin Fraser Midfielder Guyana Defence Force FC 15 Vurlon Mills Midfielder Fruta Conquerors FC 16 Callum Harriott Forward Colchester United 17 Keanu Marsh-Brown Forward Newport County AFC 18 Nicolas McArthur Forward Fruta Conquerors FC 19 Trayon Bobb Forward Uitvlugt Warriors FC 20 Sheldon Holder Forward Caledonia AIA 21 Emery Welshman Forward Hapoel Haifa TECHNICALSTAFF Head Coach Marcio Maximo Assistant Coach Charles Pollard Goalkeeper Coach Eon DeVeira MEDICAL Lead Physiotherapist Denzil Hernandez Physiotherapist Quacy Paddy SPORTS SCIENCE Head of Sports Science Wilson Toledo RECRUITMENT Head of Recruitment Faizal Khan OPERATIONS Team Operations Manager Rawle Adams Assistant Team Operations Manager Naseya Brewster Equipment Manager Trevor Burnett

Rio’s million dollar Indoor C/ship kicks off tonight at Gymnasium A mammoth crowd is expected to descend on the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue this evening when the inaugural ‘Rio Indoor Streetball Championship’ officially starts with the group stage play from 19:00hrs.

According to an official release from tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions, “The excitement and buzz is certainly in the air for this inaugural tournament.

This is the first time in local history that an indoor community/street ball championship will be played for $1,000,000 first prize.

It is well deserved for the players who have built this format from its initial humble beginnings and deserved recognition for creating a viable format and alternative of the traditional game.”

The release further said, “The tournament is expected to be fiercely competitive and very exciting for both fans and

players.

We a r e e x p e c t i n g a huge turnout and support throughout the event as they will be prizes to be won by several spectators each night, which will certainly add to the spectacle that will unfold.

We encourage all teams to be punctual for their respective matches and to help keep the tournament along with their fan base incident free.”

The historic event will commence with Alexander Village battling Kingston from 19:00hrs, with Spot-7 taking on Buxton Diamond at 19:30hrs and Back Circle tackling Rio All-Stars from 20:00hrs.

The fourth engagement will pit LA Ballers against Beterverwagting [BV] from 20:30hrs, with Leopold Street battling Uprising at 21:30hrs in the fifth affair.

In the final two matches, Tiger Bay lock horns with Broad Street at 21:30hrs and Sparta Boss face-off with Melanie from 22:00hrs.

The second night of the

event will then occur on Saturday at the same venue. The round-robin competition, which lasts for the duration of eight nights, will conclude with the grand finale on December 14th.

The other playing nights are November 21st, 23rd, 28th, 30th and December 7th. With the $1,000,000 slated for the e v e n t u a l w i n n e r, t h e second, third and fourth place finishers will pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade.

Group-A comprises Back Circle, Buxton Diamond, Spot-7 and Rio All-Stars, while Group-B contains Leopold Street, Tiger Bay, Uprising and Broad Street and GroupC features Sparta Boss, Alex Village, Kingston and Melanie.

Group-D consists of LA Ballers, Bent Street, BV and Avocado Ballers, while Group-E Future Stars is made up of Future Stars, Albouystown-A, Showstoppers, Stabroek Ballers and Group-F involves Gold is Money, Sophia, Albouystown-B and Island

All-Stars.

At the end of the group round, the top two finishers from each section and the best four third place teams will advance to the knockout round.

Day-1-Thursday November 14th Alexander vs Kingston19:00hrs Spot-7 vs Buxton Diamond-19:30hrs Back Circle vs Rio AllStars-20:00hrs LA Ballers vs BV-20:30hrs Leopold Street vs Uprising-21:00hrs Tiger Bay vs Broad Street-21:30hrs Sparta vs Melanie22:00hrs Day-2-Saturday November 16th Sophia vs Island AllStars-19:00hrs Alexander vs Melanie19:30hrs Albouystown-A vs Showstoppers-20:00hrs Future Stars vs Stabroek Ballers-20:30hrs Leopold Street vs Broad Street-21:00hrs Gold is Money vs Albouystown-B-21:30hrs Kingston vs Sparta22:00hrs

Thursday November 14, 2019

2019 Busta Champion of Champion first division cricket competition in Berbice

Albion whip W est Berbice by West 121 runs in opening round Albion Community center Cricket Club (ACCCC) produced a clinical display in a one-sided 121 runs victory over West Berbice in their first round fixture of the 2019 Busta Champion of Champions 40-Overs First Division Cricket competition in Berbice.

In the game played at the Bush Lot Ground in West Berbice, Albion won the toss and took first strike and rattled up a challenging 276 for 8 from their allotted 40 overs.

Jeetendra Outar led the way with a composed 63, he received support from

Sarwan Chaitnarine with an unbeaten 40, Adrian Sukhwa 36 and skipper Kandasammy Surujnarine 35.

Pacer Keyron Fraser took 3 wickets, while Christopher Bissoon picked up 2 bowling for West Berbice.

The home team in reply was dismissed for 145 in 35.3 overs with S. Angel top scoring with 63.

Bowling for Albion, Gouraf Ramesh bagged 4 wickets, while fellow left-armspinner Mahendra Chaitnarine and off-spinner Beesham Surujnarine supported with 2 wickets each.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino congratulates Forde and new GFF Executive President of FIFA, Mr. Gianni Infantino has extended congratulations to re-elected Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Mr. Wayne Forde and his executive following the GFF’s Extraordinary Congress which took place at the Pegasus Hotel on Saturday last.

Following is the full text of President Infantino’s letter to President Forde.

Dear President, I would like to extend to you my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your recent re-election as President of the Guyana

Football Federation (GFF) for the 2019-23 period at the GFF’s extraordinary congress on Saturday, 9 November.

I would be grateful if you could also convey my (Continued on page 25)

GBBC expresses regret at the passing of Dr. Carl Max Hanoman In a statement, The Guyana Boxing Board of Control deeply expressed regrets the passing of Dr. Carl Max Hanoman.

The GBBC stated, “We acknowledge and salute his enormous dedication to the development of the sport of professional boxing in Guyana over nearly four decades.

Our records indicate that Dr. Hanoman served with great distinction from 1st May 1987 to the time of his demise as the Chief Medical Officer of the Board. He presided at ringside for over 156 boxing

cards involving 797 boxers and served on the executive under three consecutive administrations.”

“His contribution to the important medical aspect of professional boxing as best as we are aware, is unparalleled in the local history of the sport.

His unmistakable and accustomed presence at ringside will be truly missed.

The members of the Guyana Boxing of Control offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Hanoman,” the statement concluded.

Thursday November 14, 2019

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Kaieteur News

West Indies Women and India Women clash in 3rd T20I at Providence tonight

By Zaheer Mohamed The We s t Indies Wo m e n w i l l l o o k t o rebound when the take on India Women in third T20 International from 18:00hrs tonight at Providence.

I n d i a Wo m e n a r e leading the five-match series 2-0, having won the second game by 10 wickets at the Daren Sammy Cricket St a d i u m , a n d t o n i g h t ’s encounter can be the decider.

Anisa Mohammed, is the stand-in captain of the home side as Stafanie Taylor has been ruled out of the series due to injury; she has been replaced by Guyanese Cherry Ann Fraser, while Shemaine Campbell has been elevated the Vi c e Captaincy.

Speaking with the media yesterday prior to the team’s practice session at Providence, Shemaine Campbell said she relishes the opportunity of being named Vice Captain and its important for the team to execute well.

“I have been captain of the Guyana team, before so the experience is there.

I have to step up to the table and it’s important for us to get the basics right.

Despite being 2-0 down, Campbell is confident the team can rebound. “We

have been working hard, we just have to go out there, stick to the plan and execute,” she added.

Speaking about her personal form, the Berbician pointed out that there is always room for improving. “I have some work to do; I was out for while with an injury but coming back strong I just have to do what I am accustomed to.”

She feels that they must improve in their batting department and self confidence is of utmost importance.

Indian Captain Mithali Raj said they have some knowledge about the Providence pitch, however playing in the night will be somewhat different, adding that the team is looking positive.”

She added that despite some seniors players missing from the home team they are still a very good side with some hard hitters and a good bowling combination.

“We have to play good cricket if we have to win against them and we have to focus on how we are going to execute.”

15 year old opener Shafali Verma struck her second consecutive halfcentury to lead the Indians to victory in the eleventh

Coach Courtney Walsh speaks with Hayley Matthews (left) and Shakira Selman. over in the second game and Raj said she needs her to keep doing well and enjoying the game.

Tickets for the T20Is are very affordable at just GYD$1000 (US5) and are available online through the Windiescricket.com website or at https:// www.zoonga.com/indiatour.

Box office at the venue is open on the day of the match.

Te a m s We s t I n d i e s Women - Anisa Mohammad ( C ), Shemaine Campbell, Cherry Ann Fraser, Aaliyah A l l e y n e , A f y F l e t c h e r, Shakera Selman, Hayley Matthews, Chedean

Nation, Chinelle Henry, Satcey-Ann King, Kyshona Knight, Natasha McLean, Shabika Gajnabi and Sheneta Grimmond.

Indian Women’s ODI squad: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Punam Raut, D Hemalatha, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha P a n d e y, M a n s i J o s h i , Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ta n i y a B h a t i a ( w i c k e t keeper), Priya Punia, Hemlata Kala and Sushma Verma.

Pooran hit with four-match balltampering ban LUCKNOW, Afghanistan, CMC – West Indies strokemaker Nicholas Pooran has been slapped with a fourmatch ban for ball tampering, casting a dark shadow over the Caribbean side’s recent one-day whitewash of Afghanistan.

The incident took place during the third One-Day International here Monday when television footage showed the 24-year-old “scratching the surface of the ball with his thumbnail”.

On-field umpires Bismillah Shinwari and Ahmed Durrani, along with third umpire Ahmed Pakteen and fourth umpire Izatullah Safi reported the matter and Pooran on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the charge of “changing the condition of the ball”. He will now miss the three-match Twenty20 International series against the Afghans starting here Thursday, and also sit out the first T20 of another threematch series against India next month.

There was no need for a formal hearing after the Trinidadian accepted the ban.

“I want to issue a sincere apology to my teammates,

supporters and the Afghanistan team for what transpired on the field of play on Monday in Lucknow,” Pooran said in a statement.

“I recognise that I made an extreme error in judgement and I fully accept the ICC penalty. I want to assure everyone that this is an isolated incident and it will not be repeated. I promise to learn from this and come back stronger and wiser.”

Pooran has also been hit with four suspension points which translates into five demerit points. The ban comes as a huge blow for the left-hander whose star has been on the rise over the last 12 months, becoming one of the West Indies’ most dependable batsmen.

He was their leading scorer at the ICC World Cup earlier this year where he averaged 52, returned home to average 36 in a three-match ODI series against India and was last week praised for his maturity after scoring a matchwinning 67 against Afghanistan in the second ODI last Saturday.

Pooran currently boasts an ODI career average of 44.58.

GCF female Taitt Singh emerges as B Class Draughts Champion tournament concludes

Ta i t t S i n g h e m e rg e d National B Class Draughts Champion when the tournament was played last Sunday at the National Gymnasium. He played unbeaten to amass 9 points to take the Championship trophy. Ramsagar Singh with 7 points occupied the second place, while Charles Hetemeyer followed with a distant third. He was unable to win any of his matches and could only muster draws.

Trophies for the winners were donated by Trophy Stall, Bourda Market.

Meanwhile, the tournament continues this Sunday at the same venue where only A Class players and the top three finishers from the just concluded B Class Championship would vie for the Championship title. The games would be contested on the 8x8 boards. Players are reminded to be on time.

Starting time is 10.00 am sharp.

Sasha Shariff and Samirah Gobin tied for the top position in the Guyana Chess Federation’s (GCF) female tournament which was contested last weekend at the National Racquet Center on Woolford Avenue.

Five players registered wins in the two-round tournament and Sasha and Samirah defeated Surraiyah Gobin, Sherlita Campaign and Angel Rahim twice each, while defeating each other once.

Both players made strong

From right; Taitt Singh, Ramsagar Singh and Charles Hetemeyer pose with their trophies.

claims for their right to represent Guyana in the Caribbean Female Chess Championship which will be held in Suriname, early December. Surraiyah Gobin, Angel Rahim and Sherlita Campaign each ended on four points.

Sherlita defeated Angel in both games, Suraiyah defeated Sherlita in both Games and Angel defeated Suraiyah in both games.

Each player received two byes in the tournament due to the odd number of players.

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Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

BCB/Let’s Bet Sports 100 balls Tournament - Upper Corentyne

Dukestown CC beat No.72 All Stars in thriller to lift first ever BCB title Playing Infront of a massive and colourful crowd at the No72 Cut and Load Ground, Dukestown Cricket Club defeated No72 All Stars CC by three wickets with two legal balls remaining to lift the Upper Corentyne title of the Berbice wide Berbice Cricket Board/ Let’s Bet Sports 100 balls tournament. The Let’s Bet Sports Upper Corentyne title is the first BCB title for Dukestown in its short history. Earlier in the year, they lost in the finals of the RHTYSC/ GNNL 20/20 tournament to the same team, they defeated on Sunday last.

No72 All Stars won the toss and elected to take first strike against a Dukestown bowling attack which included only one spinner.

The Dukestown fast bowling unit of Jermaine Reid, Eroll Byass, Wayne Garnett and Clavern Beresford never allowed the No72 All Stars batsmen to score freely and also fielded brilliantly to restrict the scoring against batsmen who were unable to rotate the strike.

K. Chatterpaul was bowled for nought by Beresford in the second over at 5 for one. S. Singh 30 and A. Chatterpaul 15 added 48 for the second wicket but it took ten overs. Singh was trapped LBW by the

impressive Eroll Byass and the rest of the batting failed to deal with the pace attack.

Byass bowling fast and straight claimed the remarkable figures of five wickets for nine runs from three overs as the home village team were bowled out for 86. Byass took the wickets of Vishal Hemchand, Joshua Hemchand and Parmanand Laljit from the last four balls of the innings.

In reply, Dukestown lost Clavern Beresford in the second over when he was caught at long off for 02 off the bowling of S. Singh.

Opener Nolan Richards batted well but was forced to retire with a groin injury. No72 All Star bowling attack dismissed Eroll Byass 08, Kevin Clarke 10, Akeem Bowling 08, Jermaine Reid 05, Wayne Amsterdam 03 and Budhram Sukhdeo to have Dukestown struggling at 72 for 6 at the end of the 14th over.

The injured Richards returned to the crease with his team requiring 15 runs from sixteen balls. With supporters of both teams on their feet, Richards struck the last ball of the 15th over for a boundary to reduce the required runs to seven from the final eight balls over.

No72 All Stars had the

The Winning Dukestown Cricket Club. opportunity to dismiss Richards off the fourth ball of the final over but A. Singh floored the simple chance on the midwicket boundary, allowing the batsmen to take two crucial runs. With tension mounting, a clearly injured Richards then smashed A. Chatterpaul back over his head for a six to send his team supporters into wild celebration.

Richards ended on an unbeaten 40, while his captain Clarence Beresford was on two not out. Off spinners P. Chatterpaul and A. Hemchand took two wickets apiece for 13 and 17 runs respectively for No72 All Stars.

BCB President Hilbert Foster and Let’s Bet Sports Manager Mr. Lee both expressed their

congratulations to both teams for providing the large crowd with an exciting final.

Foster, who announced to loud applause that he would be seeking a second term, stated that the BCB has over the last two years invested heavily in the Upper Corentyne area.

Teams in the area have been involved in five tournaments specially organised for the area by the BCB.

Dukestown have joined D’ Edwards and Rose Hall Canje for the final stage of the Let’s Bet Sports tournament, where the four inter zone champions would play each other for the overall Berbice Championship. Eroll Byass was named Man of the Finals, while the Champions and Runner Up received a financial prize and trophy each.

Namilco continues financial support of RHT Namilco Thunderbolt Flour 1st Division Team The Rose Hall Town Namilco Thunderbolt Flour first division team on Friday last received the final installment of its sponsorship deal with its official sponsor, the National Milling Company (Namilco).

Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC, MS Hilbert Foster received the cheque from Ralf Hemsingh, Operation Manager of the Company.

Namilco came on board as the sponsor of the team earlier this year.

Foster, who is also the President of the Berbice Cricket Board stated that the support of the Agricola based company has been crucial to the success of the team, which has so far reached the finals of two tournaments in 2019. They defeated Albion in the semifinals of the Stag Beer 50 overs round robin tournament and then got past Young Warriors CC by seven runs to advance to the finals of the Ivan Madray Memorial 20/20 tournament.

The team is currently preparing to participate in the

Berbice Cricket Board’s Banks Beer two days and Busta Champion of Champions 40 overs tournaments.

The team have three of its members involved in the ongoing CWI 50 overs tournament - Assad Fudadin who has scored a century for Jamaica, Clinton Pestano and Kevin Sinclair who has impressed on debut for the West Indies emerging players team. Kevlon Anderson is also a part of the West Indies Under-19 training squad for the World Cup, while Sheneta Grimmond, Shemaine Campbelle and Shabika Gajnabi are on playing for West Indies female team.

Anderson, Junior Sinclair and Matthew Pottaya also played for Guyana at the junior level.

Additionally, a total of ten played in the recent GCB franchise league - Clinton Pestano, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Shawn Pereira, Eon Hooper, Chanderpaul Govindhan, Jonathan Rampersaud, Kevin

Sinclair, Jason Sinclair and Sylus Tyndall.

The long serving Secretary/CEO also revealed that the Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under-21 team reached the finals of the BCB Elizabeth Styles Under-21 tournament and were also involved in over twenty-two personal developmental programmes to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

They include monthly old age pensioners breakfast programme, Say No to Suicide posters, Youth Information booklet, Medical Outreach, donation to the Port Mourant Hospital, donations to schools and NGOS among others. Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu expressed thanks to the Management of Namilco especially. Bert Sukhai, Fitzroy Mc Leoud for their cooperation.

RHTYSC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster receives sponsorship from Ralf Hemsing (left) of Namilco in the presence of Financial Director Fitzroy McLeod.

Thursday November 14, 2019

Kaieteur News

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Dragon Stout Street ball C/Ship kicks off next Friday at Gymnasium

T

he official fixture for the inaugural Dragon Stout ‘Community Cup’ Street-ball championship, which is slated to commence at the National Gymnasium on Friday November 22nd, was released yesterday.

This was revealed by Dragon Stout Brand Manager Jamal Baird via an official media statement, who also disclosed the event will be officially launched on Tuesday November 19th at the National Gymnasium from 11:00hrs.

Baird also confirmed that all systems are in place for the start of the tournament, adding, “The four day elimination championship which was schedule to start on November 15th, has now been schedule to start on the November 22nd. It will continue on November 29th and December 6th, with the final slated for December 13th. The overall objective

of the tournament is to align the emerging brand with the grass root movement.”

According to the correspondence, “Ansa McAl is pleased to be associated with yet another sporting event, specifically at the grassroots level.

Having been a former player myself and a proud product of the ghetto that was given a chance, I’m am elated to stage the inaugural community cup under the prestige dark and smooth dragon stout brand which align and position to be a grass root flag bearer.”

The release concluded, “The primary stimulus for staging this football event is to highlight and indicate dragon stout intended support for sports at grass root and community level, hence there was no hesitation, and this is an alliance that I envision will continue for the foreseeable future. Given that it is a community based initiative,

it gives the urban community a chance to be seen and heard while having fun in a competitive but friendly environment.”

The winner of the event will collect $300,000, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will pocket $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.

Complete Tournament Fixtures Day-1 Round of 16-Nov 22nd Section-A (1) Sparta vs Showstoppers (2) Tiger Bay vs Alex.

Village (3) Gold is Money vs Melanie-B (4) Sophia vs Assassin Ballers Section-B (1) Bent Street vs Broad St (2) Future Stars vs LA Ballers (3) Back Circle vs Albouystown (4) Leopold St vs Ansa

The Gymnasium will be abuzz with the Dragon Stout community street ball championships from next Friday.

All-Stars Day-2 QuarterfinalsNov 29th Section-A (5)-Winner (1) vs Winner (2) (6)-Winner (3) vs Winner (4) Section-B

(7)-Winner (1) vs Winner (2) (8)-Winner (3) vs Winner (4) Day-3 SemifinalsDecember 6th Section-A (9)-Winner (5) vs Winner (6)

Section-B (10)-Winner (7) vs Winner (8) Day-4 Final-December 13th Winner (9) vs Winner (10) 3rd Place Loser (9) vs Loser (10)

From L-R, Treasurer of GCF Davion Mars, Sherlita Campaign, joint winners Samirah Gobin and Sasha Shariff, Surriyah Gobin, and President Frankie Farley.

t r o p S

Nicholas Pooran celebrates after completing a catch in the recent ODI series against Afghanistan.

Pooran hit with four-match ball GCF female tournament concludes -tampering ban

Gregory Richardson fires a shot for Sparta Boss during a previous tournament.

Rio’s million dollar Indoor C/ship kicks off tonight at Gymnasium Coach Måximo bracing West Indies Women and for two tough matches India Women clash in 3rd - Aruba tomorrow here and away to Jamaica on Monday

T20I at Providence tonight

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