Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday November 27, 2018

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

EDITORIAL

The world, built by China (Republished from The New York Times) Seven dams generate almost half of Cambodia’s electricity. China built and paid for all of them. Sri Lanka borrowed more than $1 billion from China for a strategic deepwater port, but it could not repay the money. The port is now controlled by China, which is leasing it for the next 99 years. South Africa turned to China for $1.5 billion for a coalfired power plant. It is one of at least 63 such plants financed by China around the world, which collectively pollute more than Spain. Zambia tapped China for $94 million to build a soccer stadium of over 50,000 seats. These are among the more than 600 projects around the world that China has financed to win new friends and develop new markets. China envisions a vast global network of trade, investment and infrastructure that will reshape financial and geopolitical ties — and bring the rest of the world closer to Beijing. It is a modern-day version of the Marshall Plan, America’s reconstruction effort after World War II, which created a foundation for enduring military and diplomatic alliances. China’s strategy is bolder, more expensive and far riskier. Its money does not necessarily come with the usual rules. And the cost, for China and its borrowers alike, can sometimes be too high. The New York Times examined nearly 600 projects that China helped finance in the last decade, through billions of dollars in grants, loans and investments. Taken together, they show the scope and motivation of China’s strategy: — 41 pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure help China secure valuable resources. — 203 bridges, roads and railways create new ways for China to move its goods around the world. — 199 power plants — for nuclear, natural gas, coal and renewables — give China new markets for its construction and equipment companies.There are at least 112 countries where China has financed projects. While most fall under its infrastructure plan known as the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing has pushed beyond those boundaries. After years of honing its construction skills at home, China is now deploying them abroad, including a series of hydroelectric dams.In terms of power output, many of them approach or exceed the size of the Hoover Dam. China needs friends. And literal bridges can help build figurative ones. Large ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia — three countries along a major oil and commerce route from the Mideast and Africa — could someday double as naval logistics hubs.Beijing is heavily focused on its neighbors, lending them money for extensive road-building projects. Pakistan is running out of money to repay the loans, part of a broader pattern of what critics call China’s “debt trap” diplomacy. China has a different view when it comes to labor and environmental strictures. To staff overseas projects, Chinese companies have flown in their own workers by the thousands, drawing complaints that they are doing little to create local jobs. Safety standards have been uneven. And Beijing continues to export polluting technologies like coal-fired power plants, even as such projects have become unpopular in China. Western governments and multinationals generally steer clear of politically volatile countries. The Chinese government has been less skittish, lending heavily to nations like Venezuela, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. But China’s lending is not usually largesse. Countries that run into financial trouble must renegotiate their loans, putting them deeper into debt. Sometimes projects are left in limbo.Ecuador spent over $1 billion to prepare a site for a $12 billion Chinese refinery that was supposed to be finished in 2013. It is stalled.

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

All is not well at Republic Bank Dear Editor, ‘We’re the one for you’. We hear it on the airwaves, we see on social media and advertisement boards all across Guyana. Even the smallest child can recite it, but dare I say, the slogan doesn’t represent the actual realities at Republic Bank Guyana. There have been increased complaints on social media and on other media houses about the bank’s increasingly poor customer service. Despite the importance of the aforementioned topic, this is not the real reason for me penning this missive. Unfortunately, there has been even more devastating developments at the popular bank of late. This new development has left workers fuming, albeit, behind closed doors. I dare say they complain behind closed doors for fear of victimisation. Systematic Victimization Systematic Victimization is nothing new to Republic Bank. It has been happening

since time immemorial. The senior managers who are usually responsible for promotions and salary assignment usually hold staff members at ransom. Employees who are vocal and not inclined to ‘toe the line’ are often discriminated against. There are many horror stories of staff members being left in the cold for years on end under the pretence by seniors that their performances are too poor to warrant a promotion. Junior workers who retaliate are sent to a certain department, which essentially kills their careers. The bank practises internal recruitment from second level employees onwards and hire junior workers. Though this is a good strategy, only recently, staff members were actually given the chance to apply for internal postings as opposed to placements by their managers (which were practised for years). Internal sources suggest that the application system is also rigged since some staff

believe favouritism is still the order of the day. Workers’ rights December 10 will mark 70 years of the Convention on Human Rights. Guyana is fully signed on to the United Nations conventions. For this specific context however, I wish to make special mention of Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; it reads, ‘Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on this basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of your country or territory to which a person belongs, whether is independent, trust, nonself-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty’. Staff members have complained about the continued efforts to muzzle

their political identity. Somehow, senior management have managed to prohibit staff members from any political writing and/or, be it on the social media platform or any other platform. This form of oppression has been accepted and almost circularised by the bank. If this is not violation, I’m not sure what is. Lack of Staff Representation Republic Bank (Guyana) Inc. has its parent company in Trinidad and Tobago. Over there, staff members enjoy representation from a very vibrant staff union. This Union has been able to effectively represent the staff on many different levels, more so, in the area of staff increases and emoluments. Recently, workers in Trinidad rejected a 6% offer by the CEO, whilst the workers in Guyana were arbitrarily given 2% in July. It is important to note, that there is no staff representation when these decisions are made; staff are (Continued on page 6)

The political system needs a review Dear Editor, I am heartened to see that His Excellency, President David Granger has returned from successful medical treatment overseas and is doing well. While we are informed that his personal prognosis is overwhelmingly positive, as unfortunately happens in the wake of serious illness, secondary maladies are revealed and opportunistic infections arise, in this instance not with regard to his person but on the body politic of which he is the most pivotal part. With regard to opportunistic pathologies, the not unpredictable manifestation came in the form of Opposition Leader B h a r r a t J a g d e o ’s n o confidence motion. To not have been prepared for Mr. Jagdeo is to be oblivious to two fundamental things. The first is the basic intrinsically adversarial nature of Guyana’s current political system – as one peerless young lawmaker so eloquently put it sixty years ago during the 1958 budget debate, “The duty on this side of the Chamber is not to indulge in platitudes and promises to support the government

when any measure for the benefit of the country comes up; that goes without saying. It is the main duty of the “opposition”, as I see it, in spite of the paranoiac tendencies of the present Government, to expose every flaw of Government and to show the people where the Government has fallen down.” That was one of Mr. Jagdeo’s predecessors as then Leader of the Opposition, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. The second fundamental thing being apparently ignored is the unique combination that Mr. Jagdeo embodies, one that underlines a propensity towards the more rabid extreme of that adversarial structure – Mr. Jagdeo is a figure with an undeniably historical role but who is himself absent of any true sense of personal historicity. There are multiple proofs of this but perhaps none so self-evident as his inability t o p r o d u c e a n y representative opus of his political philosophy, in direct contrast to those who have so far occupied the seat of executive president. President Granger has

written and published extensively even before his p o l i t i c a l c a r e e r, a n d Burnham, Hoyte, the Jagans and even Donald Ramotar have – with varying quality – added to a discernible, published, thematically categorical canon of presidential thought. In contrast, Mr. Jagdeo’s promise to relax, travel and write in his now abortive retirement has not borne any documented intellectual fruit. Why this is important to note is that it belies the fiction that Mr. Jagdeo is this adversarial Goliath with whom the Coalition has to struggle, a fiction in which he is perpetually framed. What the Opposition leader is, when he is not a living, breathing Ozymandias atop a fast sinking pedestal in the centre of our current political desert, is that he is the enfant terrible of our collectively created dysfunctional history, the embodiment of our congenital bickering, pettiness, greed, tribalism, cynicism and distrust of each other, our self-inflicted sins made flesh. In this, he is not at fault in the grand sense; he is without true agency, the social

equivalent of a natural phenomenon, a combination of barometrical and ecological circumstance, like the hurricane that devastates an island. Wi t h i n o u r p r e s e n t sociopolitical landscape, some manifestation of Bharrat Jagdeo would be inevitable were this one no longer here. As is often the case with such disasters, we have before us the choices of migration or mitigation. We have tried the latter for the past half-century, putting up temporary structures – the Carter formula, tepid constitutional reform, the Cummingsburg Accord – and we have seen the critical limits of each in the wake of subsequent storms, including the latest onslaught from Mr. Jagdeo. To return to the original metaphor, complemented and agitated by the opportunistic pathology was the systemic infirmity that was exposed in the APNU+AFC administration. It makes no practical sense for my purposes to add further dimension to the diagnoses offered on what other commentators have (Continued on page 6)

Tuesday November 27, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Campaigning for 2020 has begun An attack on Anil Nandlall’s chance Dear Editor, Campaigning for General Elections due in 2020 has begun in earnest and with it the attempts at character assassination that have become part of the parcel. The ‘go-to’ claim is usually ‘racism’. I strongly believe this is a result of lazy intellectualism; my experience is of a Guyana where most differing perspectives are due to economic and social positioning rather than ethnicity. Some are based on social conditioning within ethnic structures. However, recent statements attributed to the Minister of the Presidency where he asserts that there will be no more ‘nice time’ for opposition PPP supporters who ‘sabotage’ his Administration’s programmes are indeed racist and thoughtless. Am I to believe that Mr. Harmon has had knowledge of ‘sabotage’ in the past and let it slide? Or that ‘sabotage’ by non-PPP elements will be allowed ‘nice time’ status? The obvious answer is no to both of these questions. Mr. Harmon has instead allowed his emotions to overtake his reason and crossed a line in his quest to absolve his Administration of failure to execute even the smallest of projects. With fewer than nine houses delivered in three plus years, APNU+AFC had boldly promised nine new housing projects in 18 months. No doubt, this doomed to fail promise will be laid at the steps of Freedom House “saboteurs’ in due course. The better course of action would have been to re-evaluate the failing policy of delivering ‘readymade’ houses to citizens.

There are thousands of Guyanese living in Diamond, Providence, Tuschen, Farm, Herstelling, etc. who were provided house lots and who have built their own homes at their own pace as their economic situation allowed. The Harmon line of ‘PPP saboteurs’ has been parroted again by Carwyn Holland’s talk of ‘Manchurian candidates’ among APNU elected councillors. This is the danger of speaking to sycophants, bereft of intellect. They believe anything said by their leaders is ‘gospel’. Editor, during this prolonged campaign the lies that have so often been repeated will be sung as truth; the claim of the execution of 400 Black men persists. Can we, the people, ask that this be independently investigated by journalists and the truth be published? Can we ask the press to investigate what the subsidy has been on each house lot ever delivered to the citizens of Guyana by the PPP or shall w e p r e t e n d t h a t only ‘Pradoville 2’ received subsidies? Shall we investigate why Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington have been charged with ‘gifting’ 4.7 acres of land by selling it at $30,000,000 per acre while current Go-Invest CEO Owen Verwey is lamenting those who refuse to take advantage of incentives? “We have incentives in various categories like general, specific and even land…Land has been added because nowhere else you can get an acre of land to lease for lower than US$1 and in Guyana land is being

leased for as low as GUY$25,” (http://guyanachronicle.com/ 2018/11/23/go-invest-aided45b-in-investments). Verwey would be better off advising Ministers of the ills of nationalization as done with the Berbice Bridge Company. No amount of $25 an acre land will attract investors to a nation that has no respect for private property. Verwey may also want to seek legal advice before signing any agreement at 12 US cents per acre. Recently, I saw the emergence of claims that ‘corruption and thieving’ have their genesis in the PNC and PPP administrations past. Editor, Strain theory ascribes criminal behaviour to the gap between social goals and social structures to achieve them. Those who commit crimes have chosen expediency over morality, the crime and blame must rest with the criminal, providing him/her with an excuse is a slippery slope that we do not want to go down. Principles and precedent are often more important than the issue they address. The recent ceding of authority by the Speaker of the House will no doubt have ramifications for future generations. The very public control being displayed by the Prime Minister over the Speaker’s office is offensive to sensibilities and this type of political expediency comes at a high cost to any nation. Editor, the next General Election is going to be about truth, which side of it do we stand; the integrity of our Fourth estate is critical to our understanding of events. Our very futures depend on it. Respectfully Robin Singh

at being Presidential candidate Dear Editor, There is a clearly orchestrated strategy being pursued to degut the PPP of its most popular leaders for the 2020 elections. It must be clear to all that apart from Bharrat Jagdeo, Anil Nandlall is the most popular PPP leader in the eyes of Guyanese, both in and out of Guyana. After Jagdeo was disallowed of running for a third term, Anil Nandlall is the clear front-runner among the candidates identified. He has been championing the cause of the Party and the masses at every forum, including the Parliament, the court, the television, newspapers, social media and on the ground. Almost single-handedly, he has taken on the entire Coalition government. He has virtually destroyed the political career of Basil Williams. Naturally, all guns are now pointing at him. Every intelligent Guyanese knows that the law books charges were trumped up against him because of his relentless criticisms and embarrassment of Basil Williams. From the inception, Nandlall indicated in a public statement, that he is prepared to buy a new set of the said law books and deliver it to the Ministry. This offer was rejected. They were bent on charging him. Readers will recall that they

even tried to implicate him in the Crum-Ewing killing. It shows how dangerous politics has become. Dr. Ashni Singh, Winston Brassington, Nigel Dharamlall, Dharamkumar Seeraj and a host of others are all charged and placed before the courts in this dirty game of politics. Irfaan Ali and only God knows who else will join the list. Bharrat Jagdeo and Bheri Ramsaran were also slapped with politically fabricated charges. This vendetta will not stop until 2020. Not unexpectedly, Kaieteur News provides a ready forum to publicize and exaggerate these characterdestructive endeavours. Last Sunday, it carried a nasty story on Nandlall as its front page lead. The story quoted the opinion of Sanjeev Datadin, an Attorney-at-law. I enquired from three different legal sources whether Datadin is correct in his assertions. They all advised me that he is dead wrong in the statements he made. Firstly, there is no law, which disqualifies a person from becoming President of Guyana if he has a conviction. Cheddi Jagan and Janet Jagan were both convicted and jailed for criminal offences during their political careers. They were both elected Executive Presidents

of Guyana. Secondly, as regards a Member of Parliament, an MP is only required to vacate his seat if he is convicted of an offence and refuses to challenge that conviction or he has exhausted all legal challenges to that conviction. Thirdly, the Judicial Review Act permits a challenge of any decision irrespective of whether there is a right of Appeal. So Nandlall is not even close to a conviction as the case is still ongoing before the Magistrate. And, under the Judicial Review Act, the magistrate’s decision to overrule the no-case submission is challengeable in the High Court. Now that it is getting close to the naming of a Presidential Candidate for the PPP, the heat would be turned on Nandlall. There must be a reason why so much is being invested to tarnish his image. I am sure sensible people know the reason. Yours respectfully, Mahendra Hariraj M.Sc. Editor’s note: Neither Dr. Cheddi Jagan nor Ms. Janet Jagan was ever convicted of a criminal offence.

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What really happened at Mabaruma Dear Editor, I have a contribution to clear up a few deliberately grey areas in Ms. Shaddick’s letter in the Stabroek News of November 24. This concerns the Mabaruma LGE results. Ms Shaddick was quick to point out that the officials who were dispatched to investigate the matter ‘spent much of their time interacting with APNU activists’. She further went on to write that GECOM’s officials should have acted in a manner precluding any perception of bias. Ms. Shaddick missed the under mentioned: 1. Did the Returning Officer preclude any perception of bias when he allowed so many questionable proxies from the PPP? His explanation was that ‘he was just helping them out’. How come he was not in such a helpful mood

when the APNU persons approached him? 2. The same investigators from Georgetown were observed in a business place of a known PPP supporter (a home where Bharrat Jagdeo stays at most times that he visits Mabaruma). Was that ok with Ms. Shaddick? Did that preclude any perception of bias? 3. The GECOM officials (Mabaruma) had several meetings with only PPP activists during the period before the elections. So???? 4. GECOM Officials (Mabaruma) made it their duty to personally verify the few proxies allowed to the APNU. They did not do the same for the PPP because some of the people are resident in other countries and some were from communities far removed from the official boundaries of the Local Government area.

5. A very senior PPP member was allowed to vote, then leave the Polling Place only to return twice to vote for other people. Does that fit into the Electoral regulations? Once, you are in and out that’s it! You do all the voting the same time. Was this another instance of ‘just helping them out’? 6. Why was a Polling Place established at Thomas Hill, which does not have a significant number of voters? The residents there always voted at the Mabaruma Primary School. 7. It is also alleged that a voter died a few days before the election but she voted. So we can now believe that the dead do have some powers? I guess that since her body was still in the morgue, it was okay to ‘just help her out’. Angry Mabaruma Resident.

The political system needs a... From page 4 identified as the chronic condition of the Coalition. What I will say is that at this historical juncture, we have an over-abundance of evidence that our present political environment is too precarious, too dysfunctional, too unstable as to be sustainable both at present and within the radical new future that awaits us. This is where we have to move beyond grand rhetoric and into direct, practical solutions. I say nothing new when I say that the winnertake-all approach to governance is intrinsically, by sheer force of basic logic, undemocratic. A political party, having gained 51 percent of the vote in a plural society, being that able to claim 100 percent of the executive portfolio is a formula for precisely the sort of dysfunctional hegemonic politics that have plagued us since indepen-

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Kaieteur News

dence. The absence of a workable formula for shared governance has, in my mind, had more to do with the lack of political will born of both distrust and myopia than it has to do with any actual improbability of a practicable configuration. Nothing, for example, prevented the principle of executive proportionality having been included in the last constitution reform process of almost two decades ago, meaning the creation of a constitutional mechanism where a president elect is mandated to offer and accept the submission from the Opposition to fill a minimum to maximum range of junior ministries in key sectors based upon the results of the general elections. In such a scenario, the president elect would be obligated to offer the parliamentary opposition the

opportunity to fill a maximum of six and a minimum of three junior portfolios, let’s say health, education, energy, infrastructure, culture and local government, of course within a defined period. A government that secures a plurality but not a majority (under 50%) would be mandated to offer the maximum of six portfolios; a government that secures from 51-55 percent of the vote, five portfolios; a government that secures 56-60 percent, four portfolios; and a government that secures 61 percent and above, the minimum of three portfolios. The executive would retain control of the budget through the exclusive occupation of the finance portfolio, cabinet cohesion and confidentiality are maintained while the opposition, as supported by the will of the people, are afforded a meaningful say in the executive. Building upon that basic principle, we can easily – if the interest of the country were paramount in our consideration – significantly reform the Constitution and transform our political culture. In closing, as we approach 2020, we cannot continue to kick the can down the road when it comes to a transformative approach to governance and citizenship in Guyana. To borrow a construction from Mr. Burnham, when it comes to this issue, we innovate or we perish, having squandered our last great opportunity to get this society right. Yours faithfully, Ruel Johnson

Using land for purposes other than intended Dear Editor, Would You Believe It! The villagers of Ann’s Grove /Two Friends are perplexed and bereaved. They are in a huge struggle to bury their loved ones. This is because of greed, wickedness, bribery, weak administration, square pegs in round holes, corruption, and lawlessness. There is also inefficiency on the part of persons, who lack vision and are void of understanding and have no knowledge of their duties and functions. What a shame and embarrassment. Let us highlight and bring to your attention the facts: On 28th of April 1849, after slavery was abolished, seventyeight former (78) slaves co-operatively pooled their hard earned resources and purchased plantation Two Friends. One week later, on 5th of May 1849, they once again cooperatively pooled their hard earned resources and purchased plantation Ann’s Grove setting aside portion of lands for housing, farming, cemetery, churches, pasturage, recreational facilities and future development, etc. In 1973 because of the growing population and less interest in cattle and livestock rearing the

portion of land for pasturage was converted to housing. On the advice of the late Comrade Leader L F S Burnham, former president of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, a portion of the same land was allocated for a cemetery and is stated on the community plan. Thanks to the late Comrade L F S Burnham and the late Comrade Hubert Sertimer, Chairman of the Ann’s Grove- Two Friends Multi- Purpose Co-op Society and concerned citizens of the community who saw the need for the future. In the recent times, we have observed that the portion of land that was allocated for the cemetery has been divided into house lots and fenced by rebellious deportees and others, much to the anger and frustration of concerned citizens. Our questions are: 1. Why has the relevant authority not intervened in this preposterous and presumptuous act? 2. Where will the occupants of this community be buried? 3. Why greed and covetousness should deprive us a place to bury our loved ones? 4. Has judgment fled to

brutish beast and men have lost their senses of reasoning? 5. Are these rebellious deportees the only descendants of the 78 former slaves who co-operatively pooled their resources and purchased this community? And what are their contributions? In view of the current issues mentioned above, we would like the public to take serious note of the present state of the existing condition of the cemetery and determine if it is fitting to convert the plot to house lots, a plot that which was rightfully left for a particular purpose or to retain that plot, which was designated for the decent burial of member of our beloved Community. Come on people sound your voices and let good sense prevail and avoid such an atrocious act by those without any sense of decency, something that is inconsistent with human behaviour pattern. Death is inevitable; a cemetery is necessary think of it! Concern Citizens of Ann’s Grove / Two Friends. Concerned Citizens of Ann’s Grove/Two Friends

All is not well at Republic Bank... From page 4 made to simply accept whatever is given to them and move on. The bank has been without a staff association for many years and has never had a union. Many attempts to have the staff members unionised have been shut down by management or due to fear of victimisation, employees refused to sign on. Generally, unions need at least 50% of the staff to buyin before any move can be made to have the bank unionised but employees have been reluctant. Senior Management does not create the environment for any negotiations either. One instance is evident when one particular employee attempted to solicit support from staff to get unionised, only for the notion to be shot down. This move also saw that employees never being promoted for many years though their performances were up to scratch. Arbitrary transfer of an entire department All my ramblings above culminates in this particular incident, which proves the draconian nature of Republic Bank Guyana. Currently, the two top managers of the bank (including the CEO) are Trinidadians. I have no personal issue with Trinidadians.

However, I do believe that it is difficult for Trinidadians to understand Guyanese difficulties. Recently, management made the decision to uproot an entire department and relocate this department to the Triumph branch. My issue is not with the bank; however, there are a couple of factors I wish to highlight for consideration. 1. This village is about 20 minutes from Central Georgetown. The department consists of about 9-12 employees and most of these if not all live on the East Bank, Central Georgetown and West Coast Demerara. 2. The traffic on the East Bank in the mornings is generally very taxing; employees have to leave very early to combat it, thus would be extremely tried by the time they get to work. 3. Some employees have children whom they would take to their respective schools, etc. To have the children at school so early is basically not safe. 4. Workers still would need to get to work for the normal 7:45; employees arriving after this time would be considered late and this would significantly impact their staff report. 5. NO additional allowances were offered to staff for transportation or any other expenses. 6. NO incentives were

offered to staff members who would be adversely affected by this move. 7. It is important to note, ALL the members of department made it clear that they did not want to move. Is this the kind of treatment we want for our employees? This institution prides itself as a reputable organisation; yet, staff members are treated as second class. I will admit that the bank intends to provide a TEMPORARY shuttle service only in the MORNINGS for department members. I am not sure what will happen in the evenings, I guess everyone has to either take a cab (at one’s expense) or take a bus. Employees are hesitant to ask for transfers to avoid this dilemma due to fear of being dumped in a ‘certain department’. This fear resonates especially in young employees who are starting their careers and this is exactly what the management thrives on. For fear of victimisation of their loved ones, who are employees, relatives are afraid to expose the dictatorial and archaic system at RBL Guyana, but it needs to stop. Employees need to understand their rights and fight for same. Concerned and affected relative and customer.

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“Budget is tone-deaf” – Opposition Leader Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has condemned the 2019 budget as “tone-deaf”, and an indication that the coalition government is being condescending toward the people of Guyana. Jagdeo held a press conference last night after the reading of the budget by Finance Minister Winston Jordan. “I’m very, very disappointed,” he said, “I had great expectations that this government would have listened to what they heard from people in the local government elections, and the people’s widespread dissatisfaction with their record.” He emphasised that it is a lengthy budget that is filled with repetition. “It seems as though different people wrote different sections of this budget, and then someone hastily combined all of these sections into what we heard today.” Jagdeo said that the Finance Minister went over the same topics repeatedly, and made an incoherent presentation. “I thought that, now that the government is faced with a no-confidence motion, it would have heeded the concerns of the people.

Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, delivering his statement last evening Jagdeo said that it seems the minister read out the entire work programme of the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Central Bank, and the Accountant General’s department. Jagdeo said there are many promises in the budget about massive projects in the future, and that the minister explained its objectives at great length. However, Jagdeo believes that many of these projects are unlikely to

happen, or at least, will not happen for years. He said that the minister built up the people’s optimism for multiple projects, going on at great lengths, only to say, at the end of his explanations, that the government will conduct a feasibility study in 2019. “This is not a budget,” he said, “it is sterile and full of platitudes. He said that the minister is doing the same thing he did when reading out the 2018

Bandits shoot at car, rob businesswoman after airport trip - Suspects arrested later in vehicle with guns, ammo, false licence plates A businesswoman is counting her lucky stars after being tracked by bandits from the Ogle Airport and then having her car shot at, after which she was robbed of a package that she had just collected at the airport. The police later arrested three suspects, one of whom used to work for the woman. The victim, who operates a taxi service in Seaforth Street, Campbellville, received a call yesterday morning from her mother in Region One to collect a package from the Ogle Airport. The woman said she arrived at the airport at around 10:40 hours and spent about five minutes before collecting the package and leaving. She said that she then drove to Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara, where she resides. The woman claims that she was in the vicinity of Pigeon Island, when she noticed a car following close behind. She said she stopped to let the car pass, but the vehicle was driven alongside her and stopped in a position that did not allow her to move. A man quickly exited the other car with a gun in his hand, and discharged one shot at her car window that was closed at the time. Immediately after doing so, his words to her were, “wheh de

package wid de money deh?” She said the package contained two letters, one bottle of cologne, and approximately $90,000 in cash. The woman was convinced that the whole incident was a set-up, since CCTV footage from the airport showed a Silver Toyota Premio going to the airport at 10:30 hours, after which the woman’s car came in at 10:40 hours and spent five minutes then left. The Silver car, bearing registration plates HC 7549, followed the woman’s car out of the airport. A report was made to the police after the robbery. Meanwhile, last evening, police acting on information went to Princes and High Streets, where they intercepted a Silver Toyota Premio bearing registration plates, HC6573, that was parked close to the Infiniti Gas Station. The driver identified as

Casey Chapman a 27-year-old taxi driver of South Sophia, along with Adam McDonald, a 30-year-old miner of South Amelia’s Ward, Linden, and Sheldon Andrews, a 24-yearold taxi driver of West Ruimveldt, were all arrested and a search of the car unearthed one black and silver 9mm pistol with twelve rounds of matching ammunition, and a black .32 Taurus Pistol with seven matching rounds of ammunition from under the driver’s seat in a black plastic bag. There was also a pair of ‘paste on’ car tags (PRR 4987). The men were escorted to the Ruimveldt Police Station, where they were placed in custody, as investigations continue Kaieteur News has since learnt that one of the men arrested (Sheldon Andrews) had worked with the woman at her taxi service sometime in the past.

budget, last year; that the minister had given figures, then by January, the figures drastically changed for the worse. The minister read out a series of measures that he said will improve welfare, but Jagdeo said he highly doubts that the government’s plans will have a positive effect on vulnerable Guyanese. Jagdeo said that when the government presented the budget, they presented their tax reform measures as a great relief. However, he stated that one of the key issues the PPP/ C heard about on the campaign trail for local government elections is that there was a massive growth in taxes since the coalition came into office. Although the government presented tax reforms giving up $3.5B in revenue, Jagdeo said that he sees it as insignificant, as he had hoped that the budget would offer a bigger tax write-off. He said that in the last year the PPP produced a budget, in 2014, there was a total tax stake of $135B. Now, he said, the actual figure is $199B, a $64B increase since the last budget produced by the PPP/C. “So the minister said we collected $7B as a result of the amnesty. The amnesty is over, so you have to net out

$7B from the $199B that they collected in 2017, because that will not be repeated in 2019. So that takes you to about $192B”. He said that this year, $223B in taxes will be collected, a $31B increase. “This means that between 2014 and now, the government would have collected $88B more per year on a base of $135B. That’s an over 65% increase in taxes.” Jagdeo said that, for example, the PPP/C proposed removing VAT on construction material, and that the government removed it from concrete blocks, but not on sandstone, cement, and all of the other materials that they had put VAT on in the first place. He said that he also expected the government to come up with a series of policies to help stimulate the private sector, but that he heard no such thing. On the proposed road from Parika to Bartica, Jagdeo told the media that it’s not going to happen; that the late president Dr. Cheddi Jagan had proposed this road since the 1960s. He said the government is only creating the impression that it will happen. On the matter of the proposed bridge for the Demerara River, Jagdeo said that the government did an illegal feasibility study, which

is now subject of a police inquiry, and that the study did not find a three-lane bridge feasible. He said they have to redo a feasibility study on a four-lane bridge, which will cost 60% more. He then turned to the absence of job creation initiatives. “Minister Jordan has mentioned the government’s proposition to inject $1.7B into youth initiatives, but when you disaggregate, a significant part is on administrative costs.” Jagdeo said that the government’s figures provided about jobs they have created are fictitious, and that the government has failed to indicate where these jobs were created. “What sort of relief does this budget bring? We hear a lot about crime fighting, but most of the money is going to the building of Georgetown Prison and the completion of the Mazaruni prisons.” “First oil is the only thing in town,” Jagdeo said. “The government is saying ‘We don’t care what the people think’. To pass a budget like this, [Jordan] must be a closet hater of this government. I can’t find much good to talk about. We can’t support this budget, not in its current formulation.”

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Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

4.6 percent growth targeted in $300.7B Budget for 2019 A 99-page, five-hour budget speech may have elicited a few yawns in the chambers of the National Assembly, but would have sent quite a few smiles for businesses across the country, after Finance Minister Winston Jordan unveiled a number of tax concessions for businesses. The income tax threshold is expected to rise to $65,000 in what is the largest national budget to date at $300.7B, an increase of 12.6 per cent from the 2018 budget. The minister made that and other announcements during his presentation of the 2019 National Budget in the National Assembly yesterday. Guyana’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow by 4.6 per cent, an indication the economy is on the rise, the

Finance Minister said. The growth projection is based on the steady growth in the global economy and stable commodity prices. This growth is expected to be reflected in the major sectors. Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry are forecast to grow by 3.9 per cent, sugar production is expected to increase by 15.6 per cent while rice is expected to grow steadily by 2.7 per cent in 2019. Gold declaration is expected to increase, with an industry growth projected at 2.5 per cent, while bauxite will continue to grow by 8.6 per cent. Meanwhile, the mining and quarrying sector is expected to expand by 3.7 per cent. Manufacturing is expected to grow by 4.2 per cent, construction by 10.5 per cent and services by 3.7 per cent. Minister Jordan pointed

out that inflation in 2019 is expected to be 2.5 per cent, but he cautioned inflationary pressures may arise as Guyana nears oil and gas production. The minister assured the government will respond with the appropriate measures to stabilise the rate. Meanwhile, overall, the balance of payment is expected to improve substantially to a surplus of US$15M. The capital account is anticipated to grow robustly to a surplus of US$376.2Million with the current account reflecting a lower deficit of US$361.2Million. Minister Jordan credits the improvement of the current account to a lower merchandise trade deficit of US$256.4M, as total export earnings are projected to increase, amid higher commodity prices, and increased production.

A young man takes a photo outside Parliament Building as the Finance Minister unveils the $300B budget

Man, 21, pleads not guilty to killing relative on April Fool’s day Nicholas Hercules, 21, appeared at the High Court in Georgetown yesterday morning, where he pleaded not guilty to murdering his relative, Carlos Solomon. According to information, Hercules and Solomon knew each other, since they resided at Lot 44 Princes Street, Georgetown. On the day in question, Solomon and Hercules were reportedly involved in an argument. The situation spiraled out of control and Hercules allegedly pulled out a knife and dealt Solomon a stab to his armpit. An injured Solomon was pronounced

dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital. It was reported that Hercules was nabbed at the Alberttown Police Station where he went to report the matter. However, Police were forced to chase after him after he was informed of Solomon’s demise. Yesterday, a 12-member mixed jury was empanelled to consider the evidence in the trial which will commence today. Representing Hercules are Attorneys Hewley Griffith and Campton Bobb. Prosecutors Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt are presenting the State’s case.

MURDER ACCUSED: Nicholas Hercules

Tuesday November 27, 2018

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

Weekly press briefings Post-Cabinet press briefings have become i r r e g u l a r. Cabinet, statutorily, normally meets every week, mainly on Tuesdays, and therefore it is to be expected that a post-Cabinet press briefing would be held every week. This is clearly not the case. The irregularity of

hosting Cabinet press briefings means that the media is being s h o r t c h a nged for information about the deliberations of Cabinet; the government equally is losing an opportunity to outline and explain its decisions. Cabinet press briefings should be held weekly. Roger

Dem boys seh ...

De budget cater fuh Jagdeo and he friends De Finance Minister present de 2019 budget yesterday and it got something fuh everybody. It ain’t got a day dat Jagdeo ain’t complaining bout de economy. Dem boys notice dat de Finance Minister remove all de taxes and duty from poison and pesticides. Dat mek it easy fuh Jagdeo and all he friends who complaining, to buy poison and ease dem worries. De police and de firemen also got worries. Dem and all can buy poison cheap. Guyana now got a reputation dat if something ain’t nail down some people who wearing uniform gon move it. De army find dis out a long time ago. During de time when Jagdeo was President, some soldiers move off wid 33 AK47 rifle. Dem guns cause de army nuff trouble because dat was de time of de crime wave. Dem was de days when every criminal wanted a gun. De army search and find some of dem guns but to dis day some of dem guns still missing. Dem had cocaine in a policeman office. Dis was no ordinary policeman but by de time de court was ready for it, de cocaine disappear from de man office and nobody don’t know wheh it deh to dis day. Dem boys know dat dis ting ain’t start happening today. A gang raid a man gold camp; de police chase and ketch dem and get back de

man diamonds. Dem send de diamonds to dem boss in de city. When de owner start to look fuh he diamonds, he hear it disappear. Is years now and he still can’t get he diamonds. He go to court and all he hearing is people singing how is not dem. Dem boys hear nuff odda story. Dem had a fire at de Crime Chief house and when de blaze out, de man phone disappear. Is a good thing somebody call de number and hear it ringing inside de fire tender. Dem boys don’t want talk about de plane crash and dem fast finger firemen who mek de whole country shame. Dem firemen pick up everything dat wasn’t bolt down. Is only because de pilot miss he phone soon after he come out de plane dat people realize dat things was disappearing from de plane. De whole country shame; everybody still talking bout dat. People believe dat others gon tek note and be on dem Ps and Qs. De talk still going on but dat didn’t stop two policemen from thiefing out de model planes at de Civil AVIATION Conference. Everybody know is Christmas and some big men always want plaything. De conference people now saying, “Thank God fuh cameras.” De same policemen in de band thief de planes. Talk half and direct Jagdeo to de budget!

Luncheon, when he was Cabinet Secretary, had ensured that there were weekly Cabinet press briefings to report to the media on the deliberations of Cabinet. Luncheon seemed to enjoy these briefings, which were his only notable public appearances. His slowtalking style could be irritating, but he ensured that mistakes were limited by his careful choice of answers to questions from the media The weekly Cabinet press briefings helped him, at the same time, to counter some of the criticisms being lobbed at his government. This is one of the benefits of holding weekly Cabinet press briefings. There has been a lot of talk about the poor public relations of the government. And if the government accepts that it can be doing a better job at explaining its policies and highlighting its achievements, then at the minimum, it should demonstrate greater enthusiasm towards hosting regular briefings

with the media. It is not, and this will only add credibility to those who argue that the government is being selective with the release of information. Instead of using the press briefing to counter negative perceptions about the government, the government prefers not to host regular press briefings, despite there being a heavily-staffed Department of Public Information and another overstaffed unit which reports strictly on the President and his Ministry. The latter loves to send out releases which are quickly gobbled up by a gullible media. These releases leave more questions than answers. The latest release is to the effect that the President, on the advice of his doctors, will be scaling down his public engagements – as is to be expected during his treatment – but will continue to work. This is as ambiguous as reports on the President’s health can get. And the media are suckers who lap it all up without trying to

find out just how the President intends to operate during his treatment and recuperation. Who is going to chair Cabinet, seeing that the President is supposed to do so? How much of a workload will the President be undertaking, and who will be taking up the slack caused by his reduced public engagements? These and numerous other questions remain unanswered. We e k l y Cabinet briefings could have been used to provide answers to these questions. But we have a media which is content with guessing rather than being sure. The paucity of answers by the government does not help; neither does the confusion which reins within the information sector. The splitting of the information portfolio undermines the role of the Prime Minister and places

inordinate responsibility in the hands of junior underlings operating out of the Ministry of the Presidency. The unit within the Ministry of the Presidency is satisfied with providing a day-to-day account of the engagements of top officials of that Ministry, without any attempt to respond to the barrage of criticisms and innuendos hurled at the ruling coalition. The coalition government must do better. It must open itself to greater scrutiny. This is the only way it will get its message across, not by holding post-Cabinet press briefings far and in between.

PAGE 10

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Eureka! Eureka! Stabroek News discovers the death of Guyana On Friday, I got stuck in really horrible traffic that was created by the unadulterated asininity of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (see my Sunday last column). I normally read the print version of the two newspapers I buy - KN and SN early in the morning, but I didn’t last Friday. There were many things to be done that morning; a priority was my wife’s dentist appointment. I came home after stuck for hours in idiotic traffic. Then I read the newspa-

pers. I could not believe what I was seeing in the editorial of that day in Stabroek News. It was a critical denunciation of the mistreatment by commercial banks of the ordinary man and woman. This editorial appeared three years after I did several columns on these horror stories, many of which were derived from sad letters I read in the Stabroek News itself. You know, this country is tragic, but I keep on writing because it is so amusing that the laughter helps to make

your day. I look at my country and its people and I know they are all leaving; who are here will leave soon, and still I laugh at Guyana. When I pen these columns, I don’t ever think that others will see the insanity that has enveloped this nation and try to save Guyana. But at the back of my mind I know one day another voice will come up, but when it does it will be too late. I have plugged away for three consecutive years at the sadistic mistreatment of small customers by all the commercial banks. The stories were so cruel that it should have moved the media and the government big wigs a long time ago. I cannot help asking Stabroek News why three years after. People began to write about their plights years ago. When you hear about what the commercial banks are doing and how careless and reckless the Bank of Guyana and the Finance Ministry behave in this situation,

it leaves you so eager to leave this country behind. I interviewed the people who monitor the anti-money laundering law and they told me the law does not say anything about an envelope with an address as the required proof of address. I read the law. It doesn’t. I complained to the Bank of Guyana that the banks are doing nonsense by requiring persons to produce an envelope as a definite requirement of proof of address. After the publication of my column denouncing this atrocity, I remember the day well. Senior Bank of Guyana official, Joseph Lall called me. I was driving and I got the call when I was at the junction of Camp and New Market Streets. Lall said the Governor spoke to Republic Bank and an envelope is not required. The next week, I got a complaint about the envelope requirement. I then did a follow up column on whether the Gover-

nor misled me or the bank misled the Governor. The envelope edict is still alive at all banks and the post office now has got into the act. To post a parcel you must produce an envelope with your address on it. This is not legal. It is complete ignorance of the anti-money laundering law. A group of persons agreed to finance a writ in court to stop the post office from imposing this draconian rule. The lawyer I consulted (the former Chancellor, Carl Singh’s son) told me something that makes sense. He said a writ could only be filed if someone goes to the post office with the parcel and has the imposition thrown at them. So if you are reading this and you are going to send a parcel, please call me when the post office does its nonsense. I will make contact with lawyers immediately. My cell is 614-5927. My email is fredkissoon@yahoo.com.

Frederick Kissoon Let me leave you with a description of how the banks are ignorant of what is in the law. My wife has an account since 1984 with a certain bank. She worked all her life honestly and saved her money. We have a joint account. Your normal ATM card limits you to $200,000. So we went to take out another card that has a million-dollar ceiling. The bank told my wife she cannot get the card because she is not officially employed. I said the card is based on her savings which were legitimately earned. They said that is the law. I went and read the law. There is nothing like that in the law. The Finance Minister will hear from me soon. It is my right to say I do not respect him as Finance Minister.

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

Healthy Ministry on mission to improve epidemiology reporting - targets internal public relations personnel, hopes to reach journalists

Without proper grounding, reporting on issues of an epidemiology nature could prove to be disastrous. This observation was made recently by Head of the Public Relations and Health Promotion Unit, Mr. Terrence Esseboom, when he spoke at a two-day training workshop. The workshop, which targeted personnel within the department headed by Esseboom, was seen as a necessity to help address glaring shortcomings in health reporting. Esseboom noted that while the workshop was initially intended to target local journalists, the Ministry only had the capacity to avail training to the key staffers. He is, however, convinced that the needed change can start within the Ministry and eventually be filtered to the media fraternity. Currently, most of the staffers within the Unit are very young people and, according to Esseboom, “we don’t have grounding in health, so I think we should be able to intelligently and accurately convey what is happening in the sector...so we decided we are going to

The training workshop in session

do this.” This was necessary, he said, because “for one, we are unfamiliar with a number of things in the health sector and we have to report on these and if we don’t have grounding in these [issues] that could be a little disastrous.” “Not because we are the PR Department we are not going to ask the Minister or

other officials the hard questions and demand the answers. It is conceived that the department will be able to do a better job so that if we all can’t reach the source of information at least we can do that in the department,” Esseboom said. He noted that although his staff has been able to benefit from the training, journalists also deserve to be

exposed. “What I really wanted was for our journalists to have an appreciation for this...this was how this was conceived. We recognised a lot of time when you pick up the newspaper there are so many flaws in the report and it is very superficial reporting.” He continued by pointing out, “What happens a lot of times in health is stenography

and not journalism, because people don’t know...they don’t know the questions; they don’t have the grounding, so they don’t have understanding of the basic philosophy of epidemiology. If you are going to interview somebody you need to know the kinds of questions so you need to know the issue.” The training session,

which was held in the boardroom of the National Blood Transfusion Service at Lamaha and East Streets, Georgetown, saw Esseboom focusing on the journalistic aspect of reporting, while the expertise of Sasha Walrond, Epidemiologist within the Surveillance Department of the Ministry, dealt with the technical aspect of epidemiology reporting. “It is important how we report on diseases and everything pertaining to diseases so that we don’t violate people. We need to know exactly how to report, because the health sector is a kind of peculiar sector...we can’t be as cavalier as in other sectors because that would have implications; people can die and people can panic and we recognise that,” Esseboom noted. While recognising the need for reports to be critical at times in the quest to keep the public informed, Walrond stressed the need for information contained in published newspaper articles to be verified before they are released for public consumption. Even as she highlighted (Continued on page 24)

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

Clamp comes down on luxury vehicles, remigrant scheme

Budget 2019 has measures to target weaknesses in the remigrant scheme and abuse to importation of vehicles. Finance Minister Winston Jordan has announced an overhaul of the muchcriticized remigrant system for vehicles. In his Budget Speech yesterday in the House, the Minister said that the current remigrant system is flawed and has l e d t o abuse on a number of o c c a s i o ns. Over the years, persons have come in posing as retu r n i n g G u y a n ese and bringing in luxury vehicles, which are either sold or handed over to the true owner for a small fee. There were instances where the remigrants returned overseas shortly after the transaction. Tens of millions of dollars were lost to the coffers of Guyana.

According to Jordan, in order to ensure compliance, minimize, if not eliminate, the abuse, while simplifying the process, he is proposing a system of credits up to a limit of $5M for vehicles imported by a remigrant. “With this s y s t e m , a remigrant can bring as many vehicles as he/she wishes. For example, suppose a remigrant brings in three vehicles, with an assessed value of $20 million. Then the remigrant will be credited with a tax free allowance up to a value of $5 million, and would be required to pay all applicable taxes on the balance of $15 million.” This would represent a major change from the previous practice where GRA received little.

It is likely to be unpopular for a number of auto sales companies, which have been capitalizing on the weaknesses of the remigrant system. According to the Minister, the removal of the six-month overseas ownership will allow the remigrant the option of purchasing the vehicle locally, within six months of his/her arrival. “This would be advantageous to the remigrant who lived in a country where driving is on the right, as opposed to Guyana, where it is on the left.” It was disclosed that returning students who have completed at least three years of continuous study be eligible for remigrant status.

GECOM to get $5.4B, but fraud allegations remain unresolved Some $5.4B has been earmarked for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) with $3B for 2020 general elections. The disclosures would come at a time when three years later, allegations of impropriety involving hundreds of millions of suspect purchases of items without the proper procurement procedures have not yet been resolved. The matter was supposed to have been handed over to the police. The announcement of the sum was made yesterday by Finance Minister Winston Jordan during the presentation of the 2019 National Budget. Jordan told the National Assembly that almost $3Billion of the total allocation will go towards the preparation of the General and Regional Elections, constitutionally due by August 2020. Earlier this year Auditor General Deodat Sharma had disclosed plans to prepare a file with the reports for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for consideration

of criminal charges. Sharma has indicated that he has completed the file, but there is no indication that it has been handed over to anyone else. The GECOM Secretariat has been accused of deliberately overseeing a system of procurement irregularities involving hundreds of millions of dollars in purchases – from radios, to pliers and batteries, to toners. Audits were conducted at GECOM following the 2015 General Elections. The Auditor General’s office prepared three reports based on their investigations into the procurement of radios totalling $100M, the purchase of pliers and the procurement of toners. Following the investigations, Sharma submitted his findings to the seven-member commission with a recommendation that the reports be turned over to the police for further investigations. Sharma had provided GECOM with a time to prepare a response to the reports.

This was not well received by the Chairman of GECOM, Justice James Patterson (ret’d) who challenged the Auditor to take the reports to the police. One of the activities for the 2015 general elections was the purchase of a number of communication radios. This particular report raised many unanswered questions. It was found that less than 90 percent of the radios were used, despite the strong reasons advanced by GECOM to the administration for the purchases. Some $100M was spent. It was found that the radios arrived too late to be deployed for the May 11, 2015 elections. The report found that on top of that purchase for the radios, which were all outdated, GECOM went ahead and bought 12 satellite phones for use, in case the radios could not be put into operation. When Local Government Elections were held in 2016, the radios were still not used.

PAGE 21

Education sector sees 15.6% increase with $52.2B allocation The education sector has been allocated a whopping $52.2B for 2019, representing a 15.6 per cent increase over its 2018 allocation. Finance Minister Winston Jordan said that the allocation is to address disparities in the education sector such as bridging the gap between coastal and hinterland education delivery; eliminating the shortage of books in the classroom for effective learning; and monitoring sector achievements. “We plan significant and inclusive investments, from nursery to university level: investment in analytical work, curriculum reform, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the teaching of STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), and investing in facilities for our youths to be ready for the changing nature of work in an increasingly digital era,” he told the House during the presentation of the 2019 National Budget. According to the Finance Minister, there will be an expansion in initiatives such as the distribu-

tion of math and literacy kits, as well as distribution of robotic kits at the primary and secondary levels. This, he explained, will enhance not only the ICT skills of students but “will also impact positively on their mathematical and general critical thinking skills.” He said this is important for both their economic growth and development and selfactualisation. Meanwhile, Minister Jordan said that $5.4B has been allocated for the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of educational facilities across the country. The government will, this year, advance works on secondary schools including those at Westminster, St. Roses, Port Kaituma, Wakapoa and Bladen Hall Multilateral. Further, nursery and primary schools including those at Chenapau, Mahdia, Diamond/Grove, Bagotville and White Water will benefit from improved physical conditions and additional classroom spaces for students.

PAGE 22

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

High Court trial for accused in rape/murder of Sisters Village teen FOR RENT

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisement, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Installations, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc call Nick 627-3206, 630-1600

FOR SALE Generac Pressure Wash for sale 3100 PSI. Tel#654-5267/ 652-2244/220-4203 Combines 7300 John Deere (2000 hrs) Fiatagri L413 (2500hs), Laverda 132 & Massey 399 & 290, Fiat 110/ 90, Ford 6610. Call: 695-2220/ 338-4354 One Ford explore sportage jeep, fully loaded $3.7M. Call# 684-4636/676-4810 Imported bedroom, Living room, Bathroom: Furniture/ A c c e s s o r i e s Beds,Dressers,Lamps, Carpets, Tv Stand etc. Owner leaving #655-3070

VEHICLE FOR SALE Unregistered Axio 2010 model, Camera, Fog lamps $2.5 neg. Nissan Tida registered PVV series $2M neg #611-7106 Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, RZ,Pit-bull, Allex, 192 & Canter – Call: 650-7501

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Office Space to rent, Lot 1 Princess St G/town Obliquely opposite L.R.O, Starting at $45,000. Call: 658-2677/6483067 Fully furnished luxury 2&3 Bedroom apartments to rent, long & short term. Tel#6667028/691-1432 Salon for rental, New Market St, Georgetown, also hair/ nails/barber/massage. Makeup stations for rental #638-1106 1 Business spot. #223-9727/ 673-0373 1 Apt for rent- Bottom flat for rent, for business. Contact Radica Kassim #264-2639 Lot 7-8 Plantain Walk WBD

Have your yard, fence, mat to pressure wash? Yard to weed? Call: 666-2326 Repairs at low cost: fridges, air conditioners, washing machines, freezers,sale of ac’s tel:6294946,225-4822

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

Nissan X-Trail Vehicle 2008/ 2009 Model, Lady driven, Mileage under 60,000 Extra rim. Price $2.3 neg. Contact #617-2955/220-4763 LAND FOR SALE Parfaite $1.2M $2.2M $2.3M Farm $5.5M Providence $4M $3.5M Herstelling (3rd Bridge) Double Lot $$5.5M (2nd Bridge) $3.5M Call: 666-2326

TO LET (1) Upper 4 bedroom house, fully grilled, parking for 2 Vehicle at First St Herstelling. Contact #265-3844

Transported land 11.6 acres. Lot 15 public road. #2 Village W.C.B. Price $18M. Contact 686-4818, 648-7109

ACCOMMODATION

PEN PAL

Air conditioned room $3000 daily, Fully furnished apts $6000 daily. Tele#223-0994/ 678-5827

Indian Male from England seeks female Age 29/32 with good personality. Call or Text #690-6639

Manager to work at 704 Sport bar, must have experience. Contact #223-5273 /2235274 Wanted 1 new model Allion or Premio motorcar urgently to work and keep. Contact #6813418 Male Janitor to care for dogs, clean drain & yard. Apply @ Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Farm/Providence, Herstelling, Uivlugt, Tuschen, Diamond, Best price pay. Call: 666-2326 Demerara Bakery Inc. is looking for Distributors, Wholesalers & Retailers. Call us on 266-5847 or email: sales@demerarabakery.com Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Office clerk, Senior/Junior CXC English/Mathematics, Computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500

Property for sale (1) 3 story building at 97 Sugarcane street S/Rvldt Gardens. Price US 1.5M neg. Tel: 695-1356 & 687-8445

One Truck Driver. Please make contact with Paul @ 227-8682/ 227-3681/225-3682 MondayFriday 9am-4pm

3 storey commercial building. Location- Lot 1486 Plot B Herstelling (2 Bridge) EBD. Suitable for school/ apartments. Contact #6093777/686-0522 2 storied concrete property at 17 St Diamond. Call: 626-3423

Need Male and Female to work in the interior $80,000 #674-1767 We buy land in Eccles, Herstelling, Farm, Parfaite Harmonie, Uivlugt, Zeelugt, Providence & Dairy Tel# 6117223/651-1969 VACANCY

Unfinished Property for sale, Eccles #682-8236 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool table. Tel#2770578

35 acres land at Yarrowkabra, situated next to the Soesdyke Linden Highway. Tel#2612553 Farm (East Bank) $3.2M Eccles $7M Herstelling $4M & $5M Schnoord $2.8M Dairy $1.6M & $2.6M Tel#656-0701/6481635

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Atlas Security Service IncNow Hiring: Armed Officers, Unarmed Officers, Salary $85,000-$100,000 monthly. Call: 231-4960/653-1265

GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS) HEALTH HERBAL REMEDIES: Diabetes, Hypertension, Infertility, Menstrual disorders, Enlarged prostate, Kidney,Gall stones & Arthritis etc. Call Sparman #676-5924

Murdered: Leonard Archibald

The main suspect in the brutal abduction, rape and murder of a 13-year-old boy in 2017 will have to face a judge and jury. Hillary Edwards 29 of Kortberaadt, East Bank Berbice was charged with the crime committed on Leonard Archibald, 13, of Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice. Edwards was arrested and charged for the abduction, rape and murder of Archibald, whose decomposed body was found on the Kortberaadt, foreshore. He was charged with the crime committed between September 17th and September 24th 2017. The matter was heard by Magistrate Alex Moore in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court. At the conclusion of the Preliminary Inquiry, the Magistrate found that a prima facie case was made out against the accused. Edwards was unrepresented in court. Archibald had disappeared while following his two sisters to a birthday party.

Police had arrested Edwards along with another man a day after the lad’s reported disappearance. Under intense questioning, Edwards reportedly confessed to luring the teen, sodomising him until he was unconscious, and dumping his body in the Berbice River. Archibald’s bicycle was found five days later along the Sisters’ Village foreshore. The following day, Leonard Archibald’s partly decomposed body was discovered on the Kortberaadt shore, some two miles from his home. Edwards had admitted to abducting the teen while he was riding along the public road. Edwards was reportedly previously fingered in an abduction and torture of another teen some time ago. The teen was reportedly found with his mouth bound days after going missing. Residents claimed that a report was made, but “nothing was done”. When the teen was first reported missing, neighbours had come out in their numbers and scoured the nearby abandoned houses, and trails leading to the backlands. Obediah Nicholas Christopher called Bee Boy who was charged along with Edwards was earlier freed after the Magistrate discharged the matter against him following submissions by his attorney Mursaline Bacchus.

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Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

Skeldon Hospital equipment still non-functional three weeks after The Guyana Power and Light’s Regional Engineer for Berbice has assured the Regional Chairman David Armogan that within a week’s time the Skeldon Hospital should be connected to the GPL grid. According to Armogan “by next week things should be up and running there as it should be”. He further added that when the application was made in Berbice to have the hospital connected to the electrical grid “they had to send it to Georgetown for an assessment, they had to get transformers and whole lot of things, and that alone takes a lot of time, I assume. But it was only when it was raised by me that GPL apparently dug up on the thing. It was apparently there and lie down and nobody was following it up with them. I called the guy at GPL (Regional Engineer Mr. Rose) and he told me by next week, they already have the transformer, but it just has to hook up now”. A few weeks ago, at the Regional Democratic Council’s Monthly Statutory meeting, Armogan had brought to light several deficiencies that are currently existing at the Skeldon Public Hospital. The ultrasound machines, the x-ray machines, physiotherapy and even the air conditioning units have

been inoperable for over two months. Director of the Regional Health Services Jevaughn Stephens had debunked what the chairman said about the services being down for that long. While he admitted that they were not working, he also added that it was only inoperable for a month. He had stated that since the closure of the Skeldon Estate, which provided electricity to the hospital, they were forced to shut down the services due to the minimal generating of power to the institution. “We had to take off some of the services because we got power from GuySuco and we are no longer getting that from GuySuco. An assessment was done, and we tried to put it on the GPL grid… that is what is taking the time, because if we operate the equipment now, we are going to be running at a risk. Every day we are calling GPL,” Stephens had uttered. Meanwhile, the two health centres in the region located at Plegt Anker, East Bank Berbice and Number 76 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, built at a cost of $16M and $20M respectively, are also still not in operation. Armogan mentioned that “they are trying to now put together staff, but they also have to do some more work in terms of plumbing”. He explained that when the build-

Region 6 Chairman, David Armogan ings were built “they did the bare buildings”, while referring to it as “very shortsighted”. Armogan said that although two years had gone by “they didn’t put it into the last budget to do the plumbing and electricity, so this was very short-sighted of the engineering department”. The Director of Health was given two months to get the health centres up and running by Armogan. The contract for the Plegt Anker Health Centre was awarded in 2016 to Contractor Dennis Tahal at a cost of $16M while the Number 76

Health Centre contract was awarded to Memorex Construction Services in early 2017 at a cost of $20M. Both buildings were left abandoned, the vice chairman said. When Kaieteur News had visited the Plegt Anker Health Centre a day after it was raised at the RDC, cleaners attached to the health sector in the region were seen weeding, washing windows, sweeping the interior of the building and executing other works to “get things in order”. They were supervised by five nurses at the time. Wasp nests had taken over the ceiling of the building.

Baramita health post being upgraded to cottage hospital Residents of Baramita and surrounding communities will soon benefit from an upgrade of the Baramita health post which is located next door to the Baramita Primary School alongside the village’s airstrip - to that of a cottage hospital. Regional Health Officer, Dr. Cerdel McWatt stated that, “With a catchment area this large, you have people coming from all over, you need to think big, and there is a lot to be done here”. He also took the opportunity to inform that when the facility is extended, there will be the addition of laboratory services, a vector control

40

unit, an area for infectious diseases and a morgue. It was further noted that after the passing of the 2019 Budget, an actual cost for the extension of the health post and the commencement date of operation for the cottage hospital will be disclosed. The health post, which operates on a 24-hour basis, offers a number of services to a relatively large area, currently delivering on Level Three healthcare services, which is equivalent to that of a cottage hospital. The facility temporarily houses patients on an in-patient basis until recovery or further referral. Its primary

healthcare programme is intact, while the essential drugs and medical supplies needed to support the chain of healthcare delivery is also in stock. Delivery of newborns is done, along with registration of births. There is a chronic disease clinic, maternal and child health clinics, while home visits are also conducted. The facility’s staff, which was highly applauded, currently comprises two Doctors, one Medical Extension Officer (Medex), one Commu-

nity Health Worker and one Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Vector Control. PAHO/WHO Guyana has a vested interest in improved delivery of health services in hinterland regions. The Guyana office is part of a technical cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health which oversees the general improvement in health outcomes in Baramita and its neighbouring villages. This effort became a reality in 2015, and since then, significant strides have been made.

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Trump on climate change report: ‘I don’t believe it’ (BBC) US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on a report by his own government warning of devastating effects from climate change. Asked outside the White House about the findings that unchecked global warming would wreak havoc on the US economy, he said: “I don’t believe it.” The report found that climate change will cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars annually and damage health. The Trump administra-

tion has pursued a pro-fossil fuels agenda. The world’s leading scientists agree that climate change is human-induced and warn that natural fluctuations in temperature are being exacerbated by human activity. He told reporters on Monday that he had “read some of” Friday’s report, which was compiled with help from US government agencies and departments. Mr Trump said other countries must take measures to cut their emissions. “You’re going to have

China and Japan and all of Asia and all these other countries, you know, it [the report] addresses our country,” he said. “Right now we’re at the cleanest we’ve ever been and that’s very important to me. “But if we’re clean, but every other place on Earth is dirty, that’s not so good. “So I want clean air, I want clean water, very important.” Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused the Trump administration of trying to hide the report.

How climate change could be causing miscarriages in Bangladesh In small villages along the eastern coast of Bangladesh, researchers have noticed an unexpectedly high rate of miscarriage. As they investigated further, scientists reached the conclusion that climate change might be to blame. Journalist Susannah Savage went into these communities to find out more. “Girls are better than boys,” says 30-year-old AlMunnahar. “Boys do not listen. They are arrogant. Girls are polite.” Al-Munnahar, who lives in a small village on the east coast of Bangladesh, has three sons but wished for a girl. Once she thought she would have a daughter, but she miscarried the baby. She is among several women who have lost a baby in her village. While miscarriages are not out of the ordinary, scientists who follow the community have noticed an increase, particularly compared to other areas. The reason for this, they believe, is climate change. The walk to Failla Para, Al-Munnahar’s village, is arduous: in the dry season,

Turkish police search villa as part of Khashoggi investigation Yalova, Turkey (CNN) Police are searching a villa in northwest Turkey in connection with the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor’s office said Monday that the villa was searched because one of the Saudi suspects in the killing contacted a Saudi national who resides near Samanli the day before Khashoggi was murdered. “We believe this contact was about how to dispose of Jamal Khashoggi’s body parts following its dismemberment. Therefore, police teams together with the prosecutor’s office have carried out searches on November 26th,” the prosecutor’s office said in a written statement. A CNN team on the scene saw dogs search the grounds while forensic teams in white suits moved in and out of the building. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, officers searched a well in the garden Monday and used sniffer dogs and drones to help.

The villa is in the village of Samanli, in Yalova province in the Marmara region, about 56 miles south of Istanbul. Last month President Erdogan mentioned Yalova as one of the areas a group of Saudis scouted before Khashoggi was killed. A local official and Turkish pro-government media said the villa was owned by a Saudi national. The CNN team saw two large portraits of the Saudi King and Crown Prince inside the property. Investigators and forensic teams left the property after a 10-hour search and it was unclear if they had gotten any leads or if they would be returning Tuesday. CNN is not naming the suspect or the Saudi national as we have not confirmed their identities independently. This is the first search law enforcement officials have made public since locations were searched last month, including the Saudi consulate, the consul general’s residence and a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul.

GM is reinventing itself. It’s cutting 15% of its salaried workers and shutting 5 plants in North America

Young women in the village are anxious about having children and providing for them the narrow track leads into a swamp, and in rainy season, into the sea. The village itself is not much more than a mound of mud with a few shacks and a chicken pen perched precariously on the slippery surface. “Nothing grows here anymore,” says Al-Munnahar. Not many years ago - up until the 1990s - these swamp lands were paddy fields. If rice production back then was not profitable, it was at least viable. Not anymore.

Rising waters and increasing salinity have forced the wealthiest among the villagers to change to shrimp farming or salt harvesting. Today, few paddy fields remain. “This is climate change in action,” says Dr Manzoor Hanifi, a scientist from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (ICDDRB), a research institute. “The effect on the land is visible, but the effect on the body: that we don’t see.”

Healthy Ministry on mission to... From page 12 the need for information to be verified, she noted that persons can seek to reach out to key Ministry officials as well regional health officials and other persons. “This is important so that they can get the information to help them better understand what they are reporting on and by extension, ensure that the public has accurate reports,” Walrond added. She continued by pointing out that “Different diseases are going to carry a

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

different level of effort, but I really think once they have the understanding they are going to understand the type of questions they need to ask and understand that data is never stagnant; it is always going to keep changing, especially if you have an outbreak scenario.” The training session, which was in the pipeline many months ago, is a tactical move employed by the Ministry, slated to position it to better report on epidemiological situations. “We have the Venezu-

elans coming in from Region One and there is a possibility that things can happen, but we don’t want things to happen then start scrambling. Sometimes we don’t have the money or time to bring in the private people and we have to do it ourselves. So if somebody from the PR department has to go into one of the regions, they have to have the same kind of skills...critical, analytical tools that journalists are supposed to have so that they can ask the proper questions,” Esseboom asserted.

New York (CNN Business) General Motors on Monday announced a major restructuring of its global business, saying it will shut production at five facilities in North America and slash its staff. GM will reduce its salaried workforce by 15%, including a quarter of the company’s executives. The moves are the first big steps in the century-old GM’s transformation. The company is reinvesting money away from cars that once dominated America’s roadways and putting it into technology it believes will power its future. GM’s (GM) new motto is “Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion,” signaling a shift to self-driving, electric vehicles. But the restructuring is also about making cars people

want now. Customers are increasingly shunning sedans in favor of SUVs and hatchbacks. The company said the plan would make it more efficient, saving $6 billion a year by the end of 2020. GM said its slimmed down production plan would allow it to share technology across all of its vehicles and reduce the amount of time and workers it takes to build cars. “The actions we are taking today continue our transformation to be highly agile, resilient and profitable, while giving us the flexibility to invest in the future,” CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. GM said it would shut operations at plants in Detroit; Oshawa, Ontario; Warren, Ohio; White Marsh, Maryland; and Warren, Michigan. The plants made sedans that have waned in popularity,

including the Chevrolet Volt, Impala and Cruze, the Buick LaCrosse, and the Cadillac CT6 and XTS. GM said it will no longer make those cars. Two of the plants made engines and parts for those cars. The facilities made some trucks, but those trucks are also made in Mexico. The company also said it would close three plants outside North America by the end of next year. One of those closures, in South Korea, had been previously announced. The transition will come at the expense of about 8,000 salaried workers, and 6,000 hourly workers will either lose their jobs or be reassigned to other plants. The company last month offered voluntary buyouts for 18,000 salaried workers.

Economy rebounds, but falls below... From page 3 mainly from lower sugar production by GuySuCo, and higher acquisition cost of fuel by Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) and Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil). PUBLIC DEBT The Finance Minister stated that for 2018, the ratio of total public debt-to-GDP is projected to decrease by 2.6 percentage points to 44.4 percent relative to 47 percent at the end of 2017. He said external debt service is projected to increase by 27.2 percent, up from US$60.8 million in 2017 to US$77.4 million, in 2018. According to Jordan, this is primarily due to higher principal and interest payments to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Development Association (IDA), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), China Exim-Bank, Venezuela (PDVSA) and Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. He also cited higher interest rates and ex-

change rate depreciation. “In spite of this, our external debt servicing obligations remain manageable, with only some 7 cents of every dollar earned by Government going towards debt servicing. This Government has not and does not intend to compromise the fiscal integrity of Guyana by contracting large debt, in light of impending oil revenues,” Jordan stated. At end of 2018, the external debt stock is projected at US$1.3 billion, higher by 4.6 percent or about US$56.5 million, than the previous year. Notwithstanding, Jordan stated that the external debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to decrease from 34.9 percent in 2017 to 34.2 percent, in 2018, reflecting improved growth performance. The Finance Minister presented the 2019 Budget under the theme, 'Transforming the economy, empowering people, building sustainable communities for the good life'.

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Region proud of women despite WC failure: Cameron ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Cricket West Indies president, Dave Cameron, said West Indies women remained a source of pride for the region, despite their failure to successfully defend their ICC Twenty20 World Cup title. West Indies played unbeaten on the preliminary round but were eliminated at the semi-final stage when they suffered a heavy 71-run defeat to eventual champions Australia. “Despite the Windies

Gayle cameo... Glum faces in the West Indies women’s camp as the team slide to victory in the first semi-final against Australia.

Tuesday November 27, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You may feel a bit restless because you know something is brewing but can't seem to get hold of it, Aries. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) If you wake up this morning and want nothing more than to stay under the sheets and cuddle a little longer, know that you aren't alone, Taurus. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may find yourself taking the high road today, Gemini. It could be that you're like a bird soaring above the landscape. As you fly, your partner is on the ground trying his or her best to keep up. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Today you'll feel as though your energy has come home, Cancer. Oftentimes, if you aren't feeling 100 percent yourself, you'll refuse to leave the house. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Your wacky personality will be appreciated today, Leo, but don't take it too far. Leave room for seriousness to enter the picture. There's a dreamy, cloudy sensation to the day that might make it difficult for you VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You should try to feel at ease today. Remember that inner peace is a big part of your health. This can be achieved through a quiet review of where you are in life. Try not to focus too much on material things.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) It may be hard to find answers today, Libra. It may also be hard for you to get your point across, especially since everyone's head is way up in the clouds. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) This is your day, Scorpio. You may find that people gravitate to you for advice and support. They're apt to lower their guard and more openly accept things you believe in. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) It's important for you to be extra cautious today, Sagittarius. Make sure you're calm and collected before you get behind the wheel of a car. Be sure to have a helmet on if you're riding your bike. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may not want to openly admit something to someone today, Capricorn, even though you know it's true. You're more than likely working to hide behind a barrier that has formed between you and a close loved one or family member. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Like playing a game of chess, you may need to think through your next move carefully, Aquarius. It could be that your opponent is taking a long time to make the next move and you're impatient. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Come out of your shell today, Pisces. You'll notice that people are much more sensitive to your feelings because they seem to be more emotional themselves.

From page 28 for one in the first over. South African Colin Ingram chipped in with 27 off 13 balls. In his three previous innings over the last week, Fletcher has made scores of 32, 68 not out and 68 not out. Earlier, West Indies T20 selectee, Sherfane Rutherford, top-scored with 24 from 12 balls as Tigers reached 93 for six off their 10 overs.

Women’s loss in the semi-finals, we are extremely proud of the way the women displayed strength of character and were a joy to watch in the field for every single game,” Cameron said. “From all the feedback I have received, the entire Caribbean is proud of the ladies.” Australia captured their fourth title when they beat England by eight wickets in last Saturday’s final at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium here. The tournament, the first ICC stand-alone women’s T20 event, was marked by large attendances, especially for the Windies games. The hosts’ final preliminary match against England in Gros Islet attracted in excess of 10 000 while their semi-final was a sell-out. Overall, the tournament

was smoothly executed, drawing praise on Sunday from the ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson. And Cameron also took note of the efficient manner in which the event had been run by the Local Organising Committee. “We have shown the world our abilities as a cricketing destination on and off the field of play,” said the Windies cricket chief. ”On behalf of the entire CWI Team, I want to congratulate all the people (operations, technical, marketing, commercial, facilities, security) who participated in the championship, making it the success it has turned out to be. “We also acknowledge and accept the praises from the International Cricket Council (ICC).”

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Tuesday November 27, 2018

NBA roundup: Butler’s last-second 3 sends Sixers past Nets Jimmy Butler hit the gamewinning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied for a wild 127-125 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night in New York. Butler, who was questionable to play due to a sprained left ankle, scored 18 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and hit his second game-winner since joining Philadelphia in a trade from Minnesota on Nov. 12. He gave Philadelphia the dramatic win when he took the inbounds pass from Ben Simmons, began to move slightly inside the 3-point arc, stepped back and released a 3-pointer in front of Brooklyn’s bench with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s hand in his face. The lead changed hands five times in the final 63 seconds, and the Nets held a 125124 edge on Spencer Dinwiddie’s pullup jumper over Redick with 26 seconds left. Raptors 125, Heat 115 Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as host Toronto defeated Miami for its fifth win in a row. Toronto also received double-doubles from Jonas Valanciunas, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Lowry, who had 12 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam added 21 points while Fred VanVleet, CJ Miles and Delon Wright each scored 10. Dwyane Wade scored a season-best 35 points off the bench for the Heat, losers of

Philadelphia 76ers forward Jimmy Butler (23) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Shabazz Napier (13) in the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. (Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports) seven of the past nine games. Bam Adebayo added a double-double with 16 points and 21 rebounds and Josh Richardson scored 19. Clippers 104, Blazers 100 Tobias Harris scored a season-high 34 points and matched his season high with 11 rebounds as Los Angeles rallied for a victory at Portland. Danilo Gallinari contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Clippers, who have won seven of their past eight. Damian Lillard scored 30 points and CJ McCollum had 18 points and a season-high nine rebounds for the Trail

Blazers, who have lost three in a row. Magic 108, Lakers 104 Nikola Vucevic scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as visiting Orlando upended Los Angeles Lakers for the second time in eight days. The Lakers tied the game at 104 with 2:24 remaining on a pair of free throws by LeBron James, but Los Angeles missed four 3-point attempts down the stretch. Terrence Ross made a cutting layup with 34 seconds remaining to give the Magic a 106-104 lead, and Aaron Gordon sealed the victory on a dunk with 10 seconds re-

Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers league

Lodge top league; CWSS thump Annandale Lodge Secondary made a resounding return to the top of the Guyoil Tradewind/ Tankers points table, whilst Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) proved that they are better than Annandale. In a day that was filled with thrills, Lodge Secondary set the momentum in the first match with a full onslaught on the struggling Queenstown Secondary. Lodge who are yet to lose an encounter have managed to grab their top spot from Annandale Secondary who held it for a few days.

Curt Edwards began the scoring for Lodge early in the 5th minute and Rickie Stuarts wasted no time in pushing the score to 2-0 minutes later. In a period of superb striking by a youngster, Nicholas Trotman completed a hat-trick with goals in the 16th, 18th and 19th minutes. Alongside Dorwin George’s first two goals, the score sat at 7-0 by the half. Rasheed Evans and Shemroy Meyers had a piece of the pie in the second and George returned to complete his hat-trick in the 50th for Lodge’s 10-0 win over Queenstown. The second game was equally exhilarating as second and third place teams Annandale and Christianburg Wismar battled for the first time. Christianburg’s front runner Tyrese Lewis netted his first in the 13th and Andre Meyers did the same in the 18th to create a 2-0 lead. The defence

on both sides then became impenetrable as the score remained same until the second half. Here, Omari Glasgow secured Annandale’s first goal but the Linden boys showed that they are unbeatable as Jermaine Mason collected two and Lewis netted another for a shocking 5-0 win. The encounter between the Bishops’ High School and Vergenoegen Secondary were also one to watch. Vergenoegen found themselves at a 2-1 advantage when the first half expired. Esan Heyner then contributed another so see the scores to 3-1, but some great playing on Bishops’ part saw the scores levelled at 3-3. The score remained locked for some time until Ronaldo Macey got the edge for his team to secure the win. In other results, Uitvlugt Secondary were awarded a walk over when St. Rose’s failed to show yet again.

maining. Gordon finished with 17 points. James scored 24 points for the Lakers, who have seven victories in their last nine games, but both of the defeats in that span came to the Magic. Pistons 118, Suns 107 Andre Drummond led a balanced attack with 19 points, 16 rebounds and five steals and host Detroit downed Phoenix. Reggie Jackson had 19 points and eight assists for the Pistons, and Blake Griffin contributed 16 points and 11 assists. Langston Galloway added 15 points, Stanley Johnson had 14 and Reggie Bullock chipped in 13 for De-

troit, which has won four of the past five. Devin Booker’s 37 points led Phoenix, which wrapped up a four-game road trip, losing three of the four. Suns guard Jamal Crawford reached the 19,000-point mark for his career with a first-half 3-pointer. He finished with 12 points and five assists. Knicks 103, Grizzlies 98 Trey Burke hit the tying and go-ahead free throws with 1:49 left, then came up with the steal on the next possession that led to a threepoint play by Emmanuel Mudiay as visiting New York edged Memphis. The win was the third in a row for the Knicks, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter and squandered a nine-point lead in the fourth before ending the game on an 11-5 run. The Grizzlies have lost two straight following a five-game winning streak. Enes Kanter scored 21 points and pulled down 26 rebounds — the most in a single game by an NBA player this season — for the Knicks. Mike Conley had a doubledouble with 23 points and 11 assists for the Grizzlies while Marc Gasol finished with 27 points and eight rebounds. Jazz 133, Kings 112 Ricky Rubio amassed 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Rudy Gobert added 18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to lead Utah past host Sacramento. Joe Ingles added 18 points and six assists for the Jazz, and Jae Crowder and

Alec Burks chipped in 14 points apiece. Utah snapped a threegame losing streak and won for just the second time in seven games. The Jazz played without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who was sidelined due to a rib contusion. Mitchell’s status for Utah’s Monday home game against the Indiana Pacers was uncertain. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points and Marvin Bagley III added 18 off the bench to lead Sacramento. The Kings lost to the Jazz at home for the second time this season after allowing Utah to shoot 53.3 percent from the field. However, Sacramento did win 119-110 at Utah on Wednesday. Hawks 124, Hornets 123 Kent Bazemore scored 20 points, including the goahead basket with 4.6 seconds remaining, to give Atlanta the win over visiting Charlotte, ending the Hawks’ 10-game losing streak. Charlotte had one final chance to win, but Kemba Walker’s jumper was swatted away by John Collins with 1.1 seconds remaining. Atlanta also got 23 points and 11 rebounds from Collins, 18 points and five assists from Trae Young and 16 points, six rebounds and six assists from DeAndre’ Bembry. Malik Monk led the Hornets with 26 points, and Walker scored 22. Marvin Williams contributed 20 points and 13 boards for Charlotte. (Field Level Media)

Gayle cameo not enough to save Knights SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Superstar Chris Gayle sparkled but all too briefly as his Kerala Knights went down by 36 runs to West Indies teammate Evin Lewis’s Punjabi Legends in the T10 League here yesterday. Chasing 108, Knights were dismissed for 71 runs in the ninth over, to taste defeat for the first time in Group A. The left-handed Gayle shone with a 19-ball 35, including three fours and sixes, but none of his other teammates reached double figures. Budding Windies star Fabien Allen (8) and veteran Kieron Pollard (3) both failed. Barbados-born England star, Chris Jordan, had earlier struck an unbeaten 24 off seven deliveries to support Umar Akmal’s 17-ball 30, as Legends got up to 107 for five off their 10 overs.

Superstar opener Chris Gayle. Lewis made just 10 to continue a poor run of form which has seen him with scores of 0, 10 and 0 in his three previous innings. In the other match at the venue, West Indies T20 specialist Andre Fletcher blasted 47 to extend his handsome run in the tournament as

Pakhtoons beat Sunil Narine’s Bengal Tigers by seven wickets. The right-hander struck three fours and five sixes in a whirlwind 18-ball knock, adding 58 for the second wicket with Shafiqullah (16), to pull the innings around from two (Continued on page 27)

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Kaieteur News

World T20 talking points: Let’s have better pitches and flexible boundaries ESPNcricinfo - As they say in parts of the Caribbean… party done. The first standalone Women’s T20 is now part of cricket’s history. In some ways an outstanding celebration of women’s place in the sport and, in others, a set of markers showing both how far the game has come and how much further it could - and should - go. So what worked and where can improvements be made? Low and slow is never the way to go Let’s shout it loudly for the people in the back row and then repeat it until their ears beg for blessed relief: if pitches are important to the men’s game, they are 10, 20, make it an even one hundred times more important for women. This simply can’t be emphasised enough and should be the first topic discussed for major women’s tournaments and series. This competition was a mixed bag: there were decent runs to be made in Guyana and the groundstaff in Saint Lucia were dealt a nasty hand with the heavy rain that caused one washout and a persistently soggy outfield. But it was a shame to see the climax of the tournament play out on such a slow wicket in Antigua. Sure, it challenged teams to adapt and that became a defining factor in the knockout stages. But the Women’s World T20 should showcase the best the players can offer and if that is a series of paddles, sweeps and nudges for singles it’s in trouble. We know that’s not the case though. Pace with the ball and off the bat encourages and enables more power-hitting and exciting play. There will always be plenty of room for spinners in the women’s game and this isn’t an argument against varied pitches in general. But this is a T20 tournament. Fans want to see Deandra Dottin smash a 30-ball 50 or the sublime strength of Ashleigh Gardner. They also want to see what Shabnim Ismail and Ellyse Perry can do if they have some helpful wickets to work on. How about we give them some?

Deandra Dottin meets Viv Richards. (Getty Images) Do the hokey pokey Okay so sometimes the pitches may not be helpful to batters. In those cases why not bring the boundaries in a touch? No one wants to see women’s cricket played in the space of a bread plate but if the pitches are slow they could, conceivably, be brought in from the maximum 65 metres to something that encourages batsmen to go over the top. The officials did bring the boundaries in at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground because of the wet outfield but perhaps this flexibility could be applied more generously. If you know a venue is going to be slow, bring the boundaries in. If it’s going to be quick, push the boundaries out. You can shake them all about if you want but there could at least be some balancing measures to even up the contest. Legendary ambassadors The ICC used Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Sammy and Sir Vivian Richards as ambassadors in their native countries of Guyana, Saint Lucia and Antigua respec-

tively, and each former player was instrumental in stirring up interest and support through media appearances and appeals to fans. The sight of Sammy cheering on West Indies from his box in the ground that bears his name, or that of Sir Viv and Andy Roberts offering advice and support to the West Indies at Coolidge Cricket Ground was inspiring and helped connect the local women’s team to the legendary teams of the past. On top of that, a social media campaign based around the idea that jerseys have no boundaries gained international traction, no doubt helped by the fact it was kicked off by Virat Kohli. Mind The Gap When it comes to investment and professionalism there are basically three groups in women’s cricket and this is reflected by the recent FICA report into that part of the game. At the top of the pile is Australia, with its strong domestic competitions and talent pathways, followed by England. In the second group you find India, West Indies,

Javeria Khan tries to sweep. (International Cricket Council) New Zealand and South Africa, with decent central contracts for the national team but little to provide a base underneath the elite players. The rest fall into a third pool of varying benefits and financial rewards for international players who, in some cases, are only semi-professional or fully amateur. That the tournament played out largely along those lines should sound alarms. Too many games had predictable results and were onesided. It emerged that Pakistan’s players hadn’t been paid their monthly retainers in more than six months while the Ireland players receive minimal financial compensation for playing. The ICC is working on expanding the women’s championship and creating more opportunities for all countries to play, but while there is such contrast in investment and funding, there’s a danger that gap could widen to a point where it’s all but impossible to bridge. Standing alone The 2017 World Cup in England

showed a women’s tournament could hold its own and the West Indies experience confirmed it. This tournament had a distinct personality; the kind you’d invite to any party. For the first time every match of a women’s ICC event was broadcast on television. The attendances, local media coverage, marketing, social media, and general atmosphere were all outstanding (A small caveat: it was a shame to see so few journalists representing major media outlets from the leading countries). The World T20 captured the Caribbean imagination, helped largely by the joyful performances by West Indies themselves. An impressive 10% of the populations of Saint Lucia and Antigua attended matches and the irresistibly catchy official anthem by Patrice Roberts and Shenseea, Watch This, could be heard everywhere you turned. And if it inspires a new generation of West Indies fans to fall in love with cricket again, it deserves to be hailed a success for that alone.

Copa Libertadores: River Plate ‘mafia’ blamed for Boca Juniors bus attack BBC Sport - River Plate hooligans described as the “mafia of Argentine soccer” were behind the attack on Boca Juniors’ bus before the Copa Libertadores final second leg, says the mayor of Buenos Aires. Saturday’s game was delayed by 24 hours then postponed, with its rescheduling set to be discussed today. Several Boca players were injured when the windows on the bus were broken on the way to River’s Estadio Monumental. Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta said it was a revenge attack.

He said the incident occurred a day after police raided the house of a leader of the Barra Brava - the powerful and violent wing of River’s hardcore support. They confiscated 10 millions pesos (£207,285) and 300 tickets for the final. “The problem is the Barra Brava - a mafia who have been embedded in football for more than 50 years,” he added. “They are responsible for these incidents. This is directly related to the episode the day before. So 300 people were not allowed in and they were the principle protagonists of everything that happened.” South American football expert Tim Vickery says the

Barra Brava makes their money through nefarious activities, including selling tickets on the black market. “The hooligans in Argentina, it’s not just passion, it’s a business. Tickets were exchanging hands at extraordinary prices,” he told BBC Radio 4.“So one interpretation of the violence here from the River Plate supporters is that this was a revenge attack from an organised group of thugs, against the police for not allowing them to profit from this match.” Boca players suffered cuts from the glass and were also affected by the tear gas used by police to disperse the crowds. Club officials asked South

American football’s governing body Conmebol to take action and allow those affected by Saturday’s incidents to recover further. Larreta called on both clubs to collaborate with the investigation into what happened and said he would do “whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this problem”. “We need to find out who gave them the tickets and overcome the mafia of the Barra,” he added. “This is our biggest challenge and we are going forward on that basis.” Conmebol says it will meet with with the presidents of Boca Juniors and River Plate on Tuesday at 13:00 GMT to make a decision on when the match will be re-

played. Genoa bid to host rearranged final The city government of Genoa has written to both clubs offering to host the postponed match because of the role immigrants from the Italian city played in forming the two Argentine clubs. Boca Juniors are nicknamed the “Xeneizes” “Genoese” in the local dialect - while River Plate are believed to have adopted red and white as the club’s colours because they are the same as Genoa’s flag. Genoa continues to recover from the motorway bridge collapse that killed 43 people in August. “Deep, in fact, are the

bonds that unite the two Argentine football clubs - both founded by Genoese immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century - with the Ligurian capital,” Genoa’s government said in a statement. Genoa’s city sports director Stefano Anzalone added: “We would be very proud to host important clubs like Boca and River in our city by welcoming them in what, in some ways, is also their first home. “It would also be a further opportunity to give international visibility in Genoa at this time of difficulty and to renew the profound sense of friendship that historically unites us with those societies.”

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday November 27, 2018

England sweep series after brave Sri Lanka resistance Colombo (Reuters) - England overcame spirited late resistance from the hosts to seal a first 3-0 series sweep in Sri Lanka when the tourists wrapped up a 42-run victory shortly after tea on the fourth day of the third and final test yesterday. Chasing an improbable 327-run target, Sri Lanka’s last six batsmen combined well to get to within less than 50 runs of what would have been a remarkable triumph after they resumed on 53 for four at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Kusal Mendis (86) and Roshen Silva (65) set the tone with a dogged 102-run sixthwicket stand in an exemplary display of defiance spread over 30 overs as Sri Lanka sought to end a disappointing series on a high. After Mendis was run out, Malinda Pushpakumara (42 not out) survived a sickening blow to the helmet to add 58 runs with Suranga Lakmal for the final wicket to give England some jitters before the tourists secured victory in the first over after tea. “I’m proud of everyone,” England captain Joe Root said. “Brilliant performance from the whole squad, it’s been a real team effort which has made it even sweeter.” England moved to number two, behind India, in the world test rankings after a victory on foreign soil Root hoped would lead to further success. “We knew we’re capable of winning in these conditions

The day’s key moment came when Mendis was run out by a direct hit from backward square ©Getty Images but to do it the way we have and to perform as consistently as we have is a real improvement for this group of players,” he said. “It shows the learning and the ability within the squad and hopefully we can use it now as springboard to move forward.” England looked on course for a routine triumph after half an hour of play when Jack Leach angled one into the leg stump and nightwatchman Lakshan Sandakan could

only edge the ball to Ben Stokes at slip to depart for seven. AWKWARD BOUNCE The hosts rallied and Mendis brought up his seventh test fifty as Silva shrugged off occasional discomfort against all-rounder Stokes’ awkward bounce to thwart the England attack. Leach’s left-arm spin could not separate the duo but his right-handed throw did, the Somerset bowler charging in from backward

square leg to throw down the stumps at the nonstriker’s end with Mendis short of his ground. It was a sad end to a stellar innings by the righthander, who hit eight fours and a six in an assured knock. Leach (4-72) struck again to dismiss Niroshan Dickwella for 19 with Keaton Jennings enhancing his reputation as an exceptional close fielder by taking a smart bat-pad

England’s captain Joe Root poses for photographs with the trophy after England won the match against Sri Lanka. (REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte) catch, his sixth of the match, at short leg. Moeen Ali (4-92) dismissed Dilruwan Perera and Silva but Pushpakumara engineered a spirited counter-attack with stand-in skipper Lakmal, who was the last man out. Jonny Bairstow was declared man-of-the-match for his innings of 110, but Ben Foakes may continue as wicketkeeper after being adjudged man-of-the-series

for his impressive batting and neat glove work in an impressive international bow. England triumphed won the first match in Galle to end a 13-match winless streak in overseas tests and triumphed in Pallekele to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, ending the side’s 17-year wait for a test series victory in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka sacked their selection committee on Sunday and replaced them with a new panel headed by former test player Asantha de Mel.

Laying of artificial turf commences at the Guyana National Training Centre

The laying of the artificial turf at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Training Centre at Providence has commenced signaling the start of a delicate process that will eventually see football being played at the facility in the not-too-distant future. The process, which began last Friday and expected to be completed by December 15, 2018, saw the grass being laid by the local contractor, Nabi Construction Inc., under the supervision of international contractor, Greenfields. This is the nation’s first state-of-the-art football facility, and will be the focal point for football activity at all levels of the game. It will play a pivotal role in elevating the standard of Guyana’s football as it caters for football development among the males and females. The venue will be equipped with female amenities to encourage greater female participation and will house the headquarters of the GFF. Other aspects of the facility will include dormitories, kitchen services, a gym and a pool. In an invited comment, President Wayne Forde said he is pleased with the progress of work being done: “The weather has been good and work is progressing very well. The transfer of knowledge that is taking place during this phase of the project will be invaluable as we embark on the construction of similar fields in each of our nine (9) Regional Member Associations (RMAs), over the next three years.” The vision of the Federation is for the eventual construction of nine all-weather facilities in each RMA. According to the GreenFields’ website, the company is a “specialist in the development, production, installation and maintenance of synthetic sports turf systems.”

GFF Synthetic Field at Providence, EBD

Kaieteur News

Tuesday November 27, 2018

PAGE 31

EBFA/Ralph Green U-11 League

Top four maintain positions; Mocha register first win - Aaliyah Boston is first female to score

Anderson Webber - Swan FC

Jonathan Andries - Agricola Red Triangle Captain

Grove Hi Tech, Agricola Red Triangle, Timehri Panthers and Swan FC have all maintained their positions at the top of the table following the latest round of action in the East Bank Football Association / Ralph Green Under-11 League which continued on Saturday last at the Diamond Community Centre Ground with all 12 clubs in action. Sealing a place in history of the tournament this year was young Aaliyah Boston of Swan who netted the first goal of their 6-0 win over Friendship All Stars; it was the first goal scored by a female in this league, some of the other clubs have young females playing with them also. Following four previous losses, Mocha Champs finally notched their first win and did so emphatically, thumping Herstelling

Raiders 9-0 on account of a hat-tricks from Matthew Forte (3rd, 23rd, 27th) and Jahem Lewis who rocked the nets in the 4th, 9th and 13th minutes. There was a double for Kwesi Kelly in the 7th and 19th minutes with the other goal, an own goal scored by Kai James of Herstelling in the 22nd. Timehri Panthers were again in dismissive mood in their 7-2 clipping of Hauraruni Eagles. Omar Sam led the victory with a Helmet-trick finding the back of the nets in the 17th, 18th, 29th and 30th minutes. Teammate, Shaquele Caleb tucked in the three other goals in the 4th, 19th and 21st minutes. Hauraruni Eagles scored two of their own thanks to Josiah Ross in the 8th and 25th minutes. Aaliyah Boston set the scoring train

Aaliyah Boston - Swan FC in motion for Swan as they recorded their fourth win in five matches. Boston found the back of the nets in the 11th minute after which, the team’s leading marksman, Anderson Webber took over to score the next five goals in another clinical display; he was on target in the 12th, 16th, 19th, 23rd and 26th minutes.Agricola, currently in second place and one of Latest Points Table # Team 1 Grove Hi Tech 2 Agricola Red Triangle 3 Timehri Panthers 4 Swan FC 5 Diamond Upsetters 6 Samatta Point KV 7 Diamond United 8 Friendship All Stars 9 Mocha Champs 10 Kuru Kururu Warriors 11 Hararuni Eagles 12 Herstelling Raiders

This Friendship All Stars players is air bound as he challenges for the ball against Swan on Saturday last at the Diamond Community Centre Ground. two undefeated clubs and the only club yet to concede a goal, inked their fifth win in as many matches a 3-0 triumph over Diamond United. Their Captain Jonathan Andries led by example notching in all three

P 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 5

W 5 5 4 4 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

L 0 0 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 4

goals in the 8th, 10th and 25th minutes. Grove Hi Tech, the other undefeated team got past Diamond Upsetters 2-0, both goals scored by Jamal Cordis in the 3rd and 5th minutes. Samatta Point/Kaneville

D 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0

GF 19 22 16 25 9 4 8 9 9 3 4 3

GA 3 0 5 4 4 24 11 19 8 15 19 24

GD +16 +22 +21 +11 +5 -18 -3 -10 +1 -12 -15 -21

won via a similar margin over Kuru Kururu Warriors with the goals coming from Sherlon Hetmyer in the 6th minute and Jamal Farley in the 19th minute. Matches will continue on Saturday at the same venue.

Points 16 15 12 12 9 6 4 4 3 3 3 3

Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter-Ward/Village KO Cup

Sizzling action anticipated as teams’ battle for final spots The fight to see who will be left standing for a chance to grab a slice of the $700,000-plus prize monies on offer begins in earnest tomorrow night when play in this year’s Hamilton Green 9a-side Inter-Ward/ Village KO Cup resumes, at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground. Eight exciting matches will highlight the penultimate day of action with home team Den Amstel set to headline the proceedings when they clash with Soesdyke in the final game of the night. Co-ordinator Lennox Arthur, commenting on the tournament to date said it has gone well and he expects another night of lively action as teams attempt to position themselves to be in the fray for the finals set for Sunday,

- Den Amstel venue for looming confrontations

Anthony Harding

Ashley Harding

Jeffrey Perriera

December 2, at the same venue. “Fans are certain to get their monies worth judging from the quality of teams left in the competition and predicting who will survive tomorrow night’s round is causing headaches among the pundits,” Arthur related.

In the opening encounter, at 18:00hrs, Zeelugt tackle Charlestown and many feel that this game is the perfect s t a r t f o r t h e n i g h t ’s proceedings. This clash will be followed by the game between Sophia and Central McKenzie, before Mahaica

and Mahaicony square off for a place in the next round, but also bragging rights. Goed Fortuin then collide with Wales, before Crane and Sara Lodge take to the field for their matchup. We s t D e m e r a r a ’s Pouderoyen then look to repel the challenge of visiting

Newtown Kitty, before another team from the West Side Uitvlugt face Timehri. In the final game of the evening, hosts Den Amstel entertain East Bank Soesdyke with the home support anticipated to be loud, especially with a spot for the finals at stake. Anthony Harding, Ashley Harding and Jeffrey Perriera are some of the key players on show tomorrow. The coveted first prize of $400,000 and the championship trophy compliments of the Ministry of Citizenship must be the focus of all the teams remaining in the competition. The runner-up will be awarded $200,000 and trophy through the goodwill of John Fernandes Ltd, while third and fourth place finishers will

receive $60,000 and $40,000 respectively along with the Techno Mills and Courtney Benn Construction Services trophies in that order. Top finishers will receive hampers compliments of Ricks & Sari Industries, while the Highest Goal-scorer will walk away with a Lazy Boy Chair courtesy of A.H&L Kissoon and a Dinette Set compliments of China Trading. The Most Valuable Player will be awarded a special prize from Techno Mills. Among the other sponsors on board are: IPA, Alfro Alphonso, Sattaur Gafoor, Ansa McAl, Top Brandz Distributors, MACORP, Starr Computers, Cummings Electrical, Ready Mix, BK International and New Thriving Restaurant.

Kaieteur News

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National School Cycling C/Ships 2018

Tuesday November 27, 2018

Corentyne unofficially top cycling district Corentyne’s Shebena Ramoo crosses the finish line way ahead of the pack in the girls’ 2000m Open.

District 10’s O’Neal Rose that won three races yesterday at the National Park.

Abigail Jeffrey of Linden won two Gold and one silver medal yesterday

T

he second day of the 58th National S c h o o l s ’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships saw Corentyne (District 6) pip U p p e r Demerara/Kwakwani (District 10) by eight points to unofficially defend their cycling championship title. Following the first tally, Corentyne finished with a total of 245 points, trailed by District 10 with 237 and New Amsterdam (District 15) third with 130 points.

Despite a tardy start at the National Park, the cyclists treated the small crowd to a day of thrilling action under fair weather conditions. Ajay Gopilall, David Hicks and Shabina Ramoo were some of Corentyne’s most consistent performers along with their fellow District 6 athletes who all pitched in to ensure that at the end of the day, the Berbician would finish on top for a second consecutive year. District 10’s challenge

was spearheaded by O’Neal Rose and Abigail Jeffrey who were in fine form. Rose won Gold in the 5000M boys’ open, 800M boys’ open and 1000M boys’ Open races, while Jeffrey who had won the girls’ 25Km road race on Sunday, added Gold to her name in the 3000M girls’ Open and 400M girls’ Open, while finishing second in the 800M girls’ Open. The day’s action saw some thrilling encounters especially in the 1500M events; first Denzil Huntley

(District 10) edged District 14’s Roy Wilson to cop Gold in the boys’ Open event, while District 6’s Roy Wilson had to settle for Bronze. On the distaff side of the 1500M Open event, Maria Carrington (District 7) was the surprise package as she convincingly beat Shabina Ramoo (District 6) to Gold while District 10’s Crystal Hutson had to settle for Silver. The unofficial points standings are as follows: District 6 (Corentyne) –

245, District 10 (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani) – 237, District 15 (New Amsterdam) – 130, District 13 (South Georgetown) – 114, District 11 (North Georgetown) – 93, District 4 (East Coast Demerara) – 7 8 , D i s t r i c t 3 ( We s t Demerara) – 75, District 14 (East Bank Demerara) – 61, District 7 (Bartica) – 42, District 8 (Potaro/Siparuni) – 20. The tallies for districts 1, 2, 9 and 12 were unavailable up to press time. The National Schools’

Track and Field Championships continues today at the National Track and Field Center (NTFC), Leonora and will have four days of anticipated keen clashes before the closing ceremony on Friday evening. District 10 (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani) District won their second consecutive and 16th overall title last year, while South Georgetown (District 13) finished second and North Georgetown (District 11) third.

Caribbean showcased ‘celebration of cricket’: Richardson ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson, has hailed the just concluded Women’s Twenty20 World Cup as a major success, noting the large crowds and excitement which accompanied the tournament had made for a “celebration of cricket” in the region. The November 9-24 tournament was the first ICC stand-alone women’s T20 event and it saw three-time champions Australia clinch yet another title after prevailing over archnemeses England by eight wickets in Saturday’s final at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium here. “I would like to congratulate Cricket West Indies for organising a tournament that proved to be a celebration of cricket. The crowds came out in thousands to watch and the tournament displayed the love people in this part of the world have for the game,”

Powerhouses Australia captured their fourth title after beating England in Saturday’s final. Richardson said. ” We s a w s o m e memorable performances and milestones being achieved and I would like to thank all the teams for putting up their best and showing the world what women’s cricket is all about.

The ICC is committed to backing both women’s cricket and the T20 format and this tournament has played a significant part in that.” He added: “This tournament has been watched around the world

and I’m sure the quality of cricket displayed during the tournament will inspire girls across continents to pick up a bat or a ball and play cricket.” It was the second time for the Caribbean hosting the I C C T 2 0 Wo r l d C u p ,

following on from the successful staging of the 2010 edition. In 2007, the region hosted its first-ever ICC tournament when it put on the 50-overs World Cup. For this tournament, preliminary matches were staged in Guyana and St

Lucia, with the semi-finals and final played here in Antigua. Large crowds were a hallmark of the tournament, especially for West Indies’ final preliminary match against England in St Lucia and the semis and final.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday November 27, 2018

PAGE 33

North Georgetown retain title at MOE & GTU Nat Schools’ L Swimming C/Ships

ike they last year, North Georgetown (District 11), led by their top two swimmers; 17year-old Amy Grant and 14-year-old Leon Seaton, dominated the Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre on the East Coast as the opening day of the five-day Ministry of Education (MOM) & the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) National Schools C h a m p i o n s h i p s commenced yesterday with Cycling and Swimming. The Swimming Championships started with an introduction by Neville Bourne before a ‘Universal’ prayer was done by Melanie Frank, while after the National Pledge was recited Welcome remarks was done by Owen Pollard; ACEO Primary. GTU’s Collis Nicholson gave brief remarks, Officials’ Oath was done by Edgar Sandy, the Athletes’ Oath was done by the talented Seaton before the meet was declared open by GASA’s President Ivan Persaud. North G/Town amassed 358 points as their swimmers won Medals in 42 of the 52 events before taking both the Boys and Girls 200M freestyle Relays. The good size turn out

included Singer and father of 50M Girls U-18 Freestyle Champion Amy Grant and her illustrious uncle England-based Eddy, who invented Ring Bang and became famous for hits like Electric Avenue, I Don’t Wanna Dance, Walking on Sunshine and maybe the most impacting of them all ‘Gimme Hope Jo’anna’ as South Africa fought apartheid. There was noticeable improvement from previous years as an electronic scoreboard was used and two additional Tents were erected to combat the sweltering heat which turned to light showers as the Champions progressed. Grant won the 50M Girls U-18 freestyle in a time of 30.85 before taking the 50M, U-18 Butterfly in 32.34 and the U-18, 100M in 1:10.05 and ending a successful day in the pool by anchoring North Georgetown’s relay team to victory as the curtains came down on a Championship which showed vast improvements in and out of the pool from last year’s event. Seaton won the Boys U16, 50m freestyle in 25.61, the Boys U-16, 50M Butterfly in 28.19, Boy U16, 50m Backstroke in 30.66 before anchoring NGT to a win in the 200m Relay.

North GT (district 11) successfully defending Swimming title yesterday (Sean Devers photo) It was also a good day for 12-year-old East Georgetown’s (District 12) Aleka Persaud who won the U-14 Girls 50m freestyle in 28.68 which was faster than Grant, five years her senior, had clocked over the same distance. Persaud, the daughter of the GASA President then took the Girls U-14, 50M Backstroke in 34.78 and according to Aleka’s dad her 28.68 is the unofficial local record in the Girls’ 50m freestyle which is held by Britany Van-Lange who is presently on an overseas scholarship. See tomorrow’s papers for complete results. (Sean Devers)

12 year-old Aleka Persaud and 14-year-old Leon Seaton were the best competitors yesterday.

Amy Grant is the first to hit the water in her U-18 50M freestyle win in a time of 30.85.

Caribbean Boxing Championships

Nigel Paul to spearhead large T&T contingent The twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) are set to field the largest contingent at next month’s Caribbean Boxing Championships (CBC) which will be hosted by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Carifesta Avenue. Head of the T&T Boxing Association (TTBA) Cecil Forde noted to Kaieteur Sport that his association will very likely be sending a 23-member boxing contingent that will be headed by their Super heavyweight Olympian Nigel Paul. The boxing team will comprise of seven elite fighters, three youths, five Junior and five novices. There will be three female fighters with one each in the Elite, Junior and Youth categories, respectively. The full 23 boxing

T&T’s Olympian Nigel Paul will be the man to beat in the Super Heavyweight division. contingent are as follows Elite Boxers 91kg- Nigel Paul 91kg - Andrew Fermin 81 kg- Shakir Flemming 75kg- Aaron Prince 64 kg- Michael Alexander 60kg- Jessie Beckles 56 kg- Anthony Joseph Youth 91kg- Tyrone St Clair 69kg- Tyrone Thomas 48kg- Tarique Hosien Junior

69kg- Denzil Massy 60kg- Blessing Waldropt 56kg- Nyrell Hosien 54kg- Juan Rodriguez 46kg- Ortega Jokhu Novice 64kg- Jamill Joseph 69kg- Shawn Jackson 75kg- Nile Mohammed 81kg- Korrie John 91kg- Junior Cornwall Women 57kg- Tiana Guy (Elite) 64kg- Shakira Elias (Junior)

Part of the T&T contingent that will be coming to Guyana for next month’s Caribbean Boxing Championship. 48kg- Faith Ramnauth (Youth) The CBC will set the stage for a grand regional slug fest from December 6th to 9th and local pugilists and boxing fans will be delighted to hear that the GBA will be hosting another regional

tournament; right on the heels of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Junior Championship which was successfully hosted in August.This tournament which is formerly known as the Caribbean Development Tournament (CDT) was first

hosted here in the ‘land of many waters’ in 2015 and head of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, confirmed to Kaieteur last week that all systems are in place for the successful hosting of the Caribbean’s premier boxing event.

t r o Sp GFF Synthetic Field at Providence, EBD

Laying of artificial turf commences at the Guyana National Training Centre National School Cycling C/Ships 2018

East Bank Demerara’s Roy Wilson (third left) had a slow start but later exploded to win the boys’ open 2000m.

Corentyne unofficially top cycling district North G/T retain title at Nat Schools’ Swimming C/Ships Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.