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Kaieteur News
Thursday November 15, 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
North Korea’s nuclear shell game (Republished from The New York Times) President Trump, who styles himself a master deal maker and reader of people, claimed to have put an end to the North Korean nuclear threat with his meeting in June with the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un. “We fell in love,” he swooned in September after an exchange of follow-up letters with Mr. Kim. Mr. Trump’s closest advisers remained dry-eyed, and the evidence is mounting that they had reason. On Monday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a respected Washington think tank, published a study by its “Beyond Parallel” program showing that even as North Korea was touting some half steps to dismantle a missile launching site, it was operating and improving at least 13, and possibly as many as 20, bases housing mobile ballistic missile launchers. One mountain base on which the study focused, just 84 miles from Seoul, was “active and being reasonably well maintained by North Korean standards.” None of that was a surprise to American intelligence agencies, which have been reporting a continuing buildup of North Korea’s missile stockpile. Nor should it have surprised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, until recently the director of the C.I.A., who acknowledged at a Senate hearing in July that North Koreans “continue to produce fissile material.” For that matter, North Korea’s shell game is not even a violation of the agreement Mr. Trump signed with Mr. Kim, which proclaimed their meeting “an epochal event of great significance” but referred only to working toward a vague “denuclearization.” The skeletal agreement had no deadlines, no verification regime, no penalties for noncompliance. The trouble is that Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim had totally opposite views of what the joint statement was supposed to mean. Mr. Trump apparently believed that American sanctions, plus his threats (“fire and fury”) and his irresistible persona, had driven Mr. Kim to abandon his nuclear aspirations. Mr. Kim apparently believed that approaching the capacity to strike the United States had compelled Mr. Trump to agree to lift sanctions in exchange for a gradual stand-down of the North’s program. Pyongyang now seems to have understood its error. Mr. Kim’s envoy skipped a scheduled meeting with Mr. Pompeo last week, and Mr. Trump’s special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, has yet to meet a North Korean official more than two months since his appointment. Recent statements from North Korea speak of resuming work on its nuclear program unless sanctions are lifted. The Trump administration continues to demand complete denuclearization before any sanctions are lifted. In other words, virtually nothing has changed. And Mr. Trump? He appears still happily convinced that love had conquered all. “We fully know about the sites being discussed, nothing new — and nothing happening out of the normal,” he said on Twitter on Tuesday. “Just more Fake News. I will be the first to let you know if things go bad!” How bad they have to go before Mr. Trump abandons his delusions of an epochal achievement is anybody’s guess. But once he does, it is easy to imagine him unleashing even more of the apocalyptic language that raised tensions in 2017. The difference is that this time he will probably not have the support of China, Russia or South Korea, which took the June summit meeting as a signal to improve relations with North Korea and are not likely to turn back. The challenge for Mr. Pompeo and other sober hands in the administration is to prevent a slide back to fire and fury and to put the denuclearization talks on a more practical and realistic footing than love, which, as Erin Morgenstern noted in her novel, “The Night Circus,” is “rarely a solid foundation for decisions to be made upon, in any game.” In the disarmament game, it can be deadly.
An encounter with disorderly policemen Dear Editor Please allow me space in your paper to have another one of my horrifying encounters with police known to the world. I feel it is necessary to publicise these instances of police brutality and uncivilized behaviour because the general public, citizens of all walks of life and varying professional and social statuses suffer similarly, at the hands of these arrogant and very sick police. On October 12, 2018, a friend accompanied me to Canal to visit family. We were returning to Berbice very late and he was a bit tired so I was driving. About 12:55am, on Saturday October 13, 2018, I was stopped by a police on the public road, a few yards from the Hope Bridge. I saw three stripes on his shoulder. With the usual arrogance and a noticeable disrespectful attitude, he told me to put on my interior lights. I offered him a very pleasant ‘goodnight‘ and asked why he wanted my interior lights on. He blurted out, “Put on your interior lights”. This time I asked him why
he stopped me. He did not say “goodnight” and he did not answer my question. He repeated his demand, “Put on your interior lights”. I leaned my head out of the window and very loudly asked, “Why have you stopped me?” This imbecile in uniform told me I was disrespectful to the police because I shouted at the police and I should pull over in the corner. I simply said that I raised my voice to ensure he heard the question I asked. I honestly thought he had a hearing problem. This man in uniform, supported by five or six men with guns that seem too heavy for them to hold properly, told me he had to search my vehicle because I seem to be drunk. I told him his eyes must be special and added that I do not drink and I was tired. I also told this first class bully in a uniform, with three stripes that I will not allow him to search my vehicle on that dismal stretch of road and I was going to drive off. His words were clear. He smilingly told me to drive off and I will see what will happen. Therefore, I drove off at
the normal rate of speed. HE DID NOT TELL ME THEN TO STOP. About two minutes later, I saw the high beams of a vehicle behind me and the red and blue lights were flashing. I again stopped, even though that police vehicle did not qualify as an “emergency” vehicle (it did not display the proper lights). MY car was surrounded by fully armed men with oversized guns and this barking dog in uniform was yelling for me to park on the grass shoulder of the road, just about two hundred yards from the Unity turn. Well, I learnt from my dear friend and wonderful colleague, RYAN F. CRAWFORD, and so I had my phone set to record a display of Police brutality, police stupidity and a blatant disregard for the lives and status of Citizens in this world-renowned country of ours. By now, it is the normal practice of the people who patrol our roads and so I was not surprised when one policeman had his phone set and he was videoing the Uni-
formed Upholders of the law, as they were carrying out their job. Was that their job? I was told to step out of my vehicle because I drove away from the police. I told this same Jackass that he told me to drive off and I did and he never tried to stop me. I also told him that I am a member of parliament (MP) and I handed him my MP identification, which he refused to even look at. Here is where Social and Professional statuses get a back burner to Police arrogance and stupidity. This sergeant told me that he was not in politics and had to search my person and my vehicle because he had to chase me down. He insisted on searching my vehicle for firearms and then asked if I had a gun licence and I replied in the affirmative. He asked if I had a gun on me and I told him my handgun was in my car. He, with armed men around my vehicle, insisted on me getting out of the car. I did but not before showing him my MP ID again, this time putting it (Continued on page 6)
The people with the power have no intention of saving our biodiversity Dear Editor, For some time now, I have been deluded. I thought that there must come a time when the people with the power – the leaders of the big corporations which really run all the human institutions on our planet – would see reason and take action to save the natural world. I have wondered how they could possibly be so stupid, so misguided, as to force us to be continually reliant on fossil fuels, to fumigate our world with pesticides and herbicides, to swill the guts of animals and humans with so many antibiotics that pathogens were bound to grow resistant, to progressively destroy our ecosystems, to cut down forests, to empty the oceans. The more they bind every one of us into being complicit with the natural holocaust, the more I marvelled at how foolish they were being. I was wrong to think this. All along, they have had a plan. They never intended to save our biodiversity. They never cared that we were losing our tigers, woodlands, insects. They were never worried that they might tip the world over the edge into environmental catastrophe. They wanted it to happen. And now it is nearly here. First, they intended to reap as much profit as possible from the wholesale de-
struction of nature. They are still doing this, and there is still a great deal of money for them to make in this way. But it has always been pointless to tell them about the science of climate change. It has always been pointless to tell them that if pollinating insects die out, there will be famines all over the word. It has always been pointless to reason with them about anything which involves taking steps to preserve the natural world. Why? Because for decades now, they have had their eyes fixed on the further profits which can be made out of a world in environmental meltdown. “Radical trans humanists” will tell you that they have put their faith in technology – that the cybernetic adaptation of human bodies will give our species all it needs to survive when other species have perished. They really do intend to replace the natural world with silicon chips. The multinationals have no such idealism, but they know for sure that the trans-humanists are playing straight into their hands: there are more profits to be made. When we are bereft of our fellow animals, when our forests are gone, when we subsist only on domesticated animals and plants and on food synthesized in laboratories, we as a species will be even more neurotic than we are now.
We will be as far from collective mental health as it is possible to be, because we will have been torn out of the natural systems which permitted us to evolve. Pharmaceutical companies will make billions out of their antidepressants as those portions of the human population which do not drown or die of hunger or disease try to cope with their emotionally impoverished existences: people who are sick inside because they have never encountered wilderness. Technological companies will make billions out of implanting silicon chips in people’s brains in order to cheer them up, or by modifying body parts to help make up for the fading mirages on the desolate horizon. The people who are currently running our world will be making a killing whilst everything else is dying. You might think that there is one problem with this hypothesis. Surely such a programme for world-destruction and profiteering is very risky? Surely some of those billionaires will die in the epidemics? Surely some of them will back the wrong pharmaceuticals, or the wrong computer programmers, and will end up destitute? The problem here is that you are still thinking like a reasonable human being, and not like one of the shadowy figures who really have the power. One glimpse of the behaviour of the ultra-rich on
the Stock Exchange should be enough to set us right. These people love nothing more than a gamble with high stakes, and decades ago, they hit upon the biggest gamble of all: they could gamble the future of our entire planet, and hope for big returns. And that is what they have done, and are doing. None of them will ever be happy, because the money they rake in will not bring them happiness in a world where there are no lorises, or gorillas, or whales, or otters, or owls, or atlas moths, or beetles, but happiness has never been their objective. Happiness is an emotion, and they are not after something emotional; they are after something cold, and hard. Some of them will win, even if for the rest of us it looks like a horrible Pyrrhic victory. Some of them will lose, but none of them will lose as badly as us, and none of us will lose as badly as the other species which inhabit our planet. One thing is certain, now that even the United Nations, after decades of dragging its feet, has said that we have only two years to save the biodiversity of our planet: appeals to reason will not stop these people. For them, it is all going according to plan. What are we going to do about that? Regards Rooplall Dudhnath
Thursday November 15, 2018
The inconspicuous obvious Dear Editor, The recent ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) pertaining to the issue of cross dressing in Guyana is indicative of the trajectory of homosexuality in this nation. The masquerade has to stop! The inconspicuous obvious is hiding in plain sight! SASOD and many sister organizations are riding the wave of human rights as they forward their advocacy against discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation. The not so obvious glaring fact is they are not dealing with sexual orientation in its widest sense. These folks and their supporters are in essence agitating for the legitimization of same sex relationship; period! Consider the following. The laws of any society
are intended to protect the citizenry. During SASOD press conference to inform the nation of the relevant CCJ ruling, a most prominent local senior counsel, alluded to the archaic nature of sections of the constitution, which pertain to cross dressing and homosexuality. What this learned individual and many in the legal fraternity are failing to address is how these “antiquated” laws ended up on the books. I began this paragraph, by highlighting the fundamental utility of the law. So, if homosexuality is not serendipitously prohibited by the constitution, why is there an overwhelming effort to have it removed, while nothing is said about repealing the articles relating to incest, bestiality and other deviant
sexual behaviour, which are injurious to society? The answer is obvious. SASOD and their attorneys are quite aware of the grave potential societal dangers of incest, bestiality, homosexuality (particularly man to man) and other deviant sexual orientation. Hence, this facade about advocacy against discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation is nothing but a smoke screen, intended to hide the real agenda of SASODto promote and legitimize buggery. Had it not been so, there would have been equal and parallel attention given to the repealing of sections of the constitution, which criminalize incest and bestiality. Aren’t these sexual orientations also? Errol London (Jnr)
Horrified by elections results Dear Editor, I am horrified by results of the local government elections in Guyana. Thoughts of Phantom squads and theft of national assets trample through my mind. Then I ask myself the hard questions. Will Guyana ever kick racial politics? Will we continue to abort every effort to lift our country into p r o m i n e n c e ? Wi l l t h a t dream of becoming the bread basket of the region ever be realised? I had the misfortune of seeing what happened after Desmond Hoyte took the reins of government and swung the national economy upward, but this was short lived after racial politics removed him from office. Will this cycle con-
tinue? Will we continue to remove our great leaders like what was done in 1763? Is there a curse overshadowing this beautiful land? The discovery of oil in our waters did give much hope that every Guyanese will get an equal chance to a better life, but is it that Guyanese prefer that this
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newfound riches end up in the hands a just a few? I ask these questions with much concern, but I know that I am not the only Guyanese. If this is what the people want, then I will have no choice but to postpone my return home. I love Guyana, but I hate petty racial politics . Apostle Adrian Wade
The strength of the PPP lies in more than ethnic loyalties Dear Editor, The results of the recent Local Government Elections have confirmed what most Guyanese already know, namely, that the PPP remains the largest and the most popular political party in the country. A mere three years after its formation on January 1, 1950, the PPP swept the polls winning 18 out of 24 seats in the first elections held under universal adult suffrage. The split in the PPP in 1955, even though unfortunate, did not inflict significant political damage to the PPP, which won 9 of the 13 seats in the 1957 election. Despite gerrymandering and political maneuverings, in the 1961 election by the political opposition, aided and abetted by foreign vested interests, the PPP won a parliamentary majority in 1961 and formed the government until it was prematurely engineered out of office in 1964 in what former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson described as a ‘fiddled constitutional arrangement’. The rest is now history. The PPP was cheated out of office for twenty-four years, from 1968 to 1992 when democracy was finally returned to the country. The PPP won the October 5, 1992 elections with a comfortable majority. It was not until May 2015 that
the PPP lost power to a six-party coalition under questionable circumstances. An elections petition mounted by the PPP is still before the courts. The point I am seeking to make is that except for the May 15, 2015 elections, the PPP has always won either a majority or a plurality of the votes in every election except for the rigged elections during the 1968-1992 period. There are some who attribute the PPP’s electoral and popular strength to ethnic loyalties but this is not entirely the case. The strength of the PPP has in a fundamental way, resided in the universalistic values and principles it embraced ever since its formation. Among these are a working class, pro-people orientation, national unity, and its embrace of political and ideological pluralism. This is why the PPP continues to enjoy support from its traditional support base as well as other ethnic groups such as Amerindians and AfroGuyanese. This makes the PPP the single largest multi-ethnic and representative party in the
country. Despite a relatively low voter turnout in the just concluded local government elections, the electorate has given a clear and unmistakable indication as to their voting preferences, which cannot be easily ignored by the international community and other key stakeholders. The PPP/C has done well in extending its margin of victory especially in Georgetown and the country as a whole despite gerrymandering and boundary manipulation tactics by the APNU-AFC Government. As for the AFC, it now faces an uncertain future. It has to take a hard look at the available options. It is clear that it has lost considerable political ground, which could weaken its bargaining strength in the ruling coalition. Hydar Ally
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Digicel explains disruption Dear Editor, Please permit us the opportunity to respond to Mr. Da Silva’s letter dated November 14, 2018. Digicel wishes to sincerely apologise to Mr. Da Silva and all residents of Lethem for the prolonged service disruption experienced. This disruption resulted from a series of severe lighting strikes that affected our
tower and equipment in Lethem. We have taken all practical steps to mitigate against future occurrences. We would like to assure Guyanese and more critically those based in the remote regions that Digicel remains committed to providing a quality service. We also remain committed to investing and service expansion in Guyana
and like all Guyanese would welcome the promised liberalisation of the sector in six weeks’ time. This will allow all operators to invest with greater certainty and without the risk of anti-competitive actions curtailing their efforts to develop the sector. Best Regards Vidya Sanichara Public Relations
Noting the economic decline Dear Editor, In a desperate attempt to deceive the electorate, leading up to the 2015 general election, the APNU/AFC coalition government propounded one the most vacuous and misleading manifestos ever. Three years later, a meticulous fact-check, finds reveal that the collation government failed miserably to deliver on some of their key policies. According to the 2015 APNU/AFC coalition manifesto, the following measures and policies were supposed to take effect once the party gets into office. However, as outlined thereafter, the contrary was achieved. Economic development has slowed significantly due to the underperformance of key traditional sectors such as rice, sugar, and timber. Contemporary growth in GDP is attributed mainly to high production level by the two major foreign mining companies. With respect to the private sector, over the past three years, a slew of counterpro-
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ductive policies have been unleashed by the government in their unstoppable attempt to boost domestic revenue. More than 200 tax measures have been levied on consumers, precipitating of the sharpest decline in private consumption by more than $32B in 2017, when compared to 2014. Thus, from 2014 to 2017, aggregate private consumption contracted by more than $196 billion. When compared to 2014, actual private consumption in 2017 is $32 billion less. What this tells us is that on average, from 2014-2017, each household in Guyana has cut back on spending by more than $1.1 million or $30,500 monthly. With respect to domestic credit, central government increased its share by more that 259% since taking up office, whilst the public sector got a mere 12% increase. The implication is a larger government, which is ostensibly seen in the huge increase in recurrent expenditure by more than $49B.
Moreover, the government continues to slumber in the development of the local content policy, a critical piece of legislation that is instrumental in insulating our future oil economy from the “resource curse”. Finally, based on the latest report of prudential ratios for financial sectors by the Bank of Guyana, return on equity of the five major commercial banks, Republic Bank Limited, GBTI, Nova Scotia, Demerara Bank Limited, and Citizen Bank, contracted by 10%, 6.5%, 9%, 8.2% and 5.1%, respectively, during the first six months of 2018. Thus these are all signs of an emasculated financial sector, one that is rapidly deteriorating. Given our burgeoning deficit, and forecasted low growth, Guyana may soon have to pursue restrictive fiscal policies: slashing of budgetary allocation to key sectors such as health, education and housing, et hoc genus omne. Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Deceived by that Blaze Advertisement Dear Editor, I wish to bring to your attention the appalling actions of the largest telecommunications provided to Guyana. Today November 14, GTT placed a sprawling ad in the centre of the local newspapers captioned “experience high speed internet with +Blaze”. The part that irks me is the prices listed for the various products. This is what GTT did when it initially rolled out the new Blaze service and I know a person that felt deceived by how the prices for the service are listed. Back then, you were paying $6,000 for the slowest cheapest 1.5mbps DSL service. Then here comes Blaze promising the moon and the stars for $8,999 at 5mbps. So sacrifices were made and the cheapest Blaze service was obtained. It would only cost an additional $2,999, or so it was believed. When the installation was done, a flyer was also provided which indicated that $8,999 was to be paid monthly. Well you know how we Guyanese people sometimes aren’t too savvy when it comes to checking up on our bills. Nevertheless, $9,000 was paid every month on time using MMG for the blaze service. No bill was ever received. All of a sudden on November 8, the internet was cut. When checks were made with GTT as to the reason for the disconnection,
GTT indicated that the actual cost for the cheapest Blaze service is $10,499 or in other words $8,999 (plus VAT + monthly equipment rental of $1,500). This situation makes for an irate customer that feels cheated, dissatisfied and tricked by crafty advertisement by one of Guyana’s largest corporations that should know better. Now remember a decision was made several months ago based on what was believed to be the cost of the service only to find out later that this was not correct but is actually 16% higher. Here today, the same tactic is being pulled in this ad, which states the prices of the three blaze products then a fine print at the bottom with the words “+ Prices are VAT inclusive” and “+ Monthly equipment rental fee of $1,500.” Why is it so difficult for them to list the actual amount to be paid so that the ordinary man in the street can know what he has to pay without doing mathematics. I know GTT loves the “+” sign since the company believed it is “doing more” but in actual fact, my experience is that GTT is: + stress, + deception, + poor quality service. My purpose of highlighting this issue is to prevent another person from being deceived. With best regards, Marcus Perry
An indication of rejection? Dear Editor The results for the Local Government Election (LGE) showed that approximately 32% of the voting population cast their votes while the remaining 68% did not vote. What this means is that about 68% of the people rejected both the governing APNU+AFC Government of President David Granger and the Main Opposition PPP/C. This is good news as the majority of Guyanese are not about to give their blind
loyalty to either the PNCR led APNU+AFC nor the PPP led PPP/C. We may have finally broken the back of racial voting in Guyana. There is still more to be done. The opportunity now exists for a new political party to inspire and impassion Guyanese to capture this 68% who did not vote. Is there any dynamic Leader, not tainted by the politics of the past, who can rise to the occasion? Yours faithfully Sean Ori
An encounter with disorderly... From page 4 to the phone that was used to record the encounter because I thought he did not see it properly. I asked his name and he said Sergeant Richard. Unfailingly, this man told me I was assaulting the police by pointing my finger in the face of the police. I simply told him I was putting my ID into the light so he could see it properly. I got out of the car. This is what a SET-UP is about. I am not sure of his name but he said it was Richard. Richard asked me to take my gun out of the car and signaled to the “shooters”, two of whom moved around me. Before I went back into my car, I told Richard that I will get the gun, make it safe and then give it to him. I told him not to shoot me once I picked it up. Not a life was in sight and my friend almost pissed his pants—I think he did piss his pants. I was sure Richard wanted me to pick up my gun so he could shoot me for “pulling a gun on him”. If I had allowed that dunce of a policeman to bully me into
‘drawing my gun’ then I would have proven to him that I had no brain and fit to be disposed of. I went back into my car, picked up my hand gun, took out the clip and before showing it to “ THIS SET-UP KING” spoke loudly that I was going to show him my gun. I did and I am still alive. Phew!!!!. Richard demanded to see my licence and I showed it to him. He took over five minutes to read the licence so I am guessing he has a slight difficulty with reading, and then handed it back to me. They all walked towards the police vehicle without saying a word to me. I asked if I could go home twice before one of the blood hounds told me to go. I drove past the police vehicle and headed home to Canje, Berbice. Mr. Editor, I would like to ask the Honourable President, The Honourable Prime Minister, the Honourable Minister of Public Security, the New (substantive) Commissioner of Police and all civic minded persons to help to educate our police ranks. If they are properly educated,
then the citizens would be treated with some kind of respect and civility. Richard and an Inspector at Vigilance Police station who both told me, on different occasions, that they can stop and search any vehicle any time. Obviously, they do not know the law. I simply asked the man to tell me why he stopped me. That is the first thing the police MUST do. They don’t. At Weldaad, there is a permanent roadblock and when you are stopped, you are told to ‘turn on your interior lights’, (if it’s night time). Not a word of greeting or the politeness of the word, “please”. You are just ordered to do this or do that and no reason is offered. I will defend anyone, who has to appear at Vigilance or Cove and John Magistrate’s court, charged with any minor traffic offence FREE OF CHARGE, from now until the end of this year. Let us deal with the hooligans in uniform, out there, who must be taught a lesson in decency and politeness. Charrandas Persaud
Thursday November 15, 2018
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GECOM probes allegations of irregularities at Mabaruma polls …delays declaration of results The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has launched an investigation into allegations that absentee persons, including someone who died recently, voted in the Municipality of Mabaruma at Monday’s Local Government Elections (LGE). Kaieteur News understands that attempts were made by the Returning Officer yesterday to declare the results, but several concerned residents signed a petition challenging the authenticity of documents used by proxy voters from the Region One (Barima-Waini) location. GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward said the Commission has received reports and are looking into them. She indicated that essentially, the allegations are that names are recorded as being voted, but those persons were not in the location. Additionally, there are allegations where persons voted as proxy where they should not have been granted proxy.
Residents of Mabaruma participating in Monday’s LGE.
The Preliminary results released by GECOM indicated that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) secured eight of the seats compared to four for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). Most of the claims are being made by APNU supporters. Residents have alleged that there were just over 90
proxy votes cast and that some of the supporting documents, including letters from employers, were forged. Further, the residents s t a t e t h a t t h e y raised the issue with the Returning Officer and asked that he share documentation with them. He also said that the residents needed to secure a
petition. This was done and upon approaching the Returning Officer, they were informed that G E C O M ’s C h i e f E l e c tions Officer, Keith Lowenfield is the only one that can release the information to them. According to residents, they suspected
that something was amiss when a girl who had died recently, but whose name was still on the voters’ list, was marked as having voted. Residents said that they have letters from employers believed to be forged. The letters were presented as proof that the voters could not exercise their
right in person. It is unclear when GECOM will conclude its investigation. On Monday, a total of 1,808 votes were cast in the Mabaruma township and 53 ballots rejected.This is the second time Mabaruma has participated in LGE since it was gazetted as a Town.
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Thursday November 15, 2018
Guyana observes Geographic Information Systems Day- Centre to be operational by 2019 Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) Commissioner Trevor Benn
has called for the use of more technological systems when conducting geographic
surveys. Benn issued the call at a ceremony to observe Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day, hosted at the University of Guyana. In attendance were several Secondary School and university students. The Commissioner disclosed that the GLSC is embarking on the establishment of a GIS Centre of Excellence which should be
operational by the end of 2019. This, he said, is a collaboration between the University of Guyana and the Commission. Benn emphasised that Guyana cannot continue to take a manual approach when conducting surveys, since there is technology available for that purpose. He charged the students present to take up the mantle of advocating for the use of GIS.
“As students of Secondary Schools and students of the University of Guyana, it is important that you play the role of helping to promote GIS, helping others to understand its purposes, its use, and helping to make sure that the policy makers understand its importance,� he stated. The Commissioner said that it is important that the subject of Geography is
taught as early as the primary level in schools. He also pointed out that the GLSC has begun work on its GIS policy, the first of its kind in Guyana and has already conducted a number of stakeholder consultations. According to Benn, the policy will be helpful for surveying purposes as well as a number of other areas which include health, (Continued on page 11)
Thursday November 15, 2018
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A Change of Fortune He had come to the United States on a visitor’s visa. But he could never explain just how he managed to convince the consular officer that he was not planning to stay on. Onto this day, he feels that it was divine intervention. The Gods had smiled on him and softened the heart of the interviewing officer. This was the only way he could explain the non-immigrant visa that he had been granted. When he entered the embassy on that fateful morning, he did not believe that he had any chance of obtaining a visitor’s visa. He was simply trying his luck. He was playing a game of chance. He felt that he at least needed to try, so as to escape the misery that his life had become. He saw no future in Guyana. In those days there were lines everywhere. If you wanted anything you needed connections. He had none. He came from a family without prestige or reputation. He was not well off. He held no fancy title, and his education was limited. But he had some skills. His hands had always allowed him to provide for himself and buy enough rum to drunk himself on weekends. It was a life of nothingness. He wanted to escape. He took a chance one day and applied for a visa. He was called for an interview, but he did not expect a
visa. He turned up early for the interview. Many others like him had the same idea. And so he found himself at the back of a long line. He had dressed in his best clothes, but looking at the attire of the others in the line that morning, he felt as if he wore rags. But his friend had advised him, “Dress your best and you have a chance”. He had bought a new pair of shoes for the interview. He was sorry now. They were tight. His feet felt sore. Every step aggravated the situation. He tried to drag his feet as he stepped forward in the line. After what seemed like an eternity his turn came. His palms were damp and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. He forgot some of the answers he had rehearsed. The questions flew at him. After a while, he just said the first thing that came to his mind. He was in a daze and just wanted to get home. He was asked to return. He asked why. “For your visa!” answered the interviewing officer. He almost dropped dead. He was still in a daze when he left the embassy. The next thing he knew was that he was wandering around the city, still confused that he had succeeded. Just then the sun emerged from behind a cloud. He knew it! This was a sign! The Gods had ordained a new future for him. His life was not
in his hands. Destiny had taken its course. There was great rejoicing when he went home with his immigrant visa. It was a great joy. The celebrations began. The neighbours thought he had won the lottery. He had won something greater - a rare chance to start his life anew. The elation lasted throughout the journey to his new home. He was greeted by his relatives in the United States like a conquering hero, with everyone reminding him how lucky he was to be in the land of opportunity. When he was asked where he would like to visit, he quickly said the Statue of Liberty. His relatives quickly changed the conversation. Few of them had ever gone there, and most of them considered it a waste of precious money to take him somewhere they themselves had never gone. It took him four months to land a job and then another four years before he could rent an apartment on his own. Four more years before he met a partner, and another four years before he married. It was a quiet thing. Not like back home where he would have been unable to do such things without a fete. The life he dreamed of was slipping away. He now had responsibilities. Then he lost his job, then his home, and later his family. He was starting over again. Many times he thought of returning home. But the
Dem boys seh ...
Jagdeo tell lie fuh hide he Buxton shame People wake up yesterday morning to see a headline which seh de PNC lose in Buxton. Dem wasn’t worried about de low voter turnout, dem wasn’t worried about Nagamootoo losing in Whim but dem was worried about de headline. De Buxtonians was more than mad. Dem seh how de newspaper mek dem look like if dem is people who love Jagdeo. But is Jagdeo who lie in de first place. He know he party win de NDC which include Buxton but he decide to exaggerate to mek he followers feel nice. When de confusion die down and de dust
settle, one man tell de newspaper dat Jagdeo good at misleading people and he like lie. Dem decide to publish de statement of poll. Dat is when dem boys see wha Jagdeo try to hide. He didn’t get a single vote in Buxton. To de village people was like if he didn’t exist. D e m boys shame but then again dat is not de only time he mek dem feel shame. De firemen who follow in he footstep and thief anything dat ain’t bolt down on the plane mek de whole of Guyana feel shame. When dem been in de lockups everybody was happy because de only thing
dem could thief in de lockups was de bars. Bright and early Monday morning, de police decide to loose dem to go home and bathe. Dem had to post $100,000 bail. People suck dem teeth and start to line up outside de courts to ketch a glimpse of dem. Is one week now and no fireman get charge. Is like if de police decide to hold back pon de charge. Dem boys want to know if some of dem firemen share some of de things dem thief wid de people who got to charge dem. CNN, BBC and all dem international media house looking on. Talk half and wait fuh dem firemen go to court.
shame was too much. To go back without anything to show would be a harsher truth to face than his present predicament. He preferred to pine away. He shooed away from his countrymen, he stayed away from social events. He became reclusive. One day, just by chance, he was passing a park when a little boy ran out onto the road into the path of a car. He managed to pluck the boy away from the approaching vehicle. He did not know how he did it. He again felt that the Gods had come to his aid. The child’s parents were grateful. They did not stop
thanking him. He felt like a real-life hero and was so warmed by their affections that he felt he had won new friends. He asked them about themselves. As it turned out, they were rich, very rich. They owned a business and employed hundreds of persons. He mentioned that he was down on his luck and had been out of work for some time. The child’s father gave him a card and told him to see him the next day. As the father left the park, he added, “Come prepared to work!” He thought to himself that this was another turning point
in his life. Lady Luck had smiled on him. The next day he turned up dressed in jacket and tie and his best trousers, ready to climb the corporate ladder. He felt that having saved the life of the boss’ son, he would be given a senior position. He was given a spade and told that henceforth he would be responsible for shoveling snow. He took the job.
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Thursday November 15, 2018
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Another senseless hospital tragedy There are three pressing things on my mind, and I will pass the exigency of an analysis of the phenomenal LGE 2018 results to expatiate on these morbidities, hoping that when I get back to the LGE outcome, the thing would not be outdated. One is the shameless colonial mentality some Guyanese display when they argue for copyright legislation. The sickness of colonial leftover is a Freudian nightmare in this country. Another is the impending crisis at UG which once more has proven me right when I critique people, places and events no one in Guyana wants to touch on. For now, I will dwell on the
death of twins at birth last Saturday at the West Demerara Hospital. On yet another occasion, a poor Guyanese citizen, whose economic station in life precludes them from enjoying what our ruling politicians call the “good life” in Guyana, has endured an unnecessary tragedy in the State medical system. One of the great concepts in philosophy is “deconstruction.” It is a method of analysis where the thinker breaks down texts and words into tiny particles to look into hidden layers that essentially are at variance with our traditional and customary understanding of language. We owe this fantastic jour-
ney to the French philosopher, Jacques Derrida. With deconstruction, we no longer take at face value the meaning of some of the most important texts that have been in existence for thousands of years. With deconstruction, we know words have deeper meaning that can offer us a better understanding of the narratives that govern human interactions. What is the deconstructed meaning of “good” and “life”? It is outside the scope of a mere newspaper column to go into details, but more importantly, when our ruling politicians speak of the enjoyment of the good life in this land, Freud is at work. They mean the good
Four teachers detained after $107,000 in graduation money vanishes Who stole the graduation money from the school safe? That’s the mystery that ranks from the Golden Grove Police Station are trying to get to the bottom of, after $107,000 in cash disappeared from the Diamond Secondary School. Kaieteur News understands that the cash was collected for the school’s upcoming graduation. It was reportedly stored in a safe, to which two persons allegedly have access to the keys. When senior officials checked last Friday, they were shocked to find that the money was gone. The police were called in and four female teachers were taken into custody. They were detained at the East La Penitence Police Station, but have since been released on $10,000 bail each, as the investigation continues.
life for those who command the society. They mean people with wealth and state power. The good life was best seen in the huge, expensive billboards with the visage of the Minister of Finance announcing the coming of the 2017 national budget. The good life is the way scarce funds are spent on travel and entertainment at UG. When could life ever be good in a country where unnecessary death at the public hospital is the norm and has been so since Independence? My mom died at the public hospital in 1985. She was left unattended. I didn’t have money to take her to a private hospital. This is the fate of poor folks in my country. May I remind readers that recently, the Prime Minister spent two months in hospitalization in the US. Then Minister Trotman just returned from the US after medical treatment. As I write these notes, I am sure that many of our rulers are planning trips abroad for medical check-ups. The mother who lost her twins didn’t have access to such opportunities. Reading that
mother’s accusations against the doctors enrages you, and for one basic reason – we have heard these charges over and over and over. Yet, not one doctor has ever been placed before the courts for manslaughter. Minister Volda Lawrence became the second in charge of the ruling PNC at her party’s congress last August. She may very well be the president if Mr. Granger needs extensive recuperation. She may well be the president after the 2020 election. Yet it was under this Minister’s tenure that a ten-year-old schoolchild from Charlestown died after she was kicked in the stomach by a fellow student last year. Doctors at the Georgetown Hospital looked at her without doing tests, gave her pain killers and sent her home. She died the next day. She died from internal bleeding, when in the 21st century with fantastic equipment you can examine the inside of a living human body. A simple test would have detected internal bleeding. Minister Lawrence ordered an inquiry. This was a straightforward case of death
Frederick Kissoon by medical incompetence. The nation has heard absolutely nothing about the outcome. Do you know why? The little girl came from a poor Charlestown family. They don’t have money to sue the state. Poor people die in the public hospital system in Guyana in situations that remind you of a science fiction movie, where the world is about to end and people are dying like when flies are swatted. My media career is over thirty consecutive years, and some of my saddest moments have been to write of the senseless deaths of so many poorer folks at the Georgetown Hospital, including that of my own mother whom I loved so dearly.
Thursday November 15, 2018
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Kaieteur News
GPSU Condemns IMC over Guyana observes Geographic... Management of Credit Union - IMC says “they miss the proppings of power” The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) will be holding a meeting today at their office on 160 Regent and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, to hear testimonies from its members concerning the affairs of the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU). First Vice President of GPSU, Dawn Gardner, said at a press conference yesterday that they have received numerous complaints from members of GPSCCU, who are also members of GPSU. Members have complained that, after having applied to make withdrawals from their special savings, they’ve been made to wait days. She also said that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) installed by the Ministry of Social Protection Chief Cooperative Development Officer, has not made visits to any out of town locations. As a result, persons residing outside of town who are desirous of conducting transactions with the GPSCCU have to travel to Georgetown to apply for and access loans, according to GPSU’s President, Patrick Yarde. Even after being subjected to this laborious bureaucracy, Gardner said that some members still would be refused loans. As a result, some have opted to resign from the credit union, even
though GPSU has continuously implored that they stay. GPSU said that the inconvenience of the system of the credit union is burdensome for its members, and that it is worsening their economic and emotional challenges. Yarde said that there is sufficient evidence to confirm the legitimacy of the complaints made by their members. He opined that the actions of the GPSCCU are unenlightened and insensitive, since many of its members depend on their savings and other benefits to be provided, hassle-free. He said that the credit union’s current leadership is well within their means to accede to transactions with members in a much wiser fashion, since he believes they have all the resources they need to do so. The GPSU said that it will work swiftly, upon receipt of testimonies from its members, to correct the inefficiencies of GPSCCU. However, when asked about the alleged inefficiency of the policies of the credit union, President of the GPSCCU, Trevor Benn, told Kaieteur News that the GPSCCU tries to conduct all transactions within a threeday period. He explained that the members are made to wait this period for the processing of transactions because the
applications must be presented before the committee who will review, and that the process should be given its due diligence. Benn said that traveling out of town was not seen as economically feasible, when the committee considered the size of most loans. He said, however, in cases where a member is in dire need, the committee will make exceptions. Further, he added that the issues faced by members are no different from what they were, prior to the installment of the Interim Management Committee. Benn added that the GPSCCU recently concluded the audit reports for the affairs of the credit union for 2011, 2012 and 2013. He said that the previous leadership, which included Yarde, did not accept the findings of the audits done, so they had refused to conclude the reports. As a result of the completion of these reports, Benn said that the members will soon be paid their interim dividends for those years. Addressing the current leadership of the GPSU, Benn said that, “they miss the proppings of power”, as elements of the leadership of GPSU, including Patrick Yarde, had been responsible for the GPSCCU before the IMC replaced them due to complaints similar to those the GPSU now seeks to address.
From page 8 education, agriculture, disaster preparedness and search and rescue. “GIS can tell us if there is a malaria outbreak and the exact location if we use the tool properly. It will tell us exactly where the hotspots are for malaria or any sickness for that matter. GIS is able to tell us in more precise terms where the
schools in the country are, and so if you are looking for a particular kind of school and if the tool is used properly, we will be able to do that” he said. However, Benn noted that in order for Guyana to be on par with the rest of the world, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. This includes updating Guyana’s base maps which
have been the same since the 1960s. He noted that the GLSC is in the process of updating the maps so that the information can be more relevant. While the cost to remap the country is approximately $16.5 Billion (US$79Million) the Lands and Surveys Commissioner said it is an important asset, since, “the cost of not investing exceeds that of investing”.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday November 15, 2018
Triple therapy regimen recommended to help Guyana meet 2020 MDA goal Guyana, through its health sector, was in 2017 able to reach the accepted target of 65 percent coverage of its filaria Mass Drug Administration [MDA] programme for the first time in its history. However, word out of the Public Health Ministry is that at least four additional consecutive years will be required to achieve eligibility of the current regimen of two drugs – Diethylcarbamazine [DEC] and Albendazole. This is according to information released for public consumption by the Ministry’s Head of Public Relations/Health Promotion Unit, Mr. Terrence Esseboom, who pointed out that “the only option left if Guyana is to meet its 2020 goal is to intensify our efforts with the introduction of a proven alternative drug regimen of triple therapy in 2019”. But the alternative may be within hand reach. This is in light of the fact that the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation [PAHO/WHO] has recommended Triple Therapy, using Ivermectin in conjunction with DEC and Albendazole [IDA]. This regimen, it is believed, would require only two additional years of mass administration,
that is, 2019 and 2020. According to Esseboom, “this would place Guyana within the narrowing window of opportunity to meet its 2020 goal of interruption of transmission of filaria. Filaria or lymphatic filariasis is a debilitating, stigmatising and impoverishing disease that affects over 36 million people
globally. Because of this dilemma, hundreds of millions of dollars are lost annually due to ill health. “Persons with Elephantiasis [big foot] or Hydrocele [enlarged scrotum] also suffer socially from stigmatisation and discrimination in the job market. In 2000, WHO launched
the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis [GPELF] to achieve global elimination of filaria as a public health problem by 2020. Moreover, a comprehensive programme includes MDA annually for five consecutive years, with a minimum of 65 percent coverage of endemic populations; morbidity
management; the prevention of disabilities and integrated vector control. Currently, MDA is taking place in 66 of the 72 countries where microfilaria has been found to be endemic. Of these countries, 20 are now in the post-MDA phase where they are being monitored to ensure elimination has been achieved. However, Esseboom noted that here in the Americas, Trinidad, Suriname and Costa Rica have been removed from the WHO list of endemic countries, while Guyana, Brazil, Dominica Republic and Haiti are all actively working towards eligibility for elimination status. At present, reports suggest that Brazil and the Dominican Republic are about to complete their rounds of MDA and are preparing for transmission assessments. Esseboom noted that “the fact that this is easily preventable does not overshadow the fact that a person who already shows chronic signs of the infection cannot be cured.” He said that since the late 1800s, cases of filaria infection have been recorded by the local Ministry of Public Health. He noted that studies
have shown that the main vector implicated in the spread of lymphatic f i l a r i a i n Guyana is the Culex Quinquefasciatus mosquito. This mosquito is found by vector control personnel in all 10 regions of Guyana and is the only known vector that transmits this disease in the Americas. When the mosquito bites an infected person, it ingests the microfilariae, which then mature to the stage of larvae in the mosquito. The larvae are deposited on the skin of someone the mosquito bites, after which it makes it way to the lymphatic vessels where they mature into the adult worm before multiplying hundred fold and releasing microfilariae into the blood stream. “It therefore follows that wherever infected individuals and vector mosquitoes exist, the likelihood of disease spread is great,” said Esseboom, who revealed that part of the Ministry’s response to the country being endemic to filaria, includes raising public awareness of the joint responsibility for vector control and mass treatment of at risk individuals. This, Esseboom (Continued on page 22)
Thursday November 15, 2018
Kaieteur News
PAGE 21
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Thursday November 15, 2018
Kaieteur News
Woman found dead at Parika was murdered-autopsy report
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Murdered 22-year-old Romeza Sookdeo that her daughter was an addict from the age of sixteen. The woman claimed to have tried everything possible to help her daughter, but to no avail. Persaud did not seem surprised at the Post Mortem result. The woman claimed that just days before her daughter’s body was found, she (Sookdeo) told her that two persons had threatened to murder her. According to Persaud, her daughter alleged that the two individuals would usually beat her when she refused to have sex with men in exchange for cash. The mother has since given the police the two names her daughter had given her, The mother said, “She come and sleep two nights by me, and she said that these guys want kill she, and if she dead then I should go to the police and tell them who kill she”. Sukdeo was said to be in a relationship with one of the men who allegedly threatened to kill her.
Triple therapy regimen... From page 12 said, includes the clearing of drains, ensuring proper disposal of tyres and garbage. Also the use of mosquito nets, mesh on houses, insecticides, fumigation, larvicides, early closure of windows and the covering of limbs in the evening, all help to reduce the likelihood of mosquito bites, and by extension, transmission of infection. VACANCY
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Twenty-two year-old Romeza Sookdeo, the young woman whose decomposing body was found in an empty lot at Hydronie Market Road, Parika, East Bank Essequibo, was murdered, an autopsy report has revealed. According to the findings of the autopsy which was conducted yesterday morning, Sookdeo died as a result of manual strangulation, compounded by blunt force trauma to the head, which suggested she was bludgeoned with a heavy object. Sookdeo’s decomposing body was discovered last Sunday morning after a security guard alerted police of a high stench coming from the area where the body was eventually found. The security guard made a report to the police who came and discovered the body of a female dressed in a multi coloured blouse and an orange skirt with blue underwear, without any footwear. The body was faced downward and upon examination it was observed to be partially decomposed. The body was later positively identified as Sookdeo, an unemployed woman of no fixed place of abode. Sookdeo was last seen alive by her mother Naimawattie Persaud, a domestic worker of Parika Façade, East Bank Essequibo, on the Thursday before her body was found. She had visited mother’s home and left for an unknown location, a police statement said. The grieving mother told this publication
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The senior ministry functionary noted, however, that “these measures are not stand alone and should be coupled with the destruction of microfilariae in the blood of persons who many times are unaware that they have been infected until it is too late.” It is for this reason that the MDA programme has been utilised as an imperative measure to combat the spread of filaria.
Thursday November 15, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Unwanted Guest!
The occupants of a home at Zorg Village, Essequibo Coast got the shock of their lives when the driver of a motorcar slammed into a utility pole, wiped out a section of the fence before landing wheel up in the yard.
“16 Days of Activism” campaign to raise awareness on gender-based violence Gender-based violence within Guyana jeopardizes the lives of women, their bodies, their psychosocial integrity and their freedom. The issue, which has posed a significant threat t o t h e c o u n t r y ’s d e m o graphic, has notably increased by fourteen percent in just this year. This, in turn, has led several non- governmental and religious organizations to band together to combat the ill that affects a large percentage of women in this country. A major player in the collaboration would include a group known as T h e C a r i b b e a n Vo i c e , which launched a campaign in tandem with the
United Nations Women’s initiative-”16 Days of Activism”. The initiative, which is set to commence on November 25, goes under the theme ‘Orange the World - Communicate, Activate, Militate, Empower’. The campaign is seeking to raise awareness as well as to create safe spaces for persons to open up and share on their experiences as victims of gender-based violence. The Caribbean Voice, which has been in operation for some time, asserted the need for a specialized approach to be taken on the issue. The campaign is expected to feature sessions for the duration of the sixteen days, addressing both
solutions for the issue of gender-based violence as well as psychosocial solutions for persons who have suffered from the hands of their perpetrators. Akin to this, the sessions will also highlight the high rate of repeat victimization for survivors. A social media hashtag has also been launched with the initiative. The fight against gender-based violence has gained much traction in recent years, with both nonprofit and governmental ministries joining in. In years back, survivors have opted to remain silent on the ill, but due to recent campaigns and awareness workshops, this is gradu-
ally changing. In an invited comment from a member of the group, it was related that male survivors of gender-based violence are rarely afforded the oppor-
tunity to be taken seriously by members of society. Stigmatization, he explained, can often lead to deterred reports on the issue by many victims.
The Caribbean Voice is calling on members of society to unite in the campaign as they advocate against gender-based violence.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday November 15, 2018
Thursday November 15, 2018
ICC Women’s World Twenty20: Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh to retain semi-final hope BBC Sport - Sri Lanka sealed their first win of the 2018 Women’s World T20 with a 25-run victory over Bangladesh in St Lucia yesterday. Both lost a wicket to the first ball of the innings but Sashikala Siriwardena’s 31 helped Sri Lanka, who had lost their last eight completed games, to 97-7. Bangladesh saw two wickets go in the first over and were all out for 72 off the last ball, remaining without a win. Having taken a wicket
with the first ball of the innings during their defeat against England on Monday, Bangladesh did so again when pace bowler Jahanara Alam, who went on to take her second three-wicket haul of the tournament and become the event’s joint leading wicket-taker, produced a magnificent delivery after her side opted to field. Utilising the gusting winds superbly, Alam swung one behind the pads of Yasoda Mendis from outside leg stump to rattle the timbers
Siriwardene’s innings proved critical for Sri Lanka in St Lucia. (Getty Images) and more swing would have accounted for Dilani Manodara lbw two balls later,
Thursday November 15, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Social events with artistically or spiritually inclined people could have you feeling especially inspired, Aries, and looking forward to the future in whatever discipline interests you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you should be looking and feeling great. You might attract some admiring looks from passersby on the street. Sex and romance might be on your mind, Libra.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today you might feel inspired to help others less fortunate. The opportunity to do some volunteer work could come your way, perhaps for a church
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your mind is full of wonderful thoughts today, Scorpio. You might consider spending the day meditating, doing some volunteer work, or turning your inspiration into an artistic project of some kind.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Creativity and romance are the words for today, Gemini. Artistic or other creative projects are likely to catch the attention of others, perhaps bringing valuable contacts your way. CANCER (June 21–July 22) A group of people oriented toward artistic, spiritual, or humanitarian pursuits could meet today at your home to work on advancing their projects. Among them could be someone very special who might play a positive role in your life.
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SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) A desire to be creative could have you experimenting with various kinds of artistic disciplines, perhaps in connection with computers. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Artistic inspiration could come from deep within at some point today, perhaps even from a dream or vision. You're likely to have a lot of energy to pour into creativity right now, Capricorn, and if you work hard and don't lose sight of your goal.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Errands or other short journeys in your neighborhood could result in a chance meeting with someone who could be of great benefit to you in the future, Leo.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Today you might toy with the idea of publishing, exhibiting, or otherwise making public whatever creative innovations you've been working on, Aquarius. Spiritual information could come your way from afar.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today you might hear of opportunities to make extra money through creative work of some kind, Virgo. This could be a genuine lucky break achieved by being in the right place at the right time. You will probably take advantage of it
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Inspiration in various contexts could fill your mind today, Pisces. Opportunities to advance your artistic or spiritual interests could come your way, perhaps through advice given by a new acquaintance.
but Bangladesh chose not to use their review. Sri Lanka had some communication problems between the wickets, which led to one of the more comical run-outs of recent years, but Nilakshi de Silva and Siriwardene both hit sixes in a rapid partnership of 31Bangladesh won the Asia Cup in June but had failed to score more than 81 in their last five matches and were bowled out by West Indies for just 46 in the opening match, the lowest total in Women’s World T20 history. Remarkably there was again a wicket with the first ball, the first women’s T20 international in which it has occurred in both innings, but Sanjida Islam did not review when the impact was well outside off stump and the ball not doing enough to hit the stumps in any case. Nigar Sultana Joty hit the two of only three boundaries in the innings, top-scoring with 20, as Bangladesh succumbed to a fifth successive defeat, with Sri Lanka retaining their hopes of semi-final qualification, moving above West Indies into second place, having played two matches more. Scores: Sri Lanka 97-7 (20 overs): Siriwardene 31, Jahanara 3-21; Bangladesh 72 (20 overs): Joty 20, Atapattu 3-17. Result: Sri Lanka won by 25 runs.
Lusignan B, Mahaica ... From page 28 7 in reply. Kamesh Yadram took 2 for 8. Meanwhile, the quarterfinals will be played on Sunday at Enmore and Lusignan grounds. Lusignan B will take on Betterhope CC at 9:30hrs, while host Lusignan A will face Better Hope CC at 13:00hrs. Mahaica Cavaliers, who qualify by virtue of a superior net run rate over Golden Achievers SC and Lusignan East, will challenge Fairfield SC at 09:30 hours at Enmore, while host Enmore CCCC (A) will take on Strathavon SC at 13:30.
NBA notebook: Warriors suspend... From page 26 multiple game-winning baskets with fewer than 10 seconds remaining in regulation or overtime. —Jimmy Butler said he was “very excited” to join the Philadelphia 76ers during his introductory news conference at the team’s practice facility. The 29-year-old All-Star swingman has averaged 21.8 points a game since the start of the 2014-15 season. After one season in Minnesota, he told the Timberwolves just before training camp he wanted a change of scenery. The fallout raised questions about whether he is a good teammate. “If you know me, if you’re around me, you know my heart,” Butler said. “You know how I go about what I go about. I love my teammates. I
don’t think there’s too many of them that’ll tell you that I’m a bad teammate, but people get whatever they want to say out. It is what it is, but I think that I’m an incredible human being and teammate, and I’ll show that to the guys that are here.” —Detroit Pistons guard Luke Kennard will undergo two more weeks of rehabilitation on his right shoulder, the team announced. Kennard suffered a sprained AC joint Oct. 25 in a game against Cleveland when he ran into a screen set by the Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson. The 22-year-old, is averaging 5.7 points in three games this season. A firstround draft selection in 2017, the Duke product averaged 7.6 points in 73 games as a rookie. (Field Level Media)
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Djokovic dismantles Zverev at ATP Finals
Thursday November 15, 2018
Australia roll over NZ to clinch first semis spot
Australia opener Alyssa Healy hits out during her half-century against New Zealand on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy ICC Media)
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his group stage match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev. (Action Images via Reuters/Tony O’Brien) LONDON (Reuters) World number one Novak Djokovic produced a rocksolid performance to dismantle the challenge of German firebrand Alexander Zverev at the ATP Finals yesterday. The Serb, 10 years older than his opponent, was made to work hard in an absorbing first set but Zverev’s challenge crumbled at the O2 Arena as Djokovic won 6-4 61 to move within sight of the semi-finals. Five-times champion Djokovic, who will end the year as world number one for the fifth time in his career after a storming second half of the season, leads the Gustavo Kuerten group with two wins and is yet to drop a set. He will advance into the last four of the season-ending tournament for the eighth
time if John Isner beats Marin Cilic in the evening session. “I don’t think it was breathtaking tennis from both of us but a win is a win,” Djokovic, who hit only three winners in the first set compared to Zverev’s 15, said on court. “I started to play better in the second set and he was making a lot of unforced errors, which helped me win.” All seven round-robin matches played so far this week have been won in straight sets, but for a while it appeared as though the crowd would be given full value for their ticket. The 21-year-old Zverev, who has a Tour-leading 55 match wins this year, went toe-to-toe with Djokovic from the baseline and looked to have the firepower to worry his opponent.
Djokovic netted a routine forehand when serving at 4-4 30-30, offering Zverev a break point that he did not convert. Djokovic then doublefaulted to give Zverev another chance to serve for the set but this time the German went just wide with an attempted lob after the Serb ventured into the net. The net game always looked dangerous for Zverev and so it proved as he double-faulted to concede the set. Zverev looked deflated and despite holding serve for 1-1 he offered no more resistance as Djokovic won five games in a row to seal his 33rd win in his last 35 matches. His final group match is against Cilic while Zverev will hope to bounce back against Isner.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Three-time champions Australia romped into the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup here Tuesday night when they collared fierce rivals New Zealand by 33 runs to post their third straight win in Group B. Opting to bat first in the much anticipated TransTasman contest at the Guyana National Stadium, Australia rattled up a challenging 153 for seven off their 20 overs, with Alyssa Healy top-scoring with 53 off 38 deliveries to gather her second halfcentury of the tournament. Rachael Haynes came late to spank an unbeaten 29 off 18 deliveries while opener Beth Mooney struck 26 from 24 balls. In reply, New Zealand slumped to 13 for three in the third over before opener Suzie Bates slammed 48 off 42 balls but a clatter of wickets left the innings 120 all out in the 18th over. Megan Schutt was the
best bowler with three for 12 while fellow seamer Delissa Kimmince (2-24) and left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux (220) chipped in with two wickets apiece. Australia lead the group with six points with one match remaining while India lie second on four points. New Zealand, meanwhile, have now lost both matches in the tournament. Australia were given a rousing start by Healy who struck eight fours in a 71-run opening stand off 51 balls with Mooney who counted four fours. When Mooney eventually holed out in the deep off off-spinner Leigh Kasperek (3-25), Australia lost wickets steadily until Haynes produced her cameo, striking four fours to give the innings a flourish at the end. New Zealand’s run chase disastrously, however, when Anna Peterson missed a swing at one from Schutt and was lbw without scoring to the fourth ball of the innings.
Slow medium Ellyse Perry bowled the experienced Sophie Devine through the gate before she had scored in the next over, and Amy Satterthwaite (2) followed soon afterwards, lbw missing a reverse sweep at Molineux. Bates counter-attacked, lashing four fours and a six as she tried to rescue the innings in a 66-run, fourth wicket stand with Katey Martin, who made 24 from 20 balls. However, once Martin was lured from her crease by 19-year-old leg-spinner Georgia Wareham and stumped in the 12th over, New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs. Scores: AUSTRALIA 153 for seven off 20 overs (Alyssa Healy 53, Rachael Haynes 29 not out, Beth Mooney 26; Leigh Kasperek 3-25, Sophie Devine 2-37). NEW ZEALAND 120 off 17.3 overs (Suzie Bates 48, Katey Martin 24; Megan Schutt 3-12, Sophie Molineux 2-20, Delissa Kimmince 2-24).
Draymond Green received a one-game suspension without pay from the Golden State Warriors for “conduct detrimental to the team” in the fallout from Monday night’s explosive exchange with AllStar teammate Kevin Durant. Green was set to serve his suspension during Tuesday night’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks and reportedly sacrifice more than $120,000 in the process. Some teammates loudly confronted Green in the locker room for his decisionmaking on the final play of regulation of the 121-116 over-
time loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told ESPN. The intensity in the locker room was heightened because the matter of Durant’s impending free agency reportedly was raised. The organization spent Tuesday dealing with the aftershocks of Monday night’s confrontation, while working through the issues involving the team’s dynamic, according to league sources. —Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert did not suffer any fractures and will not require surgery to repair the ligament damage from
Monday’s scary incident in Minnesota, the team announced. LeVert returned to New York with the team following the 120-113 loss to the Timberwolves. He was evaluated at the Hospital for Special Surgery and diagnosed with a subtalar dislocation of his right foot.LeVert, 24, has averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 14 games this season. The breakout third-year star is the only NBA player this season to convert (Continued on page 25)
WADA to conduct further NBA notebook: Warriors suspend investigations into bullying allegations Green after confrontation (Reuters) - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will conduct further enquiries into accusations of bullying by executive committee members after an initial probe was unable to prove any improper behavior, it said yesterday. Athletes’ committee chair Beckie Scott told the BBC last month that she was “treated with disrespect” and faced “inappropriate” comments and gestures for opposing the reinstatement of Russia’s anti-doping organization at a September meeting. WADA has denied mistreating Scott, saying the at-
mosphere at the meeting in the Seychelles was the product of “strong and divergent views”. Scott, an Olympic gold medal winner for Canada in cross-country skiing, had told the BBC the tone of the meeting was more dismissive than inclusive, arguing that WADA had little interest in hearing from athletes or their concerns. WADA said on Wednesday that the allegations were “discussed extensively” by the committee at a meeting in the Azerbaijan capital Baku, where the initial findings of an independent review, commissioned by the agency and
conducted by an external firm, were presented. “While these findings did not conclude that the alleged bullying had taken place, the executive committee agreed that given the seriousness of the allegations, a second phase should take place to allow the many people present at the meeting to be interviewed so that the matter could be concluded satisfactorily,” it said in a statement. “This will now take place and a further report will be presented to the Executive Committee at the next opportunity.”
Thursday November 15, 2018
Concacaf U-20 championship USA 2018
McKenzie fires Panama past El Salvador; 10-man Honduras and Costa Rica draw Axel McKenzie (#18) of Panama celebrates after scoring the winning goal against El Salvador.
Bradenton, Florida – The Qualification Stage of the 2018 Concacaf Under-20 Championship got off to a great start for Panama, who downed El Salvador 1-0 on Tuesday to open Group G. Axel McKenzie was the hero for the Canaleros, as he came off the bench in the second half and scored the game’s lone goal to give Panama a vital three points. Panama controlled things in the first half but was unable to breach the goal of El Salvador ’s excellent GK Rodrigo Artiga. The Cuscatlecos’ stopper made four massive saves in the first 45 minutes to keep things scoreless. The breakthrough for Panama would finally come in the 73’, as McKenzie, who
had been on the field just four minutes after replacing Angel Orelien, collected a ball on the left side of the area and swept in a right-footed shot that sneaked just inside the far post. The Panama defence would take over from there, turning away any and all El Salvador’s chances for an equalizer to seal the victory. 10-man Honduras hangs on for draw versus Costa Rica Despite playing a man down for more than a half of play, Honduras hung on for a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica to open Group G of the Qualification Stage of the 2018 Concacaf Under-20 Championship. Honduras could not have asked for a better start, as a corner kick was expertly vol-
leyed in by Josue Villafranca in the 20’ to make it 1-0 to the Catrachos. But things would soon turn very complicated for Honduras, as it was reduced to 10 men when Mariano Alvarez was issued a straight red card in the 37’ for a late push. The man advantage proved to be the lift the Ticos needed and just two minutes into the second half, Andres Gomez brought Costa Rica level 1-1 by finishing off a one-two combination. Both teams were keen to snatch a late game-winning goal and Honduras FW Selvin Guevara nearly did just that in second half stoppage time after some slick passing from the Catrachos, but the shot sailed wide.
Skeldon Linepath Secondary win UCCA U-17 Inter Secondary School cricket Skeldon Linepath Secondary (SLP) are the champion of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) U17 Inter Secondary School cricket competition when the defeated Skeldon High School (SHS) in the final which was played last Friday at the Crabwood Creek Ground. The two schools came out on top in the preliminary stages of the four schools’ competition which was played on a round robin basis. The competition was played on a one day two innings format with the first innings being for 40 overs. Skeldon High batted first and made 141in 25 overs with Raul Jabbar top scoring with
53(7x4). He got support from Sarwan Chit with 39(3x4, 3x6), V. Sampat 17 and C. Munilall 13. Bowling for Skeldon Linepath Secondary, S. Chattergoon was unplayable with figures of 5-13. In reply, SLP reached 168 in 34 overs T. Sookhu leading the way with 68(4x4), while V. Latchman contributed 19 and B. Nandalall 17. There was no significant contribution from the bowlers. The game was called off at the end of the first innings due to time thus SLP winning on first innings. At the end of the game SLP were presented with the winning Seddarth D’Andrade trophy and other goodies.
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S. Chattergoon with his five-wicket haul was adjudged the man-of-the-match and he received a trophy. The competition was sponsored by Seddarth D’Andrade of Upper Corentyne, who is the son of the President of the (UCCA), Dennis D’Andrade. The family has been sponsoring the competition since 2013. The other schools that participated in the competition were Tagore Memorial Secondary School (TMSS) and Central Corentyne Secondary School (CCSS). This UCCA Competition committee is headed by former national Wicketkeeper batsman Sydney Jackman. (Samuel Whyte)
Calgary 2026 Winter Olympics bid dead after ‘no’ vote (Reuters) - Calgary’s hopes of hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics were dashed on Tuesday after citizens voted resoundingly against the western Canadian city’s plan to bid for the Games. More than 56 percent of voters said ‘No’ in the plebiscite, a surprisingly lopsided margin after both sides had expected a close call in the city which hosted the 1988 Winter Games. After witnessing a high turnout, with more than 304,000 ballots cast in a reflection of the interest in the poll, the unofficial results had 132,832 opting ‘For’ and 171,750 ‘Against’ Calgary making a bid to host the Games. The outcome was another blow for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has seen interest in hosting Games fall dramatically as the size and cost of staging the multi-sport event has sky-rocketed. The Calgary vote leaves Sweden’s Stockholm and an Italian bid involving Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo as the only candidates left in the race. Swiss city Sion, Japan’s Sapporo and Graz in Austria all withdrew earlier this year, while Turkey’s Erzurum was last month eliminated from the bidding process by the IOC, which will elect the winning bid in June 2019. “It (result) comes as no surprise following the political discussions and uncertainties right up until the last
few days,” the IOC said in a statement. “We understand the disappointment of all those involved in the candidature... who fought so hard for the Olympic project. “It is disappointing that the arguments about the sporting, social and longterm benefits of hosting the Olympic Games did not sway the vote. “We will continue our cooperation with Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo and Stockholm in order to ensure the best possible host for the Olympic Winter Games 2026.” BID FINISHED While the Calgary vote was non-binding, the 15member city council is expected to respect the outcome when it meets on Monday to decide whether to move the bid process forward. Calgary 2026 and Canada Olympic Committee (COC) acknowledged the people had spoken, with the former saying it would wrap up operations in the next few weeks. “We know that this was very divisive, but it’s time to put that behind us,” Calgary bid chief Mary Moran told supporters. “This all began with great promise: a chance to bring the Olympics and Paralympics home to Calgary and Canada. “A chance to re-establish our city on the world stage — put us back on the map... It all made sense, and it still makes sense.” The Calgary 2026 Bid Cor-
poration spent a reported C$10 million ($7.56 million) on the campaign for a yes vote but could not overcome a low budget grassroots effort to stop the bid. With high unemployment and an oil boom gone bust, residents were anxious about the cost of hosting the Games which the Calgary 2026 Olympic bid corporation estimated at C$5.1 billion. The Canadian city, which also hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, has some 85 percent of venues in place, but opponents have argued that the cost far exceed the benefits the Games might bring. “I think that people had enough of the establishment, telling us what to do, what to think,” local councillor Sean Chu said. “They tell you to spend millions, billions, it’s good for you.” The COC, meanwhile, said the vote represented a missed “unique opportunity” to bring a renewed vision to the Games. “The Canadian Olympic Committee respects the results of tonight’s plebiscite in Calgary, but we are disappointed with the outcome,” COC said in the statement. “The opportunity to welcome the world to Canada, where people can experience the uniting power of the Games and within our nation’s culture of peace and inclusion, would have offered countless benefits to all.” Beijing is hosting the next Winter Games in 2022.
Mark Braithwaite dominates 100 square boards as Draughts c/ship concludes The National Draughts Association Annual National Championship concluded last Sunday at the National Gymnasium. The game was contested on the 100 square boards. It was yet another keenly contested competition, with top players vying for the crown. Mark Braithwaite however, proved to be the better by winning four of his five matches. He amassed eight points to retain the Division’s title. Khemraj Pooranmall ended with a close seven points to take the second spot, while Jiaram with five points finished third. Steve Bacchus trailed on four points to snatch the fourth place. All top four players were awarded with trophies sponsored by Atlantic Marine Supplies Inc. and Rubis Bel Air.
From left Mark Braithwaite, Jiaram, Khemraj Pooranmall and Steve Bacchus display their trophies. The National Draughts Association would like to thank all the Sponsors for
their invaluable contributions towards the tournament to make it a grand success.
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Thursday November 15, 2018
Kaieteur News
Gold for Money claim Barbara Marshall birth anniversary dominoes crown
Gold for Money skipper Imtiaz Ali accepts the prize from Barbara Marshall.
The victorious Gold for Money team.
Gold for Money continued their fine form by winning the Barbara Marshall Birth Anniversary dominoes tournament which was contested recently at Thirsty Fox, Cemetery Road and D’Urban Street. Gold for Money chalked up 95 games with Andrew Hope scoring the maximum 18 games, while Shawn Morgan chalked 17, Imtiaz Ali 16 and Clarence Whitehead 12. National Drainage and Irrigation Authority finished with 77 games with Herman Nicholas scoring nine, while All Season’s Racing Service placed third on 74 games. Kevin Boston scored 16, Raymond Ali 12 John Freeman 12.
Praise Tabernacle AOG Linden Church Futsal
‘Two Pint Kero’ beat ‘Praise Prapa Pensioners’5-3 on penalties in final Following the successful staging of its Linden Inter Church Knock Out Futsal competition on Diwali Day at the Mackenzie Sports Club, the organisers have planned to stage the competition annually. Pastor Selwyn Sills’ Praise Tabernacle Assembly of God Church, situated in Watooka, Mackenzie Linden, decided to stage the inaugural tournament to widen the base of sport for those involved in the faith. It was also viewed as an opportunity to bring together the brethren in an atmosphere which is conducive to their spreading of the gospel and at the same time have fellowship. Some twelve teams participated and from all reports it was well received. Played under the brand of the main sponsor Banks DIH and its Rain Forest Water Brand, Manager Clive Pellew, Member of Parliament Jermaine Figuiera and Deputy Mayor of Linden Wainwright Bethune were there in attendance and an appreciative turnout where there was a simple ceremony to open the tournament. The first semifinals was played between Kingdom Restoration Ministries’ side ‘Two Pint Kero’ and Grace Ballers and won by Kingdom Ministries 7-3, while the second resulted in Praise Prapa Pensioners’ (PPP) under the prayerful captain Pastor Sills whipped Chapel Ballers 4-0. The final match was keenly contested between the Praise Prapa
NDIA Captain Herman Nicholas accepts his team prize.
Lusignan B, Mahaica Cavaliers, Golden Achievers, Enterprise A triumph
Meeting the teams (from left) Pastor Selwyn Sills, Clive Pellew and Jermaine Figuiera.
Pensioners and ‘Two Pint Kero’ and at the end of regulation time the score was 1-1. ‘Two Pint Kero’ from Kingdom Restoration Ministries however,
prevailed in the end to be victors from kicks from the penalty mark 53. In the third place match Grace Ballers defeated Chapel Ballers 4-2.
The preliminary rounds of the Enmore CCCC/Banks Beer 100 ball cricket tournament concluded last weekend at two venues on the East Coast of Demerara. At Lusignan, Lusignan B defeated Buxton SC by six wickets. Buxton SC batted first and were bowled out for 87 in 11overs. A. Singh took 3 for 14 from three overs. Lusignan B replied with 88 for 4 from 15 overs with Brian Sattaur scoring 32. Mahaica Cavaliers defeated Golden Achievers SC by six wickets. Golden Achievers SC batted first and scored 129 all out in 15.5 overs. Quincy Holder took 3 for 18 runs. Mahaica Cavaliers responded with 133 for 5 in 13.4 overs. P. Chowtie scored 57 not out. At Enterprise, Golden Achievers SC defeated Unstoppable SC by 64 runs. Golden Achievers SC made 162 for 8 off their 100 balls, taking first strike. Unstoppable SC were sent packing for 98 in reply. Enterprise A defeated Lusignan
Brian Sattaur B by 55 runs. Enterprise A batted first and posted 132 for 8. B. Samaroo got 34; K. Persaud took 3 for 24. Lusignan B were restricted to 77 for (Continued on page 25)
Thursday November 15, 2018
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Kaieteur News
EBFA/Ralph Green U-11 League
Grove hold slim lead, along with Timehri and Agricola are only unbeaten teams Grove Hi Tech are ahead of their rivals by the slimmest of margins following the third day of action in the Third Edition of the annual East Bank Football Association (EBFA) / Ralph Green Under-11 League which was contested at the Diamond Community Centre Ground on Saturday last. The matches were switched to this venue from the New Diamond Grove Primary School Ground since that venue was being used for the just concluded Local Government Elections. The widest margins of victory on the day were recorded by Diamond Upsetters and Agricola Red Triangle which defeated Samatta Point/ Kaneville and Kuru Kururu Warriors by identical 5-0 score lines. Hararuni Eagles and Herstelling Raiders recorded their first wins of the league, while Timehri Panthers continued their winning ways whilst Grove Hi Tech were held to an exciting 2-2 draw by Swan Football Club. Diamond Upsetters, led by a double each from Mohamed Amin in the 1st and
29th minutes and Huzaifa Kasim 15th and 25th minutes along with an own goal from Akeem Francois in the 6th minute was too much for Samatta Point to handle. Mickel Morris blasted to a helmet-trick to lead Agricola Red Triangle past Kuru Kururu Warriors. Morris was on target in the 21st, 25th, 30th and 31st minutes; Seon Grant backed up with one of his own in the 14th minute. Hararuni Eagles soared to their first win of the tournament by a solid 2-0 margin over the previously unbeaten, Diamond United. Josiah Ross in the 4th and Richmond Kanhai in the 29th minute were the players on target for the winners. Herstelling Raiders also posted their first win of the league and a tense one it was as they prevailed 3-2 over Friendship All Stars storming back from being two goals down. Friendship All Stars had cantered into the lead thanks to goals from Lloyd Baker in the 1st minute and Jaden McLean in the 10th minute.At that point, the Friendship lads were riding high and could not anticipate
the fight back that was on the horizon from the Herstelling boys. Timothy Melville halved the deficit in the 12th minute, while Herstelling drew level when Melville achieved his double in the 14th minute. The winning goal was converted by Ray Singh in the 29th minute to snatch a memorable win for the young Raiders. Timehri Panthers continued their unbeaten run with a 2-0 triumph over Mocha Champs. Their goals were scored by Jadon Tasher in the 13th minute and Omar Sam in the 17th minute. And Grove High Tech was held to a 2-2 draw by Swan FC which showed great resolve in fighting back from being two goals down. Jason Pluck and Joshua Fredericks had placed Grove into the lead though goals in the 3rd and 14th minute but the second half was all Swan’s as they fired back with unanswered goals in the 19th and 29th minutes thanks to Mc Lennon Roberts and Anderson Webster. The league will continue on Saturday at the same venue with six more matches.
Hararuni Eagles posted their first win. Team Grove Hi Tech Timehri Panthers Agricola Red Triangle Swan FC Diamond Upsetters Diamond United Friendship All Stars Hararuni Eagles Herstelling Raiders Mocha Champs Kuru Kururu Warriors Samatta Point KV
Following is the latest Points Standings: P W L D GF 4 3 0 1 15 3 3 0 0 18 3 3 0 0 15 3 2 1 0 9 3 2 1 0 7 3 1 1 1 7 4 1 2 1 8 3 1 2 0 2 3 1 2 0 3 3 0 3 0 0 3 0 3 0 0 3 0 3 0 0
GA 3 0 0 2 1 5 11 8 12 6 13 24
GD +12 +18 +15 +7 +6 -2 -3 -6 -9 -6 -13 -24
Pts 10 9 9 7 6 4 4 3 3 0 0 0
Guyana Karate College holds AGM
Students and officials during the GKC recently held AGM. The Guyana Karate College last Thursday hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM), at its main Dojo in Thomas Lands, the yearly mandatory gathering of its trustees, administrative board and members where they discussed the previous year’s
performance of the college and the strategy for the upcoming year.At the meeting the new board of trustees which was voted in for the upcoming year included Master Frank Woon-a-Tai, Shihan Maureen Woon-a-Tai, Shihan Josef Woon-a-Tai, Shihan Jef-
frey Wong, Senseis Dr. Guy Low, Aubrey Bettancourt, John Fernandes, Terrence Nicholas, Father Compton Meerabaux, Roger Peroune, Lawrence Low and Kenrick Cheeks. At the AGM they also established a Shihan-Kai, or
Masters Committee of senior Karatekas 6th Dan or higher with technical expertise to protect the Shotokan style of karate-do which included Jeffrey Wong, Senseis Dr. Guy Low, Aubrey Bettancourt, John Fernandes, Harrichand and Terrence Nicholas.
The board of directors that was elected are Chairman and Chief Instructor - Master Frank Woon-a-Tai, Deputy Chairman and Deputy Chief Instructor - Shihan Maureen Woon-a-Tai, Vice Chairman and Vice Chief Instructor Shihan Jeffrey Wong, Presi-
dent - Father Compton Meerabaux, Treasurer – Terrence Nicholas, Asst Treasurer Golda Campayne, Secretary Sharon Wong, Asst Secretary Tashana Wong. The Media and Public Relations Consultant is Waynewright Orderson.
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Thursday November 15, 2018
Kaieteur News
Australia Women’s Team visit East Ruimveldt Secondary
Students of the East Ruimveldt Secondary School were entertained by the players Australia Women’s Team yesterday paid a visit to East Ruimveldt Secondary as part of the ICC Cricket for Good School and Community Outreach Initiative. This is a global initiative of ICC and it is
being facilitated by Cricket West Indies in the three host venues of the Women’s World T20 2018. Some of the teams have visited a number of schools here; Pakistan were at
President’s College, India went to West Demerara Secondary School and New Zealand were at the Diamond Secondary School. The Aussies were treated to a Cultural Display (Guyana
Members of the Indian team going through their paces at Bourda. and Australia) and were involved in an exhibition Cricket Match with the students. They also presented tickets to students of the school before signing autographs and taking photo-
graphs. Some of the players also provided musical entertainment, while their Captain Meg Lanning received a commemorative plaque from the head teacher of the school. Australia have already
qualified for the semi finals and will take on India in their final preliminary game at Providence on Saturday. The Indian team which is being led by Mithali Raj had a net session yesterday at Bourda.
ASK-G conducts high level Exams; Three new 3rd Degree Black Belts awarded On Sunday last, Head of the IKD 9th Dan Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-a-Tai, 8th Dan Shihan Maureen Woona-Tai (IKD Vice-Chief Instructor) and 8th Dan Shihan Bernice Hughes, assisted by Amir Khouri 7th Dan, Tej Ramharichand 6th Dan and Roger Peroune 4th Dan, conducted a high level threeprong Karate examination at the YMCA Thomas Lands. The day started with ASK-G students and parents anxiously awaiting their performances at the examinations following exams for the White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, 3rd and 2nd KYU Brown belt students. There was lots of anxiety and anticipation ahead of the battle between the two youngest females and boys followed by two teenagers who showcased their abilities they were all well received. Subsequent to this, the action heated up in the battle for 3rd Dan Miller and Francis when they squared off. It was a fierce exchange of fists and feet from both parties who were equally competent. Things got more intense when Francis had to face off against Miller and two other opponents at the same time then Miller had to do the same with Francis and the other two opponents which brought with it non-stop action as well as some humor that had the
Students and Instructors take time out for a photo following the Exams on Sunday last. audience impressed with their performances.
Tiwari. 18 to Orange Belt:
Following are the full results: Name Club 3rd Dan promotions: 1. Trevon Miller YMCA 2. Malcolm Francis YMCA 3. Shakeem Walcott YMCA 1st Dan promotions: 1. Emily Santana Leon YMCA 2. Danielle Persaud YMCA 3. Jamar Pileymca 4. Shamar Francis YMCA 5. Andes Roberts YMCA 6. D’Andre DaSilva YMCA KYU promotions: (outstanding students who skipped in bold) 6 to Yellow Belt: Isaiah Browne, Donte Garraway, Anthony Angle, Chris Hicks, Stephen Buchana, Vijay
Ravindra Lalbachan, Joel Harry, Yuvraj Beharry, Giada Agdomar, Bethany Agdomar, Tyrone Niles, Mia Singh, Saif Tulla, Keith Williams, Darius Lamaison, Isaiah Anderson, Ethan Rosine, Elijah Rosine,
Sahira Ali, Jasmine Ramdas, Ajit Dehaan, Saskia Dyasindoo, Nelicia Higgins. 16 to Green Belt: Brian Small, Shawn Campbell, Xavier Lambert, Junxi Yang, Tyler Bess, Tyshaun Bess, Izaiah Abrams, Kyra Soares, Joshua Daniels, Shemar Fortune, Antol Griffin, Shaquan Stewart, Gurav Ram, Basdeo Bissessar, Rahman Yakub, Joshua Rampersaud. 9 to Blue Belt: Matthew Salim, Anuvani Gunpat, Kristen Samaroo, Romario Jaisingh, Thamishwar Dyasindoo, Micah Narine, Isaiyah Proctor, Joshua Nimar, Christian Rampersaud. 6 to Purple Belt: Yam Chan Chu, Nicholas Rampersaud, Luke Seabra, Malini Jainarain,
Gabriel Looch, Nicolai Adolph. 11 to Brown (3): Nathan Narine, Anastassia Seabra, Oudesh Ram, Brandon Foo, Obinna Utoh, Jasmine West, Akeem Mcpherson, Leandre Holder, Bhaskar Jaipersaud, Zac Hussain, Shinessa Boyce. 8 to Brown (2): Kevin Fraser, Christopher James, Andre Sookram, Bradley Fenty, Jared Rambissoon, Nalini Arjoon, Keyshawn Grant, Navindra Deonarine. 7 To Brown (1): Bohan Cao, Piya Parasram, Amara Nandan, Budhdave Singh, Angelo Harris, Bevon Jordan, Krisendat Phagoo. ASK-G is extending con-
gratulations to all the students who were successful also to instructors: Roger Peroune, Malcolm Francis, Keith Beaton, Patrick Gurahoo and Wanda Agdomar of the YMCA; Clinton Moriah (New Amsterdam), Hazrat Ali (Albion & Blairmont), Parmeshwar Persaud (Canaan) and Mahadeo Ramotar (GFK) for their collective commitment towards the development of Karate and the Karatekas. Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-a-Tai is holding intensive Instructors and Judges training sessions at the GKC and ASK-G YMCA until he wings out next Tuesday.
Kaieteur News
Thursday November 15, 2018
PAGE 31
Terrence Alli National Open punches off this weekend at Gymnasium
GDF’s Delroy Fordyce (right) goes through the defense of his stable mate Delroy Leacock to win on points during last year’s c/ship (Sean Devers photo)
A
ll systems are in place for this weekend’s Terrence Alli National Open boxing championships which is being hosted by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue from tomorrow to Sunday. The event, which is being held in tribute to former National Champion Terrence Alli, will see 15 anticipated grand amateur
throw-downs each night from 19:00hrs sharp. The medical and weigh-in for the competition will be tomorrow at the host venue with over 40 pugilists from over 10 gyms expected. Top fighters who will be looking to reassert their dominance in the amateur arena include former champions in Jason Barker of Republican Boxing Gym, Dennis
Annual Balram Shane Cricket and Volleyball competition set for Sunday in Berbice The 17th annual Balram Shane challenge Fund raising 50 overs cricket match and the sixth annual Volleyball competition is fixed for this Sunday at the Albion Sports Complex. The day’s activity is being sponsored by Businessman Deonarine Balram of The Balram Shane General store, Rose Hall Town Corentyne. The cricket match will be played between long time rivals Albion Community Center and Port Mourant Community Center. A day full of action is expected since matches between the two teams are always keenly contested, while the volleyball competition will see the best volleyball teams in the County spiking it out for top honours.The winning team will receive the Balram Shane Memorial trophy and cash incentives, the runner up will be also adequately rewarded. A number of individual awards will be up for grabs including the man of the match, best bowler and best batsman. Meanwhile, the sixth annual senior inter club volleyball competition organised by The Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) will be played simultaneously
on the hard court.Most of the top volleyball teams in Berbice including Port Mourant Training Center (PMTC), Training Center, Port Mourant Jaguars, Rollers of New Amsterdam, Jets Of Corriverton, Teams from Orealla/ Siparuta up the Corentyne River, Black Bush Polder No53 Survivors among others are expected to participate. According to organiser Deonarine Balram the competitions are being played in memory of his father who was a former cricketer and sports enthusiast. He stated that it is also their way of giving back to the community from which they garner their support in a tangible way. Proceeds from the competitions will be dived equally and distributed to the two cricket teams. Other organisations will also benefit from the proceeds of the game.The top teams and outstanding individual players will be presented with trophies and cash incentives by the sponsor and his family who will be on hand to bowl the first ball and do the first serve in the volleyball competition. Starting time is 09:30 hrs. (Samuel Whyte)
Flashback! 16-time champions GDF pose with Captain Watts and Coach Terrence Pool (left) after winning the 2017 championship.
Thomas of Police Boxing Gym, Colin “Superman” Lewis (Junior Welterweight champion) of GDF, Keevin Allicock (Bantamweight champion) of FYF, Dennis Thomas (Light Heavyweight champion) of GPF. In the meat of the action will be Caribbean Middleweight champion, Desmond Amsterdam of GDF gym but the lightweight division will be open since the last
Champion, Joel Williamson of Rose Hall Jammers boxing gym in Berbice, has gone professional, so a new champion in this division will be crowned. Defending champions, the Guyana Defence Force Gym have won this competition for the past 16 years but stiff competition from the Republican, Forgotten Youth Foundation and Guyana Police Force gyms are anticipated.
A c c o r d i n g t o Te c h n i c a l Director of the GBA, Terrence Poole, this tournament will give the national selectors the ideal forum for examining abilities and a National team will go into camp soon after for the Caribbean Boxing Championships which will be hosted in Guyana next month at the Cliff Anderson Admission to the venue is $500 for each night; $1000 ringside.
Farfan and Mendes Junior Skill Level Squash Tournament 2018 underway
T
he Farfan and Mendes Junior Skill Level To u r n a m e n t b e g a n o n Tuesday at the Georgetown Club Inc. courts. First to serve off was Tiana Gomes against Romaro Muniram in a category G match up. After a run of three strong serves, Gomes pulled out ahead 3/0, but Muniram took charge thereafter and did not concede another point to take the first game 11/3. On similar form he secured the second game 11/2 to win the match 2/0. Category D saw an even matchup between Teija Edwards and Beau Fernandes with their contest going to five games. It was anyone’s game as the girls battled it out with each having a strong run of points in their respective victories. Beau held out in the third for a 14/12 win but in the end Edwards pulled through to take the match 7/11, 11/6, 12/14, 11/6, 11/8. In category B, recently returned Demetrius DeAbreu came up against the ever improving Mohryan Baksh and both entertained spectators with long rallies, superb drops and skilful returns. DeAbreu fought hard to
fend off an eager Baksh, and after conceding a wellearned game to the younger player, emerged triumphant with an 11/4, 6/11, 11/7, 11, 7 win. Also showing much improved form was Lucas Jonas against star player Abosaide Cadogan, as he surprisingly pushed her to the full five games. Jonas’s solid drives and powerful cross courts forced Cadogan to stretch herself and call upon her outstanding agility on court to keep ahead. Jonas was clever in placement and switched pace to wrong foot Cadogan, but she proved too much and secured her victory with well executed returns and great lengths; finishing up 11/7, 9/11, 11/6, 12/14, 11/4. Louis DaSilva, Christiana Fernandes and the Persuad siblings; Dhiren and Aishani, were among the first night winners of the Farfan and Mendes 2018 Skill level tournament. Play continues tomorrow evening from 6pm where the first matches of Category A and H will take place alongside the next bouts of the other categories. Results of the matches played on Tuesday were as follows.
Abosaide Cadogan
Demetrius DeAbreu
Category B Abosaide Cadogan beat Lucas Jonas 11/7, 9/11, 11/6, 12/14, 11/4 Demetrius DeAbreu beat Mohryan Baksh 11/4, 6/11, 11/7, 11/7 Category C Louis DaSilva beat Shiloh Asregado 11/7, 11/2, 11/5 Category D Lajuan Munroe beat Joshua Verwey 11/4, 11/9, 11/5 Teija Edwards beat Beau Fernandes 7/11, 11/6, 12/14, 11/6, 11/8. Category E Dhiren Persaud beat Rayad Boyce 11/3, 11/4. Aishani Persaud beat Arvin Seelall 8/11, 11/6, 12/10 Angel Rahim beat Lucas Persaud 10/12, 11/5, 11/8 Category F
Christiana Fernandes beat Malia Maikoo 11/6, 6/11, 11/3 Kaden Pynaendy beat Matthew Spooner 11/4, 11/8 Safirah Summer beat Noah Rahaman 11/5, 11/6 Grant Fernandes beat Malia Maikoo 11/8, 13/11 Grant Fernandes beat Kaden Pynaendy 11/7, 11/7 Category G Brenno DaSilva beat Tristan Seereeram 11/2, 11/2 Romero Muniram beat Tiana Gomes 11/3, 11/2 Romero Muniram beat Brenno DaSilva 12/10, 11/4, 11/4
t r o Sp
Australia Women’s Team visit East Ruimveldt Secondary P. 30
Members of the Australian team in an exhibition game with the students.
Australia Women’s Captain Meg Lanning accepts the plaque from the Head Teacher.
ASK-G conducts high level Exams; Three new 3rd Degree Black Belts awarded P. 30
Action in the 3rd Dan Black Belt showdown.
Terrence Alli National ICC Women’s World Twenty20: Open punches off this Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh P. 31 weekend at Gymnasium to retain semi-final hope P. 25 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.