Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 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 TRUMP PICKS SAUDI ARABIA OVER CIA ON KHASHOGGI’S MURDER The murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident, Saudi Arabia critic and Washington Post columnist on October 2, has taken a new twist. The CIA has concluded that the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. ordered the assassination in Istanbul last month. This contradicts the Saudi government’s claims that bin Salman was not involved in the killing. After weeks of repeated denials by the Saudi government, its chief prosecutor has finally acknowledged that the murder was premeditated and that it took place at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. While the whereabouts of his body are still unknown, Turkish officials have alleged that Khashoggi has been targeted and brutally murdered by Saudi Arabia officials who received orders from a senior person in the Saudi government. However, President Trump has disapproved of the CIA findings and is in lock-step with Saudi Arabia’s government. According to Turkish officials, Khashoggi, who was critical of the powerful Saudi Crown Prince, was killed as soon as he entered the consulate and his body dismembered by a team sent from Riyadh. This was revealed by the chief prosecutor after an investigation into the murder of Khashoggi. The killing subjected the crown prince to intense scrutiny from the U.S, Britain, France and other countries, but the chief prosecutor stated that murder resulted from a rogue operation that was carried out by individuals who acted beyond their authority. This was echoed by the Saudi government, which has denied any involvement by the Crown Prince, even though two of his closest aides were suspected of having been involved. The killing has brought into sharp focus the violations of human rights by Saudi Arabia as Britain, France and Germany and other European states pushed Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record. As the pressure grows on Saudi Arabia, its chief prosecutor has announced that he would seek the death penalty for the five suspects charged in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.However, Turkish officials believe that the Saudis are using the five suspects as scapegoats to absolve the Crown Prince and appease the U.S and the other Western countries.Despite Saudi Arabia’s denial that the Crown Prince had anything to do with the murder, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi Arabian officials allegedly involved in the case, including senior advisors and relatives to the Crown Prince. Although the sanctions were the first concrete steps taken by the U.S to Khashoggi’s death, many senators and House representatives felt that the sanctions were a slap on wrist in that they did not target the Saudi government directly. The measure was unusual for the U.S, which rarely imposes sanctions on Saudi nationals. The U.S. sanctions came as lawmakers from both parties had urged the Trump administration to take tougher steps against Saudi Arabia by canceling the lucrative arms sales and severing ties with one of the U.S most important strategic partners in the Middle East. But President Trump has ignored the advice and has vowed to protect the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration is not prepared to hold the Crown Prince accountable for Khashoggi’s murder.Since taking office, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on human rights abusers around the world, including governments, organizations and on more than 80 individuals. The targets range from army generals in Myanmar to senior government officials in Nicaragua and Venezuela to a former Gambian president. But the Trump administration has refused to sanction Saudi Arabia’s government for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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

Are we reading the political signs in Guyana correctly? Dear Editor, As a concerned Guyanese, it was with no surprise when I read the Local Government Election s (LGE) results, which indicated a poor showing by both the PNC/R and the AFC. I question myself to determine if after three years in Government, is this situation now in reverse? It will be remissed of me not to mention that my opinion is based upon my right to hold the “collective feet” of my Government to the fire in order for them to awaken from their political slumber and improve on their delivery to the citizens of Guyana. On the last election day, I noticed a very poor turnout for the two Government side parties. Is this because their supporters believed it was not important to vote or is it really that they feel disenchanted? I took note of the Disciplined Services voter turnout, which concretizes my belief that all is not well as we think it should be. What is really wrong here? There is an important

election and apparently nobody cares. I am awaiting the Finance Minister’s approach towards the suffering NIS pensioners who have worked and struggled to pay their NIS from their first working

day only to be given a paltry sum of less than US$200 a month. How much more callous can they be treated? Is there no one with conscience enough to stand up and say that it is wrong? A nation is judged by the way it

treats its elderly and we should be cognizant of that fact at all times. We must be seen as doing better things for all of Guyana. This is no time for fancy political footwork and shadow (Continued on page 7)

Still we rise! Dear Editor, Jesus said these hard words, as he hung on the cross, “My father why has though forsaken me?” The answer to it was that in His death, there was a greater victory, He will c o n q u e r d e a t h ! Some black brothers today ask, God why did you not intervene when our ancestors were sold into slavery? Is it because in their suffering, that they too won a great victory; one that cause us to conquer the hate of our oppressors, and prove to all that a man is not to be judged by the colour of his skin. Someone once said, “From slave ship to championship. From hardship to scholarship. From trash house to the white house.” Is God showing us as a people that we are and can be anything we want to be? You may not see it this way, but there is a story told about a Hebrew boy called Joseph ,and his father, who loved him so much , that he gave him a coat of many colours. This coat became the object of the envy of his own brothers; they threw him into a pit. He was also sold into slavery, and wrongfully put into

prison, like many of the young ones in America today, but that boy did not get bitter at God, he got better with God and he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Are we Joseph? Hated for our covering by others, put into prisons by some, and even killed, but our story continues. We continue to give to the world witty inventions, entertain them with our super stars, in music and sports, and many of our intellectual sit alongside the best, and yes, I c a n g o o n . Is the words of our sister Maya Angelou and I quote, “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies. You may trod me in the dirt, but, still like dust, I’ll rise,” the true anthem of our people. Are we like Jesus, also chosen for the resurrection? How important it is for us to know who we are. For only then will we be able to fulfill Destiny. Like Joseph, like Jesus, and like the poet says, then we will we be able take our p l a c e a t t h e t o p . Yours faithfully, Apostle Adrian Wade

Sunday November 25, 2018

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The mercenary lobby of parasites against the innovative soul DEAR EDITOR, Again in Sunday’s Kaieteur News, 18 November 2018, Freddie Kissoon persists through his column in the nauseating ignorance and contempt through his crusade against establishing a legal platform to liberate Guyana’s creative soul through Copyright legislation; from the isolation of poverty and the consistent violation of their human rights by plagiarists, parasites and pirates with illegal and legal finances who crave the continued exploitation and slavery of talents drugged by mirages, into the exploitation of their creative passions and the inevitable result of faded mirages. To be fed the crumbs of their talents that fall from the table of slippery pirates that prey on their ignorance and needs, allowed by outdated laws, that this government must now address and historically give its due, condignly in the interest of its too long affected citizenry. The overall deception of the column is a lengthy nar-

rative of publicly known poster picks of actors, sports people, musicians that are not related or enforced by reference to their prevailing circumstance in any case, but intended as an illusion to convince Guyanese that they have no ‘Talented People;’ that they are better off slaves, existing without rights. The indoctrination of a talented people into the selfhate, self-loathing of considering themselves talentless in the face of what they have done without encouragement, like special skills development, marketing and legal support in their country of birth is the crescendo. ‘The climax of the colonial achievement over a colonised soul,’

in this case as with utterances before, Freddie is the classic colonial, intending to colonise us for his hidden masters, as it is obvious that he knows nothing about IPR’s. Not included in his deceitful list are Guyanese who he thinks that the ordinary Guyanese, especially the young, are unaware of, as the PPP his organizational bedfellow in the anti-copyright thrust have tried to suppress and smother from the national consciousness during their twenty-three years. The list I present of citizens at home and abroad [many accomplished abroad] are all related to copyright ownership; Martin Carter, Norman Beaton, Ramjohn

Holder, Aubrey Williams, Denis Williams, E.R Braithwaite, Billy Moore, Bill Rogers, C.C.H Pounder, Dudley Charles, Sammy Baksh, Letitia Wright, Melainie Fiona, Harold Bascom, Sean Patrick Thomas, Sash Persaud, Vanessa Lee Chester, Wilson Harris, Grace Nichols, and a host of

other names known, have performed and are performing outside of Guyana. The locally residing talents Freddie has contemptuously thrown aside are Ezzie Rockliffe, Burchmore Simon, Mike Jordan, Young Bill Rogers, and me, our Young Animators, playwrights, acting talents set designers, mu-

sicians, visual artists, novelists, jewellery designers, furniture designers, owners of family recipes, fashion designers, all that constitute cultural industries, that copyright law will empower. Freddie is paying some obligation with these clueless columns that he has written; (Continued on page 7)

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

Prayers are needed at the University of Guyana Graduation Ceremony DEAR EDITOR, I took the time to look at the recent University of Guyana Graduation Ceremony and made some observations, which are as follows: The opening of the ceremony was about speeches and introducing of speakers but I haven’t seen any form

of prayers from any religious leader to bless the convocation ceremony. It seems as if our highest institution of learning is becoming an atheistic institution of academics and graduates but forgetting God who gives man all wisdom and knowledge. Without God, we are useless, educa-

What are the rules for police “stop and search” in Guyana? DEAR EDITOR, The report in Kaieteur News of 23-11-18, titled “More stopand-search, police patrols for Region Two”, caught my attention for two reasons. For one, the fact that the Commander of the GPF ‘G’ Division made a presentation on his Christmas policing plan to regional civil society stakeholders struck me as a welcome act in police/public relations. Should such presentations be a standard procedure for all police divisions countrywide, then full praise is due to the Force. But, secondly, I took note of the intention of the police to increase “stop and search” operations to combat the expected upsurge of crime over Christmas. Here is my concern, “What are the rules of engagement in Guyana, for police “stop and search”? Do the Guyana police need to first have, as in America, “reasonable suspicion that the individual has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime? ” If so, are the ranks of the police force aware of the legal contours of such suspicion? Even beyond the critical issue of reasonable suspicion, we additionally have to understand what is the scope of police power when they actually “stop and search” someone. In American law (at least, in theory), when a police rank has reasonable suspicion to stop someone, it is only to question (not search) him or her as a first step. As a second step, however, US police are empowered to frisk that person only to the extent necessary to ensure the officers own safety or that of nearby others. Of course, there has been much abuse of these police powers in the US, with Blacks and Latinos bearing the brunt, despite clear rules on what is reasonable suspicion and when and how to conduct a frisk. The whole question of “stop and frisk” has come under relentless legal and political pressure that the New York police have reduced the practice by 94% over the last several years. The questions then for our police force are (i) is reasonable suspicion required?, (ii) If so, how do the ranks operationalise it on the ground, and (iii) what is the scope of the search of persons, their belongings, and their vehicles? Sherwood Lowe

tion will not help us but lead us into more moral degradation and chaos. What fascinated me was the long, drawn-out speeches by these professors. I am bothered why one professor had to share his entire life story and the graduates have to sit in gowns and caps in a very hot environment. Why so many long speeches? Why so much talking about the Vice Chancellor? Nothing was spoken about the Chancellor. What is the role of the Chancellor? In these long academic speeches, nothing is mentioned about God and moral education. T.S. Eliot, the American Poet and Nobel Laureate had this to say from his verses from The Rock. ‘’Endless invention, endless experiment, Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness; Knowledge of speech, but not of silence; Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word. All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance, All our ignorance brings us nearer to death, But nearness to death no nearer to God . Where is the Life we have

lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries Bring us farther from God and nearer to the Dust.’’ These are profound words of truth in magnificent symbolism and classic imagery. T.S. Eliot is telling us in simple words ‘’all our intellect, wisdom, knowledge leads us into ignorance away from God. I believe the University of Guyana needs a Faculty of Theology/Divinity to educate students morally, spiritually, academically and a profound knowledge in Holy Scriptures; the teachings of Ethics, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Theology, Rhetoric, Poetry, Literature, Comparative Religion, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and some Sanskrit will produce some more efficient scholars. When we remove God from any institution of learning, we remove ‘life itself in its full spiritual dimension. We are blinded from God’s truth and divine light when He is left out from our lives. Mahatma Gandhi had these things to say about education:

‘’Purity of personal life is the one indispensable condition for building up a sound education. An education, which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other, is a misnomer Real education has to draw out the best from the boys and girls to be educated. Literary education must follow the education of the hand-the one gift that distinguishes man from beast.’’ Prolific words of great wisdom from this great soul. “Education” has been derived from the Latin term “Educatum”, which means the act of teaching or training. A group of educationists say that it has come from another Latin word “Educare”, which means “to bring up” or “to raise”. According to a few others, the word “Education” has originated from another Latin term “Educere”, which means “to lead forth” or “to come out”. All these meanings indicate that education seeks to nourish the good qualities in man and draw out the best in every individual. Education seeks to develop the innate inner capacities of man.

- Vivekanand, “Education is the manifestation of the divine perfection, already existing in man.” - Tagore: “The widest road leading to the solution of all our problems is education.” - Sri Aurobindo: “Education which will offer the tools whereby one can live for the divine, for the country, for oneself and for others and this must be the ideal of every school which calls itself national”. - Socrates: “Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal validity which are latent in the mind of every man”. - Aristotle: “Education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body. It develops man’s faculty, especially his mind so that he may be able to enjoy the contemplation of supreme truth, goodness and beauty of which perfect happiness essentially consists. It is my sincere hope that our academics at UG can include prayers in the opening graduation ceremonies. I will be willing to give my services pro bono to this magnificent institution of learning. God bless you all. Regards, Rev.Gideon Cecil

UTMOST DISRESPECT BY THE OPERATORS OF THIS BOAT COMPANY seek some assistance in get- deal with these matters. Upon

DEAR EDITOR About 15 others and I are victims of a boat accident that happened on 6th October 2018, in the Mazaruni River. On the said date, I was an outbound passenger on a boat heading to Georgetown. At about 7:45 that evening, we crashed into a big rock. The impact was sudden and everyone was tossed from their sitting positions. I felt the pain immediately creeping up my shinbone, which made contact with the metal seat in front of me. In observing others, I saw almost everyone was hurt in some way or another. Blood was visible on two passengers. One man’s leg was oozing blood while another person was dripping blood from his nose. We exited the boat to take refuge on the said rock after realizing the aluminum boat was taking in water very quickly. With no form of communication on board and night already on us; the captain made an assessment of the damage and found that there were two holes. All of us in our hurt state gave a helping hand bailing water

from the boat and opening up the flooring in order to plug to the holes. It took us close to two hours before the boat was plugged and the captain cleared us to move on to Bartica. We reached Bartica at around 10:00 p.m. At the Bartica Police Station, it was very visible that something was not right. However, the officers at the police station asked us what was wrong and was told of the accident. After booking us in at the station, they urged us to hurry and depart for Parika because we were not supposed to be traveling so late. After spending close to an hour there, we departed for Parika. Those of us heading to Georgetown were put in a minibus and dropped off at the Stabroek Market Bus Park at about 1:00 a.m that evening and left to make our way home from there as we were. On the 8th day of the said month, my wife and I (I was limping, because my leg was swollen) visited the office of the speedboat operators to

ting medical attention. We were told by the company manager that the matter was being investigated and I would have to seek medical attention using my own funds until the investigation is over. After one week of being home resting, I began to feel sharp pains in my back and lower thigh. I took it for nothing until one day the pain almost made me cry. I had never felt anything like this in all my life. After two and a half days or more, I called River Quest office to see what was happening with the investigation. The same company manager told me the company has a policy and they don’t refund, and is not responsible for what happened. I then asked who was investigating this accident and was told the Bartica Police Station. After hanging up, I called the Bartica Station and was told they don’t have any report of any accident and I should check the Maritime Office because they are the ones to

inquiring, I made a formal and then a written report to the Maritime Office. On 13th November 2018, I was called to the Maritime Office to have a confrontation with the boat staff and management. Present were two investigating officers from maritime and two females and one male observing the interview. T hey admitted to having the accident and not reporting it. They also admitted to not offering any assistance to me or anyone else, along with other violations. Editor, to date, I have not seen or heard anything in the media of this company being held accountable for their actions. It is a gross disrespect to all of the passengers who could have died because of negligence by the boat supervisor. This could have been your family members or loved ones. Please help me to expose this blatant disrespect for the rule of law and also the disregard for human life. Yours respectfully, Paul Howell.

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APNU, beware of the Manchurian candidates DEAR EDITOR, I wish to remind my comrades in the APNU that one of the strategies of the People’s Progressive Party Civic is to lure unstable community leaders to serve as their Manchurian candidates. When they cannot get their way in a community that they seek control of, they work with their ‘imbeds’ to undermine development in subtle ways and use it to score bragging points with gullible residents. Every APNU-led council in Guyana was faced with the ‘Manchurian ploy’ of the PPP/ C over the years and their implants are in administrations and councils. Linden is a prime example where persons in administrations and councils were serving the Manchurian purpose. I experienced this first hand during my tenure as Mayor- lost some battles and won others. In the end, as I was able to fulfill my purpose through partnership with the community and assurance from my heavenly father that my character matters most. APNU cannot risk a Manchurian candidate at the helm of the municipality of Linden heading into 2020, neither can we afford ‘undermines’ from our own comrades who blindly misinterpret their role as “Party Representatives” and serve the interest of the Opposition. The refreshing democracy, which exists with the APNU allowed local authorities to lead in the interest of vulnerable people, but this democratic freedom was mis-

construed by some who felt they should ignore the will of the people, only fulfill their selfish desires, listen to no party leader, reject the vision of the party and curse the coalition leaders who submit an opposing view- as minutes of meetings would indicate. To be a good leader and give directions, one must first learn to be a good follower and take directions. Good leaders are also trainable and never come with all the answers. Hence, the party’s wishes were denied time and time again in Linden and the late Sandra Adams had to muscle her way on several occasions. Certain councillors even took to social media to belittle her and the party and then caucused to go against the recommended choice of a new Mayor as my successor, since I had signaled my intention to proceed on studies. They had their way and the APNU leadership then embraced the policy of a p p e a s e m e n t , ‘manchurinism’ won, the PPP got their wish for a destabilized and unders e r v e d L i n den and the people voiced their objection through the recent local government elections. ‘Anti-Manchurinism’ sentiments can be justified in this circumstance and with 2020 in view the Coalition government cannot take things for granted and will need to make many political decisions in order to fulfill its mandate and to successfully deliver on its manifesto promises. Linden needs a strong

leader and deputy who will act on the party’s behalf and the people’s behalf with a focus on reaching community needs while bringing the people in consolidation for 2020. Linden can once again deliver the knockout blow to the oppressive PPP . As such, I would recommend Proportional Representative Candidate Deron Adams be elected Mayor and Constituency 3 Representative Leroy James serve as his Deputy. Time to reject manchurinism and any PPP in-road in Linden. Finally, whatever happens in Georgetown affects the rest of the municipalities in varying ways and to varying degrees. The APNU’s choice for Mayor will be equally significant in winning back the trust of the people and APNU’s largest voting bloc. Furthermore, in the last general election, youths played a major role in unseating the barbaric PPP Government. It is now time to show youths that their contribution to our nation is most valuable. Akeem Peter’s elevation to Deputy Mayor was a good start, but his stint in the current dispensation

makes him polarizing to the constituents despite his good-natured temperament. APNU cannot afford divergence at this time and must choose wisely someone who will provide humble leadership- one who is trainable, youthful and possesses the capacity to lead a new path for Georgetown. I see such qualities in young Denroy Tudor as Mayor and Ubraj Narine as Deputy. Alternatively, a more seasoned Deputy to be considered is Alfred Mentore. It is time to make wise decisions and beware of choices, which can undermine the Coalition’s interest. All other local organs will play a significant role in deciding the fate of the government at the next general elections. Moreover, all must be assessed when considering second chances. Georgetown is the capital city and therefore easy to be spotlighted, but don’t be fooled by the disguise of other towns obscured in the dark. Guyana cannot afford the Israelites’ out of Egypt’s cry. Beware. Carwyn Holland Former Mayor of Linden

The mercenary...

From page 6 he has never paid attention to the arts, and can’t tell you he has danced to Mischievous Guys, Telstars, Yoruba Singers, or knows who Pamela Maynard or Rita Forrester or Freddie Sancharry are; no one is supposed to know everything. Copyright r e j e c t i o n t r a n s c e n d s F r e d d i e Kissoon, it revolves around the political nepotism that created radio stations and T.V stations proposed to grow wealthy on piracy and the local exploitation of talents, the continuous printing of school texts, and part ownerships of all mentioned by that piranha self serving at all costs Party cabal. This brings the activism of potential copyright beneficiaries into serious focus. After Freddie evaporates, they will use their known cultural norm, to attempt bribery at the level of parliament of any government parliamentarian to marginalise Guyana’s creative potential to serve their narrow agenda. Yours faithfully, Barrington Braithwaite

Are we reading the ... From page 4 boxing. The LGE results are a serious indictment to the Government parties and their performance therein. Get on the ground, meet with your people, let them be satisfied that you are working for them. Let us not be like Emperor Nero who sat fiddling whilst Rome burnt. The year 2020 is on the horizon and disenchanted people will have their say then. Can my Government afford to take that chance? It will be one of the most historical years for Guyana, too much is at stake. While awaiting the reading of the 2019 budget, my gut feeling signals that I should not hold my breath for it is said, “He who never expects is never disappointed.” Orin Major.

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Guyana, Aruba to have direct flights soon

GCAA Director General, Egbert Field and Department of Civil Aviation, Aruba, Acting Director-General, Anthony Kirchner Representatives of Guyana and Aruba have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate the process for the facilitation of direct flights between the two countries. The signing took place at Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) where the 2018 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Transport Meeting was held. The memorandum was signed on November 22. Director-General for the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Egbert Field, and Acting Director-General, Department of Civil Aviation, Aruba, Anthony Kirchner, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective countries. Field said the initiative began a few months ago after Aruba Airlines signalled its intention to begin flights to

Guyana. “We must proceed with open skies; that’s the view of this authority. We must go further afield in the signing of not only MOUs, but air services agreements. These instruments are the elements and basis on which airlines could ride on. “There must be increased equipment. With this in place, any airline wishing to operate in Guyana is invited to apply to conduct operations. The doubling of air traffic will have a boom for them. GCAA is happy to complete the agreement,” Col. Field explained Representatives of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had announced, weeks in advance, that they would use the event to capitalize on opportunities for air services agreements

with countries that sent representatives. -General, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Egbert Field and Acting DirectorGeneral, Department of Civil Aviation, Aruba, Anthony Kirchner exchanges the MOU. Director-General, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Egbert Field and Acting Director-General, Department of Civil Aviation, Aruba, Anthony Kirchner exchanges the MOU. Director-General, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Egbert Field and Acting Director-General, Department of Civil Aviation, Aruba, Anthony Kirchner exchanges the MOU

Sunday November 25, 2018

‘G’ Division committed to eradicating criminal activities during holiday season As the holiday season approaches, it is likely that there will be a nationwide influx of visitors, accompanied by an increase in commercial activities and road traffic, hence the opportunities for crime. The Guyana Police Force, ‘G’ Division, during its Christmas Policing Presentation on Wednesday, however, indicated its readiness to tackle crime during the festive season. The presentation which was facilitated at the Zara Computer Center, Suddie, included key stakeholders of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force and the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce. The Division’s Commander, Mr. Khali Pareshram, said that the intention of the Guyana Police Force is to minimize the activities of criminal elements to ensure safer neighbourhoods. Kaieteur News understands that the Force’s jurisdiction includes the Pomeroon, the Essequibo Coast and the Essequibo Islands. As such, the division will be broken down into three sectors. The Commander explained that during the festive season, there will be an increase in commercial activities and tourism. Criminals, he said, take advantage of the season as increased money transactions and congestion make it seem all effortless to commit a crime. The commander explained that the Guyana Police Force must increase its posture during the season. As was explained on last

G’Division Commander, Khali Pareshram.” Wednesday, there has already been an increase in police activities throughout the region. The Commander said that there will be an increase in stop and search operations, mobile patrols, targeting of criminal hotspots and the heightening of special operations until January 15, 2019. He added, “There will be an increase in our mobile patrol, beat, backlands and marine patrols, heighten vigilance by ranks around night spots, post offices, commercial banks and all commercial areas” Pareshram said that even more importantly, added emphasis will be placed on the Region’s ports of entries as the Division continues to monitor activities on the Supenaam and Charity waterfronts. The Charity waterfront is the gateway to the Pomeroon,

Moruca, Region One and even neighbouring Venezuela. As part of this year’s Christmas policing strategies, the Force will also be monitoring the arrival of Venezuelan migrants and other foreigners. Civilians, on the other hand, were advised to make adequate use of the GPF advisories. Residents were advised to minimize the use of liquid cash, and maximize the use of their ATM cards. Wallets purses and cell phones are to be secured at all times. Residents, primarily business owners, were advised to secure their DVR and ensure that their CCTV cameras are active. The Commander said, “Since the 911 system is up and running, any citizen can make a 911 call from any location in the Region. Though the call will be forwarded to Georgetown, it will be redirected to the station.”

Sunday November 25, 2018

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EU, Guyana conclude Voluntary DEM BOYS SEH Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Soulja Bai should tek a

page from dis man’s book

Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman signs the documents

T

he EU and Guyana have concluded ne gotiations on a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). The new agreement will give EU-based timber buyers assurance that timber products from Guyana are legal. It will help improve forest governance, tackle illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products. Through the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, Guyana will tackle trade in timber that has been illegally harvested, transported or pro-

cessed. In this way, Guyana will improve market access for law-abiding businesses, as well as modernise its forestry sector, create jobs, promote sustainable development and protect the rights of indigenous peoples. Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said, “This is an important step towards promoting the sustainable development of timber trade, protecting our planet and at the same time creating jobs and contributing to the competitiveness of the forestry sector. The EU is committed to supporting

Guyana’s efforts to implement the Voluntary Partnership Agreement in the years ahead.” Raphael Trotman, Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources, said “The forestry sector in Guyana is an important contributor to the national economy, generating jobs and helping to reduce poverty. The Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the EU will help Guyana to develop the sector by improving forest management and governance. By rooting out illegality, it will boost trade and contribute to Guyana’s (Continued on page 67 )

Dem boys want everybody to know, de one thing you have dat nobody else has is you…your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write, draw and build; play, dance and live as only you can. Dem boys hope Soulja Bai tek note of those words. Guyana got a voice, a vision and a story dat he got to preserve. De country still struggling wid dis thing called local content. It means all oil companies must use all de equipment, labour and services dat Guyana has before dem look elsewhere. Once de price right and de goods available then de oil companies must tek de service from Guyana. A Minister of Equatorial Guinea cancel all contracts

with a U.S.-based oil service company, because it didn’t comply wid de local content regulations in dat country. De Minister seh, he got an obligation to mek sure all dem oil people respect de laws of he country. “Companies operating in the oil sector have an obligation to work within the confines of our very flexible and practical local content regulations.” Dat is wha de Minister seh.Further to dis, de man seh he will continue to work with oil companies operating in his country to cancel contracts and find new suppliers for companies dat have refused to comply with local content regulations. Soulja Bai should tek note. Dat country got National

Content Regulation since 2014. All agreements must have local content clauses and provisions for capacity building. De clause give preference to local or regional companies fuh service contracts. Local shareholders must be part of every contract according to de law. Guyana ain’t got no local content regulation. Dat is why ExxonMobil coulda buy couple dhall puri and channa wid sour and call dat local content. Dem put an ad in de newspaper defending demself and dem seh dat is local content. Exxon tek advantage and Soulja Bai should know dis. Talk half and hope de people he appoint wake up and smell de reality.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Goldman Sachs used lavish foreign trips, prostitutes to garner influence of Libya’s Natural Resource Fund

BEWARE GUYANA…

…Ended up mismanaging close to US$1.3B By Kiana Wilburg

T

he Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), one of the world’s richest Natural Resource Funds, lost over US$1.2B when it hired an American security and investment banking company, Goldman Sachs, to manage the Fund’s investments. Libyan authorities accused the Bank of

exploiting the fund’s inexperienced staff and pushing them into a series of “inappropriate” transactions. They even alleged that Goldman Sachs laid on lavish corporate hospitality and tried to garner influence with foreign trips and prostitutes. Taking this case into consideration, Economist and Fund specialist, Andrew Bauer, has warned that the Coalition government must

be mindful of the banks that flock to the nation’s shores to help manage its assets. He cautioned that even though the Libyan authorities explained this matter before the court, they still lost the case as the Bank claimed that it was the financial crisis of 2008 that caused investments to go down the hill. Bauer noted that Libyan authorities took the Bank before a British court claiming

that it had been duped. Bauer said, “The authorities told the court that the investment bank exploited its inexperienced staff, pushing them into inappropriate transactions in a series of shady deals. They even claimed a Goldman Sachs employee had embedded himself in the fund, gaining the trust of young and impressionable staff, and sold it complex

Economist and NRGI Consultant, Andrew Bauer products, earning profits of more than $220M for the bank.” The economist highlighted that while the officials lamented the behaviour of the bank, the High Court judge ruled there had been no undue influence from Goldman Sachs over the Fund. Bauer said that the Libyan officials were naturally disappointed with the outcome, adding in a statement: “Time will be needed fully to digest the judgment…”and all options are being considered at this time.” (SEE LINK FOR MORE DETAILS https:// www.middleeasteye.net/ news/libyan-fund-losesbillion-dollar-lawsuit-againstgoldman-sachs-961962277) BE WARY OF INVESTORS, BANKERS Bauer has also urged the local authorities to conduct thorough due diligence tests on all investors and banks with an interest to partake in the investment decisions of Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund. He said, “There are several horror stories that I can tell you about when it comes to these Funds. In Libya for example, they had US$67B that was put into their oil fund and they had investment firms coming from every angle…The Fund was ‘informally’ managed by the President’s son and he (the son) met with the officials for an investment firm.” The NRF Expert added, “The officials told the inexperienced son that they have derivatives to sell but the President’s son didn’t even know what this is…But, they went ahead and guess what? The Fund lost US$1.58B in six months… “The government did not do its due diligence.” Citing the case of Angola,

Bauer said that the Government went ahead an investment firm that was able to persuade the administration into investing in hotels. Bauer said, “I suppose hotels make money but guess what they later found out? “The country’s money was used to invest which hotels happened to be on the land that was owned by the investment manager…” The NRGI Consultant said that these are just two of the many stories which emphasize the need for Guyana’s authorities to do due diligence on all investment managers and banks which are interested in Guyana. Bauer said that the citizenry should also push for there to be rules to guide the interactions between the authorities and investors/ banks. The economist said, “I don’t know the full history of Guyana but what I would say is that there needs to be strict rules on how you interact with these banks and even all investors. When you become oil rich and they see you have a Fund, every bank or investor will be here knocking on your door offering amazing deals but you are going to have to be careful.” Bauer concluded, “I would set rules on how government should interact with these persons or assign any contract to these persons.” SHORT TERM, POLITICAL GAINS In spite of the potential economic benefits that would flow from the introduction of a Natural Resource Fund, there remains the substantial risk that future Guyana governments will use resources of the fund for short-term, political gain. This was noted by NRF Analysts, Asim Ali, and Patrick J. Schena. In a special (Continued on page 13)

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Garbage contractors ask Gov’t to intervene as debt piles up Expressing that it had no confidence in the administration of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC), City garbage contractors Puran Brothers and Cevon’s Waste Management Disposal have issued a combined call for the government’s hand in helping to iron out the issues of payment with the council. In a statement to the press, the companies called on the Government to intervene in support of the process, towards ensuring efficient garbage disposal. The contractors recently pulled their service from the Council. In the release, the companies explained that the decision was made only after futile attempts were made to engage the municipality on the issue of settling these outstanding amounts.

“In the process, we found City Hall to be decidedly lacking in a sense of urgency.” “It is as if the administration of City Hall has concluded that it is entirely reasonable to expect us to continue to provide service in the face of its astounding delinquency,” the company stated. “We wish both the Government of Guyana and the citizens to be assured that a great deal of human and physical resources are invested in discharging our responsibility to the capital,” the company said. “In that context, we submit that it is both morally and legally wrong to expect that we can continue, over a protracted period of time, to discharge these services without compensation.” The garbage contractors are owed a collective $150M

in arrears from the council for rendering waste disposal services on behalf of the City. The two companies also responded to reports that City Hall would contract smaller companies to replace them. They warned of the risk to the entire city should City Hall engage persons with less capacity to collect garbage. “In the past, City Hall’s resort to less than professional replacement service providers have led to unwholesome consequences, not least, movement through the streets of the capital of vehicles unsuited to the task making deposits of garbage and putrid liquid on streets in the capital to say nothing to large numbers of disgruntled citizens,” the companies noted. Last week, the contractors, Puran Brothers

Tax free wages increase for public servants Finance Minster Winston Jordan on Friday announced that wage increases approved for public servants for the year 2018, which is retroactive to January 1, 2018, will be taxfree. This is according to the Income Tax Act (Special Provisions) Regulations. The official gazette provides for a waiver of taxes on the “retroactive percentage increase in salary for public servants and public officers in the employ of the government.” The announcement came after the government would have approved the wages

increase on Monday. According to a circular from the Ministry of Finance, dated November 19, 2018, persons working up to $100,000 per month would receive an increase of seven percent. Those earning between $100,000 and $299,000 per month would receive 6.5%; 5% for those working for between $300,000 and $499,000 per month. Persons working from $500,000 range and above $1M will be given an increase ranging from 3% to 0.5%. The circular made it clear that teachers, Ministers,

Members of Parliament and the University of Guyana will not be included on this increase. Besides the Disciplined Services, it applies to all traditional public servants. That is those employed in Ministries, departments not under ministerial control, regional administrators and public service related agencies, commission secretariats and those who are engaged on contract positions reflected on the inventory of authorized positions of the traditional public services and persons on contract outside on the inventoried positions.

Disposal Services and Cevons Waste Management Inc., wrote to the M&CC threatening to pull their services, for not being adequately remunerated for their work. The companies disclosed that they have not been paid since June, despite promises by the Council. Both companies said their current financial positions do not permit them to continue working without pay. Alluding to the letter sent to the office of the Council, Manager of Puran Brothers Waste Disposal, Kalesh Puran, noted that the company has been working with the Council for the last six months without pay.

The Manager said that the municipality was given an ultimatum to pay or the company will be pulling its services by November 26. “It’s not that we want to, but the company is constrained financially,” he added. Similar correspondence was sent to the Council by Director at Cevons, Morse Archer. In his letter, Archer called on the administration of the Council to make substantial payment by November 26, before the company can consider continuing its work. The M&CC owes the companies a collective $148M for waste disposal services.

For Puran Brothers Inc., City Hall owes $73M in arrears for services rendered from June 2018 to date. On the other hand, the city owes Cevon‘s Waste Management $75M for services rendered from May 2018 to date. The operational cost for both companies is about $15M per month. Representatives of both companies have also indicated that rising fuel prices make it increasingly difficult to maintain the level of service needed to care for the city without the requisite compensation. The two companies have been considering strike action since last month.

Misplaced records; poor storage; 70 % of payments can’t be verified (From page 3) governing the procurement of textbooks during 2016. During that year, through the annual budget, the Ministry was allocated $506M with $14M set aside for Nursery; $181M for Primary and $310M for secondary schools, for the procurement of textbooks. The Audit Office disclosed that the Ministry never conducted a comprehensive review of the procurement of textbooks, and as such deficiencies affecting such procurement could occur unnoticed. The AG annual report for 2015 had highlighted a number of discrepancies including unsigned contracts; contracts were also not in place but payments made and there were undelivered textbooks. Further, during interviews with the Ministry’s key personnel, there were clear deficiencies with the procurement process; in fact, there were instances of non-compliance with procurement regulations. The Audit Office said that the Ministry also showed no evidence of the suitability of textbooks purchased for students. In one glaring case, the Ministry ordered 30,000

“Timehri Readers Animal Friends Work Book 1” for $64.15 apiece but paid the contractor double at $128.30 apiece. There was no evidence, also, that any suppliers supplied performance security bond so that in case of problems, the Ministry can recoup its monies. Key documents like Certificates of Origin were not presented. There was an absence too of inspection certificates. An inspection of books in the custody of the Ministry found that there were no stamps to show it belonged to the Ministry. At the Books Distribution Unit, auditors found books stored on the floor in a dustfilled environment that was threatened by possible flooding because of the height of the area. In fact, the unit was unable to determine whether it was receiving the correct quantities of books in accordance to contracts. The Audit Office recommended that the Ministry comply with regulations, including procurement laws, stores and the prevailing book policy.

In its conclusion, the report was scathing. WEAK CONTROLS It was concluded that internal controls were weak and not functioning in some instances. Moreover, pertinent records were not properly maintained, relevant records were also not located and submitted for audit scrutiny. In addition, the manner and environment in which textbooks were stored presented a health and safety hazard. The office said that in view of the findings detailed, and summarized, it was concluded that the Ministry of Education did not comply in all material respects with the relevant acts, regulations and policies governing procurement of textbook during the financial year 2016. However, while for that year 2016 the Auditor Office delved into textbooks, there are indications also that not all is well in the ordering of exercise books, which are also distributed to students. In fact, local suppliers have been complaining that despite capacity and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in equipment in Guyana by the private sector, the Ministry has been going overseas to order exercise books. This is despite evidence that it can be produced here at a far cheaper price, building capacity for local businesses. There is also evidence that the Ministry is not going to tender, allowing local producers to bid, but is selective in its procurement. One East Bank Demerara printery is preparing to file a complaint with the Audit Office and the Procurement Commission.

Sunday November 25, 2018

240M barrels of oil needs to be sold for Exxon to recover $500B investment - Ram After examining the 2017 financial statements of ExxonMobil’s partners (Esso and CNOOC/NEXEN and Hess), Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, has found that the threeparty set up will spend well over $500B up to December 2019. But if the operator is to recover this money, it will take over 240M barrels of oil, taking into account that US$10 (approximately $2,100) is applied to every barrel of oil. In this recent writings, Ram reminded that he had challenged the veracity of ExxonMobil’s pre-2016 precontract cost of US$460 million or approximately $92 billion, which Esso and its two partners had reported to have spent at December 2015. Ram stated that the audited figures of the three companies up to December 2017 showed a total expenditure of $354 billion.

Consistent with international accounting standards, referred to as IFRS, Ram said that Esso has set out its capital commitments for the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and thereafter. He stressed that the financial statements of Esso’s partners, CNOOC/ Nexen and Hess, did not include such detailed disclosures. The Chartered Accountant stated, “The financial statements for Hess which are stated in United States Dollars – and not in Guyana Dollars as required by law -disclose no commitments, while in the case of CNOOC, the disclosures relate only to commitments after two years. “Financial statements however, are not required to disclose all projected costs – only those for which the entity has contracted – and therefore actual expenditure could be substantially

Goldman Sachs used lavish foreign trips, prostitutes to... From page 10 report titled, “Harnessing Oil Wealth in Guyana via a Sovereign Wealth Fund: Look Before You Leap,” the duo notes that while a NRF would provide a useful framework for capture and management of resource wealth, its impact is fully dependent on the commitment of future governments to elevate the fund and its mission above short-term political expediencies. It stressed that that the quiescent, but long-standing,

territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela certainly increases the challenges of introducing a NRF to Guyana. They contended that while flare-ups may have as much to do with Venezuelan domestic politics as with the oil exploration issue, a political-cum-economic framework between Guyana and Venezuela is necessary – perhaps with the support of regional partners - for long-term realization of oil windfalls.

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Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram higher.” He added, “I have therefore done some extrapolation to estimate the total pre-production costs of the three companies to the end of 2019, the year before commencement of oil production by assuming that the same level of expenditure as a percentage of the expenditure to date incurred by Esso will be incurred by the other partners.” “Recoverable cost of $354.2B at the end of 2017 was derived from the actual expenditure to date as disclosed in the partnering companies’ financial statements. This increases to $504.4 billion at the end of 2019 based on our (limited) estimates.” Ram said that these figures show that total preproduction costs will not be recovered in the first three years of the project. Therefore, Guyana will likely

only receive the guaranteed minimum profit oil and royalties of 14.25% of sales. Of this amount, he said that the Government will probably spend 1.425% in selling and other costs, leaving the country with 12.825% of sales. “And it does not escape us that out of the Government’s take, it has to pay the taxes of the oil companies. Of course, all this means is that there is no reduction but merely a redistribution of the total take into Oil Revenue and Corporation Tax. That is the nature of the contract signed with the Oil Companies,” the Chartered Accountant expressed.

Champions of Change to bring ‘Santa’s Sleigh’ to kids The Champions of Change organisation is seeking to make a difference in the lives of children this Christmas by bringing Santa’s Sleigh to them. During its eight years in existence, the organisation has conducted fund-raising events to sponsor children for medical surgeries. It has also provided school packages and hampers among many other exceptional things. For the Christmas season, the organisation is hoping to carry out a weekly sleigh ride around communities. This will be done every Sunday leading up to Christmas. The sleigh ride will begin on December 2 and Albouystown would be the

first stop. Santa will then move on to Tiger bay, Sophia and the Georgetown Public Hospital respectfully on the other follow up dates. Local artist Lil Million will be collaborating with the organisation to raise funds for the initiative. They will be stationed at the ACME building on Regent Street from Monday to Friday. Persons can donate gifts or money for the initiative and provisions will be made for both at the location. Persons wishing to donate monetarily or with gifts can contact the President or Operation Manager of the organisation on 673-3720/684-2196/6742397.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

BIT honours exceptional contributors to Apprenticeship Programme By Kiana Wilburg The apprenticeship programme of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) has recognized as one of the most successful tools being utilized to improve the skills of Guyana’s youths as well as their employability. And while the successes of these youths are often celebrated, the Board of Industrial Training recently held an award and cocktail reception to honour the contributions of those who have been instrumental in the achievements of these youths. The event which was held at the Pegasus Hotel, saw the attendance of Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott; BIT Chairman, Clinton Williams, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests. During the featured address, Minister Scott noted

that training providers are legally defined in the Industrial Training Act, Chapter 39:04 as Masters. He said that the term “Master” is used to describe a Master Tradesman to whom the Board of Industrial Training has approved and licensed to receive Apprentices for the purposes of training. Within the realm of business, a Partnership, a Firm or a Company can be licensed and deemed a Master by BIT. Scott said that the Ministry of Social Protection appreciates the critical roles being played by Masters in every formal Apprenticeship Scheme. He said, “As a matter of fact, it is reported that the (current Masters) have given sterling contributions to the Board of Industrial Training over the past decades for which they are being recognised. One of them has

Mr. Clinton Williams, BIT Chairman, presents an award to Mr. Rendell Harry, Marics & Co. Ltd., Sales Executive. recently observed the 58th Anniversary of its Apprenticeship Programme, and for that, commendations would be quite in order. That company is none other than the

Guyana Sugar Co-operation Inc. (GuySuCo).” The Minister continued, “This Company has also experienced serious difficulties, which have forced it to make adjustments to its management plans and programmes but it was not motivated or influenced to adjust its Apprenticeship Programme downwards. However, it has maintained its programme because apart from the strategic financial, technological and human capital adjustments it has made, the corporation believes that its Apprenticeship Programme can significantly contribute to its salvation and has held on tenaciously to it. I believe that such a company can be regarded as one with a vision on a mission worthy of emulation.” Scott added, “The records of the Board of Industrial Training also show that there are nine functioning Masters, with an additional three, which have been recently approved and will be licensed. An additional 37 potential Masters who can be approved and licensed once the willingness is also in the pipeline.” He was also pleased to reveal that ExxonMobil and CGX Energy Inc. are listed amongst the potential Masters. Also addressing the event was BIT’s Chairman, Clinton Williams. The official said that despite the implementation of apprenticeship in Guyana over 108 years ago, the country continues to face Youth Labour Market challenges with respect to increasing young people’s access to quality jobs by improving their skills and by extension, enabling positive employability pathways. Williams asserted that companies in both the public and private sector frequently complain about the mismatch between job skills needed and those generated. Notwithstanding, the BIT Chairman said that the apprenticeship system has been internationally recognized as the most

Mr. Richard Maughn, BIT’s Chief Executive Officer presents an award to Mr. Troy Pearson, Skeldon Energy Inc - Human Resources Administrative Officer successful tool being utilized to improve youth skills. He said that recent labour market studies have confirmed the existence of a “skills deficiency syndrome” in Guyana. This unfortunate situation only adds to the higher levels of youth unemployment, increased skills mismatch phenomena, compounded by inadequate systems for the re-skilling of redundant and/or displaced workers. Williams said that the undesirable result obviously would be decreased labour productivity coupled by grossly inadequate or insufficient preparation in responding to the demand of future job needs in both the existing and emerging sectors such as Oil and Gas, Clean Energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Tourism and Hospitality, Agro-processing, Maritime Transportation and Logistics, Mining, Timber and Wood Products Added Value Industries. The BIT Chairman added that a recent study conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has established that there are several core elements and guiding principles, which have been utilized successfully in the design and implementation of Apprenticeship Programmes internationally. He noted that these include Alignment with the country’s Development Strategy, Improvement in

Governance arrangements, the placement of more emphasis on employer engagements, increased funding and incentives systems and periodically reconfiguring curriculum design and delivery systems. Williams said, “BIT now has no other alternative but to modify its mandate by adopting similar strategies in order to substantially improve the delivery of its apprenticeship programme in the short term by seeking to establish long-term and broad consensus across political spectra and social partners, and the utilization of Labour Market Intelligence on skill needs by sector to determine/support decision making on Apprenticeship/ Traineeship Programmes, among other things.” In this context, Williams took the opportunity to appeal to both the Private and Public Sector and other Government Agencies to come on board as new Masters or Service Providers in order to accelerate and intensify Tech Voc Programmes both at the PreApprenticeship Level (such as BIT’s narrow profile NTPYE Programme), as well as the Apprenticeship Level, not to mention transitioning to Technician Level within the Post-Secondary Institutions and ultimately Professional Engineering at the University Level under the aegis of the Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).

Guyana-based int’l airline to operate within 90 days Guyana Airways Corporation was granted High Court approval to restart operations, and will be operating as the only Guyana-based international airline.Chief Executive Officer, Colin Abrams, said that he did not expect the ruling but that he welcomes it. The CEO briefed the press on Friday. When asked when Guyana Airways will begin operations, he said, “We are

looking at approximately 90 days before we could be up and running but we need cooperation with our friends across the street at Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.” He said that the company has a lot to do in the way of preparing its mechanics, pilots and security.“After those are completed, aircraft contracts, maintenance (Continued on page 15)

Sunday November 25, 2018

10 tonnes of illegal pesticides seized last year Some 10.2 tonnes of illegal or counterfeit pesticides were sized last year as a result of inspections carried out by the Pesticide and Toxic Chemical Control Board (PTCCB) on pesticide importers, vendors, distributors, toxic chemical control importers, supermarkets, general and hardware stores and community market countrywide. This is according to PTCCB Annual Report, which outlined that the semiautonomous body, which falls under the Ministry of Agriculture conducted several inspections throughout 2017 at wharves, warehouses, major pesticides storage facilities and toxic chemical importers and industries.The PTCCB said that it collaborated with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Customs and Trade Administration at Wharf and Warehouses, to conduct four inspections, which aimed at monitoring pesticides

imports. The report said, “(Last year), 62 inspections were conducted at major pesticide storage facilities and recommendations were made for corrections of any noncompliance that were observed.” It was highlighted in the report that the PTCCB commenced inspection of toxic chemical importers some of which included the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation, Sterling Products Limited and Twins Manufacturing Chemists. The PTCCB operates under the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Act 2000 (No. 13 of 2000). Earlier this month, PTCCB along with ranks of the Guyana Police Force stopped a major smuggling operation, which saw the seizure of 300 kilograms of illegal or unregistered pesticides. The operation saw officials searching the home of Veerasammy Armogan of Crabwood Creek Backland,

Guyana-based int’l airline... From page 14 contracts, then you apply for your [Air Operator Certificate] (AOC).”He said that the airline will be flying between Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana for now. However, he said that Cuba is a main target for the airline to service in the future. Abrams said that the airline will play an important role in Guyana, and asked, “Does Guyana have an international airline based in Guyana? No, we don’t have one. There is a major void that needs to be filled.”Employees of the Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) were staged at the gate of the Arthur Chung Convention protesting the government for the de-registration of the company from the list, on Wednesday last. A July order had caused the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority to de-register the company’s name, arguing that it was identical to that of the former state-owned Guyana Airways.

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Grant 1779 Corentyne, Berbice where the illegal pesticides, among other contraband were unearthed. Legal proceedings have been initiated against Armogan for the possession of illegal/ unregistered pesticides with intent to distribute, sell or use. It was noted that the confiscated items are highly hazardous pesticides and pose significant risks to human health, agricultural production, economic trade and the environment. Furthermore, the PTCCB noted that counterfeit and illegal products are neither tested nor evaluated and contains chemicals that are either banned or restricted due to the risk they pose to heath and the environment. The board said that undeclared active ingredients in counterfeit and illegal products can leave unacceptable residues on produce, rendering goods unfit for market. “The global trade in counterfeit and illegal pesticides is growing. With increasing quantities of fake and illegal pesticides being produced, marketed and sold by organized criminal groups around the world, there are greater risks to the safety of handlers, farmers, consumers and the environment,” it said. Nevertheless, the PTCCB said that it will continue its collaboration with law enforcement agencies to carry out its operations to confiscate and safely dispose these products. As it is, the Board said it is also currently investigating further intelligence gathered to curb the illegal trade of counterfeit.

GGMC fails in attempt to repossess gold-rich lands from Aranka miner The High Court has ruled in favour of a miner who has been battling the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) over a number of claims at Aranka, Region Seven. According to court documents, Prince Bowman, an East Coast Demerara resident, has been operating a number of claims in the Aranka, Region Seven area for a number of years. The claims were in the name of Jerrol Hanover. However, several months ago, GGMC moved to take the lands away, saying that that claims were null and void. Bowman had reportedly found promising signs of a significant deposit of gold. The miner went to court and through his lawyer, Madan Kissoon, filed an application for an Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari and an Order of Prohibition and Mandamus. It was heard in July by Justice Navindra Singh. Bowman argued that according to the Mining Act, he is the lawful person entitled and person in occupation and beneficial

The Miner: Prince Bowman person to the claims. Justice Singh agreed and granted the orders quashing the GGMC decision to deem the claims null and void. The orders also stopped GGMC and its officers from publishing in the Official Gazette that the mining claims

were null and void. On Friday, GGMC through its lawyer, Ralph Ramkarran, appeared before the courts again, this time in front of Justice Fidela Corbin to stay the orders. But the court again decided in Bowman’s favour.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Thai workers endure deadly working conditions in Israel

Thai workers on an Israel farm

A year-long BBC investigation has uncovered widespread abuse of Thai nationals living and working in Israel - under a scheme organised by the two governments. In 2012, Thailand and Israel signed an agricultural labour agreement for cooperation between the two states. Today, about 25,000 Thai workers are working in Israel under the scheme. The BBC reported that many Thai migrants are subjected to unsafe working practices and squalid, unsanitary living conditions. Some are overworked, others underpaid and there are dozens of unex-

plained deaths. A BBC Thai team visited over 50 farms and spoke to hundreds of workers. Dozens of sites visited by the team were in terrible condition, according to investigators. Reports indicate walls being mouldy and rotten, with mice dwelling inside of them. During the investigation, Thai workers told the team that they were living in squalor, overworked and underpaid. Workers also told investigators that they were afraid of the chemicals being sprayed. Israel’s use of pesticides is said to be among the highest in the world. Longterm exposure has been linked to severe illness. Many workers told investigators that chemicals are regularly sprayed without workers having adequate protective gear. One worker told the BBC, “There was something wrong in my body, so I told my employer that I wanted to see a doctor, but he didn’t want to take me.” When an investigator asked whether the workers are provided with any sort of protective equipment, she was told, “They gave us a raincoat and a surgical mask similar to what a doctor would use. Anything else, you have to find yourself.” The workers who were interviewed refused to disclose their identities out of fear of persecution. They described fearing the loss of income, food, shelter and their work VISA. Under Israeli law, Thai workers’ rights are well protected. Israel’s Ministry of Labour had told investigators: “400 inspections are carried out every year and interpreters are used when needed. More than 1500 investigations have been opened since 2013, into pay and working hours. We’ve issued 3000 warnings and 200 fines totalling more than US$3.8M.” In 2015, Human Rights Watch (HRW) had reported

on an investigation that they did into the conditions under which Thai workers are forced to operate. The report had stated, “What we saw was truly shocking. We found Thai workers living and working in squalid conditions and suffering along with dreadful instances of mistreatment. One worker said he felt “like dead meat” after a working day that typically began at 4:30 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m. None of the workers we interviewed said they were paid Israel’s minimum wage. Many reported health problems, including dizziness, nausea, breathing difficulties, skin rashes, and other illnesses that they experienced after spraying pesticides without adequate protective equipment. Some showed medicine that their families had sent from Thailand in the absence of healthcare services in Israel. The Israeli government had reported that 122 migrant workers died between 2008 and 2013.” Israel’s Ambassador to Thailand, Simon Roded, had responded by saying that the Israeli government takes each and every allegation in the report seriously. HRW had reported that 22 of those 122 deaths weren’t investigated at all by the Israeli authorities and another 43 were put down to Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome without further explanation. Roded sought to dispute HRW’s claims that the report done by the human rights watchdog suffered from “unfounded methodology”. Though the ambassador spoke of how his government took the report seriously, BBC reported that 172 workers have died from 2012 to present. In many cases, the cause of death is ‘undetermined’. Doctors don’t have answers and autopsies are rarely carried out, the publication reported. This leaves many families without answers or closure about their relatives who work to offset poverty faced back home in Thailand.

PPP reiterates call for urgent debate of no-confidence motion in Parliament The People Progressive Party Civic, (PPP/C) has reiterated a call for the urgent debate of the no-confidence motion against the Government in the National Assembly. In a statement in response to comments made by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo regarding the impending motion, the Opposition party maintained its stance of wanting the motion to be placed before the House as soon as possible. “We reiterate our call for the No-Confidence Motion to

be debated in the Parliament earliest and we respectfully demand that the National Assembly puts the Motion up for debate.” “We say to the Government, stop the grand standing outside the National Assembly and come to the National Assembly to debate the Motion,” the party said in the statement. The statement was released hours after the Prime Minister commented on the issue.Nagamootoo has been (Continued on page 65)

Sunday November 25, 2018

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---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---

What’s next for the Coalition?

The responses to the results of the Local Government Elections (LGE) from both sides of the political divide have been most revealing. The PPP, not unexpectedly, claimed victory and proceeded to file a no-confidence motion against the government. For their part, the PNC and AFC have tried to put the best spin on what was a very disappointing performance. There has been much discussion about the causes of the low voter turnout. My view is that while inadequate voter education and voter apathy may have contributed to some people staying away from the polls, I would be surprised if they were decisive factors. As I opined last week, the actions of the supporters of the governing parties were deliberate.

They wanted to make a statement to the government and chose to do so at an election where the stakes were not very high. The very fact that coalition parties went to the elections separately was a big turn-off for some of their supporters. Whether the outcome of this LGE would carry over to 2020 would be dependent on how the coalition conducts itself in the next eighteen months. If they govern as a real coalition, then they could convince the independent African and Indian Guyanese constituencies to go back to the fold. From all indications, the message has been heard by some PNC leaders, and they appear to have decided to act. The early message takes the form of a reminder of the dark

days of the PPP. While that message would excite some emotions among African Guyanese, it is not a winning tactic. It should be remembered that the government has not been successful in prosecuting PPP members and supporters for the alleged transgressions.I would not advise vote-buying but urge real policy. If the government pursues real working-class policies aimed at the structural problems that that class faces such as unemployment, poverty and substandard education, they could restore the confidence that their supporters seem to have lost. The coalition parties would also have to ground with their supporters in a real humane way to win back not just votes, but hearts and minds. As for the AFC, it must

The Baccoo Speaks The Christmas season is always a busy time for shoppers. At the same time there are the opportunists. Two of them would be caught trying to rob a shopper. Public-spirited citizens would make the arrest. Of course there would be the usual exuberance that would see the culprits being beaten. And there would be the righteous who would want police action. **

Another road fatality would occur on the eastern corridor. A truck and a car would collide, largely because

of the inattentiveness of the car driver. ** Counterfeit currency would surface. The tricksters are always busy and at this time they would be extra busy. The unfortunate thing is that they would pass the currency on some people who are trying to get as much as they could at this time. Needless to say, there would be arrests.

face the stark reality of the limited electoral shelf-life of Third Parties in Guyana, and in ethnically fractured societies in general. Contrary to what some may think, the party would continue to be a national player. The very nature of anti-PPP politics will ensure that the AFC exists—none of the coalition parties could individually defeat the PPP. Contrary to the soundings from the PNC side, I think the Cummingsburg Accord would be renegotiated and the AFC would have to cede some ground. That is inevitable. But the outcome would depend on how politically skillful the PNC’s leadership is - they must balance their sense of bigness with the reality that it is the Coalition that is the route to re-election. My belief is that they would have to make the case that APNU and the Coalition are not myths. I still believe that there is more than one constituency that must be appealed to—PNC

supporters, APNU voters and Coalition voters. The latter two constituencies require parties like the AFC and WPA to be on board. But those two parties would have to convince those voters that they would not be uncritical players in a second Coalition government. They have the remainder of this term to demonstrate that they are up to the task. They must serve as a clear and present check on PNC’s unilateralism and become advocates of progressive policies both in the corridors of power and in wider society. In other words, the non-government sections of the AFC and WPA have to assert them-

Dr David Hinds selves as independent actors. More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

Where is Roger Brandt? By Michael Jordan he man who came to kill 74-year-old Khirul Najidam seemed to know her routine well. He sneaked into her Lot 1215 Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt home after midday, when the schoolchildren who came to her little shop were back in class, and when the area was practically deserted. Najidam, k n o w n a s ‘Babloo Saddick’ and ‘Auntie’ to residents, was a widow, had no children and lived alone. She made a living by selling sweets and a variety of fruits from the trees in her yard, and according to one neighbour, she got along well with everyone. The only problem she occasionally had was with youths who would steal a fruit or two from her trees. When she wasn’t selling in the little bottom-house storeroom, neighbours would see her resting in a hammock. At around 16:00 hrs on March 4, 2011, a group of girls who attended the South Ruimveldt Secondary School entered Najidam’s yard to make a purchase. However, they saw no sign of the elderly sweetseller. After calling and getting no response, two of the girls then went to the storeroom that Najidam had converted into a shop and peeped inside. They saw Ms. Najidam lying motionless on the store-

T

…the man who police believe murdered an old fruit-seller Khirul Najidam’s home

of her clothing and a hammock rope to bind her hands and feet. And that someone had also strangled her. The discovery sent the young girls running out the yard and over to a nearby internet café where they recounted what they had seen. Neighbours then contacted the slain woman’s relatives and the police. Detectives who arrived at the scene found the upstairs flat ransacked. One neighbour recalled seeing Najidam at around noon. Another neighbour

room floor. Someone had gagged her and used strips

claimed to have seen three boys running from the yard some time before 15:00hrs that day. However, the neighbour assumed that the boys had been raiding ‘Auntie’s’ trees once again. Detectives who visited the scene dusted the premises for prints and checked for other clues, but made no arrests. On the surface, Najidam seemed to be the victim of a vicious burglar. But some neighbours had their suspicions. According to one report, prior to his death, Khirul Najidam’s husband, known as

‘Uncle Saddick’, had left a property to her in his will. It was alleged that some individuals had resorted to forgery to get their hands on that property. This had led some neighbours to speculate that the dispute and ‘Auntie’s’ murder were connected. Najidam’s house remained unoccupied for several years, but has since been sold. Three years passed without police having a clue about the identity of Najidam’s killer. Then, in 2014, local police acquired a computerised system which helps investigators to quickly ascertain if fingerprints they have taken from a crime scene match those in their database.

Have you seen him? Police are looking for Roger Brandt

Khirul Najidam

Using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), fingerprint experts discovered that a print that they had lifted from Khirul Najidam’s home, in March 2011, appeared to match to fingerprints they had taken from an individual with an alleged criminal background. Police have said they are trying to locate Roger Brandt, who is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of Najidan Saddick (Khirul Najidam). But that was four years ago, and Brandt seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Roger Brandt is of African ancestry, brown in complexion, and his last known address is Lot 169 Stevedore

Housing Scheme, Georgetown. Anyone with information that may lead to Roger Brandt’s arrest can contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 226-7065, 225-8196, 227-1149, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with strict confidence. If you have any information about this case, you can also contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 225-8458, 2258465, 225-8491 or 2258473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : kamarangnight@gmail.com

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Kaieteur News

==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==

Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the dead country

A

ny person even without a high school education that drives often in Georgetown has to know that the totality of road networks in the capital has become a jungle of countless vehicles of all shapes. You can travel on any street, no matter how obscure it is, and the congestion is there to be seen, and graphically so. In the heart of the capital, I mean downtown Georgetown, it is a virtual monstrosity. There is no way in Georgetown you can get to the hospital in an emergency situation and make it on time. The traffic is impossible to negotiate. My mother-in-law collapsed at home and our drive to the hospital was delayed by almost half an hour in the traffic. She died in the car. In the compound where I live, a young lady slit her wrist. She bled profusely in my car on the way to the hospital because the traffic was chaotic. This is the nature of the traffic in Georgetown. Try to avoid the inner city on Fridays. It is unadulterated insanity. On Friday morning, I dropped off my wife to the dentist and for some esoteric reason drove south on Camp Street from Lamaha St. I had to go to the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) where according to my wife, it sells the best casareep. So I figured it was best to go south on Camp St. and turn east into Robb St. to get to the GMC at Alexander and Robb Streets. At Camp and Middle Streets, there is always confusion because of the people going to the GRA. But Friday morning something macabre was happening. The line on Camp St. was not moving at all. It was really nightmarish. My dog had become agitated because, I believe, she wanted to pee. As we crossed over Middle St. heading to Quamina St., the

nightmare got more frightening. This was déjà vu all over. I was caught with my dog in the same sea of evil on Thursday, May 11, last year, when the Ministry of Public Infrastructure closed east- and westbound traffic on the Atlantic highway from Industry to Turkeyen, to facilitate the construction of the arch at Cummings Lodge, which was a private company’s project not a state-financed job. It was incredible asininity, because the only other road was closed too. That was the Railway Embankment, and it was because of bridge repairs at Liliendaal. See my column of Saturday, May 13, 2017, captioned, “This government has gone out of control.” Do you know why there was a repetition of the Atlantic highway of Thursday, May 11, 2017 on Friday, November 23, 2018, on Camp Street? The same Ministry of Public Infrastructure at peak hour in downtown Georgetown, blocked off the junction of Church and Camp Streets for road sign painting. If any citizen can find a more graphic manifestation of the asinine abuse of power, then please show me. The sheepish people we have in this country just bore up. They waited hours in the traffic and silently endured. As I reached Church Street, my protest was loudly vociferous. I am not afraid of any government in this wasteland of a country. I will not be deterred in speaking out against the clownish government that administers my country. The workmen were abusive. One of them shouted; “tell de minister.” Another yelled out; “we paint anytime just as how you write anytime.” One obnoxious fellow told me, “Freddie you like talk, dat is why Kwame McCoy nearly kill yuh.” I rang the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and spoke to the person re-

sponsible for that kind of road work. His name is Kester Hinds. He said, “What? They are there, and not up the East Coast? They are supposed to paint that junction Saturday, not today. I sent them up the East Coast!” I was polite to Mr. Hinds in not telling him I did not believe his explanation. I didn’t believe a word he said.

It is my right to do so. I told him about the abuse and the reference to the attack and the name of Kwame McCoy. He took my cell phone number and said he will get back to me. He never did. I did another column in 2016 about the asinine persons in authority at that ministry. See my column of

Wednesday, September 7, titled, “Guyana: Beyond the incredibility of absurdity.” The same ministry waited until the first day of school reopening to do road sign painting at the busy junction of South Road and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive outside the Office of the President. The ensuing confusion was extremely painful. Minister David Patterson has made his

Frederick Kissoon predecessor, Robeson Benn, look like Santa Claus.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

GUYANESE PEOPLE ARE NOT IGNORANT!

T

he PPP’s brigade of ghost writers have recently ramped up their innuendoes and blatant lies, their thinly veiled propaganda in their attempts to have people believe that the Government was really rejected by the electorate in Sophia, Foulis/Buxton, Haslington, Nabaclis, and other areas in Region 4 where the Coalition’s support is strongest.

Our attention was drawn to a letter in one of the dailies last week in which the writer claimed that much of the sprawling Sophia area, from ‘A’ to ‘E’ Field, benefitted from fantastic infrastructure and homes provided by the PPP while that party was in power. In his diatribe that was just wrong and pickled with stupid inaccuracies, the writer said that it was the PPP that gave Sophia’s residents a

place to call home, that it was the PPP that ‘picked them up and made them into a thriving township’ while the PNC had ignored them. He or she, presumably hiding behind a pseudonym, was brave enough to write that the people of Sophia voted against the Coalition in the November 2018 Local Government Elections as a show of gratitude to the PPP, especially because of the

$10,000 school grants that used to be given to single parents once a year in August, ostensibly to outfit children for the new academic year. Now, this is infantile to say the very least. It is raw politicking. We looked again at the results recorded in Sophia, that’s Constituency #5, and at just one location with several polling stations, we read numbers like 80 and

112 in favour of APNU, 10 and 11 in favour of the AFC, against the PPP’s 2’s and 3’s. If this is a win in the PPP’s mind, then we understand now their reason for crowing about winning Buxton and Foulis, ECD. The Elections Commission explained that these two East Coast communities are part of a large Neighbourhood Democratic Council district consisting of more than 6 communities, including Enterprise and Annandale. Results for Buxton and Foulis read like this: APNU 1336 and 403 with 825 for Proportional Representation (PR); AFC 103 and 28 with 68 for PR; and PPP NIL and 28 with 34 for PR. But let’s return to Sophia and the drivel being peddled by the Opposition. All of Sophia used to be classified as “Depressed”, from ‘A’ Field to Pattensen. Some work had been done in that Greater Georgetown area towards the end of the PPP era, but in 2015 it was still depressed with one main access road, and just tracks spotted with very large craters for community roads. Drivers drove around rather than through Sophia to avoid those large potholes. Crime was rampant, especially homicides, (it is still a problem that requires a lot of resources from the Ministries of Social Protection and Public Security, the Child Welfare Agency and non-governmental organizations). The rate of random robberies committed by youths who had nothing to do except rob their own neighbours was very high. The most unfortunate part of the whole scenario is that the PPP still believes that Guyanese are ignorant and illiterate. The residents of Sophia understand better than anyone how much they have grown since 2015. They now have legitimate electricity supplies, potable water and asphalted roads, with continuous work being done. Before then, residents used to dig their own wells for water, and they used kerosene flambeaux so children could do their homework at night. They were so desperate for electricity that many householders resorted to illegal connections that ultimately killed people, domestic animals, cows and sheep, horses and donkeys. The electricity company had been forced to carry out constant raids to remove illegal electrical connections that were run on the ground and through trenches. Those

were dangerous times, and the constant presence of man-eating reptiles living in the high bushes in the area did not help. Much of that has changed, and the residents continue to develop their communities with voluntary support from local and external organizations, including the Police Force and USAID. Early in 2017, President David Granger commissioned several new roads lined with brand new streetlights built by the Public Infrastructure Ministry, as well as the Sophia Water Production and Distribution System put in by GWI. Minister David Patterson said two years ago, that based on his Ministry’s 2015 evaluation of streets and roads in the city, Sophia had been assessed as having the worst ones. When the Ministry’s Surveyors and Road Engineers had completed the first assessments to identify the roads that needed the most attention, Sophia was the community that topped the list. As such, a sum of $825M was initially allocated to upgrade community roads with culverts, drains and shoulders. A new ring road was also constructed and streetlights were installed for the first time. When President Granger commissioned the new systems in 2017, he said that Sophia is about the largest ward in Georgetown with over 25,000 residents, but it was the poorest. He praised the residents who evolved from their poverty with pride and a raw determination to rise above their circumstances. This Government had long seen that strength, so we made sure that they got the schools and proper health centres, playgrounds and other essential services that they had been asking for. Sophia is now receiving the full support of the Ministries of Health, Social Services and Protection, Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Labour and Finance, along with several local and expatriate agencies. Residents are investing in their children’s education, and are taking full advantage of the opportunities to master Information Technologies, STEM and Robotics, through the ICT hubs that they do not have to pay to use. So the PPP could stop the charade now. Everything is public knowledge including the orchestrated movement/ spreading out of their supporters from traditional areas in traditional regions to Region 4.

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Kaieteur News

My column

The grim tale of child murderers

Y

esterday, I had cause to ask a col league whether there would be no end to the senseless killings. My comments were sparked by the news late Friday night that there was the killing of another pensioner. Earlier I had been regaled by the death of a 20-year-old woman. She was killed by her paramour and buried in a shallow grave. This happened in a hinterland community. The shocking story was that the couple were always quarreling. On this occasion, the man, with his superior skills, used a piece of wood to beat the woman. He claimed that he woke up to find her dead in the bed so he buried her. Another miner walking the trail saw the grave and called the police. Then there was the murder of a man by his drinking buddy. This should not have happened had the owner of the drinking spot adhered to the law. Alcohol should not be sold to a person under eighteen. But there it was, a sixteen-year-old was not only allowed to buy alcohol, but also to sit in the bar and drink. This matter is before the courts, so I cannot comment extensively. Suffice it to say that when I heard that the killer was sixteen I was shocked. The news also reinforced my view that the criminals and the killers are getting younger. I was in my office when two people walked in. One of them was fifteen; the other was his brother who wanted to turn in the teen to the police. He was with a group that killed a drug addict on a city street. The teen told me that he was with the group when he saw one of his colleagues pulled a knife. He claimed that he ran away. However, the police detained his parents, prompting the brother to surrender the teen to the police. I looked at this boy who was tall for his age but as they say, he had not lost his mother’s features. He is a schoolboy who to my mind, should have been home at that hour. Instead, he was there on the road linked to an allegation that the man who died refused to buy drugs from his crowd. What is a little boy doing selling drugs? This speaks to parental guidance. Increasingly in certain parts of the city adolescents are allowed to roam. Their work at school is almost non-existent, but there is no parent interested enough to check. Perhaps it is enough to see the child dressed for school.

But that apart, there is the question of the parent being arrested because the police cannot find the child. I discussed this issue with a number of people and got all manner of responses. One person claimed that the police were operating on the precept that the parent was shielding a wanted person. I wondered if a child of mine had done something and the police were searching for him, whether I would have been arrested and locked up. That would have been most unfair. It was the same, recently, on East Coast Demerara, where a car salesman opted to seize furniture owned by a grandmother. The contention was that she was a close relative of the man who bought the car. He failed to meet the payments, but the car dealer could not find the car. I learnt that this seizure was done with backing from the police. I do not understand the principle . The grandmother had nothing to do with the purchase of the car. It would seem that a law has been developed. This law would allow the lender to punish anyone associated with the borrower and so recover his loan. I know that the woman went to the police to protest but got nowhere. It is now being said that the car dealer spread his money around to ensure that he could do as he pleases. However, the issue is about the young killers. A just completed case in Berbice featured some young boys who were teenagers when they killed a watchman at a temple. They had gone there to commit a robbery. They have been convicted and condemned to spend the best years of their lives in jail. Which reminds me of Terrence Sahadeo. He was sentenced to death for the murder of a young Canje girl whom they had gone to rob. Under the direction of the now dead Shireen Khan, he and Muntaz Ally not only robbed the girl, they raped, and then killed her. The knife they used skewered her to the pillow on which she lay. Ally was paroled after thirty-four years in jail but his partner in crime, Sahadeo remains. The explanation was that while Ally demon-

strated remorse and admitted to the crime, Sahadeo remained unrepentant. At the time of the crime, they were nothing more than teenagers. They are now grown men with their best years lost behind them. There are other young men in the prison system for violent crimes. Tyrone Rowe,

familiarly known as Cobra, was jailed for seventy-plus years. He is currently being retried for the same crime for which he was sentenced. There is Dellon Henry, known as Nasty Man. He was found guilty of murder. He too has another appointment with a judge for the same crime. Henry was a teenager

when he entered the system. He has already been there for a number of years, his youth leaving him with each passing day. Someone once said that there is no handbook for parenting, but there is no substitute for child supervision. If only parents would forego their personal satisfaction to raise their children.

Adam Harris

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

The good life - More than a slogan – Part Two PUBLIC EDUCATION We inherited in May 2015 a crisis in the public primary and secondary education system with over half of our students failing the National Grade Six Assessment. Your government is creating a 21st century nation. Our educational policy aims at providing students with the knowledge, skills and values to become productive citizens in the economy of the future. Your government has pri-

oritized educational access, attendance and achievement. The Public Education Transport Service (PETS) (known popularly as the 3 B’s Initiative) was born out of the recognition that many parents found it costly to send their children to school. The Service has distributed 1,254 bicycles, 28 buses and 9 boats. PETS is saving parents money and, more important, it is getting our children to school without expending a dollar

from the government’s coffers. We are taking steps to improve the performance of all learners. A menu of measures to enhance the quality of education is being implemented. Some of these measures that have yielded the most success, especially at the primary level, include teacher training, the provision of resources, and targeted interventions. Over three thousand, five

hundred primary school teachers have been equipped with the necessary pedagogical skills for quality delivery of the curriculum. The Ministry of Education, recognizing that the use of resources is integral to enhancing achievement of learners, has procured resources for all primary schools. These resources include textbooks, musical instruments, microscience kits, and toolkits for mathematics, literacy and so-

cial studies. Targeted interventions, especially in numeracy and literacy, have resulted in improved performance in the National Grade Six Assessment. The percentage passes in English moved from 42 percent in 2016 to 60 percent in 2018; Mathematics moved from 14 percent in 2016 to 38 percent in 2018; and Science from 28 percent to 46 percent. PUBLIC HEALTH Guyana’s public health system, in the past, was plagued by inadequate infrastructure, high maternal mortality rates, weak disease prevention measures, poor emergency health response and constraints to access to health services, particularly for hinterland residents. Your government has continued, over the past year, to address these deficiencies. Health infrastructure is being improved. A river ambulance was provided for Orealla Village to transport and provide medical interventions for pregnant mothers and other emergency cases en route to the nearest health facility. Access to public health services is being improved. Maternity Waiting Homes have been commissioned to make accommodation for high-risk pregnant mothers, particularly those from the hinterland regions. We will upgrade, next year, the Maternity Unit of the New Amsterdam Hospital in order to improve maternal services further. The Ministry of Public Health is in the process of mapping the proximity of health facilities to communities to ensure that, as far as possible, a health facility is located within 5km of a community. Plans are on stream to upgrade health centres to polyclinics, especially in large catchment areas. Preventative treatment will be intensified. A programme for the screening and treatment of eye diseases in children and providing them with low-cost spectacles is one of the many interventions that will be undertaken. HOUSING Many new housing areas were bedeviled by low levels of occupancy and abysmal infrastructure. Poor solid waste management created insanitary conditions. Your government will continue to expand access to housing and improve infrastructure within housing areas. The “housing solutions” model has seen the commencement, over the past year, of 250 housing units – of which 163 were completed. Development works have been carried out in both new

and existing housing areas, including in Amelia’s Ward, Farm, Herstelling, No. 76 Village, Perseverance, Zeeburg and Zeelugt. Roads have been improved in Perseverance, La Parfaite Harmonie, Westminster and Amelia’s Ward. Electrification services were expanded to Zeelugt, Covent Garden, Peter’s Hall, Barnwell (EBD), Eccles and Hope, (WCB). A spatial development plan has been completed for Sophia and similar ones will be undertaken for Bartica, Lethem, Mabaruma and for the lower East Bank Demerara. The Ministry of Communities proposes to undertake infrastructural works, in 2019, in nine new housing areas, the upgrading of three recreational areas, the consolidation of 18 existing areas, the installation of electricity in eight communities and the completion of 450 housing units. It will offer full-house subsidies in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region. SOCIAL PROTECTION Your government will continue to bring relief to senior citizens. It has already increased monthly old-age pensions by 48.6 per cent from $13,125 to $19,500. It has also increased public assistance by 35.5 per cent from $5,900 to $8,000. One hundred and fourteen persons with disabilities are currently being trained in computer and other skills. The Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency, since January 2017, has found jobs for a total of 1,869 job seekers. The Ministry of Social Protection, in 2019, will place emphasis on enhancing youth employment, the development of a national sexual harassment policy, reducing violence in schools and the welfare of the aged. PUBLIC BROADCASTING Your government has established a constellation of public broadcasting services at Aishalton, Bartica, Lethem, Mahdia, Mabaruma and Orealla, which along with Radio Paiwomak, is according citizens the right to information and to be heard. Public broadcasting services can be used to provide critical information, including warnings and alerts of the threat, or the occurrence, of natural disasters or emergencies. Public broadcasting services can be used to summon help and relief. They can be utilized to provide advisories, which can save lives and protect citizens from harm.

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Ice and heat treatments: When and how they should be used By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Heat and ice have been used for many years to treat pain and to reduce swelling, and many people have found them effective. More recently, studies have been done to investigate whether heat and ice really make a difference to healing and the results have been inconclusive. In general, when used sensibly, they are safe treatments, which make people feel better and have some effect on pain levels and there are few harms associated with their use. I have decided to explain their use, since it’s a question that patients often ask. HEAT Heat is an effective and safe treatment for most aches and pains. It can be applied in the form of a wheat bag, heat pads, deep heat cream, hot water bottle or heat lamp. Heat causes the blood vessels to open wide. This brings more blood into the area to stimulate healing of damaged tissues. It has a direct soothing effect and helps to relieve pain and spasm. It can also ease stiffness by making the tissues more relaxed. If heat is applied to the skin, it should not be hot; gentle warmth will be enough. If excessive heat is applied there is a risk of burns and scalds. A towel can be placed between the heat source and the skin for protection. The skin must be checked at regular intervals.Heat should not be used on a new injury. It will increase bleeding under the skin around the injured area and may make the problem worse. The exception to this is new-onset low back strains. A lot of the pain in this case is caused by muscle spasm rather than tissue damage, so heat is often helpful. Heat is often helpful for the following types of pain: · Aching muscles from over-exertion. · Aching pains from fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions. · Cramping or spasm pains such as period pains. ICE Ice has traditionally been used to treat soft tissue injuries where there is swelling.

However, there is growing evidence which suggests that applying ice packs to most injuries does not contribute to recovery and may even prolong recovery. This is related to the fact that reducing the temperature at the site of an injury will delay the body’s response. This will delay healing. In one study, some people who used ice said that it was helpful for managing pain, although this did not translate into a lower use of painkillers. Many people find that ice is helpful when used to manage pain in the short term. With any sprain, strain or bruise there is some bleeding into the underlying tissues. This causes swelling and pain. Ice treatment may be used in both the immediate treatment of soft tissue injuries and in later rehabilitation. During immediate treatment, the aim is to limit the body’s response to injury. Ice will: · Reduce bleeding into the tissues. · Prevent or reduce swelling (inflammation). · Reduce muscle pain and spasm. · Reduce pain by numbing the area and by limiting the effects of swelling. These effects all help to prevent the area from becoming stiff, by reducing excess tissue fluid that gathers as a result of injury and inflammation. HOW DO YOU MAKE ICE PACKS? Ice packs can be made from ice cubes in a plastic bag or wet tea towel. Cold packs can also be bought from pharmacies. Some people use frozen vegetables, especially peas, as a form of ice pack. Take care when using ice and cold packs from a deep freeze, as they can cause ice burns quickly if used without care and proper protection. Ice packs should be given at five to ten minute intervals and no longer than 30 minutes. Leaving it for too long can cause burns or frostbite to the skin. Oil or Vaseline should be placed on the skin before applying ice. This will help decrease the potential for skin damage. WHATARE SOME PRECAUTIONS WHEN USING HEATAND ICE? Do not use heat or cold packs: · Over areas of skin that

are in poor condition. · Over areas of skin with poor sensation to heat or cold. · Over areas of the body with known poor circulation. · If you have diabetes. · In the presence of

infection.Also, do not use ice packs on the left shoulder if you have a heart condition. Do not use ice packs around the front or side of the neck. Ice causes a longer-lasting effect on the circulation

than heat. Also, the painkilling properties of ice are deeper and longer-lasting than heat. They can both be re-applied after an hour if needed. Just be careful to avoid damaging your skin.

Dr Zulfikar Bux

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SUNDAY Guyana should join Int’l anti-corruption forum for Natural Resource Funds…if it is serious about corruption-NRGI If the Government of Guyana is truly serious about ensuring that transparency and accountability are the underlying principles of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), then it will seek without hesitation, to join the revered International Forum on Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF). According to the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), IFSWF members agreed from the inception to have a set of principles called the Santiago Principles, and practices for Sovereign Wealth Funds. The NRGI said that these principles, adopted in 2008, emerged from two fears: First, countries receiving Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) investments worried that large government investors might use their financial power to pursue political or strategic objectives rather than purely financial returns. Second, since SWFs are large and growing in size, failure of just one of the world’s largest SWFs could trigger a global financial crisis. The Institute noted that the 24 voluntary principles are broken down into three sets of standards: legal frame-

Kaieteur News

work, objectives, and coordination with macroeconomic policies; institutional and governance structure; and investment and risk management framework. The transparency body said that they are meant to encourage SWFs to behave openly and predictably and to seek financial returns rather than support a foreign policy agenda. It said that openness, predictability and market orientation, in turn, are expected to ease recipient country fears of predatory investments and promote sound internal fund management. NRGI stated, “Being a member of the IFSWF and agreeing to the Santiago Principles provides an incentive to publish key information, make clear the roles and responsibilities of key bodies and make decisions openly. ”Though the principles are voluntary, peer pressure and a desire to be perceived in a good light by the international community and by recipients of SWF investments can encourage compliance. In fact, there is evidence that belonging to the IFSWF may have a positive effect on fund transparency and governance.” It added, “An examination of Economist and Fund Expert, EdwinTruman’s, SWF Scoreboard scores shows that members of IFSWF in 2012 improved their fund

Former Minister of Housing, Irfaan Ali scores by 17 percent on average between 2007 and 2012, whereas those who were not members improved by only five percent on average.” NRGI said that on the other hand, countries which are members of the IFSWF but who do not comply with the majority of the principles, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have seriously undermined their own international credibility. HDM Labs owner falsifies model of vehicle imported under re-migrant scheme The re-migrant scheme allows any Guyanese who resided outside of Guyana for more than five years to import certain commodities duty free. But on vehicles, re-migrants are required to pay the

Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) five percent of the overall value of the vehicle. Recently, Hardat Singh, owner of HDM Labs, the company that got the controversial $400M contract to delivery emergency drugs, imported a Range Rover Sport under the re-migrant scheme. However, reports are that Singh has not re-migrated and is often a guest at the Marriott Hotel. Further, Kaieteur News understands that Singh imported the Range Rover Sport but declared it as a Range Rover Evoque. The Evoque has one Diesel Engine and one Petrol Engine on offer. The Diesel engine is 1.999 litres while the Petrol engine is 1.997 litres.

Sunday November 25, 2018

However, the Sport is 2.993 litres and is a much more expensive vehicle. Therefore, the five percent Singh paid on the vehicle he descaled is much less than what he owed GRA for the Sport. Under the new rules of the re-migrant scheme, the beneficiary must be in Guyana for 112 days. If the beneficiary imports a vehicle that is brand new, it must remain in his or her possession for five years. But if the vehicle is used, then it must be in the owner’s possession for no less than three. Despite the vehement defence that the Ministry of Public Health mounted about its arrangement with HDM Labs, the Audit Office of Guyana still investigated the arrangement and has vowed to “conduct further scrutiny of the awarding and execution of the contract.” So far, the Audit Office has found that HDM Labs took six months to complete its supply of over $400M worth of “emergency drugs” that was needed within two weeks. MONDAY SOCU prepares 19 charges for ex-Minister Irfaan Ali The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force has prepared 19 charges against former Minister of Housing, Irfaan Ali. Kaieteur News under-

stands that many of the charges have to do with the Pradoville Two case. However, SOCU has reportedly found that Ali acted illegally with the manner in which he distributed several other large and expensive plots of land. Sources within SOCU have all confirmed that the agency will be moving swiftly in the near future to lay the 19 charges and ensure that justice is served. But, one source said that SOCU is being careful to ensure that everything is done correctly, “given the fact that we have not had so many successes so far.” SOCU believes that its case against the former Minister is strong and said that, “we have relevant pieces of documents to support our conviction that he, (Irfaan) aided by (former President Bharrat) Jagdeo, ripped off the State for the benefit of them, their friends and families.” This newspaper sought more information as to the strength of case as it relates to evidence but SOCU officials are very tight-lipped about those details. ”I am sure you can understand why we cannot give out too much information on this but be assured that we have put in the work. I have told you more than enough,” one source said. Ali is said to be very close to Jagdeo and is also one of the PPP’s candidates for Presidency to compete against the coalition in the 2020 elections. Guyana needs to stop collecting ‘chicken feed’ from oil sector – demand what you deserve,transparenc y group advises As Guyana makes moves to review the model for its Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), international transparency groups like the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is urging the Government to increase the size of signature bonuses it intends to collect (Continued on page 33)

Sunday November 25, 2018

From page 32 for the burgeoning oil sector. Its call for attention on this issue is premised on the fact that the coalition government collected a mere US$18M signing bonus from American oil operator, ExxonMobil. The NRGI categorically stated, “Guyana needs to stop collecting chicken feed in the form of signature bonuses. It must demand what it deserves…” The NRGI explained that bonuses, which are one-off payments that may be fixed or negotiated should always be sizeable. In this regard, it noted that in 2006, Angola, which is “not as richly blessed as Guyana” received more than US$1 billion as a

top bid in its award of petroleum rights. NRGI said, “It is important for the Guyanese authorities to bear in mind that bonuses serve to boost the government’s take. And these bonuses need to be sizeable because weak dimensions of the country’s fiscal regime plus poor negotiation skills may result in the country leaving money on the table…And indeed, Guyana did leave considerable money on the table when the contract it renegotiated is examined…” The Institute continued, “Let it be clear, getting a sizeable bonus is no excuse for not ensuring that you have a comprehensive fiscal regime

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for the oil sector. Also, the authorities should not think that if they ask for a sizeable bonus, it has any effect going forward on investment or production decisions. Bonuses are neutral once paid…” Transport produced by Town Clerk does not match disputed Sussex Street property The transport produced by Town Clerk Royston King, last month, in relation to the leased Lombard and Sussex

Street Wharf facility, does not correspond with the location of the disputed property. King had leased the disputed property to shipping company, Quick Shipping Inc, despite claims of ownership of the land by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL). The matter became a source of contention at the recently concluded Commission of Inquiry, (COI) into City Hall. During the hearings, both the Town Clerk of the

Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), and in house attorney of NICIL, Arianne Mc Lean produced documents claiming ownership of the property. NICIL submitted ‘Land Transport #525 of 1985’, while the M&CC says their ‘Transport #2803 of 1966’ shows the ownership of the land located at Lot 1 Mud Lot Lombard Street. However, careful examination of the document supplied by King shows that the trans-

port #2803/1966 has no connection to the property, which he leased for the shipping company for $625,000 per year. The document makes no mention of Lot 1 Mud Lot Lombard Street; the location of the disputed property. On the other hand, the description on the NICIL transport published in the public records of Parliament more closely matches the disputed location. (Continued on page 34)

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From page 33 TUESDAY US$150M and counting…Is Guyana getting a new or renovated airport? Reports of how countries paid dearly for not giving enough attention to foreignfunded, ambitious infrastructural projects have been making the news. The pain from experiences of countries in Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is not so far away from Guyana anymore. In fact, one project has the makings of a huge scandal and it is spanning three administrations. In November 2011, a few days before a defining General Election which saw the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) lose control of Parliament, Guyana heard that its Government had quietly signed a multi-milliondollar deal to expand the Timehri airport. The Chinese contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), appeared to have been handpicked as there was no evidence that any established tendering process was followed. An embarrassed PPP/C administration disclosed that details of the deal were leaked before an announcement could have been made. It appeared, too, that the US$138M contract was signed even before the monies were secured. In fact, it was not until late October 2012 – one year later– that Guyana inked the loan agreement with the Chinese government for US$138M. The balance of the financing- some US$12M- would have been coming from the Government of Guyana as its share of the financing. The project at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) was supposed to be

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executed over 32 months and include a longer runway to accommodate wide-bodied planes and a brand-new, twostorey terminal building to house the arrival and departure areas. There would be more space for Immigration, checkin counters and concessions areas for shops. In March 2013, the sod was turned for the project by former President Donald Ramotar, just south of the existing terminal building. Govt. pushes through budget cuts for Constitutional Agencies A push by Government to pass reduced budgets for the constitutional agencies hit a bump in the road when the Opposition sought to introduced a motion to have the requested funds fully restored. The first agency budget that was debated Monday was that of the Parliament Office which requested $1.8B to carry out its work in 2019. Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, stated that given the economic outlook for next year and other factors, Government could only fund the agency $1.7B. Before that amount could be voted on, Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira introduced a Motion to restore the agency’s request. Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, argued that the ‘House should not entertain a Motion which is of course wasting precious Parliamentary time’. According to Nagamootoo, only the Cabinet of Guyana can make a recommendation to restore funding. ”It cannot be the fiat of the Opposition from the Opposition benches which this Motion is trying to do,” Nagamootoo stated. The reduced funding was eventually approved by the House. The same obtained for other agen-

cies. It was in 2015, that a significant piece of legislation geared at allowing key bodies financial independence was passed in the National Assembly. That legislation was the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2015. It allows for lump sum payments to be made to constitutional agencies thereby making them free from the automatic obligations and the discretionary powers exercised by the Minister of Finance. Jordan had explained that there are checks and balances in place to ensure that abuse does not take place, as annual reports and audited financial statements will be required to be prepared and presented. Teen murder suspect surrenders himself to Kaieteur News A Leopold Street teen, who is currently a suspect in the killing of a drug addict only known as “Buckman”, is now in police custody after surrendering on Monday night. The teen of Leopold Street, came to Kaieteur News about 21:00 hrs last night with his older brother, Jessie Jones, after learning that the police were looking for him. On Saturday night, the teen was walking on Lombard Street with three other young men, when one of the young men accosted “Buckman”. The teen said that, when he saw his friend pull out a knife, he got scared and started to run. This suspect is 15 years old, and attends Carmel Secondary School. He is currently assisting with police investigations. On Saturday evening, police reported that “Buckman” was attacked and stabbed by four men. The attack occurred around 22:45 hrs. When the suspects left,

persons approached the area and found “Buckman” clutching his abdomen. An ambulance arrived later. Attempts to save the man were futile. His intestines were protruding and he kept slipping in and out of consciousness. A police release stated that he was stabbed multiple times because he and others reportedly stopped buying drugs from them. WEDNESDAY US$150 million and counting…What our new airport should look like when completed In a few weeks’ time, a multimillion-dollar project for the modernization of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, is scheduled to be handed over to the people of Guyana. A contract that was signed in November 2011 and should have taken two and a half years to be completed is inexplicably running into its seventh year. According to the contract signed between the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), on November 10, 2011, a brand new terminal building was to have been built, with the old one to be removed at the cost of the government. Instead, a smaller building for Arrivals has been built, and the current terminal structure has been gutted, and is being renovated, all for the same US$150M. It would be a far cry from an ambitious, glass-covered building that CHEC committed to build. The project would have solved the space constraints and opened new concessions and a longer runway for bigger planes. It was envisaged also that eight passenger bridges to protect travellers from the elements would have been in-

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stalled, along with 20 checkin counters and the 20 relevant weighing scales. The new facilities would have included two sets of hold baggage inspections, including X-ray baggage scanning machine and the relevant baggage conveyors, which should be arranged near the abovementioned check-in counters. Two sets of escalators, and two accessible elevators were also to be installed. The building of a new airport, when conceptualized, would not have catered for the massive oil find that Guyana is now embracing. The Natural Resource Fund…Parliament’s current configuration will inhibit oversight – Goolsarran When the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) is established, the nation’s Parliament will be seen as an important check and balance. But Chartered Accountant and former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran is contending that

the current configuration of the Parliament will limit the oversight needed for the Fund. In his recent writings, Goolsarran reminded that the current configuration allows the Government to have a majority in the House. Therefore, the Government’s decisions on the Fund, especially those which have to do with withdrawals, can be passed in spite of any expressed reservations the parliamentary opposition may raise about abuse or corruption. Taking this into account, Goolsarran asserted, “Given the present configuration of the National Assembly and to enable the political Opposition to have a say as to the quantum of withdrawal from the NRF, it may be appropriate for the approval (of withdrawals from the Fund by the Government) to be based on a super majority of the Assembly of, say 60-70 percent of the votes.” Alternatively, Goolsarran (Continued on page 35)

Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran

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From page 34 recommended that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) could examine any proposal for withdrawal from the NRF and make a recommendation to the Assembly. In spite of the potential economic benefits that would flow from the introduction of the NRF, there remains the substantial risk that future Guyanese governments could use the fund for shortterm, political gain. This is according to NRF Analysts, Asim Ali and Patrick J. Schena. In its special report titled, “Harnessing Oil Wealth in Guyana via a Sovereign Wealth Fund: Look Before You Leap,” the duo notes that while a NRF would provide a useful framework for capture and management of resource wealth, its impact is fully dependent on the commitment of future governments to elevate the fund and its mission above shortterm political expediencies. Guyana taking piecemeal approach to contract disclosure – Every mineral agreement must be made public –Transparency Body If the overarching goal of the coalition administration is comprehensive transparency and accountability in the governance of natural resources, then it will publish the contracts for all natural resources. This was recently noted by the Open Society Foundation, a UK-based organization that financially supports civil society groups around the world with a stated aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media. The Foundation said that the publishing of contracts for just the oil sector thus far in Guyana can only be described as a piecemeal approach by the Government. The transparency body insisted that the government must make public, the terms of each concession granted to exploit a natural resource. It said, “Governments ought to disclose the terms and counterparties of all natural resource deals, to allow legislators and citizens to monitor whether the laws and regulations are being followed, and to assess the quality of deals being made on their behalf.” The Open Society Foundation noted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s ‘Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency’ and the Natural Resource Charter, consider publication of contracts to be best practice. Further to this, the Foundation said that the fullest possible information that needs to be disclosed to Guyanese relates to the granting of each concession, pre-qualified compa-

David Melding of the National Assembly for wales nies, successful and unsuccessful bids, and the identity of the beneficial owners. It also recommended that Guyana establishes an independent public agency that has oversight of the rights and the implementation of contracts. It believes that such a body could also make regular and timely public reports on any anticipated and concluded allocation of natural resources licences. The Foundation in conclusion cautioned, “Citizens can only be confident about the integrity of the resource extraction process if they know about it.” THURSDAY Guyana’s MPs should disclose all relatives bidding for Govt. contracts –UK Legislator To ensure that instances of favouritism of conflict of interest in the award of public contracts are reduced, Guyana’s authorities could start by ensuring that politicians disclose if their family members or relatives are involved in the bidding for government contracts. This is according to David Melding of the National Assembly for Wales. The British Parliamentarian was at the time offering advice to

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Guyana’s Parliamentarians who attended a Parliamentary Forum on Corrupion in the United Kingdom. At that event, the role of Parliamentarians in the oversight of public procurement was discussed at length. Guyana’s politicians asked Melding who was part of the UK delegation for advice on how to manage close relationships between major contractors and politicians in a country with a small population, but without affecting freedom of association. Melding provided some guidance on good practice, suggesting that if a Member of Parliament was aware that an associate was interested in discussing an upcoming contract, then anyone else also interested be invited to meet with them. Melding then emphasized that there was a key role for registers of interests to play in disclosing if family members are involved in bidding for a government contract. The British legislator told Guyana’s politicians that just because the award of a national procurement project is free of corruption, it does not mean the process and delivery has been efficient and successful.

Former Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Melding and other members of the UK delegation at the forum then shared practical advice on good practice in public procurement. They said that the distribution of information on what the government is intending to purchase before tendering is key to ensuring the availability of all information to those who may wish to make a bid. They explained that doing this was not only crucial to those applying, but also in demonstrating transparency to the public and civil society, allowing them to monitor the process. E-procurement was discussed as a way to publicize tenders that were available to everyone. Melding also explained that there needed to be advance agreement of selection criteria, adding that abuse of positions of power often arose from changing rules as the process moved along. He noted that if a dramatic change is needed, the procurement process should begin again. “No contract evaluator above the law” – NPTAB Head warns For years, Guyana’s Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, has been bemoaning the poor performance of evaluators when it comes to the public procurement process. Issues such as improper record keeping for decisions made, failing to meet timeframes and conflict of interest have been the top three areas of concern in the last five years. The Government, in collaboration with the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), launched a two-day workshop Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel seeking to correct the aforementioned issues, among others. Delivering remarks at the event, Head of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Berkley Wickham, highlighted the need for irregular practices by evaluators to come to an end. Wickham said, “With the Establishment of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) local contractors are more than before resorting to Bid protest, whether frivolous or not and in so doing, evaluators find themselves in the spotlight of scrutiny over their recommendations. Often the media engages in the process of second guessing procurement decisions too.” The NPTAB Head added, “Procurement decisions are also the subject of public audit. For these reasons, continuous evaluator training is essential and I wish to acknowledge and express gratitude on behalf of the Government of Guyana to the IDB for facilitating this and other such training sessions which

complement the ongoing training sessions done annually by the NPTAB.” As the evaluators in attendance geared for the two-day training session which comes to an end today, Wickham shared some key tips which should be followed at all times. Wickham said, “You are engaging in a process which is not your day job. Evaluation is a group activity and you need to put this activity as a priority when called upon. There can be no defence for failing to meet the fairness or time frames required in each evaluation. Police urge businesses to ensure security cameras are in working condition In addition to a list of security tips offered to shoppers, the Guyana Police

technicians,” he noted. Alves stressed, too, that the onus is on the business community to ensure that their property and environment is safe. “It is not the duty of the Police to go around to businesses and ensure that those cameras are working. These cameras are installed by the property owners for their personal safety.” During the Christmas season, the police are expected to increase foot and vehicle patrols in and around the busy streets of Georgetown with emphasis being placed on the East Bank corridor, Stabroek Market, Regent and Robb Streets, Homestretch Avenue, Vlissengen Road and all bus parks. As part of the strategy, the city was divided into seven

NPTAB Head, Berkley Wickham Force, (GPF) is urging store owners and businesses to ensure that the security cameras are in proper working condition during the busy Christmas season. Police Crime Chief, Lyndon Alves, made this recommendation during the launch of the GPF Christmas policing plan. Alves noted that there are several businesses around the city that are outfitted with dummy cameras. Addressing a gathering of media operatives and police personnel on Monday, Alves spoke of instances where robberies occurred within close proximity to businesses that have dummy security cameras. The Crime Chief said that a proper CCTV footage system can provide much assistance to the police should a crime be committed. As such he noted, “It is advisable that you acquire your equipment from reputable companies and employ specialists –and not persons who are roaming around as

sections. The level of shopping will determine the number of foot patrols, vehicular patrols and temporary police outposts which will be deployed to each area. FRIDAY Venezuelan soldiers detain mining workers; seize fuel, cash at border area Miners are appealing for more protection after ranks from Venezuela’s National Guard, in the latest incident, detained them in the Cuyuni River Thursday afternoon. That river separates the two countries. One miner disclosed that his boat had 15 drums of fuels, which were destined from camps in the Eteringbang and other areas. ”I think you know by now that the Sindicatos (Venezuelan gangs) have been controlling the Cuyuni River. I always believed that the Cuyuni belonged to Guyana. They came with guns and a boat and ordered my men over to their side,” the (Continued on page 36)

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From page 35 miner said. There, the National Guard took the cash the men had, including more than $100,000 for a worker’s salary and US$100. ”They allowed the men to go. But we are not only dealing with the National Guards. We have to pay the Sindicatos to use a river that belongs to us. We have our army ranks that are not far away, but nothing much is being done.” The Sindicatos are said to be heavily armed and extremely dangerous. The miner said that a report was made to authorities about Thursday’s incident. The issue of the escalation of threats to Guyanese, especially miners who traverse the Cuyuni, has been surfacing for more than a year now. Miners claim that for every drum of fuel, they are forced to pay over a pint to pass checkpoints. The local army was mandated to patrol the river. However, the problems have been continuing. With Venezuela facing severe economic woes, its people have been desperate for food and supplies. Gangs have taken over border areas with some incidents spilling over to Guyana. Energy Dept. should modify cost recoverable items – Oxfam America As the newly-established Energy Department pursues the revision of the model Production Sharing Agreement (PSA), it may find it prudent to urgently modify those costs, which oil companies are allowed to deduct. This point was recently made by Oxfam America. The entity is a confederation of 20 independent charitable organizations, which seek to fight some of the factors that lead to poverty, one of them being the poor governance of extractive wealth. The transparency body emphasized that there are certain costs, which present a greater risk to government revenue, and their eligibility may merit review. In this regard, it sought to warn Guyana’s authorities that the payment of interest on a loan an oil company takes from a related party is one such cost. The company explained, “Oil and gas projects require significant capital outlays

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over their life, including the costs of drilling the well and constructing infrastructure to pump and refine the oil. Often, a related party will provide an oil operator with a loan for its project. But the interest rate on that loan is often highly unreasonable…” Oxfam then cited a case involving Chevron Australia, which highlights how companies may use such loan arrangements as a means of shifting profits offshore. Oxfam noted that in 2017, the Federal Court of Australia upheld a US$340 million tax adjustment levied on Chevron Australia by the Australian Tax Office (ATO). This decision came about after the ATO discovered that a Chevron affiliate in the U.S. State of Delaware set an unreasonable interest rate for a loan to Chevron’s Australian arm. Public registry to list beneficial owners, politically exposed persons in oil sector The local chapter of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is working towards the creation of a public registry of beneficial owners and Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) in the oil and gas sector. This was confirmed by Head of the GY-EITI, Dr. Rudy Jadoopat. During an exclusive interview with this publication Thursday, the official noted that the creation of the registry is an important aspect of the work of the local chapter. According to Dr. Jadoopat, the register coincides with a requirement of the EITI Standard, which calls for the disclosure of those persons who ultimately control and receive proceeds from licences to extract a country’s natural resources. He also noted that the role of “Politically Exposed Persons” is an area of particular concern. ”Many practices can make obscure who are the true beneficial owners of a company. The use of one or more shell companies and/or proxy/ nominee owners and directors are two such practices. It is therefore important to strengthen the legal framework in key areas and to ensure that information on beneficial owners are publicly accessible in registries,” Dr. Jadoopat emphasised. He added, “It is worth noting that EITI’s interest in beneficial ownership dove-

Director of power and Money at Oxfam America, Ian Gary tails with that of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) and its regional affiliates. Thus, there will be a degree of complementarity on this topic between Guyana’s pursuit of EITI compliance and compliance under FATF.” Further to this, Dr. Jadoopat said that other areas of the law that are complementarily important to ensure greater disclosure are the Access to Information Act and the Integrity Commissions, which are fully functional and in order. He commented that these provide citizen groups, police and journalists with the means of accessing information that might prove critical on PEPs, such as asset declarations and published salaries. SATURDAY Two-year deadline too short for auditing cost recoverable items – Oxfam America – Even USA, other countries have longer periods In the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed with oil giant, ExxonMobil, Guyana only has a two-year deadline within which to do cost audits. But given the nation’s capacity deficiencies, international transparency bodies contend that this timeline should be extended. Specifically making this point is Oxfam America. The entity is a confederation of 20 independent charitable organizations, which seek to fight some of the factors that lead to poverty, one of them being the poor governance of extractive wealth. Oxfam America noted that the expiration periods for audit rights are set out in petroleum contracts and tax laws. It stressed, however, that these deadlines differ from one country to the next. It noted that in Ghana and

Kenya for example, the authorities there retain the right to complete audit companies within seven years. In Peru, the limit for audits is four years. Even in the USA, the transparency body highlighted that audits are completed within three years. Oxfam warned that even a three-year deadline is not advisable for developing countries such as Guyana given the limited financial and human resources that are likely to delay the audit process. Further to this, the organization said that it is equally important to keep an eye on record-keeping provisions in the petroleum contracts and tax laws. It said, “Oil companies should be required to keep all their records in country for easy access by the auditors during the audit period. But once that period expires, it becomes very costly to access records and therefore practically impossible to audit them…” Nandlall to lead defence in ‘stolen’ Law Reports trial Former Attorney General and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, Anil Nandlall, was on Friday told by a City Magistrate that sufficient evidence was led against him in relation to the alleged theft of 14 Lexis-Nexis Law Reports of the Commonwealth. In the circumstances, he was called upon to lead a defence. It is alleged that Nandlall, between May 18, 2015 and May 29, 2015, being a bailee in the then capacity of Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, he fraudulently converted 14 Commonwealth Law Reports valued at $2,313,853, property of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, to his own use and benefit. Nandlall has pleaded not guilty to the allegation and is

Sunday November 25, 2018

out on self bail pending the outcome and determination of the trial. This ruling was handed down Friday by Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore who ruled that Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) Prosecutor, Patrice Henry, was able to prove every element of the offence. Nandlall, who was present in court looked on in disbelief. Magistrate Azore in addressing the courtroom said that after spending hours of perusing the evidence led by Prosecutor Henry, she was left with no option but to overrule the defence no case submission which was presented by Attorney-at-Law Glenn Hanoman. Hanoman, in addressing the court, said that come December 6, his client will give a sworn testimony. The lawyer added that they will also try to get former President Donald Ramotar, to testify on Nandlall’s behalf. No-confidence Motion will be debated after Budget, not a moment before – PM “We will have this motion discussed and defeated because it is not viable. It was bred out of desperation, frustration and opportunism.” This is what Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo said Friday as he addressed, publicly, how the coalition government intends to handle the no-confidence motion filed against it by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) parliamentary opposition. The motion was filed well over a week ago in the name of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo. Nagamootoo said that the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, communicated to him that the opposition was sent a letter that served to inform that the motion would not be considered until after the National Budget of 2019 is read, debated, deliberated and passed in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana. On Monday, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan will read Budget 2019. Nagamootoo said that he does not foresee the Budget being passed before December, 15. He said it can be very well later than that. Nagamootoo continued, “We need to address why is it that the opposition feels that this motion should come up for discussion before all matters including the national budget. I expect the Guyanese people will see the budget as a matter of primary concern to them and their lives. “We have to work towards a budget that is not

only bigger but better than budgets before, with stronger social content.” He said that as a result, there is no way that the government will allow the no-confidence motion to be debated before budget is passed. “We are not running; we are prepared but we believe there are issues that take precedence,” said Nagamootoo. Army helps miner recover fuel stolen by Venezuelan soldiers Army ranks posted at the border areas with Venezuela recovered drums of fuel on Friday, one day after they were stolen by soldiers of that neighbouring country, in what has been said to be an escalating situation. According to an official of the affected mining operation, ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) accompanied the General Manager of the camp over to the Venezuela side of the border, across the Cuyuni River. There, after engagements with the National Guard personnel, it was agreed that the five drums of fuel would be returned. “We did not receive the monies they took from the boat. They said they did not take any monies.” According to a statement from the miners to local police and the GDF, on Thursday, around 4:30pm, they were proceeding to camp along the Cuyuni River in the vicinity of Akarabisi when they were approached by the Venezuela National Guard. The Venezuelans were in a white wooden boat. “The Venezuela National Guard pointed their guns at us and ordered us over to the Venezuela side of the border where they have their base.” According to the statement, the mining workers were searched and one of them was stripped of his clothing. The National Guard ranks searched the fuel boat which had 15 drums of diesel. The fuel had been purchased from a place called San Martin, across in Venezuela, further up river. The National Guard found US$130 and $210,000 in a bucket on the boat and took these, the miners said. The National Guard also took five drums of diesel from the boat, leaving 10 behind. The mining workers said that after the incident they proceeded to the army base at Akarabisi and made a report. They attempted to do the same at another area called Kurishi, but no police were available there. The matter is reportedly engaging the attention of Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.

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Losing respect for the... (From page 44) are verified against payments made. Year after year, the Auditor General’s reports would point out to overpayments, breaches in procurement, non-delivery of supplies, and other serious breaches. Accounting officers are very familiar with the regulations. The buck stops at them. While there is little a few accounting officers can do to stop rogue engineers, many of them are in collusion. Year after year, accounting officers appear before the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Opposition parliamentarians, to explain why for five or six years a breach has not been corrected. Year after year we have the same “mistakes” being made. Yet, it seems the violations continue. We can go on and on. One should visit the website of the Auditor General, download one of the reports, and judge for yourself. The continued breaches is a slap in the face for the authority of Parliament. Surely this must be disrespect to the highest by ministries, RDCs, NDCs and other state agencies at fault. Do we dare wonder why there is so little attention being paid to Parliament? In the same vein, we can look at what has become of our night spots. A few years ago, the Ministry of Public Security enforced an old law that says all night spots have to close at 2am. There were immediate criticisms. Guyanese

love to party late. Fast forward to 2018, we now have the same ministry moving to curb noise nuisance. Police have been equipped with equipment to test noise levels. I work late most days. I love my relaxing, kick-back mode around 10pm. At Kaieteur News, we have received numerous complaints of bars blasting music to the wee hours of the morning. Calls to the police by residents saw promises of a patrol. Night after night, and on weekends, the ear-splitting attacks on citizens continue. I can understand a barbecue or wedding. I cannot understand a bar in a residential area. There is nothing to argue about. There is no justification. Our zoning regulations, or lack thereof, and corrupt City Hall and NDCs, have brought this on us. The issue is being debated bitterly, as there are nightspots operators who are claiming that in this hard guava season that it is unfair. I visited New York and went to Kaieteur Bar in Queens. You can stand at the entrance and barely hear a murmur and on entering the full blast of music would hit you. The bars are soundproof. You play music loud and the cops come. It is simple, my friends, we have to do things differently. We are moving up and there must be respect for laws, and of course for Parliament. If we start at the top, the bottom will comply.

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Commonwealth wants developing countries to access billions in foreign aid LONDON - CMC – The Commonwealth Secretary General, Dame Patricia Scotland says a new study has shown that small member states could be losing out on US$4.5 billion of overseas development assistance. She said as a result of the study conducted by the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat she is urging the development of strategies to help small and vulnerable states improve their ability to effectively access and use development assistance. Dame Patricia will be among delegates attending an International Monetary Fund (IMF)/ World Bank conference on Building Resilience

to Disasters and Climate Change in the Caribbean. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness will be the featured speaker. The Commonwealth Secretary General will participate in a discussion on incentives and financing to build resilience. “The Caribbean has been through testing and distressing times in recent years, with storms and hurricanes of unprecedented intensity causing widespread devastation. We commend the international community for rallying to provide support, and the affected countries for their practical resolve to build back better and stronger.

“But we have a lot of work to do to address inherent and systemic barriers to building resilience, such as debt, limited private financing and capacity constraints,” she said, adding that “one key area we need urgently to improve is coordination among organisations and donors so countries are able to access and utilise financial assistance more swiftly through processes that are more streamlined. “It is of great concern that a preliminary Commonwealth study shows that small and vulnerable states failed to utilise $4.5 billion of development assistance made available between 2010

and 2016,” she said ahead of the conference in Washington. The Commonwealth Secretariat said that at the conference it will present its plans for working alongside member countries to build resil-

ience to disasters and climate change. It said these include the Commonwealth Finance Access Hub, which is helping developing states make successful applications for projects related to climate

change, the new Disaster Risk Financing Portal, which will give countries open, 24-hour access to key information on financing facilities and a proposed Universal Vulnerability Index to build global (Continued on page 49)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

Guyana elected Vice-President in key mercury forum In recognition of the strides that Guyana has made in implementing the Minimata Convention, Guyana has been nominated to serve on the Bureau of the Conference of Partiesto the Minamata Conference on Mercury 3 (COP 3), with Ministry of Natural Resources Project Officer Marisica Charles, being elected as one of the two vice-presidents from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean countries (GRULAC). This occurred at the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Conference on Mercury 2 (COP2). Charles now joins vice-president Maris Del Mar Solano from Costa Rica as the GRULAC’s representatives and two members each of the UN for other regions. COP 3 will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from

November 25th to 29th 2019. The Bureau members are tasked to represent their regions and individual countries and parties’ interest as it relates to the implementation of the Minamata Convention. This election has catapulted Guyana’s position and commitment in the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the protection of people’s lives and livelihoods, and the sustainability of the environment. The COP 2 conference which ran from November 1922, saw in attendance a fivemember delegation from Guyana comprising the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, Ambassador and Permanent Resident of Guyana to the United Nations and Office

Guyana’s delegation, from left (front)- Ambassador Dr. John Deep Ford, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and MNR Project Officer Mariscia Charles. In the background: Environmental Protection Agency representative Felicia Adams -Kellman (right) and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s Carlos Todd. and Other International Organisations at Geneva and the WTO, Ambassador Dr. John Deep Ford, and representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Over the five-day period, the delegation participated in the Plenary and Contact Group discussions for the adoption of articles and agenda items aimed towards the phased and total elimination of the use of mercury in all activities and specifically for Guyana in the Artisanal Small-Scale Gold

Mining (ASGM) sector. Guyana signed and ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in October 2013 and September 2014 respectively. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from

anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds. The Convention came into force in August 2017. At the Conference of Parties 1, held in September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland, President David Granger affirmed Guyana’s position and commitment to (Continued on page 49)

Sunday November 25, 2018

Kaieteur News

Guyana elected Vice-President in... From page 48 the elimination of the use of Mercury by 2027. “The Ministry of Natural Resou r c e s continues to recognize the environmental and human health risks of mercury use and pollution. A National Working Group

has been reconstituted as of August 2018 and currently has been reviewing the draft National Action Plan with stakeholders giving comments and inputs on how it can be completed,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Commonwealth wants developing... From page 47 consensus on the definition and measurement of the factors that combine to render countries vulnerable to environmental and financial challenges. Head of Economic Policy and Small States at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Travis Mitchell, said the issues of development finance for resilience building and disaster risk were upmost in the minds of Commonwealth finance ministers during their annual meeting in Bali last

month. “We have a clear mandate to come up with innovative and effective strategies to address this issue. So in January we are going to hold the first ever Annual Research Conference on S m a l l S t a t e s i n Malta under the theme “Building Resilience Through Disaster Risk Reduction”. “This will bring together experts and academics to explore new and emerging developments in disaster risk reduction.”

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Dangerous chemicals hiding in everyday products It was long believed that you could acquire “better living through chemistry.” But that may really not be the case. In a landmark alliance, known as Project TENDR, leaders of various disciplines have come together in a consensus statement to say that many of the chemicals found in everyday products can result in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit disorders. “Ten years ago, this consensus wouldn’t have been possible, but the research is abundantly clear,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis and co-chairwoman of Project TENDR. “At some point, we say

we know enough to take preventative action,” said Frederica Perera, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. Perera is also a signatory on the statement. Last year, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (PDF) stated that “Widespread exposure to toxic environmental chemicals threatens healthy human reproduction.” Other medical groups such as the Endocrine Society (PDF), the world’s oldest and largest organization devoted to researching hormones, have expressed similar concerns. But this is the first time that leading scientists, doctors and policy advocates across various disciplines have come together to say that the science on toxic

chemicals is clear: They can harm brain development. Everyday chemicals carry toxic burden These everyday chemicals, including organophosphates, flame retardants and

cinogenic or wreak havoc with our hormones, our body’s regulating system. But the impact of these chemicals may be most severe on the developing brain, Perera said. Brain development is the

phthalates, can be found in food, plastics, furniture, food wrap, cookware, cans, carpets, shower curtains, electronics and even shampoo. They are pretty much everywhere around us. Scientists and researchers are concerned that many of these chemicals may be car-

“most complete and most rapid during the first nine months, prenatally,” she said. During that time, neural connections and pathways are being developed. “Any interference by a physical stress like a toxic chemical or other stressor can disrupt this natural progression that is so very delicate and complex,” explained Perera. Though the group hopes to come up with regulatory recommendations to reduce this toxic burden, there are some simple things that individuals can do to reduce their exposure. Chemicals to watch for. ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES Organophosphate pesticides (PDF) are a class of neurotoxic chemicals used as warfare agentsin the 1930s. However, today, they account for about half of all pesticide use in the United States. And they can make their way onto crops that we use as food sources. Areas that spray pesticides heavily, such as farms, may find higher rates of exposure. Children exposed to higher levels of these pesticides have been found to have higher rates of attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder. You can reduce your exposure to them by eating organic and using alternative pest control methods. PHTHALATES These chemicals soften plastics and help scents and chemicals bind together. Exposure to phthalates has been associated with lower IQ levels. They can be found in shampoos, conditioners, body sprays, hair sprays, perfumes, colognes, soap, nail polish, shower curtains, medical tubing, IV bags, vinyl flooring and wall coverings, food packaging and coatings on time-release pharmaceuticals.You can reduce your exposure to phthalates by using unscented lotions and laundry detergents, microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic, using cleaning supplies without scents, and avoiding air

Imported Jewelry Can Pose Danger Foreign-made jewelry is a potential source of lead exposure, according to public health officials. A 1-year-old boy living in New York City had a rapid increase in blood lead levels, and the likely source of the exposure was traced to a Cambodian amulet made from knotted string and metallic beads, according to researchers from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the CDC. Testing revealed that the beads contained 45 percent lead, the researchers reported in Jan. 28 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The boy had worn the amulet — “something to protect him,” his father said — since he was 3 months old, and had been seen putting it in his mouth. “Healthcare providers and public health workers should consider traditional customs when seeking sources of lead exposure in Southeast Asian populations,” the authors wrote. Healthcare professionals should ask parents — particularly from Southeast Asian families — about the use of amulets, they added, noting that educational efforts about the risk of lead poisoning from jewelry are needed for immigrant families. An accompanying editorial note pointed out that the CDC recommends blood lead testing for internationally adopted and refugee children and that the New York City health department recommends testing all children with recent travel to foreign countries. Although the most common source of lead exposure in young children is

paint, other sources have been increasingly identified. That is particularly true in immigrant communities because of the use of lead-containing products from their country of origin, such as spices, food, candy, cosmetics, health remedies, ceramics or pottery, and jewelry. For the case of the 1-yearold boy, routine lead testing showed an elevated blood lead level of 10 micrograms/ dL. According to the National Institutes of Health lead concentrations in blood should be less than 10 micrograms/ dL in children and less than 20 micrograms/dL in adults. Because he lived in a household with a cousin who had had lead poisoning, he had also been tested at 6 months. His blood lead level was just 1 microgram/dL then. A risk assessor from the Environmental Protection Agency visited the home to look for potential sources of the lead exposure. The boy’s father denied using any imported products, and the assessor failed to find any potential sources of exposure. Three months later, the boy’s blood level doubled to 20 micrograms/dL.

The boy’s father again denied that the child wore jewelry or charms, but eventually admitted that the child had worn an amulet acquired at a Cambodian market since he was 3 months old. A second home inspection identified one area of paint with an elevated lead level, as well as imported spices and rice. Testing revealed that the food products did not have elevated lead content. Within eight days of the amulet being removed from the home, the boy’s blood lead level decreased to 14 micrograms/dL. About five weeks later — after the lead paint was reported to be removed — the boy’s blood lead level was 10 micrograms/ dL, and five months after the amulet was removed, the level was down to 5 micrograms/ dL.“Although other factors might have contributed to the child’s overall lead burden,” the researchers wrote, “the most likely source identified was the amulet, based on its high lead content, statements that the child had been observed mouthing it, and the rapid decrease in the child’s blood lead level after its removal.” http:// www.everydayhealth.com.

fresheners and plastics labeled as No. 3, No. 6 and No 7. POLYBROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHERS These chemicals are used as flame retardants, chemicals that can slow the speed of a flame. They can be found in televisions, computers, insulation and foam products, including children’s toys and baby pillows. Products can shed ethers that can accumulate in dust. Exposure to these ethers have been associated with thyroid issues. There isn’t a directory that lists which products have these ethers, but consumers may still be able to reduce exposure by looking for products that advertise themselves as free of flame retardant. These chemicals were found in a lot of older foams, so replace products such sofas and pillows that have exposed foam. And use a highefficiency HEPA filter vacuum to clean up dust. AIR POLLUTANTS Air pollution from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas is usually associated with respiratory issues. However, these pollutants can also include nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and benzene. Higher exposure to air pollutants has been associated with lower birth weights, preterm deliveries and congenital heart defects. The World Health Organization (PDF) considers exposure to benzene a major public health concern. Aside from trying to avoid polluted areas, you can make sure to buy furniture and products that advertise themselves as formaldehyde-free. Try to avoid buying furniture made with particleboard, plywood or pressed wood. Many of these products use glues containing formaldehyde. LEAD Lead is a naturally occurring metal. It was banned from gasoline in the 1970s but can still be found in older homes that used leaded paint. Lead can also make its way into water, because of corrosion from old water pipes. Lead is also used in a variety of products like industrial paints, car batteries and wheel weights. Lead exposure has been associated with ADHD, lower IQs and developmental delay. Infants and toddlers are at greatest risk for lead exposure because they frequently put their hands and toys in their mouths after they may be exposed to lead in dust. Find out if you have lead in your water by reaching out to your local water supplier or even getting an at-home test kit from a home improve-

ment store. If your home was built before 1978, test your paint. If the paint is chipping or peeling, it will need to be stripped or covered. Homeowners may want to consider using a professional who is lead-safe certified to help you. Parents can also talk to your doctor about having your children tested for lead if there is reason for concern. MERCURY Mercury is a naturally occurring element, but it can also be released into the environment from the burning of coal and oil. Mercury can also be found in some household items such as thermometers, light bulbs and oldermodel clothes dryers and washing machines. Mercury in the environment can make its way into fish and shellfish. Some fish, such as some kinds of tuna, may have higher concentrations of mercury. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to mercury in utero may impact memory, attention and cognitive skills. While you can’t completely eliminate mercury from your environment, you can reduce your exposure to mercury by avoiding fish high in mercury. Try to use mercuryfree thermometers. When getting rid of household items with mercury, reach out to your state or local household hazardous waste collection center for advice. POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS Between 1929 and 1977, thousands of tons ofpolychlorinated biphenyls were used worldwide. Production of the chemical in the U.S. was banned by the EPA in 1977, but they can linger (PDF) in the environment for a long time and make their way into the food chain. These chemicals have been used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment because they are good insulators. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, polychlorinated biphenyls are associated with cancer in occupational settings and has been associated with issues with motor skills and short term memory in children. Much like mercury, they have made their way into our food sources, particularly fish and some meat. To avoid polychlorinated biphenyls in your food, the Environmental Defense Fund suggests, before cooking, removing the parts where toxic chemicals are likely to accumulate, such as the skin, fat and internal organs. When cooking, make sure to drain away fat and avoid drippings. http:// edition.cnn.com.

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Chris Pratt and Anna Faris Julia Roberts Comes to TV: Why You Should Watch Homecoming Right Now Are Officially Divorced After almost a year, Chris Pratt and Anna Faris are officially divorced, almost a year after he filed papers to end their marriage and more than a year after they announced their split. The 39-year-old actor and 41-year-old actress will share legal and physical custody of their son Jack, 6. The former couple has a prenup and neither actor asked for spousal support, E! News has learned. The former couple had signed documents to finalize their divorce two weeks ago. “Chris and Anna are officially divorced,” a source told E! News on Friday. “The judge signed the judgement on October 24 so their relationship status was dissolved as of October 24. The papers were filed with the courthouse today, Nov. 2.” “It’s all very amicable and always has been between them because they just want what’s best for Jack,” another source told E! News last month. Divorcing by reaching an agreement, having a retired judge sign off on it and having a court accept it isn’t possible “unless people are amicable and getting along, and are looking out for the best interest of the child,” the source added. News of Chris and Anna’s

divorce finalization comes two days after the two reunited to take their son trickor-treating for Halloween. Chris and Anna had announced their split in August 2017 after eight years of marriage. Chris filed for divorce that December, listing July 13, 2017 as the official date of separation. Anna was represented in the divorce by famed celebrity divorce lawyer and ItsOverEasy.com founder

Laura Wasser. Both actors have started dating other people since the split. He has been seeing Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, for the past few months. Anna stepped out with new boyfriend Michael Barrett months after the divorce filing. “She’s still with Michael and she’s very happy right now,” the source said. (www.eonline.com)

Listen Up, Ladies! Post Malone Might Be Single Again Post Malone might be drinkin’ Henny and trynna forget, because rumor has it he is back on the market. According to Us Weekly, the star and his girlfriend, Ashlen Diaz, have split after three years of dating. A source told the outlet that Diaz broke up with the artist a few months ago, however, another source told them it was a mutual decision to stop seeing each other. Diaz is reportedly upset by the split, but the rapper’s demanding schedule has placed a strain on their romance. And Diaz’s Instagram seemingly confirms the rumors since any photos she once had with him have been removed. Malone, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have many photos with Ashlen on social media. In recent months there appeared to be trouble in paradise, as Post was seen cozying up to a mystery woman on a yacht. The bikini-clad female looked a lot like Ashlen, but there was much speculation about her true identity.

However, one thing that indicates these split rumors should be taken with a grain of salt is a reported Q&A Ashlen held in Sept. On a Reddit thread, users discussed how Ashlen admitted that she and Post often “take breaks.” Post Malone himself once said that it can be difficult balancing his relationship

with work responsibilities in an interview with The Breakfast Club. “It’s tough having a balance, between dedicating my life to music and dedicating time for Ashlen,” he explained in 2016. “It’s tough because you want to get into the studio, you want to do as good music as you can, sometimes you’re real busy.” (www.eonline.com)

Julia Roberts has finally come to television! The romcom queen and long time A-lister stars in Homecoming, a somewhat mysterious show from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. The entire first season is now streaming on Amazon Prime, and there are a lot of reasons you’re going to want to check it out. The first one, obviously is that it stars Julia Roberts. In her 30 year career in Hollywood, Roberts has only ever guest starred in TV shows like Friendsand Murphy Brown, and has never before had a series regular role. She stars in Homecoming as a woman who works for a somewhat mysterious government program called Homecoming, which helps soldiers return to civilian life after leaving service. We learn pretty quickly that Homecoming was not entirely successful, and that Roberts’ character eventually left the job and became a waitress. Why she left and what exactly she was part of is part of the mystery. Roberts didn’t really intentionally set out to do TV, because as she told E! News’ Jason Kennedy, “a script is a script is a script.” “I just went with the good story, that it was ultimately going to put ultimately on television is the last thing that I really consider,” Roberts said, before joking, “I only just found out it was going to be on TV, just a couple weeks ago. I was like wait, what?” It’s beautifully shot. It’s to be expected from Sam Esmail after what we’ve seen on Mr. Robot, but the way this show is filmed is somehow extremely pleasing—both disorienting and strangely comforting at the same time. The show also plays with the size of the screen depending on the time period, making it occasionally feel like you’re watching a vertical video on a cell phone. That may not sound that fun, but it’s a cool effect that just adds to the ambiance of the show. It’s a My Best Friend’s Wedding reunion! 21 years after playing BFFs in My Best Friend’s Wedding, real-life BFFs Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney reunited on screen to play boyfriend and girlfriend in Homecoming, though it’s not exactly a fun romcom this time around. Both are a little more jaded this time around, but their chemistry is still 100% there. The entire cast is fantas-

tic. Roberts and Mulroney are obviously great, and they’re joined by Bobby Cannavale, Sissy Spacek, Alex Karpovsky, and Shea Whigham in the main cast. The breakout star of the series, however, might be 24 year-old Stephan James, who holds his own alongside Roberts as Walter Cruz, one of Roberts’ clients in the Homecoming program. He tells E! News that he’s already picked her brain on career advice, given that she’s had such success for so long. “One day I remember talking to Julia and just saying, what do you think about just being a little bit more careful about your decisions and maybe not rushing into every single job,” James recalled. “Knowing that she was at her starting point where she was the “It Girl” when she was 20, 24, and I’m 24 now, and for me, just hearing that from her that it’s OK to take your time and do things you want to do, that was really reassuring for me.” Episodes are blissfully short. 30 minutes?! For a drama?!?! It’s practically unheard of, but ever so welcome in these hard times of drama episodes that may range from 50 minutes to 75 to however

damn many minutes a creator might want. Homecoming is perfectly compact, meaning it’s a very easy binge. It’s likely a one-off. There will most likely not be more, at least not with Roberts as the star. “Honestly, this was, for me, a nearly perfect experience, just the whole thing,” Roberts said. “Working in Los Angeles, my castmates, Sam [Esmail], the crew that he assembled, and so many of them that I had worked with on movies before—just top shelf people. It was very unique in that way. I almost don’t want to do anything else because nothing could top it.” So if you’re not ready to fully commit to a new TV show, just settle in for a few hours of this fascinating sensory and emotional experience and don’t worry about having to keep up in the future. If we have somehow not yet convinced you to join us on this Homecoming journey, let us say again: MOST EPISODES ARE BARELY 30 MINUTES LONG. What a dream, TBH. Homecoming is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. (https:// www.eonline.com/news/ 983416/julia-roberts-comesto-tv-why-you-shouldwatch-homecoming-rightnow)

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1.What's a pirates favorite letter? (insert: you saying "R") You'd think it'd be the "R" but it's the "C." 2. A bear walks into a bar and says to the bartender, "I'll have a............ pint of beer please." The bartender asks, "Why the big pause?" The bear replies, "Well, I've always had em!" 3.Why did the can crusher quit his job? Because it was soda pressing. 4.What do you call someone who doesn't like carbs? Lack-Toast Intolerant. 5.A man walks into a bar and it's empty - it's just him and the bartender. He sits down and orders a drink. He hears someone whisper, "Pssst...I like your tie." The man looks around but doesn't see anyone. "Pssst...that color looks nice on you." He asks the bartender, "Excuse me, but...are you speaking to me?" The bartender rolls his eyes and says, "No, sorry about that. It's the peanuts... they're complimentary." 6.Why did the birthday boy wrap himself in paper? He wanted to live in the present 7.What does a house wear? A dress. 8.Arnold Schwarzenegger goes back to Austria for his Easter Break. When he returns to California his friend says to him, "Arnie, I hear you went back home to Austria for Easter. How was it?" To which Arnie replied [in Arnie voice]: "Oh it was terrible! My father he ruined the Easter Egg hunt, he put all of the eggs in awful places and nobody could find any eggs and quite generally we all had an awful day." His colleague then says, "Oh Arnie that's no good at all, I'm sorry to hear! Does that mean you don't love easter anymore?" Arnie [Very important to read in Arnie voice]: "Oh no of course not - I still love easter, baby.” 9.Knock knock. Who's there? Déja. Déja who? Knock knock. 10A man goes into a pet shop to buy a parrot. The shop owner points to three identical looking parrots on a perch and says,"The parrot on the left costs $500 dollars." "Why does the parrot cost so much?" asks the man. The owner says "Well the parrot knows how to use a computer." The man then asks about the next parrot and learns that it costs $1,000 dollars because it can do everything the first parrot can do plus it knows how to use the UNIX operating system. Naturally, the increasingly startled man asks about the third parrot, only to be told that it costs $2,000 dollars. people geek culture amp Needless to say this begs the question, "What can it do?" To which the owner replies, "To be honest I have never seen it do anything but the other two call him boss!" Eloi L 11.What did the full glass say to the empty glass? You look drunk. 12.What's a potato's favorite form of transportation? The gravy train 1.2What did one ocean say to the other? Nothing, they just waved. 13.Why should you never fall in love with a tennis player? Because to them... love means NOTHING! 1.4Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet? Because they could spend years at C. 15.Why did the woman go on the date with the mushroom? Because he was a fun-ghi. 16.Why does Snoop Dogg use an umbrella? Fo drizzle. 17.What do diapers and politicians have in common? They both stink and need to be changed often. 18.Why couldn't the toilet paper cross the road? Because it got stuck in a crack. 19.Why didn't the bike want to go anywhere? Because it was two-tired! 20.Knock knock (who's there?) To (to who?) It's "to whom. "21.Two antennas decided to get married, the ceremony was pretty boring, but the reception was great!

Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

Sunday November 25, 2018

Keep Your Nails Healthy Try Biotin As long as you eat a healthy, varied diet, you don't need any dietary supplements to guarantee strong nails. But, says Dr. Kleinsmith, people with weak nails may benefit from supplemental biotin, a B vitamin. "Biotin has been shown to be helpful for strengthening and growing our nails," she says. Kleinsmith admits she didn't luck into strong nails by birth, and she has had success strengthening them by taking biotin every day. Enjoy Polish Wearing nail polish isn't going to harm your healthy nails, although you probably should give your nails a break on the polish periodically. As part of your home manicures, make sure you choose acetone-free nail polish remover when you decide to begin that break. Wear gloves for better nail care when working with your hands, such as when you're gardening or housecleaning, to protect the polish and keep dirt out of your nails. Moisturize Cuticles Think of your cuticles like the protective caulking around a bathtub. If you cut them back too far or push them around too aggressively, you damage them. That, in turn, leaves your nail bed open to infection. As part of regular nail care to maintain healthy nails, Kleinsmith advises moisturizing cuticles and not even pushing them back or trimming them at all, even during a professional manicure. Be aware of the signs of infection, including redness, pain, swelling, and even pus in your cuticles and the nearby skin. See a doctor for help treating any infection. Keep Nails Trimmed "The fashion trend is to have neat, more natural-looking, shorter nails and not the long talons of the past," notes Kleinsmith. Trimming nails regularly helps you to maintain healthy nails and helps to avoid snagging or breaking. How frequently you trim will depend on how fast your nails grow. Use a fine file to smooth out the edges of your nails. As part of your manicures, you can also lightly buff the surface of your nails, especially if you tend to get ridges. Clean With a Nail Brush Many women risk infection with rigorous cleaning under the nails using long, pointy tools, both at home and during manicures. "Women themselves or the manicurist are trying so diligently to clean under the nail that they end up with a kind of a gap between the nail and the nail bed," Kleinsmith explains. This kind of aggressive nail care is an open door to bacterial or fungal infections. Instead, scrub gently with an old-fashioned nail brush for healthy nails. Wear Dish Gloves Frequently immersing hands in hot, soapy water to wash dishes can weaken even strong nails, mostly because this process dries them out along with the rest of the skin on your hands. Protective nail care calls for wearing gloves to protect your hands while you scrub. Interestingly, notes Kleinsmith, swimmers who are usually immersed in cooler water do not seem to have the same kind of challenge to their strong nails. Minimize Manicures Keep manicures simple to preserve healthy nails. "Save a few dollars," says Kleinsmith. "Go in, get your nail polish removed, have them shape your nails — not real brutally — get a fresh coat, and be done with it." Skip the acrylic nails, which ultimately could lead to more infections, and be aware that there is a small risk of skin cancer from the UV light that affixes solar nails. Wear sunscreen on your hands if you are going to be putting them under the light. Take Infections Seriously Smoothing ragged edges and wrapping a broken nail in an adhesive bandage are fine, but if you see signs of infection, check in with your doctor for the needed nail care. You'll probably recognize the signs of a bacterial infection (redness, swelling, and pain), but you might miss the early signs of a nail fungal infection, such as puffy, red, irritated skin around the nail bed. Fungal infections could improve with an over-the-counter antifungal treatment, but they sometimes require prescription medications — for optimal nail care, get medical attention when healthy nails are at

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Wedding Bells

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Mothers Sacrifice

M

y mom only had one eye. I hated her… she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell… anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school. I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school… “Your mom only has one eye?!” and they taunted me. I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, “Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?” My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time. Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly. That night… I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty. Then I studied really hard. I

left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom. This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me “What?! Who's this?!” It was my mother… Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye. And I asked her, “Who are you? I don't know you!!” as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! Get out of here now!!” And to this, my mother quietly answered, “oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,” and she disappeared. Thank goodness… she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life. Then a wave of relief came upon me… one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house…just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand…. it was a letter to me. She wrote: My son, I think my life has been long

Envy Defeated

FUN WITH POETRY by Uncle Roy

enough now. And… I won't visit Seoul anymore… but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school…. For you… I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye… so I gave you mine… I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me. I thought to myself, 'it's because he loves me.' I miss the times when you were still young around me. I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me. My World Shattered. I hated the person who only lived for me . I cried for My Mother, I didn't know of any way that will make up for my worst deeds… Moral: Never Ever hate anyone for their disabilities. Never disrespect your parents, don't ignore and under estimate their sacrifices. They give us life, they raise us better than they had been, they give and keep trying to give better than they ever had. They never wish unwell for their kids even in their wildest dreams. They always try showing right path and being motivator. Parents give up all for kids, forgive all mistakes made by kids. There is no way to repay what they done for kids, all we can do is try giving what they need and it is just time, love and respect.

Cleanliness

There is one thing that I have learnt, As far back as I can remember, And that is to keep myself clean, So as to feel good among others. First of all I should bathe regularly, Brush my teeth and comb my hair, Make sure my clothes are always clean, And most important my underwear. This is one reason people like you, Among those you have to meet, To know you are always clean and fresh, And in every way nice and neat.

Sunday November 25, 2018

Junior page To make this star you will need · 5 Popsicle / craft sticks · glue · a ribbon for hanging · glitter pens for décor

1. To make the star add a drop of glue on one end of the craft stick, attach another as displayed below.

2. Follow the numbers in the image below for sticking your star together. 3. Add the last stick as below and leave to dry. Using the kids craft glue allows you to adjust the shape of the star before the glue hardens. I made a few of these stars and eventually took my glue gun out. The glue gun was not forgiving of shaping mistakes.

4. On the blue and green star we made squiggles and then added dots of another color, on the red and yellow one we just made squiggles. The glitter really sparkles in the light!

Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

Identify your principles and live by them All young adults at some time or another in their lives, especially in the fast-paced world we live in, will be faced with the need to assert themselves with those with whom they associate, and make their own choices in relation to the things that affect their lives. Specifically, the time will come when someone you trust will approach you with an offer of sharing something about which, because of the possible negative results it can have on your life, you will have to make a hard decision. That offer may range from stealing, becoming violent, taking alcohol or other drugs, to having sex before you are qualified to do so. Before this occasion arises, when

you will be subjected to all kinds of pressure to go against what you know is right, you have to set aside some time to think about how you stand on these things. You have come to the stage in life when you are supposed to be mainly responsible for your behaviour and the consequences of this, and you should be making sure that you do nothing at this delicate period in our life to jeopardise your chances of gaining the success and happiness that is your right. You have seen and heard enough by now to realise that tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs mostly cause a waste of physical, mental and psychological resources, and are not to be indulged in. You should also be aware that sex, although a blessed thing to share with s o m e o n e special and permanent at the right time and in t h e r i g h t situation, is a curse outside of s u c h a relationship. But appreciation

PAGE 55

A Principled Life by Uncle Roy (from my book: Shape Up your Personality) As sure as night follows day, and gravity holds us down, So the laws of nature control our motions; If we must live in harmony with all on earth, We have to abide with the natural regulations. And just as our material world is ruled, So too our behaviour needs control; We must adopt the principles that make us human, Or we will never achieve worthy goals. of these facts is most times not enough. The fact is that the persons who tempt you to partake in substance abuse and illicit sex most times make it difficult for you to refuse. They relate your acceptance or refusal to something which you value, like their friendship, and you tend to entertain doubts about your own choice, and feel that you need to reconsider any refusal you make. This is why you need to take time beforehand to identify the principles which you feel should govern your life, and make up your mind to live by these, no matter who tries to lead you away from them. When you have established these rules up front, then you will be better able to deal with any negative suggestions and offers which may threaten to derail the life you hope and work for.

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES

Man was given a free will to choose The manner he would steer his life; You have the option - whichever you take Will determine whether you end in peace or strife. We oftimes allow others our actions to dictate, As we tend to react to what they do; Nay, we should ever strive to be proactive, And behave as we know is true. So take the time to decide for all time The principles to say how you will act, Then stick to these come what may, And you will surely keep always on track.

To ensure your best life ahead, take the time now to determine who you are, what you stand for, what you want to be and not be, and how you want to

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Solutions to last week’s

Thanksgiving Word Search

Can you work out the name of each actor or actress from the following anagrams? Name lengths are shown in brackets. Note: Clicking on the Solutions link will reveal the answers to all the anagrams in that section.

ACTORS:

ACTRESSES:

OMIT CURSE (3,6)

_______________________

LENGTHY PART WOW (7,7)

_______________________

A PAL ICON (2,6)

_______________________

RAINY WONDER (6,5)

_______________________

COOL EGO ENERGY (6,7)

_______________________

WARY UNIVERSE EGO (9,6)

_______________________

GERMAN FOREMAN (6,7)

_______________________

IN FINE TORN JEANS (8,7)

_______________________

LESS RELEVANT TO SLY (9,8)

_______________________

NO ALIENS DARLING (7,8)

_______________________

WILL USE CRIB (5,6)

_______________________

REALLY HERB (5,5)

_______________________

INERT BROODER (6,2,4)

_______________________

IDOL NICKNAME (6,6)

_______________________

NO EAGLE IN JAIL (8,5)

_______________________

COOL RAINDROP IDEA (8,2,6) _______________________

MONK HATS (3,5)

_______________________

SEEN AT A RICH JET-ZONE (9,4-5) _______________________

BIG MELONS (3,6)

_______________________

TWEAK TINSEL (5,6)

_______________________

JAW DUEL (4,3)

_______________________

ROBUST JAILER (6,6)

_______________________

SCOWL ANTIDOTE (5,8)

_______________________

TRY REM SLEEP (5,6)

_______________________

Thanksgiving Sodoku

Kaieteur News

PAGE 56

Country Profile Long known for its pyramids and ancient civilisation, Egypt is the largest Arab country and has played a central role in Middle Eastern politics in modern times. In the 1950s President Gamal Abdul Nasser pioneered Arab nationalism and the non-aligned movement, while his successor Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel and turned back to the West. Egypt's teeming cities and almost all agricultural activity - are concentrated along the banks of the Nile, and on the river's delta. Deserts occupy most of the c o u n t r y. T h e e c o n o m y depends heavily on agriculture, tourism and cash remittances from Egyptians working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.However, rapid population growth and the limited amount of arable land are straining the country's resources and economy, and political unrest has often paralysed government efforts to address the problems. FACTS Arab Republic of Egypt Capital: Cairo · Population 83.9 million · Area 1 million sq km (386,874 sq miles) ·Main language Arabic · Main religions Islam, Christianity · Life expectancy 72 years (men), 76 years (women)

· Currency Egyptian Pound UN, World Bank LEADERS

Sunday November 25, 2018

Eg ypt

President: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Retired Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president in May 2014, almost a year after he removed his elected predecessor, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, from office in a coup. He had served as armed forced chief under Mr Morsi, and was a key figure in the interim government which took over after the ouster.Some Egyptians celebrated the possibility that Mr Sisi would bring stability to a country in upheaval since the removal of long-term leader Hosni Mubarak during the ''Arab Spring'' in 2011. Others worry that he represents a return to the authoritarian security state that prevailed under Mr Mubarak.Mr Sisi won a second four-year-term

in March 2018 against a sole minor opposition candidate. Human rights lawyer Khalid Ali and former prime minister Ahmad Shafiq withdrew from the race, and the former armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan was arrested. MEDIA Egypt is a major regional media player. Its TV and film industries supply much of the Arab-speaking world with content and its press is influential.TV is the favourite medium and there are several big hitters in the sector, including the state broadcaster.Media freedom organisations say successive governments have been intent on controlling the media and have not hesitated to clamp down on journalists. TIMELINE Some key dates in Egypt's history:circa 3000 BC - Kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt unite. Successive dynasties witness flourishing trade, prosperity and the development of great cultural traditions. 332 BC - Alexander the Great, of ancient Macedonia, conquers Egypt, founds Alexandria. A Macedonian dynasty rules until 31 BC. 31 BC - Egypt comes under Roman rule; Queen Cleopatra commits suicide after Octavian's army defeats

her forces. 33 AD Christianity comes to Egypt, and by 4th century has largely displaced E g y p t i a n religion. 4 t h - 6 t h centuries - Roman province of Egypt becomes part of the Byzantine or eastern Roman Empire. 642 - Arab conquest of Egypt. 1517 - Egypt absorbed into the Turkish Ottoman empire. 1805 - Ottoman Albanian commander Muhammad Ali establishes dynasty that rules until 1952, although

completed, but it and other infrastructure projects nearly bankrupt the country and lead to gradual British takeover. 1882 - Britain takes control of country. 1922 - Fuad I becomes King and Egypt gains independence, although British influence remains significant until mid-1950s. 1948 - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria attack the

nationalisation of Suez Canal. 1981 - President Sadat assassinated by Islamist extremists. He is succeeded by his vice-president Hosni Mubarak. 2011 - "Arab Spring" popular uprising topples Mr Mubarak. 2013 - Coup ousts the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, the country's first freely-elected

Cairo, Egypt's densely-populated capital

nominally part of the Ottoman Empire. 1869 - Suez Canal is

new state of Israel. 1956 - Britain, France and Israel invade over

president.

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Kaieteur News

Lower taxation, policy changes to heighten air traffic within the region-CDB Over the years, the regional airline industry has seen an elevated degree of commercial difficulties-- difficulties that have caused travel within the region to become disjointed, prohibitively expensive and subjected to layers of taxation. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has concluded that as a solution to the issue, countries would need to lower taxation in the aviation industry as well as to implement major policy changes that will significantly affect efficiency and regulations within the sector. CDB also sees this as a major factor for the increase in each country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment rate. In accordance with the CDB strategic plan of action for “Air Transport Competitiveness and Connectivity”, countries within the region

can be significantly affected in their GDP and employment rates. The strategic plan, in an assessment of air transport within the Caribbean identified air connectivity as a critical aspect for the development of the region. A large number of Caribbean countries are tourism dependent and as such, any decline in the aviation sector can affect the economies of these countries. However, while the aviation sector in the Caribbean accounts for just five percent of international tourism arrivals, it contributes over 15 percent to Caribbean GDP. It was recognized that whilst the aviation sector has seen upward mobility in the number of international flights, there has been a notable decrease for intra-regional travel. This, in turn, could greatly affect regional air carriers.

Furthermore, recent surveys have concluded that the taxes on regional travel were found to be one of the highest worldwide. The correlation between high taxes on intra regional travel and a lack of intra regional travelers was proven quite evident. It further begs to question whether the overall economic impact of the increased number of visitors would be greater than the reduction in ticket taxes. With all this being said, an increase in air services and frequencies would mean higher traffic volumes, which in turn would help to improve economic competitiveness and therefore create employment opportunities and raise the country’s GDP. Whilst one can attribute the high airport charges in the Caribbean to the region not having economies of a certain scale, the CDB’s rationale is focused on the Caribbean’s

Young entrepreneur out to change negative perceptions of Agricola A young entrepreneur, Christine Profitt is out to change the image of Agricola, which has gained notoriety over the years, and aims to improve the lives of youths in the East Bank Demerara Community through the launch of her ‘I Can’ project. “We want to replace some confidence back into young people. We want to instill some positivity as the negativity has drifted them away,” she explained at the launch of her venture. Profitt said the ‘I Can’ project seeks to reverse the delinquent behaviour of some of the youths through strategic mentorship, networking for change and facilitating job searches and entrepreneurship. She has consulted with

Christine Profitt government and non-governmental agencies to develop a strategy to meet the project’s aim of strategic mentorship and networking and mobilizing villagers. “The two main aims that we have for the ‘I Can’ project are to start the strategic

mentorship and networking opportunities that will lead to either job creation, entrepreneurship opportunities or local business development,” Profit said. The young entrepreneur hopes to roll out the strategic mentorship aspect of the Project in 2019. The second aim is mobilizing the villages to realize, “I can be different from this current situation, I can forge ahead even though I have come out of school some 1020 years ago, I can talk to someone, I can reach out and ask for help instead of staying where I am, instead of receding in negativity.” The ‘I Can’ project is part of the innovation projects in 2018 under the US’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative.

PPP reiterates call for urgent... From page 16 outspoken on how the coalition government intends to handle the no-confidence motion. He had said that that the motion will be debated but only after the budget is passed. Nagamootoo said that the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, communicated to him that the Opposition was sent a letter that serves to inform that the motion would not be considered until after the National Budget of 2019 is read, debated, deliberated and passed in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana.Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan will read Budget 2019. Nagamootoo said that he does not foresee the Budget being passed before December 15. He said it can be very well later than that. “We need to address why is it that the Opposition feels that this motion should come up for discussion before all matters including the national budget. I expect the Guyanese people will see the budget as a matter of primary concern to them and their lives.“We have to work towards a budget that is not only bigger but better than budgets before, with stronger social content.” He said that as a result, there is no way that the

government will allow the no-confidence motion to be debated before the budget is passed. “We are not running; we are prepared but we believe that there are issues that take precedence,” said Nagamootoo.He said that the Opposition however, feels, “wrongly”, that the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGE) has passed judgment on the government. He said that it is as if the Opposition is using the result of the LGE as a referendum.He said that nevertheless, the motion is still a “no go” simply because it cannot succeed. He said that the Opposition knows very well that the motion cannot succeed but is trying “psychologically, harassing the Guyanese people and frustrating the National Assembly.” Further, the Prime Minister said that even the fact that the Opposition is holding on to the possibility of having a Government Member abstain from voting is absurd. He said that in such an eventuality, the vote would be tied and the motion would be defeated. “The motion has no reasonable prospect for success in the House.” He also said that there is an old “unwritten law which states, he who wants justice must come with clean hands,” said Nagamootoo.

economic capabilities. One of the financial initiatives of CDB is aimed at reducing miscellaneous tax that are levied and implementing new tax structures. Other initiatives that have been explored include open

skies agreement, harmonization of standards and implementing regional exchange policies. Improved and more regular air connections enable economies to attract more tourists, conduct more trade

and attract more foreign investment. Without these important air links, a country’s economy and employment potential could suffer. The aviation sector currently yields $2.4 billion to the global economy.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Kaieteur News

Khashoggi killing…

Democrats vow Congressional probe into Trump-Saudi Arabia ties

Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman ALJAZEERA US legislators from the Democratic Party have vowed to investigate President Donald Trump’s response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The incoming head of the US House intelligence committee Adam Schiff said on Friday that the body would conduct a “deep dive” into ties between the US and Saudi Arabia. The committee will investigate the US intelligence assessment of Khashoggi’s death as well as the war in Yemen, the stability of the Saudi royal family and the kingdom’s treatment of critics and the press, Schiff told the Washington Post newspaper. “Certainly, we will be delving further into the murder of

Khashoggi,” Schiff said. “We will certainly want to examine what the intelligence community knows about the murder.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Schiff, who is currently the most senior Democrat on the committee, is set to become chairman in January when his party takes control of the US House of Representatives, following gains in this month’s congressional elections. It will allow Democrats increased powers to conduct oversight of Trump and his administration, including the ability to hold hearings, investigate and issue subpoenas. Trump has dismissed the CIA’s reported assessment that Khashoggi’s killing was ordered by the Crown Prince of Saudi

Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Khashoggi, who lived in selfimposed exile in the US, was critical of the crown prince in his columns for the Washington Post. The writer was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, where he had been due to pick up documents related to an upcoming marriage. On Thursday, Trump expressed doubts about the CIA’s findings, saying that the agency “did not come to a conclusion. They have feelings certain ways.” Saudi King Salman and Prince Mohammed “vehemently denied” any role in the killing, Trump said. Schiff said his panel will examine the CIA’s findings as well as whether Trump’s (continued on page 69)

Sunday November 25, 2018

STANDARDS IN FOCUS The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system, and is the most widely used system of measurement in the world. It comprises a coherent system of units of measurement built on seven base units. It defines twenty-two named units, and includes many more unnamed coherent derived units. To keep aligned with the rest of the world, all of Guyana need to make a consorted effort to adopt and use metric units of measurement in trade transactions and in other measurement practices. In 2002, the Metric System (SI) became the legal system of measurement in Guyana. The seven base units of the legalized system are the kilogram for mass, metre for length, Candela for light, seconds for time, mol for the amount of substance, Ampere for electric current and Kelvin (degree Celsius) for temperature. The decimal nature of the metric system makes it so simple to use. Yet, many consumers continue to request their products and services in imperial quantities and this is a key hindrance to full adoption of the metric system. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), the Agency responsible for measurements nationally, has

ADOPTING THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI) FOR TRADE IN GUYANA recognized that the adoption of the metric system should start from the top – Policymakers, Ministries of Government and Government Agencies should lead the metric drive. Recognizing the importance, the Policymakers have developed and published an action plan for the implementation of the metric system. Significant emphasis will be placed on this plan going forward and all stakeholders must support the initiatives for success. At the other end, our school system has already fully adopted the used of the metric system and the younger generation has a good understanding of its application. The GNBS in the near future vows to collaborate more with the Ministry of Education, so as to have students understand and drive the use of the SI system. As our country’s economy repositions itself with our wealth of resources, we have to push in all facets to be on par with global practices including those related to measurements. It is a fact that today almost all of the countries in the world use the metric system, especially in scientific research, manufacturing and trade. Only a few countries still use the imperial system of

EU, Guyana conclude... From page 09 goals on climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.” The agreement will enter into force as soon as the EU and Guyana have completed their internal procedures for signing and ratifying it. To implement the agreement, Guyana will develop systems and procedures to verify that all timber and timber products comply with relevant laws and regulations. Among other things, this means ensuring that loggers don’t fell more trees than they are allowed to harvest, factories uphold health and safety regulations, and companies pay sufficient taxes. This process will involve identifying and addressing possible gaps in the forest allocation process and in the legal framework, upgrading systems for tracking wood through the supply chain, improving procedures for verifying legal compliance, and supporting Guyana in developing approaches for ensuring that the traditional rights of Amerindian peoples are not impeded. It will also include establishment of independent audits, a complaints mechanism,

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Kaieteur News

and systems and procedures for making information on the forest sector publicly available. This process will be accompanied by a joint oversight of progress by the EU and Guyana. Once the Voluntary Partnership Agreement is fully implemented, Guyana’s shipments of timber products to the EU will have to be accompanied by a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licence, demonstrating their legality. Such a licence would certify that the products meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation, which prohibits the placing of illegal timber on the EU market. BACKGROUND The Voluntary Partnership Agreement negotiation process has already helped to clarify legal and administrative requirements applicable to the forest sector. In 2018, for example, Guyana enacted new Forest Regulations, which replaced outdated regulations that had been in force since 1953. Guyana also adopted a new Code of Practice for Forests Operations to ensure that logging companies do not exceed harvesting quotas and that their operations are socially and environmentally sustainable.

measurement or a combination of both measuring systems, which include Guyana. Nevertheless, most of our local sectors have fully

adopted the use of the metric system, even though there continues to be a wrestle between the two systems in the retail sector. The GNBS will continue to explore the

best means of educating and imploring those in trade to use the metric system and ensure that metric measuring instruments are verified and calibrated for accuracy.

For further information, please contact the GNBS on Tel: 219-0062, 219-0065, 2190066, 219-0069 or visit the GNBS Website: www.gnbsgy.org

PAGE 68

FOR RENT

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Graphics design, advertisement, Wedding arch rentals. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Installations, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc call Nick 627-3206, 630-1600 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezer-Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Have your yard, fence, mat to pressure wash? Yard to weed? Call: 666-2326 Need a Land surveyor, we do surveys for: Boundaries, Leases, Engineering, Cadastral topo etc. Call: 6622677

FOR SALE Generac Pressure Wash for sale 3100 PSI. Tel#654-5267/ 652-2244/220-4203 Combines 7300 John Deere (2000 hrs) Fiatagri L413 (2500hs), Laverda 132 & Massey 399 & 290, Fiat 110/ 90, Ford 6610. Call: 695-2220/ 338-4354 One Ford explore sportage jeep, fully loaded $3.7M. Call# 684-4636/676-4810 One Caterpillar 312 Excavator in good working condition in the Corentyne, Berbice area. Contact #657-0992 2 - 6 Ton Ice Plant with holding room turnkey operation with spares #611-0884 1- 6'’ Land Dredge complete operation #611-0884 Imported bedroom, Living room, Bathroom: Furniture/ A c c e s s o r i e s Beds,Dressers,Lamps, Carpets, Tv Stand etc. Owner leaving #655-3070 Nibbi Furniture, Sculptures, Paintings, Baskets, Ceramics & Local Gift items. Creations Crafts 7A Water Street. #2270472

Repairs at low cost: fridges, air conditioners, washing machines, freezers,sale of ac’s tel:6294946,225-4822

VEHICLE FOR SALE

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/6560087, ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM LEARN TO DRIVE N. Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way. Affordable package. Call: 6445166/691-2561

Sunday November 25, 2018

Kaieteur News

Unregistered Axio 2010 model, Camera, Fog lamps $2.5 neg. Nissan Tida registered PVV series $2M neg #611-7106

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Office Space to rent, Lot 1 Princess St G/town Obliquely opposite L.R.O, Starting at $45,000. Call: 658-2677/6483067 Fully furnished luxury 2&3 Bedroom apartments to rent, long & short term. Tel#6667028/691-1432 2 bedroom apartment in Providence, 2 bedroom apartment in Diamond. Contact #682-6238/660-7716/ 672-1906. 2 bedroom apartment Middle Rd La Penitence $50,000 monthly. Contact #666-9534. Preferabilities: Working class. 1 bedroom self contained apartment for rent @ 12 Sussex St. Charlestown G/ town $35,000. Tel#689-8757/ 227-7353

Nissan Laurel Executive car, Nissan Pathfinder Jeep, Well kept. Hot Bargains now Call: 660-3415/609-7766 Nissan X-Trail Vehicle 2008/ 2009 Model, Lady driven, Mileage under 60,000 Extra rim. Price $2.3 neg. Contact #617-2955/220-4763

Manager to work at 704 Sport bar, must have experience. Contact #223-5273 /2235274 Wanted 1 new model Allion or Premio motorcar urgently to work and keep. Contact #6813418 Male Janitor to care for dogs, clean drain & yard. Apply @ Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street Bourda Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Farm/Providence, Herstelling, Uivlugt, Tuschen, Diamond, Best price pay. Call: 666-2326 Demerara Bakery Inc. is looking for Distributors, Wholesalers & Retailers. Call us on 266-5847 or email: sales@demerarabakery.com Mature live-in couple. Husband- Handyman, driving and asset. Wife- Domestic, Excellent rates Tel#227-1830/ 227-1813 Arc/Acetylene welder, driving and mechanical repair skills an asset. Tel#227-1830/227-1813

One bottom flat well secure with toilet and bath. Contact #639-8806/690-1021 or 2330269

Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm

Salon for rental, New Market St, Georgetown, also hair/ nails/barber/massage. Makeup stations for rental #638-1106

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

1 Business spot. #223-9727/ 673-0373

Wanted Chainsaw Operator. Tel#618-0487

TO LET

PROPERTY FOR SALE

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

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

Furnished, Air conditioned two bedroom bottom flat, First Phase in South Riumveldt Gardens. Call: 618-8436

Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, RZ,Pit-bull, Allex, 192 & Canter – Call: 650-7501 One Hiab Canter truck for sale $1.9M Call: Ravi #6221782/ 687-7553

WANTED

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

3 storey commercial building. Location- Lot 1486 Plot B Herstelling (2 Bridge) EBD. Suitable for school/ apartments. Contact #6093777/686-0522 3-Bedrooms spacious colonial house @ Versailles Public road. Huge yard, Fruit trees, all amenities, parking. Price Negotiable Tel#609-7766/2258427 2 storied concrete property at 17 St Diamond. Call: 626-3423 Lot 87 Albert St. Albertown, Price $29M #669-8701 Transported Double lot in Rosehall, opportunity for Duplex Apartments. Call or Whatsapp #346-818-0822

VACANCY

EDUCATION

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Sunday November 25, 2018

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Democrats vow Congressional probe into Trump-Saudi Arabia ties From page 66 private financial relationship with the Saudis influenced his response as president. “There are a whole set of potential financial conflicts of interest and emoluments problems that congress will need to get to the bottom of,” Schiff said. “If foreign investment in the Trump businesses is guiding US policy in a way that’s antithetical to the country’s interests, we need to find out.” Trump, who still owns his business as president but has said he relinquished day-to-day control, told a rally in 2015 that he earned “hundreds of millions” of dollars from Saudi purchases. Trump has defended his stance towards Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the Middle East, citing US arms deals with Riyadh and the larger US strategy towards Iran. KHASHOGGIMURDER WAS PLANNED 12 DAYS IN ADVANCE,TURKISH OFFICIALS SAY Turkish investigators analysing phone calls and the movement of the suspects in Khashoggi’s murder have told Al Jazeera that the operation to kill the journalist was planned 12 days in advance. Investigators sifting through 19 phone calls made by Maher Mutreb (thought to be the lead negotiator inside the consulate) to Saudi Arabia have found that four of them were made to Saud al-Qahtani and that there is a third voice on the calls. Al-Qahtani was believed to be the right-hand man of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before being removed as a royal court advisor following the uproar over the murder. “Today, we learned from the officials that when Mutreb and Al-Qahtani were talking on the phone, there was a third voice

coming from the background of Al-Qahtani’s phone ... AlQahtani was transferring the information that he got from Mutreb to that third person,” Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Ankara, said. “According to Turkish officials, they strongly believe that this third voice could belong to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but the technical analysis hasn’t concluded that yet because Mutreb was doing all these calls from his Saudi mobile phone and technically Turkey needs support to analyse it properly,” she said. It has also come to light that along with the Saudi consulgeneral, three other Saudi nationals employed in the consulate are considered as prime suspects in the investigation into Khashoggi’s killing. Turkish officials say those employees fled Turkey within three days of the consul-general also leaving the country shortly after Khashoggi’s murder. One of the employees, who is thought to be linked to the Saudi intelligence agency travelled to Riyadh 72 hours before Khashoggi’s arrival and returned to the consulate in Istanbul just before Khashoggi. DAUGHTERS VOW TO KEEP KHASHOGGI LEGACYALIVE The two daughters of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi have vowed to keep the legacy of their father alive. This was disclosed in an opinion piece in The Washington Post. For Noha Khashoggi and Razan Jamal Khashoggi, life growing up included visits to countless museums and historical sites, reflecting their parents’ love of knowledge. The sisters recalled staying up at nights wondering what

their father was doing on one of his many trips abroad, “trusting that no matter how long he was gone, we would see him again, wide-armed, waiting for a hug.” “As bittersweet as it was, we knew from a young age that

Dad’s work meant that his reach extended far beyond our family, that he was an important man whose words had an effect on people over a great distance.” They recounted the days after their father was first reported

missing and how the family had visited his home in Virginia. “The hardest part was seeing his empty chair. His absence was deafening. We could see him sitting there, glasses on his forehead, reading or typing

away.” “This is no eulogy, for that would confer a state of closure. Rather, this is a promise that his light will never fade, that his legacy will be preserved within us,” they wrote.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

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Major Air Transport Summit Concludes…

Member states push women and youth involvement in aviation sector The three-day Air Transport Meeting of the International Civil Aviation Council has concluded with major discussions on partnership between Africa and the Diaspora (specifically the Caribbean) on how the regions can cooperate to develop their aviation sectors to the highest global standards. Heavily discussed and high on the list of priorities for the meeting, on Friday, was the importance of representation in the aviation sector for women and youth. The panel, which was moderated by Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, discussed the fact that “Africa and the diaspora don’t know much about each other” because of the regions’ dependence on Western media. Participants posited that for the two regions of Africa and the Caribbean to work successfully toward the liberalisation of international air transport, they must also focus on linking the region by culture, sports, education, healthcare and other major industries. For the regions to be successfully linked, consensus was met on the fact that women and youth must be more involved in this development plan. Participants from both regions shared their experiences. They spoke about the brain drain—young people leaving to train in the Global North, particularly in North America and Europe, then choosing to work in those countries because of more attractive compensation and benefits. A representative from

Representatives from across the region Trinidad’s aviation sector related that in 1998, a Trinidadian airline suffered a major loss of 13 qualified engineers within about a week because they were offered contracts by foreign companies who offered more lucrative benefits. The engineers had left for the Middle East. The company was forced to bring in expatriates from Ireland, and had to pay significantly more for that service, because of the compensation they are accustomed to in their home

country. That lasted for more than a year. The Trinidadian concluded that people do not only need opportunities but competitive compensation for their expertise. Though there were many women participating in the summit proceedings, the panel noted that there is still much to be done to have women feel welcome in the aviation sector, since the sector is dominated by career paths, which are traditionally assigned to men. A participant from St.

Vincent said that women have been excluded from the aviation sector because men think that women are not capable enough to rise to good technical positions and careers in the industry. Another participant, referring to her experience in Guyana, said that there is a lot of nepotism in Guyana; “You have to know someone to get somewhere.” Seeming to address the Minister Annette Ferguson, she said, “We have to look at how we can leverage diver-

sity because it’s a point of strength.” Minister Ferguson said that the aviation sector may not be gender balanced, but she believes that there is gender equity. She said that the government has expended millions of dollars to train technical officers in the sector. And though they may not have big salaries, they benefit from career and personal development at a cost borne by the government. The Minister said that

women may want to go into traditional jobs such as teaching and nursing but even then, the government is working to include courses in the school system that encourage persons to train in important sectors such as aviation. Minister Ferguson urged the participants to go back to their respective states with the political will to enforce meaningful change for the development of their aviation sectors, and for the cooperation that the regions intend to focus on.

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Police probe alleged assault of Market Supervisor

The Port Mourant Overseer, Boodwattie Ramnarine, has once again found herself in the news after she reportedly physically assaulted the Market Supervisor for the Port Mourant Market. The assault reportedly took place in her office at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council in the presence of other staff. The 24-year-old, Ryan Mallay who had his shirt buttons ripped off and vest torn, has since filed a report at the Whim Police Station. He said that he was asked by the overseer to report to the NDC along with three other market labourers on Thursday. “When we arrived, we waited for a bit. Then the overseer came out her office with her cellular phone and started to take out photographs of me and my staff. We asked her what was going on and why she was taking out our pictures but she didn’t respond. She just went back into her office.” Mallay stated that a client visited the office to meet with her and after meeting with the overseer, she again exited her office and this time asked, “What are you doing here? If you don’t have anything to do, leave the office.”

Ryan Mallay holding up his torn vest in the company of the other staff who were with him when the assault took place.

Embroiled: Boodwattie Ramnarine He added that he and the staff reminded her that it was she who made the request to meet with them at the office. She responded, “If anyone wants to meet her, they have to do so in her personal office space.” They did as was requested, Mallay said. According to the Supervisor, “When we entered, we told her ‘Good morning’ and everything and we told her that we are here reporting for duties. Then she took out her phone again and began to video. Then one of the staff that was with me tell

her that she have a daughter and what she don’t like for her daughter, she shouldn’t do to others. Shortly after, she handed me my office keys, which I had given her on the 21st November. She had demanded them from me and then she grabbed it back. At that point, I told my staff ‘Let’s leave the office’ and the staff walked out.” He stated that it was at that point while he was walking out that he felt someone scrambled him from behind and he stumbled on top one of the staff’s leg.

Then the overseer grabbed him on his shirt here and pulled him off the staff’s leg, which caused his jersey to rip and two buttons came off and ripping his vest as well. “Then she started to feel up my pockets that how I steal her cell phone but all the staff started to shout and ask her what is wrong with her and then she went in her office”. Mallay said that when she entered her office, she called someone and was telling the individual on the other side of the line that he took away her cellular phone, but he added that he videoed her

through the window showing that while she was complaining that her phone was taken, she had it in her hands. Mallay subsequently left with his three other staff and immediately filed the report. The Market Superintendent told the media that he will be going ahead with pressing charges against the overseer for her actions. In August 2016, the said overseer had assaulted a reporter. She was hauled before the court. She had also attempted to assault the Prime

Minister’s Representative, Gobin Harbhajan, on another occasion. A staff at the NDC said that while on a picket line earlier in the year, the overseer slapped her. Although there have been many reports of assault levelled against Ramnarine, she remains unmoved since no-one has taken the grievances of the staff at the NDC seriously. They had on many occasions called for her removal because of the way she behaves and carries out her duties. They are yet to be heard.

Chief Justice grants further extension for GBTI to hand over banking records to SOCU

From left Suresh Beharry, Carlton James , Shaleeza Shaw, Robin Stoby and Basil Mahadeo The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) has been granted until December 31, to comply with a court order, which compels the institution to hand over banking records to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the police force. The extension was granted by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire earlier this month.

According to court documents seen by Kaieteur News, failure to comply will see the bank being held in contempt, and may be liable to imprisonment or confiscation of assets. At present, top-ranking banking officials are embroiled in a contempt trial before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The case involves Chair-

man, Robin Stoby S.C; and Directors, Edward A. Beharry, Suresh Beharry, Richard Isava, Carlton James and Basil Mahadeo, along with Chief Executive Officer (ag) Shaleeza Shaw and Kathryn Eytle-McLean. They all denied the charge, which alleged that on September 7, 2017 at Georgetown, they failed to comply with production order granted by Chief Justice (ag)

Richard Isava and Edward A. Beharry Roxane George-Wiltshire, for them to produce certain documents to head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Sydney James. The order was made on August 29, 2017. SOCU Prosecutor Patrice Henry closed his case on November 15, last. The trial will continue on December 4 when the defence is expected to make no-case submission on their client’s behalf.

SOCU, as part of a probe into US$500M that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) handled as far back as 2010, submitted files to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommending contempt charges against GBTI’s eight directors. This was after the bank and SOCU were locked in a battle over information concerning the GRDB accounts. SOCU is contending that the

bank failed or stalled handing over certain banking records concerning GRDB. SOCU also said that the bank gave all kinds of excuses, and even destroyed pertinent records relating to GRDB. SOCU reportedly argued that other banks complied, but it was finding it hard with GBTI. SOCU received four court orders, including one from the high court, asking that GBTI hand over the information. Late August last year, the acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire granted production orders to SOCU, giving the bank a week to hand over certain information. That deadline expired in early September 2017 and the bank was reportedly granted some extra time. However, the deadline elapsed and SOCU prepared files recommending the charges of contempt against the directors. Under tough anti-money laundering laws, once the court orders are granted, financial institutions are reportedly bound to provide information. In this case, the money is not from private accounts, but rather from the US-dollar and other accounts of GRDB, a state entity.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Two held for murder of bound If convicted, Nandlall must resign as MP, and bludgeoned pensioner cannot run for presidency- Datadin Police were up to last night questioning two individuals in connection with the murder of 88-year-old shopkeeper Dhroowah Ramnauth, also known as “Uncle Drup,” who was bound, gagged and bludgeoned in his kitchen on last Friday night. The pensioner who lives alone at Lot 119 Surat Drive Triumph, East Coast Demerara, where he also operated a shop, is believed to have been murdered between 11:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs on Friday. One neighbour was in shock as to why anyone would commit such a gruesome act on “Uncle Drup.” A neighbour found Ramnauth’s body after the pensioner failed to respond to several calls that were made by two friends who usually keep him company in the afternoons. The neighbour said Ramnauth would usually close his shop around 11:00 hours and reopen at 16:00 hours, but did not do so on Friday, which raised suspicions. Ramnauth’s neighbour decided to scale the fence to check on him, only to find the pensioner lying motionless on his kitchen floor, with his hands tied behind his back with a hand towel, while his mouth was tied with a rag. The neighbour immediately called the police. Police in a statement said the upper flat of the man’s

Murdered 88-year-old Dhroowah Ramnauth house and the shop were ran- unable to determine if anysacked but they have been thing was taken.

The house and shop behind which Dhroowah Ramnauth was found murdered.

Should the State be successful with its case against former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, the supreme law will force him to give up the seat that he currently holds as a Member of Parliament. Further, Nandlall would be disqualified from ever running as President of Guyana. This was pointed out yesterday by prominent Attorney-at-law, Sanjeev Datadin. Datadin said, “The simple truth is that if he is convicted, he cannot run. The Constitution states that one who has a conviction is not fit to be a Member of Parliament. The Constitution further states that anyone who is ineligible to be a Member of Parliament cannot be President.” Datadin made note of the fact that Nandlall’s case is not at a stage where a decision as to conviction or not is likely to be made soon but said the fact that he was ordered to lead a defence speaks volume. “There was a perception that the charges were frivolous and because of the perception, there was an expectation of a no case submission but the magistrate has gone past that. She said there is a charge to answer which would mean that there is some form of evidence and it must be at least prima facie evidence before the court…So now it seems as if the charges were not frivolous after all,” Datadin said. Datadin noted that Nandlall was charged under Article 165 of the Criminal Law Offences Act and it carries a penalty of more than six months. “The constitution said that once the sentence is over six months, one is no longer eligible to be a Member of Parliament.” Further, Datadin said that if Nandlall is convicted, even if there is an appeal, Nandlall would still not be eligible to compete as President of Guyana. “His name cannot even be on the list of candidates, so these charges are a really big deal for him. There are certain names in the media as to the presidential candidate for the PPP (People’s Progressive Party). If he is chosen, and God forbids, this goes against him then the party would be in a really embarrassing position.” The learned attorney then made mention of the fact that Nandlall plans to appeal the Magistrate’s decision to have him lead a defence. On his Facebook page yesterday, Nandlall said, “The learned Magistrate overruled the no-case submissions made by my lawyers in the law books case and called upon me to lead a defence. The submissions which were

Attorney-at-Law, Sanjeev Datadin presented were prepared by a number of lawyers, including, two Senior Counsel. “They were comprehensive but straightforward and, in my view, unassailable. The learned Magistrate was dissuaded. She simply overruled them in a one-sentence ruling. Her Worship provided no reasons for her decision. When probed by one of my lawyers for reasons, Her Worship still did not provide any. “It is the view of my lawyers that the decision of the learned Magistrate is hopelessly wrong. They have advised me to move to the High Court to quash that decision. I have accepted that advice and will challenge the ruling of the learned Magistrate in the High Court. “My lawyers have advised that they have appeared in many cases where the prosecution’s case was far stronger than in this case and the very Magistrate upheld nocase submissions in respect of those cases. In this case, they argued, that not only is the charge defective and a nullity, but that the evidence of the prosecution fell far short of proving a prima facie case.” Datadin said that Nandlall’s move to the High Court may not prove to be of much value at this stage. He made mention of the fact that just recently, he was told by the Caribbean Court of Justice that “whatever challenges you have of this sort, you have to deal with it at the trial court, the magistrate. You cannot go to another court and quarrel about it.”

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Sunday November 25, 2018

Turbo Knockout Football tournament Semi-Final

Mahaica face GFC; Rangers play Santos A double header of intense action is set for this evening at the Ministry of Education ground on CARIFESTA Avenue when the semi-final stage of the Turbo KO football tournament gets going. The night will start off with Mahaica Determinators taking on GFC with a spot in the final. The Georgetown based side will have to ensure two things are done if they are to secure victory. They must accumulate an early lead over their East

Coast counterparts if they are to set the plan in motion and they must be able to defend well late on in the game. Mahaica have shown their dominance in their tournament well after the 75th minute with a number of their goals coming there. Notoriously shaky on the start, the Determinators need to get ahead as early as possible. Meanwhile, game two is an all Georgetown affair as Northern Rangers play Santos. The Rangers have been increasing their team

play gradually and this semi will definitely be a test of that. Their ability to play patient football could be a major asset here when they come up against Santos. Meanwhile, the pace of Santos is not something that should be underestimated. Their ability to play on the break and make opponents pay for the slightest mistake could mean a quick game changer. However it goes, after tonight, the finalists will be decided.

Sunday November 25, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Examine your emotions, and trust your instincts. Unexpected forces may try to disrupt the flow of things. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your emotions will feel stable today, Taurus, although there may be an unexpected element trying to sneak into the equation. Be aware that people will be a bit more volatile today. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Explore deeply your innovative, irrational side today, Gemini. Your emotions may run counter to this principle, but instead of letting this put a damper on your progress, use the energy to spur you to action.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This is one of those days in which you might not be fully appreciated for the wonderful breath of fresh air you bring to the group, Libra. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Don't be surprised if things don't go exactly according to plan today, Scorpio. Unexpected events are likely to pop up and disturb the course of action. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your emotions could be a bit vulnerable today, Sagittarius, and it may be hard to find shelter from the storm. Your umbrella is a bit too drafty and water seems to be leaking in from the top.

CANCER(June21–July22) You might want to stay in and not speak to anyone today, Cancer. If you decide to venture out, you're apt to run into opposition almost everywhere you turn. Don't see this as negative.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Unexpected events may crop up and nudge you in the side, Capricorn. You could get the feeling that there are thorns poking out of nowhere whose sole purpose is to annoy you.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may not feel like you're exactly clicking with anything today, Leo. Adjustments will need to be made either by you or the people you're dealing with for any resolution to come about.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Today you have the ability to make an important breakthrough in whatever project you work on, Aquarius. Try not to get bogged down by emotions, which may leave you feeling heavy and stale.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Examine your emotions, Virgo, and trust your instincts. Unexpected forces may try to disrupt the flow of things. Keep in mind that you should have no problem keeping the situation under control as long as you stay solid

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may get the feeling that you're rubbing against sandpaper today. More than likely, this is a result of issues deep inside you. Some of these emotions concern the constant tension between old and new energies

‘Bajans’ coming for... Tamarind, From page 80 nothing less than seven Gold and two Silver medals from his fighting-team despite the fact that having a couple of pugilists who will be making their CBC debut. “I think we should do pretty well, looking to get at least seven Gold (medals), our elite boxers are pretty keen and match fit. However, our three-time (2015, 16’ and 17’) female champion, Kimberly Gittens will not be competing in this year’s competition since she is currently at the World Boxing Championships”, Atwell posited. The full confirmed Barbados 13-member contingent is as follows: Fighters Charles Cox 81kg; Reigning Caribbean Champion Shaquan Lashley 75kg; 2016 Caribbean Champion Ajayi Jones 56kg; 2017 CBC silver medalist after losing to Guyana’s Keevin Allicock Jamal Edmond 69kg

Lemar Tull 69kg (Novice); this will be this promising boxer’s first championship Tyree WeekesHaynes 64kg; 2017 CBC bronze medalist Rashawn Holder 60kg; 2017 CBC bronze medalist Tyree Taite 56kg; first championship appearance Rashad Holder 52kg; Reigning Caribbean Champion Justin Edwards 64kg Lawrence Hunte is the Head Coach, while his assistant will be Christopher ‘Shaka’ Henry and Oliver Marshal will serve as the Manager of the team. This tournament which is formerly known as the Caribbean Development Tournament (CDT) was first hosted here in the ‘land of many waters’ in 2015 and head of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, has confirmed to this publication that all systems are in place for the successful hosting of the Caribbean’s premier boxing event.

Amin and...

From page 81 3rd Karl Singh 12-13 years old boys kata contest (purple-black belts) 1st Kristian Chaves 2nd Mikasi Warde 3rd Mekhi Codrington 12-13 years old boys kumite contest (purple-black belts) 1st Kristian Chaves 2nd Mikasi Warde 3rd Mekhi Codrington 14-15 years old boys kumite contest (black belts) 1st Christopher Chand 2nd Thierry Williams 18+ Female Kata Contest (green-brown belts) 1st Pamela Das 2nd Rosita Katchay 3rd Tamirand de Lisser 18+ Female Kata Contest (green-brown belts) 1st Tamirand de Lisser 2nd Rosita Katchay 3rd Pamela Das 18+ Male Open Kata Contest 1st Shaqueel Andrew Amin 2nd Alex Rodrigues 3rd Storm Katchay 18+ Male Open Kumite Contest 1st Shaqueel Andrew Amin 2nd Storm Katchay 3rd Jordon Denny 18+ Female Open Kata Contest 1st Kristalia Chaves 2nd Nyota Rodrigues 3rd Tamirand de Lisser 18+ Female Open Kumite Contest 1st Tamirand de Lisser 2nd Nyota Rodrigues 3rd Rosita Katchay Junior Team Kata Contest 1st Silvia Perozo, Gael McPherson, Aiden Alexander Persaud 2nd Oliver Hoke, Javier Arjoon, Joshua Pitt 3rd Nathan Joseph, ZadokYehudah, Malachi Marc Hall Senior Team Kata Contest 1st Kristian Chaves, Kristalia Chaves, Akeem Morgan 2nd Mikasi Warde, Kamani Murphy, Thierry Williams Female Team Kata Contest 1st Nyota Rodrigues, Pamela Das, Rosita Katchay 2nd Tamirand de Lisser, Sarah Elizabeth Mohabir, Tempest Katchay

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NBA roundup: Warriors pound Blazers to end skid Kevin Durant scored 14 of his game-high 32 points in a second-quarter run-away Friday night, as the Golden State Warriors snapped a fourgame losing streak with a 12597 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Oakland, Calif.Klay Thompson was right behind with 31 points as the Warriors, who shot 56.5 percent overall and 53.1 percent on 3-pointers, beat the Trail Blazers for the eighth consecutive time at home. Durant had a 3-pointer and a three-point play among his 14 points in what turned out to be a 35-11 burst that produced a 59-40 lead late in the half.The Warriors went on to lead by as many as 22 points in the third period before coasting home. Suns 116, Bucks 114 Jamal Crawford connected on a free-throw line jumper with 0.8 seconds left to give Phoenix a victory over Milwaukee for their first road win of the season in nine attempts. Crawford’s clutch basket capped a game-ending 8-0 run for the Suns, who snapped a three-game overall losing

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) passes the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports) streak. Devin Booker registered 29 points and seven assists as one of seven Phoenix players in double digits. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points on 14-of-16

shooting and collected 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who had a three-game winning streak halted. Lakers 90, Jazz 83 Brandon Ingram scored 24

Over 60 entered as Crawford Memorial Turf Club goes racing today - Banks DIH Limited, Nand Persaud and Company Limited and Metro on board All roads lead to the Ryan Crawford Memorial Turf Club arena at Alness, Corentyne Berbice when the Club sages it annual one day horserace meet at the club’s track at Alness, Corentyne, Berbice. The seven race meet has seen over 60 horses entered to compete with close to 3M in cash, trophies and other incentives at stake and an exciting day of racing is anticipated.The feature event dubbed the Alness Classic has a top notch field entered to participate. Among those lining up are Isn’t She Charming, Not This Time, Mary Ann, Kentucky Woman, Party

Time, Miss Olympic and Chameylee in the 1400M event for the winning purse of $500,000 and trophy. The other events listed for the day are the - I and lower 1200M race for a first prize of $240,000 and trophy. There is the event for 2 Years Old animals which carries a winning prize of $200,000 and trophy over 1200M.There is an event for horses classified J3 and lower over 1000M for the take home package of $170,000 and trophy. The race for animals classified L and 3 years and up for fillies and mares over

1400M for a winner’s take of $100,000 and trophy. A race for animals classified L and 3 years and up for colts and geldings also over 1400M for a first prize of $100,000 and trophy. The other event is for L class animals that have not earned any money since racing over a distance of 1000M the winner will get $50,000 and trophy. A number of sponsors are on board including Banks DIH Limited, Nand Persaud and Company Limited and Metro Computer and Office Supplies. Race time is 12:00hrs.

Persuad’s 7-12, Lyght’s 69 give Cops... From page 79 Guyana and West Indies B team player, the late Andrew Lyght, pounced on Rasheed like a cat upon a mouse and deposited the spinner for a huge six to move into the 60s before Rasheed trapped him

LBW to break the stand. Rasheed then went to work on the police batsmen and kept them in shackles before removing Rodrigues, Chemroy Kendell (1) and Jason Heyliger (2) to finish the day with 4-70 and Savory un-

beaten on 28. With him is skipper Kester Hardcourt on four and his team on 142-4 with a slim lead of five runs. Play in both games is scheduled to commence at 10:30hrs today.

points, and LeBron James added 22 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles defeated visiting Utah to win its third straight game. The Lakers led 79-76 with

5:28 to play before grabbing momentum with a 9-3 run over the ensuing four minutes and taking an 88-79 advantage down the stretch. A bucket and two free throws from the Jazz’s Alec Burks cut the lead to 88-83. Ingram canned a pair of free throws with 19.7 seconds to play to cement the win. The Lakers (11-7) have won seven of their past eight outings. Pistons 116, Rockets 111 (OT) Reggie Jackson scored 10 points in overtime, Blake Griffin supplied 28 points for the game and host Detroit topped Houston. Jackson finished with 22 points and six assists. Griffin added nine rebounds and four assists and Andre Drummond powered for 23 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks. James Harden led the Rockets, who had a five-game winning streak snapped, with 33 points and eight assists. Clint Capela had a career-high 29 points and 21 rebounds and Chris Paul supplied 20 points and nine assists for Houston.

Cavaliers 121, 76ers 112 Rodney Hood scored 25 points, and Tristan Thompson scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as visiting Cleveland defeated Philadelphia. Philadelphia went nearly five minutes midway through the fourth period without a field goal, and the Cavs took advantage. A Jordan Clarkson 27-foot jumper gave the Cavs a double-digit lead at 109-97, and Cleveland cruised to its first road win of the season. Philadelphia had its fourgame winning streak snapped and lost for the first time at home this season. The Sixers had won 20 straight at Wells Fargo Center dating to last season. In other results: Thunder 109, Hornets 104 Raptors 125, Wizards 107 Clippers 112, Grizzlies 107 (OT) Celtics 114, Hawks 96 Spurs 111, Pacers 100 Nuggets 112, Magic 87 Timberwolves 112, Nets 102 Knicks 114, Pelicans 109 Heat 103, Bulls 96 (Field Level Media)

BCB 2019 Mike’s Pharmacy Under-15 Tournament

Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes, Tucber Park CC and Rose Hall Canje record victories The Berbice Cricket Board as part of its early preparation for the 2019 Under-15 Intercounty Tournament, on Sunday last started its 2019 Mike’s Pharmacy Under-15 Championship. A total of fifteen teams are taking part in the Tournament, the second of its kind to be started this year by the very progressive Board under the Presidency of Hilbert Foster. Albion Community Centre earlier in the year had defeated Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes by 5 runs to clinch the 2018 Title. Three matches were played with Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes, Tucber Park and Rose Hall Canje recording victories. Outstanding performers of the opening round were twelve years old Dwayne Williams and Nyron Hicks of Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes, Isaiah Thorne of Rose Hall Canje, R. Tharoop of Mt. Sinai, Devon Subhai, Civion Arokium and Kevin Samuels of Tucber Park. Scores from matches: 1. At Edinburgh: Tucber Park defeated Edinburgh by 195 runs. Tucber Park 241 all out in 35.4 Overs. Devon Subhai 47,

Kevin Samuels Kevin Samuels 30, Civion Arokium 40. C. La Fleur 4 for 43, W. Castello 2 for 60 and T. Wharton 2 for 30. Edinburgh 46 all out in 19 Overs. Kelvin Samuels 7 for 23 from 8 Overs. 2. At Mt Sinai: Rose Hall Canje defeated Mt. Sinai by 170 runs. Isaiah Thorne 72, Parsram Doobay 31 and Sanjay Algoo 20. R. Tharoop 4 for 44 and D. Joseph 2 for 16. Mt Sinai Cricket Club 67 all out in 20 Overs. N. Patoir

10. Isaiah Thorne 6 for 27, Sanjay Algoo 2for 10. 3. At Area ‘H’: Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes got pass No. 73 by 3 wickets. No. 73 Cricket Club 130 all out in 33 Overs. Akram Assad 30, Tavindra Doobay 35. Dwayne Williams 6 for 21 and Khemraj Tika 2 for 10. Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes 131 for 7 from 42 Overs. Christopher Deroop 22, Nyron Hicks 35 not out and Khemraj Tika 23. BCB President Hilbert Foster stated that the 2019 Tournament started early as the Board want to start early preparation for the 2019 season. The Berbice Selectors would shortlist a squad of 30 players for trials and practice sessions before the Berbice Under-15 team is selected. Once selected, the team would then undergo a well planned preparation period of 2 to 3 months under a panel of coaches. The Berbice Cricket Board would also shortly start the Ramnaresh Sarwan 2019 Under-17 and New York Business Group 2019 Under19 Tournaments shortly as part of its early preparation programme.

Sunday November 25, 2018

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Kaieteur News

BCB/RHTYSC/GBTI Inter-Secondary School Under-19 Cricket Tournament

Chanderpaul Govindan spearheads JC Chandisingh Secondary School to Title

GBTI Branch Manager (ag) Ameer Azeez hands over winning trophy to Jonathan Rampersaud of J.C. Chandisingh Secondary. A brilliant innings of 46 from Berbice Under-17 player Chanderpaul Govindan spearheaded J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School to Championship honours in the Final of the Berbice Cricket Board organised Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club/Guyana Bank for Trade & Industries Inter-Secondary School Say No to Suicide Under-19 Tournament. The Tournament was contested by the four Secondary Schools in the Lower Corentyne area: Lower Corentyne Secondary School, J.C. Chandisingh Secondary, Corentyne Comprehensive and Port Mourant

The winning J.C. Chandisingh Secondary Team pose with Ameer Azeez and Shazeeda Razack of GBTI.

Secondary. The Tournament was the 17th to be completed by the vibrant Berbice Cricket Board over the last four months under the Presidency of Hilbert Foster, who also serves as Secretary/CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS. In the opening round, Port Mourant Secondary School lost to Corentyne Comprehensive High School by eight wickets. Batting first after losing the toss, Port Mourant Secondary reached 45 for 5 off their allotted eight overs with A. Hartman 11 and R. Rampersaud 10 reaching double figures. National jun-

ior cricketer Gourav Ramesh took 2 wickets for 5. In response Corentyne Comprehensive High Scholl raced to 50 for 2 with Tyrese Sealey hitting 25, while D. Brijadder was unbeaten on 12. Lower Corentyne Secondary were restricted to 30 for 7 against J.C. Chandisingh Secondary with only Vijay Gopilall reached double figures with 12. Christopher Deroop claimed 2 for 2 in an impressive spell. Skipper Jonathan Rampersaud then struck a quickfire 23 not out to lead his team J.C. Chandisingh to victory at 32 for 1 in the fourth over.

In the grand final played in front of a sizeable crowd of school children, J.C. Chandisingh Secondary amassed 88 for 5 off 12 overs with Govindan hitting six sweetly times boundaries in his 46. Tagwah Ross supported with 15. Gourav Ramesh took 2 for 8, while Tyrese Sealey, D. Brijadder and Mahendra Gopilall took a wicket a piece. Corentyne Comprehensive High were never allowed to score quickly and apart from Ramesh who contributed 23 not out, Sealey 11 and Shamar Scott 11 not out, none of the other batsmen looked at ease

as Corentyne Comprehensive High ended on 62 for 5 to lose by 26 runs. Jonathan Rampersaud and Surendra Ramcharitar and Christopher Deroop took a wicket a piece for the Champion. Foster praised the four Teams for the high level of discipline displayed during the match and encouraged them to always strive for excellence. The Berbice Cricket Board President told the attentive youths that Berbice Cricket was on the move again after a period of neglect and urged the players to take full advantage of the opportunities being presented to

them. He spoke on the importance of youths saying not drugs, suicide, alcohol, tobacco, crime and yes to education, sports, culture, religion and life. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and Berbice Cricket Board, he stated would continue to organise cricket tournaments on a large scale once he remains part of their Management as sports in a safe alternative to a life on the road for youths. Special thanks were extended to the Management and Staff of the Port Mourant Branch of the Guyana Bank for Trade & Industries.

Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee

Organisers seeking cooperation for smooth Race of Champions at P/M turf club Dec 2 As preparations push ahead for the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee inaugural Race of Champions Horse Racing meet on Sunday December 2 at the Port Mourant Turf Club in Corentyne, Berbice from 12 noon, the organisers are putting systems in place for a smooth race day. They are asking the horse owners and jockeys, grooms, trainers and all association with the participants to cooperate with them and the rules put in place to ensure the day’s events are run in a timely and orderly fashion. The organisers have informed that entries that are printed will be permanent and no hand written entries will be made to the programme. They are calling on owners to notify them on the events they plan to participate in prior to

race day and printing of the programmes. This move will aid in saving time in the case of jockeys having to be reweighed and confusing the fans with the chopping and changing of the original programme. To this end the committee will start all races on the specified time listed and owners are asked to ensure their charges are ready for their races. To enforce the timeliness of proceedings, the committee will disqualify horses from the card if the jockeys cannot be weighed, horses saddled and mounted within ten (10) minutes of post time. They are also saying that they will be forced to terminate or cancel a race from the programme if none of the horses are ready for the start of an event ten minutes p r i o r. The

organisation is looking ahead to bring the sport in line with international standards. The upcoming programme features several exciting races with the main event featuring a rematch between Vera’s Finally and Just call me boss at the only track Vera’s Finally has lost a race in Guyana. The programme will see: Race 1: 1300M- The first Annual Race of Champions. Purse: $1,937,500 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares three Years and older. Race 2: 1500M- F-Class Purse: $ 775,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares three Years and older and is open to all West Indian and Guyana bred horses F & Lower. Race 3: 1300M-H-Class Purse $ 446,500 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares three Years and older and is open to all West Indian bred horses H& Lower and Guyana bred

horses H1 & Lower. Also Open to West Indian bred horses classed G1 and lower and non-winners in Guyana. Race 4: 1300M-2yrs Old Purse: $533,000 for Colts, Gelding & Fillies 2 Years Old. Horses Bred in Guyana Only. Race 5: 1500M-I Class Purse: $484,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares 3 years and older, Guyana bred horses classified 1& Lower. Also open to H-Class no earner in Guyana. Race 6: 1300M-J Class Purse: $465,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares 3 years and older, Guyana bred horses classified J3 & lower. Race 7: 1300M-K-Class Purse: $445,500 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies & Mares 3 years and older, Guyana bred horses classified K- class & lower. Race 8: 1500M-L class Purse $387,500 for Colts, Gelding Only. Horses of all

ages, Guyana bred horses classified L Class. Open to J3 first time starter and K class horses who have not earned in their first start/last start. Race 9: 1300M-L class Purse $387,500 for Fillies & Mares Only. Horses of all ages, Guyana bred horses classified L Class. Open to J3 first time starter and K class horses who have not earned in their first start/last start. Race 10: 1500M-L class. Purse$ 299,000 for Colts, Gelding, Fillies and Mares. Horses of all ages, Guyana bred horses classified L Class. Open to J3 first time starter and K class horses who have not earned in their first start/ last start. The Jumbo-Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee reserves the right to cancel / reframe any race in the event that there are less than five (5) horses entered for any event, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to can-

cel or reframe the said event or reduce the prize money on race day after notifying the horse owner. Five horses must start or no third prize will be paid, seven horses to start or no fourth prize will be paid and 12 horses to start or no fifth prize will be paid. All races are run under the Guyana Horse Racing Rules, but also must meet all requirements of the JumboJet thoroughbred racing committee while horses are subject to reclassification pending to the results of any race meeting prior to this one. Entries will only be accepted by entry forms provided by the Jumbo-Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee. For more information contact can be made with Chandu Ramkisoon on 624-9063, 6089063, 232-0633, Alan Padmore: 232-9115, 232-0811, 232-0657, Nikita Ross: 662-4668 or Ramnauth 697-1979.

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Sunday November 25, 2018

Kaieteur News

Islam’s six-wicket haul condemns Windies to historic defeat C H I T TA G O N G, Bangladesh, CMC – A mesmerising display of spin bowling from Taijul Islam sent the West Indies crashing to an embarrassing 64-run defeat inside three days in the opening Test of their two-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here yesterday. After Devendra Bishoo had captured four wickets to help dismiss Bangladesh for a paltry 125 in their second innings and leave the Windies a target of 204 for victory, Islam claimed his seventh fivewicket haul in Tests to almost single handedly destroy the visitors’ middle order, as they were skittled out for 139 on the stroke of tea. It was the Windies’ first ever loss in Bangladesh and the first in seven Tests overall. The loss was also the West Indies’ third straight to occur inside of three days of a Test, dating back to the two losses in the recently concluded Indian tour. Resuming the day on 55 for five -an overall lead of 133 runs – the home side managed to add 70 valuable runs thanks mainly to a fighting knock of 31 from lower order batsman Mahmudullah. After Mushfiqur Rahim had been bowled by fastbowler Shannon Gabriel for 19 to leave Bangladesh 69 for six, Mahmudullah and Mehidy Miraz put on a much needed 37 runs for the seventh wicket. But Bishoo claimed the next three wickets in quick succession to give the momentum back to the Windies. He began by having Miraz caught behind by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich for a well played 18, and then he had both Nayeem Hasan (5) and Mahmudullah caught by Shai Hope as Bangladesh faltered to 123 for nine. Offspinner Roston Chase

West Indies had a disastrous start in reply, with four wickets falling in 5.5 overs before lunch, Kraigg Braithwaite the victim here. ©AFP then wrapped up the innings by dismissing Islam for one. Bishoo ended with figures of 4 for 26, while Chase took three for 18 and Jomel Warrican two for 43. However, in pursuit of a reachable target, the West Indies got off to a nightmare start losing four wickets inside the first six overs. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan drew first blood when he tempted Kieran Powell to run down the pitch to a flighted delivery, allowing wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim to effect an easy stumping to make the score five for one. Six runs later Shai Hope edged a delivery from Hasan behind to the ‘keeper’ to be out for three, and without another run being added Islam accounted for the wickets of Windies’ captain Kraigg Brathwaite for eight and Roston Chase for a four-ball duck, both out leg before wicket playing back to flat arm-balls, as the West Indies slumped to 11 for four at the lunch break. For the second time in the

match, Shimron Hetmyer countered with aggression, blasting Al Hasan for two fours and six in the first full over after lunch. That aggression proved to be his downfall, however, as in trying to hit Mehidy Miraz out of the ground he picked out Nayeem Hasan on the long off boundary to be out for a cameo 27 from 19 balls. Shane Dowrich, who scored an unbeaten half-century in the first innings became Islam’s third wicket when he was trapped on the back foot and was out leg before wicket despite using a review, to leave the score 51 for six. Bishoo was then brilliantly bowled by Islam for two with a delivery that drifted away but then turned back sharply between his bat and pad. Islam then picked up his fifth wicket after deceiving Kemar Roach with a straight delivery that onfield umpire Richard Illingworth had initially given not out. However, a review showed the ball hit-

ting into the stumps and the decision was overturned. The lone resistance from the West Indies came in the form of Sunil Ambris and Warrican who tried desperately to resuscitate the innings during a 63-run stand for the ninth wicket. Their partnership prevented the Windies from being bowled out for under 100 for the first time in an away Test since 2000 and gave slight hope of a remarkable comeback victory. Just when it looked like the two were on course for a significant partnership, Mehidy struck to dismiss Warrican, who top edged a drive where Al Hasan took a good catch running back from midwicket, as Bangladesh eased closer to victory at 138 for nine. Warrican scored 41 from 55 balls laced with three boundaries and one six. Islam then duly finished off the match by having Ambris caught behind for 43, although replays showed there was no edge when the ball went past the bat.

Ambris faced 62 balls and struck four boundaries. Islam finished with figures

of six wickets for 33 runs while Al Hasan and Miraz each took two wickets.

Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers School League

CWSS versus Annandale clash to highlight today’s play Teams Annandale Lodge Secondary Wismar Christianburg Vergenogen Uitivulgt Bishops Charlestown Dolphin Marian Academy Queenstown Secondary Queens College St Roses

GP 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

W 8 8 6 5 4 3 3 2 2 3 1 1

D 2 1 2 1 1

L

2 4 3 3 5 6 5 7 7

GF 31 28 46 27 24 10 17 7 8 5 9 7

GA 5 3 2 11 25 9 18 26 28 23 34 34

GD PTS 26 24 25 24 44 20 16 16 -1 12 1 11 -1 10 -19 7 -20 6 -18 3 -25 3 -27 3

Four matches are scheduled to kick off today in the Guyoil/Tradewind tankers sponsored inaugural 12-team school football league at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground on Carifesta Avenue from 11:30hrs. Linden’s Christianburg/ Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) who are third in 11/25/2018 11:30 HRS 13:15 HRS 15:00 HRS 16:45 HRS

the points standing will be at full strength for their clash against current leaders Annandale Secondary of East Coast Demerara. Annandale are four points ahead of CWSS who have proven to be free scoring with an incredible goal difference of +44. Second place Lodge that are tied with

Round 9 Day 18 Queenstown Secondary St Roses Wismar Christianburg Bishops

Annandale on points after winning each of their eight games contested will look to come away with a big win against the struggling Queenstown Secondary in this morning’s opening match. Please see the day’s full fixtures followed by the current points standing below.

MOE Ground V/S Lodge Secondary V/S Uitvlugt V/S Annandale V/S Vergenoegen

Match # 49 50 51 52

Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

PAGE 79

Tropical Spring Transport SC claim GCA/V Net U13 title Alvin Mohabir accepts the best batsman prize from CEO of V Net Communications Safraz Sheriffudeen.

The runner up DCC team. By Zaheer Mohamed On a night which produced some exciting cricket at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), Tropical Spring Transport Sports Club defeated the home team by one run to win the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/ V Net Communications U13 25-over competition. Tropical Spring Transport SC posted a competitive 257-3 off their allocation of 25 overs following their insertion. Alvin Mohabir who added 14 for last wicket stand with Tariq Walters (00*) who made 14, while Riyad Latif contributed 12 as Myem Khan claimed 2-13 and Romeo Deonarain 1-8. DCC were restricted for 256-9 in reply. Tropical

Spring Transport SC bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals despite the runs keep flowing and it came down to the final over where the home team needed 10 to win. However, the pair of Wavell Allen and Myem Khan (08) who posted 21 for the last wicket; their team’s best partnership, could only muster nine off spinner Sachin Persaud. Allen and Gabriel Roothkhan were joint top scorers with 13 each as Riyad Latif picked 2-7, Dave Mohabir 2-9 and Reyaz Latif 2-10. R. Geenarine of DCC (46 versus Bel Air) took the award for the best bowling performance in the competition, Alvin Mohabir (64 vs Georgetown Cricket Club) grabbed the prize for the best batting performance,

Riyad Latif receives the MVP trophy from Roger Harper.

Wavell Allen (nine wickets at 3.8) was the competition’s best bowler, Jonathan Van

Lange of GCC (111 runs at an average of 27.75) took the best batsman accolade and

Mohabir (112 runs at an average of 22.4 and six wickets at 4.2) was the tournament’s best allrounder. Mohabir got the best batsman of the final trophy, Riyad Latif took the prize for the best bowling performance, the best fielder was Mohabir and the MVP was Riyad Latif. Members of both teams were presented with medals. The competition was cosponsored by ECO Atlantic, Guyana Trading Company and Cerulean Inc. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, President of the GCA and former West Indies allrounder Roger Harper expressed gratitude to the sponsors and congratulated the teams. He also thanked the Guyana Floodlights

Softball Cricket Association for granting the players an opportunity to play under lights and DCC for hosting the game. Harper added that the main purpose of structuring the tournament in such a way was to ensure that each person that played got an fair opportunity to showcase their talent. The rules of the competition stated that each team shall commence their innings with 200 runs and 10 runs shall be deducted to each wicket that falls. Two runs shall be credited to the batting team for each no ball and wide with no balls and wides having to be rebowled only in the final over. The batsmen shall bat in pairs for a block of five overs.

Noble House Seafoods 2nd division cricket (Semi-finals)

Persuad’s 7-12, Lyght’s 69 give Cops 1st innings lead at Police By Sean Devers A century partnership between Stephon Brown and Clarence Baird spurred Malteenoes to 211-5 against home team GCC, while Hemchand Persaud’ 7-12 a n d A n d r e w Ly g h t ’s blistering 69 lead hosts Police to a first innings lead over Everest despite 4-70 from Javeed Rasheed as first day action in the Noble House Seafoods two-day Second Division semis commenced yesterday. On a lush green Bourda sward and nice batting track, an attractive 119 second wicket stand between lefthander Brown, who reached the boundary seven times and cleared it once in a confident 66 and Baird whose 46 included three fours and two sixes, joined forces when Marcus Watkins

(5) was LBW to pacer Bernard Bailey at 27-1. In sunny conditions, the partnership flourished as Brown dominated the stand with several audacious shots. Brown favoured the off drives and brought up his 50 with an effortless six back over Renaldo AliMohamed’s head as he overpitched. Baird who started cautiously hit Stephon William for a couple of sixes as the pair took MSC to 1121 when rain stopped play and an early Lunch was taken. After the interval, AliMohammed removed both batsmen in the space of seven runs to leave the visitors on 153-3 before Shaquille Mosely (33), Skipper Nkosi Barker (28) Jerimiah Scott (2) were all removed by Bailey who was

the pick of the GCC bowlers; finishing the day with 3-50. Ali-Mohamed had 2-47. At Eve Leary, on a sluggish outfield and a track which assisted the spinners, 28-year-old former Essequibo left arm spinner Persaud confused the Everest batsmen with his second seven-wicket haul of the tournament to send the Camp Road unit crashing to 137 with only Dwayne Adams (22), Gavin Sookdeo (32), 15-year-old Ushardeva Balgobin who hit two fours and two sixes in 21 and Richie Looknauth (21) passing 20. Balgobin and Sookdeo had joined forces at 93-6 when Persaud removed Looknauth and Rasheed (0) to be on a hat-trick and the pair added 39 valuable runs for the seventh before

- 119 stand between Brown (66) Baird (46) help MSC to 211-5 at GCC Andrew Lyght hits one back past Javeed Rasheed during his pugnacious 69 at Eve Leary yesterday

Sookdeo was LBW to Persaud and by Lunch Everest were 137-9. After a short shower during the break play resumed as Persaud wrapped up the innings. Lyght, who could have

been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, used his bat to decimate the Everest attack and added 85 with the subdued left-handed Reginald Rodrigues (34) and when the 50 was posted in six overs the pugnacious

Lyght had scored 45 of those runs. Three brutal boundaries from Lyght off Rasheed saw him post his 50 from just 26 balls with nine fours. Lyght, the son of former (Continued on page 76)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 80

Sunday November 25, 2018

Hamilton Green Inter-Ward football reaches penultimate round - Den Amstel venue for impending showdown Eight exciting matches will highlight the penultimate day of action in this year’s Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter-Ward/ Village KO Cup which resumes Wednesday, at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground. According to Coordinator Lennox Arthur, fans are certain to get their

monies worth judging from the quality of teams left in the competition and predicting who will survive tonight’s round is causing headaches among the pundits. In the opening encounter, at 18:00hrs, Zeelugt tackle Charlestown and many feel that this game is the perfect s t a r t f o r t h e n i g h t ’s

Hamilton Green

Anthony Sancho

proceedings. This clash will be followed by the game

between Sophia and Central McKenzie, before Mahaica and Mahaicony square off

Trayon Bobb for a place in the next round, but also bragging rights. Goed Fortuin then collide with Wales, before Crane and Sara Lodge take to the field for their matchup. We s t D e m e r a r a ’s Pouderoyen then look to repel the challenge of visiting Newtown Kitty, before another team from the West Side entertain Timehri. In the final game of the evening, hosts Den Amstel e n t e r t a i n E a s t B a n k ’s Soesdyke with the home support anticipated to be vociferous, especially with a spot for the finals at stake. Meanwhile, prize monies in excess of $700,000 and lots of prizes, including the coveted first prize of $400,000 and the championship trophy compliments of the Ministry of Citizenship are up for grabs. The runner-up will be awarded $200,000 and trophy through the goodwill of John Fernandes Ltd, while

Delon Lanferman third and fourth place finishers will receive $60,000 and $40,000 respectively along with the Techno Mills and Courtney Benn Construction Services trophies in that order. Top finishers will receive hampers compliments of Ricks & Sari Industries, while the Highest Goalscorer will walk away with a Lazy Boy Chair courtesy of A.H&L Kissoon and a Dinette Set compliments of China Trading. The Most Valuable Player will be awarded a special prize from Techno Mills. Among the other sponsors on board are: IPA, Alfro Alphonso, Sattaur Gafoor, Ansa McAl, Top Brandz Distributors, MACORP, Starr Computers, Cummings Electrical, Ready Mix, BK International and New Thriving Restaurant. The final is set for Sunday December 2, at the same venue.

Caribbean Boxing Championships

‘Bajans’ coming for Guyana gold

Justin Edwards

Charles Cox

The Barbados Boxing Association (BBA) will be sending a 13-man contingent comprising of 10-fighters to contest the 2018 Caribbean Boxing Championships (CBC) which will be held here in Guyana at the famous Cliff Anderson Sport Hall (CASH) that has hosted a few international and regional tournaments in the past three years. The CBC will set the stage for a grand regional slug fest from December 6th

to 9th and local pugilists and boxing fans will be delighted to hear that the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will be hosting another regional tournament; right on the heels of the Caribbean Schoolboys and Junior Championship which was successfully hosted in August. President of the BBA, Richard Atwell, in a correspondence to Kaieteur Sport noted that he expects (Continued on page 75)

Kaieteur News

Sunday November 25, 2018

ISKF National Karate C/Ships

PAGE 81

Tamarind, Amin and Kristalia are standouts

Marian Academy Auditorium was aroused by the spirit of Shotokan Karate on Saturday last, November 17 when the International Shotokan Karate Federation – Guyana (ISKF) hosted their 2018 National Senior and Junior Karate Championships. In this unarmed method of competitive martial arts, more than 60 Karatekas participated from their combined Dojos (HQ Dojo, Karate Studio -National Park, Georgetown International Academy Dojo (GIA), and Craig DojoEBD). The official judges for the competition were, Chief Judge: Sensei Christopher Chaves, Judges: Sensei Neville Holder, Sensei Marvin Singh, Sensei Marlon George, Sempai Storm Katchay and Sempai Alex Rodrigues. The competitors demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and camaraderie without compromising their need to compete fiercely as they were urged on by the scores of parents and supporters. This year, in addition to the usual age and rank divisions, the tournament included a special division; “The ISKF-Guyana Cup”. This newly added division was open to all ranks, espousing the Kata Male and Female Open contest 16 years and over and Kumite Male and Female Open contest 17 years and over. This was the highlight of this year’s event because of the high levels of competition witnessed for the coveted prizes. As a result, Tamirand de Lisser won the ISKFGuyana Cup for the Female Open Kumite contest, while Kristalia Chaves won the ISKF-Guyana Cup in the Female Open Kata contest. F o r t h e m a l e s , ShaqueelAndrew, Amin dominated this division and won the ISKF-Guyana Cup in both Open Kata and Kumite contests. ISKF-Guyana, being the official representative of International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) at the conclusion of the tournament remarked that all involved are winners as we should not think we have to win, we only need to think we do not have to lose. Special thanks was conveyed to the officials, sponsors, parents, volunteers, and supporters who contributed to making

Students and Instructors seated from left, Marlon George. Neville Holder Christopher Chaves and Marvin Singh that participated at the ISKF National Karate Championships. the event the success it was were all recognised. Chief Instructor – Christopher Chaves said that they are currently preparing to conclude the last major event of 2018 which will be their Grading exercise this Saturday, December 01 which will be held at the Headquarters Dojo, Karate Studio, National Park, T h o m a s L a n d s , Georgetown. The official results for the entire tournament are as follows: 6-7 years old boys & girls kata contest (yelloworange belts) 1 Yannick Schaefer 2 Lennon Atchison 3 Zephaniah Ramah 6-7 years old boys & girls kumite contest (yellow-orange belts) 1 Cassio de Almeida 2 Zephaniah Ramah 3 Yannick Schaefer 6-7 years old boys & girls kata contest (green belts) 1 Silvia Perozo 2 Kelly Carter 3 Abraao de Oliveira 6-7 years old boys & girls kumite contest ( green belts) 1 Silvia Perozo 2 Abraao de Oliveira 3 Adan Gobin 6-7 years old boys & girls kata contest (purplebrown belts) 1 Aiden Alexander Persaud 2 Gael McPherson 3 Williel Alexandre 6-7 years old boys & girls kumite contest (purple-brown belts) 1 Aiden Alexander st

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Hamilton on pole for final race of F1 season

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BU DHABI (Reuters) Five-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes front-row lockout with a blistering pole position at the seasonending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix yesterday. The pole was a recordextending 83rd of the Briton’s career and 11th of the season, as well as the fifth year in succession that Mercedes have swept the front row at the floodlit Yas Marina circuit. Hamilton’s pole lap of one minute 34.794 seconds was also a track record. Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas secured his front-row slot, last year’s race winner being 0.162 seconds off the pace, with the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen filling the second row. “It’s quite an emotional qualifying session for me because it’s the last time I’m going to be qualifying in this car,” said Hamilton after stepping out of the Mercedes to kiss it and then wave to the crowd. “The emotional rollercoaster that I’ve gone through with this car, I’m probably the closest to this car that I’ve ever been with any car. So I’m emotionally attached,” added the 33year-old. “It’s not always been

easy, it’s been a struggle with her but it’s been a real privilege to work with her this year and I’m just so grateful to the team, to everyone, for putting it together.” Saturday was a last chance for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to become the youngest ever driver on pole but the 21-year-old ended up sixth on the grid and behind Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo. Romain Grosjean qualified seventh for Haas with Charles Leclerc eighth in his last race for Sauber before taking R a i k k o n e n ’s p l a c e a t Ferrari. French youngster Esteban Ocon, who will drop back to a reserve role at Mercedes next season, put his Force India ninth on the grid and ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg in 10th. With nothing at stake for the top teams, and no orders holding anyone b a c k , S u n d a y ’s r a c e promises to be a full-on fight for victory. “Today was so much fun,” said Hamilton, who took the provisional pole with his first flying lap in the final phase of qualifying. “To go out there and be able to just express yourself and push the car the way you want, there’s

no better feeling.” Bottas, without a win this season while Hamilton has taken 10 victories, had hoped to take the top slot for the second year in a row but recognized his team mate had once again pulled a stunning lap out of the bag. “P2 (second) wasn’t what I was expecting... but a one-two for the final race is good,” he said. “He was performing well, it was tough to beat his time. He did a better job in the lap,” said the Finn. Vettel, a five times winner this year, said he was confident for the race. “Looking forward to tomorrow, get in the car for the last time this year and challenge these guys, give it everything we have.” McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, the two-times world champion who is walking away from Formula One after Sunday, completed a season of out-qualifying his Formula E-bound Belgian team mate Stoffel Vandoorne in every race. The Spaniard, with a special helmet design and tribute livery on his car, will start in 15th place. “First priority is to finish the race, see the chequered flag, execute the race good enough to feel proud on the last one,” said Alonso. “If we can be in the points that will be a dream.”

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The victorious Tropical Spring Transport SC team with members of the sponsors and GCA. 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.