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Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL The future and the sugar worker Amid growing concerns about the closing of several sugar estates and what many in the opposition consider to be the government’s disdain for the plight of the sugar workers, several trade unions have put the government on notice that they will fight for the rights of the sugar workers. They are displeased with the way the government is handling the matter and have vowed not to take it lying down. They have established a score card on Government’s performance with regard to the state of the sugar industry, the economy, job creation, food security and the growing disparity between the haves and the haves-nots in society. Some have argued that the present development plans do not have an all-inclusive economic, financial and social structure in place to allow for the distribution of wealth in a way that everyone can benefit. Wealth distribution in Guyana is skewed in such a way that only the wealthy few have benefited immensely, while the poor and the disadvantaged survive because the sociopolitical system was not underpinned by fairness in the distribution of wealth. Attempts by one trade union and the sugar workers to convince the government not to close the sugar estates have not succeeded. But the government says that this is necessary. No economic plan involves pouring money into a bottomless pit which is what the Guyana Sugar Corporation had become. The sugar workers are disappointed with both the government and the opposition because they have made them the scapegoats and pawns of the political system. At the end of the day, these are workers who have families and must support them. Closing the sugar estates and putting sugar workers on the breadline under normal conditions would destabilize the economy and the country. It could widen the rift between the government and the unions. It could also be the end of the sugar industry at a time when the focus should be on the diversification of the economy in the face of low production and fluctuating commodity prices. But these are not ordinary times. Most sugar-producing countries have opted out of sugar more so since the price plummeted. And if the truth be told, Guyana should have got out of sugar nearly two decades ago. That was when the price had all but collapsed. It is the working class who circulate most of the money in the country and not the elites who shop online and outside of the country. Recognizing the value and importance of the working class could improve production, resuscitate the economy, create jobs and reduce food imports. But in an economy where the main earners are primary products the focus should be on diversification and on value added. The value added from sugar would have been the way to go but the culture was for the primary product so no effort was made to look at doing more with sugar and its byproducts. The dilemma is the absence of skills and a lack of entrepreneurship in the productive sector. When we looked to a canning sector the people found it convenient to merely produce, they could not be bothered to do more work on their production. So the President’s unequivocal declaration that all, regardless of political party affiliation, will be engaged in the development of the country should be a welcomed indication of his government’s policy. However, words without follow-up action are a disguise for failure. The government must take decisive steps to tackle the problems facing the country, with heightened emphasis on diverting from planting cane to more productive activities. The sugar workers will eventually play a part in this but only when they realize that they need to take their minds off cane.
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Confronting police brutality; an analysis Dear editor, The frightening thing with police brutality is, like other forms of abuse, it escalates if not confronted and stopped, and more citizens will die at the hands of those who swore to protect and to serve. For the police will perceive our silence as tact support of their behaviour. When this coupled with our tendency to order investigations after each police killing while rarely releasing their findings, ideal conditions for continued police abuse is created. Throughout its history the Guyana police force has always been inclined to be brutish when dealing with the poor. Indeed, the police was initially created to keep the poor in their place. Thus, the ex-slaves, the indenture servants, were the police early targets. At the birth of a nationalist movement it was the common man and their leaders who took the brunt of this same police brutality. Later it was the police who beat staff members at Guyana Stores who dared to strike during PNC rule and it was the same police who shot at our nurses and dragged them like manure bags during the reign of the PPP. All this was done to our people for committing the unpardonable sin of with- holding their labor in their quest for a decent wage. Yes, whether we were/are law abiding or not, poor people have always
been at the receiving end of police excesses. Sadly, in the 21st century this assault on the poor by the police continues. In October 2009, a 14 year old suspect had methylated spirits poured on his genital area and set on fire by the police at Leonora Police Station. While more recently we read Tilawattie Singh account of an experience she had with the police in Berbice. Ms Singh told a most disturbing story, some of which went like this: (a) “From the minute meh step out the vehicle the man (Nairine) dealt meh cuff to meh neck, temple and head. Me hold me head and me ah beg dem, ‘ow officer, wha meh do? Wah me do?” and (b) “was bleeding when these people put me in the lock-up and these people even refused to give me sanitary pads even though I told them I was bleeding.” If true, do these incidents not stir our humanity? With this as our reality and our seeming inability to stamp out this tendency, this willingness of our police force (no wonder it is called ‘force’ and not ‘police service’) to brutalize citizens, those of us students of criminal justice have a pressing duty. First, to seeking to help the nation understand why this type of police behavior continues. Secondly offer advice to our poor brothers and sisters (the brutality is almost always directed
at them) on what they can do to reduce the likelihood of being brutalized during encounters with the police. First let us examine why this behaviour continues. The police force has an inability to attract bright young citizens to join its fold. So, the force is obliged to employ persons who have not done well academically. Now the problem of police abuse will suggest that instructions on ethics should make-up a significant portion of police training. But since the recruits are not academically inclined what percentage of their training time would be enough for reaching them intellectually? Further, the fact these recruits are usually from high crime communities, the question becomes; what influence their behavior most, the few months of police training or the values they bring from their home environment? Is it an environment in which they are accustomed to seeing violence used for gaining compliance to an instruction? Is our present police training program structured with such concerns in mind? And even if one is able to structure such a training program and satisfy the needs of a majority, isn’t it reasonable to suspect those ones not able to meet will comprise a sizable minority? A concluding letter will follow Claudius Prince
Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox The sins of this country are laid bare for us to see DEAR EDITOR, People, all over Guyana, are struggling to understand the level of depravity that enabled those who committed the brutal rape and murder of young Leonard Archibald. In the run up to the 2015 elections, I said in an interview, that “the soul of the nation is mortally wounded, and that Guyana’s political and economic crisis has, at its root, a spiritual and moral crisis.” This is painfully evident as we bear witness to the savage and inhumane behaviour of so many of our fellow citizens on a daily basis. There are two men charged with the rape and murder of Leonard Archibald. Once convicted, I believe that they should receive the death penalty because there is a time to kill. If there is any objection from the ABC and EU countries, then let them know that we are a sovereign nation, entitled to make our own decisions regarding such matters. Although conditions in a society undoubtedly contribute to the development of this level of depravity, we cannot remove responsibility from the individuals who commit such crimes. We also cannot ease our own conscience, by simply laying the blame at the feet, of a few depraved individuals. They are, after all, a product of the spiritual and moral wasteland that we have
collectively allowed to evolve. The blame for what happened to Leonard Archibald does not stop at these two individuals – it lies with each and every one of us. Let us start at the top. For decades, we have witnessed moral erosion at the highest echelons of society, resulting in unspeakable sexual perversions becoming the norm. Sexual transgressions that were once unheard of in Guyana have become common practice. Our children and young people are no longer safe in their homes or public spaces. However, we must be careful not to limit our understanding of morality to one domain, that is, people’s sexual behaviour. Even the heinous crime we have just witnessed is not limited to sexual perversion alone. Rape is about the abuse of power and the ability to act in a savage and inhumane manner. In order for us to bring about an
end to this moral erosion, morality must guide all areas of the nation’s existence. Only then can we lift ourselves out of our current despair. No society can be said to be a moral one when it allows human beings to die on its streets, as we do in Guyana. No society can be said to be moral when, despite its wealth, it implements cruel economic policies that allow some people to have everything while others have absolutely nothing. It is a lack of morality that allows the political elite, across the po-
litical spectrum to treat the people of this country with utter contempt by refusing to invest in their wellbeing and development. Blame for what happened to Leonard Archibald is at everyone’s door. Let us turn to our pastors, imams and pandits. Turn on your TV and you will find endless religious programmes. There are churches, mosques and mandirs on every corner, and yet as theologian Harvey Cox said, “God is absent”. We must ask ourselves why all of (Continued on page 7)
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Saying “if only” is not good enough for our children DEAR EDITOR, The Child Rights Alliance (CRA) is deeply concerned about the safety and well being of children in communities across Guyana. The alleged abduction, sexual assault and murder of 13-yearold Leonard Archibald of Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice has brought to light so much that is wrong in society. This tragedy could have been avoided if individuals in the community or law enforcement officials familiar with the atrocious crimes of the confessed offender acted with urgency. Instead, a community was plunged into mourning; a nation is left dumbfounded as Guyanese continue to sing a familiar but melancholy tune: “if only”. How can a man who allegedly tied a then12-year-old boy to a tree and sexually assaulted him; broke into the home of a 15-year-old boy in a failed attempt to rape him; failed in an attempt to abduct an 18-year-old boy in a boat; attacked a 19-year-old man in a failed attempt to rape him; failed in an attempt to rape a then 35-year-old man; and sexually molested a seven year-old boy, all from the same village, be allowed to roam the streets as a free man? If only… Guyana has a culture of silence and secrecy to crimes of child abuse particularly sexual violence against children. Offenders know this and are emboldened by this fact. In 2016, there were 4,015 reported cases of child abuse, 18% or 734 were cases of child sexual abuse. The truth is, for every reported case of abuse
there are two or more cases that go unreported. This means those offenders go unreported as well .Several members of the CRA have been conducting sensitization sessions with children in Regions Three, Four and Five between January and July 2017. The CRA members have sensitized almost 2,000 children on child abuse and the importance of reporting cases of abuse. Several children approached a CRA counselor and reported that they were sexually abused. In some of these cases, the matters were never reported to the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) prior to coming to the attention of the CRA. In a few cases the abuse was known by family members in the home. In one case, the child was being sexually abused by the step father. The biological mother and maternal grandmother knew about the abuse. The mother and grandmother threatened to poison the child if she ever told anyone. Covering up child sexual abuse cases is far more common than most people realize. ChildLinK’s 2016 report on children living in institutional care revealed that there is a “…a general culture of silence with respect to child abuse...” (Bess-Bascom, 2016). Additionally, the report revealed there were “…partners…who hide and ‘cover’ for perpetrators… and felt a responsibility to protect the perpetrator…” (Bess-Bascom, 2016). While no one on the East Bank Berbice was trying to protect the confessed offender, those who suffered at
his hands, for the most part, chose to remain silent. The slain child’s father was reported as saying ‘No one thought it would get this serious and now I’m seeing the community come out and put their foot down on it.’ The father reportedly believed that if someone had reported what was known by the community in the past then his son would still be alive. And that is the problem we face today: If only someone had done something. Unfortunately, no one thinks about doing anything until after the fact. Fear of the stigma attached to being a victim of sexual assault is the reason several young men gave for not speaking out. This is true for both males and females. Many cases of child sexual abuse go unreported because of this fear. Whenever children are sexually abused, one of the most common feelings that the child may experience is shame. They fear that they will be judged and seen in a negative light by others. While this should not be a reason to keep a matter of child sexual abuse a secret there is no denying that some of the fears survivors of sexual abuse have are valid. This is where the average citizen desperately needs a paradigm shift. As a society we need to learn empathy and to respect the privacy of others. We are too quick to judge. The young men of Sisters Village know this all too well and chose to keep the abuse a secret that should have been reported to the authorities. If only…
Several persons mentioned to the media that reports were made to the police in the past but not much was done about the matter. One publication stated that the confessed offender was arrested in the past but the case against him was dropped because he promised to replace his intended victim’s cell phone. If only… The young man who was reportedly hit with a piece of wood, tied to a tree and sexually assaulted when he was 12years-old stated that the matter was taken to the police but his parents chose to settle and “take the money and drink it out”. If only… It is not uncommon for parents of children who were abused to accept money. This however, emboldens offenders because they know that they can elude justice by giving some monies. While there has been some progress in the conviction of cases of sexual violence there is still a long way to go. There are too many cases that never make it to court for a number of reasons and there are families of abused children that are still taking money. At the end of the day, it is the child that suffers in the abuse, in the lack of justice and support from families. They are the ones who suffer in silence. If only… One publication reported a resident of the village saying that the confessed perpetrator would usually go into hiding after sexually abusing a child but would return a few weeks by which time, the police would “forget about the incident”. This is a very troubling development if it is indeed the case. In how many communities across our ten Administrative Regions are offenders of child sexual abuse allowed to get away for a few weeks and return with (Continued on page 7)
How prepared is the under-40 generation for nation-building? DEAR EDITOR, I’m writing to follow-up two recent letters which were based on a review of the 2012 population Guyana census published last year. In those letters I focused primarily on the continuing contraction of the Guyana population since 1980 (Our falling population: shouldn’t we be concerned about this? KN, 30 July) and the massive impact of emigration in that contraction (The national discourse cannot afford to ignore large-scale emigration, KN, 6 August). In this letter I want to focus on another feature of particular significance for Guyana, that is, the fact that 70 percent of the current population is below the age of 40. The high proportion of young people in the population is not remarkable in itself. This is what you expect in a population with a significant rate of natural increase. In fact, the proportion of under 40s in the Guyana population has actually declined – it was 75 percent up to 2002. This fact, however, has special significance in the Guyana context. It means that well over 70 percent of the Guyana population was born since 1970, and therefore their perceptions and sense of normalcy have been molded entirely by the nightmare experience of the last forty-odd years. To see what I mean try to tell anyone in that age
group about the time before and see the stunned look of disbelief on their faces. Try to tell them that there was a time when there were no blackouts, that water flowed freely and there were no black tanks on rooftops, that there were hardly any homeless people parading the streets of Georgetown and other communities. True enough, there were a few well-known street characters – ‘Honey B Bottle’, ‘Walker the British’ and ‘Peas Head’ come readily to mind – but although I had no idea where lived, you certainly didn’t find them sleeping and otherwise performing their daily lives on the street. In Costello Housing Scheme where I grew up, the thought that showering and flushing toilets upstairs could be a problem simply never occurred and there was no need to equip the house with a black tank or pump. Crime and the sense of insecurity that comes with it was nowhere on the scale that it has reached and homes were not grilled like prisons. We could never find the door key so we simply left the window next to the door unlocked. One Guyana Dollar was worth forty US cents. Nowadays, two Guyana Dollars will barely give you one US cent. Georgetown was covered by one well-run bus s (Continued on page 7)
The main reason for Guyana’s colossal, psychic decay DEAR EDITOR, In regards to Freddie’s Kissoon article of Thursday, September 28, captioned, “There is a colossal psychic breakdown in Guyana,” this colossal, psychic decay of Guyana, can easily be traced back to the time Jagdeo became president. All the rules of law went through the window under Jagdeo’s reign. It seems like he gave the police the license to do whatever
they wanted which they took full advantage of, then, he turned around and had a notorious drug dealer in charge of enforcing law and order.This is why you find so much of the crime today is committed by ex-police officers. Kids growing up during this time saw so much brutality that it has become part of them and this is what Guyana has to contend with now. Colin grant
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Clarification on that Ghana Satellite Project
The sins of this country are laid bare for...
DEAR EDITOR, I refer to the letter published in the edition of Friday, Sept. 29th entitled “That article on Ghana had misleading information.” I submit that I should have gone into some detail in highlighting the vanguard role undertaken by the All Nations University College Space Science Technology Laboratory, throughout the Ghana Satellite Project, from commencement to launch. In attempting to achieve some measure of brevity in my correspondence, I committed the sin of omission. I apologize, and I hereby congratulate the University on the whole and the brilliant team of engineers in particular for the outstanding achievement. In the second paragraph of the letter, I have noted the statement; ‘ The satellite, (CubeSat) was
funded and built by All Nations University College Space Science Technology Laboratory; and not Ghana Space Science and Technology as claimed by the writer.” I never stated or claimed who funded or constructed the Satellite. Here is what was printed, “The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) was commissioned in May 2012 and in July 2017 launched its first satellite into space.” In any event, the statement should have been “The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute was commissioned in 2012 and in 2017 witnessed the launching of the first Ghana Satellite into space.” The Ghana Space Science And Technology Institute is a State Institution mandated to co-ordinate all Space Science and Technology re-
lated programmes and activities in Ghana. However, I would like to recognize the stars of the show, the three brilliant young engineers from All Nations University College, who spearheaded the Satellite project. They are, Mr. Benjamin Bonsu, Mr. Ernest Teye Matey and Mr. Joseph Quansah. I would also like to thank Dr. Theophilus Oware for enlightening the readership concerning the wonderful projects and initiatives that have already been undertaken by ANUC and also about the innovative proprammes and plans that are envisaged. All of this highlights and underscores the positive developments taking place in Ghana and indeed they amplify and add support to the main objective of my initial correspondence. Lloyd H Marshall
Hack’s Halall Restaurant appeals for relevant this very location of 5 Com- not use this bin and our garintervention DEAR EDITOR, I am writing with regards to an article in your paper with the heading, “City garbage situation under control.” As the attached photo will show, this is very far from reality. I have met with Mr. Narine at
merce Street in front of Hacks’ Halaal Restaurant to discuss this problem to have this bin relocated. As this is no place for a commercial waste bin to be located. In front a food establishment. I would also like to add that our business does
bage is collected by private contractors on a daily basis. This situation has been going on for almost two months with no relief in sight. I would appreciate if the media can assist me in this helpless situation. Siddiq Hack
There, you go Freddie, yu jraa mi tong DEAR EDITOR, In Freddie Kissoon’s characteristically pastiche style column last Wednesday, September 27, titled, David Granger: Guyana’s search for Nietzsche’s Ubermensch,” he seems to be attempting to jraa mi tong. You state that I had voiced my concerns about Vice Chancellor Carrington’s ‘shortcomings’ during his tenure at UG. I, strangely, cannot remember ever voicing any such concerns or finding any shortcomings in VC Carrington’s leadership during that short period. On the contrary, I distinctly remember noticing how the general staff seemed happier and more confident about the future of UG. I remember him calling a think tank to interrogate the foundations of our education sys-
tem after being prodded by his colleague Colin Cholmondeley to do so. I remember him being the Keynote Speaker at the historic conference in Jamaica which ushered in the Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole Speaking Caribbean and Kencil Banwarie and I being proud travellers to that conference to hear ‘our’ Vice Chancellor. I remember him always being faithful to due process, and I was to benefit from that particular commitment of his when I became a victim of violation of due process in my own faculty. Somehow Freddie, all my memories of that VC were all positive and uplifting. I do clearly recall that other members of the UGSSA executive found that Prof.
Carrington had some weaknesses, but I never attempted to understand their deeper analyses. I was too overjoyed at having a leader at the helm at UG who, it seemed to me, believed that leadership also happened from the ground up and had a gift of making people feel valuable. Even now I feel his aura – the aura of a man who had no partisan political connections, no undue attachment to money, no tendencies to misuse power to promote a personal agenda, no desire to prove anything to anyone. But, who knows? It may just be a case of absence making the heart grow fonder. Oh how I long for fonder hearts and certain absences. There Freddie, yu jraa mi tong. Charlene Wilkinson University of Guyana
From page 6 this religious teaching and preaching is failing to impact on our society? Minister Farrakhan answered this question when he said, “because the teaching ain’t right and the preaching is false.” We cannot blame the religious leaders and those who hold political and economic power alone. Every Guyanese must take responsibility for their inaction in the face of the tyranny and moral decay that has engulfed us. Every individual who has not had the courage and fortitude to take a stand against what has happened, and is continuing to happen to this beautiful land of ours, must take a share of the blame for the brutal attack on young Leonard Archibald. So, although it is convenient and comfortable for us to sit back and look with horror upon the two individuals who committed this brutal act, separating ourselves from them, we cannot. They are the ugly, hideous and disgusting manifestation of the totality of the sins of this nation The existing social and economic arrangement has brought with it a level of poverty
that is dehumanizing. We have allowed a political and economic model of mal-development to be imposed on us that does not encourage us to be our brother and sister’s keeper, but rather promotes a rugged individualism and selfishness. This system has turned us into nothing more than mindless, crass consumers - crabs in a barrel. Disrespect and contempt for each other is the order of the day. The caring community is long dead. Our sense of nationhood is dying with it. People no longer take an interest in or care about what happens to those around them; instead, they are encouraged to just look out for themselves. Guyana has become a vicious society where vicious acts are becoming more and more commonplace. We must stop looking outside of ourselves for our salvation. It begins with us and can only be realized when we the people become conscious and active agents of change. Gerald A. Perreira Leader Organisation for the Victory of the People (OVP)
How prepared is the under-40 generation... From page 6 ervice and there were no minibuses. A bus fare was seven cents. Why do I drag up the past like this? The point I want to make is that the conception and execution of the way forward will depend largely on this very generation in their forties and under, and it is therefore important to confront the distorted sense of normalcy and attitude of resignation that have emerged. Since my return to Guyana I have had occasion to draw attention to things that don’t seem right only to be greeted
with a shrug and the expression “this is Guyana”. It is as if I should know better than to expect high standards and improvement in Guyana. With blackouts occurring frequently, I sometimes wonder if part of the problem is not that people have become so accustomed to them that the sense of urgency to solve the problem once-and-for-all has been blunted. This may be the case with other things that need fixing in the country. Our country needs reform on many levels if our future is not to be a sad rerun of past
failures. It is natural to expect the under 40 generation to play a dominant role in moving the country forward. Democracy demands it. It is therefore important for that generation to understand its subjective biases resulting from the traumatic experience of past decades if it is to rise above the errors of the past. As we attempt to go forward, it will be necessary to have a profound understanding of where we stand in order to be able to project a progressive future vision to act upon. Desmond Thomas
Saying “if only” is not good enough... From page 6 no fear of prosecution? How many children are still battling with the trauma of sexual abuse as our justice system treats their case with apathy? How many cases in Sisters village have the police forgotten about over the years? Guyana is a signatory of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the UNCRC was incorporated into our Constitution. According to Article 34 of the UNCRC, “States Parties (should) undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.”
The systems put in place to prevent this tragedy and protect young boys such as Leonard Archibald miserably failed him. Article 6 states: “States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.” Young Leonard had the right to life. He should have been protected: by the
adults in his family, by the State and its agencies, by the community and by society as a whole. ‘If only’ is not good enough for our children. It is your duty as a citizen to report any known case of child abuse. The abuse of children is a scourge in our society that will continue to prevail as long as citizens fail to act. Hasani Tinnie Communications Officer Child Rights Alliance
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Shortage of Drugs and medical equipment severely affect the Linden Hospital Complex
It has become a norm at the pharmacy of the Linden Hospital Complex to be told drugs prescribed by the doctors are not available but when you are told that you have to pay for an X-Ray because the machine is privately owned then that is another story. According to a staff member who prefers to remain anonymous the hospital has nothing, the doctors, nurses and other staff in the various departments are working miracles. The staffer said that the X-Ray machine is not functioning and has been so for some time. Another staff who has a portable machine reportedly loans it to the hospital. “Patients have to pay $2,000 for an X-ray because the machine not working; if you do not have money then you can’t do the X-ray. The man tells you point blank that the machine is he own and if you ent got money then you can’t do the X-ray.” It was also reported that
just last week two elderly men visited the hospital and they were required to do an X-ray. Both were turned away because they had no money. It is alleged that when the men were sent to have the Xrays done they were told by the staffer that the cost is $2,000 each. “Even though we beg him to do it because is big men and they don’t have money the man said, ‘This is me machine and nothing ent free.’ The men had to go away.” The Emergency room is as empty as a flask; no Blood Pressure machine, no drugs for emergency patients. “The emergency room has no blood pressure machine, you have to go upstairs to borrow and if they are using it then you have to wait and the waiting period is dangerous for the patient. The hospital has no (tablet for Hypertensive patients) not even ‘panadols’. So you could imagine what is going on here.”
It was also reported that requisition for Drugs is not been made in a timely manner and the required amount is not requisitioned for; also when drugs arrive they are being sold by staff members to pharmacies in Central Mackenzie. One resident of Linden, Sandra Ross, noted that drugs are not available at neither of the Hospitals Pharmacies but are available at the privately owned Pharmacies. “Everytime you go to the hospital, if the doctor prescribes four medications, you have to buy three, hospital don’t have nothing. Only Panadol they used to have. Now they don’t even have that. Is this a State of the Art Hospital or Straight to the Heart? This hospital is not even a First Aid Kit.”
Some doctors also complain of victimization by their superiors who threaten them with transfer if they speak out. It is also reported that the Hospital has three surgeons and two are presently on vacation, the other surgeon has to work around the clock and as reported by one staffer he is tired. “That is detrimental, because you can see tiredness in the man, he could be doing a surgery and because of tiredness do something wrong and he will be blamed; nobody will say he is overworked.” The Doctors, Nurses and other staff of the Linden Hospital Complex are pleading with the Minister of Public Health to look into the situation with some urgency as they cannot work under such conditions much longer.
Dem boys seh...
Jagdeo still trying wid Burnham destiny Jagdeo, that scamp, try to put ee foot in Burnham shoes. He think he binna create ee destiny. But everybody know destiny is not created by de shoes you wear but by de steps you take. Burnham tek he own steps in ee own shoes and create ee own destiny. He tek some small steps. Jagdeo try to tek some big steps in Burnham shoes but ee still ain’t create his destiny. Burnham miss jail. Dem boys certain Jagdeo would not be as lucky as Burnham because he created a criminal culture in Guyana. A senior cop station in Berbice get ketch in Berbice selling fuel marker two days ago. A senior customs officer get send home. A Customs broker and a businessman in custody. A whole wharf of Customs officer get transfer fuh corruption. Another senior officer lock up cocaine in he office in a suitcase. Nobody ain’t break in but de cocaine disappear. Lolo Feel from GEE COME get instructions to call in de police pun heself and others fuh de scampishness de others do. All these things never happen before. Is when Jagdeo tun president that all these skullduggery started. In 2011 he give he friend Bee Kay a contract fuh drill three well. One deh at Eccles, one was fuh Hope and de odda was fuh Mon Repos. This man never drill a hole in ee life yet Jagdeo give him millions of dollars to dig a hole. Six years gone; Jagdeo gone and yet de hole nah complete. De one at Eccles got people bathing at de road corner. De one at Mon Repos got people bathing in de trench and de one at Hope got people still hoping. All dem residents who waiting fuh water from Bee Kay pipe not happy. But dem boys remember happiness is an inside job. Don’t assign anyone else that power over your life.—Mandy Hale seh suh. Talk half and wear you own shoes to create you own destiny.
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Kaieteur News
Guilty pleas, rape victims who decline to testify ….a trend for June criminal assizes There was an increase in the number of murder accused opting to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. And complainants in rape cases declined to testify or failed to appear to testify during the June session of the Demerara Criminal Assizes. According to the jail delivery done by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall on September 29, last, a total of 167 cases were listed to be heard. Of those, 28 matters were disposed of. Eighteen cases received attention in the High Court of Demerara and ten matters were nolle prosequi by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This Assizes commenced with Justice Navindra Singh, Justice Nareshwar Harnanan and Justice James BovellDrakes. Madam Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall then sat from August and continued until September. Of the 18 matters presented, there were eight guilty pleas, one guilty verdict by jury, four verdicts of not guilty and five formal verdicts of not guilty. During the session, Justice Navindra Singh completed eight cases. Of these eight cases, six were for the offence of murder, one for manslaughter and another for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years. In five of these six murder trials, the accused all pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and were respectively sentenced to twelve years, fifteen years, twenty years, eight years and eleven years’ imprisonment. In the one other murder case, the accused was sentenced to 60 years’ imprisonment after the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. The accused in the one matter for the offence of manslaughter pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment. While the accused in the
Justice Simone Morris Ramlall Justice Navindra Singh one other matter for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years was acquitted by the jury. Justice Nareshwar Harnanan disposed of five matters. Three of these were for the offence of murder, one for the offence of sexual activity with a child family member and another one for the offence of rape of a child under 16 Years. In two of the three cases for the offence of murder, the trial judge upheld no case submissions by the defence and directed the jurors to return formal verdicts of not guilty. While in the other one case the accused pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years. In the two separate matters for the offences of sexual activity with a child family member and rape of a child under 16 Years, both complainants went into the witness box and informed the court that they did not wish to proceed with their matters. Justice Harnanan then directed the juries to return formal verdicts of not guilty. Justice Bovell-Drakes who had also sat during the months February to June in another jurisdiction,
completed one matter for the offence of murder in which a no case submission was upheld. The jury was directed by trial Judge to return a
Justice James Bovell Drakes formal verdict of not guilty. Meanwhile, Madame Justice Simone MorrisRamlall completed four cases.
Two of these four cases were for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years and the other two were for the offence of Rape. In the two matters for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years, the jurors returned majority verdicts of not guilty. While in one of the two rape matters, the accused was acquitted after the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty. In the other matter the accused pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment. During this period 10 matters were nolle prosequi by the DPP. Of these ten matters one was for the offence of attempt to commit
murder while the other nine matters were for the sexual offences of rape of a child under 16 years, rape, carnal knowledge of a girl under 15 years and sexual activity with a child family member. In two of these ten matters, one for the offence of attempt to commit murder and the other for the offence of rape, the accused have since died. In three other matters, the complainants indicated in written statements they did not wish to proceed with their matters and in the other five matters, the complainants could not be located despite police searches at their last known addresses and notices were published and aired for them to attend court.
Ministry of Legal Affairs staff pay tribute to late Nigerian Judge - was instrumental in drafting key legislations Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, and members of his staff on Friday paid tribute to the late Justice Abdullahi Zuru who passed recently due to illness. The gathering was hosted in the Ministry of Legal Affairs boardroom where several members of staff paid tribute to his memory. During the simple ceremony, several members of staff were all unanimous in their description of their late colleague’s working style and work ethic which they described as “dedicated and committed.” Justice Zuru was also described as an advocate for legal professional development and continuing legal education. He believed that with proper mentorship, young attorneys could become office holders who would dispense their functions with integrity and
impartiality. The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, remembered him as ‘a man of great intellect, who was principled and religious with a passion for reforming the law.’ The Attorney General further stated that the late Justice Zuru had even managed to impress the President of Guyana David Granger with his great work ethic and progressive thinking. Though based in Guyana, Justice Zuru was a national of Nigeria, a former Solicitor General and Judge of the High Court in Nigeria. Justice Zuru worked worldwide as a Law Revision Consultant. During his life Justice Zuru moved to the CARICOM Secretariat as consultant involved in Legislative Drafting and Law Revision to the Member States of the Organization. In the Caribbean, he supervised
Justice Abdullahai Zuru the revision of the laws of Grenada done by LexisNexis. He undertook the revision of the Laws of Belize which are being published by the Regional Law Revision Centre, Anguilla. Justice Zuru also prepared
a preliminary law revision format for the Commonwealth of Dominica and he also revised the Laws of Antigua and Barbuda. In Guyana he was involved in correcting errors and omissions made in the 2010 revised Laws of Guyana as well as providing manpower training to the personnel of the Member States in Legislative Drafting and Law Revision. He was also involved in training members of the Legal Staff in the use and application of the new civil procedure rules. Shortly before he died Justice Zuru was actively involved in laying the groundwork for the establishment of the Law Reform Commission. The Ministry and especially the members of the Legislative Drafting department will dearly miss Justice Abdullahai Zuru.
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Broadcasters have one week to reapply for licences Broadcasters who are yet to reapply for licences under the new regulations as stipulated in the Broadcast (Amendment) Bill 2017 have only a few days remaining to reapply for their licences and avoid being penalized. The Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) yesterday issued a statement seeking to “remind, once again, all previously
licensed Broadcasters and all who were broadcasting without a licence before the commencement of Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2017, that they need to apply to the GNBA for a current licence within thirty days of the enactment of this Law.” GNBA said that the call comes in the wake of the recent announcement by the
Ministry of the Presidency that President David Granger, on September 7, last, signed into law the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2017. GNBA said, “All those who had an application pending with the GNBA for a licence before 7 September 2017, also need to visit the Authority to amend their pending Applications, or if need be, reapply in
Youth Group hosts training sessions in Linden
Members of various Youth Groups standing in Suit Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton and stooping Director of Young and Thoughtful Youth Group Cornelius Roberts The Young and Thoughtful Youth Group in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Cohesion coordinated a number of activities such as Community projects, training sessions, environmental camps and tours which benefitted youths in Linden. Director of the Youth Group, Mr. Cornelius Roberts, said the month of activities ended with the Minister of Cohesion Dr. George Norton
holding his first sensitization workshop with youths of various groups at the New Silver City Secondary School. The Minister spoke about diversity. He said that he was surprised that so many youths turned out and was happy to work with the Young and Thoughtful Youth Group to build capacity. There were other sessions within the Region with Youth Groups and young people as a whole. Some of the
community projects involved cleaning of the parapets and drains, beautifying areas with flowers and tree planting and painting and cleaning the Linden Hospital Complex. Roberts said that they will maintain the projects. Another training session on ‘Education on Diversity & Inclusion’ will be held for youths on September 29 and September 30, 2017 at the New Silver City Secondary School.
Youths at the Seminar with Hon. Minister Dr. George Norton
accordance with the Amended Broadcast Act 2017 by October 6, 2017.” GNBA also noted that many existing broadcasters have already started this application process and a number of them have actually completed these procedures with the GNBA a s s e t o u t i n the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2017.
The Authority said that all completed applications will be processed expeditiously as they are received by the Authority following the thirty-day stipulation. GNBA noted, in a message to those broadcasters who are not in compliance with this provision by October 8, 2017, that the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2017 prescribes a series of
penalties for non-compliance. GNBA said that it continues to be available to all broadcasters and those wishing to broadcast, on the reapplication procedures and processes, and “looks forward to working with a fully licensed and regulated broadcasting sector for the benefit of all Guyanese.” 18 Lamaha Street Queenstown, Georgetown
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Sunday October 01, 2017
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Car dealer, Turkeyen business under probe for vehicles with false plates More than 40 vehicles believed to have been brought into country under the Remigrant Scheme and some suspected to have been smuggled were seized by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) over the past year. The disclosure would come even as the authority seized three vehicles last week. These were on the country without any paperwork showing up. The three vehicles were linked a prominent business spot at Turkeyen. All had false plates, a GRA source disclosed over the weekend. One of the vehicles seized is a Chevrolet HHR. Investigations are continuing with GRA looking to collect the millions of dollars in taxes and duties that are owed. It is not the first time that the city dealer’s name has been called in the vehicle scam. Vehicles are brought into the country with the importer using mainly persons living in the US.
The Guyanese, who would have been living overseas for years, would be paid a fee to apply for a remigrant status. This application states that the remigrant is desirous of returning home and wants to bring his or her possessions back. Once granted, the possessions would be allowed to land without attracting the necessary duties. However, a number of smart persons, aided with a lax monitoring system at GRA in the past, capitalized on the weaknesses of the Remigrant Scheme. After applying, being granted approval and bringing the vehicles into Guyana, the ‘remigrant’ would promptly hand it over to the ‘real’ owner, stick around for a few mornings and return to his home overseas. Under the Remigrant Scheme arrangement, GRA was supposed to monitor the applicants to ensure that they are really living in Guyana. Being out of a jurisdiction for longer than
- over 40 high-end rides seized in past year
One of the vehicles seized this past week. is being spent in Guyana would mean that the
arrangements have been breached.
In that case, the necessary taxes and royalties would kick
in if breaches to the remigrant arrangements can be established. Prior to last year, GRA appeared not too keen to monitor. It is estimated that hundreds of high end vehicles from Toyota Prado and Land Cruisers, Lexus, Land Rovers, Mercedes, BMW and Infiniti, came in under fraudulent arrangements using the Remigrant Scheme. As a result, billions of dollars in taxes and royalties were lost to the coffers of Guyana. However, the crackdown, which began under the new Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia, last year, has seen more than 40 vehicles being seized. The owners, facing prosecution and other punishments, have largely opted to settle rather than walk the steps of the courts. At least one city car dealer has been repeatedly named as using the Remigrant Scheme, and pocketing tens of millions of dollars in profits under the table.
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FINANCIAL LITERACY:
Our Disordered Relationship with Money OUR DYSFUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPWITH MONEY Some individuals have indicated to me that they are having a difficult time trying to save money. Some have even asked my advice on the idea of financial counselling. Although financial counselling and financial therapy sessions are prevalent in North America, that is not the case in Guyana. I did some research and found that both Drs. Brad Klontz, financial psychologist and Sonya Britt, financial therapist of Kansas State University performed studies in understanding the cognitive basis of a financial problem. The researchers stated that, “It is common knowledge that psychological traits may interfere with the financial planning process.” In fact, these professionals indicated that just about all of us have complicated, if not downright dysfunctional, relationships with money. Our beliefs about money influence every financial decision we make. Because
our beliefs define who we are, how we act, and what we may become. It is important that we identify and recognise our disordered relationships with money. Drs. Klontz and Britt suggest that our disordered relationship aren’t our fault, they are a product of subconscious beliefs and thought patterns, rooted in our childhoods, that are so deeply ingrained in us, they shape the way we deal with money our entire adult lives. However, not all is lost and we are not powerless. By looking deep into our pasts, and ourselves we can learn to recognise these negative and self-defeating patterns of thinking, and replace them with better, healthier ones. While my other articles have indicated sound financial principles and numeracy as essential for financial literacy, it is hardly enough. Psychology also counts. Humans are irrational creatures in all areas of our lives. MONEY SCRIPTS PREDICT FINANCIAL BEHAVIOURS
Dr. Klontz’s research indicates that childhood experiences shape our adult attitudes and behaviours even when it comes to money management. In fact, Dr. Klontz’s team has identified four main ‘money scripts’ that typically operate outside of conscious awareness and are often developed in childhood, and drive our financial behaviours. These money scripts have been found to be associated with financial outcomes, financial behaviours, and other aspects of financial health. Money script patterns can predict disordered behaviours, such as financial infidelity, compulsive buying, pathological gambling, compulsive hoarding, financial dependence, and financial enabling. According to Dr. Klontz, the four main ‘money scripts’ are as follows: 1. Money avoidance: Money avoiders believe that money is bad or that they do not deserve money. They may believe that wealthy people are greedy or corrupt, and that there is virtue with
living with less money. According to Dr. Klontz, “people with money avoider scripts may be worried about abusing credit cards or overdrafting their checking account; they may selfsabotage their financial success and may avoid spending money on even reasonable or necessary purchases or give money away in an effort to have as little as possible in their control.” In this study, Dr. Klontz found that money avoiders have lower levels of income and net worth. 2. Money worship: Money worshipers believe that the key to happiness and the solution to their problems are to have more money. At the same time, they believe that one can never have enough money, and find that the pursuit of money never quite satisfies them. Dr. Klontz hypothesized that, “Money-worshiping money scripts may be associated with money disorders including compulsive hoarding, unreasonable risktaking, pathological gambling, workaholism, overspending, and
Part One
compulsive buying disorder.” 3. Money status: Money Status seekers tend to link their self-worth with their net worth. Status lovers believe that owning the newest and best things confer status. This money script can lock individuals into the competitive stance of acquiring more than those around them acquire. Dr. Klontz’s study indicated that, “Individuals who believe that money is a status symbol were likely to be young, single, less educated, and less wealthy.” 4. Money vigilance: Those with this script are secretive about their finances, whether they have a lot or little. Money vigilance beliefs, including themes of frugality, anxiety, and discreetness about money, appear to be protective factors against poor financial health and destructive financial behaviours. Dr. Klontz suggests that, “While they encourage savings and frugality, excessive wariness or anxiety could keep someone from enjoying the benefits and sense of security that money can provide.” Concluding remarks
Region Ten hosts Maths and Literacy tent By Enid Joaquin Linden Mayor, Carwyn Holland exhorted both teachers and parents on Wednesday to make Maths ‘fun again!’ The Mayor was at the time delivering his feature address to officially open a math and Literacy tent, hosted by the Education Department of Region Ten. The activity was held at the Amelia’s Ward bus park, in observance of Education Month. It was held under the themes ‘Intervention for Quality Education’ and ‘Conquering Illiteracy with Diplomacy’. According to officials from the Education Department, the initiative was to increase awareness of the value of these two core subjects in everyday life. M a t h e m a t i c s Coordinator for Region Ten, Roxanne Reynolds, said, “This activity, today, is to sensitise citizens to the importance of numeracy, and to let them know that Mathematics is everybody’s business, as it is not only relegated to the classroom, but involves almost every aspect of our day to day existence.” Reynolds said that the activity presented the opportunity to display to the community the various methodologies and
strategies that parents, grandparents and other caregivers could use to enhance mathematical concepts to children. She acknowledged that it was a privilege to do that. Regional Literacy Officer and NCERD Representative, Claudelle Alley-Bristol, said passersby, parents and grandparents were given little tips and pointers on how to help their charges become more literate.
it was her hope that the initiative would be the catalyst to awaken renewed interest in both Mathematics and literacy. “We hope that after this activity, parents would be more enthusiastic to go home and help their children.” Mayor, Carwyn Holland, declared, “I am especially pleased to be a part of this exercise. From a very early age, I was a fan of Mathematics. It formed a
that many of the topics covered in Mathematics are irrelevant to their desired area of study. “We have to guard against this tendency and encourage all children to love and strive to excel at Maths. Mastering the concepts in Maths is not only relevant to those who wish to pursue studies in the fields of Statistics, Accounting, Economics or Physics; they are relevant to every area of
Let’s make Maths fun again…. Linden Mayor, Carwyn Holland Several parents who turned out in support of the event applauded the education department for the initiative. One enthused mother, after viewing some of the visual aids that were on exhibition, noted, “I going home and make some of these same things and paste them on the wall. I now see that we could really do a lot to help the children.” Those sentiments were echoed by several others who expressed both surprise and admiration for the creativity used in making the teaching aids and models. Teacher Winette Carmichael-Amsterdam, a member of the Region Ten literacy committee, said that
fundamental part of my everyday life throughout my childhood and into adulthood. “I graduated with distinction at the CSEC level in Mathematics and continued onward even teaching students in preparation of the CSEC exam. These many years later, my love for the subject has not died, and I get good practice. “In my home, my wife administers the English homework and assignments, while I tackle those related to Mathematics. He expressed concern that many students complain that Mathematics is too difficult to understand and to master. Some even declare
study and expertise.” To master Mathematics, one is taught to develop and master one’s reasoning and comprehension abilities. “There is no field of study that does not require a sound ability to reason and comprehend. Therefore, Mathematics is a key tool that is useful in cultivating our reasoning ability, and should be promoted to our students as useful and enjoyable.” Holland said, “I feel empathy for students whose introduction to Mathematics caused confusion, or even worse, intimidation. It is true that while many may understand Maths, they may be unable to teach it in a way that is easily understandable and creates excitement in the
minds of young learners to delve further into Mathematics. Therefore I want to caution all teachers and instructors to engage our children in Math in a way that promotes interest and understanding. Too many of our young people attain higher levels of study, excel in other fields, but fail at Mathematicsoften preventing them from advancing into higher fields of study and employment. We must stop this trend and promote comprehensive learning of Mathematics from an early age. It is very difficult to outlive the apprehensions children feel concerning Mathematics if their first introduction was negative and unenthusiastic.” Holland urged parents to become actively involved in helping their children to grasp mathematical concepts and not leave everything to the teacher, noting that there are practical ways to do that. He reminisced on how, as a child his father would use the rows of vegetables in the garden, to teach him Mathematics. The simple method spurred his curiosity and interest, and kept him engaged. “The decline in Mathematics and all other related fields of study, demands that we arrest this situation now!”
Dr. Terence Smith, Deputy Governor, Bank of Guyana Keeping your personal finances in order can seem like it is all about understanding good money management principles including numeracy but as was discussed above, there is also an important psychological component. The research literature indicates that humans are irrational creatures in all areas of our lives and, “The same biases, fears, and unexamined assumptions that drive us to less-than-optimal decisions in our personal lives can wreak havoc on our budgets.” The way to deal with these issues is to examine them and be prepared to counteract them. According to the research, performed by Drs. Klontz and Britt, money scripts, which are unconscious, transgenerational beliefs about money are developed in childhood and drive adult financial behaviour. These researchers indicated that, “Three categories of money scripts have been found to have a negative impact on financial health, money avoidance, money status and money worship. These beliefs patterns are associated with lower levels of net worth, lower income, and higher amounts of revolving credit.” Without understanding the particular scripts that inform our money choices, we will never be able to pinpoint the beliefs that are holding us back from financial prosperity. Dr. Klontz’s research literature also indicated that, “An individual’s profession can predict money script patterns and vulnerability to disorder money behaviours. Specifically, when compared to financial advisers, mental health professionals are more likely to be money avoidant, business professionals are more likely to be anxious and secretive about money, try to forget about their financial situation, and avoid looking at their bank statements. Next week in Part 2 of this article, we will examine tips for counteracting our negative money scripts. Thanks for all your comments and support. As usual, please send your comments or questions to deputygovernor@ bankofguyana.org.gy
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Preparations at advance stage for 13th Berbice Expo 2017 …event slated for Albion Community Centre The Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce(CCCC), organisers of the annual Berbice Exposition and Trade Fair, have promised to make this year’s event bigger and better than before. The exposition, which will be held from Friday over four days at the Albion Community Centre from 15:00 hrs, is the 13th to be held by the organisation. Preparations are going at a satisfactorily pace and the CCCC is leaving no stone unturned to make the event the show piece trade activity in the county this year, especially since there is no Guy Expo on this year’s calendar. The activity is being held in collaboration with the Government of Guyana through the Ministries of Business and Tourism and The Guyana Tourism Authority. The event will be held
under the theme ‘Ensuring Food Security and Economic Growth through Agricultural Development.’ One of the reasons for the expo is to give producers in the Berbice region and Berbice-based businesses the opportunity to showcase themselves. It also helps the businesses to get the opportunity to create links and new partners and opportunities with other business outside of the region. According to CCCC Secretary, Poonai Bhigroog , more than 80 exhibitors have signed up so far to be a part of the show piece event and many more are coming on board. He said that there are few spaces available and the number is expected to soar past the 100 mark. Apart from the regular bevy of Guyanese companies that are expected to be in attendance displaying products
of all sorts a few new ones are expected on board, the secretary stated. In addition most of the companies plan to have big giveaways at the event. The activity will have the usual pomp and ceremony and fanfare. The usual supporting activities will also be there with the games providing entertainment for adults and children. A multiplicity of Food stalls will be there. Different beverage companies will also be on hand. The activity has become a household name in Berbice and Guyana. People are looking forward “to it because they know the importance and the benefits that can be derived from such an activity”. Bhigroog is urging Guyanese to come out and support the event because what will be on offer this year will be special. (Samuel Whyte)
Sunday October 01, 2017
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TACKLING CRIME AND VIOLENCE WITHIN THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM): Part Three (Continued from last week) Some thoughts of Fairbairn Egerton Liverpool Police Corruption Assuming the young 19year old police constable in conversation 2 does not have any other means of income to finance his 5-year plan, surely the fact that he can think of such a plan much less boast of it, speaks volumes to the systemic and pervasive nature of police corruption in his Force. With the powers of arrest in his hands and his 5year plan on his mind, it may be inconceivable for us to think that he would resist the temptation of exploiting the vulnerable man in the street. What is to be the fate of the vulnerable population? How can they be protected from the criminal element within the police and without? An informal conversational survey conducted by me of various police ranks in four Member States has confirmed that it’s a virtual impossibility to have a crime committed in any Member State of the Region without the knowledge of a member of the law enforcement community i.e., from the most junior, the constable, to the most senior, the Commissioner. The million-dollar question to be answered is, if this is so, why has crime not been prosecuted with greater success? How can police corruption be reduced? Strategies to Depoliticize Crime and Reduce Police Corruption. The following are some of the strategies I offer for what they are worth with the hope that they may in some small way contribute to the debate to make the Caribbean Community safer: Depoliticization of Crime - Establish a Parliamentary Sub-committee of National Security.
The Commissioner of Police (COP) should be required to give account of his stewardship to a Parliamentary Sub-Committee of National Security and not to the Minister responsible for national security. The Minister with the responsibility for national security in Parliament should, however, be the chairperson of that sub-committee and be the person responsible for reporting to Parliament on matters of public security. Appointing members of the parliamentary opposition on the sub-committee should go a long way towards reducing the blame game so prevalent currently in partisan politics; - Authority to appoint the Commissioner of Police. The appointment of the COP should be made by the Parliamentary Sub-Committee of National Security on the recommendation of the President or Prime Minister; - Redesign of the Police Service Commission. The Police Service Commission (PSC) is a relic of post colonialism, originally designed as a check and balance to control the police. The PSC should be redesigned to be a civilian oversight in the management of the police force, with authority to conduct fitness for role and administrative inspections of the police and report to the Parliamentary Sub-Committee of National Security. - Establishment of a Police Performance Merit System. The PSC should also be responsible for performance awards of a merit system based on performance indicators emanating from strategic plans of the police. The performance indicators should be focused on the team though not exclusively so. In this way, commanders of the teams would be held responsible for the performance of the members of his or her team. Also in this way, if a member of the team is guilty of any misconduct, the commander should be held re-
sponsible; - Full Responsibility of Police to the Commissioner of Police. The COP should be given full responsibility for the police including promotions and discipline for all ranks; - Creation of A National Security Police Advisory Body. This entity should be created as an advisory body on all public security policy matters to the Minister responsible for Public Security. It is recommended that the representatives of what the author called the ‘Five P’s’ comprise this advisory body: The Politician (the Minister), The Police (the COP), The People’s representative perhaps from Civil Society, The Professional or Expert in the field of crime and security who may/may not be picked from the ranks of academia; and The Press for consistency but which refers to the presence of the media for the needed transparency and possible public information. Policy on public security should not be the responsibility of the politician alone. Unpopular policy decisions may be avoided with the participation of the people’s representative on the advisory body. Reduction of Police Corruption - Internal Police Oversight. Given the full responsibility of all aspects of the police force’s work and administration in the hands of the COP, it is fitting that the mechanisms of internal police integrity monitoring as recommended in various reforms, be established within the force to report to and give support to the COP; - Investigative and Prosecutorial Powers to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA). The PCA should be
The Baccoo Speaks There is going to be another attack against the police, this time for criminal acts. And this does not involve the disappearance of cocaine or shaking down departing passengers. The attack will come from a woman whose son has been implicated in murder. She will say that the police were behind it and that her son was working for them. ** The fires are back. Another fire will destroy a home even as the occupants
are asleep. They will escape but their story will be interesting. They will say that a member of the household
who is an alcoholic would be responsible. Whether the fire was deliberately set is another matter. ** Robberies are not unusual but when armed men attack a household that does not have much then one must wonder at the nature of the criminals. It is now a question of not how much money is there but whether there is any money at all. However, as things go, the police will make arrests in a very short time.
given full police powers and capacity to investigate allegations of police misconduct and prosecute any member of the police force independent of the police. Consideration should be given to subjecting the other law enforcement agencies independent of the police to the oversight of the PCA; - Establishment of a Caribbean Police Service (CARIPOL). Most communities of nations have established supranational police organisations to perform certain functions in the interest of the member states of their communities. At the global level, there is Interpol and in the European Union there is Europol. Police literature speaks of the need to move police ranks tactically around the various police districts to avoid over familiarity that could breathe corruption. In the small island states for most of the Caribbean, the employment of such a tactic would have severe limitations
because of the smallness of the country and population. Therefore, the establishment of a regional mechanism under the umbrella of a CARIPOL would not only facilitate the employment of such police tactics but would also serve as a tremendous learning experience for the visiting ranks working at various levels from the streets to the offices within various member states. The presence of strangers among the ranks of the local police will also serve as a deterrent to petty corrupt practices. Through CARIPOL also legal mechanisms could be established to facilitate various assistance programmes to the forces in need; - Establishment of a Mutual Evaluation Mechanism among Region Police Forces. Under CARIPOL, a mutual evaluation mechanism not unlike the one in existence within the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) could be established
to ensure compliance to universal professional police practices agreed on by the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP); and finally - LEGALISE IT. This needs no explanation. Conclusion In conclusion, I wish to once again emphasize that the above are just some thoughts being offered for consideration. They are not intended as criticisms or to dictate public policy but rather to highlight the pervasive and complex nature of the problem which in my view is as a result of the symbiotic relationship between the two most destructive forces that undermine the rule of law in our Caribbean societies, politicization of crime and police corruption. Together they undoubtedly present a challenge to and task for all of us and as the poet Martin Carter puts it “All are involved, all are consumed”.
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Sunday October 01, 2017
HORROR ON THE HIGH SEAS - what is the truth about this doomed princess? By Michael Jordan This is no romance tale about an exotic, tragic Princess from a land far, far away. This is a home-grown horror story, plain and simple; a tale about disembowelment and gore—the twist is that the monster remains unknown. Remember that boat that vanished in 2009, like it had been swallowed up in the Bermuda Triangle and then suddenly re-appeared in another country with bullet-holes in its hull? Remember what happened to its crew? The questions that remain to this day are who were the monsters that murdered them in such a macabre fashion? Why were they slaughtered? And what was the fate of the fourth man, whose body has never been found? Our story begins on Saturday, September 26, 2009, when the Island Princess, a trawler converted to a cargo boat, departed Parika for Friendship, East Bank Demerara. On board were its captain, 46-year-old Titus Thomas, called Titus Nascimento; 25year-old Mahendra Singh, called ‘Sunil’, Ryan Chin and
Rickford Bannister. The plan, according to reports, was for the crew to take the Island Princess on a trial run before a scheduled trip to Trinidad. The last time their employer heard from them was when the vessel was moored at a place called Parika Beach, in the Essequibo River. The crew had informed their boss that they would be coming into port in the Demerara River. The first sign that something was wrong was when several hours passed and the crew failed to show, and efforts to contact them failed. The following day, the owner of the vessel made checks at a Friendship, East Bank Demerara wharf, where the boat would normally be moored. The Island Princess was not there. Suspecting that the vessel might have developed mechanical problems and been towed ashore, the team checked at Parika. But again there was no sign of the Island Princess. Another boat was then used to scour the Atlantic Ocean about 16 miles from shore, but still, the Island Princess remained missing. The
Ryan Chin lighthouse staff also said that they had received no distress signal or had any sighting of the cargo boat. The owner stepped up the search; chartering an aircraft to fly out in search of the missing vessel. But on Tuesday, September 29, a farmer from Zeelandia, Wakenaam, spotted the decomposing body of a man lying face down near an area called Black Rock, located on the northern side of the island. The victim was clad in blue three-quarter pants and white shirt.
Police visited the scene and secured the body with pieces of rope and guarded it until crime scene experts arrived early the following day. The body bore three bullet holes to the top of the hairless head. The teeth and eyes were missing, and someone had gutted the victim open like a fish. The remains were eventually buried at the scene. Around 10:30 hrs on the following day, September 30, police received word that another body had washed up near the eastern side of Hamburg Island. This one also had bullet holes to the left side of the head. The internal organs were also missing. The decomposing remains were clad in a pair of long black pants. Investigators discovered a gold wedding band on the left ring finger and a wristwatch on the left hand. A cellular phone was also found on the body. The corpse near Black Rock, Hamburg, was subsequently identified as that of boat captain Titus Nascimento. The other victim was identified as Mahendra Singh. On October 2, 2009, a third body was found on the Queenstown, Essequibo foreshore. Like the others, this one had been disemboweled and had gunshot injuries to the head and right leg. The victim was initially believed to be 46-year-old Herstelling resident Rickford Bannister. However, the dead man was subsequently identified as 23-year-old Ryan Chin of Lot 39 Fairs Rust, Linden. Investigators believe that the men were slaughtered some time after the morning of Tuesday, September 29, 2009. Chin, the last person to contact relatives, had spoken to an aunt that morning, informing her that he was on a trawler and had just finished cooking. The seaman’s mother last saw him on September 19, 2009. Ryan had informed her that he was going to work at sea and was travelling to Trinidad. On October 6, the bodies were exhumed and DNA samples taken, after which
relatives were allowed to perform final rites before they were reburied. But where was Rickford Bannister? And where was the Island Princess? As days passed with no sign of the cargo boat and its fourth crewman, the owner, Errol Prince, aided by others, extended the search area for the missing vessel. Prince chartered an aircraft which travelled as far as Abary and Supenaam without finding a trace of his cargo boat. Meanwhile, police officials sought the assistance of Interpol and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Around mid-October 2009, DEA operatives revealed that they had located the Island Princess off the coast of Grenada. There was no one on board. The driving tanks had about 600 to 800 gallons of fuel—enough for the vessel to reach Trinidad. Grenada police officials who boarded the Island Princess found the vessel intact and valuable equipment and other items on board. Among items found on the vessel were a radio set, an aluminium lifeboat and navigational equipment. Bullet holes were clearly evident. Speculation was that the persons who took the Island Princess to Grenada were instructed by their accomplices to abandon it. Three months after the vessel was located, Grenadian authorities finally released the Island Princess, and the vessel was brought back to Guyana. The motive for the killings remains unclear. Local investigators have uttered the usual clichés about ‘soured deals’, and ‘suspected drug-related crime’—words that usually suggest that they have suspicions but little else. About two weeks after the Island Princess was located,
investigators detained a funeral parlour owner, his brother and an employee in connection with the brutal murder of the crew. A chicken farmer and a popular Parika businessman were subsequently arrested. According to reports, a vessel, the businessman owns was moored at a Friendship, East Bank Demerara wharf after the Island Princess disappeared. The funeral parlour owner was also said to have owned a vessel. But after a few days, all the suspects were released. No one else was arrested. It is still unclear why investigators suspected that the men they had detained might have committed the heinous crime. Suspicion of drugs aside, there has also been suggestions that the crew was involved in a massive fuelsmuggling racket. Family members of the victims have complained that they have not been compensated for the loss of their loved ones. Speaking with me at the time, the owner, Errol Prince, said that his main hope was that the investigators would locate the persons who brutally murdered the crew. ”Lives were lost on this vessel. I would like to get down to the bottom of it, and I hope that the DEA picks up more clues. Why did they (the killers) go to the lengths to degut these people? That is what I’m most interested in. The families need answers. I need answers.” None has been provided to date. If you have any information about other unusual cases, please contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 22-58465, 2258491 or 22-58473. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s mjdragon@hotmail.com, or kamarangnight@gmail.com. You need not disclose your identity.
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Song of my heart’s composing; I hear it still, I always will. Whenever I discourse politics with someone from my defining years of politics (the seventies shortly after I entered UG as a freshman), there are sad moments of reflection; reflections of my dreams then and where those dreams are now and where are those people who define those years with their definitive courage. Women rights’ campaigner, Andaiye, is one of those people. I met her when I was a teenager in the organisation named Movement Against Oppression (MAO) formed in the cook shop named German’s in Tiger Bay. Shortly after my activism with MAO, I went into UG and got to know Andaiye better because I became a friend with her husband, the inimitable left-wing maverick, literature professor, Bill Carr. From MAO through to the WPA through my post WPA praxis and my journalistic career, I remained on good terms with Andaiye. She is for me, one of the founders of the WPA that has remained loyal to the dreams that were born in those times. Many of her comrades, today, have gone so far away from the dreams of the seventies that you can hardly recognize their thoughts when they speak and write.
I am currently engaged in an analytical discourse with Andaiye through email exchanges. When I open her mails, there are so many memories that tumble out about my praxis and the shape it is in today. I was pretty young when I met Andaiye, Clive Thomas, Dr. Josh Ramsammy and others but the song in my heart that was born then still lives in me. In today’s Guyana the song has become unplayable. No one wants to hear it. It is the song about justice, liberties, equalities, class struggle, anti-racism, the brotherhood and sisterhood among Guyanese, human dignity, human rights, appreciation for the colour of your skin and the texture of your hair, appreciation for the humanist stuff that inheres in homo sapiens.
The seventies are gone, the presidency of Forbes Burnham is gone, the WPA is gone, my student’s days are gone but the song lives on. In my exchange with Andaiye, I hear it still. I always will. Can I reconcile in my own mind the dreams I nurtured in the seventies and the cruelties I see around me in a Guyana that I fought for as a UG freshman and a Guyana I see today that bears absolutely no resemblance to the revolutionary, romantic age of the seventies? Reconciliation is impossible. And here is why. I belonged to an age where it was virtually impossible for a business firm to advertise a locally produced item with the face of a Caucasian person. Today that is the norm in this country. In that era, it would have been impossible to find a si-
lent society when over a hundred Stabroek Market vendors were forcefully evicted to accommodate an Independence rally from the Stabroek Square to D’Urban Park. Silence is everywhere in Guyana. It is not just its ubiquity that is depressing but its morbidity. Reconciliation is impossible because we fought against a president in the seventies that compared with today’s sadistic neoliberal state behavior appears like a saviour out of a movie about a revolutionary hero. I belonged to the epoch of the revolutionary seventies where if a Tiger Bay teenager was jailed for shop-lifting, all hell would have broken lose in Georgetown. The marches and demonstration would have engulfed the entirety of Georgetown. Today first offenders jailed for steal-
ing occurs with such frequency that one simply loses count. The seventies are long gone and I am in my mid-sixties with a grown up child, an NIS pension, 39 years of marriage with the same woman, and an increasing pessimism about the human condition. But that song that was born when I met people like Andaiye, when I was active in the MAO, when I joined the WPA in 1976, when I was a radical UG student with an anarchist bible and when I believed in Marx’s classless society is still there. If at any time in my life I am proud of the song, it is in today’s Guyana where life has no meaning I don’t recognise my country any longer. I recognise Andaiye when I open her email. You can call that a yearning for the past.
Frederick Kissoon But the past has passed. I love quoting Gramsci about the optimism of the will overcoming the pessimism of the intellect. But in today’s Guyana I’m not too sure about that. I am not too sure Guyana can sustain an enduring optimism. Writer’s note; the title of this column is a line from the theme song from the 60s movie, “Charade.”
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Sunday October 01, 2017
Health Consequences of Exposure to Mercury This is the final installment in the series on eliminating the use of Mercury in Artisanal Gold Mining operations. In local parlance, we call these miners porkknockers, though quite a few medium scale miners use mercury to amalgamate gold. We expect that the information provided in this column (some compliments of www.epa.gov) would act as a wake-up call to our miners in the interior regions who persist in using Mercury as a binding agent to extract raw gold from ore. Guyana is among the last few gold-producing states that have not instituted an outright ban or imposed strin-
gent restrictions on the use of elemental mercury (miners mix it with gold-containing ore to form the amalgam which is then heated to vaporize the mercury, remove it from the gold). We have found out that mercury released by smallscale mining around the world is a very significant source of atmospheric pollution, and it has been added to the list of “must-do’s” in the fight against global warming. To recap, mercury released during burning of amalgams can seriously contaminate local environments including homes, neighborhoods, clothing and food. Mercury is poisonous and
can be easily absorbed by humans and animals and marine life. The chemical form of mercury in fish is different than the elemental mercury found in thermometers or used in mining. This form of mercury is called Methyl Mercury that is considerably more toxic than elemental mercury. Because of the extreme toxicity of this compound, it is very important that mercurial waste is controlled or eliminated altogether so Guyana could return our rivers and creeks to their formerly uncontaminated state. We wish to keep our wildlife healthy, as well as the people who are not involved in mining and
who rely on the rivers and fish life to live. Risks of human exposure to mercury For small and large-scale miners, mercury is absorbed directly through the skin during the amalgamation process. However, the main route of exposure is through inhalation of mercury vapors during the burning of amalgam. The second most dangerous route to mercury poisoning is consumption of the fish living in contaminated rivers and creeks. Remember that in fish, elemental mercury is quickly converted to the lethal Methyl Mercury. Both mercury vapor and methyl mercury do affect the
brain, the nervous system, and all of your five senses vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. It affects your internal organs - liver, kidneys, glands, etc. Through the nose, mercury is absorbed by the lungs and it passes directly into the bloodstream where it is carried to every organ in the body. The body retains 80 percent of all inhaled mercury vapor. Note: Wearing a dust mask does not afford any protection from mercury vapor. A very harmful intruder Mercury has no biological purpose so the human body recognizes it as a harmful intruder. The liver and kidneys attempt to rid the body of mercury that entered through the nose or skin. The liver attempts to detoxify through the digestive system. The kidneys attempt to get rid of it in urine. These ‘interventions’ work but they don’t get rid the body of all the mercury. That takes a long time. Urine is one of the best indicators of the presence mercury in your system, followed by its concentration in the breath. A person who recently burned amalgam, or who has been burning amalgams for some time, will show much higher concentrations of mercury in their exhaled breath. The third measurable indicators are the blood and hair. These tend to contain methyl mercury that entered the body after consumption of contaminated fish, and exposure to mercury vapor. Mercury becomes very concentrated in hair, about 200 to 300 times more than in blood. The hair is another means the body uses to try to rid itself of mercury. It is also much easier to measure since no special equipment or expertise is required to collect the samples. Because hair grows at an average rate of 1.3 cm per month, a record of exposure can be collected by analyzing the hair by seg-
ments. The analysis provides a history of exposure. To eliminate this external contamination, hair should be washed with neutral detergent, acetone and water to eliminate the mercury stuck to the surface of the strands. The concentration of Hg (metallic mercury) in hair among unexposed people is 1 to 2 ìg of Mercury per gram of hair. If a pregnant woman Ü”$%þ¨ s hair contains 20 ìg/g or more, there is a strong possibility that the developing fetus will be affected. Recent research considers 5 ìg/g Hg in hair as the upper-limit guideline for pregnant women if damage to the fetus is to be avoided. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin; it impairs and destroys the brain and nervous system and other organs. The nervous system is made up of many different parts, so symptoms vary depending on the individual and on the amount of mercury and amount of time a person has been exposed. Mercury also passes through the placenta in pregnant women, affecting the developing fetus. Fetuses and children are at greatest risk because mercury impairs proper development of nervous tissue and can cause many symptoms ranging from mild reduction in intelligence and coordination, to distortion of limbs, severe physical and mental retardation and in severe cases, death. The effects of fetal exposure to mercury may take months or even years to appear. The affected child may develop learning disabilities in later years. Elimination of most inhaled mercury takes several weeks to a number of years. The longer a person has been exposed, especially burners, the longer it will take for the body to rid itself of mercury. Some of the effects of exposure to mercury may be irreversible. (www.artisanalmining.org)
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Kaieteur News
My column
Life changes and so do situations There comes a time when we all sit and look back at our lives. Some of the memories will bring smiles, some will rekindle a desire for the days past and some will have us asking ourselves whether we did the right thing back then. My life was interesting in more ways that I would like to think. For starters, I was a poor country boy who had a desire to get away from the poverty. There were eight of us children who shared a room. My last sibling came later but by then things had begun to change for the better. Of course, it was crowded but we did not know it then. We fought for sleeping space but after a while we each owned a corner of the room. The love we share today grew from those days when we were literally close. I grew up and moved away from home to start life on my own but there was always that string. When my friends lived a life of abandon I was there to send money back for those I left behind. Today, my sisters and brothers have spread to different corners of North America. They are all doing well and the love still remains. In August, I went for my annual vacation and as usual my siblings shared a piece of me. On such occasions I wonder whether the love we had as children was the start of the successes we now enjoy. A sister who lives in Staten Island knew I was coming and that I always visit another sister in Canada. She decided we could make it a family occasion so she bundled my mother who is now 93, her mother-in-law who is also 93, her husband and her son for that long drive to Ottawa. The union was one of the most enjoyable in my life. From the Wednesday to the Sunday we assembled every night in the basement for the all-night parties. We did not need extra company because my sister in Canada has a grown daughter who
lives not far away so she and her fiancÊ ended up forming the group. No one went to bed before four in the morning and there was never a dull moment. When I returned home I looked around and found that we sometimes make preparations for family comfort only to be left holding the bag when the children grow up. I fashioned a three-bedroom house in which my two sons and my daughter lived. My two other daughters lived with their mothers. I know some may conclude that I was a philanderer but far from it. I now look at my home and realize that while the space is still there my children have all left. The house is now too large for me because I only need a room. The upshot is that I now have a grandson and a niece. I simply could not be in the house all alone. I am not alone in this. Last week a fire broke out in a building next door to the Prime Minister’s official residence. It was a threestorey building built, I suppose, to accommodate the man and his family. The family moved on so the man was left alone with a housekeeper. He occupied the upper flat and died trying to escape the blaze. A few days ago I was in discussion with Mr. Glenn Lall and he simply said to me that children always move on once they have a desire to make their own lives. There was this wealthy man who wanted to sell his home and his business place. He said that his children are not returning and he is getting old so the place he called home and his business place mean nothing to him now. They have all outgrown him. So it was that Mr. Lall told me that in Nandy Park and in Republic Park there are numerous empty houses. The parents were left alone while the children flew to whichever corner of the earth they chose. Pretty soon, there was simply no one there to keep the homes going. Occasionally I travel
along the Corentyne and I see many large and beautiful homes but no one lives in them. This is a case of preparing something in which the family would be comfortable but then the family moves on and we are left alone with our dreams of comfort. Some of us in the Diaspora look back and talk of coming back in our old age so we build a comfortable place. But something happens and we do not tear ourselves from where were are so the place is there, having consumed money that could have gone to something else, but no one to live in it. That is the case of so many of my relatives who migrated looking for better, found it, and are now hooked on their adopted homes.
So in looking back should we have asked ourselves about what the future would hold if we simply expand our domicile? So many of us are caught up in our previous decision but then again, many of us would say that while we live alone, we are not lonely. My sister in New Jersey has been living alone ever since her husband died. When I go there she simply takes the opportunity to make use of her home. We would have breakfast out in the back where she has a tent and tables all laid out. She uses her magnificent dining room once a year—for Thanksgiving. My woman in Canada also lives alone. When I visit she is ecstatic because then her home has a purpose other than a resting place.
This situation makes me realize that while we plan for the future we really do not plan for what the future brings. I do not regret making my house the place it is but on some days, the nostalgia forces me to look around and wonder at how life changes. From the days when I was crowded in a room with seven siblings to the days when I have space is indeed refreshing and heartening. But what if I had looked too far ahead and confined my children to a little room? No. That would not have been the answer because from my vantage point if ever life takes turn for worse I could sell the house and use the money to see me to my grave. Truth is that my grandson would live there, raise his family, perhaps expand it and
Adam Harris then come to the stage where he would look back and wonder at what he would do with the space. Morbid? Perhaps but that is what happens when one sits and looks back at life. There are people who are too old to climb stairs. I wonder how they feel about not seeing the upper portion of their home.
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Sunday October 01, 2017
Human safety and environmental security in the Caribbean Basin By H.E. David Granger (Address to the Perry Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies- 2017.09.21) A motley crew of eightyeight undocumented and unwelcome European immigrants landed on an island in the Bahamas here in the Caribbean 525 years ago on 12th October 1492. The trickle of interlopers turned into a torrent. The Caribbean, in succeeding years, witnessed the establishment of British, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Swedish and American colonies and properties making it the most balkanised sub-region on earth. Warfare between European states was fought invariably and vicariously in the Caribbean not only by regular armies and navies but by irregular bands of buccaneers, corsairs, pirates and privateers. The Caribbean became known as the ‘cockpit of Europe’ – a theatre of European conquest and conflict which spawned numerous distinct jurisdictions. The ‘hot’ wars of the colonial era turned into the ‘cold’ war during which the Caribbean became a zone of conflict, this time mainly between the USA and the USSR. The Caribbean, today, is
the theatre of another war – more deadly and devastating than any colonial conflict. It is a war of unprecedented wind-speeds which could reach 200 kph and of unimaginable volumes of water – dumping 100 cm of rain in four days as Harvey did on Houston. Hurricane Harvey was followed by Irma, another tropical storm, twelve days later, which devastated the Caribbean island of Barbuda and by José, Katia, Lee, Maria and Norma, of varying intensities. Environmental hazards – cyclones, hurricanes, tornados or typhoons – threaten human’s safety. They result in death and destruction comparable to any battlefield of conventional warfare. They can be costlier than some wars. The cost of the recovery effort from Harvey is estimated to exceed US$100 billion, a sum that is one sixth of the military budget of the richest armed forces in the world – those of the United States of America. The Caribbean Basin is vulnerable to tropical storms which can be disruptive of states’ stability and security. Hurricanes gather strength and thrust from warm water. They originate in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of West Africa, and move westwards to the
Caribbean. Climate change – global warming – can cause an increase in the temperature of the oceans. The islands and coastlands of the ‘circum-Caribbean’, lie within the westward path traversed by tropical storms. There is a correlation between global warming and extreme tropical storms. The Caribbean Basin is a complex geographical and geopolitical region. It is vital to the USA’s strategic interests and, conversely, the USA is vital to the Caribbean’s economy and security. Scholars and analysts, from the time of the promulgation of the ‘Monroe Doctrine’ in 1823, have referred to the Region, variously, as the ‘American Mediterranean’, America’s “fourth frontier,’ or the ‘mare clausum’. The USA, as part of its strategy to ensure the security and stability of its ‘fourth frontier’, has always paid attention to the need for security cooperation with the Caribbean. Interest in the former British West Indies, was evinced in the landmark ‘1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement.’ There is need, now, to extend cooperation in environmental security. Traditional security threats to the Caribbean Basin – such as invasions, interventions and insurrections – frequently involved the use
of military force. The rise of non-state transnational threats expanded the spectrum of security threats to include narco-trafficking, human-trafficking, gun-running, money-laundering and terrorism. Climate change has emerged as a major international threat, requiring a reconceptualisation of our understanding of security to incorporate environmental hazard that threatens both human safety and state security. Disasters disrupt governance, damage property and infrastructure, cause death and lower citizens’ quality of life. Environmental hazards are threats to the national security of states, whether they are rich or poor, large or small, island or mainland. Rising sea levels caused by global warming threaten many Caribbean small-island states which are most vulnerable to environmental hazards because of their geographical size and location and lack of economic resilience. Global warming which precipitates rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns threaten the economic assets of the small-island developing and low-lying coastal states of the Caribbean. The consequences of natural disasters have the potential to create instability in small states. These conditions can be conducive to weakening the security of states, exposing them to the perils of penetration by terrorism and other transnational crimes. The majority of the states of the Caribbean are small-island developing and low-lying coastal states. The threat to human safety from rising sea levels, warming of the oceans and tropical storms is high because most
of the populations and economic activities are concentrated close to the coast. Natural disasters, as a consequence, exact huge costs on the economies of the small states of the Caribbean. It is estimated that annual losses as a result of natural disasters are about US$ 3 B. Hurricane Ivan, 2004, killed 93 persons in the eastern Caribbean, caused damage exceeding US$6B and flattened much of Grenada; Hurricane Hugo, 1999, killed 107 persons; Hurricane Gilbert, 1988, cost 65 per cent of Jamaica’s GDP and damage to more than 100,000 homes. The increased frequency, ferocity and intensity of hurricanes across the Caribbean Sea promise more death, damage and destruction. The Region requires a new regime of international cooperation to make it secure and safe. Small Caribbean states, on their own, cannot respond, in an adequate and timely manner, to the scale of death, damage and destruction caused by most natural disasters. The Region requires international cooperation to promote human safety. The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has acquired the equipment, the expertise and the experience to respond rapidly to natural disasters and has been on the front line in responding to natural disasters. SOUTHCOM, most often, has been among the first responders to natural disaster. This responsiveness points to the need for relief to become an integral part of security cooperation in the Caribbean Basin. SOUTHCOM must continue to work with regional
organizations such as the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Management Agency (CEDEMA) to help the Caribbean build capacity to respond to disaster. Our common interests in the ‘Basin’ require that the region become a zone of peace and a zone of development rather than a zone of disaster. The ‘hurricane era’ has made security cooperation, rather than strategic confrontation, a necessity to protect the Region’s vital interests. It is in our common interest to recognise that the stability of the Caribbean Basin is imperilled by environmental hazards; that these hazards are the greatest threats to citizens’ quality of life and that they undermine the stability of Caribbean states and the United States. Security cooperation between the USA and the Caribbean has been pursued, principally, through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). Security cooperation must be re-engineered to take into account the interests of the special environmental needs of small-island developing and low lying-coastal states. I addressed the UN General Assembly on 20th September, calling on all nations to fulfil the promise of the UN Charter and the theme of the General Assembly “…to focus on people, to strive for peace and to protect the planet.” I address the Perry Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies, today, calling on the faculty and staff to provide the intellectual leadership to promote a new era of security relations in the Caribbean Basin aimed at “…protecting our people, perpetuating peace and preserving our corner of the planet from disaster.”
Sunday October 01, 2017
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Kaieteur News
H. Pylori: A common cause of your stomach problems Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine There is a bacteria that lives in the stomach of half of the world’s population and slowly causes damage. We are of course talking about the H. Pylori bacteria. This bacteria accounts for up to 90% percent of stomach ulcers (stomach sores); but it is often undetected and slowly causes damage in our stomach. Today we will highlight some facts about this batcteria and its potentially life threatening consequences. What is H. pylori infection? H. pylori infection occurs when a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori infects a person’s stomach. Many people have H. pylori infection. Most of the time, H. pylori infection, does not lead to any problems or cause any symptoms. But in some people, H. pylori infection leads to problems that can cause symptoms. These problems can include: - Open sores, which are called ‘ulcers’, on the lining of a person’s stomach or duodenum – The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine.
- Stomach cancer - Bleeding from your stomach These conditions can sometimes cause pain in the upper belly, bloating, nausea, or vomiting. Doctors do not know why H. pylori infection leads to problems in some people and not others. What are the symptoms of H. pylori infection? Most people with H. pylori infection have no symptoms. But people who have ulcers can have symptoms that are caused by the ulcers. Common symptoms of ulcers can include: - Pain in the upper belly - Feeling bloated - Feeling full after eating a small amount of food - Not feeling hungry - Nausea or vomiting - Dark or black-colored bowel movements - Feeling more tired than usual Not all ulcers are caused by H. pylori infection. For example, people can get ulcers from taking certain pain-relieving medicines. But if you have the symptoms listed above, let your doctor know. Is there a test for H. pylori infection? Yes. Doctors can do dif-
ferent tests to diagnose H. pylori infection. These can include: - Blood tests - Breath tests – These tests measure substances in a person’s breath after he or she has been given a special liquid to drink. - Lab tests that check a sample of a bowel movement for H. pylori infection - Biopsy – For this test, a doctor takes a small piece of tissue from the lining of the stomach. Then he or she looks at the tissue under a microscope. A doctor can do a biopsy during a procedure called an endoscopy. An endoscopy is a procedure that lets a doctor look at the inside lining of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Should I be tested for H. pylori infection? — You should be tested for H. pylori infection if
you have symptoms and: - Have an ulcer in the stomach or duodenum - Have had ulcers in the past Sometimes, doctors test people who have no symptoms for H. pylori infection if they have a family history of stomach cancer. Doctors also sometimes test people with symptoms who have never had an ulcer. How is H. pylori infection treated? H. pylori infection is treated with medicines. Most people need to take 3 or more medicines for 2 weeks. These can include: - Medicines to reduce the amount of acid that the stomach makes – This can help cure the infection and help ulcers heal. - Different types of antibiotics People who are diagnosed with H. pylori infection should get treated, because treatment
can: - Help ulcers heal - Keep ulcers from coming back - Reduce the chance that an ulcer will get worse or lead to cancer It is important to follow all your doctors’ instructions about taking your medicines. Let your doctor know if you have any side effects or problems with your medicines. What happens after treatment? After treatment, most people have follow-up tests to check that the H. pylori infection has gone away. Follow-up tests can include: - Breath tests - Lab tests that check a sample of a bowel movement Most of the time, H. pylori infection, is cured with treatment. But sometimes, H. pylori infection is not cured with treatment. People who
Dr. Zulfikar Bux still have H. pylori infection after being treated might need to take more medicines. It’s best to eradicate this bacteria than to leave it alone. The long term risk of cancer and internal bleeding from these bacteria are real. Ask your doctor if you need to get tested for H.Pylori. Treating it now will make your life much better as you get older.
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Kaieteur News
MONDAY PETROLEUM LAW SETS LIMIT OF 60 OIL BLOCKS PER COMPANY - BUT PPP GAVE EXXONMOBIL 10 TIMES THAT NUMBER – RAM According to Guyana’s laws, companies are to be awarded 60 oil blocks. But under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), USA oil giant, ExxonMobil was granted approximately 10 times the amount. This was unearthed recently by Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram. In his recent writings, the lawyer noted that it was on June 14, 1999 that a Petroleum Agreement and Prospecting Licence was signed by former President Janet Jagan granting approximately 600 blocks. Ram noted that this was an obvious error by the then PPP/C Government. He said, “In the first place, Janet Jagan granted the company a Prospecting Licence over approximately six hundred blocks when the law sets a limit of 60 blocks, except where special reasons exist for a larger number.” The Chartered Accountant stressed that it would not be easy to justify an excess of nine times. He also stated that those who granted such an excess should be called upon to explain to the nation what were the special circumstances under which it was granted. GAMINGAUTHORITY HAS EVERY RIGHT TO ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF INDIVIDUALS SEEKING CASINO LICENCES Nigel Hinds, the auditor of Sleep-In International and Casino Inc., recently wrote a letter expressing disgust over the manner in which he claimed Clifton Bacchus is being treated in his attempt to “make his dream a reality.” Hinds’ letter of almost 1000 words reflected some of the information being required of the hotel from the Gaming Authority. He essentially said that the Gaming Authority is frustrating the application process and his overstepping its authority in some of the requirements. That entire letter can be read following this link: https:// www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/ 09/24/the-casino-license-application-of-sleep-in-international-hotel/ Subsequent to the publication of the letter in yesterday’s newspaper, Kaieteur News contacted the Chairman of the Gaming Authority, Roysdale Forde. Forde refused to comment on the letter in its entirety. He said, “The authority will not be responding to the content of the letter, if they (Sleep-In) want to make this application process public they can but we will not.” However, Forde was keen to note that, “no amount of media publicity and sensationalism will throw us off our mandate and that is to ensure that those who are granted
Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur News was also told that after committing the acts, Edwards would ‘go into hiding’ for months and would return and roam freely in the village. Alves stressed that this should not have occurred. ”Whatever time he shows up, they should have acted and had him arrested to answer to the allegations”. He assured that he will be perusing the records from today and also expressed interest in speaking with the past victims and their relatives so that the investigation into the allegations can commence.
license fulfill all necessary requirements.” He stressed that the Authority is required by law to fulfill its mandate. Forde said, “The one thing I will say is that there is no attempt to frustrate the process.” The Guyana Constitution dictates that any company that is to be granted a casino license must be deemed wholly “fit and proper.” In making sure companies are fit and proper, it would be incumbent on the Authority to make sure that the principals of the applying company are also fit and proper. Hinds is peeved over the fact that the Gaming Authority issued a letter dated August 3, 2017, addressed to Sleep Inn International Casino and Hotel Inc., and another letter dated August 21, 2017, requesting seven years of Individual Income Tax Returns of the Directors and Shareholders. There was also a request for seven years of tax returns for SleepIn International Hotel and Casino Inc. Hinds said that this request should not have been made simply because the casino licence application clearly stated and showed the certificate that Sleep Inn International Hotel and Casino was incorporated in 2015. RAPE/MURDER OF BERBICE TEEN…SUSPECTED CHILD-KILLERS LIKELY FOR COURT TODAY -ALLEGED MASTERMIND IS SLAIN LAD’S COUSIN; DIVISIONAL COMMANDER SEEKS TO QUESTION VICTIMS OF OTHER ATTACKS The two men who allegedly abducted, raped and killed 13-year-old Leonard Archibald, two Mondays ago are scheduled to appear in court today, even as Divisional Commander, Lindon Alves vows to investigate reports that the prime suspect committed similar sexual attacks on other boys. Divisional Commander Alves stated that the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has already given advice on the case, making way for charges to be laid against the two alleged killers. A post mortem is also expected to
be done today on the slain child’s remains. Police have identified the prime suspect as Hilary Edwards, a fisherman from Sisters’ Village, East Bank Berbice. The slain lad’s father confirmed that Edwards is his first cousin. The suspect’s alleged accomplice was identified only as ‘Christopher.’ In relation to the reports of abduction, torture and sexual assault on other young boys in villages at East Bank, Berbice, the Commander stated that he was only made aware of the other allegations yesterday morning when he visited the family of the slain teen. ”We keep hearing that there would have been other acts perpetrated by him but where are the reports? Based on the information gathered from senior ranks, there are no reports.” At least three of the victims said that they made reports at the Sisters’ Police Station. One lad claimed that he was told to return if he was attacked again. Another alleged victim claimed that the parents of his attacker offered his parents money, which they accepted. Yet a third, an 18-year-old said, told this publication that he too narrowly escaped death two years ago after he was abducted, tied up and dumped in the suspect’s fishing boat.
MAN SHOT DEAD, BROTHERS WOUNDED WHILE PREPARING FOR DAD’S MEMORIAL SERVICE -AFTER BANDITS INVADE HOME “JUST IMAGINE WE CAME FOR OUR FATHER’S ONE YEAR DEATH MEMORIAL AND NOW WE HAVE TO END UP BURYING OUR BROTHER…” – SIBLING Bandits shot an Albion, Berbice man dead and wounded two of his siblings at around 23:30 hrs on Saturday, after storming a Freeman Street, East La Penitence home, at which the victims were planning a memorial service for their father. Fazal Shaheed, 58, of Lot 61 Cropper Street, Albion, Berbice was shot at least four times, reportedly during a scuffle with two gun-toting bandits, at the Lot 194, Freeman Street residence, where the victims were staying. Shaheed succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). His younger brother, Tallim Shaheed, 50, of Toronto, Canada, was shot in the back. Shalim Shaheed, 53, of New York, was shot in the abdomen. They have been admitted to the GPHC. Police have detained a suspect. Police said that the bandits gained entry into the concrete structure via the southern door which was left open and exited through the north western bedroom. Detectives recovered three spent shells and three warheads from the scene. Bibi Zalika Shaheed, the mother of the slain man, said that she and other family members were in the
kitchen when one of the gunmen scrambled her hair and ordered her to lie on the floor. TUESDAY TROTMAN REFUSED TO CORRECT PPP’S ERRORS WITH EXXONMOBIL CONTRACT –RAM His behaviour makes one question whether he truthfully advised Cabinet about the ramifications of his actions. Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, believes that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, has missed a most significant opportunity to correct some obvious errors made by the PPP/C regime as it relates to ExxonMobil’s contract with Guyana. He made this criticism in his recent writings which can be found on his blog; www.chrisram.net.com. The Attorney at Law said that Trotman’s behaviour makes one question whether he truthfully advised Cabinet about the ramifications of his actions. To understand Trotman’s actions and the magnitude of it, Ram said that some background information regarding the timelines of ExxonMobil’s contract is vital. EXCESSIVE OIL BLOCKS The anti-corruption advocate noted that on June 14, 1999, a Petroleum Agreement and Prospecting Licence was signed by former President Janet Jagan for approximately 600 blocks for ExxonMobil. According to Guyana’s laws, oil companies should only be given 60 blocks. If the company receives more than this, then it would be only under special circumstances. Ram, however notes that it would be extremely difficult to justify giving a company 10 times the number stipulated in the law. He notes, too, that those who agreed to this decision should be made to explain same. RELINQUISHMENT CLAUSE In October 2008, Ram notes, there was an Addendum and Extension Deed to the Petroleum (Continued on page 41)
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(From page 32) Prospecting License for ExxonMobil. This adjustment to the License modified the Contract Area, the relinquishment obligation, and the initial period of the agreement. Ram explained, “The law requires that any extension (to such an agreement) be accompanied by a reduction of 50% of the remaining blocks still covered by a Prospecting Licence, so that at the first extension, 300 blocks should have been given up. One can only speculate that the modification in 2008 was to provide that such relinquishment would not apply.” TROTMAN’S MISSED OPPORTUNITY Ram said that the Natural Resources Minister missed a significant opportunity to correct the aforementioned errors when he renewed the contract for the company last year. In fact, the Official Gazette of August 2, 2016, reveals that the new agreement was signed between Guyana and Exxon and its Joint Venture partners on 27 June 2016. That document has not been released to the public or the National Assembly. Be that as it may, the Chartered Accountant stressed that the Contract Area in which the company operates offshore and the relinquishment obligation were modified by the PPP/C and are serious matters which Trotman had an excellent opportunity to address, if not redress. ”Instead, Trotman by his inexplicable and apparently uninformed, if not reckless action, in signing a new Agreement, effectively waived Guyana’s rights to correct some obvious errors by the PPP/C Government… Did the lawyer in Mr. Trotman not tell him that, if all he did was renegotiate the rate of royalty Guyana will receive, all he had to do was sign an Addendum to the 1999 Agreement as the PPP/C did in relation to their Prospecting Licence?” Ram said that it would be practically impossible to correct any conceptual errors at this stage, both on legal and practical grounds. He said this means that Guyanese now and later, will have to live with the consequences of Mr. Trotman’s actions for the 30 year span of ExxonMobil’s production licence. OIL MONEYALONE WILLNOT TRANSFORM GUYANA …STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PRIVATE SECTOR AND GOVT. NEEDED FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – HUGHES “Economic growth doesn’t mean anything if it leaves the people out,” said the late American politician Jack Kemp. His comment embodies the core points made yesterday by founder member and Director of the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA), Nigel Hughes. Hughes’ presentation was deliv-
ered at the Marriott Hotel when the Caribbean-Central American Action (CCAA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) began its two day conference. The Conference is being held under the theme “The transformational economy: perspectives and opportunities for Guyana’s private sector.” Hughes’ presentation was on a subtheme of the conference, “Building a base for sustainable development.” The GOGA director spoke of the impressive opportunity for economic development that is being flaunted in Guyana’s face. He said, however, for that opportunity to be fully taken advantage in a way that sustainable development will be the outcome, inclusion and transparency must be at the foundation of any game plan. Hughes said that if Guyana is to strategise an approach that maps the roles to be played by all, especially the private sector, the country will immediately improve the odds of making oil a blessing and not a curse. Hughes said that Guyana is on the cusp of a level of change rarely seen in this region, or indeed the world. He outlined the obvious benefits of the oil sector to the government, like royalties and taxes that will result in increased revenues which will in turn allow government spending to increase comfortably. However, the majority of Hughes’ presentation focused on the role to be played by the private sector. Noting that oil is a finite resource, Hughes questioned, “In 30 years when Liza and her little sisters are dry, where do we want to be as a nation? And, what is the role of private enterprise in getting us there?” Hughes told the gathering that there are several case studies of states where the private sector, and by extension, sections of the populace have benefitted from the discovery of oil even though the lion’s share of the wealth is deposited into government accounts.
GUYHOC MOM DISAPPEARS AFTER COKE-SATURATED HAMMOCKS SEIZEDAT OGLE AIRPORT A Guyhoc woman who posted four hammocks to the US last week is on the run after authorities found the hammocks was soaked in cocaine. According to the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU), the seizure of the hammocks occurred last Thursday at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara. Tiffini Collison, 26, is said to be unemployed and the mother of a minor, of F 21 Samaan Street, Guyhoc P a r k , She apparently posted the four hammocks to an address in the US, through an international courier service in Georgetown some time last week. She used her mother’s name to effect the transaction. In the end the mother was arrested. The suspicious package was discovered by a CANU rank who was checking outgoing cargo. CANU said that searches at the woman’s home failed to locate here. She also could not be contacted by close family or friends. WEDNESDAY RICE BOARD PROBE…SOCU, GBTI CLASH OVER REQUEST FOR BANK INFORMATION Investigators probing what happened to billions of dollars in the rice-for-oil deal with Venezuela, under the previous Government, have run into a major stumbling block. And it has nothing to do with an un-cooperating suspect. Rather, the hurdle is with a commercial bankreportedly the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI). The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the police which deals with financial crimes, asked the bank for information on the accounts of a number of former officials of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). Information was also reportedly being sought for details of transfers involving the bank accounts of a
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prominent rice miller on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two. Hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred to the miller. However, the bank refused so SOCU went to court. According to officials close to the case, the matter in the High Court began over a month ago. GBTI’s legal team initially objected to what SOCU was asking for. There were a number of back and forth submissions. In the end the High Court ordered GBTI to provide to SOCU the documents requested. In short the court granted a ‘Production Order’. Such an order is a written command, issued by a judge, requiring whomever it is served upon to do whatever the order says, under penalty of being held in contempt of court. GBTI has seven days to comply with the order—provide the information being sought by SOCU. In the meantime, Kaieteur News was told, investigators are preparing for the eventuality of GBTI, one of the biggest private banks in the country, not complying. The preparations may include, among other things, an application for a search warrant. There could be the arrest of the directors. FIVE HELD FOR FREEMAN STREET ROBBERY/MURDER – SUSPECT CONFESSES AFTER GIRLFRIEND REFUSES TO PROVIDE ALIBI A suspect in last Saturday’s robbery/murder at Freeman Street, East La Penitence, has reportedly admitted to his involvement in the crime, while one of his alleged accomplices claimed that he tried to persuade the gang not to go through with the plan. They are among five people, including two women, who have been held for the brutal home invasion, which ended with 58-year-old Fazal Shaheed being riddled with bullets, and two of his brothers wounded. Police said that the suspects are from Freeman Street and are between the ages of 17 and 25. Investigators said that the attackers knew their victims, who have relatives in the same area. Police sources said that one of the suspects had initially claimed that he was at his girlfriend’s when
the robbery took place. But the girlfriend told investigators that the suspect had told her to say that they were together, if the police questioned her. This suspect reportedly claimed that they killed Fazal Shaheed because he put up a resistance. Another detained man reportedly told detectives that he knew of the plans, and had “peeped” (checked ) the house where the victims were staying on the day of the robbery. He claimed that he told the gang that the family did not appear to have much of value and suggested that they call off their plan. However, another gang member reportedly said that “is foreign they come from; they got to have something.” Although the suspect denied participating in the robbery, one of the detained men claims he was present. The gunmen entered the Freeman Street, East La Penitence home, around 23.45 hrs on Saturday while the brothers and other relatives were planning a memorial service for their father. OPPOSITION ASKS PROCUREMENT COMMISSION TO PROBE SUSSEX STREET DRUG BOND DEAL The Opposition has written to the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), the body that overlooks state contracts, asking that it investigate a multi-million-dollar contract for a drug bond on Sussex Street. In a released letter from the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Member of Parliament, Juan Edghill, yesterday requested PPC’s Chairperson, Carol Corbin, to initiate the probe how Linden Holdings Incorporated managed to win the contract. ”I write you on behalf of the Parliamentary Opposition PPP/C to request that your Commission acting under article 212 AA (1) (h),(i), and (j) of the Constitution of Guyana, investigate the above named project.” Edghill said that from information, the contract for the bond was sole sourced. ”Significant sums of public monies are continually being expended on its rental and other operational (Continued on page 42)
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(From page 41) costs,” Edghill said. On August 23, 2016, an unsigned copy of the contract was released to the public. The contract shows that the rental is for “office space” and not a bond for the storage of pharmaceuticals. ”In spite of the public statements made by the Minister of Public Health in the National Assembly and the specially appointed Cabinet Sub-committee that the Bond is PAHO/WHO compliant, the contract makes for no such stipulation. The contract also includes exceedingly generous conditions for the landlord for three years and includes a 12-month notice of termination,” the MP wrote in making his case for an investigation. He noted that the issue with the Sussex Street bond facility came up for the first time in the National Assembly on August 8, 2016 when the Committee of Supply examined the supplementary provisions requested by the Government for money for several state agencies and projects. ANGER, FRUSTRATION AS RAPED TEEN LAID TO REST – REGIONAL CHAIRMAN CHALLENGES RESIDENTS TO TAKE BACK COMMUNITY Amidst the scorching midmorning sun, residents along the East Bank Berbice and from afar joined regional officials, students, relatives and friends to pay their last respects to the murdered Leonard Archibald, 13. As emotions overflowed at the funeral service persons muttered between themselves, “He coulda been alive today if something bin
do early on”; “The police slack in (here) that’s why we end up so,” and many other comments, all negative to the police. As Archibald’s body arrived at his parents’ home in Brother’s Village, East Bank Berbice, around 10:45 hrs, his entrance was met with stifled sobs from within the gathering. Persons were still speechless and in shock.
Some residents vented frustration and anger at the parents of the accused who did not show up to the funeral. One person said, “How you think it look? It look like you ah support you child fuh what he do to that child. You na even seh leh you show you face and grieve with this family.” During the service Regional Chairman, David Armogan, was called upon to express his condolences to the grieving family. He also used the opportunity to urge persons to focus on finding the root cause of the problem. Armogan condemned the barbaric act. He stressed, “Our region should not have these things; our region should be peaceful; people should be able to walk freely.” He underscored that it is not the fault of the parents or the child himself but rather those in the community
and in authority should all take some blame for what took place. THURSDAY BERBICE RAPE/MURDER… ACCUSED CHILD-KILLERS REMANDED Escorted by heavily armed ranks, alleged child-killers Hillary Edwards and Obediah Christopher were remanded yesterday for the murder of 13-year-old Leonard Archibald, whose decomposed body was found on the Kortberaadt, foreshore. Edwards, 29, of Sisters’ Village East Bank Berbice, showed no emotion during his appearance at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court, but Christopher, 19, also called Nicholas, repeatedly screamed that he was innocent, and that he was being framed by his alleged accomplice. The two, who were charged separately, appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore. Christopher is being represented by attorney-at-law M u r s a l e n e Bacchus. However, attorney- at-law, Arude Gossai stood in for Bacchus. Edwards was unrepresented. Prosecutor Inspector, Godfrey Playter told the court that there were still some aspects of the case that were incomplete, and requested a month to
submit a report. The prosecutor also requested that the case be continued at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court. The matter was set for report on December 8, 2017. As the two suspects were being escorted to the police vehicle, Christopher belted out to the small crowd: “Everybody, this boy (Edwards) get me in hay innocently and I gon prove it. I ain’t do nobody nothing.” Edwards, meanwhile, quietly entered the police pick-up that took the accused away Christopher’s parents, who were also present, shouted: “My son is innocent. Pray my child, pray.” His father told reporters: “We have witnesses to prove that my son was with us that night. The law is not being fair where the investigation is concerned, but there is a God and all who tried to involve him innocently, my God will intervene. I did not grow my child (like that) and I am very much disappointed.” His mother stated: “My son is not a criminal, (he) thinking that he brought someone good to his home, but he didn’t know.” Present also was Walter Archibald, the father of the murdered teen. He expressed satisfaction that the two suspects had been charged. TAXI DRIVER CHARGED FOR SEXUALLYASSAULTING 7- YEAR- OLD GIRL A taxi driver who was hired by the parents of a seven year old child to take her to and from an Islamic school, yesterday found himself in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for allegedly fondling (Continued on page 43)
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(From page 42) the seven year old. Thirty-six-year-old Anansuarundin Khan of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara was arraigned before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman where he denied the charge which alleged that between June 1 and June 30 he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of sixteen. The man was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Sase Gunraj who asked that his client be released on reasonable bail. Police Inspector Vishnu Hunt had no objection to bail being granted to the defendant but asked that it be in a substantial amount. According to information, the taxi driver was hired by the child’s parent to carry her to school and take her home. It was while the defendant was taking her home, he stopped the vehicle and zipped down her pants and fondled her private parts. The child upon her arrival home, complained to her mother. The mother then went and reported the matter to the police and the defendant was arrested and charged for the offence. Magistrate Latchman ordered to the defendant to post bail in the sum of $ 150,000. He was instructed to make his next court appearance on October 5 where he will appear before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for assignment. GOALPOST FALLS, KILLING 6-YEAR-OLD A pregnant mother is currently mourning the death of her six-yearold child who sustained severe head injuries after a goal-post fell on him yesterday morning. At the time there was a sports practice session at the Community Centre Ground in Plaisance, East Coast Demerara. Glenshawn Skeete, a Grade One pupil, of Saint Paul’s Primary School was in the company of another male reportedly ‘swinging on’ the goal post which fell on top of him around 10:00am.
Kaieteur News
The child was immediately attended to by two teachers who rushed him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Skeete who was playing on the field was reportedly left in the supervision of two teachers who had divided the children into two groups. The 39-year-old mother of the child, Stacy Skeete, is currently nine months’ pregnant. She was seen at GPHC yesterday morning in great distress. The inconsolable woman dragged her husband, Leroy Skeete across the compound even as he tried to calm her. Officials from the Hospital were concerned for the mother since she was considered a patient, due to her condition. Stacy Skeete recalled that she told the teachers her child was not going to sports and yet he was taken to the practice session. UG RECEIVES RADIO LICENCE AFTER 27 YEARS The University of Guyana
marked a historic moment on Wednesday when Minister of Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes; and Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), Leslie Sobers, joined Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith, and Deputy VC, Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martin in announcing the re-issuance of the University’s radio station licence. The University of Guyana’s, Communications Studies Division had been granted Radio Broadcasting Licences up until 1990 when the request for a renewal was officially denied. It is one of only a few institutions in the region that is dedicated to training Broadcast and Print Journalists and Producers of radio and television programmes. Minister Hughes said that the issuing of “radio licence has been a hot-button issue as far back as 2011 and this thorny issue has been on our front-burner ever since. It has been important and dear to many of us”. FRIDAY SLAIN DREDGE OWNER WAS
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WARNED OF PLOT TO RAID CAMP, HAD PHOTOS OF ATTACKERS – VICTIM FLED TO GUYANA AFTER MURDERING WIFE IN BRAZIL Murdered Brazilian dredge owner, Antonio Da Saliva allegedly knew of the plot to raid his Akaiwanna, Cuyuni, Region Seven camp three months ago, and even had photographs of five of his would-be attackers. This is according to sources close to the victim who also claimed that the businessman had even prepared for the attack on his camp but might have been caught off guard. Kaieteur News understands that two of the attackers and the victim were once neighbours, when the businessman lived in Brazil. The third suspect is a former employee of the dredge owner, and the fourth is reportedly an “assassin” from Suriname who was hired by his former neighbours. The identity of the fifth suspect is unclear. According to information received, the five suspects had planned the attack on Da Silva’s camp for a long
time. The businessman reportedly found out about the plot three months ago, and had been planning to use his attackers’ game plan against them. DO NOT ALLOW EXXONMOBIL TO BE ANOTHER RUSAL – DR. HINDS URGES GOVT. For over a decade, Rusal has been operating in Guyana. Hundreds of millions in minerals have been taken out of Linden by that company. Yet, the people of Linden largely continue to live below the average lifestyle. This was pointed out recently by Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Dr. David Hinds, as he drove home the fact that Guyana becoming an oil producing nation by 2020 is not a guarantee that the country will see transformation for the better. Dr. Hinds drew the nexus between Rusal and ExxonMobil. However, he said that ExxonMobil is expected to rake in a better profit than Rusal and in this case, should be able to contribute more to (Continued on page 44)
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(From page 43) the economy and create more jobs, even at the bare minimum. Nevertheless, he said that Guyana should be careful that it is not robbed of all the benefits it is supposed to get. The political activist said, “If one were to judge from the workers’ complaints over the years, it is clear that Rusal has a bad track record as a corporate partner and investor. Its presence has not had a transformative effect on the community economically or socially.” Dr. Hinds pointed out that Rusal employs approximately 500 workers, “so the impact is relatively small when compared to the Guymine era. Rusal seems to be more interested in firing workers rather than expanding its workforce and from all indications, wages are generally low. In fact, the company has been at constant loggerheads with the union over wages.” The political scientist said that after more than a decade of Rusal operations, Linden is still among the most depressed communities in Guyana. He said that Rusal has also not been good at using part of its handsome profits to contribute to social development in the community. BERBICE RAPE/MURDER OF TEEN… SENIOR COP HEADS PROBE INTO CLAIMS THAT RANKS FAILED TO ACT ON SEX ASSAULT REPORTS A senior police officer has been dispatched to Berbice to investigate reports that one of the accused in the rape and murder of Leonard Archibald carried out numerous sexual attacks on other young men. A release issued yesterday by the Force stated that Assistant Superintendent, Oswald Pitt will also investigate reports that ranks failed to act on the complaints that came to them. ”The Administration of the Force notes the concerns of Leonard Archibald’s relatives and other residents of Brothers’ Village, East Bank Berbice, to the extent that the police in the district may not have acted professionally, based on statements in the press and other expressions, which seem to suggest that reports were made against, at least one of the then suspects and that the reports were not properly and efficiently attend to,” the release stated. ”In the circumstances, a Senior Officer is currently in that district conducting an investigation and it is expected that each and every citizen and relatives will take the opportunity to assist the investigator in his work. RAM QUESTIONS GOVT. MINISTER’S COMPETENCE ON OILAND GAS SECTOR – SAYS MINISTER AT SEA ABOUT PROVISIONS OF PETROLEUMAGREEMENT Recent statements, regarding the oil and gas sector by Public In-
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 01, 2017
BRINGINGAN END TO CORRUPTION… GRA CLOSER TO TAMPERPROOF SYSTEM IN CUSTOMS DEPT -TAX CHIEF SAYS PILOT PROJECT TO COMMENCE SHORTLY
frastructure Minister, David Patterson not only prove his lack of knowledge on certain essential issues, but make it clear that he is simply incompetent. This perspective is held by Chartered Accountant and Attorney-atLaw, Christopher Ram. In an interview with Kaieteur News, Ram reminded that it was Patterson who boldly stated that the specific details of the cost recovery for ExxonMobil have not been worked out. Ram said that such a statement from Patterson, who happens to be one of the members of the Quintet Plus One Group, the celebrated assembly to which Granger entrusted the oil and gas sector, reflects a clear case of ineptness. Since Patterson made such a pronouncement, Ram said that it is therefore safe to assume that Patterson is not fully au fait with the provisions of the Petroleum Agreement which he, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and others, have caused to be signed with ExxonMobil. The anticorruption advocate said that Patterson must be familiar with Article 11 of the Petroleum Production Sharing Contract. Ram said that there are nine paragraphs to that article. Even more significantly, he said that Annex Section Two and Three are dedicated to matters of cost recovery and contain precise information on definitions, documentation required, and units of account, rights of audit, classification and allocation of costs, expenses and expenditures. $40M SCHOOL FEEDING FRAUD AT REGION 8 HANDED OVER TO POLICE The police have been given the task of investigating a major fraud in the school feeding programme within Region Eight. An estimated $40M is involved and the problem seems to be within that Potaro-Siparuni region, Auditor General, Deodat Sharma disclosed yesterday. The official was speaking to re-
porters shortly after presenting the Report of the Auditor General on the country’s spending, last year. During the ceremony at the Parliament Buildings, the official confirmed reports that spending in Region Eight was highly questionable with regards to the school feeding programme. For example, it was reported that a senior female official of the region used her office to swing a deal to purchase items from a Parika business place with which she had close associations. It was reported, also, Executive Officer, Rafel Downes, lost his job after he was unable to answer Parliamentarians of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) who raised questions about the spending in the region, for the year 2015. Yesterday, the Auditor General said that the $40M related to 2016 spending in the region. It did not even touch on what that the prices paid for items associated with the school feeding programme were way above market prices. Earlier this year, Regional happened this year as state auditors would have been concentrating on 2016 documents. According to Sharma, while the Audit Office is carrying out its mandate to ensure that the spending of ministries, regions and entities are true, it is the Finance Secretary who has been duty bound to discipline them. In the case of Downes, his appointment was revoked after confidence was lost in his performance. Sharma explained that while some regions are paying for the school feeding programme from their budget, in other cases, it is the Ministry of Education that is picking up the tabs. However, for now, the problem appeared to be with the rogue region—Region Eight- a mining area that is vast. $350M IN VAT REFUNDS PAID SO FAR -GRA BOSS SAYS AUTHORITY MUST HONOUR ITS OBLIGATIONS TO TAXPAYERS
For too long, citizens have had to endure a one-way relationship with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). They are expected to pay their taxes on time. Failure to do so results in penalties of various forms. But when taxpayers overpay and make a claim for a refund, they have to endure the slothfulness of the Revenue Authority. This state of affairs has existed for years. GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, is however, on a mission to ensure that the tax agency holds up its end of the bargain by issuing refunds in a timely manner. Already for this year, GRA has paid out over $350M in Value Added Tax Refunds. Statia made this and other disclosures during a business luncheon that was recently held at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street. The luncheon was hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA). There, Statia gave the feature address and fielded a few questions from concerned stakeholders. Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, asked Statia if he saw any merit in the call for a Taxpayers’ Code and or a Bill of Rights that would ensure a level playing field between the tax regulators and taxpayers. He said that this is necessary if one looks at the sore issue of refunds. The Attorney-at-Law commented that the Authority must commit itself to honouring its obligations to taxpayers and not offer the excuse, “Oh, we don’t have enough internal audit staff so we can’t refund the money because we can’t do the audit.” Ram suggested to the Commissioner General that the refunds should be given when there is a request and if it is later found that it was a false claim then there are avenues for recovering that money. Statia responded that while he is not sure about how effective and applicable a Bill of Rights would be, GRA has acknowledged that it has obligations to the taxpayers that it should be keeping.
By Kiana Wilburg The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has a number of responsibilities. Some of these include ensuring that each taxpayer pays his rightful duty; the tax laws are administered fairly and consistently. GRA’s current accounting system, the Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS), has been working inefficiently for close to 10 years. This has caused the Authority to hasten efforts towards acquiring a more foolproof system called the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA). GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia recently spoke on the importance of moving from TRIPS to ASYCUDA. Statia noted that an examination of the TRIPS system had revealed that there were several problems which caused it to not work effectively. US$4.5M was expended to bring the archaic TRIPS 1 System up to date. In fact, the GRA boss said that many of the modules paid for regarding the TRIPS 1 System in 2007 were never even delivered. The Commissioner General said that based on the state of affairs governing the revenue authority’s IT system, discussions were held with Crown Agents, an international firm that specialises in practical and consistent solutions to financial institutions and governments. He said that it was decided to cease all work on the Customs modules of the TRIPS 1 system; concentrate all activity on the completion of the Internal Revenue Modules inclusive of e-filing services with clear delivery dates, and hold further payments until the delivery of these modules.
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Probe into executed Brazilian launched...
Foreigners entering Guyana to come under closer scrutiny - Ramjattan
Foreigners entering Guyana, particularly those seeking to work in the mining sector, will now face intense scrutiny to ensure that they are who they claim to be. Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan made this disclosure yesterday, while responding to questions about the fact that recently executed Brazilian, Siviomar Antônio de Oliveira, had owned vast mining concessions in Guyana, and had been granted firearm licences, while being wanted in his homeland for a series of murders. De Oliveria was living here under the name Antonio Da Silva, and had a wife and two children. Ramjattan disclosed that an investigation by the police into the slain man’s background appears to confirm reports about de Oliveira. The executed man, also called "Lorão," is said to have killed his first wife, and murdered some of his fellow inmates while in a Brazilian jail. “He was believed to be Antonio Da Silva, and it’s now being realised that he is not the good character he seemed to be. “What is (now) known is that we have a criminal who murdered, and who was murdered, and we now have to get those who murdered him. We have a fair idea who the criminals are, and we will ask the Brazilian authorities to help,” Ramjattan said. He expressed concern that
Murdered Brazilian, Antonio Da Saliva
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan other “bad characters” like de Oliveira, may be living under the radar in Guyana. “We will have to be extra
The five Brazilian gang suspects careful about these people now. I am very concerned about this revelation. “We now have to do a major recheck of those persons, and have to maybe change how Brazilians are getting mining concessions, what checks are done before he got his gun licences. “We have to check if there are bad characters here; we will have to get the Interpol arrangement (of background checks) and their fingerprints (checked). We will have to do these things and work along more with the Brazilian authorities.” But he conceded that screening these individuals will be challenging, “especially when they change their names and put out new IDs.” Ramjattan declined to point fingers at anyone over the fact that De Oliveria, liv-
Guyana intensifies fight... (From page 18) barefooted or not wash their hands before they eat—they are definitely at a higher risk for worm infestation... Worms live in their joints and can penetrate their feet and contaminate their foods.” “Children playing or studying during late hours particularly in the evening are at risk of being bitten by the mosquito that carries the worm. And that puts them at risk of developing Filaria later in life.” She stressed the importance of preventative measure being in place at schools to safeguard children since they spend most of their times in the classroom. Minister Henry revealed that the schools’ Deworming programme will commence this month with DEC and Albendazole pills being distributed to all schools in Regions Three, Four, Five and Ten. She said that a brochure
detailing important information about Filaria with a dissent form will be given to parents and guardians. However, parents who do not want their child/children to receive the pills that will be given out by trained health care professionals, are being asked to fill and return the form to the class teacher so that their children can be excluded from the campaign. In giving an overview of the MDA programme, Dr. Moses said that the Ministry of Public Health as long been engaged in the fight against Lymphatic Filariasis. However, it has been noted that very few people appreciate the economic and social burden that is caused by the chronic signs of the infection. “It is accompanied by social stigma and economic hardship.” She said that in Guyana there is still a 90 per cent risk
of infection and that there are 15 new cases at the clinic and two return cases. According to the doctor, this brings the total patient administration to under 200 patients. Based on a review meeting held last year, Dr. Moses said that it was made clear that children need to be targeted. “We need to ensure a bright future for our children but it also brought to light that we need to ensure that everyone in Guyana has access to the pills.” Dr. Persaud happily announced that the number of persons being infected with Filaria has significantly decreased over the years. “From more than 150 patients that we were seeing in the mid-2000s, now they are only about fifteen patients who have to be actively managed at the clinic. Last year there were only 82 surgeries for Hydrocele as compared to 447 in 2005.”
ing here for about eight years, had acquired vast mining concessions and even had two licensed firearms. He said that individuals coming to invest can be granted concessions under the country’s mining laws. However, he said that individuals can be penalized if they were aware of De Oliveria’s background when he was granted the concessions. “I want the police to do a thorough investigation. I am waiting on the complete report.” De Oliveira’s secret life unraveled last week after he was executed by a gang of gunmen who had tied him up and tortured him after invading his Akaiwanna, Cuyuni mining camp last Tuesday. Kaieteur News understands that two of the attackers and the victim were once neighbours, when the businessman lived in Brazil. The third suspect is a former employee of the dredge owner, and the fourth is reportedly an “assassin” from Suriname who was hired by his former neighbours. The identity of the fifth suspect is unclear. De Oliveira was convicted of killing his ex-wife, Luzia Rodrigues Ramos, in the municipality of Caracaraí in 2004. He was also implicated in “executions inside the Monte Cristo Agricultural Penitentiary, when he was arrested by Operation Bastille in 2008. The authorities investigated the death of detainees within the prison system,” a report seen by Kaieteur News stated. “He escaped in 2011 and had never been located by Roraima Police.” In Guyana, where he had been reportedly living following his escape, "Lorão" acquired vast claims in the Cuyuni area, reportedly operating some 19 dredges. He had some 120 Brazilians in his employ. He had re-
cently purchased a parking lot in Alberttown, Georgetown. Reports indicated that the gunmen, who all spoke Portuguese, stormed the camp at around 17:45 hrs last Tuesday, and remained until around 02:00 hrs on Wednesday. On entering the camp, the gunmen reportedly tied up de Oliveira’s workers and proceeded to torture their boss, while demanding that he hand over the vast amount of gold they assumed that was on the claim. However, de Oliveira had reportedly sent out most of the gold to the city two days prior to the attack. The gunmen reportedly held Da Silva’s workers at gunpoint and forced them to “wash down” the gold that was on site. Before leaving the camp, they took de Oliveira some 500 meters from the site and re-
portedly tortured him before shooting him, execution-style. A postmortem revealed that he was shot twice; once to the head and to his upper body. Photographs seen by this newspaper showed the businessman’s bloodied body in a ditch with his eyes black and blue and his face swollen. Kaieteur News was told that after killing Da Silva, his attackers were transported to Venezuela border in a blue and white wooden boat which reportedly had a dolphin on it. According to information received, one of the suspects was nabbed with gold in Venezuela by a group called the ‘Syndicate’, which is a criminal gang in the Spanishspeaking country. Some of the slain man’s employees managed to take refuge in another area.
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Sunday October 01, 2017
Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur News
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
GNBS – Providing consultancy services for businesses The Conformity Assessment Department of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is responsible for providing essential services required to facilitate the implementation of a recognized Conformity Assessment Infrastructure in Guyana and to support the competitiveness of local businesses. Hence, one of the keys tasks of the Bureau is to provide consultancy services to companies and businesses, thus guiding them in the implementation of Management Systems Standards. As part of the implementation process, highly trained and competent Officers of the Bureau conduct awareness sessions for key personnel of the organisation on the respective management system standard, which the company desires to implement. Subsequently, gap analyses are conducted, training on the standard is facilitated and guidance on how to develop policies and procedures is provided. Workers are also trained to become internal auditors of the management system and the tools necessary to monitor and maintain the system after the consultancy, is made available. Through Consultancy services offered by the Bureau, businesses are able to implement internationally recognized systems in their operations. These systems include a Quality Management System, which assists companies to continually meet the need of their customers, a Food Safety Management System, which ensures safe foods are produced “from the farm to the fork”, and an Environmental Management System, which helps businesses to demonstrate care for their environment.
Laboratories, whether medical or nonmedical, and Conformity Assessment Bodies such as Regulators and other Inspection Agencies are also beneficiaries of the services provided by the Bureau under its Consultancy Services Programme. The Bureau provides consultancy support to laboratories to implement the National Standard: GYS 170 - General requirements for the operation of a laboratory. In addition, laboratories desirous of international recognition can also be assisted to implement the ISO/IEC 17025 standards – General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and ISO 15189 Medical laboratories – Requirements for quality and competence. Meanwhile, Conformity and Inspections Bodies can opt for support to implement the ISO/IEC 17065 - Conformity Assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products and ISO/IEC 17020 – Conformity Assessment – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection. Utilising the consultancy services of the Bureau will allow companies that are manufacturers, exporters and service providers to become leaders in the business arena since the implementation of standards will improve their efficiency and effectiveness once they get onboard. The cost to get onboard is usually minimal for businesses. So, make that simple step and contact the Conformity Assessment Department of the GNBS and its cadre of professionals will work with your business towards certification and or accreditation. For further information on this subject, contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065 or 219-0064 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org.
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VACANCY Experienced s a l e s m a n , generaldomestic , p o r t e r . Apply with hand written application & recommendation @ Keyfood, McDoom Village. SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyanapassport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING& PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045 Eagle’s: Re-gas –low prices, washing machine repairs, gas stove, plasma flat Screen, computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966
Foxtail, Supari, Royal Palm @ $1,000. Ficus & Exora 4 for $1,000. Organic potting soil. Crotoons- Tel: 626-1044
I N S TA L L AT I O N S , REPAIRSAND PARTS FOR AC, FRIDGE, WASHING MACHINE, STOVE ETC: CALL NICK 627-3206, 6301600 Khemraj & Sons landscaping & Plant nursery: clearing of land, treating & molding plants, cutting & removing big tree & removing- Call: 627-5969 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 B U I L D I N G CONTRACTOR, HOUSE PLAN OR JUST AN ESTIMATE.GIVE US A CALL: 216-0671/692-8464/ 622-0267
LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)
1 freezer, double door fridge, 4 burner stove, j u i c e r, s i n g e r s e w i n g machine- Tel: 226-4705 30’ feet Aluminum jet boat with spares- Call: 6427898 Painted 3 bedrooms concrete house on corner lot 100’x150’ at KuruKururu, Soesdyke Highway- Call: 615-7196, 216-0435 Clean garden earth and builders waste also excavating, grading leveling done- Call: 616-0617, 6633285 Gold and Diamond land for sale or giving out work ground. Call:690-5300,6526894 Sale! Laptops and desktop computers from $45,000. Small laptops $25,000- call Future-Tech 231-2206, 6602010 PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove/Diamond , 3 bedrooms, 1 self-contained, concrete fence- Call: 6601353, 216-4338 3- Bedrooms flat house @ Blankenburg $10.9M , $2.9M Down payment, $64,000 monthly installment Also house lots available $2.9MContact# 650-0402/ 6031402 Spacious 4 bedrooms concrete home with modern amenities @ New Amsterdam Berbice opposite N/A police station. $79M negotiable- Call: 718683-0884, 6a82-2046 1 flat 3 bedrooms concrete house & land at block 8 Tuschen housing scheme- Call: 627-5969 HEALTH Prostate Cancer, Heart Disease, Gall & Kidney Stones, Menstrual Disorders Etc. Are Cured By Herbal Remedies. Tel:676-5924, 611-5586
Cook/ Baker for interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 6182020 Vacancies exists for one dedicated Grade six teacher, 4th & 5th form Business teacher. Call: 264-3176, 6687705 Immediate vacancy exists for one male security to work nights only at Meadowbank- Call: 2311408 between 8am-1pm Field supervisor to work in Georgetown must have valid motorcycle license- Tel: 2271717 Receptionist, age 2348yrs. Must be able to work shift. 233 South road- Tel: 225-0198 One delivery guy with motorcycle- Call: 225-7933 or visit 172 Sheriff street. One professional seamstress. Working experience will be an asset. Send application to: Lot 67 Dennis street, Campbellville- Tel: 672-4695 Vacancy exists for 1 experienced pharmacy assistant to work at a reputable pharmacy in Diamond, EBD- Call: 6965098 CANTER DRIVER/ SALESMAN, MINIMUM 3 YEARS DRIVING EXPERIENCE, FACTORY A S S I S T A N T , SECURITYGUARDSCALL: 266- 4427 Experienced qualified teachers for Secondary Dept. @ Canadian School ,Diamond. Send resume to email:davidsukhdeo@ gmail.com
WANTED 1 cosmetologist, must be all rounded. Call: 647-1773. Live-in handyman to look over,must have experience in carpentry, plumbing, gardening.Call:690-5300, 691-3999 Attractive live in waitress- Call: 3270252/674-4665 Labourer to work men and women in cabbage farm. Experience needed- Call: 6956139, 674-5052 1 Male to look after layer birds in the Interior- Call: 665-3421 1 Experience driver to work in Interior. Must have license for Car/van/canter- Tel: 665-3421 Only experience garbage truck drivers for Mack trucks &Labourers, only serious persons need to apply- Call: 670-7920 We a r e b u y i n g l a n d i n Farm, Covent Garden, Herstelling, Providence, Eccles, Zeelugt, ParfaiteHarmonie- Tel:6560701, 651-1969 Male office clerk over 25 years, preferable East Bank area- Call: 629-9450 Experienced salesgirl a t C h r i s t i n e ’s Va r i e t y, Lombard street- Call: 227-8529 Females 20-45 years to work in Office @ Meadowbank. Must have Maths & English with 3yrs experience- Tel: 2311408, 642-9191 One experienced driver to work @ Meadowbank 25 years and older, must have lorry license- 231-1408, 642-9191 Carpenters wanted- Call: 602-9469 Industrial Electrician to work in Georgetown, applicant kindly make contact #623-2274 Male accounts clerk, age 25-55- Call: 629-9450
EDUCATION Day Care and Pre-K classes available in Diamond Call Canadian School 2166921,216-6922 Register your child for after school classes for slow learners in Mathematics, Reading, Phonics, Spelling, etc. Call: 675-4379 TO LET 1 Flat two bedrooms concrete house fully grilled & overhead tank at samatta Point Grove, EBD- Call: 621-0090
Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton streets, Campbellville. One private tutor for grade 5 student- Please Call: 6007388 Female to work at car wash, apartment building, shop 1828yrs.Livingin GeorgetownCall: 646-5754, 660-5003, 2267231 One person to bake & make roti &puri from 6:30-9:30 Contact Snackette @ Charlotte & Wellington Street,Lacytown. Waitress for bar- Call: 6122522
Sunday October 01, 2017
VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pitbull – Call: 650-7501
LAND FOR SALE 10 & 30ACRES OF LANDAT YARROWKABRA, LINDEN SOESDYKE HIGHWAY. CREEK AVAILABLE- TEL: 663-5524, 264-2967
Toyota Allion: AC,TV, alarm, magrims, reverse camera. In excellent condition $1.7MCall: 639-2490
Farm (100ftx 50ft) with reserve $3M, Uivtlugt $3M, Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M, Eccles $4.5M, Zeelugt $1.2M- Tel:656-0701, 6511969
One black 4 door Raptor for sale 2013 year- Call: 670-7920 1 Mack Truck- Call: 2271245, 225-0680, 225-06811 Sale: Mazda 2006 series PRR $800,000 negotiable- Call: 615-3303
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D$1200US. Call 647-1773 Bakery for rent at 26 New street Sparendaam, ECDCall: 623-9615, 694-3318 Place for rent, can be used as an office/ restaurant at Lot 1C Hydronie Parika, E.B.ECall: 665-6138, 630-5962 Apartment building for short term rental- Call: 6465754, 660-5003, 226-7231 2 Bedrooms bottom flat at Happy acres E.C.D- Tel: 220-3690 Space preferably for office or apartment for single occupancy @ McDoom public road- Tel:664-8150 1- two bedrooms bottom flat apartment, Eccles Park, EBD. Very clean, tiled toilet & bath inside $50,000- Tel: 648-7004 Apartment for rent at La Grange, W.B.D- Call: 6678892 One apartment for rent at first street Mon Repos, E.C.D- Call: 220-7330, 614-0005, 602-4105 New 2 bedrooms upstairs apartment in Grove housing scheme- Tel: 661-1585, 6172032 One bedroom apartment, PVC ceiling, tiled floor, corner spot $40,000 @ Campbellville- Tel: 223-1332 3-Bedrooms house @ Diamond Housing Scheme . Call: 618-0291
One double plot of farm land for sale at Parika Naamryck Backdam, E.B.E (27.8 acres)- Call: 6125441, 658-5128 Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M, $3.5M, $2M, $1.6M, main road business spot $3.5M, Herstelling $2.5M, $3.5M, Tuschen $2.5MCall: 604-6724, 686-9608 Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M, $3.5M (50x 100), 10 years up $3.5M, Herstelling $2.2M, $3.5M, Tuschen $2.3M- Call: 666-2326
SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:656-0087,6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FORAIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
Wider consciousness of child abuse and child neglect needed By PAT DIAL Every year, since 2004, Child Protection Week had been commemorated where parents and communities countrywide are reminded to be aware of and avoid abuse and neglect of children. Child Protection Week is commemorated worldwide and each country has its own individual theme for the Week. Guyana’s Week was from 24 - 30 September and this year’s theme was “Partnering with families and communities for the positive outcomes for children”. These two groups - the family and the community - are the main protectors of children and are the ones who must be in the forefront dealing with abuse and neglect. Children are generally innocent of the evils and wickedness of the adult world and they approach everyone with trusting honesty. It is a great delight to speak with children whom one does not know. One may encounter such children and their parents in the shops or in the public transport and their innocence, simple conversations and smiles uplift one’s day. When Lord Jesus called for little children to be
brought unto him, it was probably the same kind of love and response he had for them. It is because of their trusting innocence and defenselessness that children are open to dangers and abuse. One of the most common forms of child abuse is that of sexual molestation and exploitation. Most of this form of abuse occurs within the family where an adult member who is a pervert indulges in incestuous and underage sexual activity with children. There is no one to whom the child could complain or find relief in telling of its abuse and is often constrained by affection for the abuser, an older relative. Or the child may be constrained by fear that the abuser could harm him or her in many ways. Or pedophiles could entice children into their company and then harm them. Or some child molesters may violently attack children as happened recently when 13-year old Leonard Archibald of Brothers village in East Bank Berbice was violently attacked, sexually assaulted and murdered and his body dumped into the river.
Or there is another wellknown form of child abuse when children are subject to beatings in the family or in the schools. Some parents beat their children for the slightest infractions causing the child untold humiliation and mental and physical pain. The child, socialised with parental respect and reverence, cannot even daydream of leaving home and suffers even deeper mental anguish. Corporal punishment is still perpetrated by many teachers. Such beatings in the schools not only inflict great pain on the child but may often destroy the child’s ability to learn. In these forms of child abuse, a member of the family or the community could either confront the abuser or call in the Police or involve the Child Protection Agency of the Ministry of Social Protection. The Child Protection Agency has a 24-hour hotline at 2270979. Children are more aware than adults suspect and sensitive and deeply emotionally hurt when they are treated without any show of concern from parents and guardians. For example, a school child may
be in need of proper clothes, shoes or books but the child’s elders are completely insensitive to t h e c h i l d ’s n e e d s a n d embarrassment and may even be oblivious that the child needs a meal. There is no one to whom the child could turn and the child may drop out of school and join the ranks of the child labour market. And when the child drops out, he or she is abused of being stupid and without ambition. In the abuse and neglect which children suffer, the only help and protection they could have is from the sensitive neighbours or members of the community who may sometimes invoke the notice of the Childcare and Protection Agency or a relevant NGO. One of the most effective ways of dealing with child abuse and neglect is to make the public more aware of the sufferings which children must endure and also for parents to learn more about parenting. The Childcare and Protection Agency offers education in this regard and it is hoped that they would be able to expand their service.
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Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur News
UN launches multi-million dollar appeal for ‘badly battered’ Dominica UNITED NATIONS CMC – The United Nations says it has launched a Hurricane Maria Flash Appeal for the “badly battered” Caribbean island of Dominica. It said the international aid community is asking for US$31.1 million to reach 65,000 people over the next three months in order to address challenges, such as a lack of fresh running water and electricity, along with road damage and communication black-outs. Emergency supplies from the United Nations food relief agency are being delivered to Dominica as people face “huge challenges in their lives” in the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, which ripped through the small Caribbean island last week, the UN said. “Dominica has been badly battered and needs to be rebuilt,” said World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Miguel Barreto. Barreto said the mountainous island suffered nearly 30 deaths, about 80 per cent of its buildings damaged, and many roads blocked or impaired.
“We’re working with the Government to support the people who are facing huge challenges in their lives” said Barreto, noting that an estimated 10 metric tons of WFP high-energy biscuits were transported by ship to the eastern Caribbean island this week and then delivered to communities in the remote interior by helicopter and to coastal communities by boat. Overall, WFP plans to provide a range of food assistance to some 25,000 people for three months as it discusses with the Dominica Government a system to supply hurricane-affected people with food vouchers to be used in local markets once they reopen. WFP said it is also providing “critical logistics, air service and telecommunications support to Dominica and the humanitarian relief response.” WFP’s Emergency Telecommunications Team has set up connectivity in Dominica to some 400 registered users, including the Government Emergency Operations Centre, the island’s airports and hospitals, and the Dominican, Venezuelan and French fire brigades. Barreto and the UN Resi-
dent Coordinator for Barbados, Stephen O’Malley, visited some of the worst-hit areas and have held discussions with Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit. “We’ve been talking to the government about how to help them get their systems up and running again,” O’Malley said. “People want to go back to their normal lives, and we can help them do that.” The UN food agency’s emergency efforts are part of a larger UN operation to provide a range of assistance, including disaster relief, humanitarian coordination, shelter and water. On the logistics side, the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Panama and the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) – both managed by WFP – are providing support to humanitarian partners in Dominica and the region, the UN said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that, while this is the fifth time on record that Dominica has taken a direct hit from a hurricane, it has never faced a storm of such ferocity and strength as Maria.
PAHO aims to reduce shortage of health workers in the Caribbean WASHINGTON - CMC – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says it is adopting a new strategy aimed at guiding national policies on human resources for health in the countries of the Region of the Americas, including the Caribbean. PAHO said the strategy, approved by the just-concluded 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference here, will help deal with the shortage of health workers. It also seeks to improve the geographical distribution of health workers, and enhance their skills in order to achieve universal health and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the most recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), the region requires almost 800,000 additional health workers to meet people’s essential health needs, while offering a broader range of services and people-centered integrated health care. “In recent decades, the countries of the region have reduced profound imbalances in the health workforce and have improved the provision
and availability of personnel at the first level of care”, said re-elected PAHO director, Dominican-born Dr. Carissa F. Etienne. However, she noted that “inequities remain in the availability, distribution, and quality of personnel.” PAHO said causes of the shortage include limited retention of health workers in rural and underserved areas, high rates of mobility and migration, precarious working conditions, and a lack of culturally sensitive workers with training appropriate to the health needs of the population. “If we want to reach the SDGs, particularly universal health coverage, we must have adequate health personnel, and we must have them in the places that need them,” Dr. Etienne said. PAHO said the new “Strategy on Human Resources for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage” sets out three lines of action: Strengthen and consolidate governance and leadership in human resources for health; develop conditions and capacities in human resources for health to expand
access to health and health coverage, with equity and quality; and partner with the education sector to respond to the needs of health systems in transformation toward universal access to health and universal health coverage. The document urges countries to increase public spending and financial efficiency to increase the availability and retention of health personnel, develop information systems on human resources for health to strengthen strategic planning and forecasting of current and future needs, and promote the development of inter-professional teams within health services networks. Furthermore, PAHO said the strategy advocates for the transformation of professional health education to include the principles of social mission, the incorporation of a public health perspective, and a social determinants approach; to align human resources training with current and future health system needs; and to increase positions in family and community health and in basic specialties, among other actions.
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Minister in Finance Ministry confirms hard measures in 2018 package
Sunday October 01, 2017
St. Lucia constructing solar farm
…But tells citizens to be patient Trinidad Express - The 2018 national budget to be delivered tomorrow will be “tough”, but people should have patience and not believe everything they see on Facebook, says Minister in the Ministry of Finance Allyson West. She was responding to questions from reporters following the opening of the new
parliamentary term Friday. “I think it’s going to be a tough budget, as was suggested in tomorrow’s session. We have to get to the point where we acknowledge we are not in the best of situations, and everybody needs to contribute to getting us out of it,” she said.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC – St. Lucia has launched a project to construct a three megawatt (MW) solar farm in the south of the island, as the island’s first ever utility-scale renewable energy project. Representatives from St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) and the USbased solar energy firm GRUPOTEC, participated in the ground breaking ceremony on Friday for the project, which when connected to the grid, the solar farm’s 14,900 photovoltaic (PV) panels are expected to generate the equivalent electricity used by nearly 3,500 homes. They said the project will also off set more than 3,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. Diesel-powered generators currently account for over 99 per cent of the island’s electricity generation. As the first generation
asset outside of the main diesel plant, this new project begins to mitigate natural disaster and security risks from centralized generation at one location, making the electricity system more resilient against single points of failure. “LUCELEC’s efforts to add utility-scale renewable energy to its generation mix began as far back as 2002. It’s been a long, and sometimes challenging road since then. It is, therefore, extremely gratifying to finally break ground on this 3 MW solar farm,” said LUCELEC’s managing director Trevor Louisy. Energy Minister Stephenson King said that the government applauds LUCELEC for its pioneering efforts in the area of utilityscale renewable energy generation. “We reiterate our continued support and partnership in such undertakings and best wishes are extended for successful project build out and commencement of operations of this 3 MW solar farm,” he added. Rocky Mountain Institute-Carbon War Room and The Clinton Climate Initiative, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, alongside global energy and engineering advisory firm DNV GL, provided technical assistance throughout the process of selecting the top solar firm. The organizations supported LUCELEC in developing the project to attract experienced bidders, evaluating proposals, and facilitating contract negotiations. As part of their assistance, RMI-
CWR and CCI worked with LUCELEC in managing an international, open procurement process to ensure the solar farm meets international standards and best practices while obtaining a competitive price for the Caribbean region. “Caribbean nations like Saint Lucia overwhelmingly rely on imported fossil fuels for electricity generation,” said Jesse Gerstin, Director of Programmes and Policy at CCI. “The solar farm is the first step in building a more resilient power system that generates electricity from a local, renewable source and reduces St. Lucia’s dependence on imported diesel. This could also help the country recover more quickly in the case of an extreme weather event, such as the recent hurricanes that have devastated neighbouring islands.” Director of Islands at Rocky Mountain InstituteCarbon War Room, Justin Locke, said the 3 MW solar project will provide a myriad of economic and environmental benefits, “but more importantly it is a first important step in a long journey towards an energy independent St. Lucia”. In 2016, LUCELEC and the St. Lucia government jointly developed the National Energy Transition Strategy (NETS), a 20-year energy roadmap informed by technical analysis from RMI-CWR and CCI that paves the road for a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and equitable electricity sector using the island’s local resources.
Sunday October 01, 2017
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The story of three contracts to BK …
$84M Eccles well unfinished 5 years later More than five years after a contract was awarded to contractor, BK International, for $84.2M, a well at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, is unfinished without residents receiving a drop of water. It appears that there are little efforts or, at the very least, no public update by the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) to resolve the situation. This was despite the fact that BK, which prior to these well, had no experience in drilling, has collected $53.1M or 63 percent of the money. The well is located in the new housing scheme, opened behind the Eccles industrial site, with no activities evident during visits by Kaieteur News this past week. The Eccles project was among three wells awarded in 2011, for completion by August 2012. However, only one well, at Hope, East Coast Demerara is reportedly up and running. The other one, at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, is supposed to be located in the compound of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) but was abandoned after technical problems. BK, which has been under fire for these and a number of other projects, including the access roads to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, was earlier this year ordered to drill a new well at its own costs at Mon Repos. GWI said earlier this year that BK collected $34M (80 percent) of the $41.6M that had been allocated for that Mon Repos well. However, an Investigation Report by Chartered Accountant, HLB R. Seebarran & Co. Chartered Accountants, in June 2015, submitted to the then Board of Directors, headed by Ramesh Dookoo, had placed the cost for the Mon Repos well at $75.5M with BK receiving $49.2M. The situation with the wells and the seeming inaction of consecutive administrations against BK, which has been tendering and receiving more state contracts, despite the non-delivery, have been raising significant concerns, among stakeholder, including contractors. The accountant’s report, which can be found online, devoted a number of pages to the three wells. GWI’s management in June 2015, in response to the findings of the Chartered Accountant, insisted that the three contracts were awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administrative Board (NPTAB) based on their evaluation of a contractor that “had no experience in well drilling.
These contracts were consistently discussed at the level of the GWI Board and there has been consistent agreement to allow the contractor to complete the three wells.” The report disclosed that the maximum liquidated damages have been applied under each contract which is 10% of the value of works for each of the contract to the total value of $18.6M for the three contracts. The report said that BK was supposed to fix the Eccles well by the end of April last year. “At present (in June 2015) the respective status of the contracts are provided in which one well (Hope) is completed, the contractor has been issued an ultimatum to complete remedial and devel-
opment works on Eccles by April 30, 2016 and they are required to recommence drilling of a replacement well for Mon Repos by April 30, 2016 or the contract will be terminated and legal actions taken against the contractor.” GWI’s Board of Directors meeting between December 20th, 2012, to April 30th, 2015, spoke of directors’ growing exasperation of the delays in the contracts being delivered. In a board meeting on November 27, 2014, on the Mon Repos well, it was discussed that there were problems and that a camera could not go past a certain depth. BK proposed that GWI accept the well since it was meeting expected production. “A meeting was subsequently held with the contractor who further proposed a
five-year defects liability period. This was not accepted. Opinions were sought on the matter and it was suggested to the contractor that the well be plugged. Contractor agreed to this suggestion and is attempting to contact an expert from Trinidad. A member noted that where there is a structural defect the risk involved must be assessed.” Five months later, on April 30, 2015, another board meeting heard that nothing much was done in the last month since BK had been focusing on the Hope well. The accountant report was highly critical of the fact that the contracts for these wells were awarded to BK International in 2011 and were to be completed in August, 2012. It slammed the lax attitude of the Board of Directors.
“These contracts have not been completed to date and the contractor has not been faced with any penalties. The problem with these contacts was that the Board of Director procrastinated and allowed the contractor to determine when the contracts would be finished.” In fact, the delays, the time spent by management and cost to resolve issues with the contractor has compromised the Board as can be seen board minutes, the accountant. “Further, stakeholders who were hoping for improved water service continue to wait. Earlier this year, GWI said that it is still to decide if the new well to be drilled at Mon Repos will be right in the GLDA compound. Instead of serving only GLDA and its facilities, it is the plan that the new well will be providing service to Mon Repos and its environs. With regards to the old well, the CEO explained, GWI believed that it could still be used to boost the water supply to the area, following attempts to connect it to the distribution system. The issue has been a vexing one for GLDA, a key agency of the Ministry of Agriculture. The new Board of Director, which was installed late 2015- had been addressing the non-functioning well since early last year.
Nothing doing at this $84M well at Eccles, EBD.
Between February 2016 and this month, GLDA’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Cumberbatch, had written GWI and Finance Secretary, Dr. Hector Butts, to have the matter resolved. However, it was not until the matter was made public that any significant movements were made. The issue has highlighted some of the problems facing the administration with regards to state contracts. While on one hand, there have been attempts to tighten up on the procurement process, overtime state audits have pointed to weak supervision and even corruption in the tendering and evaluation stages. State auditors have pointed out cases of significant overpayments, as another ploy by crooked public officials. State engineers have been singled out for their weak supervision despite being charged with ensuring the country receives value for its money. Consecutive administrations have been heavily criticized for not coming down hard on contractors who have failed on jobs, in terms of nondelivery or poor quality. There is little evidence that contractors are being blacklisted for poor work and even less evidence of government’s success in collecting penalties for those contracts.
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Sunday October 01, 2017
Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur News
Trump blames Puerto Ricans for slow hurricane response SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Puerto Ricans yesterday for failing to do enough to dig out from damage caused by Hurricane Maria, saying criticism levelled at his government for the slow response was driven by politics. Ten days after the devastating storm wiped out power and communications systems, more than half of the 3.4 million people who live on the island do not have access to drinking water, and 95 percent remain without power, the Pentagon said. Trump, who was spending the weekend at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, fired off a series of angry tweets early yesterday complaining that media coverage of the suffering was unfair, and took aim at the mayor of San Juan, the island’s largest city. On Friday, CarmenYulin Cruz criticized Trump’s Republican administration and begged for more help, pleas that received widespread television coverage in the mainland United States. “Such poor leadership by the Mayor of San Juan and others in Puerto Rico who are
not able to get their workers to help,” said Trump, who is slated to visit the island on Tuesday. “They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.” Maria, the most powerful storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years, has destroyed roads, making it difficult to get food, water and fuel around the island. The hurricane has killed at least 16 people, according to the official death toll. Cruz, who has been living in a shelter after her home was destroyed in the hurricane, said municipal employees were working as hard as they could. She also said her complaints had resulted in more food and water being provided. “Actually, I was asking for help - I wasn’t saying anything nasty about the president,” Cruz said on MSNBC. “I am not going to be distracted by small comments, by politics, by petty issues.” Trump’s comments drew swift condemnation on the mainland. “The tweets this morning are despicable, are deplorable, are not statesman-like at all,” said New York City Council Speaker Melissa MarkViverito, a Democrat born in
Puerto Rico. “He needs to be in charge, he needs to take control, he needs to demonstrate some level of empathy over what is happening,” MarkViverito said on CNN. Trump was scheduled to speak by telephone to the governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, and other officials from the region yesterday. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters in Washington for a briefing. At a news conference, Rossello declined to comment on Trump’s tweets, which he said he had not seen. “Let me stress this: I am committed to collaborating with everybody,” he said. “This is a point where we can’t look at small differences and establish differences based on politics.” The Trump administration has given Puerto Rico’s government “whatever we ask for” in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, Rossello said. But he warned that the U.S. Congress would need to help rebuild the island, which is home to 3.4 millionAmericans.
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Man wanted for several armed robberies shot dead In what is being described as an execution style killing, a man who was wanted by the police for several armed robberies was shot dead at Albert Street, Albouystown early yesterday. The body of Colin Daley called “Froggy” and
“Frog Eye” of East La Penitence, Georgetown was found in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the head around 01:20 hrs. According to information received, the 24-year-old went to Albouystown to meet
with a friend when he was killed. It is suspected that Daley might have been set up by one of his close friends since relatives claimed that the young man had more enemies than friends in the community.
His mother, Alison Frank, said that she last saw her son some time around 20:00 hrs on Friday and he seemed normal. She explained that she was asleep when someone went to her home around 02:00 hrs yesterday and called out for her. “The person said that one of my sons was shot in Albouystown and somebody should go identify him.” At first, the woman said that she thought it might have been a mistake but still hurried to her other two sons’ room to inform them of what she had been told by the individual. Her oldest son then went to Albouystown where he confirmed that it was his brother who had been shot. He first identified his sibling by the clothing he was wear-
HOT DEAD: Colin Daley ing since the police had prevented people from going close to the body. Daley’s relatives have no idea what the young man was doing in the community but they believe that someone he
trusted might have called him to his death. Frank did confirm that the 24-year-old was no stranger to the law and had matters before the court. “You know the police, they does always deh picking up them young boys.” The police said that the deceased was wanted for several armed robberies, including that of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) officer, Ariel Benjamin, who was shot to the abdomen during a robbery. The 35-year-old GRA officer was about to enter his Lot 403 Cactus Street, West Ruimveldt home when an armed gunman confronted and shot him when he put up a fight to keep his valuables. Benjamin’s service revolver and 17 live rounds were taken in that robbery.
‘Shine buck’ acquitted of raping underage girl Joel De Souza, called ‘Shine Buck’ was last Thursday acquitted of a raping a child under 16 years old. De Souza had faced a trial before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall and a 12-member mixed jury. He was represented by Defence Counsel Ganesh Hira. The Prosecution was represented by State Counsel Mandel Moore and Seeta Bishundyal. After deliberating for in excess of two hours on Thursday the jury returned a 10-2 majority decision of not guilty of rape of child under 16 years of age. After the verdict was announced and Justice Ramlall told the accused that he was free to go, De Souza smiling and exhibiting a sense of relief thanked the jury and then exited the courtroom. According to the charge, DeSouza was at Hydronie, Parika, East Bank Essequibo in January 2014 when he had
Joel De Souza called Shine Buck sex with the child under the age of 16. During the trial, while the accused admitted that he knew the V.C. he denied ever having any sexual relationship with her. He said that the V.C.
had liked him but he never took her on. The Prosecution called five witnesses, including the V.C., her mother, Corporal Dolcie Arbrams, Constable Cordella Jones, and Dr. Ahmad Ramroop. From the V.C.’s evidence it transpired that she had known the accused for approximately four years prior to the alleged incident and subsequently developed a friendship with him. The act allegedly occurred on Sunday midday at a dam opposite the Parika Market. According to the state’s case, Dr. Ahmad Ramroop testified that from a physical examination that the V.C.’s hymen was perforated approximately two years before his examination on August 1, 2015. He testified in court that he arrived at this conclusion having regard to the muscle tone and physical development of the child.
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Kaieteur News
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Hamilton seizes Malaysian pole, Vettel to start last SEPANG, Malaysia (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes pulled out the stops to seize pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix in an inspiring display of speed, even as a power unit problems left title rival Sebastian Vettel stranded in the garage. The championship leader scorched the 5.5-kilometre long Sepang track in one minute 30.076 seconds, the fastest lap ever set at the track, to beat Kimi Raikkonen and birthday boy Max Verstappen in a hard-fought session. Vettel, however, failed to set a time and will start dead last in yet another blow to his title hopes, after a power unit
issue on his first flier in the opening phase of qualifying forced him to limp back to the pits. “I went out, everything was fine and then during the flying lap in turn five very abruptly I lost power,” Ferrari’s Vettel, who had an engine change before qualifying after running into problems at the end of Saturday’s final practice session, told reporters. Vettel trails Hamilton by 28 points in the overall standings heading into Sunday’s race. The German crashed out of pole position on the opening lap of the last race in Singapore, with Hamilton capitalising from fifth to
win. The gap between the pair is the biggest it has been all year and if Hamilton triumphs on Sunday, with Vettel lower than second, the Briton will not need to win another race to clinch his fourth title. The Malaysian Grand Prix has never been won from lower than eighth on the grid. But retired champion Nico Rosberg recovered to third last year after a spin at the start dropped him to the back of the field. RAIN THREAT Rain is also an everpresent threat in Malaysia and a typical tropical downpour could also aid Vettel
Sunday October 01, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You will be full of good ideas, and your choice of activities may bring you enrichment far beyond your expectations. Do not give your heart to someone who may not live up to your standards. Tone down and put some of that hard earned cash into a safe, long-term investment. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Don't let your personal partner hold you back. Get involved in activities that will bring you knowledge about foreign land, philosophies, or cultures. Don't expect others to live up to their promises and you won't be disappointed or find yourself stuck with delays. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) This may not be your day if you are overly melodramatic and unnerving everyone around you. Beware of colleagues who don't have your best interests in mind. You may be experiencing emotional turmoil in regard to your mate. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Strength will come from your ability to overtake just about any one. Opportunities to get involved in investment groups will payoff. Get involved in creative projects that will enhance your earning power. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You will meet exciting new people through interest groups or functions that you attend with your children. Comfort is a necessity. Check your motives. Don't let children or elders put demands on your time.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Don't let your mate talk you into going somewhere you'd rather not go. Don't gamble unless you can afford to lose. Depression may be likely if you're away from home. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your mind will be wandering to exotic destinations. Include friends and family members in your redecorating plans. Overindulgence will mean poor health. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Outings with relatives or good friends will provide you with stimulating conversation. Consider applying for a job in another part of the world. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You will have extra energy; put it to good use. Do not let the reactions of others get you going. You will have a problem holding on to your cash today. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Entertain those who can provide you with valuable information and knowledge. You can meet friends who will let you know how valuable you are. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Resistance leading to conflict will only make it twice as hard to turn the situation around. An older member of the family may need assistance. You may have to take a short trip to visit someone who hasn't been well. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Limitation could set in if you've been spending too much. You need to take a good look at all sides of an issue before making a decision.
in his recovery. The four-times champion’s qualifying setback left the way clear for Hamilton to take the 70th pole position of his career which makes the 32-year-old, who surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record haul of pole positions with his 69th at Monza, the first driver to reach the landmark. It was also his ninth of the season and fifth in Malaysia. But, even with Vettel out of contention it did not come easy, with Mercedes having struggled all weekend to extract pace from
their car. Hamilton’s team mate Bottas was only fifth. “Those laps, particularly the first Q3 lap, was very well put together, very nice lap, I don’t really know where it came from to be honest,” Hamilton, whose first flying lap in the final part of qualifying remained his fastest, said. “It’s a surprise to be up here. I’m very grateful.” Daniel Ricciardo, who led Verstappen in a one-two for Red Bull in Malaysia last year, will start fourth. He will share the second row of the grid with the Dutchman who engaged in
a bit of fun banter with Raikkonen after qualifying. “I don’t want to be sandwiched,” said Verstappen, pincered by the Ferraris in the openinglap Singapore crash. “I don’t want to be hit,” responded Raikkonen. Frenchman Pierre Gasly, drafted in as a last-minute replacement for under-performing Russian Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, will make his Formula One debut from 15th on the grid. The 21-year-old lost out to Renault-bound team mate Carlos Sainz by less than twotenths of a second.
Celebrity T20 aims to raise funds for hurricane-ravaged islands PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Two-time Twenty20 World Cup-winning skipper, Darren Sammy, will lead an Invitational XI against a Trinidad and Tobago side, in a celebrity charity Twenty20 match later this month aimed at raising TT$1 million (US$148 085) for Caribbean countries affected by the recent passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The match, scheduled for October 14 at Queen’s Park Oval, has been organised as a joint venture by Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT), the T&T Cricket Board and Queen’s Park Cricket Club. Sammy, a former Test captain, will preside over a side including the likes of West Indies stars Chris Gayle, Rovman Powell, Kesrick Wi l l i a m a n d C h a d w i c k Wa l t o n , w i t h J a m a i c a n sprinter Yohan Blake also expected to participate. The T&T outfit will be led by Kieron Pollard and is expected to comprise some of the biggest names on the international T20 circuit. Dinanath Ramnarine, chairman of SporTT, said the venue was vitally important in light of the recent devastation, especially in Dominica. “The Leewards Islands and Greater Antilles bore the brunt of the 180 mph winds and torrential rain while the destruction has been immeasurable on all levels with dozens of lives lost, hundreds of homes damaged and basic utilities and infrastructure on many islands devastated,” said Ramnarine. “While the Caribbean is not immune or unaccustomed to the sometimes destructive forces of nature, the call for immediate relief from neighbouring countries was met with ur-
gency and the entire region has rallied around the most affected.” He added: “The intention of this charity match is to use sport as the unifying force for good that we all know it is and can be. “It is important that our sporting heroes can stand up and be counted when their assistance is required they are ready to put their talent on display for the benefit of more than just those who spectate but those who
need it most.” Dominica suffered widespread devastation and the loss of 15 lives when Hurricane Maria slammed into the island two weeks ago as a category five cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Only two weeks earlier, Hurricane Irma struck Barbuda, leaving the tiny island uninhabitable. Several other islands especially in the northern Leewards were also affected by the tropical systems.
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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review the victory, lashing in all four goals with the former netting a treble in the 5th, 15th and 19th minutes, while the latter added the other in the 14th. Former kings of the format, Sparta Boss, also showed scintillating form as they easily dispatched Channel 9 Warriors 4-0 in the final game of the evening to send an ominous warning to the other teams that they are back to their best. Courtney Britton in the 5th and 7th, Gregory Richardson2nd and Eusi Phillips-14th were the players on target. However, the most enthralling game of the night was the one between Broad Street and Mocha which came right down to the wire, before the former prevailed 4-3. Daniel Favourite fired in a hat-trick in the 2nd, 5th and 16th minutes, while Jimmy Gravesande completed their tally with a strike in the 11th. Leopold Street and MBK All Stars both benefitted from walkovers, while Hustlers, West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’ and New Market Street, all won their respective encounters.
Sports Week in Review A number of things happened during the past week in local sports and today we take a look at some of the highlights of those developments. PNCR DIAMOND JUBILEE FAMILY FUN DAY AND SPORTS SET FOR NEXT MONTH OVER $2.5MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH PRIZES As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the People’s National Congress Reform, the political party will be hosting a Diamond Jubilee Family Fun day and Sports in the mining town of Linden which was named after Founder of the party, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham on October 29th. The theme for the event is “United and Strong: 60 years on” and the fun day and sports will get underway from 10:00hrs at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC). The event will include Basketball, Futsal football, Athletics and Domino competitions, in addition to novelty events that will cater for the entire family. The basketball competition is sure to excite with 1st division, inter-association playoffs, bouncing off from 10:00hrs among Linden, Georgetown and Berbice at the MSC hard court. A total of $175,000 will be up for grabs in that competition with the winners securing a top purse of $100,000, 2nd $50,000 and 3rd $25,000. The athletics arm of the oneday event will begin at 11:00hrs and will be the most lucrative with a total of $750,000 in cash prizes up for grabs. The structured Grand Prix competition will run off at the MSC ground and will have events for Male and Female in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m , 5000m inclusive of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay events. Three athletes will be allowed to compete in each category from each club. Registrations close for the athletics Grand Prix on October 15. Meanwhile, the Futsal knockout tourney begins at 12:00hrs with 16 teams from across Guyana matching skills for the 1st prize of $200,000, 2nd, $100,000 and 3rd $50,000, all inclusive of trophies and bragging rights. The Domino competition will feature 15 teams vying for almost $300,000 in cash prizes which will be held in the pavilion of the MSC. Not forgetting the family fun, novelty events such as tug-o-war, lime & spoon races, quiz contest, buns eating, kids’ zone, bouncy castles and the feature 60 metres races for both male and female members of the executive committee of the Party are set to be part of the anticipated event.
GDF (left) prevails in a lineup challenge in the victory against Hornets .
TWO-DAY COMMONWEALTH GAMES FEDERATION MEETING HOSTED BY GUYANA CONCLUDES The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) concluded its two-day regional meeting of the Americas and the Caribbean at the Guyana Olympic Association’s head office at Lilliendaal, where the meeting was held. Guyana hosted 16 countries, while 4 countries were unable to attend due to the recent hurricanes. T h e i n i t i a l d a y, s a w t h e commonwealth representatives of the Americas and Caribbean participating in workshops. Those workshops included procedures in getting the Caribbean and Americas in line with the new governance structures of the Commonwealth Games Federation, match-fixing, gender equity in addition to setting up a fund for the hurricane affected member countries. The final day of the meeting, the CGF Americas and Caribbean group heard from the Regional Anti-Doping Agency (RADO) and representatives from the Gold Coast; the host for next year’s 21st Commonwealth Games. The 21st Commonwealth Games will be held in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from April 4-15, 2018. When quizzed on the Guyana’s chances of hosting a Commonwealth Games of their
own in the near future, head of the CGF Louise Martin, tepidly replied, “I would love to see the games coming here (in Guyana) but it may be a while before the senior games can be hosted in Guyana because these are huge events with 6000 athletes and officials. The junior Games which were last hosted in the Bahamas would be the right size for the small countries.” In addition, Louise Martin, gleefully expressed to the press, “It’s been a very good two days and we (CGF Americas and Caribbean group) have got a lot of work done in this short space of time. It’s been a good experience in Guyana.” INDIGENOUS HERITAGE GAMES PORT KAITUMA, PARIMA TRIUMPH AT FOOTBALL; MAHDIA, PAKURI WARRIORS TAKE CRICKET TITLES Port Kaituma of Region One and Parima of Region Seven captured the male and female football titles respectively when the Indigenous Heritage Games concluded at Everest Cricket Club. Watched by a large and colourful crowd, Port Kaituma beat Waramadong 2-1, while Parima defeated Lethem 3-0 on penalties. Port Kaituma dominated the early proceedings and Cornell St. Romain put them ahead in the first half when he slotted home from inside the area. The region one side continued to attack following the interval and Floyd Thomas
GRFU/BOUNTY FARM 15S; GDF BRUSH ASIDE HORNETS IN 41-10 VICTORY
stretched the lead before Lynden Joseph pulled one back for Waramadong. Waramadong tried desperately in search of an equaliser, but Port Kaituma defence stood firm to give their fans much to cheer about. The female final did produce some exciting moments, but both teams failed to find the back of the net in the 70 minutes regulation time. Even the 15 minutes of extra time failed to separate the teams which sent the game into penalties. Olivia O’ Selmo, Betsy Gonsalves and Jean Edmund converted for defending champions Parima. Mahdia beat Mainstay of Region two by nine wickets in the male cricket final, while in the female final, Pakuri Warriors beat Capoey of Essequibo Coast by five wickets. STREET VYBZ ENTERTAINMENT FUTSAL COMPETITION AFRICAN CONNECTION BEAT OL SKOOL BALLERS AS SPARTA BOSS BACK TO THEIR BEST Guinness Cage champions Ol Skool Ballers became the big casualty after suffering a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the African Connection (a team made up of players from Nigeria) when play in t h e i n a u g u r a l S t r e e t Vy b z Entertainment Futsal Competition opened Thursday night, at the National Gymnasium. Siblings Benjamin and Kenneth Opara were the chief architects in
Guyana Defence Force bragged their superiority over Pepsi Hornets with a 41-10 thrashing at the National Park Track and Field pitch in the second and final match of last weekend in the Bounty Farm sponsored 15s competition. Dwayne Schroeder was the main guy for the army men with 14 points, inclusive of two tries and two conversions. Schroeder along with Patrick King and Cloyd Prowell scored 1 try each for the military men to have an imposing 15-0 score at half time. GDF’s first half scorers followed up in the second half by sprinting away to a try each before Rodwell Hutson joined the victory parade with a try of his own. GUYANA BEVERAGE COMPANY SPONSORED TURBO KO FOOTBALL TOURNEY LAUNCHED Following the conclusion of a very successful 11-a-side football tournament, local football organizers Petra have kept the ball rolling with the launch of the Turbo Knockout football tournament which is set to begin Wednesday with almost $1 million in cash and prizes up from grabs. The simple but significant launching ceremony for the 16-team tournament was held at the Guyana Beverage Company’s head office board room at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. The 16 teams will include 11 of the 12 that participated in the Corona Invitational Knockout tournament minus Western (Continued on page 67)
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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review (From page 66) Tigers. West Demerara’s Uitvlugt and Poudreyen, East Bank’s Grove Hi-Tech, along with East Coast’s Buxton Stars and Mahaica Determinators will also be matching skills in the straight eliminator competition for the $500,000 1st prize. The tournament’s runners up will receive $250,000, third place $125,000, while 4th finishers will pocket $75,000. PORT MOURANT TRAINING CENTRE1 WIN MARK HENRIQUES MEMORIAL VOLLEYBALL COMPETITION GTCPM1 TAKES JUNIOR CATEGORY Port Mourant Training Centre1 (PMTC1) continued their winning ways when the Berbice Volleyball Association in collaboration with the Kendall’s Union Sports Club (KUSC) held the Mark Henriques Memorial Volleyball Tournament for teams in Ancient County. The competition which was played at The KUCS ground at NO19 East Coast Berbice saw action in the senior male and junior male categories. In the finals, PMTC1 made light work of the Rollers with an easy 2-0 win. They scores were 2513, 25-18. The junior category saw the GTCPM 1 lads got the better of the GTCPM 2 counterparts 30-26 in a keenly contested affair. At the end of the competition
the winning PMTC team received the Mark Henriques Memorial Trophy and Cash Incentives, while Rollers also received trophy and cash. Davendra Latchman of the PMTC 1was adjudged the MVP and was also rewarded. The top teams in the junior category were also rewarded. ARCHERY GUYANA / MINISTRY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S AFFAIRS HOLDS SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION Once again Archery Guyana’s collaboration with the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs concluded with a very successful archery competition at this year’s Indigenous Heritage Games at the Everest Cricket Club Ground. The exciting Semi-finals and Finals began with the first arrows being loosed by Sports Minister Dr George Norton and Junior Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie GarridoLowe. The 3 Men’s Finalists were Ivor Williams of Moruka, Region 1(29pts), Winston Baird of Campbelltown, Region 8 (23pts) and Horacio Barboza of Intac, Region 8 (17pts). Only Ivor Williams was able to hit the moving target, drawing loud applause from the crowd. The Ladies saw mother and daughter Brenette and Aliyah Gordon of West Demerara, Region 4, vying for the top spot, as Samantha Paulino of St Ignatius
Ricardo Adams Village, Region 9 was unable to compete in the finals, which automatically earned her 3rd place with 0 points, while Aliyah Gordon came out on top with 8 points and Brenette Gordon 1 point to gain second place. Aliyah Gordon also won in her division last year. The Youth Males 12-17 was hotly contested by Joshua Sandwell of Pakuri, Region 4 who earned 1st place (7pts), and Michael Hing of Georgetown, Region 4 (4pts) who gained second, while Keon Kattow of Pakuri, Region 4 (0 pts) came in third. The Children (under 12) shot at 15m distance only. Dolphlundren Shuman of Pakuri, Region 4 gained an automatic 3rd place, as only James Marco and Paige Fernandes were present to contest the U12 title. Paige Fernandes of
Leon Johnson (flickr.com) Georgetown, Region 4 gained 16 points to win 1st place, while James Marco came in 2nd with 1 point. HIGH QUALITY HOCKEY AT GTT NATIONAL INDOOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS The National ladies chalked up their fourth straight win with Thursday night’s triumph against the Bingo Spartans being their highest goal tally of 14 goals in a game. Pizza Hut GCC sailed into the ladies finals with an easy win over iNet Lynx. The Pepsi Hikers pulled ahead of Saints in the men’s first division to set up a challenge with Old Fort Titans for a spot in the final, while Old Fort Warriors seem destined for a finals spot in the men’s second division with an easy victory over Saints.
Despite some high quality men’s and women’s Open Division hockey, it was the veterans who produced the most entertaining match of the evening as GCC Vintage took on Antonio’s Grill Hikers. The game ended at a 3-3 stalemate robbing both teams of bragging rights. The National ladies continued their predictable dominance of the women’s division with a fine display of scoring with a 14 – 2 score in favour of the National Ladies. Pizza Hut GCC brushed aside iNet Lynx 5-0. The Pepsi Hikers finally got in the winners column when they faced Saints in their men’s first division fixture 5-3. JOHNSON TO LEAD GUYANA IN ANTIGUA T20 TOURNEY RICARDO ADAMS INCLUDED National Captain Leon Johnson will lead Guyana in the second a n n u a l A B C A Tr i N a t i o n Independence T20 in Antigua from October 6-14. The squad for the Tournament, which also include Jamaica, is Leon Johnson (Capt), Veerasammy Permaul (V/Capt), Robin Bacchus Gajanand Singh, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Jonathan Foo, Anthony Bramble, Kemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton Romario Shepherd, Ricardo Adams, Christopher Barnwell and Ramaal Lewis.
Letter to the Sports Editor
Foster responds to Allicock’s letter Dear Sir, My attention was drawn to a letter under the heading “Hilbert Foster is no cricket Administrator” written by Godwyn Allicock. This letter is not only libelous but a determined and well planned attack on my character. Ever since the Kaieteur News had carried some endorsements from several persons, the smear campaign has started via facebook and letters to the Editor. The sad part is that I have never told anyone I would be contesting the Berbice Cricket Board Elections and I am left to wonder what would happen if I do so. I have received numerous requests to do so and would make a decision very soon. Why cannot we behave like civilized people and run a clean campaign based on achievements and ability to get things done and plans for the future? I hold no brief for Mr. Allicock, but attacking me seems to be a fulltime job
for him. All of his statements in the letter are libelous and false. a) I h a v e n e v e r recommended 20/20 cricket for Under-13 players, never organised any such tournament nor plan to do so. Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has recently formed an Under-13 Team which is currently playing in an eight team tournament in Georgetown organised by the Softball League. The Club agreed to do so since no form of cricket is being played in Berbice. b) I have never formed a Special Events Committee u n d e r m y b r o t h e r ’s Presidency of the Berbice Cricket Board. The elected Executive Committee asked me to head the Committee which included Anil Beharry, Leslie Solomon, Gregory Rambarran, Shabeer Baksh, Winston Smith, Hubern Evans, Rabindranauth Saywack, Romesh Munna and Angela Haniff among
others. c) The work of the Special Events Committee is well documented and played a great role in the development of Berbice Cricket. This was done not to the effort of one man but a group of honest dedicated individuals whose main objectives was to lift Berbice Cricket to the highest level. d) The Special Events Committee never had its own Bank Account. All funds raised were handed over to the Treasurer Anil Beharry and the Berbice Cricket Board Trustees. The Berbice Cricket Board Financial Accounts were audited on an annual basis and approved by its member clubs at the Annual General Meetings. e) The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club membership is opened to all Berbicians free of cost. We do not as a matter of policy ask cricketers to join our Club. The accusation that we
stole cricketers from Upper Corentyne and surrounding areas is simply untrue. Players like Clinton Pestano, Askhay Homraj and Parmanand Narine all asked to join the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and had their requests granted. f) Mr. Allicock in his letter accused me of doing the Berbice Cricket Board fixtures for matches, picking venues and selecting umpires. This statement is highly fictitious and libelous as I never did any of the following. The preparation of fixtures was done solely by the Berbice Cricket Board Competitions Chairman Mr. Carl Moore who also selected the venues, while the Berbice Cricket Umpires Association was responsible for the selection of umpires. I have never oversteped my role in the Berbice Cricket Board and Mr. Moore along with the Umpires Association can be contacted to verify same.
M r. A l l i c o c k m o s t famous theme is about people enriching them at the expense of cricket. It is very easy to target people’s character when you cannot target their record of achievements. Personally, I can safely say that I am not a rich person, do not live any type of fancy lifestyle and has always tried to be humble. I do not own a vehicle, do not own a piece of jewelry, have the oldest bicycle in the world to ride to work and can say without fear of being corrected that I do not have half a million dollars in my name or my family. It hurts when you sacrifice a lot to serve humanity and is targeted by others who have nothing to do. I would continue to serve my town, my county, country to the best of my ability and would urge Mr. Allicock to do likewise. By the way, since I am no cricket administrator, I should return the numerous awards I have collected
including the National Sports Personality Award from the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Cricket Board S p e c i a l Aw a r d f o r outstanding contribution to the development of cricket. Over the years, my faith in God has been my tower of strength and would continue to be so. To Mr. Allicock and his friends, I would strongly urge that you concentrate your efforts on informing the Berbice Cricket Clubs on your plans for the future and to run a clean election campaign based on your achievements. On a personal note, I would like to express thanks to the numerous and countless friends, cricket clubs, political leaders and members of the business community who visited me or called to offer words of encouragement in the face of this restless campaign against me. Yours in Sports, Hilbert Foster, Secretary/CEO, RHTYSC.
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Charity football match on today to aid hurricane affected countries A charity football match between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President’s XI and the Indigenous All Stars XI will be played today at the Everest Sports Ground Camp Road. The match is a collaborative effort by the GFF, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and Banks DIH to assist those affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria and persons affected by the floods in Region Eight. President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, said that football is a sport that brings people together no matter ethnic background or political affiliation. He is calling on everyone to make generous donations for a worthy cause. “Many Guyanese are not fully aware of the impact those two hurricanes have had… many of those countries have been decimated. It will take years
Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe (Centre), President of GFF Wayne Forde (Left of Minister) along with members of the two teams that will clash today and a representative from Banks DIH. before they come back to any form of normalcy… to me this is more than a game, this is Guyana demonstrating that it is a caring nation”, he explained. Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, an advocate
for football in Guyana, said that the initiative is a timely one. The Minister commended the response she received from the GFF following discussions on ways they could assist those affected by the devastating disasters. Jeremy Garrett of the
Classic Ball Blasters Volleyball Club blank Surinamese counterparts on Goodwill Tour By Franklin Wilson Still a relatively young and budding side, the Classic B a l l B l a s t e r s Wo m e n Volleyball Club (CBBWVC) has taken their development to another level by defeating two Surinamese Club sides on a recent Goodwill Tour of the Dutch country, last weekend. The Surinamese are well known for their strength in women’s volleyball but the young Guyanese side has shown great progression when they defeated Ye l l o w b i r d Vo l l e y b a l l Club and Condor Vo l l e y b a l l C l u b i n contrasting style on a tour that was designed to test the skill levels and standard of the Classic Ball Blasters players. Not being daunted by the fact that they are not being afforded the opportunity to participate in competitions under the auspices of the D e m e r a r a Vo l l e y b a l l A s s o c i a t i o n ( D VA ) , CBBWVC resolved to raise their own funds through fund raising activities in order to fund their trip to Suriname which received the blessings of the President of the G u y a n a Vo l l e y b a l l Federation (GVF), Mr. John Flores.
CBB’s eight member squad first took on Yellowbirds at the Calor School Hall in a best of five sets showdown. The Guyanese lasses raced to a commanding two set advantage 25-14, 25-21 but were brought into check by the Surinamese side that won the next two sets, 17-25, 20-25 to set up a mouth watering fifth and final set decider. The three-year old CBB played out of their skins to pull off a huge upset win by taking the final set 15-10 to get their Goodwill Tour off to a dream start. Their initial success was not to be a one off achievement as they regrouped and refocused for the clash against Condor at the Lycoi Sports Hall. Quite mindful that the Surinamese are die hard sports people, CBB sought to keep their focus high and were prepared for their opponents mentally and otherwise. The two sides agreed that the match would be played using the best of seven (7) format, incorporating the new points system of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), each set going for 19 points.
In another dream performance, CBB romped to a straight sets win, 19-12, 19-14, 19-17, 19-12 to sweep the two match series, a dream achievement for the local side in a nation that is very strong in the sport at the female level. CBBWVC has indicated that the tour was well appreciated and has boosted the confidence of the team, while underlining the fact that a number of talented players have come to the fore. They are looking forward to being invited by their Surinamese counterparts to compete in more matches there. The club also noted that the opportunity also afforded their players the platform to experience another level of competition which has enhanced their individual and collective abilities as well as techniques. Last year, the club embarked on a number of local goodwill tours where they visited and competed against teams from Linden, Bartica and Orealla. CBB also funded its own way to compete in Jamaica in 2015 and are working towards returning to the Land of Wood and Water this year to compete again.
President’s XI said that he is happy to be participating in such an event, taking into consideration the initiative behind it. Garrett said that Guyana is one of the luckiest countries in the world as it does not experience natural disasters such as the recent hurricanes. He stated that, “If we did, I know for a fact that we would have wanted help from other countries and for the country (Guyana) to come up with an idea like this I must commend those who thought of the idea to
have a game to just help the other countries that were affected.” Delano Mentor, representing the Indigenous All Stars XI, said that he is excited to be playing against some of the best footballers from Georgetown. However, Mentor acknowledged the importance and the reason behind the game. “Our main focus here is to support the hurricaneaffected countries”, he added that “we are looking forward for the support from the fans, we hope you come out in
numbers”, Mentor stated. Funds garnered from the two games will go to victims of the hurricane-ravaged Caribbean islands. Admission to the venue is $500, but persons can make donations at a desk that will be set up at the venue. The opening game, a female encounter starting at 18:00hrs, will bring together the National Under-17 squad against an All-star team. The main event will commence at 20:00hrs. (Isaiah Braithwaite)
BVA Inter school volleyball competition
Berbice High School, New Amsterdam Multilateral are NA/Canje champions The Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) held the play off f o r t h e N e w Amsterdam/ Canje zone in the ongoing c o u n t y w i d e Vo l l e y b a l l c o m p e t i tion recently at the Berbice High School. After a tough day of competition it was the Berbice High School (BHS) and New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary (NAMS) who emerged male and female champions.
Four schools participated in the male segment with BHS, NAMS, Vryman’s Erven Secondary School (VESS) and Berbice Educational Institute ( BEI) being the participants. Among the females the schools were NAMS, BHS and VESS. In the male competition, it was the BHS lads that defeated their counterparts from NAMS by 2-0 to emerge victors, the scores
being 25 – 19, 25 - 23. However, in the female department it was the NAMS that took revenge on their BHS colleagues with an easy 30- 19 victory. It will mean now that BHS and NAMS with represent the NA/ Canje zone in both the male and female departments in the grand play off which will be played on a date to be announced at Port Mourant. (Samuel Whyte)
Paul Pogba: Man Utd midfielder has long-term injury, says Jose Mourinho BBC Sport - Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba’s hamstring injury will keep him out “long term”, says manager Jose Mourinho. The 24-year-old France playmaker limped off 19 minutes into the Reds’ Champions League win over Basel and he has missed the past four games at Old Trafford.
It was initially thought Pogba would be out for between a month and six weeks following the injury on 12 September. Mourinho would not however give a specific timescale on his return. Mouinho said he “does not speak about long-term injuries” but was more hopeful on the fitness of defenders Phil Jones and
Antonio Valencia. “I cannot have hope, like with Jones or Valencia who I can see in training and hope for a positive answer,” added the Portuguese. Pogba’s fellow midfielders Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini also look set to miss today’s home game against Crystal Palace.
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2017 Courts Pee wee football tournament off to a promising start
Marian Academy (blue) against champions St. Angela’s in their drawn match yesterday.
The 6th Annual Courts Pee wee football tournament got underway at Banks DIH’s Thirst Park ground with the march past yesterday before fourteen (14) under-11 clashes between 28 primary schools got underway. The football competition which will last for 8-weeks usually run two consecutive matches at a time.
The first two matches produced 14 goals. St. Margarets thrashed Supply Primary 6-0 in one (1) of the two(2) opening games of the morning before they were disqualified for fielding an over age player. In the other game, Sophia made light work of Winfer Gardens with a dominating 8-0 victory. Ronaldo Wilson was the top performer with 4
goals. Jacob Rodney of St. Ambrose was the other player to score 4 goals on the opening day, he completed this feat during his team’s 80 mauling of Colaaco. In addition, St. Pius’ Dwayne Baptiste was on target as he hit the target 3 times in his team’s 6-0 win over F.E. Pollard. Tucville Primary had one
Archery Guyana at GTT’s Duck Curry Competition
Some of the action in the fierce Redeemer Primary vs. North Georgetown contest yesterday afternoon at Thirst Park.
of the best victories on day one of the tournament after dousing new comers Soesdyke with 6 unanswered. Scoring for Tucville were Emmanuel Tinch (4th & 23rd minutes), Carl Negus (6th &20th minute) with doubles, while Ryan Green (2nd minute) and John Harry had a goal each. Nicholas Watts was
Archery Guyana took the sport of archery again to the GTT. This time at their Duck Curry Competition and Family Fun Day held on Saturday, September 16 at Demerara Park, Georgetown. Many of the company’s staff and family members were very eager to try out the sport of archery.
GTT’s CEO Justin Nedd, and a few other managers of the company also tried their hands at shooting the bow. A few Archery Guyana members were on hand to give assistance and pointers to GTT+ staffers and family members on how to properly and safely use the bow and arrow on
an archery range which are a standard of World Archery and its affiliated organisations. Archery Guyana again would like to thank GTT+ for the opportunity in helping raise much needed funds for the local organising body, and also promoting one of the newest sports in Guyana.
time defending Champions St. Angela’s were held to a 00 stalemate against Marian Academy. The champions who have only retained one player from their title winning team in 2016, failed to score as both teams defending resolutely. The competition resumes next Saturday at Thirst Park from 21:00hrs.
Centuries for Latchaya, Paul, Perez; Anthony Adams grabs 7
Raymond Perez
Archery Guyana Chairman, Nicholas Hing giving tips to one of the many enthusiastic persons who tried their hand at archery for the very first time. In the background also is GTT technician and Archery Guyana Task Force Committee member Sean Duncan giving tips on how to use the bow correctly.
superb in Redeemer’s 2-0 triumph over North Georgetown Primary. Watts kept his composure as he calmly scored both goals in the 18th and 22nd minutes in one of the fiercest competed matches by the under-11 lads during the opening day’s play. In one of the most anticipated clashes yesterday afternoon, two-
Centuries by David Latchaya, Keemo Paul and Raymond Perez and a sevenwicket haul by Anthony Adams highlighted the second day’s play when the fifth round Cricket Guyana Inc Jaguars three-day franchise league continued yesterday. At Port Mourant, Upper Corentyne posted 310 all out after resuming on their first innings overnight score of 190-3, in reply to Essequibo’s 153. David Latchaya struck 105 while Anthony Bramble scored 79. Left arm spinner Adams picked up 7 for 91 and Ricardo Adams had 2 for
Anthony Adams
78. Batting a second time, Essequibo closed on 361-3, to lead by 204. Paul stroked a fluent 177 while Kevon Boodie made 59; his second half century of the game. Ricardo Adams is unbeaten on 62 and Kemol Savory on 37. At Tuschen ground on the East Bank of Essequibo, Georgetown resuming on their overnight score of 1 without loss, scored 396 all
Keemo Paul
out in reply to West Demerara first innings score of 333. Raymond Perez hammered 138, Christopher Barnwell slammed 86 and Ramaal Lewis 68 and Steven Sankar 48. B o w l i n g f o r We s t Demerara, Travis Persaud had 3 for 12, Richie Looknauth 3-96 and KeshramSeyodan 3-104. Play continues at 09:30 hrs today.
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GCB/CGI 3-day Franchise League Hamilton Green Cup Bank scent win despite continues at Den Amstel Today East another 5-for by Motie
The Hamilton Green Cup, knockout football competition is ready to excite fans with a double header at the Den Amstel Community Ground on the West Coast of Demerara this afternoon. The first of the round-of-16 encounters will kick off at 14:00hrs and will put in form Police FC, fresh
off their victory in the Corona Invitational football tournament, against Riddim Squad that will go all out to remain in the tournament. The second match kicks off at 16:00hrs and West Coast based Uitvlugt will be hoping to knock out Georgetown’s youthful
Santos team with their quick legs. So far, three teams have qualified for the quarterfinals following the triple header at the Victoria Community Center ground last week Sunday. Those winners of the first round of 16 matches are Den Amsel, Falcons and Ann’s Grove.
Ninvalle satisfied with CARICOM stance to current AIBA crisis President of the Guyana Boxing Association and AIBA Executive Committee Member, Steve Ninvalle, has expressed satisfaction with the stance taken by the Caribbean Region during the present AIBA crisis. Led by Ninvalle, the English speaking Caribbean and Suriname have stayed away from endorsing any side of the divide until a meeting of its administrators is held in October. “It has been and still is my firm belief that only after we have sat down and had cogent conversations relating to the current crisis, that this region can afford to take a side. We have not met as yet, but will in just about two weeks,” Ninvalle disclosed. The GBA president’s declaration was made soon after the Swiss Court ruled that Taiwanese Dr. ChingKuo Wu is the legitimate leader of AIBA which has 201 countries affiliated. Ninvalle led a campaign for the Caribbean to remain neutral amidst the turmoil and had organized a meeting of the Region’s p r e s i d e n t s a n d administrators which was scheduled for September 10 in Guyana. However, that meeting was postponed because of destruction made by Hurricane Irma and rescheduled for October 14. “The Caribbean has shown maturity, an appetite for due process, total refusal
Steve Ninvalle of being caught up in the politics of the day and exhibited true Caribbean unity. This has caused us to be even more respected in the world of boxing,” Ninvalle added. The Swiss court on Monday dismissed an attempt by an Interim Management Committee to seize control of AIBA. Wu’s position was challenged by the some members of the A I B A’ s e x e c u t i v e committee, who claimed the Taiwanese had led the sport to the brink of bankruptcy. Part of Wu’s executive committee had passed a motion of no-confidence against his leadership and had turned to Swiss courts in July to approve a temporary administration, accusing the president of financial mismanagement. But that bid for urgent provisional control of the AIBA was rejected, with M o n d a y ’s r u l i n g a l s o coming down in favour of
the organisation’s current boss. Wu’s rivals had claimed that AIBA had racked up debts worth 15 million Swiss francs ($15 million, 13.1 million euros). But Wu has insisted the body is financially healthy, accusing his detractors of mounting “a military coup”. The IMC has sought letters of support from individuals and national federations affiliated AIBA. Following the court ruling, AIBA announced that: “The Court decision upholds the position of AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu and Executive Director Mr. William Louis-Marie to validly represent AIBA and to continue to work in the best interests of boxing.” Meanwhile, Ninvalle stated that the IMC, which was originally invited to the meeting in Guyana, will have to be dropped from the agenda following the ruling of the Swiss Court. In August the GBA president wrote to the IMC stating: “Presidents and their representatives of the English speaking Caribbean Countries and Dutch Speaking Suriname will gather in Georgetown, Guyana to discuss the issues surrounding AIBA presently. The IMC is being invited to send a representative to Guyana to share and present its views and or recommendations on the present situation in AIBA. Please note that an invitation is also being extended to AIBA and AMBC to do the same, as our membership has mandated that all sides of this impasse be allowed to present to our National federations, their versions of a situation where we have received mixed and confusing signals and communication.”
Jacobs’ 5-22 keeps his team ahead East Bank began the second of their fifth round GCB/CGI three-day Franchise League against West Berbice at Bush Lot yesterday on 161-7 in reply to the 140 all out made by the home and were bowled out for 191 to lead by 51 runs. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie’s captured the three wickets to fall to register his fifth five-wicket of the tournament with 5-39. West Berbice replied with 190 with Arthley Bailey (75), Raffel Estraido (37) and Motie (50) leading the fight with the bat by West Berbice. Steven Jacobs followed up his 61 with the bat with 522 and got support from Sherfane Rutherford who took 3-39 for East Bank were 62-2 needing another 78 to win on the final day today. Motie took both wickets to fall to extend his lead among the wicket-takers to 46.
When West Berbice began their second innings, Renaldo Ali Mohammed removed Estraido (37) at 67 before Jacobs bowled Test batsman Shimron Hetymer for a duck for his second failure in the game to leave the score on 70-2 and trigger a slide which left West Berbice on the ropes at 1035. Leon Andrews was removed by Jacobs at 90-3 and four runs later it was 944 when the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ off-spinner got rid of Javid Karim for a first ball duck and when Leon Glasgow (1) fell to Darshan Persaud the home team had slumped from 67 without loss to 103-5. But Bailey was still there and he was joined by Motie and together they added 77 to take the score to 180 before Bailey was trapped LBW to Rutherford to start another collapse which saw the last
Stephen Jacobs five wickets tumbling for 10 runs with Motie being the last man out, bowled by Jacobs. Set 140 to win, East Bank lost Chris Deonarine (24) at 37-1 and Deonarine Seegobin (7) at 49 as Motie took both wickets. West Indies U-15 Captain Sachin Singh (18) and Persaud (10) were the not out batsmen with the visitors needing 78 more runs for victory on the final day today. (Sean Devers)
All systems are a go for today’s GMR&SC Caribbean Invasion The drag strip and lights being tested prior to today’s Caribbean Invasion.
The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMRSC) Caribbean Invasion Drag Race meet set for the South Dakota Circuit from 09:00hrs is anticipated to scorch the South Dakota track with highly competitive match ups. A c c o r d i n g t o information from the club, all the necessary set ups and protocols were organized for yesterday’s practice session. “We have managed to successfully reconnect our drag strip starting tree and were able to host a successful practice session for our cars today (yesterday),” a
correspondence from the club stated. The release further explained that, “We (GMRSC) started a bit later than expected but we were able to get everything up and running and we are ready for an action packed day of racing Sunday.” Motor racing patrons are being informed to get to the South Dakota Circuit early if they are to secure good vantage points for the event. Tickets will be sold at the gate at a cost of $1000 for adults and $500 for children. Gates will be opened from 06:00hrs to ensure the smooth flow of spectator vehicles.
“We have also secured the necessary safety arrangements for those competitors in the event that something should go wrong,” the statement continued. “Thus far, we have received in excess of fifty competitors and we have successfully logged them into the system so that racing action can begin at 09:00hrs”, the release concluded. The club has also sought to remind competitors that helmets must be of a proper standard and securely fastened while the use of slippers by competitors is strictly prohibited.
Sunday October 01, 2017
Kaieteur News
PAGE 75
GCB/CGI 3-day Franchise League
Foo, Anderson power Lower Corentyne By Sean Devers A double century third wicket stand between the pugnacious Jonathon Foo and the responsible Kelvon Anderson powered Lower Corentyne to an imposing 343-3 at the end of the opening day of their fifth round GCB/CGI three-day Franchise League against East Coast at Lusignan yesterday. The 27-year-old Foo blasted 13 fours and eight sixes in an explosive 152 from 187 balls and 239 minutes and shared in a 243run stand with 16-year-old schoolboy Kevlon Anderson who fashioned an excellently compiled an unbeaten 101 from 292 balls and 390 minutes with seven fours to put his team in charge going into today’s second day. On a day blessed with glorious sunshine, Lower Corentyne won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting track and fairly fast o u t f i e l d a n d Wa h e i d Edwards was off to a positive start; stroking Royston Simon for three boundaries early in his innings. The National U-19 allrounder Anderson, in his first role as an opener in this tournament, flicked Simon
for four and played the supporting role as the partnership gathered momentum. Edwards was caught low down at slip by Chanderpaul Hemraj Kumar off Bishundyal at 46-1 after he had hit four fours in his 52ball 25. Guyana Amazon Wa r r i o r s l e f t - h a n d e r Gajanand Singh, who missed the last match, got going with an imperious cover driven boundary but soon hit Bishundyal to midoff after making nine with the score on 64-2. J a m a i c a Ta l l a w a h s player Foo, joined Anderson and struck Bishundyal over mid-on for four. Anderson displayed wonderful temperament and demonstrated great shot selection and it took him 79 balls to reach the boundary for the second time, 22 minutes before Lunch. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club righthander then rocked back and slapped Bishundyal for consecutive fours past point when the off-spinner provided width. Foo then punched Bhaskar Yadram for four past cover before latching onto to leg-spinner Amir Khan and dumped over the
Jonathon Foo sweeps for four during his century at Lusignan yesterday. Kelvon Anderson on drives during his responsible innings yesterday. extra cover boundary. A ferocious drive from off Hemraj galloped to the cover boundary and by lunch the visitors were 120-2. Anderson was on 44 and Foo on 39. After the interval Anderson drove Bishundyal majestically to the cover boundary to bring up his fifty with his fifth four off 118 balls to follow-up his 72 in Canje in the last round, while Foo pivoted and pulled Cordel Mars for four after he was tested by short one from the pacer two balls before. Foo pulled Mars in front of square when he bowled short before lofting him over
mid-off for his ninth boundary to bring up his 50 from 85 minutes off 85 balls. After an LBW appeal from Simon was turned and there was some chatter to Foo about the decision, the Albion right-hander charged the pacer next ball and with an element of disrespect, deposited him over long-on for six as the partnership swelled. Foo was not finished with Simon as yet; flicking him brutally for another scorching boundary. Foo then dispatched Simon over cover and pulled him behind square for fours before launching him for a massive
six in the same over. Foo hammered Yadram over cover for six and hit Hemraj for another and reached his hundred with 12 fours and three sixes and celebrated by hitting Kamesh Yadram for a gigantic six in the last over before Tea. At Tea Lower Corentyne had reached 245-2 with Foo on 112 and Anderson 83 and the partnership on 181. After Tea, Foo jumped into Khan and hit him over t h e b o u n d a r y, w h i l e Anderson, who attends the Lower Corentyne Secondary School, moved closer to his ton when he pulled Hemraj f o r f o u r, w h i l e F o o
clobbered Khan for consecutive sixes back over his head. Foo was on a rampage and dumped Hemraj out of the ground with consummate ease but perished when was taken at cover off Mars at 307-3 to bring Seon Hetymer, the elder sibling of Test batsman Shimron, to the crease. Anderson reached his maiden Franchise League hundred from 280 balls with seven fours. Anderson, who was dropped off his own bowling by Simon on 94 and Hetymer, who lofted Simon for two sixes, saw their team to the close.
GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships...
National Teams stay on top Eight (8) matches were played on Friday night In the GTT National Indoor Hockey Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Three (3) matches were played in the men’s first division and the national Blacks and Greens, who were involved in two of those games, both won convincingly. The Greens had the biggest win of the night after thrashing Pepsi Hikers 10-2. Aroydy Branford, Randy Hope and Jason Dossantos all scored braces for the Greens’ win. Meanwhile, the National Blacks defeated Old Fort Titans 5-0 and top local team, Bounty GCC eased past Saints 6-0 in the
Spartans (left) vs. Pizza Hut, Battle of the GCC clubs during the GTT national indoors. final men’s 1st division match. Saints defeated Hikers comfortably 5-1 led by a brace of goals from Joel Hunte, while Paramanand Dindial, Yonnick Peters and Kevin Edwards score one each to cap off the win in the men’s 2nd division. Hikers’ Shomere Garrett scored the game’s 1st goal in
the 8th minute to see his team loss following a come from behind triumph by Saints HC. Continuing in the second division, Old Fort Warriors revelled in a good win against St. Stanislaus College HC 5-1, with a superb hat-trick from Stefan Sprosta. In the women’s division, Pizza Hut GCC enjoyed a
good 2-2 draw against the powerful National Ladies’ team. GCC were in the lead 2-1 heading into the final minute of the game, but a last ditch effort from Marzana Fiedtkou secured the equalizer for the National side in the 39 minute of the 40-minute game. On the score sheet for the National team was forward Aliyah Gordon who scored
the game’s first goal in the 12th minute. GCC scorers were Sonia Jardine (22nd minute) and Shebiki Baptise (37thminute). More women’s division action witnessed Inet Lynx defeating the youthful GCC Spartans team 3-1. It was a good contest and the developing Spartan team held Lynx 1-1 at half time before two goals from
Tekeisha Deleon in the 28th and 29th minutes nailed their coffin. In the veterans division, GCC vintage held no punches as they battered the National Ladies 5-1, GHB boss Phillip Fernandes rolled back the years as he smashed two penalty corners past goalkeeper, Natalie Hing, during his team’s victory on Friday.
t r o Sp 2017 Courts Pee wee football tournament off to a promising start P.69
Marian Academy (blue) had their fair share of possession against the champions St. Angela’s yesterday but couldn’t score.
Classic Ball Blasters Volleyball Club blank Surinamese counterparts on Goodwill Tour P.68
GCB/CGI 3-day Franchise League
P.70
East Bank scent win despite another 5-for by Motie Ninvalle satisfied with CARICOM stance to current AIBA crisis P.70
The Classic Ball Blasters Women Volleyball Club displaying the Golden Arrowhead in Suriname following their success.
All systems are a go for today’s GMR&SC P.70 Caribbean Invasion
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