Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Friday October 03, 2017

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

BIGOTRY, HATRED AND FEAR One of the most important changes in the world today is the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States, Canada, Britain and several other countries. While many have accepted same sex relationships, Guyana and several other countries in the Caribbean with traditionally diverse and liberal societies have rejected them. In these countries, there is an increasing level of homophobia and what is right or wrong. Their bigotry is deep-rooted and it is aimed at those whose sexuality is different from the norm in society. Members of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gays and Transsexual (LBGT) society have spoken about the discrimination, pain, suffering and fear they have endured from those in society who see them as outcasts. In some islands, especially in Jamaica, the musical lyrics that have become very popular, have been openly homophobic. They pour scorn on those who are gay or bisexual. They often incite violence against LBGTs. LBGTs have often spoken of the difficulty of living in some of the islands and of maintaining close connections with family. It dates as far back to the time of the ancient Greeks. It appears that the advent of social media has given permission to all and sundry to heap abuse and to garner support for unfettered bigotry and hate towards LBGTs. For decades, writers and artists from the Caribbean who because of their gay lifestyle have felt obliged to distance themselves from the public and go into voluntary exile because of the physical violence and humiliation against them. However, in more liberal societies such as the United States, Britain and Canada, it is no longer necessary for people of different sexual orientations to hide within cliques, whether these are religious or secular. Many politicians have openly stated that they are in same-sex relationships. For example, in Ireland the Prime Minister lives with his gay male partner, who is a medical doctor. On May 17, last, the world celebrated the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The observance was meant to draw the attention of the public, decision-makers, and the media to the challenges faced by LGBT people. It was an opportunity to explore societal issues like discriminatory laws. This year’s theme focuses on the role of families and the well-being of LGBTI members. The revelation that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is at odds with cultural norms or religious teachings is distressing for many families. In 2014, an online survey in the Caribbean found that three out of five LBGTs actually kept their sexuality a secret from their families, mainly because of rejection, being disowned, abused or being kicked out of their parents’ home. In Latin America, 70 percent of transgender women and girls were thrown out from their homes. This year’s LBGT celebration is a reminder that we must also address these issues in our homes. In 2012, the Jagdeo regime had publicly stated that Guyana was not ready for same sex marriage. Five years later, the Granger administration has decided to hold a referendum on the issue. But the harsh reality is that the bulk of society wants no part of legal homosexuality. Homosexual men on public display are still sources of humour because the society does not take them seriously. Homosexual women still evoke anger among their peers. The National Assembly passed a conscience vote on homosexuality but the then President Bharrat Jagdeo refused to assent to it because of pressure from the religious community. This had nothing to do with human rights especially since the religious community often touts the rights of the individual. Its reluctance to stand up for what is right seems to be a disguise of their own homophobia.

Improving Infrastructure at Hope Coconut Industries Limited Dear Editor, A contract was recently awarded to Ivor Allen for the construction of two wooden bridges at Hope Coconut Industries Limited (HCIL). The current existing bridges were neglected over the past years as a result of both poor maintenance and financial constraints. In its current drive to improve essential infrastructure at HCIL, commonly known as Hope Estate, Management of HCIL through the Ministry of Agriculture, has embarked on a drive to improve the services to

farmers at HCIL. According to the General Manager of HCIL, Ricky Roopchand, ‘this is only the beginning of better things to come, since HCIL is currently, as a result of improved management, is in a healthy financial position to undertake projects to better serve farmers’ needs. With support from the Ministry of Agriculture, HCIL is working assiduously to return Hope Estate to its earlier glorious days when the Estate was one of the leading producers of coconuts in Guyana. The current management of

HCIL with support for the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) made it possible for an already established coconut nursery that has the capacity to produce 50,000 coconut seedlings per year. In addition, a coconut germ plasm has already been established at Hope Estate. To add to this drive, works are currently been undertaken on a 36 acres coconut demonstration plot which will be used both as a model farm and training facility for coconut farmers. Only recently, as a direct

result of the intervention of the Minister of Agriculture, Honorable Noel Holder resulted in the rehabilitation of the main access road at Hope Estate which brought tremendous relief to both farmers and residence at Hope Estate. The progress made is a direct result of hard work and unbending determination that got Hope Estate in its current pitch, which is a strong indication that the implementation of the restoration programme for HICL is effective and bearing fruits. Communication Department HCIL

Is GuySuCo’s 2017 target a moving one? Dear Editor, There is much publicity on the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) being unable to pay its employees because of its financial position forcing it to seek financial support from the Govt. It is concluded that the request was turned down and the Corporation must now resort to the sale of cane lands in order to stay afloat. I refer here to Demerara Waves article of Sept. 21st, 2017‘GuySuCo sells more land to cope with “major cash crisis”’. Editor, I support fully, Govt’s intervention to ensure that GuySuCo employees are paid for work done but, one wonders whether Govt. is enquiring why the Corporation’s cash flow is in

“crisis” at this stage of the crop. Typically, cash flow improves steadily and peaks during the cropping period because sugar produced is available for sale hence, cash in the bank. With consistently poor production being recorded weekly, the current cash “crisis” comes as no surprise. The fact that sugar production as at 16th Sept. 2017 is hopelessly at 29,669t after 9 weeks of operation explains the crisis at hand. The production woes were further exacerbated by non-operation of Skeldon and Enmore factories as per schedule. This was self-inflicted because of gross mismanagement and incompetence by executives

of the Corporation. Interestingly, the news item described the CEO to have said that some of this subsidy will be used to “finance operations, pay creditors, and procure equipment for Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt- all targeting an annual production of almost 150,000t”. Editor, GuySuCo’s CEO must be on another planet or he thinks he can fool all the people, all the time. I make that comment because GuySuCo, in Feb. 2017 cited an annual production of 198,458t sugar for this year, 2017. Gross incompetence resulted in under achievement of 1st crop 2017 target forcing the Corporation to revise that t a rg e t t o 1 7 4 , 4 3 3 t , a

reduction by 24,473t. It is now September 2017 and the CEO blurts out another target of “almost 150,000t”. Editor, is anyone in Govt. asking this princely paid CEO and his Executive team to show cause why crop targets are not met and why it changes by such massive amount from estimates that these very executives provide? How long will Govt. accept the pre-May 2015 excuses such as weather and strikes? At this rate, the management team at GuySuCo is well poised to deliver yet another record low production, this time, l o w e r t h a n 2 0 1 6 ’s production of 183,652t. The Corporation’s cash crisis is expected to grow with dwindling production. Sookram Persaud

It was Janet Jagan’s decision that led to the oil find Dear Editor, Having heard criticisms of the coverage being provided by the Kaieteur News from Opposition Leader, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, I undertook a research effort of my own. What I found was that ‘fake news’ persist in the face of available facts and explanations. I have read the negative reports from the Kaieteur News on the former People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration’s stewardship of the petroleum blocks, in particular articles that quote Mr. Christopher Ram. The last such article was headlined ‘Trotman refused to correct PPP’s errors with ExxonMobil contract –Ram’ and published on September 26, 2017.

Dr. Jagdeo, in response, had addressed these criticisms and answered Mr. Ram’s questions at his press conference on Wednesday (September 27, 2017). Mr. Ram questioned why 600 blocks were given to ExxonMobil, by the late former president, Mrs. Janet Jagan, when the limit is 60. Dr. Jagdeo pointed out that the law allows for a higher number of blocks to be issued ‘under special circumstances’ and explained that Jagan may have very well included geopolitical considerations, particularly given Ve n e z u e l a ’s c l a i m t o Guyana’s territory. He also noted that at the time the blocks were issued to ExxonMobil at a time when Guyana was considered a

high-risk country and interested parties were not in abundance. And of course we had not found oil as yet. It was Mrs. Jagan’s decision that led to Guyana finding oil. Mr. Ram also questioned why the agreement with ExxonMobil was extended by Jagdeo in 2008. And the former president has explained that a “reset” was needed since ExxonMobil had enforced a force majeure soon after the initial agreement for the 600 blocks, following acts of aggression from Suriname related to the territory. Dr. Jagdeo explained too that on September 7, 2007, the United Nations pronounced on the Guyana/Suriname dispute and in 2008, the force majeure was lifted –

which means that between 2000 and 2008 nothing was being done. It has to be noted that the process of relinquishment would have been affected, were it not for the ‘reset’. The law says the original agreement, that a company holds the original blocks issued for four and a half year and after then it has to relinquish (give up) 50 per cent of the blocks. After that there is a three year extension, after which a further 50 per cent of the blocks has to be given up. The Kaieteur News, which publicised Ram’s questions and criticisms in the first place, has made no effort to publicise the responses by former president, Dr. Jagdeo to the (Continued on page 5)

Tuesday October 03, 2017

A nation’s strength depends on the strength of the family Dear Editor, My focus is on the importance of promoting and maintaining strong nuclear families, and inadequacies within social service agencies that impede family development. A nuclear family can be basically defined as a (married) couple and their dependent children, regarded as a unit. While I am no expert on social issues, my own experience and interaction with others concerned about the crumbling nuclear family structure have bolstered my conclusion that the state, social agencies and even some religious bodies have lost direction and focus on the importance of strong families and benefits that are derived by preserving nuclear families. In this country, there are very few incentives outside of emotional bonds for sustaining the nuclear family structure, and when the latter weans or is otherwise challenged by exogenous factors, families merely fall apart. Ironically, while the challenges faced by contemporary nuclear families are invariably similar to those of our foreparents, the values and commitment that upheld those former families and marriages are now being deemed unnecessary and primarily challenged by the sustained campaigns of liberal feminists, sexual-orientation advocates and aggrieved antagonists. One may argue that the current dynamics are dif-

ferent, but that’s another story. There is a direct link to religious prophetic fulfillment of a deviation from God-ordained principles regarding what constitutes the family. While recently discussing the state of moral decay, disintegrating families, prevalence of child-sexual abuses in our society and some root causes for these plagues (such as absent or otherwise excluded fathers), I was told by one of our more experienced social workers that I am purely biased and classifying these national issues based on some grievance. I was also chided for being in the wrong profession. I found those comments to be as flattering as they were amazing. Those statements by that social worker spoke volumes regarding the mindset that guides our social work approaches, agencies and policies that may not see the greater good in seeking to promote strong families. If members of the public have grievances with our social services, then it is an indictment against those agencies for failing families and the society at large. Maybe there are too many social workers with personal grievances administering service to society. Maybe our social service agencies should revisit their recruitment and contractual policies. You cannot put a canoe sailor to pilot an aircraft. Stereotypes, stigmas and biases (Continued on page 6)

It was Janet Jagan’s... (From page 4) said questions and criticisms. Interestingly enough, Dr. Jagdeo had also criticised Kaieteur News for only publishing Ram’s comments as they relate to the former PPP/ C government, while ignoring the strong words he had for APNU+AFC Minister, Raphael Trotman. A day later, what the Guyanese people read, was an article headlined ‘ExxonMobil contract with Guyana… Trotman’s actions make him a liability to Guyana – Ram’. The article included the mildest of Ram’s criticisms of Trotman and his colleague Ministers. The article also repeated Mr. Ram’s two questions, which were answered by Dr. Jagdeo – responses that still fail to see the ‘light of day’ in the Kaieteur News. Mr. Ram’s criticisms of the APNU+AFC government included that: “The individual ministers seem hopelessly uninformed and their

performance is unimpressive; Minister David Patterson’s claims about blocks that “there is nothing left to give out’ are not supported by facts; Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, was quoted as saying that expenses for the trip to Texas would be charged as Cost Oil, which would be a breach of the accounting provisions of the PSA and sends a wrong signal to ExxonMobil; and that in a number of cases Minister Trotman has acted unlawfully, failed to act as the law requires and often demonstrates a basic lack of understanding of the Petroleum laws.” It would appear that Kaieteur News is making every effort to hide the incompetence and corruption of the current Coalition government, by sterilising and distorting or not publishing the Opposition’s responses and criticisms of the APNU+AFC Government. Collin Croal, MP-PPP

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The question of locus standi in the Chief Justice’s decision Dear Editor, The written decision of Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George-Wiltshire on the interpretation of Article 161 (2) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana was recently handed down. The decision contains several important points. One such is that matters of sufficient public importance may confer upon any Guyanese locus standi (that is, sufficient connection to or harm which confers standing to bring an action with respect to a matter) to invoke the

court’s jurisdiction. I fear that in hastening to ascertain what the Court has decided regarding the proper interpretation of Article 161 (2), many may have overlooked the significance of the Court’s decision on the above-stated point. At the very least, no media outlet that I consulted, paid attention to this detail; at least not yet. These contemplations prompted this letter. Any person, natural or juridical, desirous of commencing litigation on any civil, constitutional, or other such

matter, must demonstrate locus standi. Where a court finds that an applicant lacks locus standi, the application will typically be dismissed, and without any examination of the substantive issue(s). It is unsurprising, therefore, that the State’s counsel challenged the applicant’s locus standi, arguing that he was not a public benefactor, but a “meddlesome busybody” who had failed to establish “…sufficient direct interest in the appointment of the Chairman of GECOM.” The Court, however,

found that “as a citizen, and elector, the applicant…definitely has relevant and sufficient interest in knowing how the position of such an important office is to be filled, and to have the court interpret the relevant article of the Constitution in the circumstances where it may be that there is ambiguity or uncertainty”, and that “the appointment of the Chairman of the GECOM is one of national interest and importance…” The Chief Justice noted (Continued on page 7)

Be careful about giving lands to hurricane victims Dear Editor, Just when the Granger administration is angling to take away two billion (Yes. $2,000,000,000) in sugar cane lands from GUYSUCO, in exchange for covering their operational debts, the very Granger administration is pledging to afford free lands (maybe the same GUYSUCO lands) to certain Caribbean residents, displaced by the latest hurricanes. This was the promise made by President Granger, while attending the recent UN meetings, in New York Editor, let me say on the behalf of my United Republican Party (URP), that I firmly believe that Guyana in under populated and can benefit from an influx of hardworking, intelligent people. May I also say, unequivocally, that I agree with our President, David Granger, that if the Caribbean is ravaged by these and any other disaster and need to move to Guyana – temporally or permanently – they are welcomed and should be accommodated. However, the political duplicitous act, of taking away lands from your own, while availing the very lands to your neighbours is short sighted. When the locals lands are taken away and

given to others, imagine, just for a moment, what kind of sentiments and relationships those folks are likely to have with the people who are the beneficiaries of those said lands. It is as if the current administration gets illogical when they are on these overseas trips. And I say this because the APNU/AFC members have this way of going to NY and Canada and making all these ‘pie-in-the-sky promises’ and then when it is time to deliver, they fail miserable. Just about everyone I know who heard the representatives of the Coalition promise a red carpet welcome when coming home, has been nauseatingly disappointed upon their return. Nothing that these ministers say while outside of Guyana to the Diaspora – and many times to those of us in Guyana – can be taken seriously. However, the folks in the Caribbean and international countries to whom our Government is making these promises of swats of lands are not

as docile as the typical Guyanese. The leaders of those countries will take Granger’s words seriously. They will then use those promises as political clout back in their home countries. Our administration will have to then follow through with their promises, or be forced to be internationally embarrassed. So the Government has to be very careful to not be bluffing or ‘mamaguying’ these very desperate people. So as I conclude, let me return to what the URP has always been suggesting as a way out of this GUYSUCO quagmire. We are suggesting that the Granger administration put together a satisfactory severance package for all the sugar workers. That package should include parcels of lands. The sugar workers will then be able to self-determine what they want to do with their lands. If GUYSUCO is auctioned off and the buyers remain in sugar production, the folks can chose to plant cane.

If the new owners want to do fish farming, or soya, or hemp, etc., then the new land owners can chose to invest in those crops. This would be a win-win situation for everyone involved. We all know that these multi-billion dollar bailouts only benefit the top 10% of the sugar industry, who are paid millions of dollars monthly. And with this new land-for-cash arrangement that the Granger administration is contemplating, very soon GUYSUCO will have no lands with which to settle their personal commitments with those who have spent their entire lives in this industry. The URP is very concerned that if the standoff with the sugar workers is not handled in a timely manner, what happened to the bauxite workers in Linden will again happen to the sugar workers; they will be left broke and broken, with nothing to show what they have sacrificed to develop this nation. Dr. Vishnu Bandhu Leader, URP

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In Guyana, each party has its own narrative Dear Editor, An interesting letter appeared in the newspapers entitled ‘Attempts are being made to discredit the PPP and Dr. Jagan by an author Hydar Ally. Apparently, the letter was an exercise by the author to correct some misinformation peddled by the Ms. Amna Ally and the PNCR in the public space. In the highly contested political environment in Guyana, this is par for the course. Positions are articulated and fastened to within that binary. Those invested in the dominance of their party very often push certain narratives into the pub-

lic space purported as unvarnished facts. Editor, it is against that background that I seek clarity from Hydar Ally on a matter specific to the issue of Dr. Jagan’s role in the events after the 1964 General Elections. Note is made of Mr. Ally’s efforts at correcting the record presented by Amna Ally. In doing so, he reminded us that Dr. Jagan and the PPP ‘won the largest bloc of votes 47%.’ However, in the interest of historical accuracy and setting the record straight for the public, can Mr. Ally explain to the reading public the reasons and context for a letter written by Dr.Jagan to Colonial Secretary Sir Anthony

Greenwood raising the issue of partition and his refusal to resign rather than to accept defeat at the hands of the proposed allied parties at the 1964 elections? The noted academic and history professor Colin Palmer in his book, ‘Cheddie Jagan and the Politics of Power’ highlighted that letter raising the issue of partition. Given that Mr. Ally has a vested interest in correcting contri v e d o r, i n v e n t e d records; one hopes that he uses your newspaper pages in an effort at helping us to understand those facts. Leroy Nelson. Brooklyn, NY.

Questions about the leadership of Mr. Hanoman Dear Editor, I must admit that I found GuySuCo’s recent press statement decrying the workers strike actions in recent days as nothing more than the shedding of crocodile tears. The statement, in my view, is largely a repetition of what the sugar company said a few days prior where it sought to defend its miserable management of the industry which ultimately will affect the lives of thousands of poor, ordinary Guyanese. GuySuCo is seeking to squarely lay and firmly blame for the industry’s current state-of-affairs at the doorstep of the workers and their

unions. But this seems to be a much muddied picture and given the age of the current GuySuCo hierarchy hallucination is not farfetched, as the reality demonstrates a completely different picture. As is generally known, the sugar cane plant operates on a one-year cycle; therefore, meaning what is reaped this year was planted and tended last year. It is important that we bear in mind this point as we evaluate the leadership of the Corporation in recent times. Of the three (3) CEOs, under Mr Hanoman’s ‘leadership’, the industry’s average production is 192,955 tonnes sugar, assuming the 2017 target is met. Messrs Bhim

and Singh, during their stints, had average sugar of 214,347 tonnes and 231,071 tonnes, respectively. The facts speak for themselves. Quite clearly, whenever Mr Hanoman is the leader of GuySuCo the sugar industry takes a nosedive. This, in my mind, says a lot of about a gentleman, who has been entrusted with $32B from the State since June, 2015. The Government and the Board need to ask themselves; do they have the best person in charge of the industry? As his record certainly isn’t reflective that he is! Patricia Persaud

Skip the curses; blame weak leadership and incompetence Dear Editor, Two recent articles, in another section of the media covering Christopher Ram’s analyses, strike at the core of the major issues we have to confront with the Coalition administration, and provide ample evidence of the above claim. Ram’s evaluation of the Exxon scandal (it should be a scandal by now) makes it abundantly clear that we have a problem on our hands. It is impossible for the minister of Natural Resources, who is schooled in law, not to be aware of the infringements cited. But where are the laws to govern this kind of culture? What does this tell us about the character and intent of some of our government ministers? As with the PPP, this is turning out to be a great source of disappointment, and forces us to reconcile the hard truths of such behavior. What seems to be unfolding is that the Coalition administration will carry on with the PPP’s lawlessness and suck at what was left of the PPP’s corrupt infrastructure while pulling down the PPP’s own culprits. I have come to the conclusion that the Coalition doesn’t give a damn about the increased hardships that resulted from VAT, the children of sugar workers, who themselves struggle every

A nation’s strength depends on the strength... (From page 5) should never be encouraged in our social service agencies when addressing challenges in families. In too many instances of family decay, the male (husband, father) is invariably stereotyped as the deviant and responsible party for challenges in the home, while the female (wife, mother) is championed as a victim of circumstances who has limitless rights and no responsibilities. Partners in family relationships should be guided through a process that emphasises tenets like mutual respect, unselfishness; short, medium and long term objectives, conflict and crisis management, and generational affects. The great famous Greek

philosopher, Aristotle said “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” – end of quote. What this means is if parts of an organism is removed, it is not as useful as it was as a compound. This is also applicable to the family. While the state and social service agencies cannot compel people to live stable lives, they can collaborate in creating mechanisms and/or incentives that promote family stability. These can take on varying forms such as educational, taxation, medical and housing benefits or grants for families that maintain stability; just to name a few. It is important for us to reward achievers in the same way that we seek to protect those who may be unfortunate in their quests for happy, stable

families. Social service agencies must recognise that more needs to be done to strengthen families instead of having them disintegrate or stagnate at the whims of gullible traps, excuses and sensationalism. The state must also be cognizant of the impact that weak and fragile family structures have on current and future generations. Any country with a high level of single parent families as we now boast in Guyana must be undaunted in its quest to confront and resolve the root causes and effects if that country is serious about social order and societal development. The strength of any nation is premised on the strength of the family. Our

Tuesday October 03, 2017

sociologists are positioned to speak to the underpinning effects that redundancy, literacy, laws, employment, attitudes, religion, etc. and their inverses have on impacting families, and articulate those implications to help in guiding our social services, as well as policy and law makers. When things do not occur naturally, the state and its representative bodies can create stimuli for such things to occur and function in more structured and civilized ways. In my view, the state should conscientiously establish programmes and meaningful incentives that encourage strong and stable families. Concurrently, religious bodies, social groups, and the Private Sector ought to reconsider their individual and collective roles in seeking to salvage this very important pillar on which nationhood is built. The recent heinous sexual violation and murder of young Leonard, that potential Berbician Physicist, highlights our glaring societal crisis and state of and the family. Throughout the entire episode I did not see nor hear anything about his father! Orette Cutting

day with unemployment and uncertainty, rice farmers whose concerns have been swept under the mat in the absence of a stronger lobby, the man in the street who struggles every day to make ends meet, our youth who increasingly see crime as a viable income opportunity, or persons who continue to be incarcerated for unjustifiable lengths of time for possession of minute amounts of marijuana. The Coalition ministers have become our new untouchables, living the privileged life while Guyanese suffer for the lack of a better government. Granger has become a disaster. Going into the 2015 election, I had sought reasons to justify him to Guyanese as a good leader. I had considered his rise in the Army as a definite plus; and thought that with his experience in business (he owned the Guyana Review, if I remember well) he would have understood private sector concerns. This has been shown to be so wrong. Whatever leadership skills he was thought to possess have come to naught as he seems to be pushed around by the PNC’s strong men on policy for the country, against all common sense. We should remember here that he had just landed in the PNC in the ‘absence of leadership material’ within the party, although this in itself is controversial with the presence of Winston Murray among others at the time. In an unhealthy turn of events, Granger and Congress Place seem intent on taking us back down the road from which we spent decades trying to recover. Based on this, I withdraw any support and consideration I had previously accorded him. Our professionals must continue to face off with government all the time on these matters until laws are written which govern the kinds of abuses to which we are currently exposed are drawn into our legal framework. This is very likely not under this administration or the PPP’s. Granger’s recently reported reference to our six major economic sectors as ‘curses’ can easily be seen as an attempt to de-emphasise government’s support for these sectors going forward. This is as crude and inconsiderate of the welfare of the individuals within these sectors as to be unthinkable. In my opinion, the use of such words, is the staff of the ignorant, and beg at the superstitious. What has been spelled out in Ram’s letter of Oct 01/ 17 are some of the very real issues which have both poisoned our society and served as retardants to our social and

economic progress. Many of these issues also had to be confronted by developed nations which rose to the challenge by establishing appropriate governance systems and safeguards to prevent discriminations and roll back other constraints to development. Books have been written of the subject of America’s race relations and many of Europe’s own internal feuds. What is amazing was is that Granger reportedly had the gall to tell the diaspora that Guyana needs their brains and not their barrels, while at home his administration has given the private sector a proverbial shove, so that it is now virtually impossible for a public/private partnership to create jobs for our school leavers and the unemployed. This in itself is a policy that creates the need for barrels, while the diaspora will read the writing on the wall in the dailies and know that the man is not serious. The Coalition administration’s sloth in addressing the issues highlighted in Ram’s letter suggests it is probably quite content to work with what obtained under the previous government and blame the outcomes on them, among other things. Also, these very same governance systems will very probably put an end to the administration’s employment policies. The politicians of our government have unfortunately demonstrated that they are political dinosaurs who will continue to mangle this country with their obsolete, backward and irrelevant ideas in today’s modern world of governance affairs. Old hacks they are the Coalition itself is a patch job, putting new wood on an old frame. The house is bound to fall, which it is doing right now anyway. I have already observed that poverty is not an act of God, but the result of weak leadership and a government intent on stealing from and robbing its citizens. The PPP delivered on this, and now the Coalition is demonstrating its truth also. A country has itself to blame for its government. So skip the curses and blame weak leadership and incompetence. To administer the correct medication, first determine the correct diagnosis. Finally, we may see the Coalition proposing some fresh ideas going into 2020 that will very likely boost their image. These will most probably be borrowed from proposals I make and are available on the net. So we needn’t get fooled regarding their original intentions. Craig Sylvester

Tuesday October 03, 2017

IS THE LEGAL SYSTEM BENEFITTING PERPETRATORS OF SEXUAL OFFENCES?

Dear Editor, Assuming the accuracy of the statistics provided by Kaieteur News (10/1/17), Demerara High Court trials are in a state of serious dysfunction. Of the 167 cases listed on the docket, only 28 cases made it to trial of which six ended in a jury verdict. Of the six, one murder and one rape case ended in conviction with the jury returning not guilty verdicts in the other four. The rest of the cases reaching court were disposed of administratively, either by changing pleas from murder to manslaughter (7), formally stopped by the Judge (5), withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions (8) and withdrawals by complainants (2). The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is particularly concerned that of the 17 sexual offences/ rape trials, 10 were withdrawn either because the complainant could not be found or had informed the court they were not pursuing the matter. This speaks to inordinate delays in High Court trials exposing victims to a variety of stressful experiences involving police, families of the accused, or

simply moving on with life. The disturbing story behind these statistics is that women’s access to justice in the most vital area of their lives, namely bodily integrity, is diminishing. Greater awareness of sexual violence, improving counselling services and better vigilance over young children of both sexes means little if not backed up by legal action. The speed at which reforms of Sexual Offences laws and procedures are implemented lags far behind the forces encouraging violence. Lessening of legal protection is the local reflection of global trends. Readily-accessed fantasies of pornography and lewd music are encouraging a male demeanour of dominance. This hostility is most readily evident in what women endure for expressing themselves on the internet or in social media settings and is manifest also in the rolling back globally of legal protection on reproductive rights. In a widely-quoted study issued in 2005, as the first in a three-part series undertaken by the GHRA, it was revealed that conviction rates in sexual offences cases was less

than 1% of all reported cases. The study also indicated that the chances o f a c o n v i c t ion rose substantially – to almost 50% - if the cases actually made it to a High Court trial. The experience of the last Assizes indicates that this is no longer the case and that the situation has worsened substantially to less than 20% of high court cases reaching a conviction. The only conclusion to be drawn is that the campaign initiated in 2005 which achieved fundamental renovation of the Sexual Offences Act remains far from ensuring justice for female survivors of sexual violence. The habit of looking backwards to proclaim how far women have progressed is a well-honed technique to disarm women’s rights activism. The more appropriate human rights stance, however, is to look forward to ask how long will we tolerate the systematic and pervasive abuse of women that constitutes the most serious of any human rights challenge across the globe. More specific to the legal system, when will the experience of taking sexual offences to court become

The question of locus standi... (From page 5) that case law consulted revealed that “…courts have been working assiduously, if not uniformly, to open the gates to general grievances public interest litigation, where an applicant is not directly affected by the impugned legislation or public/ government action,” and that “judicial discretion will have to be exercised in each case depending inter alia on their legal and factual context, the merits of the challenge, the importance of the issue, and the public interest in having it determined.” Applying the authority consulted to the facts of the current case, the Chief Justice determined that “once issues raised are sufficiently grave, or of sufficiently public importance and involve high constitutional principles, an applicant’s case may be considered,” and ultimately found that “as a citizen and an elector, the applicant has a relevant interest in the appointment of a Chairman of GECOM and as such has locus standi to make this application.” This finding is in line with the concept of public interest standing developed by the Supreme Court of Canada in the so-called “standing tril-

ogy”: Thorson v. Attorney General of Canada [1975] 1 S.C.R. 138; Nova Scotia Board of Censors v. Mc. Neil[1976] 2 S.C.R. 265; and Minister of Justice v. Borowski [1981] 2 S.C.R. 575); and which was affirmed, and applied in Canadian Council of Churches v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration) [1992] 1 S.C.R. 236. Further, Lord Diplock, recognising the potential harm that may come about from denying standing to persons not directly affected by impugned legislation or government action, said “it would be a grave lacuna in our system of public law if a pressure group…or even a single public spirited taxpayer, were prevented by outdated technical rules of locus standi from bringing the matter to the attention of the court to vindicate the rule of law and get the unlawful conduct stopped.” (Inland Revenue Commissioners Appellants v National Federation of SelfEmployed and Small Businesses Ltd. Respondents [1982] A.C. 617.). Notwithstanding these positions, it is understandable that the Court would be mindful against opening the proverbial floodgates and

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Kaieteur News

encouraging a torrent of public interest litigation. The Chief Justice did not fail to address this in her judgment, affirming precedent recognisng the need to balance the “desirability of encouraging individual citizens to participate actively in the enforcement of law (against) the undesirability of encouraging the professionally litigant and the meddlesome interloper invoking the jurisdiction of the courts in matters in which he is not concerned.” Further, as indicated earlier, the Chief Justice was sure to make it clear whether public interest matters confer locus standi will depend on the legal and factual circumstances of each case. In my humble estimation, the Court’s determination on this issue is important beyond measure. The dual context against which the preceding statement must be viewed, and ultimately understood, is what seems to be the perpetual intentional and/or unintentional violation of Guyana’s constitution by public authorities under successive political administrations, and the resulting need for enhanced conformity with, and reverence to the constitution. Chevy Devonish

more intimidating to perpetrators than it is to survivors? Despite female appointment to high office the judicial process continues to be steeped in chauvinism more likely to re-victimize survivors than punish perpetrators. Juries, unschooled in legal niceties for example, feed off the dominant culture and are quick to identify with demeaning attitudes too frequently communicated by legal professionals. Recent harrowing newspaper accounts of what victims experience in their own villages following ‘not guilty’ verdict are sufficient to attest to this. Changing the judicial culture with respect to rights of women is not simply a matter for Judges. It imposes obligations on all actors in the justice system, both male and female, the private Bar, Prosecution Services and the Guyana Police Force. It also challenges the complacent permissiveness across the society with regard to sexual explicitness in films, music and uncensored access to the internet by immature people. Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association

The location of the new bridge makes no sense Dear Editor, I am not amused by the efforts of government to construct a new bridge over the Demerara River. The proposed bridge has no place in that location since the unruly traffic situation witnessed daily between Houston and Providence will be brought closer to central Georgetown. I foresee traffic backing up to Parliament Square. This we do not want. The design and bridge type is undesirable for technical and other reasons. What we need is a high level bridge spanning the river and being at least 120 feet above the high water level. This will allow for ease of shipping in and out of the estuary. When we consider that in two years time, there will be a serious road link between Brazil and Guyana, we have to understand that heavy container traffic will comprise the bulk of traffic using the road link. Much use could then be made of available land in Linden for wharfage facilities to enable the loading and offloading of cargoes enroute to Brazil. It is a disguised fact that the current harbour bridge has contributed to the flooding of areas along the East Bank corridor from Garden of Eden to Kingston. We

need to ensure that any new bridge will not add to the heavy siltation of the outfall channels along the mentioned route. The current four lane carriageway from Diamond/Grove is already up to its maximum capacity and with traffic bound to increase by 2020, it makes no real economic sense to erect a structure that will meet its maximum capacity in a few short years. We need to seriously connect Timehri and beyond with a four lane road passing behind the new housing areas at Grove/Diamond. This new road link should have no shops and encumbrances near to it. It should preferably be a high speed road link giving access to each village along the way, they being connected via suitable ramps. On the West Demerara we should be thinking of a new highway skirting around the conservancy and linking up with another one that connects Parika with Goshen. Phenomenal development will take place within a few years time and we must be prepared for same. For these reasons, the new proposed bridge should carry four lanes and be a high level one. Cyril Walker

Welcoming the sex offenders’ registry Dear Editor The Caribbean Voice (TCV) is thrilled that Ms. Ann Greene, head of the Childcare and Protection Agency, has announced plans for a registry of sex offenders in Guyana especially since such a call was made since 2015 by TCV, which also established an online petition calling on the President of Guyana to act on this initiative. To date via the online petition, and an ongoing campaign in Guyana we have gathered hundreds of signatures. So TCV strongly sup-

ports the CPA’s initiative and we sincerely hope that it does indeed become a reality in 2018. Many questions have been asked about such an instrument and we are certain that, in time all the militating issues will be addressed. We know Ms Ann Greene to be a very proactive, passionate and committed crusader on behalf of Guyana’s children and so we are willing to help in whatever way possible to make the registry a reality. And to collaborate in its functioning and promotion so that all Guyanese can become

familiar with and take advantage of its capacity to help reduce sexual abuse, not only against our children but in general. Meanwhile we urge all to log on (https:// www.change.org/p/president-of-the-republic-ofguyana-establish-a-registryfor-all-sex-offenders) or click the link at the bottom of our website (www.caribvoice.org) and sign our petition or request printed forms (644 1152, 646 4649) so that you can help canvas signatures. Annan Boodram

Tuesday October 03, 2017

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Kaieteur News

Final agreement for six-month maternity Wake house brawl leave likely by early 2018 - CMO leaves one dead, four in custody By early next year a final agreement is likely to be completed to fast-track measures to realise an extended period of maternity leave for women. This is intended to cater to exclusive breastfeeding for babies for the first six months of their lives. Based on the prevailing regulations, women are only afforded a period of three months at home with their babies. But according to Chief Medical Officer [CMO], Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, the Public Health Ministry is committed to its long-proposed stance to make reality the six-month maternity leave notion. “The Ministry is still committed to ensuring that there is more time for mothers, a minimum of six months exclusive breastfeeding...so we will stick to that,” said Dr. Persaud. According to Dr. Persaud, in order to realise this goal the Ministry has been working with the National Insurance Scheme [NIS]. “NIS is the main entity that has to put together all the costing and what it would mean for the employers, both Government and the private sector. What the costing will be, needs to be finalised and then some public consultations will start...We haven’t gotten to that [consultations] as yet but that is part of a five point plan we

have,” Dr. Persaud explained. “I am sure that by the end of this year or early into the New Year we should get some movement on this in terms of consultation and the final agreement,” said the CMO. There are a number of countries that have successfully implemented the augmented maternity leave, he said. “It is well documented...it has been done in Canada and several Caribbean countries too,” said Dr. Persaud. Dr. Surendra Persaud, Chairman of NIS, said that while NIS accepts its crucial role in the process, the contribution of other stakeholders cannot be under-rated. He however noted that the financial aspect will have to be taken into careful consideration. “NIS pays a woman a portion of her salary for the period she is on leave. Now the NIS will continue to pay a portion for the extended period of six months once this is brought into law,” said Dr. Surendra Persaud. But according to him, among the questions that will have to be answered is, “Whether the woman will be able to live on that limited portion for that extended period, because she will have added expenses.” The NIS Chairman asserted that while the financial implications on several levels will have to be

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud closely examined, NIS will have to comply with Government. Minister within the Public Health Ministry, Dr. Karen Cummings, had earlier amplified that there are a great deal of measures that must be put in place before mothers can benefit from six months of maternity leave. “Even though we have the go-ahead from some stakeholders and sectors, the current three months leave is in adherence with the NIS Act, and we will have to re-adjust that before any change can take place,” Minister Cummings has stressed. “So we will have to keep working with that before we can extend three months to six months…It is not easy, but it is on the drawing

Dem boys seh ...

Soulja Bai and Trotty can’t hide wid de oil contract Playing games is a good thing but it depends on de game you playing. Some people does play cricket, football and things like that. Some people does play games wid one another. A man gun watch a woman and pretend to love she while all de time he playing games. Sometimes when de woman find out she does kill sheself but dem got another set who does kill de man. Of course if de woman playing dem same games wid a man it can have a horrible end. That is why dem boys want tell Soulja Bai and ExxonMobil that playing de kind of games dem playing is not a good thing. Fuh months people asking Soulja Bai to release de

contract he sign wid ExxonMobil. He allow Trotty to mek a fool of de people by talking how de contract secret and things like that. Jagdeo deh pun de other side and seh that Soulja Bai should release de contract but he know that when he was wearing de shoe he didn’t release no contract. All of dem had confidentiality clause which is another word fuh a lie. Dem boys tun on dem computer and dem read how ExxonMobil seh it willing to release de contract but it waiting to see wha de government gun do. If ExxonMobil ain’t got a problem to release de contract dem boys can’t understand why Trotty had a problem.

De thing that got dem boys thinking is that de ExxonMobil people wouldn’t tell de Waterfalls paper anything but de woman who got a name almost like that fat crook who run away to Florida, talk to a media house that does public online. When de Waterfalls paper call is either de person gone out or something and all because de Waterfalls paper skin up de crookishness wha ExxonMobil do all over de world. Well if ExxonMobil don’t have a problem releasing de contract then dem boys expect Soulja Bai to release it very soon unless he get kakish like Jagdeo from living in State House. Talk half and watch out fuh de oil contract.

board,” she’d noted. According to Dr. Persaud, in achieving this goal there is need for social policies that could support the six-month maternity leave notion. He had linked it to primary health care and pointed out that while the general delivery of health care is a mandate of the health sector, primary health care is one that requires full involvement of respective communities. He also highlighted the need for primary health care services to be offered at a cost that communities are able to bear. He underscored that “it is not things people cannot achieve or cannot afford to have access to, and it is usually developed in the spirit of self-reliance and self determination.” The involvement of communities, he said, is crucial to assess what people’s needs are from their perspective. “It focuses health beyond traditional hospital care. It is more towards health equity and production of healthy social policies,” Dr. Persaud asserted. “We are not only talking about Government policies and so on, but social policies – the way we behave among each other, the support men give to their wives or other pregnant women in society.” “We are still tied with this three months NIS requirement. If you look carefully at the law it is really one month of confinement, and then two months after the mother has got her baby. So, how is this woman breastfeeding this baby for six months?” questioned Dr. Persaud. The CMO in his earlier deliberation emphasised that breastfeeding is seen as one of the tactics that can serve to combat obesity in babies. Moreover, he stressed the need for the implementation of social policies to address this health challenge.

A simple game of cards among a group of men at a wake house on Saturday resulted in the death of a 39year-old father of three around 19:30 hrs the following day. Dead is Hitram Ramchand, a labourer of Lot 31 Crown Dam Industry, East Coast Demerara. The son of a popular lumber yard dealer is among four persons who were held for the beating of Ramchand who died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). According to information received, one of the cousins of the deceased and the suspects were playing a game of cards when an argument ensued, resulting in a violent altercation. Just before midnight on Saturday, this newspaper was informed that Ramchand was heading home when he noticed his cousin and a group of men arguing. During the argument the men pushed the cousin to the ground. Seeing this, Ramchand allegedly got upset and ran into the wake house and picked up a bottle and pelted one of the suspects— ordering them to leave his family member. “The men them got upset and start beat Hitram. They kicked him to the stomach and head,” a source said while adding that his cousin, who was looking at the attack from a distance, said the men threatened to kill him if he intervened. “The cousin begged and begged and then they left him alone. Then the cousin took him to the station to make a report,” the source said. Early Sunday morning after making the report, the cops at the Sparendaam Police Station placed the 39year-old in the lock-ups— although he was allegedly begging to go to the hospital. After learning that Ramchand was at the station,

Dead: Hitram Ramchand this newspaper was informed that the men, who reportedly beat him, turned up and were given medical to go to the hospital. Later on Sunday, the victim started suffering from seizures and it was after the other inmates in the lockup started banging on the walls that the ranks took the father of three to the hospital to seek medical attention. He died Sunday night while handcuffed to a bed. The deceased relatives claimed that they begged the police to take him to the hospital but were ignored. His mother, Rukhmin Ramchand explained that a police rank called her on Sunday to inform her that he was at the hospital. “I didn’t know it was so serious. I went Monday morning and that’s when I heard he died the night before,” the woman said. The victim’s relatives alleged that they were informed that it was the suspects who paid for the police to keep him in the lockup overnight—not knowing the seriousness of his injuries. “These are very wealthy men who have a lot of police contacts. I don’t see why they arrested Ramchand when he had injuries to the body and he went to the station to report the matter,” a relative claimed. Investigations are ongoing.

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Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

The PNC at 60: Four leaders, four periods In exactly one week from today, the PNC will have celebratory events of 60 years of existence. One solitary column on October 10, on the subject will not capture sixty years of such a huge institution and the prodigious influence it had and has on this country. For now, some preliminary notes are in order. The first thing that strikes you about the six decades of existence of the PNC is a sad but also a disturbing one. How can any country move forward if it does not fertilise new faces with new ideas. The PPP is just over sixty years old and in all that mammoth time, only produced three leaders. Surely, a country cannot have a meaningful future with such

intellectual stagnation. First it was Cheddi Jagan. After he died, his wife was the Leviathan until 2001 when Bharrat Jagdeo won the national elections and asserted his leadership over government and party. Mr. Jagdeo is still the head of the PPP. There is a gap – November 2011 to May 2015. Donald Ramotar was the president and virtual controller of government and party in those years. But was he? The analyst and historian are not certain. In that period, Mr. Jagdeo extended strong influence over the presidency and the PPP that made him the real power in government and party. If one accepts the Jagdeo continuation, then for sixty

five years, the PPP has had only three leaders. If you include Ramotar, that makes it four. Still that is an indictment of a country that could be accused of going backwards. If the historian puts Ramotar as one of the leaders then the PPP has four but so does the PNC. The PNC’s monarch has been Forbes Burnham. From the birth of party until the death of the leader in 1985, Burnham was the PNC, the PNC was Burnham. The other three are Desmond Hoyte, Robert Corbin and David Granger. So over its sixty-year span, the PNC has only seen four leaders. It tells a lot about the stagnant state of politics in Guyana. It may be intellectually

misleading to separate these four periods and analyse their contents without assigning a major part of the analysis to the leader himself in each phase. You cannot assess the first phase of the PNC without Burnham’s dominant portrait. What the PNC became after Burnham’s death was the result of the desire of one man, Desmond Hoyte. Of the four PNC leaders, Robert Corbin never led a government but history will not be kind to Corbin because his tenure was marked by sheer confusion, massive divisions and questionable strategies. We begin the journey with the first road – the highway of Forbes Burnham. A separate column will be devoted to Hoyte and

we will conclude with Corbin and Granger. Forbes Burnham will remain in the textbook of Guyanese politics and in any textbook on politics where he is featured as an enigma. Mr. Burnham embodied a dialectical contradiction that is both fascinating and disturbing. Only one world fits the description of Burnham’s transformational ability – enormous. Burnham innovative, visionary, transformative capacity was simply enormous. He was no banal leader who decided things will fall in place. He put them in their correct places. He was way ahead of his time. An indomitable nationalist, he knew what were the fulcrums on which economic independence should stand. He came up with a framework for the economic transformation of post-colonial Guyana and it was phenomenal. If I were to single out one of his master strokes as numero uno, I would choose the multilateral school project. That was a serious attempt to bring about class equality in Guyana. It was a stroke of genius. No PNC leader since Burnham has come even within a billion miles of matching his transformative vision.

Frederick Kissoon Only one word best described Forbes Burnham’s ontology – authoritarian. This was his untergang. Burnham was a deeply authoritarian man who believed that a leader should have maximum power to engineer a country to social freedoms. He did not accept that society has a right to confront that leader if that leader was straying from the pathways to freedom. Even Hobbes in his great book on political power wrote that once the Leviathan didn’t live up to his side of the social contract, he should be removed. Maybe Walter Rodney read Hobbes. That explains the zero sum battle between them. It is intellectual dishonesty of the worst kind to praise Burnham’s visionary leadership and leave out the extensive acts of authoritarian decay. When he died, the PNC became a formation that was unlike the PNC, Guyana had ever known under Burnham.

Workers meet M&CC over unpaid salaries, retroactive pay From page 8 pen pushers. So when you take them on and you find yourself in a position that you can sustain the labour force then you can expand. But unless you do that, you gonna have that difficulty every year.” “The estimated payroll for the 1000 workers is $121M per month. Mr Duncan said that the workers at today's meeting are not even the majority. The people filling the place are not in fact the earners to the council. That is where the problem is.” Mr Duncan stated that there is only one way to correct it and that is to get rid of the council. “Even when the past Town Clerk, Carol Sooba was here, we were getting paid. Though she wasn't as brilliant as the present Town Clerk, she understood that workers have to get paid.” He also said,” When the council is going to muster the

money to meet “their” salaries? The workers' salaries are being reduced because of the added burden they have to carry; some are taxed with interest payments on loans for late payment. Duncan stated that the Town-Clerk said that the council is going to pay the workers by Wednesday but again King, the Town Clerk, is saying that they have to discuss when to pay retroactive payment. Duncan said that this was agreed to since in February. The labour force of the Mayor and City Council works in different areas to keep the city clean and it would be unfair to deprive them of their salaries. Most of them have families and children. Some of the workers have their families that need the little salary to survive day to day. Others have loans that have penalties when not paid.

Tuesday October 03, 2017

Kaieteur News

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NIS dips into reserves three ...

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From page 17 the only breast cancer screening method that has proved to be effective is mammography screening. However, it noted that “Mammography screening is very costly and is cost-effective and feasible in countries with good health infrastructure that can afford long-term organized population-based screening programmes.” In fact, WHO has revealed that population-based cancer screening is a much more complex public health undertaking than early diagnosis. It noted that early diagnosis is usually cost-effective when done in the context of high-standard programmes that target all the population at risk in a given geographical area with high specific cancer burden, with everyone who takes part being offered the same level of screening, diagnosis and treatment services. However, WHO has suggested that low-cost screening approaches, such as clinical breast examination, could be implemented in limited resource settings when the necessary evidence from studies becomes available. WHO has also proposed that “Many low and middleincome countries that face the double burden of cervical and breast cancer need to implement combined cost-effective and affordable interventions to tackle these highly preventable diseases.”

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From page 3 at the beginning of the year, increases were granted to the Funeral Benefit from $36,725 to $40,398. The minimum rate for Old Age and Invalidity pensions was also increased from $25,000 to $27,500 per month and all other pensions above the minimum were increased by four per cent from 1st January, 2017.” The official disclosed that during 2017, compliance activities have also been affected by an expanding informal work force that is not complying with the National Insurance regulations. “In some cases there is an increase in the practice of employers to deem workers who are under their supervision and control as self-employed persons.” She admitted that the inability and difficulty to cover the majority of the self employed population and more so to even determine the actual population continues to be a burden on the resources of the scheme. “In addition, our poor customer service and the extensive time taken to resolve customer issues have lead to public distrust and poor publicity.”

Tuesday October 03, 2017

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‘Psychopath’ guns down 59 in Las Vegas L a s Ve g a s , U S (independent.ie)- A gunman in a high-rise hotel overlooking the Las Vegas Strip opened fire on a country music festival late Sunday, killing at least 59 people and injuring hundreds of others in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. The gunman, identified by police as Stephen Paddock, was later found dead by officers on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said during a news briefing yesterday. The massacre marked the nation’s latest outbreak of gunfire and bloodshed to erupt in a public place, again spreading terror in an American city transformed into a war zone. The carnage in Las Vegas surpassed the 49 people slain in June 2016 when a gunman in Orlando, who later said he was inspired by Isil, opened fire inside a crowded nightclub. Mr Lombardo said the death toll had reached at least 59 by yesterday morning, a number that could rise, as police are still investigating the scene. He also said an additional 527 people were injured, though he did not specify how many were wounded by gunfire or injured in the chaos that followed. Paddock (64) was found dead in his hotel room by Las Vegas Swat officers, police said. They believe Paddock, who had checked in on Thursday, took his own life. Under the neon glow and glitz of the Vegas Strip, thousands of concertgoers who had gathered for a threeday music festival dove for cover or raced toward shelter when the gunfire began about 10pm Sunday. Police said more than 22,000 people were at the concert when Paddock began firing round after round, shooting from an elevated position that left those on the ground effectively helpless. Police believe Paddock, a local resident, was a “lone w o l f ” a t t a c k e r. M r Lombardo did not give further details on Paddock’s background and possible motivation, saying police “have no idea what his belief system was.” “I can’t get into the mind of a psychopath,” he said during a briefing. He also said that given what police believe about Paddock being a lone wolf who opened fire,

“I don’t know how this could have been prevented.” Hotel Room Police believe Paddock smashed the window of his room with something similar to a hammer before he began firing at the people below. The gunman was found with more than 10 rifles, Mr Lombardo said, and he brought them all inside himself. Relatives of Paddock said they were stunned by what happened. His brother Eric said their mother spoke to the FBI. “She said, ‘I don’t understand why my son did this,’” Eric Paddock said yesterday outside his home in Orlando. While his brother had some handguns, Eric Paddock said he was shocked by the weaponry police described in Las Vegas. Eric Paddock said he did not know of his brother having any mental illness, alcohol or drug problems. When he spoke to the FBI, Eric Paddock said he showed FBI agents three years of text messages from his brother, including one that mentioned winning $250,000 at a casino. Stephen Paddock played “high stakes video poker,” Eric said, adding that he did not have any information suggesting the gunman had gambling debts or financial issues. A former neighbour of Stephen Paddock’s recalled that his home in a 55-andover community in Florida looked like it was home to a college freshman, with nothing on the walls and only a few pieces of furniture. “One of the first times we met him, he told me he lived there, in Vegas,” Don Judy, his next-door neighbour in the community until two years ago, said. “He explained that he was a gambler, and a prospector. He said he was buying this house to check it out for his mother ...and that if she liked it, he planned to buy another next door with a floor-plan like ours.” Just as quickly as he appeared, Mr Judy said, Paddock put up a for-sale sign and was gone, saying he was moving back to Las Vegas. In the initial chaotic aftermath of the shooting, authorities had searched for a woman named Marilou Danley, described only as P a d d o c k ’s “ t r a v e l i n g companion”. Mr Lombardo

-Killer fired at victims from hotel room overlooking concert

Killer: The dead Stephen Paddock said investigators spoke with Ms Danley, who was found outside the country, and do not believe she was involved in the shooting. Ms Danley’s relationship with Stephen Paddock was not immediately known, but they lived at the same address in Mesquite, Nevada, according to public records. Mr Lombardo said police in Mesquite were entering Paddock’s home to conduct a search yesterday. Police in Las Vegas had only minimal interactions with Paddock before the shooting, Mr Lombardo s a i d . “ We h a v e n o investigative information or

People run from the Route 91 Harvest country. background associated with this individual that is derogatory,” the sheriff said. “The only thing we can tell is he received a citation several years ago.” Two planes Few details about Paddock’s background were immediately known yesterday. He was retired and lived in Mesquite, Texas, for several years before moving to the Nevada town with the same name. Relatives said he was a quiet man. They said he was licensed pilot who owned two planes and often went to Las Vegas to gamble and see concerts. A spokesman for defence giant Lockheed

Martin said Paddock worked for the company for three years in the 1980s. On Monday US President Donald Trump praised the “miraculous” speed with which local law enforcement responded to the shooting, which he decried as “an act of pure evil”. “We cannot fathom their pain, we cannot imagine their loss.” I s i l c l a i m e d responsibility for the attack y e s t e r d a y, r e l e a s i n g messages through its Amaq News Agency stating that the shooter was one of its “soldiers” and had recently converted to Islam. “We have determined, to

this point, no connection with an international terrorist group,” Aaron Rouse, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Las Vegas, said at a news briefing. The shooting occurred at the end of the Route 91 Harvest festival, a three-day country music concert. The concert grounds are adjacent to the Mandalay Bay, a sprawling casino on the southern end of the Strip. Videos posted from people who said they were at the scene showed people screaming and running for cover amid the sound of gunshots that seemed unending.

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Tuesday October 03, 2017

Tuesday October 03, 2017

Kaieteur News

Several taxes as struggling T&T unveils multi-billion dollar budget

Finance Minister Colm Imbert yesterday. Trinidad (CMC) – The Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o government Monday presented a TT$50.5 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) budget to Parliament outlining a number of taxes as the twin island republic moves to diverse its economy as a result of a significant decline in revenue from the oil and gas sector. “We must move away from our dependence on oil and gas…we cannot continue to live on borrowed money,” Finance Minister Colm Imbert said in a three and a half hour presentation. Imbert told Parliament that the budget is predicated on an oil price of US$52 per barrel and a gas price of US$2.75 per mmbtu. “It should be noted that our assumed oil price is below the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast of US$56 per barrel for 2018 and lower than the current oil price forecast made by the World Bank and the United States Energy Information Administration and the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Energy Agency”. He said based on these assumptions, the government is projecting total revenue of TT$45.7 billion of which oil revenue will be TT$6.41 billion and non-oil revenue TT$32.9 billion, capital revenue TT$6.4 billion. Imbert said there would be new taxes on fuel, a new range of incentives for the importation of hybrid vehicles taking into consideration a loophole that allowed for persons to import these type of vehicles with big engines and avoiding paying the necessary takes. He said while the incentives in the past had encouraged the importation of clean energy vehicles

“there has been an unintended consequence whereby individuals have taken advantage on the tax waiver on hybrids to import luxury vehicles. “This has caused a significant leakage of tax revenue,” he said, indicating that non-withstanding the country’s current financial situation, the importation of motor vehicles has remained unabated with an estimated 35,000 new or used vehicles entering here so far this year. He said to deal with the situation, the government is now allowing the removal of all taxes on hybrid and other clean energy vehicles only under 1599 cubic centimetre (cc)., He said he also intends to increase by 25 per cent the motor vehicle tax and Custom duties on private passenger vehicles with engine sizes exceeding 1599cc and not exceeding 1999 ccs. He said the taxes on vehicles with a higher engine imposed last year will remain and that motorcycles under 300 cc will be imported here without taxes. But he said the fees for motor vehicle inspection moves fromTT$165 to TT$300 and the price of super unleaded fuel will now costTT$3.97 per lire instead of the TT$3.58. The price for diesel has also increased by TT$0.38 cents to TT$3.41 cents’. “In due course on a monthly basis, the Ministry of Energy will be required to publish the wholesale and retail product prices for the five categories of fuel. In this way, fuel prices will in future fluctuate with the prices of oil and the prices of refined products”. Imbert said that there will also be a 30 per cent Custom duty on all tyres

imported into the country as well as an environmental tax of TT$20 on all tyres imported into the country “to cover the proper disposal of used tyres which is a major headache”. The Finance Minister said that it was necessary for all stakeholders to play their part in the efforts to rejuvenate the local economy and as a result the companies operating in the oil and energy sectors will now have to pay taxes they were exempt from in the past. “In pursing foreign direct investment Trinidad and Tobago must compete with investment opportunities in other countries to attract a share of the limited exploration and development funds available,” Imbert said, adding that with the existence of unsanctioned projects and untapped resources it has become imperative to increase the investments in the oil and gas sector to address supply concerns. He said the Rowley administration is simplifying and modernising the oil and gas fiscal incentive regime indicating that the government should be able to share in the surplus generated by oil and gas production. “Indeed while our natural gas is being extracted at a rate of over three billion standard cubic feet per day to be converted into LNG (Liquefied natural gas) …and our oil is extracted at a rate of 70,000 barrels per day…the tax collected from the oil and gas companies has dropped by over 90 per cent. “In fact at this time because of changes to the oil and gas fiscal regime that was introduced in 2013 and 2014 the energy companies are not paying any corporation tax at all,” he said with the companies indicating that the situation is as a result of the high level of investments in the sector. “This cannot continue since while the grass is growing the horse is starving. With the present arrangements the companies tell us we are unlikely to get corporation taxes from them for the next seven years,” he said, adding “we consider it untenable…all must share in the burden od adjustment”.

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Neighbour murders drinking buddy -Says victim slapped him

Murder suspect, Mahesh Dhanraj Investigators have arrested a 57-year-old man, who struck his drinking buddy to the head around 10:00 hrs yesterday, killing him on the spot. Dead is Bhagwan Ramadhar, 44, of Lot 50 Industry Front, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The victim, who was deported from the United States of America several years ago, had been imbibing with his neighbour in the bottom flat of his home when he was killed. The suspect, Mahesh Dhanraj, and victim were

described as alcoholics who did odd jobs around the village. According to reports, the two men were intoxicated and got into a heated argument which resulted in the suspect picking up a piece of wood and hitting the victim several times in the head and face. The investigating ranks recovered the murder weapon next to the victim’s bloodied body. The suspect made an attempt to run. Neighbours said that he remained seated in front of his yard until the police came

and arrested him. When this newspaper visited the scene yesterday, the suspect who was sitting at the back of a police pickup shouted, “He slap me so I knock he back and I know I gone get off because I gun tell the court what happen.” His sister, Sumintra Sugrim, said that she was at the back of her yard fetching manure when she heard her brother and the deceased arguing. The woman said that she did not pay much attention to it since the two men would drink frequently and argue all the time. “This is an everyday thing so I just continued my work and then I hear the argument like it quiet down. When I walk to the front to take the manure, I see my brother skin wet and I see Bhagwan lying on the ground,” Sugrim said, while adding that her brother might not have understood what he had done because he was highly intoxicated. Meanwhile, none of the relatives of the dead man was at the scene. His mother and other relatives will be coming to Guyana today.

Bajan government cannot tax its way out- business leader President of the Small Business Association, Dean Straker, has insisted that a country cannot tax its way out of a fiscal problem. Furthermore, he has called for a new paradigm or new model for our business development in Barbados. Straker made the comments while delivering welcoming remarks at the Small Business Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Radisson Aquatica Resort. The President contended that Barbados’ economic performance of the past decade confirms that “our model of business development needs to be revisited”. According to him, “We have struggled to maintain commendable fiscal performance, with little or no growth annualised over this period, resulting in a greater tax grab by Government to support its operations and the delivery of social services.” He pointed out that the policies have had a demoralised impact on business, with the latest taxes announced this year – the National Social

Dean Straker Responsibility Levy (NSRL) and the two per cent commission tax on foreign exchange (FX) transactions – destabilising several firms, small and medium alike. “Our Secretariat has been receiving updates from members on the increased cost to their operations because NSRL and the FX tax, and the challenge of either passing on this cost to the consumer or reducing staff to keep their doors open,” Straker said. He stated that a sector that contributes 61 per cent of private sector jobs and 64

per cent to GDP, is worthy of greater consideration of policy to ensure this group is enfranchised to contribute even more. Moving forward, he indicated that the first order of business is an enabling framework for which they in the SBA applaud Minister with responsibility for Small Business Development, Donville Inniss and his Ministry for laying the National Policy Framework for MSME Development in Parliament, in February of this year. “This policy has several provisions that can strengthen the sector. We now call on the Ministry to move with alacrity to ensure the administration and implementation of this policy,” he suggested. In terms of Small Business Week, the President stated that it represents the SBA’s opportunity to focus national attention on the significant contribution being made to economic and social development, by the many brave and visionary men and women to start a micro, small or medium enterprise. (NB)

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Tuesday October 03, 2017

Kaieteur News

Herath’s 400th wicket seals dramatic victory for Sri... (From page 28) innings. Asad Shafiq shaped to cut a Herath delivery bowled shorter, and a little quicker, but managed only to send it to slip. Sarfraz Ahmed seemed to be winning a little momentum for Pakistan as he and Haris Sohail put on a partnership of 42 runs, but could not get bat on ball when he ran at Herath, and the ball

dribbled off his pads to Niroshan Dickwella, who completed the stumping with Sarfraz barely in the frame. Following those dismissals, Sri Lanka appeared the likelier side to lock the match down. The Sri Lankan fifthday tropes were evident in abundance: the over-appealing wicketkeeper, the nonstop yammering around the

bat, the exuberant celebrations. Kusal Mendis even experienced a moment of instant karma, when he took what he thought was the winning catch, performed Hasan Ali’s trademark celebration in the direction of the dressing rooms, only for the batsman to be recalled because it had been a no-ball. In the end, the final cel-

Thirteen days to go... (From page 30) among the new faces that did a great job as judges during the competition which involved time management, umpire coordination and record-keeping,” Fernandes disclosed. In addition to those table officials, several young umpires were utilized to gain experience. While the country’s most senior umpire, Devin Hooper, was the lone local umpire selected for the IPAC, according to the GHB Head, umpires identified with the potential to break onto the international scene like Michael Harding, Yonnick Peters and Shonnette Moore, all gained valuable exposure in these national championships. Harding has already been

invited by the Pan American Hockey Federation to officiate in the upcoming CAC qualifier in Jamaica this November. Fernandes added that the floor was a major concern when Guyana placed its bid to host the prestigious IPAC and the GTT C/ships was the first tournament played on the newly installed tile floor. “I think we can safely rule out issues with the floor as a concern since the surface proved to be the best we have ever had for indoor hockey in Guyana. Work has been ongoing at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to ensure everything is in place for the IPAC and the facility is 85% ready. There are a few minor issues with water and the standby generator,

but he assured they will be will be resolved in the coming week. In closing, he reiterated his pleasure with the way the test tournament was run off and anticipates an exciting and professionally run IPAC.” “Our national teams have been showing great improvement, especially since they have had regular access to the playing facility and we hope they give their local supporters plenty to cheer for during the IPAC”.

Windies to leave next... (From page 26) for October 29 to November 2,” Zimbabwe Cricket spokesman, Darlington Majonga said. He added: “West Indies will play warm-up matches facing Zimbabwe A in a threeday practice match beginning October 15 at the Bulwayo Athletic Club.” The series is expected to see the return of Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis, both of whom have not played for Zimbabwe in recent years. Taylor, 31, has not suited up since the 2015 World Cup while the 28-year-old Jarvis played the last of this eight Tests four years ago. Both have spent the last few years in England playing County cricket. West Indies will be looking to turn the page on an overall disappointing tour of England where they lost the three-match series, 2-1. However, they will fancy their chances against a Zimbabwe side which have played just 13 Tests inside the last four years, winning just two and losing their last nine. The Windies have never lost a Test to Zimbabwe, while winning six of their eight career meetings.

ebrations were a little more muted, both on the field and among the support staff. Following the lavish home thrashings suffered at India’s hands, Sri Lanka were desperate for a victory to win their public back. Herath was the perfect figure to lead the PR exercise, but Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Perera and Dimuth Karunaratne, had all played their roles as well. Pakistan, meanwhile, came face-to-face with life post Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. They have collapsed this way even with those two in the team, of course, but perhaps not quite so meekly. Yasir had bowled with venom, turning his legbreak practically out of the next district, slipping in that

slider that seemed no less destructive. Abbas took the first wicket of the day, seaming one away, then back into Mendis who was hit in front of off stump. The remainder of the morning belonged more or less to Yasir. He dismissed the opposition spinners, getting Perera lbw with a slider, before having Herath caught at short leg next ball. No Sri Lanka batsman failed to suffer nervous moments against Yasir. In fact, Dickwella, who got what is in retrospect an invaluable 40 not out, had considerable luck as he swept, reverse swept and drove Yasir for runs. Pakistan, understandably, had left for lunch with a strut. The last-day surprise is now something of a trope of

Sri Lanka-Pakistan matches, several compelling conclusions having been summoned by these teams since 2009. This game, perhaps has had the strangest final five sessions at all. At one stage, Sri Lanka were in control. Then Pakistan took the match by the collar. The first innings, after which only three runs separated the teams, now seems like a long set-up for what eventually became a gripping second-innings shootout. Scores: Sri Lanka 419 (Chandimal 155, Dickwella 83) and 138 (Dickwella 40*, Yasir 5-51) beat Pakistan 422 (Azhar 85, Herath 5-93) and 114 (Herath 6-43, Dilruwan 3-46) by 21 runs.

Tuesday October 03, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Sudden romantic connections may be short lived. You are best to work at home, clearing up overdue projects. You should consider getting into self improvement endeavors. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You can offer your mate a commitment or promise that will help stabilize your personal life. You will be erratic and quite likely to make personal mistakes. Career changes may not be your choice right now, but in the long run they will be to your advantage. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) It's time to make professional changes. You can convince anyone of anything. Your partner may blame you for everything. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Don't let your partner get you going. You are best to travel or attend lectures or seminars. You will be best suited to doing things around the house or inviting friends over for a visit. New relationships will surface through work related events. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may be overly emotional when dealing with your mate. Don't shy away from potential mates they want to introduce you to. You can take advantage of opportunities if you are quick to make a move. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) This is a turning point. Put your energy into behind the scenes activities. Problems on

the home front might be a little disconcerting. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You will impress others with your initiative and ability to accomplish while on short business trips. Don't be afraid to push your beliefs and attitudes. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You can make new friends by taking part in social events involving colleagues. Finish off old projects before starting something new. You may find acquaintances being deceptive. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You need to get out and be an observer. Jealousy may be a contributing factor to your emotional ups and downs. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Find an outlet for any mounting frustration. Consider a creative hobby. You will learn a great deal about yourself if you go somewhere secluded. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You can meet potential new mates if you socialize with friends. Visit friends or relatives you don't get to see very often. You need to spend some time getting to know this person all over again. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You can take advantage of opportunities if you are quick to make a move. Invite friends over rather than spending money on lavish entertainment. Problems with gas, oil, or water in your home may disrupt your routine.

Tuesday October 03, 2017

Kaieteur News

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GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League – East Demerara

Adonis and Culpepper blast hat-tricks in Golden Stars mauling of BA Paradise Golden Stars, on account of three goals each from Shawn Adonis and Dextroy Culpepper totally outplayed B a c h e l o r ’s A d v e n t u r e Paradise Sports Club to win 10-0, the lone contested match when play in the G F F / N A M I L C O Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17 Intra Association League continued at the Golden Grove ground, East Cost Demerara on Saturday last. The other match that was scheduled between Buxton Stars and Buxton Youth

Developers saw the former gaining full points via the walk over route as the latter failed to turn up. The win for Buxton Stars was their second in 10matcxhes, while the loss for Buxton Youth Developers was their eight of the league which is in the second round. Golden Stars were unstoppable in recording their fifth win which saw them overtaking their defeated foe, Bachelors Adventure Paradise for 4th place on the points table on a

better goal difference. The 10-0 win for golden Stars was designed by hattrick performances from Dextroy Culpepper who was on target in the 15th, 20th and 35th minute. Shawn Adonis blasted his three in the 50th, 85th and 87th minute. Colin Seymour contributed a double (30 & 89), while there was one apiece for Tyrese James in the 64th minute and Martin McCully from the penalty spot in the 70th minute.

Golden Stars marksmen, standing from left, Colin Seymour, Dextroy Culpepper and Shawn Adonis. Stooping from left, Martin McCully and Tyrese James.

Devanand Persaud is ‘B’ Class Draughts Champion

From left, Esan Anderson, Devanand Persaud, Shawn Weekes and Lindon Heywood display their prizes. Tuschen player Devanand Persaud took a comfortable win from his opponents over the weekend in the Annual National Draughts Championship held in the Compound of the National Gymnasium. Devanand amassed nine

points over his closest rival Esan Anderson with six points. Shawn Weekes with five points earned the third place, while Lindon Heywood clinched the fourth spot. The first and second place winners were awarded

with trophies donated by P&P Insurance Brokers, while Rubis Bel Air and Colours Boutique sponsored the third and fourth place trophies. The winners were also given small gifts from the Guyana Draughts

Association. These players also earn a spot to contest in the Senior category this weekend. The games continue this Sunday with the ‘A’ class competition at the Rocket Center Conference Room, Wolford Avenue.

South Essequibo 40-overs Cricket Tournament

Beharry, Dindyal shine as Aurora Knightriders defeat G.T Warriors Led by a well constructed century by Ravi Beharry and a six wicket haul by off spinner Deoraj Dindyal, Aurora Knightriders easily defeated GT Warriors in their matchup played last Sunday in the South Essequibo 40overs Cricket Tournament at the Hibernia Cricket Ground. On a small ground and fast outfield, the Warriors won the toss and invited the Knightriders to take first strike. Beharry stroked an entertaining 120 (9x4,11x6), D i n d y a l 7 2 (12x4,3x6),Weyon Friendz a cameo 38 (6x6), while Timur Gafoor chipped in with 28 and Anwar Buksh 33 not out in the Knigtriders 407-9 when their overs expired. Bowling for GT Wa r r i o r s , A n d y D a s s

grabbed 2-52, G. Sharma 260, while there was a wicket apiece for Patrick Rooplall and Moses Ferriera. The Warriors’ reply was hampered by some aggressive fast bowling by Friendz and Saieef Ally. In the end, the Warriors could only muster 199 all out in 23.1 overs. G. Sharma led with 75 (5x4,7x6), while Andy Dass supported with 41 (4x4,2x6). Man of the Match Dindyal grabbed 640, Friendz 2-33, while Ally had 1-30. Meanwhile, the South Essequibo T/20 final which was slated for the previous weekend between the same two teams was abandoned due to heavy early morning rain. As such, both teams were declared joint winners.

Kaieteur News

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Windies to leave next week for Zimbabwe Tests

West Indies … set to play two Tests against Zimbabwe. HARARE, Zimbabwe, CMC – Queens Sports Club will host both Tests when West Indies arrive here next week Wednesday for their

short series against Zimbabwe. The tourists are expected to play a three-day warm-up match before taking on the

hosts in the two Tests at the venue in Bulawayo, which last hosted a match in the longest format when New Zealand toured last year

August. “The first Test is pencilled for October 21-25 while the second one is set (Continued on page 24)

GuyanaNRA Recorded Shoot

Lennox Braithwaite flawless ahead of Caribbean C/ships; Leo Romalho steps up Ahead of the start of the 150th anniversary shoot of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA) and the start of the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council (WIFBSC) sanctioned Caribbean Championships here from this weekend, Lennox Braithwaite turned in a flawless shoot as local marksmen continued to sharpen up for the Caribbean and international invasion. The GuyanaNRA Recorded Shoot saw Braithwaite recording a total of 120 points and 10 Vs after shooting possibles at all three ranges, 300 yards, 500 yards and 900 yards. Competition which took place at the newly renovated Timehri Rifle Ranges, Ya r r o w k a b r a , L i n d e n Soesdyke Highway, saw Braithwaite, a former multiple Individual Caribbean champion, returning to ominous form ahead of what is anticipated to be an exciting Caribbean championships which will also see shooters from England, Ireland, Canada and the Falkland Islands descending on these shores to compete.

In subtly changing conditions, and shooting on the right Bank of the range to get accustomed to it, Braithwaite shot a possible of 50:5 at 300 yards before recording 35:4 and 35:1 at 500 and 900 yards. Coming second to Braithwaite was Leo Romalho, another of the main team players in the defending Caribbean Long and Short Range champion’s lineup. Romalho, after replacing his shooting lens saw the target like old times and turned in scores of 49:3 at 300 yards, 33:1 at 500 yards and 34:3 at 900, for a total of 116. Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud, who has been dominating the Recorded Shoots, leading by

example, had to settle for the third place this time around with a total of 115:14 with scores of 48:6, 33:4 and 34:4 at eth respective 300, 500 and 900 ranges. Sights will now be focused on the WIFBSC Championships which shoots off on Sunday at the Timehri Rifle Ranges. Over 110 shooters from England, Ireland, Canada, Falkland Islands, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and the host nation will be matching rifles at the 300, 500, 600, 900 and 1,000 yards ranges. Teams are expected to begin arriving today, part of the Canadian contingent along with the Falkland Islands.

Three days of Individual marksmanship would be followed by a final day of competition where the top 60 then 30 will be aiming for the top position and bragging rights for the next year. A rest day will be had on Friday October 13 when visitors will have a chance to experience Guyana’s Tourism with about 40 already booked to visit the Majestic K a i e t e u r. Still short of its initial budget of 14 Million dollars, the GuyanaNRA is appealing to corporate Guyana to come on board to assist in making this momentous occasion a success. Some assistance would have already been received from a few companies which have part sponsored or donated to the Championships.

Tuesday October 03, 2017

Muguruza, Stephens make early exits at China Open ( R e u t e r s ) - Wo r l d number o n e G a r b i n e Muguruza fell at the first hurdle at the China Open y e s t e r d a y, w i t h t h e Spaniard forced to retire during her first-round match against Czech Barbora Strycova. Muguruza looked sluggish throughout and was broken in the first game before losing the first set 6-1. She was trailing 2-0 in the second when she decided she could not continue. “I got a virus in Wuhan and I did not practise in Beijing. I thought an extra day’s rest would help, and didn’t want to pull out,” Muguruza said. “ But I couldn’t perform today.”

American qualifier Christina McHale served up another shock when she beat Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-0 to send the U.S. Open champion crashing out in the first round of a tournament for the second week in a row. Stephens, who is seeded 15th in Beijing, was eliminated in the first r o u n d o f l a s t w e e k ’s Wuhan Open by China’s Wang Qiang. Peng Shuai had to dig deep to get past American Shelby Rogers, but the Chinese edged out her opponent 7-6(3) 3-6 7-5 in an epic match lasting two hours and 48 minutes. Shuai faces Romanian Monica Niculescu in the second round.

McLeod nominated for IAAF’s World Athlete of the Year KINGSTON, Jamaica — World Championships sprint hurdles gold medallist Omar McLeod was named among the nominees for the IAAF’s World Athlete of the Year. McLeod, who added the World Championships title to the Olympic and Indoor Championships he won last year, is among 10 men who were named by the IAAF. A three-way voting process will determine the finalists. ”The IAAF Council and the IAAF Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the

I A A F ’s s o c i a l m e d i a platforms. Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook and Twitter later this week; a ‘like’ or ‘favourite’ will count as one vote, an IAAF release said. ”The IAAF Council’s vote will count for 50 per cent of the result, while the IAAF Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25 per cent of the final result. ”Voting closes on 16 October. At the conclusion of the voting process, three men and three women finalists will be announced by the IAAF.”

The full list of nominees are: Men Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) Pawel Fajdek (POL) Mohamed Farah (GBR) Sam Kendricks (USA) Elijah Manangoi (KEN) Luvo Manyonga RSA) Omar McLeod (JAM) Christian Taylor (USA) Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) Johannes Vetter (GER)

Women Almaz Ayana (ETH) Maria Lasitskene (ANA) Hellen Obiri (KEN) Sally Pearson (AUS) Sandra Perkovic (CRO) Brittney Reese (USA) Caster Semenya (RSA) Ekaterini Stefanidi (GRE) Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) Anita Wlodarczyk (POL)

Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 03, 2017

PAGE 27

GMRSC Caribbean Invasion drag meet

Shawn Persaud wins unlimited Class

Some of the action during Sunday’s Caribbean Invasion drag race meet at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri. The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s (GMRSC) Caribbean Invasion, International Drag meet was everything it promised as fans were treated with some scorching battles at the South Dakota

Circuit on Sunday afternoon. More importantly, the reigning 2nd class champion, Shawn Persaud, who had shared with Kaieteur Sport his confidence of reigning supreme a class above in the

WICCBVI announces squad for Blind Cricket World Cup Five Guyanese included

Ganesh Singh Five Guyanese have been included in a 17-man squad named by the West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WICCBVI) to participate in the fourth edition of the 40over World Cup for the blind and visually impaired from January 7-21 in Dubai. Leroy Phillips, Ganesh Singh, Douglas Tika, Kevin Douglas, Seon Mitchell are the Guyanese named in the squad with Tika and Mitchell expected to make their debuts in Dubai. Sean Straker, Douglas Tika, Seon Mitchell and Oshane Fortella have been selected for the first time in a squad while the other members participated in the T20 World Cup in India earlier this year. The squad consists of six (6) B1s, five (5) B2s and six (6) B3s. B1; refers to persons who are totally blind , B2 are

unlimited category, followed through on his word with a blistering 8.311 seconds win, in his Toyota Caldina. Persaud, who won the previous two locally hosted drag meets, pushed his Toyota Caldina to better his

8.4 seconds which was good enough to blow away the other competitors last March. This new 8.311 seconds personal best is the second fastest drag time in Guyana. Julius Seunarine won the

motorbike class in his 2008 Suzuki GSX-R. The other winners of the day are as follows: 15 second class: Davendra Persaud –Toyota Corolla 14 second class: Shivan Raganauth – Toyota Sprinter

13 second class: Lawrence Bhagwadin –Toyota Glanza 12 second class: Aditia Budhram –Toyota Levin 11 second class: Rajesh Panday –Toyota Mark 2 10 second class: O’Neal Higgins –Toyota Caldina

Lewis, Joseph shine in ODI rankings despite Windies slump

Leroy Phillips persons who are partially blind andB3 are those who are partially sighted. The squad reads: (B1) Leroy Phillips, Ganesh S i n g h , D o u g l a s Ti k a (Guyana), Jason Ricketts, Marlon Cole (Jamaica) and Shawn Straker (Barbados). B2s: Gregory Stewart, Alvin James (Jamaica), Ricardo Manning, Kci Ward-Ryan (Barbados) and Seon Mitchell (Guyana). B3s: LoShane Myles, Dennal Shim, Oshane Fortella (Jamaica), Kevin Douglas (Guyana) and Karl Sobers, Halden Ford (Barbados). The team will be coached by Glendon Coke and Managed by Stevenson Evelyn. Carrison Henry will be the team’s Physio. The team will assemble in Guyana for a one week camp before departing the Caribbean on January 5.

West Indies left-hander Evin Lewis.

LONDON, CMC – The West Indies pair of Evin Lewis and Alzarri Joseph have both made huge strides in the latest International Cricket Council One-Day International rankings, following career-best performances in the just concluded five-match series against England. Left-hander Lewis leapt 31 places in the batting rankings to break into the top-100 in the world at 78th while Joseph jumped 28 spots to 108th.

The movement for both players comes against the backdrop of outstanding performances in the fourth ODI at the Oval last Wednesday. Lewis chalked up a sublime 176, his second ODI hundred and the fourth highest individual score by a West Indies batsman in one-dayer, as the Caribbean side amassed 356 for five – their fourth highest total in ODIs. The 20-year-old Joseph, playing in his first match of

the series, then became the youngest-ever Windies bowler to take five wickets in an ODI when he ended with five for 56. West Indies lost the rainhit game by six runs under Duckworth/Lewis to end up losing the series 4-0. There was also movement for captain Jason Holder who rose 11 places in the batting ranking to 73rd, following his career-best 77 also in the fourth ODI. Meanwhile, off-spinner Sunil Narine, who has not

played a one-day game in a year, slipped two places to 10 t h but remained the highest-ranked West Indies bowler. Holder is the next best at 26th but is the only other Windies bowler in the top-50 of the rankings headed by South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir. In the batting, the h i g h e s t r a n k e d We s t Indies player is Marlon Samuels at 47th with India stroke-maker Virat Kohli at the top.

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday October 03, 2017

Herath’s 400th wicket seals dramatic victory for Sri Lanka

Rangana Herath got into the act and would take his 100th wicket against Pakistan... ©Francois Nel/Getty Images ESPNcricinfo - How did we get here? How did we hurtle, from the dullest 11 sessions of Test cricket possible, to this stirring, heart-palpitating, dramedy of a conclusion? Sri Lanka, out of the match surely when they set out to defend 136

after lunch, yet victors by 21 runs, Rangana Herath breaking records, scuttling Pakistan again - 6 for 43 to his name. The pitch began to sing for him, the batsmen played him with fatal hesitation, Dilruwan Perera was even denied the winning

wicket by a no-ball, just so Herath could complete 400 Test wickets - the first leftarm spinner to the milestone. With this mild insanity of a spell, he has confirmed himself one of the greatest defenders of scores in Test history. He has 11 fourth-

Hand in Hand Mutual and Fire Insurance NP Cycle Meet

Dilruwan Perera was tough to negotiate after the lunch session and he dealt the early blows; Pakistan fell to 36 for 5 ©Francois Nel/Getty Images innings five-wicket hauls now. Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne? Puh, only seven apiece. When he floated one up beautifully to Mohammad Amir, and then got it to connive between bat and pad to hit middle stump, Herath also became the first bowler to complete 100 wickets against Pakistan. Perera thought he had Yasir Shah caught at short leg, prompting wild Sri Lankan celebrations, but was found to have overstepped. Herath doesn’t over step. His was the final triumphant act - a slider to nail poor

Mohammad Abbas in front of off stump. Pakistan were visibly heartbroken. How had they lost this Test after Yasir’s 5 for 51 had swung the match almost completely in their favour? How had they been such kings with the ball in the morning, taking 6 for 69, and then become such klutzes with the bat in the next two sessions, surrendering all ten wickets for 114? So go Sri Lanka v Pakistan Tests, though surely the most unpredictable and close-run rivalry of the past 10 years. The last time these two

teams played, Sri Lanka set Pakistan a mammoth 377 runs to win, and still managed to lose. It was Herath himself who had set Pakistan’s slide in motion, fooling Sami Aslam in the fourth over of the chase, getting the batsman to play for the turning ball, but sliding it into his outside edge eventually gobbled up at slip. After Suranga Lakmal dismissed a leaden-footed Azhar Ali and Perera took two wickets himself, Herath produced perhaps the two biggest wickets of the (Continued on page 24)

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League – Georgetown

Conquerors remain unbeaten; Eastveldt and GFC win Fruta Conquerors has continued their unblemished run of form with their 10th win in as many encounters when competition in the G F F / N A M I L C O Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17 Intra Association League continued on Saturday last at the Tucville ground. Also recording wins on the day were Georgetown Football Club (GFC) and Eastveldt, while there was a draw in the match between Santos and Camptown.

Hamza Eastman - Team Coco’s The 13th edition of the annual Hand in Hand Mutual and Fire Insurance Company National Park Cycle Meet is ready for takeoff this Saturday at the nations #1 outdoor, all weather track. The marquee event on the cards is the schoolboys and invitational 35-lap race which was won last year by

Hamza Eastman in One Hour 17 Minutes 02.16 Seconds. Another much looked forward to event will be the junior/juvenile 10-lap contest, which saw Dwayne Gibbs Jnr. taking the top podium spot last year in 24 Minutes 24.16 Seconds. The veteran under and over45 winners in 2016 were Jaikarran Sukhai and

Andrew Spencer respectively, while Stephen Gobin took the mountain bike race, all three races will be contested over 5-laps. The usual BMX races targeting youngsters from ages six to fourteen are also slated with the first event to pedal off at 09:00hrs in the Hassan Mohamed M.S, organized event.

Conquerors, led by a hattrick from Raushan Ritch defeated Pele 5-1; Turston Gordon and Richard Rayside were the other players on target. Pele’s consolation goal came off the boot of Dorwin George. Eastveldt, the second placed team in the league, trounced Order and Discipline by a 7-0 margin. A brace each were netted by Travis Hercules and Mario Eastman with one each from Marcus Wilson, Carl Lince and Zion Grey.

GFC took victory over Alpha United by a 2-0 margin, Rondel Peters and an own goal was all that was needed for the Bourda Blues to seal full points. Santos got their goal in the 1-1 draw with Camptown from Naseem Alger, while Lennox Young scored for Camptown. Meanwhile, no matches were played in the West Demerara Football Association due to some communication glitches on Saturday and Sunday.

Tuesday October 03, 2017

Kaieteur News

PAGE 33

Rabada, Maharaj fire SA to thumping win

Kagiso Rabada sunk Bangladesh with early strikes on the fifth morning, South Africa v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Potchestroom, 5th day, October 2, 2017 © AFP ESPNcricinfo Bangladesh lost seven wickets for 41 runs on the final morning in Potchefstroom, crashing to 90 all out in a whopping 333run defeat to South Africa. The visitors lasted only 83 minutes in the morning session as Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj ran through the side.

Rabada, who took over the lead fast bowler’s role in the absence of Morne Morkel, struck three times in his first four overs of the day, while left-arm spinner Maharaj added three wickets to his tally to take his innings figures to 4 for 25 and complete a match haul of seven wickets. This was the first time in

ten years that Bangladesh were bowled out for a double-figure total in Tests, and the first time they were dismissed by South Africa for less than 100 runs in a Test. Mushfiqur Rahim was the first to go, falling to Rabada for 16 off a delivery that bounced sharply, and Hashim Amla held on to a

good catch over his head at slip. Rabada then got Mahmudullah to drag one on to his stumps, similar to his dismissal in the first innings off Morkel. Within 30 minutes, Bangladesh had lost their last two senior batsmen. Liton Das, who had earned credit with his smart wicket-keeping on the fourth

GABA/BANKS DIH Playoffs…

Colts defend Under-23 and 2nd Division titles

Pacesetters’ Stephen Peters makes looks to pass to Quincy Dos Santos as Colts’ Timothy Thompson stands firm while his team Daniel Ramlagan watches on. The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association/Powerade/Rain forest Water/Malta Supreme playoffs continued on Sunday night with game 2 of the three-match 2nd Division finals at the Burnham Hard Court on Middle and Carmichael streets. Bounty Colts won

Sunday’s game 85-64, led by Jonathan Mangra (18p o i n t s ) a n d Ti m o t h y Thompson (15-points) to complete a 2-0 finals sweep. Colts basketball club entered the 2017 season as champions in all three divisions (1st, 2nd and Open) and now after completing sweeps in the

2nd and Under-23 Divisions (both against Pacesetters), Plaisance Guardians have the opportunity to dethrone them as Open champions when they meet tomorrow night. Following their loss in Game 1, Plaisance Guardians bounced back to win the 2nd of the three (3)

game finals against defending Open Division champions Bounty Colts. Guardians won 88-69, led by an impressive 37 points from Nikolai Smith who got support from Malcolm Powdar (14 points). Shelroy Thomas (23 points) and Stanton Rose (16) top scored for Colts in the losing effort.

afternoon, left a Rabada inducker that slammed into his front pad, making it an easy lbw decision for the umpire. Five balls later, Maharaj trapped Sabbir Rahman leg-before as he attempted a sweep early in his innings. The Bangladesh tail folded quickly after that. Maharaj removed Taskin Ahmed while Rabada’s throw found Shafiul Islam short at the striker’s end after the batsman had opted for an unnecessary third run. The match ended when Mustafizur lobbed a simple catch back to Maharaj. Bangladesh began this Test by opting to bowl first on a decidedly flat pitch, a decision that surprised even South Africa captain Faf du

Plessis. Faced with South Africa’s first-innings total of 496, they avoided a followon but in their second innings, the panic seemed to set in during the fourth evening, when Bangladesh lost their top three quickly after being set a target of 424. The second innings will be a big disappointment for the visitors and could be an ominous sign for the remainder of the series. The second match starts from October 6 in Bloemfontein. Scores: South Africa 496 for 3 dec (Elgar 199, Amla 137) and 247 for 6 dec (du Plessis 81, Bavuma 71) beat Bangladesh 320 (Mominul 77, Mahmudullah 66, Maharaj 3-92) and 90 (Kayes 32, Maharaj 4-25, Rabada 3-33) by 333 runs.

Albert’s century, Habib 50 propel Enterprise A to huge win A fine century by Vivian Albert and an attacking half century by opener Ameer Habib guided Enterprise A to 167-run victory over Lusignan A when the Enterprise Busta SC 40-over tournament continued on Sunday. Albert struck nine fours and a similar number of sixes in a robust 151, while Habib hammered nine fours and three sixes in scoring 70 as host Enterprise A posted a challenging 318-6 after they decided to bat. Off-spinner Travis Persaud picked up two wickets. In reply, Lusignan were reduced to 21-4 before Hiradeo Jailall and Persaud put on 105 for the fifthwicket to steady the chase. Jailall struck two fours and four sixes in a top score of 44, while Persaud hit two fours and five sixes in 41. But when they were separated in quick succession, only Krishnan Jailall of the remaining batsmen offered any resistance with 29 as Lusignan A were bowled out for 151. Stephan Stuart, Beshram Samaroo, Pradesh Balkishun and Rohan Mangal captured two wickets each. On Saturday at Strathavon, Enterprise A beat the home team by six wickets. Batting first, Strathavon were sent

Vivian Albert packing for 79 in 25 overs. Amar Persaud made 20 and Bhojnarine Seepersaud 16; Himnauth Dindyal grabbed 5-30 and Pradesh Balkishun 3-13. Enterprise A responded with 82-4 in 18.1 overs. Dindyal made 28 and Balkishun 24 not out. In another fixture played previously, Lusignan B went down to Enterprise A by seven wickets. Lusignan B were bowled out for 115 in 24.3 overs, taking first strike. Y. Mootram made 29 not out and N. Persaud 16. Chanderpaul Singh claimed 2-21 and Dave Persaud 2-24. Enterprise A replied with 119-3 in 15.3 overs. Ameer Habib struck 41 and Pradesh Balkishun 31 not out.

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Indoor Pan Am Cup

Thirteen days to go

-GHB President satisfied with preparedness With thirteen days left before Guyana witness the start of the Indoor Pan Am Cup (IPAC), both national teams and the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) have intensified their respective preparations to host the event which is easily the biggest spectacle to ever be staged in the sport here. The conclusion of the Annual GTT National

Indoor Championships on Sunday apart from identifying the national champions in the individual categories, also served as a dry run in the lead up to the big event scheduled to run from October 15-21, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue. The staging of the championships was able to identify areas of strengths

and weaknesses as the GHB gear up to provide a spectacular experience for visiting teams, fans and official members of the Pan Am Hockey Federation (PAHF). The Cup will see participation from countries such as USA, Canada, Uruguay, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Argentina with host Guyana

completing the tally. According to the PAHF, this year’s competition will be one of the biggest ever in its history which dates back to 2002 with each tournament being represented by participation from North, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean The 2010 tournament in Venezuela is the biggest to date. Meanwhile, GHB President Philip Fernandes

RHTY&SC to host Softball Cricket tourney to honourBakewell Founder Naeem Nasir - Ganga expresses full confidence in Club

Bakewell CEO Rajin Ganga hands over sponsorship to RHTYSC Executive Rabindranauth Kissoonlall. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation on Sunday 8th October, 2017 would be hosting a Softball Cricket Tournament to honour the memory of the Founder of Bakewell “Naeem Nasir”. Nasir, a long time supporter and sponsor of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, died five

Tuesday October 03, 2017

years ago and this year’s tournament would be the third edition. Bakewell has been the official sponsor of the RHTY&SC Under-17 and Second Division teams since 2000. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster during a simple presentation ceremony at the Company’s Head Office, Triumph, East Coast, Demerara, stated that

All Youth Sports Club’s Tapeball Tourney The All Youths Sports Club will hold a seven-side fund raising Tapeball Cricket Competition on Saturday October 28 at the La-Grange Primary School Ground from 10:00hrs. Entrance fee for teams is $7,000 and some of the money made from the tournament will go towards repairing the School Ground. There will be Bar-B-Q Chicken on sale and tickets cost $1,000 each.

as usual, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club would arrange a tournament of the highest standard and one that would pay tribute to an outstanding son of Guyana. Nasir, Foster recalled was a strong believer in the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, and he hailed the late businessman as one of the main reasons why the Club is widely rated Guyana’s best. Since Bakewell came on board as an official cricket sponsor in 2000, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club has won five Guyana Cricket Club of the Year Awards, t h r e e N a t i o n a l Championships, produced close to 100 Berbice, fifty National Junior Cricketers, sixteen National Players at all levels. Hosting a successful Softball Tournament is the

best way the Club can pay tribute to Nasir, Foster stated and at the same time, upholding the high standard it has set itself in the past. General Manager of Bakewell, Rajin Ganga stated that the late Naeem Nasir was always proud of his involvement with the RHTY&SC and even prouder of its countless achievements over the years. Bakewell, Ganga noted has full confidence in the Club’s ability to honour the memory of the late Nasir. The Club, Ganga stated has always fulfilled its commitments to his Company and has been an outstanding representative of the Bakewell’s brand and logo. The Nasir Memorial Softball Tournament would involve twelve teams drawn from across Berbice. Teams expected to be part of the tournament are Jai Hind, Prophecy Boys, hard Knock, G r i l l M a s t e r, S h a n i e Grocery, Tain, Letter Kenny, Rose Hall Town and Canje. The winning team would receive $100,000 and trophy, the first runner up $50,000 and 2nd runner up $25,000. Teams are asked to call the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, office on 337-4562 for more information. Only Berbice born players would be allowed to play. Teams are required to be at the Area ‘H’ Ground by 08.30 hours for a prompt 09.00 hours start. Meanwhile, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Cricket Development Committee would like to advise teams that the Busta Champion of Champions Softball Tournament would start on the 15th October,

when questioned about the Organising Committee’s performance and preparedness following the conclusion of the Championships said it was a success in his view. “We have been running this tournament for many years and so our tried and tested formula has been working for us throughout those years. This year we brought the dates of the tournament forward in order to use it as a test event for our upcoming Indoor Pan American Cups (IPAC).” He said the few hiccups which surfaced on the first day that caused some timing delays to their schedule were quickly rectified by the second day. He pointed out that while the GHB has made great strides with increasing its player base through the school development programme, efforts to involve young people in different areas of the game like umpiring, judging and table management has also has also been an evolving feature. The GTT tournament was run off almost completely under the

Philip Fernandes supervision of new faces who have been guided by those who were around for the past several years and are now less able to spend long hours managing a tournament. “Dominique DeGroot, who was selected to be a judge for the upcoming I PA C s e r v e d a s t h e Tournament Director and did a fantastic job coordinating the officials which comprised of a young bright team of hockey enthusiasts. Kevin Edwards, Dacia Woodroffe, Shaquille Leung and Lennox Carrol were (Continued on page 24)

Transport SC thump Ace Warriors by 288 runs

Sunil Singh Transport SC defeated Ace Warriors by 28 runs when action in the Georgetown Cricket Association New Building Society Second Division 40-over tournament continued on Sunday. At DCC, Transport SC scored 366 all out in 40 overs. Sunil Singh slammed 113 off 58 balls, while Chemroy Kendall scored 62 off 20 balls, Jamaul Wilson 37, Rafael Singh 32 and Charwayne McPherson 29, Akeem Redman and Anthony Antonio 20 each. Abdool Gafoor had 3-58 and Sherwin Whyte 3-76. Ace Warriors were bowled out for 78 in 19.1 overs in reply. Aaron Rogers made 22; Kevin Ross snared 4-8, while Singh and Antonio had three each.

Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 03, 2017

PAGE 35

NAMILCO/EBFA 7-A-Side tourney

Miss World Guyana Vena Mookram urges teams and fans to always aim high

Miss World Guyana Vena Mookram, NAMILCO’s Marketing Consultant Affeeze Khan and EBFA Exco. Member Clive Matthews join young EBFA players before the start of the competition for a photo op.

Reigning Miss Guyana World, 18-year-old Vena Mookram, who will leave Guyana shortly to represent the Land of Many Waters at the Miss World Pageant set for China next month, was on hand to kick off the oneday 7-a-side East Bank Football Association competition on Saturday last at the Grove Playfield. In a short address to the players and fans on hand, Ms. Mookram urged all to appreciate the value of exercise and living healthy lifestyles, whilst informing that her platform as the Miss G u y a n a W o r l d representative is focused on Diabetes. To t h i s e n d , M s Mookram informed that on September 10 last, along with huge assistance from NAMILCO and the Grove/Diamond NDC, she opened a Fitness Park and

Diabetes Centre in Avenue ‘A’, Diamond Housing Scheme which will focus on physical fitness and nutrition. She told the gathering that she has been very busy promoting her platform ever since being crowned Miss Guyana World in June this year and has a love for working with kids, noting that she was pleased to see so many kids present at the Grove Playfield and was also pleased to learn that NAMILCO has been supporting the development of the sport not only on the East Bank but Guyana by extension by sponsoring the first ever Intra A s s o c i a t i o n U n d e r- 1 7 League. Ms. Mookram along with NAMILCO Marketing Consultant, Affeeze Khan, ensured that all present were treated to one of the

c o m p a n y ’s m a r q u e e product, Wheat-Up Porridge, before she kicked the ball off to signal the official start of proceedings. A total of six teams participated in the event which saw the teams in the final, Grove Hi Tech and Ballers of Grove agreeing to spilt the spoils equally. The other competing teams were Friendship All Stars, Kuru Kururu Warriors, Diamond United and Herstelling Raiders. Grove Hi Tech drew the bye to the final after they won their opening match against Herstelling, 5-1. Ballers got the better of Kuru Kururu on penalty kicks in the lone semi final 31. They had won their respective opening matches against Diamond and Herstelling, respectively. Fazia’s Collection also contributed to the event.

Miss World Guyana Vena Mookram addressing fans and players.

Elizabeth Styles E/Coast 40-over cricket

Buxton ‘A’ beat Plaisance by 76 runs On a glorious Sunday morning, Buxton ‘A’, one of the cricketing giants on the East Coast, faced-off with Plaisance on home turf and when the dust had settled, the Buxtonians had emerged victorious by 76 runs in the opening round of the Elizabeth Styles East Coast 40over match. Buxton ‘A’ were all out for 212 in 30 overs in game that was reduced by 10 overs due to overnight rain as Marvin Cato (69) and Anthony McFarlane (22)

Marvin Cato were the only batsmen to

reach 20. K. Sam (3-20), D. Abrams (2-18) and Pedrico Abrams (2-24) bowled well for Plaisance who were dismissed for 136 in 29 overs despite Noel Williams (38) and Kevin Fraser (36) offering token resistance. Ceaser Glenn ended with 319, Rawley Fredricks 2-35 and David Glenn 2-27. Buxton ‘A’ team won the toss & elected to bat on a two-paced track and after three overs they raced to 50 without loss before Plaisance clawed their way

back after an explosive opening partnership between Anthony McFarlane and Marvin Cato. McFarlane (22) was removed at 75-1 after the rollicking start, Buxton quickly lost their way and slumped to 105 for 4 after 18 overs as Sam, D. Abrams, and P. Abrams ripped the heart out of the Buxton middle order. But the experienced Marvin Cato repaired the damage with Rawley Fredricks (14) before the injured Cato was LBW from

a ball that kept low with the score on 160-5 before Ceaser Glenn contributed 16 to prop up the tail. However, the demise of Glenn triggered a collapse with the last five wickets falling for 52 runs as Buxton failed to bat out their allotted overs. When P l a i s a n c e began their chase, they got off to a horrendous start with Glenn removing one of the openers with the third ball of the innings. However, Williams and

Fraser began to counterattack the new ball bowlers, but with the introduction of spin Fredricks spun a web that slowed the run rate down and with impressive discipline showed by the veteran pacer David Glenn, Plaisance were kept in shackles. This led to the demise of two batsmen in quick succession which started a slump from which Plaisance never recovered. (Sean Devers)

t r o Sp GMRSC Caribbean Invasion drag meet

Shawn Persaud wins unlimited Class

Shawn Persaud’s Toyota Caldina that recorded the second fastest drag time in Guyana yesterday at South Dakota.

Lennox Braithwaite flawless ahead of Caribbean C/ships; Leo Romalho steps up GuyanaNRA Recorded Shoot Leo Romalho

Lennox Braithwaite smiles after a good day’s work

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