Kaieteur News
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Sunday October 07, 2018
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
CELEBRATING WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY
Editor’s Note; If your sent letter was not published and you felt its contents were valid and devoid of libel or personal attacks, please contact us by phone or email.
Trotman’s tenacity in holding Nadir accountable is now matched by his own inaction
Dear Editor, Reference is being made to Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman’s comments in On Friday October 5, Guyana joined more than 100 articles, “Govt looking at countries around the world to celebrate World Teachers’ ‘replacement’ for RusalDay also known as International Teachers Day under the Trotman” and “Local Rusal theme “The right to education means the right to a qualified workers in limbo” (SN: 3rd teacher.” October and 24th September This year’s theme should remind us in Guyana as well as 2 0 1 8 , r e s p e c t i v e l y ) . the global community that the right to education cannot be Attention is being paid to achieved without trained and qualified teachers. The day two germane issues, namely: highlights the fact that education is a key fundamental right 1) the Task Force (TF) which and an entitlement to free compulsory education based on was set up in April to address the equitable access for all children, irrespective of their how Oldendorff and the status or prevailing social circumstances. Bauxite Company of Guyana However, this is not the current situation in Guyana. Incorporated (BCGI) would World Teachers’ Day is an annual event that aims to be impacted upon based on honour teachers of the world and to bring attention to issues the United States’ sanctions impacting them and other educational professionals of RUSAL, the majority worldwide. shareholder in BCGI; and 2) The event was established in 1994 by the United Nations the industrial relations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization climate in the two agencies. (UNESCO) to observe the 1966 signing of UNESCO and The first meeting of the the International Labour Organization recommendation TF w as addres s ed by concerning the status of teachers and to address the issues Minister Trotman who never affecting teachers worldwide. gave the committee Terms of It outlined the standards pertaining to the recruitment, Reference (ToRs) to guide its training and retention of teachers throughout the world and work. As such the committee advocated for their employment and working conditions. developed its ToRs based on Since 1994, World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated interaction with the affected every year around the world to help people understand the workers and stakeholders. critical role that teachers play in the classroom. It is also to That ToRs addressed two recognize the important roles teachers have played in critical areas, namely:-a) societies and to recognize them for all the incredible work they do in educating the next generation. Teaching is a very noble profession and teachers are the heartbeat of that profession in that they educate, nurture and shape the character of future generations. Over the years, teachers have contributed more to the future of our society than any other profession. They are responsible for making the difference in a nation and the creation of all other professions. This year’s World Teachers’ Day marked the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes education as a fundamental human right. Particularly in an era where proponents of populist politics seek to disavow the importance of knowledge and expertise at every opportunity. It is precisely the knowledge, expertise and professionalism of teachers that our students rely on to provide them with the skills and the capacity for the critical thinking that they will need for success in a rapidly changing world. On this day, various events are arranged in many countries around the world to honour and celebrate teachers. This year they involved conferences emphasizing the importance of teaching and learning, extra training sessions for teachers, recruitment drives for teachers from among university students and events to increase the profile of teachers and the role they play in the various communities. In some countries the day was marked by an assembly of students in schools to thank and honour their teachers. In Guyana, the celebration of World Teachers Day saw Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, praising teachers even as the Teachers’ Union remains at odds with the government over salary increases for teachers. The Minister of Education noted the selfless contributions, dedication, commitment and tireless efforts made by teachers to educate students to become independent thinkers and positive contributors to the country and the world at large. But the president of the Teachers Union has called on the Minister to respect and honour the hard work of the nation’s 10,000 teachers by offering them decent wages. Teachers have changed lives, inspired hope, ignited the imagination and instilled a love of learning.
current workers/employer relationship at the two companies; and b) should sanctions be fully imposed as the alternative route government must examine for implementation. An Interim Report was submitted based on Item (a) which made proposals how government can address the c u r r e n t workers/management relationship. Last Wednesday (3rd October), the nation learnt that Cabinet took a decision to hold the recommendations/proposals , though fully aware the industrial relations climate in Oldendorff and BCGI is acrimonious. It is at the stage where there exists no negotiation for the realisation of Collective Labour Agreement though trade unions have bargaining rights in both companies. In fact, the TF, since the resignation in July of its head Minister Simona Broomes, has not met even as information is gleaned from the media that Lance Carberry has been appointed
its new head. This is another disturbing development. For while none can question Carberry’s knowledge and competence about bauxite he is not operating at the level of day-to-day decision making as Broomes, thereby not having the clout and authority as a minister to effect decisive action on issues existing in the ToRs. Important to note, there exists a letter sent to BCGI management by Minister Trotman, dated 20th December 2017, which in part reads: “We [ the government] congratulate the company and its workers on their mutually satisfying relationship, and urge both parties to continue working in harmony to achieve future successes. Please note that as a government we believe in workers’ right to representation and as such we are maintaining [an] arm’s length approach to union matters.” Minister Trotman is fully aware of the acrimonious climate at BCGI, where for nine years
management has refused to engage the Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU), the workers’ representative. As an attorney-at-law by training, minister of government and lawmaker, he knows the importance of words and the significance of his penmanship. Notably, he was the AFC lead speaker on the No-confidence Parliamentary Motion against PPP/C Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir, brought by the Opposition under the stewardship of Robert Corbin as its Leader. Though the Coalition inherited the BCGI problem, it campaigned to correct it should it secure office, but continues to ignore same by refusing to enforce the Constitution and Laws of Guyana. It was the decision of the TF that as the committee continues its work to examine Item (b). Now society is being advised government has put the Interim Report on pause, (Continued on page 7)
Sunday October 07, 2018
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We are still busy blaming each other for the mess we are in Dear Editor, Last week, the Kaieteur News essayed an editorial; “Local Government Elections and racial voting” wherein it sought to discuss the “racial voting” that characterised Guyanese politics. The Editorial claimed, “The animosity between Indo-and-Afro Guyanese is historical; it can be traced back to the freed blacks becoming suspicious of the arrival of indentured East Indian servants from India whom they feared would have compromised their bargaining rights with the planter class in British Guyana.” Now there is no question that the planters introduced indentured labour because they wanted cheap labour. But in Guyana (and Trinidad) it was primarily because the planters feared the freed Africans would move off the plantations due of the availability of land to provide a means of self-employment. In islands such as Antigua and Bermuda where there was no alternative, the planters didn’t even introduce the “apprenticeship” transition period but gave the slaves immediate
‘freedom”. Since the later nineteenth century, many African leaders in Guyana opposed Indian immigration for several good reasons, not the least being that taxes into the Government coffers (of which a considerable sum came from African pockets) were used to partially fund the cost of bringing the Indians to Guyana. However, the charge that Indians undercut African wages on the sugar plantations directly after the abolition of slavery is not borne out by the facts. The charge was built on a myth that remained unchallenged for so long that it has become “history”. In 1990, I noted in my paper, “Aetiology of an ethnic riot”: “It was not Indian labour that broke the back of African attempts to wrest higher wages from the planters. Rather, if labour were to be “blamed”, it was more the Portuguese and, ironically, fellow Africans from both the W.I. and Africa, who played key roles. The ex-slaves called the strike of 1847 at a point of financial crisis for the planters who, encouraged by the
indentureship of 15,848 Portuguese, 12,898 Africans from the W.I. and 6,957 Africans from Africa compared with only 8,692 Indians, held off the demands for higher wages. People of African descent outnumbered all other immigrants during this critical period of “undercutting” wage demands by the Guyanese exslaves. After 1848, the unskilled ex-slaves, by and large, decided to make their living off the plantations. Even though Indian indenture was suspended between 1848-1851, there was no movement back to the plantation by the Africans, nor was there any increase in the wage scale. The latter was precipitated by the removal of preferential tariffs into Britain for WI sugar, in 1846, and caused freed Africans from Barbados and the smaller islands to migrate to British Guiana, where the wages were higher. The point I have been making is that we are going against the analyses of history made by eminent West Indian historians such as Drs. Eric Williams and Walter Rodney (among others) when
How sincere was Mr Jagdeo ? Dear Editor, Recent statements by the opposition leader against racist comments by his supporters, can only be described as commendable. However the history of this ambitious gentleman and that of the recent governance of Guyana by the PPPC, leaves one in much doubt of the sincerity of the statement by this past President. Many have considered Mr Jagdeo himself a racist and are of the opinion that his recent comments are coming
from a forked tongue . What ever the case may be, it is a breath of fresh air to politics in Guyana, to see political leaders from both sides recognising the importance of uniting the nation as we aspire for a better day. Nevertheless, this message of unity must also be taken to the bottom house meetings, and amplified at Babu Jhaan and Enmore. While doing so, Mr. Jagdeo will need a somewhat large eraser to erase what he and
other PPPC leaders have sown deep in the hearts of many. However I personally as one who dreams of a united Guyana, wish to thank our former President for showing such maturity. May all our present and future leaders embrace this call for one people, one nation. I also hope that this statement will usher in more cooperation among those in parliament to build a better Guyana for all Guyanese. Apostle Adrian Wade
we lay blame to the immigrants – whether Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, West Indians or Africans who were all indentured. It was the working of the labour and political systems imposed on us by the British, whether political, economic or cultural, to extract our labour at the cheapest price that kept us all in thrall. Today we are still busy blaming each other for our mess and not questioning whether those bequeathed systems are not contributing to our problems. And that we should get busy, as a first step, in modifying those systems to assist in leading to greater equity and justice for all of us. Sincerely Ravi Dev
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Sunday October 07, 2018
Temperament and the Supreme Court Justices Dear Editor, Why the detractory brouhaha about Kavanaugh’s temperament when the Bench has seated others of worse ilk? History reveals a different story. Listening to Senator after senator and the media ramble on about the absent fitness of Judge Brent Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, one would get the impression that Justices of the U. S Supreme Court had been warm, affable, even tempered individuals. Taking pride of place in the heated debate about the likely confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh was the question of temperament. Pushed aside was the impropriety issue. The basic contention lay in the fact that by elevating his voice during the final part of his confirmation hearing , impertinently interrupting, and accosting senators and characterizing the charges against him as politically mo-
tivated, the nominee presented himself as having a character unsuited for U. S Supreme Court justice. The general impression conveyed was that such a case was totally new, not déjà vu. Several law professors signed a letter, published in the New York Times and addressed to the U. S Senate at variance with the confirmation on these grounds . They cited the Congressional Research Service as saying the following: “a judge requires ‘a personality that is evenhanded, unbiased, impartial, courteous yet firm, and dedicated to a process, not a result.’”https:// www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/03/opinion/ kavanaugh-law-professorsletter.html. Even so, for the records I am personally leery of the temperament argument, at least when taken aside. Granted in no way, shape or form did the Judge’s disposi-
tion at the hearing last week appear normal or respectable. I was genuinely aghast when he remonstrated Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, asking her time and time again if she had ever blacked out from drinking. The temperament argument was such a big prolonged hypocritical issue, as several of the same U. S Supreme Court justices were known for disastrously bad and highly unjudicial personalities. Author and columnist Max Lerner with a reputation as a thoughtful commentator on the Supreme Court in the 1930s and continued such work to his death in 1992, makes reference in his book “Nine Scorpions in a Bottle,— Great Judges and Cases of the Supreme Court”,to Justices Hugo Black, Democrat who sat on the Supreme Court from 1937-1971, Robert Jackson, Democrat from 19411954, William Douglas , Demo-
Transform government parapets into tourism friendly environments Dear Editor, The beautification of your surrounding always speaks for itself. The Diamond Housing Scheme Main Access Road and the Diamond Public
Road, East Bank Demerara, Guyana, government parapets should be transformed into a tourism friendly environment, since the areas are likely structured for commercial activities. First of all these named agencies, the Ministry of Communities, Public Infrastructure, Tourism and Environmental, must get serious and remove all roadside vendors to one suitable place, the
most unsightly is the slaughtered meat that is hanging-up for sale. Secondly, the National Agricultural Research Institute is recommended for Fast-growing species of trees suitable for roadside planting. Looking forward to seeing this go green gesture implemented. Yours Co-operatively, Parmanand Ram.
crat from 1939-1975 and Felix Frankfurter and Independent from 1939-1962 as being nasty, vindictive, backbiting, ambitious and partisan. https://www.amazon.com/ Nine-Scorpions-BottleJudges-Supreme/dp/ 1628727241 They are referred to the court on which they sat as “nine scorpions in a bottle”. Scorpions are not known or recognized for their courtesy, fairness or constraint. Notwithstanding the known negative attributes, these four judges all made historically significant contributions to constitutional law and the court. In this controversy against confirmation, the issue of temperament should be as categorical and different from the accusations that Judge Kavanaugh deluded the Senate Judiciary Committee or committed sexual assault as a teenager. For the temperament argument against Kavanaugh to stand by itself, senators should be able to say that they would support the judge if only he had behaved in a different manner at his confirmation hearing-even if the core of his responses were the same as the ones he gave. That is exactly the point I am addressing. Here are the imprudent justices. The first nominated was Hugo Black a member of the Klu Klux Klan, elected to the Senate in 1926 with stunning Klan support. Once elected he wrote a secret letter of resignation to the Klan’s Grand Dragon, sealed in an envelope to be used in
case of emergency. He signed it I.T.S.U.B, Klan lingo for, in the sacred, unfailing bond. Nominated to the court in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt, rumors of his Klan membership quickly disseminated. Black told his fellow senators that since coming to the Senate, he had severed ties with the Klan, and further added for good measure that any senator concerned about his Klan membership, the senator should vote against his confirmation. Black was nominated on Friday August 12 and confirmed on Wednesday August 17 by a vote of 63 to 16 with 17 abstentions. A few days later resourceful journalists turned up the proof of Black’s Klan membership.https:// www.smithsonianmag.com/ smart-news/supreme-courtjustice-was-kkk-member180962254/ Black’s temperament brought him into a very unjudicial battle with Robert Jackson, another Roosevelt nominee who was preoccupied with becoming Chief Justice. In the spring of 1945, Black sought revenge on Jackson due to a case where Jackson was of the belief that Black had written an opinion that showed favoritism. While Judge Jackson was away in Nuremberg prosecuting Nazi war crimes, Black sought retaliation. The Chief Justice position became vacant. Black went to then President Harry Truman and told him that both he and Judge Douglas would resign if Jackson was appointed Chief Justice. President Truman decided
not to select Jackson. For his part, Jackson went berserk. After first privately intimidating Truman, he dispatched a letter to major newspapers delineating what Black had said to him in conference and accusing Black of sabotaging his chief justice ambitions. The very act in itself was a classic demonstration of the lack of judicial temperament.www.cnn.com/ 2010/POLITICS/12/14/ FDR.supremecourt/ index.html Judge William Douglas was even worse than Black or Jackson. He was married four times, each occasion to progressively younger women. As the alimony payments mounted, he ended up depending on secret payments from a disreputable business man. He called his law clerks the “lowest form of human life”. https:// www.nytimes.com/2009/06/ 11/opinion/11feldman.html It was rumoured that Douglas loved humanity and hated people, in so much that he nicknamed the Austrian born Jewish justice “Der Fuhrer” during the Holocaust. Justice Frankfurter called Justice Douglas, “one of the two completely evil men I have ever met”. Frankfurter took everything personally, and when he was not in agreement with a dissent from Justice Black , he would summon Black’s law clerk into his office, throw the dissent across the desk scattering the pages on the floor and dismissing the clerk with the (Continued on page 7)
Sunday October 07, 2018
The IDB needs to explain Dear Editor, I can hardly believe that KN had to retract the caption for an article on Oct 2nd, “Guyana’s politicians the least trusted by its citizensIDB report”.” Least,” had to be replaced by “most”, giving the meaning a 360 degree spin. I cannot blame the reporter neither the Editor in context of the negativity they deal with on a daily basis in reporting what is taking place in Guyana. They were following a pattern that never veered off course. Here are some of the headlines in KN on Oct 5th. (1) “MP among 81% of public officers who fail to declare assets.” (2) “NIS continues to struggle with low return from investment”. (3) “Stop being ceremonial president, solve teachers problemJagdeo to Granger”. (3) “Send Guyana’s MP back to nursery school.”- Dem boy seh. (4)(Guysuco)”Bond deal just a ploy for a few to make money on taxpayers backs-Jagdeo” (5) President’s appointment of Gecom chairman overrides constitutional democracyNandalall”. (6) Top police, GRA officers should declare assetsintegrity commission head”. (7)” Stalled public school salary negotiations…Shortcomings in setting up arbitration panel indicative of illiteracy –GTU President.” The above is a sneak preview of what the reporters at KN deal with on a daily basis. For a report to emanate from the IDB, stating that “Guyana’s politicians the most trusted by its citizens “, seems a far cry from reality. The working class or average citizens stares in disbelief at this report. They have heard and seen enough of the lies and deception and has tasted
the venom over spilled from corruption by politicians. This is not about gut feelings, they know , deep in their hearts that they do not trust the politicians. The amount of shortcomings identified by the IDB on oil and gas and domestic affairs over the past year makes this one occasion, away from negativity, look like a needle in a haystack. Two weeks ago the IDB had Guyana at number 26 among the most “shaming countries”. Every one of these lapses that had been cited by the IDB should have worked to erode the citizens confidence in the politicians. Where is the logic for the IDB to arrive at,” Guyanese citizens the most trusting of politicians”?There has to be some sort of pandemic infection invading the brains of the citizens for them to give an affirmative response to trusting of our politicians or perhaps something is wrong with the pia mater of the IDB personnel that did this survey. It seems so surreal , after all the transgressions that had been meted out to the citizens by the politicians since independence to now that we should still be trusting our politicians the “most”, in relation to people in other Countries of the world. I am inclined to believe that the IDB has this one wrong. If not, I would like the IDB to disseminate the methodology used to assimilate this seemingly provocative report. Rudolph Singh
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Trotman’s tenacity in holding Nadir... From page 4 which in effect means it will do nothing, as it adopts a waitand-see approach, hoping for the best, while making another promise to look at ‘replacement’ for RUSAL. The failure to plan is a deliberate act of preparing to fail. Instructive too is that Minister Trotman in a 24th September article stated that the ToRs, which guided the Interim Report, was to be placed before Cabinet for determination. In effect, the Minister is making public admittance to a failure on his part in discharging his duty of establishing a TF with ToRs. In 3rd October he came back and said the Interim Report that
emanated from the TF, Cabinet has taken a decision to put it in abeyance. What manner of governance and leadership are we the people witnessing and being subject to. Workers/citizens’ rights and respecting of the Law cannot be put into abeyance. These have to be respected and enforced every single day of our lives and government continues to fail us in the discharge of their duty and responsibility. The words in Minister Trotman’s letter (20th December 2017) pledging to BCGI, government’s hands-off approach to what is happening in the company makes our reality as citizens, relying on its
Temperament and... From page 6 words ,” At Yale they call this scholarship” h t t p s : / / scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/ c g i / viewcontent.cgi?article=2985&context=cklawreview The final point to be made here, and one which America should bear in mind prior to moralizing about the personalities that a judge should possess, is that in this moment temperament is not destiny or finality and that judicial greatness is not synonymous with calm and courtesy. Determined by the lasting effect on both country and constitution, most of the greatest justices have been haughty, socially alienated, arrogant and downright mean. Although Roosevelt’s appointees had impious per-
sonal differences, no doubt exists that personality sharpened each judge’s world view, which in turn changed the nation for good, as in the case of desegregation. In the end to be a great justice you do not need to possess a judicial temperament. Y. Sam.
government to protect us, even more frightening. The APNU+AFC administration, every step of the way, has made workers sacrificial lambs in this country. Trotman’s tenacity in holding Nadir ac-
countable for not acting is today being matched by inaction and collusion with foreign nationals to violate the laws and transgress workers/ citizens’ rights. Lincoln Lewis.
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Sunday October 07, 2018
Town Clerk purchases $30M property at Happy Acres
Amidst the inquiry into City Hall, questions are being raised over the acquisition of a $30M property by Town Clerk of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, Royston King. King was instructed to proceed on leave last month to facilitate investigations into City Hall by the Local Government Commission, (LGC). The LGC has launched a Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of City Hall following complaints by several agencies and individuals about corruption and mismanagement of funds at the administrative level of the Council. In addition to the reports, allegations were leveled against King who is the head of City Hall’s administration, for abusing his authority, bypassing the procurement rules to hand out contracts to friends and family, failing to remit to the Credit Union contributions deducted from workers’ salaries in keeping with financial regulations, among other things. Added to the accusation, new information surfaced this week about the purchase of a multimillion-dollar property at Lot 47 Happy Acres, East
The Lot 47 Happy Acres Property sold to Royston King
Royston King Coast Demerara, (ECD). According to documents seen by this newspaper, the Town Clerk is said to have
brought the property on January 7, 2017. The documents further outlined that “the property lot numbered 47 being a portion of Block lettered “T” known as Happy Acres, is part of Montrose and Felicity, in the La Bonne Intention-Better Hope Village District, East Coast of Demerara, in which there is a building and erections valued and priced at $30 M.” According to an agreement of sale, King whose ad-
dress was given Lot 3279 Canal Place, South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown, Demerara, purchased the property from its original owners by way of a Power of Attorney. The information also outlined that documents were drafted on King‘s behalf by Attorney- at -Law, Roger Yearwood who is a lso the lawyer for the Georgetown M&CC. Earlier this year, King had refused to proceed on leave to facilitate a forensic audit by
the Auditor General into the affairs of the M&CC. Even in the face of a no confidence motion filed by Alliance for Change, (AFC) Councillor, Sherod Duncan, King said that he decided to stay on the job, given the circumstances. “Given all that has been happening; given all the unfolding events, perhaps it would be more responsible for me to stay on a bit longer,” King said. The forensic audit of the city was scheduled to look into millions of dollars in funds provided by Central Government, dating as far back as 2015. The Auditor General’s decision came when city treasurer, Ron McCalmont, who is legally the financial reporting officer for the council, was absent from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting held at Parliament Buildings on February 19, last. The PAC noted that state auditors have not received vouchers, statements of expenditure or any piece of document that can verify that City Hall spent $173.5M. This amount included Kitty Market, $60M; constabulary training school, $23.9M; city engineer’s build-
ing, $13.5M; constabulary headquarters, $12.9M; Albouystown clinic, $21.5M; and office equipment and furniture, $42.1M. Questions have been raised about the $300M allotted for the Georgetown restoration programme in 2015. Some $6.2M was expended to purchase a double cab pick-up for the city police; $52.1M for debushing Le Repentir Cemetery and $241.6M for the restoration of Georgetown. Several payment vouchers were examined and discrepancies observed. Auditors found 167 instances totalling $159.9M where there was no evidence of the payment vouchers. There were instances where approval by the city treasurer was not seen on 140 payment vouchers totalling $143.7M; no evidence of the city’s financial committee approving 48 payments totalling $48.4M; no evidence of receipt or payee acknowledgement for a payment of $750,000 to a contractor and the basis of award of several contracts for the weeding of parapets, desilting of drains and cutting down of trees.
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Administrator inflates GPL bills, pockets millions T
he Audit Office of Guyana had cause to carry out a forensic investigation into the affairs of the Upper Corentyne Industrial Training Centre (UCITC). Several allegations of fraud and corruption were made against the school’s Administrator, Azad Sugrim, who remains on the job. The audit confirmed some of the allegations and even unearthed issues that were not reported before. One of the damning findings was that, on many occasions, UCITC collected monies from the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) but did not put the money towards the use for which it was requested. Kaieteur News understands that this has been going on for years. Specifically, it has been found that Sugrim inflated the cost of the electricity bills for the institution which is funded by Government. The audit was executed despite the fact that payment vouchers requested were not submitted for audit scrutiny; financial reports of the audit scrutiny training centre and Board minutes were not presented either.
BIT is focused on intensifying the delivery of relevant occupational, technical and vocational skills training with a view to addressing entry level occupational skills demand for current and emerging Industries/Scrvices that is both the public and private sector. Emphasis is placed on vulnerable groups such as school dropouts, youths from depressed communities. The annual budget for BIT is approved by the National Assembly and incorporated into the estimates of Expenditure under Subsidies and Contributions to Local Organizations under the Ministry of Social Protection. Any institution that requires funding for training from BIT would submit a proposal. The CEO would take the proposal to the Board Meeting for discussion and approval. Once approved, a contract is prepared and signed between BIT and the beneficiary.The institution, in this case UCITC, would then send invoices showing amounts that are required to offset expenditures for the month. Kaieteur News under-
stands that on many occasions, BIT collaborated with UCTIC for training. The money requested was disbursed but much of it was not spent on the training programmes. The Audit found that UCTIC collected the money to buy various materials and equipment but would then use material provided by the Ministry. The money collected to buy those equipment and materials remain unaccounted for. Also, UCTIC was caught inflating bills. In just one instance, UCTIC could not have accounted for over $7M. An audit report stated, “The Training centre only submitted pay sheets, bills and receipts amounting to $1.4M resulting in an unaccounted difference of $7.136M.” Further, the Audit Office noted that the proposal which UCTIC submitted to BIT included a sum of S1.501M for electricity charges based on a calculation that the training centre consumes $5M of electricity per month. However, an examination of the electricity bills for the years 2012-2014 by the Audit Office revealed that the
average monthly consumption of the training centre was $449,270, that is, a difference of $1.052M per month. The Audit Office reported that using that training school’s principle for calculation of electricity charges, the amount that should have been requested was S150, 120,
“based on the average monthly consumption, an over-estimation of 1.35M.” An official from BIT told Kaieteur, “We are not just letting it down, something has to happen.” The official, who spoke on the grounds of anonymity, said, “There are several
issues here. You have to notice, also, that they are not only robbing us, they are also saying that they are paying $5M per month for electricity which means that that is the amount in the budget they submit to the Ministry. So they are basically getting two sweet out of one.”
DEM BOYS SEH
Anybody can thief from government Old people got a saying that moon does run till day ketch am. And de government slack. Jagdeo employ a man to head a programme in Berbice. It was a case of putting a training school in de heart of he supporters. De man he pick was so smart that right away he see that he can mek millions because de government don’t check nutten. He know once you tell dem something dem does accept. But the smart man didn’t bargain fuh Soulja Bai. He is a man who don’t tek nutten fuh granted suh he ask he people to check. Dem boys seh that if Royston king was a hustler, this man hustle ten times more than Royston. De man
hustle wid de light bill. De building use to burn $500,000 a month de man tell dem it bunning $1.5 million a month. Just like that he was pocketing one million a month. De man stretch he hand to de Board of Industrial Training and collect; after a while he stop worrying about payment vouchers because he know Jagdeo wouldn’t check and once Jagdeo pass no auditor could check. This thing buss open but dem boys can’t believe that Soulja Bai still got de man wukking there. Somebody who investigating de story now recommending that de man pay back de money. Dem boys want to know if a man thief couple million dollar well, how de govern-
ment can ask him to pay it back. And de man might object because dem didn’t ask Westford to pay back before dem charge she; that is wha de man might say. But people now seeing how slack de government slack. In Georgetown, City Hall avoid de auditor fuh years. Is now people finding out that nuff money missing. And at de same time some people get rich. Now this man help heself. De thing is that de man still deh pun de job and dem boys believe that he gun mek one big lash because as everybody know, when bull going to slaughterhouse he don’t care wheh he sh*t. Talk half and watch slackness.
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Sunday October 07, 2018
NIS pays out $82.6M to CARICOM pensioners The state-controlled, National Insurance Scheme, says it has paid out over $82M in old age pensions to CARICOM nationals. Speaking during the recent 49th anniversary celebrations, General Manager Holly Greaves said that as of August 2018, the scheme received and processed claims under the CARICOM Agreement on Social Security. As at August 2018, the scheme received 235 applications from fourteen countries. Seventy six (76) persons are currently receiving partial old age pensions to the value of $22,296,708 annually and Eighty nine (89) persons received grants to the value of $3,018,697.” In addition, 38 new applications are presently being processed. As at August 2018, the
National Insurance Scheme has made a total of $82,693,803 in old age pension payments to persons under the CARICOM Agreement, she said. Signed in 1996, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Agreement on Social Security aims to harmonise the social security legislation of CARICOM Member States. Workers and their dependants who are registered in one of the ratifying Member States are entitled to benefits paid by the social security schemes in the countries in which they have contributed, but with some limitations. The benefits covered by the agreement include contributory pensions for invalidity, disability, old age, and death and survivors’ benefits. Maternity allowances or sickness benefits are
not covered. The agreement is seen as key in facilitating the free movement of labour within the CARICOM Single Market, as it applies to those who are moving to another country to work or have worked in two or more countries that have implemented the agreement. With regards to problems relating to poor customer service and the extensive time taken to resolve customer issues, which have led to public distrust and poor publicity, the GM disclosed that as part of the efforts to alleviate the situation, at the beginning of this year, the scheme introduced a live web chat for its customers. “This feature allows persons to chat live with a Customer Service staff or to post questions and queries on weekends which are usually answered on the first
NIS’ General Manager, Holly Greaves
working day of the new week.”With the continued expansion of the Web-Application, another small but powerful addition to the online application is the pension calculator. “This tool examines
the contributor’s most recent insurable wage and their contributions, and makes a projection as to what their pension would be if they continued at that insurable wage,” Greaves explained.
Contributors registered with the NIS website are also able to view a list of all the vouchers issued to them during the last year. The individuals are able to view the claim type, payment amount and date of payment. In addition, contributors can view the full payment history of their employers by selecting the employer name when viewing their contributions online. “This tool allows the employee to assist NIS in monitoring their employer as any discrepancies, such as the number of employees paid for against the number on the actual work site,” the GM explained.She said that over the past few months, the scheme had two outreach programmes- the Pensions Readiness Programme and a Queries Day for all contributors of the scheme.
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Belt & Road MoU with China should be made public – Finance Minister
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here is nothing to hide in the Memo randum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Guyana and China to execute loan-financed projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – a scheme used globally by China to provide financial support for infrastructural projects. This is the view expressed by Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, when questioned by Kaieteur News about the MoU being made public. In fact, he thought it was already released to the public. “I don’t know there is anything to hide in the Belt and Road initiative. I thought it was made public. I am sure next time you meet the President [David
Granger] you can ask for it,” Jordan told Kaieteur News. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to release the MoU which was signed between Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, and Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jainchun, on July 27. In contrast, the energy MoU signed between Guyana and Trinidad was released on September 19, the same day it was signed by President David Granger and the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. Keith Rowley. Government appears to be speeding towards executing projects under the (BRI) and is said to be currently searching for projects. Jordan stated that the MoU also does
China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun (left) and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, singing the MoU on July 27.
not identify any projects. “You still have to go the route of feasibility studies,” Jordan noted. The BRI is increasingly causing concerns. It is seen globally as a debt trap for
Shotgun, 67 cartridges discovered on vessel intercepted in Pomeroon Two men are now in police custody after their vessel was intercepted on Thursday at the Pomeroon River Mouth. According to reports, some time around 15:15 hrs on Thursday, a cargo vessel under observation was intercepted by joint Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit [CANU], Coast Guard and
Police. Though no narcotics were found onboard the vessel, one shotgun and 67 cartridges were discovered. The captain and bowman, aged 32 and 28 respectively; were taken into police custody. Investigation into the matter continues.
countries like Ghana and Sri Lanka where China in some cases ended up owning the infrastructure, including major ports. President David Granger had said that the government “must go into these agreement with its eyes wide open”. He said that Government recognises that Guyana needs infrastructure in order to develop and this is the
main reason Guyana is courting China’s BRI. Granger had told the media that Guyana is going to be prudent in its approach to projects under the BRI which is developing a reputation on the international stage as a debt trap for small n a t i o n s o f i n t e r e st to China. Last month’s visit by China’s State Councilor and
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, has accelerated discussions on the BRI. During bilateral discussions between Greenidge and Yi, the two sides examined ways to move forward with BRI. Despite the concerns, Greenidge was adamant that Guyana and China will move forward with the cooperation areas identified under the MoU.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
NIS looks to clampdown in outlying areas
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s Guyana moves nearer to a 2020 start in oil, the 49year-old National Insurance Scheme (NIS) said it has started to collect contributions from the sector, General Manager, Holly Greaves, during the recent observances of the 49th anniversary, told staffers and other invitees, including Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, that the scheme has also been engaging companies in the emerging oil and gas sector. “As at August 2018 the scheme has received a total of $24,732,593 for one hundred and fifty five (155) employees. We are currently in the process of registering other companies.” Although with billions of dollars in its kitty jar, the scheme is facing a long term
viability issue with payouts and other expenses outstripping its collections from employers. NIS badly wants to find better returns from its investments after more than US$30M was lost prior to 2009 via an investment in the now bankrupt CLICO. Government has signed a debenture agreement that will see the monies being replaced at NIS. However, other investments have not been forthcoming from the billions of dollars. Its investment in the Berbice River Bridge has not been seeing returns. NIS recently participated in a five-year syndicated bond to help finance capital projects for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). The returns from that is over four percent.
-$24M collected from oil & gas employees for year According to the GM, the number of claims to the scheme continues to increase. NIS is simultaneously faced with demographic, financial and economic challenges. “These challenges facing the scheme are not significantly different from those confronting similar social security arrangements worldwide. Notwithstanding this, the scheme continues to make every effort to fulfill its mandate to have all employers meet their obligation to the fund. “This requires a change in strategy, as well as, a change in attitude and commitment of all staff to the organization.”
The official noted that in a world where change is inevitable, NIS must refuse to be complacent as individuals and as workers within the organization. The scheme has now started to crackdown on new and untouched areas targeting new, dormant and evasive contributors. “A number of exercises have been and are currently being undertaken to survey and determine the viability in areas such as Regions OnePort Kiatuma, Matthews Ridge, Arakaka; Region Five— Mahaica and Mahaicony Creeks, Region Six – Canje Creek, Orealla and Supuruta; Region Seven – Puruni/Itaballi and Region Nine – Lethem and its envi-
rons.” According to the GM, the results of these exercises will lend to structured compliance exercises in 2019 to ensure that the new and/or reactivated contributors remains compliant; resulting in population growth and increased contribution collection. “Special exercises have been planned for the other regions, especially the main populated areas since this will require the engagement of the total compliance team.” The scheme has also implemented the Debt Management Unit in January 2018 to recover debts owed to the NIS by employers and self-employed contributors, as well as to moni-
tor and report on the debt recovery process. “This involves visiting and interacting with defaulters, serving demand notices and filing court cases.” Meanwhile, NIS said it is making more strides to improve its services for Compliance Certificates. The certificates are required especially by contractors who are bidding for state projects. “With the implementation of the Compliance Certificate, the Scheme was able to generate $12,475,000. The scheme is now able to capture details relating to applicants for compliance certificates. The new system also allows for proper audits of compliance activities.”
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Govt. appoints environmentalist to Energy Dept. and energy expert to head EPA, they are clearly confused- Ramson By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell With almost every decision it makes, the APNU+AFC, Government demonstrates that it is woefully confused and is still not ready to handle the business of the nation, said Attorney at Law, Charles Ramson, yesterday to Kaieteur News. Ramson said that he can point to many decisions made by the government that highlight its confusion but wanted to speak specifically to the recent “appointment blunder”. The lawyer, who has a Masters’ degree in Oil and Gas management, noted that Government appointed Dr. Vincent Adams, a Guyanese oil and gas expert, to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after appointing an environmentalist to head the Department of Energy. Ramson said that he cannot understand why Government would choose to put a square peg in a round hole as important as the Energy Department when someone at Dr. Adams’s level is available. Ramson said that Dr. Adams should have been the one heading the Department of Energy. The Attorney noted that Dr. Adams held very senior positions during his employment with the United States Government. “Dr. Adams served the United States Department of Energy for decades so his expertise in oil and gas is second to none in Guyana. He comes with world class
Head of EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams
Head of the Energy Department, Dr. Mark Bynoe
Attorney at Law, Charles Ramson
knowledge in the sector and is highly respected; why not him for Guyana’s Energy Department?” Ramson said that international oil companies would not have liked to see someone of Dr. Adams’s caliber, expertise and experience sitting on the other side of the negotiation table. Ramson pointed that, on the other hand, Dr. Bynoe has no experience in oil and gas. “The things he has to go and learn Dr. Adams has known for decades. President David Granger had said that Dr. Bynoe will get the guidance he needs to run the department from world class experts that he will hire. Responding to that yesterday, Ramson said, “Information and the advice Dr.
Bynoe receives from any consultant has to then be processed or filtered through your own understanding knowledge and expertise. “How do we know that a foreign consultant who has no ties to Guyana is giving us good advice?” Ramson continued, “How do we know that they will not be infiltrated or influenced by the other oil companies? At least with Dr. Adams, he is a Lindener and he had stayed engaged with the community and the country. We know where his loyalty lies. “I am not talking politically. I am saying he is a patriot with the experience needed to make right decisions.” At the beginning of October, Dr. Adams took over the EPA; Dr. Bynoe started at the
Department of Energy since August 1. Dr. Adams is the holder of a Degree in Civil Engineering, a Masters’ Degree in Petroleum and Geological Engineering and another in Geohydrol-ogy. The scientist is also the holder of a PhD in Petroleum and Geological Engineering and another in Environ-mental Engineering. He retired last year, after three decades with the United States Department of Energy, where he served in key leadership roles including technology development; dismantlement and cleanup of
the nation’s nuclear weapons complexes; executing the Government’s Environmental Stimulus programme and creating and managing the Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) programmes for nine universities in the U.S. Dr. Adams also served as U.S. Representative and expert to the International Atomic Energy Agency on project management, and technology and standards development for member nations; U.S. Representative on the Nuclear Energy Agency/ Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Task Group and Chairman of two major International Science & Engineering conferences. His other roles included serving as Chairman of the Southern Section of The Air & Waste Management Association – the pre-eminent environmental professional organisation with over 10,000 members internationally. Adams also led technology development for protection of ports and highways from terrorist attacks; transformation of nuclear weapons technologies into applications for medicine, greenhouse gas curtailment of fuel cells; and transformation of two Federal Departments into High Performing Organisations. He developed the equa-
tions governing state-of-theart industrial air pollution control systems; and as a Senior Petroleum Engineer with AMOCO Oil Company, conducted pioneering work to enhance the recovery of oil and gas that is now widely used in the oil industry. While he had been returning annually to the country of his birth for over three decades to conduct charity work, Dr. Adams signaled his intention after retiring from DoE, to return and serve here. Earlier this year, he was appointed the Visiting Distinguished Engineer in Residence at the University of Guyana (UG), taking on a leading role in restructuring and revamping the Faculty of Technology, with a vision of leading the capacity-building for oil and gas production and, for the longer term, to transform the faculty into a world-class engineering department. Initial ongoing activities, he had informed at the time, included establishing partnerships with private industries and the local private sector, government, other universities such as the University of the West Indies and the University of Trinidad and Tobago; uplifting the faculty’s resources; upgrading the curricula to match the needs of the country; and seeking national and international accreditation.
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Kaieteur News
Penalties under Integrity Commission Act needs strengthening – Commission Chair
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ith hundreds of public officers still to declare their assets to the Integrity Commission, there is the view that the penalties need to be strengthened. The Commission’s Chairman, Kumar Doraisami, told Kaieteur News that the newly installed members are examining the offences section of the current legislation and will make their recommendations to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. “The Act came into force in 1997 and we are looking at the entire legislation to determine where we can strengthen. One of the areas is the penalties. We need to revisit those and toughen them where necessary,” Doraisami stated. The Commission disclosed last week that it had written to public officers, including Members of Parliament (MPs) to have them declare their assets. A
total of 1296 letters were dispatched to those who are mandated to file their declarations with the Commission on or before June 30, each year. To date, the Commission has received 248 responses and according to Doraisami only some MPs have responded. The response rate thus far is 19%. If a public officer fails, without reasonable cause, to file a declaration with the Commission within the specified time or files an incomplete or false declaration shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of $20,000 and to imprisonment for a term of not less than six months nor more than one year. Similar penalties apply to public officers who fail to comply with a request made by the Commission, or a tribunal. Where the offence involves the non-disclosure, by the public officer of property, which should have been disclosed in the
declaration, a Magistrate convicting the person shall order the public officer to make full disclosure of the property within a given time. Failure to comply with the order of the Magistrate within a given time, the offence shall be deemed to be a continuing offence and the person shall be liable to a further fine of $10,000 for each day on which the offence continues. As it relates to unaccounted wealth, the court will impose a fine equivalent to one and one half times the value of the property or pecuniary resource found to be in the possession of the public officer. Every person in public life who receives a gift worth more than $10,000 must declare it to the Commission stating the name and address of the donor, the description and approximate value of such gift and whether, in the opinion of the donee, the gift is a personal gift or a State gift.
Sunday October 07, 2018
Draft mining policy to address critical developmental challenges Guyana’s mineral sector is pivotal as a major source of revenue and employment. It is also crucial to the country’s green development agenda. It is on this background that the Government of Guyana has developed a draft comprehensive policy framework that will address developmental challenges in the industry. The framework is also available for public review and comment at: https:// www.nre.gov.gy/wp-content/ uploads/2018/10/NationalMineral-Sector-Policy-Framework-and-Actions-20192029.pdf) The last document that can claim such status is the National Development Strategy (NDS) for 2001-2010. The NDS, which was launched in January 1997 and coordinated by the Ministry of Finance, involved 23 technical working groups with representation from the private sector, government agencies, non-government agencies, and the University of Guyana. Chapter 32 of the NDS addressed mining policy and included recommendations on fiscal regime, institutional aspects, legislature changes, infrastructure development, and environmental issues. No
policy document on mining has since encompassed such scope. Apart from this absence for over 20 years, the Ministry of Natural Resources which released the draft document, said it recognizes that a demand exists at this time for a new and stronger consensus among stakeholders on the development challenges and goals in the mineral sector. It said that some of these challenges relate to increased mining activity and to the country’s commitment to international conventions such as on global climate change, governance, environmental protection, and green development. The Ministry also holds the view that the current endeavour to draft new policies and plans for the sector should not only update the key content areas of the NDS, but must also seek to emulate the consultative and participatory approach used in its drafting. Overarching all these considerations is the government’s belief that the mineral sector must expand its role as one of the main drivers of the country’s sustainable development agenda.
Furthermore, the green paper spans a timeframe of 10 years, from 2019 to 2029. The Ministry noted that expectedly, in that span, the national and international landscape is likely to see changes. It said that these changes will inevitably impact the development of the mineral sector. It said, too, that forecasting societal developments is difficult and error-prone. Nevertheless, it speculates that in the next decade, projected impacts on the sector will include: the Guyana economy remaining mineraldependent, as measured by GDP, export earnings, foreign investment, and employment; the emergence and rapid development of the local petroleum sector, with the expectation that government revenue base and expenditure will increase exponentially; through greater government expenditure, accessibility to the hinterland by more and better roads and other transportation links; expanded investments in construction escalating demand for stones and sands; and the net depletion of the gold and diamond deposits being accessed by lowtech exploration and mining methods.
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Kaieteur News
---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
How well- intentioned people change when they wield Power
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generally start my ex amination of social and political phenomena with a bias towards the socio-political environment and realities which produce the outcomes. In other words, I focus less on individuals as individuals and more on them as products of their environment. So, for example, I tend to pay more attention to the Burnham and Jagdeo regimes, rather than the two men as individuals. It is not that I deny individual agency, but I think the actions of individuals on the political stage is more informed by the demands and logic of that stage than by some isolated pre-meditated intent of those individuals. Burnham and Jagan stand out in our political history as giants. But I contend that they could not have been what they turned out to be had they emerged at a different time. Rodney’s unique intervention was the result of the unique fusion of time and place and, of course, his personal capacity to articulate
and embody the demands of that time and place. Similarly, Kwayana’s singularity on Guyana’s political stage reflected the unique time and place. Political immorality creates space for political morality and Kwayana, like Rodney, had the capacity to turn that opening into an effective tendency in the political culture. I say the above to zero in on a central question—why do individuals, when entrusted with power, act in ways that are diametrically opposed to their hitherto core beliefs? I have watched with horror, in three short years, the collective behaviour of the government as far as governance is concerned. I try hard to make sense of some of the decisions and, in the end, I have given up . I know some of the individuals who make up the Cabinet, the only decisionmaking body in the coalition, and I often wonder whether the decisions reflect the political values of the individuals involved. Let’s take the government’s attitude to the
teachers’ wage issue, for example. I know the Junior Minister of Labour very well; I consider him both a colleague and friend. I can say with much certainty that his actions and utterances in relation to the teachers’ issue are inconsistent with his political outlook. Further, if anyone had said to me that President Granger would be the head of a government that would subject the nation’s teachers to the kind of bullying and insensitivity that have been meted out to them, I would have chased them out of town. I have known Dr. Rupert Roopnarine as a close colleague and brother for 41 years. Had anyone told me that he would sit in a Cabinet that presides over the current treatment of teachers and not publicly register his disapproval and disassociate himself from that scenario, I would not have listened to them. So, what has changed? The answer is simple—they now wield power. They have adjusted to the logic of power in an ethnically divided post
The Baccoo Speaks All is not well at the remodeled Cheddi Jagan International Airport. A piece of equipment for the easy boarding and disembarking from planes is posing problems for one airline. In fact, it simply does not work for that plane. The authorities are silent on the matter but this will change in the coming days. **
There is going to be a major probe at the Ministry of Finance. Recently some information would surface in
the public domain, forcing the Ministry to believe that they were stolen recently. At the same time, the Ministry is grappling with the issue of staff turnover. ** Another road fatality will occur. A speeding car will hit a pedestrian then crash into a bridge. The police are going to rush to implement even more measures to avoid road accidents.
plantation society. The entire political government has become prisoners of what Guyana has become. They have all adjusted to the kind of political orthodoxy that has been our undoing these past six decades. It’s as if we can’t help ourselves. What kind of legacy are we leaving for those who are coming after us? It boggles the mind that a group of people who turned their faces against the excesses of the Jagdeo regime have now become the purveyors of Jagdeoism. In many ways this government is worst than the Burnham and Jagdeo regimes—not because they have done worse, but because they know better and brazenly refuse to do better. I don’t care how many buses you give to school children; it doesn’t change much if you then turn around and refuse to pay teachers a reasonable living wage and then trick them after they called off their strike in good faith. Educa-
tion is a holistic process— you can’t have the kids at heart and then beat up on their teachers. There is something ugly about that scene. The obscenity of celebrating the fact that some teachers did not join the strike is too much to take from a government that promised to stop the drift of commandist government. The readiness to deploy scab labour to break the strike is so anti-labour at its worst. The deliberate misinterpretation of the rules governing the role of the Labour Ministry in the arbitration process is nothing short of political gangsterism. In all of this, the president is silent and inactive. The attitude of this government has convinced me that the West Indian elites have a problem with the management of power. So, even when government does some good things, they get submerged in the mess called bad
Dr David Hinds governance. That was the problem of the Burnham and Jagdeo governments. And this government has learned nothing from those experiences. Perhaps they don’t care to learn. As the kids would say, it is what it is. Even oil and gas wealth would not correct that defect. More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
A strange man…an equally strange death By Michael Jordan He apparently had no close friends. No women in his life…few photographs of himself. He seldom confided in anyone….not his family, not his colleagues. So no one could quite fathom how and why he ended up dead and naked as he was born, on a bushy dam. On Saturday, July 4, 2010, a man looking for bird-seed on a dam near D’Aguiar Housing Scheme, Ruimveldt, spotted something that made him hurry away from the area. He kept this information to himself until the following day, when he eventually confided in a friend. The friend went to the same area to confirm the report. He then contacted the police. Accompanied by the man, a police rank trekked down the muddy, bushy dam. After walking half-way down the dam, the cop came face to face with what the other men had seen. Hanging from a low tree branch with a belt around his neck, was the nude body of a man. There was a cut on one of the victim’s hands. Acting on information they had received, the police contacted officials from the GEB Security Services. The officials accompanied
some of the police ranks down the dam. They took one look at the dead man, and immediately confirmed that the victim was one of their employees.He was 43-yearold Lynden Collins, a company driver, and a resident of Princes Street, Lodge. Collins’ colleagues revealed that they had last seen him on Saturday, July 4, 2010. At the time Collins was driving one of the firm’s buses. But that very afternoon, some staff spotted the same vehicle parked near the dam where Collins’ body was eventually
found.According to reports, the keys were in the ignition and a GEB uniform was in the vehicle. There was no sign of Lynden Collins. The GEB staffers took the vehicle to the security firm’s headquarters. But then they reportedly noticed bloodstains in the vehicle and took it to the Ruimveldt Police Station. Telus Collins, one of the victim’s brothers, said that he last saw his sibling on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. He was driving the GEB bus and did not seem to be
worried about anything. The brother said that he was later told that Lynden left for work on Friday night and failed to return home. He was later informed that the bus his brother was driving had been found. A worried Telus Collins said that he then checked at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, but failed to locate his brother. Shortly after, he spotted a GEB vehicle and stopped the staffers to enquire whether they had any information about his missing brother. One of the staffers then in-
formed him that Collins’ body had been found. He told me that his brother did not appear to have any problems. But he also revealed that his brother seldom confided in anyone. Lynden Collins had fathered two children, but the brother had no idea there were any women in his life at the time of his demise. Around the same time that Collins’ body was found, police also found a corpse on the seawall aback of the NIS Sports Club. The body bore two gaping wounds to the throat. The victim, 42-year-old Claudine Inniss, called ‘Ann’, of Leopold Street. At first, investigators wondered whether the two cases were somehow connected. There were also rumours that Inniss was seen entering a GEB minibus outside of a car wash on Hadfield Street on Friday, July 2, 2010. However, investigators eventually concluded that there was no connection. To date, investigators have found no leads which
indicate that anyone murdered Lynden Collins. They seemed to have leaned towards suicide, but they have unearthed nothing to show why Collins would have taken his own life.One of the unanswered questions is this: Why would the security guard have removed his GEB uniform, then proceeded to walk stark naked down a dam to hang himself? His family believes that someone murdered Collins. But because of his reclusive lifestyle, what happed to the GEB guard almost three years ago may remain a secret that is never revealed.If you have any information about this or any unusual case please contact us. You can write to us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location, or contact us on telephone numbers: 22-58465, 22-58491 and 2258458. You need not disclose your identity.You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com.
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
Sigmund Freud and the people who hugged Volda Lawrence
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hen you study that part of phi losophy named “ontology,” then nothing irrational, illogical, inscrutable, inexplicable about human behaviour surprises you. The familiarity with ontology prepares you to accept the inherent mystery and congenital defect of Homo sapiens. It is over a hundred years now that Austrian thinker, Sigmund Freud, shook up the world with some phenomenal theories about the nature of the human being. Over those hundred years, Freud, like Marx, continues to face both scholarly criticism and scholarly endorsement. Like Marx, the debate will go perhaps forever. I would admit those two names had a tremendous impact on my thinking and those two are among my favourite thinkers. Studying Freud since I was sixteen, I would honestly admit that there are mistakes in many of his theories. I support the feminist assault on his philosophy that he did not study the psychology of women outside of the limitations of the era to which he belonged. Whatever weaknesses you find in Freud, like Marx, there are compelling dimensions of their theories that offer us equally compelling blueprints in understanding ontology. Freud is going to be in vogue once again with the rise of Trump. I believe no other philosopher currently explains why poor people would rejoice for Trump, an unashamed billionaire who doesn’t care for low income folks. It has
to do with understanding the mass psychology of crowds and here Freud becomes required reading. It is outside the scope of a newspaper article to explain, using Freud’s theories, why crowds of poor people cling to an authoritarian leader. I could point readers to a brilliant essay as a quick guide. Authored by history professor, Eri Zaretsky, and titled, “The Mass Psychology of Trumpism” (London Review of Books, September 18, 2018), the piece provides a sound Freudian analysis of why crowds flock to leaders who really don’t care about them. I stared intensely at the still photograph of the women (dozens of them) who hugged and canopied Volda Lawrence as she won the chairperson slot for the PNC. These were the faces of poor, low income and working class folks who should have no expectation about economic elevation from the current policies of their party in power now or after 2020 when Lawrence may very well succeed David Granger. You may not believe it but it is true; the first thing that came to my mind as I watched that photograph is whether these women were vendors. I don’t know why that thought came into my mind but it did and I do believe some of them were vendors. Here is a sad story told by a poor vendor at the ongoing Commission of Inquiry into City Hall She said Town Clerk (Royston King) instructed that an excavator be taken to
the market to demolish vendors’ stands. She described how the machine repeatedly lashed against the fulcrum of the structure, destroying the stands and all of the goods the vendors would have bought to sell for the Christmas season. She said she lost close to $300,000 in goods. “He trashed everything that was in that stall and broke them up. They hit the stands from the top with the excavator and all the glassware and so break up.” The commission heard that the Clerk of Markets’ ranks invaded her place in
front of the market where they took away sneakers, shoes and other footwear valued at over $400,000. “The stalls were covered; they raise up the tarpaulin that cover the stall and take away most of my goods from the stall. They take away most of my goods that I had displayed at the stall that I paid a rent for and up to now I didn’t get back anything.” How does one explain the psychology of these people? I am not saying that this particular vendor was one in the crowd that surrounded Volda Lawrence
and hugged her but it is the poorer folks that go out in the torrid afternoon sun, and drain away their emotions and energy at the rallies and congresses of the PNC, PPP and AFC only to end up getting shafted and badly so. How can a shameless middle class, elitist party like the AFC attract young people from lower income families to campaign for them? This is the same party that called a woman with a doctorate in a science subject who never raised even one finger to campaign for them and told her they have selected her to be the Minister
Frederick Kissoon of the Environment. This is the same party these poor youths told me chased them away when they asked for employment after 2015. Read Freud to understand the psychology of the masses. Please do!
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
The LGE puts power in Citizens’ hands The last Local Government Elections (LGEs) held in March 2016 was historic especially because it has restored a most vital component of democratic governance in this country. LGE’s were brought back after two whole decades of absence. There is very little debate as to why the PPP Government had refused to let the People speak through LGE’s. The absence of municipal elections (as it could also be called), had provided the environment for the vicious system of party control over the neighbourhood councils before 2016. The absence of LGE’s for 16 years robbed every citizen of many of their democratic rights and created the environment for the chosen few to access all the benefits, leaving everyone else out in the cold. This Government restored LGEs in 2016 with one expressed purpose, i.e. to en-
sure that your voices, the voices of the people at the grass roots, are heard too! Some Guyanese are not yet convinced that they owe it to themselves to choose for themselves the persons who will represent their interests when the Neighbourhood and Town Councils meet to dis-
must be counted among the important projects that your NDC has to implement. We understand that most Guyanese consider the National and Regional Elections to be more important. But, the AFC would like all citizens all over Guyana to see that your local govern-
there are two systems of government to ensure that democracy is real and not just words spouted by the government to fool people into thinking that they are working on their behalf. In our country, the LGE is one very important activity to ensure that our people can speak and be
building and repairing community infrastructure, facilities for agriculture, for health centers and hospitals, schools and Institutes, for the timber industry, in the gold and diamond mining districts, and for coconut, plantain, fruits and other farmers. Here is another very important fact
cuss e.g. the clearing of canals; or to repair community roads. That is the fundamental purpose of LGE’s. Your own local matters are supposed to be deliberated at these Council meetings. Your communities’ need, e.g. a new bridge or a rehabilitated playground
ment elections are just as important. In fact, the LGE lets you select the actual persons who will attend the NDC meetings, the Regional council meetings and sometimes represent your neighbourhoods’ issues at the level of Central Government. In many modern states
heard. Central government is for the management of national affairs. Local government is about the daily matters that affect the lives and livelihoods of citizens in our towns, villages, riverain and hinterland communities.Look at it this way. It is not possible for a government to address the needs of all its citizens by itself, not in a country like Guyana measuring 83,000 square miles, with many of its citizens thinly spread out in the vast savannah lands and mountainous regions. The Government’s work has to be helped by the Neighbourhood and Regional Councils. These Councils guide the Government on
to consider: This Coalition Government brought back local government democracy in 2016 and another LGE is due this November. Just as in 2016, there will be no interference by the Government in the elections or in the selection of chairpersons and executives of the various Councils. Instead, Government will continue to work together with locally elected councils and dispense the necessary funds for projects. We urge you to go out and vote, choose the people you want to handle your community’s affairs. Remember that your Neighbourhood and Regional Councils collect your taxes and other revenues
from rental of machinery and other sales. Those monies are supposed to help fund your socio-economic activities e.g. your garbage collection, installation of street lighting, and dredging of canals to make your lives better and your communities healthier. There are other very important public services such as banking, passport applications, registration of births and deaths, application for GRA Compliance certificates and other business documents which are supposed to be monitored by your NDC’s and RDC’s to ensure that you receive good, decent services at all times. It is the responsibility of your councils to report any failures in the quality of services you receive from both the public or private sectors. The AFC remains very aware of our unique Guyanese challenges, some of which are race and cultural differences that lead to discrimination. The AFC will continue to ensure that you have access to many other opinions, news and views, not just from one source. Let us continue to work together to grow our communities while we overcome those differences. Voting for your own community representatives puts the power in your hands!
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Kaieteur News
My column
Corruption must be endemic in this society
I
remember the anti-cor ruption campaign launched against the Bharrat Jagdeo administration. Almost every day there was published evidence but nothing changed. On one occasion I provided harsh evidence of a woman working for $40,000 a month at one of the petrol service stations buying a house in Bel Air Park for $60 million. I took this information to Bharrat Jagdeo who promised to investigate. I went to the then Tax Chief, Khurshid Sattaur, with the same information. Nothing happened. It was as if the government condoned corruption. The nation saw people getting rich overnight. I remember the then Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, suing because Kaieteur News photographed his beach house which must have cost a handsome penny. And this building was removed from the actual residence. I got mail that suggested that Irfaan’s mother was a teacher and his grandfather was something else, perhaps a chauffeur, so it was not impossible for them to contribute to Irfaan’s home. Further, the supporters, including some of his party leaders, told
me that Irfaan worked at the World Bank for three years. The bottom line was that all the money put together could not have afforded such buildings. At the same time he had other properties in various parts of the country. Bharrat Jagdeo, according to his Attorney General, had nothing ten years before he constructed his mansion at Sparendaam. When the matter was raised with the income tax department and with the then General Secretary Clement Rohee, I got two different answers. The income tax people said that it was not possible from Jagdeo’s earnings. Rohee said that he probably saved every cent that he worked for knowing that the money supported by a substantial mortgage could not give him such wealth. It became clear to the nation that corruption was rampant during the era of the People’s Progressive Party administration. Years later, Jagdeo told a press conference that his government was corrupt. Then he modified his statement to say that the present administration is more corrupt. There are people serving during the administration
who have been there for almost forever. A tiger does not lose its stripes. But there have been others who joined the ranks of the corrupt. One of them seems to be the Town Clerk who has since proceeded on leave pending the outcome of a Commission of Inquiry. A woman reported that a plot of land she occupies in Festival City caught the attention of the Town Clerk who offered her $12 million. He told her that she was too poor to develop the land and that she should sell. She refused. She then reported that the Town Clerk, who at the time had pretentions to religion, took to demolishing structures that she had on the property. Fortunately, she still holds on to the property. Then from appearances, the Town Clerk became a successful man moving from the proverbial rags to riches. Just this past week evidence surfaced that the bought a piece of property in Happy Acres for $30 million. People are also pointing to his mode of transport, a personal owned $13 million vehicle. Did all that money come from City Hall which proclaims to be cashstrapped and often cannot
pay the staff? Fingers are also pointing to some in Government circles although no one can provide evidence. There is speculation. Some claim that the Minister of State gets financial largesse through a man who was once close to Bharrat Jagdeo. Fortunately for Minister Harmon, all that he owned was acquired before he became a Minister and before his party got into government. Others are suggested to be corrupt but again, no evidence. There is talk that the rental of the bond in Albouystown was a case of providing money for someone. No evidence. If they say George Norton then I know that his possessions at River View on the Essequibo River was there for years, even before he got actively involved in politics. There was the case against former Minister Dr. Jennifer Westford. She was accused of helping herself to $600 million. She was acquitted recently in court. And there are many others because the state simply cannot secure convictions. Knowing is one thing; proving in a court of law is another.
And while the allegations fly, the public relations unit that should be making the views of the government known is silent. It fails to highlight the achievement of the government to the extent that statements by the opposition that nothing has been done has gained fertile ground. Last week, I learnt that the wages bill has gone up, indicating that more people have gained employment in the public sector. But this is not known. Little is known about the trained public servants entering the system. There has been infrastructural development but these have not been talked about. Many communities have upgraded roads. Some have lights and water for the first time; there is the free bus service for school children and the school-feeding programme. Nothing is said so it would appear that the government is doing nothing. Not for a moment do I doubt there are corrupt officials but I simply do not see the evidence as I once did. I see comments on chat sites about people getting special contracts, about people doing slipshod work and draw-
Adam Harris ing down millions of dollars. I know that contractors have been blacklisted for shoddy work. There was the case of the Kato Secondary School constructed at a cost of nearly $1 billion. It was so bad that the remedial works took two years. I know of contractors being made to correct their work at no extra cost but these things are ignored by the critics. Meanwhile, there are people in the government who are being accused of victimization, none more than people in the Ministry of Agriculture. The supposed victims have relatives who help propagate the action. In the end, these things translate into votes and votes are what the Granger administration needs.
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On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. The UN affirmed that, adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into
Kaieteur News
women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. Here in Guyana our President, His Excellency David Granger, in an address to the Women and Gender Equality Conference, held in Georgetown on August 27, 2015, said; “We have seen over the past century, how the status of women has moved from the stage of blatant ‘discrimination’ in which they were denied the right to vote in colonial elections; to one
of ‘agitation’ in the postWorld War II struggle for independence; to one of ‘representation’ in the post-independence period to one of intense ‘legislation’ subsequent to the launch of the State Paper (on Equality of Women) in 1976. These challenges were all necessary, but not sufficient. We must now move forward to the fifth stage, that of full ‘realization’ of gender equality.The enforcement of enabling legislation is often ineffectual; momentum for change has slowed and the economic and political gap between men and women is still too wide. Women and girls, despite a few remarkable exceptions, are being left behind and are still relatively disadvantaged. Your government aim in the first instance, at designing, along with its social and political partners, a national policy aimed at ensuring that five principal objectives are met- equality of women in politics and society; eradication of extreme poverty; enhancement of employment opportunities; elimination of violence against women and
enhanced access to education, especially in science and technology.” Recent statistic show that young female school-leavers might have been given academic education, practical skills and a social orientation. The economy, however, does not provide employment opportunities for them. The relatively high rate of teenage pregnancies aggravates the ‘motherhood’ problem. Schoolgirls who become pregnant and bear children are likely to find it more difficult to get satisfactory jobs and to earn enough to educate and nourish their offspring. The jobs crisis is real and getting wider and deeper. Working mothers, once they receive their wages, have to stretch and spread their earnings thinly just to afford food as expenses rise. Children of poor mothers are likely to do worse at school and to become involved in juvenile delinquency than youngsters whose mothers are comfortable enough to stay at home to bring them up. They are more likely to drop out of primary and secondary school
Sunday October 07, 2018
and will be at greater risk of unemployment as young adults after their partial or interrupted schoolingAn investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability. Over the last 15 years, the global community has made significant progress in improving the lives of girls during early childhood. In 2015, girls in the first decade of life are more likely to enrol in primary school, receive key vaccinations, and are less likely to suffer from health and nutrition problems than previous generations. However, there has been insufficient investment in addressing the challenges girls face when they enter the second decade of their lives. This includes obtaining quality secondary and higher education, avoiding child marriage, receiving information and services related to
puberty and reproductive health, and protecting themselves against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease and genderbased violence. As the global community launches the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for implementation over the next 15 years, it is a good time to recognise the achievements made in supporting young girls, while at the same time aspiring to support the current and upcoming generation of adolescent girls, to truly fulfil their potential as key actors in achieving a sustainable and equitable world. President Granger has promised that over the next five years our government will remain committed to achieving the objective of building happy families and happy households throughout our country. As we celebrate International Day of the Girl Child let us remember that the struggle for equality is a national and international one. Let us join hands with our sisters in Guyana and around the world to promote greater equality for women.
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Anaphylaxis: It can kill you quickly By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine naphylaxis is an ex treme form of aller gic reaction. It is a medical emergency that can quickly take a life if untreated. It usually causes swelling of the lips and tongue, breathing problems, collapse and loss of consciousness. Typically, it occurs very suddenly and without warning. The symptoms get rapidly worse and, without treatment, can cause death. The symptoms affect many parts of the body. It is mainly children and young adults who are affected by anaphylaxis. Food is a common cause in children; however, medicines seem to be more common triggers in adults. Today we will discuss this medical emergency. The more you know about it the more you can help save yourself or someone else if you ever encounter this condition. What causes anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis can potentially be caused by any allergen. Most allergens are proteins, but some, such as medications, are not. Many cases of anaphylaxis have no known cause. This is referred to as idiopathic anaphylaxis. Causes of anaphylaxis: · Idiopathic (unknown). · Food - common examples include nuts, shellfish and eggs. · Venom (for example, bee
A
or wasp stings). · Medicines - common examples include: -. Antibiotics - for example, penicillin. -Painkillers - for example, opioids such as morphine or codeine, or non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen What are symptoms of anaphylaxis? Early symptoms of anaphylaxis include: · Wheezing and hoarseness. This happens as the airways narrow. · Swelling of the lips, tongue and throat. The swelling involves the deeper layers of the skin. Whilst it can occur around the eyes, and in the hands and feet, it is more significant when it affects the lips, tongue and throat. Swelling here can completely block your airway, meaning air (and therefore oxygen) cannot be breathed into the lungs. Without emergency treatment, this results in suffocation and death. · An itchy rash, like nettle rash - commonly called hives. The rash is raised and generally pale pink in colour. The raised areas are called wheals. Not everyone having an anaphylactic reaction gets this rash. Other symptoms include: · Feeling faint - due to dropping of your blood pressure. ·A sense of impending doom.
· A fast heart rate or the sensation of a ‘thumping’ heart (flattering) as your heart tries to pump faster to maintain your blood pressure. · Symptoms involving the gut. These include feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and belly pains. Are tests needed for anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is primarily a clinical diagnosis. This means that it is diagnosed based on the recognition of symptoms and the manner in which they occur that is, quickly and rapidly worsening. It does need to be distinguished from other medical conditions that may have some similar symptoms. It is important to realize that the treatment for anaphylaxis is an emergency, so anyone with presumed anaphylaxis is treated as such. Blood test has no role in the immediate management of someone with a severe allergic reaction. After life-saving emergency treatment has been started and the situation is stable, this blood test can be taken. What should I do if I witness anaphylaxis? Always remember that anaphylaxis is a life-threatening emergency and needs to be treated in a hospital. Here are steps you should take if someone is getting an anaphylaxis reaction: · Immediately call 912 for an ambulance if it’s available in your area. Otherwise you
will have to rush the patient yourself to the hospital. · Ask the person if he or she is carrying an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen, AuviQ, others) to treat an allergic attack. · If the person says he or she needs to use an auto-injector, ask whether you should help inject the medication. This is usually done by pressing the auto-injector against the person’s thigh. · Remove the allergen if possible e.g removing a bee stinger from the skin · Have the person lie still on his or her back. · Loosen tight clothing and cover the person with a blanket. Don’t give the person anything to drink. · If there’s vomiting or bleeding from the mouth, turn the person on his or her side to prevent choking.
· If there are no signs of breathing, coughing or movements, begin CPR. Do uninterrupted chest presses — about 100 every minute — until you can get the patient to a hospital. · Get emergency treatment even if symptoms start to improve. After anaphylaxis, it’s possible for symptoms to recur. If you’re with someone having signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, don’t wait to see whether symptoms get better. Seek emergency treatment right away. In severe cases, untreated anaphylaxis can lead to death within half an hour.
Dr. Zulfikar Bux An antihistamine pill, such as Benadryl or piriton, will not be sufficient to treat anaphylaxis. These medications can help relieve allergy symptoms, but work too slowly in a severe reaction.
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Sunday October 07, 2018
SUNDAY $30B GuySuCo bond facility… Bond ‘fixer’ gets $116M in fees In the 18 months or so, the Coalition Government closed four sugar estates as part of the plan to “right-size” the industry and bring it back to profitability. The four estates closed were Skeldon, Rose Hall, Enmore and Wales. The closures would have left the remaining three estates- Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt- with a perpetual cash shortage. Earlier this year, the administration announced that the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), a state-owned company, was seeking financing for the smaller-size, threeestate Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which is projected to produce just 100,000 tonnes this year. The money was supposed to buy two co-generation plants, upgrade the three factories to produce plantation white sugar, contribute two years of general ongoing operations costs and expand storage and packing facilities. It was later announced that a $30B (US$150M) financing was found, via a bond facility, the largest of its kind ever in Guyana. For the transaction, an “arranger” was paid over $116M. Participating in the facility was Republic Bank, Guyana Bank For Trade and Industry Limited, the National Insurance Scheme, Hand-inHand Trust and reportedly a number of regional banks. In early July, NICIL and its Special Purpose Unit (SPU) wrote Paul Bhim, the Chief Executive Officer (ag) of GuySuCo, on the release of the funds from the syndicated bond. NICIL/SPU’s head, Colvin Heath-London, explained that his entity would have to be reimbursed transactional fees. These fees were incurred by NICIL-SPU- the amount was $116.16M- for securing the bond facility. The $116M was reportedly paid over to the “arranger” from the funds provided by the syndicated bond, Heath-London told Bhim. This money will eventually have to be repaid to subscribers of the instrument with interest. ”This amount will therefore have to be included with the total Related Party Payable, to reflect the costs that have been incurred by NICILSPU.” The bond facility raised its head recently with GuySuCo
complaining bitterly that NICIL/SPU is not releasing the monies. Guyana scores lowest among countries addressing inefficiencies in public procurement - IDB report Corruption in public procurement continues to plague several developing countries across the world. Particularly, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently released a report that encompasses the toll corruption in public procurement is taking on the Caribbean and Latin America. The IDB found that corruption in public procurement plays a significant role in the wastage of money utilized by countries in the region. IDB reported that although it is difficult to measure the exact cost of corruption due to its hidden nature, an estimated 10–30 percent of investment in publicly funded construction projects may be lost through mismanagement and corruption. IDB also said that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates 20–30 percent of project value is lost through corruption. IDB reported that public procurement reform in the region has come a long way since the early 2000s, when it was a minor part of the second generation of public sector reforms. IDB said that the region has made more progress than other developed regions, especially in advancing their e-procurement tools. However, IDB was keen to note that several countries in
the region are still transitioning to procurement systems with better institutions, more agile processes, and a heightened capacity to prevent corruption. IDB said that it is now very clear that reforms have not been enough to dismantle inefficiencies or eliminate corruption. The bank even said that implementing an effective public procurement system based on transparency, competition, and integrity, as called for by the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), is not simple. IDB said that a procurement system that lacks transparency and competition is the ideal breeding ground for corrupt behaviour. According to the UNODC (2013), reform initiatives need to integrate these goals. While Guyana’s procurement system is considered transparent and inclusive of competition locally, it still scored lowest among 14 countries. MONDAY Jagdeo warned Granger about ills of $30B bond for GuySuCo– But President only said, “He will look into it” President David Granger needs to awake from his slumber and act more prudently in overlooking the business of the nation. This is what Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said at a recent press conference held at his Church Street Office. There, Jagdeo disclosed that he warned the President about the extra burden the nation will have to take on in less than two years, all be-
cause of a bond which the authorities seem indecisive about its purpose. Jagdeo told the media, “Granger is still sleeping because I told him this in my conversation with him. In the meeting that I had with him I said, ‘you are going to pay over $2B in a year and a half for not using the money.” Jagdeo said he told the President it is unwise to have the money just sitting there and gaining interest. ”We calculated the interest it (the bond) will accumulate in a year and a half because I am saying that that is how long it might take even if you move fast to get a long term project. It will take that time to go through the feasibility study, the design, the contracting, the design of a cogeneration plan etc. I told them that taking all the money at once and sitting on it for a year and a half at 4.75 percent interest will be over $2.2B,” said Jagdeo. The former President said that he also told Granger that the money accumulated in interest for less than two years can completely cover the severance packages for all the sugar workers that government laid off. However, according to Jagdeo, the President’s only response to those concerns was that, “He will look into it.” The Opposition Leader told the media, “It is not like we were being malicious; we were just pointing this out so that they can fix it.” Guyana will succumb to oil curse without strong leadership – UK Professor Nigeria, Chad and Venezuela are just a few of the coun-
tries which have been damaged, to various degrees, by oil. In fact, those who have studied the industry have often described oil to be a curse, bringing nothing but corruption and conflict to its discoverer. Since the announcement of significant oil finds in 2015, many have questioned if there is any way Guyana can turn this resource into a blessing or at the very least, escape many of the associated risks. For Nick Butler, a visiting professor at Kings College London, the answer is yes. He stressed however that Guyana can only escape the “oil curse” with “strong leadership.” Butler said that the active support of ExxonMobil as the main operator and investor in the Stabroek Block would also be needed. The Energy Commentator said that the first and most important step for Guyana is to set the pace of development with a Depletion Policy. Butler said that this would phase production over a long period, avoiding a rush and allowing local companies to build up their capabilities to enable them to win a share of any oil-related activity. Butler, who has worked with BP for 29 years, said that this covers everything from the development of a new port, infrastructure, engineering support and all the other essential onshore services from food to accommodation for the oil workers. Done too quickly, Butler said that the development of natural resources can easily become overwhelmingly dependent on expatriate labour. The second issue Butler pointed to is how to spend
the money that oil will bring. He said that the demands for immediate spending will be strong but should be resisted. In Butler’s opinion, it would be much better to devote a large proportion of the new money to the development of infrastructure. He said, “Guyana needs everything from roads to schools to ensure that the rest of the economy can continue to develop and that the local population does not become accustomed to the sort of rentier economy that has done so much damage in the Middle East. Beyond that, the government of Guyana should establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund with strong withdrawal rules so that a proportion of the revenue earned each year is put aside for the medium- and longer-term future.” $30.1M Supply Health Centre…Contractor casts tree stump in floor of building The construction of a Health Centre at Supply, East Bank Demerara is facing significant challenges. These challenges may significantly delay the project which had a yearend completion deadline. Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) officials have decided to undertake an investigation into the construction of the facility following delays and reports that the foundation for the building may be structurally compromised. This newspaper understands that Regional Chairman, Genevieve Allen ordered the investigation following deep-seated concerns by several councillors who (Continued on page 33)
Sunday October 07, 2018
From page 32 pointed out that the contractor—Navin and Sons—refused to adhere to a cease order issued to him by the region’s Clerk of Works. The project was awarded earlier this year for 30.1M with construction slated to be completed this year, but from all appearances, the project is likely to roll over into 2019. Regional Executive Officer (REO), Pauline Lucas noted that even after being told about several other concerns relating to the poor quality of work, the contractor went on to cast the flooring of the building without removing a tree stump. Lucas said this was done despite the contractor being instructed to cease works. The region has since been able to get the contractor off the job and has since ordered an investigation. However, Senior Engineer of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Elon Austin said that a stress test was conducted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the results concluded that the flooring was of acceptable quality for the continuation of works. But, there are still concerns about the long-term integrity of the structure. Regional Vice Chairman, Earl Lambert stressed that the tree stump has to be removed irrespective of the fact that a stress test was done. “We know what the stress test is saying, but the reality is that the very root has to be removed as in years to come that tree root if not removed can certainly affect the structure of that building and we may see the root breaking up the flooring so certainly, there is need for action against this
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contractor and any other who may have erred,” Lambert said. TUESDAY Guyana’s contract with Tullow even worse than the lopsided ExxonMobil agreement – Ramson Yes, the ExxonMobil contract is bad. Guyana is not getting its fair share. But guess what? The contract Guyana has with Tullow Oil is even worse. This was the contention of Attorney-atlaw, Charles Ramson at a recent press conference that he hosted at Cara Lodge. Ramson, the holder of a Master’s degree in Oil and Gas Management, said that the provisions of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) that Guyana has with Tullow Oil will cause the nation to secure an even smaller share of revenue when compared to the ExxonMobil agreement. “We should not have entered into the agreement with Tullow and Eco which Total farmed into in 2016, because at that time, we already knew what we had. ExxonMobil had already de-risked the petroleum system and that was great for us. “We knew with certainty that we have commercial quantities and good quality oil. We allowed ExxonMobil to get its way. The government said that it was because Exxon is the company that derisked the basin. But contracts with all other companies after ExxonMobil should have been way better, not worse.” Earlier this year, the government released the contract with Tullow and Eco-Atlan-
Region Four officials are concerned that a tree stump which was cast over could affect the building’s structural integrity tic. At his press conference, Ramson noted that the Royalty for the Tullow Contract is one percent as compared to the two percent from ExxonMobil. He noted, too, that the licensing fee is also lower. During an interview with Kaieteur News, Ramson pointed out that Government lost out on a Signature Bonus, which based on available figures, if negotiated properly could have been no less than US$40M. Rejected Panama rice shipment to affect 30-plus containers… Another miller’s labels falsely used The fallout from what has been deemed to be a bad shipA sample of the rice being examined by Panamanian officials.
The rice shipment with the false labels saying that it originated from Techno Mills.
ment of rice to Panama is deeply worrying millers and raising more questions about the monitoring by Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). Monday, the Guyana Rice Exporters and Millers Association (GREMA) convened a meeting at the John Fernandes Limited boardroom, Georgetown to discuss the problem. According to Chairman of the Association, Ragindra Persaud, after the meeting, the regulatory body, Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has asked that the rice be sent back to Guyana so that auditors can make a more detailed check. According to Persaud, a miller who is also Chairman of the Nand Persaud and Com-
pany Limited, the producers of Karibee Rice, the issue is a worrying one but it is too early to draw conclusions. ”We have to replace the shipment to Panama and we are working on the modalities of that at the moment.” However, while the miller declined to go into details, other sources were scathing in their criticisms of GRDB. “We have a regulatory body in charge of rice and it was supposed to ensure that shipments are in keeping with contracts that we signed. How can you say that we (made a) mistake and send parboil rice instead? Who are you fooling? This could jeopardize our market,” another official pointed out. According to millers present, GRDB’s General Manager, Nizam Hassan, was there too. With him was the deputy, Allison Peters. It was during the meeting that it was suggested that from early indications that maybe parboiled rice was shipped. That rice is much different in colour from white rice making it difficult to understand how such a mistake could be made. However, that argument was not being bought by a number of angry millers at the meeting. In fact, it was disclosed that the shipment of rice, involving more than 1100 tonnes, had labels that purportedly showed it came from Techno Mills, an operations that is in Eccles, East Bank Demerara. “Here is where it got strange. GRDB officials are strict, real strict, and check fine, fine. So you are by a particular mill and sealing the container. How come it has a different tag and different rice from the contract?” The situation has reportedly affected Techno Mills,
which is partly owned by a Panamanian businessman. BP quietly paid just US$25.5M to Mexico after the worst oil spill of the century TONALÁ, Mexico — The Mexican government quietly accepted a $25.5 million payout earlier this year from oil giant BP to free the company of responsibility for polluting Mexican waters after the largest oil spill of the 21st century. The tiny payout was part of a confidential settlement to dismiss a lawsuit relating to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, when a BP offshore drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. It killed 11 workers and released more than 4 million barrels of oil off the coast of Louisiana — roughly 200 miles from Mexican territory. BP and the US government immediately set about addressing the pollution in US waters, but the extent of the damage to Mexican waters is still publicly unknown. BP spent at least $60 billion in total related to the 2010 spill, more than $10 billion of which went to affected US fishermen and businesses. Not a single peso has gone to an affected Mexican. Dozens of previously unseen court documents, minutes from government meetings, and academic papers obtained by BuzzFeed News raise deep questions about both the Mexican government’s and BP’s actions in the case. The Mexican government was slow to react to the spill, waiting until the last minute before filing a lawsuit against BP, before voluntarily dropping it less than five years (Continued on page 34)
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From page 33 later in a US$25.5 million settlement. At the same time, the Mexican government, under outgoing president Enrique Peña Nieto, made several multimillion-dollar deals with BP. WEDNESDAY Depositors daunted by minuscule returns on savings — Bank of Guyana …Says high lending rates deterring potential clients, investment opportunities According to Central Bank, the nation’s depositors are daunted by minuscule returns on savings. High lending rates are deterring potential clients and investment opportunities. And existing borrowers are faced with high-cost burdens. The Bank of Guyana said that this state of affairs has led to some loans underperforming especially during economic downturns, which eventually affects banks’ profitability. The Bank believes that this calls for better assessment of the savings and lending rates with a long-term trajectory in improving not only profitability, but also including the robustness of the economy. In addition, Central Bank believes that healthy competition among banks needs to be encouraged. Bank of Guyana said that the stock of Non Performing Loans (NPLs) increased by 3.5 percent. Bank of Guyana said that relative improvements in the repayments of loans were primarily by the business sector for agriculture, mining and quarrying, and manufacturing. However, wholesale and retail entities’ NPLs made an upswing. In addition, NPLs for households continues to intensify, and have raised cause for concern, the Bank of Guyana said. It was only last year that Finance Minister, Winston Jordan reported that lending by banks continues to be hampered due to a high level of nonperforming loans in the system. Ignorance of the masses to oil and gas issues a major benefit to corrupt politicians – Ramson – Says it is time Guyanese get sensitized so they can hold government accountable In order for accountabil-
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Kaieteur News
ity to be effective, citizens have to know what they are holding government accountable for. Therefore, the ignorance of the masses is a gift for corrupt politicians, according to Attorney at Law and Oil and Gas Consultant, Charles Ramson. The young politician thinks that if Guyanese want to get the best out of this or any future government, they have to keep themselves informed or they will effectively make way for a corruption paradise. Ramson said that part of the responsibility of any government is to nurture an informed nation. However, according to Ramson, the APNU+AFC government seems to have very little in keeping its population in the know. Ram made these and other statements at a press conference he recently hosted at Cara Lodge. At that forum, Ramson highlighted the dangers of not having an informed population. Speaking to some of these dangers, Ramson placed significant attention on two subjects—the Sovereign Wealth Fund and Local Content. Ramson pointed out many “major flaws” of the Green Paper that Government presented to the National Assembly as its proposed policy to guide the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund. Most of the flaws he pointed out were technical issues. However, Ramson also pointed out the fact that government failed to involve the people in the drafting of the Green Paper. The Lawyer stressed, “Civil society was not consulted “. Further, Ramson said that the fiscal rule for the policy is way too “messy”; and, beyond “messy” Ramson said that the government has made no attempt to help to get the average man to understand the fiscal framework of such a fund which will have to play a major role in Guyana’s development. Rejected Panama rice shipment…Miller to file criminal complaint against GRDB; demands CoI A miller is preparing to file a police complaint over a large consignment of rice that has been rejected by authorities in Panama. Tuesday, Dr. Turhane Doerga said that “enough is enough”. “For too long, we have been seeing things swept blatantly under the carpet. Not anymore. This is a clear cut case that speaks of collusion. The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) cannot investigate itself,” the miller
Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 21, 2010.
said. He would be referring the recent rejection, by Panama, of more than 30 containers of rice. That is around 80,000 bags of white rice, the official said. The rice is for distribution to Panama’s poor with prices among the best for Guyana. However, more than a month ago, Panamanian port authorities taking samples of rice from the containers, found it did not meet the requirements of the contract between Guyana and that country. The contract stipulated white rice. The rice was supposedly sent by A. Cayume Hakh and Sons, a miller that has operations across the country. However, on the bags sent in the containers to Panama, the labels were reportedly from Techno Mills, an entirely different operation that is based in Eccles, East Bank Demerara. Techno Mills has reportedly denied that labels belonged to them. Doerga, the retired Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alesie Rice, stressed that from reports false labels were attached to the bags of rice that were in 30-plus containers confirmed so far. ”This constitutes fraud to the highest extent, with strong indications of collusion at the GRDB level, and there can be no other recourse than a police investigation, involving the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).” According to the miller, the Panamanian “scandal” is symptomatic of the weaknesses and problems that ex-
ist at the Rice Board and by extension the entire industry. THURSDAY Mexico to help Guyana strengthen regulatory capacity for oil sector expert says nation has key opportunity to “get it right’ Oil and gas experts from Mexico will be working with Guyana to help strengthen this nation’s regulatory capacity for the petroleum industry. This was confirmed Wednesday by Carlos De Regules, Executive Director of the Agency for Security, Energy and the Environment (ASEA) of Mexico. During an interview with Kaieteur News at the Mexican Embassy, the founding Director of ASEA said that Guyana has a key opportunity to “get it right’ with oil and gas, and Mexico is happy to help in any way it can. In this regard, Regules revealed that Mexico will soon be welcoming officials from Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy for internships. He said, “An EPA official will be going to a four to five week training programme with ASEA while three officers from the Department of Energy will be going to the Petroleum Institute of Mexico. I think a take away from that internship would be to identify a critical pathway to regulation in Guyana.” The ASEA Executive Director said that Mexico, which has been in the industry for over a century, will help Guyana identify what are the top five regulations it needs
to have in place and “then work that backwards and see what needs to be done immediately, in the next few weeks and in the months to come…” He added, “This will help Guyana arrive at the appropriate regulatory framework. We will also ensure that the Guyanese representatives get a chance to go into the field and they are able to smell the oil and listen to the pipes and really have a feel of the oil and gas industry.” Regules said that he is also proud of the experiences Mexico was able to share with Guyana during the recently concluded training workshop on best practices in the oil industry. BEING ROBUST AND INDEPENDENT A robust and proactive regulatory body is a central part of the institutional framework needed for a petroleum sector. But if this authority is to do its job effectively, it must be independent. It must be free from any instance of political interference. This point was also made pellucid by ASEA’s Executive Director. 56 drums of seized fuel vanish from GEA bond – converted fishing vessel found with 80,000 liters of smuggled diesel The illegal fuel trade appears to be very much alive. Two incidents recently have reinforced how this lucrative business is continuing. In the first case, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), disclosed that on September 22, 2018, its Law En-
forcement and Investigation Division (LEID) officers intercepted a motor vessel. The vessel, which is reportedly linked to a prominent fuel dealer on the West Coast Demerara, goes by the name of “Plumrose”. GRA said that it was found with a quantity of liquid in excess of 80,000 litres. After it was tested, the officials confirmed that it was hydrocarbons in the form of diesel fuel. According to GRA, the officers conducted a search and it was discovered that even though the intended use of the vessel was listed for “fishing purposes”, the “Plumrose” had been converted for fuel transport. Sources disclosed that the vessel was stopped at the Essequibo River mouth area. The captain when asked whether he has anything to declare, disclosed that there was 5,000 liters of fuel on board. He allegedly later changed his tune and said 20,000 litres. However, the actual amount in the converted fuel tanks was found to be over 80,000 liters. The sources said that the vessel allegedly had no documents. Two inspectors from the Guyana Energy Agency were said to be involved in the checks. Wednesdayday, GRA said that the captain and crew are currently assisting the GRA with the ongoing investigations, and charges are expected to be laid shortly. ”Representatives of the Guyana Energy Agency were contacted by GRA and the (Continued on page 35)
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From page 34 two agencies are working in collaboration on the investigation.” According to the authority, it has also seen a rise in fuel smuggling over the past few weeks, with the interception of additional vessels which will lead to a substantial amount of revenue being recovered. ”The authority has taken a relentless approach against smuggling and will be working in close collaboration with its sister agencies to minimize these activities.” Over the past year, the GRA says it has recouped billions of dollars in taxes from seizures and auctions not only from illegal fuel but also from breaches in motor vehicle concessions and IDA’s, and commonly smuggled items which include alcohol, foreign imported chicken, mosquito coils. US$50.1M East Coast 4lane expansion… Govt. carries out audit after environmental complaints Government has carried out an audit of the Chinese contractors spearheading the East Coast Demerara road expansion and has issued them with a deadline to correct shortcomings. The disclosure by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) was made in a notice Wednesday, published in the Kaieteur News. In recent weeks, the project has come under fire especially for the traffic congestion and and dust pollution. Truckers who were sub-
contracted had also protested late payments. It appears that the Ministry has been listening. The advertisement explained that the project was being carried out by the China Railway First Group Company Limited for US$50.19. The physical works on the project commenced on August 29, 2017 and the project is expected to be completed in September 2019 with the Defects Liability Period to last for one year. According to the Ministry, the scope of works for the project includes the widening of the existing roadway between Better Hope to Annandale into four lanes and thereafter an upgrade of the existing two-lane road. ”Seven bridges and 12 culverts will be widened in the four-lane section and two bridges will be reconstructed. The project will also involve the installation of sidewalks, street lights, traffic signals, road safety signs and markings. The finished surface of the roadway will comprise of four inches of asphaltic concrete.” According to the Ministry, a contract for supervision services was awarded to an international consultancy firm, Sheladia Associates Inc. in association with E&A Consultants for US$2,310,899. ”This consultant is the client’s representative and is responsible for the supervision of all works on site to ensure that there is compliance with quality standards, traffic management plan, environmental management plan and also to ensure that the project is completed on
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GRA says it has seized over 80,000 litres of fuels from fishing boat that has been outfitted with bigger tanks.
time and within the budget.” The Ministry insisted that it is misleading to inform the general public that there is “no supervision” on the project primarily. In fact, on a daily basis an average of 20 specialized technicians are on site to observe and monitor the works of the project. ”The technicians ensure that all quality standards, safety measures and environmental regulations are adhered to. The project is scheduled to be completed in September 2019, and the present progress of works is 35%. The Ministry is anticipating that all works for the four-lane section will be substantially
completed by December 2018.” FRIDAY Exxon fails to submit pertinent data to GRA on $900M pre-contract costs …- Parties agree to extend audit deadline USA oil and gas operator, ExxonMobil, has not submitted all the information requested by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for a thorough audit of the controversial US$900M pre-contract costs. This was confirmed by GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia.
Thursday, the tax chief said that the oil giant had a September 26 deadline within which to submit certain pertinent documents. He said that the company has asked for more time to do so. The tax chief was reminded however that Guyana has an October 7 deadline within which to conduct the audit of the pre-contract costs. Asked about the implications Exxon’s delay might have, Statia said, “The nation will get more time. It is an agreed understanding. The most important thing is that we made the request for the audit within the timeframe…Guyana is safe.”
The expansion is expected to be completed in September 2019
Statia also reminded that Guyana will be assisted by several global organizations with ties to petroleum auditing experts. He said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is one such institution. The Commissioner General said, “I have acknowledged that we have some capacity issues and we are working feverishly to improve and build in this regard. And we are not going at it alone. There are international partners who are interested in seeing Guyana succeed in this industry. For example, the IMF and the World Bank will be helping us in all cost recovery matters. They have several experts who are versed in detecting all the petroleum accounting tricks and I am happy to have them on board.” The GRA Commissioner General also noted that the IMF will be lending its expertise to help Guyana audit the controversial pre-contract costs, which is believed to be some US$900M. Statia said that the IMF and the World Bank would be training GRA officers in the areas of petroleum accounting, cost recovery audits and other tax related matters. He said that help would also be provided to develop a risk assessment strategy for the sector. This training is slated to begin in the first week of November. MPs among 81% of public officers who fail to declare assets…deadline extended before legal action takes effect The newly installed Integrity Commission has started (Continued on page 36)
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From page 35 its work and has written to public officers, including Members of Parliament (MPs) to have them declare their assets. The Commission’s Chairman, Kumar Doraisami, disclosed Thursday, at a press conference, that 1296 letters were sent to public officers who are mandated to file their declarations with the Commission on or before June 30, each year. To date, the Commission has received 248 responses and according to Doraisami only some MPs have responded. The response rate thus far is 19%. ”If somebody doesn’t send in their declaration forms we will have to publish their names in the official Gazette and a daily newspaper. That will force them somehow to do so. The public will know that they are not actually complying with the Act. ”If they [then] fail to do that we will have to move to lay charges because they have to comply with the Act,” Doraisami stated. He said that the Commission has extended the deadline to October to provide officers with more time to make their declarations. The Commission sent 69 letters to Parliament; 407 to Government Ministries; 242 to regional administrators; and 576 to Government agencies, among others. Before the establishment of the current Commission, there was hardly anyone complying with the Act. The Commission disclosed that roughly 20 persons filed in previous years with about six filings last year. Doraisami pointed out that there are legal arguments as to whether or not filings should have been done in previous years as there was no active Commission, staff nor office set up. Under the law, any public officer who fails to comply with the Commission is liable upon summary conviction, to a fine of $25,000 and to imprisonment for a period of not less than six months or more than one year. Public officers including the President, Permanent Secretaries, Director of Public Prosecutions, Auditor General, Commissioner of Police, the Army Chief, Heads of the Service Commissions, Foreign Affairs officials, Judges and Magistrates and Department Heads are required to declare their assets. Also required to submit declaration forms of their earnings and gifts received are Regional Executive Officers, the Chief Elections Officer, Mayors, Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers of state companies, Registrars
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Kaieteur News
of Lands and the Commissioner-General of Guyana Revenue Authority, along with Presidential Advisors, and Heads of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and Guyana Forestry Commission. National Oil Spill Plan a must before production commences-IDB The Inter-American Development (IDB) is of the firm view that Guyana should have a national oil spill contingency plan in place before oil production commences in 2020. In its special report, the IDB noted that Guyana’s CARICOM sister, Trinidad and Tobago, which has been in the petroleum industry for more than a century, has taken the wise move to safeguard its sector with a national oil spill plan. That plan was updated and passed by TT’s Cabinet in January 2013. The IDB said that with TT’s new plan, “deep-water drilling operators will now be required to demonstrate accessibility to a containment lap system to arrest a subsea blow out event…” The IDB believes that Guyana can take a page from Trinidad’s book and get its own plan in place soon. It has been almost eight months since the first round of consultations was held on the draft national oil spill plan. The document was submitted to Cabinet but it is still to be made public and finalized. Leading the work on the oil spill plan is the Civil Defence Commission (CDC). Specifically, Captain John R. Flores, Director of Maritime Safety had organized a small team of locals to draft the document. Along with considering the inherent risks of drilling for oil, Flores said that Guyana is a member to several organizations, which mandates that a contingency oil spill plan has to be in place. He said that these organizations include the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The official also noted that Guyana is a signatory to the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Director of Maritime Safety said that several documents were used as a reference point for the creation of the framework for the oil spill plan. He said that these included the IMO’s manual on
Internal Auditor of M&CC, Umoja-Newton, testifying at the CoI guidelines to be followed in the creation of an oil spill plan, draft procedures that Guyana’s authorities had from years ago, and oil spill plans by other nations such as Trinidad and Tobago. SATURDAY City Hall has not been audited in three years – CoI The Mayor and City Council has not had financial audits into its affairs for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. This is according to Internal Auditor for City Hall, Omodele Umoja-Newton, who, Friday, testified at the Commission of Inquiry into the Mayor and City Council. Chapter 28:01 of the Laws of Guyana states, “The City Council and the Town Council shall, not later than the thirty-first day of March in every year submit to the Minister a report in writing containing an account of all monies received, expended and applied during the preceding financial year.” Pursuant to this aspect of the law, the internal auditor of the Council is expected to complete these audits. She told Justice Kennard that no department of the Council has received completed audits of their financial transactions for 2016, 2017 and 2018. This, she said, is due to the fact that the treasurer has not submitted the supporting documents concerning the finances of the Council’s departments to be audited. The Council has eight departments, namely the Town Clerk’s department, City Constabulary, City Treasury, City Engineers, Human Resources Department, Solid Waste Management, City Public Health and the Markets Department.
Newton said that the departments are supposed to submit the documents concerning all financial transactions to the Treasurer, but that this has not been done. Newton told Justice Kennard that Ron Mc Calman, the City Treasurer, is usually very difficult to contact and that he is often unavailable. She said that, when she attempts to procure the supporting documents, the employees of that department told her, “You have to wait until the treasurer comes.” She said that the treasurer is non-compliant and that the department he is responsible for is very untidy and poorly kept. She recommends that the system be “tightened” up, specifically that of the Treasury. Cash-jet pilot found guilty for cocaine, money laundering – faces life sentence Guyanese-born Khamraj Lall, was convicted this week on several charges ranging from cocaine distribution to money laundering. Lall was found guilty last Thursday of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, structuring monetary instruments, and conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday. Lall, 51, of Ringwood, New Jersey, was convicted on all eight counts of a superseding indictment following an eight-day trial before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson in Trenton Federal Court. According to documents filed in the case and the evidence at trial, from April 2011 through November 2014, Lall, a private pilot, smuggled hundreds of kilograms of co-
caine from Guyana to New Jersey and New York on his privately owned jet aircraft and then laundered the proceeds. The accused, who owed a private jet charter business called Exec Jet Club in Gainesville, Florida, used the proceeds of his cocaine empire to purchase jet planes, houses, and cars. He also paid more than $2 million in cash stuffed in suitcases to a Florida contractor to build an airplane hangar in Guyana. The Government of Guyana has since taken possession of the hangar at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri. According to the justice.gov, over a three and a half year period, Lall also made (or had others make) 1,287 cash deposits totaling approximately $7.5 million into more than 20 different bank accounts in New Jersey and New York, much of it in $20 bills. In order to avoid detection and circumvent bank reporting laws, all 1,287 deposits were for amounts less than $10,000. In November 2014, Lall was flying one of his jets from the United States to Guyana and stopped in Puerto Rico to refuel. An outbound search of the plane revealed $470,000 in cash stuffed into a suitcase hidden in the tail of the plane, and another $150,000 in cash hidden under a seat. $2.4B sugar workers severance package for Parliament this month-Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan has assured that Government will be ready to move ahead with the outstanding severance payment for sugar workers when Parliament returns from recess.
There have been protests in recent weeks by sugar workers who were laid off by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), but Jordan appealed to the workers not to be ‘fooled’ as Government committed to provide the outstanding severance in the second half of the year. ”We are now in the second half of the year and we keep saying that when Parliament reconvenes we will be taking a supplemental paper to the Parliament to get the balance of the money. We haven’t reneged on any agreement done so far, but the Opposition wants to whip up some hysteria in the country and destabilise the country,” Jordan stated. Speaking with Kaieteur News Friday, the Minister pointed out that the money for the severance is part of a Supplementary Appropriation Bill, which will be tabled in the National Assembly on October 18. He also disclosed that on October 31, Parliament is expected to debate the Bill and thereafter pave the way for its passage and ascent by President David Granger. ”I am saying clearly, unambiguously today, come the 18th of October when Parliament reconvenes, a Supplementary Paper with the severance balance payment which I believe is $2.41B will be on that paper,” Jordan said. He added, “I hope you can rest peacefully that your money is on its way and not be goaded into these unnecessary picketing that gives the impression as if the Government doesn’t want to pay the money.”Jordan stated that GuySuCo has already started to prepare to make the payments and is awaiting the conclusion of the Parliamentary process to receive the monies from Government.
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What Teen Girls Should Eat to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk Fruits and vegetables are staples in a healthy diet, and that includes one aimed at preventing cancer. Many studies have documented the lower risk of various cancers among people who eat more fresh produce, and avoid things like red and processed meat. But the majority of those studies have focused on adults, and it’s becoming clear that many of cancer’s drivers start early in life, with genes and even with childhood exposures to potential carcinogens. To investigate this further, Maryam Farvid, a research associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and a visiting scientist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and her colleagues decided to study how diet during adolescence might affect cancer risk. In a study reported in the BMJ, they plumbed the Nurses’ Health Study, a massive survey of nurses who filled out questionnaires on their diet and were followed for various health outcomes, including cancer. About half of the 90,000
women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study also answered questions about their typical diet while they were teens. Those who reported eating nearly three servings of fruit a day on average had a 25 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who ate half a serving of fruit. Certain fruits seemed to confer the biggest protection against breast cancer — apples, bananas and grapes were associated with the greatest reduction in risk while kale and oranges in adulthood also contributed to reduced breast cancer risk. Farvid says that apples, bananas and grapes contain fiber, which could help to lower cancer risk; they are also high in flavonoids, which act as antioxidants to combat damage to cells that can trigger abnormal growth. Kale and oranges are high in vitamin C, another antioxidant.“This study underscores the importance of what a young girl eats for her future health,” says Farvid. “This study also has an important message for schools and the need to
provide students with the opportunity to consume more
the chronic diseases occur over many years and get
fruits and vegetables as part of the school meal program.” Farvid wasn’t able to document a strong relationship between vegetables and lower breast cancer risk, but says that may be because the study wasn’t powered enough to detect an effect. The findings are among the first to look at how diet during adolescence can affect health later, and highlights the importance of establishing healthy habits from a young age, especially since many of
rooted early in life.The results also underscore the
Why Fears Over Folic Acid and Autism Need to be Properly Understood Experts are questioning a study that suggests a link between high levels of folic acid in pregnant women and a greater risk for children with autism. Taking the nutrient folate during pregnancy can prevent neural development defects early on, but a recent study suggested that there may be risks to taking too much, suggesting a higher risk for autism if a mother has four times the recommended amount of folate. However, experts, including the study authors, are saying: “Not so fast.” The study, which was a presentation at an autism research meeting, did not find a causal link between taking folic acid and autism. What the study actually found was pretty specific. The researchers took blood tests of close to 1,400 mothers between one to three days after they gave birth and found that about 10% of the mothers had very high levels of folate, beyond recommended amounts, and that these women were also
more likely to have a baby that would later be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. That doesn’t mean that pregnant women should stop taking folic acid. Other studies have even suggested it can lower the risk for autism. Folate is critical to maintaining proper growth, and on May 10, the United States
Preventative Services Task Force released a draft update to its existing recommendations on folic acid, and once again the group is advising all women who are planning or capable of getting pregnant take a daily supplement of 0.4 to 0.8 mg of folic acid. “We have long known that a folate deficiency in pregnant mothers is detrimental to her child’s development. But what this tells us is that excessive amounts may also cause harm. We must aim for
optimal levels of this important nutrient,” study author M. Daniele Fallin, director of the Bloomberg School’s Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities said in a statement. The study findings were presented at the2016 International Meeting for Autism Research in Baltimore.
The authors of the study are also anxious that their study is not misunderstood. “There’s this danger that the message would be that folate supplementation is bad. And that’s not at all what we saw,” Fallin told the Atlantic. The new study is an early finding and more research is needed. The researchers say more focus should be placed on understanding the optimal dosing for women for the greatest health benefit. http:/ /time.com.
importance of eating whole fruit, rather than fruit juice. In the study, Farvid and her team could not find any significant relationship between fruit juice and breast cancer risk; that may be because fruit’s anti-cancer effects may have to do with the fiber found in the whole fruit, which is stripped out of juice. In the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, however, government nutritionists equated servings of whole fruit with fruit juice. “We recommend whole fruit and not fruit juice,” says Farvid, “because maybe one of the most important ways that fruit decreases risk of breast cancer is through fiber, and even natural fruit juice often
has no fiber in it.” In another study also published in the BMJ, a separate group of researchers found that among 22,000 Danish women, those who added two alcoholic drinks a day on average increased their risk of developing breast cancer by 30 percent over five years. The added risk of cancer, however, was counterbalanced by a lower risk of heart disease.Taken together, the results show how critical diet can be in modulating risk of breast cancer. While challenging, changing diet can be a relatively easy way to alter a woman’s breast cancer risk equation, beginning even at a young age.
Should You Get Rid of All Your Bad Habits at Once? To make healthy changes, it’s long been recommended that people start with a small tweak to their lifestyle, and build upon it. But a new small study suggests that embracing a wide variety of healthier behaviors at once, including changes to diet and exercise, may be even more beneficial. What the researchers found in a recent study, the New York Times reports, was that people who changed several aspects of their life to be healthier saw bigger improvements in their mood and stress levels compared to people in other trials who changed just one part of their lifestyle. The study was very small, with only about 30 college students. Half of them went about their days as normal, while the other half changed their behaviors significantly, by doing exercises in the morning, including stretching and resistance training, and attending an hour-long session in meditation and stress reduction. A couple times a week they also increased the intensity of their workouts and learned about sleep and nutrition, and they met with instructors to discuss personal challenges and were encouraged to partake in random acts of kindness. Before they started the interventions, men and women in the study underwent physical and cognitive tests, including graduate comprehension exams, as well as brain scans. A few weeks later they repeated the tests and brain scans and the researchers found that the control group performed the same, but the students with intensive behavior changes were more focus and reported improved happiness and
memory. “Our findings suggest that making multiple lifestyle changes at once can lead to both larger and more numerous benefits than typically observed when focusing on just one thing at a time,” says study author Michael Mrazek of the University of California Santa Barbara. “We found parallel and enduring improvements in more than a dozen different
better to transform all behaviors at one time—over smaller changes one after the other? Unfortunately those questions still remain. The study is too small to make any definitive conclusions on how to best achieve a healthier life, and some researchers are skeptical of the findings. “I think that this interpretation is way overblown,” says
outcomes that truly matter in our lives—strength, endurance, flexibility, focus, reading comprehension, working memory, self-esteem, happiness, and more.” Mrazek says it may be that each lifestyle change supports all the others, and that reinforcing lifestyle changes with other behavior tweaks may make the overall goal more sustainable. “Exercising regularly makes it easier to sleep. Sleeping well makes it easier to meditate. Being mindful makes it easier to choose healthy foods,” he says. “If you try to force a change like drinking less coffee without also addressing other relevant aspects of your life like sleep, you’ll likely find that it’s hard to make the new coffee habit stick.” But is it possible to sustain so many lifestyle changes? And is it really
Russell A. Poldrack, an Albert Ray Lang Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. “I don’t see how the study tells us anything about different ways to give up bad habits, since it did not compare different interventions, just a single multifaceted intervention versus a very weak control. All it says is that changing lots of things at once can have an effect, but we don’t really know where that effect is coming from. In addition, the sample size is far too small for us to make any strong conclusions.” Poldrack was not involved in the study. More research will be needed to best understand the most successful ways to improve health and wellbeing. “Our findings suggest truly remarkable changes are possible if you’re willing to put in the work,” says Mrazek. http://time.com.
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After The Big Bang Theory Ends, What’s Next for the Cast? After 12 seasons, the time has come for The Big Bang Theory to end. The CBS comedy will say goodbye in May 2018, freeing up the ensemble cast to spread their wings in the big, bad world of entertainment. You can bet Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch will be in high demand for the 20182019 round of TV pilots, but will they want to jump into another show so soon? Plus, the stars of The Big Bang Theory already have several projects in the works outside of their sitcom life. Cuoco’s latest project was announced at New York Comic Con. She’ll executive produce and provide the voice of the titul a r c h a r a c t e r D C U n i v e r s e ’s Harley Quinn, a new animated series about the fan-favorite Batman villain. Cuoco posted the announcement on her Instagram as well: “So excited .. we have been working on this adult series for awhile [sic] and can’t wait for you to see it next year..it’s edgy, crazy, and seriously funny ! Harley’s back! Thanks, puddin!”
See what else the cast has in the works below. JOHNNY GALECKI Johnny Galecki will return to the Roseanne role that made him famous, David Healy, on ABC’s The Conners. Juliette Lewis is poised to play his love interest on that comedy. The series his executive produced, Living Biblically, was canceled after one season on CBS. MELISSA RAUCH Up next for Melissa Rauch is the movie Ode to Joy, which is set for release in 2019. MAYIM BIALIK Mayim Bialik opened up about the show ending in a blog post, asking, “And now I start to figure out what next. Where will life take me? Where will this career go? What do I want?” Up next she has a voice role in The Inspector Chronicles. JIM PARSONS In addition to appearing in front of the camera and on stage, Jim Parsons has a very active producing career. Parsons, who completed work on the movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, is also the narrator and exe c u t i v e p r o d u c e r o n Yo u n g Sheldon, has a comedy in development at NBC, is attached to star
and produce in The Legend of Georgia McBride, and has optioned the rights to produce and star in a movie adaptation of Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies.
SIMON HELBERG Simon Helberg doesn’t have any projects listed in development as of now, but he has had a burgeoning movie career. He was nominated for
a Golden Globe for Florence Foster Jenkins and also appeared in Paint It Black. KUNALNAYYAR Kunal Nayyar has the flick Think Like a Dog in post-production and the upcoming Trolls World Tour in pre-production. Nayyar provides the voice of Guy Diamond in the movie series. KALEY CUOCO Kaley Cuoco’s life after The Big Bang Theory is going to be animated. Cuoco has signed on to voice and executive produce DC Universe’s ne w Harley Quinnseries. She’ll play the titular character in the new streaming series targeted toward mature audiences. In 2017, she got the rights to The Flight Attendant, a miniseries based on the book of the same name, which she was poised to star in. The Flight Att e n d a n t f o l l o w s C a s s a ndra Bowden, a flight attendant, who wakes up, hungover, in her hotel room with a dead body next to her. She goes about her day and heads back to New York. is she the killer? That’s what she wonders. (https:// www.eonline.com/news/974313/after-the-big-bang-theory-ends-whats-next-for-the-cast#photo-945526)
How Adele Earned $11 Million Steven Seagal Storms Out of Live Interview Over Question About Sexual Misconduct Allegations During Her Year Off Steven Seagal walked out
Adele said hello to millions of dollars in 2017. The 30-year-old Grammy winner hasn’t released an album in three years, but she’s still making tons of money during her time out of the spotlight. Adele, whose last album 25 debuted in Nov. 2015, earned over $11 million last year, according to the accounts of her two companies. E! News has obtained documents of Adele’s companies Melted Stone Publishing and Melted Stone Ltd, which take care of her album sales and royalties. The documents show that Adele earned about $11.2 million last year, after taxes. So, if you break it down, that means that Adele earned about $30,684 dollars a day in 2017! The beloved songstress completed over 100 shows on her Adele Live world tour in 2016, finishing up with a little over 10 shows in Australia and New Zealand in 2017. In June 2017, Adele was forced to cancel her last two remaining shows at Wembley Stadium in the U.K. due to vocal cord damage. “I went to see my throat doctor this evening because my voice didn’t open up at all today and it turns out I have damaged my vocal cords,” she told her fans at the time. “And on medical advice I simply am unable to perform over the weekend. To say I’m
heartbroken would be a complete understatement.” “Who the f—k cancels a show at Wembley Stadium!? To not complete this milestone in my career is something I’m struggling wo get my head around and I wish that I wasn’t having to write this. I have changed my life drastically in every way to make sure I got through this tour that started at the beginning of last year,” Adele wrote. “To not be able to finish it is something I’m really struggling to come to terms with. It’s as if my whole career has
been building up to these 4 shows.” She then added, “I’m writing this as the decision has just this moment been made, so I don’t have any other, but of course refunds will be available if the shows can’t be rescheduled. There will be more information over the next few days. I’m sorry, I’m devastated.” Adele returned to Wembley Stadium a year later to attend Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour concert. (https:// www.eonline.com/news/ 974352/how-adele-earned-11million-during-her-year-off)
of his live interview with the BBC on Thursday after being questioned about the sexual misconduct allegations against him. After journalist Kirsty Wark asked the actor how he deals with the accusations, Seagal ripped off his earpiece and microphone and stormed off. She then checked to see if the Above the Lawactor was still there before turning her attention back to the viewers.“Steven Seagal, there,” she said. “And, of course, though he didn’t respond there, he has said previously he denies any allegations that have been made against him.” Back in March, Regina Simons accused Seagal of raping her when she was 18. Faviola Dadisalso accused him of sexually assaulting her at a casting session when she was 17. Seagal’s attorney, Anthony Falangetti, denied the accusations in a statement to ABC News. “Mr. Seagal denies all accusations and continues to
stand his ground that he has not engaged in any such misconduct,” th e s t a t e m e n t read. “The allegations that have been made against Mr. Seagal are false and have no substantive material support. The accounts of both women are completely fictitious and totally made up. The allegations are a disservice to women who are victimized because of real predators in the film industry.” The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office de-
clined to prosecute Seagal for Simons’ allegations, noting that the alleged incidents were beyond the statute of limitations. Portia De Rossi, Julianna Margulies and Jenny McCarthy have also accused Seagal of various forms of misconduct. As Wark noted, Seagal denies any wrongdoing. (https:// www.eonline.com/news/ 974330/steven-seagalstorms-out-of-live-interviewover-question-about-sexualmisconduct-allegations)
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01.What does marriage do? A: It puts a ring on a woman's finger and two under the man's eyes. 02: How do you transfer funds even faster than electronic banking? A: By getting Married! 03: Whats the difference between love and marriage? A: Love is blind and marriage is an eye-opener! 04: What is the ideal marriage? A: A marriage between a deaf man and a blind woman 05: How are husbands like lawn mowers? A: They're hard to get started, they emit noxious odours, and half the time they don't work. 06: What kind of institution is Marriage? A: One where a man loses his Bachelor's Degree and the woman gets her Masters. 07: What does a boyfriend and mascara have in common? A: They both run at the first sign of emotion. 08: Whats the definition of a happy marriage? A: One where the husband gives and the wife takes. 09: Why do only 10 percent of ex-boyfriends make it to heaven? A: Because if they all went, it would be called hell. 10: How hard is it to lose a wife? A: Nowadays it's almost impossible! 11: Whats the difference between the Bride and Groom A: In marriage, the bride gets a shower. But for the groom, it's curtains! 12: Why did the polygamist cross the aisle? A: To get to the other bride. 13: If love is 'grand', what is divorce? A: A hundred grand, or more. 14: Which one of your children will never grow up and move away? A: Your husband! 15: Why shouldn't you marry a tennis player? A: Because love means nothing to them 16: What's a boyfriends idea of honesty in a relationship? A: Telling you his real name. 17: How can you tell if your wife is dead? A: The sex is the same but the dishes pile up. 18: When another man steals your wife, what's your best revenge? A: Let the sorry bastard keep her! 19 What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband? A: About 45 minutes 20: What is the difference between a wife and a girlfriend? A: About 45 pounds 21: What kind of process is Marriage? A: A process of finding out what kind of man your wife would have preferred 22: Why is marriage is like a violin? A: After all the beautiful music is over, the strings are still attached. 23: What's the difference between love and marriage? A: Love is one long sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock. 24: Why do men like love at first sight? A: It saves them a lot of time. 25: Who is the perfect husband? A: One who keeps his mouth shut and his checkbook open! 26: How is a marriage like a hot bath? A: Once you get used to it, it's not so hot 27: How is marriage different than most wars? A: it's the only war where you sleep with the enemy. 28 What's the difference between a new husband and a new dog? A: After a year, the dog is still excited to see you. 29: What's the difference between marriage and death? A: Dead people are free 30: Why are boyfriends like parking spaces? A: The good ones are always taken! 31: What kind of sport is Marriage? A: One where the trapped animal has to buy the license!
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
Sunday October 07, 2018
Effective Ayurvedic Face Packs For Glowing Skin 12. Tomato AndMultaniMitti Face Pack You Will Need 2 teaspoons multanimitti 1 teaspoon tomato juice ½ teaspoon sandalwood powder What You Have To Do Combine the multanimitti, sandalwood powder, and tomato juice in a bowl. Make a fine paste. You can also add a pinch of turmeric (optional). Apply the mask to your face and let it dry. Wash it with water.Once a week. Multanimitti tones the skin, shrinks the pores, and clears all the oil and dirt from your face. This Ayurvedic face pack lightens your skin and makes it glow naturally. 13. Fuller's Earth OrMultaniMitti Face Pack Fuller's Earth OrMultaniMitti Face Pack Pinit You Will Need 1 tablespoon Fuller's earth 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon milk What You Have To Do Mix the multanimitti with honey and milk. Blend well and apply it to your face. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off. How Often You Should Do This Once or twice a week. Why This Works This rejuvenating herbal face mask is the best if you have dull and lifeless skin. With regular usage, it restores the radiance on your face. Back To TOC 14. Mint And Banana Face Pack You Will Need 4-5 mint leaves 1 tablespoon banana (mashed) ½ teaspoon lemon What You Have To Do Crush the mint leaves and mix with the banana and lemon juice. Clean your face and spread the mixture evenly. Massage for a few minutes and then let it dry. Wash it off later. How Often You Should Do This Twice a week. Why This Works If you are worried about the scars and blemishes on your skin, go for this face pack. Mint leaves heal acne and pimples. They are also antibacterial and remove impurities from your skin.
SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S WORD SEARCH
Kaieteur News
ON THE BEACH
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Kaieteur News
PAGE 54
Sunday October 07, 2018
The Apple Tree and the Farmer
O
nce upon a time, there lived a farmer in a village, beside a forest. He had a big garden that had an old apple tree and other plants, trees and beautiful flowers. When the farmer was a little boy, he spent much of his time playing with the apple tree. Those days, the apple tree had given the choicest of apples to him. However, as time passed, the apple tree became old and stopped bearing fruits. Now that the farmer was not getting any apples from the tree, he decided that the tree was useless. Therefore, he decided to cut the tree and use its wood to make some new furniture. He felt that since the tree was old and huge, he did not have to cure it, and it would make great furniture. He forgot that as a boy, he had spent his entire childhood climbing the tree and eating its apples. Now the apple tree was home to several little animals in the neighborhood. This included squirrels, sparrows and a huge variety of birds and insects. When the farmer took his axe and began chopping the tree, all the little animals came rushing down. They all began to plead
with the farmer. They gathered round the farmer and said, “Please don't cut the tree. We used to play with you when you were small, under this very tree. This is our home and we have no other place to go”. The farmer was adamant. He raised his axe and the commotion grew. “Please don't chop and destroy my home and kids,” cried the squirrel. “Please don't chop and destroy my nest,” cried the little birds. “Please don't cut the apple tree,” cried the grasshopper. The farmer, however, forgot his childhood and his animal friends. He began to chop the tree harder. All the little animals became desperate, and wanted to protect the apple tree at any cost. The little animals said, “We will sing for you when you are toiling away in the fields. We will look after your little boy. He will not cry, but instead will be entertained and happy. You will like our songs and will not feel tired.” However, their cries for help fell on deaf ears. Despite all their requests, the farmer continued to chop down the tree.All of a sudden, he noticed something shiny. On inspecting it, he realized that it was a beehive, full of honey. He took a little and put it in his mouth. The taste of
the honey woke up the little boy in him. Suddenly, the memories of his childhood came rushing back. The honey tasted so good that he wanted more. It brought a sense of happiness to him. He smiled and exclaimed, “This tastes amazing.” Realizing the change in the farmer's attitude, the little animals spoke in unison: The bee said, “I will always provide you with sweet honey.” The squirrel said, “I will share any amount of nuts that you want.” The birds cried, “We will sing as many songs as you want.” F i n a l l y, t h e f a r m e r realized his folly, and put down his axe. He understood that the tree was home to many lovely animals that provided him with so many things. He wanted his little boy to have the childhood that he had. The farmer realized that the apple tree was not that fruitless. The little boy in him saved the apple tree. He threw away the axe and said to the little creatures, “I promise that I would never cut this tree. I have realized my mistake and you all can now live in peace and harmony.” The little creatures thanked the bee profusely. If the farmer had not found the beehive, they would have been homeless by now. They continued living happily in the old apple tree. Moral: Each and every living thing in nature is of some use: we should not destroy any living thing.
Junior page
Melted Crayon Art Materials Needed: 1 new white canvas 1 new box of Crayola crayons (they don't have to be new) Hot glue gun Large piece of cardboard (to catch the drips) Hair dryer Painted wooden letters (optional)
Begin by lining up the crayons in the order in which you want to attach them to the canvas. You can go for the whole ROYGBIV - rainbow plan of reds, oranges, yellows, greens blues, indigos, and then violets. Try not to use black, brown, gray, or white. Used a hot glue gun and glued each into place lining the end of the crayon up with the very top of the canvas. Take the canvas outsomewherewhere can handle any mess. You can also lay the chunk of cardboard underneath it. Now turn the blow dryer on low on warm heat. Slowly run the dryer back and forth in front of the crayons.The crayons will begin to melt and drip down the canvas. You can choose to attach wooden letters to the bottom right-hand corner to spell any word you desire. Use the hot glue gun for the letters too.
Crossword 1
2
3
4
FUN WITH POETRY
Dave
5
6
7
8
This a story about troublesome Dave, A boy who just loved to misbehave; He hid books at school to make others mad, Pulled girls' hair and made them sad; Dave tormented dogs to hear them howl, He didn't even spare the neighbours' fowl; He harassed cats by pulling their tails, The naughty boy delighted to hear their wails; Dave pelted cows with sticks and stones, And hit donkeys till he heard their groans; Animals were safe only when he was asleep, The twelve-year-old even hassled quiet sheep. Then one day Dave met old Billy, A bad-tempered goat as wicked as he; The boy struck Billy with a stick on his side, The goat became angry and really wild; The bearded animal moved fast as a hare, It butted the troublesome boy right in the rear; Dave fell down but was quickly on this feet, And Billy struck again right on his seat; Mr. Misbehave then knew it was time to run, With Billy in pursuit, and having real fun. Dave jumped a fence, looking for safety, But a Doberman sent him back hastily; He finally found refuge in an orange tree, But he had to bear the ants till Billy grew hungry; This episode served to change our hero much, But the sight of a goat now sends him off with a rush.
Since it is pink-tober you can also theme your craft for the occasion! Use pink crayons only
9 10
11
12
13
Across: 1 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 13
The process of cutting down or burning a forest. In order to harness wind energy, you need to build a ____________. The average weather patterns of a region. Black liquid. Drawn from wells. Can be refined and turned into gasoline. The release of harmful substances into the air or water is called ______________. _____________ gases such as methane contribute to global warming. ______________ dioxide is a gas often created by combustion. It contributes to global warming. Black mineral. Dug from mines. Pollutes the air when burned. Type of fuel. Refined from corn. Popular in the United States.
Down: 1 2 5 6
(by Wendell George)
Manmade structure. Blocks a river. Used to harness hydroelectric power. A ___________ resource is one that can be used more than once. The _____________ layer of the atmosphere protects us from the sun's most harmful rays. One way to help the environment is to ride _________ transportation, such as buses or trains, instead of driving your own car. 7 This land is very dry. Almost no plants or animals live here. The sun dictates the weather: Hot during the day. Cold during the night. This land results when topsoil and plants are lost due to drought or overuse by humans.
9 _____________ energy comes from the sun. 11 Don't throw that soda can away! You can ____________ it.
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
Improve your brain
Brain Power
by getting rid of obstacles
W
e have been discussing the various ways by which you can improve on the power of your brain. To get the maximum benefit from this we also need to consider the things that hamper its development. Many of these have become ingrained in your habits so that, if we are serious about getting the most out of our thinking and reasoning abilities, we will have to make special efforts to eradicate these. One of the biggest obstacles to remove may be found to be one of the hardest. Children have formed the habit of taking in too much sugar in most of the things they consume – sweets in various forms and soft drinks, also of various types. Too much sugar can result in a lower ability to think, and even accelerate aging of the brain cells. Alcohol taken at a very young age also has the same effects, and should be avoided by young adults, and
consumed sparingly even when grown up. Getting an inadequate amount of sleep is also detrimental to brain use, as it causes reduced ability to assimilate information and slower and less power to respond to problems. We all know how feeling drowsy makes us less able to understand and respond to everyday situations, so we should always try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. An improper diet is also responsible for decreased brain power. This is another problem that children of all ages need to work on, as many prefer fast food and sweet stuff. It has been found that a diet that includes adequate amounts of vegetables, fresh fruit, and whole grains helps to nurture brain cells and keep them working at their maximum. Another negative habit that reduces brain function is multitasking. Many children allow
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distractions to prevent them from performing at their maximum, as when they use a cell-phone and watch TV during studies. This habit burdens the brain with moving from one activity to the next, thereby never getting its full power to focus on one problem at a time, which is necessary to get the most out of our thinking and reasoning. Give yourself the best chance of success in any problem-solving situation by removing these obstacles, and you will be improving your brain ability as well as getting the best from it.
Cradled perfectly in our cranium, Is where you'll find our brain-ium, Enables us to think and do, Remembers what, remembers who; Whether we're feeling fine or pained, We're utilising our fantastic brain, Controls what we're doing, what we think, Let's us see, makes us blink. Some functions are involuntary, Breathing air is one of many; Digesting food, our beating heart, All controlled by brain, our crucial part; Connects straight-up with our spinal cord, Synapses, nerves - it's never bored; Gives us feelings, does great things, Let's thank our brain for all it brings!
Bits and pieces Can you identify these names of magazines from the Bits and Pieces shown in the boxes? The first names are always on the top and the second names on the bottom.
1
1
EAD IGE OOD SEK
2
3
MIL
2
3
UTH
ULA IEN POR UST
4
4
ATI RAP RIE LAI
Your brain is a powerhouse if you strive to maintain it just as with other parts THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK of your makeup.
Solutions to last week’s Sudoku
Kid's Wordsearch
Kaieteur News
PAGE 56
Country Profile Long known for its pyramids and ancient civilisation, Egypt is the largest Arab country and has played a central role in Middle Eastern politics in modern times. In the 1950s President Gamal Abdul Nasser pioneered Arab nationalism and the non-aligned movement, while his successor Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel and turned back to the West. Egypt's teeming cities and almost all agricultural activity - are concentrated along the banks of the Nile, and on the river's delta. Deserts occupy most of the c o u n t r y. T h e e c o n o m y depends heavily on agriculture, tourism and cash remittances from Egyptians working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.However, rapid population growth and the limited amount of arable land are straining the country's resources and economy, and political unrest has often paralysed government efforts to address the problems. FACTS Arab Republic of Egypt Capital: Cairo · Population 83.9 million · Area 1 million sq km (386,874 sq miles) ·Main language Arabic · Main religions Islam, Christianity · Life expectancy 72 years (men), 76 years (women)
· Currency Egyptian Pound UN, World Bank LEADERS
Sunday October 07, 2018
Eg ypt
President: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Retired Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president in May 2014, almost a year after he removed his elected predecessor, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, from office in a coup. He had served as armed forced chief under Mr Morsi, and was a key figure in the interim government which took over after the ouster.Some Egyptians celebrated the possibility that Mr Sisi would bring stability to a country in upheaval since the removal of long-term leader Hosni Mubarak during the ''Arab Spring'' in 2011. Others worry that he represents a return to the authoritarian security state that prevailed under Mr Mubarak.Mr Sisi won a second four-year-term
in March 2018 against a sole minor opposition candidate. Human rights lawyer Khalid Ali and former prime minister Ahmad Shafiq withdrew from the race, and the former armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan was arrested. MEDIA Egypt is a major regional media player. Its TV and film industries supply much of the Arab-speaking world with content and its press is influential.TV is the favourite medium and there are several big hitters in the sector, including the state broadcaster.Media freedom organisations say successive governments have been intent on controlling the media and have not hesitated to clamp down on journalists. TIMELINE Some key dates in Egypt's history:circa 3000 BC - Kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt unite. Successive dynasties witness flourishing trade, prosperity and the development of great cultural traditions. 332 BC - Alexander the Great, of ancient Macedonia, conquers Egypt, founds Alexandria. A Macedonian dynasty rules until 31 BC. 31 BC - Egypt comes under Roman rule; Queen Cleopatra commits suicide after Octavian's army defeats
her forces. 33 AD Christianity comes to Egypt, and by 4th century has largely displaced E g y p t i a n religion. 4 t h - 6 t h centuries - Roman province of Egypt becomes part of the Byzantine or eastern Roman Empire. 642 - Arab conquest of Egypt. 1517 - Egypt absorbed into the Turkish Ottoman empire. 1805 - Ottoman Albanian commander Muhammad Ali establishes dynasty that rules until 1952, although
completed, but it and other infrastructure projects nearly bankrupt the country and lead to gradual British takeover. 1882 - Britain takes control of country. 1922 - Fuad I becomes King and Egypt gains independence, although British influence remains significant until mid-1950s. 1948 - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria attack the
nationalisation of Suez Canal. 1981 - President Sadat assassinated by Islamist extremists. He is succeeded by his vice-president Hosni Mubarak. 2011 - "Arab Spring" popular uprising topples Mr Mubarak. 2013 - Coup ousts the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi, the country's first freely-elected
Cairo, Egypt's densely-populated capital
nominally part of the Ottoman Empire. 1869 - Suez Canal is
new state of Israel. 1956 - Britain, France and Israel invade over
president.
Sunday October 07, 2018
CHPA orders Shamnarine Narine to cease construction at Ruimveldt The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) has served notice on Shamnarine Narine, of Guyana Tractor and Equipment Company (Guytrac) for unauthorized construction at Plot ‘HN’ Industrial Reserve, Plantation Ruimveldt. Narine was ordered to cease all activities (Development/Construction work) with immediate effect under the Town and Country Planning Act. The notice was signed for and received by an excavator operator who is in the employ of Narine.The plot was being used to construct a twostoreyed building, scheduled to house a gas station and convenience store on the ground floor, offices on the first floor and to install four fuel pumps and three underground tanks for kerosene, gasoline and diesoline. The gas station was rejected on the basis that the site is still not suitable for such a development and the proposed means of access (Plumbaggo Street and the roadway) are minor streets. The reasons for these objections were that the site cannot be accessed from
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Kaieteur News
E-networks celebrates 15 years of service
E-Networks Chairman H.R Puri, Chief Executive Officer Vishook Persaud and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo sharing a light moment at the company’s 15th anniversary cocktail
Operator receiving notice on Narine’s behalf Mandela Avenue, which is the main thoroughfare, and the location cannot provide a means of ingress and egress. CH&PA also raised concerns about the destruction caused to the road and road shoulders by heavy-duty equipment used
by Narine to drive piles into the ground. It was noted that residents of the Shirley Field-Ridley Square, South Ruimveldt, petitioned against the area being used to construct the gas station, convenience store and offices.
Congratulating the E-Networks company as a leader in innovative cable television services, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said it pioneered the transformation of quality services via cable and high definition fibre optics. On Friday, the telecommunications company celebrated its 15th anniversary with a gala cocktail at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston Georgetown. The Prime Minister added that during the recently concluded CPL cricket competition, he was pleased to access the company’s HD coverage, “which when completed will provide services to Guyanese which are not otherwise available.”The politician said he looked forward to the company being at the forefront of the ICT and digital revolution. He hoped it could expand into a provider of mobile telephone services.
The company’s “invaluable contribution for deepening Guyana’s connection to the world, with programming that is available 24hrs per day” was also lauded. The prime minister added that he and his wife, Mrs. Seeta Nagamootoo, also enjoyed the musical talent shows, and almost exclusive scheduling of South Indian movies. “There is no doubt that E-Networks is carving for itself a place on the national spectrum as an authentic home-grown business, whilst training and hiring local young Guyanese,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo stated. Congratulatory messages were also given by the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority’s (GNBA), Chairman Leslie Sobers. He noted that the company has distinguished itself as a proponent of facilitating the reception of information in a responsible manner.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
Venezuelan pirates leave small vessel for fishermen they told to jump overboard
Seven Guyanese fishermen are fortunate to be alive after a grave piracy attack last Thursday, which occurred within close proximity of the Guyana/ Venezuela border. According to reports reaching this publication, the ordeal occurred some time around 15:00 hrs last Thursday, some two kilometers from the Waini River mouth. Survivor and captain of the fishing vessel, Julian Marks, told this publication that he and crew were approached by an aluminium boat, which was powered by a 75hp engine. As the speedboat approached his anchored vessel, Marks claim that the occupants proceeded
to open fire. Marks added, “Six Venezuelan man come on board we boat, and they had shotguns, and these 9mm pistol with extended magazines. These men came from Venezuela because we recognize the language and we had a good look at them… They just stick we up and ordered we to jump overboard. Then they take we boat and gone.” Kaieteur News was informed that onboard the vessel was some $40,000 worth in groceries. Marks said that after taking off with the vessel, the men dislodged and left behind a small boat, which was attached to the stern of fishing boat. Kaieteur News
Fishing vessels at the Charity wharf, Region 2 understands that the seven men then hung on to this boat and waited until they were rescued. “We went overboard like from 3 o’ clock the Thursday
morning. The Friday morning a boat passed and we send two workers on it to Waini to get help. Still we had to wait till 1 o’ clock the afternoon before help come.” Police after being made aware of the incident, yesterday dispatched a search patrol in an effort to recover the stolen vessel. During the course of
yesterday, the vessel was discovered emptied and abandoned; reportedly near the Venezuelan border. Mark explained that he and his crew are afraid to return to sea, since the next ordeal may be deadly. Since Thursday’s piracy attack was his family’s second since 2008, the man believes that fishermen should be licensed
firearm holders to defend themselves. Marks told Kaieteur News yesterday, “I got six children to maintain and this is what I doing for 20 something years. Where would I get the money back from? I think the Government as well need to up the security to protect fishermen and we need to be armed.”
Sunday October 07, 2018
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Kaieteur News
GNBS OFFERS TRACEABLE AND AFFORDABLE STANDARDS IN FOCUS MEASUREMENT CALIBRATION SERVICES TO INDUSTRY The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) as the National Metrology (Measurement) Institute (NMI), offers a wide range of calibration services to meet the needs of industry, regulators, and laboratories that are offering measurement services or conducting measurements using precision instruments. For more than 12 years, the GNBS has been calibrating instruments used to measure temperature, pressure, dimensions, mass, volume and electricity. Standards used in calibration by our Laboratory Services Department are traceable to NIST and those used by highly recognised NMI in the Caribbean, including the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) and Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ). Most local companies and laboratories understand how critical calibration of their instruments is to achieving reliable and consistent results every time. Calibration is a comparison between a known measurement (the standard) and the measurement using your instrument. Calibration defines the accuracy and quality of measurements recorded using a piece of equipment.Typically, the accuracy of the standard should be ten times the accuracy of the measuring device being tested. However, accuracy ratio of 3:1 is acceptable by most standards organizations. Business operations that calibrate their instruments are usually cognizant of the
reasons why the process is important. Basically, through calibration,measuring instruments are checked for accuracy and to determine the traceability of the measurement. A certificate or report is issued by the entity performing the calibration. This certificate expresses the error in measurements of the measuring instrument before and after the calibration. Oftentimes, skeptics who usually do not understand the importance of calibration question the need for the process. However, the understanding must be created that accuracy of all measuring devices degrades over time – or as it is common to say “drift” over time. This is normal and is caused by regular use resulting in wear and tear. Major events, like mechanical shocks (e.g. from impacts), electrical shocks, u n r e c o m m e n d e d environmental operating conditions also cause drifting in equipment measurement. The use of uncalibrated instruments impacts health, safety and dollars and cents. It translates into increased costs from measurement inaccuracies, especially in the areas of manufacturing, where defective products may be produced.
It also results in errors in laboratory results and doctors’ diagnoses; food spoilage or consumption of undercooked or under processed food, etc.
Additionally, agencies may lose their international recognitions (Certification or Accreditations), lose franchises and worst, lose the trust of clients.
The GNBS encourages every company and every laboratory to take advantage of its traceable, reliable and affordable calibration services.
For further information on the calibration ranges offered by the GNBS, please telephone: 219-0062, 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit our website: www.gnbsgy.org
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FOR RENT
WANTED
VACANCY
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
1 Air compressor 5HP 3 Phase 230/220 volts. Call: 628-1486/ 698-1134
One experienced male sale attendant with stocktaking knowledge. One porter. Apply with hand written application Keyfood McDoom Village
SERVICES
FOR SALE
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Generac Pressure Wash for sale 3100 PSI. Tel#654-5267/ 652-2244/220-4203
Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.
Roof clay tiles 1,700 sq feet for sale. Call 624-8894
1 Three (3) Bedroom upstairs flat in Atlantic Gardens E.C.D Tel# 227-4377, 227-0613, 6246013,645-7248
9-Wheel pneumatic roller. Mack concrete mixer truck - 8 cu. yds. 450 - Honda ATV Bike. 650 - Gals. Spray Kettle. 275-0367, 683-7225
1 Downstairs for business at Vreed-en-Hoop W.C.D Tel# 227-4377, 227-0613, 6246013,645-7248
Cat 215 Excavator. Cat 215Excavator spares. Cat 428 Back-Hoe. Double steel wheeled 8-tons roller. Tel# 275-0367, 683-7225
Complete house top & bottom for $70,000 located at Lot 721 Section ‘C’ Block ‘Y’ Golden Grove EBD Tel#6190673
ICONIC MARKETING & PRINTING –TEL: 6006887: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Installations, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc call Nick 627-3206, 630-1600 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Have your yard, fence, mat to pressure wash? Yard to weed? Call: 666-2326 Repairs at low cost: fridges, air conditioners, washing machines, freezers,sale of ac’s tel:6294946,225-4822
Three apartment building in Diamond. Call: 680-5944/6564211
2 female Rottweiler pups for sale from Brazil $95,000, also looking for German Shepherd to buy. #682-8600 1 complete 6'’ Dredge operation. Tel# 611-0884 1 Iceplant 2x6 tons with holding room, filters system tank, cummins generator, fuel tank, electrical system #6110884 Leatherette in many colors @ R. Sookraj & Sons (Regent St) Special prices for wholesalers. Tel# 226-4173/ 223-6147
1 Three bedroom bottom flat apartment. Fully refurbished @ Back St Better Hope. Prime location. Tel# 220-1583. 7:00am-5:00pm
Furnished 2 bedroom apartment for rent with AC Tel#651-4745 3 Bedroom bottom flat apartment at lot 141 Bombay Terrace Prashad Nagar. Lots of parking available. 653-8924/ 225-7868
EDUCATION Web & Game Development courses starting on the 15th of October to the 15 November. 685-0827 Mr.Marks
TAXI SERVICE 212 Carina, old model $820,000. Tel#617-6614
GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)
Allion, Premio, Fielder TOLET Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, RZ,Pit-bull, Allex, 192 Three Bedroom house To Let, top flat at Better Hope. #220& Canter – Call: 650-7501 4670 American 2008 Black Accord, 2 bedroom downstairs 4 cylinder with front and rear apartment for rent at ‘C’ Field air bags. Whatsapp or call Nurses Quarter, Sophia. Call: (346) 818-0822 658-4478 Couples only.
One Mature general domestic- cooking and cleaning. Call: 628-6724, Monday to Friday 5:30pm7:30pm 1 Cosmetologist (hair & nails) Must be qualified with atleast 1 year working experience. Contact# 626-6450 Needed contract cars. Classic Ride Taxi Service. 18 Hendbury Ave. Nandy Park E.B.D. #233-5227/682-1616 Wanted barber at 26 Norton & Creen St. $1,400 daily and $8,500 weekly. Tel 671-5307 Live in waitress to work in a bar, age 18 yrs to 22 yrs, must have ID. Contact #221-2785/ 692-3877 Manager to work @ 704. Contact : 223-5273/74, 2275003 We are buying land & house in Parfaite Harmonie with Title and Irrevocable Power. Call Alicia Tel#601-6940 Urgently need one land to buy in Amelia’s ward & Eccles. Call Carol #604-1178/681-2294
Business place to rent (bottom flat) 14 Lombard St G/town. Tel# 227-1385, 653-0506
We are buying residential houselots, lease lands, farm land, mining claims anywhere in Guyana. Tel#656-1345
LAND FOR SALE
Transported land 11.6 acres. Lot 15 public road. #2 Village W.C.B. Price $18M. Contact 686-4818, 648-7109 Parfaite Harmonie $1.4M Ten year up $2.7M Farm $3M $4.5M Tuschen $1.3M Uivlugt $2.7M. Call: 666-2326 55 acres of rice land at Plantation Visselwaghied, Leguan. Contact: Tariq #6986570 Asif #663-7157
VEHICLE FOR SALE
1 Part time or Full time Gardener/Handyman. Tel#225-3557
Self contained rooms to rent in Prashad Nagar. Tel#2272993
Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, New Thriving, Massy, HJ water world $13M neg- Call: 669-8397 SALON September Cosmetology Courses $40,000 Nail Technology $25,000 Advance Make-up $15,000, All products provided. Abby #614-6749
Sunday October 07, 2018
Kaieteur News
Farm (110ftx60ft) on the main road $5.5M & $2.6M Providence (110ftx60ft) main road $7M Tel# 648-1635 Parfaite Harmonie $800,000 $1.3M, $1.6M & Schnoord (100ftx50ft) $2.6M House with land $3.5M Tel# 611-7223/6511969 Uivlugt (100ftx50ft) $2.8M Eccles $3.5M (100ftx50ft) Herstelling $5.5M (110ftx60ft) Farm $27M Tel# 611-7223/ 651-1969
One experienced Diesel Mechanic to work interior. Contact #680-2702 One Welder to work interior. Contact #680-2702 One live-in Domestic must know to cook (Indian Dishes) 25-45 yrs $20,000 weekly #6103974 Space in Georgetown that can accomodate 2 cars, 1 truck and a lorry. Call Roberto 2-5pm #660-4841 1 experienced mechanic to work in the interior, must know about Cummings engine #6994718 Wanted one bus driver RZ. Contact number #603-2640/ 218-4636
Vacancy for professional hairdresser at Natural Beauty Salon & Spa #6525800 Tool room clerk, Machinist, Male cleaner, Apprentice, Apply at Technical Services 18-23 Industrial Site, Eccles EBD Maid for East Bank area, to cook and clean, age 25 to 50. Call: 614-4358 Female cleaner office & home, age 25 to 50. Call: 2332745 Female accounts clerk. Apply Alabama Trading. 65 Robb Street, Bourda Looking for a job & educational services? Contact The Job Centre 43 Croal & Alexander Street or call 600-8457
Smallie, Cobra, Two Colours for murder trials this... From page 13 in April 2017 Based on reports, Harriram was shot once to the neck moments after she disembarked a minibus along the Lusignan Railway, Embankment, East Coast Demerara. On the day of the incident, the shooter reportedly exited a burgundy-coloured motorcar, whipped out a gun, shot the teen, then took away her cell phone and fled. Wayne and Doris, a taxi driver were subsequently arrested and charged with the capital offence. Meanwhile, Lindener Orin Arthur is listed to go on trial for the December 24, 2014 murder of Sterling Products Limited guard, Wilfred Stewart, which occurred at Providence, East Bank Demerara. Stewart, of Graham’s Hall, East Coast Demerara, was shot dead by gunmen who forced their way into the Sterling Products Limited Compound.
MASSAGE & HEALTH Vacancies for persons to pluck chicken at chicken farm on the East Bank #696-5424/699- Relaxing Massage Service #674-8147 7415/610-6196 Herbal remedies: Diabetes, Vacancy for Driver, Civil Hypertension, Infertility, Engineer, Security. Contact Menstrual disorders, #223-5273, 223-5274/227- Enlarged prostate, Kidney,Gall 5003 stones & Arthritis etc. Call Responsible male to graze Sparman #676-5924 and milk cow. Age 30-45. PROPERTY FOR SALE #233-2049 Call anytime after 12 $22,000 start salary. Property for sale located Canal 1 Accounts clerk, Experienced #2, 6 large pens, fruit trees and in Quickbooks and Microsoft farm house. #688-7291/6502172 Excel. Call Tel# 611-5398 Located at Lot 646 ‘8’ Field Cummings Lodge ECD $16M Tel# 619-0673
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM
Better Hope Back St. 2 Story building. Extra land. Well built. Prime location. Call between 7:00am - 5:00pm. 220-1583 2 storey concrete home at 17 St Diamond Scheme. Call: 216-2726/ 626-3423 House lot @ 2637 Paraite Harmony located on the main road. Nice spot for business. Contact 611-8993/614-8026
An experienced Canter Driver. Tel#223-7165/682-5352
PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/ 6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
LEARN TO DRIVE
PROPERTY FOR SALE
2 story property, Barr St Kitty, perfect for business. Contact Ray’s Realty #627-9685
N. Outar Driving School, Learn to Drive the right way. Affordable package. Call: 644-5166/691-2561
Lot 22 Railway line, Uivlugt, West Coast Demerara $14 Million negotiable. Contact #277-3520, 688-4263
Spacious 2 storey property, well kept, Melanie ECD, 3 bedroom. Contact Ray’s Realty. #627-9685
Experienced Cashiers, Curry cook, Roti/Puri cooks, cleaners. Apply Hack’s Halaal 5 Commerce St
House and land at #41 Stanlytown New Amsterdam $5M Parfaite Harmonie $5M Tel#656-0701
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
PHASING OUT THE PRIVATE LESSON SYSTEM BY PAT DIAL The subject of Education is of perennial concern to parents and consumers as a whole. It is acutely so at the beginning of the school year and continues throughout the first term of school. There are a variety of problems which confront parents: trying to find a suitable school for their children since all schools are not regarded as equally good; cost of equipping children for school including clothes and books; pocket money; transport to and from school; and private lessons. In this offering, the focus will be on private lessons. Until the last generation, private lessons were unknown in the school system at both the primary and secondary levels. Today, it is the norm. Parents feel that their children would never perform well at school except they have private lessons. Private lessons are a great financial burden on parents, especially at the secondary level. The fees many private tutors require are often well beyond what the majority of parents could comfortably afford. Indeed, some tutors state their fees in US dollars! Parents may even have to borrow money to meet such extra fees. This private lesson system also has sinister social consequences since it favours the richer and betteroff children while the children from poorer homes are left behind. Generally, poorer children are no less able than their wealthier class mates, thus this system emphasizes class differences and causes intellectual waste. The contrast could be clear if we compare secondary schools of the past with the present. At Central High School or Queen’s College, for example, until the private lesson system made its appearance, the students did as well as they do today. In the case of Queen’s College, the boys, and it was then a boys’ school, would be involved in sports, the cadet corps, physical exercise and in various clubs. Yet their academic results were always good and the vast majority of boys coming out of Queens in those days made their mark in whatever profession or occupation they entered, both at home and abroad. And it must be remembered that Queens was open to any child whose parents would have decided to send him there. It was not a school which selected the best performers at the primary
level as obtains today. The experience of old Queen’s College evidences that private lessons are not necessary for a student to do well. Private lessons are not only a financial burden on parents, they have negative effects on children. Those children who cannot afford private lessons feel a sense of humiliation and indeed inferiority. In the private lesson system, the child immediately has to go to the tutor as soon as school dismisses and spends the next two or three hours with the tutor. Sometimes classes are held at 6 o’clock in the morning to eight just in time for the child to attend regular school. This system takes away their childhood from children. They are precluded from being involved in sports and other childhood activity and denied the opportunity of cultivating a broader circle of friends. Childhood, to many who graduate from the private lesson system, is not a happy memory and there are little memories that they could treasure. The denial of childhood could have serious effects on personality. The majority of serious educationists, parents and children are aware that the private lesson syndrome is a serious blemish on Guyana’s Education System but no one has been able to escape its net. The only way the Education System could free itself from this blemish is by concerted action by all stakeholders. In the first place, the Ministry of Education should let it be known that it will not tolerate private lessons as now constituted. In this process, the school curricula will have to include compulsory after school recreational activity such as cadet corps or field games. It would also mean closer assessment of teachers
in the classroom will have to be undertaken. It is well known that many teachers do not teach during school hours but give private lessons in the same subjects they should have taught in class. Many teachers spend their time on ipads or computers, knowing that the majority of students would have private tuition and may have good CXC results as a result; such results would be credited to these teachers. There may be some teachers who may not know the art of teaching and help should be accorded to them. Efforts should be made to explain to teachers the negative effects the private lesson system have on students. Parents and students should also have to be formally brought on board. The Ministry of Education will have to take the initiative and responsibility for this effort, using well-known methodologies. The school administrations must also be involved and one of the first considerations is that they should cease entering large numbers of subjects for certain students. A few students passing 15 or 20 subjects is done much more to give prestige to the school or advertise it but is of little benefit to the student. The core subjects should be done such as Maths, English, Computers, Foreign language, the Science subjects and a few other subjects in which the student may have a strong interest such as Principles of Business or Art. Schools should also be required to publish their full results and not only those of the high flyers. Parents must involve themselves in helping their children, especially at the primary level and children must be encouraged to study and to read as widely as possible. They should use
the public library system for advice from the librarians on what to read and also what books to borrow. The system of private
lessons could be brought under control and eventually phased out if all stakeholders are engaged. The Ministry of Education
will have to take the initiative. It would be a great educational advancement if the system of private lessons were phased out.
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Ministry, GGMC meet with Batavia’s Village Council on mining issue Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, on Wednesday met with representatives of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Batavia Village Council to address the mining
issue which arose in the village last month. Minister Garrido-Lowe has indicated that the village has done a good job putting its demands on the table hoping that the situation will be addressed at the earliest.
… Miner at the center of the controversy notably absent. The miner at the center of the matter, Rickey Ramnarine, who was invited to attend Wednesday’s meeting was notably absent, however, the
meeting proceeded. Following the meeting Toshao Oren Williams said this was the third time the miner has failed to meet to address the issue after being invited to prior engagements. Another meeting is scheduled for early next week. Late September, villagers had cause to cease mining operations after Ramnarine’s workers moved onto their titled land with several pieces of heavy duty equipment intended for mining purposes. This had caused some amount of disquiet between the two and since then, efforts to engage the miner proved futile. At a village meeting held
on September 21, villagers agreed that for the mining operations to continue Ramnarine must comply with several conditions set out. Among them, top priority must be given to villagers of demarcated mining blocks since it is important for them to know the mining borders of his two claims, of which said miner has three days to complete same after agreement is reached. Mining must be done in accordance with the agreement between miner and village; Royalties must be paid, and the number of excavators allowed. In cases of emergency Mr. Ramnarine must be able to provide assistance to
the village.When clearing land - all marketable logs must be put on a ramp identified by the village council and they want the present General Manager, Mr. Shawn Haynes, to be immediately replaced because of disrespectful behaviour towards residents. Additionally, Mr. Ramnarine must seek permission from village council before any roads are constructed, pay a toll as decided by the village and at least two villagers must be allowed on each mining camp crew. According to the document penalties will be instituted should Mr. Ramnarine fail to meet the following conditions.
Trial begins for two accused of murdering watchman behind mandir Two men who were teenagers back in 2013 when the crime was committed, are on trial in the Berbice High Court for murder before Justice Priya Sewnarine Beharry and a mixed Jury. The two -Shivnarine Jainarine called ‘Sammy’ or Samuel, 24, of Train Line Dam, Port Mourant Corentyne; and Ryan Persaud, called ‘K.K’, 23, of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice are accused of committing the act at a Mandir at Williamsburg Corentyne in January 2013 They are accused of between January 6 and January 7, 2013 of murdering security guard Jagdat Ramcharran, called “Ronald”, 61, a father of two of Bloomfield, Corentyne, Berbice. The man’s body was found bound and gagged at the Iskcon Hari Krishna Mandir at Block 6 Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice.Attorney Mursalene Bacchus is representing Jainarine while attorney at Law Arud Gossai is appearing for Persaud. The Prosecutor is Attorney at Law Mandel Moore.
Accused: Shivnarine Jainarine In his opening address Moore told the court that Ramcharran was a watchman at the Mandir when the two men along with others broke and entered the place of worship and in the course of committing a burglary murdered the victim. His bloody and bound body was subsequently discovered in the ransacked building. The security guard’s body was discovered around 03:00 hrs by a worshipper who visited the temple early morning to (Continued on page 71)
Accused: Ryan Persaud
Murdered guard: Jagdat Ramcharran
Region Four Education Department launches ... From page 49 every religion, instruments form a part, noting that irrespective of one's religion, instruments and music play a critical part. Pointing out that in some years those sitting in the crowd would be leaders and moving the country forward, the Regional Chairman stressed that the fair serves to ensure that each child gets an opportunity in determining what they would like to become in the future. “You are Guyana's future and there will be a time when those seating at the head table will no longer be here but rather those sitting at the back of the crowds would replace us,” she said.
Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Ms Pauline Lucas, in declaring the inaugural fair open urged the students to pursue what they truly want to become and not what parents, friends or teachers may want them to become. She admitted that when her daughter was growing up she wanted her to become a lawyer, however, the determined and focused daughter was bent on becoming a doctor. “I was the kind of parent who wanted my daughter to become something other than what she wanted but because of determination and perseverance she has stood her ground thus becoming what she wanted to
be since as a child. Let me urge you to take your time in making your career choice and remember that you can start today by looking at all the possible career choices thus aiding you in making a determination,” the REO said. She reminded the students that the point in their careers should be doing something that they love and have a passion for. “You have to do something that you enjoy and that brings you lots of satisfaction,” REO Lucas declared. All the schools within Region Four ranging from nursery to secondary are expected to participate in the extravaganza.
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Canadian power company further retained Body found on Mon Repos Public road identified as Vryheid’s Lust pensioner to strengthen GPL’s management A Canadian company, Manitoba Hydro International Limited, that has been working to strengthen the management of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. is set to be here longer. Cabinet at its Sub-Committee meeting on
Tuesday, October 2, 2018, noted the award of six multi-million-dollar contracts by the procurement entities and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).The contracts are:
Police overlooking the body, waiting for the undertakers to remove it.
A body that was discovered on the Mon Repos Public road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on Friday has been identified as 60year-old Sursattie Shivpersaud of lot 54 Vryheid’s Lust ECD.When Kaieteur News visited the scene around 14:00 hours the body was still at the side of the road being looked over by police, who were waiting for the undertakers to remove it. Witnesses claim the woman was seen on
the road earlier in the morning, which begs the worrying question, how does our elderly die on the road ways like stray animals without being noticed? Initially, the police were not able to identify the body, but a video of the scene and what transpired, with a description of the woman, were circulated on social media, and a close friend of the family was able to identify the woman as Shivparsaud.
Trial begins for two accused of murdering ... From page 70 worship. When he arrived no one came to greet him and the gate was locked. After making several calls and getting no response, the worshipper scaled the fence and to his horror, noticed the watchman lying on the ground in a bloody state on an adjoining veranda with his hand and feet bound and the place ransacked.
A number of items including a bell, a pair of slippers and other items were missing and the altar was a mess. Three persons testified including the son of the deceased, Rabindra Jagdat Ramcharran; the temple Priest Seoram Terat; and a worshipper Liludhr Kishundial. A voir dire was being held when the matter was adjourned as Police Sergeant Joanne Johnson was about to give her testimony.
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Sunday October 07, 2018
Make insurance policy mandatory for oil sector By Kiana Wilburg Oil producing nations often ensure that operators provide an internationally recognized insurance policy before granting a petroleum permit. This policy ensures compen-
sation for any impact an oil spill might have. Mexico, for example, does not permit companies to operate within its territory unless a policy is provided, thoroughly checked and then approved.
In Guyana’s case, ExxonMobil, the main operator of the Stabroek Block, has not provided such a policy. Instead, the American conglomerate is allowed to be “self-insured.” This means that Guyana
has to lodge any claims of an oil spill with the oil operator instead of an internationally recognized insurance company. But according to Mexico’s oil and gas regulator, the Agency for Security, Energy and the Environment (ASEA), that would not be accepted from any of its operators. During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News last week, founding Director of ASEA, Carlos De Regules, said it would be in Guyana’s interest to make insurance policies mandatory for the oil and gas sector. Regules said, “With self insurance companies show their own balance sheet as a guarantee and that we (Mexico) will not accept as a valid guarantee. We always insist on having an insurance policy. Self insurance is not good enough. You must show a policy that is in line with international standards…” Stressing the importance of insurance policies, the ASEA Director noted that there is an international law or understanding that you cannot claim abroad what you do not claim domestically. He said, “If a country expects to demand compensation for an oil spill or accident, it needs to have a domestic framework to show if that happened domestically, they would be claiming response and remediation and that is very important to bear in mind.” Further to this, the ASEA Director said that setting the appropriate obligations to ensure oil and gas operators are capable of responding in a timely manner to oil spills is hinged on two things: insurance policies and making it mandatory for the operators to have sufficient technical capacity to respond to emergencies. He said that this means the country must have trained personnel, materials and equipment to be deployed within the first hours of an emergency. Regules said, “This is very important and it is a lesson that can be learned from any of the major oil spills that occurred around the world. You can contain a crisis more efficiently when you are prepared. So making those two things, insurance policies and technical capacity, manda-
-Mexican Energy Advisor
Executive Director of Agency for Security, Energy and the Environment (ASEA) of Mexico, Carlos De Regules tory are the two ingredients for preparing for an emergency in this industry.” In sharing a bit of the Mexican experience, the Oil and Gas regulator said that it would also be important for Guyana to have a robust system in place to review insurance policies. He said, “In Mexico, you must have an insurance policy before a permit is granted. In fact, companies have to comply with our insurance regulations and our SEMS which stands for Safety Environmental Management Systems Regulations.” The ASEA Director said that the oil operators also have to go through a rigourous Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and provide an appropriate design for their project. He said that once they comply with all those things, and a thorough review is done, then it is a go. VAGUETERMS In the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed between the Government of Guyana and USA oil giant, ExxonMobil, there is no provision regarding any adverse impact on fishing grounds and coastal communities or on neighbouring countries. This alarming observation was first pointed out by Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram and political Commentator, Ramon Gaskin. The two have been extremely critical of the vague terms in the contract especially as it relates to en-
vironmental protection. Ram in his recent writings noted that Article 20.2 of Guyana’s 2016 Oil Agreement deals with Insurance in respect of, but not limited to, assets, pollution, third parties and employees. The Attorney-at-Law pointed out that the Agreement does not require any loss of production insurance as will apply in the case of any major disruption of production or environmental accidents. He said that while this provision is absent from the 2016 Agreement, the 1999 Agreement which was signed by the Jagan administration, allowed for insurance to be taken out by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited’s affiliate insurance company. Esso is a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. Ram stated, “That requirement has been changed and now allows the Contractor to have the right to self-insure against the risks identified. This is a major concession by (Natural Resources Minister, Raphael) Trotman on an issue that only specialist lawyers know about. “What it means in practice is that anyone seeking to make an insurance claim will have to lodge that claim against Esso, CNOOC/Nexen or Hess, all of which are external companies. Those potential claimants must thank Raphael Trotman for making their chances even more difficult to succeed.”
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GRFU hosting high level World and Rugby... From page 79 pleasure always to come back and check the pulse in Guyana and see how the young people are running around and enjoying some rugby.” Both Ms. Gray and Harland were seen enjoying a game during the girls against the guys programme yesterday with the latter stating that Guyana is blessed with lots of talented players. ”There are lots of athletic capabilities and a lot of people here who can run, pass and catch the ball very well; you have impressive physical specimens. What we are hoping to help with is coordinate the coaching, the programmes and leagues so you get the most out of these players and we attract even more.” Harland reiterated that the physical talent in Guyana is really impressive. Ms. Gray said that the athletes are phenomenal and it felt good being able to have a game with them yesterday.
”Phenomenal level of athletes here, lots of raw talent so I think the future looks bright for Guyana in terms of women’s rugby.” She stated that the inclusion of Guyana in the Rugby Americas Challenge would have been a step up for the Union this year. ”I think they have acquitted themselves well so we’ve been meeting with them to talk about the next steps and how to improve upon that and how to take the next step up at that competitive level. It has been encouraging so I think we have laid the ground work for some good plans to help them step up in the next few years.” Harland posited that the coaches here have been in the game for some time and they know their stuff and love the sport. ”Our job is to help them get exposed to new ideas and new thinking because Guyana can be a bit isolated as with many of our Caribbean countries. Anywhere in
the world if you are not exposed often to new thoughts you tend to do what you did, so we are bringing those ideas as often as we can, they search for them themselves so I would say it’s an ongoing effort to try and make sure that the coaching here and people passionate about the game are equipped well to deliver.” He acknowledge that there’s lots of work still to do noting that coaches will coach the best they can but it is his job to help them to see new things. Touching on capacity building from an administrative perspective, Harland said he is aware that Guyana is economically challenged but is also aware that they are people in the Union who are well connected to the right people in the country that can shake hands and help negotiate deals, sponsorships and partnerships. ”But money is scarce and it’s hard to get and that’s a
Sunday October 07, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) A creative project that you've been working on may be coming to a climactic peak now, Aries. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Be aware that love is likely to wear some sort of disguise today. There's something fanciful about the way in which this new romance will manifest, so get ready. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Take your loved one out for a romantic dinner tonight, Gemini. Escort him or her on a magic-carpet ride to fantastic places that encourage a playful mood CANCER (June 21–July 22) When it comes to romantic relationships, Cancer, you might find that you're playing more of a game of hideand-go-seek
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your fairytale imagination of how your romantic life should run is hooking you up with many different opportunities, Libra. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your dreams work out quite nicely in your head, Scorpio, but the problem now is how to turn them into some sort of real life scenario. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Love and personal relationships are likely to take on a much dreamier and more romantic tone now. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) When it comes to relationships with others, be careful about insisting that everything be done only your way. It could be that you have such high expectations of your partner
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You're apt to be somewhat fickle when it comes to love and romance right now, Leo. The key for you now is freedom. The problem with this mindset is that it might be misinterpreted.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Your fantasies could come true now, especially when it comes to relationships. This could be the moment you've always dreamed about, so get ready.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Yo u m a y b e c o n f u s e d when it comes to matters of the heart, Virgo. Perhaps you feel cheated when the object of your desire doesn't give you complete attention at all times.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) While you normally like all of your romantic relationships to be extremely nurturing and comforting, you may find that this isn't always possible, Pisces. There's a disconnect between you and a close partner right now
big challenge for them moving forward. We see here that they are using the same five or six balls that they have been using for several years, if you get sponsors to help just with that basic equipment I think rugby will explode here.” He boasted that the GRFU is ready to take off and they just need a few more partners to make it happen. ”That’s something we can share ideas about but it’s really up to them and the Guyanese community to step forward on that.”
Ballerz Entertainment... From page 76 6-2 Hard Ball squeezed past Cricketers 3-2 Family hammered Church Boys 7-1 Dream Team beat Front Side Warriors 3-2 on penalty kicks after drawing 2-2 in regulation time. Kick off time is 19:00hrs.
DCC capture GCA/ NBS second... From page 81 Seegobin and Singh then put on 47 before their resistance was ended when Singh fell to Bookie for 15. Seegobin and Persaud gave their team some hope as they took the score to 108 before the latter was bowled by Nedd for 15. Xaviee Smith (2-29) picked up two quick wickets before Dexter George polished off the innings. Nedd also received the trophy for the best bowling figure in the game, Best fielder award went to Bernard Bailey, while Seegobin won the trophy for the most runs in the contest. Omesh Danram (UG) won
the MVP in Zone A, with 285 runs and nine wickets. The MVP in Zone B went to Bookie with 208 runs and two wickets. In the zonal stage, Mohamed Ayube (6-21 vs Diplomats) turned in the best figures, Dennis Heywood (16) of UG took the most wickets, Kemol Savory (146) of Police made the highest individual score (146 vs GDF), Omesh Danram of UG (245) scored the highest runs, Akeem Redmond of Transport SC won the best fielder award with eight catches. GCC received a trophy and $70,000 and DCC a trophy and $100,000.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
Den Amstel shaping up to host Hamilton Green Inter-Ward Cup -32 teams invited The community of Den Amstel situated on the West Coast of Demerara is shaping up to host one of the biggest sporting events on the West Side later this month. The event set to kick off on October 21 is the 9-a-side Hamilton Green Inter-Ward/ Village Cup which will be held to commemorate the 84th Birth Anniversary of the former Mayor of Georgetown. According to Coordinator Lennox Arthur over $700,000 in prize monies, trophies and gifts will be awarded to the respective winners and outstanding performances in what is anticipated to provide riveting action for fans. Arthur, who has been the centerpiece of the Mayor’s Cup for a number of years, said that thirty-two teams have been invited to participate in the tournament which will be run on a knockout basis with the final set to be played on November 11, at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground. The winning team will walk away with $400,000 and a trophy compliments of the Ministry of Citizenship, while the runner-up will be awarded $200,000 and trophy through the goodwill of John Fernandes Ltd. The third place finisher will receive $50,000 and the Techno Mills trophy. All three top placed finishers will be given hampers. Arthur further disclosed that special prizes will be given to Highest Goalscorer, who
will walk away with a Lazy Boy Chair courtesy of A.H&L Kissoon and a Dinette Set compliment of China Trading. The Most Valuable Player will be awarded a special prize from Techno Mills. Meanwhile, the first three days of action will see eight matches played with the winners advancing to the next round. On opening night, Kitty face Plaisance from 17:00hrs and this will be followed by the clash between Newtown Kitty and Grove at 17:30hrs, while West Side Masters tackle Mahaica at 18:00hrs. The next game is between Central McKenzie and Mahaicony at 18:30hrs, before Alexander Village and Buxton collide from 19:00hrs. Zeelu g t t h e n g o u p against Tucville from 19:30hrs and this will precede the encounter between Uitvlugt and Lilliendaal at 20:00hrs with host Den Amstel and Herstelling bringing the curtains down with their encounter at 20:30hrs. Then on October 28 eight more matches are scheduled with Goed Fortuin versus Agricola from 17:00hrs; Sara Lodge vs. Sophia; Broad Street vs. Mocha; Timehri vs. Wales; Kuru Kururu vs. Jetty; Soesdyke vs. Crane; Lima Dam vs. Pouderoyen and Bagotville vs. Sparta Family. All teams are being asked to be at the venue one (1) hour before their scheduled playing time.
Ballerz Entertainment 5-a-side Soft Shoe Football resumes today Ballerz Entertainment GT Beer-sponsored 5-a-side Soft Shoe Football Competition which is being run on a Round Robin/ Knockout basis is set to resume today with playoff action, at the Mocha Community Centre ground, East Bank Demerara. According to a release from the Organisers, teams from host Mocha, Agricola, Grove, Bagotstown and other communities along the East Bank corridor will be vying for prize monies in excess of $200,000 along with trophies and bragging rights. The tournament kicked off on September 23 and run
until October 20, at the same venue. The release added that the winning team will receive $100,000, while second and third placed finishers will take home $50,000 and $25,000 respectively along with trophies. Tonight’s fixtures are seen below: Church Boys versus Ninja Clad Dream Team vs. Cricketers Hard Ball vs. Front Side Warriors Top Strikers vs. Family Meanwhile, opening night results are as follows: Top Strikers beat Ninja Clad (Continued on page 75)
Sunday October 07, 2018
Kaieteur News
Flying Stars CC/Kadir Mohamed Ounce of Gold Race set for Sunday Cyclists are gearing up to face off again on Sunday next when the 7th edition of the Flying Stars Cycle Club (FSCC) organised Kadir Mohamed Memorial Ounce of Gold Cycle Road Race comes off; sponsored by the Mohamed family of Bartica. A release from the club has indicated that there would be a total prize money of One Million Dollars at stake with one ounce of gold and a trophy awaiting the winner of this eagerly anticipated race which will commence at 07:30hrs outside the National Sports Commission office on Homestretch Avenue, proceed to Dora on the Linden Soesdyke Highway before returning to the starting point for the finish. This route is set for the seniors, juniors and veterans Under-45 years. The juveniles, veterans Over-45 and mountain bike competitors will turn back at Yarrowkabra also on the Linden Soesdyke Highway and return to the starting line.The second to eight places overall attracts cash prizes as will the first to fourth places among the juniors, top three Under and Over-45 veterans, juveniles
Jamal John and mountain bikes. The event is held in memory of the late Kadir Mohamed who was an Imam and an avid sports enthusiast who transitioned 22 years ago. FSCC said that the Mohamed family hopes that race would continue to grow and serve as a catalyst for the development of cyclists, whilst also attracting new riders. Jamal John is the defending champion but is currently campaigning on the USA circuit.
KMTC Pre Diwali race meet set for October 21 at Bush Lot The Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) will be hosting its annual Pre-Diwali race meet on October 21 at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice. Six races are carded for the day with the feature attraction being the H 1 and lower which goes for six furlongs and carries a top prize of $250,000. The runner up will take home $125,000, third place $62,000 and fourth place $31,000. Other races listed are Lnon earner which covers a distance of five furs and fetches a top prize of $100,000 while the runner up will take home $50,000; L-open for five furs and includes a top purse of $140,000 and a second prize of $70,000. Two years Guyana bred
that covers a distance of five furs, carries a top prize of $200,000 and the runner up will be given $100,000; L-non winning maidens will run for five furs with the winner pocketing $120,000 and second place $60,000 and J 3 and K class will run for five furs in which the winner will receive $160,000 and runner up $80,000. The races will be run under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority and entries will be closed on October 14; no late entries will be accepted. Horses can be entered through Ivan Dipnarine on 331 0316, Mr. Cecil Kennard on 623 7609 or 225 4818, Fazal Habibulla on 657 7010, Dennis De Roop on 640 6396 or Compton Sancho on 602 1567.
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Sunday October 07, 2018
Kaieteur News
Sorry Windies hand India largest-ever Test win RAJKOT, India, CMC – A familiar capitulation saw West Indies lose 14 wickets in just over two sessions, as India romped to an emphatic innings and 272-run victory inside three days of the opening Test here yesterday to record their largest-ever win in Tests. Resuming their first innings on 94 for six at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, West Indies were dismissed for 181, nearly three-quarters of an hour before lunch, with Roston Chase converting his overnight 27 into a top score of 53 and tail-ender Keemo Paul hitting an aggressive 47. Forced to follow on, West Indies stumbled to lunch on 33 for one and then suffered another collapse thereafter, to be bowled out for 196 – about 20 minutes after tea. Left-handed opener Kieran Powell hit an attacking 83 while Chase chipped in with 20 but the Indian spinners weaved a web around the tourists, further extending their 24-year wait for a victory on Indian soil. Kuldeep Yadav snatched five for 57 while fellow leftarm spinner Ravi Jadeja picked up three for 35, with off-spinner Ravi Ashwin, who bowled the new ball, finished with two for 71. Once India had piled up 649 for nine declared in their first innings on Friday, the game became one of survival for the Windies but they lacked the resolve to push the contest into a fourth day, as the gulf between the two sides was cruelly exposed. The tourists were handed some hope at the start of the day, however, when Chase and Paul extended their seventh wicket stand to 73. Paul, in only his second Test, proved the aggressor, smashing seven fours and two sixes off just 47 deliveries, after resuming the day on
Kuldeep Yadav came back from a beating in the first innings and found his rhythm in the second to pick up his maiden five-for ©Associated Press 13. Chase, too, remained positive, moving into the 40s with two leg-side boundaries off Kuldeep before raising his sixth Test half-century with another two boundaries off the same bowler a few overs later. Paul looked a good bet for his maiden half-century when he failed to keep down a pull at pacer Umesh Yadam and top-edged a catch to midwicket. Chase followed with 12 runs added, bowled off the inside edge, attempting to drive Ashwin and in the same over, debutant Sherman Lewis played back and was also bowled by one he misread. The right-handed Chase faced 79 deliveries and counted eight fours. When Shannon Gabriel was stumped off Ashwin, the Windies were facing a massive deficit of 468 runs and requiring nothing short of a miracle to save the game.
There was no such divine intervention, however, and when Kraigg Brathwaite turned Ashwin into Prithvi Shaw’s waiting hands at short leg with one over to go before lunch, the Windies were sliding again at 32 for one. Powell resorted to aggression in an excellent counterattacking knock, facing 93 balls and hammering eight fours and four sixes. He put on 47 for the second wicket with Shai Hope who made 17 and a further 41 for the fifth wicket with Chase. Hope again flattered to deceive, notching a four and a six – the latter a straight hit off Ashwin – before misjudging the length of one from Kuldeep and falling lbw on the back foot. A slide then followed with three wickets falling for 18 runs in the space of 23 balls to leave the Windies tottering on 97 for four. Shimron Hetmyer’s (11) illjudged heave at Kuldeep re-
sulted in a catch at short third man and without a run added three balls later in the same over, Sunil Ambris was completely up-ended by one that bounced for Rishabh Pant to complete a smart stumping. Powell, unbeaten on 21 at lunch, carried the fight to India. He cleared the ropes at long on with Ashwin immediately after the interval and stroked Umesh Yadav to the long off boundary to move into the 40s. He reached his third Test half-century by steering Kuldeep to the third man boundary and continued to dominate by hitting the same bowler for a straight six a few overs later. Chase, who faced 24 balls and struck three fours, also tried to be positive but fell to a soft dismissal when he drove Kuldeep to Ashwin at cover, in the third over following the drinks break. Powell, meanwhile, had just slapped Kuldeep to the cover boundary when he
failed to keep down a prod at the next ball and was caught by Shaw close in, triggering
the final collapse which saw the last five wickets go down for 55 runs.
Limacol football tourney 2018 finale
Police FC beat Pouderoyen 4-2 to cart off $600,000 grand prize The finale of the Limacol football tournament 2018 concluded on Friday evening at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground where favourites Police Football Club emerged the better side in a six-goal thriller against Pouderoyen. It was perceived that if the Policemen were to walk away with the championship trophy and the $600,000 first prize, they would’ve had to score at least two goals due to consistent scoring of the underdogs in their journey to the final but in the end
they needed at least three. Most Valuable Player of the tournament, Police’s Anthio Wallace, netted a hat-trick in the match and during the first half; the forward had placed the champions in a very comfortable 2-0 lead after completing two composed finishes in the 12th and 32nd minutes. However, two minutes after doubling their lead, Police’s shot-stopper allowed an innocuous pass to slide through his fingers and legs to gift the West Bank Demerara based team
their first goal. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Wallace completed his hat-trick before Dextroy Abrams gave the winners a three-goal lead by scoring in the 82nd minute. Darrel Abrams scored the second consolation for Pouderoyen in stoppage time which allowed the match to end 4-2. Pouderoyen pocketed $300,000 for their second place finish. Meanwhile, in the opening game at the Carifesta Avenue ground, Riddim
Squad beat Santos FC 2-1 thanks an amazing extra time free-kick from Kevin Gordon. The match was extended to extra-time after full-time had left the two sides locked at 1-1 with Riddim Squad scoring both goals through Sherwin Hope (OG) in the fifth minute and James Bowman in the 44th. The Mocha Arcadia based club pocketed $150,000 for the outstanding third place finish, while Santos left with $75,000 for fourth.
MVP and hat-trick hero Anthio Wallace (second left) celebrating his second goal against Pouderoyen on Friday night.
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
PAGE 79
Limited overs squads for India selected By Sean Devers in Trinidad In association with Regal, Vnet, Noble House Sea foods & Cascadia Hotel
L
eft-handed batsman and parttime left-arm s p i n n e r, 2 5 y e a r - o l d Chanderpaul Hemraj is set to make his ODI debut in India in the five-match ODI series which starts on October 21, while Keemo Paul, Devendra Bishoo and Shimron Hetymer are the other Guyanese selected in the ODI squad which also includes debutants Jamaicans 23year-old Fabian Allen and 21-yearold Oshane Thomas along with 27-year-old Trinidadian left arm spinner Khary Pierre. Hemraj has played 17 list ‘A’ games the same as Pierre, while Allen (7) and Thomas (8) are all inexperienced even in the Regional 50-over format. Test Captain Barbadian Jason Holder will lead ODI side with Jamaica’s Rovman Powell recommend as the Vice-Captain but a source close to CWI informed that some of the Directors are not in favour of Powell being the Vice-Captain. The well-placed source disclosed that the Courtney Browne led Selection panel which includes Antiguan Eldine Baptiste, Dominican Lockhart Sebastian and
Guyanese Travis Dowlin, recommended that 25-yearold Powell be appointed Holder’s deputy for ODIs and Vice-Captain to Carlos Braithwaite for the two T20s which follow the ODI series and sought the Directors approval on this recommendation. In the correspondence sent to the Directors it was stated that the selecting panel after reviewing Carlos Brathwaite’s captaincy and personal performance is recommending that he should be placed on probation over the next two T20 series (India & Bangladesh). According to the selectors, Braithwaithe’s performances will be reviewed again after the India series and the final review will be after the Bangladesh series. Should his performances not be to the required standard it will be recommended that he is relieved of the captaincy. “Carlos’ captaincy and leadership on and off the field has been seen as very competent. His ability to interact with his charges and the management of his duties as captain is held in high regard by his coach and team manager. The panel has engaged a new short format pathway and has selected a cadre of young talent to bring through the T20 pathway,” the selectors noted.
- Four Guyanese in ODI… Hetymer, Rutherford in T20 squad Chanderpaul Hemraj (Brooks La Touche)
Carlos Braithwaite “The panel and team management believe at this time with scarce resources as it relates to leadership ability, that Carlos still is the best candidate to help develop and bring through this young talent. The panel has no problem with his tactical awareness and strategies on field but take issue with his lower order batting. The panel expects Carlos to address this over the period in order to maintain his place in the team,” the correspondence to the Directors continued. It is understood that the selectors looked at Andre Russell as a possible replacement but felt he was not the best fit for captaincy at this time, in addition to which, he has limited experience as a captain, while Rovman Powell and
Shimron Hetmyer Shimron Hetmyer were also considered. Powell, seen as a possible future leader has little or no experience as a leader and will need developing over time while according to the Browne led panel, Hetymer, the winning U-19 World Cup captain, still needs to address some off the field shortcomings before he is considered for a further leadership role. “The panel having taken into consideration that Rovman is the most improved short format cricketer over the last year and has shown leadership potential, seen not only by the panel but also team management, would like to recommend Rovman Powell as Vice-Captain of both the T20 and ODI teams to aid him in his leadership
development,” the selectors concluded. The source informed that a least two Directors thought Powell is an excellent prospect as a player and have no doubt that he can be a great leader in the future, but in addition to his ordinary batting averages in ODI and T20 cricket it was felt that t h e b u r d e n o f Vi c e Captaincy would be too much at this point, particularly on what is expected to be a testing tour of India. The source concluded by saying that another tried player could have been given that role, especially in the event that the opportunity does surface for Powell to lead the team on the field. ODI Squad India 2018: Fabien Allen, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo,
Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder (captain), Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Oshane Thomas. T20I Squad to India 2018: Fabian Allen, Carlos B r a t h w a i t e – (Recommended Captain), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Oshane Thomas. Andre Russell has provided a medical certificate of incapacity to play ODI Cricket, while Chris Gayle declined selection.
GRFU hosting high level World and Rugby Americas North officials
GRFU President Peter Green and Executive Members along with Scott Harland and Jennifer Gray seen with youths who were part of the Union’s Festival yesterday at the National Park. By Franklin Wilson As part of its ongoing initiative to keep a tab on its members and observe first hand, the way the sport is progressing, World Rugby and Rugby Americas North representatives are in Guyana to
interact with the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU). Yesterday, at the National Park Athletics Field where Rugby has been relegated to since the Rugby field at the Eastern end of the park has been unplayable for some time
now, Jennifer Gray - Rugby Services Manager of Rugby Americas North at World Rugby and Scott Harland - Regional Development Manager Rugby Americas North and a World Rugby accredited Trainer Scott
were seen interacting with GRFU boss Peter Green and other executive members during one of the Union’s Youth Festivals. Harland shared that this is one of their regular visits to members of Rugby Americas North where they
assist executives with their planning, strategies and sharing of ideas. ”We work with referees, coaches and do what we can to encourage girls in the game, so it’s a (Continued on page 75)
Kaieteur News
PAGE 80
Sunday October 07, 2018
2018 Lucozade/GSA handicap tournament
Cadogan, Joseph, Dias, Pollard and Gomes win on Friday
T
he penultimate s q u a s h tournament for 2018, the Lucozade/Guyana Squash Association (GSA) handicap tournament continued at the Georgetown Club courts on Friday evening with play in quarter final matches in both Category A and the Open category. In the Open category, Nyron Joseph (-22) had a easy victory over Kevin Gouveia (11) winning in two straight sets, 15 – 13, 15 – 13. In one of the better matches of the night Deje Dias (-8) used all of his years of experience to overcome former junior female Caribbean champion Taylor Fernandes (-4) in two competitive games 15 – 13, 15 – 13. The match was filled with long rallies and exquisite shots but the tremendous retrieving ability of Deje proved to be the deciding factor in his victory. Regan Pollard (-12) showed that he is working his way back to full fitness as he eased past Adam Alves (4) in three games. Regan won the first game 15 – 7 but A d a m s h o w e d determination to win the second game 15 – 12. The winning of the second game seemed to take all of Adam’s energy as Regan easily won the third game 15 – 7. Steven
Xavier (-6)powered his way into the semi finals as he disposed of Jonathan Antczak (6) in the first game 15 – 10 and then won the sudden death point at 14 all to win the match 15 – 14. In category A, Abosaide Cadogan (-4) fought her way back from the loss of the first game 9 – 15 to Sarah Lewis (0) to win the next two games 15 – 12, 15 – 7. Mohyryan Baksh (2) played excellent squash to overcome Gianni Carpenter (-4) by two games to one. Gianni won the first game 15 – 11 but Mohyryan held his nerve to win the second game 15 – 13 and then won a close third game 15 – 12. Kirsten Gomes (-2) made it look easy in the match against her cousin Jason Gomes (7) as she won the first game 15 – 13 and then the second game 15 – 9. In the last quarter final match between Nicholas Verwey(1) and Shiloh Asregado (9) Nicholas breezed through the match in straight games with identical 15 – 12 scores in both games. Results of all matches played during the evening were as follows. Category A Abosaide Cadogan (-4) defeated Sarah Lewis (0) 9 – 15, 15 – 12, 15 – 7 Mohyryan Baksh (2) beat Gianni Carpenter (-4) 11 – 15, 15 – 13, 15 – 12
- Finals on today at Georgetown Club
Abosaide Cadogan (left) defeated Sarah Lewis (right) during play in category A on Friday night.
Kirsten Gomes (-2) beat Jason Gomes (7) 15 – 13, 15 –9 Category A Plate Zachary Persaud (7) beat Aishani Persaud (11) 15 – 9, 15 – 6 Lucas Persaud (11) beat Joshua Verwey (10) 15 – 8, 15 – 10 Grant Fernandes (13) beat Madison Fernandes (0) 15 – 10, 15 – 12 Louis Da Silva (6) beat Brenno Da Silva (13) 15 – 9, 15 – 8 Dhiren Persaud (11) beat Beau Fernandes (11) 15 – 7,
Lucas Persaud +11(on the ball) defeated Joshua Verwey (10) 2-0 in the Category A plate on Friday night.
14 – 15, 15 - 9 Open category Nyron Joseph (-22) defeated Kevin Gouveia (11) 15 – 13, 15 – 13 Deje Dias (-8) defeated Taylor Fernandes (-4) 15 – 13, 15 – 14 Regan Pollard (-12) beat Adam Alves (4) 15 – 7, 12 – 15, 15 – 7 Steven Xavier (-6) defeated Jonathan Antczak (6) 15 – 10, 15 – 14 Open category Plate Joshua Abdool (4) beat Robert Natiello (8) 15 – 9, 15 –9
Javid Rahaman (-2) beat Brian Yong (7) 15 – 10, 15 – 10 Results of matches played earlier today Category A Nicholas Verwey (-1) beat Shiloh Asregado (9) 15 – 12, 15 – 12 Category A Plate Louis da Silva (6) beat Lucas Persaud (11) 15 – 8, 15 –8 Zachary Persaud (7) beat Lajuan Munroe (9) 15 – 9, 15 –6 Dhiren Persaud (11) beat Grant Fernandes (13) 15 –
13, 15 – 8 Kamir Khan (8) beat Teija Edwards (11) 15 – 5, 15 –5 Open category plate Ashley Khalil (-4) defeated Dane Perreira (10) 15 – 11, 15 – 12 John Maikoo (8) beat Reagan Rodrigues (11) 15 – 13, 15 – 6 Ian Mekdeci (5) defeated Javid Rahaman (-2) 14 – 15, 15 – 8, 15 - 11 The finals are set to be played today from 11:00hrs at the Georgetown Club Courts on Camp street.
Hand in Hand MF&LI Annual NPCM
Anthony tops field in feature race; Hodge takes juvenile contest Ms. Shafeena Juman hands over the 1st place prize to Michael Anthony. Following are the full results: Race Laps Placing BMX Boys 6-9 Years 2 Lincil Blackman, Javin Henry, Jessica Mohabir BMX Boys 9-12 Years 2 Shaquel Dow MBX 12-14 Years 3 Sherwin Sampson, Shaquel Dow, Zab James Wheelchair 1 Uttamkumar Issurdeen 12-14 Years 3 Jaheme Henry Veterans Under-50 5 Jude Bentley, Jaikarran Sukhai, Nigel London Veterans Over-50 5 Linden Blackman, Kennard Lovell, Shameer Baksh Juveniles 10 Adealie Hodge, Briton John, Emanuel Gayral Mountain Bikes 5 Ozia Macullay, Jamal Cappell Schoolboys & Invitational 35 Michael Anthony, Rastaff Oselmo, Geron Williams, Alanzo Ambrose, Junior Niles, Alex Mendes
By Franklin Wilson L i n d e n ’s M i c h a e l Anthony stopped the clock at One hour 19 Minutes 14.36 Seconds to win the feature School Boys and invitational 35-lap race when the 14th edition of the Hand in Hand Mutual Fire Life Insurance 11-race National Park Cycle Meet was hosted yesterday. Anthony outsprinted fellow Linden rider Rastaff O’Selmo who had to settle for the 2nd place with Geron Williams (2017 winner), Alanzo Ambrose, Junior Niles and Alex Mendes rounding out the top six riders in a race that saw O’Selmo leading for the first three laps before he was sucked in by the top six riders.
Thereafter, the lead was shared among the leaders until the final 300m or so when Anthony who paced himself well, decided to take the attack to his colleagues. O’Selmo seemed to be a good challenge in the final 300m but Anthony prevailed. Niles took four of the eight sprint prizes on offer while there was one for A n t h o n y, O ’ S e l m o , Williams and Adealie Hodge who defeated Briton John, fresh from his World Championship sojourn, in the juvenile 10-lap contest. Hodge won in 28 Minutes 54 Seconds from John with Emanuel Gayral settling for third. Hand in Hand Mutual Fire Life Insurance
Marketing Coordinator Ms. Shafeena Juman in remarks to the participants before the presentation expressed thanks to race coordinator Hassan Mohamed for affording her company the opportunity to be identified with the event which allows the company to fulfill its corporate responsibility. Ms. Juman informed that the company would continue to support the event whilst congratulating all the cyclists for coming and taking part. Mohamed, in brief remarks extended gratitude to Ms. Juman and Hand in Hand for their investment over the past 14 years, noting that many national cyclists have benefitted from their support over the years.
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 07, 2018
PAGE 81
Jaguars looking to rebound against Windies B By Sean Devers in Trinidad In association with Vnet, Regal, Noble House Seafoods & Cascadia Hotel
I
t’s early days yet in the Regional Super50 tournament but the Guyana Jaguars and Canada are the only teams without a win and would want to kick start their campaign with a win tonight when they face the West Indies ‘B’ team at the Brian Lara Academy in South Trinidad, roughly the distance from Georgetown to Rosignol from their team hotel in Port-of-Spain. The game which is scheduled to commence at 14:00hrs is an important one for them after losing by 35 runs in the opening game against the Trinidad Red Force on Friday at the Queen’s Park Oval, while led by Marlon Samuels’ brilliant 101, West Indies ‘B’ beat Canada by 10 runs at the Brian Lara Academy, a ground they will be more familiar with than the Guyanese. Apart from Samuels’ 96ball ton, the second in the Trinidad zone following Devon Smith’s century for the Volcanoes’ win against Canada, Yannic Cariah (76), Kimani Melius (46) and Lenardo Julian (27) rallied the Windies ‘B’ to 302-8. Chemar Holder (2-61),
Jeavor Royal (2-61) and Cariah (2-60) bowled well f o r t h e Yo u n g We s t Indians. The Jaguars bowlers did a good job as pacers Romario Shepherd (3-53), Clinton Pestano (3-45) and Chris Barnwell (2-19) bowled the host out for 242, but only Trevon Griffith (38) and Skipper Leon Johnson 32 offered resistance as the Guyanese fell 35 short of their target. “We clearly didn’t do as well as we could. I thought we bowled well to restrict that batting line-up to less than 250. We missed a couple of catches that cost us some extra runs but the bowlers did OK,” said the Jaguars Head Coach yesterday. The Jaguars will need an improved performance today in a tournament which is being used to pick next year’s World Cup squad. When Johnson was brilliantly taken down the side by Denish Ramdin off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, Jaguars were well placed on 74-2 but struggled to build partnerships and lost their way. “I honestly thought that we didn’t capitalise on the start. A lot of our batters got but none went on to see the team home,” lamented Crandon. The Jaguars will depend on a good start from Griffith,
Windies’ B Captain Marlon Samuels bats in the nets. (Getty Images)
- Coach Crandon says batters failed to build on starts against T&T
Coach Crandon chats with Shepherd as Mottie and Pestano watch during Thursday’s practice sessions. who looks in good form and new Windies ODI pick Chanderpaul Hemraj who leaves for India after the next round. Johnson, who scored the most runs in Guyana’s 50over Franchise League and was willing to counter-attack against the Red Force, will need to convert a start into a big score. Raymon Reifer, surprisingly asked to at number four, like Barnwell, Sherfane Rutherford, who was picked for India for the T20 series, Anthony Bramble and Shepherd will need to bat in a positive fashion without being reckless if the Jaguars are to get a 300 Total on a track at Brian Lara Academy which has been good for batting.
Crandon noted that the Jaguars will need to improve their all round game. “We need to be more consistent up front with the new ball and the fielders need to back up the bowlers, while the batsmen have to rotate the strike better and convert those starts into big scores,” Crandon stated. Crandon, a former Guyana First- Class pacer added that batters need to apply themselves better and be more responsible with their shots. The bowlers will have to be on target to restrict Samuels, Edwards, Cariah, Melius, Julian and Guyanese Tevin Imlach who was asked to bat in the lower order. A lot with depend on pacers Shepherd, Reifer,
Pestano and Barnwell who only bowled seven overs in the last match despite bowling impressively. The spin will be taken care of by Veerasammy Permaul and Jamaican Ramaal Lewis. Rutherford and Hemraj will be added bowling options. “Our plan is to be positive and efficient in executing our game plan. We are not sure of the composition of the side since we have not been able assess the conditions,” Crandon said. Holder, Royal, Cariah, Brian Charles, Ronsford Beaton and the genuinely quick Odean Smith should do the bulk of the bowling for West Indies ‘B’ team. It rained for most of yesterday robbing the teams any
practice. Jaguar’s Squad: - Leon Johnson- Captain, Anthony Bramble- Vice Captain, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Raymon Reifer, Sherfane Rutherford, Christopher Barnwell, Romario Shepherd, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Ramaal Lewis, Ricardo Adams, Trevon Griffith and Clinton Pestano. Windies B Squad: Tevin Imlach, Keagan Simmons, Kimani Melius, Marlon Samuels (c), Kristan Kallicharan, Lenardo, Julian, Jevor Royal, Ronsford Beaton, Chemar Holder, Cephas Cooper, Jayden Seales, Brian Charles, Yannic Cariah.
DCC capture GCA/NBS second division 40-oiver title following 49-run win over GCC
Members of the victorious DCC team with representatives of the sponsors and GCA. By Zaheer Mohamed Despite a courageous unbeaten 53 from Deonarine Seegobin, host Demerara Cricket Club defeated arch-rivals Georgetown Cricket Club by 49 runs to win the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/New Building Society second division 40-over final yesterday.
Chasing 184, GCC, were bowled out for 134 in 36.3 overs with left arm spinner Ashmead Nedd claiming 4-22 to earn the man-of-the-match award. Earlier, DCC opted to bat, but pacer Ronaldo Alimohamed (2-34) handed his team the breakthrough by removing Steven Sankar and Alphius Bookie both without
scoring in the second over. However, Sachin Singh and Raymond Perez added 74 in 12 overs to steady the innings fairly with level-headed batting on a decent pitch. Singh, a former West Indies Under-15 captain, hit three fours and two sixes in his top score of 39, while Perez hit two fours and two sixes in scoring 34 before they
both fell to spinner Chetram Persaud. The visitors were able to made further inroads until Nedd and Garrick Persaud propped up the total; Nedd made 29 and Persaud 25 not out. Nkosi Beaton contributed 17 as Persaud claimed 3-34 and Gavin Singh 3-42. GCC loss Joshua Wade, who
was bowled by Dennis Squires without scoring and Marlon Persaud run out for five to be reduced to 6-2. Nedd then bowled Kennard Moonsammy (02) before trapping Timothy McAlmont (10) lbw and removed danger man Alimohamed for three, leaving the score at 40-5. (Continued on page 75)
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