Monday October 16, 2017
PAGE 5
Kaieteur News
Guyana Gaming Authority CORPORAL PUNISHMENT TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN - blame-shifting DEAR EDITOR, The waffling pronouncements from the Gaming Authority over the last three weeks are like Rumsfeld quotes, logically inexplicable, defying legal specificity and lacking cognitive clarity; thus, taking us into Rumsfeld’s world of known unknowns. Kaieteur News article dated September 25, 2017, captioned “Gaming Authority has every right to ensure the integrity of individuals seeking casino licenses” quoted Roysdale Forde, Chairman of the Gaming Authority, as making the following preposterous assertion: “The Guyana Constitution dictates that any company that is to be granted a casino licence must be deemed wholly “fit and proper.” Deeper down the rabbit hole, we have a contorted article published by Stabroek News, dated September 30, 2017, and captioned “SleepIn directors asked to submit seven years of tax returns for casino application” reference was made in the article to Section 29A and Section 32(1) of the Gambling Prevention Act, stating that the Gaming Authority has the power to request directors income tax returns; then by an invisible or undocumented leap of logic - Forde notes that these amendments are contained in Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Act (AMFCFT Act). When did the Minister of Finance appoint the Gaming Authority as the Supervising Authority for Casinos, Betting Shops and Lotteries, an appointment required by the AMLCFT Act or can other Statutory Acts be inverted and subverted to provide legal permit for the Gaming Authority to utilise, when assessing an application for casino licences? Amazingly, no specific section of the AMLCFT Act was referenced in the hazy article; only an admixture of halftruths, outright nonsense and mumbo jumbo, which naturally lacked specificity, due to vague references, resulting in an altogether misleading and miseducating article. Then we sally forth to October 10, 2017 for more breaking news that crystallised the lost at sea imagery of the Gaming Authority. In a Kaieteur News Article captioned “Lottery Company was advised not to operationalise gambling machines – Gaming
Authority” and in a Stabroek News article of the same date, captioned “Gambling machines at bars part of fiveyear government, lottery company deal” it was revealed than an Agreement (forget the meaningless detail, of when the Gaming Authority knew of this Deal/ Agreement) existing between Guyana Lottery Commission and the Government of Guyana provides for slot machines at bars and restaurants, none of these ‘bars’ have fifteen rooms, much less the one hundred and fifty rooms required by the Gambling Prevention Act that governs the Gaming Authority. In the Kaieteur News article, the enlightened or newly empowered Chairman Forde, seems to have seen the agreement and revealed to the public that the Agreement made provision for the right of the Guyana Lottery Company to operate Video Lottery Terminals in Guyana. What takes the nugget is the claim by the Gaming Authority that they advised the Guyana Lottery Commission that the Commission should await the enactment of legislation for the operation of the Video Lottery Terminals, when even Joe Sixpack could have informed the Gaming Authority that the name of the Legislation is the Gambling Prevention Act, which happens to govern the Gaming Authority; and the Act explicitly requires that a new hotel with at least one hundred and fifty rooms needs be built, before slot machines or Video Lottery Terminals or casino machines can be operated in the hotel and casino; subject to the approval of the Gaming Authority. It seems to me that logical fallacy and circular reasoning are given full vent by the Gaming Authority, especially with the utterly and singularly most ridiculous claim that the Gambling Prevention Act (an oximorous name if ever there was one, considering the purpose of the Act is
to license gambling) does not provide sufficient legislation for the conditions under which casino machines or video lottery terminals, can be operated in Guyana. To defend the indefensible is now the task ahead for the erudite and ineffable hirelings on the Gaming Authority Board. As the effort is made to justify the unjustifiable, we have subterfuge, obfuscation and quackery coming to the fore, from the Gaming Authority, during the period that the Gaming Authority is conducting its “review” of the casino licence application they received from Sleep-In International Hotel and Casino Inc.; since April 4, 2017. After six months of reviewing the application, the Gaming Authority examinations have resulted in sterile clichés, birthed agreements routing of previously unknown agreements, and furthered revealed disdain for the Gambling Prevention Act. All this happens, as hundreds of millions in investment sit idle at 288-289, Church Street Georgetown, with a hotel of 150 newly built rooms, owned by Guyanese entrepreneurs. The investors had to engage for extended periods to obtain recommendations, concessions and approvals from Go-Invest, Ministry of Finance and Guyana Revenue Authority, among others. Now potential employees are in the pending approval line and economic woes are compounded. Further adding to the satire, we have a related article in Kaieteur News, dated October 11, 2017, where Chairman Forde is captioned in the article as saying “I did not give Sleep-In’s Application to Attorney General (AG). Is Forde suggesting that another member or representative of the Gaming Authority is responsible for the sordid deed? The sad, gloomy and depressing truth is that the continued denial of the casino license approval is part of a larger ominous trend in Guyana! Nigel Hinds
DEAR EDITOR; Corporal punishment has been with Society ever since man began to walk this Earth. Corporal punishment in our schools in Guyana goes back to the earliest days of formal education where it was, for the most part, acceptable in the homes as well as the schools; where there was a correlation of the efforts of parents and educators to discipline students; when teachers enjoyed enormous respect in the Community and parents supported them unquestionably and when there was hardly ever any dissent against the use of corporal punishment in schools. Indeed, Heads of Schools coming to a new School or Community received a warmer welcome if they came with a reputation of not sparing the rod. And while modern thinking seems to go against the use of corporal punishment as a means of discipline; there is yet a large number of people all over the world, for whom corporal punishment is an essential tenet of the Christian faith and for whom the absence of some physical form of discipline makes it harder to enforce the rules of conduct which are a sine qua non in the training of our children. And while we recognise Article 19 of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child; the issue is how best it can be implemented having regard to the need to maintain discipline in Schools. I commend our Educators who have been seeking the views of the Guyanese public as regards the retaining of corporal punishment in schools. Simultaneously, I wish to posit that there is need to examine available empirical evidence which would inform us whether corporal punishment as a form of discipline has been effective; whether it still has a role in good child rearing; whether it should be phased out allowing other measures to be put in place; or removed from the menu of measures employed until now, to ensure children obey and respect
authority and become responsible students and disciplined products of Society. I, like thousands of other Guyanese attended Primary and Secondary School in the 1950s and 1960s at a time when acquiring an Education was viewed as the major avenue to success and status in Society, and consequently; the motivation to learn was probably greater among all classes than is the case today. People’s needs then were simple: no brand name boots; no TVs with dubious messages and alien values in our homes diverting our children from reading and doing homework. As children, we were schooled and denounced by parents, teachers, relatives, friends, neighbours when we were delinquent. The cane was then the ultimate sanction in instances of serious breaches of school and home rules. And most of us have no feelings of regret because these measures have contributed positively to our upbringing and have helped to shape us into better persons with no ill effects. Indeed, many have publicly sung praises for the use of corporal punishment as a last resort measure that has brought some positive results in the form of improved discipline and conduct; albeit these good practices appear to be dying. What is the position today? To understand today’s position, we must first appreciate that the rise in indiscipline in schools began in the 1980s at a time when our Country’s economy was continuously performing poorly; when parents went to school not to check on their children’s conduct and performance but to verbally abuse and to beat up on teachers; when adults were afraid to reprimand children even for serious acts of misconduct; when mothers began to go out to work in large numbers to supplement the family income leaving the responsibility for the upbringing of their children to maids/servants and obviously changing the role of the parents vis a vis the parents of the 1950s, the 1960s and the 1970s.The responsibility for the education and upbringing of our children
was no longer a community responsibility. Our children’s attitude and behaviour were now largely influenced by what they saw on the television and therefore by the cultural norms of foreign societies; the desire to enjoy goods and services others were enjoying without having to work hard to achieve these. Today, the head teacher of a school whips a student to discipline him/her and we cry, ’child abuse.’ We emphasise the rights of children but not the duties of parents nor the responsibilities of society. We spare the rod in school but punish our children through the judicial system. Undoubtedly, this is in large measure responsible for the increase in school dropouts unfit for the world of work and higher education and reverting to a life of crime. I would wish to see the phasing out of corporal punishment as one of several measures used in schools to discipline students. We must not take wholesale some values and principles from other societies and transpose them into our society. Note that the same people who are telling us to abolish corporal punishment in our schools are having tremendous problems in their own jurisdictions and are struggling with indiscipline in their schools viz: the USA, UK. I will expand in a further letter. Norman Whittaker Former Minister of Government
PAGE 6
Kaieteur News
ANALYSING THE 2012 POPULATION CENSUS
DEAR EDITOR, This is the fourth (and probably the last) in a series of letters I have written to this paper on issues raised by a review of the 2012 population census that was published last year. The first letter (KN 30 July) dealt with the stagnation of the population since 1980, the second (KN 6 August) focused on our population loss due to emigration, and the third (KN 1 October) with implications arising from the fact that 70 percent of the population is below the age of forty. There are interesting, and even disturbing conclusions to be drawn by looking at the age composition of the population and in particular how the different age-groups have been growing, and that is what this letter aims to address.
Looking at the population growth performance from 2002 to 2012 by age-group, it is immediately striking to see the age-groups where the population has been stagnant or even shrinking. To illustrate the pattern, I’ve drawn up a graph showing the growth rates of the population in five-year agegroups over the period using data from the census. It can be observed that the population is in decline for age-groups under 40 years of age with a sharp rise only in the 15-19 age-group. This latter age-group rise probably reflects earlier growth in the younger age cohorts but it falls between to two separate processes in my view. In the first place, it can be seen that the population under 10 declined sharply between 2002 and 2012, by 24 percent
At Govt. functions local products should be used DEAR EDITOR, I refer to your “Dem Boys Seh” of 12 October 2017 on the issues of foreign foods and foods produced from foreign products at meetings and conferences in Guyana. What you wrote is my experience at governmental meetings and conferences, including at the Ministry of Agriculture. A simple suggestion: the government should have a policy that all governmental meetings and conferences should have foods and beverages made from at least 70 percent local produce. This policy exists in other Caribbean countries both formally and informally. In addition to having local stuff, the government should also stipulate that the foods are healthy. In a country with many persons with diabetes and hypertension, foods laden with sugar and salt and heavy on carbohydrates should be avoided. The Ministry of Health should be able to provide guidelines on what is a healthy snack or lunch using local produce. Further on this topic, at meetings I have attended there seems to be one or two businesses that provide the meals. I am not sure if there is a competitive bidding process for the caterers but the government may want to devise some way of getting more persons to share the pie especially young women and men. This again should be part of their policy and the necessary training and guidance can be provided by the relevant agencies on the use of local produce with a focus on wellness. Guyanese nationalist
to be precise. It is not plausible to expect that this drop can be explained by emigration, so this is an indication of decline in birth rates. I would imagine that the Ministry of Education would be looking at this phenomenon, as it makes plans for building schools and school facilities across the country. It would want to look at where the population in school-age cohorts is rising and where it is falling. Given the already small size of the population, this slowdown in the rate of increase is surely a matter for general concern. Perhaps, it is time for the Government and others to give serious consideration to steps to encourage faster population growth. We have heard of governments taking steps to curb population growth. It is probably harder to encourage population growth but not impossible. The second big belly in the graph indicates the contracting population in the age-groups from 20-40. Now, this is undoubtedly where the impact of emigration is being felt. This is extremely disturbing because it underlines the fact that we are losing our population principally in their most productive years. It is as if a large part of the population is leaving soon after graduating from school and on throughout their working years. We have no doubt; always suspected that this is what was happening but the census figures illustrate this dramatically. This process is a major obstacle to national development. Development planning has to confront this issue head-on and come up with proposals for how to get our young people gainfully employed so that they can feel optimistic about a future living and working in Guyana. Desmond Thomas
Monday October 16, 2017
Yet more condemnations of City Hall’s poor performance DEAR EDITOR, Hearing the incessant cries for more money being needed by the Georgetown Municipality, one wonders if they would ever be satisfied with whatever revenue they receive. Their appetite for cash to spend seems to be insatiable. It is a totally bankrupt institution which has racked up debt and credit everywhere. They cried out for a container tax, and even though they are not entitled to it; the shipping companies gave them millions and millions of dollars extra revenue each month. They earn a considerable amount of revenue from the Abattoir, yet for over ten years they are still to acquire a stun gun to humanely slaughter animals. They earn millions of dollars each month from the municipal markets, yet these markets must be the most rat infested, dirty, unsecure, dark, unsafe markets in the world. They are now charging separately for refuse collect which is double taxation as property rates also cater for refuse collection, yet Georgetown is a garbage city with a few old garbage trucks
barely crawling around town. Here is a black hole at City Hall that can never be filled, because it is powered by greed, incompetence, corruption, and self-indulgence. Just look at the Kitty Market. What has happened to the grandiose and fanciful ideas of the Town Clerk who last promised to have it completed and opened to vendors by midJuly 2017 who said that they had received more than 170 applications from citizens who wish to set up new stalls in the market’s ground floor and that it would feature a traditional health centre, an office for rates and taxes, and even space for the community councillor. Oh, what a pipe dreamer that fellow is! I hope that their plan is not for the central government to bail them out and complete that structure or to step in and take over that market. Does the Georgetown Municipality not have any self-respect or pride? Can’t they hire competent, honest and visionary administrators to run the affairs of the Georgetown Municipality? Shanta Singh
What you want the nation to be you must first put in your schools DEAR EDITOR, In his book; “The emergence of a Science Society in England m1800 – 1965”, Roderick G.W, reports that when the renowned German philosopher Wilhelm Von Humboldt was asked to explain Germany’s phenomenal rise as the most powerful nation in Europe around the beginning of the nineteenth century, Von Humbold’s succinct response was: “What you want the nation to be, you must first put in your schools”. In the Caribbean region however, in addition to scientific and technological backwardness, and the existence of vast socio-economic inequalities, the past fifty years have been characterised by numerous reports of armed, domestic and drug-related violence particularly in Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana and more recently Antigua and Barbados. These territories have all inherited an education practice that has proven to be inappropriate for their developmental (industrial and social) needs. Their failure to achieve greater regional integration after the Proclamation of the Treaty of Chaguaramus is illustrative. It is suggested that the above phenomena, which may even be more widespread in former British territories than we care to acknowledge, are outcomes of British colonial educational and other institutional policies designed to buttress their overall colonial administrative policy of “divide and rule”. Guyanese have therefore inherited a country that is divided – weak. This is untenable – a house divided against itself, cannot stand! Unless we redirect our cultural evolution the Guyanese nation will be stillborn. Education practices in Guyana must assist in the mitigation, and ultimate reversal or obliteration of the effects of centuries of British colonial indoctrination. Among other worthwhile outcomes, our educational policies must aim to facilitate, and nurture trusting relationships between all Guyanese (all ethnicities). Educational practices must help us to understand, accept, and mutually respect each other. This foundation of trust, acceptance, and of mutual respect is an essential prerequisite for the creation of an atmosphere conducive to the emergence of ethnic reconciliation. The widespread achievement of this psychic state would eventually allow Guyanese to cohere socially,
and ultimately build a true Guyanese nation in which there is a place at the table for everyone. This is not only an imperative, but given our present economic and social realities, it is a dominant challenge for education in Guyana. To reiterate, a paramount purpose of education policies and practices in Guyana must be to facilitate, nurture and enable Nation Building through widespread Reconciliation, and Social Cohesion It is, therefore, obligatory for our decision-makers to ensure that steps are taken to remove all impediments (this includes current educational policies/practices), and other obstacles that stand in the way of achieving widespread reconciliation, social cohesion and a national consensus without further delay. We can learn from what is currently taking place in Singapore. Singapore was granted independence in the same year (1966) as Guyana, and has created one of the world’s highest performing education systems in five decades. During most of those decades, educational policies in Singapore emphasised the achievement of high grades and qualifications (matriculation). However, during the past few years it was realised that the same educational policies and practices which pushed the country into the top place in the international rankings for education was at the same time widening the social divide, and was no longer supporting the social mobility that they were meant to bring about. As a consequence, the government of Singapore has decided that it will no longer sacrifice social cohesion – the building of a more equitable society, and a stronger social compact among its people - at the altar of academic excellence. The purpose of education in Singapore has now been expanded to include the development of character. The new focus of the school system is on keeping students positive and resilient – enhanced self-esteem. Among the steps taken by the government of Singapore are: 1. Policies to discourage parents’ and students’ unhealthy obsession with grades and entry to top schools, and that place more emphasis on values; 2. Schools are encouraged, especially early primary years, to scrap standardised examinations and focus on the development of the whole child; Continued on page 7
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
Those who idolise Jagdeo ignore his massive failures DEAR EDITOR, I have been observing a certain trend of letter writing from Mr Adrian Anamayah (M.P. and Attorney at Law) and Mr Harry Gill (M.P.) whereby they lavishly lauded the leadership of the former President, Mr Jagdeo to the extent of idol worshipping him. It seems that they are quite ready to bury the achievements under the late Dr Cheddi Jagan and install Jagdeo as the new face of the PPP. I do think that these gentlemen have started to sing very early for their anticipated supper come 2020 General Elections. I have also noted with interest that most of the letter writers are MPs of the Opposition. I have noted that Anamayah credited, ‘fundamental transformative’ moves to Jagdeo and the former PPPAdministration, but failed to mention that one of such move was to introduce the killer 16% VAT, which this Government is now feverishly trying to reduce. Another failed ‘transformative move’ was the Skeldon Modernisation Project which bankrupted Guysuco and sounded the death knell of an Industry which sustains nearly 16,000 of its own members and supporters. The old Skeldon factory was still functional at the time and was producing nearly 35,000 tons of sugar, an achievement which the new Skeldon factory is suffering or failing to do. Today, thousands of distraught workers are unclear about their fate because fifteen years after the EU cuts were known Jagdeo and his ‘hardworking’ administration were too busy arranging schemes to enrich themselves through the Skeldon Modernisation Project which they knew would fail. But Skeldon was not the only one. The Amaila Road which was originally contracted to ‘Fip’ Motielall who interestingly never built a road in his life and after passing through the hands of several contractors became a wasted project since the Amaila Project was scrapped because of several reasons which includes its feasibility. In excess of US$30 million was spent monies which could have been allocated for more meaningful developmental works. Even so the maintenance cost of this road will negate its benefit which has been approximated at $120,000 per kilometer and will increase as the road ages. Another one of Jagdeo’s great ‘transformative move’!
Next in line comes the Pradoville 2 enrichment scheme. The ordinary sugar workers pay over $ 500 per square foot for swamp lands with poor infrastructure while Jagdeo and his gang paid just about $114 per square foot for lands which have top class infrastructures. Monies were spent from the government coffers to effect infrastructural developments amounted to hundreds of millions. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cronyism and corruption. The media and telecommunications sector was not spared billions of dollars of taxpayers monies were squandered through failed projects such as the fibre-optic project which cost $1.3 billion. Radio licences and frequencies worth billions were actually gifted to friends and relatives of Jagdeo and other ex-ministers. The names of Robert Persaud and Bobby Ramroop tower above the rest. I guess these were more ‘fundamental transformative’ moves by Jagdeo and his administration. The above are only some of the corrupt moves by Jagdeo and his administration. The list is very long and includes what it did to the monies from the Petro Caribe deal, the Marriott hotel, the sale of GT&T shares and so many others. So the next time, MrAnamayah speaks about ‘fundamental transformative’ moves to suck up to Jagdeo, he should look at some of these and ask himself, “Where this country would have been without the mismanagement and, cronyism and corruption dished out to this nation?” Then there are the controversies surrounding the giving away of most of the off-shore oil blocks and the forest concessions. At the end of the day, it is clear that the Jagdeo administration undersold or ‘gifted’ many of our resources for his personal enrichment and for those of his ministers and their friends and families. This country could have been far ahead than where it was at the end of the PPP’s period in office in 2015. But after the death of the Jagan’s, the PPP fell into the hands of common thieves and their friends who raped and exploited this country mercilessly. So much for the ‘fundamental transformative moves,’ by Jagdeo and his gang of desperados! Muhammad Mustapha
What you want the nation to be you... From page 6 3. Schools have also adopted an approach that advocates that the best schooling must include educating children on values and character, as well as how to interact well with others, set goals for themselves and work towards achieving those goals (contest mobility); 4. Schools are encouraged to create a school culture that supports caring, trusting relationships. The focus is on specific skills that assist students to build positive emotions, enhance personal resilience, promote mindfulness, and encourage a healthy lifestyle; 5. At the secondary level, young Singaporeans are taught to be empathetic, socially responsible and active citizens in their community. Students work on projects that serve the elderly, and read to latch-key children in day-care centres; 6. At the ministerial level, in order to enhance equity, the education ministry has also spread resources more evenly across schools by rotating experienced head-teachers to schools that need to be more effective, and paying more attention to academically weaker students; and, 7. Government leaders have expounded a wider definition of success beyond academic grades. Further, the media and elite schools have been discouraged from showcasing top
students and their academic achievements. To conclude, I wish to reiterate that understanding the developmental role of education is not an optional matter for our decision-makers. It is an imperative. There is a tremendous amount of essential preliminaries that have to be completed before our school system can be transformed into a quality education system. The claim of the transformation can only be made when the new system not only meets the needs of its students, but also meets the needs of its teachers, and the needs of the wider society and environment. It will be a long, resource demanding, and arduous journey before this goal could be attained. But, it can be attained if we are smart. Over the past two years, I have offered my assistance on numerous occasions, and although I did receive an acknowledgement once, I am yet to receive any official response (written, or oral), as to why my several offers have not borne fruit. I did however, have a good chuckle when I read recently in the media that President Granger is reported to have recently told an audience in New York: “We don’t need barrels, we need your brains”. In Guyana the ascent from rhetoric to reality appears to be exceedingly steep! Yours faithfully Clarence O. Perry
PAGE 7
FOR SCHOOL DROPOUTS, SPORTS OFFER A FUTURE DEAR EDITOR, In Guyana, the incentives athletes and sporting disciplines generally receive are praises. Sports hardly ever link to economic prosperity in Guyana. Internationally all activities in contemporary society that enjoy incredible development, sports hold an eminent place. In Guyana that is not the case. In sports, the media plays an important role. The media, known as mass communication industry; it includes newspapers, radio, television and internet. The media get people informed of the happening within their locality and beyond. Whenever sport is publicised, do you know who the beneficiaries are? The athletes! Whenever a sports journalist takes the time to creatively articulate on a sporting discipline, obstacles and successes, something magically happens. Sports in Guyana; need all the help it can get particularly from the media. Almost all the sporting disciplines in Guyana do not offer a financial career. For an athlete, association and any sporting discipline, organised sports can provide opportunities such as a. For growth of individuals selfconfidence - “When you have confidence, you can do anything.” Sloane Stephens. There is a relationship between school dropout and lack of confidence in self. Sports offer an excellent opportunity for growth in that area. Research has found that kids that play sports, especially girls, are more likely to
have a positive body image and higher selfesteem. They also are less likely to be overweight. b. Physical Growth in the form of exercise. “Laziness isn’t merely a physical phenomenon, about being a couch potato, stuffing your face with fries and watching cricket all day; it’s a mental thing, too, and that’s the part I have never aspired for.” Shah Rukh Khan said that children involved in sports are less likely to take drugs or smoke because they realise the impact that these destructive activities can have upon their performance. Girls who play sports are also less likely to become pregnant. c. Playing Sports is fun. To a child, it gives them something to do and a group to belong to. It offers mental growth while having fun at the same time. d. Sports help children to develop discipline-They learn to set goals and then work to achieve those goals. They learn that by working hard they can accomplish the things that they want to in their lives. e. Sports help develop teamwork and leadership skills. Children quickly learn that they have to work together as a team to win the game. f. Opportunities to travel and learn about different culture and value system. In closing, I encourage the sports media not to take away the praise through which an average athlete uses as motivation to work harder. Jr. Andrew Hercules
Somwaru and company must... From page 4 disenfranchised. In the case of Mt. Sinai other persons were accepted as representatives and one now holds the position of Assistant Treasurer. I am aware of who the representatives of Mt. Sinai were, because I was present on September 24, 2017 when they were elected. Mr. Christopher Jones, Director of Sports was also present at this Community and Cricket Club election when he delivered cricket gear and visited their cricket ground. It is rather revealing to note that the Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board, who claims to have friends in high places, has been involved in some way or another in more than six cricket injunctions since 2011.
It may be fair to ask, “Is this the only way he can remain in office? Who pays the legal fees? Should this money be used for cricket development?” My simple advice to the new administration is to resign immediately and allow a free and fair process to follow, without the interference of the Guyana Cricket Board and its paid Directors of Cricket West Indies. Further, let the Demerara Cricket Board – nonfunctional since 2011 - be resuscitated with fair and free elections followed by elections of the Guyana Cricket Board after a thorough audit. Is this what they are afraid of? Is this the reason why they would do anything to remain in office? Mortimer George Former Secretary BCB
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
An inexcusable defence
The President has made a serious error in judgment by deciding to offer a defence of the actions of his senior press officer who was entangled in a controversy over the use of racially offensive words in a social media group chat which was leaked to the public. The President said that as far as he was concerned the matter was “closed”. He said that no malice was intended by the words used. The issue however was never about malice. No one has ever said that the words used were intended to harm anyone. The issue was whether the words stereotyped anyone. The issue was not about malice; it was about whether the words were racially prejudiced. The President skirted this issue and declared that the matter
was ‘closed’. The President’s defence of the controversy was inexcusable. His defence essentially was that no malice was intended and that Guyanese society has to purge itself of the use of certain words. He said that the context had to be taken into account. But it seems that in arriving at his decision the President decontextualized the usage of the offensive words. He seems to have forgotten that the use of the ‘C’ word was juxtaposed with reference to the persons being referred to as being booty kissers. That latter juxtaposition adds a totally different complexion to the issue. But this was deliberately in most of the public commentaries on the issue.
Many persons have sought to reduce the controversy to the use of the ‘C’ word saying that it is commonly used in Guyana. But if those making that argument would replace the ‘C’ word with the ‘I’ word, they would better appreciate the effect and offensiveness of the words used. The President stuck to the common use of the ‘C’ word in Guyanese society. He said that we need to purge such words from the local lexicon. He did not touch the other part of the controversy, the booty kissing part. In declaring the matter ‘closed’, the President has effectively refused to impose any sanction on his chief press officer. But the issue nonetheless is not so much about discipline, as it is about the
Dem boys seh...
No Bra Day ketch nuff men napping Friday was a nice day fuh nuff men. Was a serious day but was still a nice day. A local telephone company decide that de day was No Bra Day. That mean that was a day when some women decide that women wouldn’t wear bra. Now dem boys know that if is one thing women don’t like is fuh dem breast deh shaking. But de men would like to see that. Well Friday was de day when people decide to support de breast cancer victims. Guyana got nuff women who suffer from that killer. Some of dem dead but dem who survive decide to form a union. That is how de No Bra Day come about because some of
de women who survive got to do without breast through no fault of dem own. Dem boys seh when de news buss out couple men decide to support de thing but dem boys know that dem go to see the jiggling of de jugs. Some of dem go to peep de women especially de set who seh dem supporting. Dem boys remember a cow that get he head stick up in a fence. A bull come, tek a look and decide to mount de cow. De farmer watch de cow and seh that is nah everybody come to see you in you plight supporting you. One man walking foot to foot behind two women to see if dem had on brassiere. When dem realize that de women was wearing bra dem switch
to another set. Dem switch. One of dem get a bright idea to wear brassiere. Dem get pink brassieres because pink is de colour fuh cancer. When a man put on bra people does got a name fuh dem but de men who put on bra fuh support was just men who want to see jiggling jugs. But de women smart dem. While de men put on dem bra in de open de women go in a change room. That is when people see how de men was really supporting de women. As soon as de women go in de change room de men who was supporting suddenly remember that dem had other things to do. Talk half and watch who coming to support you.
La Parfaite Harmonie residents’ security concerns addressed From page 8 formation of community groups aimed at the beautification of the environment. Divisional Commander James assured that the issue of older men preying on school girls is on the front burner for the police. According to the commander he has instructed ranks a while back to embark on an intel-led operation. James stated that “I recalled three such persons were brought before me by my staff and I warned them because when they were intercepted, they were not engaged in the act… we recorded it and they were warned sternly. Their excuses were that they were just relaxing which of course was
just an excuse.” A campaign was also launched to address the issue of speeding, the playing of loud music and tinted vehicles. Since then ten persons have were taken into custody and will appear before the court. The commander told residents that he has an opendoor policy and encouraged residents to visit his office whenever they have issues that need to be addressed. After the engagement, residents of the community expressed their gratitude on having a fruitful discussion.
Wilbert Vyphuis a resident of the community said that he has been living in La Parfaite Harmonie for the past four years. “We have to understand that it all comes down to resources, what you have and how you can best make use of it, so I am satisfied with what he said and I can only hope that the promises that were made, that those promises will be kept.” The next security meeting is set for Sunday with residents of Skeldon, Region Six. (A DPI feature)
Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it
President’s defence of his chief press officer and moreover his decision to take her on his visit to the United Nations before he has publicly pronounced on the outcome of his investigation. It was a grave error of judgment on the part of the President to have done so. Here was someone who was under investigation and even before he has publicly pronounced on the investigation, the President was touring New York, parading his chief press officer in front of the international community and the Guyanese diaspora at a time when the controversy and the wounds it would have caused were still fresh.
The President was insensitive to the feelings of those who would have been bothered by the controversy to have operated as if nothing serious was happening by shuttling off to New York with his chief press officer in tow. This was a mistake on the part of the President. It sent a signal that the controversy was not serious for why else in the midst of the investigation and before any pronouncement on its findings, the chief press officer was part of an official presidential delegation to all places the United Nations. The media has apparently taken the cue of the President and have closed the matter. They have not bothered to
PAGE 9
ask who did the investigation, who was questioned and what were the specific findings. But what about those persons whom the words were intended to describe? How comfortable are these persons in working in an institution with the same individual who used those words? It needs to be asked whether the President gave any consideration to their feelings on the matter or whether he foreclosed on this issue as well.
Driver chopped to death, father’s fingers hacked off
A driver was brutally murdered while his father is in a critical condition after a man went berserk, chopping them during an argument over some banana plants at Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara yesterday. Dead is Harrinarine Ramawaj, 31, a driver of Estate Road, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara. His father, Chanderpaul Ramawaj, 59, had two of his fingers hacked off during the brawl.
- in brawl over banana plants Investigations revealed that the man and his father went to their cash crop farm— which has been in operation for over 40 years—where they discovered some of their banana plants damaged and a wooden structure erected. A 43-year-old labourer of Sawah, Cane Grove East Coast Demerara, was in the structure. An argument broke out between the farmer and the
labourer, who dealt them several chops about their bodies. Harrinarine and his father were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where Harrinarine succumbed. The suspect, who sustained injuries during the confrontation was treated at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital and taken into custody.
PAGE 10
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
The APNU+AFC regime is refusing to learn from the PPP’s mistakes I was on the picket line with Joe Harmon outside the Marriott Hotel. We were protesting the lack of employment of locals on the NICIL-funded project. He asked me where was Mark Benschop. I told him Benschop has a one-man picket at the home of NICIL’s head, Winston Brassington because, he, Benschop felt that place should be the focus of the picket. I was also on the picket line with Ronald Bulkan protesting the official opening of the Marriot. Bulkan is now a senior in the Cabinet. Joe Harmon is now one of the most powerful
ministers in the administration. The talk on the street since May 2015 is that Harmon in the context of actual power as against legal authority is next to Granger. One endangers one’s credibility if one is going to state publicly that in practical terms, (maybe not in legal terms) the Prime Minister is next to the President. I will assess the role of the Prime Minister in a forthcoming column. Suffice it to say, I do not see a legacy for Nagamootoo based on the present conjecture. The Government of which Bulkan and Harmon are senior ministers has retained not
only the functions of NICIL but the name itself. But how did the name NICIL travel under the Jagdeo/Ramotar presidencies? The answer is that it did not travel well and for one graphic reason; this newspaper relentlessly showed how NICIL was used in violation of the financial laws of this country as a vehicle for wild spending of central funds. Why should the post2015 government change the name? Because these things have negative symbols that you need to erase, since it invokes the sins of the past regime. If you keep the name, there will always be the fallout that when you were in opposition you chastised the institution because it was just propaganda you were sprouting. What did the APNU+AFC
leader have to lose with a clean break with the past by renaming NICIL? Is it possible that the opposition can sustain succor among its supporters by saying when we were in government, NICIL was the Anti-Christ, but look how they find NICIL useful now that they are in government? The blunt reality is that all PPP leaders are saying this all over Guyana and it is pretty pyrotechnical at the bottom house meetings. I was told at one bottom house meeting, a certain former Minister made reference to NICIL and the travel cost for the new harbour bridge and exclaimed; “You see the devils we now have to deal with? When we were in power these things were bad.” I was told he then said to the attendees; “Tell me; how come they ain’t bad now?” Those were the exact words, I was told he used. For me, it is a mystery why NICIL could not have been given another appellation. You wake up each day and you see the mistakes of
this government that catapults them right into the den of the opposition. Even if you want to move Sophia squatters, you do not do it that way. Why a carefully drafted plan of relocation was not worked out? Why move the vendors from the pavement by DEMICO, citing criminal behaviour and dirty surroundings as if these two types of negatives cannot be surmounted? I will never forget, I mean never forget that on the ‘60 Minutes Programme’ I saw where in the uncivilised hours of the morning, the City Council washes the main streets of Paris. If you don’t believe me, please Google it. I am not against moving vendors and squatters for national infrastructural necessities; in all countries that is done. But Guyana is poor. One Guyanese icon described Guyana as “piss poor.” When we act so cruelly against vendors and squatters we forget that we are devastating really, really poor people. When I saw that
Frederick Kissoon photograph of a woman and her children standing behind their demolished little home, I know my election campaign days are awaiting me. I didn’t know until I read it that the editor of the PNC organ, New Nation is a public servant that works in the press section of the Office of the President. The question is not the person’s integrity; he may be quite professional; it is whether such appearances should not be avoided because it conjures up very soiled images. Why not get an editor to work at New Nation who is a self-employed professional or a private sector employee? In that case, you do not play into the hands of your detractors. Maybe APNU+AFC is on a self-destructive pathway.
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
PAGE 21
PAGE 22
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
U.S. diplomacy with North Korea to continue until ‘first bomb drops’ – Tillerson VACANCY Experienced s a l e s m a n , generaldomestic , p o r t e r . Apply with hand written application & recommendation @ Keyfood, McDoom Village. SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK;Guyanapassport application. G r a p h i c s design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING& PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Computers, office chairs, display racks, mannequins, supermarket carts, supermarket counters, freezers and chillers- Call: 6013395 Aluminum windows & doors at the best prices. Chenfeng Aluminum @ Lot 11 Public road Eccles, EBD- Call: 6968688, 682-8378
VEHICLE FOR SALE Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, NZE, Honda CRV, Toyota IST, RZ & Pitbull – Call: 650-7501 Mercedes Benz 2009 C200. Immaculate Condition- Call 616-5933 Nissan Pathfinder Jeep & Nissan Laurel car in excellent condition $1.4M negottableTel: 609-7766
Manager / Supervisor to work @ A&S Supermarket in Charity Essequibo accommodation provided. Send application: r t i l a k @adamantiumholdings.com , contact: 223-5273/74 Captains- valid certificate of competence as Master of Power Driven Vessel- Call: 226-1100, 226-5380
Brand new pitbull minibus for sale, BWW 3663.Asking price $1 million dollars.Contact :685-7064 FOR RENT
Repairs to refrigerators, gas stoves, A/C units, washing machines. Call Lindon: 6411086/ 694-2202 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezer-Call: 6105846 or 661-8158
Cook/ Baker for interior. Applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:656-0087,6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIALOFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494 AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FORAIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE . Call: 698-7807
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Meadow Bank, long term rental. Fully furnished 3 bedrooms apartment, parking, cameras etc- Call: 671-4221 Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D$1200US. Call 647-1773 Apartment for rent , 7-8 Plantain Walk,West Bank Demerara. Call:264-2639
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)
LAND FOR SALE
Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm We need you, males 18-30 years to work in Plant Shop/ Garden Maintenance in Georgetown- Tel: 648-1821 Electronic waste: computers, AC units, phones, printers & anything electronic- Call: 687-6072, 500-1844 Gasoline mechanic wanted for the East Coast- Call: 623-0318 Experienced live-in couple to work on a poultry farm at Yarrowkabra. Call:225-9304 Female general domestic must have cooking experience, ages 25-45- Call: 6299450 1-Able bodied male clerk.Tel:231-2029, 219-4533, 616-5954 Bartenders & chefs/ cook to work in Essequibo, Purple Heart Hotel- Call: 226-9768 Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton streets, Campbellville. 1 maid with cooking experience for East Bank areaCall: 614-4358
2 Bedrooms apartment for rent located at Stewartville opposite Stewartville Primary School- Call: 6135261
- Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses:$120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
House lots available @ B/ burg W.C.D & Schoonord on western side of Harbour bridge. Financing available- contact#6500402/603-1402
Purple Reign Beauty Salon & cosmetology schoolOpening Oct 16th, specializes in all hair & nailscall: 673-5987 (Hill Foot Soesdyke)
back down. But Trump’s recent Twitter messages appeared to undercut Tillerson’s efforts, prompting the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker to complain that Trump was publicly castrating Tillerson and hurting diplomatic talks. Tillerson downplayed those tweets Sunday, telling CNN that Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping have an extremely close relationship and that China understands the U.S. position. “Rest assured that the Chinese are not confused in any way” about the American policy towards North Korea, he added.
Britain, Germany committed to Iran nuclear deal - May’s office
Piglets to buy- Call: 6868966, 687-3538 Male workers to work shift @ Del Ice Co. Age 25-45 yrs. Tel: 642-9191,231-1408
Angela Merkel (left) and Theresa May
PROPERTY FOR SALE House and land available @ La ParfaiteHarmonie, Providence, Etc. Financing assistance available. Contact Pacific Development: 223-6035/ 227-8274
SALON
ParfaiteHarmonie $1.4M, $3.5M, $2.5M, $1.6M, Tuschen $2.7M, Herstelling $3.5M, $3M, Providence $3.5M- Call: 604-6724, 6869608
Rex Tillerson
Accounts Clerk for Eccles office, knowledge of Quickbooks and payrollCall: 614-4358
One bottom flat situated at lot 304 Good Intent, West Bank Demerara. Ideal for grocery/supermarket. Call 623-3895
Unregistered Axela 2011 $2.7M, dark interior, fully loaded, Nissan pickup extra cab $2.3M. Call: 617-5536 Mitsubishi Pajero. Best offer accepted- Call: 219-5354 Monday to Friday 8:15am4:15pm, Saturday 8:15am4:15pm
WANTED
WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday that President Donald Trump had instructed him to continue diplomatic efforts to calm rising tensions with North Korea, saying “those diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb drops.” Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tillerson downplayed messages that President Trump had previously posted on Twitter suggesting Tillerson was wasting his time trying to negotiate with “Little Rocket Man,” a derogatory nickname Trump has coined for North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. Trump “has made it clear to me to continue my diplomatic efforts,” Tillerson said. Tillerson’s comments yesterday come amid soaring tensions between the United States and North Korea following a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang and a war of words between the two countries’ leaders. North Korea has conducted a series of nuclear tests in recent weeks and ago and launched two missiles over Japan. Tillerson has been in talks with China to enlist its help on getting North Korea to
EDUCATION Day Care and Pre-K classes available in Diamond Call Canadian School 2166921,216-6922
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and Germany agreed on Sunday they remained committed to the nuclear deal with Iran after a U.S. decision to decertify the agreement, a spokeswoman said after a call between Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “They agreed the UK and Germany both remained firmly committed to the deal,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “They also agreed the international community needed to continue to come together to push back against Iran’s destabilising regional activity, and to explore ways of addressing concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile programme.”
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
PAGE 23
PAGE 24
Kaieteur News
How Golda Clementson stood up to cancer... From page 14 wanted to know was, what was the next step for me?” The doctor, Clementson deduced, was dumbfounded by her response. But in her mind she had already ascertained that “I was stage two and that should be early enough for the doctors to do something to help me.” She held on to the idea that she had a fighting chance and immediately took the doctor's advice to visit the Cancer Institute of Guyana. After an examination, a doctor at the Institute suggested that she did a few sessions of chemotherapy at the Oncology Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC]. While she did not lose her hair like some chemotherapy patients
do, Clementson said that the chemo administered to her caused her abdominal pains that were worse than giving birth. This was often compounded by bouts of cold-sweat. Radiation was no better. In her words, “it was a real hell of a humble for me.” The effects of radiation to her body included burning and complete discomfort when she attempted to defecate. “My sister who was there for me, when she saw what I was going through, she would say 'that is agony girl'.” But Clementson did not allow herself to even think of dying for one second. “I kept saying to myself, I will get past this. I took every treatment I had to get, even when I had to pocket the cost when it
wasn't available...God helped me to find the funds somehow,” recounted the now 43-year-old. In light of the fact that “cancer treatment is very, very expensive and not always available,” Clementson has mounted an appeal for a special funding to be made available to cancer patients. “There were times my white blood cells were so low, I had to buy injections to boost me up to keep going with the treatment. But not always people will be able to buy what is required to keep them going, so the Ministry [of Public Health] has to look into this,” urged Clementson. After treatment, she followed advice to undergo surgery to remove her cervix to decrease the possibility of the return of cancer. Several post-surgery tests later; and Clementson has been deemed free of cancer. Today, she lives by the slogan “early detection can save lives.” Her advice to women is to, “never throw caution to the wind...HPV which causes
Monday October 16th, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19): You may believe that gathering more information is a smart idea today, but additional data won’t help you make a better decision. Usually, compiling more facts enables you to easily choose an effective course of action. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20): Your career objectives may have been clear in your own mind, but that was before you set your plan into motion. Now it might appear that you’ve made the situation worse. GEMINI (May 21–June 20): Challenging circumstances might prevent you from being clear about your direction today, making you feel as if you just want to retreat. Unfortunately, this is not a great time to give up on your dreams. CANCER (Jun. 21–July 22): You may not understand why everything isn’t going your way today, but you might be jumping to the wrong conclusions. Whatever seems to be problematic now can actually work out for the best later on. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22): You could feel as if you’re fighting an inner battle now, yet it may play out in a current relationship. Don’t withdraw; facing a difficult issue with a close friend or partner is the best way to conquer your fears. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): You may be bored at work today, but still need to fulfill your obligations. Instead of doing your job the same old way, it might help to take a new approach.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): Even if you are receiving encouragement everywhere you turn today, you still might not believe the good news you are hearing. It’s difficult to trust the optimism of others. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): You might not get everything you want today, yet there are still plenty of opportunities to make the best of current circumstances. Part of your problem may be your inflated hopes, leading you to expect things to fall magically into place. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): You don’t like to place all your eggs in one basket. However, you may be so focused on specific tasks that certain aspects won’t likely work out as expected. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19): Everything seems to be blown out of proportion today, so it’s challenging to find the right pace and stick to it. Even the littlest problem could become an insurmountable obstacle. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20– Feb.18): Sometimes you can appear disconnected from reality, but others usually don’t know how far out your thoughts actually are. Now, as the Moon moves through your sign, you can surprise everyone with your uncanny brilliance. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20): If yo u a r e j u s t l y accused of a wrongdoing today, quickly admit your guilt and ask for forgiveness. Don’t make excuses or slip into denial.
cervical cancer can be caused by sexual intercourse. Get used to going to the doctor or the nurse or some health worker and get screened and take your partner along too. Get checked every six months; or at least once every year, because cancer will not be kind to you.” Thus far for this year, more than 200 cases of cancer were diagnosed at the GPHC alone. This is in addition to a number of other cases that were previously diagnosed. Although the hospital has not released statistical information about the types of cancers, it is however viewed as one of the more prevalent and daunting diseases the health sector has been waging war against. In so doing, the Ministry has launched an HPV vaccination campaign designed to target young girls before they have sex. The intent of the campaign is to reduce the risk of these girls contracting HPV during their later years. According to Dr. Latoya Gooding who has had a hand with dealing with cancer patients at the GPHC, while breast cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer in Guyana, cervical cancer has been accounting for more and more cancer-related deaths.
Monday October 16, 2017
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
Chinese firm wants to establish new town in Barbuda ST JOHN’S – The Antigua and Barbuda government says a Chinese firm has shown interest in establishing a new town on Barbuda, which was severely damaged when Hurricane Irma passed through the Lesser Antilles last month. A government statement, which did not identify the Chinese firm, noted that it has expertise in energy and housing and had been invited to brief the Cabinet by the Minister of Works and Housing Eustace Lake. According to the statement, the Chinese firm has “proposed to construct a complex of several high-rise apartment buildings that could resist hurricane winds exceeding 200 miles per hour”. It said that the complex would include a supermarket, cleaners, a drug store, a restaurant, a movie theatre, clothing stores, a
church, car parks and other kinds of amenities that are common to new complexes. The statement said that the team agreed to return in a week with prices and has “assured the Cabinet that it could arrange financing that is low cost and living spaces that would also be within the reach of families with limited means”. The Gaston Browne administration, which had initially declared Barbuda inhabitable following the passage of the Category 5 storm, has said that it needs in excess of US$200 million to re-develop the island that is home to an estimated 1 600 people. Media reports here said that so far less than US$50 million have been pledged from friendly governments and organisations. (CMC)
CXC signs agreement with ACCA BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – The Barbados based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) providing for the establishment of mutual cooperation between the two institutions. The landmark agreement that will be in place for three years in the initial period is seen as a significant step for the region. According to Registrar Glenroy Cumberbatch, the MOU leverages a natural synergy between ACCA and CXC and is a significant milestone in regional and international cooperation. “CXC, a premier provider of globally competitive curriculum development services, examinations, certification and education services is delighted to partner with a global brand such as ACCA to provide incentives for Caribbean
Glenroy Cumberbatch students and learning and development opportunities for Caribbean teachers,” he said. Head of business development with the ACCA, Paula Marcelle-Irish, said the ACCA is pleased to partner with CXC – the Caribbean’s premier examinations body. “ACCA continues to grow in its influence across the region, and partnering with CXC will speak directly to our objectives of providing
unlimited possibilities to those persons possessing the aptitude and attitude for success in finance and accounting,” she said. With this agreement, collaboration will include but is not limited to: teacher workshops, syllabus review and development, support for regional top performers, employability initiatives and marketing and promotion of joint events and activities. The Caribbean Examinations Council,was established in 1972 under Agreement by the participating governments in the area to conduct and regulate examinations, award appropriate certificates and diplomas and prescribe the qualification requirements of candidates. CXC comprises 16 participating countries across the Caribbean, and in its 45 years has expanded its services to include syllabus and curriculum development, test construction, teacher training and psychometric analysis among others.
DOMINICA LIFT CURFEW IN SEVERAL AREAS
ROSEAU, Dominica - CMC – Dominica has announced a lifting of the mandatory curfew in some areas, but has kept the measure in place in the capital. According to an official statement issued here, the decision to lift the 6.00 am to 6.00 pm (local time) curfew in some areas was taken after a national security assessment was conducted by the Chief of Police. “While Roseau and some of its immediate environs were still not at the stage where it was deemed advisable to lift the curfew provisions, the town of Portsmouth and elsewhere in the countryside received positive review. “As a result, the curfew shall be lifted in the town of Portsmouth and all other communities in Dominica, with effect from Monday, 16 October, 2017,” the statement noted. The authorities had imposed the curfew
soon after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on September 18, killing at least 28 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. In the aftermath of the Category 5 storm hitting the island, the authorities imposed a 4.00 pm to 8.00 am curfew in a bid to deal with the looting of several businesses, but relaxed the measure several days ago. The statement noted that while the curfew had been lifted in some parts of the island, it shall however remain enforced in the city of Roseau, as well as to areas south of the capital “in order to maintain and enhance security. “The main reasons for lifting the curfew in the town of Portsmouth and other communities across Dominica are to allow for economic activities to be undertaken, such as fishing, farming and retailing of goods and also to facilitate those students who will be returning to school,” the statement noted.
PAGE 25
PAGE 26
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
Bahamas Issues Warning…
To Illegal Migrants And Businesses That Employ Them The Gleaner - The Bahamian government has given illegal migrants until year end to regularise their stay in the country or face deportation. Wrapping up the debate on the Throne Speech, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, said his administration will continue to fulfil the mandate of addressing and stamping out corruption and that the government would be paying closer attention to immigration issues. Minnis told legislators
that migrants who are in the country illegally must leave by December 31 after which they will be aggressively pursued and deported. He said the warning applies to all nationalities and told Bahamians and residents who continue to employ illegal migrants that his administration will not turn a blind eye to their actions. He said he was also giving them until year end to regularise these individuals or stop employing them.
Hubert Minnis
Four international companies licences to be revoked – Minister BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – The Barbados government says it is in the process of revoking the licences of four international business companies, as it expressed concerned over the allegations of criminal activities including moneylaundering. Industry and International Business Minister Donville Inniss said that his ministry is in the process of revoking the international business licences of the four companies and urged regulators who have concerns with any of their clients to have those concerns clarified quickly or “dump them”. Addressing stakeholders at a Corporate Trust and Service Providers Seminar, Inniss said that the licences would be revoked shortly, over allegations of money laundering, corrupt practices and defrauding citizens in foreign jurisdictions. “It was recently drawn to the Ministry’s attention that
Donville Inniss we were able to identify a few companies that have not been cooperating as they should or have beneficial owners who have been charged and found guilty of some activity which we do not wish to be associated with in Barbados. “Therefore, I as Minister shall, over the next few days, be revoking the licences of such associated companies,” Inniss said. “We were advised by two of our service providers that
the beneficial owners of the entities have either been charged or found guilty of some illicit activities in foreign jurisdictions which the entities may or have been involved in such acts. We are duty bound when we receive such information to investigate in a timely manner and take decisive action.” He said that the Ministry’s International Business division, as a regulator, had a duty to investigate companies from time-to-time for acts that were considered not in the best interest of Barbados as a domicile for international business. He said there was too much at stake given the overseas entities and individuals who were watching Barbados and analysing its business activities. Inniss said the Ministry along with other regulators such as the Financial Services Commission and the Central Bank of Barbados must “act without fear to ensure that we do our jobs”.
Airports Authority of Jamaica donates millions to assist hurricane ravages islands KINGSTON, Jamaica - CMC – The Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), has donated J$9 million (One Jamaica dollar =US$0.008 cents) to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management’s (ODPEM) ‘Help Impacted Islands Initiative’. Funds contributed to the initiative, will assist Caribbean countries affected by the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria. The distribution of the funds – presented during a recent ceremony here, will be done through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Among the islands impacted by the passage of the hurricanes are: Anguilla, Barbuda, Dominica, Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands. According to ODPEM Director General,
Major Clive Davis the AAJ’s generous donation, sets the example for other organisations to follow. He noted that the suffering is far from over; as reports coming out of Dominica are that the rebuilding process is going to be long and challenging. For his part, President and Chief Executive Officer of the AAJ, Audley Deidrick says he is happy to show the affected Caribbean countries that the people of Jamaica stand with them in their time of need. Meantime, the Office of Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management says the agency will cease collection of disaster relief supplies for the Help Impacted Islands Initiative, tomorrow.
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
PAGE 27
PAGE 28
Kaieteur News
Monday October 16, 2017
North Korea not ready to meet with South Korea in Russia: agencies MOSCOW (Reuters) Politicians from North and South Korea will not hold direct talks in Russia today about Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programme despite attending the same event and being urged to do so by Moscow, Russian news agencies said yesterday. Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, is due to discuss the missile crisis in separate talks with a deputy head of North Korea’s legislature and the head of South Korea’s parliament on the sidelines of a congress of parliamentarians in St Petersburg today. Moscow has called on the two countries to use the opportunity to have their own direct talks to try to narrow their differences. But the RIA news agency yesterday cited Piotr Tolstoi, the deputy speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament, and an unnamed member of North Korea’s delegation as saying there would not be any direct talks. The unnamed North
Korean delegate was quoted as saying that U.S. pressure on Pyongyang and U.S. and South Korean military exercises meant preconditions for such talks had not been met. Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the upper house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said Moscow would try again today to encourage the two delegations to hold face-toface talks despite the lack of progress. Russian news agencies quoted him as saying that the North Korean delegation had so far declined to hold such talks, while the South Korean delegation had said it was ready for such a meeting. “We will definitely not try to coerce or talk somebody into anything,” the Interfax news agency cited Kosachyov as saying. “(But) it will be pity, both on the human and political level, if another opportunity to de-escalate tensions in relations between North Korea and South Korea is missed.”
Monday October 16, 2017
PAGE 29
Kaieteur News
Santos wins, Avinash pars Course Taylor’s all-round efforts – in Exciting LGC Club Tourney fire Windies to series sweep
Three of the day’s winners holding symbolic trophies and enjoying a light moment with acting President. (From left) Avinash Persaud, Mohanlall Dinanauth, Pres Brian Hackett and Patrick Prashad. Evaluating the winner by the Best Net score (normal for amateur golfing) two-time former Guyana Open Champion (1999 & 2000) Mohanlall Dinanauth chalked up victory over the other competitors in the keenly contested Lusignan Golf Club’s Club Tournament on last Saturday with a gross 1 over par performance. But it was reigning and three-time Guyana Open Champion Avinash Persaud whose performance was a historical marvel as he parred the course in a fascinating round of golf. While Santo expressed that the cash prize was a great incentive for his good performance, he admitted that he had to pull out the stops to beat Avinash. Avinash on his part announced that he was serving notice to all would-be contestants - whether they be local or foreign - for the upcoming Guyana
Open Champion Prize, that he is in top condition and intends to defend his title at the Guyana Open scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 4 and 5. The winners in Saturday’s Club Tournament were Best Net: 1st – Mohanlall Dinanauth (Net 64/Hcap 7); 2nd Troy Cadogan (65/26); 3rd Avinash Persaud (68/2). Best Gross – Avinash Persaud (70) and Nearest to The Pin (approximately 4metres or 15 feet) – former LGC Captain Patrick Prashad. Acting (and former) President Brian Hackett was delighted at the keenness and camaraderie exhibited by the competitors, and hopes that this will be even greater for the Guyana Open. He intimated that while the Grounds are in fair condition they will be enhanced much more for the big international invitational due in three weeks time.
Antigua Independence tri-nation T20
Guyana lose to Jamaica in Final A scintillating 101 from West Indies batsman Chadwick Walton and a delightful unbeaten 68 from Guyanese Trevon Griffith, powered Jamaica to a 39-run win against Guyana Jaguars in Saturday night’s rain affected final of the Antigua Independence tri-nation T20 tournament at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Jamaica, put into bat, galloped to 206-2 from their allotted 15 overs with Walton decimating the bowlers with his 68-ball century. He added 80 for the first wicket with USA based Jamaican Steven Taylor before Taylor was removed by Chris Barnwell, who returned to the side after being dropped for the last two games. The left-handed Griffith joined the pugnacious Walton and added 101 for the second wicket before Walton was trapped LBW to Romario Shepherd at 181-2. Guyana reached 167-8 as only Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble, who blasted an unbeaten 63, Barnwell (27)
Permaul gets MVP award
TAROUBA, Trinidad, CMC – Irrepressible skipper Stafanie Taylor produced another telling all-round performance as West Indies pulled off a comfortable 40run win in the final One-Day International to sweep their three-match series against Sri Lanka Women here yesterday. Sent in at the Brian Lara Stadium, the Caribbean side rallied to 182 for eight off their 45 overs, with Taylor stroking a top score of 55, opener Hayley Matthews getting 41 and former captain Merissa Aguilleira gathering an unbeaten 37. Off-spinner Shashikala Siriwardene was the best bowler with three for 26 while left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera supported with two for 24. Taylor then proved her worth in gold with the ball, snatching three for 29 with her off-spin to send the visitors crashing to 142 all out in the 41st over. Fast bowler Shakera Selman also struck form, grabbing three for 30.
Dilani Manodara topscored with 42 with Rebeca Vandort scoring 34. In a contest reduced to 45 overs per side, the Windies suffered an early setback when Kycia Knight was dismissed cheaply for five with the score on eight in the fourth over. However, Taylor and Matthews then came together in an 83-run, second wicket stand to prevent the possibility of collapse. The right-handed Taylor faced 82 balls and counted seven boundaries while Matthews, also a righthander, struck four fours in a 75-ball knock. Matthews’s dismissal triggered a slide that saw four wickets fall for 30 runs and it took a 29-run sixth wicket partnership between Aguilleira and Kyshona Knight (14) to rally the innings. Aguilleira’s knock was a crucial one as she hit three fours in a busy 42-ball innings. West Indies then got a
E’bo cops maiden 3-day... From page 30 prospective team sponsors have already been approaching the board and said next year’s tournament should be bigger and better. The GCB official said that the League was a good one that exposed more players to the selectors and the public than the disbanded Inter-County Competition would have done and provide more opportunities for Umpires, scorers and all who are involved in and get paid for their work in cricket. Sanasie informed that the 50-over version of the League should commence in December during the Christmas break in the Regional four-day tournament which starts on October 26. “If a sponsor is interested in buying a team they will pay $3 million for the three-day, 50-over and the T20 league which should be held during the first part of next year. They would be allowed branding on their shirts (white and coloured for the 50 overs and T20s) and the shirts will be provided by the board. In addition the $3 million will include 50% of the gates and bar in the T20 games, while provisions could be made for night T20 games at venues such as Albion,” Sanasie explained.
Roger Federer beats Rafael Nadal in Shanghai Masters final
Chadwick Walton (Getty Images)
Trevon Griffith © Craig Cozier
and Shepherd 24 not out, reached 20. Opener Kemo Paul (8), his opening partner Sherfane Rutherford (10), Jonathon Foo (5), Robin Bacchus (15), Ricardo Adams (1), Gajanand Singh (2) and Skipper Leon Johnson, who batted at number nine and made two,
all failed to fire as O. Walters took four wickets. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul was voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament which also included host Antigua & Barbuda. The Jaguars returned home yesterday. (Sean Devers)
BBC Sport - Wimbledon champion Roger Federer beat world number one Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters final to capture his sixth title of the year. The 36-year-old Swiss, who has lost only four times in 2017, was again in imperious form as he won in 72 minutes. It was his fourth win of the year against Nadal and his fifth in succession over the Spaniard. Federer fired 10 aces, and the 19-time Grand Slam winner’s 94th career title cut his deficit against Nadal to 23-15. It moves him level with Ivan Lendl in terms of Open era titles, with only American Jimmy Connors (109) having more. The Swiss survived a stern test against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro to win 3-6 6-3 6-3 in just under two hours in Saturday’s semi-final. It was the 24th meeting in a final between the world’s top two, and with the roof again closed because of rain in Shanghai, Federer built a 4-2 lead en route to winning the opening set. There was little between them in the early exchanges of the second set until the pivotal fifth game.
Off-spinner Stafanie Taylor … claimed three wickets to propel the Windies to victory. (file photo) great start when Selman removed Nipuni Hansika (0) and Chamari Atapattu (11) to reduce the Sri Lankans to 18 for two in the seventh over. Manodara, however, came to her side’s rescue, anchoring three small partnerships to keep the innings afloat. She put on 33 for the third wicket with Yasoda Mendis (18), 20 for the fourth with Hasini Perera (8) before adding a further 30 for the fifth with Vandort, to push her side up to 101 for four. Manodara had faced 85 deliveries and struck two fours when she was caught and bowled by Matthews in the 32nd over , leading to a slide which saw the last six wickets perish for 41 runs. Both teams will now turn their attention to the threematch Twenty20 series which starts in Antigua on Thursday. Scores: WEST INDIES WOMEN 182 for eight off 45 overs (Stafanie Taylor 55, Hayley Matthews 41, Merissa Aguilleira 37; Shashikala Siriwardene 326, Inoka Ranaweera 2-24) SRI LANKA WOMEN 142 off 40.4 overs (Dilani Manodara 42, Rebeca Vandort 34; Stafanie Taylor 3-29, Shakera Selman 3-30).
PAGE 30
Kaieteur News
Monday October 16, 2017
Brusche’s Classic to be E’bo cops maiden 3-day title & $500,000 launched Wednesday All matches slated for MSC hard court in Linden
No games will be played in Georgetown as all matches in this year’s 6th Biennial Brusche’s Classic Basketball Foundation Invitational club championship, involving teams from Georgetown and Linden association clubs will be played at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court. Organiser Clyde Brusche said that the straight knockout format championship is to be launched Wednesday at 14.00hrs at the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) Boardroom on Republic Avenue in Linden and all clubs must attend to ensure their participation. Eight clubs, four from Linden; Victory Valley Royals, Amelia’s Ward Jets, Retrieve Raiders and Half Mile Bulls and Georgetown’s Colts, Ravens, Plaisance Guardians and Pepsi Sonics are the contesting clubs. Clyde Brusche, who along with his other brothers, all former Senior National players have staged this tournament since 2007 when it was won by Pacesetters of Georgetown, will this year have at stake $100,000 for the winners, $50,000 for the runner-up and $50,000 for the third place finisher.
Clyde ‘Fatman’ Brusche The Brusche’s Basketball Foundation is centered on the Brusche brothers who have been giving back to basketball after migrating to the United States. According to Clyde, the trio of Mike, Clifton and James would be returning for the 6th Classic which will have several incentives at stake and giveaways during the championship at the MSC hard court beginning Saturday October 21, and with matches on Sunday October 22, Friday October 27 and with the final on Saturday November 4 in Linden.
Congrats to GCB, Sanasie and CGI
DEAR SPORTS EDITOR, Over the past six weeks we saw the second edition of the Jaguars’ Three day League rolled out across the country. Almost One Hundred and Twenty Windies, National and local cricketers were on display vying for honours. This initiative, I am told, came from the GCB Honorary Secretary Anand Sanasie and was adopted by the GCB to replace the inter-county cricket. The advantages are obvious, more games, more players involved, more officials being exposed, players being paid etc. This weekend would very likely see the underdog Essequibo rising to the top of the table, taking the honours as champions of the 3 day format. We would also see West Demerara and Lower Corentyne vie for the second and third positions. Certainly, we must admit that this is transforming our cricket with the 50 Overs and T20 versions to follow. This is only one aspect of the development we have seen over the past five years in our cricket structure with unprecedented success, at all levels. Only the blind cannot see our progress. This brings to mind a letter purportedly written by a Mortimer George. I understand that he is legally blind yet claims to be writing about matters he saw, while being absent. It is quite obvious that someone is writing letters attacking the GCB and Mr. Sanasie while exhibiting cowardice. We are all aware of the astute leadership of Mr. Sanasie, so I do not think these skirmishes are important, he may very well not respond but I must have my say. He certainly knows what Schedule 3 of the Cricket Administration states. Others would soon find the flaws of the archaic BCB constitution inserted into the Cricket Administration Act by the very persons calling themselves “stakeholders”. I took the time to read it so should you. Cricket in Guyana has never been in a better place, so Raphael, his driver Boston, Mortimer George and the posse in Rose Hall Town can put that in their proverbial “pipe” and smoke it. Let us win another regional 4 day title in 2018, for the critics. Keep the flag flying boys. Thank You, Cricket Lover, Anil Persaud
By Sean Devers Essequibo, the best and most consistent team in this year’s GCB/CIG three-day Franchise League were yesterday rewarded for their championship winning performance when they were presented with the winner’s trophy and a cheque valued at $500,000. Their Captain Anthony Adams led from the front with 52 wickets and a century to take awards for the best allrounder and MVP of the eight-team tournament, while Essequibo’s Wicketkeeper Kemol Savory got the Best Keeper award. West Demerara’s Captain Akshaya Persaud, one of three batsmen to score two centuries, received the award for Most Runs, while West Berbice’s Gudakesh Motie captured the most wickets (61) and took the trophy for Best Fielder. The most promising player award had two contenders in East Bank’s Renaldo Ali-Mohammed and Lower Corentyne’s Kevlon Anderson and the award was won by Ali-Mohammed. Each individual prize winner received a trophy and $20,000. Colin Stuart, former West Indies pacer and TDO of the GCB, was the Master of Ceremony while Secretary of the GCB/CIG and Cricket West Indies Director Anand Sanasie informed the gathering that over $20 Million was spent on this year’s tournament. “Each player in each of the eight squads along with their Coaches and Managers were paid $5,000 per playing day for the seven rounds, while we had to pay for transportation of the teams, meals and ground preparations,” Sanasie informed. He added that Continued on page 25
U/C’tyne settles for runners-up prize of $300,000
Kevin Alicock (right) collects Upper Corentyne’s Runners-up trophy from GCB’s TDO Colin Stuart.
Anthony Adams collects the Championship trophy from GCB’s Anand Sanasie. Adams also got trophies for Best All-Rounder and MVP. (Sean Devers photo)
West Demerara’ s Skipper Askaya Persaud (right) receives his trophy for ‘Most Runs’ from the most capped Windies Test batsman Shiv Chanderpaul at yesterday’s presentation ceremony. (Sean Devers photo)
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
GCB/CIG 3-day Franchise League
Essequibo claims first ever national 3-day title Skipper Anthony Adams is MVP
MVP Anthony Adams appeals for an LBW verdict against Richie Looknauth on his way to 6-44 yesterday at Tuschen. (Sean Devers photo) By Sean Devers Led by fantastic team cricket in which every player performed when it mattered, Essequibo maintained their seven match unbeaten streak with a draw in their last match against West Demerara yesterday at the Tuschen ground on the East Bank of Essequibo to claim their first ever GCB/CGI three-day Franchise League title and celebrated as if they had won the World Cup. Most Valuable Player and Essequibo Skipper, left-arm spinner Anthony Adams signed off with his seventh five-wicket haul as he snatched 6-44. Adams, also adjudged the Best All-rounder with 52 wickets and a century, got support from USA based offspinner Chaitram Persaud who had 3-45 as West Demerara, 81-5 overnight, fell for 156, despite Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s painstaking 55 from over five hours off batting in which he faced 242 balls and hit just two fours.
Chanderpaul shared in a 50-run sixth wicket stand with Richie Looknauth, whose sedate 17 lasted 164 minutes and 130 balls with two fours, while a last wicket stand of 33 between Jamal Gomes, who clobbered two sixes and two fours in his 22 and Mahendra Dhanpaul (11 not out) provided some entertainment for the largest crowd of the match. After Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who resumed on 36 yesterday, was removed by Adams at 112-6 after batting for an hour and 30 minutes for 19 runs as he tried to hit the ball too hard and struggled to find the gaps, only the last pair offered token resistance under clear blue skies. Essequibo, who made 258 in their first innings, began their second innings with a lead of 104 and lost Kevin Christian for a duck when he slashed at a wide ball from Dhanpaul and was taken at slip at 3-1. Kevin Boodie, who scored
the only senior 50-over InterCounty double century, powered pacer Jamal Gomes over his head for six and began in ultra aggressive mode which at times became reckless. Kemol Savory also played impetuous shots at wide balls, while Boodie savagely pulled Gomes for four. Savory edged the lively Gomes over the slip cordon for four before an agricultural swipe from Boodie off Dhanpaul sailed ‘miles’ into the air for Looknauth at point to floor the offering. Savory stroked Kesram Seyhodan gloriously to the cover b o u n d a r y b e f o r e Boodie flicked Dhanpaul for four before depositing him for consecutive sixes. Boodie reached his 50 from 34 balls with four fours and three sixes before he was bowled by Hobbard for 50 at 67-2. Vijai Surujpaul played a couple of ‘scoop sweeps’ off Hobbard for boundaries before he was run out for 21 and Adams delighted the spectators by hitting Hobbard on the roof of the little pink house in which all genres of music blared all day. Adams climaxed a successful tournament for Essequibo, who ended with four wins and three draws, with an unbeaten 31 before the declaration was made at 128-5 with first innings centurion Shiv Chanderpaul opting not to bat. Seyhodan finished with 2-34 for West Demerara, who were 24-1, needing 233 to win when the game was called off at 16:00hrs.
PAGE 31
PNC/R 60th Anniversary Day of Sports/ Family Fun Day preparations going apace Sparta Boss, Back Circle, North Ruimveldt, West Front Road ‘Gold is Money’, Broad Street, Future Stars, Kitty Hustlers, Showstoppers and New Market Street are among the top teams from Georgetown and West Demerara invited to participate in the PNC/R 60th Anniversary Day of Sports/Family Fun Day Futsal Competition scheduled to be staged on Sunday, October 29, at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground. According to a member of the coordinating committee, the one-day event is expected to attract most of the top teams in the format with the host Linden anticipated to list their best teams in the format to challenge the visiting contingent in what should be another cracking Linden versus Georgetown showdown. While the day is planned to be one to enjoy and strengthen camaraderie amongst the various ethnic groups within the society and most importantly to celebrate the Party’s 60 years of existence, the age old friendly rivalry that has existed between the two communities is expected to take centre stage in all four disciplines namely futsal, athletics, basketball and Dominoes. In the futsal competition over $350,000 in prize monies are up for grabs along with trophies with the winner set to receive $200,000; runner-up $100,000 and third place finisher $50,000. The Domino competition is another event
that is sure to attract some of the best teams in the country and they are expected from as far as Berbice and Essequibo. They will join those from Demerara and Linden with a total of over $250,000 set aside for the winners, while the Most Valuable Player will collect $10,000. The winning team gets $120,000; runnerup $80,000; third place $50,000 and fourth place $30,000. Another event that should produce intense rivalry is Track & Field which will be run in a Grand Prix format. Among the races listed are: (Male/ Female): 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m (F), 5000m (M) 4x100m and 4x400m and monetary prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers who will receive $25,000; $15,000 and $10,000 respectively. Linden, Georgetown and Berbice combined teams will contest the basketball with the visiting teams set to bounce off the competition at 10:00hrs. Host Linden drew a bye to the final. The winner of this competition takes home $100,000; runner-up $50,000 and third place $25,000. There will be Novelty Events, including Tug-O-War, Over 225 lb 60m, Sack Race, Lime and Spoon, Central Executive Committee 60m (Male and Female), Buns Eating Contest, Age Group Quiz Contest… Kids Zone (Bouncy Castles etc.) All are invited.
LeRoy Cort enjoys good weekend of racing in New Hampshire Guyanese born US based LeRoy Cort enjoyed a good weekend of results in the season finals at New Hampshire Motor Speedway motorcycle championship. Cort copped several podium positions over the very fruitful weekend in the US. He noted that, “Leading up to the event I felt great going into the weekend, it was just a lot of positivity surrounding the event. The motorcycle was running excellent, I was in good physical, mental and spiritual shape and I was feeling the support from all my friends and family.” There was no disappointment with the
LeRoy Cort leads the way to his victory last weekend.
results. On Saturday Cort placed 2nd in two races. He disclosed that, “Both races I lead 7 out of the 8 lap sprints but fatigue stepped in last minute and I was bested in both races by a bike length.” Yesterday, however, Cort regrouped and scored two 1st place finishes and a 3rd place in a 20 bike grid. Commenting on his effort Cort said, “All in all it was a great finish to the year, I cannot count the many times I had to explain where I came from (“Guyana and NOT GHANA”) as the announcers and reporters all lamented. Definitely represent my country and will too for the 2018 season.”
PAGE 32
Monday October 16, 2017
Kaieteur News
WIFBSC Short Range Team Match/Industrial Safety Supply Inc. Int. Match
Guyana maintain dominance of Caribbean Range; England cop Int’l trophy By Franklin Wilson Led by a dominating individual performance from top shot Lennox Braithwaite who retained the Wogart Trophy as the shooter with the highest aggregate in the Short Range match, Guyana fired its was to yet another victory when the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council Short Range match was contested yesterday at the Timehri Rifle Ranges to bring the curtains down on the 2017 championships. Run concurrently with the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA), this year’s championships also saw an international competition being run and this was won by England which topped all scorers followed by Ireland in 2nd with Guyana 3rd. The margin of separation was not that much with England tallying 1148 points along with 85 Vs to Ireland’s 1146. 74 and Guyana’s 1142.85; emerging as the top three. Taking fourth was Canada with 1102.60 followed in 5th place by Trinidad and Tobago 1069.44, Barbados 1066.42 and Antigua and Barbuda bringing up the rear on 1057.43. Braithwaite dropped just two points out of a possible 150 on the day including one possible at 500 yards of 50.7, while he had 49.5 and 49.7 at 300 and 500 yards for a Grand Aggregate of 148.19, the top individual score of the shoot.
England, winner of the WIFBSC 2017 International Match sponsored by Industrial Safety Supply Inc. Mirroring Braithwaite’s feat of a possible were his countrymen Sherwin Felicien 50.6 at 500 yards and Ransford Goodluck 50.2 also at 500 yards. All the Guyanese shooters recorded grand aggregate score of over 140 plus, a feat that has never before been achieved. Other shooters notching possibles yesterday were Gary Cassidy of Canada @ 300 and 500 yards 50.6& 50.4, Charlie Staples of England
Battle for final spots in... From page 34 range is always a danger. Then you add Randolph Wagner to the fray and immediately you see a scorcher. A spot to play for $700,000 and the championship trophy is the focus of all four teams. The second, third and fourth placed finishers take home $250,000, $150,000 and $100,000 respectively. The sponsors of the event are Banks DIH Limited, the Guyana Police Force, Windjammer International Hotel and Cuisine and 94.1 Boom FM. Kick-off is 21:00hrs. Results of Saturday’s quarter-finals are seen below: Game-1 Gold is Money-5 vs. Swag Entertainment-3 Gold Scorers Colin Nelson-4th and 32nd Deon Alfred-5th Randolph Wagner-19th
Carl Tudor-35th Swag Scorers Shane Luckie-6th and 7th Romell Pickering-25th Game-2 Future Stars-5 vs. Leopold Street-2 Future Scorers Jermaine Junior-10th, 39th, 41st and 47th Jamal Cozier-43rd Leopold Scorers Own Goal-14th Sheldon Profit-21st Game-3 Albouystown-A-2 vs. Back Circle-2 Back Circle won 3-1 on penalty kicks Back Scorers Selwyn Williams-5th Jermaine Beckles-14th Albouystown-A Scorers Andrew Murray Jr-12th Moses Grittens-17th Game-4 Sparta Boss-2 vs. Hustlers-0 Gregory Richardson-2nd Daniel Wilson-10th
also at 300 and 500 yards – 50.7& 50.5 and countrymen Nigel Stangroom and Trevor Bryan each recording 50.4 at 500 yards. Irishmen Jack Alexander got 50.4 & 50.3 at 300 and 500 yards, Gary Alexander 50.5 at 500 yards and Captain Norris Gomez of Trinidad and Tobago 50.4 at 500 yards. Commenting on his team’s performance yesterday,
Captain Mahendra Persaud noted that they did not shoot as good as they could have at the 300 yards range but they have proved yet again that they can come back at 500 and 600 yards. “At 500 yards we only dropped 11 points which is fantastic shooting. That shows that we have to do something at 300 yards to improve that. We’ve been doing 300 yards shooting
every single day that we shoot to try to improve on the score.” He said that he would be aiming to shoot at around 385, 390 out of a possible 400 at the 300 yards range. “Once we do that, we can challenge any team. The Irish and English also dropped a number of points at the 500 and 600 like we did, it was tricky with the wind and we had a few bad shots, it ended
up to be a very close tournament and to lose to the Irish and English by 4 and 6 points respectively, is no dishonor, we did ourselves proud.” Persaud complimented Braithwaite for another fantastic day of shooting and pointed out that the Wind Coaches – Persaud, Braithwaite, Paul Slowe and Ransford Goodluck – gelled together nicely for the team.
Hope spearheads batting effort as Windies shine BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, CMC – Batsmen Shai Hope, Roston Chase and Kraigg Brathwaite all gathered halfcenturies as West Indies made a bright start to their tour of Zimbabwe here yesterday. Opting to bat first on the opening day of the three-day tour match against Zimbabwe A, the Caribbean side ended on 301 for six with Hope top-scoring with 85, Chase stroking 79 and Brathwaite chipping in with 53. Kyle Hope, Shai’s older brother, missed out on a half-century with 42 while seamer Michael Chinouya, who played his only two Tests against New Zealand last year, was the best bowler with two for 55. In the only warm-up match before the first Test starting next Saturday, West Indies made the most of the outing with their main batsmen getting among the runs. They lost left-hander Kieran Powell cheaply for one with a mere seven runs on the board in the day’s fifth over but Brathwaite and Kyle Hope posted 87 for the second wicket to repair the innings.
Batsman Shai Hope … top-scored with 85. Brathwaite struck five fours and a six in an innings spanning 136 deliveries and just over 3-1/2 hours while Kyle faced 109 balls ìn 189
minutes at the crease, and counted four fours and a six. Both perished four balls apart in successive overs with the score on 94 but their demise paved the way for an attractive 175-run, fourth wicket stand between Shai Hope and Chase. Hope, the most successful batsman on the recent tour of England, appeared in good touch, striking 10 fours off just 107 balls in just over three hours. Chase, meanwhile, looking to regain his form following a poor England series, faced 114 deliveries in three hours at the crease and counted eight fours and a six. They were both trotting comfortably towards three figures when they retired with the score on 269 and Jermaine Blackwood failed to follow their example, belting a four and a six in 15 before falling lbw to Chinouya. Scores: WEST INDIES 301 for six (Shai Hope 85, Roston Chase 79, Kraigg Brathwaite 53, Kyle Hope 42; Michael Chinouya 2-55) vs ZIMBABWE A.