Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Thursday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL REDUCING POLLUTION Despite all the criticisms that have been heaped on Guyana, most citizens would agree that it is still one of the most pristine countries on earth to live. Pollution levels are low, the environment is close to being immaculate and the people are friendly and loving. This is why thousands of Guyanese who have spent a major part of their life in the crowded polluted cities in North America, to name a few, are returning to enjoy and savor the fresh and pure air blowing in from the ocean. The saying that there is no place like home is being resonated more and more with Guyanese in the Diaspora than ever before. Guyana’s relatively clean environment, its fresh air, its picturesque scenery, its fresh fruits and vegetables and dazzling night life are invaluable assets that many are enjoying. Everyone should strive to protect these assets. However, there are a few harmful practices that emerged recently that could seriously pollute and damage our clean environment and thus threaten the serene life in the country, if left unchecked. Emissions from poorly maintained vehicles and factories which belched-out volumes of thick black smoke into the atmosphere have had adverse effects on the environment. And the burning of garbage or the spraying of toxic herbicides and other chemicals in populated neighbourhoods have also affected the environment. The authorities must act to prevent this type of air impurities from further polluting the environment. Interestingly, data from the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that about 85 percent of the world’s population are living in polluted countries which are contributing to the premature deaths of 3 million people per year. And 90 percent of these deaths are from noncommunicable illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases which are caused by pollution. The WHO also stated that pollution increases the risks for cancer, acute respiratory infections and other types of pulmonary diseases. These effects from pollution should serve as a wake-up call to all Guyanese and should cause them to appreciate and preserve their environment. According to the WHO, most of these deaths are occurring in low and middle income countries in South East Asia, parts of Africa, China and India. China and India are among the top polluting countries in the world. Guyana has been listed as one of the least polluted nations among the 184 countries, and there have been no known recorded deaths in Guyana due to pollution. The WHO contends that both indoor and outdoor pollution have also resulted in environmental health crisis in several countries. Indoor pollution has been blamed for 4.5 million deaths annually due to the use of dirty cooking stoves, kerosene and diesel fuels. Outdoor pollution is largely a man-made problem and therefore requires man-made solutions. The authorities must take the lead and develop effective laws to reduce air pollution. It is very important for everyone to contribute to the reduction of pollution. Given the serious threat which pollution posed to the nation and to the health of its citizens, the authorities must impose severe penalties against drivers or owners of those vehicles which pollute the atmosphere, including efforts to impound them. Similar action should be taken against the owners of polluted factories and those who indiscriminately burn garbage and spray herbicides in populated neighbourhoods. Thirty-five years ago, few Guyanese, especially children, were known to have asthma. According to medical experts, asthma attacks are triggered by irritants such as smoke, air pollution and chemicals. Everyone must make sure that the air the nation breathes is pure and all must contribute to clean air in order to make Guyana as pollution free as possible for future generations.

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

Tony Vieira asserts that Craig was an incompetent chairman DEAR EDITOR; I wish to alert you to an ongoing situation that has caused many of us much discomfort. I cannot and will not respond to any person, who violates the provisions of the law and I am bringing to the attention of any interested person the following provisions and penalties in section 10 of the Broadcast act number 17 of 2011. Confidentiality. (1) No member, officer or employee of the Board shall, without the express written consent given by or on behalf of the Authority, publish or disclose to any person, otherwise than in the course of his duties, the contents of any document communication or information which relates to and which has come to his knowledge in the course of his duties under this Act. (2) Any person who, being actually or constructively aware that the information referred to in subsection (1) was published or disclosed without authority, knowingly receives that information, commits an offence and is liable, on summary conviction to the penalty specified in section

44. (3) If any person having information which in his actual or constructive knowledge has been published or disclosed in contravention of subsection (1) unlawfully publishes or communicates any such information to any other person he commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to the penalty specified in section 44. Section 44 says the penalty is 6 months in jail plus a $200,000 fine. What I am going to say is that the facts of this matter have not yet been revealed by the Commission of Inquiry [COI]. Publishing just Craig’s parting lies is wrong and a criminal act, the rest of us have to be silent since we have to live here. Did I think that the man was totally incompetent to be the chairman of a broadcast or any other authority? The answer is yes! Did I ever voice that opinion publicly? The answer is yes! Did I at GNBA meetings use language which Directors Ameena Gafoor, Abiola Wong Innis, Jocelyne Joshia and acting CEO Mrs Boyal would find offensive?

The answer is no. Did I raise my voice in frustration at times? The answer is yes! Did I in resign twice from the GNBA in exasperation with Craig? The answer is yes! Did I move a no confidence motion against him? The answer is yes! Did I think that his incompetence went far beyond his inexperience and total lack of knowledge of broadcasting? The answer is yes! Let the COI do its work; all will be disclosed, especially since he has now resorted to imputing the reputation of the PM and members of the GNBA. It is not as if I was not in Parliament and was on the Public Accounts committee with Winston Murray and was alternating chairman with G a i l Te i x e i r a o n t h e Economic Services Committee with Irfan Ali, Komal Chand and Gail Teixeira, and ended my periods as chair of the ESC with no argument or dissatisfaction on either side of the political divide. The record is there in parliament to prove it. Your reporting in the KN tells me that, like Craig, you do not understand the fundamental

flaw in him. He thought that as chairman he had more power than me and the other directors of the GNBA. According to the act number 17 of 2011 it is clear he was just a director like us, who happened to be the chairman, and this was made clear to him by the Prime Minister at a meeting with all Board members not so long ago. So, when he said that I had no right to speak to the media but he was doing so, the answer to all the problems in this entire matter resides just in that fact. Craig did not comprehend his position and I refused to tolerate it. Was it my understanding that if I resigned as a director of the GNBA, 4 other directors would resign as well? Yes it was. To accuse me of being above others in class and colour is completely ludicrous, I spoke up for the Afro Guyanese since I saw a vicious attack on them by the PPP, since 1992 and when I sat in Parliament, I sat between Basil Williams and Debby Backer of the PNC/One/ G, that speaks for itself. Tony Vieira.

Friday October 21, 2016

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One of the WPA leaders says Plan to increase property taxes is late payment of wages they occupy very posh ofpublic supports retention of NICIL anti-businessthe and salaries? Which is due to fices with every conceivable DEAR EDITOR; Mr. Frederick Kissoon in his column captioned; “Why would the WPA want to save a govt. that doesn’t want to be saved?” which was published in the October 13, 2016 edition of the Kaieteur News, revisited the explanation I offered in an earlier letter for the WPA’s “silence” on controversies the APNU+AFC government were embroiled in, since coming to power. In his usual dismissive and provocative way Kissoon called on David Hinds and me to explain WPA’s silence on the coalition government’s recent acquisition via NICIL, of DDL shares in the Berbice River Bridge Company. Mr. Kissoon’s contention is that the government failed to inform the public of its intention to buy out DDL shares and this was a blatant display of the administration disrespect for transparency. He sees the use of NICL to carry out the deal as a contradiction given the position the APNU+AFC coalition had taken on that agency when in opposition. I am in no position to challenge the accuracy of Kissoon’s claim that the gov-

ernment failed to inform the public that it had taken a decision to buy DDL’s shares in the Berbice Bridge Company before going ahead with the transaction. However, I am aware, and it is public knowledge that the government had made clear its intention to pursue ways to give the Guyanese tax payers its rightful control of how decisions are made by the board of the company. I am doubtful that the law and established government practice, or, good governance, requires the government to go beyond what is stated above. I am not sure what Kissoon meant by his remark “a govt. that doesn’t want to be saved”. From my observation the coalition government is not facing imminent destruction. However, there seems to be wide consensus that the administration had not made the best use of the goodwill and political capital it came into office with 16 months ago. This view is pervasive inside and outside the coalition. Given the present situation the WPA sees it as its responsibility to do everything in its power to halt the slide. As I said in my earlier

letter, we in the WPA, consciously decide on how we engage our partners in the coalition in trying to achieve our objective. It is clear that our approach at times run contrary to the expectations of Kissoon and other WPA detractors. To all appearances Kissoon seems to want to dictate things from his column in KN. While I do not agree with the positions on the WPA which he advocates, I will concede that he has a right to his views. As it relates to NICL’s continued existence, my position is until the government makes a decision otherwise, NICL remains a legitimate agency and must be made to carry out its mandate. Kissoon is aware that NICL is in the process of reform and is no longer viewed by the public as the entity which operated outside of the parameters of the law. In closing, I want to use this opportunity to say that President David Granger, in his timely address to the National Assembly on Thursday. October 13, 2016, did for the government what Kissoon had asked the WPA to do. Tacuma Ogunseye

Our insurance company represents the interests of Gafoor’s DEAR EDITOR; Thank you, Mr. Harris for your attention yesterday on our discussion with respect to the article printed on page 23 of your newspaper today and captioned, “Insurance Companies cancel coverage of Gafoor’s Complex”. As discussed, the article unfortunately is misleading. Abdool & Abdool Inc. is an Insurance Broker and not an insurer. We are the appointed broker for a specific segment of Mr. Gafoor’s businesses. We therefore represent Mr. Gafoor’s interest and not that of the insurer/insurers. A part of our responsibility to our clients is to ensure by all mechanisms available to us, that insurers are unable to cancel with immediate effect, any of our client’s cov-

erages, but rather are contractually required to provide a notice of cancellation which guarantees our client a specific period in which suitable replacement coverage might be negotiated with other insurers. I can advise that Mr. Gafoor, as with all of our clients, is indeed afforded this small period of protection through our brokerage and best efforts will be made during this period to acquire replacement coverage. It is unfortunate that some insurers have exercised their prerogative to withdraw sup-

port in this particularly difficult period for Mr. Gafoor. The construction of your article could result in considerable damage to a reputation acquired over forty three years of committed service to Guyanese industry and our company would be very grateful if you would take immediate steps to have it corrected in your next edition, as I am quite certain that it would have already caused great consternation among our clients. PETER ABDOOL ABDOOL & ABDOOL INC. MANAGING DIRECTOR

DEAR EDITOR; The time has come for citizens of all walks of life of our capital city to stand up against the tyranny of the City Council and in solidarity with the poor, the weak and the vulnerable who are being bullied against. Let us begin with the vendors who for years were exploited by the City Constabulary with daily demands for bribes, and who now face an onslaught from the City Council. How could the Council be allowed to ignore the union that represents the welfare of these small business men and women? How could it be allowed to remove, relocate and in many instances prevent them from earning an honest living, in such a whimsical manner? These are the very persons it once used to harass Carol Sooba, as part of its Machiavellian plan to have her removed so that her successor could get the job, which he finds very lucrative. How could they be allowed to suffer the workers each and every month with

the fact that they misuse Council’s financial resources by contracting out every conceivable service all in their own interest, as it is well known that these contracts are an example of the worst type of corruption, venality and fraud. The Local Government Officers Union ought to be ashamed of themselves for sitting quietly every month and not raising a finger against a cruel municipal administration, whilst their members struggle on a monthly basis to pay their electricity and water bills, their rents and mortgages, to buy food and to send their children to school, to pay for transportation. Additionally, one should not forget the appalling physical conditions under which they are forced to work, including dilapidated buildings with poor ventilation and lighting, no tools, no supplies, old furniture etc. It should be noted that these senior officers who suffer those under their charge, could not care less for their monthly salaries as their bread is well buttered and

amenity. The parking meter contract which they refuse to shelve, even in spite of the concerns expressed by the Ministry of Communities and the Attorney General’s Chambers, and the resounding outcry against it by citizens and groups from every facet of society, shall be the death blow businesses in Georgetown already on their knees due to the economic slowdown in the country. This along with the container tax, the plan to increase property taxes next year, etc is anti-business, anti-citizen and designed to fill the pockets of a few whilst the masses are made to pay. How could the Council say with straight faces that they have the city at heart? How could they sleep at night knowing that they are destroying Georgetown while creating conditions through which they will benefit? How will the city ever recover from the wanton plundering of its financial and other resources? Debra Gibson

The independence of the AuditorGeneral must be safeguarded DEAR EDITOR, It would appear as though the David Granger led Government has set its sight on another constitutional office to bear the brunt of its intimidation and bullyism. The bold, brazen and blazing headline of the State -owned Guyana Chronicle of Tuesday October 18,

2016 ”Jordan Flays Auditor General” captured my attention. The Minister of Finance is an elected official appointed by the President to manage our financial affairs. He is part of the executive. The Auditor-General is a constitutional office holder empowered by our supreme law and statutes to carry out

specific functions and is not subject to the authority, direction or control of the executive. This has been so since the early 2000’s when a number of legislative changes were initiated and made by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) Administration. Since (Continued on page 6)

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This is a great country with great people DEAR EDITOR; Editor’s note; this is the continuation of Ms. Thomas letter carried in our Thursday edition, captioned; “At the Trinidadian Airport, I felt like a refugee.” This is a great country and we are a great people! We are a proud people, an honest people, a respectful people, a proper people a hardworking people. I have heard it said that one out of every three Guyanese is dishonest, but even if that is the case, it means that two out of every three Guyanese are honest and therefore we should not accept that all 750,000 of our citizens must be treated like criminals. We must demand more creativity and innovation from the Trinidad, Barbados and other security services and we must do it for the two out of every three Guyanese who are honest. This is not the Guyana the Free that I envisaged! Someone once told me that everybody has a price and it just depends on the amount. But that is not

true; there are some Guyanese for whom no price would make them compromise the core of who they are what they represent. The fact that flights and passengers leaving Guyana having gone through security checks here, have to go through the same security checks in Trinidad, whether the passengers remain on the aircraft or disembark and re-board, says that the Trinidad security do not have confidence in our airport security. Now don’t let us be too quick to criticize the Trinidad security, let’s look at what went wrong with our institutions and our people. For the past five years I have been studying the ‘behaviour of the Guyanese society – the individual, institutional, organizational (legal and illegal) and the societal aspects’. President Granger said that he will bring an end to Narco Trafficking and stated that it is the core of crimes in Guyana, but this will require a number of profound changes to be made at the

individual, institutional and societal levels. We will examine the institutional aspect, human development and a bit of religion. Let’s start with organizations: Criminal organizations are established with similar structures as legal organizations. They have management and subordinates and provide products and services. The difference, however, is that the nature of business is illegal. For example, cocaine is one of the products that criminal organisations produce which is an illegal product. Criminal organisations also have to find markets for their products and they have both local and foreign markets. They also have a supply chain to supply these markets; hence there is an ‘export’ component to their business. They also provide services, for example killings, it is not that all killings are illegal, the Police is involved in killings too, but the operations of the Police is covered by legislations. F u r t h e r, criminal

organisations engage in a similar recruitment process like other organisations, and the most appropriate skills are recruited. In the case of Guyana as a transshipment point, security personnel and port authorities and employees will be among the most qualified. Hence, the situation with the integrity issues with the Guyana airport security, it is about cause and effect. The Trinidad security are responding and have devised a solution which they have determined to be best for them, however, too many innocent people are affected by this solution, so there is a need to review and revise this approach. In the President’s quest to reduce the crime or the power of criminal organisations, there is need for profound changes in the legal organisations/ institutions. The Money Laundering Bill and other such legislations are essentially to put a structure in place to provide these institutions with greater power to address the issue of illegal business in criminal enterprises. Establish-

ing order at the individual, institutional and societal levels is also very important. Another area that needs to be addressed is the Government’s ability to increase choices and expand opportunities for the employees working in organisations which are most valuable to the business of criminal organisations, such as port authorities, security personnel, justice system, etc. For example, if a criminal organisation recruit’s one of the ground handlers at the airport, what they are essentially saying to the person in the offer, is, if you provide the service required, your choices and opportunities will be increased in return. So, the ground handler provides the service and may have the opportunity to purchase a car or a home in a short time and without the bureaucracy of financial institutions. Let’s look at the impact of corruption and how it reduces choices and opportunities for citizens and impacts negatively on human wellbeing. Human de-

velopment is fundamentally about achieved wellbeing. Let’s take the $600M that is unaccounted for by the Ministry of Public Service and let’s translate it into choices and opportunities, specific to scholarships. We will divide the $600M in half, $300M as payment for scholarships for Law students to complete the Hugh Wooding Legal Certificate and $300M for scholarships for students to complete a four year degree at the University of Guyana at $ 900,000 for the four years. The $300M would have provided scholarships for 50 Law students at $6M per students for the two years. The other $300M would have provided scholarships for 334 students for a four year period at UG. This would have meant 384 more graduates for the country. Even if some of them had become taxi drivers, they would have been taxi drivers with degrees. This means that there would have been a larger body of knowledge in the country to enable its growth and development. Audreyanna Thomas

then, the Ministry of Finance has had absolutely no role in the preparation, finalisation or tabling of the AuditorGeneral’s report. Minister Jordan remained engaged as a senior official at the Ministry of Finance during the PPP/C tenure from 1992 continuously to 2007 thereabout when he departed. He is fully aware of all the progressive changes that were made to professionalise and make the Audit office fully independent. The statements attributed to Mr. Jordan is totally out of order, insensitive, irresponsible and reeks of a level of arrogance never seen before among government Ministers in Guyana. Some questions must be asked. I call upon the Minister to answer the following:1. In this era, touted by the Coalition government as a

“fresh approach”, does the Minister of Finance want to play a role in the editing of the Auditor -General’s report? 2. Did the Ministry of Finance participate in the usual practice of responses and clarifications to queries about financial statements of individual budget agencies with the Audit Office? If it did, what else Minister Jordan requires? 3. Did the Minister of Finance edit the final reports of the forensic audits initiated by the APNU+AFC government? N.B. The Minister of Finance had control over this process, even by way of sole sourcing. (Handpicking the auditors for the agencies he wanted them to audit). 4. Does the Minister of Finance believe in public accountability, transparency

does, why the statement; that he does not have to give an explanation to the AuditorGeneral for monies spent from the Contingency Fund? Perhaps the coalition Government may wish to explain its position on these matters, inclusive of its stance on those statements made by Mr. Jordan at his Press Conference. The citizens of Guyana are aware that the Auditor- General’s report represents the findings of an ind e p e n d e n t a n d autonomous constitutional office and should be treated as such. This Report will be examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament, where every accounting officer from e v e r y m i n i s t r y, e v e r y region and every statutory budget agency is afforded an opportunity to defend their positions and actions. This recent attack by Minister Jordan is another in a series that openly display arrogance, insincerity and the level of deception practiced by the APNU+AFC government on the people of Guyana. Mr. Jordan must be held accountable. Juan A. Edghill Member of Parliament (PPP)

Guyana will eventually see a mass makes one wonder whether what percentage of power The independence of the Auditor... exodus GPL is not satisfied with crip- generated is lost due to tech- From page 5 “new dispensation” and and good governance? If he DEAR EDITOR; I just read a headline in Wednesday’s KN that made me laugh but there’s nothing funny about it. I think this country has finally succeeded in sapping the little scraps of sanity that I have left, after over 4 decades of struggling to survive here.”...GPL Suffers Another Shutdown...Urges Customers to Check Website and Facebook” Am I the only one that thinks that Guyana is slipping back into the dark 80’s? Rampant power outages; we had 4 yesterday and tons over the course of the past few months and it comes with major voltage fluctuations. It

pling our businesses and hampering our children’s studies, they need to damage our electrical equipment in the process. Let’s go back to the headline though. Just how are we to check the GPL Website and Facebook? Without power there is no WiFi. That leaves us at the mercy of GT&T’s 4G. The government has chosen not to renew Wartsila’s contract...Wow! It seems that we are heading back to the days of GEC and GTC...watch and see. Can GPL really take over Wartsila’s operations and run it as efficiently? Brace for more blackouts I say. Does anyone have any idea

nical and infrastructural faults? It’s in the range of 30%-40%; look it up. That is gross wastage of resources. If you take the time to do the math you will see that in fuel alone, we are losing hundreds of millions of US Dollars every year. I don’t want to get started on the crime situation, but whatever is the official crime statistics with regard to robberies multiply it by 3 and you will get the real picture. Why? Because people don’t even bother anymore to report robberies; nothing comes of it. I think the trickle of an eventual mass exodus has started, what do you think? Stanton Seepersaud

Friday October 21, 2016

Dr. Sheik Amir appointed GPHC acting CEO The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has appointed its Director of Medical and Professional Services, Dr. Sheik Amir, to act as its Chief Executive Officer. His appointment, according to a statement issued by the Public Relations Office of the hospital, became effective yesterday. While Mr. Michael Khan, the substantive CEO, was expected to demit office today, there are reports that suggest that a governmental directive was issued for Khan to proceed on accumulative leave from yesterday. His leave is expected to end in July of 2017. But there are reports that based on a Cabinet decision Khan was supposed to have demitted office immediately after the Cabinet decision was handed down. Last week, Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Directors, Dr. Carl ‘Max’ Hanoman, said that he was in receipt of correspondence informing that Cabinet had taken a decision to send Khan home. Dr. Hanoman intimated that the letter did not share details of the specific reason(s) for the decision. The decision, however, followed on the heels of a report of an audit investiga-

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GPHC’s CEO (ag), Dr. Sheik Amir tion into the operations of the GPHC. Dr. Hanoman said that since being appointed as Chairman of the Board he has ensured that the Board function in the best interest of the organisation. He added, “We cannot go against the decision of the Government. Cabinet has said that Mr. Khan will be on leave until the end of his contract...They have written to me that he has to go and I have written to him (Khan) informing that Cabinet says you have to go...” But according to Dr. Hanoman, “I had plans for Mr. Khan until the end of Novem-

ber.” The plans referenced by the Chairman entailed Khan overseeing a number of projects that are already in progress. “The Board is of the view at the moment, that we have numerous projects that we cannot disrupt,” Dr. Hanoman had earlier told this publication. He had said, then, that “because we cannot disrupt progress at this moment we have to stick with one who has institutional memory so that we can get the best results at the hospital...Our idea is to see what is best for the hospital as we go forward.” The Chairman also noted that it was his expectation that the CEO would have been able to groom a Deputy CEO. The hospital is currently seeking to employ a Deputy CEO and Dr. Hanoman had shared that “we will have an array of people to choose from...I had hoped that when we got the Deputy they could have learnt from him (Khan) but I am not going against Cabinet.” This week Khan attended the inaugural meeting of a Commission appointed to investigate allegations levelled against the hospital’s Director of Nursing Services, Ms. Collene Hicks. That was reportedly among his last tasks as CEO.

Lone gunman robs vendor at Merriman’s Mall A vendor at the Merriman’s Mall was yesterday attacked and robbed of his gold chain and band worth in excess of $1M by a lone gunman. This occurred around 07:15 hrs just after Colin Henry finished packing his stall. It would be his first encounter with an armed bandit in his 20 years of doing business at that location. According to the businessman, after packing his stall, he sat on a chair at the entrance to his business place and was about to pick up a bottle of water when someone instructed him not to move. “I thought that one of my friends pulling a prank on me, so I picked up the water and then I feel something on my neck,” the businessman said. He explained that the lone gunman took away his chain and band before escaping in a waiting car. “From how this thing happened, I would say it was a set up with the timings and everything. I went to the market to buy a water and he (gunman) wait until I come back before he come.” Henry said that his experience with the gunman was terrifying but when he went to seek assistance from the

Colin Henry

City Constabulary at the market and the Alberttown Police Station, he did not get the support he needed. He accused one of the female City

Constabulary ranks of singing when he proceeded to give her colleague a written statement. Investigations are ongoing.

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Insurance broker gains respite for Gafoor’s Complex Section of Gafoor’s Houston Complex being reconstructed after latest fire

Section of building damaged in fire Insurance broker, Abdool & Abdool Inc. has said that the company never called Gafoor to cancel any insurance coverage. In yesterday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, the brokerage was listed as an insurance company which canceled its coverage offered to

the Gafoor’s Houston Complex. Abdool & Abdool Inc. is the appointed broker for a specific segment of Sattaur Gafoor’s businesses. It represents Sattaur Gafoor’s interest and not that of the insurer/insurers. A part of Abdool &

Abdool’s responsibility as a broker, is to ensure that insurers are unable to cancel with immediate effect, any of their client’s coverage. “The insurance brokerage is contractually required to provide a notice of cancellation which guar-

antees their client a specific period in which a suitable replace ment policy might be negotiated with other insurers,” was the explanation given to Kaieteur News when it questioned the role an insurance broker plays.

In this case Abdool and Abdool advised that Gafoor, as with all of their clients, has been afforded this small period of protection in the wake of the stated cancellation. Meanwhile, word from the broker is that the best efforts are being made dur-

ing this period, to acquire replacement coverage policy. The company added that it is unfortunate that some insurers have exercised their prerogative to withdraw support in this particularly difficult period for their client Sattaur Gafoor.

No evidence of disciplinary action against Engineers over major Govt. projects – AG Report The Auditor General’s Report for the fiscal year 2015 has stated that there is a continuing trend of there not being evidence of engineers and staff of government agencies being disciplined for their corrupt involvement in the assessment of works and the certification of progress payments for a number of major government projects. Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, said that he had reported previously in his 2014

audit that overpayments are a serious challenge. It was still found to be an issue in his 2015 report. The State Auditor noted the lack of disciplinary actions to the many instances of overpayments which have rolled over from the 2014 audit into the 2015 report. He said that the lack of this evidence hints at Management’s perceived inaction or inability to remedy the current situation.

Within the report, Sharma said that recoveries of overpayment on contracts for periods prior to 2015 were minimal. He said that the value of overpayments on contracts increased to $35.7M in 2015 as compared to $31.315M in 2014. Also, the audit reported that recoveries amounted to $30.517M of the sum of $407.512M overpaid on contracts that were awarded prior to 2015. The report said, “Whilst some entities had made progress in recovering overpayments, others faced serious challenges.” The report said that overpayments amounting to $35.7M were made on measured works on 31 contracts administered by Ministries, Departments and Regions in 2015. Specifically, overpayments were recorded for the Synthetic Track at Leonora;

Auditor General, Deodat Sharma West Coast Demerara whereby contractors were overpaid $4.767M for Phase three Lot six which entailed the installation of Water Distribution Line and System; and $4.114M was overpaid for (Continued on page 9)

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What is really going on in Guyana? A building which cost $1.6 billion to build is now going to cost $1.4 billion to repair. The building is a solid concrete structure and people are asking what could be wrong with this building that the cost of the repairs is almost the same as the cost of construction. The building which is now known as the Arthur Chung Convention Centre is not in a state of disrepair. It has parts which can do with a coat of paint. It is being used for major events as it is. The government recently used it

during the Heads of Government Meeting of the Caribbean Community. If it was good enough for such a gathering, it should be good for a few more years. If anything, the building needs to be utilized more often. It is not earning its keep by being underutilized. It is therefore strange that the building will now have to be closed down to facilitate repairs. It is great disservice to the first President of Guyana, Arthur Chung, that the building was fit

enough to be named in his honour but now has to be redone at such a prohibitive cost. What is going to be done to the building? Is the design going to change? For such a costly venture, it may have been better for a new structure to have been built in another p a r t o f t h e c o u n t r y. Essequibo does not have a comparative structure. Berbice has nothing which can compare to the Convention Centre. None of these two counties has a cultural center. So why in-

Schoolgirl dies after collapsing in school A 13-year-old schoolgirl died at the West Demerara Regional Hospital shortly after 14:30 hrs yesterday, after collapsing at the private school she attended in La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD). The dead teen has been identified as Mariza Kissoon of Lot 1518 Westminster, La Parfaite Harmonie. According to information received, the teen collapsed in her classroom at the New Era Academy and did not regain consciousness. H e r s i s t e r, P o l l y a n a Kissoon, said that they received a call from the

Dead: Mariza Kissoon school that the teen was unconscious. “I went there and she was in the office. She

did not regain consciousness and the teachers were panicking so I told them she has to go to the doctor.” According to the older Kissoon, a few minutes after her sibling was taken to the hospital, the doctor pronounced her dead. She explained that her sister left home in good health and never suffered from any complications in the past. “She was a healthy child and the teacher said that she did all her homework (yesterday). The teacher said that she had just answered a question in class and was about to sit down when she collapsed,” Kissoon said. A post mortem will be done today to determine the cause of death.

No evidence of disciplinary action... From page 8 Phase three Lot five which dealt with the Night Lighting System. The audit noted that there were overpayments on other projects including works on the construction of Kitchen Mess Hall Building at Air Corps, Timehri; landfilling and concrete works at Student Dorms, Liliendaal; and upgrading of the Aishalton Secondary Male and Female Dorms in Region Nine. Additionally, over $300M was recorded as unrecovered overpayments for the

East Coast Demerara Highway improvement project. A total of $1.610B was budgeted to complete all the road works which began in 2011. A total of $622.161M had been expended as at December 2014. The project had been split into several lots and awarded separately. However, overpayments were recorded in lots three and four. For Lot three, the area between the villages La Bonne Intention and Beterverwagting, the report said that the contractor,

Courtney Benn Contracting Services received advanced payments totalling $278.346M. However, the work done was valued at $157.663M, hence the company received in excess of $120.683M. In the case of Lot four – Beterverwagting to Triumph, at the time of reporting, the completed works was valued at $76.954M. The total payments made to the company amounted to $209.603M. Thus, the overpayment totalled $132.649M.

stead of spending $1.4 billion on such an elaborate structure which is already is good shape why not invest that money in something that will serve the people of Berbice or Essequibo. A major reconstruction of this nature would have had to receive the consent of Cabinet. A compelling case would have had to be made? What was the basis of this case? Why did the government approve of it? It is believed that almost a billion dollars was wasted on Durban Park. What has been erected there is a monstrosity. It looks more like a political investment intended to host the rallies of the APNU+AFC than a new stadium which definitely was not needed in Region Four. What has been created there is a crusher-run jungle. It is unbefitting of that location that instead of turf, the surface is made of granulated stone. The stands are unsightly and only half covered, which means that half of the persons who go to that location to attend an event are going to be soaked if and when it rains and they are present. The square within Durban Park is now a military drill square. The military did not need another

drill square. They have a lot of space at Camp Ayanganna and at the National Park. Why was it necessary for such massive expenditures to be spent or raised for that location? U p t o n o w, n o o n e knows who donated what to that place and just how much was the final tap to taxpayers of the overall works. The only tenders that went out took place after the Ministry of Public Infrastructure had to take over the work of finishing and roofing those wooden stands which look today like relics from the past. Whose idea it was to construct wooden stands? All over the world, those types of structures have become extinct. No one is building those types of stands anymore—except

Guyana. The PPPC had decided that the area would have been a green zone except that they turned into a jungle which harbored snakes, alligators and breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Durban Park is the closest thing Guyana has to the Q u e e n ’s Park Savannahs. It should have been converted into a public recreational facility. The extra money spent could have gone to building a similar park in Berbice and Essequibo.

PAGE 10

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

The resurgence of pessimism One of the reasons why politicians tend to have enduring relationships with editors, commentators and journalists, is because they get a feedback that is vital to them. Ministers, when they move into the war room, they are cut off from the main currents in their country. They lose a sense of what is taking place on the ground. They pick up the vibes through their ongoing relations with the media. A minister is simply glad to have in his/her office a journalist that he hobnobbed with 12, 10 years ago. And as the coffee is sipped, the first thing that comes out of the mouth of the Minister is; “Tell me what the people out there are saying about us?.” Guyana is only one exception to this reality. In countries like France, the UK, the USA, Ministers maintain the long standing relations they

had with certain media operatives, not because they want things from the media (they know the media cannot go in that direction) but simply because they want to know what the people are saying and thinking. Guyana is an exception. We have an overwhelming flow of narcissistic chauvinism that Burnham and Jagan first introduced into politics, that our rulers since those two men came on the scene onto this day believe they know more of what the Guyanese people are thinking that the activists and reporters and commentators who are virtually on the streets every day of the year. You think you can tell Granger or Nagamootoo or any Minister that the people are losing hope? You cannot, because they will tell you that you are either biased, exaggerating or not seeing things from the right perspective. It doesn’t happen in most countries but it is a conspicuous thing about the people with power

here in Guyana. And it makes absolutely no sense telling them that they are blind or too busy or too insensitive to see what is taking place. I had a conversation with one of the most highly placed aides in the government who told the table that rural folks are fed up with Jagdeo’s aggressive bad-mouthing of the government thus, his words have lost their steam. The table was amused. We pointed out to him that Jagdeo’s words will continue to have steam once the Coalition makes egregious mistakes because Jagdeo will use those mistakes to play to the gallery. It is obvious that this aide spends too time in his office than on the ground. If PNC leaders think that Georgetowners find Royston King amusing, then they have their heads in the sand; Georgetowners want the head of King. If editors and commentators should write about the responses they get from the daily publication of their opinions, then that is all they would write about day in day out. You just listen and move on. After I published that column last Wednesday about the government’s use of

US$7 million to refurbish the Convention Centre, the inundation of indignities have not abated. I wonder if Minister Cathy Hughes would find the reaction worrying or just be dismissive. I would like to share some comments that came my way. The first one was an email asking me why should the State spend $1.4 billion on the Centre when Guyana cannot do DNA testing. After that, it was text telling me that the public mortuaries are never functioning consistently so why not use the money to repair them. A telephone caller suggested that Granger put that $1.4 billion in the educational system. Quite a number of folks wanted to know why the government wants to spend so

much money to repair the Centre. Of course the Centre will be reconstructed and that will happen because analysts like me and others who are political watchers will be dismissed with the comment that we are just carping on things that we do not like, but there are people out there who support what the government is doing. None other than the WPA’s Tacuma Ogunseye wrote that the Guyanese people support the retention of NICIL. The reality is that after so many mistakes in such a short space of time, optimism is fast fading and pessimism has returned. One of the biggest supporters of the Coalition when it came to power in May 2015 is one of Guyana’s most learned and

Frederick Kissoon promising legal minds. He told me Wednesday evening; “Freddie I cannot in all seriousness tell young people to remain in Guyana.” When I heard that, a bolt of despondency shot through my soul. This young man was one of the most ardent supporters of the Coalition election campaign. Indeed, pessimism has returned!

Dem boys seh...

Jagdeo talk and talk and talk and seh nutten When people want to express demself and dem is a big one, dem does call a press conference. When some politicians want to talk name dem does call press conference. Then dem got de others who does call press conference when dem want to find out wha people talk bout dem. Jagdeo call a press conference because he want to talk bout everything. Dem boys seh that he coulda use he newspaper because he allow he own reporter to ask him de questions. He talk how he was de best President since Abraham Lincoln. He was de best economist, he was de best planner and he was de best Finance Minister. He didn’t cater fuh one of dem reporter to ask he

bout de Skeldon sugar factory. He talk bout Wales. When he couldn’t talk no more he admit that he must tek some blame. He is de one that buy a coffee mill fuh grind sugar and de coffee mill can’t wuk. Dem boys seh that if Jagdeo was such a good man wid money he couldn’t let dem Chinee smart him. De mill cost less than US$50 million but he pay US$200 million. Nuff people don’t want to seh wha dem think happen. Some people believe that nuff people full dem pocket from de Skeldon project. And some of dem bank dem money overseas. But after that Jagdeo refuse to tek question from any reporter who wasn’t wukking wid him. He refuse

to seh wha he do fuh de economy. He refuse to seh how he get rich and wha he banking he money. Dem boys hear when a reporter ask him bout de radio licence and right away he holler how is Glenn Lall mek de reporter ask that question. He spend another hour talking bout Glenn Lall. Dem boys seh he talk so long that he got to call another press conference today to talk bout dem other things. But he still got one question to answer. How come he never hold nuff press conference when he was president? Why he use to hide? And wha happen to he foundation? Talk half and get Jagdeo to answer some more questions.

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

Sugar worker charged with knifing reputed wife to death

Killed: Yansen Brush

A cane harvester who fatally stabbed his reputed wife to death on Monday, was yesterday charged with her murder. Winston Benjamin, aka “Blood”, 43, who was attached to the Skeldon Estate and a resident of Lot 40 Ulverston Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was charged with murdering Yansen Brush, 38, a mother of four and a can-

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

teen operator attached to the Alness Primary School. The accused was not required to plead to the indictable charge of murder as he stood in the prisoners’ dock before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the Whim Magistrate’s Court. Benjamin, who was unrepresented and seemed somewhat remorseful, with tears in his eyes, exited the court-

room heavily guarded and flanked by relatives of his and his reputed wife. His eldest daughter who was also present had to be restrained as she could not control her emotions as she saw her father, the man whom she will always remember, as the one who murdered her mother. As Benjamin walked down the court steps his eldest daughter was seen and heard screaming and crying while shouting, “Why you kill she? Why?” She had to be tugged away by relatives. According to the facts of the case, Benjamin went into hiding after he knifed his reputed wife to death in a nearby shop a few houses away from her home. He escaped into the Ulverston Backlands with the murder weapon still in his grasp. He later surrendered to authorities in the Kookrit Savannah area Black Bush Polder after being cornered the following day. Benjamin was remanded and is expected to return to court on the 19th December, 2016 for the commencement of a Preliminary Inquiry.

Jagdeo says economy slowing down, but offers no clear solution By Kiana Wilburg Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, continues to hold the coalition Government solely responsible for the slowdown in the economy. It is a mantra that he has been singing consistently at his press conferences and yesterday’s meeting with the press at Freedom House was no different. But challenged to put aside his criticisms and provide a solution, Jagdeo said, “There are lots of things that could be done. But first of all, it is the government having a matrix that allows development; that is infused with the philosophy of growth and development.” Jagdeo said that this matrix for growth must be shielded from extraneous issues that can harm that objective. The issue became even more confusing. “This matrix has to be composed of consistent, clear policies to investors …(But) What you have now is every single Minister commenting on issues that could harm the investment environment. So it must be clear. I am just going to talk broadly because I can go into details but I don’t want to do so at this press conference.” The Opposition leader said that consistency with policies which include incentives is also a must. He did not say what specific policies he meant in this regard or what the incentives should be. The former President said that there must also be uniform application when it comes to those policies. Also, part of his solution is for the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, to focus more on growth rather than managing for ratios. Jagdeo said, “So I think if those things happen, clear guidelines to investors, uniformity in application of those guidelines and an enabling budgetary environment supporting those initiatives that you can do well in an economy like ours. I can disaggregate those three into hundreds of examples and policies…” The optimistic Opposition Leader also said that within the first 24 hours of the PPP assuming office in the future, there are already 22 things which his regime would have to reverse. He said that these issues are economic in nature. But challenged to name just two of those 22 things, Jagdeo said, “Not at this press conference; maybe another time.” Jagdeo also bemoaned criticisms that the government inherited an economy that was grossly mismanaged and left in a terrible state.

President, David Granger He said that for 10 years straight, under the PPP, Guyana was touted as having one of the fastest growing economies in the region and perhaps in the western hemisphere. Jagdeo said that under the PPP, most sectors were doing well, the revenue base was solid, they left a pipeline of multimillion dollar projects, and oil was found during its tenure in office, among other things. “So how can you say you inherited an economy that was in bad shape? You have to be sick, delusional to say this. So that is the new explanation…” It was only a few days ago that President David Granger in his address to Parliament, chronicled the industrial catastrophes that his Government inherited from the PPP regime. The President said that the coalition administration entered a depressing financial landscape in May 2015. He said that the economic legacy that the nation inherited was characterized by a lack of strategic planning and whimsical decision-making. Granger said that the absence of a policy to provide employment opportunities for youth and to reduce extreme poverty and the failure to energize the manufacturing sector weakened the economy. He stressed that economic mismanagement was accompanied by huge debts for unpaid international obligations and court judgments. The Head of State said that the gravest financial problem was the bankruptcy of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) which owed $89 billion in debts. “Your Government was forced to divert money from economic development and social projects to rescue the ailing corporation with an immediate injection of $12 billion. An additional $11 billion had to be provided the next year,

2016, making a total of $23 billion bailout in 18 months,” the President said. Granger said that these transfers exclude the serv i c i n g o f G U Y S U C O ’s debts in respect of the Skeldon Estate Modernization Project which he deemed as a monstrous and monumental US$200 million mistake and, probably, Guyana’s single most costly industrial catastrophe of all time. Furthermore, the President said that paddy farmers in the rice industry were not spared the previous administration’s reckless mismanagement. He said, “The PetroCaribe Fund – used to meet payments to farmers for rice and paddy shipped to Venezuela – contained less than US$1 million in May 2015. Your Government was forced to make available nearly $4 billion immediately so that poor paddy farmers could be paid.” Granger continued, “Your Government inherited a large number of liabilities, including judgements in excess of US$34 million (or G$7 billion) in favour of NH Elias, in respect of the East Bank Demerara Road; judgement for $1.3 billion in favour of Rudisa Beverages; judgement in favour of Trinidad Cement Limited; settlement for$1.4 billion with B.K. Tiwarie on Haags Bosch Project and several other judgements that will cost the State.” He added, “Your Government, also, was obliged to provide another $5.4 billion bailout to the National Insurance Scheme as a consequence of the previous administration’s irresponsible CLICO investment.” The President said, too, that the Government, despite encountering this immense mountain of debt, was able to meet commitments to the nation’s hard-working public servants. The minimum wage grew from $39,520 in May 2015, to $55,000 in January 2016, an increase of 39.2 per cent in seven months. Granger said that public servants have benefitted, in addition, from the raising of the tax threshold, from $600,000 in May 2015 to 660,000 in January 2016; the removal of income tax from workers’ contributions to the National Insurance Scheme and a tax-free payment of $50,000 to all workers earning less than $500,000, in December 2015. He said that these benefits, taken together, augmented workers disposable income significantly.

Friday October 21, 2016

PAGE 13

Kaieteur News

Jagdeo bars Kaieteur News from Irregular Procurement at asking questions at press conference Health Ministry prompt probe … Allows his newspaper to dominate Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, hosted a press conference at Freedom House yesterday and spoke for just over an hour before he fielded his first question. Yet he limited questions from Kaieteur News reporters. The first question he accepted was posed by a reporter attached to the newspaper he owns with his best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. Jagdeo entertained two questions from that reporter. The moderator, Zulfikar Mustapha then asked if any other reporter wished to pose further questions. The two reporters representing Kaieteur News at the press conference simultaneously indicated, by raised hands, that they wished to question the Opposition Leader. The two were the only reporters in the room who indicated, at that time, their interest to pose questions so Jagdeo allowed one of the reporters to ask questions. When that reporter finished, the other Kaieteur News representative attempted to pose questions to Jagdeo after receiving permission to do so by the moderator. However, Jagdeo said, “No, no, no, you cannot ask any question. Your colleague already asked questions.”

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo He then asked if any other reporter wished to take the floor. After taking questions from one other media house, Jagdeo again allowed the reporter from his newspaper to ask further questions. This occurred even with objections from the Kaieteur News reporter who was deprived of asking questions. At that stage the reporter simply walked out. The reporter wanted to ask Jagdeo how could he criticize the government for not offering an increase in salary for workers of a dying sugar industry knowing that his investment in an almost useless Skeldon plant was one of the major wounds inflicted on the

industry. The reporter wanted Jagdeo to explain why he is so obsessed with Glenn Lall, the Kaieteur News Publisher, to the point where his only concern about the broadcasting sector, based on his opening statement, is that Lall seems aggrieved that he has not yet been granted a radio licence. Jagdeo totally ignored the fact that the Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is under investigations for corruption. The discord on that Board and the stalled progress were of no interest to Jagdeo. The reporter wanted to know how Jagdeo has no concern about the fact that the Board has done nothing to improve the broadcast sector since its appointment. The reporter also wanted Jagdeo to speak about the wealth he has accumulated during his political career and has stored in an overseas account. Also, the reporter wanted to ask Jagdeo how is it that he can criticize this government about corrupt deals when he supervised some of the most corrupt projects and negotiated the most questionable deals during his presidential tenure. Those questions remain unanswered.

Jagdeo concedes that PPP should shoulder blame for sugar woes -Remains open to talks with Govt. on the future of GuySuCo For months, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has been bashing the government for its failure to solve the issues affecting the sugar industry. But he admitted yesterday, that indeed, the PPP regime should shoulder some of the blame for the prevailing sugar woes. Jagdeo made this comment during a press conference held yesterday at Freedom House. There, the former President was asked by Kaieteur News whether he felt that the PPP should essentially take some responsibility for the troubles facing the sugar sector since those problems did not start 17 months ago. The Opposition leader said, “On the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), I agree. I agree absolutely with what you are saying that the troubles with GuySuCo started some time back and a lot of it had to do with the cuts in the European Union prices where we lost about US$40M per annum of rev-

enue.” Jagdeo added, “But when the Government decided to close the Wales Sugar Estate, I said to them that we are prepared to sit and talk about the future of the industry because we believe that it has a

future.” The Opposition Leader said that he is still open to talks with the government once they have a serious approach that is not political or a product of some Cabinet Committee.

An investigation into allegations of financial improprieties within the Ministry of Public Health is reportedly underway. It could even result in a number of key officials being sent home. According to information reaching this publication, among the officials who will be required to be off the job to facilitate the needed investigation is Permanent Secretary within the Public Health Ministry, Mr. Trevor Thomas. Yesterday, Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, neither confirmed nor denied plans to send the Permanent Secretary on administrative leave to facilitate the investigation. The Minister, however, divulged that “a recommendation has been made for an investigation of the Ministry and persons might have to be absent for that to be properly done.” But a reliable source close to the Public Health Ministry has disclosed that a decision has been made for Thomas to commence administrative leave. However, when contacted yesterday Thomas insisted that he was not aware that he was sent on administrative leave. “I don’t know about that; this is the first time I am hearing something about that. I am surprised that the media would have something like

Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton

Permanent Secretary, Mr. Trevor Thomas

that...Where did ya’ll get that information from?” questioned Thomas as he insisted that he was on vacation leave which he had applied for. “I am on two weeks’ vacation leave which ends on Friday and I (will) resume duty on Monday,” Thomas asserted. But Thomas might not have even been aware about plans for the investigation or even pending plans for persons, possibly himself, to be sent on leave, before being made privy by this publication. This is in light of Minister Norton’s disclosure that the decision to undertake the investigation was indeed made while

Thomas was away on leave. According to the Minister, the need for the investigation was promoted by “allegations of unwholesome activities with respect to procurement” that have surfaced. Just last year government was forced to terminate the employment of former Permanent Secretary within the very Ministry, Leslie Cadogan. Cadogan was first asked to proceed on accumulated leave in July and by September, following an investigation, his service was terminated. Thomas was then appointed to act in the capacity of Permanent Secretary.

PAGE 14

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

Head of Major Crimes Unit testifies in Babita Sarjou murder PI Detective Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mitchell Caesar, the Officer in Charge of the Major Crimes Investigations Unit was yesterday called as the final witness in the Voir Dire (trial within a trial). The voir dire is being conducted to inquire into the circumstances where an alleged caution statement was given by Darrel Pronton, one of the men charged with the capital offence. Babita Sarjou’s exspouse, Sharnandand Naraine, called ‘Anand’ of Lot 51 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown,

and Pronton called ‘Yankee’ of Lot 54 Broad Street, Charlestown, are currently on remand for the woman’s murder. ASP Caesar, who is stationed at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, was cross examined by Pronton, whose attorney Nigel Hughes, was absent. Naraine’s attorney, Peter Hugh, was also absent. The court was told that Hugh was before a judge in the Demerara Criminal Assizes. Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan adjourned the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) until

October 24, when another Voir Dire will commence to examine the circumstances in which an alleged caution statement was given by Naraine. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum and his team of detectives were able to crack the case on May 22, last, after they spent over five hours digging up a site at Naraine’s Lot 51 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, home where they believed Sarjou’s body was buried. After digging the site, detectives recovered skeletal remains; they suspect are those of the woman.

MURDERED: Babita Sarjou

MURDER ACCUSED: Sharnandand Naraine

MURDER ACCUSED: Darrel Pronton

However, to confirm, police have since sent DNA samples overseas for testing, According to reports, Sarjou had left her home to go to the Diwali motorcade on the eve of November 4, 2010 with Naraine who had

called her. He reportedly picked her up in his car and while she was sitting in the front passenger seat she was strangled by Pronton who was reportedly seated at the back of the car.

Sarjou’s lifeless body was allegedly transported to Naraine’s house where he resided with his wife and children. Reports had indicated that Naraine had dug her grave two days before she was killed.

GWI to offer support to diarrheal-hit Kamarang Guyana Water Incorporated is preparing to send a team into Kamarang, Region Seven, to assess and offer technical solutions to help appease a diarrheal outbreak. The outbreak has been linked to abandoned works on a well thus resulting in the residents there not being able to access potable water. In fact, the water company was named as the culprit for the ongoing works. But this was categorically dispelled by GWI in a statement issued yesterday. “The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) wishes to respond to an article on the inewsguyana.com website which suggests that GWI is responsible for an outbreak of diarrhoea in the Amerindian community of Kamarang in Region Seven,” said the statement. Headlined “Kamarang Hit

- not responsible for well project with Diarrhoea Outbreak”, the October 20, 2016 article said the situation is as a result of the absence of potable water. The article pointed to a well being drilled by GWI. It also mentioned Minister of Public Health Dr. George Norton as saying “It (the well) only reached to 50 feet and it was halted. I am concerned about that and I want GWI to explain the situation”. But GWI informed that “the well in question was and is not a project being undertaken by GWI. In fact, it is a project being carried out by the Basic Needs Trust Fund.” Nonetheless, GWI said that it is treating the report with utmost importance and will be sending a team to assess the situation and

provide technical solutions for the community. The team, it was noted, will be headed by Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for water, Dawn Hastings. The Minister will be accompanied by GWI’s Managing Director Dr. Richard Van West-Charles and Executive Director of Project Implementation and Partnership Building, Ramchand Jailal among other experts. The team of GWI officials will be taking a number of Lifesaver filters to distribute to the community of Kamarang on Friday, October 21, 2016. The filters will allow for the access of potable water for consumption by villagers.

Friday October 21, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Survey shows 1,454 coconut farmers in Guyana The National Coconut Development Roadmap was launched, yesterday, reinforcing Government’s commitment to the resuscitation of the local coconut industry. The coconut holds enormous opportunities for wealth creation. The launch comes at a time when Guyana is observing Agriculture Month and Coconut Awareness Week. Beginning today and continuing over the weekend, a series of activities have been organized to make the first Coconut Festival entertaining and informative. The Roadmap was held at Grand Coastal Inn, East Coast Demerara. Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin; Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth; Director of General Tourism, Donald Sinclair; Head of the National Stakeholder Platform on Coconuts, Raymond Trotz; coconut farmers, among others were all there for the launch.

National Coconut Development Roadmap launched

Delivering remarks at the pre-festival activity Dr. Oudho Homenauth said that a recent survey revealed that there are 1,454 coconut farmers in Guyana. While, the industry comprises a large number of estates, small farmers comprise a significant proportion of the industry. This is especially so in the Pomeroon, Wakenaam and

East Coast Demerara. Dr. Homenauth said that there are several positive features of the coconut industry, including a large production base across the country; existing knowledge of coconut production and processing; dependence of households on income generated from the industry; some locations are ideal for

Five bandits pounce on household... (From page 3) shoot, we had to back down,” the man said, adding that approximately six shots were fired. According to the overseas-based Guyanese, his brother was shot when he tried to put up a fight. “These people were sent here because when we come here on Tuesday, the tenant was sitting (outside) and my wife had a white bag and when

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin (left), Donald Sinclair and Oudho Homenauth at the launch of the coconut roadmap

Some of the participants in the Roadmap

they come, as soon as they got that white bag, they runaway,” the man said. The gunmen escaped on foot. The wounded man was rushed to the Diamond Diag-

nostic Centre before being transferred to the GPHC where he later succumbed. Investigators are expected to revisit the family home to check surveillance footage in the neighbourhood.

coconut production more than other crops; pest and diseases problems are limited and manageable at this juncture; and importantly, there are renewed investment interests with respect to production and value added. He noted that recent studies have indicated that the potential offered by the new market opportunities requires addressing a number of key challenges, some of which NAREI has started putting measures in place to

rectify. These include establishing nurseries for coconut seedlings (planting materials); exposing staff to learning materials about coconut production so as to transfer knowledge to farmers; and conducting research in the area of pest and diseases management. However, NAREI, and by extension Government, cannot do it alone. Private farmers also need to play a crucial role in accessing

quality planting materials. A related activity would be the gradual rehabilitation of aged palms; even with the high financial cost attached to it would be a worthwhile investment. He added that there is a need for improving processing technology, provision of training, and technical support for value added products among small entrepreneur as a basis for entry expansion in the domestic and export markets.

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Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

2017 Budgetary allocations of Constitutional agencies for National Assembly next week The National Assembly is expected to consider, next week, a motion on the approval of the 2017 current and capital estimates of the nation’s Constitutional agencies. For the Parliament Office, $1,723,483,000 has been allocated for the period ending December 31, 2017. The Office of the Auditor General has received a budgetary allocation totaling $771,215,000. The Public and Police Service Commission’s allocation

is $95,236,000. While the Teaching Service Commission and the Guyana Elections Commission have a budgetary allotment of $150,741,000 and $5,822,974,000 respectively. Other constitutional agencies include the Supreme Court, Human Rights Commission, Rights of the Child Commission, the Office of Public Prosecutions, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Public Service Appellate Tribunal; the Public Procurement

Commission, the Ethnic Relations Commission and the Judicial Service Commission and the Indigenous People’s Commission. It was in 2015 that a significant piece of legislation geared at allowing key bodies their financial independence was passed in the National Assembly. That legislation was the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2015. It allows for lump sum payments to be made to constitutional agencies

thereby making them free from the automatic obligations and the discretionary powers exercised by the Minister of Finance. Minister of Finance Winston Jordan had explained that there are checks and balances in place to ensure that abuse does not take place, as

annual reports and audited financial statements will be required to be prepared and presented. Jordan made it clear that the bodies must enjoy fiscal autonomy so that they can serve the Guyanese people. He said that it will prevent the executive from micro-manag-

ing the finances of budgetary agencies. Under previous arrangements, the bodies were at the mercy of the ministries, having to apply for simple things like monies to travel. The new arrangements serve to boost public confidence in the offices.

Sugar workers strike over GuySuCo’s inability to pay increase

Sugar workers on protests in Berbice yesterday. The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) yesterday called a one-day strike in disagreement following GUYSUCO’s decision to consider wages increases until the year 2020. During last year, GUYSUCO stated that they were going to have a meeting to discuss the possibility of a wage increase for workers in 2017, however on Tuesday, GAWU heads met with the workers and announced that GUYSUCO had pushed the date back to 2020. This did not sit well with the workers, thus them call-

ing the one day strike to gain the executives’ attention that they were not going to accept such. According to Fizal Inderdat, a General Council Member, “GUYSUCO inflating the figures, when they say that they owe so much debt is not so much they really owe.” As they chanted “No wages, No wuk”, the council member also reiterated that “when you check the liability of GUYSUCO with all the buildings that they have it is $32B they owe and the executives getting $339M a year”. He stressed that this

is unfair since all workers have a right to a wage increase. Another frustrated worker, Stephen Indardat, told this publication, “We in the sugar industry also deserve more than what we are getting here; the public servants are getting their benefits so why can’t we?” The workers are hoping that the decision made will be retracted and discussed with the workers on the way forward since they all are crying out that it is not enough for them to take care of their respective families.

Guyana has highest percentage of annual real GDP Growth in CARICOM – UNDP Report The Caribbean Human Development Report (CHDR) 2016 published for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has ranked Guyana as having the highest percentage average of annual real GDP growth as of 2015. The report was launched yesterday at the University of Guyana by United Nations representatives in the presence of stakeholders and Ministers of Government. Presenting the findings of the CHDR report was Kenroy Roach, Regional Advisor, UNDP. The report stated that Guyana enjoyed a 4.5 per cent average annual real GDP growth from 2011 to 2015.

Ranking behind Guyana are St. Kitts with 3.3 per cent and Haiti also with 3.3 per cent annual growth. The UNDP which works closely with the International Monetary Fund has reported the IMF has projected that all CARICOM countries except Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago will experience positive economic growth in 2016. According to Roach, in relation to economic growth the UNDP look at some of the enablers of economic growth. He suggested that Caribbean states need to address what are the underlying issues to improve regional competitiveness. In doing this, Roach said that countries will be able

to unlock their true potential. He said that some of these underlying issues are human capital, the environment, information technology and energy. Roach said that energy relates to diversification of the sector in relation to breaking the reliance on fossil fuels and bringing more renewable energy into the energy mix. Also, Roach said that countries need to begin identifying what are some of the bottlenecks that need to be removed both in the public and private sectors to improve and unleash the potential which exists. He said that sluggish (Continued on page 31)

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Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

US-China WTO wrangle Berbice focuses on diabetes strengthens Antigua and Barbuda resolve against US Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, has noted the robust response on October 18, last, by the United States government to a trade dispute with China, discussed under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the US House of Representatives, Kevin Brady, has called the action against China a “victory”, describing it as “another example of how our nation wins when we rigorously enforce our trade agreements.” Mr Brady went on to say that the US “must continue to hold China and our trading partners accountable”. Browne said that he

expects the US government to uphold its obligations to Antigua and Barbuda, arising from a WTO judgement over Internet gaming, in the same way that US officials demand compliance from other countries. Joining in US triumphalism on the China matter, the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, said in a statement that “This is another important victory for United States aerospace manufacturers, and the many thousands of American workers and families they employ.” Prime Minister Browne observed that more than 12 years after winning a judgement at the WTO against the US for a violation of WTO trade rules,

Package set for December... (From page 21) Hospitality Association of Guyana THAG and Product Development Officer at Wilderness Explorer Andrea De Caries who also pledged to provide bed sheets and nets for the village’s guest house. Warapoka is located between Moruca and Mabaruma but on the Waini River and is home to approximately five hundred residents. The Village Toshao is Newton Wilson.

“Antiguan and Barbudan workers and their families are yet to see the US compensate our country for the sum of US$21 million per year since 2007 that the WTO ruled is due to our country”. In this connection, Prime Minister Browne disclosed that Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US, Sir Ronald Sanders, who was tasked in August this year to lead discussions with the US, has been instructed to reenergise discussions with the US Trade Representative’s Office to secure Antigua and Barbuda’s entitlements, or the government will be forced to implement the terms of the WTO award against the US. The award allows Antigua and Barbuda to sell US copyrighted material without paying fees or royalties up to the sum of US$21 million per annum. The Prime Minister also disclosed that, in a few weeks’ time, his government will inform the WTO of the continued failure of the US to settle the matter, and of the steps being contemplated to hold its trading partner to account.

The medical team that hosted the diabetic session A one-day session on diabetes at the New Amsterdam Town Hall was a collaborative effort between the Regional Health Services of Berbice, the New Amsterdam Hospital and the Guyana Diabetic Association. This recent event attracted a large cross section of people, a number of whom are diabetic. They were exposed to an interactive session on healthy living. They were given exercise tips and samples of food that should be consumed for a long healthy life. Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Some of the symptoms associated with this chronic non-communicable disease include increased urine output, thirst, and hunger as well as fatigue. Persons also suffer from the numbness of feet or loss of protective sensation, in which people with diabetes are more likely to get foot ulcers. President of The Guyana Diabetic Association, Ms Glenis Alonzo-Beaton, said that the association will be moving aggressively to help people deal with the disease. According to Ms AlonzoBeaton, many persons don’t know that they are diabetic. There needs to be more education and more testing. Sessions were led by Chief Medical Officer of the New Amsterdam Hospital Dr. Vishalya Sharma and include Dr. Carr, Dr. Nelson, Dr. Dos Ramos, CEO Colin Bynoe and

Nurse Michelle Mars among others. At the end of the sessions a Berbice Diabetic Association was formed headed by Matron of the New Amsterdam hospital, Annette Paul Lyken. The association plans to be aggressive in its approach by going out into the communities, use the media and also organise mass activities to help tackle this scourge. According to Ms. Alonzo-Beaton who will be taking up the chairmanship of the North American and Caribbean Region of the International Diabetic Federation, an estimated 12 percent of the population are diabetics, one of the highest in the Caribbean. There are about 70,000 persons suffering from diabetes in Guyana with about 8000 new persons being tested every year.

Friday October 21, 2016

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Kaieteur News

National dialogue examines legal framework for AIDS epidemic While there are some good practices in relation to the local response to the AIDS epidemic, there are yet some existing weaknesses. This state of affairs was highlighted during a recent national dialogue on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the law. The forum, which was held at the Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, Arthur Chung Convention Centre, spanned the period October 13 – 14, 2016. Approximately 35 people representing different Government sectors, including Public Health, Education, Social Protection, Legal Affairs, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and Public Security, and civil society organisations and individuals participated in the dialogue, which was also observed by several international development partners. Minister of Public Health,

Dr. George Norton, who opened the National Dialogue, stated that while “Guyana has achieved laudable milestones in response to the AIDS epidemic…notable challenges also remain. We have to address stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV or AIDS and against key populations; we need to provide wider access in the hinterland regions, and continue to scale-up access to treatment and retention of patients in care,” the Minister related. This National Dialogue, the third of its kind in the Caribbean, was supported by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The town hall style meeting was moderated by Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Dean of the Faculty of Law at

the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus. The dialogue reviewed good practices as well as weaknesses within the legal framework that hamper the comprehensive response to the AIDS epidemic. Cases related to a number of themes were reviewed. These included violence against women/gender-based violence, children and adolescents in residential homes/orphanages, people with disabilities, indigenous populations, sexual orientation and gender identity, sex work, prisons and detention centres and discrimination in social and health services. United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, said, “In order to ensure that Guyana reaches its Fast Track Targets to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, we will have to remain vigilant and address the challenges of

Banks employees robbed, locked in delivery truck Salesman Trevor Thom, of West Ruimveldt, and two porters, all employees of Banks DIH Limited, were allegedly robbed of an undisclosed sum of cash. The alleged robbery took place at about 19:00hrs Wednesday night at Beterverwagting Public Road, East Coast Demerara, by three men, one armed with a handgun.

It was reported that the driver and porters were in the company’s vehicle proceeding west, when they were allegedly intercepted by a dark-coloured motor car. The car suddenly stopped in front of the delivery truck, causing Thom to slam on the brakes. The men subsequently exited the motor car, approached the Banks DIH delivery truck and

relieved the occupants of the day’s earnings which was in the truck. The employees were placed at the back of the truck and bound with duct tape. Kaieteur News was informed that the trio was subsequently freed by a passer-by who heard them banging the walls of the truck which was parked at Enmore Railway Embankment.

NTC Chairman urges Toshaos to put aside political differences Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Joel Fredericks, is urging all Toshaos to put political differences aside for the development of their communities. Fredericks, during a recent statement to the Government Information Agency (GINA), said one of the main factors hindering the development of many indigenous communities is their different political affiliation. According to Fredericks, in every community there are different levels of cohesion. He noted that many people are not open to the possibilities of working together. “As a leader who is elected to serve your people,

Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Joel Fredericks you must be open-minded to work with people, work with the government, work with different stakeholders for the

development of your community,” he said. The Chairman pointed out that the Toshaos need to recognize the importance of the three years they spend as a leader of their community. “If you would only fight and find fault in the three years, at the end, you would not accomplish anything for your people, so I see partnership as important for the development of your community,” he said. According to the Government statement, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs. Sydney Allicock, since taking up office in May 2016, has also been urging Toshaos to work with residents and develop plans for the improvement of their communities.

stigma and discrimination and ensure that all the citizens of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana have access to comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment Programmes.” The format of the National Dialogue allowed the different actors who were part of the conversation to develop concrete and actionable recommendations for a more enabling legal environment to address the social, cultural and economic determinants of HIV. Some of the recommendations included calls for strengthened collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health and other Government ministries; establishment of the Human Rights Commission to receive complaints and investigate human rights violations; review of the manner of

provision of HIV services in prisons to ensure patient confidentiality and encourage testing and treatment and culturally appropriate HIV public health interventions in Indigenous communities. The UNAIDS Country Director, Dr. Martin Odiit, thanked Government and civil society for their active participation in the National Dialogue which, he said, is a demonstration of their commitment to fast tracking the AIDS response so as to achieve the SDG target of ending AIDS by 2030. The National Dialogue on HIV and the Law was described as a unique opportunity for Guyanese civil society to present their experiences related to HIV and the law, including suggestions on policies, dayto-day practices and the legal

framework as a whole. It therefore allowed for interaction between those most affected by HIV and the persons with the capacity to make and implement decisions to respond to the issues presented. Part of Guyana’s achievements in terms of HIV is that more than 4, 500 people are accessing antiretroviral treatment in 22 health centres countrywide. This, along with a noticeable reduction of mother to child transmission, has been listed among the significant advances Guyana has made in dealing with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Nonetheless populations at higher risk of HIV infection are still confronting several obstacles that limit their ability to access comprehensive health and social services.

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Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

High Court halts Tribunal GPL battles to find transmission probing Carvil Duncan faults that are causing outages

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo Not so fast! That seems to be the message Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Carvil Duncan, is sending the government. Duncan has caused the High Court to order a suspension of the work of a Presidential Tribunal that has been set up to determine whether the criminal charges he is currently facing is enough to have him removed from office. The order was granted by Justice Franklin Holder. This order prohibits the threemember Tribunal from investigating and pronouncing on whether Duncan should re-

Commissioner, Carvil Duncan

main a Member of the Public Service Commission, Judicial Service Commission and the Police Service Commission. Duncan is being represented in court by Anil Nandlall. Nandlall has told the court in writing that the enquiry by the Tribunal prejudices Carvil Duncan’s fair trial rights. He said, “The decision to investigate the Applicant reflects a premature conclusion and/or opinion by the State that he is guilty even before he is tried and proven guilty before the Court which is properly seized of the criminal charges preferred against him.” Nandlall also said that the grounds upon which the Tribunal was launched are unlawful, unconstitutional, premature, prejudicial, contrary to the rules of natural justice, arbitrary, capricious, in breach of Duncan’s legitimate expectation and is null, void and of no effect. Justice Holder also quashed Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s advice to President David Granger that the question of removing Duncan from those Commissions ought to be investigated on similar grounds of it being unlawful. Duncan said in court papers that he never received the Prime Minister’s letter asking him to show cause why a Tribunal should not have been set up to investigate his removal from office. He said he was never afforded an opportunity to be heard. “The Prime Minster failed when requested to do so in writing to provide any evidence to establish delivery of the said letter to the Applicant.” He also told the Court that he wrote Nagamootoo expressing his concerns. Duncan told the court that his lawyer wrote the Tribunal which commenced hearing on October 10, last. Members were told that the Tribunal “is an interference with the administration

of criminal justice and that the Tribunal will assume illegal purposes in the event it furthers the terms of reference. Our client is entitled to the presumption of innocence guaranteed to him by Article 144 of the Constitution of Guyana and is to be treated as a person wholly innocent of the charges referred to. “No enquiry can be conducted by the Tribunal into the allegations that are the subject of the criminal proceedings. In the premises our client is advised that your appointment is unlawful and that the Tribunal has been established for illegal purposes to his prejudice and in subversion of the rule of law.” “Our client received no communication from the Honourable Prime Minister and was not afforded an opportunity to be heard prior to the decision taken by the Prime Minister advising the President that the question of our client’s removal from office should be investigated.” He said that he also appeared before the Tribunal with Nandlall asking the body not to proceed with its investigation. Duncan told the Court that he offered grounds. He noted, “No hearing was afforded to me prior to the Prime Minister tendering his advice to the President to launch that my removal from office should be investigated pursuant to Article 225 (4) of the Constitution and therefore, the tribunal itself, was unlawfully established and that the course of action which the tribunal is embarking upon is in violation of and repugnant to the presumption of innocence accorded to me as a fundamental right and freedom by Article 144 of the Constitution and therefore the tribunal will be acting unconstitutionally, unlawfully and illegally.” But again, the objections were overruled and the Tribunal decided to proceed to discharge its mandate.

Technicians are continuing to battle with issues of a Chinese-constructed transmission line in the city that has been the cause of a spate of outages in the past few weeks. According to Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), it is currently assessing data to determine what went wrong with its Demerara system. And GPL is assuring that the power outages will not run into the holiday season. Chief Executive Officer (CEO acting) of GPL, Renford Homer, in a statement, yesterday explained the problem with the Kingston to Sophia transmission line is the first since it was commissioned in 2014. The official said that maintenance will take a while but would be completed in time for the high demand of the holiday season. “We have completed the inspection (of the transmission line). We have not yet done the maintenance because it means taking the line fully out of operation. That

will affect consumers in a significant way and we’re trying to balance that discomfort. We must have it completed before we head into the Christmas season,” Homer assured. He noted that the power company would be looking at newer controls and technologies that could further assist in identifying the issues. In the interim, the company is assessing data to better understand what went wrong. “We are looking at the data coming out from our Kingston facility and data captured through our Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system known as SCADA and we are looking at a number of parameters,” he said. The power outages have been a major embarrassment for GPL, becoming worse in the last few weeks. GPL’s Demerara and Berbice interconnected systems suffered a major blow in July after a submarine cable, built by CMC, a Chi-

nese contractor, was badly damaged. The cable is the main link between West Demerara, where a new 26 megawatts power station is and the interconnected grid of East Demerara and Berbice. The excess power from Vreed-en-Hoop that East Demerara and Berbice had to do without had been proving a major problem with GPL forced to cut power often. GPL has been blaming a faulty distribution system and has insisted that there is enough generation. But consumers have been feeling the squeeze with several shutdowns this week. A major US$18M project to upgrade the low and medium voltage lines and install smart meters and transformers has been on hold for more than eight months now with technical persons still “evaluating”. There was another project commissioned last year that involved the building of seven sub-stations and new high-power transmissions lines on the coastlands.

Nations agree on global road map to steer breakneck urbanization QUITO, Ecuador (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The United Nations formally adopted a global road map to grapple with rapid urbanization yesterday, capping nearly two years of behind-the-scenes international negotiations aimed at designing development priorities for cities and towns over the long term. The New Urban Agenda (NUA) sets out a host of general goals such as development of sustainable and compact cities that do not harm the environment and redevelopment of informal settlements with the participation of residents. The 23-page document was agreed upon at the U.N. Habitat III conference, held every 20 years to discuss the future of the world’s cities, by the U.N.’s 193-member nations. “Urbanization is happening at an unprecedented pace and scale, and 3.7 billion people now live in cities. We think in the forthcoming years, by 2050, this will rise to 7 billion,” said Joan Clos, executive director of Habitat III. “It is historic in the sense that never in human history have we seen such a transformation of human society,”

he said. “This represents huge challenges, and the NUA aims to guide strategy to face these challenges.” Unlike the 2015 climate negotiations in Paris that sought legally binding agreements on global warming, the NUA is non-binding. Clos said it should be seen as a guide to generate debate before implementation at the national level. “We want to say that we need not fear urbanization,” he said. “There are some countries that want to stop urbanization, put a wall against it. We want to guide it.” Many points in the NUA are related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the U.N. last year to end poverty and inequality by 2030. One SDG calls for making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The NUA drew sharp criticism from a number of scientists who say it fails to address the urgency of growing urbanization and contains no tangible plan. “(This) is entirely absent from the NUA. The planet has already moved beyond critical planetary boundaries related to climate, biodiversity, land use and fertilizer use,” said

Timon McPhearson, assistant professor of urban ecology at The New School in New York. Nearly one billion poor people live in urban slums and informal settlements in about 100,000 cities around the world, in dire need of clean water, energy, food, sanitation and health services, he said. The U.N. estimates that number will triple by 2030. “Without a clear plan for implementation of the NUA and related SDGs, we will not make the needed progress for even basic quality of life and livelihoods in informal and other urban settlements,” McPhearson said.Some members of the global scientific community plan to join forces at an international conference in 2018 to explore urban issues and solutions and look at what has been implemented from the NUA. Habitat III was seen as particularly significant as it was held when for the first time, more people live in cities than in rural areas. In 2014, 54 percent of the global population lived in cities but by 2050, the U.N. expects this figure to reach 66 percent.

Friday October 21, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Mosul offensive going faster Totally unacceptable than planned, Iraqi PM says ...T&T PM knocks homicide detection rate

Members of Iraqi security forces celebrate after the liberation of Khalidiya village from Islamic State militants, south of Mosul, yesterday. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (Reuters) - The offensive to seize back Mosul from Islamic State is going faster than planned, Iraq’s prime minister said yesterday, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched a new military operation to clear villages on the city’s outskirts. Howitzer and mortar fire started at dawn, hitting a group of villages held by Islamic State about 10-20 km (612 miles) from Mosul, while helicopters flew overhead, according to Reuters reporters at two frontline locations north and east of Mosul. To the sound of machine gun fire and explosions, dozens of black Humvees of the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), mounted with machine guns, headed toward Bartella, an abandoned Christian village just east of Mosul. Militants were using suicide car-bombs, roadside bombs and snipers to resist the attack, and were pounding surrounding areas with mortars, a CTS commander said. Hours later, the head of Iraq’s Special Forces, Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, told reporters at a command centre near the frontline that troops had surrounded Bartella and entered the centre of the village. Two soldiers were hurt and none killed, and they had killed at least 15 militants, he said. “After Bartella is Mosul, God willing.” A cloud of black smoke wreathed some frontline villages, probably caused by oil fires, a tactic the militants use to escape air surveillance. Iraqi state TV later quoted a CTS spokesman as saying about 80 insurgents were

killed in fighting in Bartella and 11 suicide car-bombs destroyed. A U.S. service member also died yesterday from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Iraq, the U.S.-led military coalition said in a statement. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a U.S. defense official said the incident took place near Mosul. Roughly 5,000 U.S. forces are in Iraq. More than 100 of them are embedded with Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces involved with the Mosul offensive, advising commanders and helping them ensure coalition air power hits the right targets, officials say. The fighting around Mosul has also forced 5,640 people to flee their homes in the last three days, mostly in the past 24 hours, the International Organization for Migration said yesterday. MORE QUICKLYTHAN WE THOUGHT Prime Minister Haidar alAbadi, addressing anti-Islamic state coalition allies meeting in Paris by a video link, said: “The forces are pushing toward the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programed.” Islamic State denied that government forces had advanced. Under the headline “The crusade on Nineveh gets a lousy start,” the group’s weekly online magazine Al-Nabaa said it repelled all assaults on all fronts, killing dozens in ambushes and suicide attacks and destroying dozens of vehicles includ-

ing tanks. The U.S.-led coalition that includes France, Italy, Britain, Canada and other Western nations is providing air and ground support to the forces that are closing in on the city in an operation that began on Monday. Mosul is the last big stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq and around five times the size of any other city the group has held. The push to capture it is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The United Nations says Mosul could require the biggest humanitarian relief operation in the world, with worstcase scenario forecasts of up to a million people being uprooted by the battle. About 1.5 million residents are still believed to be inside the city, and Islamic State has a history of using civilians as human shields. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said controls were being put in place to check jihadists were not trying to insert themselves among those fleeing Mosul. U.S. President Barack Obama hopes to bolster his legacy by seizing back as much territory as he can from Islamic State before he leaves office in January. Islamic State “will be defeated in Mosul”, Obama said on Tuesday, expecting the fight to be difficult. Iraqi officials and residents of Mosul say Islamic State is preventing people from leaving the city, in effect using them as shields to complicate air strikes and the ground progress of attacking forces.

The homicide detection rate of 17 per cent is “wholly unacceptable” says Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. The Prime Minister, taking questions from the media at the weekly post Cabinet briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair yesterday, said: “We have to admit that we are not effective.” Prior to that statement, Rowley had pointed out that National Security has for successive years been allocated the most money out of the national budget and Government has continued to pump resources into the fight against crime. The result is “unsatisfactory”, he said, but stated that “we have to keep working at it”. He said Government continues to try to get the best from its investments, but reminded the population that those among the citizenry with information regarding criminal activities have a role to play in assisting the police. Policing without information is difficult, if not impossible, he said, and there must be a willingness on the

T&T Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley part of those with information to share it. The Police Service, at a press briefing Monday, admitted to the 17 per cent detection rate, which meant that of a recorded 366 murders for the year so far, people have been caught and charged for about 58 of the crimes. Of that, some people were charged in connection with

more than one of the crimes. President of the TTPS Social and We l f a r e A s s o c i a t i o n , I n s p e c t or Michael Seales, said Monday his organisation was not pleased with the low detection rate and noted that there were a lot of reports of murders but not enough manpower at the Homicide Bureau.

Caribbean Govt’s yet to fulfil financial commitments to Haiti - CDEMA Head (Jamaica Gleaner) - Head of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Ronald Jackson has revealed that some two weeks after Hurricane Matthew ravaged Haiti, Caribbean governments are yet to make good on their commitments to provide financial resources for relief efforts in the former French colony. “We have not received any cash contributions from any of our state partners as yet. We have received pledges from some of them. We anticipate that some of them will come in soon,” he said in an interview with The Gleaner. JAMAICA’S

CONTRIBUTION Speaking specifically to the contribution of the Jamaican Government, Jackson noted that while no money had been forthcoming from Jamaica’s coffers, the country has played an excellent role in being the hub for the regional relief efforts. “Jamaica has made available human resources in keeping with the articles of agreement, which they have signed to which constitutes CDEMA, but at the moment, we haven’t seen any cash into the CEDEMA accounts that have been set up for Haiti and The Bahamas,” he said. Jackson, however, gave special mention to the Turks and Caicos Government and

pointed out that they funded the deployment of the CDEMA team to Bahamas, which was also affected by Hurricane Matthew. In giving an update on CDEMA’s work in Haiti, Jackson said that the regional body has focused mainly on coordination of the relief efforts. “We have targeted, in the first instance, close to 1,000 families ... . We have worked that out to somewhere in the region of US$300,000. So that is what our focus is on at the moment. Depending on what comes out of the larger CARICOM support, we would be looking beyond that to see if we could facilitate some kind of legacy intervention,” he said.

Local Govt. elections in T&T set for Nov. 28 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Local Government elections will be held in the twin island republic on November 28. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley who made the announcement yesterday during a post Cabinet press briefing, also said nomination day will be on November 7. Rowley told reporters that while the government could

have had the election in January, other things were taken into consideration such as elections in the Tobago House of Assembly. The last Local Government Election was held in October 2013. Both the People’s National Movement and the United National Congress have been screening for candidates to represent the party as local

government councillors since August. Local Government reform, which was promised by the PNM prior to elections, is expected to also go to parliament before the year ends. However, Local Government Minister Franklyn Khan has said changes would not affect the upcoming election.

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SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 RAMDASS VISA APPLICATION & immigration services, room A-4, Maraj Building, Georgetown. Call Samantha: 227-0295; 6159295 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air c o n d i t i o n e r, w a s h i n g m a c h i n e s , d r y e r s , T V, microwaves & freezer-Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257

WANTED

VACANCY

FOR RENT

Entertainment Manager to work in the Essequibo Coast: must have experienced in promotions, events & hotel managements. Call: 226-9768

One experienced dispatcher – Call: 231-5784/ 231-4000

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Sales Clerk, must be able bodied ages 18-30yrs. Call: 643-7193 1 Male or female shop assistant to work in the Interior, salary depends on experienced. Call: 678-0565 1 Male to work on vehicle in the interior. Call: 678-0565 Live in waitress. Call: 6439007

EDUCATIONAL IAE – CXC Jan/June 2017 – full time school; lessons/ classes for students, adults, repeaters & beginners. Call Mr. Roberts: 683-5742 Career Training: care for the elderly/care for children/first aid & CPR. Guyana Training College. Call: 227-4881 International Opportunity: support worker/caregiver Training to live & work in Canada. Guyana Training College. Call: 227-4881 Spanish lessons for CXC students & beginners (Form 1, 2, 3) on Saturdays, location at Croal & Light Street. Call: 611-5562

Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665

LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).

FOR SALE/RENT House for rent/ sale @ Lot 107 Durbana Square Lamaha Gardens with 5 bedrooms large parking. Call: 661-8908

Experienced pharmacy assistant to work in reputable pharmacy, interested persons can call: 227-0630 Experienced salesgirls ages 20-35, apply at Christine’s Fashion & Variety Store, 25 Lombard Street, Werk-enRust. Call: 227-8529/ 233-7356 Truck Driver must have lorry licence contact 223-5273/4

Painters to work in Linden. Call: 602-9469 Carpenters, masons, labourer, preferably from Georgetown area. Call: 6907316 between 9:00am-4:00pm

Supervisor/Manager for Xenon hotel in Charity Essequibo contact 223-5273/ 4

Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellvile (Best Buy Food Supplies)

One Nanny for young child contact 223-5273/4

1 Live in domestic. Call: 6741767/ 659-2708 1 Truck Driver, 1 Welder. Call: 218-1455 Live in couple: husband – driving & wife- domestic, one professional room panneller. Call: 227-1813

Live in maid wanted ages 45 & older @ Robb Street. Call: 226-0450 or 627-3205 TO LET 1-3 Bedrooms bottom flat apartment, semi-furnished, full bathroom, good neighbourhood at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. Call: 220-1583/ 667-6066 1-2 Bedrooms apartment fully furnished; 1-2 Bedrooms apartment unfurnished. Call: 667-2536

Bartender, Security, DJ, waitress to work nights & secretary 18-25yrs, Cleaners. Call: 638-5303 Work from home; earn $5,000$20, 00 daily. Call: 643-8212/ 6 2 2 - 1 9 5 7 / email:jobfairworldwide.com Waiters, waitresses, cooks, cashier to work in Trinidad. Call: 643-8212/ 622-1957/ email:jobfairworldwide.com

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP R E AT E S , S P E C I A L OFFERFOR THE SUMMER. CALL: 690-6494

CAR RENTAL

Three bedrooms bottom flat at 116 Cane View Avenue, South Ruimvedlt Gardens. Call: 2181688/ 615-0392/609-7826 One exclusive three bedrooms apartment @ First Bridge Diamond, E.B.D $70,000. Call: 225-5258/6152622 One bedroom bottom flat, fully furnished house $65,000. Call: 641-0959 2 Bedroom fully furnished house with hot & cold shower, Wi-Fi, security cameras, A/C, all amenities $850USD. Call: 641-0959 Space for rent at Ashmin’s Building. 50% off first month’s rent. Call today: 6837954

VEHICLE FOR SALE RZ, Pit Bull, 212 Carina, IST, Verossa, Suzuki Vitaera, Premio, Allion, Fielder Wagon, Spacio- Call: 6507501/ 616-2577 Unregistered Bluebird 2011 Model, Tiida Latio 2010 model, Rush 2006 model( TV, Reverse Camera). Call: 655-3400 Blowout Car Sale!!! IST$2.1M, Spacio-$2.1M, Fielder-$2.1M, Audi A4$3.7M. Contact#650-0402/ 260-4988 Oswin J’s Auto Imports: New Arrivals: Premio, Allion, Fielder, Axio, Rush, X-Trail. Free full coverage insurance. Call: 609-2815 1 Isuzu truck,6 cylinder engine. Contact # 650-0402 1RZ Bus, PLL series in excellent condition with A/C, etc. Price$1.2M. Call: 617-6781 Special Sale: 2009 Belta $2.1M, 2009 Airwave -$2.4M. Call: 617-2891

Spacious 2 bedrooms lower flat at Herstelling E.B.D. Call: 265-0204/6010223/676-5824

2009 Raum- $2.4M, 2009 Sienta -$2.4M, 2009 Axio $2.8M, 2009 Fielder -$2.6M. Call: 617-2891

Self-contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. Tel: 227-2993

Toyota Premio 2008 PSS series, high frequency, remote start, alarm system $2M. Call: 658-5897/-6732692

3 Bedrooms top flat Grove H/ Scheme -$60,000. Call: 6194490/ 604-1781 3 Bedrooms house @ Goed Intent W.B.D. Call: 267-1446 2 Bedrooms apartment for rent on E.C.D- Call: 684-8906

Marketing Reps -$300,000 monthly. Call: 643-8212/ 6221957

Model M truck GTT series $3.9M negotiable- Call: 6667380, 603-7090 One jaguar XJ6 Motor Car Sedan, four doors, executive blue, very good condition, must be seen, prices to sell. Call: 227-8448/ 612-8319 1 Marino PJJ Series $650,000. Call: 619-4490/ 6041781

PROPERTY FOR SALE PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 704 House & Land at Zeelugt, Brother Dam W.C.D -$7M negotiable. Call: 616-5606/ 277-0281 1 Church building in front and 2 story building at the back (W30X6120) @ 180 Charolotte Street Bourda. Call:624-7341/ 227-6817/2265183

DRESSMAKING Jean offers courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral arrangement, and cake decoration @ 153 Barr Street Kitty. Call: 670-2653/ 638-8449

Popular East Coast Gas Station (Non-Pareil) Day/ Night: pump attendants, sales clerk & office assistant. Contact: 695-9880/670-8893

Accounts clerk to work in Charity Essequibo contact 223-5273/4

One domestic to work in Trinidad. Call 1868- 683-1528

Laptop Repairs & unlocking of cell phones, etc. Call: 683-9251 Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen & more @ New Market Street. Call: 697-2969/646-0966

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

House & Land available for sale. Contact Pacific Development Inc: 223-6035/ 227-8274

DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM

Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461

AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: 4WD PICKUP,. CHEAPEST RATE & SPECIAL RATE FOR LONG TERM . CALL: 698-7807

Property @ New Rd Vreeden-Hoop, 3 Houses on lot 50ftX300ft, asking $55M. Call Sunil: (310) 982-8199; Cecil: 630-9455

East Ruimveldt 40X80 flat $12M, Diamond 8th Avenue incomplete top -$12M & 21st Avenue $17M, South 18M. Call: 231-2199/618-7483 Property @ Lot 172 Zohora Street, Market Street Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. Call: 220-1583/667-6066 Property with extra large land well built with 2 storey house @ Back Street BetterHope, E.C.D Won’t last. Call: 2201583/667-6066 Property at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Call: 695-1737 Super Deal: 3 apartments, 7 bedrooms, upper flat, fully furnished @ Eccles, includes Mazda Tribute Vehicle. Call: 618-2603 ( owner migrating)

Unregistered Cars at low prices: Allion, Bluebird, Axela, used Rav4, 4x4 pickup on sale. Call: 676-8876/ 6267478 Equipment Sale: 6X6 TM and Scammell trucks, excavators, crushers. Call: 676-8876, 626-7478

PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 Storey concrete house @ 55 Section B, Non Pariel (first street from main road)- $14M negotiable. Call: 657-8561 immediately. House & Land at LaGrange, W.B.D. Call: 592-6678896 Continued on page 31

Friday October 21, 2016

PAGE 31

Kaieteur News

Prosecution closes case in Andrew ‘Six Head’ causing death trial The prosecution has wrapped up its case in the trial for which pork knocker, Mannex Powers, is charged with causing the death of popular boxer, Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis, by dangerous driving on May 4, 2015, at New Hope, East Bank Demerara. Yesterday, Police Prosecutor Stephen Telford called an emergency medical technician ambulance driver as the final witness. The witness testified to picking up Lewis from the road and transporting him to the East Bank Regional hospital where he was pronounced dead on

arrival. Powers, 33, of Campbellville, Georgetown is currently out on $250,000 bail. As a condition for bail the defendant was instructed to lodge his passport and report to the Subordinate Officer of the Golden Grove Police Station Traffic Department. Magistrate Fabayo Azore instructed Powers to return to court on October 31, for continuation. According to report, the former Welterweight boxing Champion was riding his bicycle on his way to visit a friend, when he was struck by a car after attempting to cross the road.

From page 30

LAND FOR SALE Diamond -$2.5M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$950,000, 50X100 -$3M; Cummings Lodge $7M, Enterprise Public Road 157X200 -$30M, Schoonard 1st Street. Call: 231-2199/ 6187483

KILLED: Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis

CHARGED: Mannex Powers

Gov’t reviewing Barama’s impact on Guyana... (From page 17) said yesterday. “The decision of BCL presents an opportunity to engage in a stocktaking exercise where government can objectively assess the value of the standing forest through its contribution to the ecosystem while simultaneously examining the value of the past 25 years to the people of Guyana.” According to Government officials, this review will likely entail examining what Barama exported in terms of logs and the revenues that were earned by the GFC and other state agencies from the various operations of the company. The assessment would be pivotal in the decision-making process as it relates to economic empowerment and development of sustainable livelihoods of present and future generations. The ministry made it clear that the concessions that Barama held will be up for reallocations. “Following the review, the Guyana Forestry Commission will shortly be making a determination about the future allocation of the Barama concession.” Smooth Closure Already, the MNR has mandated GFC to work with Barama to ensure a “smooth closure” of all concession re-

lated activities within the stipulated period, and to ensure that “all labour and other related issues” are fully addressed in a holistic manner in keeping with applicable laws and regulations. “The government thanks BCL for its involvement over the past 25 years, and will be engaging the company in further discussio n s o n i t s stated interest in the continuation of the added value activities.” In the Thursday edition of Kaieteur News, Barama in a paid advertisement announced plans to cut back operations. The company signaled intentions to exit its forestry operations and concentrate instead on its plywood and veneer manufacturing and sawmilling. Government had over the past year made proposals to Barama, with a new agreement expected to be signed by the end of last month. The company in the advertisement announced that it will not be seeking the renewal/extension of its Forest Concession Agreement with government. The agreement expired last Saturday and Barama immediately signaled its intentions to reduce its activities. According to the company, it very much regrets

having to make the decision to close its forest concession operations after having, over the past 25 years, invested approximately $45B in the development of Guyana’s forest industry. The company said it told Government that “the economic conditions influencing the company’s continuing investment in Guyana’s forest industry” were not encouraging. “Barama has, as a consequence, now regrettably concluded that it is no longer viable for the company to continue its forestry operations. The company looks forward to engaging with government to explore the continuation of its other operations to sustain our value-added and job creation potential in Guyana and to determine a new investment agreement.” Next week, Barama will meet with Government officials and GFC to discuss the way forward and what would happen to the almost 800 workers that it had in its employ in Essequibo and at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara. Major Investor The company had insisted that while it has 1.6M hectares of forest lands, for all practical purposes it can only utilize about 1.1M hectares,

with the rest being inaccessible and in swampy areas. With Barama also doing significant business with suppliers and others, including transportation services providers, it is likely that there will be ripple effects. Barama, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samling Global Limited, was established in Guyana in 1991. Barama was one of two major foreign investors that came to Guyana in the early 90s. While Barama initially started with the extraction of logs, it eventually ventured into manufacturing of plywood and evolved to include veneer and sawn timber operation. In 1993, it established a plywood operation. This was followed by the setting-up of a sawmill operation in 1996 at its Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara site and two others at the Buckhall site in 2006 and 2008. According to GFC figures, Guyana has almost 12.6M hectares of state forest with around 6.9M allocated for forestry and other activities. GFC, through consecutive Governments, has been pushing forestry operators to increase production, arguing that the annual allowable cuts were far below expectations.

Guyana has highest percentage of annual real GDP... From page 16 economic growth in Caribbean countries is a clear impediment to multidimensional progress. The UNDP is of the view that there needs to be a symbiotic approach to achieving economic growth. This entails coordination and making deliberate policies to focus on the most vulnerable issues. He said that movements towards economic growth would serve better if the initiatives are essentially interdependent.

Roach said that policy makers need to engage the grassroots so that policies can be tailored to address specific issues affecting a wide cross-section of stakeholders. The report highlighted some of the major sectors on which CARICOM states need to place emphasis in order to have some competitive advantages. These are tourism, cultural services, agriculture and forestry, and a blue economy. The information and communication technology

sector is viewed both as an enabler of economic growth and as an economic sector. Other enablers for economic growth have

been identified as social stability and security, finance and entrepreneurship and institutional efficiency.

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

Land at Tuschen -$2.5M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.4M, $1.2M, Zeelugt, Herstelling, All price reduced & terms available. Call: 604-6724

1 45" Complete cabin Cruiser, trout seine, excellent condition. Call: 654-2817/ 6570044/625-8522

Zeelugt -$1.8M neg, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.5M neg, $1.2M neg, Zeeburg $4.5M neg. Call: 642-1252

Organic Potting Soil -$900, Lawn Grass -$1,400, Ficus 4 @$1,000, Exora 4 @ $1,000, also Palms & Flowers. Call: 626-1044

Land @ La Parfaite Harmonie, reduced prices: $1.1M & $1.3M, title available. Call: 658-5897/ 6732692

1- CAT 320 BL Excavators, 1 CAT 930 Front End Loader. 1-55 Leyland DAF Truck, 1 CAT D4H Bulldozer. Call: 2750538/ 683-7225 1- 5L Hilux pickup for sale & 1 transported property @ Covent Garden Island, E.B.DCall: 265-3586

FOR SALE Mixed Breed puppies, eight (8) weeks old. Breed: Pekingese and Dachshund. Call: 644-1972

Pine cupboard doors, bed set spindles, stair case spindles, moldings, handrails. Call: 6676223/621-1278 600 Amps automatic transfer switch and more items. Call: 627-7835 Muscovy Ducklings and eggs (white & brown). Call: 602-7203 Household appliances going cheap: washer, TV, suite, bed, treadmill, wardrobe, microwave, A/C unit, dryer. Call: 658-5897/ 673-2692 Cheap! Cheap! CCTV Security Surveillance Kit, 8 Channels DVR with built in Hard Drive, 8 bullet cameras – Tel: 621-4740 MacBook Pro 17inch, dual core, 2GB Ram, Mac OSX 10.8.5, late 2006 -$70,000. Call: 621-9604/ 694-1748 Samsung RV520 15inch, 13 Intel Processor, GB ram, windows 8 -$76,000, Apple I pad 2, 16GB, Wi-Fi IOS 9.3.5. Call: 621-9604/ 694-1748 Double Steel Wheeled Roller, 1 Mack Concrete mixer truck. Call: 275-0538/ 683-7225 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 $30,000 & Tab 4-$35,000, Iphone 6s -$95,000, I-phone 5c -$50,000, I-phone: 4s$35,000 & 4- $30,000, Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Call: 621-9604/ 694-1748 1 Outboard engine 150 Yamaha two stroke. Call: 592667-8896

PAGE 32

Kaieteur News

Friday October 21, 2016

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

LIAT outlines plans to improve efficiency BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Regional airline LIAT is forecasting a loss EC $9.2 million (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) this year, despite recording a net profit of $5 million at the end of August. Chairman of the shareholder governments, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines gave the assessment of the company’s financial performance at a news conference following a meeting of shareholder governments here on Wednesday. “This is moving from numbers close to $100 million, to $57 million and even last year $57 million roughly half of it had to do with losses incurrence, selling Dash-8s and paying severance pay,” Gonsalves told reporters. He outlined a number of limitations and challenges which impact the airline’s service to the travelling public, including a smaller fleet – LIAT currently operates nine ATRs and is expected to acquire a tenth in November – as well as weak technology, and the need for training of frontline staff. He added that the board is currently undertaking a review of the organisational structure to determine the optimal number of employees needed to serve the entire network. “When I became Prime Minister, LIAT had about 1200 people employed, that’s 2001. Now LIAT has 669 persons employed and the

St. Vincent and the Grenadines PM Ralph Gonsalves head count in the budget is 630,” Gonsalves said. He added that the company is also looking to cut unprofitable, nonperforming routes in a bid to improve its service. “A critical review of the schedule has to be fine-tuned, clearly LIAT needs to do fewer routes, but do what we’re doing much better. This would mean eliminating some routes and cooperating with third party carriers on those routes. LIAT has to continue removing non-performing routes as appropriate based on commercial assessment,” Gonsalves said. The airline’s management has also requested the approval EC $5 million to be divided between the shareholder governments of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines. According to Gonsalves, Dominica – the fourth shareholder government, has

been exempted from meeting its quota, as that country is still rebuilding from the widespread devastation caused by Tropical Storm Erika last year. Gonsalves added that there is a long-term capitalisation issue still to be addressed with the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and also to have more participation “from other territories which benefit from the LIAT network”. The Prime Minister is planning to convene a meeting between the current leaders of shareholder governments and their counterparts from Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia, to discuss the possibility of them entering as equity partners. On the issue of taxes, LIAT is to submit a request to the CDB in support of a study of the impact of proposed reduction in taxes.

PAGE 33

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Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

Duterte aligns Philippines with China, says U.S. has lost (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from the United States yesterday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks. Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he is visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally Washington deteriorate. “In this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States,” Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. “Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost.” Duterte’s efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in

Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71year-old former mayor took office on June 30. His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 billion in deals would be signed during the China trip. “I’ve realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It’s the only way,” Duterte told his Beijing audience. Duterte’s remarks will prompt fresh concern in the United States, where the Obama administration has seen Manila as an important ally in its “rebalance” of resources to Asia in the face of a rising China. The administration agreed a deal with Duterte’s predecessor granting U.S. forces rotational access to bases in the Philippines and further doubts will be raised about the future of this arrangement. In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it was “baffled” by Duterte’s com-

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands after a signing ceremony held in Beijing, China yesterday. REUTERS/Ng Han Guan/Pool ments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila this weekend. “We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S.,” said State Department spokesman John

Kirby. “It’s not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications.” Both the State Department and the White House portrayed Duterte’s comments as being at odds with the close, long-standing alliance between the two countries. They said Washington would welcome closer ties between Beijing and Manila, however. “The U.S.-Philippine alliance is built on a 70-year history, rich people to people ties and a long list of shared security concerns,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters, noting that the administration has not received any request from Filipino officials to alter bilateral cooperation. A few hours after Duterte’s speech, his top economic policymakers released a statement saying that, while Asian economic integration was “long overdue”, that did not mean the Philippines was turning its back on the West. “We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbors,” said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia in a joint statement. “We share the culture and a better understanding with our region.” RED CARPET WELCOME China has pulled out all the stops to welcome

Duterte, including a marching band complete with batontwirling band master at his official greeting ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People, which is not extended to most leaders. President Xi Jinping, meeting Duterte earlier in the day, called the visit a “milestone” in ties. Xi told Duterte that China and the Philippines were brothers and they could “appropriately handle disputes”, though he did not mention the South China Sea in remarks made in front of reporters. “I hope we can follow the wishes of the people and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on a friendly footing and fully improve things,” Xi said. Following their meeting, during which Duterte said relations with China had entered a new “springtime”, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the South China Sea issue was not the sum total of relations. “The two sides agreed that they will do what they agreed five years ago, that is to pursue bilateral dialogue and consultation in seeking a proper settlement of the South China Sea issue,” Liu said. China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. In 2012, China seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds. Liu said the shoal was not mentioned and he did not answer a question about whether Philippine fishermen would be allowed there. He said both countries had agreed on coastguard and fisheries cooperation, but did not give details. SEA DISPUTE TAKES ‘BACK SEAT’ Duterte’s tone towards Beijing is in stark contrast to the language he has used against the United States, after being infuriated by U.S. criticism of his bloody war on drugs. He has called U.S. President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch” and told him to “go to hell”, while alluding to severing ties with the old colonial power. On Wednesday, to the cheers of hundreds of Filipinos in Beijing, Duterte said Philippine foreign policy was veering towards China. “I will not go to America anymore. We will just be insulted there,” Duterte said. “So time to say goodbye my friend.” The same day, about 1,000 anti-U.S. protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila calling for the removal of U.S. troops from the southern island of Mindanao. Duterte’s abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however. On Tuesday an opinion poll showed Filipinos still trust the United States far more than China. Duterte on Wednesday

said the South China Sea arbitration case would “take the back seat” during talks, and that he would wait for the Chinese to bring up the issue rather than doing so himself. Xi said issues that could not be immediately be resolved should be set aside, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. China has welcomed the Philippines approaches, even as Duterte has vowed not to surrender any sovereignty to Beijing, which views the South China Sea Hague ruling as null and void. China has also expressed support for his drug war, which has raised concern in Western capitals about extrajudicial killing.

Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Friday October 21, 2016

Kaieteur News

Stars align for Kerber in ascent to top spot Angelique Kerber is the world number one in women’s tennis yet it remains a title she has yet to grow accustomed to after her meteoric rise to the summit. Still a relatively new experience, the 28-year-old German reached the peak of the women’s game last month after landing her second grand slam title of the year at the U.S. Open, capping a stunning season for the left-hander from Bremen. Kerber floated around the lower echelons of the top 10 for the last four years and did not even make the second week of a grand slam in 2015, but it all clicked in January. A

run to the final in Brisbane preceded a surprise upset win over Serena Williams to land the Australian Open title as the baseliner renowned for her strong defensive game finally realized her talent. ”All the experience from the last few years came together this year. The belief in myself, I’ve grown up a little bit more this year,” she told Reuters of her new-found maturity. “The victory in Australia, of course it’s great, I continued it the last few months and I’m here now as the best player of the year... and the world actually,” she added, chuckling as she cor-

rected herself. Kerber is guaranteed the year-end number one ranking after Williams pulled out of the $7 million season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore, which starts on Sunday, with a shoulder injury. Kerber said she would “miss” the 22-times grand slam singles champion but did not offer a similar sentiment for Russia’s Maria Sharapova, who is scheduled to return to the circuit in April after her 15-month doping ban expires. ”We will see when she is coming back, I don’t know, I’m not thinking about this,”

Guyana down to 131... (From page 34) placings. The same feat has also been achieved by Guinea-Bissau (69th, up 4), St Kitts and Nevis (73rd, up 4), Curaçao (77th, up 45), Kyrgyzstan (99th, up 9), Comoros (143rd, up 9) and Papua New Guinea (159th, up 3). Impressive gains across the globe

The biggest rise in terms of places and points this month has gone the way of Montenegro (56th, up 49), following wins over Kazakhstan (90th, down 7) and Denmark (50th, down 4). There have also been impressive leaps from the likes of Azerbaijan (88th, up 45) and Faroe Islands (74th, up 37) – the latter equalling their highest-ever

position. There have been noteworthy two-digit climbs for Iran (27th, up 10) and Slovenia (52nd, up 15), while Israel (79th, up 19), Syria (96th, up 18) and Lithuania (98th, up 19) have made substantial moves around the top 100. Cyprus (139th, down 52) suffer the heaviest drop in the ranking. Meanwhile there have been notable two-figure demotions for Russia (53rd, down 15) – taking them out of the top 50 – and the quintet of Finland (101st, down 17), Jordan (104th, down 18), Mauritania (115th, down 19), New Zealand (116th, down 28) and Latvia (116th, down 21) – seeing them move out of the top 100. The next edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be released on 24 November.

Ex-marketing... (From page 33) with,” Davidson said. Some of the bribes, he said, were paid to land the media and marketing rights for the Caribbean Football Union’s 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifier matches along with CONCACAF’s 2013 Gold Cup and the two seasons of its Champions League tournaments. Davidson said he also assisted in 2013 in making a $10 million bribe payment to Webb so a company that Traffic had an interest in could obtain rights to the Copa America Centenario, which was hosted by the United States in June. Davidson said he participated in the schemes with Jose Hawilla, the Brazilian founder of Traffic, who secretly pleaded guilty in 2014 and agreed to cooperate in the investigation. Webb was arrested in May 2015 and pleaded guilty last November. (Reuters)

Angelique Kerber. REUTERS/Patrick Johnston she replied, appearing keen to change the subject. SPECIAL MOMENT Instead Kerber, the first lefthander to top the world

rankings in almost two decades, remains primarily focused on advancing out of the group stage at the eightwoman WTA Finals for the first time. Last year, she only needed to take one set from the already-eliminated Lucie Safarova to reach the semi-finals but struggled to contain her frustration and was easily beaten by the Czech to suffer a third early exit in as many visits. ”I learned a lot from this special moment because the pressure was really high for me last year and this year I’m handling (it) much better and this will never happen again,” she said. Kerber, who also claimed an Olympic silver at Rio and was beaten by Williams in the Wimbledon final, has also experienced a

few lows in a year of many highs. She followed up her victory in Australia with a first round exit at the French Open and has suffered surprise early defeats to Australia’s Daria Gavrilova in Hong Kong and Elina Svitolina in China this month. ”The pressure is actually bigger... because people expect you to win every tournament,” said Kerber, who will treat herself to a beach holiday after the Singapore tournament. “Nobody has anything to lose against me. And everybody would like to beat me. The pressures are bigger than before but it’s a great situation to be in, it’s a new challenge for me and I’m happy to be there right now.” (Reuters)

Friday October 21,2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Be prepared to meet new lovers through colleagues. Your greatest enjoyment will come through social activities and pleasure trips. You may have a problem keeping secrets. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Resist any idle chatter. You should feel a little more stable about your position; however, don't be surprised if a job offer comes your way. Electrical problems may be an issue. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Be sure to spend time helping children with projects that are too difficult for them to accomplish alone. Put your energy into behind the scenes activities. You can make progress professionally. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You will be attracted to unusual forms of entertainment and foreign cultures. You may be upset if someone has borrowed something that belongs to you. Your self esteem will benefit. Friends will be loyal and caring. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Try to be there for someone if they need assistance. Involvement in fitness clubs will be conducive to engaging romantic connections. Be careful not to get roped into uncertain joint financial deals. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Concentrate on work and on making money. You will enjoy socializing and unusual forms of entertainment. Put some energy into getting back into shape. Listen to reason.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Consider applying for a job in another part of the world. You must try to include your mate in your activities today. Avoid disputes with family; their complaints can't change anything anyway. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Be sure to cover all the necessary groundwork before signing binding contracts. They will jump at the chance to do something without you if it sounds like more fun. Be careful what you say. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You may think gifts will win their heart, but it could add stress from lack of funds. You may have the energy to clear up that mound of paperwork facing you. Don't hesitate to sign up for lectures or seminars that will enlighten you. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may be in an extremely passionate mood today. Learn some new skills that will increase your income. If they don't like the plan, suggest that they contribute a little. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Misunderstandings could cause confusion and upset. Your need to use emotional blackmail will only cause more conflict. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Ask others to help, or you may feel that a burden is weighing you down. Your charm and generosity will bring new friends and romantic opportunities.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 21, 2016

Afridi hands over Peshawar Zalmi captaincy to Sammy

Day/night matches planned for new Digicel SportsMax Regional 4-Day season SCHEDULE OF MATCHES (Start times in brackets)

Pollard and Gayle join forces in PSL

Shahid Afridi and Darren Sammy were team-mates at Hampshire this year © Getty Images

Shahid Afridi has handed over the captaincy of Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Peshawar Zalmi to Darren Sammy, who has led West Indies to two World T20 titles. Younis Khan, who was unpicked by any team, was named as Peshawar’s batting mentor. The announcements were made during the second PSL draft in Dubai on October 19, with the tournament scheduled to be played in the UAE in February and March 2017. Some of the other highlights at the event were: - Lahore Qalandars traded Chris Gayle for Sohail Tanvir with Karachi Kings, where Gayle will join his West Indies team-mate K i e r o n P o l l a r d - Islamabad United traded Babar Azam to Karachi Kings and selected Dwayne Smith. Islamabad released Umar Siddiq and Asher Zaidi - The first pick of the draft was former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who went to Lahore Qalandars. Lahore also traded Sohaib Maqsood to bring in Aamer Yamin, and released Mustafizur Rahman and Kevon Cooper. - Brad Haddin will double-up in an assistant coaching role with Islamabad, where Dean Jones is the head coach. - Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, who have returned to domestic cricket in Pakistan after their bans for spot-fixing, were not picked. Mohammad Amir, however, was retained by Karachi and rose from silver to diamond category. - Islamabad and Quetta Gladiators are the only

teams likely to be captained by Pakistan players Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz A h m e d r e s p e c t i v e l y. Peshawar Zalmi - New players: Eoin Morgan (England), Haris Sohail, Alex Hales (England), Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan), Irfan Khan, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Sohaib Maqsood. Retained players: Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy (West Indies), Mohammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan (England), Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), Kamran Akmal, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Hasan Ali, M o h a m m a d A s g h a r. Released from 2016: Aamer Yamin, Abdur Rehman, Jim Allenby, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Musadiq Ahmed, Shahid Yousuf, Shaun Tait, Brad Hodge, I s r a r u l l a h , Ta j Wa l i . Lahore Qalandars - New players: Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Sunil Narine (West Indies), Anton Devcich (New Zealand), Fakhar Zaman, Ghulam Mudassar, Usman Qadir, Saif Badar, Mohammad Irfan, Grant Elliott (New Zealand), Aamer Yamin, Shaun Tait (Australia), Bilawal Bhatti, S o h a i l Ta n v i r. Retained players: Umar Akmal, Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Cameron Delport (South Africa), Azhar Ali, Zafar Gohar. Released from 2016: Adnan Rasool, Kevon C o o p e r, C h r i s G a y l e , Hammad Azam, Mustafizur Rahman, Sohaib Maqsood, Zia-ul-Haq, Zohaib Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Ehsan Adil, Imran Butt, Mukhtar

Ahmed. Karachi Kings - New players: Kieron Pollard ( We s t I n d i e s ) , R y a n McLaren (South Africa), Kashif Bhatti, Abrar Ahmed, Khurram Manzoor, Abdul A m e e r, M a h e l a Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), Rahat Ali, Amad Alam, Babar Azam, Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Chris Gayle (West Indies). Retained players: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Ravi Bopara (England), Imad Wasim, Sohail Khan, Shahzaib Hassan, Saifullah B a n g a s h , U s a m a M i r. R e l e a s e d f ro m 2 0 1 6 : Bilawal Bhatti, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mir Hamza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nauman Anwar, Shakib Al Hasan, Lendl Simmons, Sohail Ta n v i r, J a m e s Vi n c e , Tillakaratne Dilshan, Fawad Alam. Islamabad United - New players: Ben Duckett (England), Shadab Khan, Z o h a i b K h a n . Retained players: Shane Watson (Australia), Andre Russell (West Indies), S a m u e l B a d r e e ( We s t Indies), Dwayne Smith (West Indies), Brad Haddin (Australia), Sam Billings (England), Misbah-ul-Haq, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif, Saeed Ajmal, Rumman Raees, Imran Khalid, Amad Butt, Hussain Talat, Asif Ali. Released from 2016: Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Ashar Zaidi, Umar Siddiq, Umar Amin. New players: Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Tymal Mills (England), Rovman Powell (West Indies), David Willey (England), Hasan Khan, Noor Wali, Mir Hamza, Umar Amin. Retained players: Kevin Pietersen (England), Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Luke Wright (England), Anwar Ali, Umar G u l , Z u l f i q a r B a b a r, Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan), Mohammad Nawaz, Asad Shafiq, Saad Nasim, Bismillah Khan. Released from 2016: Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Bilal Asif, Elton Chigumbura, J a s o n H o l d e r, A i z a z Cheema, Rameez Raja, Kumar Sangakkara. (ESPNcricinfo)

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St. John’s, Antigua – Half-dozen of the 30 matches in the upcoming the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Digicel SportsMax Regional 4-Day Tournament will be day/night contests played with pink balls, it was a n n o u n c e d y e s t e r d a y. In keeping with the trend worldwide and to further pursue the experiment that it started six years ago, the WICB has scheduled the matches throughout the coming season which begins on November 11. ”We welcome the return of day/night matches with the pink ball in the Digicel SportsMax R4Day,” said WICB Manager, Cricket Operations Roland Holder, as the regional governing body released fixtures for the first half of the season yesterday. ”Each team has two matches – one home, one away – as gradually international boards begin to embrace this concept. ”The purpose of the reintroduction of day/night matches is two-fold. First, it allows our elite players to familiarise themselves with the pink ball, and secondly, it allows for greater spectator attendance, as patrons can have a relaxing evening watching their favourite team.” Four of the day/night

matches, which will begin at 3 pm daily, have been scheduled before the C h r is tmas /N ew Year ’s holiday break in the Tournament. They include an opening round fixture between Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and Windward I s l a n d s Vo l c a n o e s a t Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. Defending champions Guyana Jaguars will be part of the second day/night match, when they travel to St. Lucia to face the Volcanoes at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground in the third round from November 26 to 29. The Jaguars return home to host long-standing rivals Barbados Pride in the following round from

December 9 to 12 at the Guyana National Stadium in a day/night contest, another of which takes place between Leeward Islands Hurricanes and Jamaica Scorpions from December 15 to 18 at Warner Park in St. Kitts during the fifth round. The last two day/night matches are currently scheduled to be contested in the New Year during the second half of the Tournament in April. Recently, West Indies completed their first ever d a y / n i g h t Te s t , w h e n Pakistan bounced them by 56 runs in a tense finish in Dubai. They are scheduled to play another day/night Test next year at Edgbaston on their tour of England.

Ex-marketing executive pleads guilty in U.S. bribery probe of FIFA A former sports marketing executive arrested last year during a U.S. corruption probe involving soccer’s global g o v e r n i n g b o d y F I FA pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in schemes to pay bribes to a top official. Aaron Davidson, former president of the Miamibased unit of Brazilian sports marketing conglomerate Traffic Group, entered his plea in federal court in Brooklyn to charges of racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. Davidson, who also agreed to forfeit $507,900, is one of 42 individuals and entities charged as p a r t o f a U . S . investigation that upended

Zurich-based FIFA and the soccer world, and one of 18 people and two companies to plead guilty. Prosecutors said the defendants engaged in schemes involving more than $200 million in bribes and kickbacks that were sought and received by soccer officials for marketing and broadcasting rights to tournaments and matches. In court, Davidson, 45, admitted he participated in schemes to direct $14.1 million in bribes to Jeffrey Webb, a former FIFA vice president and president of CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean. ”I knew that Mr. Webb

Aaron Davidson. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid was using his position of authority and trust to enrich himself personally, and I understood that he was doing so without the knowledge of the organizations he represented or was affiliated (Continued on page 32)

Kaieteur News

PAGE 38

Friday October 21, 2016

Cotton Tree, Blairmont and D’ Edward CC advance to Grand Finals -Beharry Say No 5/5 Cricket

Teams participating in the tournament, displaying the Say No to Drugs booklet and posters. The RHTY&SC/Beharry Say No/Say Yes 5/5 cricket tournament for teams in Berbice bowled off on Sunday last at the Blairmont Community Centre ground. The West Berbice leg of the tournament was the first of four Inter Zones to be organised over the next month. Three teams from each Zone would advance to the grand finals scheduled

for November 12 next; the three teams advancing from West Berbice are Cotton Tree, D’ Edward ‘A’ and Blairmont. Cotton Tree defeated D’ Edward in the finals by 9 wickets to emerge as champions of the Zone. D’ Edward rattled up 60 for 3 with D. Lalsa led with 21 but Cotton Tree based on an aggressive unbeaten 33

from P. Persaud and 27 from N. Gafoor reached 61 for 1 off just 3.1 overs. Earlier D’ Edwards defeated the home team Blairmont by 8 wickets in the lone semi-final. D’ Edwards reached 66 for 2 off 3.4 overs in response to Blairmont’s 63 for 4 off five overs. Earlier in the tournament’s opening round

– Achievers ‘B’ got past Bush Lot Rising Star by 5 wickets, Bush Lot United crushed Weldaad by 10 wickets, D’ Edward ‘A’ squeezed past D’ Edward ‘B’ by 4 wickets, Achievers ‘A’ lost to Cotton Tree Die Hard by 9 wickets while Blairmont got a walk over against No. 5. In the second round, Blairmont drew the bye

Meten-Meer-Zorg West claim WDCA 40-over title

while D’ Edward ‘A’ got rid of Bush Lot United by 7 wickets. Cotton Tree Die Hard also advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Achievers ‘B’ by 8 wickets. Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster at the opening ceremony stated that the main objectives of the tournament was to promote the Say Yes to Education, Life and Sports Message and to promote social cohesion among residents. Foster told the cricketers that the use of drugs and alcohol affects the human body and pleaded with them to be role models to their peers. He also spoke widely on the importance of discipline

and informing that the main reasons for the success of the RHTY&SC, M.S was discipline, commitment and h a r d w o r k . Foster urged the clubs in attendance to follow in his club’s footsteps and to fulfil their potentials in sports, culture and education. The RHTY&SC he stated was grateful to Edward B. Beharry Co. Ltd for the sponsorship of the successful Say No and Say Yes campaign, which is changing lives in the ancient county. All the teams during the opening ceremony received copies of the organising club’s Youth Information Booklet and Say No to Drugs posters.

Germany, Brazil climb to close in on Argentina

Guyana down to 131

The victorious Meten-Meer-Zorg West Team

Host M e t e n - M e e r Z o r g d e f e a t e d Independence SC by four runs to win the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) 40-

over tournament on Sunday last. Batting first MetenM e e r - Z o r g We s t w a s bowled out for 174 in 37.1 overs. E. Chisnauth made 40,

M. Nandkishore 24 and J. Maxwell 24. Anand Bharat claimed 3-32. Independence SC were sent packing for 170 in 37.2

overs in reply. Shiv Gobin led with 63, John Paton 30 and Bharat 20; L. Chinkoo grabbed 4-25 to take the man-of-the-match and N. Chattergoon 3-39.

Guyana has dropped 13 places to 131 from its position of 118 one month earlier following the latest release of the FIFA/CocaC o l a Wo r l d R a n k i n g yesterday. The Guyanese lost both their Round 3 matches in the Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean 2016 Championship earlier this month to Suriname and J a m a i c a . And following another packed round of 2018 FIFA Wo r l d C u p R u s s i a ™ qualifiers, there has been a reshuffle on the FIFA/CocaCola World Ranking podium as Germany and Brazil have moved into second and third r e s p e c t i v e l y . A pair of wins for the current world champions, who saw

off Czech Republic (40th, down 7) and Northern Ireland (36th, down 6) – just two of the 129 games played worldwide – means they have trimmed Argentina’s lead to just 156 points. Belgium (4th, down 2) have fallen out of the top three for the first time since March 2015, with Colombia slipping to fifth (down 1), while defeated UEFA EURO 2016 finalists France (up 1) have leap-frogged European champions Portugal (8th, down 1) into seventh. Spain return to the top ten, while fellow Europeans Poland (15th, up 2), Iceland (21st, up 6) and Kosovo (164th, up 4) have moved up to their highest-ever (Continued on page 32)

Kaieteur News

Friday October 21, 2016

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat. U-17 League -Weekend Fixtures Matches in the first G F F / N A M I L C O

Thunderbolt Flour Power National Intra Association Under-17 League are set to continue this weekend

around Guyana. Following are fixtures for some of the associations.

PAGE 39

West Indies look to carry pinkball fight into red-ball contest

West Indies will hope Darren Bravo’s outstanding form in Asia continues in the remainder of the series © Getty Images

Twins (Bayo) Beer Garden/UCCA U-19 Cricket Final

No. 72 Cut and Load to entertain Skeldon Community Center on Sunday Defending champions Skeldon Community Center will be aiming to retain their title when they travel to face host No. 72 Cut and Load on Sunday in the final of the Tw i n s ( B a y o ) B e e r Garden/UCCA Under-19 50-over cricket competition at the No. 72 Cut and Load ground. On the other hand, No. 72 Cut and Load whilst also losing to the champions in the preliminary round this year will be going all out for revenge which sets up Sunday’s showdown as a g r u d g e a f f a i r . The winner will receive $30,000 and a trophy with the runner-up pocketing $20,000 and a trophy. There will also be trophies and cash incentives for man-of-thematch in the final, best bowler and best batsman in the competition. President and Executive of the UCCA is expressing thanks to Mr. Bodhnarine Ramlakhan, proprietor of Twins (Bayo) Beer Garden of Corriverton for sponsoring this competition which featured five (5) Under-19 teams from the Upper Corentyne area. The competition was played on a round-robin basis with

Davanand Chatterpaul

Nickolas Seenarine

the top two teams advancing to the championship game. Among the outstanding performances during the competition was Khameshwar Chaterpal’s 120 and Besham Tulsi 107 both of No. 72 All Stars. There were 5-wicket hauls for Abdur Ajib of No. 72 Cut and Load, Mahendra Chaitnarine, Afseer Hussain and Nickolas Seenarine of Skeldon, Sanjay Deochand of No. 72 All Stars and Alex Burnett of Scottsburg. Teams for Sunday’s final will come from: No. 72 Cut and Load - Davanand Chatterpaul (captain), Ritesh Bhagratti, Abdur Ajib, Zameer Shaw, Dineshwar

Budhoo, Rickey Persaud, Akeshwar Jagroop, Vickram Laljit, Ganeshwar Persaud, Tularam Patram, Karan Persaud, Trish Seenauth, Mahendra Mahabir, Narendra Persaud and Mr. D. Thakurdeen (Manager). Skeldon Community Center - Nickolas Seenarine (captain), Antonio February, Mahendra Chaitnarine, Afseer Hussain, Totaram Rajram, Toren Shiwamber, Sarwan Chaitnarine, Zeikeel Gordon, Aeron Ault, Stephon Norah, Jumal Byass, Jason David, Ralph Seenarine and Junior Blair (Manager). Starting time is 09:30hrs. Admission to the venue is free.

B i g P i c t u r e After lop-sided T20 and ODI series, West Indies fought to make the daynight Test in Dubai a thriller. While Pakistan eventually won in the last hour of play on the fifth day, they had to work hard for the 1-0 lead as West Indies showed resilience for two long days, thanks to Darren Bravo’s plucky 116. Bravo held the side’s chase together, taking the team to within 83 runs of the target of 346 before being dismissed. West Indies also had other strong performances Devendra Bishoo’s record 8 for 49, and Marlon Samuels’ 76 in the first innings - and through their performance in the second innings appeared to have regrouped as a team after the limitedovers losses. The attention on the daynight Test and the pink ball will now shift to the traditional day game and the red ball. For Pakistan, the likely return of Younis Khan, who was added to the squad after recovering from dengue fever, will be a boost to a batting lineup that floundered without his calming influence in the second innings in Dubai. Azhar Ali’s form at the top of the order will be important, as will Yasir Shah, but West Indies can look at Bravo’s innings in Dubai for lessons on how to tackle Yasir. A 3-0 scoreline is not

unlikely for Pakistan but they will probably have to work harder for it than they had to in the limited-overs series. Form guide -Pakistan: W W L LW ( l a s t f i v e completed matches, most r e c e n t f i r s t ) We s t I n d i e s : L D L D L In the spotlight Inducted into the opening slot, Sami Aslam has struggled to convert his starts into big runs in the five Tests he has played in. In Dubai, he scored 90 in the first innings and 44 in the second but couldn’t go on and reach a century. Similarly, on the tour of England, he scored 82 and 70 in the Edgbaston Test. The conditions in the UAE make it tough for fast bowlers to get wickets, and West Indies’ troubles have been compounded by the lack of effectiveness of frontline bowler Shannon Gabriel. A l t h o u g h h e consistently bowled at speeds of over 140kph in Dubai, Gabriel couldn’t find the wickets while also struggling to control the run rate as much as his Pakistan counterpart Wahab Riaz. His trouble with no-balls in the first innings - he bowled 10 - was also an issue for West Indies. He will have to step up for them to fare better. Team news - Babar Azam, who made his debut in Dubai, may make way for Younis Khan in the playing XI. Pakistan may also look at bringing in left-arm

spinner Zulfiqar Babar in place of Mohammad Nawaz, who also made his debut in Dubai. Pakistan (possible): 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ulHaq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Sohail Khan. While there are a few weak links, West Indies may not want to tamper too much with a combination that fought hard in the first Test. West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Leon Johnson, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 M i g u e l C u m m i n s , 11 Shannon Gabriel. Pitch and conditions The pitch for the previous Test in Abu Dhabi, between England and Pakistan in October last year, drew criticism for its unresponsive nature. In matches prior to that one, however, the pitch offered some assistance to seamers and spinners. The weather is expected to be clear in Abu Dhabi for the course of the game.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 40

Friday October 21, 2016

GCB/MOE National Sec. Sch. KO Cricket

Mohamed, Balgobin grabs 5-fors; Beharry, Bookie & Michael perform with the bat By Sean Devers Renaldo Mohamed (627), Alphius Bookie (48) and Aaron Beharry (42* & 2-27) combined to spearhead Christ Church Secondary to an emphatic 91-run victory over St Mary’s High at DCC in the third round of the GCB/MOE National Secondary School knockout 30 over cricket tournament yesterday. In the other matches in t h e G e o rg e t o w n Z o n e yesterday, Charlestown, led by an unbeaten 41 from Jamal Michael, powered his team to a convincing 10wicket win against Dolphin Secondary at GNIC while Mae’s School, spearheaded by 5-10 from Ushivedeva Balgobin, defeated Queenstown High by 69 runs at Bourda. The match between Saints Stanislaus College and St John’s College carded

for MYO was not played after Saints, who beat Brickdam Secondary at DCC on Wednesday were both disqualified for having over aged players in their teams. At DCC, Christ Church rattled up 186-4 from 30 overs and bowled out St Mary’s for 95 with openers 15-year-old Bookie (48) and Mohamed (16) building a firm foundation with an 86run first -wicket stand. Bookie played some lovely shots and reached the boundary seven times whilst clearing it once as he dominated the partnership with Mohamed before both batsmen departed. Traven Williams (20) and Aviel Telko, who smashed a couple of sixes in 18, got starts before being dismissed but Beharry, who celebrates his 15th birthday today, clobbered four fours and three sixes in his

unbeaten 43. The burly batsman, son of former Berbice InterCounty power hitter Anil Beharry, lofted the last ball of the innings for six as Alex Rogers finished with 2-27. Only Stephon Wilson (15) and Michael Lynn (10) reached double figures for St Mary’s who were destroyed by left-arm spinner Mohamed and Beharry. At Bourda, Mae’s, aided by 47 wides and 17 no-balls, Jonathon Finlay (26), Yeudister Persaud (14) and Balgobin (13) reached 136 with Sanjay Ragbeer taking two wickets. Queenstown never challenged the total as only Reshana Dev (11) offered fight. Balgobin got support from Kassem Amos (2-12). At GNIC, Charlestown’s Michael hit seven fours in his fluent 41 and featured in an unfinished 87-run opening stand in 6.2 overs

Alphius Bookie stroked 48 at DCC with 11-year-old left-handed Negus Waters, who stroked two boundaries in 16. They benefited from 28 extras with pacer Fidel Collins bowling 16 balls in one over. This was in reply to the 86-9 from 25 overs made by Dolphin; 43 extras aided their cause as only Shemar Yearwood (17) offered resistance. Michael (2-14)

Aaron Beharry made 43 n.o & took 2-11 at DCC

Ushirdeva Balgobin took 5-10 at Bourda

Tatesh Shivrattan (2-8) did the damage with the ball. The Umpires were not as strict as they could have been with the batmen and Keeper wearing helmets as mandated by the regulations for school cricketers. The Wicket-Keeper in the GNIC game who sent in for his helmet was struck in the head and fortunately the

injury was not a serious one. Meanwhile, in the East Bank zone, Houston made 102-6 from 16 overs with Jeremiah Scott hitting 41 (4x4 1x6). John Blair had 2-17 for Soesdyke who reached 1069; Martin Barker (21) and Rommel Rajaram (17) leading Soesdyke to a onewicket win. Scott had 2-27.

Cornwall pegs back hosts but Windies face tough final day Dambulla, Sri Lanka, CMC – Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall made key strikes to limit Sri Lanka A after West Indies A’s batting collapsed, but the hosts held the edge heading into today’s final day of the third and final four-day “Test” here. Sri Lanka ended day three of the contest at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium yesterday on 211 for five in their second innings – already 286 runs ahead. Asela Gunaratne topscored with 69, Sandun Weerakkody struck 48 while

Roshen Silva was unbeaten on 29 at the close. Cornwall, the mainstay of the visitors’ attack during the series, claimed four for 62 to take his tally of wickets for the three-match series to 20. Earlier, West Indies A surrendered their last six wickets for 60 runs to be dismissed for 243 in their first innings, and concede a lead of 75 runs. Resuming on 183 for four, they lost their captain Shamarh Brooks for 54 after he had added just 11 runs to his overnight 43, while Cornwall chimed in with 25. Seamer Kasun Madushanka

GCA/NBS tourney bowls on this weekend The New Building Society (NBS) second-division 40over tournament will continue this weekend with several matches in the city. Muslim Youth Organisation will host GNIC SC (Linden Matthews and Andre Horry) and DCC will face Ace Warriors at GNIC SC (Matthew Kissoon and Joseph Jeffery) tomorrow. On Sunday, MYO will entertain University of Guyana (Delvin Austin and Deon Feassal). GDF will take on Third Class at Gandhi Youth Organisation in the lone Noble House Sea Foods two-day fixture starting tomorrow (Moses Ramnarine and Cyril Garnath). All matches start at 10:30hrs.

Rahkeem Cornwall

(3-45) and left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan (3-54) both claimed three wickets apiece while pacer Lahiru Gamage ended with two for 50. West Indies A were setback early when Brooks perished in the day’s fifth over with the score on 199, after facing 100 deliveries and striking seven fours. His demise triggered a slide from which the visitors never recovered, as the last five wickets went down for the addition of just 32 runs. The only batsman to show resistance was Cornwall who punched two fours and a six in a busy 30-ball knock. Batting a second time, Sri Lanka were handed a

robust start by Weerakkody and Kusal Perera who put on a brisk 67 off 62 deliveries. Weerakkody faced just 36 balls and struck seven fours while Perera hit a single four in 31 balls at the crease before he departed to a catch at the wicket off Cornwall. In the bowler’s next over with five runs added, Weerakkody followed via the lbw route but top-scorer Gunaratne then led a recovery by anchoring two half-century partnerships. The 30-year-old righthander put on 58 for the third wicket with captain Lahiru Thirimanne who made 27

off 76 deliveries before adding a further 51 for the fifth wicket with Silva. Gunaratne faced 126 deliveries and struck ten

boundaries before falling about 40 minutes before the close to a catch at the wicket off seamer Keon Joseph.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 21, 2016

PAGE 41

Branch Four triumphs at West Demerara Inter-Branch Schools’ Championship Many seasoned and talented athletes with throngs of supporters electrified the National Track & Field Centre at Leonora yesterday when West Demerara, District Three, held their Annual I n t e r - B r a n c h Championships at the facility. In the end, Branch Four came out on top with a total of 912 points ahead of

Branch Five and Six’s 845 points. Branch Two was third with 742 points while Branch Three finished fourth with 707 points and Branch One rounding out the top five with 479 ½ points. Branch Eight was sixth on 442 points while Branch Seven was seventh on 197 points. Leading athletes, Joanna Archer, among others, impressed with

Karim, Algoo slam centuries as Blairmont and Young Warriors into semis

Javed Karim Blairmont and Young Warriors Cricket Clubs have booked their places in the semifinals of the BCB/New York Business Group two-innings Under-19 tournament when the latest round of matches concluded last weekend. At D’Edward, Blairmont won the toss and invited Tucber Park to take first strike. After being reduced to 42 for 4, the visitors recovered to reach 267 all out. Trevon Caesar and Junior Williams put on 130 for the fifth wicket with the former scoring 88 and Williams 75. Leon Swammy contributed 52; leg spinner Daniel Moses took 3 for 22 and pacer Keon Gangoo 3 for 39. In reply, Blairmont ended on 270 for 5 to claim first innings points which earned them a place in the semi final against Albion. Samuel Jailall and Javed Karim added 70 for the first wicket before Karim and Zaheer Inshan put on 110 for the second wicket to further frustrate their opponents. Karim finished on a magnificent 137, Inshan got 47, Jailall and D. Persaud 23 apiece. R. Latcha took 2 for 7. Over at Cumberland, Port Mourant took first strike and was shot out for 76. J. Lancaster and K. Kassim scored 25 and 10 respectively; Abdul Ramsammy took 3 for 11 off 6 overs, Jevan Schultz 2 for 4 off 9 overs and Trevon Stanislaus 2 for 37 off 8 overs. In reply, the home team led by a magnificent 170 by opener Alex Algoo finished on 225-3 to take first innings. Algoo struck 15 fours and 10 sixes while Ricardo Ramdeholl got 31. They will now host Rose Hall Town in the other semi final. The winners will clash in the final at the Albion Sports Complex on October 28 and 29.

s c i n t i l l a t i n g performances throughout the day, demonstrating their class. West Demerara, District Three, will use the event to select its team for the upcoming 56th edition of the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships. Some similar competitions are ongoing around Guyana.

Akeem Lamott wins the U-16 Boys’ 1500m.

Nat. junior middle distance star, Joanna Archer takes the U-18 Girls’ 1500m.

Omarion King is the 150m Boys’ U-8 wunner.

PAGE 42

Kaieteur News

Friday October 21, 2016

Stage of Champions set for Nov. 19 at Theatre Guild

GABBFF and CACBFF approval granted for Int. event

Videsh Sookram flanked by CACBFF President Mr Joe Varnie (right) and General Secretary Sheldon Seebarran.

The inaugural Stage of Champions, a locally promoted body building show with a high international flavor is set for the Theatre Guild on November 19, next, o r g a n i z e d b y Vi d e s h Sookram. Sookram, the Organising Secretary of the Guyana Amateur Body Building and Fitness Federation (GABBFF) is doing the

show as a private promoter and is no stranger to promoting shows. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport, Sookram noted that given the fact that the show is sanctioned by the GABBFF and the Central Americana and Caribbean Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (CACBFF), the Show will only have two categories. ”Since this is sanctioned by CAC it is set up as an

international show where there are only two categories. It is the men’s open class and the men’s invitational class which is basically the overall. There will also be a men’s physique and a miss bikini, both open competitions.” Sookram further noted that the top three athletes from the men’s open class bodybuilding would enter the men’s invitation to battle for the attractive prizes on offer where the athlete being crowned Mr. Stage of Champions pocketing $250,000 dollars. Second place attracts $150,000 and 3rd, $100,000. The winner of the men’s physique and miss bikini contests will each receive $100,000 while 2nd and 3rd placed athletes will enjoy hampers compliments of Fitness Express. It would not be all smooth sailing for the local musclemen and women as a number of international athletes have signaled their intentions of being in Guyana to compete. Sookram informed that athletes from neighbouring Suriname, Barbados,

Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o , Bahamas, St. Martin and as far as Angola have been confirmed. ”This list is expected to increase as I am still in the negotiating process with some other countries to send athletes. The competition is expected to be exciting and I am sure our local athletes would be working hard towards representing well and being in the top flight come November 19.” Sookram also informed that on his recent trip to Barbados for the Darcy Beckles Bodybuilding Invitational Classic, President and Secretary of the CACBFF applauded the initiative whilst also not hesitating to officially sanction the event which will be Guyana’s first locally promoted show that has been directly sanctioned by the regional body. Among the sponsors on board to date are Fitness Express, Extra Energy Drink, Farfan and Mendes, Vinu Shoe Box, Life Gym, Status Hotel, Space Gym, Print For Less, 65eight Concept Store and QC Designer Boutique.

Demerara Life Golf tourney on tomorrow

As the Guyana Open tournament draws near, the annual Demerara Mutual Insurance tournament is slated for tomorrow at the Lusignan Golf Course. Golf Club President, Oncar Ramroop expressed appreciation to Chief Executive Officer of Demerara Mutual Assurance Co., Mr Geoffrey Brewster, for the more than two decades (20 years) of sponsorship of the tournament by Demerara Mutual. Mr Brewster shared Dem Mutual’s willingness and pleasure to continue to support golfing in Guyana and added that he is interested in taking up the sport himself, having had only a brief introduction to the amazing ‘stationary

ball’ sport! Golfers can look forward to another refreshing and keenly contested tournament this weekend, as the grounds have been particularly tuned up for excellent greens, well cut fairways, accessible roughs and playable bunkers. Last year’s competition was played using the Medal Play system and emerging as the top golfer was Laksmana Ramroop (son of President Ramroop) 63/28 followed by Patanjalee Persaud 65/20 and Parmanand Max Persaud 67/20. Best Gross was achieved by former Captain Patrick Prashad, taking the Nearest to the Pin was Gavin Todd while the Most Honest Golfer was rookie output of the 2015 summer Golf Clinic, Leslie Kellman. Tee-off time tomorrow is 12:30hrs. The public is invited free of charge to view the competition which will last 4 to 5 hours.

Kaieteur News

Friday October 21, 2016

PAGE 43

ABSAA acquiesce to NSC’s request for assistance Almost immediately after securing tryouts for four local footballers to Sporting Lisbon and Deportivo Alves respectively, the Alex Bunbury Sports & Academics Academy (ABSAA) once again acquiesced to a request this time by the National Sports Commission (NSC) to offer assistance to the nation’s young footballers as they prepare to represent Guyana, at the Inter-Guiana Games against Suriname. Yesterday, during a simple presentation ceremony that was conducted at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, representative of ABSAA Junior Forrester handed over twelve pairs of boots to Manager of the Guyana Inter-Guiana Futsal team Dwaine Moses in the presence of the team and media. Forrester speaking at the occasion disclosed that once they were approached they readily agreed to help the

team, adding that they saw it was another good opportunity to fulfill an important role in the lives of young people and one that fitted in with their mandate to assist in the furtherance of s p o r t s development. He said that the request was made at a recently staged press briefing to identify the four footballers who were selected to attend the tryouts at the two Academies and to reveal the location where the Academy would be located. Moses in his response admitted that the request was done at short notice, but commended the ABSAA for supporting the call for assistance in a positive manner. He promised that the gift would be used in a responsible manner and

- Inter-Guiana Games 2016

The Inter-Guianas team poses with the boots.

expressed optimism that the players are determined to bring glory to this country in their clash against the Surinamese. Among the other persons of influence that were present at the ceremony included Women’s Football Association President Charmine Wade, who also serves as an ABSAA Representative and members of the team’s Technical Staff. Meanwhile, Guyana opens its quest for top honours in the Futsal

competition tomorrow, at the same venue. The full team is: Jeremy Garrett, Cecil Jackman, Kendolph Lewis, Collyer Daniels, Joel McGarrell,

O d e l l G u l l i v e r, Ry a n Hackett, Nyk Nichols, Bobby David (Goalkeeper), Romario Cain (Goalkeeper), Donquan Wilson and Seon Barrett.

The Manager is: Dwaine Moses, Head CoachThomas McKinnon, Goalkeeper Coach- Eon De Veira and PhysiotherapistTravis Sampson.

t r o Sp

Members of the Suriname delegation after their arrival at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last night.

Manager Gallant upbeat as IGG commence today Over the next three days athletes from Guyana and neighbouring Suriname will battle for superiority in several disciplines as the Inter Guiana Games commence today. The action gets underway at 13:00hrs with male and female basketball and volleyball at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and National Gymnasium respectively followed by the opening ceremony at the Leonora Stadium. Tomorrow, athletes will compete in Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball, Futsal, and Track and Field, and on Sunday they will face off in Swimming, Volleyball, Futsal, Table Tennis and Basketball followed by the closing ceremony. The Suriname team arrived last night and head of the delegation Wilfred Gallant said his athletes have prepared well for the competition and he is confident they will do well. “Our athletes have been in training for the past two and a half months, they have also been in competition, so their confidence level is high and since we have missed last year games it just grew bigger,” he added. Gallant stated that among the disciplines they hope to excel in are Swimming, Basketball and Volleyball. “We have started the Futsal this year so I don’t know how it will go but I hope for the best, our athletes are fit and raring to go,” he posited. He pointed out that they are very happy to be part of the games this year and expects to continue next year.

ABSAA acquiesce to NSC’s request for assistance West Indies look to carry pink-ball fight into red-ball contest GABBFF and CACBFF approval granted for Int. event Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210