Kaieteur News
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Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
DETERRING CRIME “I stand accused before you; I have no tears to cry; and you will never break me till the day I die.” These are cold, defiant words from the song “A Criminal Mind” written and performed by the Canadian artiste, Lawrence Gowan. It was apparently directed at the justice system by a criminal. It is unclear what motivated Gowan to pen these lyrics but he conveys the impression that he was attempting to explain the criminal mindset and provide insight into this perplexing subject of crime, which has intrigued human beings from time immemorial. Why do people, mostly youths, develop a mindset that drives them to commit crime, especially the heinous, violent type like murder and armed robbery that are widespread in Guyana. Perhaps the answer lies in our socialization process of children which more or less determines who they will be when they become young adults. The process, which involves inputs from the home, schools, the church and society, has defined behaviours as good and bad. Good behaviour is generally encouraged and rewarded by society while bad behaviour is reprimanded and, in some cases, is severely punished. As a nation, we are fixated at dishing out the harshest punishment to offenders as if they are not human beings. Criminals are not born; they are created and are products of their environment largely as a result of their exposure to various influences during their impressionable formative years. Studies show that a person’s character is basically formed in the first five years of childhood and it is not likely that this character makeup will change later on in life. So the best way to make a change in youths is to make sure that parents are educated. Unfortunately, in Guyana there are many single parents, mostly women who are struggling to survive. Fathers are absent and the Child Protection Agency cannot cope with the demand for services to help children. The increase in gun-related crimes in the country by mostly youths has led to strident calls for the resumption of the death penalty in the case of murder, and, in other cases, the return of the cat-o-nine tails as effective responses to end the lawlessness. However, such reactive approach which has characterized our crime fighting strategy for decades has not worked. A proactive strategy would provide opportunities to help save youths from becoming hardened criminals like Gowan’s character. Although many of our offenders have become hardcore criminals like the character in Gowan’s song, harsh punishment is unlikely to change their bad behaviour. While some believe that rehabilitation is an obviously taxing proposition because young offenders may have been exposed to harsh treatment throughout their entire life. Others are of the opinion that if criminals are treated in a soft, gentle manner with genuine love and care, they may change. It is true that everyone, regardless of who he or she is, feels empty or abandoned without an experience of love, acceptance and appreciation. And, interestingly, many offenders have admitted to feeling this way. Criminologists have predicted that crime is likely to get worse unless the government changes its approach which emphasizes punishment and not rehabilitation. While the laws must be enforced, however, a strategy that lacks a serious crime prevention programme is flawed and will not reduce crime. In fact, a reactive crime fighting strategy, which emphasizes punishment, may actually make the crime situation even worse. The thought of being in prison is no longer an effective deterrent to crime, as confirmed by the gleeful images of some young offenders who gave thumbsup after being sentenced as if they had scored some major victory.
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.
Kaieteur News has branded me a PPP/C agent and lackey Dear Editor, It is important that a response be made to last Sunday’s Kaieteur News’ cartoon and “The Baccoo Speaks” (KN:14th October, 2018). The two have sought, to directly and indirectly, attempt to assassinate my character by presenting the impression (pictorial and words) that decisions being made by me, as General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), on the current negotiation with the Ministry of Education, are informed by directive of the PPP, namely Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo.Kaieteur News is being asked to provide the evidence that my actions and decisions on the current negotiations are in any way, shape or form informed by the Opposition. At this period when the Union has before it a menu of measures that are being considered, with a view to determine what happens tomorrow and onward, the attempt to sow seeds of discord among our membership has not escaped me.
The media plays a very important role in our society, as a watchdog and seeker of truth. In our fractured society both are equally important. Kaieteur News’ Editor and Publisher must also ask how they want the newspapers to be presented and represented in the eyes of the public, and more particularly by the young generation. Dare I ask: when are we going to stop the manufactured political divisiveness and misrepresentation? The GTU represents teachers with a wide array of political interests and lack of interest, which is respected in keeping with citizens’ right to freedom of association. Matters relating to representation by the GTU are guided by trade union and moral principles. Our history proves this. Irrespective of the party or group that holds governmental office the GTU has a proud record of continuously agitating for its members. Where necessary the GTU engage or had
engaged in industrial actions to bring about results. Our membership has engaged in industrial actions under the colonial authority; the People’s Progressive Party, t h e P e o p l e ’s N a t i o n a l Congress, and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administrations. Our industrial actions during t h e A P N U + A F C administration should therefore not be seen as strange. I entered the trade union leadership during the PPP/C administration. During that time the GTU negotiated with the Ministry of Education, led by a PPP/C Minister, and engaged in industrial actions. None at that time, at least not Kaieteur News, considered industrial actions informed by the then Opposition or me their agent or lackey. In 2017, I received a National Award, The Golden Arrow of Achievement, from t h e A P N U + A F C Administration, in recognition of my work in Trade Unionism. This was a nomination that came
directly from the A P N U + A F C Administration. The medal was pinned on my chest by President David Granger on the 6th October 2017, at the Investiture Ceremony, held at the National Cultural Centre. It’s ridiculous that having been recognised for my work in trade unionism b y t h e p r e s e n t Administration, in continuing same, I am now being accused by Kaieteur News, in two separate areas on the same day, of being a PPP/C agent or lackey. This smacks of partisan political mischief and gives t h e i m p r e s s i o n i t ’s a deliberate attempt to sow seeds of discord among the GTU’s membership at a time when the leadership has to return to teachers to discuss the package. To the working class, aluta continua- the struggle continues! Ms. Coretta McDonald, A.A G e n e r a l S e c re t a r y, Guyana Teachers’ Union President, Guyana Trades Union Congress.
The family is crucial to child development Dear Editor, Family and community play an important role in moulding children. This will directly impact any society as a whole, therefore it’s important that families be supported to prevent child abuse and keep children safe within their own homes and communities. The alternative is institutionalization (placing children in orphanage care). Children all across the world depend on their families for love and support. Therefore, families have a vital and most important role in the development of children. The family should provide for the child’s holistic growth through nurturing and teaching especially during their early years. In Guyana, child abuse is the leading cause of children being placed into institutional or orphanage care. In 2016, ChildLinK released a report captioned: An Analysis of the Nature a n d E x t e n t o f Institutionalization of Children in Guyana. The report indicated in
2016, there were 749 c h i l d r e n i n institutional/orphanage care. A l t h o u g h institutional/orphanage care provides alternative accommodation for children who are in need of protection and care, it is not the ideal place for a child’s holistic development. The family remains the ideal care environment for the longterm wellbeing of children. According to the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities: Early Childhood Development in the Context of the Family published written by Wodon, Quentin, and published in 2016; early childhood is the most rapid period of development in a human’s life. The years from conception through birth to eight years of age are critical to the complete healthy cognitive, emotional and physical growth of children and the family plays a major role in their development. ChildLinK’s 2016 study found that many of the children separated from their families often longing to
return to their biological family even though they know that’s where they were abused. The separation from the biological family and familiar surroundings is an emotionally painful experience and in many cases a traumatic experience for particularly young children. The family gives the child a sense of belonging and protection and is most influential in helping the child to understand his or her culture and history and a sense of social, historical and cultural identity, which is very important to the development of self. Even as adults, we take pride in the fact that we came from a long line of teachers, doctors, nurses, etc. It is equally or even more important for children to know their “roots” and history. The family history in some cases inspires children to surpass the achievements of their ancestors. Family is possibly the single most important influence in a child’s life.
Parents should aim to set a good example of how to handle difficult emotions such as anger, loss, conflict a n d o t h e r d i ff i c u l t i e s children are likely to experience in growing up. The family should instill values and set boundaries; they are a child’s first teachers and role models in how to behave and how to experience the world around them. Adult family members can teach children about what is right from wrong, how to handle conflict, how to relate lovingly and respectfully to others their age or persons in authority, how to form lifelong relationships, how to function in a group and other critical life lessons. Family life is where the child spends most of his or her learning time. Although considerable learning takes place at school and in the c o m m u n i t y, e s s e n t i a l , foundational and character building principles are first taught at home. It is where the closest relationships are formed and nurtured. The (Continued on page 6)
Tuesday October 23, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Where are the many foreign Human Rights groups on this issue? DEAR EDITOR, I refer to Freddie Kissoon’s Sunday, October 21, 2018 article regarding the concerns of inequality in the justice system. Firstly, justice in this day and age does seem to support those who have wealth, privilege and connections to “high-powered lawyers”. This might seem farfetched to those who view developed countries as the beacon of equality, but similar issues occur in the ABC (America, Britain and Canada)
countries, where those of European middle & upper class background are less likely to be imprisoned, compared to working class and low-income ethnic backgrounds, for the same offence. Furthermore, it’s common knowledge that the United States has a disproportionate number of African-American and Hispanic men serving long times in prison because of misdemeanour offences such as smoking weed or not paying a traffic ticket that they can’t afford.
It can be stated that sending young teens and young people into prison for misdemeanour offences only perpetuates the cycle of poverty and crime in any country. This is evident in how many unemployed young men in developed European countries have resorted to joining extremist Far Right groups which act violently on immigrants. Likewise, in poorer countries located in Africa and the Middle East, young people who have be-
come disenfranchised have become easy recruits for paramilitary groups. Conversely, many upper class social activist groups have petitioned their governments to abolish prison sen-
tences for certain demographics, citing it as inhumane for the members of their social group. However, these social activist groups have remained silent when many working class single mothers have
continued to face inequality in policing and the justice system. Therefore, while we must maintain law and order, unfairly targeting marginalised (Continued on page 6)
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Tuesday October 23, 2018
Lawless Jagdeo contemptuous Several engineering shortfalls of Guyana’s highest court in ECD road expansion project Dear Editor, The Jagdeo regime (1999 to 2011) had little regard for the law. The Phantom Squad specialised in extra judicial killings of Guyanese citizens. He spent taxpayers’ money, handed out lands like they were his own. It was a truly lawless time. Now today, we read that he had another tantrum on Saturday evening over a ruling by the Court of Appeal that did not go his way. While criticism and comments on court rulings are generally accepted when based on the merits of the case, legal minds will now consider whether Mr. Jagdeo’s attack on the ruling verges on contempt. He described the decision as a “travesty”. He also branded the three judges’ ruling as “perverse”. In other words, the judges deliberately ignored the
issues in the case to arrive at their decision. This is a scandalous charge, which can be viewed as an attack on the judiciary. The Leader of the Opposition is setting a disgraceful example to the people of Guyana as he undermines the rule of law and encourages disrespect for the judiciary. Of course with Mr. Jagdeo this is nothing new. His call yesterday, putting the CCJ “on notice” is just a reminder of his disregard for Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s court of last resort. In 2010, he had said there was a conflict of interest within the CCJ because the Chairman of the Trust Fund of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Dr. Rollin Bertrand, was also the Chief Executive Officer of Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL), which recently won a chal-
lenge it brought against the Guyana government over the importation of cement. This was even as his (Mr. Jagdeo’s) administration ignored the court’s ruling. There was also a recent whisper campaign against the CCJ ahead of the ruling that barred Mr. Jagdeo from ever contesting the presidency, which centered on the racial composition of the court. It would appear as though Mr. Jagdeo is incapable of coming to grips with the reality that he is no longer the big, bad bully of the Caribbean he used to be, but now a much diminished and shrivelled, lame duck opposition leader whose days of lawlessness are over. Yours faithfully, Imran Khan Director of Public Information
The State’s efforts must be supported by alert and efficient prosecutors DEAREDITOR, I have been following the developments in the Courts with regard to criminal cases involving some former ministers and officials of the former PPP/C Government administration. Against the background of some recent acquittals, there has to be concern with the prosecutorial capacity of the state to effect convictions against those accused of crimes against the state. This state of affairs is not due to a lack of evidence, since the audit findings would have been supported by in-depth police investigation which would have resulted in charges being laid. It would seem that there is a problem with the state prosecutors not being au fait with the particular sections of the law which ought to support the intended charges. This was clearly the case when a former minister and former senior
personnel of the same ministry, were acquitted because of being arraigned under the incorrect law. One cannot fault the Court’s decision, since the case must suit the law; however, one is entitled to query as to whether such a defect was not observed from the onset, and the necessary advice given. Why was this very important matter that would have cost the state millions of dollars, allowed to proceed through a trial, only to be advised by the presiding officer, at the end, that the charges were bad in law? One accepts the fact that our judicial system is being challenged by a particular category of offences which it is engaging for the first time. It explains why there have been so many seminars and training engagements convened for the entire judiciary, so as to bring about a better cognizance on the part of judicial officers, as to what is required.
Where are the many... From page 5 groups by jailing them for long periods of time for trivial offences, while the wealthy and privileged only have to pay a fine worth pocket change, only exacerbates inequality, poverty, and eventually, crime. However, I wonder where are
the many foreign Human Rights groups to voice their agenda, when countless number of working class people and marginalised youth end up facing harsh treatment under the law for misdemeanors. R. Hamid, Toronto, Canada
Yet, it has to be recognised that in such critical legal matters that involve former high ranking officials, there should be a calibre of legal prosecutors whose knowledge and expertise of the law should be evident, bringing it to bear on proceedings. This has to be a requirement. The State cannot afford any more of these “lapses”. As a government that has commenced to re-fashion a society on good morals and respect for the law, this must not be allowed to be the understanding of what this new dispensation represents.I do believe in the justness of the state’s taking condign action against those who steal its resources in any form. But its efforts must be supported by a more alert, robust, and aggressive prosecutorial system. Regards Dillon Goring
Dear Editor, I wish to note my concerns about the current East Coast Demerara Road Expansion Project from an engineering perspective. Firstly, I must say the project is well needed to serve the people along the corridor and it will have many economic advantages when completed. However, from traversing this route along the project site daily, I have noticed quite a number of engineering shortfalls. One of the most common mistakes being made is the lack of compaction of the white sand sub-structure which by proper practice should be compacted in approximately 12-inch layers until the desired thickness is achieved. What I have witnessed is the practice of what I would term bulk compaction. This method cannot adequately satisfy the achievement of a proper road foundation and will lead to an early deterioration of the life of the road sub-structure since the foundation will settle over time, causing significant cracking and failure of the asphalt layer. Compaction in layers needs to be tested at each desired compaction level. This fully ensures that the complete white sand level is adequately compacted. If you do a bulk compaction, the testing apparatus would not be adequate to determine the level of compaction throughout the thickness of the entire white sand substructure as this thickness from my observation may reach up to four feet or more. Can the Ministry of Public Infrastructure ascertain that this is the procedure to ensure quality of works and by ascertain I mean make public on their
website copies of their reports during the agreed benchmarks of this project and done by the consultant? Next, I would like to touch on the topic of the contractor’s mode of working. Firstly, from what I have witnessed, this contractor is poised to scarify the entire corridor without even laying any sort of asphalt on any section of the new road. Commuters have to traverse miles of the incomplete sections of the new widening on the crushed stone layer which is quite rough and slow. This will take a toll on most vehicle suspensions and tyres which are not designed for the harsh surface.There seems to be no proper traffic management plan and the reliance of the embankment road is inadequate and not fully thought out as those who come out to their respective communities on the public road are met with no directional signs on the scarified sections and end up reluctantly driving up one way diversions which are not properly demarked. Additionally those who are forced to use the public road diversion do so at the risk of loose stones being catapulted from vehicles speeding through the zone damaging windshields and a few body work shops have actually said they have seen an increase in the number of persons with broken windshields. In previous road projects the widened sections were mandated to be asphalted before scarifying and rehabilitating the existing section are then used as a diversion. Why is the Ministry of Public Infrastructure not enforcing such an approach? No proper road rehabilitation project in this world takes on such an approach.
Most importantly is the final product of the complete road design map which is not available online or anywhere to the public. There needed to be public consultations on the project so that the communities can play an active part in the final design layout during conceptualization. This was never done to my knowledge and as such without stakeholders consultation you will end up with a very poor final design that will not adequately suit the needs of the beneficial communities. Thus far from Plaisance to Happy Acres, there are no access points along the routes as the median currently being constructed is continuous. So rather than solve the problems the project is intended to remedy this would now end up creating a series of bottlenecks along the route especially during peak hours. This final product will become a catastrophe if the engineers at MPI and the E&A consultant do not address these issues urgently. It seems as though the MPI and E&A consultants are toothless poodles on the project since China Railway has been allowed to bulldoze the entire existing carriageway without any regard for the communities along the route. China Railway’s modus operandi is that of the construction of a new road along the route without adjacent communities. They operate blind to that fact that not only the communities adjacent to the construction are affected but the public road is a vital link from the eastern corridor which supports the rice sector and connects to Suriname. Yours Truly Senior Engineer
The family is crucial to child development... From page 4 most important support that parents can give a child is love and affection. Institutional care may not be capable of providing children with the necessary love and affection that is required for their emotional and psychological development since children need quality time and affection, which is more meaningful to the child when it comes from their biological parents. One child, who at the time of the research was in the institution for four years, stated with tears that he would often question the way his mother feels about him and how he misses his father and siblings to the point where he considered “running away” from the orphan-
age to be with his family. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Articles 9, 18 and 20, state that every child has the right to live with his or her parents or to stay in touch with them, unless this would harm the child’s development. It also states that every child has the right to grow up in a supportive, protective, and caring environment that promotes his or her full potential. Article 18, in particular points to government’s responsibility to provide support services to families. However, all other sectors in society including the business sector should recognize that they have a role in supporting children through their
families. This may be done either through partnerships and or holding those accountable for safeguarding children. Children thrive when parents are active participants in their growth and development. Every parent should understand that it is sometimes difficult to do this important work without help, support, and additional resources. As a society, we need to have more openness to accessing help especially counselling and other forms of psychosocial support. ChildLinK, the Childcare and Protection Agency and other organizations offer parental skills education to help parents strengthen their parental capacity. However, it is unfortunate
that some parents do not take advantage of this opportunity because they believe they are not in need of counselling. Parents, improving your parenting skills, lead to stronger support to your overall family life, to create a better environment for children to grow up and is one of the best options for improving your child’s chances of achieving to their full potentials. ChildLinK’s project officer for the RSR project, Ashome Clarke, believes that “every child needs a loving family, a champion that will stand up for their protection”. Yours truly, Shaquita Thomas Communications Officer ChildLinK Inc
Tuesday October 23, 2018
M&CC HR Manager explains action meted out to some City Hall workers Human Resource Manager of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC) Paulette Braithwaite has sought to explain the reason for certain action taken against some employees of City Hall. In her testimony before the Commission of Inquiry, (CoI), y e s t e r d a y, Braithwaite spoke about the suspension of city w o r k e r, Kabulla Hollingsworth and three others. Hollingsworth was suspended for neglect of duty following the breach of a sluice which resulted in the flooding of Alexander Village and environs. Hollingsworth had complained to the Commission about being unfairly treated by the management of City Hall, after he was suspended. The HR manager also spoke of an incident engaging an injured worker, Alice Brandt. The woman had complained the Council has not paid her full benefits after she was forced to resign because of injury. However, the HR Manager explained to the commission that the injured woman is still to receive part of her benefits because she has not signed off on certain documents, she required. Braithwaite said, too, that since the establishment of the Local Government Commission, (LGC) matters relating to the disciplining of City Hall workers were sent to the Commission. “I know matters were sent to the commission, I know for sure that there was a matter against a rank of City Constabulary that
M&CC HR Manager, Paulette Braithwaite was sent there and the commission was asked to recommend employment for at least two people.” Since the formation of the LGC, Braithwaite said the Human Resource Department within the Council has not terminated any staff members. “We were sent a letter informing us that the Commission was in place and of their functions…” Asked whether she was satisfied with the administration and management of the Council, Braithwaite said that “given the circumstances, on a scale of one- ten, I would give the manager team seven points for managing the city with limited finances and other resources.” “I think, we manage the place pretty well given the amount of workers and contractors that we are responsible for paying. We don’t have a lot of money so there will be some dis-
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gruntled workers.” Several complaints from retired municipal workers about delays by the Council to pay their pension and gratuity have been lodged at the COI. P r e v i o u s l y, Jardin Hope, a former supervisor attached to the Municipal South Road Day Care Centre expressed frustration over what she called a refusal by the council to pay her retroactive increase on her salary. “I received my gratuity but I never got my back pay…I retired when I became 55 years old in 2015 but I never received any of the back pay monies that City Hall owes me.” Hope said that she raised the matter with Town Clerk, Royston King, and the Deputy Town Clerk, Sharon Harry Munroe, but to no avail. “They never looked into it. They only keep pushing me around. So I filed a complaint with the Commission.” The woman also raised concerns over the manner in which the pension is being paid to retired workers. “They treat us like (Continued on page 10)
Vehicle owners feel the pinch as gas price climbs Local gas prices at the pumps have jumped to their highest for the y e a r, a r o u n d $ 3 0 m o r e per litre. According to prices yesterday at the service stations of the statecontrolled Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil), gasoline was $230 per litre. Diesel was $245 while kerosene $159. Across at Sol on Regent Street, the prices were $230 for FuelSave and $242 for V-Power. Diesel was going for $244 per litre. The Rubis’ gas station on Vlissengen Road had $232 per litre of gas while diesel stood at $234.90. Earlier this year, the state-owned Guyana Oil Company Ltd. (Guyoil) announced a reduction in prices for gasoline, gasoil (LSD) and kerosene with effect from March 9, 2018. According to Guyoil then, the price reductions were possible due to declining acquisition costs. These savings are now being passed on to
customers. ”Gasoline has been reduced by $2.00 per litre, Gasoil (LSD) has been reduced by $10.00 per litre and Kerosene $4.00 per litre.” Guyoil said it has always been cognisant of its role in the Guyana economy, ensuring that quality petroleum products are provided at excellent prices. ”Our vast network of dealer service stations will continue to ensure that our quality products are made available to
you our valued customers along the entire coastland to all the way in Lethem.” H o w e v e r, i t a p p e a r s that the acquisition costs have been climbing steadily, over US$70 per barrel. Tw o o r t h r e e y e a r s ago, the price had been just over US$40 per barrel. With projections that world prices are expected to further rise, vehicle owners will be bracing them to pay more at the pumps.
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Tuesday October 23, 2018
Concession agreement says…
Company has option to continue running Berbice Bridge after handover to Govt.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop
In nine years time, the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) is set to hand-over the structure to the Government of Guyana. However, that would not have been the end of the controversial company if former President Bharrat Jagdeo and his administration had had their way. According to the Concession Agreement that Jagdeo’s
administration signed with BBCI- the Concessionaire/ Operator- at the time of the “handback”, in nine years time, the company has the possibilities to continue running the bridge and collect tolls. The agreement says: “At the expiration of the Concession Period and at the Handback date, the Concessionaire shall be eligible to tender for the ability to oper-
ate and maintain the Toll Bridge and toll plaza on a competitive basis.” The disclosures of the leaked Concession Agreement would be shocking as it included also other sweetheart arrangements with the
BBCI, a private company that was controlled by close friends of Jagdeo. In May 2015, the Coalition Government entered office and sought to change the board of directors, which was filled with top lieutenants of New GPC and other companies who were close to Jagdeo. This was after years of a tight lid being kept on the operations of the facilities which had funds linked to the state, through the National Insurance Scheme and which were invested in the bridge company. However, despite placing Dr. Surendra Persaud, a close affiliate of the Alliance For
Change (AFC), as Chairman, the government still had to contend with the shareholders. Last week, the Chairman dropped a bombshell, announcing a 365 percent increase of vehicular tolls come November 12, the same day as local government elections. The BBCI has also officially informed Government of the plans. Government has flatly said it will not be approving any tolls increase. Rather, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has been seeking legal advice to determine the extent of the Government’s power on the Berbice Bridge. The issue has been a complex one. On one hand, BBCI has been insisting that it is a private company and cannot be controlled by Government. On the other hand, it is demanding the increase, to which it says it is entitled in its Concession Agreement, to be subsidized by the government. There has been widespread anger in especially Berbice over the announcement as under the agreement, no ferries or boats can operate on the river, effectively forcing businesses and citizens to use the structure. However, since early 2016, the Coalition Government has placed water taxis in the Berbice River to allow free rides to nurses, school
children and senior citizens. Government had also lowered the toll from $2,200 to $1,900 per car and is currently paying the bridge a subsidy of $150M annually. Wi t h r e g a r d s t o t h e shareholders of the Berbice Bridge, Government has purchased $40M in share belonging to the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). According to reported information, the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Company (GPC) which is owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, a close friend of Jagdeo, has 80M in share stock in the Berbice Bridge. The other principal investors in the bridge include the National Insurance Scheme with an initial 80M shares, Secure International Finance Company with 80M shares, Hand in Hand Motor & Life Insurance Company which holds 40M shares and the Colonial Life Insurance Company with 80M shares. The remaining and overwhelming majority of shares stands at $950M in preference shares. This has since been sold to NIS, bringing its share stake to in excess of $1B. However, despite the majority of the monies by NIS, the control of the bridge, prior to 2015, was largely in the hands of New GPC and a few individuals with close ties to Jagdeo.
Tuesday October 23, 2018
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Dodging the political crossfire The controversy over the toll increase proposed by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. is regrettably being turned into a blamegame. On the one hand, the government and its supporters are blaming the PPPC for the problem which they see is as a result of a flawed financial model. The PPPC, on the other hand, is of the view that the proposed increase is a political gimmick engineered by the Alliance for Change in order to resurrect its political fortunes. The public is caught in this vicious divide. The supporters of the government are unwilling to consider that the proposed increases may be a political gimmick to allow the AFC to seem to be coming to the rescue of users of the bridge. The PPPC supporters, on the other hand, do not wish to concede that there is a perverse
governance model which assigns minority shareholders a commanding influence over the Board. The government is not helpless. The government owns more than 80% of the shares, if you add it those that it acquired for $45M from DDL. For all intents and purposes the government holds a commanding majority of the shares in the Bridge but because of the flawed governance model is not in absolute control of the Board. There are easy solutions to the controversy involving the proposed bridge tolls. The government can consider waiving dividends for a fixed period, or extending the deadline for the bridge to be handed over free of cost to the State. The government, through the Minister of Finance, has long indicated, also, an interest in buying out the minority shareholders, once the
price is right. The announcement by the bridge company of massive increases in tolls may be a ploy by those minority shareholders to force the government to buy them out. Or it could be a political tactic to make the AFC seem to be a saviour to Berbice. The verdict will be divided on these issues because of the political divisions. One group of persons will side with the government in blaming the PPPC and the other side will say that it is the present government’s actions which have brought the matter to this stage. Political polarization is hardening with each passing day and will not help resolve this conflict. There is a need for an independent perspective. What is needed is a civil society grouping organization to be established to try to find non-partisan solutions to problems in Guyana.
Dem boys seh ...
Soulja Bai got to deal wid nuff kak Dem boys might have to ask “What has changed in de way dem parties ruling de country?” Everything wha use to happen under that scamp Jagdeo, continues today. Jagdeo use to give he best friend all de drug contracts wid big advance. Then he best friend use to overprice de drugs. Three week before de elections Jagdeo give de man almost US$12M drug contract. Fast forward to today, Soulja Bai got he own buddy friend who now supplying drugs. De first kak he drive pun Soulja Bai is when he tell him he is a dactah. He never tell dem which University he get he doctorate from.
De second kak was when he over price de drugs, just like wha Jagdeo best friend use to do. Remember de ketakonozone cream. It use to retail in India fuh $85 Guyana. He sell Ministry of Health fuh more than $2,000 each. Imagine wha he do wid de rest. Dem boys remember was Valda who give de contract to de quack dactah. When de story buss out that de contract didn’t go to tender board, she seh de drugs was for emergency and that de drugs had to be delivered within two weeks. Well dem boys find out yesterday through de Auditor General that de two weeks emer-
gency drugs tek six months fuh arrive in de country. DeAuditor General also seh de man charge and he over charge. He charge so much that de report seh he collect 60 per cent of de money and he never look back fuh de 40 per cent. That alone tell how much he inflate. De drugs come in suh late that Valda store it in a hotel room. De cost of de hotel might have anodda kak. Hope Soulja Bai can deal wid it. Then you gat a bigger kak going on in de army base. De Auditor General also seh how de army inspect plumbing wuk wha never exist and pay $17 million to a contractah. Talk half and Soulja Bai deal wid dem kak.
In the case of the bridge controversy, what is needed is an independent financial analysis – something that should not take more than a week – which would provide options on the way forward. The annual reports of the Bridge Company are already public and the contracts – including the concession agreement and the financial model – can easily be made available to whomever is conducting the independent analysis. Because of political mistrust any opinion by a local firm will be treated with suspicion. The Private Sector Commission should consider this type of intervention. It should iden-
tify an independent financial firm outside of Guyana with no links at all to Guyana and ask them to come up with the analysis and options. The cost should not be beyond the means of the captains of industry and commerce. The various business organizations in Berbice which are so concerned about the effects of the new tolls on their economy should help fund the study. This is not a time to be tight-fisted but a time to find solutions to the problems of this country by offering independent viewpoints and analysis. It is something worth doing and worth financing. The government will not contract an in-
dependent opinion because it has its own agenda. And so civil society will have to find the resources if it is serious about resolving the problem. A new approach is needed to the country’s problems. That approach should involve solving problems and finding solutions, instead of getting caught in the polarization and crossfire which blights almost every political and economic dispute.
PAGE 10
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
“Fit and proppa” as an election slogan? Really! Trying to understand the people of this country is an impossible endeavour. The more you live here the more you see how incomprehensible the mentality of the Guyanese nationality is. One should not doubt the occurrence of any bizarre or impossible action in Guyana because this is Guyana where nothing is what it seems and everything you see is not what it is. In all seriousness, why would you give a student 800 Guyanese dollars as a prize for excellence in their academic work? In the Guyanese economy of 2016 (the year my daughter received it), what could
$800G buy? Would it not have been sensible to do what most universities do – give a book award? That student would cherish that book forever. That was not the end of the s t o r y. T h e h e a d o f t h e Ontario Guild of UG Graduates that offers the prize money each year wrote a public letter of response to say in previous years, the parents of students who received the sum were grateful. Is that true? Yes it is. This is Guyana. Why would a magistrate sentence an accused to three years for possession of a spent shell he found on the road? There are hundreds of spent
shells on the beach of the Eve Leary, Atlantic Ocean. I see them often while working my dog. Why a jail term for a spent shell and not possession of a pen? A pen can be used to rob people. If you go up to your intended victim, point the pen to his/her eye and say “gimme yuh money or I gon juck yuh,” you are likely to succeed. If you go to your intended victim, open your palm, show him/her the s p e n t s h e l l a n d s a y, “gimme yuh money or I gun use did pon yuh,” you will be laughed at. Seriously, is there another country in the world that would sentence an accused to three
M&CC HR Manager explains action.... From page 7 second class citizens after all our years of service with the council; we do not get our monies on time. The Town Clerk would say he has to pay his staff first before he pays pensioners. That is the way they treat us,” said Hope, who served the Council for some 30 years. A similar complaint was lodged at the CoI by retired East Ruimveldt Day Care, Allison Collins. Collins spent 33 years working for City Hall. She said that she is
yet to receive her gratuity and pack pay for 2015 and 2016. “Town Clerk told me that we retired workers are no longer working with the Council so we are not supposed to get any back pay. But I am here to today because I would like my money from Mr. Royston King.” City Hall employees have protested against town clerk, Royston King, who they say has been breaking promises made to them.
years jail for one spent shell the accused found on the roadway? Please identify that country for me. I read the other day that a homeless man appeared in court for stealing mangoes from the tree in a school yard. Really! That incident reached the courts? The police have nothing better to do with their time. That magistrate had nothing better to do with her time. T h e c o u n t r y ’s t r e a s u r y does not have money to meet our teachers’ demands but we spend money on paper work for preparing a case jacket for a homeless man accused of stealing mangoes. And of course he spent the night in jail where the next morning he had to be fed. The police are called in to restore order in the highest and most important institution in the land – Parliament. The opposition members prevent the police from doing their duty and one parliamentarian runs to the media in tears saying that the police brutalized her. But no cell phone cameras and no television cameras can verify her claim. Yet she was not even
censured much less charged. While the police were trying to resist the parliamentarians who were attacking them, some of the opposition members were shouting, “rape, rape, rape!” To this day we don’t know who the police tried to rape. One parliamentary employee told me the intended rape victim was a man who is a self-styled bishop. I told her I don’t believe that. Another employee informed me that the police did make a move on a parliamentarian with the nickname, “Satyraa Gyall” and that was when the rape exclamation was made. I don’t believe that either. All of this happened in the parliament of a country named Guyana. In which country a political party is contesting an election and its slogan is, “fit and proppa?” Elections at both the central and local levels are about power. They are serious business in a country in which people’s daily lives are affected for better or worse. How can you ask citizens to vote for you and you reduce the pursuit of power to effect positive
Frederick Kissoon changes by a nonsensically facetious slogan as “fit and proppa?” What does a headmistress or headmaster tell his/ her sixteen-year-old child at the breakfast table when they assess the contestants and one party has as its slogan, “fit and proppa?” Should the electorate take that party seriously? Elections are the most important act a citizen participate in at the national level and there are literally a billion ways you can come up with a slogan that would galvanize their emotions. That slogan has to have a touch of poetry and philosophy in it. Is the AFC fit and proper to contest the elections?
Tuesday October 23, 2018
PAGE 11
Kaieteur News
Appeal Court building extension project hit by delays ….Judiciary focuses on new court buildings There have been delays in the planned extension of the Appeal Court, which has seen the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Chancellor Yonette Cummings-Edwards (ag) take decisions to move towards the construction of other court buildings outside Georgetown. According to the Supreme Court’s budgetary submissions, the delay in commencement of the extension of the Court of Appeal Building at Kingston is due to issues surrounding land. According to the submissions, given the Appeal Court delay along with the issuing of a delay order by engineers for the construction of the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court due to bad weather, the Chancellor in April decided to construct a Magistrate’s Court and living quarters at Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). The projected cost for the
Bartica facility is pegged at $204.5M. According to the budget plan, members of the Judiciary and representatives from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) visited Bartica and identified a piece of land for which the final stages of preparation work are being carried out on the Bill of Quantity and drawings. “The project will provide access to justice to approximately 15,000 people living in the region, especially those in remote areas/villages and foremost relieving them of having to travel to Essequibo to file and hear matters,” the Judiciary plan stated. The Supreme Court is of the view that the building will provide a more conducive working environment for staff, lawyers and litigants using the services of the court and better living accommodations for Magis-
The Court of Appeal building at Kingston, Georgetown trates presiding in Bartica hence eliminating the cost of
Bourda Market bandit robbed coconut vendor moments before being shot
The coconut stall where McKenzie was robbed. John McKenzie, a 49year-old coconut vendor, operating outside Bourda Market, was one of the victims in the robbery spree that ended with Shane Allison being shot after he attempted to rob another Bourda Market vendor on Robb Street. According to a statement issued by police, McKenzie who is from Buxton Sideline Dam, East Coast Demerara, was robbed of two gold chains. The report stated the robbery occurred about 01:15 hours and was carried out by two men, both armed with handgun. Police learnt that the victim operates his coconut stall on a 24-hour basis at Bourda Market at the corner of Robb Street and Orange Walk, Bourda. About the time of the robbery McKenzie was sitting at his stand, when he was confronted by the men, who were on foot. One pointed a handgun at him then relieved him of the
mentioned items while his accomplice, who was also armed with a handgun stood guard about five feet away . They then joined a small silver gray motor car, number unknown, which parked several feet away. The car then proceeded south along Orange Walk and disappeared. McKenzie further related that his reason for reporting the matter at this time is that he saw a video on Facebook of a male being shot at the Bourda Market and was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. He identified the shot man as one of the persons, who robbed him. Shane Allison, was shot by a security guard around 02:00 hrs Sunday when he attempted to rob a Bourda Market vendor on Robb Street, between Bourda and Alexander Streets. Allison was shot in the foot and hip. Two of his accomplices were
arrested. Kaieteur News learnt from a witness that Allison and two others came to the location in a minibus. Allison, who had a handgun, approached the vendor and attempted to rob him. A security guard, who was a short distance away confronted him. Allison reportedly turned his firearm on the guard, who shot him in the foot. Allison ran into a yard then fled into an alleyway. The witness claimed that she heard a few more gunshots and heard Allison wailing loudly. Quick response by City Police from the Bourda Outpost saw Allison being apprehended and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was admitted under guard. What most did not know was that Allison had robbed McKenzie just moments before.
renting apartments and reduced transportation cost. Due to the delays to the Appeal Court project, the Acting Chancellor took the decision to construct a Magistrate’s Court and living quarters at Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) at $193.7M. It is expected that 4,000 persons living in the re-
gion will benefit, including the nearby Amerindian village of Campbell Town which is governed by a village council with a Toshao at its helm. Court is currently held in a section of the Mahdia Police Station. Another project that is being pursued by the Judiciary in light of the delays to the appeal Court exten-
sions and the Diamond/ Grove facility, is a facility at Kwakwani for a court house and living quarters. An abandoned flat building which is owned by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and land by GL&SC are being processed to use the facility.
PAGE 12
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News
Greenidge meeting with Merrill Lynch exposes flaws in Govt handling of oil and gas – Nigel Hinds The recent revelations that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, met with Merrill Lynch, who is likely interested in the investment feature of Guyana’s Natural Resource Fund has exposed some fundamental flaws. This view was shared by Auditor and Financial consultant, Nigel Hinds, who said that the Government’s approach is the ‘minus 101 manner of conducting negotiations’. “We seem to have multiple Ministers and Agencies involved in a plethora of oil issues on behalf of the Government of Guyana; this allows for convoluted and bewildering pronouncements for those representing the oil sector in Guyana, or those purporting to be doing so,” Hinds stated. Officials of the company met separately with Minister of Foreign A f fairs, Carl Greenidge and Central Bank Governor, Dr. Gobind Ganga. Greenidge said that Merrill Lynch requested the meeting, because they may have an interest not only from
a wealth management perspective, but as a merchant bank willing to lend money for infrastructure development. “One representative meeting with a Global Entity such as Merrill Lynch, a subsidiary of Bank of America; is a lose or lose more situation for Guyana,” Hinds stated. Greenidge had told reporters that his function as the Minister of Foreign Affairs was to listen to the Merrill Lynch executives and channel them to the appropriate agency. “We listened to them, explained what we are doing in a variety of areas, and facilitated a meeting between themselves and the Ministry of Finance,” Greenidge stated. T h e F o r e i g n Aff a i r s Minister had indicated that the firm has the capacity and experience in the management of the equivalent of Sovereign Wealth Funds. Hinds stated that Guyana’s focus should be on the Petroleum Sharing Agreement (PSA). “Correcting the defective contract should
Financial consultant, Nigel Hinds be our focus; not SWF and other vague and futuristic post PSA narratives that are largely meant to deceive and cover over an unconscionable contract,” Hinds pointed out. Merrill Lynch, the hard charging bull of the global
financial services industry, was once considered the world’s largest brokerage. The firm generates wealth
for its clients through a variety of investment vehicles, including the stock market. In 2008, at the height of the U.S financial crisis, it nearly collapsed, and was acquired by Bank of A merica. Government’s Green Paper on the management of oil revenues sets out that the Ministry of Finance will manage the Natural Resource Fund (NRF), which will include revenue injections from oil and gas, mining and forestry. The Green Paper states that the Ministry of Finance will manage requested withdrawal from the fund in the annual budget proposal. The Ministry will also be responsible for calculating the fiscally sustainable amount, drafting the investment mandate, and entering into the operational agreement with the Bank of Guyana. Additionally, the Green Paper highlights that the
Ministry of Finance will appoint a five-member Macroeconomic Committee, which will determine the economically sustainable amount for the fund. Further, the intention is to have the Minister also appoint a seven-member Sovereign Investment Committee, which would be responsible for advising the Minister about the fund’s investment mandate. Apart from funds being transferred to the national budget, the Green Paper notes that NRF investments are to be made in overseas markets. The vision for this, according to the Green Paper, is that this will serve to ensure that the country has a longterm stable source of income, which will allow for the fund to meet its stabilisation and intergenerational savings objectives. The vision articulated by Government is to have a private manager administer the overall investment portfolio.
Maryann Daby PI....
Police witness remains elusive Detective Constable John Holder, who weeks ago told the court that he lied in a statement he made to support his colleague, yesterday failed to turn up in court when the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) involving businesswoman Maryann Daby, who is accused of attempting to kill a police officer continued. Maryann Daby, 25, of 127 D’Aguiar Park, Houston, Georgetown, was not required to plead to the charge which alleged that on May 13, last, at Albert Street, Thomas, Lands, Georgetown, with intent to commit murder, she attempted to discharged a loaded firearm at Police Constable Christopher Kissoon. She is currently out on $750,000 High Court Bail. Yesterday when the matter was called the orderly called Holder’s name thrice and no one answered or appeared to the name. The Magistrate after inquiring about Holder’s whereabouts was told by Police Prosecutor, Richard Harris, that the witness was sick and could not make an appearance in court. The Magistrate further went on to ask the Prosecutor if a medical certificate was sent to the court and the Prosecutor said no. The Magistrate then adjourned the matter until November 5 for continuation of the PI. According to reports, on the day in question Daby and her friends were at the
Charged, Maryann Daby Georgetown Motor Racing and Sports Club. Constable Kissoon, who was off-duty and was at the Club at the time, reportedly heard what appeared to be gunshots. While checking for the source of the gunfire, he reportedly saw Daby firing rounds into the air. He said that he confronted her. Daby then allegedly pointed a firearm to the officer’s head and pulled the trigger. Daby is also charged with having an unlicensed pistol along with six live rounds. The attempted murder charge and the unlawful possession of arms and ammuni-
tion charges arise from the same circumstances. It is alleged that on May 13, last at Albert Street, Thomas Lands, Georgetown, she had a .32 pistol in her possession when she was not the holder of a firearm license enforced at the time. It was further alleged that on the same day, she had six live rounds of .32 ammunition in her possession, when she was not the holder of a firearm license enforced at the time. She denied the charges after they were read to her. She is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Mark Waldron.
Tuesday October 23, 2018
PAGE 21
Kaieteur News
Auditor General finds…
HDM Labs takes six months to supply “emergency drugs” that was needed in two weeks - Charges over $100M more than other suppliers Despite the vehement defence that the Ministry of Public Health mounted about its arrangement with HDM Labs, the Audit Office of Guyana still investigated the arrangement and has vowed to “conduct further scrutiny of the awarding and execution of the contract.” So far, the Audit Office has found that HDM Labs took six months to complete its supply of over $400M worth of “emergency drugs” that was needed within two weeks. Further, auditors compared the prices charged by HDM Labs to the prices charged by other suppliers. A table presented in the 1027 audit report noted that the drugs could have been sourced for at least $100M less. The Audit Office noted that on April 28, 2017, the Ministry wrote the NPTAB requesting approval for six suppliers to be invited to bid for varying quantities of 13 drugs through the restricted method of procurement. The suppliers were International Pharmaceutical Agency, Caribbean Medical Supplies, Ansa McAl Trading Ltd, Global Healthcare Sup-
plies Inc., Meditron Inc. and HDM Labs Inc. NPTAB granted approval in May 2017 for the use of the requested method of procurement and tender documents were sold to all six suppliers. Only the first three suppliers, that is, the International Pharmaceutical Agency, Caribbean Medical Supplies and Ansa McAl Trading Limited, tendered for the supply of the items. The tenders were opened on May 23, 2017 and were evaluated by the Evaluation Committee appointed by the NPTAB. The Committee on June 14, 2017 did not recommend an award since the members agreed that no tenderer met all the required evaluation criteria and they all failed to submit complete bids for all of the items. The Ministry subsequently wrote the NPTAB on June 29, 2017 requesting approval to retender for the procurement of the items through the restricted method of procurement and from the same six suppliers. The suppliers were requested to submit their tenders no later than July 18, 2017. On this date, only one
tenderer, that is HDM Labs, submitted a tender for the supply of the items. The Evaluation Committee recommended that a contract be awarded to the lone tenderer for the supply of the items. Audit Office said, “We compared the prices quoted for each item by the approved tenderer with that quoted by the initial three tenderers to determine whether there was due diligence with regard to economy in awarding the contract. It was determined in nine instances that the prices quoted by HDM Labs were significantly higher than that of the initial three suppliers.” Audit Office said that the “contract which was awarded on August 31, 2017 by NPTAB in the sum of US$1,891,443 or Guyana dollar equivalent of $409.497M, was signed on 8 September 2017”. There were several “unsatisfactory features” noted during the examination of the documents. Auditors noted that “the supplier was required to supply the drugs two weeks after signing of the contract; all items should have been delivered no later than 22 September 2017. At this date, no
items were delivered. Delivery commenced in October 2017. “As at 31 December 2017, items to the value of $141.892M or 35 percent of the contract price were delivered. The supplier fulfilled his obligations under the contract in March 2018, six months after the agreed delivery date.” Further, five cheques in the sum of $283.811M and representing 69 percent of the contract sum were processed for the supplier, of which one payment for $17.194M was paid on 23 November 2017 and charged to Line Items 6221 – Drugs and Medical Supplies. Three cheques for amounts totalling $223.710M were paid in 2018 and charged to the amounts received vide Inter-Department Warrants. Thus, the contractor was paid amounts totalling $240.904M of the contract sum. Auditors said that at the time of reporting, “one cheque valued at $42.907M remained on hand; and as stated above, the supplier fully satisfied the requirements of the contract in March 2018 by delivering the agreed quantities as stipulated in the contract and received payments of only
Ammonia Gas Leak at Pritipaul prompts evacuation
$240.904M or 59% of the contract sum. There was no evidence at the time of reporting, that the Ministry took steps to settle its indebtedness of $168.593M, or 41 percent of the contract sum, to the contractor. In addition, no evidence was provided that after six months of delivering the items, the supplier demanded the remaining balance of $168.557M from the Ministry. The Audit Office will conduct further scrutiny of the awarding and execution of the contract.” The Ministry of Health responded to the Auditor Office’s findings. The Ministry said, “At the time of processing the transactions; two payments were merged in favor of a commercial bank to purchase drugs and medical supplies, thus resulting in one supplier delivered fully, while
the other did not fulfill his contractual obligations. This has caused the cheque to be on hand. The Audit Office recommended that the Ministry takes “appropriate action in ensuring that: There is proper accountability for the amounts received by maintaining separate records to show the quantities of drugs and medical procured and supplied to each Region; financial returns sent to the Regions reflect the correct amounts expended to purchase of drugs and medical supplies; all warrants received must be accompanied with a schedule of the drugs to be procured in order for the Regions to receive their full supply of drugs; and price sheets used for valuing drugs and medical supplies issued by the MMU be presented for audit scrutiny.”
Gunmen rob “Punt Trench” Contractor Eon Solomon, 39, reported to police that he was robbed on Sunday by two men, one armed with a gun and the other with a knife, at his lot 132 Independent Boulevard “Punt Trench” home. Solomon reported that he was robbed around 23:30 hours, by the two men, who relieved him of one gold chain value $495,000, one Samsung Galaxy S8 plus value $241,000 and one Samsung Galaxy S7 value $120,000. Solomon told police that
he parked his motor car in his yard and was about to close his gate, when the two suspects came from an unknown direction and held him at gunpoint. They demanded that he hand over his valuables and the articles mentioned above and he complied. They then escaped on foot in an unknown direction. The area was canvassed by investigating ranks. There were no visible CCTV cameras in the area.
Furor over comments about shutting Supreme Court in Brazil
Pritipaul’s Seafood Factory Pritipaul Singh’s factory at Providence, East Bank Demerara was evacuated, yesterday afternoon, and shut down due to panic over an ammonia gas line leak. Deputy Management director and Secretary, Vishnu Panday, told Kaieteur News
that the breakage of the pipe was discovered when several employees reported smelling ammonia. Ammonia is used by the factory for the purpose of refrigeration. The substance is irritating and corrosive, and could cause immediate burning of the nose,
throat and respiratory tract if high concentrations are inhaled. Exposure to even higher concentrations of it could cause severe injury and burns. Because of this, the employees who reported smelling the substance were rushed to Woodlands hospi-
tal, and the factory was immediately evacuated. Panday told Kaieteur News that they don’t know what caused the leak, but that the situation has been controlled. He further noted that none of the employees sustained serious injuries.
SAO PAULO (AP) — A Supreme Court justice is calling for an investigation into inflammatory remarks made by the son of Brazil’s presidential front-runner Jair Bolsonaro. Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro said in a recently published video that it would take only two soldiers to close Brazil’s top court. The son was responding to a question about what the campaign would do if a Presidentelect Bolsonaro were pro-
hibited from assuming office. Justice Alexandre de Moraes said yesterday that the Attorney General’s office should investigate whether Eduardo Bolsonaro broke national security laws. The video was made in July but was published this weekend. It set off alarm bells for many in a country that only emerged from dictatorship in 1985. Eduardo Bolsonaro said on Twitter his statements were taken out of context.
PAGE 22
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News
Six testify in PI of...
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One Tutor/Nanny to work from 12:30- 5:30 Apply Alabama Trading 65 Robb St Bourda. Driver with car & van license for office in Eccles. Call: 2332745 Part time Nanny, Evening hours, must live between Georgetown to Ogle, US Visa applicants preferred. Call #223-6006 Experienced cook required at Hermanston Lodge, Peter Rose & Anira Streets, Queenstown. Apply to the Manager One experienced male sale attendant with stocktaking knowledge. One porter. Apply with hand written application Keyfood McDoom Village
Norton Street $15M Diamond $13M, $12M & 3.5M Aubre Barker $40M DaSilva Street, Agricola $7.5M #231-2199, 618-7483
Casheir-CXC required, Porters. Survival supermarket, 16 Vlissengen Rd, Newtown.
Looking for a job & educational services? Contact The Job Centre 43 Croal & Alexander Street or call 6008457
Property for sale located Canal #2, 6 large pens, fruit trees and farm house. #688-7291/ 650-2172
DemBake at Land of Canaan is seeking experienced Drivers and Sales agents. Tel#2665848
1 Gardener/Handyman to work @ 3 houses. Apply at R.Sookraj & Sons 108 Regent St (Opp GBTI)
Male Factory workers needed. Must have police clearance. For more info: 223-0090
Maintenance workers, experience in painting, welding etc #265-3586
FOR SALE/RENT American Pool table. Tel#2770578
VACANCY
ported that three bandits, one of whom was armed with a gun, pounced on Ramalho. Paton was arrested and taken into custody after police received information that he was the one transporting the bandits responsible for killing the market vendor. While in custody, Paton allegedly admitted to transporting the bandits. The Prosecutor added that the jewellery the deceased was wearing on the night he was shot is missing. It was reported that Ramalho was sitting on a bench at his business place, and had just finished selling a customer when the men walked up to him and shot him. Ramalho fell to the ground and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Tuesday October 23, 2018
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Doctor seriously injured in Corentyne accident involving traffic cop A medical doctor attached to the Mibicuri Public Hospital is currently nursing injuries to his head and limbs after the car he was driving in Sunday hit a policeman’s car. After the collision the vehicle veered off the Bengal, Corentyne public road and slammed into a tractor parked on an empty lot.
Injured is Dr. Jalalludin Ally, of lot 418 Number 55 Village while the policeman has been identified as Corporal Ansel McDonald of Number 50 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. According to information gathered from the police, Ally was driving motor car PSS4327 west on the southern carriageway when
he overtook PWW 544 heading in the said direction. Police in B’ Division are alleging that Dr. Ally after overtaking McDonald, noticed a lorry reversing west from a gas station in Bengal and a car coming in the opposite direction. This resulted in the doctor applying brakes to go back into his lane. However, the
Dr. Ally’s mangled car
The parked tractor Ally slammed into
Miner remanded to prison for murder A 35-year-old miner, Parsram Ramnauth also known as Sunil, from Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, was yesterday remanded to prison for the murder of Daniel George, 20, a miner of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo. It was alleged that on October 16, 2018, Parsram Ramnauth at the Barakat Landing, Mazaruni River, he murdered Daniel George around 20:00hrs. The man, who wasn’t represented by an attorney, wasn’t entitled to plead to the charge that Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan read to him before the court. Investigations revealed that both the deceased and Ramnauth were imbibing at a shop, when an argument erupted over cigarettes. Ramnauth then fatally stabbed the deceased in his abdomen and right eye with a knife. He told Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, that “four man bank meh, and beat meh up. Look how my eye
black and blue and it de swell up bad, but it gone down now.”
The matter was adjourned to October 31, 2018 at the Bartica Magistrate’s court.
back bumper of his car collided with the Corporal’s back wheel. Police said that the dust on the roadways caused the doctor to lose control of his vehicle and crash into the parked tractor 23574. However, there is a different account of what took place. According to some, McDonald’s car came to an abrupt stop at the location where it hit Ally’s car. The corporal was accused of behaving in a disorderly manner while making unsavoury remarks, publicly. Additionally, this publication has learnt from a police source that McDonald
was also involved in an accident several months ago when he crashed his Toyota Allion. He was attempting to overtake a bus at a fast rate when he clipped the rear end of the bus resulting in both vehicles veering off the public road in Berbice. No-one was seriously injured, and the matter was never placed before the courts. Meanwhile, Officer in Charge of Traffic Timothy Williams has since told reporters that the accident is “minor”. He declined to provide details on the matter and referred the media to the force’s public relations officer.
Corporal Ansel McDonald
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Tuesday October 23, 2018
“Bring me the head of the dog” - Saudi Prince’s right-hand man told killers via Skype Saud Al-Qahtani, a longtime adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Reuters reported. A high-ranking Arab source with access to intelligence and links to members of Saudi Arabia’s royal court told Reuters that Qahtani was tuned into the killing of Khashoggi via Skype. Reuters reported that Khashoggi and Qahtani hurled insults to each other before the journalist was brutally murdered and dismembered. The news agency further reported that Qahtani told the death squad to dispose of Khashoggi, but ordering them to “Bring me the head of the dog.” Saudi State Media reported, on Saturday last, that King Salman fired Qahtani and four other officials over Khashoggi’s killing. CCTV footage published by CNN shows a man leaving the Saudi consulate dressed in the clothes Jamal Khashoggi wore on the day of his death. Reports indicate that the man is Mustafa alMadani, a “body double” and member of the 15-person team of officials and agents sent to target Khashoggi. The footage shows the Saudi agent entering the con-
sulate wearing a blue and white checkered shirt and dark blue trousers. Evidently, the aim of the Saudi team was to erase suspicions that the journalist’s disappearance had anything to do with the business he conducted at the consulate in Turkey. The footage shows the agent leaving dressed as Khashoggi, with a fake beard and spectacles, but dressed in the same pair of trainers that he arrived in. The Saudi government had maintained that the journalist left the consulate on the same day. The Washington Post reported that a diplomat familiar with the deliberations spoke of how the body double was flawed, which is why the footage of him never became an official part of the Saudi government’s narrative. The Guardian reported that the man walked out of the consulate via its back exit with an accomplice, then took a taxi to I s t a n b u l ’s f a m o u s B l u e Mosque, where he changed out of Khashoggi’s clothes and left. He reportedly later had dinner with an accomplice and went back to a hotel, where footage shows him smiling and laughing. Turkish investigators have executed multiple investigations of the consulate as well as areas surrounding it, and have found a car in a
Saudi’s Prince right hand man, Saud al-Qahtani parking lot in Istanbul’s Sultangazi neighbourhood. A Turkish state broadcaster aired surveillance footage from the car park of what was described as “suspicious movement”, including that of a man moving a bag from one vehicle to another. Further, surveillance footage pulled from 150 cameras throughout the city of Istanbul have given Turkish investigators cause to believe that Khashoggi’s body parts might have been discarded in a nearby forest in a province called Yavlova. The footage shows a vehicle owned by the Saudi consulate travelling to the forest on the night of Khashoggi’s
death. This, compounded with the fact that a woman living near the entrance of the forest reported increased vehicular activity at night, have prompted Turkish investigators to widen the scope of their investigation to the forest and other areas surrounding the province. The Wall Street Journal reports that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, called White House adviser, Jared Kushner, on October 10 to ask him why the killing of Jamal Khashoggi caused such international outrage. He reportedly could not understand why Khashoggi’s murder was such a big deal.
The Wall Street Journal reported that persons who recently interacted with the prince noted that he had become angry that the episode turned into a diplomatic crisis. Since the news of Khashoggi’s death reached the major, global media outlets, multiple world powers have condemned the Saudi government. Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, the United Nations and the European Union have all demanded clarity on the instances surrounding the journalist’s death. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said that Germany will not pursue further arms deals with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “in the current situation”. Last month, the German government had approved 416M Euros worth of arms exports with the Kingdom. Further, in reaction to the killing of Khashoggi, multiple major business leaders and world leaders have vowed to boycott an important investor conference in Saudi Arabia called the Future Investment Initiative (FII), slated to take place later this month. The World Bank president, Uber’s chief executive, Chief of IMF, CNN and Richard Branson are among highprofile individuals who have cancelled their trips to
Riyadh. Chief Executives of JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, Blackstone, Mastercard, HSBC and Credit Suisse have also joined in. Even Google has announced that it is boycotting the conference. The conference is part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious “2030” programme to make the kingdom less reliant on oil. The events surrounding the journalist’s death had started when he travelled to Turkey with his fiancée to obtain divorce papers from his previous marriage. He had left his wife outside of the Saudi Consulate in Turkey. When he did not emerge after the consulate closed, his fiancée called the police and reported him as missing. Reuters had reported that “The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate.” The Turkish Prime Minister had called an immediate investigation into the matter, following this statement. The Saudi government had reportedly swiftly responded to the allegations made by the Turkish Police, stating that Jamal Khashoggi left the consulate on the day of the incident.
Ex-con promising to develop $multi-billion ‘Jack Nicklaus'... From page 3 apartment buildings. His pitch to investors: Main Street would buy properties, convert them into condos, then sell them at a profit. He said he would set up a private realestate investment trust (REIT) to help finance the deals. In-
vestors in the REIT, he said, would get steady, attractive dividends. Those who wanted higher, quicker returns, he said, could co-invest directly in the conversion projects. Hussain cut a deal with the Orlando Magic, the Na-
tional Basketball Association franchise. For US$350,000, Main Street secured the right to use the team's name in advertising, and to use head coach Brian Hill in a marketing video. Mark Pilkington, a counterterrorism official at the sheriff's department who invested US$300,000, says the Magic marketing deal reassured him. In September 2005, with US$10 million from about 200 investors, Mr. Hussain moved to buy the 27 apartment houses known as Waldengreen. The complex contained 278 units ranging in size from 517 to 1,079 square feet. He was alerted to an 18acre lakefront estate for sale in Winter Garden, which county records show was owned by Khalil bin Laden, a brother of Osama bin Laden. Mr. Hussain planned to refurbish the Spanish-colonialstyle mansion and to add houses, condominiums or
stores on the grounds, company documents indicate. However, Hussain's company started running out of cash. It had lost US$3.6 million in deposits on two other apartment complexes it had tried to buy. Dividend payments to the REIT investors, which had been steady, stopped. Main Street sought bankruptcy-court protection in Orlando. By then, several investors, including some sheriff's deputies, had contacted federal prosecutors to report that REIT dividend payments had stopped and that Mr. Hussain had refused to return their original investments, as promised by the investment documents. In October, Mr. Hussain rented a car and drove to Atlanta to catch a flight to Costa Rica. U.S. Marshals, alerted by federal investigators in Orlando, met him at the gate and arrested him. A federal grand jury indicted him on 23 counts of
mail and wire fraud. Among the accusations: He falsely represented to investors that their money would be kept in the REIT, when in reality there was no REIT and the money sat in a checking account. And he told investors their dividend payments came from investment profits, when he actually was paying them from money invested by oth-
ers. Investigators also said Main Street sold condos at inflated prices to Mr. Hussain's friends or relatives to generate misleading appraisals that justified the higher prices paid by outside buyers. Investors and others had filed US$19 million of claims in bankruptcy court.
GDF certified and paid... From page 17 the time of reporting. In addition, it could not be determined from Payment Voucher examined who certified the works. Physical verification of the works revealed that the contractor was overpaid the sum of $17.830M,” the audit report stated. In the Audit report, the GDF was quoted saying that it is working to recover the overpayment by 24 September 2018 in that the contractor will present a cheque for the overpayment in the name of the Finance Officer, GDF. The GDF Engineer will monitor the on-going works more closely to ensure the pace of work is increased, in keeping with the payments made. The Audit Office recommended that the Administration of GDF recover the amounts overpaid and implement systems for the proper monitoring of all works.
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday October 23, 2018
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Rangana Herath to retire after first England Test... From page 30 playing no more than one of the three Tests in West Indies in June this year. Herath has had to manage knee injuries for several years now; the strain of carrying Sri Lanka’s spin attack since the retirement of Muralitharan is understood to have caught up to him. His retirement will leave a substantial hole in the Sri Lanka side, with offspinner Dilruwan Perera likeliest to replace him as leader of the spin attack, for the remainder of the England series at least. Sri Lanka also have three
other spinners in the squad: all-sorts offspinner Akila Dananjaya, left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, and left-arm orthodox bowler Malinda Pushpakumara. Of the remaining spinners only Dilruwan has played more than 10 Tests, however. A beloved figure across the island, Herath’s retirement will also bring to an end one of the most remarkable careers in modern cricket. Not only is he the 10th most successful Test bowler in history with 430 wickets, all but 36 of those dismissals
came after he had turned 31, with Herath having struggled to maintain a place in the Test side in the first decade of his career. No bowler has also taken as many as his 230 wickets after turning 35. If he takes five wickets in his final Test, he could move up to seventh on the all-time list, passing Richard Hadlee (431 wickets), Stuart Broad (433) and Kapil Dev (434). Herath is also the last active Test cricketer to have made his debut in the 1990s. The Galle Test begins on November 6.
Tuesday October 23, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Pressures on the job may be mounting. You might feel so disgruntled that you want to chuck it all and run away. Foreign countries and distant states may suddenly seem far more appealing than usual. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Demands made by friends, children, or the special person in your life might have you feeling like you're moving in a dozen different directions at once. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) A number of visitors, deliveries, service people, emails, or phone calls might keep you jumping today, Gemini, right when you're in the mood for a quiet day. CANCER (June 21–July 22) A close friend might pass along some seemingly harmless but nonetheless untrue gossip, Cancer. Don't accept anything you hear today until you check the facts for yourself. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You don't normally tend toward frugality, Leo, but today you could go overboard with your spending. Frustration from all sides makes you want to release it all at once by acquiring new possessions. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Some failures that you may have experienced over the past few days could have you beating yourself up today. Perhaps you feel that you were too hasty or too sloppy and could have done things better. Don't obsess over it. Figure out what went wrong, learn from it, and let it go.
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LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you might be able to tune in to the thoughts and feelings of others, Libra, but you aren't likely to know exactly how to handle the situation. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Group activities are probably very much on your agenda today, Scorpio. You could go to a meeting or lecture and later go out on the town with a group of friends. Don't be tempted to eat or drink too much. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Too much pressure on the job could have you feeling like chucking it all and going somewhere by yourself. You might be tempted to go on a spending spree or overindulge in food or drink. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Inner conflict regarding spiritual matters might have you questioning your and others' beliefs. You might doubt just about everything, Capricorn, and you could be tempted into angry debates AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Although your financial situation appears to be on the upswing, you still might be feeling pessimistic and indifferent about money and life in general. You might want to soothe your discontent by overspending, overindulging in food. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) A minor and rather silly quarrel with a friend or romantic partner could have you down in the dumps. This is an overreaction, Pisces. You might need to get away for a while before you can make sense of it all.
NBA: Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo & Chris Paul banned after punch-up BBC Sport - Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul have been suspended by the NBA after a punch-up during the Los Angeles Lakers’ defeat by the Houston Rockets. Lakers duo Ingram and Rondo have been banned for four and three games respectively, while the Rockets’ Paul has a two-game ban - all without pay. Paul said Rondo spat in his face, which led to the fracas that Lakers star LeBron James helped break up. An NBA statement said all three had thrown punches. “Ingram has been suspended for aggressively returning to and escalating the
Holder thrilled for From page 30 152 while skipper Virat Kohli carved out a special 140, the pair sharing a record 246-run for the second wicket. Holder conceded afterwards that India’s batting strength meant it was difficult knowing exactly what constituted a good total. “It’s a game where I think with a team like India, you’re never quite sure what is a par score. In hindsight, 320 was probably a par score and we needed to kick on a bit further,” he pointed out. “Having said that, I was pleased to at least get 300 because we’ve been at fault in the past for not getting up to 300 or not batting out the allotted overs.”
altercation and throwing a punch in the direction of Paul, confronting a game official in a hostile manner, and instigating the overall incident by shoving Rockets guard James Harden,” said the statement. “Rondo has been suspended for instigating a physical altercation with, and spitting and throwing multiple
punches at, Paul. “Paul has been suspended for poking at and making contact with the face of Rondo, and throwing multiple punches at him.” The game was the home debut of three-time NBA champion James and ended with a 124-115 defeat for the Lakers.
USA beat Scorpions by 74 runs – Group B BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – USA Cricket defeated Jamaica Scorpions by 74 runs, in their Group B clash of the Regional Super50 at the 3W’s Oval here yesterday. Scores: USA CRICKET
240 for nine off 50 overs (Monank Patel 109, Aaron Jones 66; Jerome Taylor 434, Derval Green 2-48). SCORPIONS 166 off 41.4 overs (Jermaine Blackwood 51, Nkrumah Bonner 30: Timil Patel 3-15).
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Vettel clings on mathematically for another week AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) Sebastian Vettel would have to make the greatest comeback in Formula One history to win his fifth championship this year and even the Ferrari driver is not buying that one. The German must now win all three remaining races in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi to have any chance of beating Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton, and that will still not be enough on its own. Hamilton, winner of nine races this year to the German’s five, has a 70 point advantage after Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix and needs to score only five more to become a five-times champion. He will not even need those if Vettel falls short of perfection. British bookmaker William Hill was offering Hamilton at 1500 with Vettel 50-1 — the German on the same odds as Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney becoming the next U.S. president. Realistically, it is all over and the coronation is likely to come in Mexico City next weekend. The last time Hamilton went three races in a row without scoring at least five points was in 2012, when he was at McLaren and failed to finish in Valencia, was eighth in Britain and retired in Germany. It has never happened in his time at Mercedes, and Hamilton has not had three races in a row off the podium in a single season since 2013.
NBA roundup: Kings ruin Westbrook’s return Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) eyes the basket as Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) defends during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. (Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports)
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel (5) of Germany during qualifying for the Unites States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports) Vettel has not won three races in a row since he was at Red Bull in 2013. Ferrari last won in Mexico in 1990 — admittedly not as dramatic as it sounds because that race was not held from 1993 to 2014 — and have never triumphed in Abu Dhabi in that grand prix’s nine-year existence. Asked about his championship chances after starting fifth in Austin and dropping to 15th following a first lap spin before he eventually finished fourth, Vettel smiled. “Getting slimmer,” the German, whose team mate Kimi Raikkonen won the race with Hamilton third, replied. The grim humour continued when it was pointed out to him that he had to win the last three races: “Yeah, probably the last four or five,” he said.
“So far we didn’t do so well. Obviously the last couple of months haven’t been very good for us in many regards. “I had another recovery drive (on Sunday) but I’m getting a bit tired of recovery drives.” On the plus side, Austin showed that Ferrari had at least regained some of their speed to end Hamilton’s bid for a fifth win in a row. That, however, was largely due to discarding some recent changes and reverting to what worked before.“You can see it as good news but you can also see it as bad news. If we have to go back to a car that has been competitive three or four months ago, then surely it can’t be good news. If you think about it,” said Vettel.
KMAI & BHMAMA combine for... From page 31 KMAI Name Roland Eudoxie
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News
Category Place 35 Years & Over Black Belt Open Empty Hand Kata 2nd Wayne Toney 7 – 9 Intermediate Open Empty Hand Kata 1st Weapons Form 11 & Under 2nd Theon Manawar-Khan 10 – 12 Novice Open Empty Hand Kata 1st Point Sparring 1st 11 years & Under Weapons Kata 1st Kofi Cadogan 13 – 15 Novice Open Empty Hand Kata 4th Point Sparring 4th Tzion Jones 10 – 12 Novice Open Empty Hand Kata 3rd Point Sparring 2nd Xavier Eudoxie 6 Years & Under Open Empty Hand Kata 3rd Point Sparring 2nd BHMAM Name Category Place Garren Newton 7 – 9 Point Sparring 1st 7 – 9 Free Style Kata 2nd 11 & Under Weapons Kata 3rd 9 & Under Flying Side Kick 4th Jonathan Griffith 10 – 12 Point Sparring 3rd Free Style Kata 4th Flying Side Kick 4th KMAI’s Kofi Cadogan was sponsored by PYARG, while the BHMAMA team was sponsored by Mr. Harold Hopkinson of Secure Innovations & Concepts and Hand in Hand Mutual Fire & Life Insurance Company Ltd., respectively.
Yogi Ferrell stole the ball from Russell Westbrook and scored a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the first half, capping a flurry that helped the Sacramento Kings build a double-digit lead en route to a 131-120 victory over the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. Ferrell’s hoop capped a personal five-point burst in the final 10.3 seconds of the second period and a 15-4 Sacramento run to finish the half. The surge gave the Kings a lead they never relinquished on their way to snapping a season-opening, two-game losing streak. Westbrook, making his season debut following offseason knee surgery, had 32 points for the Thunder (03). Oklahoma City was playing its home opener following road losses against Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers.Sacramento’s Iman Shumpert finished with a team-high 26 points while De’Aaron Fox contributed 22 points and 10 assists. Paul George had 29 points for the Thunder, who got 10 points and 14 boards from Steven Adams. Nuggets 100, Warriors 98 Gary Harris scored 28 points, Juancho Hernangomez blocked Damian Jones’ last-second layup, and host Denver beat Golden State to improve to a Western Conference-best 30. Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Denver, which won despite missing 18 free throws and shooting 6for-32 from the 3-point arc. Stephen Curry scored 30 points and Kevin Durant had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who rallied from
13 down but couldn’t force overtime. The defending NBA champions had won their previous two game this season. Clippers 115, Rockets 112 Tobias Harris scored 23 points and Danilo Gallinari added 20 to help host Los Angeles defeat Houston. Montrezl Harrell recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers won their second straight game since losing their season opener. Lou Williams and Shai GilgeousAlexander scored 12 points apiece for Los Angeles, which made all 26 of its free-throw attempts. James Harden had 31 points and 14 assists but missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Rockets lost for the second time in three games. Rockets played without point guard Chris Paul, who served the first of a two-
game suspension for his role in Saturday’s scrap with the Los Angeles Lakers. Hawks 133, Cavaliers 111 Rookie Trae Young scored a career-high 35 points to help Atlanta prevail at Cleveland for its first win of the season. The win also marked the first victory in three attempts for first-year Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce. Atlanta, which had lost 15 of its past 19 games against Cleveland, broke a three-game losing streak to the Cavs. Cleveland fell to 0-3 on the season. Young was 13-for-23 from the field, hitting 6 of 14 3point attempts, and had 11 assists. Kent Bazemore added 23 points for the Hawks. Jordan Clarkson paced Cleveland with 19 points while Kevin Love contributed 16 points and 17 rebounds. (Field Level Media)
Golden State Warriors center Damian Jones (15) defends against Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris (14) in the first quarter at the Pepsi Center. (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
Tuesday October 23, 2018
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NFL roundup: Panthers drop champion Eagles to 3-4 Cam Newton threw a 1yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen with 1:22 remaining as the Carolina Panthers completed the biggest comeback in franchise history to defeat the host Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers (4-2) were dominated for the first three quarters before scoring three touchdowns in a 9 1/2-minute span after punting on all their other possessions. They overcame a 17-0 deficit in the fourth quarter after never previously escaping more than a 10-point, fourth-quarter hole. Newton finished 25 of 39 for 269 yards and two touchdown passes in leading the comeback. Philadelphia’s final possession ended at the Carolina 14-yard line on a failed fourth down. Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and directed the Eagles (3-4) on time-consuming drives that appeared to put them in ideal shape. Wentz completed 30 of 37 passes for 310 yards. He had a stretch when he completed a career-best 15 consecutive passes. Rams 39, 49ers 10 Todd Gurley rushed for
Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson (26) carries the ball as Dallas Cowboys free safety Xavier Woods (25) chases. (Geoff Burke USA Today Sports) two touchdowns and caught a 12-yard pass for a third score, helping Los Angeles go 7-0 for the first time since 1985 with a romp over San Francisco in Santa Clara, Calif. Jared Goff threw two TD passes, Greg Zuerlein kicked three field goals, and the Los
Angeles defense forced four San Francisco turnovers, leading the Rams to a road win in the California rivalry for the second consecutive season. Aaron Donald had four sacks and six tackles for loss. George Kittle led all receivers with 98 yards on five receptions and caught a 10-
Nathan Coulter-Nile, D’Arcy Short impress as Australia romp home ESPNcricinfo - A change of format brought about a much-needed change in result for Australia, even though a win in their first-ever T20I against UAE was briefly in doubt in Abu Dhabi. UAE batted first and made 117, and later had Australia 32 for 2 in the sixth over. Then their inexperience showed and Australia took the game away, romping to a seven-wicket win with 23 balls remaining. D’Arcy Short was the chief architect of the chase, finishing 68 not out when the winning runs were hit by debutant Ben McDermott, the 23-year old son of former Australia fast bowler Craig McDermott. A decent workout now sets Australia up for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan starting October 24 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. The positives for Australia stretched beyond just Short’s contribution. Nathan Coulter-Nile and Billy Stanlake, two quicks who have been injury-prone lately, returned to action and impressed immediately. The two new-ball bowlers finished with identical figures of 4-120-2. Their early damage left UAE reeling at 17 for 3 in the sixth over, and staring at a gi-
D’Arcy Short bats in the JLT One Day Cup Semi Final. (Getty Images) ant mismatch. Rameez Shahzad and Shaiman Anwar reconstructed the innings with a 53run stand, preventing a middle-order collapse and setting up Mohammad Naveed to inject some late momentum. He hit Andrew Tye for two sixes and a four in his 13-ball 27, allowing UAE to take 45 off their last four overs. Tye finished as the most expensive Australia bowler with figures of 4-0-391. Australia started watchfully, losing captain Aaron Finch in the second over to Amir Hayat. Chris Lynn made 20 before he nicked to
wicketkeeper Ghulam Shabber to give Hayat his second wicket. Glenn Maxwell, who has spent more than a week in the UAE since flying in as a replacement during the Test series, scored 18 off 15 balls, falling to Imran Haider when Australia needed 43.Short put an end to UAE’s hopes, hitting eight fours in his 53-ball knock, while McDermott finished 10 not out in his maiden outing in Australia colours. · Scores: Australia 119 for 3 (Short 68*, Hayat 2-26) beat UAE 117 for 6 (Shaiman 41, Naveed 27*, Coulter-Nile 2-20, Stanlake 2-20) by seven wickets.
yard touchdown pass for San Francisco (1-6). Saints 24, Ravens 23 Drew Brees engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, and Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker missed his first career extra point with 24 seconds left to allow visiting New Orleans to es-
cape with a victory. Brees, who had not beaten the Ravens (4-3) in four previous games in his 18 NFL seasons, brought the Saints (5-1) back with consecutive touchdown drives. Brees completed 22 of 30 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, including the 500th of his career. Flacco hit John Brown for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 24-23 in the last minute. However, with just a PAT needed to force overtime, Tucker pushed the kick wide right. Patriots 38, Bears 31 Tom Brady tossed three touchdown passes, and New England held on at Chicago when the Bears’ late Hail Mary attempt came up a yard short. Brady completed 25 of 36 passes for 277 yards with two touchdown passes to James White and one to Julian Edelman with one interception. New England (5-2) added two special teams touchdowns thanks to a 95yard kickoff return by Cordarrelle Patterson and a 29-yard blocked punt return by Kyle Van Noy. Mitchell Trubisky completed 26 of 50 passes for 333
yards, two touchdowns and two picks for Chicago (3-3). Trubisky and Jordan Howard each rushed for a score, while Tarik Cohen and Trey Burton each hauled in touchdown passes. Redskins 20, Cowboys 17 Brett Maher’s 52-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright as time expired, and Washington held on to beat visiting Dallas. Adrian Peterson rushed for 99 yards as the Redskins (4-2), who have won back-toback games for the first time this season, increased their lead in the NFC East. Dak Prescott went in from a yard out with 1:37 left to pull Dallas within 20-17. After the Redskins’ three-and-out, the Cowboys (3-4) drove to the Washington 29. Maher lined up for a 47-yard field goal, but a snap infraction pushed Dallas back 5 yards. Maher’s ensuing kick hit the goal post. In other scores: Buccaneers 26, Browns 23 (OT) Chiefs 45, Bengals 10 Lions 32, Dolphins 21 Chargers 20, Titans 19 Vikings 37, Jets 17 Colts 37, Bills 5 (Field Level Media)
Mothers and Daughters initiative launched ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Organisers on Saturday launched one of the main initiatives associated with the hosting of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup, as the region prepares to host the historic standalone tournament next month. Several hundred people, including over 100 participants, turned out in the capital to mark the unveiling of the Mothers and Daughters programme – a coaching project piloted by the International Cricket Council and organised by Cricket West Indies. It forms part of event around the region’s hosting of the tournament, which will be played in Antigua, St Lucia and Guyana from November 9-24. “This is the first ever Mothers and Daughters cricket event in the West Indies. This is the pioneer project and we will have two others to come in St Lucia and Guyana – as these are the three venues for the matches in the tournament,” said KJ Singh, the project co-ordinator. ”We are bringing everybody together. This is a version of cricket where the
women and girls will be exposed to the game. They are with the coaches and they are having a good time. “We also had promotional events to give tickets to everyone here – they will all get a chance to watch the semis and finals here in Antigua on November 22 and 24 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.” Defending champions Windies women were on hand to participate and interact with fans and players. As part of the day’s a c t i v i t i e s , s e v e r a l Te s t icons like Sir Andy Roberts, Gus Logie and Jimmy Adams also attended to lend their support to the project. S i r A n d y i s a We s t Indies legend and CWI Ambassador for the tournament; Logie serves as assistant coach of the Wi n d i e s Wo m e n w h i l e A d a m s , a f o r m e r We s t Indies captain, is CWI’s current director of cricket. Singh said the initiative w a s p a r t o f t h e I C C ’s Cricket4Good programme and was a strong developmental tool. ”They (participants) are
learning all the skills of the game – the batting, bowling, fielding – and also a lot about the game itself. For many, this is the first time they are playing the game, so this will be memorable in many ways,” he explained. ”This is part of the Cricket4Good, an initiative which the ICC has going all over the world. This event has its origins at the ICC Americas and they deserve special mention for this event. We want to host this as an annual event all across the West Indies. It can grow and it brings informal cricket into play. “There are a lot of women who want to play but they can’t become involved in formal cricket, so this is the right place for them – come out, have fun and enjoy the game they love, and it also promotes fitness, healthy lifestyle, community-building and camaraderie.”
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 23, 2018
Third EBFA/Ralph Green U-11
Timehri Panthers, Grove Hi Tech, Swan Diamond Upsetters & Agricola post first day wins
One of the many female players in the U11 league, Timehri Panthers’ Jamika Medouze accepting the ball from GFF President Wayne Forde to officially start the league on Saturday. Two helmet-tricks, three hat-tricks and an equal amount of doubles were recorded on an eventful opening day of the Third edition of the East Bank Football Association / Ralph Green Under-11 League which commenced on Saturday last at the New Diamond Grove Primary School ground, East Bank Demerara. A total of 29 goals were recorded in four of the six scheduled matches with Timehri Panthers posting the biggest win, 11-0 over Samatta Point/Kaneville. In that match, Omar Sam was the second player to net a helmet-trick behind Swan FC’s Captain Anderson Webber who achieved the feat in the very first match of the league which saw Swan defeating Herstelling Raiders, 6-0. Sam blasted the fastest
Timehri Panthers (green) on the attack against Samatta Point/Kaneville. goal on the day and league so far scoring in the first minute, following up in the 7th, 17th and 24th minute. Also in the Timehri v Samatta
Point match, Shaquelle Caleb (2nd, 3rd, 6th) and Keron Williams (8th, 13th, 14th) both achieved hat-tricks; Jaden Ceres netted the other goal
Rangana Herath to retire after first England Test ESPNcricinfo - Rangana Herath, the most-successful left-arm bowler in Test history, will retire after the first Test in Galle, having told the selectors that he is reluctant to play through an entire three-Test series. Galle is a sentimental venue for Herath - not only did he make his Test debut there in 1999, he also needs only one more wicket to join Muttiah Muralitharan in having taken 100 wickets at the ground. It was at this venue that Herath also reignited his career at the age of 31, taking five wickets in a Test against Pakistan in 2009, after having been suddenly called up to the Test side while he was playing league cricket in England.
Rangana Herath (centre) celebrates a wicket with his team-mates, Sri Lanka v South Africa, 2nd Test, SSC, 4th day, July 23, 2018 © AFP Herath, 40, has not played a complete three-Test series since January 2017, having
since left two India series early due to injury, before (Continued on page 27)
for the Timehri lads in the 11th minute. Defending champions Agricola Red Triangle and Diamond Upsetters posted
wins without kicking a ball as their opponents, Mocha Champs and Kuru Kururu Warriors were no shows. Swan, in their first match at this level under the EBFA umbrella, looked a solid unit in disposing Herstelling Raiders, 6-0. Swan, featuring a Differently Able Goalkeeper in Kedon Nazir was led by Captain Nazir who was the first player to notch a helmet-trick. He was on target in the 17th, 18th, 20th and 25th minutes following the first goal of the league from Teon Lonke in the 12th minute, Ezekiel Reid scoring the other in the 21st minute. Grove Hi Tech’s Jamal Cordis netted the other hattrick on the day in his side’s 6-0 triumph over Hauraruni Eagles. He found the back of the nets in the 14th, 21st and
22nd minutes. Teammate Jevon Pluck struck a brace, in the 3rd and 12th minutes with the other coming off the boot of Akeem Evans in the 17th minute. Diamond United battled back from a goal down to draw with Friendship All Stars 3-3. Tyresse Thuesdee netted in the 7th minute for Friendship but one minute later, Diamond United’s Iouson De Silva equalised. Friendship were back in front in the 13th minute through a Lloyd Barker goal which was again cancelled out by Da Silva’s second goal in the 14th minute. Barker scored an own goal in the 23rd minute but netted his second legal goal one minute later to ensure a draw in the exciting encounter. Matches will continue on Saturday at the same venue from 09:00hrs.
Holder thrilled for Hetmyer but wants him to go deeper GUWAHATI, India, CMC – Skipper Jason Holder has hailed the brilliance of century-maker Shimron Hetmyer but says he hopes the lefthander can bat deeper into the innings in the future. The 21-year-old smashed a scintillating 106 to propel West Indies to a rare score in excess of 300, as they piled up 322 for eight off their 50 overs, in Sunday’s opening One-Day International against India. “He’s obviously one of the young exciting players. I was really pleased for him, especially after the Test series which he had – a few tough dismissals obviously. The character he showed today was outstanding,”
Holder said. “He really backed himself – he was going at more than a run-a-ball – and it’s just a matter for him to [bat] a little deeper. Probably if he had batted another five, six overs it would have been the 340 that we’ve been looking for. “Still, credit to the young player coming in and scoring his third ODI century. Hetmyer blasted halfdozen fours and sixes in a 78ball knock but was dismissed – holing out in the deep – with still more than 10 overs remaining. Predictably, the innings faltered thereafter with 74 runs coming from the last 68 balls of the innings.
The hundred was Hetmyer’s third of the year in only his 13th ODI and Holder said it was pleasing to see his contribution. “He’s been doing pretty well in the limited overs format for us so it’s really good to see him put up his hand and score a hundred for us,” the all-rounder noted. “Probably unfortunate at this stage he got out – I felt as though he could have gone a bit deeper.” Despite the competitive target, India made light work of the run chase, to get home with more than eight overs remaining. Opener Rohit Sharma struck an imperious unbeaten (Continued on page 27)
Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 23, 2018
PAGE 31
Review Regional Super50 (T&T Zone)
Red Force best line-up but Jaguars best ‘team’ By Sean Devers in Trinidad In association with Regal, Vnet, Noble House Seafoods & Cascadia Hotel
T
rinidad Red Force had undoubtedly the strongest team on paper in Zone ‘A’ of Regional Super50 tournament but Guyana Jaguars, who topped the zone, had the best ‘team’, the only bowler with a hat-trick and arguably the best Captain. Jaguars had three batsmen in the top six runscorers and two among the six wicket-takers with more than 10 wickets. The Jaguars were without 21-year-old West Indies’ batting sensation Shimron Hetymer, Kemo Paul and Devendra Bishoo for the entire tournament and Guyana’s 30th ODI player Chanderpaul Hemraj, for the last five games. The Jaguars looked the best prepared and fittest team in the Zone and finished with 29 points after losing their first game. Their dominance was demonstrated by them winning all five of their games with a bonus point in a tournament severely affected by rain. Jaguars (1) and Red Force (2) qualified for the semis in Barbados on October 25 & 26, while the final is set for Sunday at the Kensington Oval. Windies
Chris Barnwell is the Jaguars’ leading run-scorer. ‘B’ (3), Canada (4) and Volcanoes (5) finished in that order. Chris Barnwell scored 255 runs with two halfcenturies (61 not out & 99 not out) and is only behind Red Forces’ Nicholas Pooran (283) and Canada’s Naveet Dhaliwal (271) on runs aggregate in the Trinidad zone. Opener Trevon Griffith (207 runs) with halfcenturies, Raymond Reifer (217 runs: 3 fifties) and Sherfane Rutherford (121 runs with 1 fifty) who along with Hemraj (141) and Skipper Leon Johnson (107) were the Jaguars batsmen to reach 100 runs. Hemraj only played three games before leaving for the ODI series in India and scored an unbeaten 103. The Jaguars’ bowling
Reifer has 217 runs and 3 fifties from five innings & has 5 wickets for Jaguars.
Jamaican off spinner had 3-24 to take his wicket tally to 11.
was very consistent and was backed up by good fielding with Jamaican off-spinner Ramaal Lewis finishing with the third most wickets ( 1 2 ) b e h i n d C a n a d a ’s Romesh Don (17) and Windies ‘B’ Larry Edwards (13). Berbician pacer Clinton Pestano, playing in his first full Regional season, proved to be one of the ‘finds’ of the tournament, bowling with immaculate control with good pace and both-way movement. Only Don, among the pacers had more wickets than Pestano’s 11 and two back-to-back washed out games, possibly robbed him the opportunity of passing Don’s wickets. One of the highlights of the tournament was Pestano’s hat-trick: He
removed Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo in three balls to become the first Guyanese to claim a ‘50-over’ hat-trick and the fifth bowler to do so. Rajendra Dhanraj was the first to achieve the feat in 1996, while Anthony Martin, Pollard and Sunil Narine were the others to do it. Left-arm seamer Reifer (5 wkts) proved his all-round ability, while left-arm s p i n n e r s Ve e r a s a m m y Permaul (8) and Ricardo Adams (4) and Romario Shepherd (5) also bowled well for the Jaguars who were once again led astutely by Johnson. The tournament was set in the middle of the rainy season and the Zone was marred by adverse weather which escalated into the
KFC joins sponsorship team for Ignite
L
ocal fast food c o m p a n y Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has joined the sponsorship train for the upcoming Ignite event of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club. During a ceremony last week, Paul Subryan, KFC General Manager handed o v e r t h e c o m p a n y ’s sponsorship to GMR&SC Office Manager Cheryl Gonzales. The company said, “The finale of the Caribbean Motor Racing series has become a major event on our annual sports calendar which attracts a large cross section of Guyanese and has become a major family event.” The Ignite event, which
is the basis for the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) will take place on November 10 and 11 at the South Dakota Circuit. Te a m s h a v e b e e n confirmed from Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and CAMS as well as competitors from Europe for the two-day racing extravaganza. Launched on Friday evening, the event will feature several classes of racing including the groups one through five, as well as the culmination of the Radical Caribbean SR3 Cup and the super-stock class. That is in addition, the local street and sport tuner classes along with the Choke Starlet cup, a street
bike class and 125cc motorcycle class has been added. Among the sponsors for that event are ExxonMobil, GBTI, B.M. Soat, Noble House Seafoods, STAG Beer, Air Services Limited, GUYOIL, Palm Court, Hand-in-Hand, Ramada Hotel, Survival Supermarket, Club 704, S h e r i ff S e c u r i t y, E C I n v e s t m e n t s , P r e m ’s Electrical, Nexus Machinery, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Choke Gas Station, Japarts, R. Kissoon Contracting, E Networks, Miracle Opticle, Bikers’ Bar, Samaroo Investments, Innovations America and SuperBet, Agriparts, Mobil1 and KGM Security Service.
worst flood here in 50-years resulting in five games being washed out including the last two rounds. The live-stream commentary lacked in-depth research on the players and Countries involved, while Radio Stations were generally reluctant to ‘carry’ the broadcast due to lack of sponsorship. The Trinidad zone was treated like a step-child with the coverage of the games here. CWI only distributed action photographs to Media from the Barbados Zone where there was live ESPN TV coverage of some of the games. The tournament was played on contrasting pitches on two grounds. The Queen’s Park Oval was low and slow and favoured the spinners, while the ones at the Brian Lara Academy was better for batting with good pace and carry. There was only three 300+ totals scored in both the Trinidad and Barbados zones and all of them were made at the Brian Lara Academy in South Trinidad. Ironically defending Champions Windwards Volcanoes, who ended last this time, scored the highest total when they made 337-9 in 50 overs against Canada when Smith started the tournament with a century. Red Forces’ 318-9 against Wi n d i e s ‘ B ’ a n d t h e Windies ‘B’ 302-8 against Canada were the other totals
- Jaguars’ Barnwell and Lewis 3rd in runs & wkts respectively over 300 runs. Three centuries were scored in zone ‘A’ with Volcanoes’ Devon Smith’s 132 being the highest with Hemraj’s unbeaten 103 and Windies ‘B’ skipper Marlon Samuels’ 101 the two other centuries. Red Forces’ Nicholas Pooran (283), Canada’s Naveet Dhaliwal (271), Jaguars’ Barnwell (255), Red Force’s Lendl Simmons (235), Jaguars’ Reifer (217) and Jaguars’ Griffith (207) were the batsmen with over 200 runs in the zone. The leading bowlers in zone ‘A’ were Canada’s Don ( 1 7 ) , W I ‘ B ’s L a r r y Edwards (13), Jaguars’ Lewis (12), Alick Athanaze (11), WI ‘B’s Kaveem Hodge (11) and Jaguars’ Pestano (11). Overall, Barbados Pride’s Jonathon Carter (351 runs) has the most runs from the Barbados zone, while Canadian pacer Don (17) had the most wickets in the Trinidad zone. The most successful allrounder is Leewards Hurricanes’ Rakeem Cornwall who has 214 runs so far including 125 not out and 13 wickets with his offspin. The Hurricanes were scheduled to play their final game last night. Apart from the three centuries scored in the Trinidad zone, Jamaica’s Chris Gayle and Jermaine Blackwood along with Cornwall have so scored centuries in Barbados.
UCCA Inter Secondary School cricket competition starts today
A
fter being postponed from earlier during the year due to the inclement weather the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) annual Inter Secondary School U17 hard ball cricket competition for schools in the Upper Corentyne and Black Bush areas will bowl off on Today. The final is set for Friday November 2 at the Crabwood Creek Ground. The competition is being sponsored by businessman Seddarth D’Andrade of Upper Corentyne. The sponsor is the son of the President of the (UCCA), Dennis D’Andrade. The family has been sponsoring
the competition since 2013. The schools down to participate are Skeldon Line Path Secondary (SLPS), Skeldon High School (SHS), formerly (Skeldon Lutheran High), Tagore Memorial Secondary School (TMSS) and Central Corentyne Secondary School (CCSS). Black Bush Secondary S c h o o l ( B B S S ) unfortunately will not be playing this year. The competition will be played on a one day two innings format and will be a round robin affair. The two teams with the most points at the end of the preliminary rounds will clash in the finals. The fixtures will see TMSS taking on SLPS Today at Scotsburg Ground.
Tomorrow will see two matches being played CCSS will play TMSS at NO48 Ground and SHS playing SLPS at the Crabwood Creek Ground. Thursday SHS verses CCSS at the No48 Ground. The final round of matches will take place on Wednesday 31st with two games - CCSS playing SLPS at NO48 ground and TMSS and SHS clashing at the Cut and Load ground. The competition has the blessings of the Ministry of Education and will be coordinated by the UCCA Competitions Committee. This committee is headed by former national Wi c k e t k e e p e r b a t s m a n Sydney Jackman. (Samuel Whyte)
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Tuesday October 23, 2018
Kaieteur News
Three national players to participate in MLS Caribbean Combined Three national players departed today to participate in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Caribbean Combined scheduled for Bridgetown, Barbados from October 22 – 25. The three – Ryan Hackett, Kevin Layne and Kevin Dundas – were shortlisted from a six-member player profile submitted by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). In an invited comment, GFF’s Technical Director Ian Greenwood said this is an opportunity for the players to grasp: “This is great opportunity for the selected players to display their talent at the regional level. It is up to them as individuals to grasp this opportunity and show what they are capable of. They will definitely learn from the experience and exposure over the next few days in Barbados. We are always focusing on player exit routes for home-group talent and to strengthen the national team programme.” Kevin Dundas said he is looking forward to the opportunity to make an impression: “I feel really grateful for this opportunity to showcase my skills and talents at this level. With the help we have been getting from GFF’s technical
National Players Participating In MLS Caribbean Combine in Barbados from left, Kevin Layne, Ryan Hackett and Kevin Dundas. staff as well as the technical staff of the senior national team, I hope to go, impress, and make the squad. Post the Brazil “Train and Play” encampment; I have been doing a lot of physical work including agility. I have also been doing ball control work just to improve and get the final touches right. I have also
been working on fitness as that’s really great to have so I can improve on my game and work hard when I get there.” Defender Layne said he has put in the necessary work and will give it his best shot: “I’m very overwhelmed with the opportunity to participate in the MLS Combined in Barbados. For the last few weeks, I have put in a lot of hard work
Banks DIH/GABA league
Pacesetters versus Eagles feature clash tomorrow night
with the senior team as well as when I’m not active on the field. I have been working to develop my game with guidance provided by the national senior team staff, especially coming out from the Brazil’s “Train and Play” camp. The experience with the senior team and the work done during the last match against the Turks and Caicos also helped
my preparation for this engagement as I know a high level of performance will be expected of me so I’ll go and do my best.” For his part, Hackett said he has what it takes to compete and will grasp the opportunity with both hands: “It is a great feeling to be representing Guyana and myself at the MLS Combined. I feel that I just have to be focused, put my best foot forward and compete with the other players from across the Caribbean. I’m currently a part of the national U20 team and also did work with the senior team so that will help me get ready for this experience and push me to compete at a higher level. I definitely feel I have what it takes to be selected and it will be a good moment when it happens. I just need to work hard, listen to the coach and execute.” Guyana is among 15 countries whose players will be competing for a chance to play in the MLS including St. Kitts & Nevis, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada, Antigua & Barbuda, St Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana,
Suriname, St Marten and St Maarten. According to the MLS, should a player be selected, the following will be considered: Adidas Allotment: to the player’s former club upon the player being selected in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft; Transfer fee: $50,000 to the player’s former club if the player’s MLS option for 2020 is exercised; Performance fees: 01) $25,000 to the player’s former club once the player starts in 15 official MLS matches; 02) $50,000 to the player’s former club once the player starts in 30 official MLS matches; 03) $100,000 to the player’s former club once the player starts in 60 official MLS matches; Future sell-on: The player’s former club shall receive 20% sell-on on any transfer fee received by MLS within the 1st 4 years of the player’s employment with MLS. This year, the 2018 MLS Caribbean Combine was/is being hosted at two venues – Jamaica, October 15 – 18 and Barbados. It is open to players 18 – 23 years old and who have a minimum of one U20 or senior cap since 2017. A detailed eligibility profile was required for consideration.
Champion of Champions 2 dominoes set for Sunday
Mark Wiltshire (left) accepts the cheque from Darren Seeram. Sherland Gillis - Eagles.
Troy David - Pacesetters
Following last weekend’s break for the IBF Antilles under-18 3x3 tournament, which was hosted by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABF) at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), local basketball rivarly will continue tomorrow night at the Burnham hard court on Middle and Carmichael Streets with two clashes. Both games will be played in the Under-23 division of the Rainforest Water/Malta Supreme/Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) league with the feature match being competed between Courtney Taylor’s Eagles and Clement Brusche’s Pacesetters. The more vocal Brusche has had more success coaching this season with Pacesetters, while Taylor’s Eagles’ have
shown that they can compete with Sherland Gillis being one of the more coompetitive players in the division. However, Pacesetters have been in way better form mainly through Kwakwani’s Troy David’s purple patch that has him averaging around 21 points per game. If the inform David and company do add another win under their belt against their rivals, Brusche will have much to say. In the opening match, Pepsi Sonics basketball club, who won their first game of the season last Thursday in the Second Division, will be looking to carry over their momentum for a potentially first win in the Under23 Division against University of Guyana (UG) Trojans.
The second edition of the Champion of Champions dominoes competition organised by the Senior Organising Secretary of the Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) Mark Wiltshire will be held on Sunday at starting at 13:00hrs at Green City Restaurant and bar, lot H Durban and Vlissingen Roads. Entrance fee is $12,000 and the winning team will take home a trophy and $175,000, runner up $75,000, third place $35,000 and fourth place $15,000. The Most Valuable Player
in the final will also be rewarded; all prizes are guaranteed. The qualifying teams are Gold for Money, All Players, All Season’s Racing Service, Mix up, Spartans, Providence, C7, C6, Phantoms, Gold, T and T, Turning Point, Gangster, OPKO, Thunder, Lions, Transport SC and Angels. Guess teams are Strikers, Masters, NA Killers, Orange Walk, Narine’s 6, No Mercy, Linden, NIS, Travellers, Bank of Guyana, Top Gun, Medicare, Sunflower and Rock-
ets from Essequibo and Bartica Bank. Meanwhile, Seeram’s bar of First Street, Alexander Village is the latest sponsor to lend their support. Upon presenting a cheque to Wiltshire on Saturday night at their location, Darren Seeram said he is happy to give back to the sport and wished the teams well, while Wiltshire expressed gratitude for the support. Other sponsors on board are Shemar ’s Trucking, Boston’s Pawn Shop, All Season’s Racing Service and Big Boss Trucking Service.
Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 23, 2018
PAGE 33
All Season’s Racing Service cops Raymond Alli Birth Anniversary dominoes title
Runner’s Up Mix Up
The victorious All Season’s Racing Service team
A
Strikers finished third
l l S e a s o n ’s Racing Service e m e r g e d winners of the Raymond Alli Birth Anniversary dominoes tournament which was held on Saturday night at Seeram’s bar, Alexander Village. All Season’s Racing Service, who drew the bye to the final, chalked up 79 games to beat Mix Up with 75 and Strikers 72 games. Amanda Singh and Raymond Alli made 14 each for the winners, while Dane Bynoe contributed 13. Gilbert Mendonca and Mark Wiltshire made 15 each for Mix Up, while Ganesh Sankar got 14. Strikers
leading players were Linden Boston 15, Rodrick Harry 14 and Gary Hinds 14. Led by 16 games from Ewie Gordon, 15 from Osmond Brathwaite and 14 from Ganesh Sankar Mix Up won the semi final encounter with 77 games. Strikers placed second on 72 with Rodrick Harry scoring 16 and Linden Boston 14. Gold for Money finished third on 66 games; Stephan Duncan marked 15, Shawn Morgan and Tony Intaz Ali had 14 apiece. The winning team took home a trophy and $100,000, runner up a trophy and $60,000 and third place a trophy and $30,000.
Pan Caribbean Int. Martial Arts Games X111 – Barbados
KMAI & BHMAMA combine for 19 medals Representative team from Korian Martial Arts International (KMAI) and Black Hawks Martial Arts Management Association (BHMAMA) recently returned from Barbados with success following their participation at the X111 Pan Caribbean International Martial Arts Games. Hosted by the Caribbean Martial Arts Alliance (CMAA), KMAI raked in a total of 12 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze, 2 fourth places) with BHMAMA collecting 7 in total comprising of 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze and 3 fourth places. Following are the full results of the two clubs: (Continued on page 28)
The Guyanese participants at the just concluded Pan Caribbean Int. Martial Arts Games X111 in Barbados.
rt o p S Third EBFA/Ralph Green U-11
Timehri Panthers, Grove Hi Tech, Swan Diamond Upsetters & Agricola post first day wins
This Swan FC player (2nd left) scores another goal against Herstelling Raiders FC.
KFC joins sponsorship team Holder thrilled for Hetmyer for Ignite but wants him to go deeper
Paul Subryan, KFC General Manager hands over the company’s sponsorship to GMR&SC Office Manager Cheryl Gonzales.
Left-hander Shimron Hetmyer ‌ struck his third ODI hundred.
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