Kaieteur News
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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
DANGER LURKING In Guyana, danger is lurking for the economy that was already shrinking before the government came to office. Charting a new course will require a Herculean task but the government must develop strategies to improve the economy. The incompetence and massive corrupt practices of the last administration have stifled economic growth and undermined the development of the country. During the 2015 election campaign, the former administration told the nation that the country’s economic growth rate was 4.8 percent and predicted that it will grow to 5.8 per cent by the end of that year. It was not only a false statement but also an election gimmick aimed at deceiving the electorate in order to gain their votes. The government inherited a sugar industry that was bankrupt, bauxite production was at its lowest level, the timber industry was in crisis, the rice industry was on the verge of collapsing, a huge national debt of US$1.6 billion, and a very high import bill. The country was in serious financial trouble and the writing was on the wall because of the failure of the last government to diversify the economy. Should the rice industry collapse, and should the government continue its $12 billion annual government subsidy to GUYSUCO, the country will be in serious economic and financial crisis and will most likely have to adopt austerity measures to cope given the fact that the cost to service external debt is very high. Austerity measures, in the simplest terms, are spending cuts mostly on social programmes and tax increases by governments. Human suffering is the inevitable consequence of austerity measures. Guyana’s economic output for 2017 looks grim and will likely get worst if the government does not act swiftly to increase its growth rate. Economic growth in a small, open, undiversified, developing economy such as Guyana very often depends on the type of policies the government pursues. Economic growth in most developing countries is also largely determined by and dependent on external factors such as the price of and the demand for their commodities and natural disasters. However, bad policies can discourage economic growth by stifling the ability of business to take advantage of favourable external circumstances if and when they exist. The government must be business-friendly. Economic growth is desirable because it is assumed that a larger pie means that all, if not the vast majority of Guyanese will be better off. It is important for the government to create an environment in which the private sector feels it is worthwhile to risk its capital. Today, Guyana’s dollar is worth less than one US cent, and some 250,000 Guyanese are in extreme poverty, many are homeless and youth unemployment is at 35 percent. Contrary to police data that crime has reduced, many seem to believe that crime, especially murders and armed robberies have increased. Some have debunked the police data by highlighting the fact that Guyana has the fourth highest homicide rate in South America behind Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil. In 2012, Guyana’s homicide rate was 17 per 100,000. In the first six months in 2016, it had risen to 20.2 per 100,000, which is above the national average in the US. In terms of income equality, Guyana has one of the highest income inequality rates in the Caribbean and in the hemisphere. It is estimated that on average, women earn 70 cents to every dollar earned by men. And in education, only four out of every ten students pass five or more subjects of the CXC examination to matriculate into university.
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Minister Raphael Trotman on the Barama decision Dear Editor; Following on Barama Company Ltd’s decision not to renew the forest concession the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Guyana Forestry Commission, will continue t o e n g a g e B a r a m a ’s management, whilst working in tandem with the Ministry of Social Protection, and the workers representatives, to address a myriad of issues that arise from the relinquishment of the 1.6 million hectare forest concession. Any plan going forward will have to take into account
the welfare of workers and the obligations Barama was required to perform under the now expired agreement. Many of these, as can be imagined, cannot be bought to an abrupt end. It is in moments like this, of change and transition that stakeholders have to work to make the process as smooth as possible by avoiding panic, knee jerk reactions, or “one upmanship” tactics. Whilst the Government is disappointed by the action of Barama in making statements about workers being laid off even before the relevant entities have met to
map the way forward, and is yet unable to find a rational reason why this precipitous action was taken, nevertheless it will continue to provide mature responses, and direction, by engaging all stakeholders objectively and in good faith. The Government expects that Barama likewise, and other stakeholders, will be committed to beneficial talks and will avoid brinkmanship as all can agree that this is a slippery slope one should consider carefully before embarking on. The various stakeholders will meet in a few days’ time
to begin the process of defining the way forward for the workers, the company, the forest concession, and the dwellers and users of the concession, including miners. In the coming weeks, as Minister responsible, I will personally hold meetings with the workers at the Barama sites at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara and Buckhall, Essequibo. Together, we will find the best path forward. Raphael Trotman Minister of Natural Resources
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Let us fix this very broken country What has become of Buxton cricketers? DEAR EDITOR; On January 29, 1963, President John F. Kennedy made a speech on Education to the US Congress and it is still relevant in our Guyana’s context today. He said ‘…for the individual, the doors to the schoolhouse, to the library, and to the college lead to the richest treasures…to the power of knowledge – to the training and skills necessary for productive employment – to the wisdom, the ideals and the culture which enrich life... For the nation, increasing the quality and accessibility of education is vital to both our national security and domestic wellbeing…Failure to improve education performance is thus not only poor social policy, it is poor economics’. My disappointment, however, is that so many of our educated and older citizens have accepted the status quo while one of the effects, is that our citizens are being mistreated based on the negative characterisation of us as a people. We have over thirty resident foreign missions and international organisations in our country, and with a population of 750,000 and after 50 years of Independence, we have corruption at its highest, our 15 to 24 year olds are the top criminals, among others. Moving forward, I wish to make a few suggestions. Firstly, that the International community do a stocktaking among themselves. It cannot be business as usual anymore. They have to hold us accountable and hold our leaders more accountable.
Human development is about achieved wellbeing, where is the “achieved well-being” if our 15 year olds feel that their choices and opportunities are limited to criminal activities? The next 50 year must be different, it has to be different! Our Governments have to ensure prudence in their operations. Those persons who took what belonged to the people of this country must return what was taken. I believe in showing mercy, hence, I would recommend that these persons be given the next six months to repay and return what was taken. If they do, let’s forgive them and move on, if they don’t, let the law take its course but still let’s forgive them. For the drug dealers, I would recommend a grace period of 12 months. Again I believe in showing mercy. I am advocating again for a ‘Citi-
zens Police Fund’, which will put in place a system for citizens to support members of the Police Force in a legal way, by institutionalising the process. Our leaders need to understand that we do not want perfect leaders, but what we desire, are leaders who are mature enough to accept that they are not perfect and to ask for our forgiveness and let’s fix this very broken country. I am inviting every Guyanese at home and abroad to join our ‘Leave A Better Guyana’ movement, the theme is ‘I am taking responsibility for the future of Guyana’. To learn more contact iam_guyana@yahoo.com Finally, I will end with the words of President John F. Kennedy, ‘…improved education is essential to give new meaning to our national purpose and power’. Audreyanna Thomas
DEAR EDITOR; It warms my heart to see the media highlighting the plight of the disadvantaged in this country. As a Buxtonion and an ardent cricket enthusiast I just couldn’t resist penning this letter, it seems that the infighting over the years at the East Coast Cricket Board level and the Demerara Cricket Board level has left one question unanswered. What has become of Buxton cricketers? Throughout the years these cricketers have shown what it means to rise above adversities. They have travelled far and wide throughout this country when teams have refused to visit their ground, and have put forward more than credible performances against several teams.
However, for some reason, Buxtonions are not worthy of playing for the East Coast teams nor are they worthy of being selected to Demerara / National trials to stake a claim in the national team. It has gone to such an extent that one of the most accomplished athletes of this village (Buxton) and a cricketer at heart plies his trade in the football arena instead of being solely committed to cricket. The only reason Clive Andries is playing cricket from my estimation is due to
his passion for the sport. He makes the time whether football is playing or not, to play and contributes extensively to the success of the Buxton Carl Hooper Cricket Team whether bowling his off spin or unleashing his Andrea Russell style brutal innings on opponents. Due to the neglect of these cricketers, it seems there isn’t the desire like in years past to do the necessary training etc, because the reality is, the chance of selection is not there, or has not been there (Continued on page 6)
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Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Blackouts in Bartica are overbearing How about an army retiree to inquire actually occurred, to make home to do that but I reDEAR EDITOR; gree but really and truly, our Township status but what has I must say that in this new situation here has gotten out changed; same old blackout into this one? her say that; but if that call that they would andispensation of government, I guess a lot was promised with only little actually done or still yet to be achieved. When would they actually formalise a project from scratch and see its birth? We are yet to see one. I must say in this little Guyana, this land is rich and diverse in many ways. I guess that’s why people say “politicians are fighting for a share”. I guess with what one has to fathom every day, the struggles, the silent tears and utter frustrations of the real and true Guyanese who day in and day out yearn for better livelihood for their families. Only then can one say if they politicians are for them or for their own selfish nature. It hurts, it just hurts but my beloved birthplace is suffering and continues to suffer with this new dispensation. Why? How? It was this government’s promise that Bartica was going to be the first green town but blackouts persist. Don’t we have qualified people here or are they saying what I’m thinking “incompetence”. I wouldn’t discredit the workers here to that de-
of control. Are we only paying our bills to avoid disconnection? Because it seems this is the only real fact about GPL’s operation. Being a resident of this community for 20 odd years might be too little to describe this village’s plight for electricity. It has been well documented. Names of government have changed and institutions as well, but the same problem persists. Human resource has grown but that still doesn’t solve this problem. Bartica is known as the hinterland gateway, boosting of gold and diamond. Outside of that, the business community has grown and has come a far way. Employment rate is adequate but everything comes to a grinding halt when there is no electricity. Can people believe it? I’m sure many can relate to what we endure in Bartica. Enterprises have invested heavily into having another source of electricity. Most of the developing businesses suffer. We’ve recently had the so called “local government elections” for what purpose, I am still trying to fathom, still looking some sort of reasoning. Bartica was granted
and poor water supply, the same ones in the so called “Mayor and Councillors’ Office. Let me be very frank; it was just for position and nothing else. Because if you see the mayor or his deputy five time a month; you see them plenty. They are only seen when there is a photo opportunity with their cohorts of the government fraternity. Sad to say but they have duped many into voting but Bartica suffers. When there is no electricity, there is no water; only other source is the river, which many people use that is heavily polluted. (7th Avenue beach just to name a few).ýThe info that GPL is indicating online (for those that have adequate Internet access) isn’t of much assistance to help you out of the current state of affairs in Bartica. Before I leave, I must say on the campaign trail, Madam Deputy Mayor was very vocal on the plight of inadequate power supply. One has to wonder if the steam was not much more the fire. I guess Madam Deputy now knows about bureaucracy. Niranjan
What has become of Buxton... From page 5 for whatever reason, over the past 3 years, especially since the fracture in the cricket board of Guyana and the boards of Demerara and East Coast. Admirably, the team continues to churn out credible performances - (a case in point, the ‘A’ team winning 4
out of their last 5 games) just imagine if they are motivated by a level playing field, equal opportunities and t h e n e c e s s a r y s u p p ort, what can be accomplished. Buxton Carl Hooper Cricket Club had to have been doing something right over the years, beca u s e t h e y have produced outstanding CXC & CAPE performers, graduates from the University of Guyana, graduates from GTI and also graduates from CPCE, and to this date none of their players have been associated to criminal activity. The question has to be asked, when will the time come whereby these cricket-
ers are going to be given a fair share of the proverbial ‘cricket pie , ’ o n l y G o d knows. One thing is for sure though is that throughout all the adversities faced by this cricket club since its existence in 2000, they have continued to play the sport they love so dearly. As a Buxtonion, I must say thank you to all those persons who have played or are playing for The Buxton Carl Hooper Cricket Club and t o t h o s e p e r sons or entities that have contributed in whatever way, small or big to the development of the sport in this village. Marvin Cato
DEAR EDITOR; Since the present school term started, I’ve been taking my kids almost every day to the DeKendren Nursery and Zeelugt Primary schools and more than once kittens and pups could be seen in both school compounds and only recently I saw two kittens in the nursery school. Asking one teacher about their presence there, she informed me that people make it a habit to stray the animals in the compound and I said that is nice because they are bound to woo the children’s heart and they in turn would care for the strays and might even take them home. However she said that they have to keep an eye on the kids when they play with them because they might mishandle them and cause them to die I’m not certain if this
happens I’m quite sure that experience will always remain with them and could even affect them. Whilst there are always negatives and positives to someone’s actions, I believe it’s better for them to leave the animals there instead of leaving them on the roadways to die or punish. The training our kids receive from us about the treatment of animals will impact their lives because not all the children treat the strays with kindness at the schools. Some of them torment the animals. Editor, s e e i n g s t r a y s about the place is not strange and from what I gather, during the PPPC’s e r a , y o u c o u l d have taken your pet and have them spayed or neutered free. I’m n o t c e r t a i n i f the persons conducting that exe r c i s e v i s i t p e o p l e ’s
nounce when they are visiting the area and persons desirous of having their pets sprayed or neutered could make contact with them. Now I understand that you have to pay to have your pets spayed or neutered and given the way this country is present, I am quite sure that we would see a huge increase in stray kittens and pups because people would opt for cheaper solutions and just stray them away. This Government should come up with a solution to combat this issue because stray animals are being greatly abused whilst they are trying to survive and an increase in strays would only increase their torment. Hopefully no army retiree has to be appointed to launch a COI into this. Sahadeo Bates
There is too much acrimony among factions is that most level, it is eating away at our politicians two times we get the feeling the self-confidence and DEAR EDITOR; It is most depressing to me, and I am s u r e a l l Guyanese who have the welfare of our country at heart, to see the continuing hostile attitude that seems to pervade the relationship between the present political party in power and those on the other side of the table, both in and out of Parliament, the place which has been specifically designed for them to come together and work to find programmes and projects that would work for the benefit all the people of our nation, irrespective of political persuasion or any other diversity. Most disheartening is the fact that the overriding atmosphere in all the deliberations between these
that there is more than mere opposition to one another, but a deep feeli n g o f a c r i mony at the highest level. This is evident in the manner in which they seem to explore all means to discredit the efforts of either one or the other in whatever are they are engaged, not only politically, but more devastating on the personal level. The present situation is not only troubling in that it must definitely serve to keep hampering any progress we should be making, but that it will continue to keep our people divided, thereby lessening the general national effort towards our advancement. On the psychological
pride which we should be displaying as citizens of a sovereign nation. Also, in an area in which I have been proven to be specially interested and effective, it is little by little eroding the respect in our leaders and institutions in our youths, something which would have an adverse effect when the time comes for them to play their part in our national affairs. I would like to ask all our leaders to up the level of their dialogue and interaction to t h e point where statesmans h i p a nd goodwill become the hallmarks of their interaction, as this would serve to create an atmosphere which would make all our people feel a part of the national effort but, moreso, facilitate all their endeavours towards the material progress of our people. Roy Paul.
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
GMC headquarters construction…
GRDB head, Govt. engineer, contractor to face criminal charges Charges have been recommended against several persons, including the current chief of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and a Government engineer over a multi-million-dollar construction of the office building of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC). More than a week ago, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) completed its report into the investigations of the construction of the building which was contracted out in 2011. A forensic audit report submitted back in April by auditor, Saykar Boodhoo, had flagged the construction, citing several worrying things at GMC, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture. The forensic audit report was sent to Cabinet where it was decided that the findings of the report were serious enough to warrant a deeper investigation into not only the construction of the building but also into the handling of hundreds of millions of dollars of fertilizers. The matter was handed over to SOCU. According to senior Government officials, SOCU recommended that charges be laid against former GMC’s General Manager, Nizam Hassan; Hanniel Madramootoo, an engineer of the Ministry of Agriculture who oversaw the project; and a number of staffers of the contractor, Constantine Engineering and Construction Services of Trinidad and Tobago. The recommendations have reportedly been sent to the Ministry of Public Security and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) the latter for advice.
Engineer, Hanniel Madramootoo
Former GMC’s General Manager, Nizam Hassan
According to Government sources, investigations found the principals of the contracting company are close relatives of the engineer. Investigations reportedly also found that Madramootoo allegedly used a family member to conduct transactions at the Tender Board relating to the project. Shortly after entering office last year, the administration named Hassan as the new General Manager of GRDB, the entity which overlooks the rice industry. The forensic audit which triggered the recommendations for the charges would tell a worrying tale of how things were at GMC between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2015, the time under review. With regards to the construction of the building, in 2011 a contract was awarded to Constantine Engineering and Construction Services of Trinidad and Tobago to build a new head office for GMC and the Guyana Shop, which it runs. A contract in the amount
of $23.96M was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). The auditor could not review the bidding documents as NPTAB could not find any information that it was involved in the tender process even though the contract indicated otherwise. An engineer, Mr. Hanniel Madramootoo, of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), was assigned to oversee the construction of the building. Unilateral? In February 2012, without going to tender, the contract amount was strangely raised by $7.6M. GMC apparently, breaking procurement regulations, also took it upon itself to extend the contract duration to March 16, 2012. “Based on discussion with Mr. Owen Nestor, GMC’s accountant, shortly after the contract amendment, the contractor announced to GMC that he will be unable to complete the construction of the GMC office building. It is unclear exactly how much funds were given to (Continued on page 8)
The GMC head office which was the subject of an investigation.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
Palmyra man tries to escape from police, found with unlicensed gun in car Kevin France, a 51year-old self-employed resident of lot 55 Palmyra Vi l l a g e w a s y e s t e r d a y caught with an unlicensed
9 mm pistol. It was approximately 01:00 hrs According to police sources, ranks of the Police Mobile Patrol who were in
the West Canje area and acting on information signaled motor vehicle, bearing license plate number PVV 2423, to stop in the vicinity of Vryheid Road, West Canje, Berbice. H o w e v e r, t h e d r i v e r sped away from the authorities giving rise to a high speed chase along the New Amsterdam public road. The patrol eventually caught up with France at
his Palmyra residence while he was about to exit the vehicle. The ranks of the mobile patrol subsequently subjected France to a search and discovered a 9mm pistol with several matching rounds in the front section of his car. The firearm was seized whilst the car with France was escorted to the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam, where he is currently in police custody assisting with investigations. The car was lodged along with the firearm. Charges are expected to be laid shortly.
The unlicenced gun and ammunition.
GRDB head, Govt. engineer, contractor... From page 7 Constantine Engineering.” GMC was forced to call in another contractor to complete the electrical wiring and relevant works to the office building. Within a few months after the building was handed over to GMC, there were leaks in the roof. A contractor was hired by GMC to repair the roof. It was discovered that old lumber and old zinc sheets with euroband was used to construct the roof of the building. According to the forensic audit report, throughout the building substandard work is evident and present. “The wood used to construct the internal walls was poorly manufactured and the concrete walls are chipping and with paint peeling and falling off the walls. It appears that the GMC board and senior management are just as culpable as the contractor for the poor quality of work delivered to GMC.” There was no documentation to show that the board acted to prevent the fraud that was perpetuated against GMC by the contractor, the forensic audit report said. It was also disclosed that the contractor appeared to be a ghost - an internet search
for the name of the contractor’s firm Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Ltd proved futile. The auditor recommended that Constantine Engineering and its owner should be barred from providing any services to the Government of Guyana. Send him home It was recommended that Madramootoo, the engineer who oversaw the project, be terminated if he is still employed by the MOA and prevented from providing any services to the Government of Guyana. The auditor also recommended that the GMC directors be barred from future engagements with the Government of Guyana. With regards to the actual construction, while the Bill of Quantities of the contract stipulated that Greenheart lumber is to be used in the construction of the building’s floors, walls, roof and framing, the contractor used mixed hardwood. “In addition, it was observed that the quality of the lumber used for the construction of the walls appears to be second quality lumber. Significant shrinkages of the lumber occurred and large creases are evident throughout the building’s internal walls.” Instead of PVC for the
ceiling, the contractor used the cheaper plywood. The payments for the construction vouchers were certified by the supervising engineer Madramootoo. The auditor recommended that the police be called in to investigate the fraud of using incorrect materials and fraudulent billing for the construction of the building. “Since payments were made based on certification made by Mr Madramootoo, he should be charged criminally and brought before the courts for his participation in conducting fraud against the Government of Guyana. Efforts should be made to bring charges against Mr. Nizam Ramkissoon, the owner and managing director of Constantine Engineering and Construction Services Ltd of #55 Calcutta Road #2 Freeport, Carapichaima, Trinidad,” the forensic audit also recommended. The report also revealed that vouchers relating to the spending on the project were missing with GMC’s internal controls and security lax. The GMC forensic auditor report would be among a number of similar audits ordered last year by the David Granger administration to determine the health of state agencies.
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
War brews between poultry producers, GRA over Jamaica feed
Robert Badal
GPPA’s President, Patrick De Groot
Local poultry feed manufacturers have disagreed with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) over a decision not to enforce charging a regional tax on importations from Jamaica. “We know that the region does not produce soya and corn in any large quantities so it has to come from out of the region. The feed from Jamaica therefore has to be charged the relevant 15 percent taxes as it does not
qualify,” says chief of the Guyana Stockfeeds Limited, Robert Badal. Badal’s company has joined with Bounty Farm, another major player, to help push the Guyana Poultry Producers Association (GPPA) to resolve the issue which has been simmering since last year. This past week, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) said that from engagements, Nutramix, a feed pro-
duced in Jamaica, met criteria which says it can be classified as being produced in the region. GPPA is contending that the feed is unfairly competing with them. ‘We wrote GRA more than two months ago on this issue after it was noticed that feed was coming in again. We did not see any answers until a story was carried in Kaieteur News,” Badal said. Badal explained that GRA’s Commissioner-General, Godfrey Statia, was written to on the matter two months ago but the letter was never acknowledged. “The Ministry of Agriculture is aware of the situation as a complaint has been filed. We know that Jamaica does not produce soya and corn in the amounts being used by Nutramix and there we should be applying the CARICOM tax which says it is a product that comes from out of the region. We are asking that GRA start charging the tariff forthright.” According to GRA in a statement last week, in February this year, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) requested the GRA to impose
Dem boys seh...
Barama try to con Guyana Dem boys got a question fuh anybody. If you got a piece of land that got riches but you not using it and you friend and neighbour ask fuh use it. He promise that he gun pay you fuh de use because he gun sell wha he get from de land. You agree because as he seh, things bad, but things gun pick up, that all he want is de li’l support. Now you friend start de wuk. Couple weeks pass and you neighbor wukking. One year pass and you a i n ’ t g e t n u t t e n . Tw o year pass, three year pass and still nutten. De neighbor ain’t giving you nutten but you see things looking up wid him. Five years pass and
still de neighbor ain’t giving you nutten. That is how Barama come to Guyana. Dem start de conversation wid Hoyte but dem cut de deal wid Jagdeo. Dem get de concession and dem get nuff things. But dem ain’t paying one cent to Guyana. Dem boys see how Barama move about de place and remove wood and even gold but dem never pay a cent. Fuh 25 years Barama never give Guyana nutten and Jagdeo know bout that.
De coalition come in and see that Barama enjoy de good life. Dem sit down and drink Scotch and eating big but dem still complain that things bad. Dem send things overseas and Guyana really suffer. But Soulja Bai ain’t Jagdeo. He tek back de land. Barama pull a bluff but didn’t expect Soulja Bai to call it. Now dem want to talk. Talk half and keep an eye pun dem companies like Barama.
import duties (CARICOM External Tariff) on a consignment of poultry feed imported by businessman Deonarine Arjune from Newport Mills of Jamaica, pending verification of the certificate of origin. GRA said it held 16 containers as a result of the ministry’s request and notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) since they are the competent authority for foreign trade. MOA was also notified to
provide GRA with the evidence that the commodities were not compliant with the rules of origin. ”The Certificate of Origin indicated that the extra-regional content of the product was two per cent. According to the CET, the finished product must be produced from materials of 23.09, the value of which does not exceed five percent of the export price of the finished product.” On February 25, 2016, the
Poultry Dealers Association, through the MOA, pleaded with GRA to release the 16 containers; this was facilitated. ”This was in consideration of the fact that they did not provide any evidence of impropriety as a basis for continued detention of the commodity. MOA was notified of the release and invited to provide any evidence in its possession of any (Continued on page 64)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
Trotman to meet Barama workers on forest concession closure Days after news that Barama Company Limited (BCL) announced it will exit its logging operations and relinquished its 1.6 hectares of forest concessions, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, has assured that he will personally be meeting with affected workers. Barama, up to recently, controlled the largest bloc of forest, and has since made it clear that it will give its fullest cooperation and comply with all requirements to ensure that the process is smooth. Fresh from an overseas visit, Trotman in a letter to the editor yesterday, stated that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) will continue to engage Barama’s management, whilst working in tandem with the Ministry of Social Protection, and the workers representatives, to address a myriad of issues that arise from the relinquishment of the 1.6 million hectare forest concession. ”Any plan going forward will have to take into account the welfare of workers and the
Barama’s BuckHall operations, Essequibo River, where its veneer and sawmilling plants are located.
Minister, Raphael Trotman obligations Barama was required to perform under the now expired agreement. Many of these, as can be imagined, cannot be brought to an abrupt end,” Trotman said. The minister said that at moments like these, of change and transition, stakeholders have to work to make the process as smooth as possible by avoiding panic, knee jerk reactions, or “one upmanship” tactics.
“Whilst the Government is disappointed by the action of Barama in making statements about workers being
laid off even before the relevant entities have met to map the way forward, and is yet unable to find a rational
reason why this precipitous action was taken, nevertheless it will continue to provide mature responses, and direc-
tion, by engaging all stakeholders objectively and in good faith.” Media reports (Continued on page 11)
Sunday October 23, 2016
Trotman to meet Barama workers on... From page 10 tagged the employment losses at 500. Barama had around 800 workers up to last year. “The Government expects that Barama likewise, and other stakeholders, will be committed to beneficial talks and will avoid brinkmanship as all can agree that this is a slippery slope one should consider carefully before embarking on,” Minister Trotman said in his letter. The various stakeholders will meet in a few days’ time to begin the process of defining the way forward for the workers, the company, the forest concession, and the dwellers and users of the concession, including miners. “In the coming weeks, as Minister responsible, I will personally hold meetings with the workers at the Barama sites at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara and Buckhall, Essequibo. Together, we will find the best path forward,” he said. Meanwhile, Barama in a comment said that it has noted the Minister’s concerns. “We have noted the Ministry of Natural Resources concerns and wish to state our fullest cooperation and compliance with all requirements to ensure that this is a smooth process. The official statement of the company was issued on Wednesday October 19, 2016. This official position has been communicated to all relevant
stakeholders inclusive of the government, union, workers and media.” Barama “reiterated” that it first approached Government on the September 2, last year, with a proposal for the renewal of both the company’s Investment and Forest Concession Agreements and has continued discussions with government over this period. “Earlier this year Barama, in correspondences with government, had advised government that economic conditions influencing the company’s continuing investment in Guyana’s forest industry were not encouraging. Barama has, as a consequence, now regrettably concluded that it is no longer viable for the company to continue its forestry operations. Barama, however, will be continuing all of its other projects in Guyana, inclusive of veneering, plywood manufacturing and sawmilling.” Barama said that any other statement was on invited comments based on questions or concerns expressed by the media - a key stakeholder. “The impact on employment losses started early in the year as a result of prevailing economic conditions and this was clearly communicated to government, Chief Labour Officer, union and workers at all stages. The for-
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Kaieteur News
est closure is just adding to the already existing situation in terms of employment losses. The process of closing the forest operations will take place over the next three months with the necessary approvals of government to ensure that all the legal requirements inclusive of workers’ welfare are properly addressed.” Barama said that it will continue to work with all relevant parties and to remain compliant. “Any other claims or assertions remain unclear to us. The company looks forward to engaging with Government to explore the continuation of its other operations to sustain our valueadded and job creation potential in Guyana and to determine a new Investment Agreement. “With the proper closure of the forest operations we would like to focus our attention and energies towards this goal.” Barama was considered the biggest player in the timber industry and was one of the two biggest investors- along with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company- back in the 90s. It has invested in veneer and sawmilling operations at Buck Hall, Essequibo River, and a plywood factory at Land of Canaan. News of the closure of Barama’s forest operations last week sparked concerns about the fallouts, including the employment losses.
APNU+AFC reduces external debt by 2.7%
Public debt-external loans at the end of 2015 (taken from Auditor General’s report)
Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, in his 2015 report, fixed Guyana’s external debt at US$1.16B. However, according to the Ministry of Finance, a debt management strategy developed under the APNU+AFC admin-
istration has proven useful. The government has been able to reduce the figure to US $1.14B. The Ministry’s half year report said that Guyana’s total public debt remained sustainable during the first half of
2016 as a result of a debt management strategy that is focused on ensuring that the government’s financing needs and payment obligations are met at a minimal (Continued on page 60)
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Sunday October 23, 2016
Sunday October 23, 2016
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97-year-old Hilton “Champ” Lewis is Uncle Eddie’s oldest By Isanella Patoir As the Month of the Elderly progresses with the theme, “Take a stand against ageism” Uncle Eddie’s oldest is one to for the books. He has been blessed with long life and good health beyond measure. Ageing brings about challenges but so far, the 97 year old has been living a very comfortable life with no complaints. The Senior Citizens of Guyana must be recognised for their achievements and
contributions to our society accordingly. Hilton Lewis was born on March 31, 1919 in Georgetown, to William Lewis and Ada Mascall. He had seven siblings, all now deceased. He attended the St. George’s Government School from 1925 to 1935. His early childhood was spent on mostly athletic activities. He fondly recounts running around the St. George’s Cathedral as a little boy. At the age of 16, he wrote
WANTED!!!!! A SUBSTANTIAL REWARD IS BEING OFFERED TO ANYONE WHO KNOWS THE IDENTITY OR WHEREABOUTS OF THIS INDIVIDUAL. PLEASE CALL 6456933. YOUR INFORMATION WILL BE CONFIDENTIAL.
and passed what was known as the Pupil Teachers’ Appointment and began his primary teaching career at Lodge Congregation School. He spent one year teaching there before moving to St. Barnabas in 1936. He then sat three more Pupil Teachers’ Appointments before going off to Teachers’ Training College. In 1941, he started teaching at Dolphin Government School for a while before moving on to the St. George’s Anglican School. Lewis would have impacted his students and fellow colleagues, especially in the cultural fields of art, sport and music. He stated that every school at which he taught would have succeeded in the areas of cricket, football and athletics. “Not that I’m boasting,” he followed. Lewis would have made an impression at 12 primary schools, some of which were Sacred Heart School, Plaisance Roman Catholic School, Christ Church Anglican School, Vive-laForce Govt. School, where he was appointed to his very first Headmaster’s position, and Mocha Arcadia Govt. School, where he was also the Headmaster. He moved on to West Ruimveldt Govt. School from the period of 1972 – 1974, and after his retirement in 1974 he was recalled to teach at Beterverwagting Community High, and that stint concluded his teaching
career. Mr. Lewis was also a former Guyana National Service officer, Sports coach and Champion Masters Athlete. He is the uncle of the late Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis and a teacher of the late Executive President Desmond Hoyte. Lewis is remembered for his tradition of hard work that was second to none. He always demanded and maintained the highest standard in everything that he did. His ideas and ideals were always ahead of time. This signal praise was often repeated by his colleagues, officers of the education ministry, parents and members of the community. He was very cognisant of the aesthetic values of life and placed great emphasis on them. He was married once, to Pinky Williams, the mother of his three children - William, Michelle and Shemaine. His wife died 10 years ago, and he says that he believes in morals and only being married once. His philosophy for life has been love for God and your fellow man. He was quite the humanitarian, and emphasised, “I think we in Guyana talk too much these days, in my time it was more action than words”. Lewis evinced humility, and empathy at all times.
Hilton Lewis These qualities were reflected in the cordial relationships he shared with his staff and friends during his teaching years. It would be fitting to say that, “You walked with crowds and kept your virtue. You walked with kings and didn’t lose the common touch”. He is frank and fearless, and if these attributes did not necessarily win favour, they did for him; because everyone that he has impacted throughout his lifetime, has nothing but admiration and respect for him. He is also a self-taught musician. The success of his choirs at music festivals, his motivation of many pupils in
academics and athletics are just some of the n o t e w o r t h y achievements of his illustrious career. He will always be remembered for many outstanding qualities, a devoted parent, a disciplinarian, a stickler for fair play, a selfless community worker, a sympathetic friend, to name a few. He is also known to be the champion of downtrodden. During this interview, the energetic 97-year-old seemed contented that he has lived this long and touched so many lives. He was awarded the Editor’s Choice Award in 1998 presented by the National Library of Poetry for his outstanding performance in the poetry arena. And his health? “I’m still athletic at 97,” he happily stated. “I feel so good; I don’t have any calamity or pains.” He further went on to stress that if he dies, “it would be quite alright, since ‘I’ll die of old age” – of course with a broad smile on his face. He believes that by keeping fit he’s inspiring the younger generation that if he can do it at his age, then they can do it as well and maybe even live longer, that’s his inspiration. “I recommend that everybody should exercise; when you exercise (continued on page 59)
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Sunday October 23, 2016
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Schoolboys cheat death on pedestrian crossing - truck driver to face dangerous driving charges Two young schools boys narrowly escaped death after they were run over by a speeding container truck on a pedestrian crossing in front of the St. Anne’s Primary School, Agricola, East Bank Demerara. Ronel Roach, 8, and his brother Ray Roach, 7, both of Titus Street, Agricola, were making their way home from school last Wednesday, when they were hit by the vehicle. The brothers attend the Eccles Primary School. They are in Grade 4 and Grade 2
respectively. When contacted yesterday, Ray explained that he and his brother were making their way across the public road when they were struck down. According to the boy, he and his brother had already crossed the western carriageway of the road and were making their way onto the eastern carriageway. He added that a white motor car travelling south in this lane stopped for him and his brother. However, the school child related that the container truck travelling
in the same direction on the outer lane collided with him and his sibling. “All two of us get knock and fall down. We go under the truck then the driver (of the container truck) came out (his vehicle) and took me out.” Ray said that police ranks who were traveling in a police vehicle behind the container truck also came to their rescue. He recalled that a police officer pulled his brother from under the truck; while the truck driver removed him. Surprisingly, the children
suffered no serious injuries, although there are reports of the truck speeding. They were treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and discharged the said day. The driver of the container truck is expected to be charged with dangerous driving this week, according to a police source. The charges come at a time when the father of the lads, Rene Roach is calling on the relevant authorities to enforce stiffer penalties for defaulting motorists. Roach told this publication that he is peeved at reckless drivers taking innocent lives. He said that such drivers have no respect for the law and should be punished harshly for “murdering people”. “They ignoring road signs and everything on the road and just going free or you’re not hearing back about the story”, the older Roach said. The father said that he is thankful his sons sustained no serious injuries. He related that several children use that pedestrian crossing daily to get to and from school. The father added that they are signs
Injured: Ronel and Ray Roach indicating there is a pedestrian crossing ahead but drivers are still insist on ignoring them. A video of the accident seen by Kaieteur News showed that the brothers had already crossed the western carriage way of the four-lane road and were waiting at the median to cross over to the eastern half. The videos showed that the children waited for less than a minute before walking across the
road, when a white motorcar made a sudden stop, allowing them to pass. When the car passed the video shows the containing truck that was in the outer lane, hitting the children, tossing them onto the road and under the vehicle. It appeared as though the truck driver hit the brakes, but was still unable to avoid the collision. The driver immediately exited the vehicle and rendered assistance to the young boys.
Sunday October 23, 2016
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How persons with disabilities are helping to keep GPHC operational By Sharmain Grainger While a health facility is usually validated by the work done by its doctors, nurses and other health professionals, what many of us may not readily recognise is that there are other workers who are crucial to keeping such institutions operational. Among these are the maids, the security guards, the porters and even more importantly is a team of people called the “sanitation workers”. If you have been a visitor of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) a few of them might have unassumingly walked right past you. If you did notice them, you probably would have been in a hurry to get out of their way – after all they have the appearance of mere “sanitation workers” decked in overalls that sometimes amplify the nature of the work being done. The work entails weeding of the compound, cleaning ceilings, and other laborious tasks in and around the health facility The work of the “sanitation team” is without doubt very significant. What must be noted too is that it involves an aspect that is especially designed to help protect others from harm. To an outsider this may be far-fetched, but this is indeed the reality. This is in light of the fact that sanitation at the health facility requires the removal of both infectious and non-infectious waste. This means that these workers put themselves at risk to remove infectious waste (sharps such as needles that could transmit diseases) and ensure that they are sterilised before they are disposed of properly and are incapable of transmitting diseases, even outside of the hospital compound. Now imagine the daunting possibilities if a “sanitation team” were non-existent. It is interesting to note that the majority of these “sanitation workers” are not the normal hearing and speaking individuals like many of us. Close to a dozen of them are deaf-mutes. Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either
Sanitation Coordinator, Harif Zakira A few of the deaf-mute members of the sanitation team take timeout for a photo. deaf or mute or both, and requires a sign language to communicate. The sanitation team, inclusive of the deafmutes, are supervised by Harif Zakira, whose job title is Coordinator of Sanitation and Janitorial Services. He is required to ensure that every aspect of sanitation at the GPHC, and all other facilities that fall under its purview, is in intact. He has been within the employ of the GPHC for the past six years, but has been directly responsible for the largely deaf-mute sanitation team for the past four years. Among his team members are Rondell Adel, Keith Ritch, and Jerome Collette who intimated by way of signing that they love their job and work very hard because of this very reason. According to Zakira, he has been able to work “especially well with these guys” since they made it their duty to teach him their language from the onset. It has in fact been the deaf-mute members of this team that have kept Zakira, who hails from Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, to remain dedicated to his job. His dedication translates to working every day, without a day
off, by choice. It is not the best of jobs to be had at the institution, but the support is perhaps the best that any unit can boast of, Zakira reflected during a recent interview. Since, as indicated, the sanitation work at the hospital entails the removal of waste that is both infectious and non-infectious, Zakira said that the team had to learn to differentiate waste by the bags in which they are placed. According to Zakira, red bags are designated for infectious waste while non-infectious waste is placed in black bags. About 300 bags of non-infectious waste are removed from the hospital on a daily basis by the sanitation team. But removing the infectious waste is particularly risky. For instance, these workers are expected to remove needles that would have been used on a person with a contagious disease. Items that have the potential of transmitting diseases are taken to a hydroclave machine at the GPHC on a daily basis to be sterilised. But it isn’t from the public health facilities alone that infectious waste is removed, as according to Zakira, “we collect over 100 bags each week from
The Baccoo Speaks The police are under pressure to keep the society safe, but political pressure will endure other ideas. The issue of crime was a major determinant in the change of political power. So it is that forces are creating conditions for criminal activity. The result is that there will be a series of gun crimes, all of them involving ordinary people. But this is going to come to a crashing end, because the police will
not use restraint. That will create another talking point. ** The occasional fire is always worrying. And so it will
be that another fire will direct attention to the electric company. People will claim that they saw the sparking on an electric pole and they will contend that this is the cause. Investigators will find faulty electrical configuration in the home. ** There will be an industrial accident. A worker will fall from a great height, because he did not take the necessary precautions while working above the ground.
Woodlands Hospital, from St Joseph Mercy Hospital over a 100 bags...its hundreds of bags of waste we have to sterile every week”. After sterilisation, the waste is disposed at the Haags Bosch dumpsite. Zakira is responsible for the sterilisation process and, according to him, all items are tested to ensure they are completely sterilised before being disposed. Even as he stressed
the risk involved with the removal of infectious waste, Zakira recalled at least one occasion when a sanitation worker was pricked with a needle. Of course, prophylaxis treatment was readily available to that worker and is always readily available for such cases, he noted. But given the risk involved in the sanitation process, Zakira noted that remuneration may not be nearly enough. Added to this, he is appealing for persons to not only recognise the important role of sanita-
tion workers at health facilities, but also seek to be more respectful of them and the work they do. He is convinced that because of the fact that several members of the sanitation team are deafmutes they are looked down upon. “I think we should not discriminate, and people do discriminate sometimes, and this should not be,” cautioned Zakira as he emphasised that sanitation is a vital part of the organisation. “If it didn’t exist the hospital will essentially have to shut down,” he underscored.
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A knife in the back and killers long gone
By Michael Jordan The ‘bush’ is perhaps the easiest place to kill a man. Someone could stick a knife in your back and be long gone before they find your remains…if they ever do. That’s exactly what someone did with Ray Holder in March 2013. But his parents believe that his killers slipped up. His body was found, and the wounds on those decomposing remains told their own story of treachery in the goldrich interior. Ray Holder, from all accounts, was a hardworking and trustworthy individual, and around August 2012, the 29-year-old from South Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, landed a job with a miner who owned two dredges at Princeville, Potaro. It seems that Ray quickly became such a great asset to the dredge owner that he was commonly referred to as his boss’ “right hand man”. But he did tell his parents something that they feel had some bearing on his fate. Ray Holder confided that there was a young woman in the interior who had shown an interest in him. He even claimed that she had once rented a hotel room in Georgetown and invited him over. But Ray reportedly told his parents that he hadn’t responded to her advances, since he had a good relationship with the girl’s father. He was also wary of her ‘childfather’ and brothers. Ray was at home on
Mashramani Day when his boss called with instructions that he should return to the mining site. This he did that very night. His family received a message that he was in good spirits and planned to return in July for his mother’s birthday. BADLY DECOMPOSED BODY On the night of Friday, March 15, 2013, Ray Holder visited a shop on a hill in the Potaro area. A barmaid at the shop would later tell police that she saw him leave the night-spot. Police also received reports from two of the miner’s colleagues that they saw him enter a boat and head towards camp. The Police Public Relations Department said that the boat, with a bottle of alcohol, was subsequently found, and that Holder’s decomposing body was found on Tuesday, March 19, in Garraway Stream, Potaro River. Kaieteur News was told that the body bore no visible marks of violence and reports sent to the Mahdia Police Station suggested that police were dealing with a drowning. Ray’s family received the news of his death from a driver who had taken him to Mahdia. They were also told that police planned to bury his decomposing remains near the mining camp and the Princeville Boat Landing. The family was stunned. No one had informed them that he was missing. And now
Ray Holder they were saying that he was dead. They said the news was being casually tossed at them, “as if the people around him” equated him “to a stray dog, knocked down on the road and to be buried and erased from our minds.” Why had no one from the dredge operation told them that their son was “missing?” Why had Ray’s employer, who had always maintained contact with them, and who had called at least three times on Mashramani Day for Ray to return to work, failed to inform them about Ray’s fate? And now why this apparent haste to bury their son? Suspecting that there was more to their son’s death than they were being told, Ray’s father and sister met with the ‘F’ Division Commander Courtney Ramsey on Tuesday, March 19. Family members said that the Commander reassured them that he had instructed a police corporal at Mahdia to delay the burial until family members arrived. They said they were also told that a medical team would fly to the location on Saturday, March 23 to conduct a post mortem. According to their statement, Commander Ramsey emphasized that only one family member could travel in with
the medical team. But before the planned visit, the girl who was allegedly attracted to Ray reportedly contacted the dead miner’s father by phone. She allegedly told him that two brothers and a friend had murdered Ray. That call was reportedly made on Wednesday, March 20. HONEST ENOUGH TO ADMIT “This was the first time that someone from the (mining) operation had spoken directly to us and she was honest enough to admit that Ray was murdered. This critical information was passed on to Commander Ramsey,” the parents said in a statement they gave me. On Thursday, March 21, the same woman reportedly visited Ray Holder’s parents. She was said to have been accompanied by a man who claimed to be a police rank. That man reportedly told the family that he had heard that even Ray’s penis was severed and stuffed in his mouth. According to the family’s statement, the woman attempted to give them over $100,000 that she said was owed to Ray for his work. The parents said they refused to take the money, while informing the young woman that they would be travelling to Princeville to investigate all of Ray’s business and his murder. ”Dem turn up de music…and kill he.” Since both parents were unable to fly in with the medical team, the couple decided to travel to Mahdia by bus. But by the time they arrived, Ray’s body had already been buried. The Police Public Relations Department told Kaieteur News that Holder’s body was too decomposed to be placed in the Mahdia Hospital mortuary, so, as is often the case with deaths in the interior, investigators opted to have his corpse buried with the intention of having it exhumed for a post mortem. “Upon arrival at Mahdia, we were greeted by the widespread information that Ray was brutally beaten until he was black and blue; stabbed, his penis severed, and his body dumped. In the words of two young men, speaking to Ray’s mother, they said “Auntie, dem cruel yuh son…” the family said in their statement. According to Holder’s father, he was also told that there was a loud argument at the shop that his son had visited on the night of Friday, March 15. He believes that his son was murdered that same night and dumped in an area near the Princeville Landing. On Saturday, March 23, they visited the Mahdia Police Station, where a police corporal showed them a cell phone photograph of what appeared to be Ray’s body. According to the parents, “Corporal (name given) further tried to convince us
Sunday October 23, 2016
that he had drowned.” But Holder’s parents said that when they arrived at the Princeville Landing with the medical team, they were again told by some residents that Ray had been murdered. Away from the police and the medical team, a few older Amerindian women allegedly told Ray’s mother, Lalita, ‘Is right out here that dem turn up de music and beat yuh son and stab he and kill he’”. BODY NOT MUTILATED According to the family’s statement, the Medical Examiner (pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh) observed two stab wounds on Ray’s body and also noted that his penis was s e v e r e d . ”All this was in stark contradiction to the theory of drowning that the police were aggressively attempting to force down our throats.” And indeed Holder had been murdered. The pathologist gave the cause of death as perforation of the lungs due to stab wounds. But Police Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker said that the pathologist had never stated that the victim’s penis was severed. The parents alleged that on the very day that they returned home, the young woman who had showed an interest in their son paid them a second visit. This time, she was accompanied by her ‘child father’ and another man. According to the relatives, the visitors again insisted that Ray had drowned. This angered Holder’s parents who asked their visitors to leave. It is alleged that at that point, the woman kept urging her ‘child father’ to “tell the people the truth”. Ray’s parents said that they passed this information to the Divisional Commander, but to their disappointment, were told that this was ‘hearsay evidence’. “To hear the Commander say that there is nothing that he can do, even with all the graphic and horrific evidence, and more information that we further provided…such words were most debilitating for the well-being of Lalita (Ray’s mother), “ the victim’s father said. “We have loved Ray for too long to allow his murder to go unsolved and tossed aside. We demand that a fullscale investigation be done.” CASE NOT CLOSED But police insist that Ray Holder’s murder is still under investigation. The Public Relations Department reported back then that Holder’s father had told the police that he had received information that two
brothers from Princeville, Pomeroon, and a barmaid had knowledge of his son’s murder. Kaieteur News was told that investigators detained the barmaid for 72 hours, but then released her without gleaning any information to assist them in the case. About reports that a young woman had informed the parents of their son’s murder, the Police Public Relations Department responded that investigators offered to take the parents in a vehicle in an effort to question the girl. It was also stated that the parents were notified that ‘hearsay evidence’ was inadmissible, and what was needed was an actual eyewitness to Holder’s murder. “We have no evidence that anyone saw when he was attacked,” a Public Relations official said. As for motive, one suggestion is that Holder was the victim of a jealous individual. Another is that he was slain over a land dispute. Based on information provided, police were said to be looking for two brothers who were allegedly at Princeville, Pomeroon, at the time of Holder’s murder. However, the individuals reportedly left the area. They are said to be residing in Georgetown. I managed to contact the young woman, who initially indicated that she would speak with me. She has since declined. Ray Holder’s parents have vowed to do their utmost to ensure that this does not remain an unsolved crime. Expressing deep dissatisfaction with the police investigation, Ray’s father told me this week that the family intends to submit the same statement they gave me, to the Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Commissioner of Police. He also said he had information about the identity of his son’s killers, and plans to submit this information to senior police and government officials. “The family intends to seek justice by not allowing this matter to be tossed under the carpet,” they said in their statement. “We intend to seek the advice and assistance of as many appropriate persons as we can…” If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 22-58465, 22-58473 and 22-58458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com.
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Granger and Nagamootoo see this misery almost every night Do you know who generates improvement in this country? The press! If the press does not highlight that a kite is stuck in a transformer, a road has a crater deeper than the Atlantic Ocean, a high voltage wire is dangling over a police station, a horse is living inside a school, a public mortuary hasn’t got electricity, a homeless man is terrorizing school kids, then our leaders who are in power will just merrily go on their way attending meetings and visiting the cocktail circuits in the night. I have little regard for politicians, but there are countless ones who are nationalists. I was educated in Canada and I saw the power of the nationalist dream in Canadian politicians. The most fervent, patriotic politicians can be found in France. I have made many journeys to Barbados, and if their politicians had the kind of money available to politicians from the developed world, then they would have made Barbados another Singapore. I will round off the examples with Singapore. Long endowed with benevolent autocracy, Singaporean politicians are fanatical nationalists. Each one of them wanted
to make Singapore a little United States; they have done just that. In this country, there seems to be a Draculean spirit that was born many moons ago, that has devoured the nationalist soul of every Guyanese politician. I do not see the patriotic spirit in any of them, since my thought patterns were formed while growing up as a teenager. Fans of Forbes Burnham cite him as an exception. They are right; he was an exception in how to use power to broaden the ego and invincibility of the maximum leader. Politicians like Cheddi Jagan and his wife showed little inclination in the area of nationalist reconciliation. It was under Bharrat Jagdeo that Guyana was ruined in ways that may never see recovery. Hopes are being pinned on the Granger/ Nagamootoo team. I have my doubts. I have my reservations. My hesitation to embrace is widening. We keep saying that Granger is an honest man. No one has doubted that. But a school boy would tell you that out of the seven billion people on Planet Earth, a substantial majority are decent people, but of that ma-
jority many would not successfully transform an army, a billion-dollar business, a village, a large hospital, a country. And why not? Because integrity, honesty and decency have to be accompanied by leadership qualities. I spent 26 years as an academic at UG and I hobnobbed and developed close friendships with many decent scholars and the minute they were given leadership roles, administrative structures went astray and transformational endeavours went missing. At that very university I saw men and women who were arrogant and hardly pleasant, but they were visionary people who could have effected changes. It all comes down to leadership qualities. Take Nagamootoo. One would have expected him to overshadow Granger. I remember when Granger was elected as head of the PNC, I casually encountered Clarissa Riehl at the entrance of the court yard at the High Court. During the conversation, she told me she never heard about Mr. Granger either in PNC circles or in political society. She went on to make that observation publicly. The point is Mr. Granger is brand new to politics and
is in the learning mode. Moses Nagamootoo has chalked up fifty years in it. For the 17 months that Mr. Granger has failed to galvanize the imagination of Guyanese, Mr. Nagamootoo with his ocean of experience has not outshone Mr. Granger. Both men are decent and honest, but where are the leadership qualities? One can say in many areas of concern, there needs to be a decisive intervention from both gentlemen. When they sit and listen to some of the visionless decisions in Cabinet, how could they concur? I remember vividly my words to my wife as we were
driving when the lights went on at the Atlantic highway. I said wait a few years and see if they will not just go out. And that has happened. Surely, Granger and Nagamootoo pass on that highway a few nights out of each week. Don’t they see the large areas of darkness? The lights went out years ago. But both of these men put up hands and voted for the assignment of 1.4 billion dollars to repair the Convention Centre. I end with a few words from one of the most philosophical songs ever written, “The Circle of Life” from the movie, “The Lion King.” Some of us fall by the
Frederick Kissoon waysideAnd some of us soar to the stars And some of us sail through our troubles And some have to live with the scars.
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Sunday October 23, 2016
Global superfruit is abundant in Guyana Today marks the culmination of Coconut Awareness Week 2016 and an extremely informative, entertaining Coconut Festival. For the first time in the history of Guyana, we dedicated a special week to this uniquely versatile fruit that grows so abundantly in Guyana’s fertile soils. The week was chockful of activities in Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo, all of which were designed to help Guyanese better appreciate the coconut tree and its fruits, to see it as a viable means of income, and a channel through which their creative juices could flow. The possibilities for expansion of our coconutbased industries are innumerable, both for food and non-
food products. The coconut also plays an enormous role as a driver of agro-tourism and value chain development. Guyanese know about coconuts. We grew up drinking nutritious coconut water from the young nuts, eating sugar cakes, cassava pone, buns, using multipurpose coconut oils (virgin and edible) and coconut milk as a vital ingredient for our favorite dishes, e.g. cook-up rice and Met-a-gee. Artists, craft producers and fashion designers, especially those who specialize in natural fibres, get very creative with the coconut shell, and seeds, and cross sections of the tree trunk, the branches and the pods. The jewellery and interior decora-
tions the designers produce would attract good revenue in parts of North America, Scandinavia and the Pacific where the coconut is unfamiliar. Some designers have already found these lucrative markets. This weekend’s seminars and symposiums would have informed our coconut growers, coconut water exporters, jewellers and processors, of new methods for handling and preserving the highly perishable coconut water. They would have learnt as well about different products from other coconutgrowing countries like India, products such as mats for poultry pens woven with coconut fibre. Actually, knowledge sharing was one pur-
pose for inviting participation from neighbouring countries. Our young enquiring minds are now expected to be motivated to conduct all kinds of investigations into higheryielding farming techniques, and more in-country research into what the pundits around the world are now calling the Superfruit. Engineers, researchers and innovators are already developing more technologically advanced machines and implements to pick coconuts, to replace the arduous and dangerous pastime of climbing coconut trees to gather nuts. Actually, it was only in the last few years that the rest of the world got turned on to the coconut and its health benefits. In Guyana, coconuts rank third after rice and sugar in acreage cultivated. An estimated 28,000 acres of coconut trees are currently under cultivation across the country with an average annual production of 90 million nuts. This is according to Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder. Coconuts, he said, have been the main non-traditional export for Guyana, generating an annual income of US$4.6M. De-husked coconuts account for 76% of this income, crude coconut oil 9%, coconut water 8%, and copra 5%. In the world of Tourism, Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin labeled Guyana as a “slowly unfolding enigma, randomly exposing its many hidden treasures”. He said that the coconut has been a lifelong companion to generations of Guyanese and today it is still an intriguing product. The global pundits agree that there are over 67 proven uses for coconuts and the coconut tree. We’ve learnt about coconut wine, coconut flour, animal feed and construction materials. Our
people, we hope, will be galvanized to pay more attention to their coconut trees and groves and to go after new markets around the Caribbean and Europe. The products are many and some need very little capital to produce, e.g. virgin coconut oil, fibre matting, pointer brooms and table tops from the tree trunks. The possibilities are many, but here are a few lucrative coconut-based business ideas from www.coconutboard.nic.in:COCONUT CHIPS Thinly-sliced crispy coconut meat which may be sweetened or salted and are handy as a ready-to-eat snack. It’s prepared by thinly slicing the meat of 11/12 month-old nuts into strands, soaking the strips in syrup, draining and drying in a dryer or oven, and serving or packaging when cooled. COCONUT FIBREBOARD Coconut fibreboard is a useful and innovative product. It is used in buildings and construction, inside or outside. Coconut fibreboard is a panel product manufactured from coir. These cost-effective products can be used in making ‘false’ ceilings, doors & door frames, furniture, cupboards, wardrobes, tables, chairs and beds. The product is very popular because it is attractive, natural and smooth on both sides. The manufacturing process is simple. THE WONDER DRINK COCONUT WATER Coconut water is tender, delicate and very perishable, but it has enormous potential as a health drink. Naturists and researchers in the health care industry have already identified the restorative ingredients in coconut water.
This is one of the most profitable coconut-based business ideas for entrepreneurs. It has strong functional value with its low sugar, sodium and calorie content. It is cholesterol-free, has more potassium than four bananas, and contains enough electrolytes to re-hydrate you super fast. Dubbed “Mother Nature’s sports drink” by marketers, the demand is skyrocketing worldwide, propelled by celebrity endorsements. It is also promoted as an agent that helps the body recover from a host of conditions e.g. hangovers and kidney stones. COCONUT HONEY & SYRUP Coconut honey contains many growth-promoting trace elements besides glucose, fructose and levulose. Coconut water is filtered, evaporated and blended with a little golden syrup to produce coconut honey, a palatable nutty-flavoured breakfast food, soft drink additive and sweetener. Coconut syrup is a translucent, free-flowing liquid made by cooking coconut milk with an equal amount of refined sugar and disodium phosphate. It is used as a topping for bakery products or as a mixer in alcoholic drinks, or it may be diluted in water and used in rice cakes and other delicacies. VIRGIN COCONUT OIL Virgin coconut oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without heat or chemicals. It is said to be the “mother of all oils”. It is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, particularly lauric acid and is a trove of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. This is one of the least expensive valueadded coconut-based business ideas.
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
My column
The recent release of the Caribbean Human Development Report highlighted just about what everyone knows but pays little attention to. It talks about the vulnerable people in the society—the women, children and the elderly; it talks about child labour and places Guyana at the top of the pile; it talks about the movement of the economy. One interesting point that is not common to Guyana is the fact that women are fast becoming the brains of the society. The finding shows that women are the people qualifying themselves and even doing better than their male counterparts. We have been seeing this trend for some time now and we have done nothing to have the boys match the girls. There is a simple reason for this. The boys have no male role models in the classrooms, so they pay less attention to their female teachers. At the same time, when boys go through whatever they go through, call it the call of the testosterone, the women are objects of challenge. Of course, most will fail the test by the young men, so that tends to end the control and the beginning of the problems in the society. We see this a lot in the schools today. The young men go to school, learn precious little, then leave very ill-equipped to compete in the world of work. Way back when I was in the Government Teachers’ Training College, most of the students were men. We went to schools and we controlled. Even as a schoolboy, most of
the teachers were men. It was not astonishing that the society produced so many male professionals. That is not the case today. The other day, I had a bet with Glenn Lall, the publisher of Kaieteur News, about what operates outside public schools in the United States. He told me that things were so bad that every public school had a police presence when the final bell rang. Whether he is right or wrong is not the issue. The issue is that things have reached the stage where the police are necessary to ensure law and order once the school closes its doors. This tells a story of young men shunning the norms of society and trying to attract attention for all the wrong reasons. They strut around the classroom with no time for learning; they preen themselves for the girls and at the end of the day they leave with nothing but manly skills. It is not surprising that this is the global trend, because television transports everything that happens in one part of the world into homes around the globe. Guyana with its small population and declining parental control is producing young criminals by the droves. The Human Development Report concluded that the criminals are getting younger and I am sure that many in Guyana had reached this con-
clusion a long time ago. At present a murder suspect is a mere fourteen years old. In fact, he was said to be the mastermind. At that age I was with friends involved in cricket and the indoor games boys played. Many of my colleagues were into chess. We simply did not have any lure to pursue a life of crime. In our homes, if we did not have something then we simply did without. Today, many of the young boys do not even know what it is to have a home life. Theirs is the life of the streets. They assemble on bridges and at street corners testing their knowledge of the criminal underworld. It does not help the society when people send their high-achieving sons to live overseas, away from what the society calls the maddening crowd. Those who remain will not all gravitate to a life of crime; they will head for the goldfields or for the minibuses that cause their share of societal problems. But their experience in school will help foster the disregard for women. It is not accidental that so many men assault women. A simple survey would reveal that the less educated a man is the more he is likely to be the architect of domestic violence. But the women are learning. They are qualifying themselves and living single lives where they refuse to be
bossed by a man. It is not accidental that weddings are fast becoming things of the past and single parent households are burgeoning. This is what makes life so difficult for any government. The problem is to reverse this trend. There were institutions like the Guyana National Service that did what schools failed to do—teach young boys discipline and a sense of purpose. But there is more that needs to be done. National Service may get the young man at the later stages
of his development. The government needs to create an institution that would grab the interest of the young boys from an early age. If this seems easier said than done, then the powers that be should consider a measure that would get more males into the schools. Making the pay attractive would be a start. Oil is coming and the country needs men who could be anything other than criminals. We surely do not want to be like Trinidad, where men and women are slaughtered
Adam Harris daily because there are too many young men who see the gun as their salvation.
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By HE David Granger Guyana is at the very centre of the Guiana Shield; one of the world’s last remaining blocks of virgin tropical rainforests. Guyana’s international commitment to sustainable development and its protection is of long standing. We committed, in 1989, 371,000 hectares of our forest – an area larger than Malta – to be used as a model for conservation and sustainable development. The Iwokrama rainforest exemplifies the essential environmental services which trees provide to all humanity. It exhibits this country’s rich biodiversity, showing that its animals and plants are more valuable alive than dead. Iwokrama is the home of millions of trees which provide environmental services to the world. Iwokrama is part of the Guiana Shield - ‘lungs of the Earth”. Trees sequester carbon, purify the air and reduce the ‘greenhouse’ effect thereby mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Trees contribute to water control and humidification of the air. Guyana is a net carbon sink. Forests envelop more than 85 per cent of its land mass, the second highest percentage forest cover in the world. Guyana’s forests sequester more carbon than that emitted by the country’s human activities. Guyana’s extensive forests and protected areas provide environmental services to the earth. They store carbon and restore the balance of oxygen and humidity in the air. Iwokrama’s forests are a source of sustainable liveli-
Kaieteur News
hood for the indigenous communities who reside in its boundaries. They provide food, shelter, medicines and forest products which support the economic well-being of the residents of those communities in a sustainable manner. Iwokrama’s forests preserve the habitats of Guyana’s abundant and high endemic biodiversity. Deforestation - the destruction of trees - destroys these habitats and increases the risk of extinction our floral and faunal species. Trees, also, reduce environmental degradation. Iwokrama has provided confirmation that Guyana’s biodiversity is a world class ecotourism product. The development of this product, through preserving and conserving our forests, will generate economic benefits for the nation. The Iwokrama International Centre for International Rain Forest Conservation and Development was created as a laboratory for sustainable development practices. It was intended to: “…develop, demonstrate and make available to Guyana and the international community, systems, methods and techniques for the sustainable management and utilization of the multiple resources of the tropical forests and the conservation of biological diversity.” Iwokrama will be maintained as a centre of research into sustainable development practices . We will establish, here, an international institute for biodiversity that will allow local, regional and international students and research-
ers to come to Iwokrama to study Guyana’s flora and fauna. Iwokrama will be retained as a model of conservation. It will have sanctuaries to protect its wildlife. We will ensure that the purposes for which Iwokrama was established – conservation, research and sustainable development – are accentuated, advanced and accelerated under Guyana’s green development agenda. Iwokrama’s forests will continue to make a contribution to mitigating the effects of climate change by providing the world with environmental and ecological services. The promotion of sustainable livelihoods in the communities located in this area will be augmented. Iwokrama’s ecotourism potential will be boosted by improving the aerodrome and the highway which provide access to the site. GREENAGENDA It is said: “trees hold up the sky”. This means the sky will fall if you cut them down. Guyana was happy; Fairview Village was happy; Iwokrama was happy seven years ago, in November 2009, when the Minister of the Environment of the Kingdom of Norway, Erik Solheim, came right here on the banks of the great Essequibo to sign an agreement to preserve our rain forests. The Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, in July 2010, announced the establishment of the Guyana Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation + Investment Fund (GRIF) and the World Bank was invited to function
as fund manager. The adoption of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) was the start. Conserving our rainforests and preserving our trees are a continuous commitment. National Tree Day, therefore, is not symbolic or perfunctory. National Tree Day, launched in Bartica, last year, impressed, on us, the importance of trees as a source of economic empowerment and human existence. I am committed to ensuring that an additional two million hectares of land and waterways are set aside for conservation. I am committed to the establishment of at least one protected area in every Region. I am committed to transitioning closer towards 100% renewable energy sources by 2025. National Tree Day 2016 emphasises the economic and ecological value of trees to our existence and development. This special day emphasises the value of our forests to sustaining life on earth and reminds us of our responsibility to protect and preserve our environment and particularly, our forests. Guyana reiterates the commitments contained in its Intended National Determined Commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change. We undertake to improve the monitoring of our forests so as to reduce illegal deforestation; increase valueadded activities in the forestry sector so as to augment carbon storage in long-use wood products and introduce
Sunday October 23, 2016
mineral mapping in order to better identify exploitable deposits, reducing deforestation caused by the clearing of lands with only minimal deposits. GREEN STATE The ultimate objective of Guyana’s ‘green’ agenda is the creation of a green state. Guyana’s green state rests on the state’s responsibility: the protection of our biodiversity and wildlife; the provision of educational, environmental services and ecotourism; the generation of sustainable energy, the mitigation of the adverse effects of climate change; the management of our coastal zone, rivers, wetlands and protected areas; and the management of waste and sanitation services. The achievement of these objectives requires institutions with the capability to advance the green agenda. We have established several institutions which are concerned with the environment and renewable energy over the years. The agencies are: – Guyana Forestry Commission; Guyana Energy Authority; Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission; Environmental Protection Agency; Project Management Office which is involved, inter alia, in the design and administration of projects under the Guyana Redd + Investment Fund (GRIF); Protected Areas Commission; Office of Climate Change; Wildlife Management Authority and the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Con-
servation and Development. These agencies, authorities, centres and commissions, all travel along the same green pathway towards the same destination – the creation of a ‘green state’. We shall improve the mechanism to ensure more effective communication, cooperation and coordination. The government has recently established a Department of the Environment in the Ministry of the Presidency. It will be charged with coordinating the State’s environmental and energy policies. The Department will be tasked with ensuring the development of an action plan to achieve the objectives of Guyana’s ‘green agenda.’ It will ensure that the respective institutions play their part in realizing these objectives. We abuse the earth because we believe that it belongs to us. We are wrong. We are only the trustees. We inherited the earth from our ancestors and we must pass it on to our progeny. The trees of Guyana are part of our natural and national patrimony. We have a responsibility to protect and preserve that endowment. We are the trees’ trustees. Guyana’s green agenda will grow a green state. Guyana’s trees are integral to that trajectory of development. We must therefore see our trees not as mere objects to be felled for their economic worth but, more importantly, to be propagated, preserved and protected, since they are worth more alive than dead.
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Minimizing the frequency of your asthma attacks By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine As we become more industrialized, there is increased air pollution. This along with other factors has led to an increase in cases of asthma worldwide. The 2014 global asthma report estimated that 334 million people have asthma. In 2011 it was estimated that 235 million people have asthma. One in 12 people (about 25 million, or 8% of the U.S. population) had asthma in 2009, compared with 1 in 14 (about 20 million, or 7%) in 2001. More than half (53%) of people with asthma had an asthma attack in 2008. Although there are not strong statistics, things are no different in Guyana. I am seeing more and more cases of asthma. Today we will discuss the triggers of asthma and how to minimize your chances against this risky condition. WHAT ARE ASTHMA TRIGGERS? An asthma trigger is anything that causes asthma symptoms or makes asthma symptoms worse. It’s important to know what your asthma triggers are. That way, you can avoid them so that your symptoms don’t get worse. WHAT ARE SOME COMMON ASTHMA TRIGGERS? Common asthma triggers are: %Cigarette smoke %Stress
%Getting sick with a cold, the flu, or a lung, ear, or sinus infection %Strong cleaning products, such as bleach %Strong perfumes or scents %Air pollution %Certain medicines, such as aspirin and other medicines for pain or fever %Exercise %Very cold and dry air People can have other triggers, too. These include things in the environment that they are allergic to. These are called “allergic triggers.” Examples of allergic triggers are: %Dust mites – These are tiny bugs that are too small for you to see. They live in beds, couches, carpets, and other places in your home. %Mold – Mold can grow in basements, showers, and other damp and wet places. %Dogs and cats – People can be allergic to animal saliva, urine, or dander (flakes of dead skin). %Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds %Cockroach droppings %Mice HOW DO I KNOW WHAT MY ASTHMA TRIGGERS ARE? — You might already know what makes your asthma symptoms worse. But if you don’t, talk with your doctor or nurse. He or she can help you figure it out by talking with you and asking you questions. Your doctor might do allergy tests to see if you have allergic triggers. Allergy tests
include blood tests or skin tests. During a skin test, a doctor puts a drop of a substance that you might be allergic to on your skin, and makes a tiny needle prick in the skin. Then, he or she watches your skin to see if it turns red and bumpy. WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I FIND OUT WHAT MY TRIGGERS ARE? — The best thing to do is to stay away from your triggers. For example, if cigarette smoke makes your asthma symptoms worse, avoid people who are smoking. Here are other things that you can do: %To avoid getting sick with an infection, wash your hands often. %To avoid air pollution, stay indoors when air pollution levels are high, and don’t exercise near a busy road. % Avoid using bleach and other strong cleaners. If you have allergic triggers, try to avoid the things you are allergic to: %To avoid dust mites, cover your pillows and mattresses with special covers that keep dust mites away, and remove carpets from the bedroom. %To avoid mold, clean away any mold that you see in your home. To keep mold from growing, use a dehumidifier, fix leaky plumbing, and remove carpets that were damaged by water. %To avoid animal saliva, urine, or dander, you can
remove the pet from your home and clean your home after the animal has gone. %To keep cockroaches away, don’t let garbage or dirty dishes pile up. Fix leaky plumbing so there are no puddles of water. If you have cockroaches, use traps to kill them, or call an exterminator. %To get rid of mice, set traps or call an exterminator. WHAT IF I CAN’T AVOID MY TRIGGERS? — If you can’t avoid your triggers,
talk with your doctor or nurse about what you can do. Exercise is an example of a trigger that you should not avoid, because exercise keeps you healthy. To prevent asthma symptoms when you exercise: %Take an extra dose of your quick-relief inhaler medicine before you exercise %Warm up slowly before each exercise session %Avoid exercising outdoors if it is very cold out
Dr. Zulfikar Bux
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
A Look at Faces
How to get pink lips naturally?
8 Beauty tips I f you love to have makeup free days on a regular basis and you wonder how to keep your lips naturally pink, today, I have some tips for you:
1) Homemade, brightening lip scrub If your lips look dull and tired, try to refreshen and brighten them up using this simple lip scrub: mix 1 tea spoon of sugar, one tea spoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 tea spoon of honey; massage your lips with this simple homemade scrub for a minute or two and see your lips brighten up; dullness will disappear and your lips will look more pink. 2) Another lip massaging technique To make your lips very soft and brightly pink, try gently massaging your mouth with wet, soft-bristle toothbrush every evening. This method can easily and quickly help exfoliate your lips, but remember, don’t be harsh, because the skin on your lips is very gentle! 3) Beetroot Beetroot juice can become your favorite, natural lip stain. Not only it will give you beautiful color, but also, beetroots are rich in vitamins and antioxidants and can efficiently help nourish your lips. If you apply beetroot juice at night before going to sleep, in the morning, you will wake up with gorgeous, pink lips and the color can last the whole day, until your decide to wash it away. 4) Carrot juice Carrot juice works similar way as beetroot juice. Just soak a cotton pad in carrot juice and apply it on your lips. This rich in vitamins juice will add color and nourish your lips. 5) Pomegranate Crush pomegranate seeds, apply the juice on your lips and
1. BEARD 2. BLUSH 3. BRIDGE 4. BROW 5. CHEEKS 6. CHIN 7. CLEFT 8. DIMPLE 9. EXPRESSION 10. EYELIDS 11. EYES 12. FOREHEAD 13. FROWN 14. GOATEE 15. GRIMACE 16. GRIN 17. HAIR 18. HAPPY 19. LASHES 20. LINES 21. LIPS 22. MARK 23. MASK 24. MOLE 25. MUSTACHE 26. NOSE 27. NOSTRILS 28. SAD 29. SMILE 30. WHISKERS 31. WRINKLES see them become redder, brighter and fuller. 6) Roses Grind up some rose petals in a bowl until you see the juice and apply this paste on your lips. Not only it smells divine, but also rose petals will hydrate, nourish and care for your lips, making them look brighter, healthier and, of course, pinker. 7) A slice of cucumber Rub a cucumber slice on your lips daily for couple of minutes and see your lips brighten. Cucumber will help nourish your lips, lighten their color and make them look more pink naturally. 8) Orange Orange peel can be very helpful in treating dull and dark looking lips. So, next time you eat an orange, don’t throw away that orange peel. Just rub it on your lips for a minute or two and see your lips brighten up and “blush”.
Solution to last week Atoms at Work
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
PAGE 41
SUNDAY SPECIAL PETROCARIBE ARRANGEMENT…GUYANAOWES VENEZUELA OVER $24B Despite the fact that there was only $1.9B in the PetroCaribe fund to show for all the money the PPP/C government collected over the years, Guyana still has a whopping $24B outstanding for Venezuela. The management of the lucrative rice-foroil deal with neighbouring Venezuela has been under fire by the new administration which said it found little in the bank accounts when it took office in May. The fund was established almost a decade ago when Venezuela introduced an oil sale arrangement where Guyana and a number of CARICOM and Latin America countries take oil at concessionary rates, pay a percentage in advance and the balance over a 20-year period. The PetroCaribe Fund was supposed to hold millions of US dollars. Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, noted in his recent report that last year, there were cancellations in relation to the 2013 and 2014 shipments totaling US$88.6M. This reduced the balance of money Guyana owes Venezuela to $24.9B as at December 31, 2015 compared to a balance of $37.990 billion as at December 31, 2014. Sharma also noted that $1.9B was transferred from the PetroCaribe Bank Account to the Consolidated Fund in 2015 as well. Sharma also highlighted the $5.7B that had to be taken from the Consolidated Fund by the Ministry of Finance to be given to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) for rice shipment to Venezuela. This was because there was not enough money in the PetroCaribe fund to make the payment. But because $1.9B was transferred from the PetroCaribe fund to the Consolidated Fund, this was deducted from the $5.7B, only $3.807 was actually charged. RAMROOP MEETS GWI OVER $200M OWED FOR SANATA WELL The Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) on Thursday, October 13 met with representatives of the Queens Atlantic Investments Inc. (QAII), to discuss the ownership of a water well in Ruimveldt. The well is in the compound of QAII, but the state-owned water company has been involved in a battle over ownership. Head of QAII, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, met with GWI’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West Charles, to discuss the payment of $200M-plus in arrears. Ramroop
reportedly went alone. GWI is sticking to its contention that it owns the well. Contacted Saturday, the Managing Director declined to go into details. He would only say that the matter is engaging GWI. Ramroop was reportedly summoned since the week before, after several back and forth exchanges with GWI. GWI wants to collect an estimated $200M that it says is owed by the group. According to GWI officials, the stateowned entity is convinced, based on several documents, that the well located at QAII compound, Ruimveldt, was never transferred to QAII. The well serves over 9,000 customers in the Ruimveldt, Meadow Bank and Alexander Village area. Recently, the nation heard that the well was transferred to QAII when the Bharrat Jagdeo administration leased and then sold the Sanata complex in a privatisation deal that was described as a sweetheart one. The news shocked the nation. According to documents seen by Kaieteur News, in 2002, former Minister of Housing and Water, Shaik Baksh, signed an order under the Water and Sewerage Act vesting several properties into GWI. GWI’s Schedule of Fixed Assets lists the Sanata well as belonging to the state entity. There is other evidence too that suggests that the well is GWI’s. For example, in the records of the Privatisation Unit/National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), the state entity that handled the deal, there are several references to the well. In one case, it speaks of a Memorandum of Understanding between G&C Sanata, the Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners (GS&WC) and NICIL. GS&WC is the predecessor of GWI. According to the NICIL documents, GS&WC took possession of the well in 1996, starting to manage its operations from then. The water from the well was for public consumption. There is no evidence of the well being privatised to Sanata. GWI recently said that it has been spending $3M monthly on electricity bills for the well. However, GWI technicians had to access
the well through QAII’s compound. BAISHANLIN TRYING TO RE-ENTER THROUGH THE BACK DOOR …CHU HONGBO LINKED TO COMPANIES SEEKING LANDS IN REGION SEVEN -NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTER NOT CONVINCED BYAPPLICATION MADE The Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has confirmed that Managing Director of BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc, Chu Hongbo, has close ties to a new company that has made an application to have access to prime lands in Batavia , Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). Trotman made this disclosure during a press conference two Fridays ago. There, the Natural Resources Minister said that the company’s application has not been granted as he is of the belief that it does not meet the necessary requirements. Trotman said, “When I became minister, I met it there (the company’s application) and I was asked to grant it on the basis of national need. I am still to be satisfied that there is national need for such a thing.” He added, “The Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs is involved in the process and I have asked that if there are negotiations that they be transparent, above board and in the interest of the people there. I would not say that the company is being held up, but I don’t believe that it meets the requirements.” Chu Hongbo has been sitting at the helm of the controversial Chinese logging company, BaiShanLin. Since its ten years of being in Guyana, the company has been accused of raping the nation of its forest wealth while benefitting from billions of dollars worth in concessions. It has also been accused of being involved in various cases of tax evasion. ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUD, CORRUPTION…GECOM’S CHAIRMAN DODGES QUESTIONS FROM PPP COMMISSIONERS ON 2015 SPENDING A number of Commissioners within the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have crossed swords with Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, over allegations of fraud at the entity. A major investigation of fraud is currently underway by state auditors at GECOM.
The auditors will be investigating several instances of inflated prices, sole sourcing and forged quotations from known businesses. Last Saturday, Commissioner Robeson Benn said that a meeting on the previous Thursday saw a defiant Chairman unwilling to entertain questions about the allegations. Rather, said Benn, Dr Surujbally opted not to discuss the issue, saying that he will await the report of the Audit Office. ”He said that he is chomping at the bit to reply to the reports in the press and other media. However, he has been barred by his lawyers from replying,” Benn said. It is all a delaying tactic by the Chairman to block the Commissioners from investigating what really went on last year, Benn said. ”In essence, he blocked proper oversight to have an inquiry into GECOM and he blocked legitimate questions from Commissioners who have a right to ask and are entitled to know what is going on. Our perception is that the refusal to have a discussion on the allegations is a delaying tactic.” Surujbally is due to retire in another month after more than a decade and half at GECOM. According to Benn, a former Minister of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), he and two other commissioners - Bibi Shadick and Sase Gunraj - recently wrote Dr Surujbally for a meeting of the Commission. ”We wrote a letter requesting a meeting for an update on continuous registration and to discuss the issue on the question of electronic voting…electronic registration preparation and for a possible consultant to guide on the way forward. However, we were not getting any meeting.” According to Benn, the GECOM Chairman recently emailed them asking for them to commit via a round robin vote on the registration exercise. MONDAY EDITION FOLLOWING FALL OUT BETWEEN GUYANAAND BAISHANLIN…VAITARNA MAKES SWIFT MOVES TO PUT ITS HOUSE IN ORDER – NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTER After witnessing the many ways in which the controversial BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc. paid for its mistakes in the forestry (Continued on page 42)
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(From page 41) sector, it appears as though Indian logging company, Vaitarna Holdings Private Inc. is making swift moves to put its house in order. This is according to Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman. At his most recent press conference, Trotman indicated that Vaitarna is making moves to honour its commitment to value added production when it comes to Guyana’s logs. ”Value added” refers to the enhancement of a raw material thereby increasing its worth. ”They have brought some mills and I think they got the message and they are working towards value added. The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is monitoring them and we are in talks. The expectation is that we can strengthen our relationship,” Trotman said. Over the years, Vaitarna Holdings was granted fiscal concessions on machinery and equipment with a value of $1.142 billion, equivalent to US$5.712 million. This was based on an investment agreement it had entered into with the Government of Guyana. The company also has access to 737,835 hectares of State forest. Last year, the entity said that it had started some amount of value added production. Vaitarna even claimed that it fulfilled its commitment to Guyana to add value to their operations by installing three WoodMizer Sawmills – one of which was as a “portable” sawmill – at its Wineperu location, Essequibo River. It also stated that a saw-doctoring unit facility has also been established to add value. However, several anti-corruption advocates and forestry experts challenged those remarks by the company, saying that those types of mills can be deemed appropriate in adding value to small and medium scale operations. They stressed that the equipment does not apply to Vaitarna which has control over the second largest forest concession in the state. Officials had said that installing those mills instead of erecting a “full-out” wood processing facility is a sign of frustration deriving from the mounting of pressure over the years from competitors and the media to have the company keep its promise made to Guyana and its people. Vaitarna currently has the capacity to produce approximately 350,000BM (825 m3) of lumber per month on an eight-hour shift. GUYANA PUSHING FOR HISTORIC 600,000 OUNCES IN GOLD DECLARATIONS The Ministry of Natural Resources is motivating miners to push themselves to the limit so that history can be made in the gold mining sector. At a recent press conference, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman reminded that a few months ago, the government had moved to clamp down on smuggling activities. He said that this contributed to a success story in the mining sector. The country stands to make a historic gold production target of over 600,000 ounces for the year. ”Gold continues to show strong performance. As of today we have crossed the 500,000-ounce mark and we hope to get to 600,000 by December 31st,” Trotman said. He said the Ministry is in an accelerated drive to get miners to declare and work with the government to make the historic mark of 600,000 ounces. The gold mining sector is excelling at a time when most of the nation’s revenue earners are plunged into trouble. Finance Minister, Winston Jordan has said that Guyana is lucky that at least one sector is stepping up to the plate to hold the economy to-
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gether. He said he was asked to address the contention that the outstanding performance of the gold sector is masking an economic decline. ”They (the sectors) keep shifting. In the ‘70s it used to be bauxite which carried the economy and at that time I didn’t hear that it was a one-sector economy.” He noted too that sugar at one time carried Guyana. According to the 2016 Mid-year report, the mining and quarrying sector grew by 65.7 percent during the first half of the year buoyed by significant growth in the gold industry and improved performance from the bauxite industry. The report said that production in the gold industry reached 322,493 ounces during the first half of 2016, an increase of 94.3 percent over the same period in 2015. Improved oversight of the industry and granting of concessions to the sector were among factors that contributed to an increase in output. TUESDAY EDITION GUYANA, USA SIGN TAX EVASION AGREEMENT Guyana and the United States Monday formally committed to the fight against offshore tax evasion with the signing of an agreement to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan and US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway were the signatories. The ceremony took place at the Boardroom of the Ministry of Finance, in the presence of the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Godfrey Statia. FATCA, which was enacted in 2010 by the US Congress, is designed to prevent tax fraud and evasion by US taxpayers using offshore banking facilities. It creates a new regime of automatic tax information sharing between financial institutions. The Act also requests foreign financial institutions to identify and report information about accounts held by US taxpayers in their jurisdictions. Furthermore, FACTA is part of a global movement towards Automatic Exchange of Information (AEIO) of non-resident financial account data among tax authorities. AEIO has the potential to increase transparency, cooperation and accountability among financial institutions, and encourage tax payers to voluntarily disclose all relevant information to tax authorities. In his address to the media, Ambassador Holloway said that Guyana and the US have been working together on the agreement for
the past two years and in many ways, is formalising what has been going on all along. The diplomat asserted that the United States welcomes Guyana’s movements towards ensuring international tax compliance. He said that the agreement is a symbol of both countries’ commitment to work collaboratively towards combating offshore tax evasion; an objective which he said will have mutual benefits. Finance Minister Winston Jordan agreed with the sentiments shared by Holloway, adding that the event is a significant and historic one for Guyana. Jordan said that the signing of the agreement to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act represents both the culmination of a long travelled road and the beginning of a new phase in the Guyana/ United States cooperation in tax and antimoney laundering matters. Jordan said that Guyana chose to be involved in this important venture not only because it will help to reduce tax evasion in the United States, but also, in Guyana, through the exchange of information between the two countries. To fulfill the potential of FATCA to be a potent weapon in the fight against tax evasion and avoidance, the Finance Minister said that Guyana would be required to undertake a number of measures to improve and strengthen its legislative and institutional arrangements. MAN KNIFES REPUTED WIFE TO DEATH Police in B’ Division are currently on the hunt for a 40-year-old cane harvester of Skeldon Estate, identified as Winston Benjamin called ‘Blood’, after he allegedly stabbed his former fiancée to death Monday afternoon, around 14:00 hours, at a shop in Ulverston Village, Corentyne, Berbice. Dead is 38-year-old Yansen Brush, a mother of four and a canteen operator of 20 Ulverston Village. The woman reportedly worked at the Alness Primary School. When Kaieteur News visited the scene Monday afternoon and spoke to Beverly Green, the proprietor of the shop where Brush met her demise, the woman confirmed that the incident happened on her premises. ”Yansen came into the shop and less than a minute Benjamin walk in and I see Yansen move aside. So me ask wha happen to y’all two and Yansen reply and said “Girl meh fed up quarrel and sin meh soul…God and the law gon deal with he.’” This apparently incensed Benjamin who whipped out a knife and plunged it several times into Yansen. Green said that she grabbed on to the man
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through an opening in the shop counter in a bid to keep him from escaping, while a bleeding Yansen staggered to the side of the shop. Benjamin managed to wriggle free from Green’s grasp with the weapon still in his possession and flee the scene. Residents in the area told Kaieteur News that Brush and Benjamin, who were not living together, shared a turbulent relationship. It was revealed that three weeks prior to the stabbing, Benjamin had threatened Brush with a cutlass after she refused to give him $2000. She eventually gave into his demands and he left. According to police sources, the attacker fled into the Ulverston Backdam. FEMALE SHOP OWNER MURDERED IN MAHAICONY – BOUND BODY FOUND IN BEDROOM – 14-YEAR-OLD HELPER ARRESTED The bound body of a 56-year-old woman was found in her Lot 4 Novar Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara home around 06:30 hrs Monday, almost two days after she had been killed during what police say was a robbery. The victim has been identified as Bibi Nesha Shairoon, a mother of three. She had been living at the property for more than 25 years. Up until her death, she was operating a grocery at the two-storey building where she lived alone. A teenager, who was sent to the property to check up on Shairoon after neighbours informed her relatives that they had not seen her on Sunday, found the woman’s swollen body in a pool of blood on her bedroom floor with her hands and feet tied. The woman was last seen around 20:00 hrs on Saturday. A police source said that after examining the body, it seemed as if the woman was killed Saturday night. Investigators suspected that she was struck to the head with an object after she put up a fight. A hammer which was found at the scene was sent to the crime lab for testing to determine whether it was used in the murder. While it is not clear how many persons committed the act, the cops believe that it might have been two suspects, who gained entry into the building by ripping a few boards from the lower section of the shop, which is attached to the front of the house. Kaieteur News understands that a number of valuables were missing from the shop, some of which include cellular phones, music sets, phone cards, and money among other items. The entire house was ransacked. A 14-year-old boy, who assisted the woman in her yard and shop, was taken (Continued on page 43)
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(From page 42) into police custody after the discovery was made, since he was the only one who was familiar with her home and her movements. Apart from that, this newspaper was told that someone broke into the woman’s home about four months ago and stole a quantity of phone cards from her microwave—for that robbery, the woman had suspected that it was her teenage helper, since he knew where she hid the cards. FINANCE MINISTER DEFENDS BID PROTEST COMMITTEE MEMBERS -TELLS ANAND GOOLSARRAN “GIVE THEMACHANCE” After noting the criticisms made by Chartered Accountant Anand Goolsarran, Finance Minister Winston Jordan came out Monday in defence of the competence and professionalism of the persons recently appointed to the Bid Protest Committee. Goolsarran had said that the Bid Protest Committee is by no means any ordinary body. According to the Public Procurement Act, the body is one that is supposed to review protests from dissatisfied suppliers and contractors. The decision of the Bid Protest Committee is also said to be considered final and immediately binding upon the procuring entity. This means that there is no recourse to the Courts if a supplier or contractor is dissatisfied with the decision of the Committee. It is for this reason that the Chartered Accountant had said that the members of the Committee should be highly skilled and experienced in public procurement matters. The three-member committee was established in July last and comprises Joann Bond as the Chairman and former GTT Manager Archibald Clifton and Insurance Broker Ewart Adams as the other two members. Goolsarran said that the members of the Bid Protest Committee are to be appointed from among professionals who are particularly competent in the field of procurement. In this regard he stated, “It is not clear whether the members of the recently appointed Committee have the necessary backgrounds to discharge their responsibilities as adjudicators and final arbiters in a procurement dispute.” With the aforementioned in mind, Jordan said that instead of Goolsarran denigrating the members of the Committee, he should give them encouragement. Jordan then equated the Bid Protest Committee with that of a jury. He said that when members of a jury are being put together, they are not appointed based on their qualifications. ”Invariably, most of the times, jurors don’t have the slightest clue about the law, but they are guided by the judge. Most of the times, they arrive at the correct decision,” the Finance Minister said. He added, “The point is, Goolsarran is talking about the members’ qualifications, but has anyone seen the first report by the committee? It is one of the most scholarly reports I have seen coming out of this system.” WEDNESDAY EDITION TENDER BOARD PRACTICED NO DUE DILIGENCE TO ENSURE EVALUATORS WERE QUALIFIED – AG REPORT The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has been found to be in default of not practising due diligence as it relates to ensuring that persons appointed as evaluators had the expertise and experience as is specified in the Procurement Act. Ministerial departments and Agency Tender Boards are required to nominate qualified persons to be considered by the National
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Board to sit on Evaluation Committees. Auditors noted that a pool of evaluators was created and evaluation committees were formed to decide on procurement subject to its jurisdiction. However, it was reported that NPTAB had not exercised due diligence to ensure that the persons appointed as evaluators had the requisite expertise and experience. In response to this, NPTAB’s Chairman explained that a circular was issued in February of this year by the National Board to all Regional, Ministerial, Department and Agency Tender Boards. These entities were reminded about Sections 20 (1) and 23 (1) of the Procurement Act 2003, which requires these agencies to nominate persons to serve on the evaluation committees. Additionally, they were asked to submit the qualifications and experience of the nominated persons for the board to scrutinize. Based on this response, the audit office recommended that in appointing Tender Evaluators, the National Board should do all in its power that Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Regions undertake checks to ensure that candidates have the necessary expertise before nominations are made to the National Board. Also, it was recommended that when the National Board is appointing evaluators directly, it should keep documentation to provide evidence of the checks undertaken. This is not the first time that the Audit Office has highlighted this problem in the National Board. This specific issue was highlighted in the Auditor General’s report for 2014. It appears as though the required steps are not being employed by the agency to remedy the problem. KNEWS GRENADEATTACK PI…PUBLISHER UNAWARE OFANY RESENTMENT TOWARD HIM OR NEWSPAPER Glenn Lall, the publisher of Kaieteur News, is unaware if two of the men charged with lobbing a grenade at his Lexus Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), or any other person(s), have hostility against him or his media house. Lall was at the time testifying before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, when the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the offence of causing explosion by way of grenade continued in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Janeil Howard, 20, of 322 Section ‘C’ Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara; Alfie Garraway, 36, of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown; and Leroy Williams, 25, of 11 Durban Backlands, are accused of conspiring together with other persons to cause an explosion by way of grenade, likely to endanger
lives and cause damage to property. The offence occurred on June 4, last, at Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Garraway is currently out on $300,000 High Court bail. The other accused remain on remand. Howard is unrepresented by an attorney. Alfie Garraway is being represented by Attorneys Stanley Moore and Glenn Hanoman, while Attorney Neil Bollers is defending Williams. Guided by Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers, Lall told the court that he is not aware if Garraway and Williams, or any other individual, have resentment towards him or Kaieteur News. He recalled smiling after he was shown an object which appeared to be a grenade lying next to the front wheel of his vehicle, which was parked on the western side of Saffon Street, Georgetown, several metres south of Kaieteur News. He explained that he did not believe the instrument was a grenade and instructed his security men to contact police for verification. Also testifying was Detective Sergeant (ag) Derwin Eastman. Sergeant Eastman is stationed at the Brickdam Police Station and is the Subordinate Officer (SO) in charge of the Plain Clothes Patrol Section. He testified to arresting Leroy Williams at a location in Sophia. After testifying, the witnesses were crossexamined by attorneys for the accused.
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The prosecution is set to call nine more witnesses. CONSTRUCTION OF DIAMOND OVERPASS TO START NEXT YEAR – FOUR LANE PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION Government is fast-tracking plans to ease the traffic nightmare at the Diamond intersection, East Bank Demerara. According to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, there are plans to construct a vehicular overpass in this area. The plans were announced earlier this year, with the groundwork being laid. Projects Manager of the Ministry, Sunil Ganesh, disclosed in a Government statement that tenders for the project should be advertised next month and works will commence early next year. ”There are about 20,000 vehicles that use that intersection, so this vehicle overhead pass would significantly reduce the backup of traffic existing in Diamond, so when the vehicle overhead pass is completed you have free flow of traffic coming out of Diamond, there will be almost zero delay,” Ganesh explained. The project manager added that in addition to the vehicular overhead pass, pedestrian overhead passes would be constructed at the Harbour Bridge next to the office of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, another at Eccles on the eastern side of the traffic
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(From page 43) light and a third in the vicinity of the Houston Secondary School. THURSDAY EDITION AFTER 25 YEARS… BARAMA PULLS OUT OF LOGGING OPERATIONS -GIVES UP ITS 1.6M HECTARES OF FOREST CONCESSIONS -TO CONCENTRATE ON PLYWOOD MANUFACTURING, SAWMILLING The country’s biggest forestry operator, Barama Company Limited (BCL), has announced plans to cut back operations and has reportedly given up its 1.6 million hectares. The Malaysian-owned company, which has been here for over 25 years, had been negotiating with the Coalition Government over the past year for a new investment agreement. However, the company has now signaled intentions to exit its forestry operations altogether, and concentrate instead on its plywood and veneer manufacturing and sawmilling. The administration had vowed to cleanup the forestry sector while on its campaign trail. Already, the regulator had seized the forestry concessions of BaiShanLin, a Chinese company that had been under scrutiny for failure to develop a processing plant and not paying its fees, among other things. Government had over the past year made proposals to Barama, with a new agreement expected by the end of last month. However, it appeared the Malaysian owner, Samling Global Limited, was still deciding on its future here. And that decision has apparently now been made. The company in a paid advertisement Thursday announced that it will not be seeking the renewal/extension of its Forest Concession Agreement with government. The agreement expired last Saturday, with Barama already informing Government of its intentions. “The company will also not be seeking the renewal/extension of the investment agreement that mainly relates to the forest concession which expired on Saturday, 15th October, 2016. Barama however, will be continuing all of its other projects in Guyana, inclusive of veneering, plywood manufacturing and sawmilling.” GRAARRESTS TWO STAFF MEMBERS FOR DUTY FREE FRAUD Two employees of the Guyana Revenue Authority are in police custody after the authorities detected a forgery in the name of Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Hema Khan.
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At issue was the importation of two All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). The two employees forged documents purporting to show that the ATVs were subjected to duty free concessions. By the time the fraud was detected the vehicles were already sold. The probe is now being focused on the buyers of the vehicles. One of them has already reportedly offered to pay the required duty. A source close to the GRA said that the authorities are no longer interested in transferring corrupt staff members. They would be handed over to the police. Also to face the law are the other beneficiaries of the fraud. “MINISTER’S REACTION TO AG’S VIEWS SETS DANGEROUS PRECEDENT” – FORMER AUDITOR GENERAL The recent assertion by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan that the views of Auditor General, Deodat Sharma on the Contingency Fund, do not count, is eliciting cautionary responses from various quarters. One such opinion is that of Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, who told Kaieteur News on Wednesday that Jordan’s remarks have essentially “weakened respect and confidence in the Audit Office”. The Chartered Accountant said too, that Jordan’s utterances have also set a dangerous precedent in the system of public financial management and accountability. ”The Minister’s reaction to the findings of the Auditor General is rather unfortunate. I wish to remind readers that Article 223 of the Constitution specifically states that in the exercise of his functions under the Constitution, the Auditor General shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority.” The Former Auditor General added, “Sharma is not part of the Executive Branch of the Government, and it is for this reason that the constitutional amendment of 2001 provides for direct reporting to the National Assembly via the Speaker”. Goolsarran said that while the Minister might have reason to disagree with the findings of the Auditor General, that disagreement must be tempered and expressed with due regard to the constitutionality of his office. Goolsarran emphasised that the Auditor General holds the rank similar to that of the Chief Justice. ”In the same way, one would not expect any Minister of the Government to indulge in a public abuse of the Chief Justice, if he or she is unhappy with the Chief Justice’s rul-
ing, so should it be with the Auditor General.” “The Chief Justice’s ruling can be appealed against to the Court of Appeal. Similarly, the appropriate forum to address any disagreement in the Auditor General’s report is at the level of the Public Accounts Committee.” DATARAM, WIFE “TAMPERED” WITH PASSPORTS STOLEN DURING ROBBERY – POLICE SOURCE Drug convict Barry Dataram and his reputed wife, Anjanie Boodnarine tampered with the passports that they were caught with, and at least one of the document was stolen from a victim during a robbery, according to a senior police source. The passports used by the couple, R0341097 and R0376916, are authentic documents which were issued to two other persons by the Central Immigration Department. However, Dataram and his wife allegedly tampered with the bio-data pages of both passports and put in false information and immigration stamps to show that they departed Guyana to neighbouring Suriname. The couple departed Guyana illegally. The original holders of the passports are males. One of the documents was indeed issued to a David Persaud. Kaieteur News understands that the original passport holder lost his document during a break-in of his motor vehicle. This was supported by a police report. The police are investigating the second individual, who is providing conflicting details. Dataram and Boodnarine left Guyana late
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last month when Dataram was convicted on cocaine charges. They were nabbed two Fridays ago at Latour, southern Paramaribo, Suriname, and transferred to Guyana the following day. FRIDAY EDITION GOV’T REVIEWING BARAMA’S IMPACT ON GUYANA IN LAST 25 YEARS -OVER 2M HECTARES OF FOREST WILL BE UP FOR RE-ALLOCATION One day after news broke that Malaysianowned Barama Company Limited (BCL) is scaling back its local operations, government has announced plans to launch a review to determine exactly what Guyana benefitted from over the last 25 years. Following the review, the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) will be determining what to do with the 1.6M hectares that BCL has now given up. Barama Company was the biggest holder of forestry concessions in Guyana. With BCL’s concessions and 600,000-plus hectares that were repossessed recently from Chinese-owned BaiShanLin, Guyana now has an additional 2M hectares of forests lands available for re-allocations. The Ministry of Natural Resources on Thursday, in an official release, confirmed that BCL has notified the Government of Guyana that it has opted not to renew its Forest Concession Agreement which expired on October 15, 2016, after 25 years. The ministry said that discussions on the renewal had commenced over a year ago, with BCL being provided with a draft agreement for review and negotiations. A task force was established to examine Barama’s operations to pave the way for a new agreement. ”BCL in communicating its decision not to renew its concession, noted that the company concluded that it was no longer viable to continue in the forestry operations in view of prevailing global prices.” Barama’s decision has given Guyana some opportunities, the ministry said Thursday. ”The decision of BCL presents an opportunity to engage in a stocktaking exercise, where government can objectively assess the value of the standing forest through its contribution to the ecosystem while simultaneously examining the value of the past 25 years to the people of Guyana.” According to Government officials, this review will likely entail examining what Barama exported in terms of logs and the revenues that were earned by the GFC and other state agencies from the various operations of the company. The assessment would be pivotal in the decision-making process as it relates to economic empowerment and development of (Continued on page 45)
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(From page 44) sustainable livelihoods of present and future generations. JAGDEO CONCEDES THAT PPP SHOULD SHOULDER BLAME FOR SUGAR WOES -REMAINS OPEN TO TALKS WITH GOVT. ON THE FUTURE OF GUYSUCO For months, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has been bashing the government for its failure to solve the issues affecting the sugar industry. But he admitted on Thursday, that indeed, the PPP regime should shoulder some of the blame for the prevailing sugar woes. Jagdeo made this comment during a press conference held at Freedom House. There, the former President was asked by Kaieteur News whether he felt that the PPP should essentially take some responsibility for the troubles facing the sugar sector since those problems did not start 17 months ago. The Opposition leader said, “On the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), I agree. I agree absolutely with what you are saying that the troubles with GuySuCo started some time back and a lot of it had to do with the cuts in the European Union prices where we lost about US$40M per annum of revenue.” Jagdeo added, “But when the Government decided to close the Wales Sugar Estate, I said to them that we are prepared to sit and talk about the future of the industry because we believe that it has a future.” The Opposition Leader said that he is still open to talks with the government once they have a serious approach that is not political or a product of some Cabinet Committee. FIVE BANDITS POUNCE ON HOUSEHOLD FROM OUTHOUSE, KILL MAN, TENANTARRESTED Five armed bandits stormed a Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home, where three overseas-based Guyanese were staying and shot a 44-year-old man to the neck when he put up a fight in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Abdool Ameer Subrati, a father of one of 21 Back Street, Peter’s Hall, EBD, died while undergoing surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Investigations so far have revealed that the family, who arrived in Guyana on Tuesday, had a reunion at the Herstelling property. Shortly after guests left, the five bandits, two of whom were armed, pounced on the family. The gunmen who were hiding in a bathroom at the back of the family yard, escaped with the visitors’ passports, money, jewellery and other personal items. Kaieteur News understands that investigators have arrested a 21-year-old man who is renting the lower flat of the two-storey house where the robbery occurred. The victim’s brother, Abid Subrati said that he is convinced that it was the tenant who set up the robbery since he recognized one of the bandits, and that individual had visited the tenant, who has been renting the apartment for a year now. Abdool Ameer Subrati was visiting Guyana with his wife and daughter. ”This (Thursday) morning my brother and my cousin were having a little conversation and then we went to buy food and we come back. They (brother and cousin) were leaving. My brother was going to drop my cousin in Diamond and then he was going home,” Abid Subrati said. He further explained that he told his sibling that he would accompany him to Diamond since he didn’t want him to drive out of the scheme all by himself. SATURDAY EDITION ONE CONFESSES TO KILLING MAHAICONY SHOP OWNER
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WITH FRYING PAN -“THAT 14-YEAR-OLD IS A BANDIT, HE STILL DENYING”- POLICE SOURCE Bibi Nesha Shairoon’s killers went to her Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home to commit a robbery. But when she tried to defend herself, one of the robbers beat her in the head with a frying pan until she blacked out. At least this is what one of the two detained suspects told detectives Thursday night, about their deadly confrontation with the 56-year-old woman two Saturdays ago at her Lot 4 Novar, Mahaicony residence. Kaieteur News understands that while the suspect admitted to committing the act, he claimed that their intentions were merely to rob their victim. The two suspects have been identified as a 25-year-old man from Berbice, and a 14-yearold, who at one time, helped out the shop owner around her yard. It was the older man who confessed to bashing the woman in the head with the frying pan. He claimed that the attack on the woman was planned by the teenager, who is familiar with the woman’s home. However, the teen is denying that he was a part of the robbery which resulted in the death of the mother of three. He claimed that on the night she was killed, he was on the road hanging out with the 25-year-old. As a result of the teenager’s denial, detectives were forced to request additional time to further interrogate him. “That 14-year-old is a bandit, he still denying and the entire thing points to him,” a police source said on Friday. He explained that during interrogation, the older suspect broke down and confessed to the crime. GOVT. WELCOMES ANY INTERVENTION BY OPPOSITION TO MOVE GUYANA FORWARD - HARMON Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said on Friday that the government welcomes any intervention by the Opposition on issues that will essentially move Guyana forward. The Cabinet Secretary made this assertion during a post Cabinet press conference which was held at the Ministry of the Presidency. There, Harmon was informed that Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo recently stated that he remains open to talks on the future of the sugar industry. He was then questioned to say if Government is interested in exploring this avenue for communication with the Opposition. The Minister of State said, “We have always said that we welcome the Opposition Leader; we welcome the Opposition to have conversations on these matters but we do not wish to have these matters, such as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), to be
made into a political football.” Harmon added, “And we believe that it is an important matter which has to do with the livelihood of a significant number of Guyanese. We believe that it has to do with the economic future of this country and therefore any conversation on GuySuCo we would welcome Jagdeo and crew to discuss it with us. “We have said before that we welcome any intervention by Jagdeo and team to speak on this.” The Minister of State said that the government is willing to have discussions with the Opposition on the future of the sugar industry and any other matter of national importance. The Opposition Leader meanwhile had stressed that he is still open to talks with the government once there is a serious approach that is not political or a product of some Cabinet Committee. POOR RECORD KEEPINGAT INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS MINISTRY HAMPERS AG’S AUDIT The poor record keeping had at the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs is of serious concern to the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma. The Auditor General said that the absence of basic accounting procedures stood as a barricade in the way of the thorough state audit he attempted to carry out at that ministry. In his 2015 report, Sharma noted that it is a requirement for the ministry to maintain a contract register to record the details of all contracts awarded, so that the ministry can monitor the progress and payments of these contracts. However, Sharma said that “it was again observed for 2015 that the contract register was still not properly written up to reflect all contracts awarded by the Ministry.” Further, he said that contracts were still given a new contract number every time a progress payment was made. As such, Sharma said that it was difficult for his Auditors to ascertain how many contracts were awarded by the Ministry and to determine the status of those contracts where more than one payment was effected. It was indicated that this problem has been highlighted before by the Office of the Auditor General. In Sharma’s report he said, “It was again observed” indicating that this was a longstanding problem. Kaieteur News understands that the problem started under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic administration and continued under the APNU+AFC government. Sharma said that the Audit Office “again recommends” that the ministry ensures that the contract register is properly written up and that the systems put in place are functioning properly.
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The Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs responded to Sharma’s concerns. The Head of Budget Agency indicated that a contract register was in place. “However, it was not properly maintained in 2015. This situation has been corrected, in that the Ministry has now put systems in place to have the contract register properly written up.” OPPOSITION LEADER MISLEADS NATION ON LOTTO FUND “They are still to transfer the Lotto Fund (to the treasury)…They have all these huge sums of money that they can use to do much more; but they are keeping it.” So said Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo at his most recent press conference held at Freedom House, on Thursday. This press conference was aired live on People’s Progressive Party/Civic radio station which he gave to the party days before he left administrative office. Jagdeo’s remark about the lotto fund came as he sought to make a point to the effect that the coalition government is holding out when there is much more that it can be doing for the nation’s wellbeing. Jagdeo said that the APNU+AFC government is only crying out about the lack of money in the treasury when it has “all this money lying around in these accounts.” He said that this is yet another campaign promise that the government has reneged on. However, once again the former President has been proven a liar. But even the Auditor General has proven Jagdeo wrong. Auditor General, Deodat Sharma reported that 89 bank accounts were closed in 2015 and their balances amounting to over $2B were transferred into the Consolidated Fund. This proves that the government has indeed closed accounts that Jagdeo himself insisted on keeping during his presidential tenure, the report suggested. The Auditor General report also spoke specifically about the Lotto Fund. Sharma said, “Over the years the Lotteries Commission received proceeds from the National Lottery which were used to make payments approved by Cabinet. These proceeds were retained in a bank account and no amounts were paid over to the Consolidated Fund.” In 2015, the Ministry budgeted for Lottery Receipts of $1billion under the category of Miscellaneous Revenue. Amounts totalling $1.069 billion were transferred from the bank account to the Consolidated Fund.” Last year, Raphael Trotman, during a postCabinet briefing, told the media that a decision was made to transfer the Lotto Fund into the Consolidated Fund. In 1995, the Government of Guyana and the Canadian Bank Note (CBN) entered into an agreement for the latter to conduct a national lottery. CBN agreed to pay a licensee fee to the Government of 24 per cent of the gross revenue while the Government undertook not to permit another lottery of similar scope during the life of the agreement.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday October 23, 2016
Walk Carefully on the Road
M
ORE than twenty years ago, while traveling in pursuit of pleasure and information, we were stopped by heavy snows, at a town where, pleasantly for us, some families whom we had formerly known were living. There was also a friend who had visited us in our own home, during his frequent trading trips to the coast, and he urged us to make our stay with his family. They had ample accommodations for persons and animals, so we settled down for a good long visit around among old friends and new. In this family there was a sweet little girl of about eighteen months old, so fair and spiritual looking and so angelic in disposition that I soon grew very fond of her. There was little hope of h e r ever becoming as strong and well as the other children, for one side of her body was almost helpless. Although the telegraph kept us informed that the roads were still unbroken, and the snow was steadily filling the great canyons ahead of us, a partial spring was dawning in the valley where we were staying. The snow melted and thinned away the icy covering of the brooks, while here a tuft of green rose by the water's edge. Now* and then a bird sang, and for part of the day the sun was warm. Early one forenoon I wrapped the dear child comfortably and told her mother I was going to give Florence the benefit of the fresh air, and would stay out as long as she seemed satisfied. The dear mother was glad, for she was too busy to do this herself. The little darling was smiles and wonder as I carried her along
; she looked with such eager eyes upon the swift-running and babbling water, listening and looking into my eyes as though asking what it meant. When I gathered the few slender grasses and put them in her tiny hand she was so happy. I used to walk with her as long as she staid awake. My arms never tired of her little form, for I loved to watch her lovely eyes follow the clouds, the flight of the snow- birds, or the sway of bare branches in the frequent breeze. When walking along the thinly built-up streets, I used to sing very quietly to her, and she would finally be fast asleep. Then I would go into the house of some acquaintance and lay her down
Thanks to the springtime, we found a few leaves each day for Florence to hold, and a few evergreens helped out, also a little southernwood in a south corner gave a few sprigs to perfume the whole. Florence certainly grew better; she even tried one day to stand by a chair, but it was almost too soon. Some- times a trinket from my trunk found its way into her lap, and her pleasure seemed so gentle and complete. The time drew near for us to resume our journey, and when I looked at the delicate child that still needed her daily walk, my heart reproached me for going away. I felt followed by the t h o u g h tof a sweet little pale face waiting for me, and a w o r d o f permission when the others were starting would have held me back with the hild I had grown to love so. But I was to go on, and when I clasped her frail form in my arms, then gave her to her mother, it would have been hard for me to express the thoughts that arose. It looked selfish in me to go, when perhaps I might have been the means of saving her life by staying. After we reached “the city� and the months rolled by until October, and the conference folks filled the streets, who should call one day but the parents of Florence! She was not with them, and I dared not to ask, but they understood. "Florence died in the summer. She missed those walks, and she never grew stronger but just faded away." Sometimes memory brings before me a fair little face, lighted by blue, wishful eyes,, and outlined by flossy golden tresses, with outreached hands that ask me to take her, but when I whisper " Florence, " it is
Florence amon g the cozy quilts and pil- lows. Florence always took a long nap, and when she woke was so sweet and amiable and ready for her dinner. Then we would set out again and walk until it was wisest to go home. Upon our return Florence would be so cheerful that they began to build hopes. Babies quickly learn what to expect, and before many days had passed, she would turn around in her high-chair and point to her hood and cloak, hung against the wall. Often did I hasten my breakfast in answer to those sweet eyes looking so patiently at me, and when her mother would give her to me, all bundled up warm, the little sweetheart would try and get one hand out to pat our faces and hold it out for a kiss in the little white palm. Dear child, that was little enough to give her, just a kiss, but it satisfied her and she would smile "good-by" as we went out.
Charlie is a little boy, Who liked to play on the road; No matter what his parents said, He'd run out as often as he could.
They had to rush him to hospital, With cuts all over his body, And one leg broken in so many places, He had to have major surgery.
One day Charlie was kicking a ball, Up and down a busy street, When a car came speeding round the turn, And knocked our boy off his feet.
Now Charlie is nearly well again, But he is limping very badly, Afraid to even be on the road, And telling everyone to walk carefully. (by Uncle Roy)
Halloween Themed Stress Balls SUPPLIES Balloons, Funnel, Flour, Corn Starch, Baking Soda, Play Dough, Corn Kernels, or Dried Beans‌ There are many possibilities and you will find the ones you enjoy using the most. These ingredients are our favorites to make calm down balls! To make your Halloween stress balls, first you need to blow up a balloon and hold it for 30 seconds. This will help pre-stretch the balloon before you fill it. There are a couple ways to fill the balloons. You can use a funnel for fine ingredients like flour. You can also use an extra set of hands to stretch the top of the balloon to fill with materials like play dough or corn kernels. It takes a bit of work to fill the balloons, so don't give up if it doesn't go quickly! Use a permanent marker to give your Halloween calm down balls faces. Give them happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, or confused faces for teaching emotions play too.
Beat the clock Unscramble the set of letters below each blank to complete the quotations
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
TEEN TIME
Poets’ Corner
Develop your Self-Esteem to
(This poem is one from Uncle Roy's book “Shape Up Your Personality” which will soon be published in Guyana. It emphasises the value of Self-Esteem which is the topic of today's Teen Time.)
“Be the Best you can Be”
S
elf esteem is the way that one looks at himself so that he appreciates his own worth as a human being. Someone with adequate self-esteem enjoys an enriched life, has a balanced personality, and is properly equipped to deal effectively with all the ups and downs which life normally presents. Some of the qualities a person must have if he/she is to possess a fair level of self esteem are:1. A realistic view of self, with the ability to identify own strengths and weaknesses, with the
intention of reinforcing the strengths and working to remove the weaknesses. 2. Sensitivity to one's environment, how one relates to it, how one's existence and behaviour affect it, and how it affects oneself, and the things one can do towards its improvement. 3. A personal philosophy, i.e. the ideas one has about oneself and the people and things around, and a clear sense of the values which direct one's actions. 4. A healthy attitude about the results one achieves in everyday living as well as any special endeavours – looking at
“He who would make the world a better place must first make himself the best he can be.”
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Food for the Soul success with humility and satisfaction, and facing failure with the determination to try harder. 5. Willingness to explore for ways to profit and learn from one's mistakes. 6. Maintenance of one's expressions and behaviour within socially acceptable standards and not merely for one's own benefit 7 . Wi l l i n g n e s s t o persevere, even in the face of hardship and frustration. 8. Readiness to accept that others have the right to their own opinions, and to act for their benefit, even though they conflict with one's own. The process of building
self-esteem involves five essential elements. They are:1. A sense of security. 2. A sense of belonging. 3. A sense of identity or self-knowledge. 4. A sense of purpose or aim in life. 5. A sense of personal competence. We shall be dealing with each of these elements in later issues. In the meantime, try to achieve each of these senses/qualities in the effort to build and maintain your selfesteem, and your life will flourish as a result. (continued next week)
by Uncle Roy Do you sometimes wonder how men differ so, Why some seem so good and others hell-bent, When the good Lord of peace, justice and love Must have made all souls of equal temperament? The truth must lie in the emotional fare we are fed, That determines the quality of our character, That makes the lives of some fulfilled, While others are endowed with a troubled nature. So it therefore stands to all reason, To enjoy full harmony and peace on earth, We need to ensure that all men benefit From feelings of self-confidence and worth. Security is the first of our five personal needs, To build self-respect and trust, To reduce our natural tensions and fears, And assure us of a world caring and just. We next long for a sense of belonging, That would make us feel accepted by our peers, Enabling us to develop relationships, And make our contribution to our group affairs. Identity is provided by the realization of self, To instill a true sense of our worth, To hone our unique talents and skills, While choosing our own path to go forth. We next need to feel we are personally competent, To interact and to achieve our goals, To solve our problems and give support to others, And contribute to the good of the whole. Then we must strive to know that special purpose To which we should devote our life, Clarify our vision, hopes and dreams, And work assiduously to bring them alive. Remember always that as citizens of this earth, We must work so that all share in God's grace; We each need accept the responsibility To make this world of ours a better place.
Kaieteur News
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John Abraham's reaction to Pierce Brosnan's ad highlights the reality behind celeb endorsements
Sunday October 23, 2016
COUNTRY PROFILE
Nauru N
P
ierce Brosnan left everyone shaken and stirred when one morning, he appeared on the front pages of all newspapers, holding a box of Pan Bahar. While it left many shocked, the James Bond actor was also mercilessly trolled for his choice of endorsement. In the light of the entire controversy, Bollywood actor John Abraham has spoken something quite relevant and highlighted on the reality behind celebrity endorsements. At one of the events for his upcoming film Force 2, John's statement totally burned down not just Brosnan but also other actors and cricketers who make wrong decisions in selecting their product endorsements. “I think you get more eyeballs when you sign on a cricketer or an actor but i also think it's an actor's responsibility to sign on a brand he believes in and the message he passes out. I think it is very important. For an example, I believe in bikes and fitness so I will
sign brands that reflect my personality. An actor can endorse for two reasons, you want to build your equity or you want to make money, the choice is yours. For me, money is not important. I am saying this on record “money is not important”, choosing the right brand is important”. Soon after the controversy broke, the Pan Bahar ad was banned from national and satellite television in India by the Central Board Of Film Certification Chief Pahlaj Nihalani. leading to In another report, it was said that Pierce Brosnan had no idea what he was endorsing. “As a man who has spent decades championing women's healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar's unauthorized and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products.” It further read, “I would never have entered into an agreement to promote a product in India that is dangerous to one's health.”
The Bond actor is “deeply shocked and saddened” by the following events since the ad went viral. “Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting women's health care and research programs that improve human health and alleviate suffering,” he had said in a statement. We are still not fully convinced that a man who was once the face of VISA, Ferrero Rocher, Loreal and more did not care to do a little more research before signing a deal. For a big star like Brosnan, it is also impossible to believe that even his team did not do its homework well before getting him endorse a product in India. However, it surely has raised some important questions about how much thought our celebrities put in while selecting their brands. Is it all about money or ethics too?
Reality Revealed: Why Salman and Coca Cola has parted their ways
amed Pleasant Island by its first E u r o p e a n visitors, the former British colony of Nauru is the world's smallest republic. In recent years it has often been in the headlines over controversies surrounding the Australian-run asylumseeker detention camp, with allegations of human rights abuses and overcrowding. The detention camp is a major employer and source of income on the island. Since 2013 Australia has sent all asylum-seekers arriving by boat into detention on Nauru and Papua New Guinea, and denied them resettlement in Australia despite an outcry from rights groups. Nauru is a speck in the Pacific about 3,000 km (1,800 miles) northeast of Australia with 10,000 citizens and little economy since the depletion of its rich phosphate mines in the 1980s. Phosphate mining and exports resumed in 2005. The government estimates that the secondary phosphate deposits have a remaining life of about 30 years. The island has become heavily dependent upon aid. FACTS Republic of Nauru Administrative centre: Yaren Population 10,000 Area 21 sq km (8 sq miles) Major languages Nauruan, English Major religion Christianity Life expectancy 55 years (men), 57 years (women) Currency Australian dollar
UN, World Bank Baron Waqa was sworn in as president in June 2013 after parliament chose him as its leader. In 2015 New Zealand suspended foreign aid to Nauru saying it could no longer support the island's legal system, which had been used to suspend opposition leaders and enact laws clamping down on basic freedoms. MEDIA Nauru has effectively banned foreign journalists the Guardian reports making it difficult for refugees to explain their plight, or for the Australian public to scrutinise the consequences of its
government's immigration policy. Some key dates in the history of Nauru: 1798 - British navigator Captain John Fearn, sailing past Nauru from New Zealand to the China Seas,
names it Pleasant Island. 1888 - Nauru annexed by Germany as part of the Marshall Islands Protectorate. 1900 - British company discovers phosphate on the island. 1919 - League of Nations grants joint mandate to Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand. 1942-45 - Nauru occupied by the Japanese. 1947 - Nauru made UN trust territory under Australian administration. 1968 - Independence. 2001 - Australia pays Nauru to hold asylum seekers picked up trying to enter Australia illegally. 2003 - Nauru agrees to US demands to wind up its offshore banking industry
amid money-laundering allegations. 2008 - Australia shuts detention centre. 2012 - Australia opens a new detention camp for asylum-seekers on Nauru under its new offshore immigration policy.
T
here have been some media reports that discusses the contractual agreements between brand Thums Up and Salman Khan. In light of the media interest and numerous inquiries that both parties have received, we find it prudent to clarify that: Salman Khan was committed to an existing relationship with a daily TV show, which this year happens to be sponsored by a brand that competes with the Coca-Cola India product portfolio. In light of this, both parties have mutually decided not to renew their current
contract. We do not have any further information to provide at this point. We appreciate your interest and outreach.
Australia's detention facilities have come under scrutiny following allegations of torture, sexual abuse and overcrowding
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Minister Cummings leads team to strategic planning workshop Caribbean policy makers recently gathered in Trinidad and Tobago with the common aim of drafting a relevant and coherent fiveyear One Health Strategic Plan for the Caribbean. Guyana was represented by a team led by Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings. The team consisted of Guyanese professionals who were selected to participate in the two-day workshop with the European Union/ACP funded project dubbed ‘One Health, One Caribbean, One Love’. Accompanying Minister Cummings were Senior Environmental Officer (Agriculture, Fisheries and Tourism) – Environmental Protection Agency – Ms. Camille Adams; Agricultural Health Specialist – Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) – Ms. Maxine Parris-Aaron; Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Guyana Livestock Development Authority – Dr. Dwight Walrond; Veterinary Surgeon and Zoo Technologist – Guyana Livestock Development Authority – Dr. Rennard Overton; Technical Advisor to the Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Samantha Kennedy and Personal Assistant to the Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Mr. Richard Francois.
The local team’s visit was funded by the ‘One Health, One Caribbean, One Love’ Project. The objective of the workshop was to make recommendations for approaches to the satisfactory governance of One Health in the Caribbean and agreed on the requirements for successful implementation of the agreed strategy at regional and country levels. The process of collaborative planning allowed for key decisions to be made on the direction for One Health in the Caribbean by 2023, as it relates to goals, priorities, and actions to be taken by Caribbean governments. Some of the issues addressed were: Assessing the One Health Landscape in the Caribbean, Reviewing of the One Health SWOT Analysis, Framing the Vision and Mission and Guiding Principles for One Health, and Defining the Strategic Priorities, Outcomes, Performance Measures for One Health for 2023, among others. “The One Health concept is a very important one that plays a pivotal role in the preservation of the health and wellbeing of humans, animals, and the environment. All Caribbean leaders must do what is necessary to ensure they advance the One Health agenda in their
From left: (sitting) Ms. Maxine Parris-Aaron, Minister Karen Cummings, Dr. Samantha Kennedy, Ms. Camille Adams and (standing from left) Dr. Rennard Overton, Dr. Dwight Walrond and Mr. Richard Francois. respective countries, particularly through an inter-sectoral, multidisciplinary approach,” Minister Cummings underscored. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Strategic Action Plan, “One Health” is a unifying force intended to safeguard human
and animal health, to reduce disease threats and to ensure a safe food supply through effective and responsible management of natural resources. The “One Health One Caribbean One Love” project is funded by European Union and implemented by the University of the West Indies
(UWI), with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), FAO, CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), Ministries of Agriculture, Public Health, and Grenada and St. Kitts as project partners.
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Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS By Pat Dial Every year on 17th October, the anniversary of the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty is commemorated and people in public life all over the world join in the chorus of committing themselves to the eradication of poverty. The present institutional and governmental commitment took its roots during the Industrial Revolution. In the 17th century and further back, Religion and religious people addressed Poverty. Ordinary folk made their own efforts to get out of it. Poverty not only deprives human beings of food, clothes, shelter and other necessary basic material needs, but makes it impossible for the poor to know of the cultural and educational life. Most people and their children entrapped in the net of poverty find it impossible to escape and so
Eradicating poverty, synthesizing modern and 19th century Guyanese methodologies
poverty becomes selfperpetuating. When one reads Reports on poverty or other comments on poverty, it is usually about statistics and economics and very little about the plight of poor people and their children or their sufferings. The language of Religion treats poverty as something individual and human and therefore communicates much better to the large audience. Though Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism have their respective prescriptions in dealing with poverty, they all encouraged ordinary folk to make their own individual efforts. It may be useful to modern planners, politicians and thinkers to study how these ordinary folk emerged from poverty and integrate some of those methods in modern planning. Modern planning with its provision of water to people who never had such a facility
or extension of electricity supplies or expansion of cheaper public transport or building of roads in poorer areas are very commendable and desirable things for helping to minimise poverty. It may be useful for those who are involved in programmes for the elimination of poverty to closely study how the emancipated slaves and the indentures (semi-slaves) dealt with the challenge of poverty. The Freedmen and the indentures who managed to leave the sugar estates had absolutely nothing. They had no shelter, very little food, no clothes other than what they were wearing, no education, no medical facilities, no drinking water and very little or no money. This was the condition in the late 1830’s and 1840’s. These 19th century poor met the challenge and overcame. The freedmen founded a large number of villages - the Village
Movement - and were able to provide themselves with shelter and food and other basic amenities. The freedmen used the co-operative in their effort. These people made their clothes go as far as possible using “saddle pieces” on their trousers or even using the strong cotton in which and other grain were shipped. They and the indentures used folk medicine except for Glauber and Epsom salts and iodine and whatever tiny amounts of money they earned, they saved, These freedmen and indentures gradually emerged to a better life, though still in poverty. Then free primary education became universal from the 1870’s and parents and children took to it with great enthusiasm. Books were valued and avidly read. Soon village youth joined the Public Service and the Police while the more ambitious qualified as
Murder of Mahaicony female shop owner …
14-year-old suspect is behaving like a hardcore criminal - police source “This little boy is behaving like a hardcore criminal.” This is how detectives, probing the murder of Bibi Nesha Shairoon, whose bound body was found in her Mahaicony home last Monday, described the 14-year-old suspect. The teenager was implicated in the woman’s murder by his accomplice on Thursday. The 25-year-old man confessed to beating their victim in the head with a flying pan when they pounced on her two Saturdays ago. “We are frustrated. Imagine, this is a little boy and he behaving like he has the world of experience in the ‘criminal world.’ I could have sworn that he would have been the one to first confess but this banna holding out,” the cop said. When the 14-year-old was arrested last Monday, he told detectives that he was hanging out with the 25-yearold during the time the woman was murdered. The cops eventually tracked down the 25-year-old, just to confirm the teen’s story but it was then the young man broke down during interrogation and confessed to the crime. However, police sources said that the teenager is tougher than he seems since he continues to deny the allegation. As a result of his denial, ranks were forced to
The two suspects seek additional time to interrogate him. Kaieteur News was told that the attack on the woman was planned by the teen, who at one time, worked with her. “The 25-year-old is from Berbice but he got a job with a man from Mahaicony and he was staying in a little shack the man built for him. He said that between 11:00 and 12:00 noon on Saturday, he was home when the lil boy come call he,” the source said. He further explained that the teenager allegedly told him that he had a “work” for them to go on. “This man said that the lil boy took him to the woman’s house. One went around one side, and the other one went around the other side of the house. Apparently, he is saying that the teenager like
he went there before he and take out the boards from the wall, because when he got there, it was already removed,” the source recalled. Kaieteur News was further told that when the two suspects arrived at the location, the teenager managed to slip into the woman’s home from the opening at the side of the house and opened the back door for his accomplice. The two tip-toed in the woman’s home and rushed in on her while she was sitting on a chair in her room. “He (25-year-old suspect) said that when they got into the house, the woman was sitting on a chair in her bedroom and they asked her for money and she went upstairs and give them $300,000 she had in a bag,” the police source said. After collecting the
money, they proceeded to tie the woman so that they could have searched for more valuables. “He (25-year-old suspect) said that the teenager help tie up the woman but when she started to fight with them, he took a frying pan and beat her in the head.” Kaieteur News was told that once the two young men were satisfied with their loot, they left the scene and the older suspect travelled to Berbice with his share. “He smokes and he had some drug debt in Berbice so he went there and pay the people he owed,” the source revealed. The teenager was arrested last Monday, a few hours after the woman’s bound body was discovered in her bedroom while his friend was taken into police custody the following day. Relatives informed the cops of their suspicions of the 14-yearold, since there was a confrontation between the victim and the teen a few months ago after she suspected him of stealing phone cards from her home. “She used to hide her phone cards in the microwave and the teen knew. Like he went in the house and thief dem. When she was killed, the person stole the cards from the microwave again and only this teen knew where she hides the cards, so we suspected it was him,” the relative said. Investigations are ongoing.
lawyers, doctors, and engineers. The indentures had the same enthusiasm for Education but no schools were built in the areas in which they lived. At great effort, they sent some children to the established villages or to the City for schooling. These 19th century poor quickly acquired skills as craftsmen and used rain water as potable water and kerosene lamps for light, not waiting on the water company or the electricity company to supply them. These poor folk who had absolutely nothing
emerged from abject poverty with an opportunity for upward mobility. Young people today should cease to depend on Government or others to get them out of their plight. They could be guided by the methods their forefathers used:- Determination to overcome; hard work and sacrifice; making the material things they use e.g. clothes, go a longer way’ to grow as much of their food as possible; and regularly saving whatever small sums and not consuming it all. . ,
Gafoors to spend US$80,000 on sprinkler system Chief Executive Officer of Gafoor’s Houston complex, Abdool Sattaur Gafoor, said that some persons feel that if they talk to the company today, that company will deliver its product or service the following day. However the businessman said things work differently in the world of business. Gafoor added that the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) seems to be thinking in this vein, given the statements made by the top brass of the GFS, during the second fire at the company’s Houston Complex. The CEO said that his enterprise is currently in talks with a Trinidad company for the purchase and installation of a high end sprinkler system. However the CEO noted that the talks are still in their initial stages, as there are other components that need to be in place, before the sprinkler system can be installed. “It takes up to five to six months before the things arrive. Therefore saying that the fire service talked to me already and it should be there, is not fair. That’s what the fire department did. What they (GFS) should do, is have the Sprinkler system) so that everybody could buy from them. Then they can say I talk to him about sprinkler system and he has not done anything,” Gafoor said. Gafoor emphasised that there is no law in Guyana that specifies that a building plan cannot be passed without having a sprinkler system. It is against this backdrop, Gafoor said, that the Fire Chief has nothing to be guided by. Most large scale businesses might have fire prevention measures but not a sprinkler system. The CEO said that the cost for a sprinkler system for a 140x100 feet area is approximately US$80,000 just
for the equipment. Then there is the separate cost for installation. Gafoor added that the replay system costs over $35 million. Another issue highlighted by Gafoor was the lack of competent personnel for the proper installation of the system. The CEO noted a letter featured in Kaieteur News on October 17, last, where Vishul Ishwaridin claimed he submitted quotes for the installation of a sprinkler system but was never paid. Gafoor said he never met with anyone locally to discuss the installation of the needed sprinkler system. Gafoor then asked the company’s Sales Manager, Premdat Narine, who at first, denied ever meeting with Ishwaridin. Following pressure from the CEO, Narine revealed that he did meet with Ishwaridin regarding the sprinkler system. However Narine added that he never made any agreement in relation to payment for the quotation service. The CEO said that even if Ishwaridin was to be considered, his experience and competence would have to be taken in to consideration. “A lot of people come and offer a lot of (services). I have people who I gave jobs to do and when they finish you are screwed up. You get nothing out of it; you got to rip it out. Like right now, a person installed a telephone system in here (Gafoors Houston). The GT&T people come to install the instrument only to find out everything is wrong. I paid $3.4 million; now I got to rip it out back.” Gafoor said. During the second fire, Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle said, based on what he saw suggests that there was not enough “diligence” in the area. “This fire should not have happened.”
Sunday October 23, 2016
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Kaieteur News
THE DENTAL DRILL By Dr. Neromini Fagu If there is one thing about dentistry that brings fear to people about dentistry it is probably the sound of the dental drill. Known as the dental drill in layman’s term, the dental hand piece has been a source of anxiety for many people. However, the hand piece has become an integral part of dentistry and has revolutionised the practice of dentistry. It is a useful instrument and without it modern day dentistry would not be where it is today. Dental drills are used in a variety of applications, from cleaning and polishing to root canals and surgical extractions. Evidence of the first dental hand piece dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization around 7000BC.However, it was probably not known as a hand piece because it was not as high tech as we know it
DENTAL HANDPIECE
Dr. Neromini Fagu today. Researchers have found that early teeth drilling tools were made of sharpened jade or stone which were possibly turned either by hand or a bow string. The early Mayans, Romans, and Greeks also had their own early versions of the dental drill. Evolution of the Modern Day Handpiece In the mid 1600s doctors
realised that filling holes in the teeth with a variety of substances could temporarily relieve a patient’s pain and discomfort. They used chisels to remove decayed enamel and shaped the tooth for the filling material. In 1728 Pierre Fauchard, who is considered the father of modern dentistry, wrote about using a bow drill to complete root canal procedures. In 1778 a handcrank mechanical drill was invented to remove tooth structure. The profession had to
wait almost a hundred years for any more advancement in the dental drill. The Erado, (Latin for “I scrape out”), was introduced and it was more efficient than previous drills. It worked for a full two minutes before the clock spring had to be re-wound. Next on the market was a pneumatic drill operated by pedal-powered bellows that did not need rewinding. The first electrical drill was invented in 1875 and by 1914 electrical hand pieces reaching speeds of up to 3000 revolutions per minute
(rpmM) were in common use. High speed drills had been developed in 1911, but it was not until 1953 that the modern dental drill with its air turbine engine was introduced. The drill which you see commonly in the dental clinic is an air driven hand piece. The first air driven hand piece made in the USA in 1950 was by Dr. John Borden. The dental hand piece consists of three parts, the body, the turbine and the bur. The air turbine hand piece runs on compressed air which rotates the turbine and ultimately the bur. The turbine is the heart of the drill and can reach speeds as high as 400,000 rpms. The high speed is needed to cut into enamel, which is the hardest structure of the human body. The bur is a like a small drill bit with tips that are made of tungsten carbide or diamond. How does the dentist drill work? The dentist presses a foot pedal which is a kind of switch that turns on, increases the speed, and turns off the drill.
When the foot pedal is pressed compressed air is released and enters the drill through an air inlet pipe rotating the air turbine which powers the bur. The bur is used for drilling and cutting tooth structure, and bone. There are two types of hand pieces, slow speed and high speed. Everyone is familiar with the high speed one because of the high pitched noise it makes when in use. It can reach speeds as high as 800,000 rpms. The slow speed hand piece is used for slower applications such as polishing the teeth and removal of soft carious materials and it maxes out at speeds of 40,000 rpms. Even though dental hand pieces were invented more than 9,000 years ago they still remain a critical tool of modern day dentistry. They are used in many procedures for more efficient and accurate work and continue to be one of the more important instruments in the dental profession. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.
STANDARDS IN FOCUS STANDARDS FOR COCONUT Herstelling robbery/murder… Victim identifies one of five The hosting of the corners directly from the fruit or WATER AND COCONUT OIL coconut festival by the in labelled bottles from shops, gunmen during ID parade Ministry of Business and the supermarkets, restaurants and is also a CARICOM edible and industrial use at the various supporting groups eating houses. To ensure the seems to have drawn the attention of many towards the economic, nutritional and other values of coconuts grown in Guyana. As we engage in learning, consuming, selling and promoting coconut products and the coconut industry as a whole, we must also consider the importance of implementing the relevant standards to enhance the growth and development of this promising industry. At the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), there are currently three standards that are related to coconut products. These standards are the “Code of Practice for packaged natural coconut water”, “Specification for Packaged coconut water” and the “Specification for coconut oil”. Coconut water, which is a favourite of most consumers, is offered for sale in many places, whether at the street
safety of consumers, the Code of Practice for packaged natural coconut water was developed to set out the recommendations for the hygienic preparation of packaged coconut water including harvesting, processing, storing, transporting and distributing. The Code of Practice is also a CARICOM standard for implementation by all CARICOM member states. The Code of Practice provides guidelines for the harvesting time and methods, transportation and handling, storage and selection of coconuts, equipment and utensils, processing, packaging and labelling of coconut water. It also makes provisions for the personal hygiene of persons preparing and handling coconuts and coconut water and the disposal of waste coconut parts. Meanwhile, the Specification for Packaged natural coconut water, which
Standard, applies to the package of natural coconut water offered for consumption. This standard only applies to coconut water which has been packaged in its natural state without use of additives. It covers harvesting, composition, physiochemical limits, microbiological limits, organoleptic requirements, defective products, contaminants, quality control, hygiene and labelling. Local producers of coconut water are encouraged acquire copies of the available standards and follow the requirements therein to ensure consistency in the quality of their products, maintenance of good hygienic practices, and improved packaging and labelling. This week’s article will be concluded by examining the standards specification for coconut oil which specifies the requirements and methods of sampling and test for coconut oil intended for
commercial level. Coconut oil has been a household product in Guyana for a very long time; for food preparation or medicinal purposes. Today, this product has been commercialised and can be purchased by consumers from almost any market, supermarket, grocery shop or even pharmacies. To ensure that quality coconut oil is produced, the standard covers product description which includes type and grades, general requirements, food additives, physical and chemical characteristics, packaging and labelling, sampling and methods of test. The GNBS, in the future, will continue to develop more standards that are relevant to the growth and development of the coconut industry in Guyana. For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065, 219-0066 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org
97-year-old Hilton “Champ” Lewis is Uncle Eddie’s ... From page 13 you strengthen your heart and muscles,” he said. He says he would normally go out three to four times a day. He exercises, but not as regularly as before, but he tries to keep his body fit, eat well and drink a lot of water. He’s hoping to be around for his 100th birthday, so that he can “go have a chat and a drink with my friends”.
Lewis now resides at Uncle Eddie’s Home, located in Jackson Street, Tucville, Georgetown. He has been there for approximately nineteen months and spends his days relaxing. He communicates with his children as best as he could, because he said he’s “not really intrigued by all the technological devices and such”.
His room is filled with memories from his teaching life, as he surrounds himself with pictures from throughout the years. Outside his door there are a number of inspirational writings from Lewis’s life and just above are the letters that read “Champ”. He enjoys watching cricket and other sporting events, as well as singing and listening to classical music
and occasionally sketching and drawing. Recently the Mocha Arcadia Primary School presented Lewis with a plaque honouring his dedication and service towards the school. He shared that he is patiently waiting again for his son, William, to visit from overseas for the Christmas holidays and make his famous crab soup and baked chicken.
Abid Subrati, an overseas-based Guyanese, yesterday identified one of five gunmen, who stormed his home on Thursday and killed his 44-year-old brother during a robbery at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Subrati said that he was asked to go to the Brickdam Police Station to pick out the persons who went into his home—he identified one person during the identification parade. That individual is the brother-in-law of Subrati’s tenant, who is suspected of planning the brazen attack which resulted in the death of Abdool Ameer Subrati, a father of one.
The 21-year-old tenant and his wife, who is accused of clearing the spent shells from the crime scene, remain in police custody. Ranks are hunting for four other persons. The young couple is renting the lower flat of the Herstelling property where Subrati, his wife and daughter were staying when they arrived in Guyana on Tuesday. The 44-year-old man had gone to the location to visit his brother when the robbery occurred. He was shot to the neck when he put up a fight with the men. He later succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Guyanese man found dead in Trinidad ditch with head bashed in Trinidad (Trinidad Guardian) - Police have requested video footage which may assist them in investigating the death of Guyanese national, Keith Miller, who had his head crushed in an accident Thursday evening. According to police reports, Miller, 53, who they say had no relatives in the country, was employed as a security officer with Boriserv Security Company. Police said Miller was found around 6.45 pm Thursday after he left his work station with a bunch of keys. His body was found
during a search for him on the Maritime compound, Barataria, where the security firm is based. Police said they had no information regarding reports that Miller’s body may have been dragged a few metres after he was involved in a vehicular accident. A picture of Miller’s body in a ditch with his head quashed began circulating on WhatsApp Thursday night. Police also stated that they could not say if Miller was involved in a vehicular accident and have not made any rulings on his death so far.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
APNU+AFC reduces external debt by 2.7% From page 11 cost. According to the report, at the end of last June, Guyana’s total public debt amounted to just over US$1.552B, reflecting an in-
crease of almost 1 percent compared to the 2015 half year position. Of the total public debt, external debt amounted to US$1.143B or 73.7 percent while domestic debt was
$408.9M or 26.3 percent. The report said that external public debt declined by 2.7 percent, from US$1.175B at the end of June 2015 to US$1.43B at end June 2016.
This decline was mainly due to repayments of the oil debt to Venezuela in the form of rice and paddy shipments. The report also stated that external principal and interest
payments amount to US$27.1M during the first half of 2016, of which central government payments were US$24.5M. Ministry of Finance said that compared with the previous year, total external debt service payments decreased by 46.9 percent. “This major reduction is a direct result of the decrease in debt service payments to Venezuela. In July 2015, the PetroCaribe Arrangement and the Guyana -Venezuela Rice Trade Agreement (GVRTA) were halted.” This meant that there were no further shipments of rice and paddy to compensate for the oil debt to Venezuela. External disbursements significantly declined during the first half of 2016 in comparison to the same period last year. At the end of June 2016, actual external disbursements total US$14.8M compared to US$51.0M at the end of June 2015. This 71 percent decrease was due to the abrupt halt of the PetroCaribe Arrangement,
the completion of the Export Import Bank of China E -Government Project and reduced disbursements from the multilateral creditors. In the first half of 2016, the multilateral creditors provided 86 percent of the external financing in comparison to 45 percent over the same period last year, while the bilateral creditors accounted for 14 percent of external disbursements at the end of June 2016 compared to 55 percent at the end of June 2015. The report also noted that Guyana continues to accumulate significant arrears, totalling US$158.5 million at June 30, 2016, to its bilateral nonParis Club and commercial creditors who did not participate in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The Government continues to act i v e l y e n g a g e these creditors with a view to debt write-offs. Some of these debts date back to the 1970s.
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
Guyana officially off FATF radar Guyana is officially off the watch list of the global Antimoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism compliance process of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). This is according to information posted on the FATF website following the plenary session held in Paris. The session was attended by Minister of Legal Affairs Attorney General, Basil Williams. Following the plenary session, the FATF congratulated Guyana for the significant progress it has made in addressing the strategic AML/CFT deficiencies earlier identified by the FATF and included in its action plan. “Guyana will no longer be subject to the FATF’s monitoring under its on-going global AML/CFT compliance process. The country will work with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), of which it is a member, to further strengthen its AML/CFT regime,” the website said. Guyana’s removal from the FATF global watch list is a major accomplishment in the nation’s fight against financial crimes and terrorism. Guyana was at risk of being blacklisted by the intergovernmental body which is tasked with developing and promoting policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The blacklisting would have resulted in grave implications for the country’s private sector, trade and financial systems. Last year, despite fierce objection by the opposition, the coalition Government passed the AML/CFT Amendment Bill 2015, paving the way
… Compliance body lauds country’s efforts time. In addition, President David Granger reiterated his Government’s commitment to compliance and its importance to Guyana’s security. He reminded that as a small country with porous borders, Guyana is vulnerable to transnational crimes such as human trafficking and contraband smuggling and as such, the country has done its best to tackle these problems within the limit of its resources. In addition, Minister Williams noted that while there is still some resistance to the new measures, the Government has been doing a lot of work to ensure that the population gets a better understanding of the importance of fighting money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Guyana passed new laws this year which called for local financial institutions to put stricter controls in place to ensure dirty money does not enter the banking system.
Attorney General Basil Williams for all financial transactions (FATF/ ICRG) onsite visit in the country to be moni- here. He said that the Financial tored. Six months after passing Action Task Force and Interthe controversial Bill, Govern- national Cooperation Review (FATF/ICRG) ment returned to the drawing Group board to table amendments in recognise that all of these keeping with requests by the changes have been achieved in a relatively brief period of respective task force. In September a team from the international body conducted an onsite inspection as part of the process to review Guyana’s compliance to (From page 20) poor work done. GPL is now reportedly using the same CMC the standards outlined by the to repair the cable it laid and is expected to spend over $150M. FATF. The damaged cable has badly affected GPL’s capacity to The team subsequently assessed Guyana’s progress bring excess power from the West Demerara area which in with the implementation of turn has affected consumers. A part of the CMC-built transmission lines, in the city, is new anti-money laundering laws and had expressed that also now facing severe problems with outages increasing in they were pleased with the recent weeks. Engineers are working to find the faults. The contract was awarded to Manitoba Hydro Internasteps taken. The AG had also expressed tional Limited, a Canadian company. GPL is facing major problems with outages on the confidence that Guyana will receive a positive review by coastlands with technical and commercial losses at a massive the end of the Financial Ac- 29-plus percent. GPL wants to reduce its losses to 23.8 percent in the near tion Task Force /International Coordinating Review Group term.
After eight-month...
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VACANCY One experienced dispatcher – Call: 231-5784/ 231-4000
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana p assport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, busi ness cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 RAMDASS VISA APPLICATION & immigration services, room A-4, Maraj Building, Georgetown. Call Samantha: 227-0295; 6159295 Eagle’s: Re-gas -$8,000, Washing machine repairs, Gas Stove, Plasma flat Screen & more @ New Market Street. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 Austin Powers Repairs & Services: repairs done on all domestic appliances, house wiring, etc, located in Bagotstown. Call: 685-2588/ 613-1711 Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call:629-4946 or 225-4822 Brian Moe @ 642-3543: Computer Technician: FB/ Brian.Moe.165: Home and Office visits at your comfort!!
SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
Popular East Coast Gas Station (Non-Pareil) Day/ Night: pump attendants, sales clerk & office assistant. Contact: 695-9880/670-8893 Experienced pharmacy assistant to work in reputable pharmacy, interested persons can call: 227-0630 Truck Driver must have lorry licence contact 223-5273/4 Accounts clerk to work in Charity Essequibo contact 223-5273/4
EDUCATIONAL IAE – CXC Jan/June 2017 – full time school; lessons/ classes for students, adults, repeaters & beginners. Call Mr. Roberts: 683-5742 Career Training: care for the elderly/care for children/first aid & CPR. Guyana Training College. Call: 227-4881 International Opportunity: support worker/caregiver Training to live & work in Canada. Guyana Training College. Call: 227-4881 Spanish lessons for CXC students & beginners (Form 1, 2, 3) on Saturdays, location at Croal & Light Street. Call: 611-5562 VACANCY RESTURANT WORK: 9AM-3PM, NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED, G/TOWN AREA, GOOD SALARY. CALL: 672-4532 Exist for 1 P.O.B , O.A and Accounts teacher at I.P.E, Grove. Call: 643-0777/ 2653996 ADOPTION Mix bred dogs & puppies for adoption, owner not well enough to care for them. Call: 220-2156
Supervisor/Manager for Xenon hotel in Charity Essequibo contact 223-5273/4 One Nanny for young child contact 223-5273/4 Bartender, Security, DJ, waitress to work nights & secretary 18-25yrs, Cleaners. Call: 638-5303 Work from home; earn $5,000$20, 000 daily. Call: 643-8212/ 6 2 2 - 1 9 5 7 / email:jobfairworldwide.com Waiters, waitresses, cooks, cashier to work in Trinidad. Call: 643-8212/ 622-1957/ email:jobfairworldwide.com Marketing Reps -$300,000 monthly. Call: 643-8212/ 6221957
PROPERTY FOR SALE
FOR RENT
VEHICLE FOR SALE
Lot 704 House & Land at Zeelugt, Brother Dam W.C.D -$7M negotiable. Call: 616-5606/ 277-0281
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Unregistered Bluebird 2011 Model, Tiida Latio 2010 model, Rush 2006 model( TV, Reverse Camera). Call: 6553400
1 Church building in front and 2 story building at the back (W30X6120) @ 180 CharolotteStreetBourda.Call:6247341/227-6817/226-5183 House & Land available for sale. Contact Pacific Development Inc: 223-6035/ 227-8274 Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Property @ New Rd Vreeden-Hoop, 3 Houses on lot 50ftX300ft, asking $55M. Call Sunil: (310) 982-8199; Cecil: 630-9455 East Ruimveldt 40X80 flat $12M, Diamond 8th Avenue incomplete top -$12M & 21st Avenue $17M, South 18M. Call: 231-2199/618-7483 Property @ Lot 172 Zohora Street, Market Street Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. Call: 220-1583/667-6066 Property with extra large land well built with 2 storey house @ Back Street BetterHope, E.C.D Won’t last. Call: 2201583/667-6066 Property at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Call: 695-1737
One legal computer clerk. Call: 226-4283/ 258-0213/ 624-7087, email: husainsaphier@yahoo.com
Super Deal: 3 apartments, 7 bedrooms, upper flat, fully furnished @ Eccles, includes Mazda Tribute Vehicle. Call: 618-2603 ( owner migrating)
Driver salesman, sales supervisor for established brand of snack foods, chocolates, biscuits, beverages, etc, sales experienced required. Call: 617-1809
2 Storey concrete house @ 55 Section B, Non Pariel (first street from main road)- $14M negotiable. Call: 657-8561 immediately.
SECRETARIAL/OFFICE WORK: 9AM-5PM, G/ TOWN AREA, GOOD SALARY, NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED. CALL: 672-4532
Property at 87 E Albert Street, Alberttown, price $38,000,000 negotiable, front lot, size 80X20. Call: 669-8701 3 Bedrooms house located in Kitty, price $26M negotiable. Call: 645-6498 2 Bedrooms house located at Werk-en-Rust, land size 30X126, building is collecting $90,000 rent also. -$28M negotiable. Call: 645-6498
DRESSMAKING Jean offers courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral arrangement, and cake decoration @ 153 Barr Street Kitty. Call: 670-2653/ 638-8449 HEALTH Herbal Nectar Treatment for diabetics, hypertension and most internal sickness, sexual enhancers for men. Call: 6518351
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP R E AT E S , S P E C I A L OFFERFOR THE SUMMER. CALL: 690-6494
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: 4WD PICKUP,. CHEAPEST RATE & SPECIAL RATE FOR LONG TERM . CALL: 698-7807
Business/Residential: house & land @ LBI Road Side, prime location, price $60,000,000 negotiable. Contact 669-5820/647-8786 3 7 0 / e m a i l : loveshanaz82@gmail.com VEHICLE FOR SALE Auto pitbull bus in good working condition, BTT series, fully alarm, -$2.7M negotiable. Call: 609-2159/ 612-3456/691-8272
One exclusive three bedrooms apartment @ First Bridge Diamond, E.B.D $70,000. Call: 225-5258/6152622 One bedroom bottom flat, fully furnished house $65,000. Call: 641-0959 2 Bedroom fully furnished house with hot & cold shower, Wi-Fi, security cameras, A/C, all amenities $850USD. Call: 641-0959 Spacious 2 bedrooms lower flat at Herstelling E.B.D. Call: 265-0204/6010223/676-5824 Self-contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. Tel: 227-2993 3 Bedrooms top flat Grove H/ Scheme -$60,000. Call: 6194490/ 604-1781 3 Bedrooms house @ Goed Intent W.B.D. Call: 267-1446 2 Storey 3 Bedrooms concrete house for rent in Diamond New Scheme E.B.D -$50,000. Call: 609-9909 Bond Space @ East & Church Streets, near Bourda Market. Call: 618-4872/ 223-0065
LAND FOR SALE Diamond -$2.5M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$950,000, 50X100 -$3M; Cummings Lodge $7M, Enterprise Public Road 157X200 -$30M, Schoonard 1st Street. Call: 231-2199/ 6187483 Land at Tuschen -$2.5M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.4M, $1.2M, Zeelugt, Herstelling, All price reduced & terms available. Call: 604-6724 Land @ La Parfaite Harmonie, reduced prices: $1.1M & $1.3M, title available. Call: 658-5897/ 6732692 La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.3M negotiable. Call: 690-9645 50ftX198ft located in Friendship, E.B.D – price $5M. Call: 645-6498 VEHICLE FOR SALE Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, PRR series -$2M negotiable. Call: 697-7699 1 Landcruiser Prado excellent condition. cont. 625-4196 or 656-0565
Blowout Car Sale!!! IST$2.1M, Spacio-$2.1M, Fielder-$2.1M, Audi A4$3.7M. Contact#650-0402/ 260-4988 Oswin J’s Auto Imports: New Arrivals: Premio, Allion, Fielder, Axio, Rush, X-Trail. Free full coverage insurance. Call: 609-2815 1 Isuzu truck,6 cylinder engine. Contact # 650-0402 Special Sale: 2009 Belta $2.1M, 2009 Airwave -$2.4M. Call: 617-2891 2009 Raum- $2.4M, 2009 Sienta -$2.4M, 2009 Axio $2.8M, 2009 Fielder -$2.6M. Call: 617-2891 Toyota Premio 2008 PSS series, high frequency, remote start, alarm system $2M. Call: 658-5897/-6732692 One jaguar XJ6 Motor Car Sedan, four doors, executive blue, very good condition, must be seen, prices to sell. Call: 227-8448/ 612-8319 1 Marino PJJ Series $650,000. Call: 619-4490/ 6041781 Unregistered Cars at low prices: Allion, Bluebird, Axela, used Rav4, 4x4 pickup on sale. Call: 676-8876/ 6267478 Equipment Sale: 6X6 TM and Scammell trucks, excavators, crushers. Call: 676-8876, 626-7478 Yamaha R1 CG609, Toyota AT212, AT192, L-Touring Wagon, Tundra, Tacoma, Nissan Pickup. Call: 6445096; 697-1453 1 New unregistered Toyota Allion 2004 Model, low mileage, TV, navigation, music, remote start with alarm system, etc. Call: 649-0956 Unregistered Axela 2011, dark interior, Corolla Fielder 2002 rims, dark interior $1.950M @ Prestige Auto Sale. Call: 617-5536 2 Model M trucks in excellent condition, price $3M/$4M each – Call: 6216056/622-2620/226-0022 One Toyota Verossa $2.5M negotiable. Call: 614-0694 1 Toyota Verossa, excellent condition, PTT series. Call: 618-1395/ 220-6380 Continued on page 63
Sunday October 23, 2016
From page 62
FOR SALE Sale on foxtail palms, silver palms, red palms, Christmas trees, hibiscus, etc. Call:6875631/216-2199 Evergreen Plantshop. Full body mannequins $15,000. Simone: 626-5317
TO LET 1-3 Bedrooms bottom flat apartment, semi-furnished, full bathroom, good neighbourhood at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara. Call: 220-1583/ 667-6066 1-2 Bedrooms apartment fully furnished; 1-2 Bedrooms apartment unfurnished. Call: 667-2536 2 Bedroom Apartment in exclusive residential Airport, close to Ogle Airport , with all modern amenities. Call for appointment 622-5725. Stylish comfortable 2 bedrooms apartment for vocation rental. Web: Airbnb Georgetown, FB: Prestige Property Vocational Rental. Call: 592-678-6690 1- Two bedrooms house located in Triumph E.C.D, preferably working couple $50,000 negotiable. Call: 6154178/220-4194 KITTY APARTMENTS: FURNISHED, GRILLED, 2 BEDROOMS, NEW, GRANITE, SECURE. $120,000 MONTHLY (NO AGENTS). CALL: 672-4532
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 1 45" Complete cabin Cruiser, trout seine, excellent condition. Call: 654-2817/ 6570044/625-8522 Organic Potting Soil -$900, Lawn Grass -$1,400, Ficus 4 @$1,000, Exora 4 @ $1,000, also Palms & Flowers. Call: 626-1044 1- CAT 320 BL Excavators, 1 CAT 930 Front End Loader. 1-55 Leyland DAF Truck, 1 CAT D4H Bulldozer. Call: 2750538/ 683-7225 1- 5L Hilux pickup for sale & 1 transported property @ Covent Garden Island, E.B.DCall: 265-3586 600 Amps automatic transfer switch and more items. Call: 627-7835 Muscovy Ducklings and eggs (white & brown). Call: 602-7203
Pitbull bus, BPP 8496. Call: 691-0789/ 649-1952
1 Male or female shop assistant to work in the Interior, salary depends on experienced. Call: 678-0565 1 Male to work on vehicle in the interior. Call: 678-0565 Live in waitress. Call: 6439007 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 Carpenters, masons, labourer, preferably from Georgetown area. Call: 6907316 between 9:00am-4:00pm Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellvile (Best Buy Food Supplies)
Cheap! Cheap! CCTV Security Surveillance Kit, 8 Channels DVR with built in Hard Drive, 8 bullet cameras – Tel: 621-4740
Live in couple: husband – driving & wife- domestic, one professional room panneller. Call: 227-1813
PURE BRED SHOW DOG QUALITY, 7 MONTHS MALE, ALASKAN MALAMUTE, SERIOUS ENQUIRIES ONLY. CALL: 611-8698/685-4449 Used Honda Generator 3900 Watts, very excellent working condition, give away price, owner migrating -$30,000 negotiable. Call: 6143764 Mixed Breed puppies, eight (8) weeks old. Breed: Pekingese and Dachshund. Call: 644-1972
VEHICLE FOR SALE
Sales Clerk, must be able bodied ages 18-30yrs. Call: 643-7193
1 Live in domestic. Call: 6741767/ 659-2708
1 Nisssan X-Trail, PMM series -$1.2M. Call: 653-8754
Female bartender, live in/out, attractive waitresses needed at Eden’s Bar (East Bank). Call: 678-3616
WANTED Entertainment Manager to work in the Essequibo Coast: must have experienced in promotions, events & hotel managements. Call: 226-9768
Household appliances going cheap: washer, TV, suite, bed, treadmill, wardrobe, microwave, A/C unit, dryer. Call: 658-5897/ 673-2692
Double Steel Wheeled Roller, 1 Mack Concrete mixer truck. Call: 275-0538/ 683-7225
WANTED
Kaieteur News
Land @ Zeelugt -$1.8M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.5M, $1.2M & (1) 2 Bedrooms flat concrete house located @ Tuschen -$3.5M. Call: 6421252
1 Truck Driver, 1 Welder. Call: 218-1455
One domestic to work in Trinidad. Call 1868- 683-1528 Live in maid wanted ages 45 & older @ Robb Street. Call: 226-0450 or 627-3205 Need one trainee to do electrical work, ages 16-17, must have interest in electrical field- $7,000 weekly. Call: 685-2588 One maid needed. Call: 6399449 Experienced welders, must be able to weld ships and barges. Call: 226-1100, 226-5380 Live in domestic, must know to cook, boarding & lodging free, salary $80,000 monthly. Call: 610-3974 Live in waitress with secondary education, boarding & lodging free, salary $70,000 monthly. Call: 610-5043 One live in housekeeper. Call: 223-0654/ 225-0605
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
War brews between poultry producers, GRA over Jamaica feed From page 9 contravention of the rules of origin in relation to the feed. No such evidence was forthcoming,” GRA said. On April 8, 2016, MOA again requested that GRA hold a shipment of ‘10 containers of poultry feed to the same consignee and impose import duties. ”They made reference to the same grounds as outlined for the February shipment, and again no supporting evi-
dence was tendered.” GRA said that a Jamaican delegation visiting for the 42nd COTED requested a bilateral meeting to address the issue, rather than place it on the general agenda. The meeting was facilitated by the Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, on April 22, 2016. It was agreed at that meeting that the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas allows for a request of the verification of origin and for the consignee
to deposit the import duties in the interim. According to GRA, subsequent shipments were also required to pay the deposits as a condition for release, pending the response of the Jamaican authority on the qualifying status of the poultry feed. ”The competent authority in Jamaica submitted their findings in July stating that the product is compliant for regional treatment as the al-
lowable component is 4.69%, and therefore within the limit of the permitted five per cent.” GRA disclosed that the Jamaican authorities, through contact with Caricom and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), requested a response on the acceptance of their findings in the verification process. The status of the matter was communicated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jamaica then approached CARICOM for immediate intervention with the GRA to confirm that the product meets the rules of origin and can now enter Guyana duty free. According to GRA, Guyana was in no position to refute the findings of the Jamaicans. As a matter of fact, GRA said there is no need for the Jamaicans to demonstrate the origin of the inputs once the criteria in the list is satisfied. ”The conditions also infer that materials can be used from any other tariff heading in any proportion or value, regardless of origin or percentage of the value of the export price of the finished product. In essence, one is only allowed a maximum of five per cent value of poultry feed as raw materials of the export price of the finished product.” According to GRA, there are a few options that Guyana can explore in which the local feed producers can claim “serious injury or the threat of serious injury to domestic
Poultry feed producers are objecting to Jamaica’s Nutramix being imported with duties not being charged. producers of like or directly competitive products in any industry or specific sector of any industry.” This means it has to be
actioned through MOFA, and supporting evidence must be tendered in accordance with the provisions of the treaty that governs trade in CARICOM, GRA advised. The recent complaint on behalf of the Guyana Poultry Producers Association was launched by its members, Robert Badal and President, Patrick De Groot.
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
Iraqi army drives Islamic State from Christian region near Mosul Reuters - Iraqi army troops yesterday stormed into a Christian region that has been under Islamic State control since 2014 as part of U.S.backed operations to clear the entrances to Mosul, the militants’ last major city stronghold in Iraq. The advance took place as U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter met Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad to evaluate the campaign that began on Monday with air and ground support from the U.Sled coalition. A military statement said Iraqi units entered the centre of Qaraqosh, a mainly Christian town about 20 km (13
miles) southeast of Mosul, and were carrying out mop-up operations across the town. Further action was under way to seize a neighbouring Christian village, Karamless, also known as Karemlash in the Syriac language. The region’s population fled in the summer of 2014, when Islamic State swept in. Last week, Iraqi special units also captured Bartella, a Christian village north of Qaraqosh. A U.S. military official estimated there were fewer than a couple of hundred Islamic State fighters in Qaraqosh. “I’ve seen berms in Qaraqosh. I anticipate there’ll
be trenches, there’ll be passageways between different buildings,” the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity. The offensive on Mosul is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and it could require a massive humanitarian relief operation. Some 1.5 million residents remain in the city and worst-case scenario forecasts see up to a million being uprooted, according to the United Nations. U.N. aid agencies said the fighting has so far forced about 6,000 to flee their homes.
South Africa graft agency will not oppose Zuma bid to delay Gupta report - eNCA TV Reuters - South Africa’s new anti-graft watchdog will not oppose President Jacob Zuma’s court bid to delay the release of a report into allegations of political interference by the wealthy Gupta brothers, eNCA TV said, citing court documents. Indian-born businessmen Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta are the subject of an official investigation into allegations that they have had undue influence over Zuma. The report, by the outgoing Public Protector, a constitutionally-mandated anti-graft official, was prevented from being made public by Zuma’s application to the High Court to delay its release. Zuma has denied granting undue influence to the Guptas and they have denied seeking it. Zuma’s critics have voiced concern that a delay in the report could lead to a wateringdown of its conclusions. The television station quoted Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane as saying in court papers that it was
Jacob Zuma up to the court to decide whether the report can be released. Oupa Segalwe, a spokesman at the Public Protector, said he could not immediately confirm the report. The court was due to hear Zuma’s case on Nov. 1 before the report can be released. Zuma applied for that order last week on the grounds that he had not had the chance to question witnesses and review any evidence that impli-
cated him. Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen also filed a court application to block the release of the report. Both cases are due to be heard on Nov. 1. Madonsela said in June she would investigate whether or not Zuma unlawfully allowed the Gupta family to choose ministers and other occupants of high office.
Colombia’s largest airline cancels flights to Caracas BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s largest airline has cancelled all flights to Caracas after what it said was a security breach involving one of its aircraft and Venezuela’s air force. Avianca’s spokeswoman Gilma Usuga said that all flights to Europe will also be
rerouted to avoid Venezuelan airspace until the security of its operations can be guaranteed. The decision affects multiple daily flights between Caracas and Bogota and Lima, Peru. Usuga said that the incident took place on flight between Madrid and
Bogota Friday night. She refrained from further comment until the two governments clarify what happened. Local media said the Boeing 787 was flying at a high altitude when it was approached in a menacing fashion by one or possibly two fighter jets, setting off a collision warning system.
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Sunday October 23, 2016
“Hurricane Tax” Off The Table NASSAU, The Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie is backpedaling from a suggestion that government may need to “tax some item” to get funds for the country’s Hurricane Matthew recovery and repair effort. He says no new taxes are needed. Christie was adamant, as he spoke in the House of Assembly, that the Ministry of Finance knew that prior to Matthew’s arrival, as external experts presented the information as part of a specially commissioned study. The government has been facing harsh criticism over Christie’s comments on Monday that the country needed to give serious consideration to a more effective way of financing its losses. During that interview he said it might have been time to consider a “selective approach” to accrue the money by “taxing some item that would be of minimal impact on people”. However, when he stood in Parliament for the first time
Perry Christie
since Matthew pummeled New Providence, Grand Bahama and Andros, he suggested that his comments were in an off-record conversation with reporters. The nation’s leader asserted that it was “natural” to ask a question to invoke debate as to how the government would tackle debt
caused by natural disasters. He seemed bothered by the media’s decision to publicize the comments, which have incited outrage among Bahamians. “We were given the assurance of the technical staff of the Ministry of Finance that the funding to service this debt can be derived from the existing tax system in a policy neutral manner – that is, no change in the existing rates,” he said.
(Adapted from The Tribune)
Sunday October 23, 2016
Arsenal go top after 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough (Reuters) Arsenal moved top of the Premier League table but were unconvincing in a 0-0 home draw with Middlesbrough who were well worth their point yesterday. The Gunners dominated the opening 20 minutes but Boro should have led by halftime. Adama Traore broke clear but Petr Cech saved his shot with legs and Alvaro Negredo wasted a great chance from the rebound.
The hosts had another let-off when Gaston Ramirez’s curling free kick thumped against the post and Ramirez headed a great chance straight at Cech. Arsenal were better after the break and Boro keeper Victor Valdes made a superb save to keep out former Barcelona team m a t e A l e x i s S a n c h e z ’s dipping effort before Mesut Ozil had a late goal disallowed for offside.
Kaieteur News
Reigning champs crush... (From page 67) Georgetown, Marian Academy, Stella Maris, St. Agnes, South Ruimveldt and St. Stephen’s. The third place qualifiers are F.E. Pollard, Redeemer, Mae’s and St. Gabriel’s. Following the conclusion of the round of 16 stage, the losing eight schools will compete for positions nine through 16 until the conclusion of the event. Winners of the tourney will receive the championship trophy, medals, a set of team uniforms and certificates while the runners-up will collect the second place trophy, medals, six footballs and certificates.
Sunday 23 October. 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't be disappointed if you don't get your way emotionally. New methods and innovative technology will make your job far easier than you anticipated. Keep an eye on your weight. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Take time to help a friend who hasn't been feeling well. Try to curb overindulgence today. Try not to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Your personal partner may be less than willing to accommodate you today. You can make favorable real estate offers today. You will have a greater involvement in groups; however, they may not be to your advantage. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Don't be afraid to lay your cards on the table. You can meet a new romantic partner or secure the love connection you already have by going out and entertaining yourself. Don't divulge secret information. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You will find the excitement gratifying. Keep a lookout for any individuals eager to confront you with unsavory situations. Try to get others to stand behind your good judgment. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Try not to be so demonstrative. You can make personal changes that will enhance your reputation and give you greater self confidence. You can get the attention of important individuals but it might not be the time to get
them to help or to back your ideas. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Be careful while traveling. It's time to reconnect with some of the people you used to know. You can get your point across and make valuable connections. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Children may be demanding, and entertainment could cost a lot more than you can really afford. Travel opportunities must be taken advantage of. Don't waste this exciting day by sitting at home. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Try to communicate if you wish to help. You may find that depression is causing you to feel lonely and insecure. Plan to get out and do a bit of travel. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Give everyone in the house a physical chore that will help burn off some of the excess energy. Spend time with friends or family. Limitations on the home front can be expected if you have been restricting your mate's freedom. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Inharmonious situations at home may be extremely upsetting for you today. Refuse to get involved in idle chatter; it will only make you look bad. Do not let the reactions of others get you going. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Don't expect support from your mate. You can offer your help to others but back off if they appear to be offended by your persistence. Your flair for dramatic appeal will unleash itself at social functions.
The third placed side will receive the respective trophy, four balls and certificates while fourth placed will be presented with a trophy and certificates. The most discipline team will also be presented with a trophy. On the individual side, the most valuable player, highest goal scorer and best goalkeeper will each receive a trophy and football cleats. The championship resumes on October 15th at the same venue.
Over $1M... (From page 69) 45 and Over-45 riders. ”The veterans race will finish after 18 laps, the juniors and seniors go on to complete a 30-lap race after that Digicel will take over to award prizes.” The top 5 senior riders would receive cash awards of $250,000, $200,000, $150,000, $80,000 and $20,000, respectively. The top three juniors are guaranteed, $80,000, $50,000 and $30,000. Safety would be paramount, Arjoon noted, whilst also announcing that designated feeding zones have already been confirmed. He also noted that a limited amount of motorcycles would be allowed on the circuit to carry spare wheels in event of a puncture being suffered by any competitor. Club President Fernandes expressed gratitude to Digicel for allowing them the opportunity for managing the event once again, noting that he is anticipating as much as 70 cyclists to be in attendance. ”This race is going to be a big one so please come out, bring your family cyclists, bring your friends, let’s get the crowd going and I expect it to be very competitive and exciting and its going to be a fun morning.” Defending champion Jeffrey stated that he is fit and ready to defend his title stating that he was in Colombia for three months training for this event as well as last Sunday’s Ounce of Gold Race, Caribbean Championship, Tobago Classics and the 5-stage which is now a 3stage event.
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
AK takes aim at GDF in Terrence Alli National Open The Republican Gym is riding on a wave of confidence going into this weekend’s Terrence Alli National Open boxing tournament. The boys representing the Guyana Prison Service are set to go head-to-head with nemesis the Guyana Defence Force but this time is buoyed by the presence of heavyweight marksman Jason ‘AK 47’ Barker. The 27-year-old inmate is currently basking in boxing glory following his annihilation of Choya Fields at a Tri-Nation competition in Barbados earlier this
month. During the course of the abbreviated encounter, the towering Barker took early aim and in rapid fire, dropped Fields three times within two minutes of the first round to win by TKO. Reports from the Republican Gym state that Barker is anxious to participate in the National Open in order to retain the heavyweight title. “At this point in time the AK 47 is a well- oiled machine. His confidence is sky high and he has produced a positive impact on the entire Republican team. The AK is ready and has taken aim; so all have been warned,” a source said. Contacted yesterday for a response GFD coach and Guyana Boxing Association
Jason ‘AK 47’ Barker Technical Director Terrence ‘Cool’ Poole remained tight lipped about who would be representing the army in the
heavyweight division. “That information is not to be disclosed at this time,” Poole said in a terse response when asked about who would be coming up against Barker and chances of victory. Poole would only confirm that GDF, the reigning champion gym, is sending a strong team of 30 fighters. The National Open will be staged from Friday to Sunday at the National Gymnasium. Barker would be supported by welterweight Joshua ‘JJ’ Joseph, Best Boxer at the Lennox Blackmoore National Intermediate. Meanwhile, GBA president Steve Ninvalle yesterday confirmed that Guyana would be sending five referee/judges to Barbados in December to sit a One Star exam to be conducted by American Ray Silvas, vice chairman of the AIBA Referring and Judging Commission. Chairperson of the local Referee/Judges Commission Ramona Agard and four others will make up Team Guyana.
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
PAGE 71
Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition
Reigning champs crush Tucville 6-0 Defending champion St. Angela’s marched into the knockout phase of this year’s Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition after crushing Tucville 6-0 in their clash yesterday, at the Banks DIH ground, Thirst Park. Among the other top teams joining St. Angela’s were 2013 winner St. Pius and West Ruimveldt who cemented their places in the next phase through wins against Mae’s and Enterprise respectively. In St. Angela’s win Omarie Nelson and Seon Cato led the rout with a brace apiece. Nelson entered the scoresheet in the second and 27th minute, while Cato’s double was scored in the eighth and 26th minutes. The other players on target were Dexter Farrell,
who netted in the 13th and Antonio McArthur in the 29th minutes. Meanwhile, St. Pius cruised past Mae’s 5-0 with K a d e n We l l i n g t o n a n d Dwayne Baptiste firing in a pair each to go with a single strike from Deshale Humphrey. Wellington’s goals came in the ninth and 13th minutes, while Baptiste efforts were recorded in the 15th and 22nd minutes, while Humphrey’s strike came after five minutes of play. West Ruimveldt squeezed past Enterprise 1-0 courtesy of a Kevin Mentis goal in the 18th minute. In other results, 2012 holders Marian Academy and North Georgetown played to a 1-1 stalemate with Nicholas Verwey’s first minute strike
handing Marian Academy the lead, before Shaquan Walters leveled in the 15th minute. F.E. Pollard nipped Comenius 1-0 through a Bryan Wharton 11th minute effort, while South Ruimveldt edged St. Stephen’s 2-1 with Antonio Leitch and Saleem Rameshwar, the players on target in the 11th and 12th minutes respectively. Omali Xavier netted the lone response for St. Stephen’s in the seventh minute. 2014 champion Stella Maris fell to St. Agnes 1-0 with Amos Bayley’s sixth minute goal the difference between the two teams. St. Margaret’s beat J.E. Burnham 2-0 courtesy of a double from Mickelle Andrews in the seventh and 27th minutes, while St. Gabriel’s edged St. Ambrose
1-0 through a Tyrese Hart 40th minute strike. Winfer Gardens defeated Smith Memorial via walkover, while Success Elementary and School of the Nations played to a goalless draw and Redeemer and Rama Krishna encounter produced a similar result. The teams that have qualified for the round of 16 stage as group winners and runners-up are: St. Angela’s, Tucville, St. Pius, Winfer Gardens, West Ruimveldt, St. Margaret’s, North (Continued on page 65)
Part of the action in this year’s Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition.
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IGG Futsal
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
Doesburg’s helmet-trick sets up crushing 11-1 win for Suriname
By Franklin Wilson Suriname inked their name in the Inter Guiana Games history books with a crushing 11-1 win over Guyana when Futsal was played at this level for the first time yesterday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Clear superiority in the shorter format of the game, the Dutch team, urged on by their supporters and competing athletes from other disciplines at these games erased a 1-0 deficit to pummel their English speaking counterparts following a second half 8goal blitz. Guyana had taken the early lead 7 minutes into the
match as they dominated the opening exchanges; Daquan Wilson performing the honours of scoring the first goal, also historical. But that was all the glory the locals would have experienced as the Surinamese gradually took control of proceedings and never again allowed the home team to get on the score sheets. Terence Aroeman drew the Surinamese level 17 minutes on and one minute later, another Aroeman goal followed split seconds later by Stefano Mac-Donald’s strike sent the visitors ahead 3-1; a lead they kept intact up to the half way mark of the match.
Home fans were hoping to see a recovery of some sorts from the Guyanese players in the final 20 minutes but that was not to be as the Dutch boys fired in goals at will, showing a superior understanding of the game whilst also employing a number of game tricks to set them apart. Another evident trait of the Surinamese’ game was the way the Technical staff utalised their substitutes, rotating them regularly ensuring almost fresh legs throughout the encounter, something the Guyanese failed to do. Nazario Doesburg blasted a helmet-trick with goals in the 24th, 25th, 37th
Guyana on the defensive against Suriname.
and 39th minute, while netting one each were Elyah Pengel (27), Gelton Alphons (31), Denilson Joekoe (34) and Gillaume Strooker in the 36th minute. The second and third matches in the 3-game series
would be played today at the same venue at 09:00hrs and 13:00hrs, respectively when the home side would hope to take at least one of these two remaining matches. While the Surinamese
converted all but one of their penalties after the Guyanese would have committed five fouls; the Guyanese failed to convert a l l o f t h e i rs even as Suriname also reached the 5foul limit.
Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Digicel Breast Cancer Awareness Cycle Road Race – next Sunday
Over $1M in cash at stake as the nation’s best set to collide; Race dedicated to Sharon Khan By Franklin Wilson Two-time champion Raynauth ‘Obeah Man’ Jeffrey, who is also the reigning champion, is confident that his challengers would have to come very good if they are to dethrone him come Sunday October 30th when the 5th annual Digicel Breast Cancer Awareness Cycle Road Race is contested around the outré circuit of the National Park. The details of this lucrative event and the format it would take this year were shared with the media at the official launch of the race on Friday morning last at Digicel’s Head Office in Kingston, Georgetown. Gracing the activity with their presence were Digicel Head of Marketing Ms. Jacqueline James, Senior Sponsorship and Events Executive Ms. Louanna Abrams, Defending champions Raynauth Jeffrey along with the President and Secretary of Evolution Cycling Club (organisers), Keith Fernandes and Andrew Arjoon. In her opening remarks Ms. James stated that while the race is about spreading awareness about Breast and all other Cancers affecting persons in society, she would like persons to also celebrate those individuals
who have survived the dreaded disease. This year’s event which would see fans attending being treated to Digicel giveaways on the lawns of Camp Ayangana along the JB Singh Highway parapet is being dedicated to Digicel staff member Ms. Sharon Singh, a survivor of Cancer for the past year. ”She has been an inspiration to all of us at Digicel and this is just one way of recognizing her passion and dedication to Digicel and to the fight against cancer. I encourage Guyana to come out and support. This year we’ll have over one million dollars in prize monies to be won in the various categories.” Digicel staff members including Ms. James would also be facing starter’s orders come Sunday October 30th in what is anticipated to be an exciting novelty race. ”We’re encouraging everyone to come out and ride, we’ll have categories ranging from juniors, seniors, veterans, ladies, novices and mountain bikes.” The Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) and Evolution Cycling Club (ECC) were both recognized by Ms James for their collective efforts towards pulling off this year’s 5th annual event. It is the second
Ready for the Ride! Digicel and Evolution Cycle Club representatives at the launch along with defending champion Raynauth Jeffrey (2nd left). Others from right are Keith Fernandes, Andrew Arjoon, Ms Jacqueline James and Ms Louanna Abrams. year in a row that ECC is the lead organiser. As has been the norm, Ms. James reminded that all participants would be required to pay an entrance fee of $1000; paying more would not be disallowed, the accumulated amount would be matched by Digicel which would then hand over those monies to the Guyana Cancer Society on behalf of all the cyclists including the staff of Digicel. ”So whether persons are professional cyclists, they are amateur, they have never ridden a bike or maybe it’s the very first time they’re gonna jump on a bike we want to encourage them to come out. It promises to be
fun; it’s an entire family, fun filled activity. We’ll have bouncy castle and trampoline for the kids and we’ll have a safe and secure environment.” Club Secretary Arjoon informed that there will be seven categories of riders competing on the day with the first race pedaling off at 08:00hrs. This would be for novices, mountain bike, ladies and Digicel staff and is slated for four (4) laps. ”We would like to use this race to encourage people who cycle recreationally, to get involved. Relatively speaking it’s a short race and shouldn’t come up to more than 10 miles, its four laps. We’re encouraging as
many people as possible to participate.” The feature race would
attract the senior riders, juniors as well as the Under(Continued on page 65)
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Sunday October 23, 2016
Kaieteur News
GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat. U-17 League
Grove thump Diamond; Soesdyke edge Agricola in 7 goal thriller
Soesdyke Falcons scorers from right, Raymond Khan, Tyrone Khan, Tyrell Khan and Shawn Samnauth. When competition in the G F F / N A M I L C O Thunderbolt Flour Power National Intra Association Under-17 League continued yesterday at the Grove Playfield, Grove Hi Tech thumped Diamond United 50, while Soesdyke Falcons edged Agricola Red Triangle 4-3 in an exciting battle. Diamond were no match for the home team that was led to victory by their Captain, National Under-17 defender Kevin Padmore who scored in the 42nd and 4th minute after also setting up the opening goal that was scored by Jammassi Benjamin from a Padmore corner in the 5th minute. While only fielding 8players, Diamond United still provided some stiff opposition for Grove which got their fourth and fifth goals from Jacob Garnet (49) and Syshem Chisholm in the 5 0 t h m i n u t e . The opening match of the double header provided end to end action from start to finish and it was the lads from Soesdyke, led by the
Khan clan that prevailed over their counterparts from Agricola which had taken the lead in the 7th minute. Isaiah Moore had sent Agricola on their way but that lead was soon nullified when Captain Tyrone Khan scored from a corner kick, A g r i c o l a ’s g o a l k e e p e r Anthony Ifill misjudging the take and stepped over the goal line with the ball tightly in his grasp. Khan’s brother Tyrell sent his side into the lead with a beautifully taken free kick that curled into the far corner from a side on angle on the right side of goal in the 28th minute. It was a lead that the Soesdyke team defended up until the 67th minute when Agricola drew level on account of a Yupas Murray goal. Agricola once again took the lead two minutes later when David Correia tucked his shot into the back of the nets as custodian Deyonta Grant-Stuart paid for his lack of judgment. As the minutes ticked away, it seemed as if the match was petering out
for a draw but constant offensive work from Soesdyke brought them the equalizing and then the winning goal. First, another Khan, cousins of Tyrone and Tyrell, Raymond netted their third goal to even things up again in the 73rd minute before the winning goal was fired into the back of the nets by Shannon Samnauth, a fierce right foot shot to the far post within the box in the 77th minute. One match is slated for today; Herstelling Raiders will play Kuru Kururu Warriors from 10:00hrs at the same venue. Up on the East Coast at the Golden Grove ground, Victoria Kings will play Bachelors Adventure Paradise Sports Club from 13:00hrs with Buxton United opposing BV Tr i u m p h U n i t e d f r o m 15:00hrs. One match is also slated for the Den Amstel ground on the West Coast of Demerara, the home team are down to play Eagles United from 12:00hrs.
Pakistan take control of second test v West Indies (Reuters) Pakistan piled up 452 runs and reduced West Indies to 106 for four to take control of the second test in Abu Dhabi on the second day on Saturday. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq made 96 and Sarfraz Ahmed 56 to lift the hosts to an imposing first-innings total as they bid for a victory that would give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Younus Khan struck a century on the first day.
Shannon Gabriel ©AFP West Indies lost both openers lbw, Leon Johnson falling to fast bowler Rahat Ali for 12 and Darren Bravo to spinner Yasir
Shah for 43. Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels shared a steady third-wicket partnership of 41 but both fell in quick succession shortly before the close to give Pakistan the upper hand. Samuels was caught by Sami Aslam at slip off Rahat for 30 and two balls later Brathwaite was needlessly run out for 21 following a mix-up with his partner Devendra Bishoo.
Guyana males on brink of gold, females go down as IGG Volleyball continues
Letter to the Sports Editor
A compelling case for National Coach Dear Editor, The dust has settled and the Guyana Male National Football Team has been eliminated from the 2016 Scotiabank CFU 2016 Caribbean Cup qualifiers. Coach Jamaal Shabazz is set to resign. Will Coach Wayne Dover be given the chance to return as the national coach for the third time to lead Guyana to historic moments again? Coach Dover was appointed national coach of Guyana in 2009 for the second time and immediately led the national team to victory in an International tournament in Suriname which was celebrating their Independence that year. The tournament was
named Independence Cup. Suriname, French Guiana, Curacao and Guyana took part. Guyana won all three (3) games by 1-0 margins to lift the Ronald Venetian trophy, the then President of Suriname. Dover was retained as National Coach for the 2010 Digicel Caribbean Cup and led the team in round one (1) in Suriname topping the group with three (3) wins against Suriname, Curacao and St. Lucia where the team qualified for the second round in Trinidad & Tobago in a group with Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and St. Vincent. Guyana qualified as the second placed team in that group and moved onto the quarter finals of the 2010
Digicel Caribbean Cup in Martinique where they faced Jamaica, Antigua and Guadeloupe. That year Guyana was ranked the highest ever in its history, 86 in the FIFA Coca Cola World Rankings. This excellent show by Dover should be looked at seriously for consideration of him being rehired as National Coach by the President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde. This young talented Guyanese has excelled over the years with club and country and deserves the recognition. Respectfully, M a r k X a v i e r Former Senior Male National Team Manager
Guyana’s Jermaine D. Munroe unleashes one of his spikes against the Surinamese. Guyana male team are on the brink of capturing gold as the Inter Guiana Games Vo l l e y b a l l t o u r n a m e n t continued yesterday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. After beating their Surinamese counterparts on the opening day Friday by three straight sets, the Guyanese continued their dominance by winning yesterday’s encounter 25-13, 25-14, 25-7 against their neighbours. The Guyanese came out with all guns blazing and
their smart thinking up front put them ahead early on. Much to the delight of their fans, the Guyanese forwards were on target while their defence stood firm to deny their opponents. While the visitors tried somewhat to give the Guyanese some competition in the first two sets, they were virtually outplayed in the third and final set. Guyana will look to continue their dominance and capture gold when the games continue today.
Meanwhile, Suriname proved too strong for Guyana in the female segment. The Surinamese completely dominated the first set to win 25-5, however Guyana showed purpose in the second set and almost drew level, but the lack of experience and poor positioning on the court ensured Suriname prevailed 25-21. Suriname proved more than a handful in the final set to win 25-8. The teams will meet again today.
Kaieteur News
Sunday October 23, 2016
IGG Badminton
Suriname demolish Guyana 5-0
Fourteen year -old Priyanna Ramdhani (left) plays a drop show against C’bean U-19 Champion Santusha Ramzan yesterday. (Sean Devers photo) By Sean Devers Without their best player Narayan Ramdhani who is unavailable due a scholarship in Canada, Guyana’s Badminton team were demolished 5-0 by Suriname as the action in the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) three-day multi sports Event at the National Gymnasium continued yesterday. In uncomfortable heat and watched by Director of Sports Christopher Jones, his predecessor Neil Kumar and Acting Permanent Secretary of Sport in
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Suriname Luciano Mentowikromo, the young Guyanese just managed to win a single set in five matches as Suriname captured IGG Gold. Guyana took Silver in the two nation Games as only the Boy’s doubles game between Guyana’s Jonathan Mangra and Ronald Chang Yuei and the Suriname pair of Juan Delprado and Jasha Atmochkromo, went to three sets as the Guyanese, guilty of playing too many loops and getting them smashed, lost 15-21, 21-19, 18-21. In the Boy’s singles,
Mangra lost 11-21, 17-21 to Delprado despite a spirited fight back in the second, while in the Girls singles 14 year-old Priyanna Ramdhani was no match for the bigger 18-year-old Caribbean U-19 Girls Champion Santusha Ramzan and lost 15-21, 1421. Both players looked talented and were both watched by their fathers, Guyana’s Gokarn Ramdhani and Suriname’s Coach Eugene Ramzan. But in the end the superior strength of the Dutch lass made the big difference especially her powerful smashes.
Gold Medal winners Suriname beat Guyana 5-0 in Badminton. (Sean Devers Photo) In the Girls doubles Guyanese Ramraj and Kara Abrams lost to Mangra and Atmochkromo 7-21-18-21, while Chang Yuen and Ramdhani were beaten by the Suriname pair of Atmochkromo and Ramzan in arguable what was the most competitive match of the day. S u r i n a m e ’s C o a c h Ramzan attributed his team’s dominating perform to two main areas. “We have a Badminton population which is much larger than Guyana’s which is small. We have about 500 Badminton
players in Suriname,” Ramzan pointed out. He also said that the age difference between the two teams was a reason why Suriname continues to be successful against Guyana. “We have a lot of players to choose from, Santusha has a year at this level because the IGG are 19 and under, while we had a chance to give exposure to three new players this year,” Ramzan concluded. G u y a n a ’s C o a c h lamented the absence of 18year-old Naryan who is ranked number one in the
Caribbean and third at Pan America at U-19 level. He added Priyanna is Guyana’s top ranked player and dominates at the U-19 level but said it will always be difficult to beat players four years older than you. He agreed with Coach Ramzan that the difference in age played a big role in the results and said if Narayan was here Guyana would have won three Gold Medals. “Guyana without Narayan is like Barcelona without Messi,” Ramdhani concluded.
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Guyana retain IGG ‘Goodwill’ Athletics title
DOMINANCE! The 2016 victorious IGG ‘Goodwill’ Athletics team pose for a photo opportunity after dominating the competition against Suriname.
Guyana retained its Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) Goodwill athletics title yesterday at the National Track and Field Centre, maintaining its composure t h r o u g h a n h o u r- l o n g ‘blackout’ that affected the flood lamps at the facility. Eventually, after waiting in complete darkness, the Guyanese continued their inevitable march to the title,
amassing 373 points in the male competition and 253 points in the female contest to run away with the title yet again. The power outage came at around 7:45 and was never restored until an hour later, prompting the guests at the facility to use their phones as navigation. The IGG ‘Goodwill’ competition is an international event that
featured Suriname. French Guiana did not participate this year. G u y a n a ’s K e n i s h a Phillips and Compton Caesar took sprint doubles with Joanna Archer dominating the middle distances. Most of the races featured four athletes, two Guyanese and two Surinamese. Phillips, Caesar and
Archer, on their first appearance at this event, raced to two gold medals apiece in the individual and also went on to assist with relay wins. Phillips clocked 11.98 seconds to take her first medal in the 100m on day one, returning yesterday to stomp her authority in the 200m. She did so in a time of 24.93 seconds. She was also
part of the 4x100m team that clocked 49.63 seconds for the win. Caesar took the 100m in 10.57 seconds, and the 200m in 21.70 seconds. Archer won the 800m in 2:23.74s, and the 1500m in 5:23.14s. Avon Samuels was the girls’ 400m champion with a time of 58.09 seconds. Chantoba Bright, after consistently clearing 6m this
year, dipped under the mark, but still managed to take the win in the girls’ long jump with a distance of 5.77m. Other Guyanese medal winners included Tabitha Bowman in the girls’ 3000m (11:49.00s), Odwin Tudor who won the boys’ 1500m (4:11.92s) and 5000m (16:01.05s), Anfernee Headecker in the boys’ 800m (1:58.44s).
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