Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Thursday October 06, 2016

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

EDITORIAL TEACHING CHILDREN SELF-CONTROL In today’s society, teaching children the important lessons and values of life is extremely difficult because of all the crime, drugs, gangs and violence, not to mention smart phones, computers and television that have permeated their lives. It is common for most children to want the best things in life in the shortest possible time but they do not want to make any sacrifice in order to get them. Most children learn this type of attitude from those who are wealthy. Teachers, parents and guardians must convey to children the value of decency and honesty. They must also teach them that an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay, delayed gratification and putting the needs of the country before theirs are important values in society. These values must be instilled in children in order for them to have a moral character and to understand the pros and cons of society and what real life is all about. It is not an easy task but it could be achieved with the virtues of temperance/moderation, self-control and respect. In order for self-control to develop in children, they must be taught humility and how to be modest. They should also be trained to be patient, when to put away their toys, having a set bedtime and not to have temper tantrums. This could lay a solid foundation for self-control in children as they develop into adults. It is also crucial for parents and elders to lead by example, especially in their homes. They should teach their children the values of society at a young age. Teachers should also do the same in schools. They should teach children to become role models by not always seeking to be the centre of attention, not boasting about their success, but must always show concern for others and be courageous and cheerful in the face of difficulties. These examples will definitely help children to develop good and decent habits and to achieve success and gain respect. Teaching children will also help children to become better communicators and to associate more easily with others. No one is perfect and there is no need for parents and guardians to appear perfect to their children. The ability to admit mistakes and to try to do better is at the very heart of virtues. Children should be taught to respect and to be courteous to one another and elders. In this technological age, it is also important for parents to monitor their children’s use of the social media and cell phones and their access to television. Cell phones and tablets should not dominate the lives of children. These gadgets should be banned from the dinner table where meaningful family conversations should take place. Children are constantly under stress because of peer pressure therefore simple things such getting them to be involved in more outdoor activities such as camping, playing in the park or going to the zoo will help them to relax. Self-control is indeed important to the health and happiness of children. Teaching children the importance of self-control in childhood would help them to seek long-term gains over short term pleasures. This is crucial for helping them to be moral, choose a good career and make proper decisions, especially in relationships which can lead to marriage, family life and the up-bringing of children the union produces. Studies have shown that children who have a high level of self-control from youth will likely grow up to be law abiding citizens, make better career choices, choose good spouses and become decent and respectable parents capable of putting the needs of their children and their significant others before their own. They will also become better friends and neighbours and leaders in society.

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

This is the return to the Burnhamite use of power Dear Editor; The move by the Government to compulsorily acquire a piece of private property at the corner of Middle and Carmichael Streets, in the heart of Georgetown, under the Acquisition of Land for Public Purposes Act, have sent chills down the spine of right-thinking Guyanese, especially, property owners. Many persons have called m e e x p r e s s i n g understandable fears and w e l l - g r o u n d e d apprehensions. If anyone was in doubt about it before now, those doubts should now disappear: Burnhamism is back. The power of the state to compulsorily acquire private property for a public purpose is rooted in the concept of “Eminent Domain”, an American concept imported into our British inherited jurisprudence and legal system. In a nutshell, it is a power used to compulsorily acquire private property upon the payment of compensation for the public good. However, because of the obvious draconian nature

of this power and the sanctity accorded to private property, it is a power that is used on the rarest of occasions and in the most exceptional of circumstances. It is always an option of last resort. During the height of the Burnham dictatorship, it was a power that was widely abused and misused. Dozens of private property throughout the length and breadth of this country were compulsorily acquired by the Burnham Administration and the rubric “for a public purpose”, was conveniently invoked to clothe those transactions with legitimacy and to disguise the real reasons for the expropriations. Many of these property owners with whom I have spoken over the years, have proffered political and personal differences between themselves and Mr. Burnham himself, or his Government, as the real reason why their properties were seized. This is borne out by the fact that under the PPP/C Administration, the courts struck down many of these compulsorily acquired property transactions as unconstitutional and ordered the return of these properties,

many times on the grounds that they were not used for the purpose for which they were acquired. I recall as Attorney General, I consented in Court, with the authority of the Cabinet, to the reconveyance from the State to the owners of several dwelling properties in West Ruimveldt and North Ruimveldt, that were compulsorily acquired during the Burnham regime. These are poor ordinary people who never even know why their homes were compulsorily acquired. When these properties were acquired by the Forbes Burnham regime, the law as it then was, pegged the compensation to be paid to these property owners at a 1939 market value of the property seized. Even this pepper-corn value, the Burnham Government refused to pay. In the 1999/2001 Constitutional Reform process, this anachronistic and anomalous calculation of the value of the property was expunged from the law and replaced with an obligation upon the State to pay current market value for the land compulsorily acquired. The

truth of the matter is, however, the current day market value that will be used by this Administration will be one generated by the G o v e r n m e n t ’s C h i e f Valuation Officer, which everyone knows is not the real market value of the property. But the significant issue remains. Why resort to this draconian measure in the first place? As I said before, this power is invoked in the most exceptional circumstances for example, if a highway is being constructed and it is found somewhere along the line, that it will encroach on upon some private property. In those circumstances where it is clear that the public good of having a highway far outweighs the interest of one person whose property is blocking that highway, the power should be exercised. The purpose for which this particular land is acquired according to the Official Gazette is for the construction of Government Buildings. I recall as Attorney General, I made enquiries from the relevant persons whether that the said land (Continued on page 05)

These dogs are biting people on my street Dear Editor; This is a public appeal for the relevant authorities to intervene in a situation of gross negligence in South Ruimveldt Gardens. The residents at 100, Sugarcane Street own a dog which has been roaming Sugarcane St. and adjacent streets for many months, often in the company of at least one other dog. Very often, the dogs would snap at or rush at people passing on foot. Recently, one of the dogs produced pups and is consequently even more hostile to passersby. Last Sunday evening, this dog bit my foster child as she was

returning home. This child, who loves animals is now afraid to pass that street on her way home from school each day. A neighbour subsequently told me that this same dog has bitten at least two other persons in our street. I have asked the lady who lives in the house on more than one occasion to keep her dog in the yard. I have made a report to the police. We have to walk past that house to reach the bus stop each day, or pay money to hire a taxi to get us past the dogs. Why are the dogs snapping and rushing at people? How many more people will have to be

bitten? Have they had their rabies shots? The once white coat of the mother of the pups is now a dirty brown. She definitely looks like she has not been bathed in many months. Why do the residents of 100 Sugarcane Street display such sociopathic behaviour? I look forward to swift action and a safer walk on Sugarcane Street when the relevant authorities take action and turn negligence into responsibility and the animals in the care of these persons are treated with care and enclosed within the boundaries of their home. Charlene Wilkinson

Poor police service in Linden after guy he dropped off the night. the police force that boasts robbery report The other guy was also about professionalism. I am Dear Editor; I write this letter with frustration and no confidence in the Guyana Police Force (GPF). About two Sunday’s ago on the 18 of September, my mother was robbed at One Mile Wismar, Linden at gun point of her jewellery. She was out with a family member when a car stopped a couple feet away and a man put a gun to

her head demanding her jewellery. However, she and the family member managed to obtain the license plate of the car. She then went to the Wismar police station where she made a formal report. The car was impounded and the driver was arrested. The driver admitted to being in the area at the time of the incident making a drop off and he also mentioned the

arrested and locked up for 72 hours. During the that period, she was brought in to identify the guy after which she left and was told by Sergeant George to return to the station at a later date. Upon her return, the guys were freed and she was told the police do not have sufficient evidence and they will have to get advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). This is

not a lawman but my commonsense makes it clear to me if you obtain the car license in a robbery under arms that a big lead to crack the case in finding the perpetrators. This incident could have been worst. We could have lost our lives. Is this the justice we have received from GPF? I am very frustrated in the justice system of this country Brentford Allicock

Thursday October 06, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Irresponsible speedboat driving The Education System in British When you reach Guiana; pre-Independence in 1966 needs to be stopped Supenaam, you pay either the DEAR EDITOR; In order to reach certain parts of Guyana, one of the main or fastest ways to reach there is by using boat/speed boats and whilst numerous lives are being lost on our roadways quite a lot have been lost by boat accidents. Recently I’ve been travelling to Charity quite a lot and in order to reach there, I have to travel by speed boat from Parika to Supenaam then a taxi to Charity. On Sunday, October 2, was my latest visit and just as we left the Parika stelling, about five minutes after, the speed boat (Crystal Serenity) that we were travelling hit a wave and cause the boat to starts swerving dangerously and tilted extremely close to capsizing on the left side (port side) and all the passengers were thrown to that side which causes almost everyone to be scared and some voicing their opinion openly. For the time that I’ve been travelling to and back from Charity, we’ve gotten a few scares but the latest incident with the boat is very alarming and needs to be addressed immediately before it’s too late. Between my travelling to and from Charity, I always seized the opportunity to ask and get details about the Region and the residents’ way of life etc. and also talk about my observations of the reckless usage of both the waterways and roadways. Most of what I gathered is from either drivers or the speed boat captains but I will deal with the speed boats problems today. Just Google

“boat accident ‘Guyana’” and see how many accidents are caused by boats and how many lives were lost. A lot of rules were introduced or reintroduced for the speed boats and systems were put in place a while back but sadly somewhere along the line there’s a lapse and lawlessness prevails. Amongst the changes, monitors were put at the various stellings and I was under the impression that they were to ensure that all safety rules are in place before the boat leaves but on my observations, that is not the case. The monitor for the Bartica boats could be seen sitting at various locations, sometimes in the stelling under the shed and out of sight of the boat that is loading. On seeing everyone passing, he would ask them if they are travelling to Bartica and if they do; he would have to get their names to write on a list. However, someone travelling could say no and board the loading boat without giving their name because he’s out of sight with the boat. The boat we travel with on Sunday have Perspex windows and the front one clearly states that only twenty five passengers are allowed on the boat but the boat left Parika with twenty eight passengers plus the captain and bowman. Although the bowman and captain request that everyone put on a life jacket, many of the passengers choose not to and again no monitor were present to ensure that everyone have a jacket on before leaving.

bowman or captain when you disembark the boat and if you are journeying back to Parika from Supenaam, you have to pay the fare before the boat leaves Supenaam. Why is that?. All of the speed boats operating at the Parika stelling would usually travel at the maximum speed the engine has and some boats have two engines (each engines might have a lower horse power that the boats with the single engine or some would have same hose power like the boats with single but instead of one, it would have two) whilst some have two engines and one would have an high horse power and the other would have a lower horse power. According to some, the boats that have engines with different horse power is dangerous to control especially when water is rough because both engines would be travelling at their maximum speed and one would be pushing more than one and that would cause the boat to be pulling/ steering to one side and should the a wave hit the weaker side, it could capsize the boat or make it sway dangerously like what happen last Sunday with us. I travel on the same route when the water was rough and had it been rougher, I am 100% sure that boat would have capsized. I should mention that twice the same boat had to go close to land because they were experiencing mechanical problems. I know that people have to live but why risk people’s lives? If the (Continued on page 06)

This is the return to the Burnhamite... From page 4 and the plot adjacent to it was available for sale. Were they available, my intentions were to persuade the Government to purchase the same for the purpose of accommodating proposed expansions of the building which houses the Attorney General Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs. My plans were brought to an abrupt end when I learnt the properties were not for sale. My concept of democracy and my innate respect for private property and the rule of law prevented me from even conceiving the option of compulsory acquisition. It is clear that these considerations do not occupy the minds of those who are in

Government today. There are numerous Government buildings and empty plots of State lands scattered all across this city for the Government to utilize. If the intention is to expand the AG Chambers, then immediately north of the building is a huge property owned by the State which houses the Integrity Commission and the National Trust which can be used. In short, there are many options to utilize rather than covet private property. I now recognize how genuine the President was, when, while addressing the 19th Biennial Congress of the PNC, a few weeks ago, he embraced the philosophy and politics of Forbes Burnham.

The international community should now be clear on where this Government stands. The signal that this move will send to investors will certainly be a negative one: private property and by extension, investments are no longer safe in Guyana. Another nail has been driven in the coffin of the local economy. To my mind, it is now clear that the 1919 Local Government Elections and the 2020 Regional and General Elections are going to be massively rigged unless we begin now to put into place measures, mechanisms and facilities to prevent that from happening. Mohabir Anil Nandlall

DEAR EDITOR; Hello, At last it has been said. “The Scottish system is the best in the world” - I could vouch for that - at least the primary system, of which I am a product, educated in a colony - British Guiana, now Guyana. In that system, we used books published by the MacMillan publishing house, and the Royal readers were the most informative class readers, their arithmetic books the most comprehensive. In fact because of our basic (Scottish-type) education, we were able to build on that, and many of my classmates went on to become brilliant professionals, mostly British qualified barristers, one of them eventually becoming President of our country after Independence, marrying my best friend, now both deceased. I will always laud our primary education system plus the dedication of our teachers, whose training was

based on their methods, although most of them were not traditionally trained, but did their job as a lifelong occupation. At the time of Independence in 1966, one British newspaper reported that our country had the highest standard of education in the Caribbean and fourth in the world! Of course, now it is almost the reverse. But I am proud to be a product of our (Scottish type) primary education, which has enabled me to hold my own in London as a personal secretary, mainly in the civil and public services. Indeed, when I was “let go” from my last long-term public service job, when it was privatised, as a Superintendent of Typists, because presumably my “face no longer fitted”, no one was found to take on the duties I was happy to do! Perhaps the shareholders were jubilant, the secretarial

division was ‘erased’, bosses either brought their secretaries with them, or recruited through employment agencies. Quicker, less cumbersome, our superb office location and accommodation in a ‘tower’, serviced by several tube stations, grabbed by the bigwigs, some of them American! I would always praise our primary education system, but we children of the 1930s60s took pride in learning, teachers took pride in teaching, and we had annual exams to progress from class-toclass, culminating in the national Primary School Certificate at age 14, the possession of which saw us through life, literate and numerate! One of my joys was informing my Civil Service Scottish boss of the existence of the poem “Alexander Selkirk” and reciting the first line! Have a great day. Geralda Dennison

Sam Hinds replies to David Hinds DEAR EDITOR; I, Samuel A. A. Hinds have been differing with many of the views, opinions, interpretations and advocated world view and attitudes of Dr. David Hinds. Each person has a right to his/her view but views should not fly in the face of facts. Allow me once more to state facts which should cause Dr. David Hinds and every Guyanese to think again about the paragraph from HINDS’SIGHT in the Sunday Chronicle of October 2nd, 2016 which I quote: The continued subsidizing of the sugar industry in the form of massive bailouts has directly benefitted the mainly Indian Guyanese community. The PPP never did the same for sectors heavily populated by African Guyanese. In fact it sought to remove the electricity subsidy from Linden”. (unquote) Quite to the contrary, in the particular case of our bauxite sector and communities, Linden and most of region 10, heavily populated by African Guyanese, it can be argued that even if it were only because of circumstances at the time, that area received proportionately larger attention, subsidies and support. We, the PPP/C, were even handed in what we did even if for no other reason than that we were being watched continuously from

all sides, but I would proffer our commitment to all round development of all Guyanese and Guyana, with an equitable sharing of whatever our nation has, good and bad. As I have noted before, we, the PPP/C in 1992 inherited an agreement entered into between the departed PNC

administration and the multilateral financial institutions (MFIs) which funded and placed an international mining manager (IMM), MINPROC, in Linmine. The IMM was to determine and demonstrate whether Linmine could be made profitable or (Continued on page 06)

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WARNING MEASURES FOR CONDOS AT PROVIDENCE DEAR EDITOR, The decision to build multi-level dwelling units in Providence can be classified as either a bold initiative or a dream of grandeur by Minister Patterson. By her own observations, the completed one storey structures, which are called houses, are plagued with cracking walls coupled with sags and drifts in other sections of the construction. One is left to imagine what will happen with 4 stories! Here are some factors the Honorable Minister and her planners and builders need to evaluate: •The water table at Providence is high as the area is scarcely more than half a mile from the Demerara River. In this regards retention walls, strengthened concrete foundation, steel piling and high quality material should be used. •With apartments divided by the same wall, sound proof materials are needed. •High quality fire retardant materials are a definitive

way forward so as to make sure that a fire in one apartment should not be able to spread and endanger the entire set of units. •Sprinkler systems and hallway smoke and carbon monoxide detectors must be installed. •The back to back ‘E’ design is the best model for this project. •An occupancy code so that too many persons are not sleeping in a one bedroom condo. •A condo board of directors should be appointed to enforce the rules and regulations. •The right to resell has to be consented to by an independent board. Factors like ethnic discrimination, age and gender regularly play a determine role in choosing buyers. It must be noted that to date Guyana has no Fair Housing Act Laws. With a high concentration of residents there are issues of: 1 Water supply and the pressure to reach 4 stories. 2 Parking for residents. 3 Garbage disposal.

4 Sewer treatment plants. 5 Recreation facilities. 6 Wi-Fi and phone systems must be well planned. 7 Power supply must be adequate to accommodate all the residents. 8 Medical facility on the premise. 9 No smoking must be allowed inside the buildings. 10 Crime may occur as persons will be in very close proximity to one another. 11 Diseases could be easily transmitted as persons literally rub shoulders daily. 12 Security: perhaps a gated community with housing police. Such buildings have a higher crime rate and drug use. 13 Convenience stores. In the long run, the consequences of such a high concentration of people need serious evaluation. But I do think that Guyana has enough land for each of its citizen to get a free house lot. Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine Real Estate Broker and Builder New York

Irresponsible speedboat driving... From page 25 water is rough and one of the engines cannot work, it would be extremely hard to control the boat because the working engine would be on one side of the boat. Everyone knows that steering a boat with one engine that is not in the middle of the boat is taking a chance. That is why most of the boats plying the Vreed-enHoop/Georgetown route have to travel at a slow speed. Many passengers traversing that space could verify what I’m saying. When the water is rough, the boats sway dangerously. Because the water is rough sometimes, the boats tend to bounce a lot and the seats are only fitted with what seems to be either ½ or ¾ inch sponge and that is every uncomfortable for passengers, especially those sitting at the front part of the boat. It’s not advisable to allow sick people, women, children

or old people there, but because of the uncaring attitudes of the operators, they don’t advise people how to sit. Because of the constant jarring of the boats, they would get shaky and many boats have leaks and some have water coming in from the shed and soaking from your head downwards. Finally Editor, most boat operators would tell you that it cost between thirty to sixty thousand dollars for them to obtain their captain’s license, but many of them cannot control a boat properly and I’ve always wondered what sort of test those desirous of obtaining a captain’s license have to undergo. Whilst it might look simple to just start an engine, shift it in gear and go, it’s very challenging to control a boat in rough water while travelling at high speed. Based on my observations, some captains cannot ride a wave properly

and in most cases they don’t even slow the boat down when they see extremely high waves, they just charge through and that is a dangerous way to go. There is nonsense happening at the stellings and these issues need to be addressed and they must be consistent not just wait for something to happen and then appoint a army retiree to conduct a COI to tell us what we already know and make recommendations. Many of these problems were there before the change of Government and this present administration knew about these problems. The President must use his better judgment and appoint people to manage certain areas and they should ensure that things are in place for people to travel safely. Not when lives are lost you come out as if you’re just awake and discover these problems. You put systems in place which only last for a period of time and expect everything to be OK. I should also state that I leave Supenaam after 6:30pm in darkness. Sahadeo Bates

Thursday October 06, 2016

Where is the forensic audit of GECOM? DEAR EDITOR; The nation owes the Kaietuer News for fulfilling its role as a watchdog in our country. It was this very newspaper that broke the story of the volume of corruption taking place at the Guyana Elections Commission. Strangely, however, the other newspapers have not been doing enough to bring these details to its reader. The state media is totally mute on the issue. The media must be complimented for publishing the many letters, attempting to expose the corrupted recruitment practices during elections 2015. However, there was not much action taken. Considering the heaps of letter written against GECOM during that period, how come this entity was given the free pass since then? Perhaps, the nation was too busy with the election results. But who else is taking note? Where are the transparency agents in Guyana?

Thus far it seems that all this effort from this newspaper will go in vain simply because of the autonomous status GECOM enjoys. Considering the chairman will be resigning soon, and only one set of commissioners expressed their anger at the happenings, who really will hold GECOM accountable? Will our divided Parliament cooperate for this cause at least, only time will tell? Will the APNU Commissioners demand that Lowenfield and others resign? It is strange however that in the other agencies, where audits were done, a number of staff were sent on administrative leave to facilitate same. So far according to the media, the GECOM official in the middle of the scandal is on vacation leave. The nation needs to know if all of the CEO’s assistants are still on the job while investigations are being done. It is disappointing for an institution who is supposed to be transparent finds itself in this position. Guyanese now think that perhaps PPP/

C position is correct-the bias employment system, fake statement of polls, among other claims. Last week, a letter was submitted about labor exploitation at GECOM. The nation needs to know if any effort was made to validate such claims. What actions are taken by the Ministry of Social Protection to address labour problems at GECOM? Will GECOM be given a free pass again? This very newspaper published a letter about a driver complaining that he was not paid for overtime. Did anyone do any follow up from the media house? From all indications, as a daily reader, the time has come for a major reshuffling at GECOM. Perhaps, in the interest of transparency, no officer should serve in GECOM for more than 5 years. Since it is important for GECOM to enjoy autonomy, yet be free of corruption. Thank you for looking out for the nation Kaieteur News. Concerned Reader

Sam Hinds replies to David Hinds From page 05 not: if profitable it was to be privatized, if not it was to be closed. Government was to extend no further subsidy. When in 1994 Minproc declared that it could see no way to make the operations profitable, we PPP/ C would have been expected to close the operations but we didn’t. Our oath of office required us to treat everyone without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. We knew the trauma which an abrupt closure, although not unanticipated, would have brought to our fellow citizens in Linden/ Region10. After the Minproc declaration, of no sight of profitability, we pursued a third MFI intervention – one to develop alternatives for Linden after the failure of the two earlier interventions to restore the bauxite operations to profitability. Early in our term, the young Bharat Jagdeo himself had led a team to learn of the socioeconomic situation and future possibilities in Linden. This study provided the basis for this third approach (SYSMINS) which eventually materialized in LEAP including LEAF. The PPP/C had to argue strongly against concerns that the people of Linden were not yet ready to be converted from being employees in a 100% company town to entrepre-

neurs in an open town. Whilst continuing to subsidize the company, improvements were pushed along and all non-core activities completely removed – health, education, electricity, water – and taken up by appropriate Ministries and Agencies of the Government. We began the reconciling and clearing arrears of a number of accounts – the worker’s saving scheme, PAYE to GRA, GBPP(Guyana Bauxite Pension Plan), NIS, and setting aside termination payments at the eventual privatization, altogether about G$2.5billion. We advertised twice without success for credible interest in taking an equity position in the company. It may also be recalled that about ten years ago we redeemed the bonds issued to ALCAN at the time of nationalization. All the while we were additionally and separately subsidizing electricity at increasing amounts approaching G$ 3billion per year. In 1992, we received the steam power station and other electricity facilities very run down as there had been little if any money for maintenance during the preceding years. We advertised and sought a core investor to restore a good supply of electricity in Linden. As it hap-

pened the selected bidder brought little improvement: we terminated the agreement and regained some losses in an arbitration hearing. After a number of successful contract arrangements, we and OMAI/CAMBIOR entered into an agreement by which OMAI/CAMBIOR gained a 70% equity position in the core bauxite operations renamed OBMI. All went well until sales fell precipitously and OBMI announced a two month shut-down. We, the PPP/C stepped in and provided basic pay to all workers requiring only that everyone from sweeper to manager spend some hours each week attending or providing an appropriate level course on the operations and use of computers. One of my political commentator friends was moved to lament in a letter (somewhat tongue in cheek I thought) that we, PPP/C were pointing Afro-Guyanese to the IT future whilst working to keep Indo-Guyanese in the past, cutting cane – the hewers of wood and draughters of water. Samuel Hinds Former Prime Minister Editor’s note; because of its length, we will have to conclude Mr. Hinds’s rebutaal in tomorrow’s edition

Thursday October 06, 2016

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GuySuCo will remain dependent on Govt bailout Following a meeting with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) on Thursday last, the Unions representing sugar workers said that their high expectations were shot down after learning about the Corporation’s plan for the future regarding the wellbeing of the 17,000-strong workforce. The Unions: the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU); the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE); and the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) in a joint statement on Tuesday, said that they are deeply concerned and disappointed over the sugar industry’s future direction. “The GuySuCo team headed by members of the Interim Management Committee, though saying it wants to safeguard the livelihood of the thousands who depend on the industry’s operations, painted an excessively dark and pessimistic picture of the current status and future of the industry.” The unions stated that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Errol Hanoman, and the Finance Director, advised that GuySuCo, based on projections, until year 2025, will remain reliant on Government support for its

President of the GAWU, Komal Chand

CEO of GuySuCo, Errol Hanoman

General Secretary of GLU, Carvil Duncan

operations. The Unions pointed out the industry, in recent times, has benefitted from financial assistance to aid in the revitalisation of the sugar corporation but yet, the amounts sought by GuySuCo continue to increase year after year. “The disaggregation of this financial support in the past and future, we feel, may be informative. We were, however, pleased to learn that production would reach 320,000 tonnes sugar during the 2017– 2025 period. This favourable projection represents, possibly, the highest productivity level ever recorded given the fact that industry’s cultivable area will be reduced.

“We recall the last time the industry recorded similar production levels, was during the 2002-2004 period when the Diamond Estate cultivation was operable. “To attain the projected target in times when even the Wales Estate cultivation is expected to be abandoned will indeed be praiseworthy. It indeed tells us that there is great scope for the industry to be turned around and for production to rebound.” During the meeting, the unions said that it was revealed that GuySuCo, during the period 2017 to 2025, will remain a raw sugar producer – which the unions said is disheartening. “Our Unions have long held the view that the industry needs to broaden its product

base and it must be gradually transformed from a sugar to sugar cane industry in which the entire plant is used to produce various products. “On this score, our Unions pointed out to the GuySuCo officials that the industry has much scope for diversification and drew to their attention the opportunities in the areas of bagasse co-generation, sugar refining and distilling. “These initiatives also were recommended by the very costly Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the sugar industry. It is widely recognised that these areas offer viable opportunities for the industry to overcome its present challenges and be placed on a sustainable path.” The Unions stated that

GPSU peeved over GCCI President’s comments on wages increase

The Guyana Public Service Union is quite upset about the recent public statements made by the President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vishnu Doerga, concerning wage increases for public servants. Doerga had said at his organisation’s monthly press conference that the proposed 10 per cent increase offered by the government will boost the economy, since the extra money which will be spent has a higher multiplier effect than income gained from other sources such as gold. However, in his later comments, the GCCI Head said that had Guyana been a private entity, workers would not have been given an increase. He took this position based on Guyana only being two per cent ahead of the nation’s GDP growth. He said, “If we were to look at Guyana as a private sector entity, there will be no way there would be a salary increase, given that we’re two per cent ahead of our GDP growth. How can we pay 10 per cent if we’re two per cent ahead?” According to the GPSU, Doerga’s comments together with those made by Finance

GCCI President, Vishnu Doerga

GPSU President, Patrick Yarde

Minister Winston Jordan and Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin are to the effect, that public servants should set aside their efforts through their Union to secure wages and salaries increase. The Union in a statement to the media said that Doerga is not the first private sector official to make utterances that reflect an absence of value for the role of public servants. This, according to the Union is ironic, since the Business Support Organisation (BSO) that Doerga heads, depends on the services of various public sector organisations in the

quest to maximise their profits. The Union describes it as regretful that Doerga appears not to recognise the nexus between the higher level of efficiency in the public service which his organisation continually advocates, and a more incentivised public service. “In all of his arguments as with those of Ministers Jordan and Gaskin, no consideration is given to the issue of a living wage, not a level of earnings that support the kind of lavish life-style enjoyed by many members of the business class, but earnings that

afford a decent living, which, properly defined, can be taken to mean enough to afford themselves and their families a reasonable and comfortable level of existence. Is Mr. Doerga aware that there are Public Servants who, by virtue of being prisoners of meagre wages and salaries, continue to be victims of a mundane and miserable existence?” According to the GPSU, Doerga needs to relate the affordability argument to the more than $40B in duty free concessions and remission of taxes which the government gives to the private sector each year. This sum, the Union calculated, is more than what is required to pay Government employees in and out of uniform. This includes army, police, teachers, public servants wages and salaries. The Union highlighted the total value of tax concessions and remissions granted to business enterprises. For the year 2014 the amount totalled $21.8 M; in 2015 $20.2M and for 2016 to date $14.7M. This information was taken from the Government of Guyana’s Mid-Year Report on the performance of the economy.

General Secretary of NAACIE, Kenneth Joseph the Corporation, however, did not address their suggestions but made mention of the project to plant rice at Wales as well as possible ventures into aquaculture, citrus fruits and dairy cattle. These ventures, the Unions understood, will be pursued in the near-term but, if implemented, may or may not improve worthily the Corporation’s financial standing and, therefore, can be seen as “inconsequential.” “Also, on this note, we wish to draw the Corporation’s attention to the Economic and Finance report of the Sugar CoI which explicitly recommended that the other crops be first pursued outside of GuySuCo lands. It is recalled that aspect

of the Commission’s report was prepared by current GuySuCo Chairman, Professor Clive Thomas.” The Unions stated that they also took the opportunity at the meeting to inquire about a wage rise for workers this year. However, the Corporation – according to the Unions – said that the meeting was not to address this issue. “It seems, at this time, that sugar workers may again be denied a pay rise. This most discriminatory treatment, we warn, is not in the interest of the industry especially at a time when the commitment and dedication of all workers are required. “Indeed, based on the Corporation’s projections and demeanor at the meeting, the future for workers does not appear to be promising.” The Unions stated also that this can very well further “demoralise and demotivate” the workforce, including the Senior Staffers, further complicating the industry’s challenges. “Importantly, at this time, the industry requires a knowledgeable management, a motivated workforce and financial support for a limited period. These are important elements in the industry’s ongoing drive to overcome its difficulties, achieve its projected production level, and to play a more meaningful role in our nation.”

Former CANU Prosecutor dies Seventy one-year-old Oswald Massiah, a former Prosecutor of the Custom Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) collapsed and died early yesterday at the Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) stelling. It is believed that Massiah died from heart ailment. However, a Post Mortem examination will determine the exact cause of death on Friday. The father of five was on his way home when he collapsed in his car. He was pronounced dead at the Leonora Cottage Hospital. His son, Kerk Massiah, said that based on the reports he received, his father was “cracking” a few jokes with some boys at the stelling just before he died.

“He was making jokes with the boys and when the boat started to load up, he drive up and when it was his turn, somebody go to him to tell him to drive up but they discovered him dead and they called the police,” the younger Massiah explained. He said that the police were summoned and his father was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. He related that he spoke to his father two weeks ago and all was well. Massiah recently retired from CANU after serving as special prosecutor for several years. He was also a former police prosecutor before moving on to CANU.

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Business community scared of criminal GRA lectures Linden attacks – says former PSC Chairman contractors on tax obligations “Police statistics are one thing, fear is another thing” With the national economy expected to grow by four percent by the end of this year, everything might not be so peachy, especially with the sector that is regarded as the “engine of growth” being concerned over the level of crime. Past Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo, stated that one of the things bothering the business community is crime. “There is a lot of fear in the business community despite all the statistics being quoted. Statistics are one thing, fear is another thing. There is a high level of it in both small businesses and medium sized.” Dookoo said that the fear needs to be eliminated and to perhaps focus on some incentives for certain sectors in the Private Sectors so that they can create employment very quickly.

“Because as we know, many people draw the nexus between crime and unemployment – that is a very popular theory so we need to be able to create a lot of jobs; we need to perhaps work with the government.” He was asked if the Government’s economic growth projection from his perspective is attainable. Dookoo said that the results for the last quarter were not “too encouraging”. “As a responsible Private Sector person, I would like to say let us all put our hands and feet and head to the grind and make sure that it happens.” Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) maintains that serious crime is on the decrease. The Commissioner of Police (Acting) had stated that as of September, serious crimes are down 19 per cent across the country with a 62 per cent clear up rate (inves-

Night Court begins on Monday Night Court at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court is set to begin on Monday October 10, 2016. The evening sittings are scheduled to last from 15:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs daily. The daily sitting of the court however, will continue from 9:00 hrs to 14:30 hrs. The idea for the night court was amplified after the March 3, 2013 prison unrest at the Georgetown Prison at Camp and D’Urban Streets where 17 inmates, most of whom were on remand, lost their lives. Out of a Commission of Inquiry into the unrest, one of the solutions highlighted was for Government to undertake initiatives to reduce the quantum of backlogged cases. The night court is expected to improve the rate at which cases are heard in the Magistracy. A high level meeting between representatives of government and the judiciary was held and it was announced that night courts will be established. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan; and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams. Representing the judiciary were Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Carl Singh, Chief Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards, Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar AliHack and Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. It was suggested that during the initial stages of the ini-

tiative, the temporary magistrates employed would be qualified attorneys-at-law to serve with the already sitting magistrates. A total of $25M was secured by government to finance the payment of salaries of the temporary magistrates and ancillary staff. President David Granger had communicated his favourable assurance towards establishing the courts through Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. For many years, the issue of backlogged cases was found to be responsible for this high prison population which resulted in the overcrowding of the penal system. After the COI into the riot was completed, it was revealed that 60 per cent of inmates were on remand. Of that amount, 50 per cent had been awaiting trial for more than three years and a further 30 per cent for more than four years. The report said that these figures and the lack of effective – or even ineffective action to remedy them pointed to serious dysfunction in the administration of justice. It was highlighted that delayed trials contributed significantly to the overcrowding. Also, failures on the part of agencies of the state had attributed to the state of the prison. These include the judiciary, Magistracy, Probation Service, the Parole Board, Prison Visiting Committees and the Ministry of Public Health.

tigation to prosecution). According to recent reports, Murder is down 11 per cent; robbery under arms with the use of firearms is down by 10 percent; Robbery underarms where other instruments were used is down by 19 percent; Robbery with violence is down by 20 percent; Larceny from the person down by 38 percent; Break and enter and larceny is down by 28 percent; and Rape, down by 22 per cent. Divisionally, the ‘D’ Division (West Demerara, East Bank Essequibo) is reporting a nine per cent increase in serious crimes. Commissioner Ramnarine pointed out that, “some work has been done” to bring it down from 15 per cent two months ago. “It has to come a lot lower than that,” Ramnarine added. “Some revision has been done, some additional work has been done, and some more manpower has been given to all the Divisions,” the Acting Commissioner said. The acting Commissioner called for the support of the public, acknowledging that the public has a negative perception of these statistics. “There is a little perception out there but I think some people are taking the perception too far to say there’s a crime situation. It’s not a crime situation,” Ramnarine had stated.

Officers from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) met with contractors and subcontractors in Linden last Wednesday to “enlighten them” on tax obligations in the

contractors operating in that capacity solely or as a partnership when bidding for a government contract. In obtaining the document, the applicant must

Tax Specialist, Deslyn Bess, and Communications Officer, Fabian Clowes, used the occasion to offer advice on best practices, especially for newcomers to the profession.

Manager of the GRA’s Tax Advisory Services Section, Naresha Bobb-Semple, speaking to a gathering of contractors in the boardroom of the Linden Enterprise Network profession, including the procedure for obtaining a Tender Certificate of Compliance. A Tender Certificate of Compliance which is now valid for six-months, instead of three months, is one of the key documents required for

be in possession of a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and ensure all returns are filed and taxes paid. Manager of the GRA’s Tax Advisory Services Section, Naresha Bobb-Semple, who led the discussion along with

According to GRA, she expounded on the importance of maintaining books and records and preparing income and expenditure statements so as to corroborate claims for expenses incurred directly on Continued on page 9

Poor performance in Maths gains Cabinet’s attention Poor performance in Mathematics is being considered a matter of national urgency by Government. This was the declaration made when Cabinet met on Tuesday. It was underscored that the daunting performance requires Government’s focused attention and commitment to finding adequate and appropriate solutions in the shortest possible time. Members of the Cabinet met Tuesday and deliberated “as a matter of extreme urgency and grave national importance,” the unsatisfactory results in Mathematics nationwide, at the 2016 Grade Six Examination. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education, including Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, were engaged by Cabinet to examine the declining performance of students in mathematics at this year’s Grade six assessment. For many years Guyana has consistently failed to achieve acceptable pass rates in mathematics, an important core subject. It must be noted

that the previous approach to this problem has been inadequate. This year, for the first time, the Ministry of Education contracted the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to conduct the examination for the Grade Six students in Guyana. The basis of assessment used by the Caribbean Examination Council was radically different from what was used previously by the Ministry of Education. What was observed was that this year there was an increased focus on reasoning and a decreased emphasis on retention. The new method to testing as implemented by CXC has exposed even more the weakness of the previous approach to education adopted by the Ministry of Education in previous years. As part of a plan for short and medium term measures, Cabinet called on the Ministry of Education and its technical advisors to identify all appropriate steps needed to remedy this situation. Those steps would in-

clude remedial training of teachers, better and more varied text books, more teaching aids and better use of technology in the delivery of education. When the 2016 NGSA results were released this year, Minister Roopnaraine disclosed that strategic collaborations between his Ministry and CXC are expected to improve the quality of all primary grade assessments. Local teachers, subject specialists and test development officers were tasked with developing all items for the 2016 NGSA, with the technical guidance of CXC. The support from CXC also included making the local professionals competent to address key areas such as item construction, weighting of items, sampling and other psychometric elements. According to Minister Roopnaraine, “the objective of this consultation is to ensure that all assessments conform to regional and international test development and administration standards and expectations to facilitate con-

sistent, reliable measurement and tracking of pupil performance.” The 2016 NGSA was written on April 27 and 28. A total of 14, 386 candidates were assessed in the subject areas of Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and English Language. While the performance in English Language and Social Studies this year has been consistent with previous years, this was not the same for Mathematics and Science. Both fell below what was obtained in previous years, the Minister admitted. The best performance in Mathematics this year was secured by one of the top national performers, Aryan Singh (of the Dharmic Rama Krishna School), who also produced the best performance in Social Studies. Singh and Anthony Ferreira of Mae’s Under 12 were named the top performers at this year ’s NGSA with a total score of 568 marks each. The highest possible total score obtainable was 583.

Thursday October 06, 2016

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China policy The repossession of state lands given to Chinese mega company Bai Shan Lin will have severe repercussions for Chinese investments in Guyana. The government has taken this decision without considering the repercussions for investment and business in Guyana. The government has not carefully considered the economic and the political consequences of its decision. China is not the United States. It is more important to Guyana than the United States. The Chinese have already scaled back on investments in Guyana following an aggressive attitude towards their nationals and companies by the Guyanese government. This latest decision will force them to halt almost to-

tally all investment and support in Guyana. Guyana has to consider the fact that China has other options in terms of investments and markets. Its economic growth has slowed and therefore it is importing less in Latin America and the Caribbean. The countries of South America are better suited to Chinese investments than Guyana. Guyana is shooting itself in the foot by taking the sort of action that it is taking against Bai Shan Lin. Guyana is in competition with the rest of South America for Chinese investments. The government is so obsessed with believing that any arrangement which China signed with the PPPC must be discredited. It is not thinking through the full ramifications

of its actions. Guyana needs a China policy. It is too important a country for there to be a loose or no policy at all towards this Asian economic giant. Guyana’s economic interests are at stake. The economy can grind to halt should Chinese companies withdraw from Guyana. The government does not understand how the Chinese operate. They can wait out the five-year term of this government. They are not that desperate for Guyana, not with an economic slowdown in China and the countries of South America clamouring for increased trade and investment. If Chinese companies withdraw from Guyana, it will ruin the investment climate in the country. The climate is al-

Dem boys seh...

Venezuela knock Guyana before Today is a sad day because it bring back memories. People still crying. Nuff people seeing how people who behave like when a child stub ee toe suddenly behave like if a tiger attack dem when dem come face to face wid de same problem. Twenty-five years before Osama BinLaden send he people fuh attack Uncle Sam; twenty-five years before bin Laden people fly two plane into de World Trade Centre and into de Pentagon, four Venezuelans put two bomb pun a plane that had Guyanese and some Cubans and some Koreans. Since then Venezuela pick story wid Guyana. Dem arrest two of de men and both times de men get away from jail. That couldn’t be coincidence. Guyana know bout terrorism long before de United States even believe that people would attack. In fact, dem boys always use to hear how de United States never had to fight a battle pun she own soil since she had to fight de South which did still believe in slavery. Time does really fly. Is 40 years but nuff people ain’t forget how Uncle Sam tun round and protect dem

terrorist who blow up de plane wid dem Guyanese. Dem boys remember what it was like when dem li’l brother pick a fight and then dem protect him. But is de same people who does want Guyana help dem out. Uncle Sam does keep out people fuh small crimes dem commit in dem own country. Dem let in de Venezuelans. When that plane went down Guyana lose some doctors and some engineers who coulda push this country further. Dem was young people then. Some of dem had plans to get married and have children. That ain’t happen. Wha really use to get dem boys vex is when dem own government never use to pay attention to this thing. Dem didn’t care because was not dem send de students. Jagdeo couldn’t care because he was a still a li’l boy in school. Today, Soulja Bai going and join wid all those who remember that plane bombing. He gun remember de Guyanese de country lose and de Cubans gun be there to help us remember. Talk half and never forget when Venezuela attack Guyana.

ready bad with the government also repossessing the lands leased to a private individual. These actions by the government are sending shivers down the spine of investors, both local and foreign. The loss of Chinese investment will hurt the Guyanese economy. Chinese assistance to Guyana is more substantial than the United States. A depressed global economy has caused problems for Chinese companies in Guyana. Guyana, of all countries, should understand the fact that the global economy can affect local investment. It should be supporting foreign companies to ride through this difficult period. In the case of Bai Shan

Lin, the government is not dealing with a small company. It is dealing with a sole trade. It is not dealing with a familybusiness. The government is dealing with a firm with substantial assets. The company is obviously in serious financial problems. But many companies are in serious financial problems. These companies can ride through the crisis, merge with other companies or sell their shares to another firm. Investment from China will dry up with this threat to repossess lands given to Bai Shan Lin on the East Bank of Demerara. The Chinese are patient. They will wait out the term of this government. They can afford to wait. Guyana cannot afford. Guyana needs

Chinese investments. If China freezes all its investments, then where will the stimulus that is badly needed from the economy come from? Not from the Americans! It will not also come from local investors. Business has slowed considerably since the coalition came to power. It will slow further because of the loss of the rice market in Venezuela and the fact that local investors are worried about the government land repossession policy. The government does not seem to have any control. It is acting impulsively. The left hand does not seem to know what the right hand is doing.

GRA lectures Linden contractors... From page 8 the business or through subcontracting. “The responsibility of contractors in capacity as employers to remit Pay As You Earn (PAYE) on a monthly basis and ensure the NIS contributions of their employees are treated as a deduction was also addressed. Brochures, booklets forms and other

reading materials were distributed to the contractors, who were at the time gathered at a forum hosted by the Linden Chamber of Industry Commerce and Development at the Linden Enterprise Network Building Republic Avenue, Linden Region Ten. Sub-contractors and those aspiring were also present.” Those who are involved in construction were advised

on the application of Value Added Tax (VAT) to cement. “The VAT Act provides for the zero-rating of “a supply of locally produced sand, stone, concrete blocks, plywood, lumber or similar materials of a type and quality used for construction, but not including items containing imported materials, except in the case of concrete blocks and plywood.”

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Thursday October 06, 2016

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

You hear the same refrain all the time I was at the wake for the two brothers-in-law of Imran Khan of the PM’s office. They died in a tragic road accident at Friendship, EBD. The conversation among most attendees, were on the performance of the ruling Coalition. I sat next to attorney, Gino Persaud, and we carried on our little dialogue oblivious of the big debates that were going on around us. The recurring point in the discussions I have with people in situations like these – wakes, wedding receptions, and funeral services – is that the performance of the Coalition is giving space to the PPP. Both Gino and I agreed that as the Coalition continues to make mistakes, the PPP’s staying power is being

fertilised. Educated people that I speak to are simply mystified that a political party could have ruled so badly for 15 years (the Jagdeo/Ramotar period) yet takes the moral high ground. Such a huge political aberration puts Guyana in a special category. You pick up the newspapers and on a daily basis there are the utterances of Bharrat Jagdeo, Anil Nandlall, Donald Ramotar, Hydar Ally, and Clement Rohee. These people make accusations of wrong-doings against the Government the nature of which is a comparison between milk and poison when they ruled this land. And there is never a moment of pause to say that they have been that way, and looking

back they regretted that direction. Anil Nandlall leads the pack of anti-government critics who write almost daily in the letter pages of the newspapers. This is the lead lawyer for Bharrat Jagdeo in the libel case. Jagdeo sued for the mere statement that he is an ideological racist. This same Jagdeo has accused the Government of racism and have uttered remarks on racism that are far more venomous that a mere statement of him being an ideological racist. No one has sued Jagdeo. Nandlall and Jagdeo continue the libel suit and would be quite happy to continue their use of racist descriptions against the government with-

out even a blink of shame. This is what is taking place in Guyana, today, and the PPP leadership is given space to continue their political circus because they are thriving on the unnecessary mistakes of the Coalition. The PPP doesn’t need to invent tall tales about the Coalition. The Coalition itself invents them and the PPP picks up from there. It was the same Nandlall who enumerated a shocking number of increases in many services and documents that a citizen has to get from the State. A paper that cost you $500 is now $5000. A document that cost you $1000 is now $10,000. Some of these increases are so unreasonable that if a PPP leader goes to one of its

rural constituencies and describe them, the attendees would garland the speaker. In separate columns I would look at the Marriott Hotel and the TOPCO juice fiascoes. And fiasco is surely a mild word. What is enigmatic is that there isn’t a series of enlightened policies that the Coalition could use to mask their daily mistakes so the PPP would be hard-pressed to succeed with its propaganda. In other words, you do something exciting, and the nation is glad and that excitement masks an unpopular policy so people are not conscious of it. This of course is practical politics. This is the way politics is practised. It may not be morally elevating but the leadership of every country is faced with these dilemmas. Unfortunately, in Guyana, the Coalition does not know how to practise that kind of politics. So it increases the fee by leaps and bounds for a particular type of public service, but simultaneously it doesn’t offer any goodies. So it stands exposed and the PPP makes huge political capital out of such poor politics. This is happening every

Frederick Kissoon day with the Government. Why in just one year of power, you have increased the fees for public documents and services by over a thousand percent and there is no corresponding increase in wages and salaries? You are simply and foolishly giving your opposition ammunition to use against you. Given the enormity of the destruction of the PPP when it was in power, one would have thought that the PPP would have been desperately fighting to survive. But the PPP is alive and kicking. And its constituencies are not shunning it. It scares you to think of the reaction of sugar workers when Jagdeo, Nandlall and company go to them and tell them that the Coalition cannot send money on Wales Estate but it can do so on the Marriott Hotel.

Thursday October 06, 2016

Guyana, Suriname agri officials receive training on climate change risks

IICA Local representative Wilmot Garnett addresses participants at the IICA/UNDP Agricultural Risk Management (ARM) workshop for Guyanese and Surinamese officials. Several agricultural officials and senior personnel from agriculture related institutions in Guyana and Suriname today completed a three day Risk Mapping workshop by the United Nations Development Project (UNDP)and the Inter American Institute for Cooperation of Agriculture (IICA) aimed at building their technical skills and capacities for dealing with impacts of climate change. The venue was the Boardroom of the Ministry of Agriculture. Local Representative of the IICA, Wilmot Garnett, said that the aim of the workshop was to facilitate Guyana and Suriname in enhancing

their institutional capacity to develop, use and store Risks Maps for Agriculture Risk Management (ARM) and Agriculture Disaster Risk Management (ADRM) for Extreme Environmental Events in the Agricultural Sector. He said that the use of ICT and modern technologies such as Geographic Information Systems and integrated data management, which the workshop addressed, can provide valuable insights to decision makers to enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability of the agriculture sector in Guyana and Suriname. Garnett said that the onset of climatic change and variability in the Caribbean region, the second most vul-

nerable region, presents significant challenges for disaster response and agricultural management. Building resilience of agricultural production systems to environmental risks of the agricultural sector is necessary, if revitalisation and repositioning of the sector is required to contribute positively to economic, social and rural environmental prosperity. Unfortunately, limited institutional capacity exists to promote and support agriculture risk management. The workshop’s enhanced efforts are aimed at remedying the deficits in institutional knowledge and capacities of agriculture re-

Mother fined for abandoning ba by on rroad oad bab

A mother, who claimed that frustration and problems with her ‘child father’ led her to abandoning her baby at a roadside, was yesterday ordered to pay a fine of $100,000, with an alternative of spending three months in jail. The woman, Jewel Coates, 35, of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on September 20, last, by commission or omission, she willfully contributed to a child being in need of protective intervention, under the Child Protection Act 2009. However, at a September 22, court hearing she pleaded not guilty to the charge after appearing before Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Coates had earlier told the court that she no longer wanted custody of the child. She claimed that she was frustrated and pointed out that she was having problems with the child’s father. Police Prosecutor Seon Blackman had told the court that a relative of Coates, unknowing to her, followed her and the baby through West Ruimveldt Village. Blackman related that the relative who was walking behind Coates, observed the mother, placing the young baby at the roadside. According to the Prosecutor, when a dog walked in the baby’s direction, Coates turned back and picked up the child and continued walking. Blackman said that the relative continued walking behind Coates and again saw her place the baby on the road way. However, the

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Jewel Coates prosecutor pointed out that on this occasion, Coates walked away, leaving the baby behind. The court was told that the relative rescued the child and reported the matter to the East Ruimveldt Police station. While in police custody, Coates remained silent, when the allegation was put to her. Coates’s baby is currently in custody of her family.

lated institutions in Guyana and Suriname in climate change adaptation and environmental management themes critical to the sustainable development agendas of both countries. It also addressed appropriate agro-meteorological and climatic challenges of Institutions, targeted with respect to data requirements to formulate and use risk maps, and also focus specific examples of how this can occur with hands on applications. The resource persons were David Nicholas Oswald, Founder and President of De Design and Environment Inc. of Canada; and his colleague Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist, Trevor Smith. Some of the topics included: conceptual framework of risk management, data fusion, risk mapping, information architecture for risk mapping, flood and drought risks (Guyana and Suriname), pest risk/disease maps, and agricultural risk maps for saline intrusion risk among others.

Five years later…

Trio gets four years jail for embezzling Digicel credit Three women, who were charged back in 2011 with fraudulently converting over $48M, in credit from Telecom Solutions (Guyana) Inc, were each sentenced to four years’ imprisonment each by Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, on Tuesday. Melissa Naughton,39, of Lot 64 Robert Street, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara; Candacie Marshall, 31, of North Ruimveldt, Georgetown and Oladara Christian, 32, of Shell Road, Kitty, Georgetown were found guilty of conspiring together with other persons to embezzle in excess of $48M in credit from the company. The women were employed with the company. Naughton and Christian were employed as cashiers and were responsible for selling large amounts of Digicel credit via a computerised system. The women invalidated several transactions which were written off, after which they revalidated the transactions and sold them to persons to receive the proceeds for themselves. An investigation was launched and it was revealed that Marshall sold the credit to persons but never deposited the money into the company’s accounts. It was Marshall who solicited customers from time to time. When the matter was called on Tuesday, probation reports on the trio were presented to the court. During their address to the court, Attorney Glenn Hanoman who represented Christian and Marshall pleaded with the Magistrate to impose a non custodial or suspended sentence on his client. The attorney added that his clients have children to support. Further, Hanoman

stated that President David Granger recently announced that there is no place for mothers in prison. Hanoman told the court that it was the women’s first offence. The lawyer said that in an attempt to repay the company, Marshall withdrew all her savings from the bank and Christian sold her car. However, Prosecutor Attorney Ronald BurchSmith said that the women should be jailed for their deceitful actions. He said that they exploited their employers and such “white collar” crimes should not be condoned in society. Burch-Smith stated that they were all adults at the time of the commissioning of the offence and were aware that it was a dishonest thing to do. The prosecutor pointed out that Naughton, Marshall and Christian should be given the same punishment as a person who is before the court for snatching a chain. Magistrate Leron Daly informed the court that she will impose a custodial sentence on the three based on the nature of the offence and the amount of money stolen. The Magistrate said that she considered the facts that the women were of sound mind and understanding when they committed the offence and also were mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions. She said that her court as well as society strongly condemns theft. Before passing sentence, Magistrate Daly took into consideration all mitigating factors raised by the attorneys. She said that although the women were mothers, they must be punished for what they did; hence the custodial sentence.

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Thursday October 06, 2016

Over 85 institutions connected to Govt.’s fiber optic network In the past three weeks more than 85 educational institutions were connected to the Government’s fibre optic network. This disclosure was made yesterday by Minister with

responsibility for Telecommunications, Ms. Catherine Hughes. Hughes, who was speaking at the launch of the One Laptop Per Teacher (OLPT) Initiative at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) Turkeyen campus, noted, “This is an exciting time in the movement of ICT (Information Communication Technology) in Guyana…” Hughes announced with

pride that the connectivity move was realised in less than a year of operation of the eGovernment Agency. The eGovernment Unit, currently the execution arm of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, introduced a countrywide programme some months ago to set up ICT hubs in urban and rural community centers - in towns and villages. The institutions recently

connected to the government network include: five Regional Education Offices; both campuses of the University of Guyana, 10 technical and vocational institutions in regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six and all secondary schools from Corentyne to Charity. According to Hughes, the facilities that have been connected are now able to provide internet access for the benefit of teachers and students. “Our ICT connectivity programme is critical to our nation’s development. It lays the foundation upon which we could have placed this very essential One Laptop Per Teacher initiative,” said Minister Hughes. She underscored that there is no doubt that higher levels of internet penetration have a positive impact on the national economy and has helped to improve the standard of living of their citizens in developing countries. Internet connectivity, Hughes explained, also brings with it improved opportunities for E-education, that is, utilising technology to virtually transport a teacher in a classroom in Georgetown to an indigenous community via platforms like Skype. Internet access, she added, allows Government agencies to provide better health and other social services to citizens. “We started out in Berbice as far away as

Liverpool and Baracara up the Canje Creek. We are setting up community hubs on the East Coast of Demerara, the East Bank of Berbice, and in the mining town of Linden,” Minister Hughes related yesterday. She assured that the technicians and engineers attached to the programme are working swiftly to carry out the mandate that was handed to the Telecommunications Ministry. “That mandate is to create a knowledge-based, ICTenabled society in the shortest possible time. We have to ensure that we provide the physical infrastructure such as fibre optic and long term evolution (LTE) networks; we have to

provide the equipment and find appropriate housing, generally in community centers, for the computers and peripherals; and we have to provide education and training so that all of our citizens can take better advantage of the opportunities that await,” Hughes added. She noted, too, “We will soon begin to train the managers of these community ICT hubs, and very shortly the first three tech support units will be set up in the RDC compounds at Anna Regina, Linden and New Amsterdam.” The technicians assigned to those units would be the “First Response teams” equipped to fix minor problems and refer the major ones that will emerge along the way, the Minister said. She added, “We are at the beginning of quite an exciting journey. Like everything about Information Communication Technologies, every turn along that road to digital competency opens us up to new possibilities, new ways to ensure that every person in Guyana has access to the worldwide web.” “We’re looking forward to the expansion programme that will extend the fibre optic and LTE networks into inland communities, into new towns like Mabaruma and Mahdia, into long existing communities like Kwakwani and Orealla and Hogg Island,” the Telecommunications Minister related yesterday.

From page 3 in order to realise the launch of the initiative, the President also recognised the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Guyana and China has had 44 years of cordial relations and according to President Granger the China Government was forthcoming to request to reshape its support to the One Laptop Per Family initiative to accommodate teachers. The laptop distribution to teachers coincided with the observance of World Teachers’ Day which was observed the world over yesterday. Teachers in training at CPCE are eligible to receive laptops as part of the OLPT initiative. Some of them were able to receive their laptops yesterday. In excess of 1,000 teachers are in training at CPCE which is based at Turkeyen but which has a number of satellite locations. But they were not the only recipients. Some top performers of the 2015 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) were also presented with laptops yesterday too. A total of 168 of the One hundred and sixty-eight of the top performers are eligible for

laptops. The decision to focus the laptop distribution on the education sector was fully endorsed by the Government of China which is prepared to sustain its support for the Government of Guyana. This was emphasised by Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Limin, who graced yesterday’s forum. According to Minister of Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n , Catherine Hughes, launching of the OLPT initiative is one that seeks to give teachers an important tool with which to work and is therefore a vital component of Government’s all incompassing to raise the national level of digital literacy and to improve internet connectivity. Internet connectivity was on show yesterday as teachers in training in Berbice were able to virtually join the launching ceremony by way of Skype. “Most importantly it is a means to introduce internet access to o u r u n - s e r v e d hinterland and interior locations,” said Minister Hughes as she added that “ t h i s a l l - e n c o mpassing programme will directly ben-

efit all Guyanese including students, their teachers and parents, young professionals and entrepreneurs.” Minister Hughes also underscored that there is no doubt that higher levels of internet penetration have a positive impact on the national economy. “It has already proven to be a major contributor to higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in other developing countries, and it has improved the standard of living of their citizens,” added the Telecommunications Minister. Although Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, was unable attend the forum yesterday, he was aptly represented by his Technical Advisor on Tertiary Education, Mr. Vincent Alexander. According to Alexander the introduction of the OLPT initiative yesterday is in fact a fitting way to bring down the curtain on the observation of Education Month. “What in fact we are doing is tuning teachers for an improved delivery of education while equipping our students to better received that education,” Alexander noted.

Minister of Telecommunications, Ms. Catherine Hughes

World Teachers’ Day...President launches...

Thursday October 06, 2016

Kaieteur News

Matthew kills at least 25, bears down on Bahamas, U.S

People carry belongings through flooded streets in Port-au-Prince. Haiti experienced a drought earlier in the year, and now the impacts of Hurricane Matthew. Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters Reuters - Hurricane Matthew churned toward the Bahamas and Florida’s east coast yesterday after killing at least 21 people in Haiti and prompting the hard-hit country to postpone a longawaited presidential election. The hurricane, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, whipped Cuba and Haiti with 140 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds and torren-

tial rains on Tuesday, pummelling towns and destroying livestock, crops and homes. In the United States, millions of people were urged to evacuate the southeastern coast and Florida Governor Rick Scott warned residents to prepare for a possible direct hit that could be catastrophic. Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated

from the path of the Matthew, which caused severe flooding and killed four people in the Dominican Republic as well as at least 21 in Haiti. The two countries share the island of Hispaniola. The storm carved a path of devastation through western Haiti, dumping boats and debris on coastal roads hit by surging seas and heavily flooding residential areas.

Brazil’s Lula faces new corruption charges: reports Brasília (AFP) - Brazilian ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faced yet more corruption allegations yesterday with charges that he helped a nephew win a lucrative contract from construction giant Odebrecht, reports said. According to major Brazilian newspapers, federal police have filed formal charges accusing Lula of using his influence while in office to help his nephew Taiguara Rodrigues’ company Exergia win the contract in Angola. The reports in Globo and Estadao de Sao Paolo said Rodrigues’ company won the contract in 2012 from the Brazilian construction giant which is at the centre of a sprawling corruption investigation shaking Brazilian politics. Rodrigues, the former head of Odebrecht, Marcelo Odebrecht, and seven other executives, were charged with money laundering and corruption in the same investigation, Estadao reported.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva However, the Lula Institute, which represents the expresident, said in a statement that lawyers would “analyze the document from the federal police, which was leaked by the media and revealed in a sensational way before the defense had access.” The institute said Lula was victim of a “media massacre... to try and destroy the image of the most popular

president in the country’s history.” Lula, 70, has been named by prosecutors as the mastermind of a huge corruption scheme in which state oil company Petrobras was systematically plundered by a network of executives, politicians and contractors such as Odebrecht. He faces two court cases already. One concerns alleged bribes taken from OAS, another construction company that allegedly benefitted from sweetheart deals with Petrobras, and an obstruction of justice case. Lula has repeatedly stated his innocence and says he is being targeted in order to prevent him from trying to return to power in the 2018 presidential elections. Lula served from 20032010 and left office with sky high ratings and international approval for his work in lifting tens of millions of Brazilians from poverty, while presiding over an economic boom.

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Thursday October 06, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Thursday October 06, 2016

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Kaieteur News

THE VOICE OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

WAS THERE SOME GREASE ON THIS STONE SCAM PROCUREMENT? By Sase Singh Introduction Honeymoon always gives the impression that the good times are coming to an end. It is the same in politics. Political honeymoon lasts as long as instructed by the people. I am of the firm opinion that the honeymoon for President Granger is now firmly over. Please, Mr. President - no more excuses. The majority of people voted for Team Granger because this team put themselves out as the team to solve the major developmental challenges of our time in Guyana – growing perception of personal insecurity (crime), a broken judicial system, heavy corruption at all levels in the public service, opaque public sector projects that were perceived to be contributing to the enrichment of a select few, a mal-functional productive sector, a demotivated working class and a hardcore level of human poverty that seems not to be going away. Now that 25 percent of the Granger Term is gone, in the minds of many, the nation is today further away from the goals set by the Coalition in its manifesto back in May 2015. In short, it is becoming more apparent that we have marched backward on many fronts. There seems to be a stultification in economic growth for the poor and the working class. There are good reasons for this incoherent economic

state of affair; there is a famine of strategic analytics in the Granger administration. This stone scam is but the latest case of this intellectual deprivation when it comes to making sound and strategic long-term decision for Guyana. Any sensible Minister of Finance would have intervened because of the economic consequence of this stone scam. Price or no price, all efforts should have been made to ensure that the Guyanese quarries match the Surinamese price to at least partially supply on this contract for 300,000 tonnes of crushed stones. The alternative that is being imposed on the nation by the Granger administration will have severe long-term socio-economic implications. You just cannot lift G$1.6 billion in cash and deposit it in a foreign country and expect everything to be kosher. This is tantamount to giving the children of Guyana buses and boats with one hand and a debt of G$1.6 billion with the other hand? Economic absurdity! This Stone Scam It is not only possible for the productive sector (in which the quarrying sector is a member) to lead the recovery of the Guyanese economy with growth and hiring; it is a necessity. To help achieve a sustained economic recovery, our country needs a consumer-led commitment to buying Guyanese-made prod-

ucts, which supports the Guyanese productive sector jobs. More Guyanese productive sector jobs not only reduce the unemployment rate but also expand the tax base to pay for benefits, like NIS. And jobs will come if the Granger administration supports a “BUY-LOCAL” programme when spending taxpayer dollars. Every new job created in the quarrying sector will cause a town like Bartica to directly benefit from restaurant workers to heavy machine operators and so on. I was advised that it was estimated that if this deal was offered to the Guyanese quarries, for every new job created as a result, an average of four additional jobs would have been created in Region Seven, a PNC stronghold. Why is the PNC leadership punishing their supporters? This decision to buy crushed stones from a foreign country just does not make any sense. Instead, we went for short-term payback for a few and totally cashiered the longer-term economic advancement for the nation by signing this “lopsided contract” between the Chinese contractor and the Chinese/ Suriname stone suppliers. The direct consequences of this contract are that all the potential new quarrying jobs that could have been created in Guyana over the next 12 months have now been exported to a foreign country. For the last 40 years and counting, Guyana has run a

trade deficit. In 2015, the merchandise trade deficit was G$64 billion, according to the Bank of Guyana Annual Report. The main reason for the trade deficit in most of those years was the fact that we are an importer of oil. However, for most of 2015 and 2016, the low oil prices enhance Guyana’s position with respect to this trade deficit. But have we capitalised on this opportunity? Well if you look at the juice contract and the stone contract, they are just two of the many “loop-sided” contracts that were awarded under the Granger government that makes very little business sense. Here we had an opportunity to expand the quarrying sector, by ensuring that the invitation for tenders had a price cap and a geographic clause that restricted the tender to quarry located within a certain geographic range to preserve the buy local element. Only if there are no local takers, can companies outside of that radius be considered. But clearly, because we have a shortage of proper contract management skills and strategic thinkers in the Office of the Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Granger administration bungled the entire re-negotiation process on the Airport Contract. They clearly dropped the ball! This is plain and simple old-fashioned incompetence from Minister Patterson and his legal team. Or is it something

else? Was there some level of grease on the procurement value chain? Best Practice In 2015 total exports increased by a mere 0.2% to G$245 billion. Rather than building our productive sectors to expand our export base, reduce the trade deficit and enhance the fortunes of the nation, we continue to marginalised industries in which we have core competencies. This is a frontal attack on the quarrying sector. It will take years to repair the economic damage from this stone scam. Need we remind ourselves of history and how great countries were built? In the 1950s India was one of the world’s leading importers of food grains and because of a shortage of foreign currency and the inability to import enough grains, people were starving by the hundreds of thousands. The father of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, had the vision to foresee the potential threats to India’s national security because of food scarcity, excessive dependence on food imports and low foreign exchange reserves. He immediately embarked upon the agrarian reforms and a system of extensive agriculture research in newly established agricultural universities, source high yielding seeds and ensures that his government provided all the necessary financial and administrative support to their

Sase Singh, M.Sc. Finance, ACCA Maryland, USA grain industry. The end result? In less than 10 years, India was able to stabilise the situation. Today India is one of the top five exporters of grains, generating more than US$600 million from grain exports alone. It is called leadership! CONCLUSION We have a huge trade deficit because we’re importing far more than we’re exporting and this stifles potential economic growth. Part of the answer to our economic problems is in our own backyard. The answer is: buy local and support your own to become more cost efficient and competitive. In doing so, we’ll reduce our trade deficit, support a higher tax base and achieve greater economic growth. That starts with the procurement conducted with all government funds. In America, there is a system called FLY AMERICA and BUY AMERICA as far as possible when you are spending federal tax dollars. Why should it be any different in Guyana?

Berbice fisherman missing, feared dead What started off as a work venture late last week has turned into a matter for police investigation, after a young fisherman went missing without a trace. There has been no sign of 18-year-old Dinesh Bhagwadin of Lot 92 Second Street, No. 2 village East Canje since last Thursday. Bhagwadin’s 46-year-old mother; Basmattie, is at her wit’s end worrying about the whereabouts of her youngest son. The woman stated that her son told his older sister, Diane, that he had landed a job in the No. 43 area and would be heading out to sea. Things, however, became strange when they received an anonymous phone call on Saturday, stating that her son fell overboard. That was the only information relayed in the mysterious phone call. Bhagwadin’s sister told this publication that she has

Dinesh Bhagwadin’s sister, Diana (Left) and his 46-year-old mother Basmattie (Right)

no information on the boat and crew members her brother had left with. “Da person just call me and seh he fall overboard. Dah is it. Dem ain’t seh when, how.. nothing nothing. Just dah. We ain’t know what hap-

pen cause dah is all them seh.” His sister told Kaieteur News that the family immediately informed the police of the news. In no time, relatives began searching the East Demerara foreshores and the Suriname waters in hopes

of finding his body despite strong hopes that he is still alive. “We just want know what happened. I still believe he alive because my brother is a fighter.” Investigations are ongoing.

Missing: Dinesh Bhagwadin

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Thursday October 06, 2016

Kaieteur News

South African watchdog to question Zuma in Gupta inquiry Reuters - South Africa’s public protector will question President Jacob Zuma this week over allegations he was influenced by the wealthy Gupta family in making government appointments, her office said yesterday. The Gupta family became household names in South Africa after Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas dropped a political bombshell earlier this year when he said they offered to secure him his boss’s job. Zuma says the Guptas are his friends but denies they have influenced political appointments. Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, will meet with Zuma today, her spokeswoman told Reuters. “We will hear his version of events and he may have information for us that we will need to consider against our own findings,” Madonsela told Business Day newspaper in an interview published yesterday. Presidency spokesman Bongani Majola confirmed the meeting would take place, Business Day said. Majola

Jacob Zuma did not respond to a request for comment. Zuma has come under increased criticism in recent months from opponents and members of his own African National Congress (ANC) party over a series of corruption scandals. The chairman of AngloGold Ashanti, Sipho Pityana, yesterday became the latest business leader to call for Zuma to resign, call-

ing him the “sponsor in chief” of corruption. “Zuma must go,” Sipho Pityana said to a round of applause from delegates at a mining conference. “We must seize the moment and save South Africa.” Some members of the ANC have also called for a change of leadership in recent weeks as internal divisions widened following the party’s worst ever local election results in August. Zuma still has the backing of the top echelons of the ANC and millions of diehard supporters in rural regions. Markets have been spooked by allegations Zuma is locked in a power struggle with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan over, among other things, the issuing of government tenders to the Gupta family and its influence over the ANC. The Guptas, who moved to South Africa from India after apartheid fell in 1994, run businesses ranging from uranium and coal mining to media and information technology.

Breaking with Conservative past, May proffers her new vision for Britain Reuters - Prime Minister Theresa May laid out her vision for post-Brexit Britain yesterday, calling for a new approach to government that serves working-class people who voted to leave the European Union in protest at the elite. Appointed just three months ago after the referendum on EU membership forced the resignation of her predecessor David Cameron, May sought in her closing speech at the ruling Conservative Party conference to stamp her authority on government. Earlier in the week, she had placated the eurosceptic wing of her party by vowing to restore sovereignty to Britain and controls over migration in Brexit talks. Now she pitched for the centre ground, calling on party members to appeal to millions of traditional Labour voters who defied the opposition party’s proEU stance and voted for Brexit. She wants the Conservatives to shed their image as what she has called “the nasty party” that protects the rich and powerful at the

expense of the poor. “So if you’re a boss who earns a fortune but doesn’t look after your staff, an international company that treats tax laws as an optional extra ..., a director who takes out massive dividends while knowing that the company pension is about to go bust, I’m putting you on warning,” she said to a huge cheer. “This can’t go on anymore,” May said in what was widely seen as a reference to British retail tycoon Philip Green who has been blamed for the collapse of department store BHS this year after he sold the business in 2015 to a serial bankrupt. It was a clear break with Cameron, who was often criticised for protecting the “rich and powerful”, some of whom attended the elite Eton public school with him and moved in similar upscale social circles. May herself lives in a wealthy village in the bucolic Thames Valley, but was primarily educated in state schools. “(We have) a bold plan to bring Britain together, to build a new, united Britain

rooted in the centre ground, an agenda for a new, modern Conservatism that understands the good government can do, that will never hesitate to face down the powerful when they abuse their position of privileged, that will always act in the interest of ordin a r y, working-class people,” she said. After several standing ovations during the speech — and loud applause when she walked on the stage to the Rolling Stones song “Start Me Up” — many of the Tory faithful in the audience praised her call for change. But, at the same time some questioned whether the former interior minister would be able to carry it through such an ambitious agenda. “It’s been more about the establishment before, but it is centre-ground now isn’t it? It’s for everyb o d y, ” R o y H e w l e t t , a healthcare worker and longterm Conservative voter. “The big problem here is delivering. The vision was brilliant, but actually delivering that vision is going to be really difficult.”

Thursday October 06, 2016

Kaieteur News

Islamic Cooperation offers to finance bridge between Guyana, Suriname

PA R A M A R I B O , Suriname (Caribbean News Now) - Following the visit of the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, and his delegation to both Suriname and Guyana last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Suriname has reported that the OIC is willing to finance the construction of a bridge across the Corentyne River at the eastern frontier between Guyana and Suriname. This is being done in an effort to enhance regional economic and physical integration. This type of project falls under the rubric and vision of the Arab League and South American group, UNASUR, which meets at the heads of government level every three years. Such a project would support and promote regional integration and economic development, which Madani termed “a triangular relationship between the OIC, Guyana and Suriname”. The OIC will also work with UNASUR in this effort. According to the Foreign Minister of Suriname, Niermala Badrising, who had several meetings with Madani while he was in Suriname, the OIC and its financial arm, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is in favour of the execution of major infrastructure projects in South America. One of these projects that

can finally be realised, according to Badrising, is the bridging of the Corentyne River between Guyana and Suriname. Badrising, who has been working closely with the OIC and the IsDB, said in a statement that a bridge over the Corentyne River linking the two countries “could become a reality if the countries involved are in agreement and if the project is feasible. It is one of the opportunities that we have to utilise OIC funds, and the project will complement UNASUR’s regional integration vision.” The previous government in Guyana had agreed to partner with Suriname to seek finance from China to bridge the Corentyne River. However, there has since been no movement on the project. It is not known if the project was discussed when Madani met the foreign minister of Guyana, Carl Greenidge, in Georgetown. For Guyana to tap into the benefits of OIC and IsDB membership, the relationship must mature to become one of trust and understanding. In Paramaribo, Madani, in a meeting with the press, stated categorically, “We are not a religious organisation, and the OIC hails Suriname as an example of a multicultural country where different ethnicities and religions peacefully coexist.” Madani stressed that the OIC is not interested in

the internal affairs of Suriname; it is not looking to cause conflicts in Suriname or in the region. ”Suriname and Guyana’s membership in the group should be used to its fullest so as to contribute to regional integration and economic development,” he emphasised. Madani said that he is happy that Suriname is active in the OIC, unlike other countries who are not seizing the opportunities. Guyana is not an active member of the OIC and there are conflicting narratives as to the reason behind it. Meanwhile, President Desi Bouterse on Friday defended Suriname’s relationship with the OIC and the IsDB. He urged Suriname to take full advantage of the US$1.8 billion soft loan from the Bank. He warned that there are forces acting against these developments and Suriname’s cooperation with the OIC and IsDB in his government’s effort to stabilise the economy of the country. Developing countries have long complained that the IMF is an institution willing to provide cash when they face economy calamity; however, the austerity measures the IMF imposes has no human face. It forces governments to cut back on vital socio-economic and welfare programs such as food, healthcare and education.

Russia suspends nuclear agreement, ends uranium research pact with USA

Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama Reuters - Russia further curtailed its cooperation with the United States in nuclear energy yesterday, suspending a research agreement and terminating one on uranium conversion, two days after the Kremlin shelved a plutonium pact with Washington. The Russian government said that as countermeasures to the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, it was putting aside a nuclear and

energy-related research pact with the United States. It also said it was terminating for the same reasons an agreement between its nuclear corpo r a t i o n Rosatom and the U.S. Department of Energy on feasibility studies into conversion of Russian research reactors to low-enriched uranium. On Monday, President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons grade

plutonium, signalling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria. “The regular renewal of sanctions against Russia, which include the suspension of Russian-American cooperation in the field of nuclear energy demands the adoption of countermeasures against the U.S. side,” the Russian government said on its website.

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NSA contractor charged with stealing secret data Reuters - A National Security Agency contractor has been arrested and charged with stealing highly classified information, authorities said yesterday, a data breach that could mark a damaging new leak about the U.S. government’s surveillance efforts. Harold Thomas Martin,

51, who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, was taken into custody in Maryland in August, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Booze Allen is the consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden when he revealed the collection of metadata by the NSA in 2013. Booz Allen said in a state-

ment that when the company “learned of the arrest of one of its employees by the FBI,” they immediately fired the employee and offered full cooperation to the FBI. The same month Martin was arrested, some of the NSA’s most sophisticated hacking tools were dumped onto public websites by a

New mine starts commercial gold production in Suriname PA R A M A R I B O , Suriname — Surgold, a subsidiary of US-based multinational Newmont Mining Corporation, has completed construction of the Merian gold mine in Suriname on time and commenced commercial production last Saturday. Newmont disclosed that the Merian project was completed more than US$150 million or nearly 20 percent below its initial development capital budget. After the Rosebel goldmine of Canadabased Iamgold, the Merian mine is Suriname’s second industrial gold mine. “We took an optimized approach to project development and benefitted from being one of the only gold pro-

ducers investing in growth during the lower price cycle,” said Gary Goldberg, president and chief executive officer. “Our team built Merian safely, on schedule and significantly below budget – and delivered our strategy to strengthen the portfolio by adding more than a decade of profitable production and creating a foothold in a prospective new gold district. This accomplishment is also the result of strong partnerships with the government and people of Suriname, and the extensive experience GMining brought to project development.” According to Newmont so far it has achieved sustained average mill through-

put of 80 percent and gold recovery of more than 90 percent over the last 30 days. Stockpiled ore represents nearly 160,000 contained ounces of gold. Merian contains gold reserves of 5.1 million ounces and annual production is expected to average between 400,000 and 500,000 ounces of gold at competitive costs in the first five full years of production. Costs are expected to be among the lowest in the portfolio, averaging between US$575 and US$675 per ounce in costs applicable to sales and between US$650 and US$750 per ounce in all-in sustaining costs in the first five years. (Caribbean News)

More than 11,000 migrants rescued off Libya this week

Migrants are assisted after disembarking at the Sicilian port of Catania, Italy yesterday. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello Reuters - More than 5,000 migrants were sav e d o n Tuesday and yesterday off the Libyan coast and 28 bodies recovered, bringing the total number of people rescued this week to more than 11,000, Italy’s coast guard said. More than 20 people were reported to have suffocated in the hold of one overloaded fishing boat, bringing the total death toll for Monday and Tuesday to 50. Italian officials said three women saved on

Monday had given birth over the past 24 hours on a coast guard vessel that was bringing some 1,000 refugees to Sicily. The women and their three children were all reported to be in good health. The coast guard said the 4,655 migrants rescued on Tuesday were taken from 33 overcrowded boats, including 27 rubber dinghies and one wooden boat that was believed to have been carrying around 1,000 people. More than 6,000 mi-

grants were rescued on Monday, but yesterday the number fell sharply to about 368 from six different boats, the coast guard said. A photographer working for Agence France-Presse, who was aboard a ship chartered by a Spanish non-governmental organisation to help with the rescue missions, was quoted as saying he had counted 22 bodies on that boat. He told Italian media he thought other corpses were still in the hold.

group calling itself Shadow Brokers. The company’s stock was down 3.7 percent to $30.33 a share, following the report. The U.S. Justice Department charged Martin, who had top secret national secu-

rity clearance, with theft of classified government material, according to a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday. Word of the arrest followed a New York Times report that the Federal Bureau

of Investigation was investigating whether he stole and disclosed highly classified computer “source code” developed to hack into the networks of Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and other countries.

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Thursday October 06, 2016

Windies in crisis after Babar hundred.. From page 32 whitewash in the preceding Twenty20 series, leaving their tour in turmoil ahead of the three-match Test series starting later this month. The defeat also saw them slip out of the top eight in the ODI rankings, with Pakistan replacing them. Opting to bat first, Pakistan benefitted from an 85run, opening stand between Sharjeel Khan and Azhar, who finally found the form he craved to lash his third ODI hundred. Azhar struck eight fours and a six in a lively knock while the enterprising lefthanded Sharjeel gathered 38 from 41 deliveries with five boundaries. Once Sharjeel holed out in the deep in the 15th over off left-arm spinner Sulieman

Benn, Azhar and Babar took the game by the scruff of its neck in a demoralizing 147-run second wicket stand. Azhar reached his halfcentury off 61 deliveries in the 20th over with a single to midwicket off off-spinner Sunil Narine, and then required another 46 balls to raise three figures in the 38th over. Babar, meanwhile, with knocks of 120 and 123 in the first two games in Sharjah, extended his superb nick, racing to his first fifty off 48 deliveries before reaching his century off 95 balls in the 44th over. Azhar was eventually bowled by Holder in the 39th over, missing a swing at a slower ball and Babar followed in the 46thover, bowled by a full length delivery from slow medium Kieron Pollard,

as he failed to connect with an improvised stroke. In reply, West Indies at no stage looked the part. Brathwaite and debutant Evin Lewis put on 45 off 56 balls for the first wicket but neither really threatened. The left-handed Lewis struck four fours in 22 from 30 balls and by the time he was bowled by seamer Sohail Khan in the 10th over, the required run rate had risen to six-and-a-half per over. Darren Bravo, 17, joined Brathwaite to add 30 for the second wicket but again, the stand was a slow one which required 50 deliveries, and it only served to build pressure. When Brathwaite missed one from off-spinner Shoaib Malik which drifted in and was lbw in the 18th over, West Indies quickly lost four wick-

Thursday October 06, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Your anger may be impossible to contain if you get into debates with family members. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) You may have more people on your domestic scene than anticipated. You can enjoy the company of others and come in contact with an ideal mate, if you get out and mingle.

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Kaieteur News

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) It may not be the best day to confront employers or to present your ideas. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Digestive disorders will be a result of family squabbles. Express your interest if you want the relationship to progress. You can make new friends by taking part in social events involving colleagues.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You are best to look into investments that will grow in value over an extended period of time. .

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21) You will do best to entertain those you wish to close deals with. You are best not to discuss your personal life with others.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Don't confront the situation if you don't feel you can keep your cool. You may need to make a few alterations to your living arrangements.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20) Take the whole family and make it an enjoyable outing. Travel will be favorable and bring you the greatest rewards. You are best to keep hard feelings to yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Try to stay calm and understand both sides of the situation. Travel will be fun and entertaining. Do not hesitate to help eld

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) Your fun loving approach will be admired and appreciated by others. Be prepared for an active but rewarding day.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Your charm will be captivating. Be careful disclosing information. Don't forget that your budget is limited right now.

PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Look into any educational activities involving the whole family. Restrictions may be difficult for you to live with.

ets for 42 runs, to slump to 117 for five in the 30th over. Left-hander Bravo nicked left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz behind in the 21st after 40 balls at the crease and in-form Samuels was run out for 13 after Ramdin pulled out of a single in the 23rd over. Pollard, without a score of note in the series, meandered for 20 balls before holing out for 11 to long-off off left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, at 117 for five in the 30th. At this stage the required run rate has risen to nearly 10 runs an over and left the Windies requiring a miracle, which never came. Ramdin struck two fours in adding an unhurried 42 for the sixth wicket with Holder, who counted a four and a six in his innings. However, once Holder missed a swing at left-arm spinner Imad Wasim and was bowled in the 40th over, the end came swiftly as a battered West Indies lost their last five wickets for 13 runs in the space of 28 balls.

LBW record set at Providence as... From page 30 crowd which turned out f o r t h e N a t i o n ’s f i r s t e v e r Te s t m a t c h w h i c h ended in a draw as the Indians surprisingly opted not go after the victory target. We s t I n d i e s j o u r neyed to Bangladesh in October and aided by the wash out of day two and three, drew the first Test of the two-match series. T h e s e c o n d Te s t i n Dhaka saw the visitors romping to an emphatic 229-run win with Darren Bravo making 195 after Kirk Edwards had scored h i s s e c o n d Te s t t o n i n the first innings. Edwards’ unrelated name sake Fidel captured 5-63. Chanderpaul’s defiant first innings118 was not enough to prevent West

Indies from suffering a five-wicket loss. We s t I n d i e s , w h o played 10 Tests in 2011, continued to struggle at the highest level. In November 2011, India won the opening Test before winning the second Test by an innings and 15 runs at Eden Garden with Sehwag, Laxman and Dhoni scoring first innings hundreds. Darren Bravo’s 136 in the second innings made little difference to the outcome of the contest which ended in four days. Bravo racked up back-to-back centuries in the drawn final Test as We s t I n d i e s f i n i s h e d 2011 with a 2-nil series loss.

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Kaieteur News

Bangladesh sweep makeshift Windies (part 17)

LBW record set at Providence as WI win for first time in 17 Tests By Sean Devers In July 2009 Bangladesh came to the Caribbean and after a strike by the senior players a make shift side was assembled. Led by Floyd Reifer, West Indies lost by 95 runs in Jamaica and by four wickets in Grenada in the next Test. Guyanese Travis Dowlin fell five short of a maiden Test century. This was the first time that a team ranked lower than the West Indies had achieved a clean sweep in a series against them. In November 2009, West Indies journeyed to Australia and lost the first Test by an innings and 65 runs. Dowlin, one of the players who kept his place from the Bangladesh series, stroked a first innings half-century, while Adrian Barath scored a century on debut in the second innings. The second Test was drawn as Bravo scored a century and Nash, an Australian by birth, made a solid 92 in the first innings before Gayle hit a magnificent 165 in the second innings. West Indies ended 2009 on a losing note as they lost the final Test by 35 runs and with it the 3-Test series 2-nil. Gayle’s first innings hundred and fifties from Deonarine and Nash in the second, failed to prevent Caribbean team from defeat. South Africa came to the West Indies and won the first Test by 163 runs inside four days in Trinidad despite 73 by Gayle. The second Test in St. Kitts was drawn after three South Africans reached triple figures and Chanderpaul (166) and Nash (144) faced 505 balls between them for the host, in one of the most boring but important partner-

Guyanese Travis Dowlin missed a maiden Test ton by five runs against Bangladesh for a make shift West Indies team.

Brandon Bess was lucky to make his Test debut at 22 against South Africa in Barbados. ships in Test cricket. South Africa won the final Test in Barbados by seven wickets despite an unbeaten 71 from Chanderpaul. Guyanese pacer Brandon Bess was summoned from the breakfast table at the High Performance Centre (HPC) to make his Test debut at age 22 after Nelon Pascal suffered a neck injury while warming-up. Bess had 1-92 from 13 overs; dismissing Paul Harris but for the second time in the series a game was completed inside four days. The Caribbean fans were getting increasingly frustrated with their team’s per-

formance as the West Indies toured Sri Lanka in November 2010. Gayle got going with commanding 333 as Sri Lanka were made to follow-on in the drawn encounter. The next Test was drawn after the entire fourth day was washed out in Colombo with Roach taking 5-100 in the first innings, while the final Test was also drawn after day three and five were washed out as the West Indies ended 2010 with rain helping them to draw the series. When Man-of-the-Match Darren Sammy scattered the stumps of Saeed Ajmal at

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat. U-17 League As the future stars of Guyana’s football continue to showcase their skills in the GFF/ NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National Intra Association Under-17 league; following is a schedule of matches that will be contested in the East Bank and West Demerara Football Associations.

1:28PM on May 15, 2011 at Providence to claim his fourth five-wicket haul (5-29) and first as West Indies Captain. His team had won its first Test since beating England in Jamaica, 17 Tests and 27 months ago. The emphatic 40-run win, with almost a day and a session to spare, was also the first win by the West Indies against Pakistan in 53 years in five Tests in Guyana. This

was the first Test victory for West Indies in Guyana since they beat England in 1998 at Bourda. Misbah-ul-Haq was the only batman from either team to reach a half-century on a treacherous track as a world record 20 LBW decisions were given surpassing the previous record of 17 between the same two teams in Trinidad in 1993. Guyana’s leg spinner Devendra Bishoo made his Test debut on home soil. West Indies just needed to avoid defeat in St Kitts in the next Test to win only their fourth Test series since 2003 when they beat Sri Lanka but an all too familiar collapse re-

sulted in them crashing to a 193-run defeat inside three days. The hosts began the 2011 home series against India in Jamaica with a 63-run loss inside four days. A resolute 73 from Darren Bravo in the second innings earned West Indies a draw in the second Test. The third and final Test was played in the Nature Isle of Dominica and Chanderpaul became the first player to reach a Test ton on the Island and was given Honorary Citizenship of Dominica. Kirk Edwards scored a century on debut as West Indies entertained a capacity (Continued on page 25)

Bel Air Rubis and Trophy Stall combine to inject funds into Under-13 cricket At a simple but significant launching ceremony held last Friday evening at the Demerara Cricket Club Ground, Queenstown, Georgetown, Lalta Gainda of Bel Air Rubis and Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market have jointly injected sponsorship into a much needed Under-13 cricket competition for teams on the East Coast Demerara . Teams or Clubs from Georgetown area or any other area in Guyana are welcome to join. The tournament will give exposure to the younger cricketers and is open to any team from any part of the country - more details can be obtained from the names mentioned below. The championship, which will commence shortly, will be of two innings

duration with a limit of 30 overs in the first innings. The second innings will be unlimited. The organizers and sponsors decided on this regulation so as to make sure that there is at least a first innings result. Speaking on behalf of the sponsors, Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market, said that he is delighted to be part sponsor of this tournament and commended his cosponsor Lalta Gainda of Bel Air Rubis for the initiative. He further stated that for West Indies cricket to turn around their fortunes it has to start from the grass root level and he hopes that this tournament will unearth some Ramnaresh Sarwans, Shivnarine Chanderpauls, Lance Gibbs and Clive Lloyds among

many other outstanding cricketers produced by Guyana. Speaking on behalf of the East Coast Cricket Committee, Anil Persaud thanked the sponsors for coming onboard and for showing interest in the young and upcoming cricketers. The tournament will be organized by Mohamed Ashmul Ali and Anil Persaud, endorsed by the Guyana Cricket Board and will be played under the guidance of the East Coast Cricket Committee. Only players born during or after the year 2004 will be eligible. Interested teams can make contact with Mohamed Ashmul Ali on telephone numbers 222-0189/652-5896 or Anil Persaud on 624-6098 for more details.

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RHTY&SC to host 2nd Annual Nasir Memorial 5/5 Cricket Tournament on Sunday The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS on Sunday 9th of October would be hosting the 2nd annual Naeem Nasir Memorial 5/ 5 Cricket tournament with support from long official sponsor, Bakewell. Nasir, the founder of Bakewell died several years back and is hailed as one of the main reasons why the RHTY&SC, MS is widely considered as Guyana’s leading Youth and Sports organisation. Secretary/CEO of the Club, Hilbert Foster hailed the late Bakewell CEO as a true friend and noted that his company since 2000 has invested millions of dollars into the club’s numerous programmes. The 5/5 Cricket tournament he stated was part of the RHTY&SC efforts to keep Nasir’s memory alive and to pay tribute to an outstanding Guyanese icon and role model. The 5/5 tournament would bowl off at 9:00am at the Area ‘H’ Ground with twelve teams involved. Among the teams expected to take part in the tournaments are Rose Hall Town Bakewell, Rose Hall Estate, Fyrish, Toopoo Rising Star, Bush Lot United, Young and Restless, Good Bananen and Belvedere United. Teams would be allot-

ted twenty minutes to bowl their five overs, while only two fielders would be allowed out of the 30 yards circle for the first over. A maximum of five fielders would be allowed out of the circle for the last four overs. All teams are expected to report to the Area ‘H’ Ground by 8:30AM with two red cricket balls. Umpires for the tournament would be provided by the Berbice Cricket Umpires Association. A prize package of over $100,000 would be given to the top teams and Man of the Finals. The energetic Secretary/CEO stated that with the Berbice Cricket Board been embroiled in the High Court in several matters, Berbice Cricket is at the crossroad and unless something is done shortly, the situation would get worse. The RHTY&SC he stated would be organising a series of tournaments at the Under 15, Under 17, Under 19, Female, Second and First Division levels in a major effort to make sure that cricket is kept alive in the ancient county. The long serving cricket official stated that when the RHTY&SC was founded in 1990, they were over 130 cricket clubs in the ancient county but today there are

Bakewell Berbice Supervisor Andre Sukwa hands over sponsorship Cheque to Chanderpaul Govindan of the RHTY&SC, M.S while other members look on. less than quarter of that amount due to the sickening state of Berbice, Guyana and West Indies Cricket. He warned that unless the stakeholders of Guyana’s Cricket learn to work for the betterment of the game and the

younger generation, the game would die a natural death. Bakewell has been sponsoring the Under 17 and Second Division teams of the RHTY&SC since 2000 and is the co-sponsor of over 20 other activities including the

Annual Award Ceremony, Annual Youth review Magazine, Christmas Village, Mother and Father of the Year Programme, Annual Cricket Award and Christmas Senior Citizens hampers among others. Foster expressed grati-

tude to Bakewell CEO Rajindranauth Gangaand the widow of the late Naeem Nasir, Mrs. Annetta Nasir for their continued confidence in the RHTY&SC. He pledged that the tournament would be properly organised.

RHTYSC, MS surpasses 2016 target of 300 programmes/activities The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS has surpassed their 2016 target of 300 programmes/activities. The Club and its eight cricket Clubs achieved the 2016 target on Sunday 25th of September when it hosted the Rose Hall Town Cuisine Festival and a Public Concert to officially close the 46th anniversary celebration of Guyana’s smallest township. The Club during the month of September also broke the record for the most activities/programmes completed in a month. The Club completed a total of 52 programmes/ activities surpassing its old record of 48 set in October, 2015 during the RHTY&SC Silver Jubilee anniversary celebration. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster who spearheaded each of the 300 programmes/activities stated that the Management and Members of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation are elated at achieving the 2016 target with over three months remaining in the year. He expressed confidence that the RHTY&SC and the cricket teams would be able to reach the once unreachable target of 400 activi-

ties for 2016. Among the activities that remains to be completed for the next three months are the Nasir Memorial 5/5 Cricket tournament, Edward B. Beharry Co. Ltd Say Yes/Say No Cricket Cup, Busta Champion of Champions 40 overs tournament, Tribute to Head teachers, Launching of Youth Review Magazine, Say No to Suicide Essay Competition, 2016 Christmas Village, Say No to Drugs Under 17 Cricket Tournament and the launching of an official Television video of the Rose Hall Town 46th anniversary celebration. The Club Secretary/CEO stated that the entire membership has worked beyond the call of duty to make the RHTY&SC, MS the Club it is today after a simple birth in September, 1990. The Hard working Secretary/CEO hailed the contribution of Club Executive Anil Ramnarine, Mark Papannah, Terry Pike, Elizabeth Brusch Joyce Wiggins, Neville Beaton, Keith Hicks and Simon Naidu for their hard work in 2016. Among the 300 programmes/activities completed so far in 2016 are Trib-

RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster ute to Heroes, Annual Awards Ceremony, Tribute to Outstanding Teachers, Tribute to Law Enforcement Officers, Annual TCL Cricket Academy, Republic Bank Summer Camp, Beharry Say No Campaign, GUYOIL Traffic Education Campaign, Ansa Mcal Award of Excellence, Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Award, Career and Business Fair, Rose Hall Town Cuisine Competition, Demerara Bank

Spelling Bee, GBTI Tape-ball Competition, Youth Information Booklet, Rose Hall Town 46th Anniversary Booklet, Children Mash Parade, Distribution of $1M worth of school bags to less fortunate students, educational scholarships to students, medical outreaches, construction of all-weather practise concrete pitch, refurnishing of Club Office, Hand in Hand 5/5 Cricket tournament, Mother of the Year Event, Tribute to

Fathers Programme, Anamayah Memorial Basketball Competition, Shane 5 a side football tournament, Rose Hall Tourist Posters, Rose Hall Town Television Documentary, Tribute to Senior Citizens, Tribute to Role Models, Hosting of West Indies Female Cricketers, Monthly feeding of the Poor, Tribute to Retired Teachers and publication of Say No to Crime stickers with Police members of the Police stations across Berbice. The Club also distributed over $3M worth of clothing, footwear and food items to less fortunate families, donated items including bicycles, TV set, searching lights, educational materials and sporting equipment to the Guyana Police Force while schools, churches and NGO’s to date has received over $1M in trophies, medals and sport gears as part of the Club’s Say Yes to Sports Programme while over 30 youths were assisted to obtain employment. T he Secretary/CEO issued an appeal to every Club Member to remain focused on the Club’s mandate to making a positive difference and to

dedicate themselves to reaching the revised 2016 target of 400 programme/activities by the 30th of December. He also expressed profound gratitude to the Club’s numerous official sponsors and donors for their support in 2016 and specially mentioned the newly elected Mayor and Town Council of Rose Hall Town especially Mayor Vijai Ramoo, Deputy Mayor Dave Budhu and Caretaker of the Area ‘H’ ground Steve Ramsingh. The Secretary also noted the assistance of the media especially DTV-8, LRTVS CH10, NCN TV and Radio, Guyana Times, Kaieteur News, TVG, Guyana Chronicle, News Room and News Update. The RHTY&SC would also like to specially acknowledge the assistance of journalists like Michael Khan, Gregory Rambarran, Franklyn Wilson, Claude David, Avinash Ramzan, Akeem Greene, John Ramsingh, Reaz Mohamed, Tanuja Raikha, Travis Seymour, Rajiv Bisnauth, Stephan Sookram, Tracey Khan Drakes and Leon Horatio.

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Ace Warriors overcome GNIC SC Ace Warriors defeated host Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) SC by one wicket when the Georgetown Cricket Association New Building Society 40over second division tournament continued on Saturday last. GNIC SC batted first and were sent packing for 82 in 24.4 overs. David Dick got 21 and Joshua Persaud 19; Abzal Gafoor claimed 4-10 and Roger Abrams 3-14. Ace Warriors responded with 83-9 in 28 overs. M. Parks made 27 and Gafoor 10. Dick bagged 5-15 and T. Grovesnor had two. At the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) ground, TSC beat University of Guyana (UG) by six wickets. UG took first strike and were bowled out for 100 in 21 overs. Azem Azeez grabbed 8-26 from 7.5 overs, while Keon Morris had 2-27. TSC responded with 101-4 in 24 overs. Shawn Massiah made 31 and Rafael Singh 20

Thursday October 06, 2016

Kaieteur News

Windies in crisis after Babar hundred ensures second whitewash Shoaib Malik is mobbed by his team-mates, Pakistan v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi ©Getty Images

Azeem Azeez

Shafeek Ishmael

not out. Dennis Heywood had 3-18 from seven overs. At Bourda, GCC thumped Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) by eight wickets. MSC fell for 65 taking first strike; GCC reached 66-2 in reply. At the Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO), the host

went down to Muslim Youth Organisation by four wickets. Batting first, GYO made 146 all out in 26.5 overs, with John Champagne scoring 43. Shafeek Ishmael snared 5-13 and Roopesh Motilall had three. MYO got to 147-6 in reply.

Everest CC congratulates Hemraj, Chanderpaul, Khan and Persaud on outstanding performances Chanderpaul Hemraj

Tagenarine Chanderpaul The Everest Cricket Club had extended congratulations to Chanderpaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Amir Khan and Akshaya Persaud on their outstanding performances in the current Guyana Cricket Board Jaguars three-day League. Hemraj struck a double century against Essequibo at Imam Bacchus ground, Chanderpaul made a century versus Georgetown at Lusignan, while

Khan had a five-wicket haul earlier in the tournament and Persaud scored a century against Lower Corentyne at Tuschen. A release from the club stated that the players’ success is a result of their hard work, commitment and discipline and it will serve as a motivation to the younger players. The club would like to wish the players well in the remaining matches of the competition.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies were in full blown crisis yesterday after Babar Azam slammed a record third successive One-Day International hundred to condemn them to 136-run defeat, as Pakistan pulled off an emphatic 3-0 series whitewash and sent the Caribbean side tumbling to number nine in the international rankings. The 21-year-old righthander carved out 117 off 106 balls while captain and opener Azhar Ali stroked 101 from 109 deliveries, two innings that powered Pakistan to 308 for six in the third and final ODI at the Sheikh Stayed Stadium – the first time in three years Pakistan surpassed 300 twice in a series. In the process, Babar became only the second batsman after South African Quinton de Kock to hit centuries in each game of a threematch ODI series, and the third Pakistan player to score three successive ODI hundreds after Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar. Not for the first time in the series, a lacklustre West Indies never rose to the challenge and crumbled for an embarrassing 172 all out off 44 overs. Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin top-scored with a painstaking 37 off 70 deliveries while opener Kraigg Brathwaite got 32 from 44 balls and captain Jason Holder, 26 from 25 balls. They were 75 for one in the 18th over but with the re-

quired run rate already building towards seven per over, no one stepped up to produce the innings needed, and the last nine wickets crashed for

97 runs. West Indies have now lost every game of the tour following on from their 3-0 (Continued on page 25)

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 06, 2016

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Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean Cup 2016

Players united and motivated ahead of Suriname clash on Saturday – Shabazz

GFF President Wayne Forde, 1st and 2nd VPs Bruce Lovell and Rawleston Adams take time out for a pic with the Golden Jaguars and Technical Staff last evening at practice. By Franklin Wilson Long Time Head Coach of Guyana’s flagship team, the Golden Jaguars, Jamaal Shabazz on his final sojourn for the Guyanese side is confident that despite the challenges, his charges are united and motivated ahead of Saturday’s all important Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean Cup 2016 clash against old rivals, Suriname in Paramaribo. Speaking with the media last evening prior to the final training session before winging out to Suriname today, Shabazz noted that he has a good blend of experienced and young players as well as a good blend of local and foreign based players.

He noted that both opponents in Round 3 of this tournament are top teams indicating that Suriname has always been worthy opponents whilst Jamaica, whom the Guyanese will face next Tuesday at the Leonora Track and Field Facility Football Field is the defending champions of Caribbean football. Whilst not satisfied that the preparations have not been the best, Shabazz, who has been the chief tactician o f G u y an a’s football for 10 years, posited that life is full of challenges. ”In football when you have your squad together and you have your players united and motivated to

play, challenges die a natural death. Now we want to look with courage and confidence going into the game against Suriname first and go and try to get the result. We can cry and we can complain from now until the cows come home; but we have got to accept the situation for what it is and go in there and try to do our best for our country and get a result.” The Trinidadian further noted that it is good to face challenges and be able to overcome same and that is what they will be endeavoring to do. Zooming in on the players, Shabazz said the surprise pick might be elder statesman, Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams who has

Slight change made to Nand Persaud... From page 30 finish, is dubbed as the” Nand Persaud Karibee Sprint Classic”. The track is one straight mile. The longest event will be 880 yards, while the shortest will be 440 yards. There are seven races carded for the day with cash, trophies and other incentives totaling close to $3M on offer with 40 horses entered so far for the day’s meet. The main event will be an open affair with all horses allowed to participate over 880 yards for a winning purse of $350,000 and

trophy. So far horses such as Plum Plum, Strom Bird, Cat Messiah and Golden Blue Echo and Light Up Canada are expected to participate. The G class horses will be galloping over 660 yards for a winning take of $250,000 and trophy. There is an event for horses classified H and lower also over 660 yards with the winners set to receive $200,000 and trophy. The two year old animals will be racing over 440 yards for a $100,000 and trophy. Animals classified J and lower will also be catered for as they will be running over

660 yards for a winner’s take of $120,000 and trophy. There are two L class events over 440 yards with similar winnings of $100,000 and trophies up for the taking. The top jockeys will be presented with trophies compliments of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market. A number of vets are also expected to be on hand to assist in case of emergency. The event will be run under the rules of the Sky Plus Incorporated. Interested persons can contact telephone numbers 325-3564 for further information.

played quite a lot in Suriname pointing out that he is a horse for that course. Quincy Adams as well as Walter ‘Boyd’ Moore who now campaigns in Finland have also played for sometime in the Dutch country. ”All in all we chose the squad for this trip that we feel would be quite capable of getting us the result that we desire. It’s a difficult time, we needed a crew who could weather the storm and go forward. I am satisfied that the final list that we have to go to Suriname that the guys are really committed to putting their best foot forward and this is what a coach wants.” Guyana’s most successful Head Coach informed that Kai McKenzie Lyle, a 6f 5in goalkeeper who plays in the division 2 in England is one of the newest players to be added to the Golden Jaguars line up. ” We h a v e C a s h London, this is a kid coming out of Los Angeles in the US system born to Guyanese parentage; we have another talented youngster in Anani Mohamed and then we have Warren Creavalle who played in the MLS for Philadelphia Union; we have some good talent and debutants.” In noting that he has plans to move on with his career as a Coach and pointing out that he has dedicated 10-years of his

life to Guyana’s football, Shabazz noted that he was elated that the Jamaica clash would be played at a football stadium and not a cricket stadium. ”We would like to bless this stadium with a victory but it is not a national team that will advance from a group, it is a country that advances and can go to the Gold Cup.” Coach Shabazz also made a call for fans and Guyana to rally behind their Golden Jaguars: “The businessmen must put something into the programme, the government must put something into the programme and the fans must flood the Leonora Stadium and put something into the programme.” He shared that when everyone puts something in, then we can all look to take something out sharing the example that if you don’t put anything into the bank you cannot use your bank card to withdraw anything. ”So we are calling on the nation, the politician, the businessmen, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker; everybody have to contribute to make this happen in a particular way. But even if they don’t, and is we alone we will go forward and look for the result.” GFF President Wayne F o r d e an d F ir s t Vice President Bruce Lovell who were accompanied by

Second VP Rawleston Adams both spoke with the team and staff, encouraging them to go and do their best for self and country. Captain Christopher Nurse in commenting noted that it is always a pleasure to represent Guyana while stating that every team strives to prepare to the best of their ability pointing out that Jamaica and Suriname have been playing consistently ahead of these matches. ”All the teams who really want to progress have been playing consistently unfortunately our team has not prepared the best we could; we h a v e n ’t b e e n p l a y i n g frequently on FIFA dates and our expectations are to succeed and go forward and that’s the expectation of the players. The players will always go out there and try their hardest but we have to be realistic.” The plain spoken Nurse complimented all the players for making themselves available but lamented the lack of facilities and structures in place and is looking forward to the day Guyana can have such in place and be at the top of the Caribbean. He ended by saying that the players are humble and committed and are here to represent Guyana to the best of their abilities in order to get positive results coming up.

Kaieteur News

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Thursday October 06, 2016

Bel Air Lions / GDA to host ‘A’ House win Central High School Inter-House C/ships Domino Tournament on Oct. 30

Play promises to be intense in this month end’s tournament. The Lions Club of Bel Air in collaboration with the Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) will be holding a One-Day Fund Raising Tournament on Sunday October 30, at the Lions Civic Centre, Enachu Street, Section ‘N’ Campbellville, starting at 12:00hrs. The Competition which is labelled the ‘Lions Clash of the Champions’ Tournament will see eighteen teams battle for top honours and they include mixed teams from the Lions fraternity going up against teams affiliated to the GDA as well as those from the corporate community.

The teams that were invited include: Killers, Upper Level, Masters, Scramblers, All Seasons, GGMC, Thunder, Strikers, F&H Supremes, Impressers, Frankies, Lions ‘A’, Spartans, Lions ‘B’, Transport, Freddie’s 6, Police and NIS. The proceeds of the Tournament will be used to support the poor and needy. Over $200,000 in prize monies are up for grabs with the winning team set to receive $100,000, 2nd place $60,000 and 3rd place $40,000, while a special prize will be given to the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Slight change made to Nand Persaud Sprint Classic set for this Sunday ‘C’ House’s Shadaiah Dummett breezes through the finish line yesterday at the GCC Ground at Bourda to win the Girls’ U-18 100m race at Central High School’s Inter-House Championships. ‘A’ House yesterday ran away with the Central High School Inter-House Athletic Championship after amassing 604 points to leave nearest challenger, ‘D’ House on 540 points at Georgetown’s Cricket Club Ground, Bourda. ‘C’ House was third on 476

points, while ‘B’ House finished in the cellar position on 367 points at the preliminary meet in South Georgetown, District 13 ahead of National School Championships in November. The points were before the male and female 4x100m relays were included.

Jammers upset Warriors in overtime to take title Rose Hall Jammers created an upset in Berbice basketball on Sunday evening to win the A. Ally and Sons 2016 Basketball Tournament after being forced into overtime to win 44-42. Randy Caesar with a game high of 16 points scored in the nick of time to see New Amsterdam Warriors equalize at the end of regulation time. After trailing at the end of the first quarter 5-10, the Jammers fought themselves back to enjoy a one point

lead at the end of the first half of the game (20-19). The lead kept changing with every point scored and the Warriors were able to equalize (28-28) going into the third quarter. The Jammers got their first 3-pointer (30-33) when David Hope found the basket from beyond the line. The lead was further enhanced when Raburn Marray scored another 3pointer (32-38) with three minutes left on the clock. Wi t h t h e l e a d t h e

Jammers slowed down the game and went more on their defence, however Caesar was able to equalize with a few seconds left and the game was forced to go into extra time after they tied score (38-38). For the winners, Stephon Fraser (10), David Hope (9) and Mickel Lewis (7) were the top scorers while Caesar received excellent support from Shamar France and Kwesi Mickle each scoring seven points. The MVP of the final was Mickel Lewis.

By Samuel Whyte Cognisant of the fact that it is the first horserace meet being held at the new venue and the fact that it is a new type of horseracing being introduced in the country, the organisers have made a few adjustments to the meet. Known for their high standard and quality in whatever they do, the organisers, Nand Persaud and Company Limited known for its signature Karibee Rice Brand, has decided to make a few adjustments to the day’s activity. Set for this Sunday at the company’s spanking new facilities at No 36 village Corentyne Berbice, starting time is 14:00 hrs. The activity will now be a day affair so as to get everything correct on the first occasion. The company has spent millions on constructing the track, which when completed will morphed into a play field and soon to be completed family fun park o n t h e i r 3 6 Vi l l a g e Macedonia Estate. To make sure things are well coordinated the

Activity to be a day affair The complete track with rails and finishing post in place.

organisers have created a special company –the Sky Plus Incorporated has being established to oversee the successful coordination of

the event. The event, which will see the horses running in a straight line from start to (Continued on page 29)

Kaieteur News

Thursday October 06, 2016

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Sponsors hail Sharapova’s reduced ban ABSAA/The Soccer Ball Project taking shape in Guyana (Reuters) Maria S h a r a p o v a ’s r e d u c e d suspension for a doping violation is set to provide a healthy boost to her bank balance with corporate sponsors reaffirming their commitment to the Russian player. The 29-year-old can return to the court next April after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her two-year ban by nine months on Tuesday. Sharapova’s stunning admission in March that she had tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, and her subsequent ban by the International Tennis Federation, saw a number of sponsors distance themselves from her. Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer cut ties with the former world number one while Porsche, a unit of Vo l k s w a g e n A G , w a s among those to suspend its relationship with the Russian. However, in the wake of Tuesday’s verdict the German luxury carmaker confirmed it would discuss its tie-ups with Sharapova. “We welcome the CAS verdict and are delighted for Maria,” Porsche said in a statement published by Russian news agency TASS. “No contracts have been terminated. We will be discussing a future collaboration over the next days and weeks.” Nike Inc, the world’s biggest sportswear brand, initially suspended its

Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre kids receiving their balls.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova serves during her third round match against Lauren Davis of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 22, 2016. (REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo) partnership with Sharapova after her admission in March but said it would continue to work with the player after her two-year ban was announced in June. “We are pleased that Maria will be back playing the sport she loves in April and look forward to partnering with her and enjoying her continued success on and off the court,” Nike said in a statement published by ESPN. Mineral water brand Evian and racket maker Head, long-time backers, also released statements hailing the reduction. Head chairman and CEO Johan Eliasch, a robust supporter of Sharapova throughout the scandal, said “justice” had been served. “We are very proud

to have stood by Maria for the right reasons throughout these difficult and testing times,” he said in a statement posted on the company’s social media accounts. Five-times grand slam champion Sharapova, the w o r l d ’s h i g h e s t - p a i d sportswoman, earned $29.7 million last year, according to Forbes magazine, most of it from endorsements, appearances and royalties rather than victories on court. Sponsors’ moves to rekindle their relationships with Sharapova were viewed dimly by some sports fans on social media. “So boss of Head reckons drug taking is fine. Tennis is a mess with sponsors like this!” tweeted David Cooke (@hirsty9).

Murray and Ferrer cruise into China Open quarters

St John’s Bosco Orphanage also benefitted The Soccer Ball Project, an initiative of the Alex Bunbury Sports & Academics Academy (ABSAA) through F o u n d e r M r. A l e x Bunbury has been taking shape in Guyana where a number of schools and clubs have already received footballs.According to one of the local Coordinators, J u n i o r F o r r e s t e r, t h e programme has been gaining momentum as a number of entities have

already benefitted from this project. He informed that the persons behind this are Mr. Carlos Lima - The Soccer Ball Project Founder and Founder of the ABSAA, Mr. Alex Bunbury whose academy focus is “Creating Hope & Opportunity Through Sports & Academics. Those receiving balls to date are St. John’s Bosco Orphanage, Joshua House Children Centre, Tutorial Secondary

School, Winfer Gardens Primary, Plaisance Primary & Secondary, St Paul’s Primary Plaisance Panthers U-17 FC, Kwakwani, Central High, St Georges High, St Ambrose, North Georgetown Primary and a number of clubs in Guyana’s interior. Forrester also noted that the Soccer Project is a non-profit organization whose motto is making children smile, one ball at a time.

( R e u t e r s ) Wo r l d number two Andy Murray crushed Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 6-2 6-1 and fifth seed David Ferrer overwhelmed Italian Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-4 to reach the China Open quarter-finals in Beijing on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Murray won 81 percent of first-serve points and Kuznetsov made a string of unforced errors to hand the Briton victory in one hour 16 minutes. Murray will meet his 21-year-old compatriot Kyle Edmund, who upset Spanish world number 18 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 4-6 6-4, in the last eight on Friday. “(On) the day of the match, it’s always a little

bit uncomfortable,” Murray, a three-times grand slam winner, told reporters about facing his Davis Cup team mate. “Normally when you see your friends and stuff in the locker room, you have a chat, joke around a bit. But on match days, it always tends to be a little bit more serious.” The 34-year-old Ferrer, who reached the China Open final in 2010 maintained his perfect career record over Fognini. The Spaniard, bidding to reach his first final of the year, will next face in-form 19-year-old Alexander Zverev, who beat American Jack Sock 6-4 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.

Andy Murray

t r o Sp Windies in crisis after Babar hundred ensures second whitewash

Babar Azam performs the sajdah after scoring his third successive ton, Pakistan v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi ©Getty Images

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Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin top-scored with a painstaking 37 from 70 balls.

Bel Air Rubis and Trophy Stall combine to inject funds into Under-13 cricket P.28

Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean Cup 2016 P.29

Players united and motivated ahead of Suriname clash on Saturday – Shabazz

Ramesh Sunich (left) of Trophy Stall handing over the winning trophy to Anil Persaud of East Coast Cricket Committee in the presence of two Under-15 players and GFSCA representative Anil Beharry.

RHTY&SC to host P.27 2nd Annual Nasir Memorial 5/5 Cricket Tournament on Sunday

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